 |
|
5*
I am a big fan of Kate Clayborn’s and eagerly look forward to each new book. The Paris Match was well worth the wait. One of her greatest skills is in full evidence here: writing nuanced and flawed characters who fall in love despite some heavy damage and work to overcome their pasts in order to feel worthy of the objects of their affection. This is written in third person, but there is enough internal monologue for readers to be tuned into the innermost thoughts and fears of the characters. Griff and Layla who, on the surface, seem to be polar opposites are actually very well-matched. He is the grumpy to her sunshine, but maybe because she is a doctor and has witnessed immense suffering, she has the patience and insight to recognize that his gruffness isn’t so much a personality trait as a coping mechanism for his chronic pain. As a result of this insight and the time they spend alone together (discovering the hidden treasures found throughout Paris where they’re both visiting for a destination wedding), Layla comes to Griff’s defense when he is scapegoated by people who should know better.
Clayborn uses themes from both Beauty and the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, especially Griff’s numerous references to being a self-imposed prisoner in a “belltower” following the long ago event that left him deeply scarred in both body and mind. They both face metaphorical demons and work on themselves to reach the happy ending they both deserve. 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.
Tags:
5*
Once again, Lynn Painter has written a swoonworthy young adult romance that grabs you from the first chapter and holds your attention right until the end. I think it’s my new favorite Painter novel. Childhood friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Dani and Alec as they cautiously, sometimes painfully, navigate their second chance at a romantic relationship when they reconnect as seniors in high school. They both believe that they were ghosted after Dani stopped visiting Minnesota each summer and their weekly coded postcards also stopped coming. So, they’re understandably angry and very cautious about resuming their friendship, let alone a romance. In the intervening 5 years, nerdy Alec has had a major glow-up and has every appearance of being one of the obnoxious jocks Dani has learned to steer clear of. However, when they accidently fall into a fake relationship, it gives them the closeness and time to discover how much they’ve both changed but, more importantly, how they’re still the same at heart.
If you’re looking for a young adult novel that isn’t too angsty, has some steamy kisses, and features main characters who act their age, you can’t go wrong with Fake Skating. If you’re a fan of hockey romance, this YA version of the trope won’t disappoint. Highly recommended.
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.
4*
Since Mannequin is one of my favorite movies, I was eager to read Janovsky’s gay version of the awkward window dresser whose wish for the perfect man comes true. Janovsky’s story does not disappoint. Henry is lonely, disillusioned from past relationships gone bad, suffering from social anxiety, and desperately trying to save his Great Aunt Isla’s vintage store. Aidan, with his charm, naïveté, and sense of wonder, is the perfect foil for Henry. Set in a small New Jersey beach town at Christmas, it has all the earmarks of a Hallmark movie (a theme that runs throughout the book) with a little bit of spice. It’s low angst, full of humor, and a perfect gift for readers to give themselves during the holidays. Highly 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.
I usually read a book a day, but this one took me 3-4 because I just couldn’t engage. It’s well-written and a love story to Amsterdam, but I was just bored. My biggest problem was the female main character, Dani. She was very premature at birth, so her parents were overprotective and never stopped. At 30 and just cheated on and fired, she impulsively decides to take a new job and move to Europe. In her first week there, she literally runs into her first love, Wouter, who was a foreign exchange student her family hosted 13 years before and who cruelly dumped her after returning home. It’s a second chance romance and a marriage of convenience, with forced proximity and a large heaping of baggage that just never really grabbed my attention because Dani was just such a spineless, infantilized sad sack. I’m sure that most readers will really enjoy this book; it just wasn’t for me.
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.
Possible spoilers ahead.
*
*
*
*
*
I’m a sucker for second chance romances and childhood friends to lovers, so I wasn’t surprised that, when I finished this beautiful romance, my first thought was “Such a beautiful love story!” Having said that, after finishing the book, I decided to read some reviews and was very surprised to see how polarized they were. The vast majority of readers loved it, but those that awarded it either 1* or DNFed it made some valid points. I just don’t agree with them. I do get the comparisons to Henry’s Happy Place and People We Meet on Vacation and Lauren’s Love and Other Words, but I don’t see that as a detriment.
Harriet and Eli met at age 15 and the attraction was instantaneous although they didn’t act on it until their junior year in college when Eli transferred to Cal Poly and they shared their first kiss on her 21st birthday. After graduation, Eli convinced her to join him in New York when, fast forwarding two years, they broke up because he was a workaholic and, in her loneliness, she felt her only option was to move back home to San Francisco where her friends lived, especially their mutual best friend Adam. The story opens five years later when Adam, a hyper Type A worrier, is freaking out, convinced that his and Grace’s wedding is cursed, with the DJ out of commission, the wedding venue burnt to the ground, and more. As his best man and best woman, Eli and Harriet, who have barely spoken since their breakup (by mutual agreement, they’ve hidden their emotional distance from Adam), are pressed into service to work miracles in just over a week by finding alternative arrangements. So, against their better judgment, they drive up to Napa to Adam’s family’s vineyard and use the time they’re forced together to finally talk about what went wrong, why they didn’t fight for each other, and perhaps find a way forward.
