Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (4.24.23)

To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne (★★☆☆☆)

E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2021

Short synopsis: When Gracie’s father passed away, she put away her dreams of becoming an artist to run his champagne shop. But the shop is failing and when a wealthy buyer offers to take over her store, she’s unsure what to do. So she takes solace in Sir, the nameless, faceless man she met on a dating app whom she’s been conversating with for months.

Lauren Layne has been a consistently good romance author for me, but this book was not it. Her character development and plots usually feel fresh and fun, but this one felt stale and overdone. It’s a reimagining of You’ve Got Mail, and this is a plot that has been done so many times and she didn’t really bring anything original to the plot. There was no heart to this novel and there was nothing more going on than the central romance. I just wanted more. What did I like about this novel? I enjoyed the relationships: between Gracie and her siblings, Gracie and her stepmom, Gracie and her friends. I enjoyed the slow build of the relationship. But the rest of it? MEH. And I just could not stop being squicked out by Gracie calling this faceless person on a dating app “Sir.” (He called her “Lady.” All of the eye rolls.)

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Thriller • 2022

Short synopsis: Marissa and Matthew seem to be the couple that has it all: a beautiful home, high-powered careers, and a wonderful little boy. But when Marissa confesses to an affair and they start couples therapy with the unconventional counselor, Avery, their life—and Avery’s—becomes even more complicated and dangerous.

This was an excellent thriller! I really did not know what I expected from the ending, but I was truly surprised by it. I loved the twists and turns of this thriller. Every time I thought I was putting everything together in my head, the authors would throw in some new unexpected twist. It was such a smart, well-written thriller. Of course, Avery as a therapist is not following any of the ethical protocols and you just have to suspend your belief in that aspect of the book. (And there are some reasons I won’t get into that make it a bit easier to suspend that belief.) All in all, a satisfying thriller that was fun to read.

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2022

Short synopsis: On the worst day of Franny’s life, she becomes a viral meme after a man on the subway gives her his jacket when she has a really embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. The whole world, it seems, wants to push the two of them together, though they couldn’t be more badly matched. When fate continually seems to push them together, will they start to realize that opposites do attract?

This story was so sweet! I loved the meet-cute on the subway, and I was curious about how the author would continue to get these characters back together throughout the novel. And the way she pushed these characters together felt very natural! I also really enjoyed how Franny and Hayes’ relationship developed beyond that original meet-cute. There was a lot of “will they/won’t they” tension that didn’t get too over the top. There was just enough tension that their eventual “will they” felt so satisfying. At the beginning of the book, it felt as if Hayes was written to be on the spectrum based on some character details, but those details sort of fell away the deeper I got into the book. I don’t know if this is a flaw on the author’s part, but it was something I noticed. And while I truly hated the ending (I won’t give it away, but it’s a romance novel trope that really bugs me and I never think it’s necessary), it wasn’t enough to make me hate the novel. It’s a romance I can safely recommend to most people!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (4.12.23)

The Saturday Evening Girls Club by Jane Healy (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Thriftbooks) • Historical Fiction • 2017

Short synopsis: It’s the early 1900s in Boston and four friends find solace in their weekly meetings at the Saturday Evening Girls Club. There’s Caprice who desperately wants to own her own hat shop, but doesn’t have the money to make it happen; Ada, who is secretly taking college classes; Maria, who wants to escape her family, especially her alcoholic father; and Thea, shy and quiet and unsure of what she wants in life. 

Oh, I just loved this book! It was like a warm hug. I think my new favorite micro-genre is books written about girls living in the early 1900s in Boston. There’s just something really empowering about that time period for (white) girls, and it’s fun to read about. I loved the way this book focused on friendship, and the way the love stories in the book were neatly added in without detracting from the emphasis on friendship. I don’t think the writing was all that good—it was a bit rudimentary at times—but it kinda worked for a book in this genre, and it didn’t bother me too much.

