The Last Page by Katie Holt

 

5*

Although it touches on grief, guilt and depression, The Last Page is mostly a humorous story with a steamy workplace romance and one of the most eccentric and endearing cast of characters (The Last Page bookstore’s staff) I’ve ever read. The theme of chosen family is central to the story, and I couldn’t help reflecting on the idea of New York, with its huge population, being one of the loneliest places on earth. Ella and Henry, through the power of reading and shared love of books, managed to foster a sense of belonging and family for a hefty slice of the city’s denizens, including Henry himself. One of my favorite elements of the book are the “Staff Picks” at the start of each chapter. (My overwhelming TBR list has grown.)

As I read the passages where Ella shares her favorite parts of her city as only a native can, I couldn’t help thinking of Kate Clayborn’s wonderful book, Love Lettering, which I called “a love letter to NYC” when I reviewed it several years ago, as well as Cole and Layla Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner. All three have their protagonists fall in love while exploring the city. If you know readers who love NYC and/or bookstores, please share this delightful enemies-to-lovers romance. 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.

What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon

 

3*

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.

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone

5*

This is the second book I’ve read by Bastone (the first being Ready or Not), and I can’t wait to read more. This friends-to-lovers romance between Lenny and Miles is a touching and heartbreaking exploration of grief and the process of working through it to be able to live and love again. I absolutely love how Miles is so committed to helping Lenny navigate her grief journey (following the death of her best friend), using his own experiences to inform the way he both supports her and gently and patiently guides her through her depression.

“You are not betraying her [her friend Lou] by healing,” he whispers directly into my ear. “You are honoring her. You are learning to love her exactly as she is. As someone who isn’t here anymore … That’s who she is now. And this journey through grief … It’s what we do for the great loves of our lives.” In return, Lenny helps Miles build a relationship with his half-sister and niece, the only family he has left.

Lenny has what Miles refers to as “love-at-first-sight fantasies” which are really just her first reactions to men she sees, and hers toward Miles is initially positive, but quickly dashed when he opens his mouth. Yet, she soon realizes that he’s just socially awkward (perhaps autistic-coded) and his gruff exterior masks a kind, empathic man. He turns out to be the perfect book boyfriend, sensitive to her needs and totally supportive and protective.

Bastone is wonderful at building tension. This is a VERY slow burn, but the wait is worth it with a hilarious, but spicy love scene towards the end. Highly recommended.

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

 

The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid

 

4* (release date: 3/4/25)

Rachel Reid writes beautiful, heartwarming hockey romances that get me every time. That this one is a second chance romance between former best friends and teammates makes it even more special. Professional male athletes, especially hockey players, are “liars” as Adam says. They lie about their pain, their mental illness and addictions, and, sometimes, their sexuality as well. Reid gently explores the pressure to “man up” in this story, with Adam denying his love for and attraction to Riley for over two decades. In the process, he hurt Riley deeply and himself as well. It isn’t until two years into retirement that he reconnects with Riley at his father’s funeral, and it’s anything but smooth sailing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the way these two navigate their second chance, with honesty, humility, forgiveness, and a good deal of steaminess. The choice of a dual point of view really helps to round out the relationship. I highly recommend this beautiful soulmates’ love story.

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

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers

 

2*

Spoilers:




Sometimes a book can be really well-written, but it just doesn’t do it for me. The Book Swap is one such book. I struggled to get through it, hoping for the happily ever after that readers depend on in romances, but the longer I read, the less I liked the female main character, Erin. I thought both Erin and James were immature and so burdened by their traumas that it really stunted their emotional growth. They both dealt with mommy issues and the cancer death of their mutual best friend, but their utter lack of communication (vs. the tired miscommunication trope) and Erin’s selfish unwillingness to let James explain his actions and forgive him just annoyed me.

The premise of a romance building between two strangers who share ever-increasing parts of themselves in the margins of books found in a London little book library should have been a slam dunk for this romance-loving librarian, but the narrative was just too bogged down with grief, job dissatisfaction, James’s mother’s bipolar disorder, and Erin’s mom’s betrayal. As a former educator and parent, I really hated reading about James’s bullying, and couldn’t fathom why no adults in his life put a stop to it. They both should have been in therapy in their adolescence, another failure on the part of their parents. Even when Erin’s (ironically) psychotherapist sister forced her into therapy at age 30, it was clear that it wasn’t doing her any good in terms of her grieving and stubbornness in holding on to others’ past transgressions. Pretty much everyone in the book is either miserable or making others so. Bottom line, I just found this book depressing and, if I’m being honest, somewhat triggering. Speaking of, there should be trigger warnings for death, bullying, mental illness, and abandonment. Not recommended.

