With Love, Echo Park by Laura Taylor Namey

 

5*

This is more than a frenemies-to-lovers young adult novel. It’s also a loving tribute to the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles and the immigrants who settled there starting in the early 1900s. In this story, the focus is on the Cuban families who fled after Castro took power and how their history is slowly but steadily being forgotten and painted over due to gentrification.

Clary Delgado’s family runs a florist shop that, thanks to a high-profile celebrity wedding, does a booming business. Her childhood nemesis Emilio Avalos’s family owns the bike shop across the street. They’re part of a handful of original Cuban businesses that still exist, and Clary has made it her mission to try to get a historical designation for the Sunset business district “to preserve the area and honor its role in fostering Cuban culture on the west coast.” Author Namey, who is half Cuban and a SoCal resident, pays homage to the artists who created the numerous colorful murals that decorate the neighborhood and feature strongly in Clary’s life. Sadly, many of them have been painted over by new business owners, but others have been restored. In the book, Clary learns that there is no mention of the Cubans’ contribution to the neighborhood on the local historical society website (which doesn’t surprise me given that I live nearby and have witnessed the whitewashing of the neighborhood and entitlement of the newer, white NIMBY residents). She is committed to honoring those memories and ensuring that those that came before her aren’t forgotten.

The slow burn romance between Clary and Emilio is very sweet, but the family relationships are equally central to the story. Namey does a wonderful job of describing the value that they place on their culture (through music, food, celebration and more) as well as the loyalty and devotion they have for each other. A few years ago, I invited Namey to visit our school library where we served Cuban pastries from Porto’s Bakery, so I got a kick out of reading about the characters in this book enjoying them as well. I highly recommend this poignant and, at times, poetic story.

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

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb

 

4*

Be careful what you wish for!

When Brynn, a divorcee and uber-fan of the teen drama series Carson’s Cove (think Dawson’s Creek), blows out the candle on her 30th birthday cake, she wishes “to finally get the perfect happily ever after.” So, when she wakes up the next morning in Carson’s Cove, which she described as “comfort food in television form” and the show that helped her through her difficult teenage years and was a balm after her life fell apart post-divorce, she’s cautiously excited. Unfortunately, her roommate Josh, who she’s just recently realized she’s attracted to, has traversed the space-time continuum with her. According to Sheldon, the evil mastermind who caused their teleportation, the only way to get back home is for Brynn to play Sloan, fall in love with Spencer (the teen heart throbs who never got their happy ending when the show was abruptly cancelled), and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, after 15 years, they aren’t the same people and the idealized, made-for-tv version of this charming small town isn’t what it appears to be. What’s a woman to do when she gets everything she wished for, but no longer wants it?

I generally enjoy a romance with a bit of magical realism, and this unique story is no exception. I do wonder how Sheldon was able to make it all happen, but beyond that, it was fun to see how perfection on the screen hides the messy reality that is life. This story has a bit of everything: pseudo-villains, false friends, a love triangle, small town romance, falling for the bad boy, female empowerment, and more. The chemistry between Brynn and Josh is smoking, all characters are well-defined, the dual POV was a plus, and the pacing is on point. If you’re looking for a fun, low stakes romance, check this one out. Recommended.

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

Can’t Help Falling In Love by Sophie Sullivan

 

4*

I enjoyed this fake relationship, slow burn, closed door romance. Set in Seattle in the fall, it has a bit of a Cinderella vibe, but instead of a wicked stepmother and stepsisters, Lexi has a mother who has been mired in profound grief and depression after losing her soulmate three years before. After her father died, Lexi quit college just a few credits shy of graduation and has been working 2 jobs while taking care of her agoraphobic mom and paying off her father’s debts. On the day that two of her high school friends show up at the restaurant where she does a poor job of waitressing, seeming to be celebrating the success that has eluded Lexi, she sits down at Will’s table to hide. Since Will’s been flirting with her his entire meal, he welcomes the intrusion and plays along when she says that she’s there with “her boyfriend.” When they’re both invited to a party by one of the friends, they’re introduced as being engaged and the lie gets picked up on social media, thanks to Will’s status as one of Seattle’s most eligible business leaders. Of course, as so often happens with this trope, he wants his status-conscious mother to stop her matchmaking, and Lexi doesn’t want to admit what she perceives as her failure to thrive.

