REVIEW: Real Americans by Rachel Khong

OUR REVIEW:

So, I was intrigued by the synopsis and the first pages, and then within chapters, I felt a little less enchanted. Lily's story felt a little disconnected and I don't know if I ever fully understood her. I powered through, though, and decided to give Nick's story a chance. I told myself if I didn't connect within his first few chapters, I'd throw in the towel. That didn't happen. I found Nick's story so compelling and frustrating and I couldn't put it down. In retrospect, knowing a little of Lily and Matthew's story (Nick's parents), helped me understand Nick better, but I just didn't love that part of the story. 

Should I backtrack for a minute? Probably. 

This novel is told in three generational perspectives. We start with Lily. We learn that she is a poor, seemingly purposeless, intern, living in NYC in 1999. She meets Matthew at a work party and she falls for him, while never feeling like she's good enough for him. They're together for a while, then she ghosts him, only to reunite with him later. They end up married and having Nick. I'm glossing over quite a bit, but essentially, what I got from her part was her fraught history with her mom, her distress at being poor and a bit at a loss for who she was or what she should be doing, until she met Matthew. Even after meeting him, there was a sense of her being not really sure of her place in the world. Things happen and her part ends mysteriously and we jump into Nick's story when he's in high school. 

I think what was so compelling about Nick's story was how easy it was to connect to him; you understood his angst and its source. And while he, too, was a little lost at times, he seemed to be more decisive and eager to figure things out. He, as they all were, was definitely flawed and frustrating, but it was easier to follow his narrative. 

The last part of this novel was reserved for Lily's mom, Mei (May). Her story was also quick and easy to read, Threaded with persistence and a desire for something better, she constantly suppressed her deepest wants for a shot at a future that wouldn't look anything her past. Her story is filled with things you'd never want to live through, and is really just sad, which doesn't excuse what she did to Lily and Nick, but it made a lot more sense, when you found out her backstory. The very end of her part brings us to the present and we see that her life isn't sunshine and daisies, but she gets one last chance to right some wrongs and tell her story. 

So while it didn't start out as promising as I wanted it to be, it ended so much stronger than I thought it would. It definitely left me with things to consider and that's something I always appreciate. A very solid 3.5 read for me. 

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SYNOPSIS:

From the award-winning author of Goodbye, Vitamin: How far would you go to shape your own destiny? An exhilarating novel of American identity that spans three generations in one family, and asks: What makes us who we are? And how inevitable are our futures?

Real Americans begins on the precipice of Y2K in New York City, when twenty-two-year-old Lily Chen, an unpaid intern at a slick media company, meets Matthew. Matthew is everything Lily is not: easygoing and effortlessly attractive, a native East Coaster and, most notably, heir to a vast pharmaceutical empire. Lily couldn't be more different: flat-broke, raised in Tampa, the only child of scientists who fled Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Despite all this, Lily and Matthew fall in love.

In 2021, fifteen-year-old Nick Chen has never felt like he belonged on the isolated Washington island where he lives with his single mother, Lily. He can't shake the sense she's hiding something. When Nick sets out to find his biological father, the journey threatens to raise more questions than answers.

In immersive, moving prose, Rachel Khong weaves a profound tale of class and striving, race and visibility, and family and inheritance—a story of trust, forgiveness, and finally coming home.

Exuberant and explosive, Real Americans is a social novel par excellence that asks: Are we destined, or made, and if so, who gets to do the making? Can our genetic past be overcome?
 

REVIEW: Home Game by Ginger Scott

OUR REVIEW:

It's been toooo long since we've been in the Reed and Nolan universe, so you can imagine our delight when we saw that Ginger was revisiting them, with the added extra fun of the story being focused on their daughter, Peyton, as she meets and falls for Wyatt, the quarterback for the new, rival high school in town. 

I was so excited when this was announced!! I love not only that we are back in the OG Ginger era, but that Reed is a hometown Coach now, and his daughter is giving him a run for his money by finding her own path. I love Ginger Scott's ability to write the best coming of age story, not only for the romance, but also for the extra character development that she writes so well and gives us a fantastic story to sink into. I love this world so much! 

