Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (5.19.25)

Happy Monday! I have had a string of “meh” books lately and I’ll admit here that my reviews of two of these books are a little spicy. Normally, I try to be very fair to books I didn’t like because many times, it’s just a personal preference. But for two of these books, it was very hard to be fair because I disliked them so much. If these are books you loved, then I’m glad you had a much more pleasant reading experience than I did. They were complete duds for me.

Let’s Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Gift) • Contemporary Romance • 2025

Short synopsis: After the sudden loss of her husband, Juliana Ryan is rebuilding her life and career while sparring with her arrogant, annoyingly handsome coworker, Ben—until a high-stakes project forces them into an uneasy truce that slowly turns into something more. 

This was a solid debut romance. I went to the author’s book signing, and since she’s a semi-local author (she’s based in Orlando), it was great to see all of her Tampa-area friends show up for her. The book itself had its good and not-so-good moments. I thought the romance was fun and the characters were well-developed. The author incorporated Juliana’s kids in a way where they didn’t feel like an afterthought (which can sometimes happen in these kinds of romance novels). But at times, this book definitely read like a debut. The dialogue could be stilted at times, with the author relying too heavily on banter-style humor. And I thought the dark moment was handled very poorly. I really wish the author had gone in a different direction because it felt a bit emotionally manipulative and inconsistent with one character’s established personality. All in all, I have hopes for this author, and I’m looking forward to reading what she writes next. (3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.)

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer (★★☆☆☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Fiction/Fantasy(ish) • 2023

Short synopsis: Lucy Hart, a hopeful teacher’s aide longing to adopt the orphaned boy she cares for, gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to compete for a priceless book on the magical Clock Island.

I read Meg Shaffer’s The Lost Story earlier this year and absolutely adored it. I was excited to get my hands on her debut novel, hoping for a similarly heartwarming experience. Unfortunately, it did not work for me at all. I am actually scratching my head as to why this novel is so beloved (with a 4+ rating on Goodreads!).

The central premise involves Lucy wanting to adopt a recently orphaned student from the school where she works as a teacher’s aide. He was a student in her class a year ago, and she has told this boy more than once that she wants to adopt him. Even though Lucy is living with three other roommates in a small apartment, doesn’t have a car, and is barely making ends meet as it is. How in the world does she think she’s going to be approved for adoption? And how is she going to take care of another person when she’s struggling to care for herself? It just didn’t make sense to me. The lack of boundaries between Lucy and this boy felt deeply uncomfortable, and it gave me a very yucky feeling in my stomach.

The majority of the book takes place on Clock Island, where Lucy and three others compete to win the rights to the next book in the series. The enigmatic author of this series, Jack is also a central figure—and he, too, has no sense of appropriate boundaries. Children write him letters sharing their hardships, and his responses are often bizarrely intimate, like telling a child he wishes he were their father. I found that deeply inappropriate and unsettling.

Overall, the book felt unrealistic, with overly simplistic writing, and had a truly dumb ending. This is not a book I would recommend but hey, at least it shows how much Meg Shaffer has grown as a writer between her debut and her second novel. The Lost Story feels like it was written by an entirely different author.

Lease on Love by Falon Ballard (★★☆☆☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2022

Short synopsis: When a drunken mix-up lands Sadie Green in a stranger’s spare bedroom instead of on a date, she unexpectedly finds the perfect place to reboot her life—and maybe even her love life—with reclusive, grieving Jack Thomas. As mismatched roommates turned unlikely friends, their shared space slowly becomes something much more.

I had high hopes for this book when I started it, but it quickly became a hate-read for me. I should have stopped reading it, but it was a quick audiobook, and I figured I’d just power through. Unfortunately, there was a lot that made this one tough to enjoy.

First, the profanity. I’m not usually bothered by cursing in books—I barely notice it, to be honest—but this felt excessive. It gave major “tween who just discovered swear words” energy. I guess it was supposed to make the dialogue feel edgy or authentic? It didn’t.

Let’s talk about Sadie for a minute. She was one of the most insufferable characters I’ve read in a long time. She’s selfish and needy and borderline mean to the people around her. And yet, the universe bends over backward to hand her everything she wants. She finds a dream apartment in New York City (after getting fired from her job, no less), lands a bartending gig instantly, and then and the icing on the cake: she starts a florist business and it becomes so successful in just a few months that she’s able to open up a storefront… in NEW YORK CITY. (All because she has a multimillionaire for a friend who is able to invest in her business.) Oh, and she’s also super hot, great in bed, and her friends think she walks on water.

