Happy Ending by Chloe Liese

 

4*

Unlike most friends to lovers stories, Alex and Thea (or Ted, as he calls her) begin as strangers when they meet up at her old house and find that both his and her exes have gotten together within a week of Thea’s divorce. So what’s the best way to save face and get back at them? Pretend they’re old friends and each other’s first love. However, their fake friendship is so full of affectionate touches, genuine openness and honesty, mutual respect, and admissions of love (as in friendship, of course) that their exes and his family assume that they’re actually a couple. The question is whether either of them will be willing to make it real.

I loved the dynamic between Alex and Thea. He’s the perfect book boyfriend and she’s a kind, quirky bookseller who adores his daughter Mia. Their friendship is enviable, whether it’s cooking her healthy and delicious meals (he’s a James Beard-winning, Michelin-starred chef), helping each other kick bad habits (his smoking and her addiction to gas station hotdogs), sharing time with his precocious and adorable daughter and her dog Argos, or just enjoying cuddle time. I really appreciated her friendship with her friend Lauren (who has a good-natured competition with Alex for being Thea’s BFF). Thea’s ex, Ethan, is the epitome of a “man baby,” making you wonder what Jen, Alex’s ex, sees in him. Although we don’t see much of them, Alex’s big, loud extended Italian-American family also play a part in their journey.

Liese can always be depended on to write heartwarming romances with characters who are flawed but happily embraced by their love interests. Witty banter is always on display, and there are many hilarious moments in this story, especially when Thea “roasts” her ex. Family plays a big part as well. If you’re all about the happy endings, you’ll thoroughly enjoy her latest offering. Highly recommended.

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

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

 

5*

I loved this story. Two emotionally-damaged people who have been betrayed by negligent, abusive parents and unscrupulous bosses, find a connection and acceptance that neither expected. Although, on the surface, their goals seem to be working against each other, the growing feelings they have for each other can’t be denied. I love how Hazelwood portrayed Rue’s autism and Eli’s innate understanding of her neurodivergency and needs. He’s the perfect book boyfriend who not only accepts her uniqueness, but also gives her the support and protection she’s never had. I also enjoyed Rue’s relationship with her best friend, Tisha.

If you enjoy frenemies to lovers romances with an element of mystery mixed with corporate greed, you’ll enjoy this latest offering from Hazelwood. 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.

Insignificant Others by Sarah Jio

 

4*

With a nod to both Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Groundhog Day, Jio has spun a delightful, emotional, illuminating timeslip novel about a woman who, in the process of living a day with each of the choices she could have made with various men from her past, is also given the opportunity to reflect on her dissatisfaction with her current life. The day after her latest relationship ends with Coldplay tickets instead of a proposal, Lena runs to the comfort of her Aunt Rosie’s arms, the woman who raised her after her mentally ill mother died when she was just 12, following a life of instability, lack of plans, and occasional abandonment. Before falling asleep, she comes to the realization that, due to her chaotic childhood, she fears the unknown and clings to her rigid life and career plans as a result.

The following morning, she wakes up in Paris, married to a sophisticated Frenchman she’d met years before at a mutual friend's wedding. Over the next nine days, she finds herself waking to 9 other ghosts from her past (including a farmer, past boyfriends and crushes, near-strangers, etc.). In the process, she is forced to reevaluate her views on motherhood, infidelity, desirable qualities in a romantic partner and more. When she finally breaks free from this time loop, will she have discovered enough about herself to be open to a true love relationship? You’ll have to read it and see. Highly recommended.

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.

Into the Woods by Jenny Holiday

4*




If you read Holiday’s Canadian Boyfriend, you’ll already know Gretchen, Rory’s boss and best friend. Gretchen, on the eve of her 40th birthday, has built a successful dance school, but is eager to expand. At the same time, she’s decided to give up on dating and become a “crone.” On a whim, she agrees to fill in at a summer arts camp for teenagers, and not only finds a friend-with-benefits in rock star Teddy, but also begins to learn that she may be pursuing the wrong dream. However, she’s so determined to remain single that she rejects the evidence right in front of her.