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

Nice Work, Nora November

 

3*

Although this book ends on a high note, I struggled with it because it was really depressing and not just because Nora herself suffered with mental illness. After reading the synopsis, I’d expected an “uplifting and heartwarming” story, and it wasn’t. I’d describe it as sad and highly dysfunctional with a few pages of hope and renewal at the end. From the moment Nora wakes up from a coma after her near-death experience of drowning, it’s obvious that her family puts the D in dysfunction. Her ethically-challenged father, a personal injury lawyer, is both emotionally and physically abusive, her mother is in major denial and lives to criticize and gaslight her, her younger sister has lost all faith in her after being disappointed too many times when Nora’s depression caused her to break promises, and her cousin Gus is a lonely, sad alcoholic who also doesn’t trust her.

As Nora goes through rehab and therapy, she re-evaluates her life Before (capitalized in the book) the drowning and decides that she needs to make some major changes, including trying to recapture some of what she lost. She creates a reverse bucket list that includes trying to find Jack, the man she met during a robbery hostage situation who she thinks may be The One, and tending to her late grandfather’s community garden plot that she let go wild while her mental health was spiraling. I didn’t understand London’s choice to have Nora fail at everything she tried, unless it was to highlight how easy it is to slip back into depression and self-doubt. One of the only highlights of the story is the group of senior citizen thespians she meets who knew her grandfather. They provide the only bit of comic relief in the book and are instrumental in helping Nora navigate her After life. There are also many deathbed vignettes of Jack’s hospice patients which were really interesting and set the stage for how kind and empathetic he is. I wouldn’t classify this as a romance, although there was an element of it, but women’s fiction instead.

As someone who has suffered from chronic depression and lost my father way too young, it was somewhat triggering to read Nora’s story, especially the joy she felt seeing her late grandfather while in the coma. So, I think it’s important to share trigger warnings. If you don’t want any spoilers, stop reading here.

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Depression, abuse, suicide, death, grief, alcoholism

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.

At First Spite (Harlot's Bay #1) by Olivia Dade

 

4*

Spoiler alert

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At First Spite, the first book in Olivia Dade’s new Harlot’s Bay series, is set in a small, coastal Maryland town named for a lesbian couple who fled their oppressive homes and settled there in the 1690s. Over the centuries, it has become a haven for misfits. So, it’s no surprise that Dade features a lesbian couple who are friends and colleagues of the protagonists, a gruff baker with a soft center, an overwhelmed and out of his depth bookshop owner, and two people who, despite their respective traumas, find in each other a kindred spirit.

 

As the story opens, we find Athena Greydon at her engagement party to Johnny Vine who asked her to marry him just two months after their first meeting before they even got to know each other well. He’s promised her that, when she moves to Harlot’s Bay, she won’t have to find a new job because he’ll take care of her (promises that he’ll depend on his older brother Matthew’s generosity to keep). Feeling burned out after four years as a high school social studies teacher, her acceptance of his proposal may be due more to the promise of the comfort and shelter she seeks than any true love she may have for him. This is very evident to his older brother who makes it his mission to end the engagement, viewing Athena as too irresponsible and immature to be someone’s wife. After meeting her face-to-face for the first time at the party and forming an instant attraction before he even knows her name, it’s likely that his resistance to the engagement is no longer purely altruistic.

 

When Johnny heeds Matthew’s advice and calls off the engagement, Athena has already quit her job and sold her condo. So, she has no choice but to move into The Spite House, a 10’ wide townhouse built between the two brothers’ larger homes which she bought as a wedding present for Johnny, using up most of her savings. Little does she know that Matthew will be her next-door neighbor. Despite a series of harmless, petty pranks she plays against him, they slowly get to know each other (while Johnny is away on an extended solo honeymoon) and learn that they both suffered from misconceptions about each other’s lives and intentions. That’s why it was relatively easy for both Matthew and Athena to forgive each other, share their innermost thoughts, and offer emotional (and, in his case, financial) support while navigating their separate traumas. Given what caring and decent people they both are and the fact that she didn’t really know Johnny well, the cringe factor of a guy going after his younger brother’s ex-fiancée is muted.

