Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (10.30.24)

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose (★★☆☆☆)

Print • Owned (indie bookstore) • Mystery • 2023

Short synopsis: When an acclaimed author dies at the Regency Grand Hotel, it’s up to a fastidious maid to uncover the truth.

Oh, I just really didn’t like this novel. A part of me is wondering if we even need the continuation of this series. (And there’s a third book coming out!) Everything I adored about Molly in the first book just felt trite and over-the-top in this novel. The novel dipped back and forth in time: present day where an author dies at an event at the hotel Molly works at, and then the past where Molly is a child and her grandma is working as a maid for a very rich family. This rich family felt like caricatures. They had no nuance to them and I struggle to understand where all of their money came from because the main occupation of the husband in this family is not one that lends itself to incredible wealth. Like, they had a whole room of silver! That kind of wealthy. All in all, this was a rather lackluster mystery, which is such a disappointment since the first book was one of my favorite reads of the year.

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Barnes & Noble) • Contemporary Romance • 2024

Short synopsis: Estranged exes Georgia and Eli must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance.

I adored Jessica Joyce’s first novel, You with a View, and I was happy to get my hands on her second novel. While I didn’t love it as much as YWAV, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The FMC, Georgia, was a tough character to like at times, and I struggled to feel invested in her. She is someone who has a hard time asking for help and depending on people, and that has led her to doing everything for everyone else to keep their love and attention. (She is very much an unhealthy Enneagram 2, I think.) Eli, on the other hand, is a man who has missed out on a lot in life because of his addiction to work and success. Both of them have a lot of work to do on themselves (and they do–by the end of the novel, both of them are in therapy!) but they also find themselves drawn back together while trying to make sure their best friend’s wedding goes off without a hitch. I loved their sweet second-chance romance and they way they slowly but surely found their way back to each other. Also, I really loved the way the author took us on a journey of their past relationship without delving into past-and-present chapters. It was nestled into the story in a very natural way, and it was so refreshingly different than other books I’ve been reading lately. This was a wonderful romance and after two great books, Jessica Joyce has become an autobuy author for me!

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Library • Mystery • 2024

Short synopsis: Finlay Donovan and her nanny Vero head to Atlantic City for a rescue mission that quickly spirals out of control. When a loan shark they’re trying to negotiate with turns up dead, the duo must dodge police, exes, and family while searching for Vero’s boyfriend and stolen car. 

I was looking for a light-hearted audiobook to listen to right after dealing with the hurricane madness, and the fourth book in the Finlay Donovan series was exactly what I needed! Are these books realistic in any way? Absolutely not. But are they fun to read? They sure are. I always love the ride-or-die friendship between Finlay and Vero, and the budding relationship between Finlay and her hot detective was icing on the cake. I found the mystery at the heart of this novel fairly easy to follow along with and it came to a very satisfying conclusion. I will also say that I gasped out loud at the last sentence of the book so needless to say, I need the fifth book to come out soon. (Okay, I checked: book five comes out in March!)

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (10.21.24)

Funny Story by Emily Henry (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (indie bookstore) • Contemporary Romance • 2024

Short synopsis: After her fiancé leaves her for his best friend, Daphne finds herself in a small town, sharing a house with Miles—her ex’s new fiancée’s ex. As they navigate their heartbreak and stage a fake relationship, Daphne faces the possibility of real feelings in her fresh start.

This was such a fun romance! I was immediately drawn into Daphne and Miles’s worlds, and I love the uniqueness of their “meet cute”: Two exes living together after their exes leave them for each other. I love a unique plot like that! Daphne is in a bad place when her fiance leaves her – she’s in a city she moved to for him where she doesn’t have any sort of support system. Her whole life was him. I’ve known people like this (someone in the novel says Daphne is a “we” person, as in “we did this and we did that” – they don’t really have an identity outside of their relationship), and I thought the way Emily Henry explored that concept to be great. Daphne really had to come to terms with being single for the first time in a long time and learn how to make friends and build a life in this new city. I really loved the growing relationship between her and Miles, too. They were so sweet together and their love story made me happy sigh. I thought the novel was perfectly paced and while the dark moment was not my favorite, I appreciated how it resolved. All in all, I’d probably list this as my second favorite Emily Henry romance! (My list from favorite to least favorite: Book Lovers, Funny Story, Beach Read, Happy Place, and People We Meet on Vacation.)

