Review: His Only Wife

His Only Wife had been on my radar before it was published back in September 2020 and before Reese Witherspoon chose Peace Adzo Medie's debut novel for her book club. I had started reading it months ago but had to set it aside. I tried again as an audiobook and listened through to the end in almost no time at all.

Here's the book description:

Afi Tekple is a young seamstress whose life is narrowing rapidly. She lives in a small town in Ghana with her widowed mother, spending much of her time in her uncle Pious’s house with his many wives and children. Then one day she is offered a life-changing opportunity—a proposal of marriage from the wealthy family of Elikem Ganyo, a man she doesn’t truly know. She acquiesces, but soon realizes that Elikem is not quite the catch he seemed. He sends a stand-in to his own wedding, and only weeks after Afi is married and installed in a plush apartment in the capital city of Accra does she meet her new husband. It turns out that he is in love with another woman, whom his family disapproves of; Afi is supposed to win him back on their behalf. But it is Accra that eventually wins Afi’s heart and gives her a life of independence that she never could have imagined for herself.

I think part of what made me put the book down so many months ago after only a chapter or so is how slow the story is to start (and, honestly, it doesn't really pick up the pace at all). There's so much backstory and I felt like I was being told everything instead of being actively engaged and shown the story. It made it really hard to start caring about the characters when you're plopped in the middle of the action and then have a whole bunch of history to get through before the story carries on.

One of the most difficult things about reading this book was constantly having to remind myself that my culture is not the same as Afi's and my normal is not her normal. I was often finding myself frustrated at how she had to bow down to her elders and her husband. I'm all for showing respect for those in your life but it really bothers me when someone's voice is being minimized and their concerns aren't being addressed because she's just supposed to go along with what her husband wants - even if that's spending almost all his time with his mistress and not his wife. I tried really hard not to let that affect me but I have a feeling those emotions got the better of me and I couldn't help but be annoyed and frustrated throughout the story.

If I had realized that this novel would skew more literary than contemporary, I may have given it a pass. I respect that literary novels have their place in the world but that place is not often on my reading list. I like my stories with a Happily Ever After (and a clear direction) and this one had an ending I wasn't quite expecting. It is fitting and there is a lot of promise but I fear for what could happen and derail Afi's plans. 

I think His Only Wife falls into the category of a good read but not one for me. I found myself wanting to see how the story ended but I wasn't actually all that invested. I'd encourage others to pick it up if they're intrigued and I'm really interested to see what other readers thought of Peace Adzo Medie's novel. Will I read what she writes next? Quite possibly. I think there's potential for her stories to get even better and I look forward to hearing what she publishes next.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Thomas Allen & Sons, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The London Restoration

You'd think at some point I'd get tired of World War II set historical fiction. I certainly won't run out of it since it seems like there's a new release (or two) every week. I have not yet reached that point. I probably won't ever reach that point, to be honest. The latest WWII set novel I read was Rachel McMillan's The London Restoration and it kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. 

Here's the book's description:

London, Fall 1945. Architectural historian Diana Somerville's experience as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park and her knowledge of London's churches intersect in MI6's pursuit of a Russian agent named Eternity. Diana wants nothing more than to begin again with her husband Brent after their separation during the war, but her signing of the Official Secrets Act keeps him at a distance.

Brent Somerville, professor of theology at King's College, hopes aiding his wife with her church consultations will help him better understand why she disappeared when he needed her most. But he must find a way to reconcile his traumatic experiences as a stretcher bearer on the European front with her obvious lies about her wartime activities and whereabouts.

Technically, the majority of the novel takes place after VE Day (Victory in Europe Day when the war was declared over in Europe on May 8, 1945) but there are flashbacks so the reader knows how Diana and Brent spent their wars. The novel was a reminder that things didn't just automatically go back to normal as soon as the war was over. Rationing continued for almost another decade and it took a long time for bombed buildings to be rebuilt. Reading as Diana and Brent visited the remains of some of the churches in London was sobering. I'm not a religious person but I appreciate beautiful buildings and can't imagine how difficult it would have been for communities to lose their houses of worship (on top of their actual houses) because of German bombings. 

While I think it was important to have some of the information about what Diana and Brent were going through during the war I found the flashbacks sometimes took me totally out of the story. I wanted to hear about their experiences but something about the way the scenes were written didn't quite work for me.

