Review: Learned by Heart

Emma Donoghue is a masterful writer so it’s always a treat to read her novels. Learned by Heart is her latest and features the life of a young Annie Lister as she comes of age at an English boarding school at the age of fourteen. It was well written and full of emotions but I have to say (though it pains me to do so), I’m not entirely sure if I, well, liked it? Let’s dive into trying to determine why that is, shall we?

Here’s the book’s description:

In 1805 fourteen-year-old Eliza Raine is a school girl at the Manor School for Young Ladies in York. The daughter of an Indian mother and a British father, Eliza was banished to this unfamiliar country as a little girl. When she first stepped off the King George in Kent, Eliza was accompanied by her older sister, Jane, but now she boards alone at the Manor, with no one left to claim her. She spends her days avoiding the attention of her fellow pupils until, one day, a fearless and charismatic new student arrives at the school. The two girls are immediately thrown together and soon Eliza’s life is turned inside out by this strange and curious young woman.

The first thing I struggled with was wondering if I was the book’s intended audience and whether or not that actually mattered (spoiler: no, I don't think it really does). You see, I didn’t really know who Annie Lister was. All I knew was that she was, somehow, a known and important figure in queer history. Because of my lack of knowledge, I wasn’t really sure of the reason behind the novel but I knew enough to know she was someone of importance. I try to go into books without much knowledge sometimes because I want the author’s point of view to educate me and then I’ll read more afterwards. In this case, I wish I had read Donoghue’s notes at the beginning of the novel instead of at the end, where they’re printed. It seems that Lister and her history are a bit of a pet project of Donoghue’s, someone she’s been interested in for many years and finally had the opportunity to write about. I respect that so much - that she was so interested that she wanted to write something for all of us to enjoy and learn from. I want to learn more about the histories that have been hidden from us - which is why I wonder if it matters that I’m a straight woman reading about queer characters. It honestly doesn’t - I know this - and I want to learn more but I just can’t help feeling that I lacked something going into this book. It’s the strangest feeling and one that I'm uncomfortable having because I think it's coming from a place of...well, we know that most books and histories have been told from a heterosexual perspective, which is the perspective I live my life from as a straight person. It's not that I can't read books from different perspectives, it's more that I think this book is especially for the folks that haven't seen enough of these stories from their perspective and my feelings, quite frankly, don't matter. Which, you know, I'm good with. But the overactive brain just can't shut off when pondering this story!

I can tell (after reading the notes at the end of the book) why Donoghue chose to set the book when she did. It’s partially because of new research about Eliza Raines, which is interesting to consider. If Donoghue had written a novel about Lister years ago when she first had a seed of an idea, it would have looked very different than it does in 2023. First, the world has now been able to watch Gentleman Jack which is about Lister (I haven’t yet but it’s on my very long to be watched list) and that’s shown there's an appetite for these stories that have never been told before and absolutely should be. Second, more information has come to light about Eliza and the role she may have played in Lister’s early life. The novel alternates between chapters taking place in 1805 and 1806 when the girls are in school and letters from Eliza to Lister in 1815. The letter chapters are shorter but are quite unsettling. You see, Eliza is in a mental institution at this time and it’s clear she’s struggling. They’re not easy chapters to read but they’re so well done. (And if you’ve read Room you know how well Donoghue can take unsettling topics and write the hell out of them.)

The last thing I want to touch on that has had my brain running in circles is the age of the girls. You’ll notice I’ve called them girls numerous times (and I’ll add a caveat here that it could be possible, again I don’t have all the information, that Lister may not have identified as a female but I’m going to keep using the female pronouns here). That’s because they were. They were fourteen and fifteen while they were at school, and they and their fellow students were just starting to grow into the adults they’d (hopefully) become. But, to me, they’re still kids. And I know kids of fourteen and fifteen are having sex and this was the 1800s when I’m sure there were teen girls being married off far too young. But my modern sensibilities couldn’t shake the fact that I was reading about underage girls having their sexual awakening. Is that prudish of me? Am I the weird one for finding that odd to read? And this has, of course, nothing to do with the fact that they were two girls. I would have been equally weirded out if it were two boys or a boy and a girl at the same age. It’s been a huge struggle to wrap my head around and work through.

