By: Melissa F. Olson
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: 47North
Pages: 318

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): For years now, Scarlett Bernard has counted on two things: her ability to nullify magic, and Shadow, the bargest who guards Scarlett with her life. But after a sudden revelation turns Scarlett’s world upside down, she panics and leaves town without warning, leaving Shadow with her partner, Jesse. In the chaos that follows, the bargest is stolen—and Jesse nearly dies from a brutal psychic assault.

It seems that an old enemy has returned for revenge…and the attack on Shadow was only the beginning. As Scarlett races home to find the bargest and rescue her friends, she is dragged deeper into a terrifying legend that has somehow found its way to present-day Los Angeles.

Now she will have to recruit every possible ally for a battle that will test her null ability to the limit. Scarlett has been in over her head before, but now she risks losing everything—and she’s never had more to lose.

First Impressions

I might’ve picked this book up based off of its cover when I was in college, but definitely not now. My mom found it for free and asked if I’d want to read it. I read the plot and thought it sounded interesting. Since she offered to pick it up, I decided to give it a shot, but based off of the cover alone I was a little hesitant.

What I thought

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I didn’t realize that it was the third in the series when my mom gave it to me, but I never truly felt lost. However, if you are interested in reading this series and want to start from the beginning, I will be spoiling things.

Scarlett is a Null living in LA. A Null is someone who can nullify all magic. She works for the cardinal vampire of LA and is also friendly with the witches and vampires. When she goes off to Boulder to investigate a personal matter, her dog/bargest (a magical werewolf hunting dog who is basically impossible to kill but loves Scarlett) is kidnapped and her friend Jesse is put into a magical slumber. When she gets back to LA, they discover that this is the work of the Luparii, a group of witches whose goal is destroy all werewolves and now they are there to kill Scarlett.

Ok, so from what I can gleam from Goodreads, there are multiple series within this Old World universe. I believe there is a series about Scarlett prior to this one as well as a series that occurs simultaneously with other characters. While this trilogy seems to wrap up Scarlett’s story in the universe, she does seem to appear occasionally in other series by Olson. I did find this book relatively easy to follow, with only certan parts that probably would’ve helped if I had background. For example, Shadow (the bargest), what a Null is, and a lot of relationships with previous characters.

I really enjoyed Scarlett and her powers. I haven’t read a supernatural book about someone who can cancel out all powers so that was an interesting take. I also liked the relationship with Scarlett and Jesse and Scarlett and her friend Molly. Additionally, when they go to Boulder they meet with some other witches and a very old vampire. I was intrigued by the characters and am curious which series would follow them and their connections.

It also seems like the Luparii are the big bad from a previous novel and in this book they’re coming back to seek revenge. I don’t want to give away exactly what their plan is, but it is based in old Grimm lore and I found it fascinating. The only parts I didn’t love were some of the romance scenes. I liked the romance between Jesse and Scarlett, but I didn’t need anything more as I found the supernatural parts of the story to be more interesting.

By: Julia Seales
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 300

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): After achieving her lifelong dream of solving a murder, bringing a killer to justice, and proving she is not, in fact, a morbid creep, Beatrice Steele feels like everything is finally falling into place. She's traded her etiquette-obsessed community of Swampshire for the big city of London, accompanied by her ever-trusty chaperone, Miss Bolton. They've settled in a lovely neighborhood, Sweetbriar, known for its proximity to the Sweet Majestic theater, picturesque pleasure gardens, and an unfortunate infestation of flying squirrels. But Beatrice's favorite part is that Sweetbriar is also home to D.S. Investigations, the new office she opened with the prickly, annoyingly logical Inspector Drake to solve the city's brutally thrilling crimes.

However, nothing is turning out how Beatrice imagined it would. Sir Huxley, famed gentleman inspector and Beatrice's former crush, is still considered the real investigator in London, so the only cases left for Beatrice and Drake are lost pets and spectacles. Not that Beatrice has much time for crime-solving, anyways, as her mother still expects her to find an eligible (rich) husband to protect their family from destitution. Beatrice is struggling to balance all the demands on her and begins to wonder if she can become a true detective in a city that feels full of false promises.

That is until a string of murders thrusts Beatrice and Drake into the center of a scandal that pits the neighborhood's wealthiest against the arts community, spreading fear and chaos throughout the city. As they follow the trail through bewildering ballrooms, secretive shops, and odd operas, Beatrice must survive threats to her partnership, her business, and her place in society to break the case - before it's too late.

First Impressions

I read the first book in this series for book club and it really made me laugh. I was excited to see that there was a sequel and I do love these covers. I think between the cover and the title I would’ve picked this up on first impression alone.

What I thought

This book was just as cute as the first.

Beatrice is back but this time she has left Swampshire for London. Miss Bolton is her chaperone as she lives in the city and works an investigative business with Detective Drake. But one of the caveats to her being in London is that she participates in the social season o find a rich husband to help support her family back in Swampshire. When a man is found murdered, an accused actor comes to Beatrice and Drake to help clear his name and find the real murderer. Beatrice, Drake, and Miss Bolton have to navigate an investigation and finding a husband all at the same time.

I love how these stories have a strong female lead in a time where women were not meant to be independent. All of the women in this book are bucking the stereotypes of society. Beatrice is observant and I love her skillset. I also appreciated that she started to make friends in this book. The world is being built more and more and I can see this as a long standing series.

The mystery itself is semi-predictable, but not in an annoying way. There is so much going on in the story outside of the mystery that I don’t find myself focused on trying to figure out who the murder is intensely. The will they or won’t they with Drake and Beatrice is still occurring which I enjoyed. I like how he seems to be a little baffled by Beatrice yet accepts her completely.

Seales does a fabulous job making characters and settings that pop off the page. Who else could make a city infested with flying squirrels seem plausible?

By: Hazel Beck
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Graydon House
Pages: 368

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Newly-minted Historian of the soon-to-be-ascended Riverwood Coven Georgie Pendell has always played her part—so why does she feel like an outsider in her own life? Duped and dumped by her boyfriend, Georgie finds herself dismissing love as a fairytale. But when the words she reads aloud from an enchanted storybook free a dragon shifter, everything changes.
 
Georgie finds herself drawn to the dragon in ways she didn’t think were even possible for her, and her dragon, with his fiery golden gaze, all but claims Georgie as his own. But beneath his scorching intensity lies a secret, one that stretches back into the ancient past.
 
With the Joywood Coven still finding ways to upend the new order of the witching world, Georgie and her coven will need to prove themselves up to the task of being in charge, and right the wrongs their predecessors committed—if they can uncover the truth. Because something is missing. Something that will stop the Joywood once and for all. Something that only a Historian and an ancient dragon can find.

First Impressions

This is the 4th and final book in the Witchlore series. I was so excited to read this one and see how everything played out. I am partial to the purple so this might be my 2nd favorite cover in the series.