Lastly, let’s get into the romance. Jack is as exciting as a piece of dry toast. He is one-dimensional and serves solely to make Sadie’s life easier. He gives her a place to stay, converts part of his home into a flower shop workspace (with industrial coolers and everything!), and once they’re dating, he’s drawing baths for her every night and hand-delivering meals. I mean… I would love to have a Jack in my life, but there was no chemistry, no tension, nothing to give him any sort of depth.

Ultimately, this book wasn’t for me. And I think this author might not be for me either. This is the second book of hers I’ve read, and both felt more like wish fulfillment than realistic storytelling.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (5.13.25)

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen (★★★★☆)

Print • Library • Mystery • 2022

Short synopsis: In 1952, disgraced ex-cop Evander “Andy” Mills is hired to investigate the suspicious death of Irene Lamontaine, matriarch of a queer household living openly behind the guarded gates of Lavender House. 

This was such an interesting mystery! The story follows two major threads: the investigation into Irene’s death and the circumstances that led to Andy losing his job as a cop. Andy is gay, and he’s caught during a raid at one of the gay bars in the city. Rather than facing jail time, he is unceremoniously fired from his job. And that’s exactly why Irene’s widow hires him to investigate Irene’s murder. Irene is killed at Lavender House, a home filled with queer people—from Irene and her wife, to their son and his paramour, to their lesbian cooks. It’s a queer wonderland for Andy who has never been able to live freely and happily as a gay man. While the mystery itself isn’t particularly exciting and the resolution felt a bit lackluster, the characters and setting more than make up for it. Plus, the author did an excellent job bringing us into the danger and isolation of being queer in the 1950s, where living openly meant risking raids, beatings, jail, and ostracization. I appreciate how this story weaved these serious (and sometimes deadly) realities into a genre that doesn’t always leave room for them. (3.5 stars, rounded up; Recommendation source: Kaytee of Currently Reading.)

The Journey Toward Wholeness: Enneagram Wisdom for Stress, Balance, and Transformation by Suzanne Stabile (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Libby • Nonfiction • 2021

Short synopsis: In this book, Suzanne Stabile explores how each Enneagram type responds to stress and security through the lens of the three centers of intelligence—thinking, feeling, and doing—offering practical tools for achieving internal balance and lasting transformation amid life’s complexities.

I really enjoyed this book—it’s definitely more of a “Level Two” Enneagram resource, meant for readers who already understand the Enneagram. I skipped over parts of this book (she starts every chapter with an anecdote; I skipped over those because I was most interested in the practical application). There’s also a fair amount of Christian language, as Suzanne Stabile is a practicing Christian. That didn’t bother me, but it might be good to know going in.

The heart of this book was teaching us about the three centers of intelligence—doing, thinking, and feeling. Each type processes the world through these centers, and each has a dominant, secondary, and repressed center. As a Type 9, I was surprised to learn that “doing” is my dominant center (because I don’t really feel like Nines are huge “doers”). It made a lot more sense when Stabile explained that some types’ repressed center is their dominant center. (How’s that for a brain twister?). And for Nines, our repressed center is “doing.” We lean toward thinking or feeling, even though we should be doing-dominant.

This passage especially stood out:

“In terms of processing information, Nines decide how to respond to life with thinking and feeling but without consideration for doing. That means they internalize information, and they value their interpretations. But they dismiss the value of acting on this information once it’s processed. In short, Nines take in information with what needs to be done, but it usually doesn’t occur to them that they should actually do anything.”

That description felt like a lightbulb moment. Sometimes I feel like other people are so much better at knowing what needs to be done and just doing it. It never occurred to me that this tendency I have to sit back and let others do things around me is based on my Enneagram!

And then there was this passage, which I consider my life’s work to become the best version of myself:

“Assertiveness is learned through doing, and we’ve learned from Don Riso and Russ Hudson that the unconscious childhood message for Nines is “It’s not okay to assert yourself.” But it is okay. Part of your work and responsibility is to overcome this message and find a way to make your thoughts and desires known to others, even those who might disagree.”

I found this book to be super helpful in my journey to better understand myself as it relates to my Enneagram number, and to better understand my friends and family members. If you have a good understanding of the Enneagram and want to dig deeper into this personality framework, this book is definitely for you! (Recommendation source: Jamie of The Popcast)

Look Closer by David Ellis (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Spotify • Thriller • 2022

Short synopsis: Vicky and Simon seem to have the perfect marriage. But that all begins to unravel after a socialite’s death, exposing an affair, a massive trust fund, and a long-buried grudge. As lies stack up, the question becomes: who’s conning who—and could it all lead to the perfect murder?