Even though it may seem like I didn’t like Emma Donoghue’s latest book, that’s not strictly accurate. I did like Learned by Heart and it is such a well-written and well-told story that it still lives in my head, weeks after reading it. Donoghue is so unbelievably talented. This is a book that I’m desperate to talk to others about so if you’ve read it, find me on Instagram @kaleys23 and let’s talk!

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

Review: A New Season

If you’re a reader in need of a book that will make you laugh, think, feel, and laugh some more (all while being unapologetically Canadian), Terry Falls is your man. I have loved every book of his I’ve read and his latest, A New Season, was no exception. In fact, it may have just become my favourite of all his books. It was full of so much…*waves arms around*...life! It had humour, grief, and love of all kinds as well as some soul searching and travel thrown in for good measure. It was, if we want to get right down to basics, a damn good novel.

Here’s the book’s description:

Jack McMaster seemingly has it all. A beautiful house, a loving son of many talents (including cooking, which is great news for Jack, if not for his waistline), even a special bond with his buddies in his ball hockey league. But he's also learning to live with loss, leaving a gaping hole in his life--a life that will never be the same as before. Jack passes his days knowing he has the support of his family and his friends, but he can't shake the feeling that his life has gone gray, and that time is slipping by so quickly.
Then, a short and shocking video from an unexpected source gives him the gumption to make a change and maybe even haul himself out of his melancholia. Inspired by his lifelong fascination with 1920s Paris, Jack finally visits the City of Light, following in the footsteps of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and wandering the Left Bank. Slowly, the colour seeps back into his life, aided by a chance encounter in a café that leads Jack into the art world, and a Paris mystery nearly a century old.
Full of sincerity and warmth, A New Season shows us all that sometimes, making a change in your life can save your life.

For a book about a man dealing with overwhelming grief, it’s quite funny. Which isn’t a surprise for anyone who’s read Fallis’ books before. His humour isn’t for everyone but I adore it. It’s quick and dry and there were many literal lol moments as I was reading this one (always interesting when one is reading in a full staff room on one’s lunch break). I wish I could include some of the most excellent quotes to give you an idea of how witty the book is but 1. I read an egalley so it’s always possible some things may change and 2. We’d be here all day while I tried to choose some of the best quotes. This book isn’t humorous in an obvious way - it’s not like those blockbuster comedies many of us love to watch - but it’s quieter and Fallis uses his humour at just the right moments.

OK, so this bit is hard to write without giving anything away and I really like that the book’s description gives you enough information to know what you’re reading but is still vague enough to keep the book’s secrets, well, secret. First, the book is set in the summer of 2022 when the world is emerging from major pandemic restrictions and I want you to beware of that if you’re sensitive to these storylines and/or lost someone due to COVID-19. Second, and this is the doozy, I have been wrestling with the idea that if this novel had been written by a woman, it could be categorized as a romance. Not a typical romance where the love story is the only real objective of the narrative, but my favourite kind of romance where there’s a whole lot of life happening for the main character but, at the end of the day, there’s going to be a Happily Ever After. I love Fallis’ work, that’s not what’s up for debate here. What is, however, is how books are marketed and how publishers treat books written by men and women differently. I think if this book had been written by, say, Theresa Fallis, the illustrated cover would look a whole lot different and we’d be having a totally different conversation. I’m not sure if I have a real point here - it’s just something that’s stuck in my brain as I considered the book and how I’d write this review and recommend it to others.

But putting the notion of this being considered a romance or contemporary fiction aside, this book is a love story. Or, perhaps more accurately, a love song. Jack is an amateur songwriter and guitar player - he enjoys it but knows he’s not good enough to make it professionally so he’s just had fun creating and playing for the past few decades. So, music and songs are a big deal to Jack and that’s why this book kind of feels more like a love song. He’s even written a couple of love songs that are included in the novel (which, yes, were written by Fallis). This book isn’t just a love song about love. It’s also an ode to friendship, family, Paris, and, yes, even ball hockey and the good buddies one makes playing it.