You Have a Match by Emma Lord (★★☆☆☆)

Print • Owned (Little Free Library) • YA • 2021

Short synopsis: When Abby signs up for a DNA test, she’s not expecting to find out anything interesting about her family line. Instead, she discovers she has an older sister that her parents never told her about. In order to get to know one another better (and find out why Abby’s parents gave her older sister up for adoption), the two girls decide to spend a few months at a sleepaway summer camp.

This book felt like a slog to me. I read another book by Emma Lord (Tweet Cute) that was such a sweet YA love story and I expected this book to be the same, but it definitely was not that. This book focused more on this budding relationship between Abby and the new sister she never knew about, as well as the mystery surrounding why the sister was given up for adoption. There was a love story thrown into the mix, but it really didn’t need to be there and felt like such an afterthought. I love any YA story set at a summer camp, so that’s what immediately drew me into this story, and I thought the way the sisters got to know each other felt honest and real. But most of this story was just blah and I don’t know if I fully bought the reason Abby’s sister was given up for adoption. (It was unnecessarily complicated.) Not one I would recommend, unfortunately!

The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Historical Fiction • 2017

Short synopsis: Noa, a 16-year-old young girl, has been cast out of her home after getting pregnant by a Nazi soldier. She finds unlikely refuge with a traveling German circus where she must learn the trapeze and try to keep the mystery of the baby she has with her a secret.

This is the second WWII novel I’ve read this year, after being burned out on them for a bit of time. It was selected by my book club, though, so even though I wasn’t too excited to read another heavy WWII novel, this one had a very unique premise: a traveling circus during WWII. It was so interesting to get a glimpse into circus life during wartime, and how this place was used as a refuge for people who just needed something else to think about during a hard, dark period in their lives. The story mainly focuses on the enemies-to-friendship relationship between Noa and one of the other trapeze artists, Astrid, and there was something so heartwarming about the way their friendship bloomed and strengthened when faced with lies, hard truths, and the utter trust that is built when you’re flying through the air on a trapeze and believing the other person will catch you. This was a stunning book with an unexpected ending, and I can’t wait to discuss it at this month’s book club meeting!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (4.2.23)

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Libby • Historical Fiction • 2020

Short synopsis: It’s 1935 in Key West, and a hurricane is barrelling down on the city. Three women will be caught up in its wrath: Helen, who is 8 months pregnant and in an abusive marriage; Mirta, who just got married to a man she barely knows and is on her honeymoon; and Elizabeth, whose family was decimated due to the Wall Street crash and is in search of her brother. 

I loved this story. It captured my attention from the very beginning and I was always excited to return to my audiobook to listen to more of these three women’s stories. I’m also glad I did not listen to this book during hurricane season because I think it could have been a bit triggering, ha. Learning more about the 1935 Labor Day hurricane (which was one of just a handful of Category 5 hurricanes to hit the contiguous United States) and how much it destroyed Key West and the surrounding communities was really fascinating, as I’ve never heard of this hurricane before! What was most disturbing to learn about, though, were veteran work camps, which were established for the veterans returning home from war and in need of jobs. These work camps allowed veterans to work as laborers; in Key West, they were working on a bridge that would connect Key West to the mainland. But the conditions at these camps were awful and because of the storm, hundreds of veterans died. It’s another hard part of our history that I knew nothing about. In the end, this story was a five-star read for me because I loved the characters, was engaged from the very beginning, and enjoyed the history lesson I received between the pages.

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb (★★★★☆)

Print • Library • Contemporary Fiction • 2022

Short synopsis: Ray McMillan is a Black classical musician who inherited a priceless Stradivarius violin and is an up-and-coming star in the classical music scene. But then his violin gets stolen and held for ransom right before he’s to compete in the international Tchaikovsky Competition. Who has his violin and how will he get it back?

The first thing to know about this novel that it is not a mystery or thriller. Sure, there is the underlying mystery of what happened to Ray’s priceless violin, but this story is so much bigger than that. It’s about Ray, about being Black and the racism Ray experiences in the classical music scene, about being constantly overlooked and put down because of the color of his skin and being poor, about family and greed, about how far someone will go for money. Parts of this book were so hard to read because I just hated everything Ray had to go through. His family was terrible and the racism was hard to witness. But it was so well-written and a beautiful ode to classical music. Ray was such a fully developed character that every bad thing that happened to him made me angry and every good thing made me so happy. The sign of a great book, for sure. This is the kind of book I would love to see made into a movie or short TV series!