The End of Her by Shari Lapena (★★★☆☆)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • Thriller • 2020

Short synopsis: Stephanie and Patrick’s seemingly perfect life with newborn twins unravels when a woman from Patrick’s past accuses him of murdering his first wife, challenging his claim that her death was an accident. 

Typically, I love a Shari Lapena thriller, but this one did not work for me at all. First, I thought a lot of the dialogue was pretty cringe-worthy and not well-written. Second, I found it hard to root for any of the characters, but most especially Patrick and the “other woman” in the story. They felt like caricatures rather than real people. And finally, there were the twists. The first twist in the novel wasn’t all that surprising and then the second one really came out of left field—and not in a good way. Sometimes a really crazy twist can feel satisfying, but this one felt unearned. I just didn’t enjoy this thriller, point blank. It wasn’t a fun read and I was pretty disappointed in the ending. I rated it 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Spotify • Contemporary Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love.

I loved this sweet romance novel, although if I had known I was going to have to listen to some of the explicit sex scenes, I might have thought differently about the medium I chose. (I rarely listen to romance on audio because the sex scenes can be so cringy to listen to!) This novel is mostly about Millie and Hollis, but it’s also about the ashes of Mrs. Nash. Millie has a few tablespoons of her late friend’s ashes to deliver to Mrs. Nash’s first true love who is dying in a hospital in Key West. It’s a weird premise for sure, but a really sweet one, too. The present-day timeline of Millie and Hollis’s road trip is interspersed with a past storyline, when Rose (the future Mrs. Nash) was stationed in Key West during World War II and falling in love with a nurse named Elsie. I’ve read so many books lately that are using this plot device to tell a story (a present storyline mixed in with a past storyline) and I am so tired of it. I understand that in many cases it helps to provide a greater understanding of the characters, but one of the storylines is always so much less interesting than the other one. In this case, I knew Rose and Elsie’s love story was doomed to fail and didn’t find their scenes to be particularly compelling, so I was retty bored by this storyline. (I might have even skipped those chapters if I was reading the book rather than listening to it.) But hey, YMMV. I still really enjoyed this romance and recommend picking it up if you want a feel-good romance to read.

It Happened One Wedding by Julie James (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Library • Contemporary Romance • 2014

Short synopsis: After a broken engagement, investment banker Sidney Sinclair swears off commitment-phobic men, but she’s forced into close contact with playboy Special Agent Vaughn Roberts as her sister’s wedding approaches. Despite her resistance, Vaughn’s determination to win her over turns their battle of wills into a genuine pursuit of love.

This book was a reread for me, and I am really leaning into comforting romances right now. I love Julie James’ books, and I am sad she’s no longer writing but at least I have a nice backlist I can return to again and again. This romance was excellent with two super confident and stubborn individuals who were absolutely perfect for each other but needed a bit of time to come to terms with that. This book was written a decade ago and there were some dated references, mostly when Sidney talked about signing up for a “dating website.” Remember when we had to do that and it was weird to be on something like Match or OK Cupid? Ha! It was a fun book that didn’t require me to think too hard, and mostly just gave me happy, ooey-gooey, lovey-dovey feels.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Little Free Library) • Short Stories • 2020

Short synopsis: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. The nine stories in this collection feature four generations of characters grappling with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church’s double standards and their own needs and passions.