I loved that this book was a bit of an ode to Paris and the writers of the Lost Generation (Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald being the most famous). Jack is unapologetic about his love and (mild) obsession with the time and the writers and it was so lovely to see him go after his dream of living in Paris and walking the same streets as those authors he’d long admired. The extra little twist added in was such a delight and really elevated the story (why, yes, that is purposely vague).

A New Season is an uplifting book, even amongst all the grief, that shows it’s ok to live life after a tragedy and perhaps, it’s even more important to do so now after what we’ve all lived through. Terry Fallis has written a novel that is funny and heartwarming and will keep you entertained (and feeling all the feels) from the first page to the last.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, McClelland & Stewart (an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada), via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: What Would Jane Austen Do?

Happy Austen August! I’ve had a lot of fun reading Jane Austen’s novels and any that are inspired by or adaptations of her novels every August since 2020 with my friend Victoria. When I had the chance to take part in a blog tour this month for Linda Corbett’s new novel, What Would Jane Austen Do?, well, it felt like I had no choice but to jump at it! This novel was an absolute delight and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

Here’s the book’s description:

It's a truth often acknowledged that when a journalist and Jane Austen fan girl ends up living next door to a cynical but handsome crime writer, romantic sparks will fly!
When Maddy Shaw is told her Dear Jane column has been cancelled she has no choice but to look outside of London’s rental market. That is until she’s left an idyllic country home by the black sheep of the family, long-not-so-lost Cousin Nigel.
But of course, there’s a stipulation… and not only is Maddy made chair of the committee for the annual village literary festival, she also has to put up with bestselling crime author –and romance sceptic – Cameron Massey as her new neighbor.
When Maddy challenges Cameron to write romantic fiction, which he claims is so easy to do, sparks fly both on and off the page…

There’s an argument to be made that Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was one of the first novels to employ the enemies to lovers trope. You may know it’s not a trope I love as I can’t always understand how the couple ends up being attracted to each other. Elizabeth and Darcy aren’t so much enemies as…two prejudiced individuals who don’t take the time to really get to know the other before forming a less than flattering opinion of them. Corbett has her characters acting in quite the same manner. Maddy and Cameron don’t really know each other so there’s no hate but they each assume things about the other based only on a short interaction. But the fun is in reading as they realize their misconceptions and work to actually get to know each other. And, surprise, fall in love!

The premise of this rom com was just bonkers enough to allow for drama and intrigue but not so far-fetched to have me rolling my eyes at the coincidence of it all. Or maybe I was extra indulgent because I read the book while on vacation. *shrugs* Whatever the reason, it was much fun to read as Maddy realized she had suddenly inherited a house - and a literary festival - from a cousin she had never met before.

I liked that Maddy was given a solid BFF in Alice, even though the pair spend the majority of the novel apart. It allowed the reader to know that Maddy had someone in her corner, rooting for her unconditionally, while also allowing her to get to know the folks in her new town. It’s a small thing but, thinking back, it was impactful. Having a best friend (or two) makes a world of difference in a girl’s life!

Speaking of Maddy’s new friends, the townsfolk of Cotlington were TOO FUN. They were a perfect mix of kind and quirky, each managing to steal the show during their scenes but without taking over the whole story. They, and the town, provided a wonderful burst of colour (sometimes literally with Sam and her love of pink) as Maddy worked to figure out what her life was going to look like.

I have a few minor quibbles with the book - mostly to do with how things were wrapped up, or not. There’s a storyline with a celebrity ghost hunter that I feel was fun and helped with the story but I’m left with a ton of questions. What happened with the payment and the deductions? Was Randall really going to just expose Cameron and then move on and present at the festival like nothing had happened? And what about Sam’s feelings for him and someone else’s feelings for Sam? I also wasn’t totally sold on Maddy’s journalistic leanings and how the story she did about Cameron was published. No journalist is going to allow the subject (or their agent) the chance to read the article before it is published. Or maybe they would with famous people. But the average journalist absolutely does not and I didn’t love that implication.