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Libby • Historical Romance • 2022

Short synopsis: Luz Alana is a Dominican woman who became owner of her family’s rum business when her father unexpectedly died. Along with her younger sister and two female friends, Luz Alana embarks to Paris to take part in the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a world’s fair where she will be able to showcase her wares and hopefully build a network of merchants who will sell her rum. Unfortunately, everyone she encounters is rude and dismissive. Until she meets Evan Sinclair, the Earl of Darnick. Evan can’t get enough of Luz Alana when he first meets her; she goes toe-to-toe with him as they spar and it lights a fire in him. When he learns about the difficulties she’s experiencing selling her rum, he vows to help her.

Okay, I think we need to get this out of the way: This book is more historical adjacent than straight-up historical. This is Herrera’s first attempt at a historical romance novel and while I can appreciate what she did here, she didn’t quite meet the mark when it comes to historical fiction. What I did love was having a whole cast of people of color in a historical romance, which is not something you see ever. There were also a lot of mentions of slavery and colonialism… also topics you rarely see in these books. The chemistry between Luz Alana and Evan was believable, and so was the way they fell in love. There were parts of the story where the author tried to amp up the tension with some miscommunication issues, and I just had to roll my eyes. We can do better than this, romance authors! There are so many more interesting ways to create emotional tension than miscommunication subplots. Anyway, this was more of a 3.5-star book, but I’m boosting it up to 4 stars because it did keep me pretty well engaged and I loved seeing such great representation in a subgenre that doesn’t often have that.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.20.23)

Georgie All Along by Kate Clayborn (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: After many years away, Georgie is back in her hometown without a job and without any idea of what her life should look like going forward. It’s here she uncovers a forgotten diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with dreams and things she wanted to do in high school. For her, this diary feels like a beacon, a place where she can start figuring out what’s next in her life. The only person standing in her way might be Levi, the brother of her high school crush and someone who used to be trouble but has since carved out a respectable life for himself in Georgie’s hometown. When he offers to help with her quest, she may find that what she’s looking for is right by her side.

I loved this romance! I have such tenderness toward Georgie and Levi, the two main characters of this novel, and I just need both of them to be okay at all times. I loved the slow build of the romance, the exploration of a healthy best friendship, and all of Georgie’s career/life floundering. I think a lot of people can relate to this idea of not having a defined life path. It’s hard when there’s not a specific career or type of life that you feel passionate about. I can relate! I really liked that the author gave Georgie the space to decide what comes next for her. Levi’s storyline was a bit darker and my heart went out to him. I understand family estrangement, and it really sucks. I just wanted him to let down his walls and let Georgie love him! Their love story was so sweet and satisfying. It gave me all of the heart eyes! This is a super solid romance that I can happily recommend to anyone!

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson (★★★☆☆)

Print • Library • Mystery • 2022

Short synopsis: Ernie (or Ern, for short) is penning a mystery novel about the short time his family spent at a ski resort. As the title states, everyone in his family has killed someone. His father, his brother, his mother, his stepsister, his wife, his uncle, his stepfather, etc. And when dead bodies start appearing at the ski resort, nobody can quite figure out who the real murderer is this time.

You guys, I just don’t know if I was smart enough to “get” this book. It has a super unique structure and voice, and I loved the way Ern broke the fourth wall with us multiple times. He kept reminding us about the rules for mystery novels and how we shouldn’t get distracted by certain plot elements. There came a time, though, when there were just too many characters and I couldn’t keep everyone straight (highly recommend making a character bible when you’re reading this!) and things started to get really complicated and convoluted near the end. It appears that this book will be adapted for HBO, and I think it will do really well in that format. I hope it does end up becoming a short series because I need to see this all play out on my TV for sure. Even though the book made me feel slightly dumb (ha), I still think it’s a super fun mystery that I want other people to read so we can discuss!