So, although there’s no new ground broken here, it’s just a lovely book with a perfect book boyfriend - handsome, kind, successful, and a man who sees the best in Lexi, propping her up when she doesn’t believe in herself. Other than Will’s classist parents, everyone else is delightful, from Lexi’s best friend Maisie to Will’s supportive and friendly sisters and best friend, Ethan. If you’re looking for a sweet romance low on the angst, check this one out. Recommended.

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 Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

 

5*

This is Poston’s sophomore adult novel and, like The Dead Romantics, she has crafted a beautiful love story that defies convention, time and space. She breathes life into her characters with lyrical dialogue, a vulnerability and honesty between them, and a willingness to suspend disbelief in order to get to the right time and place to be together. It has a similar premise as the movie, The Lake House, but is not quite so intense.

Although it is a romance, there is magical realism in the form of an apartment that has infrequent and unpredictable time slips, one in which Clementine’s Aunt Analea meets Vera, the love of her life, and another when Clementine first meets Iwan, the talented chef visiting NYC in the hopes of landing a dishwashing job in the restaurant his grandfather, an amateur chef, brought him to as a child and where he hopes to climb the ranks to top chef, making his grandfather proud. Little does she realize that he is seven years behind her in time.

The central theme is about following your passion, whether it’s in a vocation or in a person, and being open to change, because life isn’t stagnant, and love means embracing and supporting your partner’s growth and loving yourself enough to walk away from the life you thought you should want to discover new things about yourself and the passions that drive you. I enjoyed all of the lyrical prose, especially when Iwan was romanticizing food and his idea of “the perfect meal” and how serendipitous the path to romance is. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley 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.
 

 

Jupiter Rising by Gary D. Schmidt

 

5*

I decided to re-read Orbiting Jupiter before reading this sequel, and it was just as heart-wrenching as I remembered. I recommend any reader do the same for context, but this can technically be read as a standalone since some of the background story of Jupiter’s parents is revealed. However, getting a greater sense of why Jack so desperately wants to keep Jupiter (his foster sister and Joseph’s daughter) close makes this story that much more poignant. Schmidt never shies away from highlighting how poorly children can be treated by parents who should love and protect them and how the government agencies that are supposed to safeguard abused children so often fail in their duty because of unscrupulous lawyers and the misguided idea that all efforts should be expended to keep them with their blood relatives.

In this story, Jack’s adopted parents fostered Jupiter’s father who was just 14 when she was born. Eventually, they began fostering her as well and are in the process of adopting her when her maternal grandparents, who ignored her for the first three years of her life, decide to fight for custody. At the same time Jack has to worry about losing her, he’s also paired by his coach with one of Joseph’s former bullies, Jay Perkins. As they spend every weekday afternoon running the roads of their small Maine town, they start to grudgingly build a friendship and Jack finally learns why Jay was so angry at Joseph. I couldn’t help but hope that Jack wouldn’t suffer the loss of anyone else he loves. Schmidt writes achingly beautiful coming-of-age stories that highlight just how strong young people can be when faced with some of the worst of humanity. Be sure to have tissue ready! Highly recommended!

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

The Space Between by Sarah Ready

 

5*

Oh, my goodness! Sarah Ready really knows how to pluck at your heartstrings, a fitting metaphor for this gorgeous romance that pairs music and love. Every once in a while, I read a love story that is so incredibly well-written and an embodiment of the human spirit and condition that I know I’ll never forget it. The Space Between is one of them.

