Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (4.28.25)

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (★★★☆☆)

Print • From a Friend • YA Romance • 2022

Short synopsis: Anastasia Allen is laser-focused on making Team USA, but a rink mishap forces her to share ice—and tension—with hockey captain Nate Hawkins. When her skating partner’s future is jeopardized, she must consider the unthinkable: teaming up with the one guy she swore she’d never like.

Oh, goodness gracious. This book was both compulsively readable and so damn silly (and not in a good way). It’s not well-written, and it’s entirely too long (it was originally self-published before a publisher picked it up after it gained popularity), and it needed a strong editor. There’s so much passive voice. So many things that just don’t make sense. I don’t believe for a second that Anastasia is an elite figure skater. She barely practices, spends far too much time partying, and isn’t doing any sort of other conditioning work to be at the elite level. And somehow I’m supposed to believe she’s training for the Olympics? While going to college full-time and having a full social life? Nah, man. Still, I decided to just go along for the ride and not think too deeply about this very obvious plot hole. The romance in this story was adorable and I truly couldn’t get enough of Anastasia and Nate. They had such chemistry! I love the ups and downs of their relationship—it very much read like a college relationship—but how they were mature and talked through things every time. The author brought up a ton of important topics in this book: disordered eating, gaslighting and abuse that is not from a romantic partner, adoption, expectations, female friendship, and toxic masculinity. Essentially, this is a book where you need to suspend your disbelief and just go along for the ride. It’s a lot more fun that way! Will I read more from this author? Probably not. I think I have aged out of these types of romances.

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Libby • Mystery • 2024

Short synopsis: When a series of cryptic clues and a sudden murder shatter the calm of Three Pines, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team uncover a looming threat far more sinister than a single crime—one with consequences that could ripple across nations. 

I had seen a lot of disappointing reviews of this book, the 19th in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series (and yes, you absolutely have to read this series in order!). So maybe it was because I had lowered expectations but I ended up loving it! I wish more of the book had taken place in Three Pines, but I still loved following all the different plots and seeing how they wove together in the end. More than ever, this book made me think about the relationship between Gamache and his second-in-command, Beauvoir, and how much I adore their relationship. It is a hard-fought relationship that had some very low lows at times, but there is something inherently good and abiding about it now. Maybe the real love story isn’t between Gamache and his wife, but between Gamache and Beauvoir (and I don’t mean that in a romantic sense, but in a platonic life partners sense). Anyway, I enjoyed this book a lot, and the final few chapters had my pulse pounding! I’m very curious as to what comes next in this series. (4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.)

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney (★★★☆☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Thriller • 2025

Short synopsis: After his wife vanishes without a trace, author Grady Green is consumed by grief—until a year later, on a remote Scottish island, he sees a woman who looks exactly like her. 

Sigh, this book just wasn’t very good. I’ll give the author credit: the story hooked me—I was curious about what was happening from beginning to end. But once everything was revealed, it was a big letdown for me. I just didn’t find any of it to be all that realistic. It was hard to be in Grady’s head—he was so miserable and sad, and made very questionable choices—and I don’t think the author breadcrumbed the eventual plot twists enough. This thriller has a pretty low rating on Goodreads despite only being out for a few months (3.65), and I can totally see why. (2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.)

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Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (4.21.25)

The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Owned (Amazon) • Contemporary Romance • 2019

Short synopsis: While starring in a live-action, choose-your-own-adventure TV play, actress Freddy Carlton clashes—and sparks fly—with sharp-tongued critic James “Griff” Ford-Griffin, who’s reluctantly hosting the production at his family estate. As their lives entangle through passion, secrets, and a shared love of theater, one revelation from the past threatens to upend everything.

