Beth and Amy is a pitch-perfect retelling of Little Women / Good Wives from the point of view of Beth, Amy, and occasionally Abigail March. It completely captures the personalities of the March girls and their friends and family, while bringing them convincingly into the modern era. I loved it. Amy is returning to Bunyan for her sister Jo’s wedding to Eric Bhaer, and is apprehensive about seeing Trey Lawrence again. She has had a … Continue reading Beth and Amy by Virginia Kantra →
The Bookshop of Second Chances is of the “my life just imploded but I inherited something in a far away place so I can GTFO” genre. Thea Mottram’s husband cheated on her with a close friend, and Thea found out because he accidentally sexted her instead of his mistress. Thea then loses her job, but finds out (as she’s packing up her things to move out of her home and her marriage) that a distant … Continue reading The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser →
Content warning: References to child abduction, the sexual abuse of children, and sexual exploitation generally. It is all referred to in fairly vague terms and is not depicted on the page, but there is a lot of upsetting back story. There is also a subplot that hinges on infidelity. The Road to Ironbark is two stories in one. At the tail end of the Gold Rush, Aurora Scott, a respectable widow with a less than … Continue reading The Road to Ironbark by Kaye Dobbie →
Content warning: The heroine’s father has Alzheimers and her caretaking and grief over this are a big part of the plot. Also, there’s a bit of a dysfunctional family (absent mother, charming but useless brother). Not Like The Movies is an odd book to review. It’s a RomCom set against the backdrop of a lot of pain and grief and insecurity, and I found it fairly depressing to read, perhaps because aspects of Chloe’s personality … Continue reading Not Like The Movies by Kerry Winfrey →
Content warnings: Both the hero and heroine have troubled pasts, including loss of parents, abuse, and infidelity. Also, the hero is REALLY into researching suicide cults. While this book is surprisingly sweet and light, and none of these things are described in detail, there is plenty of darkness in the backstory, so proceed accordingly. I took one look at the blurb for Beach Read on NetGalley and one-clicked so hard that they could probably hear … Continue reading Beach Read by Emily Henry →
Trigger warning (for the book, not the review): There is a teen pregnancy in the book and the father and sister are trying very hard to make the girl have an abortion when she doesn’t want to. I don’t know how this resolves, because see the DNF grade. But if you have triggers around emotionally abusive families or around other people deciding your healthcare, proceed with caution. I picked up this book because it looked … Continue reading Mix Tape by Jane Sanderson →
I started Dating by the Book with high hopes: You’ve Got Mail is my favorite 90s romantic comedy and this was supposed to be a charming retelling set in a cozy bookshop. Unfortunately, the enemies in Dating by the Book — author vs. critic instead of independent bookstore vs big retailer — marred my enjoyment. Additionally, the heroine’s frustrating actions — including her baffling behavior as a soon-to-be-published author and her selfishness — ultimately ruined … Continue reading Dating by the Book by Mary Ann Marlowe →
TL;DR: this is one of the most hurtful and painfully cruel books I have ever attempted to read. I have serious concerns about readers’ potential experiences with this story, and the harm and hurt it may cause. My notes begin with the following sentence and I stand by it: THIS BOOK IS TOXIC. Please proceed with this review and with this book with extreme caution. TW/CW: fat shaming, disordered eating, and physical and emotional self-harm … Continue reading Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins →
This is also part of my, “Okay, universe, just tell me what to read” campaign. This book has a lot of my catnip: lady spies, a dual chronology, and a host of people trying to put their lives back together after a war. In 1947, Charlotte “Charlie” St. Clair is in England with her mother. She’s on her way to Switzerland for an abortion. She’s a college sophomore, unmarried, and her parents have decided that the … Continue reading The Alice Network by Kate Quinn →
Jill Shalvis is my go-to feel good author for contemporaries. I was stoked to see she had a new series coming out (Lost and Found Sisters is the first book in the Wildstone series). I enjoyed the book, but strictly speaking, it’s not a romance novel. So I enjoyed what I got -but I didn’t get what I expected. While I can’t fault the book for being tagged as a romance at places like Goodreads, I … Continue reading Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis →
