Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (7.6.26)

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Romance • 2018

Short synopsis: Stella, a brilliant econometrician with Asperger’s, hires Michael, an escort, to teach her about relationships, only to discover that their practical arrangement blossoms into an unexpected love story.

This book has lived on my “favorite romances” shelf for years, and I decided it was time for a reread. What I remembered most was how this novel made me feel—how much I loved Stella and Michael and watching their relationship blossom. Thankfully, that feeling held true on this reread. While the reader I am today wouldn’t give it five stars (as you can see, I bumped it down to four), I completely understand why I loved this novel so much. Stella is such a wonderful character. She’s unapologetically herself while also understanding that the world doesn’t always appreciate how blunt and literal she can be. Michael is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and has chosen sex work to help pay his mom’s medical bills. It’s a sweet romance with a lot of heart, and the neurodivergent representation is fantastic.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Barnes & Noble) • Fantasy/Romance • 2025

Short synopsis: After losing her magic, a grumpy witch joins forces with a handsome historian to restore her powers.

I adored Mandanna’s 2022 release, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, so I was excited to discover she’d already written another witchy fantasy in the same vein. (The books aren’t connected, but they exist in the same magical world.) While this one didn’t quite capture the magic (heh) of her earlier novel, I still had a wonderful time with it and am now desperate for another book from this author! The story follows Sera, who lost her magic after resurrecting her great-aunt and now runs an eccentric inn with an unforgettable cast of characters, including a talking fox and a man who works as a knight at the local medieval fair and never takes off his armor. Desperate to get her powers back, Sera’s fortunes begin to change when Luke, a magical historian, books a stay at the inn with his autistic sister and may finally be able to help her reclaim her magic. I fell in love with almost every character in this story (okay, maybe not the talking fox because she’s rather annoying) and thoroughly enjoyed stepping into this magical world.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 6 by Beth Brower (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Hoopla • Historical Fiction • 2022

Short synopsis: The Year is 1884 and Emma M. Lion has, at long last, gained her majority. Entering a golden age of friendship with Pierce, Islington, and Hawkes, Emma is confident she will manage whatever comes her way. 

I don’t know what I will do with myself when I finish the last book in the Emma M. Lion series. At least there are more coming? I just adore Emma and this found family she has collected. After learning that some readers are shipping Emma and Hawkes, I am watching their interactions much more closely. I’m still on Team Pierce, but I can see the appeal with Hawkes. Once again, this book made me giggle and sigh with happiness and get really, really sad when the audiobook was over. Beth Brower, you have done this world a service with this series.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (6.30.26)

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison (★★☆☆☆)

Print • Library • Contemporary Romance • 2022

Short synopsis: Burned out by life as a social media influencer, Evelyn returns to the last place she felt like herself—and to the farmer who isn’t sure he can trust her not to leave again.

How much did I dislike this book? When I finished the epilogue and saw there was a second epilogue, I said, “Oh hell fucking no,” and snapped my Kindle shut. I adored two other novels by this author, so I was excited to read this one, but omg, it was just so boring. The characters had zero chemistry, the plot never felt remotely believable, and the ending made me roll my eyes so hard. It had none of the charm and coziness of Lovelight Farms or the banter and spark of First Time Caller. It was just a bland romance, and if this had been my first BK Borison book, I wouldn’t have understood the hype. Skip this one, friends!

How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin (★★★☆☆ 1/2)

Audiobook • Libby • Mystery • 2025

Short synopsis: After a local fortune-teller is murdered, a woman investigating the mystery uncovers long-buried secrets that connect to her great-aunt’s decades-old search for the truth behind a deadly crash.

This is the second book in a mystery series set in a small English countryside town, the first one being How to Solve Your Own Murder. I really enjoyed that first novel and thought the second novel was… fine. It was the kind of “brain candy” book where I didn’t feel like I needed to concentrate too hard while I was listening to it. Even if I missed something, I was sure I would figure it out along the way. For me, this is a pleasant reading experience. I don’t want all my books to be like this, but every now and then, I like an uncomplicated book with likable characters and an easy-to-follow plot. It’s not a standout, but it’s a fun way to pass the time.

All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert (★★★★★)

Print • Owned (author signing) • Nonfiction • 2025

Short synopsis: In this deeply personal memoir, Elizabeth Gilbert traces how an unexpected friendship became the love of her life—and how heartbreak ultimately led to profound self-discovery.

I did not expect this book to have such a profound effect on me. I hadn’t heard much about Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest release when I bought a ticket to her author talk in Tampa. Then I started hearing about all the controversy surrounding the book, and I found myself less excited to read it. I went to the event, fell deeply in love with Liz because she is so damn charismatic, and then put the book on my shelf to wait for the right moment. And hoo boy, was this the right moment. This memoir is about many things, but at its heart, it’s about Gilbert’s sex and love addiction and the codependency that shaped so much of her life. AKA, the very thing I’m working through in therapy right now!

This book was a revelation. Gilbert writes with her signature blend of vulnerability and insight, crafting sentences that stop you in your tracks. It’s about the joy of finding the love of your life, but also how addiction, abuse, and unimaginable grief can utterly ruin you. I won’t judge a single thought Gilbert had during her partner’s cancer battle. Much has been said about the section where she contemplates killing her partner to end her suffering. For me, I found it utterly heartbreaking and incredibly courageous for Gilbert to share these thoughts, knowing it would change the way people saw her. I’m not here to argue with you if it did change the way you view her. I’m just saying that it landed differently for me.

I have a feeling this will be one of my favorite books of 2026 because it touched me so deeply. It reminded me why I love Elizabeth Gilbert’s writing so much and captured the grit, complexity, and rawness of grief in such a profound way. I’m so grateful she wrote this memoir because, at this point in my life, I truly needed it.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (6.24.26)

Good People by Patmeena Sabit (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Fiction • 2026

Short synopsis: After a shocking tragedy shatters the carefully crafted image of a wealthy refugee family living the American dream, dark secrets emerge that force the public to question whether their success was built on a lie.

This is a super buzzy book that’s been making the rounds on blogs and bookish podcasts. I was excited to snag it as one of my Book of the Month selections! It’s a fast-moving novel that unfolds through a variety of perspectives, including family friends, acquaintances, bystanders, and journalists eager to capitalize on a sensational tragedy. The most interesting thing about this book is that we never hear directly from the family at the heart of the story. Instead, we learn about the family through the opinions and observations of everyone around them. I’m fascinated by this narrative choice because it creates a sense of distance while also highlighting how differently people can view the same person or situation. I can’t say I loved this book as much as other people (I struggle with ambiguous endings), but I appreciated what the author was trying to do. It’s a thought-provoking look at perception, reputation, and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we think we know.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 5 by Beth Brower (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Hoopla • Historical Fiction • 2021

Short synopsis: Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

Oh, my dear sweet Emma M. Lion. I love following her adventures in St. Crispian! In this series of journal entries, it seems like Emma is truly coming to terms with her grief and finding a path forward in a new life that includes new friends, new dreams, and new hopes. I adore Emma’s relationship with Young Hawkes, the vicar, and their sweet friendship. (Okay, I went down a Google rabbit hole trying to remember his title, and there are definitely a lot of people who think Emma and Hawkes are endgame. I am… stunned.) Anyway, I am both trying to go slowly and savor these books while also not wanting to listen to any other kind of audiobook because the narrator is so damn good. Maybe I’ll restart the series once I finish it until Beth Brower gives us a new book. Hm.

Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore by Patric Richardson (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • Nonfiction • 2021

Short synopsis: Patric Richardson, aka the “Laundry Evangelist,” reveals his revolutionary methods for cleaning clothes—and making laundry loads more fun.