I’m continuing my reread of Lucy Parker’s romances and it makes me so very happy. I love her romances! This romance has the tropes of enemies-to-lovers and grumpy/sunshine, which are two of my favorites. Freddy is a stage actress determined to have some fun with this live-action production while Griff is reluctant to have this whole production at his family estate. Plus, he has recently had a lot of mean things to say about Freddy’s recent stage performance so they are not on the best of terms. But, of course, these enemies indeed become lovers, and their whole relationship made me so giddy. I loved how Freddy broke down Griff’s walls and how he became a stable force in her life when things were crumbling around her. I enjoyed their banter and their sex scenes and even their dark moment because nobody does a dark moment like Lucy Parker. (They feel so normal and not as dramatic as a typical romance dark moment.) There’s a mystery happening around the book that I didn’t really care much about (hence the 4-star rating) but it’s still a fantastic read.

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes (★★★☆☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Fiction • 2025

Short synopsis: With her life unraveling, Lila Kennedy is blindsided when her estranged father reappears after 35 years—but his unexpected arrival just might help her rediscover what love and family truly mean.

Lila’s having a tough time: her husband left her for another woman, her mom died suddenly and now her stepdad is living with her, she’s behind deadline on her new book, her older daughter is becoming distant, and to add insult to injury, her biological dad showed up unexpectedly. We All Live Here is a story about family and regret and learning how to move on after your world has been upended. I’ll be honest: This is probably my least-favorite book from Jojo Moyes. I found Lila extremely unlikable and I just really needed her to get her shit together for her kids. She was scatterbrained and displaying some avoidant behaviors. I found it hard to root for her when she kept making really stupid decisions. In the end, Lila did end up getting her shit together, but it all felt a little forced. It was almost as if Moyes wanted to tie things up in a tidy bow, but that’s not how real life works. I just wanted more from this novel and it didn’t deliver for me.

Notes On Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach (★★★☆☆)

Print • Library • Contemporary Fiction • 2022

Short synopsis: Told over fifteen years, Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance follows Sally Holt as she navigates grief, longing, and growing up in the shadow of her sister Kathy’s tragic death—and her complicated connection to the boy they both once loved. 

I was looking forward to reading this book, as I adored Espach’s 2024 release, The Wedding People. I hoped it would have the same magic and readability, but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. I found it hard to be in Sally’s head; she was so young and naive, and I didn’t feel any sort of connection with her. This is very much a character-driven novel—and a highly literary one at that—and these types of books are not my jam. (Sometimes I read these books and I just feel like I am not smart enough to “get it” and understand all of the different literary themes.) I also found the romance to feel a bit squicky and unnecessary, which tempered my enjoyment of the book. Many people have loved this book, so I am in the minority here, but it wasn’t for me.

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Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (4.9.25)

Caught Up by Liz Tomforde (★★★☆☆)

E-Book • Owned (Amazon) • Sports Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: Kai, a grumpy single dad and MLB star is forced to accept help from Miller, his coach’s free-spirited daughter. Miller is a pastry chef in a creative slump when she steps in as his temporary nanny—sparking a summer romance neither of them planned for. But with her time in Chicago ticking down, they’ll have to decide if what they’ve found is worth staying for.

This was a fun romance, although the writing was a little pedestrian and needed a tighter edit. (I still firmly believe that romance novels should not be 400+ pages.) There was a lot happening in this story and you really had to suspend your belief for a lot of it (especially the way a professional baseball team would bend over backwards to help out a single dad and allow him to bring his toddler on the road). Miller was a delight and I loved watching her break down Kai’s walls, as well as the way she ended up falling head over heels for Kai’s son. This book also explored the idea of expectations, success, and sacrifice—Miller felt that her dad sacrificed a lot to give her a great life after her mom died when Miller was only four, and as such, she feels like she has to live this wildly successful life to make it feel “worth it” to him (even though he’s never asked that of her). It’s a reminder that we place these expectations on ourselves and the best way to live a successful life is to live the life you want to live, whether that’s being a world-renowned pastry chef or a stay-at-home mom.

Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Nonfiction • 2024

Short synopsis: In Cue The Sun!, Emily Nussbaum traces the chaotic rise of reality TV through its quirky origins, industry pioneers, and lasting cultural impact, blending sharp critique with empathy. Drawing on seven decades of history, she explores how the hunt for authenticity in something fake reshaped pop culture, politics, and our sense of what’s real.