What I thought

Perfection. This book wrapped up everything within the series and I felt so satisfied.

The fourth book follows Georgina Pendell who is the Historian of the Ravenwood coven. In the previous books she was portrayed as ditzy and probably one of the women I was least interested in. Not that I disliked her, but she came off a little boring. However, this book take some turns and sucked me in immediately.

Georgie finds out that she is connected to Azrael, a dragon, as her soulmate. While everyone thought that witches only live the one life, the coven ends up finding out otherwise when it comes to Georgie, as well as magical creatures they thought didn’t exist.

I love the way this series deals with the world of magic. The Joywood coven is truly evil and seeing them plot and scheme n each book never gets old. I also love how at its core, the series is about love and togetherness and equality. While it may be categorized as a romance novel, there is so much more to it than that.

I also enjoyed how magical creatures were introduced in this installment. While every part of it was new, it didn’t come out of nowhere. It built throughout each book and made me want to re-read all of the other books to pick up on all of the details. The romance/relationship part of the story was interesting. It is sort of instalove but also not because of the whole past life thing. I do wish we had gotten a little bit more because at the end I didn’t quite feel their meant to be connection, but I loved Georgie’s growth and storyline overall.

By: Sara Raasch
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Bramble
Pages: 320

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Someone has been stealing Christmas’s joy, and there’s only one clue to the culprit—a single shamrock.

With Coal busy restructuring Christmas—and their dad now having a full midlife crisis in the Caribbean—Kris volunteers to investigate St. Patrick’s Day. His cover: an ambassador from Christmas to foster goodwill. What could go wrong?

Everything, it seems. Because Prince Lochlann Patrick, Crown Prince of St. Patrick’s Day, happens to be the mysterious student that Kris has been in a small war with at Cambridge. They attempt to play nice for the tabloids, but Kris can’t get through one conversation without wanting to smash Loch’s face in—he’s infuriating, stubborn, loud, obstinate, hot—

Wait—hot?

Kris might be in some trouble. Especially when it turns out that the mystery behind Christmas’s stolen magic isn’t as simple as an outright theft. But why would a Holiday that Christmas has never had contact with, one that’s always been the very basis of carefree, want to steal joy? Can a spare prince even hope to unravel all this, or will Kris lose something way more valuable than his Holiday’s resources—like his heart?

First Impressions

This is the sequel to Nightmare Before Kissmiss and I love this cover and title just as much. Add in the sprayed edges to match the holiday feel and I would happily put this book on my shelf. I would absolutely pick it up based just on the cover and title alone.

What I thought

I said it before and I’ll say it again, I need a never ending series in this world of holiday royals.

Kristopher, the second son of Christmas, is struggling to find his place after his brother Coal steps up with his royal duties as the heir to the Christmas throne. While at school, he pulls a prank on the boy who keeps stealing his study room, only to find out later that he is the Prince of St. Patrick’s Day. On top of that, they discover that St. Patrick’s Day has been siphoning off magic from the Christmas Day joy collector. Kris volunteers to go to St. Patrick’s Day to help the Christmas Court figure out who planted the device under the guise of apologizing to his arch nemesis.

Raasch balances political intrigue and romance unlike anyone I have ever read. She makes me just as interested in everything going on with the royals as I was in Lochlann (Loch) and Kris’ romance. I love a good enemies to lovers story and Loch and Kris have some great banter.

I didn’t quite love this one as much as the first, but I think that was because I got a little frustrated with Kris. He is dealing with a lot of self-image issues and anxiety and I frequently wanted to smack him across the face and tell him to get over it. Now, I think it’s realistic and I wasn’t annoyed with him because of that. Just that here were a few moments where I felt he got a tiny bit too whiny and I didn’t love it.

I did like how Raasch had so much of Coal and Iris in this book still. Kris played a big part in Coal’s book, so I was glad to see Coal still around so much. Plus it let me stay up to date on how he was handling the Christmas scandal from the last book. I am still so curious how this world will continue to function.

By: Elle Kennedy
Published Year: 2015
Publisher: Bloom Books
Pages: 400

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy...

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she's carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush's attention, she'll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice...even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

...and it's going to be oh so good.

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he's worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he's all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

First Impressions

I saw the special edition on the shelf at the library and it immediately caught my eye. I have had this book on my radar but continually forgotten about it. The first cover isn’t my favorite, but the style of the special edition is amazing.

What I thought

I LOVED this book. Flew through it in 2 days.

Hannah is a music major. Garret is the star of the hockey team. Hannah is one of a handful of students who passed the Ethics midterm. Garret is not. When Garret sees that Hannah passed, he tries to charm her into tutoring him so that he can continue to play hockey. She is having none of it, until he comes up with an offer too sweet to turn down. She tutors him, he uses his social status to get her crush to notice her and make him jealous.

This book is sort of enemies to lovers and has the banter that I love. Hannah and Garret’s chemistry was amazing. They both have their issues and it was beautiful watching them open up to one another. I appreciated that their relationship wasn’t surface level and it had me rooting for them the whole time.

The book does warn that rape is a central plot point. I think that Kennedy does a nice job handling it. It never felt overly graphic or cheapened to a plot twist. I also loved the other hockey boys. They were perfectly ridiculous in the fun way that college boys can be. It makes me look forward to reading their stories in the rest of the series.

One other thing I really liked about this book was how Hannah and Garret had their own stories in addition to their romance and relationship. Everything about this book felt fleshed out and not just fluff. While there were some minor things that annoyed me, like the constant referrals to how tiny Hannah was but how amazing her boobs were, overall this book might become a new favorite.

By: Emilia Hart
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 337

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): 2019: Lucy awakens in her ex-lover’s room in the middle of the night with her hands around his throat. Horrified, she flees to her sister’s house on the coast of New South Wales hoping Jess can help explain the vivid dreams that preceded the attack—but her sister is missing. As Lucy waits for her return, she starts to unearth strange rumours about Jess’s town—tales of numerous missing men, spread over decades. A baby abandoned in a sea-swept cave. Whispers of women’s voices on the waves. All the while, her dreams start to feel closer than ever.

1800: Mary and Eliza are torn from their loving home in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship heading for Australia. As the boat takes them farther and farther away from all they know, they begin to notice unexplainable changes in their bodies.

A breathtaking tale of female resilience, The Sirens is an extraordinary novel that captures the sheer power of sisterhood and the indefinable magic of the sea.

What I thought

While the cover is pretty, I wasn’t very excited by this book when I read the summary and I feel like it met my low expectations.

