Heartwood by Amity Gaige
Goodreads blurb: Heartwood takes you on a journey as a search and rescue team race against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.
In the heart of the Maine woods, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping.
At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads the search on the ground. Meanwhile, Lena, a seventy-six-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair detective. Roving between these compelling narratives, a puzzle emerges, intensifying the frantic search, as Valerie’s disappearance may not be accidental.
My take: 2.75 out of 5. – IT is a quick read which is great because it has Potential but the landing is a miss for me
Audre & Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams
Goodreads blurb: Scorching-hot summer. Scorching-hot chemistry. Two teens can’t forget they’re just friends in this sweet, funny, electrifying romance from New York Times bestselling author Tia Williams. Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon.
MEET AUDRE. Junior class president. Debate team captain. Unofficial student therapist. Desperately in need of a good time.
MEET BASH. Mysterious new senior. Everybody’s crush. Tall, floppy, great taste in jewelry. King of having a good time.
It’s the last day of school at Cheshire Prep, Brooklyn’s elite academy—and Audre Mercy-Moore’s life is a mess. Her dad cancelled her annual summer visit to his Malibu beach house. Now? She’s stuck in a claustrophobic apartment with her mom, stepdad, and one-year-old sister (aka the Goblin Baby).
Under these conditions, she’ll never finish writing her self-help book—ie, the key to winning over Stanford’s admissions board.
Cut to Bash Henry! Audre hires him to be her “fun consultant.” His job? To help her complete the Experience Challenge—her list of five wild dares designed to give her juicy book material. She’ll get inspo; he’ll get paid. Everybody wins.
He isn’t boyfriend material. And she’s not looking for one. Can they stay professional despite their obvious connection?
Fun Audre Mercy-Moore first appeared in the New York Times bestseller Seven Days in June and now stars in her own story!
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
My take: 3 out of 5. A YA continuation from The amazing Seven days in June that does not live up to the beauty of its original. I did not connect to the characters in the YA version as much as I did in the adult one and was getting annoyed half the time. Still beautiful writing, but I think Im going to stay to the non YA of Tia Williams going forward.
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
Goodreads blurb: A brilliantly funny novel about friends, lovers, Ireland in chaos, and a young woman desperately trying to manage all three. Rachel is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James, and it’s love at first sight. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate and the two begin a friendship that changes the course of both their lives forever. Together, they run riot through the streets of Cork city, trying to maintain a bohemian existence while the threat of the financial crash looms before them.
When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and Fred’s glamorous, well-connected, bourgeois wife. Aching with unrequited love, shot through with delicious, sparkling humor, The Rachel Incident is a triumph.
my take: 2.25 out of 5. The only reason I did not DNR this book is that I’m reading it with @honeybooks book club so I felt I needed to get the whole picture. The ending was the highlight of an unnecessary book.
What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon
Goodreads blurb: One Day meets a contemporary Bridgerton in this high-drama, escapist wonder of a love story, Paige Toon’s best yet. Three days to fall in love. Six years to try to forget.
Ellie didn’t expect to fall in love while interrailing through Europe. But she also didn’t expect to meet a man like Ash. Three blistering days in Lisbon is all it takes to form an unforgettable connection—a bond deep enough for them to scrap their itineraries and plan to meet again in Spain. But Ellie arrives late, and Ash is nowhere to be found. Six years later, Ellie has landed her dream job working as a gardener for a viscount and viscountess on their sprawling five-hundred-year-old estate in Wales. She finds peace amongst the towering topiary hedges and colorful gardens, but her idyll is shattered when Ash crashes back into her life. And when it becomes clear why he didn’t show in Madrid, her heart breaks anew—for what the truth means for her, and for his fate. But they have never been able to resist each another, and when the sparks of their attraction fly, Ellie’s life will catch flame. She will have to make a choice.
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
my take: 4 out 5 I loved everything about this book. I am a fan, and will start going back on Paige Toon’s catalog because how is this the first book from here that I have read? The premise of : One Day meets a contemporary Bridgerton, hits the nail in the head, although way less sad than One Day and an even better meet cute. Such an enjoyable ride that you should go on, especially if you are fans on the above two titles, which clearly I am. Also shoutout to the ACOTAR and total eclypse of the heart cameos.
The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
Goodreads blurb: Sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were born just a year apart but could not have been more different. Zoe, blessed with charm and beauty, yearned for fame from the moment she could sing into a hairbrush. Cassie was a musical prodigy who never felt at home in her own skin and preferred the safety of the shadows.
On the brink of adulthood in the early 2000s, destiny intervened, catapulting the sisters into the spotlight as the pop sensation the Griffin Sisters, hitting all the touchstones of early aughts fame—SNL, MTV, Rolling Stone magazine—along the way.
But after a whirlwind year in the public eye, the band abruptly broke up.
Two decades later, Zoe’s a housewife; Cassie’s off the grid. The sisters aren’t speaking, and the real reason for the Griffin Sisters’ breakup is still a mystery. Zoe’s teenage daughter, Cherry, who’s determined to be a star in spite of Zoe’s warnings, is on a quest to learn the truth about what happened to the band all those years ago.