Home Game had all the things you love about a Ginger Scott novel about young love: drama, tension, laughter, and of course, love. In the case of Peyton and Wyatt, there was the obvious source of tension (him playing for the rival team), but throw in a bunch of bruised egos, amped up by teenage testosterone, and a dad (Reed) who is suspicious of Wyatt, and their path wasn't easy. Naturally, that didn't deter them and despite the forces working against them, they figured it all out. I loved that Nolan seemed to be all for it, from the beginning, as evidenced by the gleam in her eye she always seemed to have when it came to these two. I also loved that Reed was initially such a hard ass, which cracked me up, honestly, when I think back to his story. 

Exactly! I wasn't sure exactly what we were in for! Fall football drama is always a fun time, but split up a team in a town that eats, sleeps and breathes football and we were in for it! How they meet, and who they are was so fun. There was some things with the team and how well Ginger writes sports that had me enthralled and it was on. Daddy's little girl is growing up, and yes, it is exactly as fun as we thought when we remember the Waiting Series and how much Reed has grown as as a character then but still makes us know that Peyton is her father's daughter for sure! 

Home Game was just the read I needed--a little sweet, a little spicy, a little nostalgic all wrapped up in the perfect package of Peyton and Wyatt. I am that girl and would not be myself if I didn't also say I would love more from these characters!!! 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/4eZ87au

SYNOPSIS:

Football has been my life. Not that I ever had a choice in the matter. When your dad is a retired, future Hall-of-Fame quarterback, the gridiron tends to weave its way into your DNA.

I always loved the game, but I could do without the spotlight that comes with being Peyton Johnson, the great Reed Johnson’s daughter. To make matters worse, when my dad retired from the NFL, he decided his second calling was to take over the head coaching gig at my high school, where he has coached my boyfriend for the last three years.

Correction—my ex-boyfriend.

While the fairytale high-school sweetheart story may have worked for my parents, I have other plans. And following a self-absorbed athlete to college is not part of them, no matter how hard my dad tries to push me and my ex together.

Thankfully, a new high school opens and draws a line through the center of our town, sending half of my dad’s players to a new team. And apparently, their new quarterback is breaking all of my dad’s old state records. It’s the ultimate distraction, giving me the chance to land myself a spot on the cheer team at any college that isn’t close to home.

But then I meet him. Wyatt Stone. The guy my dad considers our enemy. The best quarterback I’ve ever seen. A complete jerk who I can’t quit thinking about. And running into. And rooting for.

Now, I’m the one who is distracted. And repeating my parents’ love story doesn’t sound so bad after all.

 

NEW REVIEW: My Darling Jane by Ilsa Madden-Mills

 

OUR REVIEW:

I've had fun reading this series and I was very curious about how she'd write Jasper. He'd always come off as such a player and sometimes a little arrogant or smug and even though that can be fun, I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Turns out Jasper is so much more than I thought he'd be--he's warm and caring and has a lot more depth than I suspected, which makes him a great match for Jane--sister of Emmaline, owner of a matchmaking service, and mother to a precious daughter. It shouldn't work--he comes off as a player and she has zero time for all of that, and yet it totally works. 

It starts off innocuously enough--she needs clients for her service and he does her a solid and agrees to try it out--but after one terrible date...and then several not great ones, they become closer and closer as she tries to get to know him better to find him the perfect girl. Of course neither of them are really interested in him finding someone through the dating service, because what they both want is each other. From late night talks to missions to find his nieces and everything in between, Jasper and Jane find that they truly do like each other and find love in the other. 

Sweet, fun, romance that you'll read in just a few hours and I am eager to see who on this team or in this family goes down next. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/3zcwP78

SYNOPSIS:

On an ordinary day, Jane Darling wouldn’t be caught dead in a sports bar wearing a toga with angel wings. But she’s desperate to launch her matchmaking business to secure her young daughter’s future. Her to attract new clients at any cost.

Her Cupid outfit catches the eye of New York’s beloved star quarterback, Jasper Jannich. She and Jasper have always clashed, but when a pushy admirer goes too far, he steps in as an unexpected knight in shining armor.

He offers a tantalizing to be Cupid’s Arrow’s premier client. Reluctantly, Jane agrees, aware of the business potential despite her reservations about Jasper and his playboy reputation.

As she sets him up on date after date, it grows clear that Jane’s the only woman he wants.

She is his goal, his endgame.

