Review: Hearts on Hold

The subtitle of Charish Reid’s latest book, Hearts on Hold, is A Librarian Romance. Is it any wonder I needed to read it? Happily, the content lived up to the title and I had so much fun reading this novel.

Here’s the synopsis:

What happens in the stacks stays in the stacks… 

Professor Victoria Reese knows an uphill battle when she sees one. Convincing her narrow-minded colleagues at the elite Pembroke University to back a partnership with the local library is a fight she saw coming and already has a plan for. What she didn’t see coming? The wildly hot librarian who makes it clear books aren’t the only thing he’d like to handle. 

When a tightly wound, sexy-as-hell professor proposes a partnership between his library and her university, children’s department head John Donovan is all for it. He knows his tattoos and easygoing attitude aren’t quite what she expected, but the unmistakable heat between them is difficult to resist. 

And then there’s the intriguing late fee on her record. For the Duke’s Convenience… A late fee and a sexy romance novel? There’s more to Dr. Reese than she’s letting on. 

John might like to tease her about her late fee, but when he teases her in other ways, Victoria is helpless to resist. Mixing business with pleasure—and oh, it is pleasure—always comes with risks, but maybe a little casual fun between the sheets is just what Victoria needs.

I love that Reid flipped the script in her novel. Victoria, the heroine, is the professor whereas John, the hero, is the librarian. This shouldn’t be such a big thing but it honestly was. Even I initially assumed, based on the title and before I read the synopsis, that the librarian referenced in the title would be the heroine. Plus, he’s a children’s librarian. Not an area of the library you’d typically find men and that was also refreshing.

Not only is John the librarian, he’s not at all threatened by Victoria’s successes and her demanding job as a professor. Personally I haven’t dealt with any men who would be threatened by a woman like that (so either I’m surrounded by very, very good men, which is true, or some of the more casual acquaintances I have are very good at hiding their idiotic feelings). (That’s not to say I haven’t dealt with men who cannot seem to comprehend that a little woman, such as myself, would have thoughts and expertise on anything.) ANYWAY. The point is, I see men like John in my own life and it was nice to see that reflected in a romance novel.

Victoria, on the other hand, is quite the prickly character. She’s dealing with a ton of stress at work (her work environment is infuriating with an old, white, male boss who can’t handle her competence) and now she has this good-natured librarian teasing her about a romance novel that he says is overdue. I don’t think she’s used to men like John so she gets her back up a little bit which makes her even pricklier. I’m sure some people have said they didn’t like Victoria but that would only be because she wasn’t seen as…soft enough, I guess? I don’t know. I don’t get that because I adored her. She was intelligent and an incredibly caring friend and someone I would love to get to know.

You (should) all know that I love me a good romance. I like that I’m going to have a Happily Ever After and knowing everyone will be in a happy place by the end of the novel doesn’t bother me one bit. So, it pleases me to no end that Carina Press (an imprint of Harlequin) has a Carina Press Romance Promise, which they say is all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. We’ve all read books where we’ve expected one outcome only to have the rug pulled from under us and all of a sudden there is Much Sadness. Not what I want in a romance! I don’t care if the end is for all time or just for the moment, the emphasis is on happy.

Hearts on Hold was the first Charish Reid book I’ve read but it won’t be the last. I loved the characters she created – especially the smart, sassy, wonderful females – and the way she wrote this story. It was sweet and sexy and a whole lot of fun. If you’re like me and falling down a romance rabbit hole during this pandemic, I definitely recommend picking this one up!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Carina Press/Harlequin, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Twice in a Blue Moon

I think a few blue moons have passed since I read Christina Lauren's novel Twice in a Blue Moon. I read it back in October, just before it was published, and have even read (and reviewed!) their latest novel, The Honey-Don't List, since then. Somehow, I just missed talking about this novel that I devoured in one day.

Here's the synopsis:

Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first: Her first love. Her first everything. Including her first heartbreak.
During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other in only the way that first loves do: sharing all of their hopes, dreams, and deepest secrets along the way. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate—the long-lost daughter of one of the world’s biggest film stars—ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.
Fourteen years later, Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, only thinks about her first love every once in a blue moon. When she steps onto the set of her first big break, he’s the last person she expects to see. Yet here Sam is, the same charming, confident man she knew, but even more alluring than she remembered. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, Tate must ask herself if it’s possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason… and whether “once in a lifetime” can come around twice.