I picked up this slim book on a whim, knowing it would be something easy to slip in and out of. I read one short story every day and it was the perfect pace for me. My disclaimer for this collection is that there is a lot of cheating happening (stay away, Lisa!) and the book felt really melancholy for the most part. But I was feeling melancholy so it worked for me. It was nice to sit in my feelings while reading this book. The writing is gorgeous and the stories are quick, and I’m glad I finally pulled this one off my bookshelf to read.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (10.16.24)

I have a lot of book reviews that have piled up in the past few weeks. (As of today, I have TEN book reviews to share, eeps.) I’m going to break my book reviews into a few posts so I don’t inundate you guys with all of my opinions all at once. This first set includes five books, ranging from 2 to 4 stars. Let’s discuss!

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • Mystery • 1926

Short synopsis: The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells” before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.

I have to admit that I was confused for the majority of this book. There were just so many characters to keep track of and a timeline that was hard to make sense of. I don’t know if it was me or the book, but it was not the most pleasant reading experience. But this does seem to be a normal occurrence with Christie’s books, so I probably just need to keep some sort of character bible when I’m reading her books. I loved that this novel had one narrator and Hercule Poroit almost seemed like a side character, even though we all know he’s the main event. I had a suspicion of who I thought the murderer was and it was actually pretty delightful to be right! This was a great mystery, though, but I just wish everything didn’t feel so confusing for so much of the novel.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian (★★★☆☆)

Print • Library • Queer Romance • 2024

Short synopsis: An emotional, slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine, queer mid-century romance about grief and found family, between the new star shortstop stuck in a batting slump and the reporter assigned to (reluctantly) cover his first season.

Cat Sebastian is my reliable three-star romance author. I was hoping this one would be more of a 4- or 5-star read, but alas, it was just okay. I loved the setting of this romance novel – 1960s New York City – and that it was a queer romance involving a baseball player and a reporter. What a fun concept, especially the way the novel dug into the queer landscape of 1960s New York. While I enjoyed the romance between the two men and thought they had great chemistry, the novel was also a little boring at times. There were a lot of side plots that could have probably been cut out of the story because overall, it was just way too long and the pacing felt a little disjointed. I’d give this one 3.5 stars.

The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle (★★☆☆☆)

Audiobook • Library • Contemporary Fiction • 2023

Short synopsis: After her mother’s death, Jess struggles to let go of her childhood home, especially an old set of encyclopedias that hold deep sentimental value. In her search for a new home for the books, she discovers the Museum of Ordinary People, where she becomes involved in uncovering hidden stories and secrets, including those from her own past.

I loved Mike Gayle’s book All the Lonely People, and was excited to get my hands on this new one but ughhh, it was not my favorite. I think my main issue with the book was the main character and her relationship with her boyfriend. Do you ever read a book where the author doesn’t even try to add nuance to a relationship that’s doomed to fail, and you have no idea why this person is staying with such an awful partner? That was this book. I had no idea why Jess was with this person when he was such an obvious villain. He was rude, condescending, and a jerk. And look, I get that people sometimes stay in bad relationships but I’m not talking about situations where it’s unsafe to leave. I’m talking about relationships where people just put up with bullshit because it’s easier than being on their own. Stop dating bad people! Gah.

Anyway, that was my main issue with the book and the way it was resolved was not satisfying at all. It makes me wonder if Mike Gayle even knows how to write women properly? I don’t know… I got a weird vibe from the female main character throughout the novel. What I did like about this novel was the museum! What a wonderful concept – a museum filled with ordinary belongings that had extraordinary meaning to other people. I’m still not sure how a museum like that could find funding, but it’s a great idea.

There was a weird twist at the end of the novel that did not need to be there (and soured me even more on the book), so all in all, not a book I’m likely to recommend. Give his other book a try over this one!

