Reviews: BEGIN AGAIN & DO I KNOW YOU?

 

It’s another new week so it’s time for a fresh set of reviews for upcoming fiction releases.  Today I’m sharing my thoughts on two romance novels that will be hitting the shelves tomorrow, Begin Again from one of my favorite YA authors Emma Lord, and Do I Know You? from the wonderful writing duo, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka.  Let me know in the comments if these sound like books you’ll be interested in reading. 🙂

 

Reviews: BEGIN AGAIN & DO I KNOW YOU?Begin Again Goodreads

Author: Emma Lord

Publication Date: January 24, 2023

Publisher:  Wednesday Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

I was a little nervous going into Begin Again by Emma Lord just because I haven’t had much luck with YA novels lately.  I should have known better though because Emma Lord has always delivered wonderful reads for me and Begin Again was no exception.

First of all, it’s set on a college campus, which has become one of my favorite YA settings.  I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia factor since I loved college so much or if it’s just that there aren’t that many YA books set on college campuses, but whatever the reason, the college setting put a smile on my face from the first page.  Second, I also liked that the protagonist was coming in off cycle as a second semester Freshman transfer student, also something I don’t often see in YA novels and a scenario that presents its own unique set of challenges for the protagonist.

Speaking of the protagonist, I found Andie to be a likeable character with a very relatable journey. She has finally arrived at the college of her dreams, after failing to get in the first time she applied, and immediately goes searching for her boyfriend who also goes there.  She’s hoping to surprise him because she didn’t tell him she had applied as a transfer student.  Andie’s the one who ends up surprised though because guess what? Her boyfriend wanted to surprise her too and has transferred to the community college Andie had been attending.

The rest of the story focuses on Andie figuring out who she is and what her place is without having her identity and all of her choices intertwined with her boyfriend’s.  I loved this journey for her and that she met so many wonderful friends along the way.  Her new roommate, Shay; her R.A and maybe crush, Milo; and her stats tutor, Valeria; become the found family Andie didn’t even know she needed and they help her navigate so many of the challenges she faces as a new college student.  I loved how they supported her and also got her out there having fun and truly embracing the college experience.

In addition to the coming of age/finding your path aspect of the story, there’s also a very moving subplot involving Andie’s connection to the college through her parents who both went there.  Andie’s mom died several years ago and she’s still processing that grief, as well as dealing with an estranged father who basically ran away after Andie’s mom died, leaving her to live with her grandmothers.  Attending this college allows Andie the opportunity to form an even deeper connection with her parents as she joins a secret society her mom and dad founded back when they were students.  It also opens the door to help heal the rift between Andie and her dad and there are some very moving scenes between those two that choked me up a bit.

With its college setting, found family, empowering coming of age journey for the protagonist, and a slow burn super cute friends to lovers romance, Begin Again has all of the ingredients for a delightful read that will leave you with a smile on your face.  4 STARS

 

Reviews: BEGIN AGAIN & DO I KNOW YOU?Do I Know You? Goodreads

Author: Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Publication Date: January 24, 2023

Publisher:  Berkley Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka have another winner on their hands with their latest novel, Do I Know You?  I always enjoy a good second chance romance, but I especially enjoyed this one because it features a couple who have become estranged but who are hoping to find their way back to each other.  I really enjoyed this fresh take on what sometimes happens after the happily ever after.

The story follows Eliza and Graham, who are on their way to spend a weeklong vacation at a romantic resort in Northern California.  A relative has treated them to this trip to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.  They feel obligated to go, but it’s obvious from the first chapter that neither of them is really excited about the trip.  They’re stiff and awkward and can barely make even the most basic small talk with one another.  There’s no hostility, but it’s clear that something is just off between them. They’re both secretly hoping that this trip will help reignite the spark between them, but neither knows where to even begin.  When a mix-up at the hotel leaves them staying in two separate rooms, they decide to embrace this as an opportunity for a second chance.  They begin a flirtatious game of role play where they pretend to be strangers meeting again for the first time.  At first, there’s skepticism but then both Graham and Eliza realize how freeing something about their newfound situation is and so they go for it.

As a married woman whose relationship has definitely had many ups and downs over the years, I related to Graham and Eliza’s situation so much.  I also especially loved that the story was presented from both of their perspectives so that even though they were struggling to communicate with one another, we get that inside look at what they’re each thinking and feeling, and what they wish they could say to one another.  It was equal parts heartening and frustrating because those inner thoughts reveal not only how madly in love with one another they really are, but also how tightly they have each bottled up their emotions.  Part of me wanted to yell at them to just have a big fight already and get all of those emotions out on the table.

