Extracurricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Goodreads blurb: When a former pop star enrolls in college, the last thing she expects is A-plus chemistry with her psychology professor in this sexy and tender romance from New York Times bestselling author Rachel Lynn Solomon.
Ramona Wilder has spent her whole life in the spotlight. After a hit kids’ TV show, she transitioned into music, singing in arenas around the world and becoming an icon for millions of teenage girls. Now at age twenty-six, exhausted by the inhumane lack of privacy, she’s done—with all of it. She wants a chance at normal, whatever that might mean for her. And she’s starting with college.
Professor Nick Navarro is recently divorced but determinedly optimistic, allowing himself a very reasonable ten minutes per day to wallow. When his department calls a meeting about a celebrity enrollment, he plans to treat whoever it is like any other student. Except when Ramona blazes into class and causes an uproar, the typically easygoing professor is rattled, maybe for the first time in his career.
Ramona loves the way she flusters him, taking every opportunity to push Nick’s buttons, though what she really wants is to unbutton them completely. When a crisis brings them closer outside of class, they begin a tentative friendship amid an undeniable attraction. But Ramona can’t be so easily finished with her old life, and they’ll both have to confront their pasts if they want a chance at something real.
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
my take: 3.75 out of 5. The premise of this book could have gone completely off the rails. A retired pop star dating a college professor sounds like it has all the ingredients to be cringe-worthy, awkward, and totally unbelievable. But somehow, it works, and the execution is absolutely spot on.
I loved watching their relationship develop. The chemistry between them felt genuine, and I found myself rooting for them from the very beginning. Both characters were incredibly easy to care about, and their journey together was sweet, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt.
I read this in half a day because I simply didn’t want to put it down. Is it going to change your life? No. But not every romance needs to. Sometimes you just want a book that is charming, entertaining, and leaves you smiling, and this one delivers exactly that.
If you’re looking for a cute, adorable romance with a little spice, a lot of heart, and characters you’ll be cheering for, definitely give this one a try.
Sunlight Finds You by Laura Moriarty
Goodreads blurb: A forbidden love blows open the world of a teenage girl, altering the trajectory of her life – from the author of the New York Times bestseller The Chaperone
“A cancel-your-plans, hold-your-breath, call-your-best-friend kind of book.” —Amy Jo Burns
“Illuminates the beguiling power of first love through characters whose teenage choices precipitate lifelong consequences.” —Sarah McCoy
It’s 1949, early in the Cold War, but St. Petersburg, Florida is warm, lush, and booming with newcomers seeking sunshine and opportunity. For seventeen-year-old Nora, St. Pete feels like paradise, especially after she meets and wins over Leonard, the shy, brilliant son of transplanted New Yorkers. Nora and Leonard are soon spending balmy days and evenings together, and in her adoring, encouraging company, he grows more confident, even as he remains tender and caring. Leonard’s sophisticated mother welcomes Nora into their lives, but his father distrusts her motives.
When his suspicions are seemingly confirmed, Nora is forced to cut contact. In her longing and fear, she takes a chance that changes her life, exiling her from the family she loves and setting off a chain of secrets and betrayals that will follow her into adulthood. It is a mature Nora who tells the story of her turbulent past. Wiser and more worldly, she commits to an honest but compassionate account, and to a future based on trusting, first and foremost, herself.
Sunlight Finds You is, ultimately, a love story set in the past that has much to say about our present. Richly layered and propulsive, it’s a book about extending forgiveness—for ourselves, and for others—and about refusing to settle for a life that is less than full.
my take: 3.5 out of 5. This is a beautiful book and exactly the kind of elevated romance I love, where literary fiction and romance blend together seamlessly. The way the characters’ lives intertwine is wonderfully done, and every part of the story adds another layer to their journey. It’s a book that takes its time developing both the relationships and the characters, and the payoff is absolutely worth it.
