No Matter What by Cara Bastone

5*

I read Bastone’s last 2 books and gave them both 5*. As I read this one and kept putting it down, I struggled to figure out what was so off-putting about this story that I couldn;t become fully-immersed. Then I realized it's because my least favorite romance trope is miscommunication, and No Matter What drowns in it. It’s a huge plot point, and I’m just not comfortable with men who can’t seem to get their thoughts out of their mouths.

If I take the failure to communicate out of the equation, I can appreciate that Bastone beautifully describes the work a solid marriage takes to survive and that a life-changing accident and its aftermath can truly test the strength of love. The pressure of surviving, taking care of a brother whose injuries are complex and slow to heal, and navigating a new normal all put a strain on Roz and Vin’s relationship. It took me awhile, but I finally figured out how her pursuit of art was her way of healing and he had his own way.

This would be an easy 5* read for someone who has no problem with poor communication, but I just couldn’t get past it enough to enjoy the story without that limitation.

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.

Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise

5*

This book made me feel both uncomfortable and angry. From childhood, Saoirse (formerly known as Sarah) has been failed by the adults in her life. Her mother had her at age 16 and was ill-equipped to handle a child, especially with a drug addiction. Her stepfather is terrifying, and the “system” didn’t save her. Instead, she saved herself by escaping to Ireland with a stolen passport, and this is where the story begins. Unfortunately, it’s also where she meets Paul on the plane. The book is a series of flashbacks, using Saoirse’s haunting artwork to tell the story. It speaks to the strength this traumatized young woman has to protect those she loves and to move to another country alone while still in her teens.

Hurtubise does a phenomenal job of balancing the suspense of the past Saoirse is hiding, the abuse that leaves its psychological mark on her, a touching romance, and an indictment of the social service programs in the US and the strict, misogynistic laws in Ireland that trap women in terrible relationships where their only potentially safe option is to flee the country.

This would be a wonderful choice for book clubs but also has a number of triggers to be aware of. Highly recommended.

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

The Lost Dresses of Italy by M.A. McLaughlin

 

5*

All the best historical fiction seamlessly blends real events and people with fictional characters and, often, periods of historical figures’ lives from the author’s imagination. In this dual timeline story, McLaughlin introduces her readers to Marianne Baxter, a war widow and costume curator, who is invited to Verona, Italy in 1947 by a friend to research and restore three Victorian-era gowns for the reopening of a museum that was damaged during the war. When she finds a letter in a sleeve addressed to famed poet Christina Rossetti from her father, it begins a hunt for clues not only about the woman who wore the dresses, but also how they ended up in a walled-over room in the museum. In her postscript, McLaughlin mentions a cryptic quote from Christina Rossetti’s brother William, who accompanied her on her trip to Italy in 1865, which presumably was the inspiration for this fictionalized period of her life. “Had she [Christina] henceforth lived in Italy…she would, I believe, have been a much happier woman than she was.”

The story opens with a murder outside the museum, when a young man in the Italian Resistance is double-crossed by a compatriot who kills him for the emerald he was about to sell to raise money for their cause. In the letter, Christina’s father writes of a pendant that she would have found after his death, a probable connection to the murder. As Marianne begins to follow the clues as to what transpired during Christina’s visit to Italy, it angers the museum director, Alessandro Forni, whose cousin was the murder victim. As he tells her, “Wading into the unfamiliar waters of a foreign country, which has so recently endured a bitter war, can stir up nothing but ugly things lurking in the depths.” This foreshadows what becomes a suspenseful mystery that combines the restoration of various art forms with jewelry theft, the physical and emotional toll war’s death and destruction had on the people and the morally dubious choices they had to make to survive, and an epic love story that has faint echoes to the most famous star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. So, it’s only fitting that most of the book is set in Verona.