Let me tell you, this dispassionate summary doesn’t begin to do this amazing love story justice. Author Joyce’s storytelling is beautifully poetic, complete with necessary angst when needed and a depth of emotion that made me alternate between laughter and tears more than once. In my opinion, Eli and Harriet were just too young and emotionally vulnerable to navigate a relationship when they both had quite a bit of baggage and lacked the proper communication skills needed to express their feelings. Yes, five years is a lot of time to let pass without having had proper closure, but it doesn’t take too long for readers to realize that they never stopped loving each other, even if they couldn’t see or admit it. The question is, will the combination of much-needed and long overdue therapy for Eli and the willingness on Harriet’s part to let go of the lists she lives by and to finally communicate her needs be enough for them to risk another try?
I’m not a fan of a single POV from the female MC but, for some reason, it wasn’t as noticeable in this story, perhaps because Joyce allowed Eli to express himself in the dialogue. As the story nears its end, there’s also an unveiling of sorts that is one of the most romantic things I’ve ever read. Yes, I cried! So, if you’re a fan of second chances and soulmates, you won’t want to miss this one. 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.
5*
In this 2nd book of the Wilmot Sisters series, Liese gives her readers a delightful, modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Christopher Petruchio suffers from chronic migraines and anxiety and has spent 20 years (since his parents died in a car accident) trying to keep himself from letting anyone else too close for fear of losing more people he loves. His neighbors, the Wilmot family, pretty much adopted him, but it’s Kate Wilmot, six years his junior, who really captured his heart, although he masks his feelings by acting like she’s the bane of his existence practically from the moment she was born.
Kate, the youngest of the three Wilmot sisters, has ADHD and has always felt like she doesn’t quite belong. Her parents have a loving relationship, her older twin sisters have each other, and Christopher is the son they never had. However, her feelings for him have never been brotherly, despite the animosity between them that escalated once they both reached adulthood. She’s convinced that Christopher hates her when all he ever wanted was for her to hate him, to keep her at a distance. Unfortunately, after years roaming the world as a photojournalist, she’s home indefinitely and is being forced to face the feelings she ran away from years before. Is it possible for two people, who have seemingly hated each other and purposely kept their distance, to mend the rift while still protecting their hearts?
Liese, who is neurodivergent herself, is a master at writing feel-good romances featuring characters dealing with chronic illnesses, neurodivergency, or both, proving that they are able to find their happily-ever-afters despite their disabilities. Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
5*
It’s always a treat to visit with Polly, Huckle and the colorful cast of characters who make up Mount Polbearne. In this latest installment of the Little Beach Street Bakery series, Marisa Rossi, an agoraphobic registrar from Exeter, has fallen into a long, deep grief following her grandfather’s death. She’s fighting depression and anxiety so profound that she hasn’t left her apartment in months, shifting to a work-from-home admin position. When her colorful, handsome roommate Caius gently kicks her out and relocates her to his uncle Reuben’s vacation rental in the hopes that she’ll heal on the secluded island, she finds that the silence she craves is impossible. Her new neighbor, Russian music teacher Alexei, gives piano lessons during the day and plays loud, discordant music at night that the paper-thin walls do nothing to muffle. So begins this unlikely, and at times contentious, friendship based on proximity, misunderstandings, thoughts and words lost in translation, and inherent kindness.
Marisa slowly begins to re-enter society thanks to Alexei and her therapist, but also through a serendipitous meeting with Polly whose young twins are taking lessons from Alexei. As Polly and Huckle face a looming financial crisis, a damaging storm forces change for the bakery. From the flotsam that floods it, a partnership is born that has the potential to improve all of their lives. If you like slow-burn romances, small village life, the tastes and smells of Italy, and the comfort of revisiting favorite characters, it’s time to discover Jenny Colgan. Although this can stand alone, it’s best to read the previous books in the series to appreciate her gift for storytelling and creating strong, complex characters who not only weather tragic storms, but also find hope and joy in the simple things shared with those they love. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from William Morrow Paperbacks through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
5*
Spoilers:
The romance in this 3rd book of The Kiss Quotient series takes a back seat to the mental and physical health issues both Quan and Anna face, especially Anna’s autism. Whereas The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test both have a humorous element, this one is much more somber and, at times, heart-wrenching. It’s also very anxiety-inducing. I was really looking forward to Quan’s story given his powerful and colorful presence in the first two books, so it was disappointing to see him subdued and somewhat emotionally side-lined by his cancer surgery and his feeling that his manhood has been diminished despite his efforts to hide these details from his family. However, his patience with and empathy and love for Anna show his emotional maturation and his understanding of autism gleaned from having a brother and cousin-in-law who are also on the spectrum.