 

Athena has two Masters’ degrees and dropped out of a PhD program before finishing, yet she finds herself at age 37 with no job, a spotty employment history, and a bad case of burnout and depression, unable to see herself and her career path as anything other than dismal failures. It takes Matthew, the uptight, grumpy pediatrician, to help her see that her depression is painting a false picture. He not only supports her in her darkest moments, but also shows her the way friends and loved ones view her. He offers a different perspective which carries more weight because she thought he hated her. Everyone deserves a Matthew in their life, someone who acknowledges your flaws, but loves you in spite of them. He’s definitely an A+ book boyfriend.

 

Athena’s story will resonate with readers who have suffered from depression and struggled to find a vocation that they are passionate about and can excel in. My one criticism is that she seems neurodivergent-coded (as does Matthew), so although his well-meaning justifications for her spotty job history may be accurate, they’re incomplete without acknowledging how her neurodivergency impacts her relationships and employment.

 

Of course, Matthew is also dealing with the trauma of his baby brother’s death when he was only 8 years old. After the tragedy, his parents’ relationship fell apart, and he was thrust into the paternal role of taking care of Johnny. As a result, he’s always sacrificed his own wants and needs by being caretaker for his brother and others in his life. One of the most beautiful parts of the story is when Athena reciprocates by helping Matthew navigate his own grief and path forward.

 

The only other criticism I have is the bizarre, erotic bestiality books featured throughout that make little sense and prove more of a distraction than a humorous element which, combined with a messy (albeit revelatory) first sex scene between Matthew and Athena, stifle any sense of passion. I just found them both cringey. Book 2 is set to feature Karl, the afore-mentioned angry baker, and the author of these books. Not sure I’m going to want to revisit the trope at any length.

 

Overall, though, this is one of Dade’s best books, so I highly recommend it.

 

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

 

Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson

4*

Spoilers!

Nora Hughes is in a rut, working as an editorial assistant for a floundering publishing company. After five years, she’s no closer to her dream of being an editor, and ongoing austerity measures have resulted in her being severely overworked and underpaid, especially after her salary is reduced beyond a sustainable level. In desperation, she agrees to freelance for a rival publisher and hides that fact from both employers. It’s inevitable that it’ll crash and burn. Meeting and beginning to fall for prized author Andrew Santos while, at the same time, using him to achieve her career goals is bound to end badly. If this story followed the predictable romantic tropes, readers would be assured of a HEA. However, Nora’s spiraling mental health raises the stakes and leaves the ending ambiguous but optimistic.

Andrew, who ranks himself at 10 of 10 on the happiness scale, is an absolute delight. He is thoughtful, protective (in a good way), and full of good humor, so it’s difficult knowing that his relationship with Nora is less than honest and bound to end with heartbreak. Nora is a complex character whose struggle with mental illness and misguided selfishness (motivated by survival) make it challenging to root for her, so readers need to be sympathetic rather than critical. The chemistry between them is tepid, especially with the total absence of any sexy scenes (other than a few kisses). Despite this, the hope is that Nora will eventually get the therapy she desperately needs, find a career path that’s enriching and fulfilling, and be able to reconcile with Andrew. They both deserve nothing less.

I thought this story had promise based on the summary, and I gravitate to books about books. However, I was somewhat disappointed not only by the slow pace, but by how dark it went with Nora’s depression and suicidal ideation. I don’t think it’s unusual, especially in today’s economy, for college graduates to take a “dream” job only to find that their expectations far exceed their reality. However, it’s the decisions they make (or fail to) about the next step in their career path that determine whether or not they’ll be happy pursuing something that takes up most of their waking hours.

Bottom line, it’s a good effort for this debut novelist, but expect women’s fiction rather than full-on romance.

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

A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

 

5*

Following a desperate and damaging attempt to run from what she calls a “trifecta” of heartbreak, Lila Reyes has been exiled by her Cuban-American parents from her beloved Miami to her aunt’s B&B in Winchester, England in the hopes that she will find peace and healing. In her opinion, this is just one more act of betrayal, removing control of how she handles her grieving process after the death of her beloved Abuela, the breakup with her long-time boyfriend, and the abandonment of her best friend. Her plan had been to take over the family bakery with her sister, with Pilar handling the business end and Lila honoring her grandmother’s legacy, using both her recipes and the lessons she taught her. How can she possibly do that if she has to spend the summer an ocean away?

