Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Goodreads blurb: “The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”
Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident. As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.
A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.
my take: 4.75 out of 5. A beautiful book that I need to discuss with people urgently. A poignant discussion on love, loss and family. It is a bit genre less, I don’t know how do describe it. Its literary fiction, meets family drama, meets sad romance? Whatever it is go get it and read it!! The pacing of the story is so well done, they feed you little by little and just when you think you have it all figured out (And some things you do, I saw some of the twists coming before they did) they throw another emotional wrench that takes you for a loop!
It asks the question, that many a fabulous book and movie has asked before, can you love two people at the same time? Also a little of my take on the ending without spoilers, this is a total Sophies choice. I think some people are going to be very content with this ending, I particularly wanted it to go a different way, I was rooting for the other guy. But really there was tragedy all around and saying what would be the best ending in these impossible situations feels hard
Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Goodreads blurb: “Southern bestselling sensation” (Katie Couric Media) Kristy Woodson Harvey returns with a delightfully moving new novel about a mother-daughter duo learning to lean on their community of women—and each other—after their world is turned upside down. When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Cut off from her bank accounts and feeling desperate, Charlotte takes up an acquaintance’s offer to stay at a beachfront former bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town.
Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they thought they knew about the unconventional family they’ve created and leaves them wondering whether their coming together was a coincidence at all. Will the skeletons in the mommune closets help Charlotte and Iris reclaim their place in the Juniper Shores community—or shatter the sisterhood forever?
“Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Jennifer Weiner” (Country Living), Beach House Rules is a charming exploration of the joy of friendship, the true meaning of family, and reclaiming the power to reshape our own destiny.
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
My take: 4 out of 5. I found this to be a lovely tale of female empowerment and what is a family. I was a bit hesitant about the story when it started, a house of women and their kids could go cultish or weird very fast, but this did not happen here. There was cuteness and happy feels all around, and a true representation of it really takes a village to raise kids and deal with life. The investigative angle was a bit far fetched and not my favorite part of the book, the highlight is definitely the relationships amongst the house members and not the mystery on the side.
Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver
Goodreads blurb: A talent agent hires an actress to play the part of “novelist” on a book tour for his agency’s publicity-shy client in this delightful rom-com from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club Pick One Day in December
She’s playing the part of romance author, but has she found her own real life love story?
Talent agent Charlie Francisco has three a divorce that ended his screenwriting career, a business he never planned to inherit, and a take-your-breath-away romance novel whose author wants nothing to do with its publication. The book is a surefire hit, if only his agency can find someone to “play” author on its summer book tour.
Enter Kate Elliott, a former soap actress who’s miraculously right for the part at the very moment her life seems to be going all wrong. Kate is still recovering from her own divorce and Charlie’s job offer is a lifeline. She agrees to the pretense for all interviews, signings, and appearances surrounding the novel’s publication. But she can’t know who really wrote the remarkable story—the one so beautiful it’s made her believe in love again.
When Kate and Charlie meet they’re all friction and sparks—the one thing they have in common is they’re determined to play their respective parts. But as the summer heat ups and the lies get bigger and bigger, can they stick to their lines . . . or will they go off-script?
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
my take: 4 out of 5 – Although the premise is a bit absurd, the romance is top notch. I thought I might hate it but the banter outweighs any craziness that occurs. One of my favorite parts of the book, without given spoilers was when you have a great event of not messing with the book community an them standing together. I loved that book lovers stayed together. Also can we get more men rom com writers? i feel like it would be a great perspective.
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Goodreads blurb: Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not
Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of… a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart.
Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again” list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.
my take: 3.5 out of 5 This book was short on the sunshine for me, it’s a nice story but quite heavy on the unresolved trauma. All these characters just need a lot of therapy, Lenny was cute but ultimately also super obnoxious. i did love her whole band of characters and the way she started accumulated friendships and how all of them interacted. I did love Miles as a M
Pictures of You by Emma Grey
Goodreads blurb: If you knew then what you know now, would you make the same choices? Imagine having a second chance with the one you never forgot.
From the author of the global breakout bestseller The Last Love Note comes the story of a young woman struggling to piece her life back together in the wake of a tragic accident, and the man who gives up everything to help her.
When Evie Hudson wakes in an unfamiliar hospital room, she thinks she’s fresh out of a teenage party with her best friend, Bree. Except, Bree isn’t around anymore and high school was years ago. Evie had just survived the crash that killed her husband, Oliver—whom she can’t remember either. After suffering a traumatic loss of memory, she’s left to connect the dots. But how?
Drew, a promising photographer whose chance encounter with Evie unravels the elusive details of her marriage and her husband’s death. As Drew watches Evie stitch the story of her life together, secrets emerge that might shatter both of their worlds.
This tangled second-chance romance leads Evie to question every decision she ever made. This time around, she’s seeing all the things she missed–and the life she gets to choose…again.
my take: 3.25 out of 5 – It’s an interesting story but all the lying and mystery was giving me anxiety and not the good kind. A sweet story but too sad and too much stress to take it over the greatness edge. I do however loved the beginning and how happenstance it was, and the concept of how our lives could be so upended in a moment. It really makes you want to take advantage of every moment.
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