This story is all about honest conversation, artistic expression, self-discovery, female empowerment, and finding your muse. The six artists-in-residence become an unlikely group of friends, and the way they discovers parts of themselves through their interaction with the teens and each other is heartwarming. If you’re looking for a mature romance with a perfect balance of vulnerability, humor, and parental baggage, you’ll love Into the Woods. Highly recommended.


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

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

 

4.5*

This is a really solid, character-driven story, reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six, except that the many people who influenced Annie/Cass/Cate’s life tell their own story for a multi-narrated “memoir” rather than being interviewed. In this case, Cate is an author who uses her writing to make amends, process her feelings about the women she’s loved, and finally realize what will ultimately fill the black hole that is her life. In the process, the story serves as an exposé of Hollywood and how both writers’ and actors’ managers hold immense control over the celebrities they handle, sometimes using it for good, but often for self-serving reasons. Cate is a sympathetic character who made a desperately bad decision, but created something memorable from her catharsis. The secondary characters are fully-realized, perhaps because we get to see them from more than one perspective.

My only slight criticism is that the ending seemed abrupt, but that’s more because I like stories tied up in pretty little bows and that’s not how life works. Although there is a sapphic romance element, it’s not the book’s primary focus which is ultimately about ambition, guilt, loneliness, love in various iterations, the power and pitfalls of celebrity, hiding in plain sight, forgiveness, and redemption. A solid work of women’s fiction I highly recommend.

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

PS: I Hate You by Lauren Connolly

 

4*

I love a romance that elicits a range of emotions. PS: I Hate You is a perfect example. I laughed (a lot), I cried, I got angry and frustrated, I swooned, and I felt relief. This beautiful, steamy, multi-trope romance includes enemies to lovers, second chance, brother’s best friend, forced proximity, and road trip. It’s definitely a wild ride and one you’ll probably want to read all in one sitting.

At its core, it’s a hard-fought romance, an exploration of grief, and a range of loving relationships (mf, sibling, and friendship). It begins at the funeral of Maddie’s brother Josh who died of cancer just shy of 30. She hasn’t been home for seven years, since her youthful crush and brother’s best friend Dom broke her heart. So, the last thing that she wants is for him to discover her in a coat closet where’s she’s fallen into a box half-full of toilet paper rolls. Unfortunately, he’s as handsome as ever and her heart clearly hasn’t gotten the message that she hates him. When Dom, as executor, passes out letters from Josh to those closest to him, Maddie is devastated to find that Josh has not only written one letter jointly to Dom and her, but that his dying wish is that they visit eight states together that he, as a world-traveling photographer, never got the chance to see. His instructions are to find the geographical coordinates in a certain order, read a new letter at each location, fulfill location-specific tasks, scatter some of his ashes, and take a joint selfie. It’s pretty obvious that he has ulterior motives, but it’ll take nearly two years, a lot of snarky comments from Maddie, requests from Josh that pull both of them out of their comfort zones, and some forced proximity before the walls Maddie has built start to crumble and they finally begin to discuss the past.

This would have been a 5* read for me, but Maddie’s immaturity and rude behavior were really off-putting. Yes, she has scars from her neglectful, cruel and abusive parents and grandmother and deep-seated abandonment issues, but Dom is so thoughtful and protective, that you can’t help rooting for him (even if you don’t know his reasons for breaking her heart years before). Author Connolly puts some trigger warnings at the beginning, and it’s important to read them because there are some heavy issues. Overall, however, there’s so much to love about this book that I highly recommend it.

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

 

Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson

 

4*

Debbie Johnson can always be counted on to write heartwarming, sensitive stories, laced with closed door romance, that plumb the depths of emotion and the human experience. In Statistically Speaking, we meet Gemma Jones at age 16, in the process of birthing a baby girl that she’s putting up for adoption. She’s mature enough to understand that she’s not able to raise a child herself, just as her own mother wasn’t. The one thing she leaves for Baby is a long letter, telling her a bit about her life and giving reassurances that she loves her, but wants her to have a chance at a good, loving, and safe childhood.

