Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner

 

5*

Damn, this woman writes incredible stories! This isn’t an easy book to read, but it is so timely and important. In dual timelines beginning in the late 1930s as the Nazis consolidated their power, Meissner tells the tragic story of a young orphan with synesthesia who, after becoming pregnant, is forced into a California system that dehumanizes her and strips her of all autonomy. Rosie Maras’s inner strength is admirable, especially in light of the horrendous way she is treated by the medical profession and a social service program that should support our most vulnerable citizens. It is also the story of Helen Calvert, the sister of Rosie’s legal guardian, who befriended Rosie when she was a child. Helen is a nanny to an Austrian family, and it’s the youngest child, Brigitta, who captures Helen’s heart with her sunny, loving personality despite the severe disabilities she was born with. Rather than return to California as war looms, she remains with the Maier family until an unspeakable tragedy tears them apart. When Helen finally returns to the States in 1949, she learns of Rosie’s plight and is compelled to right the wrongs perpetuated against her. It’s both a way to atone for her mistakes and to create a chosen family.

Until reading this book, I had no idea that the U.S. had a eugenics program that included the forced sterilization of over 60,000 people, including both women and men. While reading, I did a small bit of research and found that the Nazis modeled their T4 genocide program on the U.S. This shameful part of U.S. history is bound to repeat itself if we don’t vote out the Fascist, white supremacist politicians who are currently stripping women of their reproductive rights, supposedly sterilizing illegal immigrants in Southern detention centers, and attacking the LGBTQ community. It’s a slippery slope from where we are now to where the Nazis were by the end of the war, and it’s admirable how Meissner has shone a spotlight on the atrocities currently being perpetuated on American soil without politicizing it or drawing overt comparisons between Nazi Germany and recent legislation and fomenting violence against marginalized groups in America. It’s a simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking story that not so subtly reminds us not to let our guard down. Very highly recommended!

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

Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens

5*

I am so thankful for the day I discovered Sophie Cousens. Her romances are unique, sometimes unconventional, but always heartwarming and full of optimism. Her newest book Is She Really Going Out with Him? is no exception.

Anna Appleby is a newly divorced journalist, nearing 40 and with two young children. She’s convinced herself that she’s no longer interested in love or marriage, but when her job at a floundering magazine is suddenly on the line and Will, age 30 and her workplace nemesis, seems to be gunning for her job and impressing both the previous and new owners, she realizes she needs to step up her game and find a way to make her column more enticing to younger readers. Yet, she never expects that she will be forced into a competition where she agrees to ten dates suggested by her children and Will arranges similar dates using an online app, both sharing back page column space. In the process, Anna not only rediscovers her vitality and self-worth but also learns that her misconceptions about Will are unfounded.  

The setting for this novel is Bath, UK, and Cousens highlights many of the places and events that make this gorgeous city so memorable, including Bath Abbey, the Roman baths, and the Jane Austen Centre and annual ball. I appreciate her depiction of divorce and how it doesn’t have to be a romance death sentence for middle-aged women, and that everyone, no matter their interests, appearance, idiosyncrasies, or stage in life, can find a love match. I also liked how she juxtaposed Anna’s ex with his much younger girlfriend against Will and his defiance of the sexist stereotypes that seem to define modern dating. Cousens has such a talent for bringing her characters to life, including secondary ones like Anna’s children, many of her unconventional dates, and the colorful character of Loretta.

Fans of Jill Mansell, Debbie Johnson, Abby Jimenez, Katherine Center, and Emily Henry will adore this novel. Highly recommended.

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 Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt

 

3*

This is the second book by DeWitt I’ve read (the first being Savor It which I rated highly), and I’m disappointed that I struggled to get through it. I’m giving it the benefit of a doubt because I’ve been distracted by life, but the story didn’t compel me enough to want to put everything else aside to focus on it. First and foremost, I just didn’t care for LaRynn, the FMC. Yes, she had major baggage after being abused and neglected by her father and abandoned by her mother, feeling like she was incapable of being loved. However, her behavior towards Deacon, the anger, the rudeness, and her inability to be vulnerable and to share important parts of herself and her history, really frustrated me.

The use of a dual timeline (present-day and when they were lovers for a summer prior to her first year of college) and alternating chapters from both points of view, gave a full picture of their love story and the mistakes they both made along the way. However, in a character-driven romance, I need to believe in both main characters, and I just couldn’t with LaRynn for about 75% of the story. So, I was actually really thankful for the insight provided by the epilogue ten years in the future.

It’s not a badly-written book, and, if I were in a different frame of mind, I might have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately, I was just bored.