I imagine this book could be revolutionary for people with large families or anyone who seems to need to do laundry every day. That is not my life, as I’m only doing laundry for myself. Once every two weeks, I do a load of clothes, a load of towels, and a load of sheets. Done and done!

So, there was a lot about this book that didn’t apply to me (I completely skipped over the chapter on ironing), but there were enough useful takeaways to make it worthwhile. For example, I loved the list of laundry supplies Patric recommends, and I definitely want to switch from Tide pods I use to using soap flakes/washing soda. I’m also planning to follow his advice to wash everything on warm and pick up some wool dryer balls to see if they help shorten drying times. The standout chapter, though, is the one on stains. Patric includes an extensive glossary of different stain types and the best ways to remove them. I also appreciated his chapter on caring for “dry clean only” clothing. (He’s very adamant that virtually nothing we wear or use actually needs to be dry cleaned.) What comes through most, though, is Patric’s genuine passion for textiles. He loves fabric. He loves caring for fabric. There’s something delightful about someone finding a niche passion that’s both fascinating and genuinely useful to the rest of us. Three stars for the advice I can use, five stars for his enthusiasm.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (6.15.26)

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes (★★★☆☆ 1/2)

Print • Owned • Mystery • 2023

Short synopsis: At a secretive academy where aspiring killers learn the art of the perfect murder, students must prove their worth by eliminating someone they believe deserves to die—and escaping justice in the process.

The premise of this book is rather morbid, but I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and inventive concept. In this story, we follow three students at McMasters Conservatory, a secretive academy where students learn how to commit the perfect murder. Each of them has a compelling reason for wanting their target dead, which made me invested in seeing how their plans would unfold. I especially enjoyed the first half of the novel and all the darkly fun “private boarding school for murderers” vibes. Unfortunately, the second half of the book lost me a bit. Once the students left the school and began carrying out their murder plots in the real world, the writing started to feel overly explanatory. Time and time again, the author would give us a great scene—one of the students disguising themselves to fool a security guard, for example—and then immediately explain it afterward to be like, “Hey guys, this was X character, not a weird old lady! Totally fooled you, didn’t I?” It was so frustrating. If someone misses a detail, that’s one thing, but repeatedly spelling everything out took away some of the fun of piecing things together myself. It’s a shame because I really loved the setup and was hoping this would become a new mystery series to binge. Meh.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick (★★★☆☆ 1/2)

Audiobook • Hoopla • Historical Fiction • 2025

Short synopsis: Four dissatisfied sixties-era housewives form a book club turned sisterhood that will hold fast amid the turmoil of a rapidly changing world and alter the course of each of their lives.

I think this book might have been a DNF for me in print, so I’m glad I picked it up on audio. The first half is slow and meandering, and watching these women navigate their miserable lives was, to put it bluntly, super depressing. While I appreciated the story’s exploration of women’s limited options in the 1960s, the author occasionally came across as a little too determined to make her point, spelling out injustices rather than trusting readers to connect the dots. For example, there’s a whole scene about one of the women trying to open a bank account and getting outraged when she needs her husband to sign off on it. I KNOW THIS IS SHITTY! But… isn’t it something she would have known? Why is she so surprised? I think the scene could have been more impactful if we had seen all the ways this character skirted the system to get a bank account without her husband knowing. That said, I enjoyed seeing these women gradually find more agency in their lives, even if some of the biggest changes came from their husbands’ choices rather than their own. What ultimately won me over was the friendship at the heart of the story. The sisterhood felt genuine, messy, and supportive, and it was easily the book’s strongest element. It’s not exactly a book I would recommend, but if you love a good friendship story, you might enjoy this one.

Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane (★★★☆☆ 1/2)

Print • Owned (indie bookstore) • Contemporary Fiction • 2025

Short synopsis: When rival journalists Bel and Connor are forced to pose as a lovestruck couple while chasing a career-making scoop, their fake romance starts blurring into something far more real.

