Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

5*

Road Trip is so much more than I expected, and I loved it. It’s about estranged sisters who fulfill their mother’s dying wish to travel together through Ireland in the hopes they’ll reconcile. It’s also a mystery thriller centered on a painting that has been in the family for generations and determining its provenance. Was it stolen? Is it authentic? The actual story behind it is told in a series of letters between their great-grandmother who fled to America at age 18 and the younger brother she had to leave behind. It’s also a delightful romance between younger sister Maeve and a sexy Irish whiskey distiller named Liam. Who doesn’t dream of discovering love while tracing their roots?

Andrews strikes the perfect balance between the romance, the healing of Therese and Maeve’s relationship, and the sordid and tragic story behind the painting. Her characters are richly-drawn and the various locations perfectly set the stage. This would be a wonderful book to take on your summer vacation. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate

 

4*

Spoilers:

This love story within a love story is an absolute delight! It is the second contemporary romance I’ve read by Lauren Kate, and i hope she continues to write these sorts of love stories since I’m not a fan of the romantasy genre she’s better known for.

After reading Noa Callaway’s first book in college, Lanie Bloom was so inspired by her brilliant take on love that she gave up on the idea of following her parents’ footsteps into medicine and decided to pursue a career in publishing instead, becoming assistant to Peony Publishing’s editorial director Alix. After seven years of emails between Lanie and Peony Publishing’s top author Callaway (who has never been seen by anyone but Alix), in which she plays good cop to Alix’s bad cop when trying to get Noa to accept editorial changes to her manuscript, Alix decides to quit after having a baby. Lanie is “provisionally” promoted to editorial director so long as she can get Noa, who is four months past her deadline for her next book, to deliver a manuscript within 3 months. When they finally meet, Lanie is shocked to find that the real Noa(h) is a man, making her question everything she thought she knew about what constitutes “real love.”

As a way to break Noah out of his writer’s block and find inspiration for what he hopes will be a book that covers the entire spectrum of love, not just the beginning, Lanie proposes a series of encounters of lesser-known New York City landmarks like The Cloisters, Pomander Walk, and Gapstow Bridge in Central Park. It's pretty obvious from the first meeting at the Chess House in Central Park that, despite Noah’s true identity, they’ve become friends of sorts over the past seven years, playing virtual chess, sharing bits of their lives, and Noa even sending tulips to Lanie after each new book is published. So, it’s fun to see how Noah incorporates parts of their story and his feelings into the new book he’s writing.

In an author’s note, Kate says “I wanted to explore how Lanie and Noa(h) can have a stimulating intellectual argument one moment, burst out laughing the next, and share each other’s grief in the third.” I’d say that she achieved this beautifully as Lanie and Noah’s relationship segues from emails to impromptu meals where they challenge each other to train trips down to D.C. where Noah opens up about his mother’s worsening Alzheimer’s and Lanie talks about losing her mother at age 10 whose last bit of advice to her was to hold out for someone she’d “really, really love.” Noah learned about love from his romance-loving single Mom and his two “aunts” and, from that first book he wrote at age 20, Lanie discovered someone who outlined the elements that make up real love.

In addition to the central slow burn, clean romance written from Lanie’s POV, this is also a love letter to New York City, and I never tire of learning more of those out-of-the-way places that make the City so fascinating. I also really enjoyed Lanie’s grandmother, BD, a holocaust survivor and sex-positive septuagenarian who provided the maternal guidance Lanie so sorely needed. My only slight criticism is that I felt it ended a bit abruptly. I would have liked to have seen what the reaction was when Noah finally shared his true identity with his readership and what came after their kiss that we waited until the last page to get. Still a lovely romance, though, so I recommend it.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
 

 

The Marriage Sabbatical by Lian Dolan

 

4*

I guess I’m really old school, so I initially struggled with the open marriage premise of this book. However, I appreciate what Nicole’s friend Tessa said about the idea of monogamous marriages being the result of the Puritans’ influence and the Eisenhower administration’s focus on the “perfect American family myth.” Historically, marriages were mostly political or business alliances rather than love matches and, as long as children were produced and a wife fulfilled her other duties, fidelity was a non-issue. Of course, for the better part of history, people didn’t live long lives, so even loving couples rarely had to be concerned with boredom and monotony in a marriage.

In Nicole and Jason’s case, they decide on a 9-month marriage sabbatical after hearing of the Five Hundred Mile Rule from their neighbors. When Nicole backs out of a grueling motorcycle trip through South America following by months on a beach surfing (which Jacob had planned to take with his best friend before he tragically died) and tells Jacob she wants to go to Santa Fe to learn silversmithing and jewelry-making instead, he’s understandably upset. She is the one to suggest that they sleep with other people with a few rules and the understanding that they’ll reunite at the end and keep their dalliances to themselves. As they exchange weekly emails where she signs off with hugs and kisses and his are devoid of any affection, I couldn’t help thinking it’s a risky thing for a long-time couple who love each other. What’s the point of taking the chance of catching feelings for someone else when it’s just a 9-month separation?

