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I read a lot this quarter! Honestly, even I’m impressed. There are some winners (and losers) in this lot so check it out! Have you read any of these titles??
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
Goodreads synopsis: Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is go back home.
But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires her, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.
People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5) So cute and sticky sweet. It’s like if Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before had a love child…in Italy. It’s just the sweetest teenage rom-com which is why Netflix picked it up (which pretty much took the title of the book and names of the 2 main characters aaaand that’s about it 🙄😔).
The Lion’s Den by Katherine St. John
Goodreads synopsis: Belle likes to think herself immune to the dizzying effects of fabulous wealth. But when her best friend, Summer, invites her on a glamorous getaway to the Mediterranean aboard her billionaire boyfriend’s yacht, the only sensible answer is yes. Belle hopes the trip will be a much-needed break from her stalled acting career and uniquely humiliating waitressing job, but once she’s aboard the luxurious Lion’s Den, it soon becomes clear this jet-setting holiday is not as advertised.
Belle’s dream vacation quickly devolves into a nightmare as she and the handful of other girls Summer invited are treated more like prisoners than guests by their controlling host-and in one terrifying moment, Belle comes to see Summer for who she truly is: a vicious gold digger who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Belle realizes she’s going to have to keep her wits about her — and her own big secret closely hidden — if she wants to make it off the yacht alive.
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) Ok, so I guess I love mysteries. The Lion’s Den is my second mystery/ thriller this year and I am craving more. Sometimes- sometimes– it’s nice to have a break from the rom coms. This was incredible. The beginning was a little slow but it definitely ups the suspense that builds until and amazing twist! The characters are so full of life and, although I know NO ONE like most of them, somehow they are relatable. I will not give anything away so I’ll keep this review short. Run, don’t walk to read this one. Or should I say sail??
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Daves
Goodreads synopsis: Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.
Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated.
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5) Once again, another mystery. This one is tricky for me to review. It’s one of those books that had such high potential. The book begins right at the beginning of the mystery which I loved. Not a ton of exposition, get us on the edge of our seats and let’s just get to it! But then the suspense and mystery was built up and kept unfolding at a steady clip and then boom the story is solved and wrapped up and that’s it. No spoilers so, sorry for the lack of context but the ending of the book was so strange to me. It’s like there was something missing, almost like she took the last 10 chapters she should’ve written and smooshed them all together to make 1. I would tell friends that they could skip this one, however, I am interested in the movie!
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Goodreads synopsis: Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie Peter Pan, the mischievous boy who refuses to grow up, lands in the Darling’s proper middle-class home to look for his shadow. He befriends Wendy, John and Michael and teaches them to fly (with a little help from fairy dust). He and Tinker Bell whisk them off to Never-land where they encounter the Red Indians, the Little Lost Boys, pirates and the dastardly Captain Hook.
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) Can I give more than 5 stars? Look, this is my favorite story of all time and I re-read it for the millionth time. I re-read this again because book club is reading Darling Girl (see below) and I wanted to prep for the story. If you haven’t read it, here’s your sign.
Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey
Goodreads synopsis: Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven’t taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World… whatever that means.
Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?) Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.) Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?) Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!)
Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite?
Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there’s Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her…
My review: ⭐️⭐️ (2/5) Yooooooo this book is nastay. With a T-A-Y. 5/5 spice level. SUPER explicit, so this is not one for the shy; full of dirty talk and rough(er) sex. Aaaaand it’s not my thing. I’d much prefer the longer drawn out will-they-won’t-they type of romance novels. But, I’m a big girl and I can deal. However, Travis called Georgie “baby girl”. I did not like that. Maybe it’s because it’s has a strong father/daughter connotation and that is not something I want in the bedroom 🤮. Additionally, I found it realllllly hard to like Travis. He seems like a womanizing, dominating, controlling douche 90% of the time. I get that he’s “broken” but that wasn’t enough for me to forgive him for the trash behavior. The writing also was a little… well gag me. And not in the way that you expect romance novels to be. Some saving graces… Georgie is a great character. I love her struggle to feel like a full adult. I know that feeling well, having been an actor in my past life (“when are you getting a real job?” ugh). Additionally, the character of Rosie is fantastic. I miiiight read the follow-up book to this one where Rosie is the main character but I think I’ll read the reviews first- just to make sure.
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Goodreads synposis: In Amy Poehler’s highly anticipated first book, Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious. Powered by Amy’s charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book full of words to live by.
