Headliners by Lucy Parker (★★★★★)
E-book • Owned (Amazon) • Contemporary Romance • 2020
Short synopsis: Bitter TV rivals Sabrina and Nick must team up to save a failing morning show, but as sabotage and sparks fly, their feud starts to look a lot like falling in love.
This book was a reread for me, and it was such a delight from start to finish. It’s an enemies-to-lovers story, and I thought Lucy Parker did an incredible job bringing these two enemies together. They had such a great rapport, and it was beautiful to watch their love grow. What I love most about Lucy Parker’s romances is that she doesn’t really have a traditional dark moment or do any of those silly miscommunication tropes inherent in this genre. These are just two adults falling in love and communicating openly with each other. It’s so refreshing!
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (★★★☆☆)
E-book • Libby • Mystery • 2024
Short synopsis: Retired investigator Steve Wheeler is pulled back into action when his daughter-in-law Amy’s security job turns deadly, sending them on a high-stakes chase across the globe to outrun a killer.
This is the first book in a new series by Richard Osman, and while there were parts of it I really loved, it ultimately fell a little flat for me. However, I felt the same way about the first book in the Thursday Murder Club series, so maybe there is hope for this series yet (since I ended up loving the second book in the TMC series). I loved the cast of characters—Osman loves writing about quirky octogenarians, and I love reading about them. However, I found the ending to be a little convoluted, and I didn’t love the way everything was revealed all at once. The ending needed a bit more finessing, in my opinion. But overall, a fun read, and I’m excited for the next book in the series.
The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood (★★★☆☆)
E-book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2024
Short synopsis: A recently deceased woman meets “the one” in the afterlife waiting room, scoring a second chance at life (and love!) if she can find him on Earth before ten days are up.
This book had such a promising setup, but it didn’t totally work for me. I think it all came down to the main character, Delphie. My god, she was insufferable. She has no friends, and every time someone tried to reach out and befriend her, she shut them down. There’s a reason she has trouble making friends—she was bullied in high school and her mom neglected her—but someone who’s as lonely as Delphie wouldn’t typically turn away every chance for connection. Her character lacked any depth or nuance, and it made it really hard to root for her.
In one review of this novel, the reviewer described this book as a “slapstick comedy,” which I fully agree with. Delphie kept getting into ridiculous situations that didn’t feel grounded in reality. She repeatedly “missed” meeting the man who is supposed to be her soulmate and keep her alive on Earth, and I have to say that she was a little problematic in the ways she tried to find him. The sweet love story at the heart of this novel kept me going, and near the end, Delphie did start showing a semblance of character growth, but it was not a romance that filled me with any ooey-gooey, lovey-dovey feelings.
What are you reading?
We Solve Murders was such a meh for me. How disappointing, after loving the Thursday Murder Club so much! I may give the second in the series a try, just to see if Osman warms to his characters a bit… but it will feel like an effort to do so.
I adored We Solve Murders– I guess I am an Osman Stan, which is weird for me because I usually do not read dudes.
Um…I didn’t even know he had a different series. My head has clearly been buried in the sand.
I loved the Thursday Murder Club series but was starting to get a little burned out by it? I think the second and third books were my fav. Between you and Suzanne’s rating…maybe I’ll just go ahead and skip this offering.
Nice reviews! I just started In the Time of Five Pumpkins by Alexander McCall Smith. I love his No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series – but I have to admit that this one isn’t holding my interest, and I feel like I’ve heard it all before. This is the 26th book in the series, so maybe it has run its course.
I am reading The Bright Years, and it’s fine, but it’s not super compelling. But I have SO MANY books that all just came in at once from the library. I think I have eight or nine. Eeep.
I love to read, but feel like October was a very meh reading month overall. I think I”ll add Headliners to my TBR to try and break the slump!
I haven’t read any of Osman’s books! I need to check out his first series. I’m currently reading ‘Dream State’. It’s quite good but literary and character driven. It’s kind of a long saga about a friendship between 2 people with some climate fiction mixed in.
The murder club series pops up over and over again but I have never read a book by this author. I don’t know if I will.
I am happy to see you had one 5 star read. Those are rare.
I am currently reading The Last of the Moon Girls by Baraba Davis which I like so far and a non-fiction book of the arctic which wasn’t translated to English which is also interesting but I dont like it as much as the person who recommend it to me. Do I feel guilty?
Ugh, I think that last book would drive me crazy! And, I haven’t read anything by Osman- I did hear he had a new series but is going to come back to the Thursday Murder Club as well. Would it be bad if I started with the second one???
The books that I’m reading right now are actually going to be the same as they were when you wrote the blog post “What I’m Reading (10.22.25)” on Oct 22, Stephany.
I actually appreciate that you’re giving your ratings of each book from your perspective in your blog posts regardless of what each book’s average rating on Goodreads is.
When I saw Love of my Afterlife was in this review I immediately scrolled down to see if you also didn’t like it, since you commented on my blog review of it that a friend recommended it to you. Your review said it much better than mine! LOL.
I am reading Landings in America and listening to Finlay Donvan is Killing It.