Brent is suffering from what we now know as PTSD and he and Diana are trying to find their way back to each other and figure out what their marriage is going to look like now. McMillan wrote the emotions they were both feeling really well and I was anxious for the pair to make it through. It was nice to read about an already established couple (even though they hadn't actually spent more than a day at a time together since they were married) as they were sorting through this new post-war world. I could tell they had a really solid foundation and I hoped that would be enough.

I hadn't known much, if anything, about traitors at Bletchley Park or the start of the Cold War until I read Kate Quinn's The Rose Code recently (review here). So, to see it also come up in this novel was quite interesting. It was another thing that indicated the war wasn't as over as it may seem or, perhaps more appropriately, it had bred another kind of war. The history and the intrigue from hunting spies were compelling and I definitely did not guess who was behind Eternity before it was revealed.

I'm really glad I finally made time to read The London Restoration. Rachel McMillan's novel was one I really wanted to get to in 2020 (it was released in August) but I just couldn't fit it into the reading schedule. It's an interesting read for historical fiction fans and I'm looking forward to The Mozart Code, which features some of the characters from this novel and is set to be published in September 2021.

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

Review: The Little French Bridal Shop

There's no good way to say it so I'm just going to come right out with it: I didn't like The Little French Bridal Shop. I wanted to enjoy Jennifer Dupee's debut novel. I really did. But it very quickly fell apart for me and it could not redeem itself.

Here's the book's description:

Is a lie of omission still a lie? Larisa Pearl didn't think so and it got her into a heap of trouble.
When Larisa Pearl returns to her small seaside hometown in Massachusetts to manage her beloved great aunt's estate, she's a bit of an emotional mess. She's just lost her job and her boyfriend and she's struggling to cope with her mother's failing health. When she passes by the window of The Little French Bridal Shop, a beautiful ivory satin wedding gown catches her eye...
Now, to the delight of everyone in town, Larisa is planning her wedding. She has her dress, made floral arrangements, and set the date. The only thing missing is the groom. How did this happen? All she did was try on a dress and let her fantasy take flight. But word about her upcoming nuptials has reached the ears of Jack Merrill. As teenagers, they spent time together on her great aunt's estate, building a friendship that could have become something more had they chosen different paths.
Lost in a web of her own lies, Larisa must first face some difficult truths, including her mother's fragile future, before she can embrace her family, straighten out her life, and open her heart to finding love.

From the description, I knew the story would be a bit ridiculous. I mean, who lies about getting married? I could understand it, I suppose, to a point. I expected cute and funny hijinks but the way it actually came about? A bit odd and...painful. You learn early on in the story, when Larisa is trying on the wedding dresses, that she's been having a lot of issues. She's been lying about all sorts of random things - her height on her driver's license, for example. Plus, she's been shoplifting, too. She loses her job in a fairly public and unbelievable way (it was definitely warranted - she was not kind). Basically, she's been behaving in an extremely childish manner and I couldn't get over it. I'm not one that has to like or understand all the main characters I encounter but when I expected this to be a contemporary drama with a sprinkling of romance (I mean, come on, look at the cover!) and all of a sudden I have a character who has some serious shit going on that she's not addressing and is acting like a kid instead? I didn't like her and nothing she did could convince me otherwise.

All of Larisa's issues seem to stem from the fact hat her mother has recently been diagnosed with dementia. She's struggling with that, understandably so, but, again, she's acting like a child and running away from the issues instead of having a discussion with her father, who's acting as caregiver, and learning more about the disease and how to make the relationship with her mother work with her diagnosis. This led to a heavier storyline than I expected. Normally it would be welcome in a book but there wasn't any indication and it didn't really feel...like it worked with the story, I suppose.

I'll fully admit that I skimmed this book. Heavily. I wanted to see if Larisa could redeem herself (she did, sort of, but I had stopped caring) so I didn't want to completely give up on it. So, because I wasn't reading closely and wasn't very committed, there could be some nuances I missed. But I wasn't looking for or expecting many nuances in this kind of story. I love when my contemporary books pull in something heavier but whatever Dupee was aiming for really didn't work for me. 