I envy Ready’s talent for crafting stories that mine the depths of human emotion, creating multi-faceted characters who aren’t stereotypes, and writing multi-genre romances (from epistolary to magical realism and more) that draw readers in. In The Space Between, she has written about soulmates who meet as teens, recognizing that the love they share is timeless, even if their timing is all wrong. On the surface, they’re polar opposites, inhabiting two very different realities (Andi, the daughter of two Uber-wealthy Manhattanites, and Jace, the orphaned son of loving parents living in a roach-infested Bronx tenement and playing music with his brothers as a way to love and honor their memories). However, it’s what’s in their hearts and souls that draws them together, forming an instant bond that others try to break for their own selfish reasons. For me, it’s the inherent goodness in them that touched me the most. I loved the thread running throughout of the two writing and sharing lyrics with each other as a way of expressing their love.

If you haven’t yet discovered Ready’s books, please don’t wait another minute. She deserves a wide readership, and if you’re a fan of Abby Jimenez, Emily Henry, Katherine Center or Kate Clayborn, you’ll love her books as well. Highly recommended!

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

Learning Curve (Dickson U #1) by Max Monroe

 

4*

Since I expected this first book in the Billionaire Bad Boys next generation series to be as funny, irreverent and sexy as the original, I was surprised at how emotionally heavy it got. This isn’t a criticism, but more of a heads up that the writing duo Max Monroe seems to have taken a turn away from their lighthearted fare (which started with their last book, What I Should’ve Said). Yes, we still get the hijinx from Thatch and Cassie’s older son Ace and frequent appearances from all the billionaires and the Winslow brothers, but there are also some pretty serious topics including physical abuse, alcoholism, sexual harassment, and more.

Finn (much younger half-brother to the Winslow’s) is Ace Kelly’s freshman year roommate. With the same captivating personality, loyalty, and mischievousness as his dad Thatcher, it’s no surprise that they become fast friends. We also get to know Ace’s best friend Julia who is Kline and Georgia Brooks’ daughter (and, with all the hints dropped, probably the FMC in a future friends-to-lovers entry in the series), see Winnie Winslow and Wes Lancaster’s autistic daughter Lexi not give the Dickson U star quarterback, Blake Boden, the time of day (theirs is the next book in the series), and learn more about what became of the Winslow’s deadbeat dad who abandoned them all when they were kids.

Despite a curveball or two, I really enjoyed seeing all of the older generation as parents. Although they’re only 18 when the story opens, both Scottie and Finn had troubling childhoods that forced them to grow up too quickly. This hard fought maturity made it easy to believe that they could have a happily ever after. Highly recommended.

Haunted Ever After (Boneyard Key #1) by Jen DeLuca

 

 4*

I always enjoy a good ghost story, and this book has them in spades. In a haunted Florida village called Boneyard Key, founded after The Great Storm of 1897, many members of the original families decided to stick around, and until Cassie came to town, there were only a select few who could sense their presence. I find it interesting how DeLuca imbues her spectral guests with different characteristics, no one-size-fits-all. Although none of them can be seen, they make their presence known in other ways. Cassie’s resident ghost, Sarah, communicates using magnetic poetry on the refrigerator and Nick’s ghost, Elmer, through text messages and, for lack of a better description, brainwaves. There is also the beach bum who accepts the open beer bottles and follows on silent footsteps. For the most part, they’re all benevolent, but there’s a bit of a mystery whenever Nick tries to enter Cassie’s house.

The romance between Cassie and Nick is a very slow burn, mostly thanks to nosy ghosts. Eventually, there’s a bit of spice, but I found the chemistry between them a little tepid. Thankfully, there’s very little baggage and angst, and it’s a refreshing change to have two MCs who don’t really fight the attraction. If you’re looking for a lighthearted, low stakes, small town romance with a heavy helping of the paranormal, you’ll enjoy Haunted Ever After. Recommended.

