Book Review: All We Lost Was Everything by Sloan Harlow

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: New Adult Romantic Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Author: Sloan Harlow
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: May 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A sexy, dark romantic thriller—with a shocking twist—by the author of Everything We Never Said.

River Santos is stuck—in her job at the diner, in her dead-end town, in her grief. Her father died in a house fire just a few months ago, her mother has been MIA for nearly a year, and the only people she can count on are the aunt she lives with and her best friend Tawny. 

Things feel like they’re turning around when Logan—the hot guy at the diner who’s always ignored her—seems interested. It’s complicated by her ex-boyfriend Noah, who she really needs closure with, and the fact that Tawny doesn’t think either of them is good enough for River… but the tension between River and Logan can’t be denied.

But love takes a backseat when new information surfaces about the fire. After all these months trying to move forward, River is forced to rethink everything… including the idea that maybe it wasn’t an accident after all. But who would commit this deadly act? And why?

River isn’t sure who to trust or who to turn to, but she needs to figure it out, fast. Because someone has more than love on their mind. They want revenge.

GOOD TWIST.

That was probably the saving grace for this book for me. I thought the twist was good and I felt like I should have seen it coming but the redirection throughout kept my mind going in different directions and I love that because mysteries and I historically don’t get along.

This book brings the DRAMA and suspense. Every time I turned there was new information, characters coming out of the wood work and some romance too. Though I will say the romance felt out of place? Or at least the spice did. I was rooting for them as a couple, but thought some of the scenes (there were 3-4) were unnecessary for the plot.

And while I River a lot and felt she was truly trying to do her best I was also wanted to shake her a few times. Things wrap up well in a twisted sort of way. I do think I got the answers I needed to close the book with satisfaction at least. It’s got a pretty decent pace and the audiobook is solid.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Romantic suspense
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3-4ish open door; vague/low explicit
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: murder, loss of life, near death experiences, alcoholism

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ARC Book Review: The Last Page by Katie Holt

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Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Katie Holt
Publisher: Alcove Press
Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A bookseller with a dream of running her beloved bookstore vs. the owner’s out-of-touch grandson who inherits everything. Game on.

From the author of Not in My Book comes another irresistible, bookish contemporary romance.

Ella has grown up at The Last Page, a charming local bookstore in New York City where she now works. Her first kiss was in the women’s health section. A boyfriend dumped her in comedy. The owner is like a second father to her and has begun training her to take over the store. So when he unexpectedly dies and his estranged grandson is left everything in the will, Ella is devastated.

Henry doesn’t know the first thing about running a bookstore. With his aging mom back in Tennessee, he plans to stay in New York just long enough to ensure things are running smoothly and then head back home. What he never could have counted on was the beautiful, funny bookseller who loves The Last Page more than any place in the world—and who sees him as the villain who’s come to ruin her life.

But when it becomes evident that the store is in deep financial trouble and Henry and Ella are both at risk of losing everything, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and team up—despite the inconvenient chemistry blossoming between them.

Fans of Christina Lauren and Ali Hazelwood will adore this rivals-to-friends-to-lovers bookish romance!

Thank you Alcove Press & Crooked Lane Books for the gifted ARC.

VERY SWEET.

Katie Holt does it again! I really enjoy the way she crafts romance. There’s such a level of joy I have reading her books that makes it easy to settle and take every word in. This was on the softer side, low angst in all the best ways. Ella and Henry go from rivals to friends to lovers in a beautiful slow burn. I loved seeing the walls come down and how both characters acknowledged wrong doing and a willingness to see different perspectives to work together and save The Last Page.

It also felt like an ode to books. Regardless of what genre you love this made me want to read all the genres honestly. The power and potential that opening each new book brings can be tangibly felt in this bookstore. With a quirky cast of booksellers the humor and found family senses are strong. I loved the stable family Ella and Henry both had in their corners. There’s something about reading a book with those kind of support systems that make my heart swell and I appreciated having that showcased too.