Now, a lot of people have said they didn't enjoy this one. There are various reasons, as there always are, but I really liked it. Maybe it was simply because I needed this kind of story at the time I was reading it.

One reason it could have appealed to me more is because I love a good second chance story. It's one of my favourite tropes and I enjoyed that this novel had the second chance happening way out in the middle of nowhere so they were kind of trapped with each other (but not totally alone, given they were on a film set).

I don't think I necessarily fell for the characters as hard as they fell for each other. Neither Tate nor Sam particularly stood out to me, especially when they were adults. I may have enjoyed their teenage love a bit more than their adult one. Perhaps because they were both so much...harder by the time they met again. I think I also just couldn't quite get over what Sam did to Tate.

I could, however, see that they still cared a lot for each other. There was a lot of hurt to get over on Tate's side but she was stubborn and didn't want to hear Sam's side of the story. Plus, she's a big star now and it was hard for her to look past that and focus on the movie they were making. Through all of that the reader can tell they belong together if they could just have an honest conversation about how scared they are and how much the other means to them.

While Twice in a Blue Moon won't stick with me forever, it was a delightful read. I'm still a big fan of Christina Lauren and am already looking forward to their next book.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Winning Chance

Who out there enjoys short stories? I don't read nearly enough of them and I'm not entirely sure why. Last fall I read Katherine Koller's collection Winning Chance and I enjoyed the various journeys I got to go on and characters I got to meet.

Here's the collection's description:

In the stories in Winning Chance, Katherine Koller explores second chances, how we find them, and how we find the courage to take them. Whether they are contractors running into an ex while on the job, a busy mother pursuing community theatre, or a family building an illegal ice rink after an environmental collapse, Katherine Koller has created empathetic portraits of characters searching to connect.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Koller's stories. Would they fall into the super literary Can Lit type category where nothing makes sense and everyone has a terrible life? (If you know me, you know I'm a big fan of the Happily Ever After in whatever I'm reading.) Honestly, I don't know how to categorize Koller's stories. What I do know is every single one of them made me think and I enjoyed the hell out of that.

The fifteen stories in the collection are varied but they all feature characters who are dealing with Something (purposefully capitalized) at that moment. The stories are like little snapshots into the lives of everyday people which was really nice to read.

That said, they're nice to read even though most of the stories showcase lives that are far from perfect. There are miscarriages, deaths, car accidents, and strict laws in a post-apocalyptic world that keep people from building hockey rinks. There is heartbreak and sadness but there's also hope and, yes, second chances.

I also liked that a few of the characters popped up in a couple of different stories. It made the connection between the stories stronger. Even when there wasn't an overlap of characters you could feel that most of the stories were taking place in the same universe and time which added a consistency, I guess you could call it, to the stories which I appreciated.

Winning Chance will give you an insight into many lives. Katherine Koller's short story collection may leave you hurting for some of the characters but appreciative of the hope so many more of them are able to find in their circumstances.

*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Great Plains Publication, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Frankly in Love

If you're a long time reader of the blog (thank you!) or notice what books I'm posting about on social media, you may know that I don't often read YA books these days. So, when I was sent a copy of David Yoon's debut novel Frankly in Love, I didn't immediately read it. But when I did start it? Oh. Oh, I loved it.

Here's the synopsis:

High school senior Frank Li is a Limbo--his term for Korean-American kids who find themselves caught between their parents’ traditional expectations and their own Southern California upbringing. His parents have one rule when it comes to romance--“Date Korean”--which proves complicated when Frank falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful--and white. Fellow Limbo Joy Song is in a similar predicament, and so they make a pact: they’ll pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. Frank thinks it’s the perfect plan, but in the end, Frank and Joy’s fake-dating maneuver leaves him wondering if he ever really understood love--or himself--at all.

When I do make an exception with my reading and pick up a YA novel, I want it to be contemporary. I've done the fantasy and post-apocalyptic but, for me, reading contemporary (with heavy romantic undertones) is where I'm happiest. (Honestly, that's true for adult titles as well.) Yoon's novel delivered just the kind of teenage story I love reading. It was smart and exasperating (I'm in my early 30s, so, yes, there's a bit of frustration to be expected, and kind of welcome, when reading about teenagers.) It was sweet and real. There was swooning and there was heartbreak. It was glorious.

