So many books to catch up on! I had started a few that I couldn’t get into, and I may mention them in this post. Sometimes I am open to reading anything, and other times only specific genres will do. I can pretty much always read a romcom, but I have to be in the right mood for a thriller, women’s fiction or nonfiction. Do you get like that?
If All Else Sails by Emma St Clair
Josie’s brother always comes up with a sibling trip and they can get wild, so when Josie shows up to a murder cabin and finds her brother’s friend/client grumpy Wyatt, she isn’t sure what to think. He talks her into staying to help Wyatt recover from an injury, and she agrees. Enemies to lovers/forced proximity lets go! I love both tropes, and they are done here together fabulously. Though, it is really only enemies on Josie’s side, as we know Wyatt has adored her from the start. We learn about Josie’s past, as well as why Wyatt owns the “murder cabin.” They embark on a journey together and I am here for it all. This one is a super slow burn, and I wish we would have gotten a little more of them as a couple. It is a clean romance, many I read include the spice…so it was nice for the pacing on it. I really enjoyed this one, it was such a fun ride!
Bottom Line: Read it!
**I received a copy of If All Else Sails from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.**
Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
Loved jumping back into the Harkness friend circle for Conner and Maya’s story. It is centered around Eli and Rue’s wedding, which is super fun…like a continuation of the previous book! Plus….it takes place in Italy!!!! I absolutely fell in love with the setting. Could not be more perfect, even if a volcano erupts and wedding chaos ensues. There is broody tension and so much pining in this one, love. But. Most all the entire book spends so much time fixating on the “problematic” aspect of Maya and Conor…..their age difference. We get it. They are 15 years apart. It became exhausting how many times it was mentioned. Also, can we state that Maya seemed more mature than Conor about it? I love how Ali writes smart girls who are strong in the own personality and identity…but it also felt a little too much like Conor was Maya’s entire identity throughout the book. I loved the witty and banter that she brings with all her characters though. I just wish the age gap thing was handled better.
Bottom Line: Read if you are a Hazelwood fan….or want to take a trip to Italy!
Rental House by Weike Wang
I think a friend shared they enjoyed this book so I was surprised when I had a hard time caring about any of these characters. The main couple is so flat and boring. When we get their meet-cute, it just made me sad. Keru is insufferable, zero emotion or personality. And what was up with throwing stuff? It was a huge red flag for mental health issues that never get addressed. Nate also didn’t have much of a personality and needed to grow a pair. There was zero chemistry in their relationship, they basically spent the entire book making each other do things the other didn’t want to do. Then we get to the end of the book, and I am sitting here wondering why this was even written?? Like nothing really happened. I don’t understand the point other than the author getting some of their political views out that were annoying. The only reason I did not DNF this book was that I listened on audio and it was only 6 hours long. Had I had a physical copy, I probably would have trashed it after the first chapter. Sorry, cant recommend.
Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver
I love Josie Silver’s Christmas/Winter books so I was excited to dive into something different from her. The premise was interesting, an actress hired to represent a book and pretend to be it’s author. A step further than just a ghost writer. I will say, what I thought was going to be a slow burn romcom….was more of a women’s fiction book with some romance thrown in. If that make sense? Like I was underwhelmed by the romance part of the book…but still enjoyed the story for what it was. Kate is a divorced mom, and has lost herself over the years and takes this job to find her way back. That part was so very relatable to me. And can we talk about Kate’s sister for a moment? What a strong, supportive woman! Loved how fiercely she loves her family. There was some hilarious moments, like a T Rex costume that you will just have to read to enjoy. But Charlie and Kate’s story gets lost in all the other moments of the book. Maybe it was never the focus at all and I was trying to make it be? It just didn’t hit like I wanted to. But I dont want that to take away from my feelings for the story, because it was a good one.
Bottom Line: Read it as women’s fiction and not romcom.
**I received a copy of Slow Burn Summer from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.**
An Irish Summer by Alexandra Paige
Chelsea is being let go at her current job, but is offered to help out at the sister property in Ireland for the summer. Not knowing what else to do, she takes it and most of the book takes place in Galway, Ireland. I loved getting to travel through the area with Chelsea and Collin. But I have to admit, I was annoyed with Chelsea for most of the book. She didn’t really want to give the area a chance, nor the people she met. And while she does eventually open up to everything, it seemed like such a waste of time there. She didn’t have much of a life outside her work and one friend back home, so why was she trying to get back to that so hard? I wished we had a few chapters from Collin to maybe see what light he saw her in that he kept trying to get her to stay and enjoy Ireland? Because I couldn’t see it. I enjoyed the story, but just wish Chelsea was a little more fun or the book spent less time telling in inner monologue and more time showing with the story.
Bottom Line: Could be a fun summer read to visit somewhere new.