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

The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine

 

4*

Ruth Winters, who is presumably autistic, had spent the entirety of her adult life putting herself last and giving up her dream of a career in the art world. She also suffers from social anxiety, which contributes to her aversion to change. However, after spending her young adulthood serving as caregiver to her incapacitated father and many more years married to her late husband who was more of a roommate than love match, she finds herself at loose ends after being laid off. So, life begins to change whether she’s ready for it or not.

Aside from the babysitting she falls into, her life is small and lonely. She only has her loving niece Chloe and a highly-contentiously relationship with her sister, Ronnie. Then, in anticipation of her 50th high school reunion, she hears from an old crush, Martin, who wants to see her. She also gets some awful news from her sister which sets them on the road to reconciliation. It’s both humorous and heartwarming watching Ruth’s self-confidence build as others come to rely on her and, with the attention from both Martin and her sister, witnessing her really come out of the self-imposed cocoon she’d been wrapped in for decades.

As a woman almost as old as 68-year-old Ruth, I could relate to so much of what she has gone through. Her transformation is really inspiring for those of us who have sacrificed so much for our children, or in Ruth’s case, for her father and late husband, especially when we find ourselves lonely for companionship, reminiscing about our youth, and questioning some of the decisions we made that have caused some degree of regret. I know I’m not alone in occasionally thinking about “the one who got away” and how it would play out if given the chance to reconnect.

I liked almost everything about this book except the very abrupt ending. I would have preferred to see more of Ruth and Martin’s relationship building and have some insight into where Ruth’s life was heading. However, it is still a worthwhile, character-driven read that has left me pondering my own life choices, which is a great way to get my mind off of current events that I can’t control. Recommended.

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

Christmas with the Knights by Hannah Langdon

 

4*

If you love the idea of spending Christmas in the UK as much as I do, reading this wonderful story is the next best thing to being there. I really enjoyed Langdon’s 2023 Christmas offering, Christmas with the Lords, so I was excited to read this one. Although there isn’t as much humor, it’s still another heartwarming romance between the lord of the manor and a Londoner who desperately needs the escape and joy that a celebration of the holiday in the English countryside can provide.

Fallon is a highly successful, workaholic event planner who’s burned out and in need of a restful vacation. Instead, she accompanies her self-absorbed, neglectful soap opera mother to her soon-to-be stepfather’s country estate for three weeks around Christmas. There she meets his gorgeous son, Alexander and precocious grandson, Theo, who are both dealing with their own issues. Rather than taking it easy, Fallon agrees to plan her mother’s engagement party and work with Alexander to help launch his artisanal gin business at the annual village Christmas Fayre. As the days pass, Fallon begins to fall for this father and son but doesn’t see a future since she doesn’t want children, believing she’ll be as bad a mother as hers was. However, the appealing beauty of the Yorkshire moors, the warmth of the quirky extended Knight family (including eccentric Aunt Constance and effervescent sister Coco), and her mother’s apologies and efforts to heal their relationship help ease her loneliness and make her question if the frenetic pace of London is sustainable or even desirable.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story which checks all the boxes for a cozy, clean Christmas romance. The only problem I had was Fallon’s negativity and hurtful decisions she made out of fear. All’s well that ends well, though, so I definitely recommend this charming holiday offering.

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

Holiday Hideaway by Mary Kay Andrews

 

4*

Such a sweet Christmas short story! In less than 100 pages, Andrew’s has managed to pack in a temporary squatting situation, a painless breakup, and a budding friends-to-lovers romance full of witty banter and high school reminiscences. The setting, a Victorian New England shoreline cottage, is the icing on the cake. Recommended.

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

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

 

3*

This dual romance has vibes similar to the movie, The Holiday, but is about two best friends, not strangers, who swap holiday destinations. Holly, whose fiancé dumps her the night before their wedding, goes to an eco-cabin in upstate NY where Ivy was going to take her annual two-week art retreat while Ivy goes to Holly’s honeymoon resort in Hawaii only to find that the a’hole ex-fiancé is there with his new girlfriend. The hot bartender, Oliver, who resembles Ryan Gosling, finds her a place to stay and there’s an instant attraction. Meanwhile, Holly, who still hasn’t cried after the breakup of her 10-year relationship, meets the cabin’s owner, Aiden, who is, serendipitously, her former high school friendly rival who’s had a major glow-up, now resembling Henry Cavill.