Here's a possible spoiler, but you see in the description how it mentions Jack and how they used to know each other as teens? That was part of what drew me to this book. I like second chances and small towns. (The sweet cover was the other part of the appeal.) Well, it turns out Jack is married. With triplet eleven year old sons. It is not a happy marriage. He's bored and is all "poor me, my wife doesn't excite me anymore so I'm going to drown my sorrows at the bar and flirt with the staff instead of talking to her like an adult." I was not here for that. At first you think that maybe things would work out ok, that Jack and his wife would separate, officially, and maybe he and Larissa could start dating (which, by the way, they never did as teenagers). But there's a lot of convoluted nonsense that occurs so you're left wondering what, exactly, he's feeling and wondering who was going to get hurt. (My money was on the kids.) It was just not at all a situation to inspire romance. I know this kind of stuff happens in real life and I know it's not all as black and white as I'm painting it (apparently from a high horse...) but it wasn't what I wanted from this story.

I think my emotions got the better of me when it came to The Little French Bridal Shop. I have no notes on the way it was written because the story and how I felt about it and the characters just didn't allow me to enjoy Jennifer Dupee's debut novel. Was I too harsh on someone who was clearly going through a tough time? Perhaps. That happens in real life but it doesn't mean it always makes for a good novel.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, St. Martin's Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Act Your Age, Eve Brown

I, like many rom com readers, discovered Talia Hibbert in late 2019 with Get a Life, Chloe Brown. I absolutely loved it and was all in on her Brown Sisters series. Take a Hint, Dani Brown absolutely blew me away and was a top book of 2020. Act Your Age, Eve Brown released this week and I was both very excited and very apprehensive about this final book in the trilogy. I don't know why I was worried. I loved it from start to finish.

Here's the book's description:

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It's time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she's not entirely sure how…
Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.
Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

Given how much I loved Chloe and then how much more I loved Dani, I wasn't sure if Eve could live up to her older sisters. Like I said, it was silly to worry because Hibbert is so freaking talented that I feel like an idiot for doubting her skills at writing characters I'd love. Eve seems to be quite different from her sisters. She's bubbly and louder and full of sunshine that she loves to spread to everyone she knows. I loved that Eve learned so much about herself in this book and why she is the way she is (and that why is a reason she's more similar to her sisters than she thought). She's a character you're going to absolutely adore and seeing her become more confident and sure of herself was magical.

The hijinks in this book seem so completely bananas but it works! Because of course Eve would randomly come across a job, hours away from home, that she'd be good at. And of course she'd hit the B&B owner with her car. And of course there would be a Duck Incident. But it all works and it works so well. I was laughing at the antics so often and I loved it because there was so much joy and good intentions throughout too. Sure, you kind of have to suspend your beliefs a little bit but this is a rom com. It's meant to be a bit out there and full of love and laughter.

I love a good trope and this book has a couple I really like. Something I'm just learning about myself is that I do enjoy enemies to lovers, when they're done well (I think I've read a lot of bad ones that lean too far into the alpha male/dominant personality and they've scarred me a bit) and this novel has a nice twist on that trope. To say Eve and Jacob were enemies indicates there's some sort of history there where, in reality, the pair meet and Eve immediately offends every sensibility Jacob has and they get off on the wrong foot. (Eve hitting him with car doesn't help, of course.) I loved loved loved reading as they learned about each other and opened up. There's also the forced proximity trope as Eve just sort of...moves into the B&B. Jacob's reaction when he finds out was too funny. I liked that the sort-of-not-really-but-actually living together resulted in sexy times that were so natural. And steamy. Hoo boy. *fans self* These sex scenes are not for the faint of heart and I loved them!

Hibbert is fantastic at writing amazing female characters and wonderful heroes who fall in love with them. Cinnamon bun heroes are drastically overlooked and I very much appreciate Hibbert giving me so many men to swoon over who are smart, attractive, and super sweet. They might not seem to be squishy, adorable guys at first glance but, oh my, are they ever. They're respectful of the Brown women and just can't help but fall head over heels in love with them. Naturally that means I can't help but fall head over heels in love with them. *swoons* Just the best.

I can't comment from a personal experience on the portrayal of characters on the autism spectrum, just like with the sisters being Black. BUT. I can appreciate it and be so thankful that publishers are figuring out that readers want to read characters from every background. There's so much more to be done but I'm glad authors like Hibbert are out there writing these stories for us.