So, I had to put my personal feelings about cheating aside (is it still cheating if both parties give permission?) and evaluate the book on its merits. Dolan, using flashbacks that fill the reader in on the things that initially drew Nicole and Jason together and the struggles and milestones they shared, gives readers a vivid picture of the strength of their marriage and commitment to their family. It also becomes clear that both Nicole and Jason’s plans (hers to learn to create beautiful, but difficult pieces of wearable art and his to write a mystery thriller) are better in their heads than in reality. Their time away, however, gives them the experiences and confidence to reevaluate what they want from life (with their kids due to graduate college, with her long-time job in retail a casualty of the pandemic, and with his demanding job in publishing keeping him away from his family far too much). It also gives them the opportunity to meet a varied and unique cast of characters (including an adorable mini poodle, Bardot) who enrich their experiences and helped them realize that the end of the sabbatical doesn’t have to mean going back to the same life that was no longer satisfying.

Overall, this was a very good depiction of a modern marriage in which the husband and wife love and respect each other but acknowledge that they need a break. If you’re looking for a love story featuring mature characters, this one is worth considering.

Fair warning: If you’re Covid-conscious and acknowledge that the risks of infection are still with us, it may be triggering to read about a family who goes back to “normal” even knowing that Jason’s best friend, an ER doctor, died driving home after a grueling shift in the early days of the pandemic.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from William Morrow through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra

3*

Update:

I initially gave this book 5*, but after reading multiple 1* reviews in which the reviewers mentioned the age difference, the rape scene towards the end of the book, and the fact that a straight white woman shouldn't be writing a book about a young gay (or gay and bi) couple without vetting it with members of the queer community, I knocked it down 2 stars. I still feel it's well-written and has a lot going for it, but I acknowledge that I am, in fact, a straight, older woman who can't subjectively evaluate it and apologize for even trying.

Initial 5* review:

In this epistolary YA novel, Jonathan (Jo) Hopkirk and Adam (Kurl) Kurlansky are assigned as pen pals. With each letter exchanged, an unlikely friendship develops between openly and proudly gay Jo and bad boy football player Kurl that eventually grows into love. However, as the vicious bullying of Jo escalates and devastating family secrets are revealed, will their love be strong enough to survive? Henstra has gifted us with a gut-wrenching, heart-warming, and ultimately hopeful story about the challenges gay teens face and the scars and wounds they carry that can either strengthen or destroy love. It is a love letter to the lost art of letter writing and to Walt Whitman’s poetry which is the thread that binds their relationship. Kurt’s affirming journey from a taciturn, angry young man to a thoughtful and expressive writer is noteworthy.

As an advocate for LGBTQ+ teens, it warms my heart to read so many new YA romance titles with queer protagonists. At a time when the queer community is fighting to protect its rights and vulnerable teens are dealing with increased depression, bullying, and suicide, they desperately need to have books that provide assurance that they are not alone and that their love is honored and celebrated. I encourage all librarians and others working with teens to share this book and use it as a vehicle to spark conversation between queer and straight kids because, with knowledge comes understanding and acceptance.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

5*

In her delightful and heart-warming debut novel set in London, British author Beth O’Leary transcends the typical contemporary romance by introducing a unique approach to building a relationship through Post-It notes and shared food, delicately handling the topic of PTSD from an emotionally-abusive relationship, and tackling racial profiling. In a dual narrative format, we are privy to the intimate thoughts of two wonderful protagonists. Socially anxious Leon communicates in shorthand and works as a palliative care nurse. He needs money for his incarcerated brother’s legal fees, so decides to advertise a flatshare (or, more accurately, a bedshare). Tiffy, asst. editor for a crafting and DIY publisher, with a colorful attitude and wardrobe to match, responds after being evicted from her ex-boyfriend’s flat. With both of them working opposite shifts, they never expect to meet, but fate has a way of upsetting the best-laid plans. A strong group of secondary characters including Rachel the best friend, Gerty the barrister, Mo the counselor, Holly the young, but wise-beyond-her-years leukemia patient, Richie the incarcerated brother, and Katherin the demanding knitting and crochet book author provide sound advice, a little match-making help, and emotional support when Justin, the vile and controlling ex-boyfriend, keeps pushing his way into her life. For fans of Christina Lauren, Sally Thorne, Helen Hoang, and Josie Silver.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Flatiron Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.