Fast forward almost 18 years, and we’re seeing Gemma all grown up but still carrying emotional scars from her neglectful childhood and her never-ending doubt about the decision she made. After an adulthood marked by a need to escape relationships of any kind, she starts to meet people who care about her without exception and who just might be worth breaking down the walls she’s built up to protect herself. There’s handsome, lovely Karim, her teacher colleague and perfect book boyfriend, surrogate mom feisty and irreverent Margie, new friend Erin, and Katie, Erin’s daughter and Gemma’s student who bears a striking resemblance to her and shares a birthday with the baby she let go off. Statistically speaking, the odds are very slim that she’s her daughter, but the heart isn’t always logical. You’ll need to read the book to find out more.

This is very much a character-driven novel and Johnson has done a wonderful job developing both Gemma and her chosen family. The pacing is a bit slow at times, but Gemma’s reawakening is a pleasure to behold. Her thoughtful depiction of adoption from the perspective of birth mother, adoptive mother and child is illuminating for those of us who don’t have first-hand experience with it, too. I highly recommend this fine piece of women’s fiction.

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

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 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.

When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson

 

5*

Oh, my! It was worth the 10-year wait since the publication of my all-time favorite young adult book, I’ll Give You the Sun, to finally read Jandy Nelson’s new book, When the World Tips Over. Other than excellent writing, I had no idea what to expect and never could have anticipated this tear-inducing, heartbreaking, romantic, redemptive family saga full of magical realism, sibling rivalry, and fanciful storytelling. Like its predecessor, a central theme is the way children cope with the loss of a parent, whether through death, abandonment or mental illness. It’s also vaguely reminiscent of Esquival’s Like Water for Chocolate minus the overwhelming tragedy. That’s not to say that this story is a happy one.

In its 500+ pages, there’s plenty of space for Nelson to weave a tale that gives sufficient attention to all of the characters and their lives, both separate from each other and in the ways they intermingle. She successfully juggles the various timelines and multiple POVs; handles multiple traumatic, potentially triggering events with sensitivity; describes the impact her characters’ bad decisions have on people around them while still not seeming to judge them harshly; introduces ghosts and curses without them seeming fantastical; and paves the way for a very dysfunctional family to come together and begin to heal following a near-tragedy. I found the idea of nature vs. nurture very interesting, especially how genetics can have a profound impact on someone’s life in both positive and negatives ways (whether it’s synesthesia, sexual orientation, musical talent, etc.), and appreciated how Nelson handled queer characters and their navigation of their sexuality and gender identity in the face of adversity. The exploration of love in all its forms (e.g., familial, platonic, romantic) is a thread that runs throughout the story, and is a potent motivator for many characters.

There are so many emotional highs and lows in this story. I actually cried in the first chapter and several other times throughout, but there was never a feeling of hopelessness. Of course, I also thought how much this family (especially the children) could benefit from therapy. Having a dog you can talk with telepathically is not a healthy coping mechanism! A quote near the end, which references the title, pretty much sums it up: “I do believe now that when the world tips over, joy spills out with all the sorrow.”

Although this is billed as a young adult novel, I want to emphasize that the number of triggers is very high, so this would be most appropriate for older teens, young adults and adults. It’s an unforgettable story that deserves all the awards and accolades I suspect it will receive. Highly recommended!

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

If you don't want to see the triggers in case you consider them spoilers, don't read beyond this point.