To compare all three Brown sisters books is like comparing cupcakes. (Provided you like cupcakes. If you don't, please think of something you DO like that can come in different flavours but are all equally delicious. And also tell me how you can not like cupcakes. No judgment. Just much confusion.) They each have their own style and flavour but they're all completely wonderful. I cannot recommend this series enough. Act Your Age, Eve Brown was so wonderful to read and I enjoyed every second I spent with Eve and Jacob. I didn't want it to end! I cannot wait to devour more of Talia Hibbert's novels and am really looking forward to the spinoff Skybriar series. Read these books, friends!

Review of Get a Life, Chloe Brown 
Review of Take a Hint, Dani Brown

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

Review: The Rose Code

Oh my good gracious, this book. I very much enjoyed Kate Quinn's last two novels so I assumed I would like The Rose Code. Um, I LOVED IT. I was invested from the start and could not stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. I listened to the audiobook, which is still a new-ish thing to me, and found myself  trying to squeeze in listening time as often as possible. Then, when it was done, I was at a loss. Now what is there to do except wait for Quinn's next novel?

Here's the book's description:

1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart. 1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter--the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger--and their true enemy--closer...

As I said, I listened to the audio for this book. The narrator was Saskia Maarleveld and she was phenomenal. She was able to create an ever so slightly different voice for each of the three main female characters and her male voices weren't irritating in the least. (It's something I've found annoying with audiobooks when narrators have to voice the opposite gender - it's not always done well.) I could have listened to her for ages and will definitely take a look at what other novels she narrates! If you're an audiobook fan, definitely think about getting this one (and may I suggest from Libro.fm where you'll support an indie bookstore of your choice?).

There was a lot happening in this book (it's over 650 pages and almost 16 hours on audio) but it all ticks along, never really seeming like it was too much. Of course, I'm a big fan of WWII era books and found the history of Bletchley Park incredibly fascinating so I wasn't bored at all. That might not be true for all readers, of course. I didn't know ton about BP, as the characters called it, but knew enough that there were codebreakers and an intense amount of secrecy which meant it wasn't discussed at all for decades. I have watched The Imitation Game (Turing makes a few appearances in the novel) but now I'm on the hunt for more books and movies (fiction or non) about the group of men and women (so many women!) who worked in the small town in England. Suggestions welcome!  

The story goes back and forth starting in 1940 and moving through the war and 1947, in the days before Princess Elizabeth's wedding on November 20th. There are alternating chapters told in third person POV from Beth, Osla, and Mab. The past (the time at BP) and the, well, more recent past are clearly defined and it was not hard to follow at all. I didn't find myself frustrated with wondering why someone was locked in an asylum and when it would all be revealed. I trusted Quinn and she gave me a magnificent, mysterious tale that when it was revealed, it was immensely satisfying.

I cared about each and every character. The three women were so different but still managed to form a friendship in the most unlikely of situations. They were found family and went through some absolutely horrendous times both together and apart. They were bound by the Official Secrets Act and even though they couldn't tell each other everything, they were still in the BP bubble together and no one outside that bubble could ever really understand what that was like. And even while that bonded them, it also, ultimately, tore them apart. Because I cared about them so much, I felt every emotion each of them was feeling. They had some terrible feelings at times so it was tough to read at some points. But there were moments of levity as well and I appreciated Quinn's talent of balancing the horrors of war with the everyday things people still had to deal with.

The Rose Code is, by far, my favourite of Kate Quinn's novels. It was well-written and entertaining and perfectly hit the kind of history I was really interested in. I highly encourage every historical fiction fan to pick up a copy of this one.

*An advanced listening copy (ALC) was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Blog Tour: The Lost Apothecary

Every once and awhile a story comes along that reminds you about how much history has been lost over time. Sarah Penner's debut novel, The Lost Apothecary, was one of those stories. She writes of how a woman in the present tries to unravel the mysteries left behind by two women living centuries ago. 

Here's the book's description:

A forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison and revenge. Welcome to The Lost Apothecary…
Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.
Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.
With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time. 

In the past, I hadn't really thought too much about the process of finding a historical artifact and researching and so on. Probably more than the average person, of course. I do read a ton of historical fiction and watch movies set in the past so, yeah, I'd say I'm interested in how the truth is found. But for the last almost year I've worked at a community museum as a fundraiser. I've learned from my colleagues (curators and archivists) and my own research on how museums run and I couldn't help but wonder how damaging some of Caroline's behaviour would be to the history she found and why she was choosing to withhold some of the information. I can't mention one particular thing because spoilers but there was a moment at the end where I was just about screaming at the book, wondering what the hell she was thinking. All that being said, I could totally identify with her wanting to get to the bottom of the historical mystery. I was fizzing with excitement right alongside with her as she and Gaynor unearthed research and secrets. I also hoped she would realize that she was doing what she was meant to and would change her life so she could keep going along that path.