The other thing that I appreciate so much about Yoon's novel is it's something I never saw as a teenager myself. If books like this were being published back in the late 1990s/early 2000s, I wasn't seeing them. I was a white, straight teenage girl living in a very white small town. I wouldn't really have known to seek out stories like this even if my small library (where I worked and I read almost every single teen book in that place) carried them. Adult me is so pleased to have read this story now and is also thrilled that teenagers today have so many more options available to them and can see themselves reflected in the books they're reading.

OK, I feel like I've talked more about me than the book. Which is fine for a blog but not so great for, you know, a book review blog. So. The story. Is wonderful. I loved the fake dating (even though my heart hurt a bit for the reason behind the lying to the parents) because there were so many ways it could go wrong but also so very right. I loved the friendships in the story too. Frank with the other Limbos, particularly Joy, with his best friend Q (I hope Q features heavily in the next Frankly in Love book), and with his sister. And just the whole story and the direction it took at the end. It's a bit unexpected but also completely expected and perfect.

I felt that Yoon was able to capture Frank's teenagerness really well. I don't know if he pulled a lot of it from his own teenage experience but Frank was so real and so...Teenage Boy. I mean, I've never been one and it's been a long time since I've spent any time with one (though my nephew is turning 13 this year so...) but it felt genuine - which I always appreciate.

I said I didn't immediately read this one but holy man did I ever fall head over heels in love with the cover right away. It's stunning. And the hardcover has blue edged pages. Ugh. Gorgeous.

I'll say the same thing I always do when I read a great contemporary YA novel: Frankly in Love is a book for all ages. Put whatever misconceptions you have about reading a book about teenagers out of your head and embrace the beauty that is David Yoon's novel. It'll be good for you in so many ways.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Penguin Teen/Penguin Random House Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Blog Tour: The Summer Set

I wasn't a theatre kid in school - way too shy and introverted for that. Nor am I huge on watching live theatre - though I try to watch them when I can. Other than this year, I've been to the Shaw Festival, the well-known theatre in the next town over, once a summer for seven or eight years with multiple visits in the past two years. All that to say, the world Aimee Agresti created in her latest novel The Summer Set was pretty foreign to me. But I think that worked really well but I imagine it would be even better for those who are or have been in the theatre world. I didn't fall head over heels with this book but it entertained me all the way through and it's one I'll probably keep thinking about for awhile.

Here's the synopsis:

The real drama happens backstage in this juicy novel about an idyllic summer theater where hot stars, has-beens and hopefuls chase roles—and each other.
Charlie Savoy was once Hollywood’s hottest A-lister. Now, ten years later, she's pushing forty, exiled from the film world and back at the summer Shakespeare theater that launched her career—and where her old flame, Nick, is the artistic director.
It’s not exactly her first choice. But as parts are cast and rehearsals begin, Charlie is surprised to find herself getting her groove back, bonding with celebrity actors, forging unexpected new friendships and even reigniting her spark with Nick, who still seems to bring out the best in her despite their complicated history.
Until Charlie’s old rival, Hollywood’s current it girl, is brought in to attract theater donors, threatening to undo everything she’s built. As the drama amps up both on the stage and behind the curtains, Charlie must put on the show of a lifetime to fight for the second chance she deserves in career and in love.

I had some issues with the way the story was actually written. It was kind of choppy and there were a lot of teeny offshoots that went absolutely nowhere or didn't have enough explanation or resolution. The one that comes to mind first were the videos the four main characters make at the end of the novel. Maybe I missed something, but it was suggested, they were filmed, and then the impact of them was just sort of...lost. The personal impact I got, sort of and only for one single character, but the reason they were made was more professional and I didn't really get that. The novel also ended a lot more abruptly than I would have liked. I don't need every single little detail wrapped up (though I much prefer it, I'll be honest) but it felt a bit unfinished to me and that I missed out on how things would go for all the characters. There were a few other little things that kind of gave me whiplash and kept me from rating this one higher but they were more technical than emotional, if that makes sense. I still liked reading this one.