While this novel is not at all a retelling of any of Jane Austen’s novels, I liked that Corbett sprinkled the book with references to Austen’s books, including quotes at the start of each chapter. I loved Maddy’s love for the author - and definitely wish I had a few of her Austen-esque shirts!

What Would Jane Austen Do? was so incredibly fun to read. Linda Corbett’s novel is a must read for those who like sweet romances with a dash of Jane Austen, a sprinkling of small town charm, and a pinch of bookish adventures.

About the Author
Linda Corbett lives in Surrey with her husband Andrew and three permanently hungry guinea pigs. As well as being an author, Linda is treasurer and fundraiser for Shine Surrey – a volunteer-led charity that supports individuals and families living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. For many years she also wrote a regular column for Link, a disability magazine, illustrating the humorous aspects of life with a complex disability and she is a passionate advocate of disability representation in fiction. Love You From A-Z was her first published novel.

Connect with the Author
Website * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram * Goodreads

*A copy of this novel was provided by Austenprose via NetGalley for the purpose of a review as part of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Women of the Post

I’ve realized in the last few (several?) years that my particular love of historical fiction set during and around each World War means the overwhelming majority of what I’ve read is written and told from a White perspective. I acknowledge that I may not be working hard enough to seek out titles written by BIPOC authors but I also think part of it is the stories just aren’t being published. (I’m more than happy to be told I’m an idiot who has to do more research, by the way.) So, when I came across Women of the Post, Joshunda Sanders’ debut novel, I was immediately intrigued. It was a solid novel that kept my interest and shone a spotlight on a part of history many people may not know much about.

Here’s the book’s description:

1944, New York City. Judy Washington is tired of working from dawn til dusk in the Bronx Slave Market, cleaning white women’s houses and barely making a dime. Her husband is fighting overseas, so it's up to Judy and her mother to make enough money for rent and food. When the chance arises for Judy to join the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and the ability to bring home a steady paycheck, she jumps at the opportunity.
Immediately upon arrival, Judy undergoes grueling military drills and inspections led by Second Officer Charity Adams, one of the only Black officers in the WAC. Judy becomes fast friends with the other women in her unit—Stacy, Bernadette and Mary Alyce—who only discovered she was Black after joining the army. Under Charity Adams’s direction, they are transferred to Birmingham, England, as part of the 6888th Central Postal Battalion—the only unit of Black women to serve overseas in WWII. Here, they must sort a backlog of over one million pieces of mail.
The women work tirelessly, knowing that they're reuniting soldiers to their loved ones through the letters they write. However, their work becomes personal when Mary Alyce discovers a backlogged letter addressed to Judy that will upend her personal life. Told through the alternating perspectives of Judy, Charity and Mary Alyce, Women of the Post is an unforgettable story of perseverance, female friendship, romance and self-discovery.

This was not, surprisingly enough, the first novel I’ve read about the women of the 6888th Central Postal Battalion. Kaia Anderson’s Sisters in Arms from 2021 (review here) dealt with the same group of women. I much preferred Sanders’ novel but I still found it ever so slightly lacking. I think the issue is I found it too slow. There had to be a lot of set up, just because of the story Sanders chose to tell. I am very happy Sanders took the time to really lay out what it was like for Black women in the US during the war and she gave a lot of detail without the dreaded info dump. I found the story dragged when the women were all in training but I don’t know what Sanders could have done about that. Maybe it’s just me and I was far too impatient for them to get over to England and do actual work instead of being stuck in barracks, not being allowed to because they’re Black. (White women at this time were being sent to Europe to "do their bit" but Black women were being barred from doing the same.)