If you need a crash course in autism, this story provides it. You’ll learn about masking, stimming, sensory overload, autism burnout, poor spatial awareness and more as you read about Anna’s struggles to adopt heteronormative behavior in order to fit into society and keep her family happy. However, readers are also witness to Anna’s devastation that results from trying too hard to be what others expect. Families are supposed to love unconditionally, but as we often see in novels, these same people can hurt their children and siblings by their greater concern for social standing than for their relatives. In this case, there are also the cultural expectations of being Chinese and the pecking order that puts a young female in last place. The respect that Anna’s much older sister demands is repaid with utter disdain, dismissiveness and casual cruelty masking as “tough love”, especially when she refuses to accept Anna’s diagnosis and need for compassion and understanding.
The beauty and purity of Anna and Quan’s relationship is manifested in their unconditional acceptance of each other, which allows them to be themselves, warts and all. So, even though this romance doesn’t fit any of the typical tropes, it shows that learning to love yourself and put your happiness first isn’t selfish; it’s the only way to truly be open to giving and accepting love from a partner. Highly recommended, but be sure to read books 1 and 2 to fully appreciate this final entry of the series.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
This book is the cutest! Between her Tourette’s and his ADHD that causes impulsivity, Hollyn Tate and Jasper Deares have faced and triumphed over nearly insurmountable odds. Yet, when he brings her a coffee his first day on a new job, fate takes a stand. Due to facial tics that are especially triggered when she’s attracted to someone, she gives him the impression that she views him with disdain. However, ever optimistic and charming Jasper doesn’t let that deter him from getting to know her. And thus begins a relationship that rivals the best of movie rom-coms.
Jasper’s dream is to be a successful actor, and the path begins with his improv group. When he runs into an old friend who floats the idea of buying and renovating an old New Orleans theater to serve as his group’s home base, Jasper’s past as an abandoned foster child and his academic failures make him doubt his abilities. Hollyn, who has stepped out of her comfort zone by moving into the city and working in a shared WeWork-type office space where she writes anonymous, popular entertainment reviews as Miz Poppy, avoids human connection fearing rejection based on trauma from childhood bullying. When Jasper guesses her secret and learns that she’ll need to reveal herself to keep her job, they decide on a mutually beneficial arrangement. In the process, their friendship grows and their blatant honesty allows them to be vulnerable and draw strength from each other.
This story has all of the elements that make for a memorable friends-to-lovers romance. Loren has done a masterful job combining this trope with a love triangle reminiscent of Pretty in Pink featuring her best friend and first love Cal. She also introduces Andi, a true-crime writer and podcaster, who becomes Hollyn’s first female friend (and the heroine in the next book in the series). If you love rom-coms with witty banter, genuine friendship, male unicorns, personal growth, and improv comedy, pick this delightful book up! Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Soucebooks Casablanca through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
4*
As Ariel Stone begins his senior year, he is on a steady course to valedictorian, his ticket to Harvard and a good life beyond. He’s precariously balancing a massive course load, sacrificing lunch and much of his social life, barely hanging on to first chair violin in orchestra as he bloodies his fingers to perfect a new piece, volunteering at the animal shelter, and observing the Sabbath and celebrating high holy days with his family. It’s getting harder to maintain this effortless façade, but he can’t let his peers smell weakness or he’ll lose his edge. So, when he fails his first calculus quiz, his anxiety goes through the roof. For the first time, he’s going to need a tutor to help him improve his grade, but the last person he expects to rely on is Amir with whom he’s never gotten along. He figures pulling all-nighters, skipping out on plans with friends, and sticking to a strict schedule is the right plan…until the insanity starts taking a toll. He reluctantly asks Amir for help and, as he begins to question if the pressure to succeed is worth it, he also realizes that Amir might be the best thing that’s happened to him.
Silverman has done a masterful job of highlighting the insane pressure put upon kids to get into the best colleges, beginning in grade school and escalating to the point of making themselves sick or worse. Like so many teens, Ariel thinks he’s alone in his anxiety, but, as the story unfolds, we see that the kids he’s competing with are also stressing over parental and self-imposed expectations. The adults, from counselors like Ms. Hayes (who advocated skipping lunch to cram in more classes) and the orchestra director who demands perfection to parents who are woefully ignorant of their children’s escalating anxiety, are greatly to blame.
There are a couple of concerns worth mentioning. Although the relationship between Ariel and Amir develops at an appropriate pace, revealing several characters’ sexual preferences in the first few pages seems gratuitous. The plethora of Yiddish terms without translation might also cause some confusion for many readers. However, neither of these minor faults detract from this story that is so relevant to today’s teens. Highly-recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