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5) If you love Saturday Night Live or Parks and Rec this book is for you. I listened to it on audio (as I do EVERY autobiography read by the author) and listening to it in Amy’s own voice makes it all the better. She does such a great job of mixing her life stories with truly heartfelt moments and of course hilarious anecdotes.
Darling Girl by Liz Michalski 📖
Goodreads synopsis: In this beautiful, grounded, and darkly magical modern-day reimagining of J. M. Barrie’s classic, to save her daughter’s life one woman must take on the infamous Peter Pan–who is not the innocent adventurer the fairy tales make him out to be . . .
Life is looking up for Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendy–yes, that Wendy. She’s running a successful skincare company; her son, Jack, is happy and healthy; and the tragedy of her past is well behind her . . . until she gets a call that her daughter, Eden, who has been in a coma for nearly a decade, has gone missing from the estate where she’s been long tucked away. And, worst of all, Holly knows who must be responsible: Peter Pan, who is not only very real, but more dangerous than anyone could imagine.
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5) Here’s the deal. I love Peter Pan. It’s one of my favorite stories. Fav Disney character… you get the idea. So, I was excited to read this book because I love all the iterations and retellings I’ve seen and read before. But… this one…ugh, I really wanted to love it. The writing style is great. It’s part mystery, part fantasy that turns all thoughts about Peter, Wendy, Michael, John, Tinkerbell and Hook on their heads. Some of the Easter eggs are awesomely subtle (just for those of us who know the story very well) and some are quite heavy handed so that anyone would make the connections. **SPOILERS AHEAD** Michalski makes Peter the villain which, honestly I’m fine with. In the original story, Peter is a mischievous, devious boy and is very nonchalant about death; Peter “thins out” the lost boys when they get to be too many etc. However, in this novel Peter rapes Holly Darling. What? I just… I couldn’t get past that. Something about that crosses a line for me. You learn this plot point about halfway through and I had to push past it for the rest of the story. It was like swallowing a quarter-sized pill. Dry. I wish there was some other way to give Eden the special magic she has- maybe she gets kissed by a fairy? Or she’s the result of some sort of Neverland car crash immaculate conception?- I could more easily dive in to the story with those reasonings. I just kept thinking “I really like this book” and then immediately I think “but, damn it, the rape 🙄 ugh.” IF (big IF) you can get past that, the story is quite imaginative and fantastical. But ultimately, this book has a big ol’ “but” attached to it for me.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
Goodreads synopsis: The first rule of book club: You don’t talk about book club.
Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.
Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.
Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5) A couple of years behind the bandwagon on this series, but boy am I glad I jumped on! Seriously, what an amazing concept. Listen, I have a great relationship with my husband but like… if he wanted to read some of these romance books…I mean, I wouldn’t be mad about it. Who couldn’t use more romance or learn some new tricks 😝!! But actually, do guys talk about this stuff irl? Can someone let me know? LOL. In all seriousness, this book was great. The characters were extremely full and flushed out with perfect flaws just like real humans. I also really enjoyed that this romance was between married people. It’s pretty rare for the rekindling troupe to be the main focus and, as someone who is married, it’s nice to relate to the ups and downs of marriage. The only reason for the 1/2 star demotion from 5 stars is because initially I didn’t love the character of Thea. She seemed to expect Gavin to read her mind and was upset when he didn’t. That kind of lack of communication just grinds my gears. But I think towards the end she figured that out- Thea isn’t perfect either. If you’re looking for a fun, male(ish) POV romance- this one is for you! Bonus? I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narrator sounds 100% like the guy who does the Twilight Zone intro to Tower of Terror at Disneyland.
How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton
Goodreads synopsis: Event planner Kate Sweet is famous for creating the perfect happily-ever-after moment for her clients’ dream weddings. So how is it that her best friend has roped her into planning a bestselling horror writer’s book launch extravaganza? But the second Kate meets—or rather, accidentally maims—the drop-dead-hot Drake Matthews, her well-ordered life quickly transforms into an absolute nightmare.
Drake Matthews is tired of the spotlight and tired of his reputation as the Knight of Nightmares. He’s really a nice guy! But he’s not prepared for Kate, a fearless agent of chaos in steel-tipped stilettos, or for that sweet sting of attraction he feels for her. She’s inspiring him to take his writing in a whole new direction—one that no one expects. Because now Kate and Drake are changing up the rules, and this plot twist might just surprise everyone . . . including themselves.