When in Rome by Sarah Adams (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Library • Contemporary Romance • 2022

Short synopsis: Pop star Amelia Rose, seeking a break from her high-profile life, escapes to small-town Rome, Kentucky, where she meets Noah, a pie shop owner wary of her celebrity status. As they grow closer, Amelia finds comfort in the town’s simplicity and Noah’s warmth, but both must face the reality that her return to stardom is inevitable.

This romance was simply delightful from beginning to end! I loved the rapport between Amelia and Noah, and I loved this small-town community of Rome, Kentucky. Authors can sometimes be a little too cutesy when creating a small-town dynamic, but this one completely worked and every character stole my heart. The way they all came together to welcome Amelia and keep out the paparazzi was heart-warming. And I just really, really wanted there to be a way for Amelia to get everything she wanted: a less hectic pop star schedule and the hot guy. The author wrapped up the book in such a realistic, sweet way and it’s a book that just made me happy-sigh when I finished it.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (★★☆☆☆)

Print • Owned (indie bookstore) • Contemporary Fiction • 2024

Short synopsis: When Lauren returns home one night to find herself married to a man she’s never met, she discovers her attic mysteriously swaps out husbands and reshapes her life with each change. As her world shifts with every new “partner,” Lauren must confront whether constantly pursuing a better life is worth losing her sense of self.

I was so excited about this book! I loved the concept and thought it was going to be such a clever look at marriage, choices, and singlehood. Instead, I got a meandering book that never really had any important message and featured a protagonist who bordered on problematic at times. It’s hard to really explain why I disliked this book so much without giving away important details of the plot, but suffice it to say, I didn’t see any sort of character arc from Lauren and the ending made me feel really lackluster about the book as a whole. There was also a plotline that had Lauren engaging in some seriously stalkerish behavior that made me nearly DNF the book. It was so problematic! I think this concept was just too much for the author to handle, and I do wonder what this book could have been with a more adept writer at hand.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (9.16.24)

At First Spite by Olivia Dade (★★★★★)

Print • Library • Contemporary Romance • 2024

Short synopsis: After her fiancé ends their engagement, Athena Greydon moves into the narrow Spite House she bought for him, only to find herself living next to the very man who convinced her fiancé to leave her—Matthew, her fiancé’s brother. While she initially plots petty revenge, her growing attraction to Matthew complicates her plans.

Oh my goodness, I just loved this sweet romance! It reminded me of an Abby Jimenez novel as it dealt with some heavy themes (including depression) but also had such a sweet love story at the center of the novel. I truly couldn’t get enough of Athena and Matthew. They had an instant chemistry that crackled off the pages. Athena battles depression in this novel and the author described her mental illness with such a deft hand that I found myself tearing up for Athena. She’s a woman in her 30s who has struggled to find where she fits, especially as it relates to her career, and it really touched me. I will say that I didn’t love the petty revenge part of the novel (I just honestly can’t with adults being petty like that, it drives me crazy), but others may find it hysterical. YMMV! All in all, though, this was a delightful romance!

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (★★★★★)

Print • Book of the Month • Mystery • 2024

Short synopsis: In August 1975, 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar vanishes from her family’s summer camp, mirroring her brother’s disappearance 14 years earlier. As a frantic search begins, the story unravels the dark secrets of the Van Laar family and the community intertwined with their legacy.

Everyone is raving about this novel, so I went into it with high expectations. Good news: It did not disappoint! I was enthralled with it from the first pages until the end, and I loved every minute I spent with this book. It may be a contender for my overall favorite book of the year! This story had a lot of people to keep track of and a lot of intermingling storylines and while sometimes I had to reorient myself with who I was reading about (is this the counselor or the mom or the investigator?!), it didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the book. The last 150 pages I read in a single day, using every little break I could to sit down and read a few pages. I even came home from the gym and plopped right down on my couch to finish the book because I had to know how it all turned out. I think Liz Moore is incredibly skilled at writing these complex mysteries, making you care so much for characters and sit with a nearly 500-page book that you can’t put down! I loved the setting, the characters, the overall plot… everything about this book was perfection!