McLaughlin chose a dual POV, featuring two creative women eighty years apart who went to Italy and found love when they weren’t looking. Their trajectories were different, but their time there profoundly changed them. Don’t be surprised if you end up going down a rabbit hole Googling information about the Rossetti family, especially after reading the conversations between Christina and her more famous brother, Dante, both of whom their mother referred to as the “storms” (versus their other siblings, William and Maria, who were the “calms”). The Lost Dresses of Italy is a compelling story with vibrant characters driven by greed, obsession, passion, and grief, one that you won’t quickly forget. Highly recommended.

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

The Boy Next Story by Tiffany Schmidt

3.5 stars

In this 2nd book in the Bookish Boyfriends series, Rory is a freshman at tony prep school Hero High where she, her older sister Merri, and sister’s friend Eliza are the scholarship kids. Toby, a sophomore lacrosse player side-lined for the season with an injury, is the boy-next-door. They’ve all been friends since sandbox days which is where Rory kissed him as a pre-schooler…and she’s been in love with him ever since. Unfortunately, he only has eyes for Merri. Rory got into Hero High because of her prodigious art talent, but her fellow art students are routinely sabotaging her work, seeing her as a threat to winning the once-every-four-years competition to work with a famous artist for a week in New York City. How the teacher fails to see that the destruction of her work isn’t accidental is incomprehensible, especially when Rory might lose her place at the school if she doesn’t keep her grades up. When she needs some math tutoring, Toby volunteers and, as the months ensue, their friendship strengthens and they begin to see each other as more than just the crush and the little sister. Is there a chance Toby will ever see her as more than a substitute?

If you picked this book up based on the publisher’s blurb, you might be a bit confused when nearly the first half of the book focuses on The Great Gatsby, not Little Women. And, if you’re a fan of the latter, you’ll find many of the comparisons loose, at best. Merri is nothing like Jo March in looks or personality; the father isn’t away at war, but is very present; and Amy and Laurie are adults by the end of the Little Women whereas Rory and Toby are 15 and 17. Also, the “quirky teacher” who makes fantasies come to life isn’t Miss Frizzle for the literary set, but just a teacher who knows her students well enough to put the right books in their hands and hope that they’ll make the connection between the characters and their own lives.

Overall, this is a cute YA romance that would make a fun summer read. In all likelihood, most teens haven’t read Little Women, so the loose comparisons won’t bother them. They’ll be eager for the 3rd book in the series.

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

Spring Skies over Bluebell Castle by Sarah Bennett

4*

On the biggest night of art appraiser Lucie Kennington’s life, the unveiling of the masterpiece she discovered spells disaster instead. After leaving the gallery under a cloud of suspicion compounded by her late father’s fraudulent schemes, her mother convinces her to apply for a temporary position in Derbyshire helping a baronet appraise the family’s art and artifacts in the hopes of finding a treasure. Instead of the elderly man she expects, she is greeted by the young, handsome Sir Arthur Ludworth who has inherited a crumbling castle without the funds to repair it. Rounding out the family are his fellow triplets Tristan and Igraine, Uncle Lancelot, and Great-Aunt Morgana. (Yes, the Arthurian obsession is real).

The first book of Bennett’s new Bluebell Castle trilogy is a light-hearted, fun novel set in Britain, perfect for summer reading. There is romance, a compelling art mystery, loads of dogs, and acres of bluebells. Best of all, there are two more books on the way that will give readers the opportunity to share Tristan and Iggy’s love stories. A winner!

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

When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington

4*

Aiden, his school’s star baseball pitcher until life throws him a curveball in the form of vision loss, abruptly quits the team without explanation. Over the summer, he works at River Depot, his family’s outdoor adventure business and devotes his time and energy to finding an art form that inspires him. Olivia, who lives with the aunt who has raised her after her mother left to “find herself”, is dumped by her lifelong friend-turned-boyfriend Zander, loses a great job writing for a local newspaper when they are forced to sell the business, and finds out that she’ll be moving to Arizona at the end of the summer for her aunt’s new job. Desperate to salvage what she can of the summer, she begins work at River Depot and vows to focus on her writing.

Although Zander and Aiden’s were teammates, he and Olivia have to dispel misconceptions and acknowledge the break-up before they can begin to build a romantic attachment. As trust builds, Aiden reveals his vision loss and Olivia her family issues. However, she doesn’t tell him about her impending move. When the truth comes out, will Aiden’s sense of betrayal destroy their relationship?