**I received a copy of Irish Summer from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.**
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Ok, I usually LOVE Emily Henry. Like she could do no wrong. But this book felt….different? Before you write the rest of my review off thinking I am going to trash the book, I am not. I still enjoyed the story. It just wasn’t what I was expecting, and not in the best way…if that makes sense. This very much reminded me of Evelyn Hugo by TJR….and truth be told…I didn’t love that either. Emily’s writing is beautiful, as always. The premise of 2 authors competing to write a book was interesting and unique. You have the grumpy sunshine thing happened between Alice and Hayden. But I feel like the love story took a backseat to Margaret Ives life and at times I just didn’t care about her lineage. Then there is this whole side plot with Alice’s mom. It felt weird at times, like I appreciated her back story and writing about her dad and stuff but it was sort of oddly timed and thrown in towards the end. Like there were three separate books all mixed into one. Too much was happening to unpack, and then there are some twists thrown in and I just didn’t get the real feel I got in some other of Emily’s novels. Like I liked the characters but the banter and sizzle was missing some.
I listened to this on audio, and Julia Whalen was the narrator, and I love her as a narrator. She makes any book more interesting.
Bottom Line: I enjoyed the book, it just wont be in my list of top favorites from Emily Henry.
Here Be Dragons by Melanie Shankle
This hits generational trauma, mean girls, toxic relationships, etc. It is perfect for girl moms out there. Melanie shares stories about raising her own daughter, and the mean girls issues that went along with it…but also about her own childhood and her toxic relationship with her mom. I enjoyed the whole book and the biblical perspective that she shares throughout. I consumed via audiobook and the narration was great.
Bottom Line: Great for girl moms.
Summer in the City by Alex Aster
I was so excited to hop in this because it looks like the perfect summer read, right?! This was supposed to be enemies to lovers, but like, it was only such because Elle misread a situation and then hates Parker for years. She also got on my nerves because she had so many opinions and beliefs built on nothing, and she didn’t really have any growth the entire book. This was also another example of a woman hating on a man simply because he had money. Some people work and succeed in life, that isn’t a reason to hate. I can appreciate that Elle was trying to make it on her own and the things that blowup with her are understandable. I just wish she was more likeable throughout the whole book. The setting in NYC and some of the things they do together were fun and I consumed this via audiobook so that always helps me stay on a book.
Bottom Line: Overall it passed the time, I was just a little let down with the main female lead.
Broken Country
I am trying to decide how I want to talk about this book. Mainly the issue for me is that the premise surrounds an affair between Beth and Gabriel. I do not like cheating in life or in books. Just not a fan. Also, Frank is a fantastic man, or so I feel like he is, we don’t really get much about him besides the fact that he has loved Beth since they were kids, and he doesn’t deserve the shit storm drama that Beth brings to their marriage. He was way too calm about it all to be honest. It was an interesting read, spanning between past and present and the history with Gabriel and Beth, the tragedy that happened to Frank and Beth and some family drama. But Beth is just so dang selfish, and the ending is maddening. I don’t really understand all the hype about this book?
Bottom Line: There are a ton of reviews out there saying this was amazing, and while I found it an interesting read….it really frustrated me. I didn’t love the family drama that boils down to someone being a selfish cheater and all the fall out of the after.
Back After This by Linda Holmes
This was a fun little read about a podcast producer who works with a social media influencer that specializes in self-help that choses dates for Cecily to go on…and she reports back on them during the podcast episodes. Listeners get involved in her life and have opinions about people she dates and doesn’t date. Meanwhile, Will, a guy that she meets organically, also snags Cecily’s attention. I wont say much more than this, it was just enjoyable from start to finish!
Bottom Line: Fun, cozy read!
**I received a copy of Back After This from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.**
Late to Love by Valerie Pepper
Valerie Pepper is the queen of small town romance, so I was excited to dive in to this next installment from the Lucky In Love series.) First, I love that other characters from the previous books are in this one, and we are enjoying the same small town with the cast full of lovable characters.
There is an obvious age gap/grumpy sunshine thing going on here, and I love that. So much good banter and spice. Though, I must say, I am soooo not into the daddy thing. It makes me cringe. But that may just be me, and I ignored it and didn’t let it take away from the story. Funny enough, I think Darcy may have been more mature than Anthony! But it is a fun dynamic, you have some family drama on both sides. Just overall a good read.
Bottom Line: Read it
**I received a copy of Late to Love from Happily Booked and am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.**
Eat to Beat Disease by William Li, MD
I first heard William Li on a podcast episode from someone I regularly listen to. I was intrigued by some of the things he said, so I decided to check his book out of the library. Like many health and wellness books, I tend to take and leave the information. I felt like some of the research and studies he shares are very interesting and I learned a few things…but then he has beer and wine on the list of things that keep us healthy and it seems to me that most studies that suggest such are paid for by alcohol companies, and really looses credibility. Many studies actually show that alcohol has negative effects on our body and can mess with our hormones. He also suggests soy but then other studies say soy is bad. It gets so confusing as an every day person to know what to follow as solid advice. I feel like we all need a medical degree and nutrition classes to figure it out!
Bottom Line: This book is very well cited and there are lots of studies shared which are fascinating. I truly believe that food can heal us or make us sick. It just seems like some of his findings are contradictory to other things I have read. But not everything. So you have to read these books and filter as you see fit.
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