My small tidbit was that it was slow on the uptake for me. I was missing the *romance* throughout the first half and am very grateful that was ramped in the second half. I felt the swoon and the soft touches, the spice was not overdone and third act was genuinely reasonable. I loved that Henry discussed depression and how it effects him (relatable) and Ella with her very strong eldest daughter tendencies (relatable). This was all around a wonderful romance I can’t wait to recommend.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: two open door
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: loss of a loved one (theme throughout)

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ARC Book Review: Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights by Celeste Dador

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Celeste Dador
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Named one of Book Riot’s Most Anticipated Reads of 2026, Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights is a swoony debut YA romance about First Daughter Abby Cary-Alzona’s summer of self-discovery, small-town charm, and unexpected love.

All Abby wants is one normal summer before college. No headlines. No drama. Just a chance to breathe.

But when a run-in at the White House with Gabriel Calabrese—a maddeningly carefree small-town photographer—spirals into a pizza delivery scandal that makes front-page news, Abby’s plans disappear overnight. To escape the fallout, she’s sent to a charming country inn run by Gabriel’s family.

Now she’s stuck with the last person she wants to see.

As Abby and Gabriel team up to save his family’s Fourth of July festival—and tackle Abby’s secret summer bucket list—sparks begin to fly. Especially when he helps her experience all the “real” teen moments she’s missed: parties, picnics… and maybe even a first kiss.

Perfect for readers who love:
• Forced proximity
• Opposites attract
• Reluctant royalty
• Small-town charm reminiscent of Gilmore Girls

A cozy, heartfelt story that explores familial expectations and what it means to choose a life—and love—on your own terms.

Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

THIS WAS SWEET!

What a lovely debut. I really enjoyed this story. And it’s a fourth of July romance?? I’ve never read one of those and it was utterly charming. The small town charm was highlighted just right and the atmosphere was full of everything summer. This had the first love summer romance quality I had a breeze flying through.

I liked the eldest daughter FMC, Abby. She slowly works through letting things go and taking advantage of the opportunities to feel more like a teenager than the FDOTUS. It’s not heavy on political things and focused much more on the coming of age story for Abby. I loved the relationship she had with her sister.

The romance too was incredibly sweet. It’s appropriate for teens with kisses only and low (if any) language. I can easily keep this on my shelves for when my littles are older. I liked the banter between Gabriel and Abby and the communication they worked towards. There is some miscommunication but it wasn’t dragged out and felt right for the age range.

All in all, it’s filled with fireworks (literally), good parent relationships, new friendships, and summer love. Easy recommend!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: none
  • Content warnings: loss of a parent (recounted)

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ARC/ALC Book Review: First and Forever by Lynn Painter

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Lynn Painter
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A football star and a diehard fan entangled in a PR stunt—that only one side knows is fake—might be the right play in this new romantic comedy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter.

Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyotes football. So when she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain, she is distraught—and disgruntled. All she did was shove Coyote Carl away when he made a move on her, but everyone else just saw a woman attacking their team’s beloved mascot. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.

When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of their PR nightmare, he thought that meant saying a few words on the team’s behalf. Instead, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. Duffy pelts him with fiery jabs but is also clearly diehard about the Coyotes—color him intrigued…and attracted.

The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. A strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, he’s surprised to discover being with Duffy is much easier than he thought, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. Harboring this secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the audiobook and Berkley for the eARC (gifted).

WORKED FOR ME!

I devoured this book in a few hours the other evening because I needed a pick me up and Lynn Painter always delivers on that front. I love her romances and the brighter feeling they always leave me.

This was one of her softer, low angst/tension romances. Connor and Duffy just work. They have an awkward meet cute that leads to them falling in love. These little moments throughout added up to such a sweet story. I loved the way Connor showed up for Duffy in the most meaningful ways. And how Duffy returned those sentiments too.

There was enough football content for me to say that it counts as a sports romance (my fav) and I think it would be so fun to see more books with Duffy’s brothers?? One can hope. I even found myself a little teary eyed during a few scenes too. This hit all the notes I was hoping for when I picked it up. Is it perfect? No, but I love the joy of the right book finding you at the right time.

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: loss of a parent(s), grief depiction, a grandfather with dementia

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