I really enjoyed both characters though.  Eliza is a voice actress who narrates audio books so she really goes all out when she and Graham decide to engage in this flirty role play adventure.  I really enjoyed some of the schemes she comes up with along the way to win back the Graham she originally fell in love with.  I loved Graham too.  He’s a handsome successful guy who has somehow developed a major case of low self-esteem and feels completely unworthy of Eliza and her love.  His inner thoughts, especially early on in the book, really broke my heart, and I just wanted to give him a big hug so many times along the way.

While Do I Know You? definitely has a healthy dose of angst and raw emotion because it centers on a marriage in crisis, there’s also a nice balance of fun and flirty moments as Eliza and Graham begin dating anew and take part in some of the resort’s romantic activities.  They also meet some new friends while there that also adds to the entertainment factor.

Filled with smart, sexy dialogue, complex well drawn characters, and a very relatable and realistic relationship in crisis scenario, Do I Know You? has a little something for every romance fan.  4 STARS

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Family Game & The Girlfriend

 

Happy New Year!  Welcome to Sharon’s first 2023 Thriller Thursday post.  I hope 2023 brings you all some fabulous reads.  I read some great books in 2022 (thriller and non-thriller) and from the looks of new releases, 2023 is going to be another banner year.  Today I am sharing my thoughts a couple of books that I finished off last year with. Catherine Steadman’s The Family Game and K.L. Slater’s The Girlfriend.

 

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Family Game & The GirlfriendThe Family Game Goodreads

Author: Catherine Steadman

Publication Date: October 18, 2022

Publisher: Ballantine Books

The Family Game is my first read by Catherine Steadman, but it certainly won’t be my last. I originally borrowed this from the library, but this book was so good that I bought a copy to have in my collection.

The story follows Harriet (Harry) Reed, a best-selling mystery writer, who is in a deadly cat and mouse game with her fiancé, Edward Holbeck’s family. The Holbecks are a very wealthy and powerful family, but Edward has distanced himself from them and forged his own path in life. Even though Edward has cut off most ties to his family, they still want him back because as the eldest son, he is set to inherit the family fortune. Harry meets Edward’s family on the night of Thanksgiving, and she is very nervous about meeting Edward’s father Robert and making a good impression. Robert pulls Harry aside to have a chat with her and all seemed to go well, but before they parted, Robert gave Harry a cassette tape with a shocking confession on it. Why would Robert give Harry a tape that could ruin their family?  As Harry works to uncover the truth behind the confession, she learns things of the family she is about to be married into and what she learns could cost her her life.

The Holbecks have one twisted and dark sense of humor and they love to play games. Not your normal everyday run of the mill board games either. Monopoly, Scrabble, and card games, are not for this family, oh no. They celebrate Krampusnacht and they go full out. Harry participated and was paired up with one of Edward’s small nephews, Billy. Harry did not know what Krampusnacht entailed until the game started and Billy explained it to her. So needless to say, she was shocked that the adults would put the children through this. I was not familiar with Krampusnacht myself until I googled it and I am not sure if all families go to the lengths the Holbecks did, but I was right there with Harry in my thinking on what a twisted family this was.

On Christmas the adults take part in a scavenger hunt. Now that may seem all nice and fun, but nope, not with this family. Everyone in this family has secrets they want to keep hidden, Harry included, so the winner of the game gets to keep their secret and they also learn everyone else’s as well. It is as she is playing this game that Harry pieces together all she has learned from the tape Robert gave her and she knows which member of the family is willing to kill to keep their secret hidden.

I know I was vague on what happens in this book, but I didn’t want to spoil anything. The Family Game has so many twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. If you like twisty cat and mouse thrillers, then you definitely need to check this one out. I don’t think you will be disappointed.  4 ½ stars

 

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Family Game & The GirlfriendThe Girlfriend: An utterly unputdownable psychological thriller with a breathtaking twist Goodreads

Author: K.L. Slater

Publication Date: October 24, 2022

Publisher: Bookouture

K.L. Slater’s newest book The Girlfriend is a fast-paced psychological thriller that is full of family drama and suspense.