This book has 3 different POVs across 3 different timelines. Mostly, we follow Lucy in February 2019. She leaves school to go spend time with her sister after a bad sleepwalking event. We also have the perspective of Mary from the 1800s. Lucy is seeing Mary in her dreams, so all of the stories we get of Mary are supposedly what Lucy is dreaming. Finally, we have Julie’s POV in 1999. Julie is Lucy’s older sister and Lucy finds Julie’s diary, which is what we get. When Lucy does show up to Julie’s house unannounced, Julie is missing. So there is a mix of mystery of why is Lucy dreaming about these women and where did Julie go?

I found this book to be so boring. There is so much going on, yet none of it sucked me in. Comber Bay has had multiple men disappear, which, based off of the title of the book is obviously due to supernatural forces of Sirens. Yet for some reason Hart writes the story as if we’re supposed to not know how/why these men go missing. Then there is the mystery of why Lucy is dreaming about Mary and why she is sleepwalking. Again, I found the reason to be very obvious and predicable. I think the only thing that semi-surprised me was finding out where Julie has been. And it wasn’t even that I was surprised by where, but more so why she was gone for so long.

If this had not been a book I was reading for book club, I could’ve stopped reading it at 50% and not felt any regret. It’s not that it’s necessarily a bad book, I just found the story to be so slow and predictable that I was never drawn to pick the book up. I also feel like Hart tried to create too much mystery and suspense and could’ve made it more exciting by pulling things back a little bit.

What Book Club Thought

This was interesting. My friend who picked the book felt very similar to me. She struggled with reading it and also felt like she would’ve stopped reading it had it not been for book club. One of our members liked the book except for the chapters about Mary, whereas another member really liked the chapters about Mary and less so about present day. We had a lot of discussion about plot holes with the whole siren/mermaid storyline as well as the fact that it kind of felt like this could’ve been two different books because of the disconnect with the past and the present. We did have a lot to discuss because of the issues we had with the book which did lead to good discussion about the plot and the conflicts within it. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book because of how I felt, if you or your friends are into this type of story, it could lead to some interesting discussion.

By: Sara Raasch
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Bramble
Pages: 357

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Nicholas “Coal” Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned the holiday into a PR façade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make- out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.

But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother’s not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it.

Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand…and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween.

It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants. And it all leads to one of the sweetest, sexiest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the year.

First Impressions

When I first heard about this book it sounded like so much fun. Royals? Halloween? Christmas? Then I saw the cover drop and felt a little less enthused. Something about it just looked so cheesy. But then my friend bought it and I knew I needed to read it.

What I thought

This book was so much more than I expected!

Nicolas, “Coal”, is the heir to the Christmas throne. Hex is the heir to the Halloween throne. In this world, each holiday is its own kingdom with its own royals. King Christmas/Santa comes to an agreement with the King of Easter that Coal should marry Iris by Christmas Eve. Neither Iris nor Coal are into each other in that way. In fact, Coal’s brother Kris is the one who has a crush on Iris. When Halloween comes to object to the union of Christmas and Easter, Santa offers them to opportunity to bring Hex to the castle to try to win Iris over. Little does he know, that Coal is more of Hex’s type.

So I definitely expected there to be a fun romance between Christmas and Halloween. What I didn’t expect was the political intrigue and palace deception! I enjoyed the depth to the story and am fascinated by all of the holidays and how their politics play into their existence.

Coal is, of course, the slightly uninterested/reckless heir to the throne. A few years ago he made a big mistake with the best of intentions, and ever since then he has stepped back from his role as heir. However, now that he is being forced to marry his friend, he finds himself learning more about what is really going on behind closed doors.

The romance with Hex was so good. Their chemistry was immediate and leapt off the page. I do wish we got more of Hex’s backstory and maybe even an opportunity to see him in his element, but I loved him with the whole gang. In fact, I enjoyed every character in this book and can’t wait to read each of their stories. I know the next book focuses on Kris and I’m a little sad it wasn’t Iris first, but I’m looking forward to jumping back into this world.

While the cover may be cheesy, this book is anything but. If you’re looking for a Christmas story with a little bit of meat on its bones, I highly recommend picking this one up.

By: Libby Page
Published Year: 2026
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 416

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel/

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her fiancé waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly because Joe died five months ago…
The gift is simple – twelve carefully-chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
Tilly sets out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, the bookshop owner, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?

First Impressions

I love the cover of this book. Give me a book about books and I will immediately pick it up. When I read the summary it reminded me of PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern which I loved (both the book and the movie). The concept immediately spoke to me and I knew I needed to read this book.

What I thought

This book was exactly what I expected it to be and was wonderfully executed.

Tilly lost her husband 6 months ago. In January, she received a call from the local bookstore letting her know that her husband’s birthday gift to her was a year of books after he was gone. Tilly has to come to the book shop each month to pick up the book. While doing so, she slowly starts to crawl her way out of grief as well as rediscover herself.

I loved the concept of this. Having lived through grief, I can be a little critical of books here that is s central plot point. I felt like the way Page wrote about grief and Tilly at the beginning of the book was more relatable and realistic. As the book went on it felt a little too picture perfect. I wish there had been more conflict of Tilly dealing with her grief and less about her dealing with love. Even though I know in this story they’re intertwined. There were moments I loved, like when she went to visit her in-laws. But then that fell by the wayside and was never mentioned again.

I also loved the book recommendation throughout the book as well as the books that Joe leaves for Tilly. Each one is thoughtful and I liked seeing how they influenced Tilly to move forward in different ways. Alfie was one of my favorite characters. I enjoyed how his story connected with Tilly’s but that he had his own things he was dealing with. There was a minor miscommunication trope towards the end of the book I feel we could have easily done without, but I did appreciated how things worked themselves out.

Is this my favorite book I’ve read that has dealt with grief? No. But did I enjoy the story regardless? Absolutely. It doesn’t mock grief or deal with it poorly. I just feel like it occasionally faded to the background.

By: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Published Year: 2026
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 352

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): After a mortifying—and very public—humiliation, Dancy Flynn is desperate to find sanctuary far from the crowd. But where can a washed-up sex symbol hide? How about making an unannounced appearance at the secluded lake house of the sweet, sensitive high school boyfriend she hasn’t seen in almost twenty years?

But Chicago Stars quarterback Clint Garrett is no longer the kid Dancy remembers. Now he’s a gridiron superhero, still holding a massive grudge against her for breaking his teenage heart. With no room in his life for either complexity or distractions, he banishes Dancy to a refurbished old railroad caboose tucked away in the woods…and out of his sight.

Except Dancy’s not good at staying invisible. Her efforts to rebuild her career clash with Clint’s desperation to regain his focus, all made more challenging by a rescue dog, a local woman in trouble, a meddling mother, an ex with an agenda…and the sizzle of rekindled emotions.

As Dancy attempts to get her life on track and Clint tries to get his groove back, can these two one-time lovers navigate their rocky pasts and complicated present to find themselves…and each other?