A bit more about Caroline...she was so very bland. I didn't find myself caring too much about her apart from her being the vehicle that allowed the mystery of the lost apothecary to come to light. I could, to a point, understand why she would have pushed her dreams aside but...I was annoyed too. Her husband had been so selfish as to kind of persuade her to stay and get married instead of pursuing further education after they finished college. Was he that insecure that he couldn't handle her being away for a year when they were in their early twenties to further her career? Was she that blind that she didn't realize that it was totally possible for her to still do her schooling and go back to him? Especially when he said he didn't want kids until he was more on partner track? I couldn't help but feel more frustration than empathy when it came to Caroline. She was fine but she'll be the most forgettable part of this whole story.

I think this also reads a lot like a debut novel. It kind of felt like a bit of an info dump, especially at the start, and I was impatient for the story to get moving. That said, Penner does do a really good job of keeping the suspense and unraveling the mystery. Until the end when it was kind of just...done. Satisfying, mostly, but I find I'm left with a few niggling questions. I liked that Caroline's chapter's didn't reiterate what I had just read from Nella's or Eliza's points of view as that kept the plot going and kept the story from being repetitive.

Nella's and Eliza's stories were the most intriguing and I enjoyed the historical part of the story the most. I don't spend much time reading about the late 1700s but it was an interesting time. Women didn't have a lot of options and lower class women had even fewer. I appreciated that Nella used her registry not just to write down the poisons and remedies sold but also as a record of the women she interacted with. As she said, these women would otherwise be forgotten by society and their names would never be recorded anywhere else. It was a powerful reminder that, while we still have a lot to do to have equality, things have come a long way.

The Lost Apothecary was an enjoyable read but might not be one that stays with me for too long. Sarah Penner's debut novel was interesting enough and I did feel the need to keep reading until I finished the story and figured out the mystery behind the apothecary. 

About the Author
Sarah Penner is the debut author of The Lost Apothecary, to be translated in eleven languages worldwide. She works full-time in finance and is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Women's Fiction Writers Association. She and her husband live in St. Petersburg, Florida, with their miniature dachshund, Zoe. To learn more, visit slpenner.com.

Connect with the Author
Website * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter

Buy the Book
Bookshop.org * IndieBound * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Audible * Apple Books 
Kobo * Google Play * Books-A-Million * Target * Libro.fm

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

Blog Tour: Float Plan

Float Plan came across my radar in summer 2020. A blogger I've trusted for a long, long time (@greadsbooks on Instagram) talked about this great new book from Trish Doller she had beta read and absolutely loved. It was on NetGalley already so I requested it because it sounded SO GOOD. Fast forward to last weekend when I finally curled up with the book aaaaand...absolutely devoured it. Friends, I honestly can't think of a single thing I did not like about this novel. 

Here's the book's description:

Heartbroken by the loss of her fiancé, adventurous Anna finds a second chance at love with an Irish sailor in this riveting, emotional romance.
After a reminder goes off for the Caribbean sailing trip Anna was supposed to take with her fiancé, she impulsively goes to sea in the sailboat he left her, intending to complete the voyage alone.
But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.
In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn't mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.

The novel starts in a really dark space as it begins with Anna's fiance's suicide note. Now, I know the description doesn't get into that but I think it's important that people know upfront that someone dies by suicide in this book. And it's something that Anna has to deal with throughout the novel - that she was the one left behind, that she feels she wasn't good enough to keep Ben alive. It's tough to read and I'm privileged enough that I've never been in that kind of situation so it's important for those who may be triggered by suicide to know before going into this story. Doller makes sure to keep it real while also lightening the story as time passes. Anna's story isn't going to be everyone's story but I appreciated this small insight into how someone might deal with losing their loved one to suicide.

Now, you might be wondering how this book could also be a romance when Anna is reeling from the death of her fiance. Know that it's about ten months since his death. (I know there's no time limit on grief which, I think, is something at least one character says throughout this book.) She may think she's going on this trip because she wants to hold on tight to Ben's memory but she soon realizes - after many, many bumps in the, well, ocean - that maybe this trip was more of a way to find some peace and chart a new course (yep, I went there with the sailing puns). I don't think many authors could find a way to bring a character from deep grief to emerging from grief to finding a new partner as well as Doller did. She approaches it with kindness and compassion which you really feel while you're reading.

