Tag: Book Review

Book Review: Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Kate Clayborn
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: January 24th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page.

But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact—a “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path.

Georgie’s plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate—Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side—if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back.

Honest and deeply emotional, Georgie, All Along is a smart, tender must-read for everyone who’s ever wondered about the life that got away.

LOVED THE HERO.

I think maybe this was a bit over hyped for me? As denoted by the four star rating. I did enjoy this a lot. I feel like there were little things here and there that weren’t my favorite.

Levi though? I LOVED HIM. I love the bad boy vibes + a super soft inside. He melted me many times over and his character was just my favorite. Loved everything about him!! Georgie was great too. I don’t remember having any major complaints either. I enjoyed seeing her work through a lot of things and finding where she wanted to land after some big life changes.

Occasionally I felt the romance was put too much on the back burner with other storylines and I wanted to get back to everything Levi and Georgia. Their interactions were the amazing. With some grump and sunshine, forced proximity and a small town, Clayborn really put together a great romance. This is the first by the author I’ve read (I DNFed her first book) so now I’m hopeful for reading another!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: open door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: estranged family, brief mentions of drug use, childbirth, emotional child abuse, alcohol consumption, loss of a mother mentioned

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ALC Book Review: Funny Story by Emily Henry

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Emily Henry
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: April 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Thank you to Berkley #BerkleyPartner for the ebook and PRHAudio #PRHPartner for the free audiobook.

ENJOYABLE AS ALWAYS.

Audiobook notes: It was Julia Whelan who narrated. NEED I SAY MORE?

Emily Henry books are just good. I love picking them up and I enjoy the journey that the main character goes on. Daphne had plenty to work through (understandably so) and the issues she had with her Dad was a connection I felt deeply. I love when books provide that sense of being seen and understanding that there is someone out there who has felt the same way you have.

The romance was sweet. I liked the unconventionality of it and how Daphne and Miles came together. The crossing of worlds and showcasing all there is to do and be where they were at now, and where they could go.

I love the magic (not literally) woven into the story of those little moments that make a life. Getting milkshakes and fries, finding a new beach to explore and loving the job you have. I adored all of the librarian content and the wonderful relationship Daphne had her with Mom.

Daphne and Miles are imperfect people with the weight of the past holding them back (without them even knowing sometimes). I loved the messy, the sincere and the emotion this book brought as the happy ending was found.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3+ open door; moderate explicit

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Book Review: The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Fiction
Length: 432 pages
Author: Natasha Lester
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: January 10th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

1943.  After spearheading several successful advertising campaigns in New York, PR wizard Alix St. Pierre comes to the attention of the U.S. government and finds herself recruited into a fledgling intelligence organization.

Enlisted as a spy, Alix is sent to Europe where she is tasked with getting close to a Nazi who might be willing to help the Allied forces–but there’s also the chance he might be a double agent.

1946.  Following the war, Alix moves to Paris and takes a position as head of publicity for the yet-to-be-launched House of Dior. But when a figure from the war reappears and threatens to destroy her future, Alix realizes that only she can right the wrongs of the past and bring him to justice.

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre is a thrilling, sumptuous work of historical fiction told in three timelines: before, during and after WWII. This completely immersive story takes readers from the dangerous, intrigue-filled rooms in Switzerland where elites of both sides mingled and schemed during the war, to the glamorous halls of the House of Dior in the golden age of French fashion and journalism.

IMMERSIVE.

Another great read by Natasha Lester. Consider me invested in all future historical fiction books by this author because they are captivating and heartfelt and make me feel all the things.

I loved the combination of spy thriller + fashion + an orphan trying to survive. Alix is forced to be reckoned with and I loved that she always knew who she wanted to be. The path was never straight and the highs and lows that came with many tough decisions that had to be made in order to live to the next day.

The romance here is also super swoony. I loved the connection and how it utterly ripped my heart out before putting it back together. There’s actually multiple romantic lines here and I liked how each one of them interacted with Alix at that time they were present.

I think the pacing got me a tiny bit and occasionally I wished things were moving a little more. Besides that though, I loved the audiobook and look forward to the next one!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Fiction
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: very high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: WW2 themes, murder, high levels of war crimes depicted, loss of life, mentions of sexual assault, blood/gore depiction

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ARC Book Review: Walking on Hidden Wings by Rachel Scott McDaniel

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Mystery Romance
Length: 328 pages
Author: Rachel Scott McDaniel
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release Date: April 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Geneva Ashcroft Hayes’s marriage to a newspaper mogul might have been arranged, but the New York socialite is devastated when her husband’s plane crashes a few short months after their nuptials. When the authorities suspect murder, Geneva sets out on a wild mission to find his killer—and to prove it wasn’t her.

When mysterious notes surface threatening to expose Geneva’s guilt in his death, they only strengthen her resolve. She has little to go on except for a detective friend’s cryptic list of locations connected to her dead spouse. When her friend also disappears, she trades her sparkling gowns for coveralls and pilot goggles.

Armed with a new name and career as a wingwalker and barnstormer, she travels from town to town in hopes of unearthing clues and locating her missing friend. But Geneva discovers that her past may not belong to her . . . what she once believed as truth may be nothing more than lies and deception.

In this meticulously researched historical romance set in the 1920s, author Rachel Scott McDaniel takes the reader on a daring aviation adventure highlighting the seldom-covered barnstorming era.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the free book.

GLUED TO THIS.

Decided to read a few chapters one day, proceeded to binge this book the entire afternoon. This was incredibly good. I loved that this was set in the 1920’s but had a bit of a different focus than I usually see in this time period. I loved all of the aviation aspects because I love to vicariously live through those who enjoy flying while I keep my feet firmly planted on the ground.

This had a unique take on the romance too. The way Warren and Geneva fought for themselves and each other was incredibly romantic. The whole dang book is romantic. I loved the swoon factor, the passion in reconnecting and the pursuit of truth. I could not get enough of these two and loved how much page time I got of them.

The mystery had me in a chokehold. I was literally making commentary out loud because I was INVESTED. The twists and reveals were perfectly timed and I loved how everything came together. This was a beautiful story woven with great themes and is my new favorite McDaniel book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Mystery + Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: attempted murder, arsenic poisoning, miscarriage

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