The chapters alternate between Holly and Ivy (this nod to the holiday is mentioned more than once), and describe not only the different ways Christmas is celebrated in a small Hudson Valley town and on a breathtakingly beautiful Hawaiian island, but also how each female lead finds instalove when neither is looking for it. Although there are some mildly steamy scenes, there’s not really much obvious chemistry. It definitely has a Hallmark movie feel to it. In fact, the focus is just as much on the loving friendship between Holly and Ivy than the two romances. If you’re looking for a feel-good, low angst Christmas story, this is a good one to check out.

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.

Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds

 

4*

This is a sweet, clean romance about two 17-year-olds in love and on the precipice of losing their virginity to each other two years into their relationship. Reynolds starts the story in the present, and then goes back in time two years (in increments) to when Neon first met Aria at his grandfather’s burial, returning to the present in the last short chapter. It takes place in an unnamed urban setting (presumably DC/MD area, based on the names of the neighborhoods), but it’s nice to read a YA book that isn’t full of inner-city violence and tragedy. Instead, it’s focused on emotions, sage advice, parental support from both of Neon’s parents and Aria’s father, and solid friendships. Due to childhood abuse and the resultant trauma, Aria’s mother is difficult, but there’s no real angst in the story. This is very much character-driven with not much of a plot to speak of, and readers who are not familiar with black colloquial language may struggle a bit to understand some of the dialogue and Neon’s narrative (it’s told from his POV), but the message isn’t muddied. Recommended for libraries that serve teens.

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

The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy

 

4*

After more than half a year, Callie is still devastated by the breakup with her childhood sweetheart. With the best of intentions, her meddling sister Anita reintroduces a family tradition of an advent calendar comprised of 24 wrapped presents. On odd days, the boxes contain treats and, on the even days, tasks that correspond to the treats. Anita’s hope is that this will encourage Callie to embrace spontaneity and write a new chapter that includes opening herself up to meeting new people. When Anita is sent out of town on a business trip for 3 weeks, she suggests that Callie ask Marco, the handsome pastry chef she had an adorable meet-cute with at the Christmas tree lot, to be her wingman in her place. As the days to Christmas count down and she and Marco spend time together swapping puns and dad jokes, attending community events in their picturesque upstate New York town, and discovering how much they have in common, Callie begins to realize that the greatest gift her sister has given her can’t be found under a tree.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet Christmas romance. Although there’s no spice (fade to black and kissing only), the chemistry between cautious and steady Callie and charming and kind Marco is palpable. There’s some workplace drama, a number of really funny escapades, lots of descriptions of mouth-watering foods, and very little angst. Even though both leads are still in their 20s, there’s a level of maturity that I really appreciate. This is a delightful addition to anyone’s Christmas romance collection.

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.

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn

 

3*

If you’re looking for a smutty Grinch retelling, you’ve come to the right place. However, as opposed to being born with a heart two sizes too small, Cole Black’s became that way after his parents were killed in a car accident on Christmas Eve. So, for ten years, he’s being living in his childhood home with everything virtually unchanged since that tragic night and avoiding the holiday like the plague (no easy feat when you live in a town that celebrates Christmas 365 days a year, like Hallmark on steroids). When Storee Taylor shows up, after leaving him on that same night ten years before, his Grinchiness takes on epic proportions, and he’ll do everything in his power to make sure he spoils her chance at winning the town-wide Christmas Kringle competition. What ensues is a series of hijinks, an undeniable attraction that begins with fake dating, a thawing of his animosity towards her, and a bunch of other things that help him remember the reason for the season.

Although the premise is a fun one, I felt the book was way too long. Unlike the Whos from Whoville, the residents of Kringletown, CO aren’t all the embodiment of a joyful and generous Christmas spirit. There is typical smalltown gossip, a lot of lying, spiteful sabotage, and, honestly, too much petty behavior and biting humor between the two leads in the first half of the book. I also found Quinn’s sorry attempts at mimicking Dr, Seuss’s rhyming verses at the start of each chapter really cringeworthy. (I made a note after reading the prologue-in-verse saying I was thankful it wasn’t the entire book.) I also didn’t care for the times that the narrator and Cole interacted (sort of like breaking the fourth wall, but in print). Finally, for a good part of the book, I disliked Storee (something I’m finding all too common with Quinn’s female leads). As opposed to Cole, who had a clear reason for avoiding the season and making his life small, Storee’s hermit-like existence and her 10-year absence from her great-aunt Cindy’s home for the holidays was for something relatively petty in comparison, and it caused hurt for both Cole and Cindy.

I imagine Quinn’s diehard fans will love this one, but I find I’m growing tired of her sense of humor, the immaturity of many of her characters, and the overabundant sex scenes that could be cut to keep the page count down. This isn’t one I’ll be adding to my cherished Christmas romance collection.

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