As secrets emerge, all three women must face the consequences of their choices: the ones they made and the ones the music industry made for them. Can they forgive each other—and themselves? And will the Griffin Sisters ever make music again?
my take: 4.75 out of 5. I absolutely loved this. It has some Daisy Jones Vibes, but with a great mother daughter relationship too. This is the best of family drama meets music and great character development. I kind of wanted an accompanying soundtrack because I Was so into it I wanted to listen to the songs, reason why I also think this would make a great film or series. It has so many things that I loved, including reality TV singing competitions!
The Names by Florence Knapp
Goodreads blurb: The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?
In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son’s birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she’d like to call the child, Cora hesitates… Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora’s and her young son’s lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing. With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the “one . . . precious life” we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.
my take: 4.5 out of 5. It is lovely concept and a beautiful execution on how a moment and a simple decision can completely change the trajectory of our lives. The Sliding doors concept has been done multiple times, but this is the first time I encounter it in a way where you have three timelines going on and not just 2, which made it equality interesting and confusing. What I love is that even though at the beginning I was very convinced that one was the ideal timeline, the twists and turns just showed that destiny and fate are tricky things and things will eventually work out, and that not always the fast way is the best way. A must read.
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
Goodreads blurb: The war is over, the dark forces have won, and the hero who was supposed to save them is dead. Captured as her castle is overrun by the enemy, Briony Rosewood knows that the world as she knows it is changed forever. The dark forces of Bomard have won and her people, the Eversuns, face imminent servitude, imprisonment or death. Her brother, fated to be heir twice over and unite the warring kingdoms, is dead. Stripped of her Mind Magic and her freedom, Briony and the other survivors are quickly auctioned off to the highest bidders in an auction – and as the heir-apparent’s sister, she fetches the highest price. After a fierce bidding war, she’s sold to none other than Toven a high ranking Bomardsun – and her long-time and ill-fated infatuation. Scion of a family known for their cruel control of Heart Magic, the Hearsts are ruthlessly ambitious, and Briony knows they will use her however they can to further their own interests. Yet despite the horrors of her new world and the role she must learn to play within it, all is not lost. Help – and hope – may yet arise in the most unlikely of places…
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
my take: 4 out of 5. A wonderfully engaging fantasy from a romance author that I already really enjoyed. Love the great female character writing and was a bit obsessed with the MMC. I however hate a serious cliffhanger ending, and this one was as serious as they come, and now I have to wait a year? If you love romantasy you definitely want to sink your teeth into this one, but if you hate clifhangers maybe wait for at least book two so you read them together
Savor It by Tarah DeWitt
Goodreads blurb: Summer won’t last forever. Sage Byrd has lived in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington) her entire life. She’s learned to love her small world, with the misfit animals on her hobby farm, and her friendships with the town’s inhabitants. But when her 5-year relationship ends and her ex, town-golden-boy Ian, suddenly gets engaged, Sage needs a win―something that will convince everyone to stop pitying her all the time, and to put Ian in his place. The Festival of Spunes, the town’s annual summer competition, would be the perfect opportunity. She just needs a partner. Fisher Lange was a hotshot chef in New York City until the loss of his sister left him numb, grieving, and responsible for his teenage niece Indy. When Fisher loses his Michelin star along with his love of cooking, his boss sends him and Indy to Spunes on a much-needed summer sabbatical to consult on a restaurant opening. But when clashes with the townspeople threaten his last chance to redeem himself and a kiss with his new neighbor Sage leads to dating rumors, a strategic alliance might just be the best way to turn things around. A deal is struck. Sage will improve Fisher’s image in the eyes of the town and remove the roadblocks he is facing with the restaurant, and Fisher will be Sage’s partner for the competition. But as their pact quickly turns into steamy rendezvous, emotional wounds begin to heal, and the pair tries to savor every moment, they start to realize that summer is racing by much faster than they would like…
Filled with spicy summer fun, small-town charm, and Big Feelings, this highly anticipated romcom is Tarah DeWitt’s best yet.
my take: 3.5 out of 5. A great town to get lost in, and where you can see many stories following up. This feels like a Hallmark Movie in all the right ways.
Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt
Goodreads blurb: An emotional, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Tarah DeWitt. This time, they’ll get it right. Wren and Ellis Byrd fell in love as kids, had their son Sam when they were only teenagers, and built a life together in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon. They were made for one another…until they fell apart. Now divorced and in their 30s, Wren runs the bakery in town, while Ellis works as a firefighter. They live separate lives, though they are hardly off each other’s minds. When Sam gets accepted into college and the pair help him move in together, Ellis convinces Wren to take an extended road trip back to Spunes with him to see if they can give their relationship one last chance. Amid the gorgeous scenery of the California coastline, dreamy destinations, and a great deal of long-yearned-for proximity, Wren starts to think it just might be possible. But the two still have to contend with their tumultuous past in order to move forward. And when spoken words fail, sometimes the written word must bridge the gap. Will they make the most of what’s left of forever? Or will they let each other go for good? Brimming with big feelings and packed with steam, Left of Forever is bestseller Tarah DeWitt at the top of her game.
my take: 3.25 out of 5. – not as good as Savor it, but still a fun light read in a great small town community
Tati's Tidbits 