First Impressions

Susan Elizabeth Phillips was one of the first romance novelists that I read. I remember picking up her books in high school or college and really enjoying them. She really opened the romance world to me. I was excited when I saw that she was coming out with a new novel as I haven’t read anything by her in a while. I do love the cover as it’s not the very common cartoon cover that has taken over the romance world, but I don’t know if it would’ve caught my eye off the shelves.

What I thought

This book is the latest installment in her Chicago Stars series. This is a football romance series that I’ve read at least a handful of in the past. They aren’t connected in a way that you need to read one to understand the other, but more that there are characters that pop up from other books.

Dancy is an actress who is on the brink of a breakdown. Clint is the quarterback for the Chicago Stars. Dancy and Clint dated in high school until she broke his heart. Now 20+ years later, she shows up at his door as a safe place to hide after her ex humiliates her at an event.

I don’t know if my tastes have changed, but I found this book to be a little boring and predictable. There was also a little bit too much going on in terms of dramatic events. Like there’s a storyline about a character who is with an abusive man and Dancy saves her from him, and even though that’s essentially one scene, he then has a chapter or two from his point of view. It just seemed very unnecessary to the rest of the book.

I did like the chemistry between Dancy and Clint but I didn’t quite understand it. They haven’t spoken since high school and now she just randomly shows up at his house for refuge? And then they are immediately attracted to each other again? It threw me off. But I did like how their relationship developed and how they addressed the issues that they had.

By: Layne Fargo
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 437

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.

Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public fascination with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story” through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.

What I thought

I originally read this book at the beginning of 2025 and it ended up being one of my favorites of the year. I originally listened to the audiobook which was fabulous. When I realized that my book club pick was lining up with the Winter Olympics I knew I wanted to pick a book that was on theme. Since I have loved The Favorites so much the first time around, I wanted to share it with my friends. The one difference between my first read and my re-read is that this time around I read a physical copy. I found that reading the physical copy made the book feel a lot quicker than listening to the audiobook. Neither was felt better, but I did really enjoy the fact that the audiobook was a full cast. Here is my original review of the book.

Kat Shaw has wanted to be an Olympic ice dancer her entire life. When she and her skating partner/boyfriend get accepted to a camp being held by the best US ice dancer female skater, they feel like it’s going to be their first step towards greatness. But scandal and drama erupt behind the scenes.

The story is told in alternating chapters. The first perspective is Katerina and the second is told as documentary interviews with multiple people’s points of views. I listened to this on audiobook and it was told with a full cast of narrators. I would absolutely recommend listening to this because it’s one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to, but I’m sure it would be just as good as a physical book.

This is also apparently a retelling of Wuthering Heights. I don’t remember much about Wuthering Heights other than it was a bit nuts, I didn’t like it, and I thought Heathcliff was the worst. After reading this book, I do still think Heath is the worst. I got so frustrated with him in this story, but I didn’t dislike him as much as in the original. He did have some redeeming qualities in the end in this version.

I am a big ice skating fan, so I know there is a lot of drama within the sport. I loved how this story played into that. Johnny Weir, an American male figure skater, voiced one of the skaters in the story. He ends up having a skating gossip blog and he played it so well. I felt like it could’ve easily been real life behind the scenes of the figure skating world.

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know it’s rare that I can’t predict where a book is going. This story took so many twists and turns I truly had no idea. They would end up at a competition or a certain plot point and I would look down and see I still had like 5 hours left in the book when I thought that’s where the story was going to end. It was so fun to be on this wild ride.

What Book Club Thought

Four out of five of us really enjoyed it. Two of us re-read it and loved it both times, though one book club member said she found the characters more annoying the second time around. One book club member did not finish the story. She had tried to read it once before and gave it a second try but stopped at the same part. The funny part was that we were then spoiling a lot of the twists that happen in the later parts of the book and she definitely seemed a bit intrigued. The part she said she got stuck at, I could understand being really frustrated with the characters and how unlikable they are in that moment. I would say that if you are someone who gets stuck on something like that to push through. The drama is absolutely worth it.

This was a fun book to discuss with other people. I would highly recommend it as both a book club pick or as a read if you are in the Olympic Spirit

As always, I challenge myself to read books by diverse authors each year. I also like to compare my reading stats from last year to this year. In 2025, I read a total of 92 books. I DNF’d 3 books. Definitely read more this year than last year! 49 of the books I read were physical, 17 were digital, and 26 were audio. My audio books were up by almost 10 this year which I think helped increase my overall reading. I l also kept track of how many books I read were from the library this year and that came out to be 30 of my physical books. I didn’t count the audio as all of my audiobooks are from the library. My average rating was up from last year to 3.79 from 3.71 but I only had 5 5 star reads, whereas last year I had 9. This makes two years in a row that I’ve dropped in the amount of 5 star reads I’ve had. I don’t know if I’m getting pickier or if it’s because StoryGraph uses quarter star ratings? I had 8 books that were under 3 stars and the month I read the most books was in May again!

Now to compare my diverse author stats from last year.

For 2024
Black- 5
Asian/Indian- 11
Latinx-2
White- 39
Male- 9

For 2025
Black- 7
Asian/Indian- 7
Latinx- 2
White - 61
Male- 11

I think what’s interesting is that I read a bigger variety of authors in general this year. I had some series that counted as the same author multiple times, but I still overall had books by a lot of different authors compared to last year. I also did a better job at reading physical books from off of my shelf compared to years past. I didn’t do quite as well as I did last year with reading books by authors of color. I felt like I was doing really well at the beginning of the year, but then seems like I lost it in the back half. I did have a few authors that I read multiple of their books, so maybe that’s also why I felt like I was reading more diversely than I did.

Now onto the fun part of my favorite books of the year! I will do a breakdown by which book was my favorite from each month.

January

This is a tough month! I had two books I rated as 4.75 stars, but ultimately think I will pick Let’s Call Her Barbie by Renee Rosen. I recommended this book to both of my parents as well as multiple other people, which is why I am picking this one as my favorite for January. I also went to a local independent bookstore where Renee did a talk which was really cool. I’ve read a few of her other books, so it was fascinating to hear about her writing process.

February

Ok, well… I thought January was hard but February I can’t pick. These were my two favorite books of the entire year. Interestingly, they were both audiobooks too. The first is The Favorites by Layne Fargo. I LOVED this book. It was an entire cast reading and I thought it was so well done. I even ended up picking it as a re-read for book club in 2026. My second favorite book was Know My Name by Chanel Miller. This was a memoir and was just wonderful. It was moving and frustrating and I think about it frequently. I want other people to read it so I can talk to them about it, but I also know it’s very heavy so I always recommend it with caution.

March

Wild Side by Elsie Silver might have been my favorite this month. I started reading the Rose Hill trilogy last year, and this book ended up being my favorite of the series. They’re just so light and fun and I need that when in the depths of winter.