The story is told from the perspective of three women: Judy, Mary Alyce, and Charity. Judy and Mary Alyce are fictional characters but Charity Adams was a real person. I know authors take liberties with history for the sake of the narrative - and almost all of them will explain why and how they made those changes in a note at the end of the story. I understand how fiction works. What I don’t understand is why Sanders chose to give Charity a female love interest in the book when there’s no evidence that she was queer. She absolutely could have been, of course, and (do I really need to say this?) obviously the presence of a queer character isn’t the issue. The issue is changing a core part of a real person’s being for the sake of the story. Charity was a wicked amazing woman though and I’m glad to have learned more about her and will research more about the real woman behind the novel in the future. Mary Alyce, as I said, was fictional but Sanders noted that she’s kind of based on a real person she had read about. As the book's description notes, Mary Alyce had no idea she was Black until she arrived at training because her mother had hidden her father's race from her and she was light enough to pass. There actually was a woman that happened to, as Sanders mentions in her note. I couldn't even imagine having your world shaken up like that when you're already on edge, heading to training to help with the war efforts. 

Somewhat related, even though I found the training portion of the book to drag, I was loved reading as the women all became friends and bonded with their fellow WACs. They knew they didn’t all have to like each other but they worked hard at making sure there was some respect so they could operate well as a unit. It would have been such a different and eye-opening experience for these women and I was glad they had each other to lean on as they dealt with falling bombs and racism while working in England.

Another reader on Goodreads mentioned that this book would make a better film or TV show and I think I’d have to agree. The information and history is so important but a novel might not be the best format to tell the story of these women. THEN another reader mentioned that Tyler Perry is working on a movie about the women of the Six Triple Eight which is extremely exciting and I’ll for sure be watching.

I liked Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders and am glad to have read it. The history she shared was fascinating and I learned a lot. I’ll keep an eye out for her next novel!

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

Review: The Keeper of Hidden Books

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Madeline Martin’s novels because of the history she uncovers and the bookish references she weaves into her stories. It’s no surprise that World War II novels are a particular favourite of mine and when you add in a reference to books, reading, or libraries? I’m even more intrigued. Martin’s latest is The Keeper of Hidden Books, published earlier this month, and it was an unflinching look at what it would have been like in Warsaw during WWII.

Here’s the book’s description:

All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.
With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto.
But the closer Warsaw creeps toward liberation, the more dangerous life becomes for the women and their families – and escape may not be possible for everyone. As the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left - literature.

There were times I felt Zofia was...going too far into saviour mode - and I do wonder if that’s an unfair assessment. She could clearly see how the war was affecting not only Christians, like herself, but the Jewish people, like her best friend, Janina. She had as close to a front row seat as you could get and understood how dangerous it was for the Jewish folk in Warsaw. She was enraged and I don’t fault her for wanting to do something. I’m glad Martin had a scene where Zofia realized how dangerous it could be for Janina when Zofia stood up to the Nazis occupying their city because, until that point, she was only thinking of how upset she was and how unfair it all was from her own perspective. Of course it was unfair. I’m definitely not arguing that. She just hadn’t realized how impossible the situation was and how her actions could put others in danger. Would I have done any better? Hell, would I have even tried to stand up to a Nazi? It’s so hard to say, isn’t it? We want to think we’d stand up for others in a dangerous situation but would we? Martin shows all the shades of grey in this situation and illustrates very well how difficult it would have been for all Warsaw residents during their occupation. Once she got her hotheadedness under control, Zofia was able to use her rage for good and I hoped it would be enough to help liberate her city.

Books, reading, and libraries play a huge role in this novel and I loved that element. I was so happy that Zofia and Janina wanted to be educated in working at a library but then, almost immediately, I was heartbroken that these young women (and so many others like them) had their lives turned upside down and weren’t able to pursue their education. Hell, eventually Janina wasn’t even allowed to be in the library, let alone be learning or working there. Martin showed that, amongst all the sabotage and fighting for freedom, books were important to the people of Warsaw. Books have power and the girls used that power as much as possible. Hitler was banning and burning books and Zofia and those she worked with tried to save as many books as they could, to prevent stories and ideas being lost forever. They also tried to read as many as they could, having their own anti-Hitler book club. Martin used a lot of research to illustrate the power of libraries and books, including how important they were in the Jewish ghetto. For a bookworm like me, it was really powerful.

