REVIEW: Kin by Tayari Jones

OUR REVIEW:

OhmygodIlovethisbook. I read it for my book club and am still thinking about it a month later. I am seriously considering it for one of the independent reading choices for my students next year. It's so good. It's rich and layered and thoughtful and thought-provoking. There are so many things I think anyone reading it could explore and consider and I loved having my book friends discuss with me. I hope everyone who reads it has someone to discuss it with. 

Vernice and Annie are such special characters. The way they grapple with the impacts of being motherless are so very different and yet you can see the overlapping of the pain and hurt and curiosity that guides them both down their very different paths. And even though their paths into adulthood are so very different, the love and respect they always hold for each other are deep and abiding.

I love the so much about this novel-the beautifully crafted characters, the settings and scenes that are truly unforgettable, and the ideas about sisterhood, chosen families, and love. I cannot recommend this novel enough. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/4v9ZMc3

SYNOPSIS:

Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood, but are fated to live starkly different lives. Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Atlanta at eighteen for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and marries into an affluent family. Annie, abandoned by her dissolute mother as a child, and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as well as love and adventure, and culminate in a battle for her life.

A novel about mothers and daughters, about friendship and sisterhood, and the complexities of being a woman in the American South, Kin is an exuberant, emotionally rich, unforgettable work from one of the brightest and most irresistible voices in contemporary fiction.

 

REVIEW: Hart's Landing by Melanie Harlow

OUR REVIEW:

It's been a minutes since I've read anything by Melanie Harlow, so I was looking forward to trying this new series because her novels are usually a delight. Harts Landing managed to address some heavier issues dealing with narcissism and the harm it can do while feeling like a lighter read. Mila and Everett are cute and undeniably going to end up together, despite Mila's hesitancy. 

This novel read like the first one in a series: it introduces us to the town, many of the characters, and some of the conflicts we'll run into in future books.

I'm looking forward to what comes next. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/4vNR7Mn

SYNOPSIS:

Four friends made a promise to live one night like it was their last.

That night changed everything.

Ten years ago, Mila Ferguson left behind a devastating fire, a stolen kiss, and a shattered circle of friends in her hometown of Hart’s Landing. But when a crisis brings her back, Mila just wants to get in and get out, unscathed by her mother’s constant criticism and unseen by her former crush, Everett McKean.

Only … Everett is everywhere. The town’s attractive, beloved mayor has resisted settling down, but he’s never stopped wondering about Mila. Having her back in Hart’s Landing is the second chance he didn’t know he was waiting for—and he’s not about to waste it.

As Mila slowly opens her heart to Everett and begins to rebuild her fractured friendships, she wonders if coming home was exactly what she needed. But old wounds threaten to open again when questions emerge about what really happened the night Mila left. Who’s really responsible for the fire that destroyed the bakery? And will knowing the truth free Mila from the past, or ignite a blaze that burns down the future she’s trying to build?

People say you can never truly come home again, but sometimes coming home isn’t about where you’ve been. It’s about who you’re brave enough to become.

Sexy, heartfelt, and steeped in small-town charm, Hart’s Landing is a story of forgiveness, friendship, and finding the family who loves you no matter how far you wander.

 

REVIEW: Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

 

OUR REVIEW:

As per usual, whenever I see a new Carley Fortune at the library, I immediately put myself on the list to check it out. And as usual, I find that her latest novel, Our Perfect Storm, was a pleasure to read. It had all of the things I've come to associate with her novels: two friends who have a long history together, who care deeply about each other, but have not acted upon it (at least in this novel). In this particular novel, there was a chance for this love story to start sooner, but as it happens in many romance novels, there was an epic miscommunication or misunderstanding that led to Frankie and George to keep each other firmly in the friendzone. This, of course, creates a situation where feelings go unrequited and tensions eventually begin to form, which all come to a head after Frankie's fiancée dumps her hours before the wedding. After weeks of depression and moping, Frankie invites George to go on her honeymoon and it's during this time that feelings emerge and these two discover that they were meant to be together all along.

In addition to the back and forth of the present and past, and the intense emotions they delve into, I also enjoyed this novel for the way the setting and food were described. I enjoyed it so much that I found myself wondering if I could one day visit this beautiful place. 

Very sold summer read.

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/3Qod3yp

SYNOPSIS:

Best friends have one week in paradise to fix their friendship or fall apart in this heart-stopping, utterly romantic new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and One Golden Summer.

Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old. Both passionate, impulsive, and headstrong—they’ve always clashed . . . and come back together. Until now. It’s the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend, and she doesn’t know where they stand or even if George will show up as her best man.

Then, at the start of the festivities, in walks George. For one glorious evening, surrounded by her loved ones, Frankie’s life is finally perfect. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancé dumps her the next morning, leaving only a note as an explanation.

Crushed and confused, Frankie returns to her family’s home to wallow. But George has a different idea and a plan for healing Frankie’s broken heart. He wants her to go on her honeymoon. With him. For one week, to the lush rainforests and misty beaches of Tofino.

Frankie agrees, seeing the trip for what it really is: one last chance to repair their friendship. Even if it means unearthing secrets and long buried feelings neither knows how to handle. Even if it means falling apart for good.

REVIEW: Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score

OUR REVIEW:

If you're looking for a light romcom, Mistakes Were Made is a good choice. Zoey is absolutely ridiculous, as are many of the situations she finds herself in. Gage and his family also provide some laugh out loud moments, as do many of the secondary characters in this novel. Be prepared, it's a long one, but many laughable moments and one that you don't have to follow too closely to enjoy. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/4eOaq2Q

SYNOPSIS:

Literary agent Zoey Moody doesn't like small town life, but here she is: exiled from Manhattan's publishing scene and trapped in a tiny Pennsylvania town with her BFF and only remaining client, Hazel. The problem? She's totally broke.

All she needs is for Hazel's next romance novel to become a gigantic hit, and Zoey will be back in New York. Nothing will stand in her way. Nothing except her six-foot-two-inch landlord, Gage Bishop. He's smart, serious, and sexy. Worst of all, he's ready to settle down.

Zoey might be the most beautiful woman Gage has ever met, but it's clear they're all wrong for each other. She's allergic to commitment and can't work a calendar app; he's looking for a wife and has the next five years all planned out. She's afraid of animals. He lives in a literal barn. But when Gage's world is rocked by a devastating family secret, he turns to Zoey for one night to forget everything. That one night just might change everything…or ruin it.
 

REVIEW: Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

OUR REVIEW:

As with everything I read by Sierra Simone, I did not want Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl to end. It was so good. I loved everything about Bram and Maddie, even when they made me a little nuts. Both characters were smart and funny and thoughtful and even when they weren't wonderful, I adored them. The secondary characters and setting were equally delightful and I absolutely cannot wait to read the next books in this series. From the cleverly drawn characters, the chemistry between them, and the connections to a previous series, this is a solid 5 start read. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/4dfW9Ld

SYNOPSIS:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone comes a brand-new college town raunch-com about a sexy single dad professor and a feisty law school grad turned nanny in this steamy tale of Academic Affairs…

She wants to be a good girl. He’s dying to teach her.

New to town and freshly single, rookie lecturer Maddie isn’t looking for trouble … until she ends up in bed with Bram – a sexy, grumpy single dad – on her first night.

The catch? He’s her new boss at home (he needs a nanny), and her colleague at work (he's a professor, too). So to make it work, they set some ground

- No more sex

- They can never be alone in the house together

But Maddie’s great at breaking these rules, and Bram’s even better at dishing out consequences…