Contemporary – That Bookish Life

Book Review: Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.

Ali is a professional organizer whose life is a mess. 2 years ago she lost her mother to illness, a year ago she lost her husband when he walked out on her while she was still under the haze of grief, and much longer ago she lost herself to the chaos and upheaval of mothering three children.

Just about the time Ali decides she must do something to get her life in order – beginning with wearing hard pants again – she has a meet cute of sorts with a hunky man at the dog park. While he may not be Mr. Right, he’s Mr. Alright-For-Now and Ali is willing to add a little mess to her life in the form of a fun summer fling because she deserves a little fun!But Ali might just be in for more than she bargained for.

For the last 3 years I have had the pleasure of ushering in summer with an Annabel Monaghan book and in my opinion Summer Romance is her best yet! Ali is a heroine to cheer for with a relatable arc of struggling to find herself amidst the chaos of raising kids and managing a household. I always appreciate that Monaghan’s stories feature more mature MCs; middle aged moms deserve a little romance too!

I loved Ali and Ethan together and adored the coastal New England small town setting. This story has romance, redemption, cute dogs, a quaint setting, descriptions of highly organized pantries, and grown up skater boys – truly what more can one ask for in a beach read?!

Book Review: Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell

Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.

Alexa, play “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas.

Now that we’ve set the tone…

New York City, summer 1999. Sawyer, a lowly publishing assistant and recent NYC transplant is staring down the barrel of a summer filled with long, lonely weekends as office buildings empty early on Fridays allowing white collar workers to escape the heat of the city by decamping to beachier destinations. While her fiance works nights and weekends with his too-close-for-comfort co-worker Kendra, Sawyer spends a lot of time alone in their apartment waiting for life to begin. A chance encounter with Kendra’s boyfriend, Nick, leads Sawyer to unexpected summer adventures and an opportunity to reexamine her choices and future.

Summer Fridays is a nostalgic romance that captures NYC at the turn of the millennium. Sawyer and Nick correspond a lot over email and AIM and, as someone who spent much time during formative years chatting online I can assure, the dialog is pitch perfect. The chats beg for a You’ve Got Mail comparison and I don’t think that’s far off, Summer Fridays definitely lives in the same universe as your favorite Nora Ephron rom-com.

Messy and gray and a little angsty this story won’t be for every reader, but I found a lot to appreciate and I expect this book will find its way to many a reader’s tote or beach bag this summer!

Recommended for fans of Renee Carlino.

Book Review: How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.

Violet is a young adult serving time for vehicular manslaughter.

Harriet is a retired teacher facilitating a book club for female inmates.

Frank is a widower turned unlikely handyman at an independent bookstore in Portland, Maine.

After Violet’s release from prison their paths will unexpectedly cross transforming all their futures.

How to Read a Book is a heartwarming story about unlikely friendships, fresh starts, and forgiveness centered around the transformative power of books. A cozy story with broad appeal that would make for a good book club selection.

Recommended for fans of Ethan Joella.

Book Review: Northwoods by Amy Pease

Eli North’s life is in shambles when he takes a pity job offer from his mom, sheriff of their resort town in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. A former elite federal investigator, Eli now bears physical and emotional wounds from his army tour in Afghanistan that has led to substance abuse and the dissolution of his once happy family. As he struggles to gain his bearings in his new role as a small town deputy, Eli responds to a call for a noise complaint at one of the town’s resorts only to discover the dead body of one teen and reports of another who is missing, both from some of the town’s affluent summer families. Eli and the town’s small, resource strapped police department are soon over their heads embroiled in a complicated murder investigation.

Northwoods is a well plotted, well paced debut thriller. There are a lot of moving pieces to this story and I personally would have appreciated further development in some areas, but as is there’s a good balance of character and plot that will appeal to many readers. I appreciated the well rendered Northwoods setting and overall found the story very engaging and right in the zone of what I’m looking for in a thriller.

Northwoods would be perfect for your beach/travel/pool bag or backyard reading stack with its summer resort town setting.

Also recommended for fans of True Detective: Night Country. I couldn’t help but picture Jodie Foster as the sheriff in this story!

Tell me: what type of books do you prefer this time of year?

I read a mix, as always, but warm weather reading often has me reaching for more plottier thrillers and romances than usual!

Book Review: Ready or Not by Cara Bastone

It’s rare that I rave about a romance book but here I am about to do just that!

After an anomalous one night hookup with Brooklyn bar owner, Ethan, Eve finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and though far from the adultiest of adults she wants to keep the pregnancy. This choice will have far reaching consequences for Eve and Ethan, obviously, but also the chosen family within Eve’s sphere, namely, siblings Willa and Shep who have been her chosen family for much of her life.

Ready or Not is a messy love story, but it is that, a love story, one brimming with love in many forms, including romance. With snappy dialog, perfectly imperfect characters, nuance, and so much warmth, Ready or Not shows what is possible when you open yourself to possibility.

I could not get enough of this book! Totally huggable and recommended for fans of Emily Henry.

I’ve heard Bastone’s backlist is also worthwhile so I’m going to have to check that out next!

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Book Review: The Saddest Girl on the Beach by Heather Frese

*The Saddest Girl on the Beach* // Heather Frese

{Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.}

Grieving the recent loss of her father, 19-year-old Charlotte leaves college and her home state of Ohio behind seeking solace with her best friend, Evie, and her family on the tiny island of Hatteras on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But the tranquil seashore Charlotte recalls from childhood vacations remains out of reach as things on the island are in flux: Evie’s life is upended by an unplanned pregnancy, Charlotte finds herself in something of a love triangle, and a hurricane is brewing in the Atlantic.