A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Library • Mystery • 2023

Short synopsis: Charlotte Holmes is offered a chance to reclaim a normal life by recovering a lost dossier for the crown. However, her mission aboard the RMS Provence is complicated by a murder, forcing her to avoid detection to keep her secret identity intact.

This is the seventh book in the Lady Holmes mystery series where Sherry Thomas reimagines Sherlock Holmes as a woman. I didn’t even realize she had released two more books in the series until someone on my Goodreads timeline reviewed this book. What a delightful discovery! I always enjoy my time with Charlotte and her people, and this one was especially fun as it took place on a ship and involved Charlotte donning a disguise to avoid detection. I found it difficult to keep track of all the different characters, which may have been due to the audiobook and not paying attention as closely as I should have. Eventually, though, I started to make sense of who was who and why they were important to the story. All in all, it was another great novel in this continuing series and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (9.3.24)

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera (★★★☆☆)

E-Book • Library • Historical Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: Facing a loveless marriage, Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan seizes her last summer of freedom in Paris before exhibiting her paintings at the 1889 Exposition Universelle. When ruthless Duchess Cora Kempf Bristol sees an opportunity, they strike a life-changing bargain—Manuela’s land for a summer with the duchess, leading to a passionate and scandalous affair.

One of the things I appreciate about Adriana Herrera’s historical romances is how she introduces me to a new aspect of history that I had no idea about. In this book, she taught me about the lesbian societies that were prevalent in places like Paris in the 19th century—including the women who lived together as romantic partners and were accepted into an underground society of other women “like them.” We’ve always been here, you know? While this book was a little lackluster when it came to the relationship (I never really felt the chemistry between Manuela and Cora, and don’t think Herrera properly showed us why they were meant to be together), there were other aspects of this novel that I really loved, like all the queerness in Paris society and the way Cora was such a badass businesswoman thanks to her deceased husband’s influence. Read this one more for the historical tidbits, less for the relationship.

His & Hers by Alice Feeney (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Library • Thriller • 2020

Short synopsis: When a woman is murdered in Blackdown, a quintessentially British village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Detective Jack Harper is suspicious of her involvement until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation. 

This was a hard book for me to rate. On the one hand, it was a very good thriller that had tons of twists and turns and an ending I did not see coming! On the other hand, it made me feel very icky because there was a lot of horrible stuff: toxic female friendship, graphic violence, on-page sexual assault, on-page rape, and animal abuse. I wish the author told the story without all of this stuff. I mean, it was a huge part of the story and I think the author wanted me to feel icky, so mission accomplished. But it was hard to listen to! I considered abandoning the book because of all of that. But I persevered and was rewarded with a really satisfying ending. This is more of a 3.5-star book for me and it’s a thriller I would be hesitant to recommend to anyone.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Library • Fiction • 2023

Short synopsis: Rachel is a student in Cork whose life takes unexpected turns after meeting James, a charismatic friend with whom she navigates the bohemian lifestyle amidst the looming financial crisis. Their bond deepens as Rachel falls for her married professor, leading to a series of secrets and compromises that entangle their lives with those of the professor and his glamorous wife.

I’m not sure what I expected from this book, but it was a pleasant surprise to enjoy it as much as I did! This book is mostly a character study, following two people during a year of their life and all of the joys and mistakes they make along the way. I loved Rachel and James and the way they became almost instantaneous best friends. Their friendship was truly the highlight of this book; I loved the way they fought and loved and were always there for one another. They could both be selfish and childish at times, but they were also 20 years old and that’s to be expected. I loved how this story was told, of Rachel looking back on this year that impacted her and was the catalyst for so much that happened in the future. It’s the way we sometimes look back on our past mistakes when we have the hindsight of being older and wiser. It can be cringey to remember what we did and the people we hurt, but it’s also how we grow. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book!

What are you reading?