April

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame was another audiobook that topped my favorites. I enjoyed this one so much I recommended it to one of my friends and she chose it for a book club pick later in the year. It was fun to read this one and then get to relive it and talk about it with my friends.

May

It was interesting because even though I read the most books in May, I didn’t have any 5 star reads. My highest rated book this month was The Love Haters by Katherine Center. But honestly, looking back, a lot of the books I read in May were kind of forgettable. Enjoyably in the moment, but didn’t hold up over time. Center is one of my favorite authors though, so I did really enjoy her latest book

June

June on the other hand might’ve been my slowest reading month, but had the highest average rating. My favorite book this month was Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. You can’t go wrong with TJR and this book felt so unique. I loved the space aspect and the romance felt so fresh to me.

July

This month was another kind of meh month for me. My highest rated book is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. It was a very interesting book and the formatting of it was unique. I liked it a lot but again, feels a little like a book I’ve forgotten about as the year has gone on.

August

August had two really good reads. I think I’m going to pick The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. I don’t read a lot of mystery/thriller books so I was hesitant with this one. Especially since it was so hyped up, I didn’t expect it to live up to expectations. I enjoyed it so much more than I expected and it was so different from a lot of what I normally read.

September

My favorite from this month was A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inkeeping by Sangu Mandanna. I am a sucker for cozy witchy books. This one was cute and fun and exactly what I needed to get me into the Halloween Spirit. I think it cemented Mandanna as an auto-read author for me as well.

October

I feel like we’ve got another meh month here! My highest rated book came in at a 4.25 and was Wild Card by Elsie Silver. I liked this book in the series and felt like it was a good final book. I don’t know if I would categorize it as one of my favorites of the year, but compared to the other books I read this month, it would be.

November

This month I would pick The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer. I listened to this one and while I rated it a 4 star initially, I think as it has sat with me I would rate it a little higher. The story is different from anything I’ve read and I loved the magical realism of it. I think I even recommended this one to my dad.

December

My final favorite book of the year was If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia. I had high expectations for this book and it met every single one. This would easily make my top 5 books of the entire year. I really want to go back and read other books by Olivia because I enjoyed her writing a lot.

Looking back at 2025, I find it interesting how so many of my favorite books of the year came at the beginning of the year and also were audiobooks. The middle/end of the year I didn’t feel like I hit a slump, but looking back I didn’t read a ton of standouts. I would be curious to look back at my favorites month by month from last year to see if it is similar.

Thank you for joining me in another year of reviews and Roundups! Hope to see you here again next year!

By: Fiona Davis
Published Year: 2023
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 357

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis transports us back to 1950s Manhattan and the glamorous Radio City Music Hall. . . .

New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion is over the moon to have been selected to be one of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall’s glamorous precision-dancing troupe. It’s an honor to perform in the world’s most spectacular theater, an art deco masterpiece. But with four shows a day as well as grueling rehearsals, not to mention exacting standards of perfection to live up to, Marion quickly realizes that the life of a Rockette has both extraordinary highs and devastating lows.

Then one night a bomb explodes in the theater. It’s only the latest in a string of explosions around the city orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the "Big Apple Bomber." They have been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police, at Marion’s urging, turn in desperation to a radical new technique: psychological profiling.

As Marion finds herself pulled deeper into the investigation, she realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. But she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.

What I thought

I was really intrigued when Meghan picked this book because I love The Rockettes. I also love mysteries, especially ones that center around profiling.

Marion is living at home with her father and sister when she decides to audition for The Rockettes. When she makes it, it turns her world upside down. She originally thought she would follow the typical 1950’s house wife expectations, but instead she is pursuing her passion of professional dancing. While she lives in the city, the Big Apple Bomber, who has been targeting the city for 16 years, targets Radio City Music Hall. Marion ends up getting herself involved in the investigation and her life continues to be flipped.

I loved this book. I flew through it. From the very beginning, I was immediately sucked in. I loved Marion and her passion for dance. She was very independent and headstrong for a woman of her time and I am always a sucker for a strong female character. When the mystery of the Big Apple Bomber started to unfold, I was even more sucked in. I even paused to research whether or not this was based off of a real person (spoiler, it was).

This book was so well written. I am curious to look into more of Davis’ books because I had not heard of her before this book. I love reading historical fiction about places and events that are unique and now I feel I have learned so much about The Rockettes and New York in the 50’s. If you are a fan of unique historical fiction or The Rockettes, I highly recommend looking into this book.

What Book Club Thought

We all loved this book! We had so much to discuss. It was hilarious how many of us didn’t realize how much of a mystery this book was going to be because we either didn’t read the description or didn’t read it closely. We enjoyed talking about our theories throughout the book as well as some of the interesting expectations of women in the 50’s. This was a great book club choice that was enjoyable and also lead to a lot of discussion points. One of our book club members has already read another one of Davis’s books and a few of us are interested in reading more from her in the future. I would definitely recommend this book as a book club choice.

By: Mia P. Manansala
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 304

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Things are looking up for the Brew-ha Cafe, and Lila Macapagal can’t think of anything that could break the spell, especially with Valentine’s Day coming up—she can’t wait to celebrate with her boyfriend, Jae Park. Adding to the lovey-dovey atmosphere is Hana Lee, Shady Palms’s newest resident. She’s also Jae’s beloved cousin and chocolatier at Choco Noir, the latest addition to the town’s culinary offerings. Everything is coming into place for Hana, who left her old life in Minnesota behind to work at Choco Noir, owned by her best friend.

Unfortunately, beneath the sweet surface of Shady Palms runs a bitter undercurrent, as a series of attacks against women-owned businesses in the area escalates from petty theft to assault and murder when Hana is found knocked unconscious inside Choco Noir, and the chocolate shop owner is put out of business—for good.

With Hana left in a coma, a murderer hiding amongst them, and the safety of the women entrepreneurs of Shady Palms at risk, the Park brothers team up with the Brew-ha crew to put a stop to the villain before they strike again.

First Impressions

This is the 6th and final book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Series. I started reading this series at book 3 and have enjoyed each one. The characters are fun without being over the top and the mysteries are cozy and sweet. I was excited to read this book and a little surprised it was the final one in the series.

What I thought

Lila gets herself involved in another investigation, though this time it involves one of her friends. There has been a series of burglaries at women owned businesses in Shady Palms. One of these burglaries results in the murder and coma of the two business owners. Lila and her friends involve themselves in the investigation, but this time it feels personal.

I don’t feel like this book feels like a final book in the series. It surprises me but I also understand not wanting to continue the series forever. One small town can only have so many murders being solved by a café owner. At the same time, I could see the story continuing since it wasn’t like they moved or made some grand speech about no longer investigating anything.

