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?