I also think the book description is misleading. The arrival of Charlie's rival is a blip in the overall storyline. I also think it's important to note that the novel is told from four different perspectives, all in third person. Nick and Charlie are the veterans, the director and actor who have been around the block and are at the theatre to mentor the apprentices for the summer. Then there are Sierra and Ethan, both acting apprentices at the Chamberlain. I really liked that there were four of them telling their versions of the summer from their own perspective. And it was neat to see who Agresti chose to tell which part of the story, because there were no overlaps. Each perspective moves the story forward in time. You'd think it could get confusing but I loved it.

You may also think this story might veer too far off into gossip-y kind of fluff but Agresti kept all of the drama and all of the depth. Sure, there are divas and actors storming off set, and one amusing scene where someone's gorgeous face gets ever so slightly maimed from an errant sword, but even through all of that, you see the characters as real people who are all just trying to do the best they can. Sierra and Ethan are in college and their whole lives are before them and they're trying to do what makes their hearts happiest, which is acting. They're taking a leap of faith and hope that, by the end of the summer, they'll get noticed. (By agents and others in the theatre world but also, subconsciously, they want the other to notice them romantically...it's very sweet.) Whereas Nick and Charlie have not been able to have success, professionally or romantically, since they split so many years before and this summer should, ideally,  be a way for them to wake up and realize what makes them great is the other.

The setting was an absolute delight. A small town in the summer with a gorgeous mountain range as a backdrop, plus a lake, and all the theatre shenanigans. Just...oh, I loved it. And I love the cover too! So gorgeous.

The Summer Set was a really lovely novel, even with the issues I had with the writing. Aimee Agresti has published a story that is full of heart - and drama - and I enjoyed the time I spent reading it.

Where to buy The Summer Set: 

Harlequin * Barnes & Noble * Amazon * Books-A-Million * Powell’s * Indigo * Kobo

Connect with Aimee:

Website * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook * Goodreads

About Aimee

Aimee Agresti is the author of Campaign Widows and The Gilded Wings trilogy for young adults. A former staff writer for Us Weekly, she penned the magazine's coffee table book Inside Hollywood. Aimee's work has also appeared in People, Premiere, DC magazine, Capitol File, the Washington Post, Washingtonian, the Washington City Paper, Boston magazine, Women’s Health and the New York Observer, and she has made countless TV and radio appearances, dishing about celebrities on the likes of Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, E!, The Insider, Extra, VH1, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and HLN. Aimee graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and lives with her husband and two sons in the Washington, DC, area.

*An e-galley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Graydon House/HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Arrangement

Robyn Harding's The Arrangement is another of those books I read an embarrassingly long time ago. It was the first of Harding's that I had read and I finished it waaaaayyy back in July. Oops. Sometimes when it takes me that long to get to a book it's just because I'm insanely busy. Others it's because the book under or overwhelmed me and I just wasn't sure what to write. In the case of this one, I didn't like it quite as much as I expected - but didn't dislike it! - so I just wasn't sure what to say about it.

Here's the synopsis:

Natalie, a young art student in New York City, is struggling to pay her bills when a friend makes a suggestion: Why not go online and find a sugar daddy—a wealthy, older man who will pay her for dates, and even give her a monthly allowance? Lots of girls do it, Nat learns. All that’s required is to look pretty and hang on his every word. Sexual favours are optional.
Though more than thirty years her senior, Gabe, a handsome corporate finance attorney, seems like the perfect candidate, and within a month, they are madly in love. At least, Nat is…Gabe already has a family, whom he has no intention of leaving.
So when he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. She begins drinking heavily and stalking him: watching him at work, spying on his wife, even befriending his daughter, who is not much younger than she is. But Gabe’s not about to let his sugar baby destroy his perfect life. What was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement devolves into a nightmare of deception, obsession, and, when a body is found near Gabe’s posh Upper East Side apartment, murder.

I'm not sure what it was that I didn't like about this book. Maybe it's not even that I didn't like it. It could honestly just be that I had really high expectations for it going in. I think, after all these months, I'm finally having an epiphany about this one! *rolls eyes at self* People had raved about Harding's novel The Party or Her Pretty Face so I think I expected this thriller to blow my socks off.

I was surprised by the ending, though, so I guess the socks were a bit blown off. It was also kind of a quick double surprise once a few details came to light and then wham another few details made it so much more twisted.

I think it was a wise choice to start the book with a prologue and have Natalie calling her (estranged) father and admitting that she killed someone. I wasn't totally sure I believed her but throughout the book you kind of start to think...well...maybe she did kill someone. Harding keeps the reader on their toes as the story starts four months prior to the prologue and moves forward through time. The story is told in third person and from both Natalie and Gabe's perspectives, which creates a ton of tension throughout the book.