I did enjoy Lila, Adeena, Elena and Jae working together in the book. Last book, Elena expressed frustration with not being a part of the investigating and feeling like Lila didn’t trust her. Lila’s aunts were a little bit less involved in this story, but I didn’t mind that.

I can’t remember if I figured out the other mysteries as easily as I figured out this one. I feel like the others came together as slightly more of a surprise, so because of that this may not be my favorite of the series. I’m a little sad it’s coming to an end because I do find the setting and characters to be comforting.

By: Jenny Bayliss
Published Year: 2020
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Pages: 320

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When it comes to relationships, thirty-four-year-old Kate Turner is ready to say "Bah, humbug." The sleepy town of Blexford, England, isn't exactly brimming with prospects, and anyway, Kate's found fulfillment in her career as a designer, and in her delicious side job baking for her old friend Matt's neighborhood café. But then her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays. Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. The odds must finally be in her favor . . . right?

Yet with each new date more disastrous than the one before--and the whole town keeping tabs on her misadventures--Kate must remind herself that sometimes love, like mistletoe, shows up where it's least expected. And maybe, just maybe, it's been right under her nose all along. . . .

What I thought

Stephanie picked this book since she wanted a Christmas read and Hallmark has made a series this year based off of this book. We did read another book by Bayliss in 2022. I don’t remember much about it, but when I looked back I had only given it 2 stars, so I was a little nervous before starting this one.

Kate moved back to her small hometown in England about 4 years ago. Since living there, she has reconnected with friends and the community, but has yet to find love. Her friend Laura suggests she participate in a new program being put on called Twelve Dates of Christmas were between December 1st and the 23rd she will go on 12 blind dates in hopes of finding the one.

I did enjoy this book more than the previous one I read, but it wasn’t one of my favorites. I found it to be predictable within the first 5 pages. We meet Kate’s friend and café owner Matt and I thought it was pretty obvious that Kate and Matt would end up together. I was still excited to see how her dates played out though.

I feel like this is going to be one of those instances where I enjoy the show/movie more than I enjoy the book. I think it needs to be Hallmark-ified a little bit. Honestly, the horror of each of her dates was frustrating and disappointing. I got irritated by how at least half of these men were still in love with their exes. Also, she kind of slut shamed herself? Which, as someone who was in the online dating world feels weird. Like, she kisses two men and feels like she is a loose woman. I didn’t understand this because we’re in the 2020s and she had only been on one date with each of these men.

This book was a cute idea but the execution was meh. I also found her romance with Matt to be very underwhelming. There are definitely better Christmas romances out there, but after my last read it was nice to have one that was a little lighter and fluffier. I’m excited to see this play out as a show.

What Book Club Thought

I think book club enjoyed this a little more than I did. We had a lot of fun talking about it and the craziness of some of the dates. I was surprised we had as much to talk about as we did. We did all agree that it was predictable but it was interesting because some of the members felt this was the most warm Christmassy Christmas book that we have read. We usually read a holiday book in December, but some of them Christmas has been more of a background than a character and this book it really felt central to the story. We also talked about what we hoped Hallmark would change versus what we hope they keep the same. If your bookclub likes lighter Christmas reads, then you should pick this one up.

By: Meghan Quinn
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Bloom Books
Pages: 480

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Every Kringle in Kringletown celebrated Christmas a lot.

But Cole Black on Whistler Lane, unfortunately, did not.

As his fellow citizens decorate their quaint town, brimming with carols and glad tidings, Cole wants nothing more than to hibernate the winter away. But his dreary plans are thwarted when his Christmas nemesis, Storee Taylor, moves in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Immediately, the new neighbor turns his life into a real nightmare before Christmas, especially when she decides to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest in honor of Cindy. And better yet, Storee is determined to win.

Over Cole's dead body, she will. With help from his friend Max, Cole decides to enter the competition as well, to beat Storee at her own game by pretending that this hometown grump's heart has grown three sizes this season and he's fallen for the girl next door. And unfortunately for Storee, she has to follow his lead to have a chance at the Christmas Kringle title.

But the competition isn't the only thing that heats up. Cole and Storee's fake relationship becomes very real, and before they know it, they're attempting to hide it from Aunt Cindy. Things get complicated, the competition gets tough, and all it takes is one single night for someone to steal it all…

First Impressions

I love the Grinch, so this cove immediately sucked me in. I was less convinced after reading the summary and hearing a few times about how it was very raunchy. However, a year later, I have read another Meghan Quinn novel and loved it, so I thought maybe I would give it a shot.

What I thought

This book was… odd.

Storee is back in Kringletown, a 365 day Christmas town in the mountains of Colorado, to help take care of her great Aunt Cindy. Her sister has also come to join her. They used to spend every Christmas there, but Storee hasn’t been back in 10 years. She left the same day that Cole, who lived next door, lost his parents. Unbeknownst to her. Now that she’s back, her Aunt Cindy has decided there is nothing she wants more than for Storee to enter and wind the Kringle competition to determine who is the most Christmassy in town. Cole refuses to let Storee come back to his town and win, so he enters too.

I enjoyed a lot of the story, but it dragged on too long and I really disliked the last 50 pages. Once I got over the Christmassy poems, Storee’s name, and Cole’s odd grudge, their chemistry was cute and I liked the competitive aspect. However, there was this weird Narrator who would show up randomly? And talk with Cole? And make changes to the story based off of his attitude towards them? It made zero sense and just confused me.

I did appreciate that Cole got over his history with Storee relatively quickly. He honestly was mad at her for a dumb reasonand I didn’t understand why he would have held that grudge for 10 years. I also liked his friend Max.

The internet wasn’t wrong about the spiciness rating. The first couple of hundred pages weren’t that bad, but when it took off, it really took off. And some of it was weird. I definitely skipped a few pages. I wanted more of the shenanigans with the competition and less of that. Plus then there was this storyline with her sister that came out of nowhere and completely turned the book around at the end.

By: Giovanna Fletcher
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Coronet
Pages: 368

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A positive and uplifting book about what it is to be a mother and all things mum and baby by Celebrity Mum of the Year and phenomenally popular vlogger, author, TV presenter and actress Giovanna Fletcher.

Being a mum is an incredible journey, a remarkable experience that changes how we look, how we feel, who we are. As mothers we are strong, protective, proud. We feel a love like no other.

But being a parent can be hard too. It challenges us physically, mentally, emotionally. There are the days where just managing to fit a shower in amidst the endless feeding, entertaining young children and surviving on a lack of sleep feels like an achievement. With so many people ready to offer 'advice' on the best way to parent, it can feel like you are getting it all wrong.

Since Giovanna and her husband Tom Fletcher have had their sons Buzz and Buddy, they have been sharing glimpses of their family life. With an infectiously positive outlook and happy take on all things mum-related, Giovanna has developed a following of fellow parents and mums-to-be.