She’s not not interested…but her heart has been burned before. To get anywhere, they’ll need courage and faith, not just sizzling chemistry.

He’s ready to make the pass. Is his darling ready to catch it?

REVIEW: Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey

OUR REVIEW:

In book two of this series, my curiosity was fully piqued, and Sig and Chloe did not disappoint. They were just as fraught with tension as I suspected they would be and while I've been around the romance block a few times, so I didn't quite see the scandal of them being together, I quite enjoyed it nonetheless. I enjoyed learning more about Chloe and how much more depth she had, since she'd seemed a little shallow when we first met her in book 2. I enjoyed learning about Sig and his huge heart and secret insecurities. It was nice to read about genuinely kind characters who cared so much about each other that they'd sacrifice being together to make sure the other one was okay. Sounds convoluted, and completely messed up, but somehow that's what they felt they needed to do, and yet it all ended up being okay. Romance crisis averted. 

I don't know what it is about sports romances that get me every single time, but they do. I guess I love the idea of it--the idea of this big jock falling hard and being helpless to stop it? It just works, or it does in this series, and I seem to be a sucker for it, so sign me up for the next one. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/48vrC83

SYNOPSIS:

A steamy chance encounter between a professional hockey player and the manic pixie dream girl he just can’t seem to forget takes a turn when the pair realize that their parents are engaged—in an all-new rom-com by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.

Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.

Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.

Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston—but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more…

 

NEW REVIEW: Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn

OUR REVIEW:

I have really enjoyed every book in these interconnected stand alone novels featuring the three friends who love each other like sisters. In the other two we got to know a former child/teen star turned homemaker over star, a country music star, and now we get to know Maren-a former YouTuber known for her fishing prowess. Seriously, how unexpected is that? A woman who is known for her superior fishing skills?! Awesome. Love it. And even more than that, I love that her love interest is someone she's known forever, has crushed on forever, and is divorced and available. I even love how she ends up there--not the terrible former boyfriend part, but the part that sends her running home to her favorite place...the place that her dreams were really made of. So we have Maren, this super smart, super pretty, and super wonderful woman and we have Joe--her brother's best friend, divorced father to two awesome kids, and also wonderful human being. What a pair!

I loved their story because it was filled with so much kindness. She needs the kindness of him and his family to help her find her footing after leaving a great job and a less than great boyfriend. He needs her kindness to help him with the chaos of single parent life. They both instinctually know how to help each other and care for each other and love each other. Because they've known each other for so long, they're getting to know each other as adults and while there are definitely obstacles to them reaching their HEA, there are more good moments than bad. (I'll just say, thank god Joe finally said something to her brother because that guy was THE WORST for a good portion of the book). 

Loved the romance and their story, loved the autism representation, loved the cameos by her friends, and really, just loved the whole thing. Sign me up for the next Erin Hahn book, I'm ready!

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/3xrMxe3

SYNOPSIS:

In Erin Hahn's latest cozy, swoony romance, Maren Laughlin has been fishing her whole life, but she’s finally ready to be caught.

At thirty-three, Maren Laughlin's just turned down her boyfriend’s proposal, walked away from her decade-long position as a park ranger, and returned to her childhood playground in Northern Wisconsin to accept her inheritance: a decrepit waterfront bait shop. After a lifetime of letting things happen to her, she’s ready to start making her own moves, even if everyone else thinks she’s making the wrong ones. Well, not everyone—at least the local heartstopper and resort owner is on her side.

Josiah Cole has made some missteps in his life, but he’s proud of what he has: two awesome kids and the keys to the kind of getaway spot that has families coming back every summer– their up north home away from home. After his marriage dissolved, leaving him a single dad, he feels he’s the last person to judge Maren for her recent transformation (even if his best friend, her brother, wants him to feel otherwise). Besides, he genuinely likes having her around. She’s a breath of fresh air, his kids adore her (not to mention her dog, Rogers), and it doesn’t hurt that she’s beautiful.

Things between Maren and Joe are easy. So easy, they’re fully immersed in the middle before they even decide to begin. It’s not a question of should they, but rather can they make it last? Are things too easy, or is this just how real love works? In Erin Hahn’s heartwarmingly sexy Catch and Keep, Maren and Joe have to be brave enough to find out.