Speaking of blown off socks (sorry...that image and cliche is just working for a great number of things right now)...it turns out I have actually read a Robyn Harding book before. She's another former chick lit turned thriller author and I had no idea. I even reviewed it way back in 2011 after getting it from the library because it had a "Canadian author" sticker on it.

I especially liked that, in the acknowledgments, Harding wrote about how she talked with sugar babies, ones like Natalie. Really talked to them to find out their motivations and experience in the "sugar bowl" and having sugar daddies. I felt this showed that she respected that these women were making conscious choices and wanted to acknowledge what she had learned from them.

I can't say I loved The Arrangement but I think thriller lovers should think about checking out Robyn Harding's novel. And then maybe read her new one, The Swap, which comes out next month!

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Big Summer

It's been awhile since I've read a Jennifer Weiner novel. I used to read everything but in the last few years, there have been so many other books to read that I somehow missed a couple. I decided this year that I just had to read Big Summer. I am patting myself on the back for that decision. It was an amazing read and one I think all of you should pick up this year.

Here's the synopsis:

Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time—she doesn’t even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media—so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.
Drue was always the one who had everything—except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song.
A sparkling novel about the complexities of female friendship, the pitfalls of living out loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart, Big Summer is a witty, moving story about family, friendship, and figuring out what matters most.

I'll say right off the bat that there's a twist to this novel that I did NOT see coming. I will say nothing more because I think it's important that you're also blind to it so be warned if you come across other reviews where they start going in depth into certain aspects of the story.

You may have noticed that I've already been flailing about this book on social media but only rated it four stars on Goodreads. I don't have a great answer for why I couldn't give this wonderful book five stars. If I was allowed a half star on the site, you better believe I'd give it. There were a couple of small things that ultimately don't matter but threw off the flow of the story for me and when the flow is wrong, well, it's hard for me to love it. Most of these things dealt with timelines and social media. I had a really hard time figuring out how old the characters were supposed to be (usually not important but in a story like this a character who is 25 is very different to one who is 20 or 35). What didn't help was references to social media in the flashbacks. In one instance, Daphne mentions how on her first day at a new school in grade six her mom was probably posting pictures to her Facebook page. Except...that could not have happened. Yes, Facebook was around then but not for the average user. I don't know why this bothered me so much but it did. Also, the prologue really, really threw me off for a good chunk of the book.

The majority of Part One (there are multiple parts to the novel), was told in flashbacks and it was used to help get the story story set up. You had to understand all of the players before you could really get their motivations. And even then there were some surprises.

Weiner doesn't shy away from the complexities of friendships and how high school can have a lasting impact on some people. The relationship Daphne, Drue, and Darshi (Daphne's roommate and best friend) had at school was one I am sure many females can relate to. Daphne felt privileged that someone like her was being noticed by the popular girls. Drue knew the power she had over people and sometimes played with them, yet could also realize how important her friendship with Daphne was (but that didn't stop her from being a total witch). Darshi, for her part, was the loyal friend who was there for Daphne but was unwilling to put up with Drue's bullshit when she came back around - which was fair but also hard for Daphne to deal with. No one is perfect. That's the reminder that Weiner gives us and it makes me so, so thankful that high school was a relative breeze for me compared to those girls.

I liked Daphne. Really, really liked her. I loved that she was going after what she really wanted - being a plus-size influencer - and was having a great time doing it. She seemed like a fantastic woman that I would love to have drinks with and get to know even more. Personally, I don't know what it's like to be overweight. I mention this because Weiner created a character that everyone can identify with. And, you kind of learn a lesson from it too. She challenges your perspectives and, for me, puts a very real voice that I normally would never hear into my head. It's so necessary and so well done.

Jennifer Weiner has delivered yet another must-read with her latest novel, Big Summer. It's well written, relevant, and full of characters who are real and complicated. Daphne's story will keep you hooked - and surprised - the entire time you're reading it and I think it's one everyone should add to their reading list this summer.

*An e-galley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Blog Tour: This Is How I Lied

Like many readers, I've been in a bit of a slump. I've still been reading a great deal but nothing is really capturing my interest. Nothing, that is, until I picked up This Is How I Lied. I was totally riveted by Heather Gudenkauf's latest novel - out today - and had it finished in two sittings. I just couldn't wait to find out how it would end.