Do yourself a favor and don’t go into this expecting a cutesy contemporary romance novel. While the fake-dating setup is front and center in the marketing, this is really a work of contemporary fiction centered on Bel’s investigation into a powerful politician accused of sexually harassing young interns. It’s also about Connor is grappling with the aftermath of a five-year relationship, while Bel is dealing with a stalker ex, so there’s no shortage of drama. I just wanted more from Connor and Bel. They had such cute banter and sizzling chemistry, and I was so disappointed that nothing substantial happened between them until the final chapter. (Even then, they only had a very chaste kiss.) As I got closer and closer to the end of the book with no resolution about Bel and Connor’s relationship, I started wondering if there was a sequel where they finally got together. The ending felt abrupt and unsatisfying. I don’t think McFarlane is the author for me! But if you love a closed-door romance or fiction that has a very light romantic touch, then I would recommend this book.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (6.8.26)

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn (★★★☆☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2024

Short synopsis: Jess, who has spent years hiding her family’s ties to a notorious con man, finds her carefully constructed life upended when her younger sister, Tegan, and the creators of a hit podcast set out to find their missing mother.

I think the audiobook experience hampered my enjoyment of this novel because I really didn’t like the narrators. The book alternates between Jess’s and Adam’s perspectives, and while neither narrator worked for me, Adam’s was especially distracting because he sounded nothing like the sexy hero I imagined. Maybe that’s shallow of me, but it made it harder to get invested in the story. Even beyond the narration, I found the central mystery surprisingly dull, and I’m not entirely convinced Kate Clayborn has ever listened to a true crime podcast (the podcast snippets, especially, didn’t feel believable to me). The romance didn’t really work for me, either. “Instalove” is one of my least-favorite tropes, and this novel solidifies why I dislike it so much. Jess and Adam had known each other for all of two weeks before they were suddenly in love and willing to completely upend their lives for each other. It all felt a little too convenient without the emotional depth I look for in my romances.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 4 by Beth Brower (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Hoopla • Historical Fiction • 2021

Short synopsis: The Year is 1883, and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

These novels are a balm to my soul, truly. Emma M. Lion has become such a dear friend to me. She is both witty and so much fun, but then there’s also this darkness to her as she has suffered an unimaginable loss recently (before the journals began) and is still grieving and coming to terms with what that means for her life. In this volume, Emma finds out that there is going to be a funeral that she knows she must attend, even though it is going to be one of the most difficult things she’s ever had to do. I loved every bit of this novel, even the sad parts, and most especially the continued storyline involving Emma and a potential love interest. Ooh, it’s just so sweet! I want to take my time working through these novels, but I also don’t want to listen to anything else!

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood (★★★☆☆ 1/2)

Print • Owned (Target) • Contemporary Romance • 2025

Short synopsis: Maya, a struggling grad student, gets more than she bargained for when a destination wedding in Sicily forces her into close quarters with her brother’s older best friend, Conor—the successful biotech entrepreneur she’s secretly loved for years.

I had a tough time rating this one. On the one hand, it was sweet, heartfelt, and set against the backdrop of a destination wedding in Sicily. What’s not to love?! I also adored Maya, who was spunky, confident, and always willing to ask for what she wanted. On the other hand, this romance tested my patience. I don’t love a slow-burn romance, and this one was frustrating. I did not need hundreds of pages of Conor insisting that his attraction to Maya was wrong. Sir, we get it. The age gap (23 and 38) didn’t bother me nearly as much as Conor himself, who came across as rude, overly serious, and married to his job. The amount of work calls and meetings happening during what was supposed to be a vacation gave me secondhand stress. By the end, I wasn’t convinced Maya couldn’t do better. While I enjoyed the setting, the humor, and Maya’s character growth, Conor was just too much of a killjoy for me to fully buy into the romance.

What are you reading?