*

*

*

*

*

Tags and Triggers: #FamilySaga, #Curses, #StarCrossedLovers, #LGBTQ, #California, #Vineyards, #Brothers, #Musicians, #Synesthesia, #Infidelity, #Neglect, #Abandonment, #DomesticViolence, #SexualAssault, #Death, #Grief, #YALit, #YoungAdult, #Romance, #MultipleTimelines, #MultiplePOV, #Tearjerker, #Soulmates, #DysfunctionalFamily, #LoveAtFirstSight, #Family, #Depression, #MentalIllness, #Addiction, #Alcoholism, #SingleParent, #AccidentalPregnancy, #Abuse, #ChildAbuse, #Trauma, #CleanRomance, #LoveTriangle, #ForbiddenLove, #Dogs, #MMRomance, #GayRomance, #Bullying, #Guilt, #Wineries, #Stepsiblings, #LiteraryFiction, #RoadTrip, #MagicalRealism, #Chefs, #Paranormal, #SexualAbuse, #Ghosts, #Adultery, #OralStorytelling, #Coming-of-Age, #Bildungsroman, #Diaries, #Dreams

Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay

 

5*

This story is an absolutely heartwarming and heartbreaking delight. Full disclosure? I’ll always love a book about books set in a small Irish village. Add a steamy, slow-burn romance between a handsome, black-haired, blue-eyed Irishman with a sexy accent and a ginger-haired librarian from America on a year-long, working holiday in his Last Chapter bookshop, and all my fantasies are fulfilled.

However, this book is so much more than an enemies-to-lovers, small town romance. Kier (aka Kieran Murphy) and Red (aka Emily Allen) both carry baggage from difficult, abusive childhoods that have left her with anxiety attacks and hypochondria and him with a strong aversion to change and a sense of abandonment. Yet, it’s their devotion to famous author Siobhan Reardon that binds them together. Siobhan’s Tig McMorrow fantasy series provided comfort, support, and escape throughout Em’s adolescent years, so she’s thrilled when asked to be her assistant as she writes the conclusion to the series after a ten-year hiatus. It’s also an escape from her stifling life and opportunity to break out of her shell. On the other hand, Kier is fiercely protective of his mother, and is resentful of and worried about how she blocks out the world when she’s fully-engrossed in the writing process. So, they almost immediately butt heads, not just over how to handle Siobhan, but also with the changes Em proposes to bring the bookstore into the 21st century. As Siobhan’s deadline fast approaches and the chemistry between Kier and Em heats up, will the last chapter have a happy ending? You’ll have to read it to find out.

McKinlay paints a vivid picture of this quaint Irish village and its colorful and kind inhabitants, builds great tension between Kier and Em, and sensitively portrays the damage done by narcissistic, neglectful, and abusive parents, while still maintaining the fine balance between witty, lighthearted scenes and heartbreaking moments. Don’t be surprised if, like Em, you find yourself daydreaming about epic romance and grand gestures as you read this wonderful story. Highly recommended!

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

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

 

5*

The Paris Novel is a beautiful little gem of a book by Ruth Reichl, best known for her time as Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine and author of a series of engaging memoirs. It was the mention in one of her books of a little black dress she tried on while in Paris that inspired this book. I can’t help but think that much of what Reichl has written mirrors her own experiences, and the story is infused with her love for and knowledge of food. In fact, in the author notes, Reichl reveals that many of the famous people in her book she met in real life. It combines historical fiction (early 1980s), a bit of romance, a reluctant search for a missing father, and a mystery involving Victorine, the model for Edouard Manet’s Olympia, who eventually became a painter in her own right and then faded into obscurity thanks to jealous men.

After a horrendous childhood being raised by a cold, neglectful, narcissistic mother who looked the other way when she was being molested by one of her boyfriends, Stella has led a colorless, boring, but safe existence in NYC. After her mother dies and leaves her a small inheritance with the condition that she go to Paris, her boss forces her to take an extended vacation. Shortly after arriving, she wanders into a shop where the proprietress says she’s been waiting for her, the woman meant for a little black dress designed by Yves Saint Laurent. The dress begins a personal transformation and leads Stella to Jules, a grandfatherly figure who introduces her to the gastronomic delights of Paris and the dawning comprehension that she has a talent for cooking and a passion for food and wine that brings much-needed color to her life.