This is probably one of the most grim WWII novels I’ve read in some time. All of them are, to some extent, but this one hit especially hard. Was it because it was about a part of the war I hadn’t read much about before? I knew the invasion of Poland kickstarted the war but I hadn’t really thought about what it would have been like for the Polish people. Not in as much detail that Martin presented, that’s for sure. It was hell for those people. The description of the ghettos, the scarcity of food, the roundups, and the public executions. Pure and utter hell. It can be hard to read about these things and wonder about similar issues going on in the world right now that are being ignored. Are most of us any better than our ancestors were? It’s a sobering thought.

The Keeper of Hidden Books was extremely interesting and I’m glad I read Madeline Martin’s latest novel. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations but I appreciate the insight Martin gave with this story and how she showed the importance of books and reading, even in some of the darkest times.

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

Review: A Smile in a Whisper

It’s a beautiful thing when you find an author you love. You know just what kind of book you’ll get when they release a new one and you know you’re bound to adore it just as much as you have with their others. Jacquelyn Middleton is one of those authors for me. I’ve been reading her books for so long and every time she announces a new book, I rub my hands together in anticipation. I know I’m in for a swoony (and usually steamy) read with all the feels that won’t shy away from hard topics. A Smile in a Whisper, just out today, delivered all those feelings when I read - and loved - it.

Here’s the book’s description:

Not all farewells are forever…
Evie Sutherland throws herself into everything. Like many on Scotland’s picturesque Orkney Islands, she works several jobs: managing her family’s shop, researching genealogy for tourists, and writing historical romance novels. Evie aces most challenges—except love. With a childhood diagnosis of Crohn’s disease and a disastrous dating history, Evie has convinced herself that guys won’t date the “sick girl” and the blame falls on the shoulders of her first love, a famous boy from London who spent his summers on her island.
To the outside world, Nikolai Balfour lives a charmed life. Starring in a popular British TV series as a teen, young Nick stole fans’ hearts from the Isle of Wight to Shetland. However, that was a lifetime ago, and the years since have been filled with “Didn’t you used to be…” moments, career wrong-turns, and empty relationships. Now finding success behind the cameras, Nick is still racked with regret and guilt over how things ended with the Orcadian girl he’d loved and left behind.
But when a television series filming in Orkney blows Nick back into Evie’s quiet life, they’re forced to face their heartbreaking past and revisit old secrets that should never have been kept.
Unfolding in alternating past and present timelines, A Smile in a Whisper is a touching story of first love and second chances, and the enduring summer memories that shape us.

If you’ve read Middleton’s books before (and if you haven’t - what are you waiting for?), you know that she often has characters who deal with various mental health issues, such as anxiety. In A Smile in a Whisper, she wrote a main character who lives with a physical condition: Crohn’s disease. Middleton chose to include this not only because we need more representation of all sorts in books but because her husband also has Crohn’s. It’s not a sexy disease and isn’t discussed enough because it deals with digestive issues. While I don’t have Crohn’s, I am dealing with my own issues (and tests…and questions…and lots of unknowns. My god, it’s frustrating.) and I’m learning so much about the way the digestive system works. I hated that Evie felt like her friends and boyfriends weren’t understanding (and, truthfully, some of them weren’t) and I felt for her when she wanted to just be like everyone else and have a drink or two and eat whatever she wanted. It sucks and I wish more people would be considerate when someone isn’t “normal” and concessions have to be made. Let’s not be judgey if someone turns down a drink or a cupcake, ok? And maybe, if you’re the one who has to turn it down, let’s tell them exactly why your bowels can’t handle it. Keeping things hush hush won’t help anyone.