I loved this thriller! Every time I thought I had figured out what was going on, the author revealed a new clue that took the story in a completely unexpected direction. I had such a fun time following these characters. I read in one review that they found all of the characters unlikable, and I don’t know what it says about me that I liked all of these characters and found them totally captivating. They weren’t nearly as unlikable as I expected, and instead, I weirdly found myself rooting for the “bad guys,” which is not typical for me. This is a thriller truly unlike anything I’ve read recently, and I can’t wait to discuss all the twists and turns with book club (this was our May pick).

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (5.5.25)

I’m That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams by Jordan Chiles (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Spotify • Nonfiction (Memoir) • 2025

Short synopsis: The sensational two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles’s heartfelt, inspiring memoir chronicling her unlikely path to the podium.

I devoured this memoir. Does anyone remember The Magnificent Seven, the 1996 women’s gymnastics team that won gold? I was obsessed with all of them (I was 8 years old during those Olympics, so the perfect age to fall in love with gymnastics) and read all of the autobiographies that came out afterward. This memoir gave me that same feeling of excitement. This memoir is packed with behind-the-scenes insights about elite gymnastics and life at the Olympics. Parts of the memoir are heavy, as Jordan had a rough start to her gymnastics career. Her first coach was emotionally abusive and would constantly berate her about her weight, causing Jordan to exhibit disordered eating habits and suffer from depression. She also dealt with a whole lot of racism from parents and gymnastics officials. Jordan doesn’t sugarcoat this experience, as she writes with brutal, striking honesty.

I loved getting an inside glimpse of Jordan’s friendship with Simone Biles—so rare to see something so supportive and healthy in such a competitive world. It was also really fun to get the nitty-gritty details about what it’s like to be in the Olympic Village. (She had two vastly different experiences, as her first Olympics was in 2021 and they had strict Covid protocols, and her second Olympics was in 2024 and things were back to normal.)

Jordan also details what it was like to win the bronze medal on floor at the 2024 Paris Olympics and then have it taken away—not because she didn’t earn it, but because her coach was supposedly a few seconds delayed on submitting the inquiry into her technical score. She’s still fighting to get that bronze medal back, which I believe wholeheartedly she earned fair and square.

I already admired Jordan, but after reading this, I’m even more in awe of her strength and determination. (Recommendation source: Sarah from Sarah’s Book Shelves Live.)

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • YA Romance • 2017

Short synopsis: Bisexual teen Tanner Scott plans to quietly finish high school in conservative Utah, but when he joins a prestigious writing seminar on a dare, he unexpectedly falls for his mentor, Sebastian, a Mormon prodigy, upending his carefully laid plans.

This isn’t the kind of book I usually expect from Christina Lauren, who are known for their cute contemporary M/F romances. Still, this queer YA romance had their signature style—great writing paired with a really sweet love story. I loved Tanner—his confidence in his sexuality, even as he navigates the need to stay closeted in a conservative Mormon community, was really compelling. He was a fun character, and I loved being in his head. Sebastian’s story was heart-wrenching. He knows he’s gay, but living openly would mean losing both his religion and his family. The authors built real emotional tension here; I truly didn’t know how they were going to solve this conundrum. How will Tanner and Sebastian have their happy ending? In the end, I really love the way they pulled it all together. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time.

Confessions by Kanae Minato (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Thriller • 2014

Short synopsis: After her young daughter is killed by two of her students, a grieving teacher unleashes a chilling plan for revenge that upends her entire classroom.

This book was so… weird. In a good way, I think. It had a very unique structure with only six chapters, and each one serving as a vignette. We get the perspectives of the people connected to the murder of the teacher’s daughter, including the teacher herself, the suspects, and even a seemingly random student.. The narrators did such a great job with this novel and really brought the characters to life. This was one of the most uniquely told stories I’ve ever read, and I’m still in awe of this author and how she crafted such an inventive plot. That said, the book felt repetitive, since each chapter revisits the same events from different perspectives. Because of that repetitiveness, I contemplated abandoning it at one point. But since it was a short audiobook (6 hours), I decided to push through. And I’m glad I did because the ending was worth it. It’s not a fast-paced thriller, but if you’re in the mood for a slow-burn mystery with an unusual format, this one’s worth a try. (Recommendation source: Meredith from Currently Reading.)

What are you reading?

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.)

What are you reading?

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.

What are you reading?