Her transformation is further aided by the comforting chaos of the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore where Stella finds a home away from home and a colorful cast of characters led by the grouchy but kind real-life George Whitman, who welcomed what he called his Tumbleweeds to use the store as a temporary home on three conditions: help in the store as needed, read a book a day, and write a one-page autobiography before you leave. One of the recurring responsibilities for Stella is to watch his 7-year-old (fictional) daughter Lucie, who is a great help in solving the mystery of Victorine. I couldn’t help but pause my reading many times to look up the people, places, paintings, and events that populate the book. Rather than pulling me away from the narrative, the light research enhanced it.

The entire book is a feast for the senses: the aromas of fine food, the scent of the flowers, the beauty of the landscape and architecture, and the fine art in the museums. Even the revolting description of eating the ortolans is something I won’t soon forget. Highly recommended!

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

Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson

 

4*

This was a tough book for me to read for personal reasons. I found myself sobbing more than once. So, I’ll start by warning that there are several triggers: death of a child, neglect and abandonment, involuntary eviction, and grief.

Like Sampson’s first book, The Last Chance Library, this story centers around a group of unlikely collaborators who come together to save a place that is special to all of them. In the process of working on a common cause, they not only get to know each other, but also learn more about themselves. In the former, the female protagonist is a shy, reclusive, 30-year-old librarian who emerges from her grief over losing her mother when she realizes that the mission to save the library is worth the risk. In the process, she finds community and love with a former classmate who comes to their aid.

In Nosy Neighbors, there are two female protagonists who are initially at odds. Seventy-four-year-old Dorothy has spent the past thirty years noting the comings and goings of her neighbors at Shelley House, but only speaking to them when she wants to complain and lecture them about what she’s observed. The comfort and familiarity of her home is rocked when 25-year-old, pink-haired and tatted Kat becomes the latest of her neighbor Joseph’s illegal tenants, her arrival quickly followed by the shocking news that they’re going to be evicted from their home by their negligent landlord and developer.

Over the next several weeks, as Dorothy, Joseph, Kat and Will, a local newspaper reporter who has caught Kat’s eye, work to save Shelley House, they find themselves opening up about their past traumas and the way their experiences have influenced their behavior and life choices. One glaringly clear theme is that we can’t begin to know what causes people to act the way they do, and that rudeness, diffidence, and even affability can be masks they wear to hide their pain. It’s also about forgiveness. Even when people’s words and actions have caused immeasurable pain, the act of forgiving them or even forgiving yourself is the only way to move forward.

Sampson writes with sensitivity and compassion. Her characters are complex, and represent the best and worst of us but, except for the villain, there is goodness in all of them. If you like women’s fiction with depth, small English village settings, rooting for the underdog, and authors like Jill Mansell, Jenny Colgan, and Debbie Johnson, you’re sure to enjoy Nosy Neighbors.

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

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

5*

Another heart-warming winner from Abby Jimenez! Although Just for the Summer isn’t officially a book in the Part of Your World series, it might as well be given how many characters from those books are featured in this one.

It all starts with an online meet-cute when Justin (29), a software engineer from Minnesota who builds websites, posts on Reddit about how he’s cursed to be the guy women break up with and then go on to meet their soulmate. His friend Brad describes it as “ferrying women to their happily ever afters.” Emma (28), a traveling nurse whose next adventure will be in Hawaii, messages him to let him know that he’s not alone. From that initial exchange, they slowly start building a relationship through texts, emails, and video chats until Brad suggests they date each other to break the curse. That’s when Justin starts his campaign to get Emma to do her next assignment in Minneapolis rather than Hawaii. The fact that they find each other attractive and have an instant connection makes it easy for Emma to convince her best friend and fellow nurse, Maddy, to postpone Hawaii and spend the summer in Minneapolis at the Royaume Hospital (where the protagonists from the Part of Your World series all work).