In addition to the representation in Middleton’s books, I also love the romances she writes. They’re always so intense - in the best way. Evie and Nick were high school sweethearts (even though they didn’t go to the same high school). They were still young when they first got together but that doesn’t diminish their feelings. Those teenage feelings, man. They’re something! But even though I do get all grandma sometimes and wonder how kids these days can know their own minds, I do understand what it’s like to start dating the person you’re going to be with forever when you’re a teen. But Evie and Nick didn’t have the chance to grow with each other and mature and evolve. Miscommunication (ugh) and the teenage inability to deal with Major Issues meant they split up instead of doing the hard work. Even before the reader knows the whole story, they know there are a lot of unresolved issues and that makes for some excellent drama and tension when it comes to romance. Will the pair actually be able to work out their issues? And how many sexy times scenes will we get as they try?!?

Middleton did something a little different with this novel in terms of timelines. The story is told in two timelines, a lot like how Carley Fortune wrote Every Summer After. Present day moves along over the course of a few weeks and the past timeline starts 18 years prior and moves forward a few years at a time, getting to know young Evie and Nick a little bit more with every chapter. With the way the pair are acting in the present timeline, you just know there was an epic break up (or break down) and I liked that Middleton put us in the past instead of just telling us what happened. It also gave some fun YA vibes along with the (very) adult vibes with the present day timeline.

And I can’t finish this review without mentioning the setting! Middleton chose to set this book on the Orkney Islands, where her own family is from. I adore all things Scotland and reading this made me really bummed that I won’t be able to make it to Orkney when I visit later this year (so much land, so little time). This novel wasn’t just a love letter for Evie and Nick. It’s a love letter to the Orkney Islands, too. And I, in turn, loved that.

A Smile in a Whisper was a wonderful novel and I so very much enjoyed reading Jacquelyn Middleton’s latest romance. It’s emotional in all the right ways, just as I hoped it would be, and it gave me a chance to “travel” to a part of Scotland I may never visit. It’s a must for romance readers who want depth with their reads!

Get a copy for yourself
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About the Author
Jacquelyn Middleton is an award-winning author of love stories for hopeful romantics--'hopeful' because her novels are always full of optimism and a 'happy ever after' is important now more than ever before. But life is messy, relationships are messy, and her books aren't afraid to go there, too. If you enjoy character and relationship-driven stories about people dealing with the triumphs and disasters we all face, Jacquelyn's books are for you.
In 2019, she was named BEST CANADIAN AUTHOR at the Toronto Romance Writers 'Northern Hearts' Awards for UNTIL THE LAST STAR FADES. She is also the author of LONDON BELONGS TO ME, LONDON, CAN YOU WAIT?, SAY HELLO, KISS GOODBYE, and THE CERTAINTY OF CHANCE.
An own voices author, Jacquelyn has dealt with anxiety, panic attacks, and depression all her life, and is dedicated to depicting mental health challenges realistically and empathetically in her novels.
Jacquelyn's books have been featured by The Hollywood Reporter, NBC News, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Daily News, USA Today, Cosmo, Redbook, and the Huffington Post.
She lives in Toronto with her British husband and Japanese Spitz dog.

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*A copy of this novel was provided by the author and by Valentine PR, the latter for the purposes of a blog tour with a review. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Miss Matched

You all know I love reading Canadian authors. And I love me some romance. So when I came across Miss Matched by Wendy Million, it didn’t take much to convince me I should read it. Plus, it was a second chance romance and those always have the potential to be fun and angsty. Alas, I did not enjoy Miss Matched. The romance didn’t make sense and I was far too distracted by the con of a dating service to find any reason to care about the story. And I hate that!

Here’s the book’s description:

When matchmaking software pairs a woman with her worst ex, she gets a unique second chance to connect with the love of her life.
After years of bad dates, Tayla Murphy has decided it’s finally time she found her ideal partner, so she pays a hefty fee for a cutting-edge “soulmate” matching service. But the infallible algorithm must have a serious glitch, because it pairs her with the one man on Earth she never wants to see Simon―the man who left her heart in pieces when he broke off their engagement six years ago. Tayla would rather cut her losses, but if she’s going to move forward with her life, she needs the money back.
Then Simon shows up on her doorstep, promising Tayla he can get her a refund by showing the service that the match was wrong. But he wants her to really prove they aren’t meant to be―by dating him for the next month. Even though he thinks the service is a fraud, Simon has been desperate for a second chance with Tayla ever since he messed up their shot at happily-ever-after. They still have an amazing connection, but a lot has happened in the time they were apart. So is this a mismatch or a perfect match?