Anna is magnificent. She's lost, in so many ways (except literally - she does always know where she's going even if it's a bit of a rough go), but the reader can see the woman she can become through all the grief she's wrapped up in. She's smart and funny and strong and I would love to have a cocktail or two on the beach with her. And as for Keane? Hoo boy, I would love an Irishman on a boat. Don't tell my boyfriend. He was such a great hero - so layered and so kind. Their dynamic was perfection and I fell in love with them both.

I have never felt the urge to sail around anywhere for any length of time on a small sailboat but I found myself really intrigued, and a tad envious, of Anna and Keane's lifestyle as they took the boat around the islands. It was a nice bit of armchair travel to discover some new Caribbean islands right alongside Anna and also revisit a spot I've traveled to before, on a much bigger ship. There's a scene when they arrive in Nassau, Bahamas where I've been twice on two separate cruises. It was nice to be brought back to that moment of sailing into the harbour but also totally being called out for being a tourist by the characters. I am well aware I only saw what tourists see and really appreciated the viewpoints given by the characters in the book.

I hadn't read any of Trish Doller's work before so I came into Float Plan with no real expectations. I was completely blown away and was left feeling so pleased and full of all the warm and fuzzies after I finished the book. It was well-written and so, so enjoyable. I highly recommend everyone reads it! Seriously. Go buy a copy now!

About the author

TRISH DOLLER is the author of novels for teens and adults about love, life, and finding your place in the world. A former journalist and radio personality, Trish has written several YA novels, including the critically acclaimed Something Like Normal, as well as Float Plan, her adult women's fiction debut. When she's not writing, Trish loves sailing, traveling, and avoiding housework. She lives in southwest Florida with an opinionated herding dog and an ex-pirate.

For where to buy the book, click here.

Connect with the author
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*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, St. Martins Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Accidentally Engaged

Accidentally Engaged was my first Farah Heron novel. I admit I do own a copy of her debut, The Chai Factor, but, for some strange reason, haven't gotten around to reading it yet. After absolutely devouring her latest though? I'll be moving it up the queue.

Here's the book's description:

Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall--with hopes that Reena will marry him.
But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.
As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciated that Heron set this novel in Toronto. Too often us Canadian readers find that our authors are encouraged to set their stories somewhere in the US because it's more "relatable" or some such nonsense. I know a lot of American readers who don't care one way or the other so I'm hopeful that soon we'll see even more Canadian cities, and small towns, featured in books published in the US. 

Reena was an absolutely delightful character. She was funny and smart and I constantly found myself wishing we could get together for a beer. (Mmm some of the beer she and Nadim had sounded sooo good.) She by no means had her life figured out and I could definitely identify with that. I was rooting for her the entire way through and hoped she'd find her Happily Ever After for herself (but also, of course, with Nadim because they were just too cute). 

The storyline with the cooking show Reena and Nadim enter was too fun. Food was a big part of this story and will leave you craving bread and delicious meals while you're reading. Me included even though sourdough isn't my favourite kind of bread and a lot of the spices Reena used aren't ones I like. But there we have it! Back to the show. I think it was also more enjoyable for me because I love wholesome cooking shows. Great British (or Canadian) Baking Show? (As it's called over here...Great British Bake Off is the title back in England.) I adore them and they've been a balm during the last year. It was really nice to escape into that kind of cooking competition world, at least a little, in Heron's novel.

Even though this is, technically, a rom com, Heron packs a lot into the story that isn't as lighthearted as a romance may suggest. And I am HERE for it. Reena not only has to deal with overbearing parents but she also has job loss and a spotty relationship track record. Plus, she and her sister have a very complicated relationship and both women have mental health issues that are in various stages of being addressed. Heron has her characters being quite open about most things - even for a story that is full of (sometimes ridiculous) secrets - and I appreciated that. I like my rom coms with a heavy dose of real life and am glad to see more of those being written.

Accidentally Engaged was a delight from start to finish and I definitely recommend contemporary readers check this one out. Farah Heron has given us a smart and entertaining novel that will get under everyone's skin, in the best possible way, and also have everyone craving bread!

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