The Saddest Girl on the Beach is a metaphor rich exploration of grief and a coming-of-age story highlighting enduring and evolving friendship. The sense of place is well developed and central to the story including interesting sprinkles of local lore and oceanography.

This would make an excellent beach read if you enjoy an emotionally charged story with your sun and sand, especially if you find yourself on OBX and can appreciate some of the references first hand.

The Saddest Girl on the Beach is something of a companion novel to Frese’s debut, and winner of the Lee Smith Novel Prize, The Baddest Girl on the Planet, telling Evie’s later story.

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Book Review: A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

*A Great Country* // Shilpi Somaya Gowda

{Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.}

Ashok and Priya Shah emigrated as young newlyweds from India to America escaping rigid caste systems with plans to climb the ladder to the American Dream. Twenty years later they have indeed worked their way from humble beginnings in student housing all the way to a nice home situated in a wealthy enclave of an affluent (fictional) town in Orange County, California. As their teen daughters work to assimilate, or not, into their new neighborhood, the family is suddenly thrown into flux when its youngest member, 12-year-old Ajay, has a run-in with police and the Shah’s dream quickly turns nightmarish.

A Great Country offers a compelling look at important and timely elements of American society: immigration, classism, racism, ableism, and police brutality. A quick read at under 250 pages told with multiple points of view and a plot that really keeps things moving I think this is a book with broad appeal.

This would make an excellent book club selection as the story is very accessible and the deeper themes will make for good discussion. Recommended for fans of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere.

Pub date: 3/26 – out now!

Book Review: Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

The best time I’ve had with a thriller in a long time!

And by that I mean deeply affected, frantically flipping pages, can’t put it down, anxiety on high alert kind of reading experience, because why else do we read thrillers if not for this experience?!

Home alone with her two young children in their isolated historic home during a blizzard, a mother hears the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs in the middle of the night. Before the intruder can reach them she sneaks herself and her children to the safety of a small room hidden behind a wall where she does everything she can to keep her children, ages 8 and 5, quiet and safe. She can’t see the intruder from their hiding place, but she can hear his heavy footsteps moving through the house she knows so well, the squeaky floorboards she avoids, the doors she recognizes by sound alone. As she hides, the story begins to incorporate flashbacks to her life leading up to this moment providing context and fleshing out the story.

Nightwatching is a fierce, feminist, horror thriller, it’s everything I hoped it might be when I read the synopsis. The narrative is suspenseful and suffocating, I felt as though I were crouched in this little hiding space alongside the characters and I, of course, couldn’t put it down once I started reading.

The story resonated with me deeply and I found the MC incredibly recognizable and relatable as I’m sure many mothers will. This was one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time, I think Tracy Sierra has a very clear vision of what she was trying to do here and pulled it off beautifully.

Book Review: Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Complimentary review copy provided by publisher.

Daphne, like many women in their early 30s, is looking for love. Unlike many (all?) other women who might look to the Universe for a sign to help direct their love life, Daphne receives mysterious notes every time she begins a new relationship telling her just how long it will last. 3 days, 5 weeks, 1 night, 2 years, from the onset Daphne knows what to expect. But the night of a blind date she receives a blank note for the first time. This note will change everything for Daphne.

Expiration Dates is a solid and somewhat unexpected romance. Just when you think you know where the story is going everything changes. And Daphne’s journey is not just one of romance, it’s also about self-love and self-determination. I really appreciated the touch of magical realism and the tour of LA; I suspect people who know the area will recognize many of the places and locations mentioned.

Pub Date: 3/19

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Book Review: This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

Complimentary review copy provided by publisher.

This is the book everyone was most looking forward to from my March releases post . I just finished reading this morning and had to share my thoughts right away so you all know to prioritize this one!

After her husband detonates their life and marriage 41-year-old Soledad is blindsided, left to pick up the pieces and rebuild a life for herself and their 3 daughters. This Could Be Us is a story of healing, resilience, and love in many forms, including romance.

A satisfying story, Soledad is an admirable heroine to cheer for, but Kennedy Ryan adds a few meaty pieces that really add up to something great:

Complex family dynamics. Not only is Soledad navigating crisis with an eye toward helping her daughters stay whole and heal, she herself comes from not uncomplicated origins. Soledad’s love interest, Judah, has a beautiful, functional, blended family showing divorce doesn’t always mean the end of love and care for one another.

Autism representation. Judah is a parent to twin teen boys with Autism. It appears Ryan, herself a parent of a child with Autism per her Author’s Note, has provided an accurate and nuanced representation of a family navigating Autism.

Domestic labor. Soledad did not work outside the home, her family was her work, so when her husband upends their lives he left his family reeling with no income. Part of Soledad’s journey of self-discovery is learning to use her skills and expertise to earn an income to support her family. I thought this was well done and appreciated the focus on the typically overlooked value of domestic labor.

This Could Be Us is something of a slow burn if you’re expecting a traditional romance, though once that spark ignites the wait is well worth it, but there’s really so much to appreciate with Soledad’s journey.

Though this is the second book in the Skyland series (beginning with Before I Let Go) both books can be enjoyed as stand alone novels with overlapping characters. I’ve read both and Kennedy Ryan is now an official auto-read author!

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