Here's the synopsis:

Tough as nails and seven months pregnant, Detective Maggie Kennedy-O’Keefe of Grotto PD, is dreading going on desk duty before having the baby her and her husband so badly want. But when new evidence is found in the 25-year-old cold case of her best friend’s murder that requires the work of a desk jockey, Maggie jumps at the opportunity to be the one who finally puts Eve Knox’s case to rest.
Maggie has her work cut out for her. Everyone close to Eve is a suspect. There’s Nola, Eve’s little sister who’s always been a little... off; Nick, Eve’s ex-boyfriend with a vicious temper; a Schwinn riding drifter who blew in and out of Grotto; even Maggie’s husband Sean, who may have known more about Eve’s last day than he’s letting on. As Maggie continues to investigate, the case comes closer and closer to home, forcing her to confront her own demons before she can find justice for Eve. 

In a post on Instagram, when I was about 100 pages into the book, I said I had an idea of who the killer was. I also noted that I would totally be fine if I was wrong. I almost wanted to be because that meant there were unexpected twists in the story that I failed to see coming. Not surprisingly, I did not figure out the murder before the detective and I was surprised with the information that came to light later on in the story.

The novel starts with Eve's death and we read it from her perspective. Each chapter is told from a different character - Eve, Maggie, Nola - and from a different time period. Gudenkauf helpfully puts the character's name and the date at the start of each chapter so you know who you're reading and when. Each chapter moves forward in time, either in 2020 or 1995, until it all comes together at the end. Eve's death chapter is fully expanded so you know exactly what happened and who killed her. It was all so well done.

If I had to be nitpicky there were a few things that didn't totally sit well with me or fit the flow of the story. Maggie said over and over again that she wondered if she was the only one, to the point where I wanted to yell at her, of course you're not! (Sorry, that's super vague but, trust me, you don't want me to give it away.) Nola, is completely bananas and she almost became too outrageous. I think a slightly more restrained character would have worked a bit better for the story but she was so incredibly unpredictable and you still have no idea what makes her tick by the end of the novel. Also, strangely, I felt like Maggie's brother was a convenient character who was just there to solve the problem of who was looking after their dad. But, all of these things were so minor that they could not take away from my enjoyment of this novel.

I also have to admit that I was weirdly picturing Maggie as a cross between two Olivia Colman TV characters. We recently (finally) started watching Broadchurch so I had Colman's character D.S. Miller in my head. But Maggie is pregnant so in pops Colman's character from The Night Manager, which she played when she was actually quite pregnant herself. I'm not sure that's what Gudenkauf had in mind for Maggie but that's how I pictured her throughout the book.

I am so, so glad I had the chance to read Heather Gudenkauf's novel This Is How I Lied. This is definitely a book to pick up if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers because I think it'll surprise you with the layers and possible murder suspects. It was a well told story with characters who were hiding a lot more than you expect. Highly recommend!

Where to buy This Is How I Lied: 
Harlequin  * Barnes & Noble * Amazon.com * Books-A-Million * Powell’s * Amazon.ca * Kobo * Indigo *

Connect with Heather: 
Website * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook * Goodreads

About Heather:
Heather Gudenkauf is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many books, including The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden. Heather graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages. She lives in Iowa with her husband, three children, and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Lolo. In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking, and running.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Park Row Books, in exchange for a review for the purposes of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Postscript

I read P.S. I Love You a long, long time ago. Cecelia Ahern's breakout novel was published in 2004 and the movie was released in 2007. I definitely know I read it before watching it because I remember being annoyed at the bizarre things that were changed in the movie. All that to say, I had to stretch my memory almost 15 years to remember what happened in the first book when I picked up the sequel, Postscript, back in September.