Man, I loved this book. It is fully in my wheelhouse as someone who loves reality TV. And who knew reality TV went back as far as it did? I would have guessed it all started with shows like The Real World, but in truth, we can count certain game shows like The Newlywed Game and Match Game as reality TV. This book takes us on a journey from the beginnings of reality TV in the 1960s and ends with talking about The Apprentice and how this show essentially re-launched Trump’s career. (Which is really depressing, especially considering that I watched and liked The Apprentice. *shudder*) I loved getting the origin stories of shows like The Bachelor, Survivor, and Big Brother, as well as how a show like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was able to be produced in the early aughts! What I also liked was getting the behind-the-scenes details: learning how the shows came to be, getting insights from the producers and camera people, and the juicy details of what happened when the cameras were off. I really enjoyed Nussbaum’s writing style; you can tell that she’s a fan of reality TV and isn’t dismissive of the genre at all. I appreciated that because this is the kind of book that could have gone off the rails easily, but instead, it’s a smart look at how reality TV has affected our society and the changes it has made over the years. Highly recommend to anyone who loves reality TV!

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzalez (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Spotify • YA • 2020

Short synopsis: When Ollie’s dreamy summer fling with Will ends in radio silence, he’s crushed—until a family move lands him at Will’s school, where he finds a very different, closeted version of the boy he fell for. Caught between past feelings and present complications, Ollie must decide if trusting Will again is worth the risk.

This queer take on Grease was so much fun. There was so much happening in this book: queerness and coming out and the spectrum of sexuality. Family and sacrifice and grief. It was about love in all its forms, romantic and platonic and familial. Ollie was a character I immediately fell in love with. He was someone who was so easy to root for and I just wanted to protect him from all the bad things. Will is a complicated character and hard to like at times. As the story progressed and Will became more honest with Ollie, I came around on him. I understood his character better and why he was doing the things he was doing. This was a very sweet YA love story and I’m so glad I finally read it.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.26.25)

Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Nonfiction • 2021

Short synopsis: A fascinating exploration of the intricacies of how we remember, why we forget, and what we can do to protect our memories, from a Harvard-trained neuroscientist.

I enjoyed this book a lot, although I think it might have been a lot more impactful for me if I had read a print version rather than listening to the audiobook. There was so much practical application here, and I didn’t slow down to take it all in like I should have. I love learning about how our brain works and this book was no exception. Learning the science behind how we store memories and why we can sometimes forget the simplest tasks was fascinating. The author also talks frankly about dementia, how it happens, and what to expect from our loved ones experiencing it. I have not been personally affected by dementia (my great-grandma had it, but I wasn’t involved in her care), but it’s something I’m terrified of. The author did an excellent job of explaining the science behind memory as well as what we can do to help improve our memory. I am someone who is constantly leaving things at my mom’s house or forgetting to do a task unless I’ve written it down or do it right then and there, so I was heartened to learn my faulty memory for things like that is fairly normal. This is a quick read (it was just 6 hours on audio), but an impactful one.

Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell (★★★☆☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary Fiction/Romance • 2024

Short synopsis: In the summer of 1999, aspiring writer Sawyer, newly engaged and increasingly lonely, forms an unexpected bond with Nick, the skeptical boyfriend of her fiancé’s too-close colleague. As their weekly city adventures deepen into something more, Sawyer must confront what—and who—she truly wants before summer ends.

This book was so fun… and yet I have so many complicated feelings about it. I loved the setting of NYC in the summer of 1999. It was a time before cell phones and before 9/11 happened, and things just felt different (or at least I assume they did; I have yet to visit NYC). I loved that Sawyer was able to get out and see the city with Nick by her side, and I just loved their adventures and banter. It all just made me really happy! My complicated feelings about the book have to do with Sawyer and Nick’s blossoming relationship. Sawyer’s fiancé is basically MIA this summer because he’s working 80-hour weeks for a big case for his law firm. They barely see each other, functioning more like roommates than two people getting married in a few months. I just really needed Sawyer to say something. I needed her to stop being such a doormat with her fiancé and have an honest conversation with him. But she never did, and it was so frustrating. I wanted more introspection from Sawyer and more forward momentum. She eventually does start making some decisions about her life, but it all happens off page and I feel like that was a real disservice. So, I’m left with my complicated feelings.

Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom (★★★★★)

Print • Library • Historical Fiction • 2023

Short synopsis: This is the fictionalized retelling of a real woman. Her name was Goes First, and she was a Crow Native woman who marries a white fur trader and is renamed Mary to assimilate into his culture. She’s fifteen when she marries him (he’s in his thirties) and learns a new language and a new way of life, all while remaining true to her indigenous roots.

I first heard about this book on Sarah’s Book Shelves Live, a book podcast that I love. But I didn’t put it on my TBR list until Birchie raved about it. Previously, I had read and loved The Kitchen House by Grissom and I had a feeling this book would captivate me just as much. And it absolutely did. I love that the book begins with a chapter from the great-granddaughter of Goes First—this helped me feel better about a white woman writing an indigenous woman’s story. (Grissom’s afterword is also not to be missed!) This is the kind of story that you just want to sink into. It’s one to take your time with and let the story unfold for you. There is so much emotion to this book, so much joy and pain, and I found myself continuously impressed by our main character and the way she always stood up for what’s right, no matter the consequences. She was an incredible woman and I’m really glad her story got to be told.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.12.25)

The Woman on the Ledge by Ruth Mancini (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Thriller • 2024

Short synopsis: A woman falls to her death from a London bank’s rooftop, and you’re arrested for her murder. You claim you tried to stop her, but as the police uncover holes in your story and your lawyer doubts you, one question remains—what secrets are you hiding, and who are you protecting?

This was an excellent thriller! I thought it was told in such a clever way that I haven’t really seen in the thriller genre, and I’ll admit I was so curious about what was happening and why this woman was being charged with murder when it seemed like the woman on the rooftop fell to her death on her own. The novel goes back and forth in time as we uncover more about the story between the two women and what really happened that night. There was one character in the story where I went through so many emotions about! First, I hated them. Then, I was disgusted by them. And then I had the utmost empathy for them. I couldn’t believe the roller coaster the author took me on! Will this thriller stand out for me at the end of the year? Probably not. But it was a great read nonetheless.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (★★☆☆☆)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • Contemporary Fiction • 2011

Short synopsis: When Willa Jackson’s old classmate restores her family’s once-grand estate, a buried skeleton is unearthed, unraveling long-hidden secrets and stirring up the town’s troubled past. Now, Willa and Paxton must confront a decades-old mystery that binds their families and threatens to reshape their lives.

This book was a snooze. I think the best way to get a sense of what you’ll be reading in this book is to peek at the Goodreads synopsis because it is filled with overwrought writing that doesn’t really say anything of value. I found all of the characters to be one-dimensional and boring. There wasn’t enough meat to the plot to make me care about what was happening. The mystery at the center of the novel felt like an afterthought. There were some magical, ghost-y elements to the novel that could have been interesting… but they just weren’t. I don’t even know why I kept reading this book other than it was short and didn’t take much brainpower to read. Meh.

The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2015

Short synopsis: Forced into an arranged marriage for a business alliance, Teague O’Malley is ready to resist—until he meets Callista Sheridan and vows to protect her from the danger she hides. But as their connection deepens, Callie’s dark secret threatens to destroy them both.

This book was a reread for me. I originally read Robert’s The O’Malleys series in 2017 and I felt like it was time to revisit it. I loved this book, even though it definitely falls into the category of dark romance and I don’t normally love that subgenre. But this one somehow works for me. The novel starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up the whole time. I felt the chemistry between Teague and Callista crackling on the page, and all of the characters in this novel were so well-drawn—some I immediately fell in love with and some I wanted to strangle. I love when an author can elicit such emotion! I’m glad I picked this one up again and looking forward to zooming through the rest of the series.

What are you reading?