Finding Me by Viola Davis (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Nonfiction (Memoir) • 2022

Short synopsis: Award-winning actress Viola Davis takes us into her life, starting from the time she was a young girl living in poverty to where she is today. She tackles domestic violence, sexual assault, colorism in Hollywood, and so much more.

This was an incredible memoir, and I think it must be listened to on audio because Viola Davis’ narration is out of this world. (She won a Grammy for it, after all!) Davis has lived a harrowing life and somehow managed to come out of it with grace, humility, and confidence in who she is. Her stories of her younger years were so, so hard to read about because she had a hard life as one of six kids growing up in poverty. Her early years of acting were filled with rejection, small parts, and continually being passed over for her white (or lighter-skinned) counterparts. Her indictment of colorism in Hollywood and the stories that are only told for white audiences are not new to read about, but it does feel different coming from a darker-skinned Black actress. I really, really enjoyed this memoir and it made me love her even more than I already do.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.13.23)

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary Fiction • 2022

Short synopsis: Libby arrives in London with her life in disarray. She’s brokenhearted and job-less. It’s a chance encounter on the bus that sparks new life in her. She meets an elderly man named Frank who has been riding this bus route for 60 years to try to find the woman he met on this very bus in 1962 and who changed the course of his life. Libby decides: She’s going to help Frank find this woman, with the help of an unlikely partner and some willing strangers.

This book was so heartwarming! It’s not going to change your life, but if you’re looking for a nice palette cleanser between heavier books, I highly recommend this one. There was a plot device used in this book that I normally really, really hate, and I was very tempted to abandon the book after the reveal, but I kept pushing through and, I have to say, the author made it work. It added a new layer of complexity to the novel, but in a way that made sense and helped to propel Libby’s character into a new direction, which was much needed. A sweet story all-around!

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark (★★★★☆)

Print • Library • Thriller • 2022

Short synopsis: Meg Williams is a con artist who has made it her mission to make people pay. She finds her mark, assumes an alias, involves herself in the mark’s life, and then she’s gone before the mark finds out they’ve lost everything. Kat Roberts is a reporter who has made it her life’s mission to expose Meg, and she’s getting closer and closer to doing so.

What a fantastic thriller! I really loved that it didn’t rely on typical thriller theatrics with lots of twists and turns, unreliable narrators, and a crazy ending. Instead, it was more about the two women at the heart of the thriller. Watching these two women come together and try to out-con one another was really fun, and I think the ending was just perfection. Was it believable? Eh, not really. But I had so much fun reading this book and getting into the psyche of a con artist that I didn’t really care that much. This book was just so satisfying!

Lucky Star by Susannah Nix (★★★☆☆)

E-Book • Owned (Amazon) • Contemporary Romance • 2022

Short synopsis: Boone Sheridan is a TV star who is currently involved in a public relations firestorm. What he needs is a nice, normal girlfriend to “fake date” for a bit of time. Enter Eve, the barista at his local coffee shop. She’s down on her luck and needs a break, and surprisingly, she’s up for the challenge. But what happens when fake dating starts to feel real?

I have complicated feelings about this book. Let’s start with the good: It was a fun contemporary romance that was hard to put down! I loved these characters and wanted the best for them. It was also fun getting a glimpse into celebrity life. The chemistry between these characters was crackling and the sex scenes were… *chef’s kiss*.

Now for the bad. The ending was completely unrealistic and disappointing. It felt like such a cop-out from the author, as if she had written herself into a corner and couldn’t figure her way out, so she just gave up. Secondly, it was so, so obvious that Boone needed to be in therapy and that he should not have entered into a relationship with Eve so soon after getting out of a toxic relationship. The way he relied on Eve was unhealthy, and I’m very angry at this author for not addressing that at all. There is no way this ends well for Eve and Boone. I also found the way Eve and Boone dealt with a negative situation early in the relationship to be incredibly immature and silly. It didn’t shine a good light on these two characters.

While I did enjoy this romance novel, there are many issues with it and, as such, I don’t think it’s one I can wholly recommend.

What are you reading?