This is not a book about how to have the perfect family experience - Gi would be the first to admit she is winging it just as much as the rest of us - instead it is an honest, upbeat and incredibly personal account of her own experience of having a family. In Happy Mum, Happy Baby Giovanna shares her own journey through parenthood and in doing so, she looks at what it is to be a mother today, encourages you to be confident in yourself as a parent and celebrates how putting a focus on being a happy and confident mum can really make for a happy baby.

First Impressions

I bought this book years ago not long after it first came out and it has sat on my shelves ever since. I have been a fan of her husband’s band for a long time and became of fan of hers through him. I listened to the podcast for a long time and that is what convinced me to order the book.

What I thought

I specifically saved reading this book for when I was pregnant or had children so that I could reference and relate to it. I expected a little bit more of an advice book than a memoir, but I enjoyed it regardless.

Gi is a 30 something year old mom who lives in England. She is married to Tom, who is one of the lead singers in the band McFly. This book talks about her experience getting pregnant with their first son and then the birth and babyhood of her first and second. One of the things I have always loved about Gi is how honest she is. She doesn’t try to sugar coat anything but she’s also not a negative Nancy.

Like I said, I thought this was going to be a little bit more of an advice book which is why I saved it for so long. Her podcast by the same name doesn’t necessarily give advice, but it does cover a lot of babyhood and motherhood topics while offering knowledge. I learned so much about pregnancy and birth through her podcast. It also made me feel like once I went through everything I would be less alone.

Gi does a great job writing about things without judgement. I would love everyone who is considering becoming a mom to read her book or listen to her podcast. She breaks down stigma for endometriosis, pregnancy loss, post partum depression, and every other topic women are told not to talk about.

Her writing style is to the point, relatable, and no bullshit. I also loved the style of dropping pictures of her boys through the chapters. I do know that now, she has three boys and they’re much older. I think the eldest, who was 2 at the time this book came out is 10 now? I haven’t listened to the podcast in a few years, but this definitely made me remember why I enjoyed it so much and makes me want to go and listen to more episodes again

By Elsie Silver
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Bloom Books
Pages: 464

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Sebastian Rousseau is a grumpy, hot as hell fire pilot who is too damn good with his hands.

It’s the perfect combination. But unfortunately for me, he’s also my ex-boyfriend’s dad.

A chance meeting brought us together and a missed connection has kept us apart.

One year later, a stroke of fate has us living under the same roof—which makes everything between us downright messy.

Because even after all this time, he’s still the man I think about when I fall asleep. The one I can’t get over no matter how hard I try.

He’s working on mending a fragile relationship with his son and we both know acting on these urges would be the ultimate betrayal.

But I see the heat in his eyes. That look of need that never fails to send a shiver down my spine.

The mutual longing is borderline unbearable and the simmering heat between us is downright palpable.

We both know there are rules when it comes to situations like this.

But then again…following the rules never has been my strong suit.

First Impressions

This is the 4th book in the Rose Hill series and I was so excited to read it. I love the color chosen and was looking forward to learning more about Bash who we have seen in the previous books.

What I thought

This series is just such a delight.

Bash meets Gwen when they’re stranded at the airport after he just met his 24 year old son he only just found out existed. After a missed connection, he runs into her months later, as the girlfriend of said son and the son’s birthday party. Months after that, Gwen shows up in town as the new yoga teacher and Bash has to decide whether or not he’s willing to rest his new relationship with his son for a new relationship with Gwen.

I’ve review some of the other books in this series and I have loved every one. The characters are all unique and so fun. While they might be rough around the edges at times, they always have good hearts. I also appreciate how realistically Silver deals with the miscommunication trope. While there are moments of miscommunication, the characters always acknowledge that they don’t have the full picture and then talk to each other about it! It’s great.

Bash has always seemed like such a good guy in the other books while also being so quiet and mysterious. I knew nothing about him before reading this book so I was excited to learn more. I didn’t put two and two together until I was reading the book that Gwen makes an appearance in the previous book.

I was a bit tentative when it came to the concept of this book. A dad dating his son’s ex girlfriend? Felt icky to me. But it’s much more than that. Semi-spoiler, but Gwen and Tripp (Bash’s son) barely dated. So the weirdness was significantly less. Gwen also was delightful. I wish we could’ve gotten a little bit more of her backstory and some resolution, but her maturity as a person is enviable.

By: Olivia Ford
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Pages: 384

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A huge-hearted, redemptive coming-of-old-age tale, a love story, and an ode to good food

Nothing could be more out of character, but after fifty-nine years of marriage, as her husband Bernard’s health declines, and her friends' lives become focused on their grandchildren—which Jenny never had—Jenny decides she wants a little something for herself. So she secretly applies to be a contestant on the prime-time TV show Britain Bakes.

Whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras and timed challenges, Jenny delights in a new-found independence. But that independence, and the stress of the competition, starts to unearth memories buried decades ago. Chocolate teacakes remind her of a furtive errand involving a wedding ring; sugared doughnuts call up a stranger’s kind act; a simple cottage loaf brings back the moment her life changed forever.

With her baking star rising, Jenny struggles to keep a lid on that first secret—a long-concealed deceit that threatens to shatter the very foundations of her marriage. It’s the only time in six decades that she’s kept something from Bernard. By putting herself in the limelight, has Jenny created a recipe for disaster?

What I thought

I listened to this book on audio in April and loved it. Recommended it to Denise who then ended up choosing it for book club. We also this month read a book picked by Denise’s 6 year old son. He picked The Land of Stories. I won’t do a full review o that one but I will do a quick review on that one too.

I thought I had written a review on Mrs. Quinn previously, so had planned on reposting that. However, I apparently did not and I didn’t re-read it for November. Therefore, my memory of the details of this book are a little foggy. I do remember really enjoy the storylines that were similar to Great British Bake Off. The audiobook was also very enjoyable.

Mrs. Quinn and her husband were both gems. I loved how this book wasn’t just a fluffy rip-off of GBBO but had a lot of substance to it. We realized at book club that this is Ford’s debut novel which made it all the more impressive.

For Land of Stories, I originally read this book back in 2015 and proceeded to read the next two books in the series. I was trying to think of books to recommend to Denise’s son and remembered how much the 2nd graders I had worked with loved this series. He listened to it and enjoyed it so much that he picked it and wanted us to read it for book club. I decided to listen to the book this time around since I had read the physical copy 10 years ago.

This series is so much fun. It has the magic of fairytales reimagined to appeal to kids in present day. I love how the series has little twists on the original Grimm fairytales so the dark stories are acknowledged but it’s light enough for children to read and enjoy. I will continue to recommend this series to children and am tempted to continue listening to the next few books and finish the series.

