Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn Stringfield

 

4*

If you like Emily in Paris, you’ll enjoy this delightful and sweet young adult romance. Whitney Curry is in her favorite city for the first semester of her junior year. Her well-documented plan (she’s a list maker) is to visit all of the tourist spots while also researching and writing her senior project on Josephine Baker. What’s not on the list is falling for a local boy, especially her grumpy French tutor Thierry. He insists that the best way to learn about the city and gain fluency is to get away from the tourist traps and go where the locals go which, serendipitously, includes him teaching her how to make chocolates at his stepfather’s shop. (Yes, it’s on her list!)

As they spend weeks together, her outsized personality (which I felt was really annoying at the beginning) draws smiles and hard-earned laughter from Thierry, and, in turn, he encourages her spontaneity. As Whitney writes, directs and ultimately stars in a one-act play, she discovers the one thing that was missing: Josephine Baker didn’t just entertain; she also loved her adopted city, her adopted children, and the numerous men in her life. They weren’t a distraction, but rather enhanced her performances and her life which was a lesson Whitney learned to heartily embrace.

Teen romance lovers should thoroughly enjoy this charming and romantic romp through the city of lights. Recommended.

I Will Follow by Eireann Corrigan

 

4*


This YA abduction thriller is reminiscent of Stephen King’s Misery, but with a psychotic teen girl, Nora, who develops a parasocial relationship with Shea, a TikTok influencer/dancer instead of a middle-aged woman angry with the ending of her favorite novelist’s series. It’s a harsh look at influence culture, and how internet fame corrupts the creators as their follower count rises and their focus turns towards monetization and away from the fans who helped them grow their brand. Sadly, when an emotionally and mentally unstable follower convinces herself that her idol needs her help, the price of fame becomes too high.

Author Corrigan’s wise decision to use a dual POV enables readers to see into Nora’s mind and the experiences in her young life that have fostered her delusions. We also see how, despite her fear, Shea uses her time in captivity to reflect on how far her internet fame and sponsorships have taken her away from the joy she used to get from sharing her love of dance with her audience and how exposing even small parts of her life make her vulnerable. The message is an important one for today’s teens and tweens if there are librarians who can guide them to this worthwhile book because it’s not one they might easily find on their own. Recommended.

The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea

 

5*

The Jewel of the Isle, reminiscent of one of my favorite movies, Romancing the Stone, is the third book I’ve read by Rea and all three are deserving of their 5* rating. She does such a fabulous job of crafting characters you can’t help rooting for and creating a plot that is full of surprises.

This friends-to-lovers, opposites attract, Instalove romance is more than you’d expect. Rea starts out introducing Emily and Ryder, who have both recently lost loved ones and who are struggling with misplaced guilt. However, from the moment Ryder makes a daring, yet foolhardy, leap onto a departing ferry bound for Isle Royale National Park, the action never stops. Emily, an ER doctor, is determined to complete her late father’s bucket list, fighting her natural fear of risk and the outdoors and, after her boyfriend dumps her, she hires what she thinks is an experienced tour guide to accompany her. Unfortunately, Ryder was the marketing brains behind the business he ran with his late brother and knows as little as she does about surviving in the wild. I literally laughed so hard that I teared up three times in the beginning chapters with this hapless duo and their hysterical banter, but never expected the thrilling, yet murderous action adventure to come. As they face down a bull moose, a pack of wolves, and an evil professor and his henchmen, they come to realize that the need to protect those they love trumps any fear or perceived incompetence they assumed about themselves.

I highly recommend this spicy, endearing romance that keeps you on the edge of your seat while still providing levity.

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

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.