Justin is really the perfect book boyfriend. Not only is he handsome and genuinely charming, but he’s also responsible, kind, and protective. One of my favorite parts of the story are his dating plans, surveys, catchy invitations, and post-date exit interviews. From the moment they meet, their conversations are witty, honest, and open, and, despite Emma’s commitment to leaving at the end of 6 weeks (following the plan they put together to break the curse: 4 dates, 1 kiss, and the breakup), there’s no way either of them can avoid catching feelings.

Unfortunately, as with all of Jimenez’s books, her characters are dealing with some serious issues. In this case, neither of their moms is going to win any parenting awards. Justin is the oldest son, and his mom is going to prison for embezzlement, leaving him to be guardian to his siblings for several years since their father died in an accident 4 years prior. Emma’s mother is an impulsive, irresponsible, and selfish drifter who had her at age 18 and essentially abandoned her when she was a child, with her ending up in the foster care system. Her final placement at age 14 resulted in her meeting Maddy, whose two moms took her in. She thinks she’s resolved her childhood trauma, but it's obvious that she has created a life where she can move around the world with just two suitcases of possessions so she’s prepared to leave wherever she lives at a moment’s notice. She also deals with periods of depression which she calls “getting small,” often triggered by her mother’s sudden reappearance. It isn’t until the truth of her mother’s betrayal is discovered that she finally recognizes she needs help if she’s ever going to be whole and able to accept love in her life.

I appreciated that Jimenez chose a dual POV so that we could really get to know Justin and Emma through the other’s eyes. One of the most poignant scenes, that made Justin realize the depth of Emma’s kindness and caring, is when she helps a woman with dementia (or a TBI) while on their first date. After explaining how she knew the woman needed help, she said that her motto is “In a world where you can choose anger or empathy, always choose empathy.” It’s that way of thinking that allows her to keep a tenuous hold on her fractured relationship with her mother, a philosophy that’s put to the test more than once after her mother reappears.

Abby Jimenez is one of the reigning queens of the romance genre, and her newest offering confirms that she deserves all the accolades. Highly recommended.

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

 

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch by Jacqueline Firkins

4*

Ever since age six, when Imogen’s mother (who can predict the future) tells her she’ll never be first in anything, she has set out to prove her wrong and break the curse. In childhood, it was everything from sports contests to academic pursuits, and from art school onward, it was trying to find a man who wouldn’t eventually leave her for someone better. However, overshadowing it all, is her lifelong friend and high school crush Eliot who took their mutual best friend Franny to the prom and then left town permanently after graduation, eventually ghosting her despite his promise to keep in touch and leaving her heartbroken.


Just after her 17th boyfriend tells her he’s leaving her for his co-worker, Imogen’s mother has a premonition and Eliot’s father dies. In the ten years he’s been gone, quiet, sweet, kind but tortured Eliot has wandered the globe, amassed four million followers on his YouTube channel, and kept his vow to never return to the home where he was raised and neglected by his cold parents. When he’s called back for the funeral, he isn’t just confronting his mother and the pain of his childhood, he’s also having to come clean with Imogen. Once he share his fears with her, he commits to helping her win at something, knowing that this curse has held her back from living her fullest life and following her dreams. In the process of competing in everything from corn-shucking to cupcake baking contests, is there a chance that Eliot will decide to stop running away and, instead, run towards life with Imogen?


Although this has all the elements of a second-chance, friends-to-lovers, small town romance, it fits more in the women’s lit genre with complex family situations, an enduring friendship between three friends that isn’t the love triangle it appears to be at first glance, a small town citizenry that is predictably all up in Imogen’s business, and two lovely, kind people who are great at helping each other face hard truths but whose baggage might keep them from ever forgiving themselves and the people who wronged them so that they can be together. Firkin keeps readers in suspense up until the final moments. Fans of Kristan Higgins, Katherine Center and Abby Jimenez will want to check this one out.


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.