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) The PERFECT fall romance read. I actually read this series out of order (oops!) and read Dylan Newton’s 2nd book Up In The Air over the summer (review here!). But it’s a good thing I did because this book practically begs to be read in the fall. It gives you all the small town fall charm you need with one of my favorite troupes: famous person romance with non-famous person. I absolutely loved this story. It was had just the right amount of spice- sexy, not pumpkin 😉- and made me want to snuggle up with a cup of coffee in my favorite sweater. You know what I’m talking about right? The characters are so fleshed out with such a strong backstory that they feel very real, which I love. And for you scared-y cats (me included!) this is a non-spooky Halloween book. Yay!
The Break-Up Book Club by Wendy Wax 📖
Goodreads synopsis: On paper, Jazmine, Judith, Erin and Sara have little in common – they’re very different people leading very different lives. And yet at book club meetings in an historic carriage house turned bookstore, they bond over a shared love of reading (and more than a little wine) as well as the growing realization that their lives are not turning out like they expected.
Former tennis star Jazmine is a top sports agent balancing a career and single motherhood. Judith is an empty nester questioning her marriage and the supporting role she chose. Erin’s high school sweetheart and fiancé develops a bad case of cold feet, and Sara’s husband takes a job out of town saddling Sara with a difficult mother-in-law who believes her son could have done better – not exactly the roommate most women dream of.
With the help of books, laughter, and the joy of ever evolving friendships, Jazmine, Judith, Erin and Sara find the courage to navigate new and surprising chapters of their lives as they seek their own versions of happily-ever-after.
My review: ⭐️⭐️💫 (2.5/5) Is it possible for a book to be kinda boring while also being all over the place? That’s how I felt about this book. I don’t really know how else to describe it. It’s written in 4 points of view and feels like it has 10 characters too many. There are main characters, secondary, third, and fourth. Too many people to keep track of! I did like that each of the four main characters were all at different ages and cross roads in their lives and we got to see how each handled themselves. Things get crazy in the last 10% of the book as we go on a man hating spree a la Dolly Parton’s 9-5. For me it felt scattered. I can see why this type of book is appealing but I wanted to go in just one direction. I want to be very clear in saying there is nothing necessarily wrong with this book… it was just sort of… blah for me.
Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
Goodreads synopsis: Braden Mack thinks reading romance novels makes him an expert in love, but he’ll soon discover that real life is better than fiction.
Liv Papandreas has a dream job as a pastry chef at Nashville’s hottest restaurant. Too bad the celebrity chef owner is less than charming behind kitchen doors. After she catches him harassing a young hostess, she confronts him and gets fired. Liv vows revenge, but she’ll need assistance to take on the powerful chef.
Unfortunately, that means turning to Braden Mack. When Liv’s blackballed from the restaurant scene, the charismatic nightclub entrepreneur offers to help expose her ex-boss, but she is suspicious of his motives. He’ll need to call in reinforcements: the Bromance Book Club.
Inspired by the romantic suspense novel they’re reading, the book club assists Liv in setting up a sting operation to take down the chef. But they’re just as eager to help Mack figure out the way to Liv’s heart… even though she’s determined to squelch the sparks between them before she gets burned.
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) Gotta love a cocky guy with a melty soft filling and a tough as nails chick with a sarcastic secret romantic streak. Seriously though. The enemies to lovers troupe is strong with this one and Lyssa Kay Adams writes it perfectly. Additionally, we got some great satisfaction of taking down an abusive man and I love that. I like this one better than her first book (they’re almost neck and neck but I just like Liv a bit better than her sister, Thea) and I am officially hooked on the series. There is a new one coming out for Christmas so I have a couple more to read before that one drops!
Crazy, Stupid, Bromance by Less Kay Adams
Goodreads synopsis: Alexis Carlisle and her cat café, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chef’s sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim they’re sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trusts—her best friend, Noah Logan.
Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noah’s got a secret: He’s madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush.
Noah’s pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved “manuals” to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship he’s ever had.
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5) And another one bites the dust. I am loving this series, however this one turned out to be my least favorite so far (but still a 4/5 so, ya know, read it). It had such strong potential to be a fav (my husband and I were “best friends to lovers” so I have a soft spot for that troupe) but ultimately Noah and Alexis got together too fast for me. I was only about halfway through the book when they finally kissed! The rest of the story was good but for a romance novel I wished there was just a little more “will they won’t they” action.
My Rating System
⭐️ – I did not like this book and generally would not recommend it.
⭐️⭐️ – This book was oook, but I felt pretty meh about it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ – This book was average. Didn’t love some parts but I still liked it overall.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – I really liked this book and will definitely recommend it to friends.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – I’m shouting this book’s praises from the rooftops! I loved it!
💫 – Half star
📖 One More Page Book Club pick of the month!