What Book Club Thought

We had a lot of great discussion regarding both of these books. Mrs. Quinn was fun to talk about because there are some heavier storylines within it that we got to pick apart and analyze. We also enjoyed comparing the baking show in the book to GBBO since we’re all fans.

Land of Stories was really fun to discuss, not just because we got to talk with a 6 year old about it, but because there are some fun adult jokes written in that we all got to enjoy. On top of that, we all like fairytales so it was fun for us to talk about what interpretations we liked and what we didn’t.

Both of these books are super fun reads. Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame, even though it seems like a light novel, has a lot of good discussion points. Land of Stories would be a great recommendation if you have kids in your life. You could read it with them and enjoy it just as much as they do.

By: Ilana Long
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A second chance at love crashes one woman’s tropical pickleball vacation and serves up an adorkably swoony romantic comedy.

Lulu Gardner only takes predictable shots. After faulting on tennis stardom at eighteen, Lulu, now a thirtysomething single parent, is in control of her game. But when an unanticipated blunder threatens her teaching job, Lulu’s stable, well-planned—okay, boring—world spins out. And somehow, her godparents convince her to join them for a “de-stressing” destination pickleball vacation in Costa Rica. Maybe an all-inclusive picklecation is just the pick-me-up she needs to loosen her grip.

Or it would have been if she wasn’t backhanded by the sight of her high school fling Tyler Demming on the beachside courts. Fresh off the pickleball pro tour, the reigning bad boy of paddle sports is as studly and snarky as ever. Even though his public image took a hit with a ballsy publicity stunt, Tyler seems to be the big shot he’s always been.

But Lulu’s had years to steel herself against his rugged good looks and hypnotic charm. Despite the changes she sees in Tyler since their teenage days, Lulu will have no problem keeping her head in the game and her heart on the sidelines. Or so she tells herself….

First Impressions

I’m not personally into the pickleball trend, but one of my friends really enjoys it. When I was offered this book to review I figured it sounded cute so why not? The cover isn’t bad but I don’t know if it would’ve caught my eye on that alone.

What I thought

I should’ve realized this was a second chance romance…

Lulu was set to be a tennis pro until life got in the way. Her boyfriend at the time, Tyler Demming, went on to be a professional pickleballer. 15 or so years later, Lulu’s job is on the line so she takes an all inclusive pickleball trip with her aunt, uncle, and daughter. On vacation, she runs into Tyler who is doing some image rehab after getting kicked off of the pro pickleball tour. They then get thrown together on a separate adventure tour around Costa Rica that is being tested out by the resort.

I gave up on this book at about 70%. Like I said, this is mostly on me. I cannot stand second chance romances. Tyler disappears at 18, never contacts Lulu, she’s hung up on him for years and hates him. But then when she sees him again it’s all “my body immediately reacts to him”. Blech. Like, you don’t even know this man! I also found nothing redeemable about Tyler. He never appears to take responsibility for anything he did or does and just expects Lulu to fall back in love with him because they were in love at 17 and 18.

On top of that, I found the premise of this book to be very silly. Not only are they just thrown into the Costa Rican jungle to complete adventures such as zip lining and white water rafting, but then they’re also supposed to be playing pickleball? And Lulu who hasn’t picked up a racket in years is great? There also was a scene where Tyler’s wife/ex-wife literally just shows up in the forest. Like, Tyler and Lulu are in his cabin/hotel room situation and she literally just wanders up in the dark. It’s so bizarre.

Lulu didn’t redeem this book for me at al either. I found her daughter completely unnecessary to the story and she was insufferable. She doesn’t like new things because she doesn’t like the unexpected. So this entire adventure she doesn’t want to participate in anything. To the point of even giving up on ziplining after one try. I would be so over her.

By: Sarah Adler
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 400

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Two estranged best friends find that a long-abandoned treasure hunt might be the key to a fresh start—for both their futures and their feelings, from USA Today bestselling author Sarah Adler.

Last week, Nina Hunnicutt was a professor about to move into a gorgeous new apartment with her long-term boyfriend. Now, she’s single, unemployed, and living with her parents. Even more surprising is the fact that Quentin Bell, her childhood neighbor (and okay, fine, crush), is also back in town—and wants to resume the treasure hunt that ended their friendship almost two decades ago.

Hoping the reward promised to whoever finds the rumored riches left behind by the town’s eccentric turn-of-the-century seltzer magnate will help her get her life back on track, Nina agrees. Granted, last time the search resulted in a broken heart and seventeen years of silence. But Nina’s older and wiser now—surely things will be different.

Except, Quentin is also older and wiser…not to mention distractingly handsome. As they resume their hunt, Nina and Quentin begin to rediscover all the things they once loved best about each other. But unlike the treasure, the secrets that left them empty-handed the first time refuse to stay buried. If there’s any hope of finding what they’re looking for—and for a future together—Nina and Quentin will have to be brave enough to excavate their past as well.

What I thought

We had previously read Happy Medium by Adler, and Logan enjoyed it so much she wanted to pick a second book written by her.

Nina moves back to her parent’s house after losing her job, boyfriend, and apartment in one week. When she pulls up to their duplex feeling like a complete and utter failure, she finds her old crush/best friend Quentin on the front porch. She hasn’t spoken to Quentin in over 15 years and isn’t ready to deal with the heartbreak over the friendship on top of the implosion of her life. When Quentin shares he’s back because his life has also imploded, he challenges Nina to join him in finishing the treasure hunt that ended their friendship all those years ago.

I really enjoyed this one. It was so much fun. Quentin and Nina were really cute together. They had some good banter that was never mean or over the top. I also appreciated that it was obvious that Quentin was trying to be clear in his feelings but he could tell Nina wasn’t picking up on things. So when there was a misunderstanding at any point in the book, he would catch it and explain it!

The treasure hunt itself was a little silly, but I did enjoy it in the end. I liked the action and activity of the hunt more than I liked what they were hunting for. The seltzer king felt a little Willy Wonka-esque to me and not like something that would’ve existed and I found the treasure itself to be a slight letdown.

I also liked Nina’s parents. I found her mom to add some good comic relief without being over the top. I think in general I enjoyed this book more than Happy Medium. I didn’t feel the pull to pick up more by Adler after reading that one, but I do now.

What Book Club Thought

The funny thing is that book club enjoyed Happy Medium more than I did, yet I enjoyed this one more than they did. One of our members even chose not to finish it because she couldn’t get into it. While we were talking about it, I did realize there were more parts of the book that bugged me than I had initially realized, but I don’t like to change my ratings when reflection changes my feelings. It was interesting to see how we differed on our feelings with the author’s writing. I don’t know if we’ve ever had and instance where we’ve read two books by the same author and had such differing opinions on their books. I would recommend checking Adler out if you’re looking for something light. She’s not a new favorite romance author, but I do enjoy her.