Here's the synopsis:

It's been seven years since Holly Kennedy's husband died – six since she read his final letter, urging Holly to find the courage to forge a new life.
She’s proud of all the ways in which she has grown and evolved. But when a group inspired by Gerry's letters, calling themselves the PS, I Love You Club, approaches Holly asking for help, she finds herself drawn back into a world that she worked so hard to leave behind.
Reluctantly, Holly begins a relationship with the club, even as their friendship threatens to destroy the peace she believes she has achieved. As each of these people calls upon Holly to help them leave something meaningful behind for their loved ones, Holly will embark on a remarkable journey – one that will challenge her to ask whether embracing the future means betraying the past, and what it means to love someone forever…

I'm not sure Postscript could have stood alone without the success of P.S. I Love You. The Holly in this book has gotten stuck. She wasn't in a great place in the first book, obviously, but you can tell that she hasn't quite gotten to really living part of her new life. She's kind of just...existing. I'm not blaming her, I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your partner and try to move on. Even though she sometimes seemed like someone you couldn't be friends with, she was very much a hot mess, I was rooting for her the entire time.

I found the novel to be really...I don't necessarily want to say realistic but Ahern did not sugarcoat things. Holly had a lot of really hard things to get through in this story and Ahern didn't pull any punches. Yes, facing, once again six years later, what Gerry's death did to her was hell. Of course it was. Helping others, while usually a noble pursuit, is not helping her and her not-quite-healed wound. Is it what she should be doing? Or is it something she feels she has to do? Holly has a lot to grapple with and it was sometimes hard to read as she worked things out.

And the members of the PS I Love You club? They'll break your heart. Not intentionally, of course, but how could you not be heartbroken once you meet members who are so wonderful and who are facing a terminal illness? It's hard but sweet all at once.

Ultimately, I was really happy with the way this story turned out. It's heartbreaking but I had forgotten the way Ahern tells her stories and how great they are, even when dealing with something less than ideal.

And heads up: the rights to this book have been sold too so a movie is a-comin'. Let's hope it's a better adaptation.

I was a fan of Postscript and was reminded why I used to read everything Cecelia Ahern wrote. Your heart will get a little bruised while reading this one but it will be so much fuller by the end.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Brideship Wife

Were you always bored in history class in elementary and high school? I was a pretty good student but even I couldn't get excited about history in school. I'm a big fan of historical fiction these days though and I almost always use the novels as a starting point for learning more about what really happened way back when. Sometimes I read novels about things I should have learned in school and have just totally pushed out of my head. But sometimes I come across a story that features a part of history that almost everyone has forgotten about. The Brideship Wife was one of those novels. Author Leslie Howard stumbled on the history of brideships in the 1800s and decided it was the perfect setting for a novel.

Here's the synopsis:

Tomorrow we would dock in Victoria on the northwest coast of North America, about as far away from my home as I could imagine. Like pebbles tossed upon the beach, we would scatter, trying to make our way as best as we could. Most of us would marry; some would not.
England, 1862. Charlotte is somewhat of a wallflower. Shy and bookish, she knows her duty is to marry, but with no dowry, she has little choice in the matter. She can’t continue to live off the generosity of her sister Harriet and her wealthy brother-in-law, Charles, whose political aspirations dictate that she make an advantageous match.
When Harriet hosts a grand party, Charlotte is charged with winning the affections of one of Charles’s colleagues, but before the night is over, her reputation—her one thing of value—is at risk. In the days that follow, rumours begin to swirl. Soon Charles’s standing in society is threatened and all that Charlotte has held dear is jeopardized, even Harriet, and Charlotte is forced to leave everything she has ever known in England and embark on a treacherous voyage to the New World.
From the rigid social circles of Victorian England to the lawless lands bursting with gold in British Columbia’s Cariboo, The Brideship Wife takes readers on a mesmerizing journey through a time of great change. Based on a forgotten chapter in history, this is a sparkling debut about the pricelessness of freedom and the courage it takes to follow your heart.

I really felt like I was going on this journey with Charlotte. I don't know exactly what the settings would have been like, of course, but the worlds Howard created in this novel were brought to life for me. It was vivid, without being overly descriptive, and it was very much like a movie in my head.

I did struggle with a few things in this novel that kept me from loving it, like I kind of expected to. There was a lot happening in this novel. A lot. There was the scandal that pushed Charlotte out of England (which has multiple layers to it in terms of class and gender inequality) and the main purpose of the story, to explain the history of the brideships. But then there was the smallpox pandemic and how it devastated the Indigenous population in what was to become Canada. There were race issues, both with the Indigenous in British Columbia and with Charlotte's friend Sarah, who was half black, and her father. Then there was a devastating fire, which happened often in gold mining towns (and yes, there was a lot on the gold rush, too) that were built entirely of wood, which closed the book on a random character who was not at all necessary to the plot. Oh, and a laudanum addiction pops up too. Yeah. A lot. And on top of all that, Charlotte is a gentlewoman. She had some education but she seemed to know way more than a woman of her class would have.