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

Close Knit by Jenny Colgan

 

3*

I have read many of Jenny Colgan’s books, but none in the past couple of years. Either I’ve forgotten her writing style or this story diverged from her norm. Part One was very difficult to get into, and I was tempted to stop reading because very little was happening, too many characters were introduced at once without enough description to make them come alive in my head, and the abundant use of Scottish colloquial words and phrases took me out of the story too many times, often without being able to find a definition (e.g., saltires, dreich, schtum, stocious, etc.). Although I loved her Mure series, it annoyed me that, in describing the fictional town of Carso on the northern rim of Scotland (Thurso perhaps?), she also made up names for all the outer islands and their landmarks. Since I love finding place names on maps and in photos, it was frustrating to realize I couldn’t find visuals for the Mermaid’s Spyglass, the golden beaches, and the village itself.

Fortunately, the perilous adventure in Part Two grabbed my attention and didn’t let go until the very end. It was wonderful seeing both Gertie and Struan, one with the reputation of being a meek daydreamer and the other a failed musician in the eyes of their community, defy all expectations by taking heroic measures to save lives. Although I guess this could loosely be called a clean romance, there was no development of one, just a brief kiss or two near the end. I would categorize it more as women’s fiction and adventure. My 3* rating is the average of 2* for Part One and 4* for Part Two.

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

Once Smitten, Twice Shy (The Wilmot Sisters #3) by Chloe Liese

 

Expected release date: 1/28/25

5*

A beautiful, poignant, friends-to-lovers romance with witty banter full of double entendres, smoking chemistry, and honest vulnerability. In my opinion, this is the most romantic of Liese’s books, and she just keeps getting better at creating characters who are imperfect but perfectly suited for each other.

After escaping from an abusive relationship, Juliet heads to Scotland to heal her psychological wounds. In an adorable meet-cute, she is asked to dance by Will, who she assumes is a ginger-haired giant of a Highlander but turns out to be American. Although there’s an instant spark, she’s not ready for anything romantic. So, after a dance, she says goodbye, never expecting to see him again. Serendipitously, seven months later, she finds him asleep in her mother’s greenhouse, and it turns out he’s Orsino, the best friend of her childhood next-door neighbor and surrogate brother Christopher. Although there’s an obvious attraction and an ease between them, Juliet is fearful of getting involved with another of Christopher’s friends given her disastrous last relationship, and even though she’s ready to start looking for love again, she feels rusty. Will, who is in search of a wife who can be his partner in his family’s distillery and can perhaps come to love him, needs to learn how to flirt and romance a woman. So, the two agree to practice date each other. Over four weekends, what started out as practice begins to feel real, but will they be able to let go of their fears and insecurities?

Juliet, a self-proclaimed romance junkie who loves historical romances and aspires to write them herself, shares with Will that his plan to marry to carry on the family business reminds her of a Duke who doesn’t recognize that his sense of duty shows his capacity for love. As a part of their plan, she urges Will to read some historical romance to get a sense of what women look for in a partner. However, even without benefit of the books, for a shy, autistic guy, he has some really romantic and poetic dialogue with Juliet. When he serenades her underneath his balcony, you can almost hear the collective swoon that’s coming once this book releases in January 2025.

Like all her previous novels, the characters are dealing with disabilities. Juliet has celiac disease and mixed connective tissues disease which causes considerable pain. Will has autism, and struggles with conversation, reading other people’s expressions and meaning, and loud, crowded spaces. Since they both have relatives with similar disabilities, they have a natural empathy and understanding for the difficulties they face. The kindness, caring, and honesty they share is part of what makes this love story so enchanting.

If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll be happy to know that there are many, many scenes with the couples from Books 1 and 2 including Bea and Jamie’s wedding, which is such a treat. So, even though it’s a standalone, I encourage readers to start with Book 1 to get more of Juliet’s backstory. Since it’s not out until January, you have plenty of time. Highly recommended!

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