On the surface, Winchester and Miami are polar opposites. One is ancient, gray, chilly, lacking in flavor, understated. The other is modern, full of color, sizzling, spicy, bold. Lila’s initial assumption is that the people reflect their cities…this will feel like a prison sentence. So, after 48 hours of solitude, her first surprise is finding that the loud rock music emanating from her cousin Gordon’s room is the creative inspiration for his beautiful architectural drawings. Then she meets Orion Maxwell, the son of the local tea purveyor, his sister Flora, the talented singer-songwriter Jules, and her boyfriend Remy. Orion, who makes it his mission to find Lila’s favorite flavor of tea, offers to be her Winchester tour guide. Through various adventures over the course of the book, the five friends collectively show her that there are so many flavors to food and drink, styles of music, dance, and architecture, landscape views, and even types of heartbreak, grief, and love beyond the small world she has inhabited her whole life, that she slowly comes to love her temporary home.

Although Orion and Lila are both dealing with weighty issues, their shared grief creates a special bond between them that will make it difficult to let go at the end of the summer. Will there be any way for them to keep the relationship alive when they’re worlds apart?

This aptly-titled book is a culinary guide to Cuban cuisine, a travel guide of Winchester, and an emotional journey both on foot and via many modes of transportation through grief, loss, and hope. The descriptions of the food are mouth-watering and central to the story, both as a tribute to Lila’s Abuela and as a plot point when Lila takes over the B&B kitchen in the absence of their regular pastry chef. The city of Winchester and the surrounding countryside, which Lila and Orion discover on their runs and the back of his motorcycle, are another character in the story and like the humans, are well-drawn and another reason that Lila comes to love her place of exile. Although there are heavy topics such as mental illness and death, they are handled delicately. In the talented hands of Laura Taylor Namey, this is another extraordinary young adult novel to share with teens who are looking for a deeply-emotional, thought-provoking story that will leave them wanting more. Highly recommended!

Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron

5*

Reena, a middle-child in a traditional Muslim Indian family, is sandwiched between an older brother who has done everything right and a younger sister who is self-absorbed, somewhat passive aggressive and obsessed with healthy eating, to the point that she destroyed her sister’s side business blogging food and chance at a cookbook deal when she posts a diatribe on food bloggers pushing fattening foods. She has very low self-esteem and sees herself as a failure at everything, but especially relationships (12 in 13 years) and jobs (one layoff after another due to downsizing). She’s stuck in finance because she doesn’t want to work for the family development firm, but also doesn’t see a way to turn her passion for artisanal bread baking into a viable career.

Added to all of this are Indian Muslim parents who emigrated to Toronto from Tanzania who are pushing eligible, but totally unappealing men at her in the hopes she’ll marry someone of her kind and pump out some babies. Then Nadim moves in across the hall, a sexy “brown Captain America” with a swoonworthy smirk and British accent. Before she even has a chance to learn more than his name, he reveals that he’s her dad’s new employee and arranged marriage prospect thanks to a business deal between their fathers.

So what’s a girl to do? In her case, she’s pushed into entering a televised cooking contest where she needs a fiancé. Turns out that Nadim is the perfect and willing candidate to fake it. When their drunken audition video lands them a spot, they become fast friends, agreeing to an “unengagement” and fighting an attraction because there’s no way Reena will give her parents the satisfaction of falling for one of their chosen marriage prospects, no matter how appealing.

This story proved to be so much more than a lightweight rom-com. Although there’s humor, chemistry (of both the physical and kitchen variety), and family drama, there are also some heavy topics. When a family that thrives on gossip (while keeping their own secrets) and long-time rivalries starts coming apart at the seams, issues such as eating disorders, depression, and bad decisions threaten to tear them apart. However, the author treats our MCs with compassion and proves that with a little faith, emotional support (from each other and a couple of LGBTQ friends and relatives), and killer sourdough, mistakes of the past can be overcome and the patriarchical nature of their community can be overcome. Highly recommend.

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.