I admit that I was judging Tayla right off the hop for spending all of her life savings on a dating service. Is it because I’m happily coupled up that I can’t understand what someone would do to find their one true love? Sure, I suppose that could be part of it. Million didn’t say how much it cost or how much Tayla was actually putting into the purchase but the way it was described, I had to assume it was a freaking ton of money and I just thought that was so incredibly irresponsible of Tayla.

I also just could NOT buy Tayla and Simon’s previous break up. It made absolutely NO sense and I thought Simon was a total asshole. He barely redeemed himself in my eyes which does not make for a good romance. I could tell he wasn’t actually a dick but he pulled such a dick move that I just had to assume he was one. It can be really hard to pull off a second chance romance well and I don’t think Million achieved it - at least not for me.

And the whole matchmaking service? And that Tayla and Simon were trying to dupe them and expose them? I just…couldn’t. Sure, I wanted them to win. Down with mega corporations that are stealing money from unsuspecting people (especially women)! But even that storyline was confusing and immensely unsatisfying.

I take no pleasure at all in writing this review. I wanted to like Miss Matched. I even saw Wendy Million at this year’s Word on the Street festival and was even more excited than I was before so to be let down so much by the book makes me really sad. I might try reading whatever she writes next but it’ll be a library borrow for sure.

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

Review: Off the Map

If you want a romance that’s well written, has depth, and also feels like you’re being wrapped in a warm hug, Trish Doller’s your gal. I’ve read her last three books and have absolutely adored them. ADORED. So much so that I read both The Suite Spot and Off the Map in one sitting. Off the Map is Doller’s latest, having been published in March, and it is a most perfect book to pick up if you need some proximity romance with a healthy dose of armchair travel.

Here’s the book’s description:

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.
Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.
Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love - if only they choose it.

I like the Doller’s romance novels aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. Don’t get me wrong, I will need some of that in my romances but she recognizes that life really isn’t all that sunny all the time. Her heroines (and usually heroes too) are dealing with a lot. In Carla’s case, she doesn’t have a steady career (she instead chooses to travel and cobbles work together when needed to pay for it) and her father has dementia. He can no longer travel so she’s doing it for the both of them but she’s also running away from her problems and real life. It’s because she’s running away that her current lifestyle is not sustainable and she has to do a lot of soul searching (without it being as airy fairy as that may sound) before she can come to terms with her life and what her next step needs to be. There is an absolutely heartbreaking moment in this book but the teeny silver lining is it allows Carla to make decisions solely for her while also, perhaps ironically, to create a potential future with Eamon.

This book is technically part of the Beck sisters series which started with Float Plan (review here) and carried on with The Suite Spot (review here). You don’t have to read those two before this one but I recommend it only because they’re both so amazing. I really enjoyed getting to see Anna and Keane again and seeing how their romance has carried on since Float Plan ended.

A bonus of this book is the armchair travel element as Carla and Eamon travel through Ireland on their way to Anna and Keane’s wedding. It was really fun being able to experience a part of the world I’ve never been to. I felt like I was right there with them as they were accidentally off-roading into a farmer’s field. (That is not something I need to experience whenever I do get to Ireland - just putting that out there.)

I loved both Carla and Eamon so I loved their romance. They were so good for each other and were able to balance each other as well. Eamon needed more adventure and spontaneity and Carla needed just a bit more of a plan and had to stop running from her problems. There were some steamy scenes and lots of really sweet ones, too. Theirs was a romance you couldn’t help but cheer for.

I loved Off the Map and am so glad I started reading Trish Doller’s books a few years ago. Her books are perfect for those who are looking for romances that are more than just a Happily Ever After. I highly recommend them!

*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.*