Book Review: Into the Dark (Magnolia Parks Universe #5) by Jessa Hastings

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 720 pages
Author: Jessa Hastings
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: February 13th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Book five in the sensational Magnolia Parks Universe series!

How many loves do you actually get in a lifetime? Everyone knows by now that Magnolia and BJ are in the stars, but is that enough?

Magnolia and BJ are reeling from a devastating loss as they try to plan what’s been dubbed “the wedding of the century”. As family tensions mount and their respective pasts begin catching up to them, they finally have to look the truth in the Can they learn to trust and be with one another again, or will they die trying?

WELL I FINISHED IT.

First and foremost, this book is entirely too long. 700 pages?? Absolutely not.

This about lost me in the first half. I just can’t get on board with Magnolia. And BJ occasionally too. They kind of drive up the wall, OVER AND OVER AGAIN. The personality clash is real, though I can admit to finding some enjoyment in watching it all play out. I felt like I was taken on a roller coaster because I would be cranky at one point, and then I would understand the grief sentiments, and then I would actually think these two are sweet, and a million other things too.

I don’t even know if I can recommend this series because it really is for a specific type of reader. And while I never fell IN LOVE with it like I wanted to, I’m not *mad* I read it.

And I do think the plot was kind of a wash at this point. It got super repetitive. I’d go into more detail but I think I’d accidentally cause some spoilers. If you took out some of the sub-plots I think much of this would have worked better.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate – strong
  • Romance: vague open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings; miscarriage (recounted), infidelity (on page & recounted), eating disorder, grief/depression, loss of a sibling, child loss, sexual assault

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Book Review: Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Annabel Monaghan
Publisher: GP Putnam’s Sons
Release Date: May 26th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From The New York Times bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script , a romance about a single mother who’s offered a Pretty Woman -type deal that’s too good to refuse.

If they begin by pretending, can they end with something real?

Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.

So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and swinging on the porch, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself, can she really start now?

LOOOOVED.

Oh this made for the perfect kind of Sunday morning reading this book! What a gem. And I’m not usually sold on a millionaire romance, THIS SHALL BE THE EXCEPTION. I loved the chemistry between Dolly and Stewart. They end up in this chaotic fake dating situation together and I could not get enough of all the little banter and tender moments between them.

It felt like a genuine adult romance with legitimate adult problems. I liked the discussions around the themes and the progression of the romance because of all of the forced proximity moments. I adored the way Stewart interacting with Dolly’s son and the *fancy* moments Dolly got to be a part of. Dolly was an FMC I wanted to cheer on and I loved her character a lot. Probably because this is the definition of eldest daughter core.

The third act made me a little cranky (and it also took so long???), but I digress. I was smitten enough not to knock the rating. This is definitely one of my favorite Annabel Monaghan books now and is perfect for summer!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: a sister with cancer (recounted, she survived), a brother with a TBI, panic attacks on page, parental abandonment

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Book Review: Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Ashley Poston
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 17th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A hitmaking songwriter and a bitter musician share a startling and inexplicable connection that they’ll do anything to shake, in the next sparkling, magical book from Ashley Poston.

Joni Lark is living the dream. She’s one of the most coveted songwriters in LA…and she can’t seem to write. There’s an emptiness inside her, and nothing seems to fill it.

When she returns to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, she hopes that the sand, the surf, and the concerts at The Revelry, her family’s music venue, will spark her inspiration. But when she gets there, nothing is how she left it. Her best friend is avoiding her, her mother’s memories are fading fast, and The Revelry is closing.

How can she think about writing her next song when everything is changing without her?

Until she hears it. A melody in her head, lyric-less and half-formed, and an alluring and addictive voice to go with it—belonging, apparently, to a wry musician with hangups of his own.

Surely, he’s a figment of her overworked imagination.

But then the very real man attached to the voice shows up in Vienna Shores. He’s aggravating and gruff on the outside—nothing like the sweet, funny voice in Joni’s head—and he has a plan:

They’ll finish the song haunting them both, break their connection, and hope they don’t risk their hearts in the process.

Because that song stuck in their heads? Maybe it’s there for a reason.

WELL I LIKED IT!

After not totally loving AP’s previous book I was a bit hesitant to pick this one up, but YAY, it delivered. I even read it in a day because I kept wanting to pick it up.

The magical realism aspects totally worked. I feel like it didn’t overwhelm the plot and truly added to the story. I loved that they could communicate mind to mind. All of those little subtle moments and conversations became so sweet and memorable. And that man fell first and fell hard. MY FAVORITE.

I really enjoyed the overall story and themes too. It’s got charm while tackling some heavier subjects and sub plots. A few things here and there bugged me but overall this endeared me back to Poston’s books and I’m looking forward to the next release.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: 1 open door; mild details
  • Content warnings: a loved one with early dementia, loss of a parent (recounted)

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ARC/ALC Book Review: Ancient History Between Us by Kaitlyn Hill

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Kaitlyn Hill
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Release Date: June 23rd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three years since they last saw each other. Two months to untangle their complicated past. One unforgettable Italian summer.

As kids, Cammie Lovett and West Jacobs ran wild on dig sites around the world with their respective archeologist parents. But they haven’t spoken since three summers ago, when their first kiss was swiftly followed by a heartbreaking goodbye . . . This summer, though, an anniversary celebration of their parents’ most famous discovery will bring them back together under the same Italian villa’s roof.

Secretly, Cammie plans to make some discoveries of her own. She has her mom’s journal from the year she was born, and she’s determined to use it to find the father she’s never met. Though West doesn’t know where he stands with Cammie, he insists on joining the search. He’s never been able to let her take on a risky scheme alone, especially not one that takes them across the southern Italian coast—from the stunning cliffs of Capri to a Naples pizza kitchen, even to the ruins of Pompeii.

As the pair digs deeper into Cammie’s mom’s past, their own can’t help but resurface. Feelings are rekindled, truths are unearthed, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll discover that their own history isn’t as ancient as it seems.

Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted copy and PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook.

FOR THE MAMMA MIA FAN.

I had a blast with this book y’all. It felt like the best kind of summer beach read. It moves effortlessly and is set in Italy and has all of these moments that just say summer romance. I loved the childhood friends to lovers / second chance romance trope use. Cammie and West are this chaotic match that just works and I liked seeing them hash out the past and find their way back to each other.

Though I was a bit grumbly about the third act. After all the work that it took to get to a good place to throw it back out so quickly for the same story? Not needed.

Cammie’s quest to find her father was definitely Mamma Mia coded. And I think they’re both set in Italy too?? Some key pieces there that were similar. I liked the travel schemes that came about and seeing history collide. And West’s anxiety rep?? SO SEEN. All of those moments were [to me] well written and a depiction that I have felt in my own life. It really endeared me to his character.

🎧: I had the easiest time listening to this book. The narrators were fantastic and I was shocked when I realized I had listened to so much in an afternoon. Highly recommend going with the audiobook.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: divorced parents, anxiety depiction

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