All that being said, the themes Howard presented were very, very good ones. I appreciated that she focused on race and gender issues because so many of those issues are still prevalent today. Perhaps not as extreme as it once was but we still have a lot of work to do. The women who were on the brideships, and others who made their way to the New World in other ways, still had some societal restraints but they were also afforded many more freedoms than they had had in Victorian England. It was so wonderful to read as these women grabbed ahold of their new lives and made the most of it because they knew they deserved it.

I've been loving the historical fiction Canadian authors are writing right now. My favourite is Genevieve Graham and she was the one who reminded me that we have some interesting history in our country - even if we're a young country. Howard has contributed to the genre as well with her debut which focuses on a part of history that we were in danger of forgetting. I'm looking forward to even more historical novels about Canada's history. (Hear that, authors and publishers? Give me what I need.) Have you read other authors who write about Canadian history specifically (especially Indigenous authors)? I'd love to hear about them.

While I didn't love the novel The Brideship Wife I did love what Leslie Howard was attempting in her debut novel. I think historical fiction fans, especially Canadians, should consider reading this one because it tells a story of our history that we shouldn't forget.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Hidden Beach

When a book can make you forget you're sitting on the tarmac waiting for your delayed flight to take off, it's a good one. That happened to me when I started reading Karen Swan's latest novel, The Hidden Beach. I began reading while waiting for my flight home from London and it kept me company as the boarding time was delayed and then, eventually, as we waited on the plane to be cleared for take off. I legitimately do not know how long we were waiting for...an hour?...because Swan's novel had me so riveted. Definitely a good sign. A note: this flight was back on March 7, just before the world blew up and COVID-19 really started to affect North America. It caused some issues for me but my trip was great and my family and I are still healthy.

Here's the synopsis:

In the oldest part of Stockholm, Bell Everhurst is working as a nanny for an affluent family. Hanna and Max Von Greyerz are parents to 7 year-old Linus, and 5-year old twins Ellinor and Tilde, and Bell has been with the family for over two years.
One early Spring morning, as she’s rushing out to take the children to school, she answers the phone – and everything changes. A woman from a clinic she’s never heard of asks her to pass on the message that Hanna’s husband is awake.
Bell is confused. She clearly just saw Max walking out of the house a few minutes earlier, but the woman mentioned Hanna by name . . .
When she gets hold of her employer, the truth is revealed: Hanna’s first husband fell into a coma seven years earlier, following an accident. But now he’s awake. And life is going to change for them all.

Sounds pretty intense, doesn't it? The synopsis doesn't lie. The story IS intense. It actually got a lot darker than I anticipated but it worked. It exposed characters as being more grey than black and white, which is super realistic even though it's sometimes hard to read about characters who are less than perfect.

I've never been to Stockholm so I couldn't say if the way Swan wrote about it was accurate but I choose to believe it is. I know she travels to every place she writes about and does her research (even if she got some facts wrong about Canada in a book a few years ago...and apparently this Canadian can't let it go *shrugs*). The Stockholm she wrote about, especially the archipelago, was so swoonworthy. It sounded so idyllic and really fit the story Swan told.

The story is told mostly from Bell's perspective. There are a few parts that are told by a man in the past that shed a little bit of light on the current situation Bell and her employers find themselves in. I liked that Bell was the focus of the story or, rather, it was her perspective the reader viewed the story from. She was directly involved in the drama but she was also kind of an outsider. It was an interesting way to do it - and you eventually realize she's way more wrapped up in this family than any of them care to admit.

This is two back to back winners from Karen Swan. I really, really liked The Christmas Party (review here). Her books are hit and miss for me but I always want to try them out because when they're a winner, they're such great stories that you're completely immersed in. It's not that the others are misses, really, it's that the ones that are hits are SO good.

Karen Swan's latest novel, The Hidden Beach, clearly illustrates that humans are flawed. Familial and romantic relationships are really hard to navigate sometimes. The story is sweet and sad and you'll feel all the other emotions while reading it (including serious wanderlust, especially now) but it's worth the heartache.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian publisher, Publishers Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*