There’s much to love in this character-driven coming-of-age romance. Aiden is the perfect boyfriend and their relationship is adorable. Pennington’s choice of Lake Michigan as the beautiful backdrop for their love story is brilliant and their visit to the Grand Rapids ArtPrize festival serves as the perfect inspirational vehicle for Aiden’s large-scale projects. The dual points of view give the reader a more complete picture of their relationship. She also introduces Aiden’s gay cousin Ellis while avoiding the stereotypical “gay best friend” trope.

However, there are some minor flaws that bear addressing. Problems that seem monumental are too easily resolved, such as Olivia’s renewed relationship with her mother and Aiden’s vision loss that is never fully-explained. When Olivia’s boyfriend Zander breaks up with her, she doesn’t seem very heartbroken. It also seems problematic to leave fate to a coin toss, which is cute only the first time.

Overall, it’s a perfect quick summer read with an charming romance and a refreshing lack of teen angst. Give this to fans of Sarah Dessen, Kasie West and Huntley Fitzpatrick


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

We Were Beautiful by Heather Hepler

5*

Mia carries the facial scars from a tragic accident in which her older sister died when she was driving. Almost a year later, she is still unable to remember the events leading up to the crash, but knows she’s to blame. Abandoned first by her mother who leaves because the pain is more than she can bear and then by her emotionally paralyzed father, she is sent to NYC to spend the summer with a grandmother she’s never met and who is initially cold and distant. Despite hoping to hide, her grandmother arranges a job at a family diner run by the large, loud, loving Brunelli family who adopt her as one of their own. Fig, the granddaughter of the matriarch, Nonna, introduces her to her group of artistic friends (Art Attack) who share a common bond that is revealed as the story progresses. Over the course of the summer, friendships blossom, her attraction to enigmatic but adorable Cooper grows, and her amnesia slowly lifts, enabling her to learn the truth about the crash and to forgive herself.

Hepler has crafted a beautiful story that defines family as a loving rather than blood bond (Mia and her grandmother, the Brunelli’s, and the Art Attack kids). Art is a form of therapy, and Mia’s rediscovered passion for photography helps the healing process. The pacing is intentionally slow (written as a first-person diary of sorts) in order for the grieving and shedding of guilt to unfold organically. The lesson, never heavy-handed, is that we all have scars, many invisible, that fade with time but that are a reminder that we all have the capacity to heal with love and unconditional support. Diverse cast of characters with one interracial couple. Trigger warning for “recovering” Catholics who have a problem with the hypocrisy of the Church and some of its adherents. Highly recommended for libraries looking for young adult books on grief and healing or books that feature artistic protagonists.

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

The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena

Susan is the good girl: an innocent Indian Christian newly-transplanted from Saudi Arabia to Mississauga, Ontario, eager to please her parents by getting excellent grades, obeying the rules, and staying out of trouble and away from boys. Malcolm is the bad boy: a Canadian-Indian Parsi troublemaker, former alcohol and drug abuser, and angry teen since his mother’s death two years before. Despite her sheltered background and his apparent disregard for authority and responsibility, they’re drawn to each other. As Susan shares her dream of becoming an artist in defiance of her parents’ plans and her anger over their possible divorce and Malcolm (“The One Without a Future, according to every adult in his life”) reveals his father’s abuse, neglect, and adultery while his mom was wasting away from cancer, they start to have a positive influence on each other. Then that trust is broken. With time and determination, will they get a second chance?

Bhathena has written a riveting teen romance that goes beyond the standard meet cute, break-up, and  reconciliation formula. In choosing to tell the story from the points of view of both Susan and Malcolm, she’s given readers an intimate view of the damage that parental expectation, alienation, and selfishness have on children. All of the characters are well-developed and both Susan’s art and the various Indian religions are also key elements that drive this culturally-diverse story. Highly recommended and a first choice for libraries that serve teens.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.