What stood out most to me was the emotional depth. As the story unfolds, you learn more about the characters’ pasts, their traumas, and the experiences that shaped them. Watching those layers come together was both heartbreaking and beautiful. And that ending? Absolutely stellar. It left me with happy tears and a full heart.
That said, I have to admit that Nora tested my patience. A lot of the conflict in this book felt avoidable if she had been a little less naive. There were moments when I wanted to shake her and tell her to open her eyes. I hesitate to call her dumb, but she definitely made some frustrating decisions that made the story more complicated than it needed to be.
So here’s where I landed: I loved the book, but I didn’t love the main character. Thankfully, the writing, the relationships, and the emotional payoff were strong enough that I still thoroughly enjoyed the experience. This is absolutely one I’d recommend reading
Destination Funeral by Paige Harbison
Goodreads blurb: The Big Chill meets About Time in this laugh-out-loud funny and equally heartbreaking novel, following a friend group so damaged that only a funeral could bring them back together. Perfect for fans of The Wedding People and One Italian Summer.
When Babe—the complicated, magnetic matriarch of their teenage summers—dies, four estranged friends return to sleepy Mercy Island, a storm-swept stretch of coastal Georgia, summoned by the reading of her will.
Didion arrives at the timeworn pink house to find the friends she never thought she’d see again—along with the tensions, attractions, and unfinished business that once bound them together and broke them apart.
What should be a brief weekend of small talk quickly unravels when they wake up and discover…it’s Saturday. Again. And again. And again.
Trapped in a time loop with no end and no instructions, they’re forced to confront the betrayals, breakups, and buried truths that shattered them all those years ago. Because maybe, just maybe, an endless weekend is exactly what they all need to save their own lives.
My take: 4.25 out of 5. I actually don’t know how to categorize this book, and that’s part of what makes it so special. It’s a little magical realism, a little romance, and a little family drama, but somehow all of those elements come together perfectly. The easiest way I can describe it is Groundhog Day at a funeral, which sounds strange, but trust me, it works.
What surprised me most was how deeply developed the characters were. This could have been a light, quirky story, but instead it has real emotional weight. The characters’ conflicts feel genuine, their growth feels earned, and watching them navigate grief, family, and second chances was incredibly moving.
I loved everything about this book: the beginning, the middle, and especially the ending. There wasn’t a single point where I wanted to rush through it. In fact, I wanted to stay in that house and with those characters for much longer. The setting was so vivid that it made me want to pack my bags and head straight to coastal Georgia myself.
This is one of those books that is both comforting and meaningful, with just the right touch of magic. It’s an absolute must-read and one I highly recommend.
The Rose Hill Series:
I’m going to lump the entire Rose Hill series by Elsie Silver into one review because I read all four books back-to-back in a single week. At that point, it felt less like reading separate books and more like spending an extended amount of time living in this town and getting to know these people.
I went down a complete Elsie Silver rabbit hole, and honestly, I’m so glad I did. Sometimes you just want a fun, sexy romance with great characters, lots of chemistry, and a setting you never want to leave. That’s exactly what the Rose Hill series delivers.
What I loved most is that while these books often get labeled as cowboy romances, they’re not really all cowboy romances. Sure, there’s a cowboy, but then you also get a billionaire record executive, a pop star, a very non-cowgirl heroine, a carpenter, a builder, a fire rescue pilot, and a yoga instructor. The variety of characters keeps the series feeling fresh while still maintaining that cozy small-town atmosphere.
More than anything, Rose Hill is a town full of attractive, successful, interesting people finding their happily-ever-afters. The friendships, recurring characters, and interconnected stories are what make the series so addictive. By the end, I felt like I knew everyone in town and wasn’t ready to leave.
Are these books going to change your life? Probably not. Are they ridiculously fun, romantic, addictive, and exactly what I wanted them to be? Absolutely.
Give me more Elsie Silver. I’m all in.
and here are all the 4 books.
Wild Love by Elsie Silver
Goodreads blurb: She’s been driving him wild for years . . . the good kind of wild.
The kind of wild that comes with wanting your best friend’s little sister and knowing you can’t have her.
Forbes may have labeled Ford Grant the World’s Hottest Billionaire, but all he cares about is escaping the press and opening a recording studio in gorgeous small town Rose Hill. Something that comes to a screeching halt when he ends up face-to-face with a young girl who claims he’s her biological father. Now, he spends his days balancing business with parenting a sullen twelve-year-old, all while trying desperately to keep his hands the hell off his best friend’s sister, Rosie Belmont.
After living in the city, Rosie came blasting back into town like a storm. Beautiful, messy, and chaotic. And one wide-eyed, desperate plea for a job is all it takes for Ford to hire her. He vows to keep her at arm’s length. Tries to stick to scowls and grumpy one-liners. But with her, verbal sparring is a type of foreplay―friction that soon turns to blistering heat.
Ford knows damn well he shouldn’t cross this line. But shouldn’t and can’t are two very different things.
And the only thing he truly can’t do is resist her.
3.5 out of 5. This might be my start into an Elsie Silver Rabbit hole, nothing wrong with Sexy and Fun entertainment
Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver
Goodreads blurb: A rugged mountain town seemed like the perfect escape from a life in shambles.
But on day one, she ran full tilt into the world’s hottest single dad, and now all her plans are ruined.
As a chart-topping country singer with a recent streak of bad press, it’s hard for Skylar Stone to find any peace. But she finds it in Rose Hill. With a little boy and a little girl who steal her heart just as thoroughly as their dad.
Weston Belmont.
The man is a shameless flirt. He oozes confidence and masculinity in a way that’s downright distracting. And in bed? He’s addictive.
Everything with him is wild and impulsive, and Skylar is desperate to regain some control.
But no one has supported her like West does. And no one has ever made her feel as loved as he does either.
So, while Skylar’s brain says settling down with a small-town horse trainer is impossible…her heart says she’s right where she belongs.
Still, her life as a celebrity haunts her. It has the power to pull her and West apart.
She can see in his eyes that he wants her to stay. And she wants that too.
But she knows better than anyone that you don’t always get what you want.
3.25 out of 5. I love the continuation and as muchas I loved Skylar, West is no Ford.
Wild Side by Elsie Silver
Goodreads blurb: I’d always dreamed of my wedding day. But not like this. Not looking into the eyes of the man who betrayed me.
But when my nephew’s guardianship is contested, I decide I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy.
Rhys Dupris.
A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises—ones he won’t talk about. In fact, we barely talk at all.
Which would be fine, except when he’s not talking, he’s staring. And the way he looks at me is borderline indecent.
The tension between us has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation.
I swore I would never forgive him. But that was before I knew the man behind the mask. The one who’s fierce and protective. The one who’s gentle and patient. The one who shows up for us when we need him most.
He’s not at all who I thought he was.
And that makes hating my husband so much harder… and loving him just a little too easy.
My take: 3.5 out of 5. The forced proximity premise is wild and I as all here for it and Rhys grumpy self
Wild Card by Elsie Silver
Goodreads blurb: Sebastian Rousseau is a grumpy, hot as hell fire pilot who is too damn good with his hands.
It’s the perfect combination. But unfortunately for me, he’s also my ex-boyfriend’s dad.
A chance meeting brought us together and a missed connection has kept us apart.
One year later, a stroke of fate has us living under the same roof—which makes everything between us downright messy. Because even after all this time, he’s still the man I think about when I fall asleep. The one I can’t get over no matter how hard I try.
He’s working on mending a fragile relationship with his son and we both know acting on these urges would be the ultimate betrayal. But I see the heat in his eyes. That look of need that never fails to send a shiver down my spine.
The mutual longing is borderline unbearable and the simmering heat between us is downright palpable. We both know there are rules when it comes to situations like this. But then again…following the rules never has been my strong suit.
My take: 3 out of 5. Too much miscommunication to be my favorite, but I love how much of the other characters we get in this one.