Jennifer Finchman thought when her husband Cole died suddenly in a car accident that her world had hit rock bottom, but she was so wrong. A few days after Cole died, a woman named Sarah shows up on Jennifer’s doorstep claiming to be Cole’s girlfriend and that the baby in her arms is his son. And that should have been when Jennifer hit rock bottom, but nope there is still more to come. Sarah informs Jennifer that Cole borrowed money from her and everything Jennifer thinks is hers (the house, the cars, the money in the bank) is actually Sarah’s. Now Jennifer’s world has hit rock bottom.  Sarah suggests that they share the home and since Jennifer does not want to be homeless with her own two children, she agrees. When the police determine that Cole was actually murdered and Jennifer starts to learn more about Sarah, she soon realizes that she and her children are living under the roof with an unstable and dangerous woman.

The book is told mostly from Jennifer’s POV, but we also get some chapters from Sarah’s POV, as well as chapters from when she and Cole started their relationship. Right from the start, I didn’t trust Sarah and wanted to know what her end game was. The more I learned of Sarah, the crazier I thought she was and feared for Jennifer and the kid’s safety. Jennifer came across as naïve at first and some of her decisions made me want to scream, but as the book progressed her momma bear persona came through and she would do whatever she had to do to keep her children safe.

I loved all the twists and turns the book took as Jennifer started digging into Sarah’s past and the police worked their investigation into Cole’s death. I was all over the place on where I thought things were going and I am happy to say that Slater kept me guessing until the very end. Then just when all was revealed there was another major twist that had my jaw drop. I also found myself having sympathy for Sarah at the end. Well done K.L. Slater, well done.

The Girlfriend is full of tension and suspense, with well developed characters that had me engrossed from beginning to end.  4 stars

Reviews: EXES & O’s and THE BACKUP PLAN

 

Hey everyone!  Today I’m back to share reviews from two authors who were new-to-me in 2022, Amy Lea and Jill Shalvis.  I enjoyed my first time reading them so much that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on their newest releases.  I’m thrilled to report that I’m still just as enamored with their writing as I was last year.

 

Reviews:  EXES & O’s and THE BACKUP PLANExes and O's (The Influencer, #2) Goodreads

Author: Amy Lea

Publication Date: January 10, 2023

Publisher:  Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

Exes & O’s is the second book in Amy Lea’s The Influencer series. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, which featured a fitness influencer, but as soon as I saw the Exes & O’s features a romance book reviewer as its protagonist, I knew I was going to love it!

Tara Chen is all about romance. She loves to read romance novels, and she has her own Bookstagram account where she reviews books and goes live to talk about her favorite romance tropes.  Tara is practically a living, breathing heart eye emoji, but although she loves everything about love and romance, has had little to no luck in her own personal life.  She has had her heart broken ten times and each time, she was the one getting dumped, and was often told it was because she was too clingy.

Even with all her bad luck in the romance department, Tara remains convinced her one true love is out there. She just has to find him.  Tara is a bit gun shy about putting herself out there with total strangers, however, and decides a second chance romance with one of her exes is the way to go.  She begins to seek out each of her exes, documenting her progress on her Bookstagram account.  As she embarks on this new adventure, Tara is also in the process of moving in with a new roommate, thanks to her last breakup leaving her homeless.  Unlike Tara, her new roommate Trevor, a sexy firefighter from Boston, has no interest in love and romance.  Even with his dislike of romance, Trevor can’t resist Tara’s charms and soon finds himself enlisted to help Tara find her second chance romance.

Oh my goodness, guys, this story was freaking adorable!  I truly adored Tara.  She wears her heart on her sleeve and is just so precious.  I loved both her passion for romance and her passion for all things junk food, both of which led to some pretty hilarious moments between herself and Trevor.  My heart also broke for her because she was so unlucky in love and almost all of her exes sounded like complete jerks.  I practically screamed at the book when she announced her plan to try to reconnect with one of them because OMG, they already broke her heart once. Why would she let them get close enough to do it again?

As much as I adored Tara, I think I loved Trevor even more.  He may be the grump to Tara’s sunshine, but it becomes pretty obvious within a few days of them living together that he is actually a cinnamon roll who would do absolutely anything to put a smile on Tara’s face.  The two of them were just so cute together and their scenes were filled with fun and sexy banter.  I was rooting for Tara to ditch her exes plan and jump Trevor’s bones from almost the beginning and so were Tara’s Bookstagram followers when he accidentally appears in one of her livestreams, haha!

The journey to Tara’s true love is definitely a slow burn one, but the pay off is worth the wait and the ending was so sweet, it had me crying happy tears.  Exes & O’s was the perfect sweet and swoony rom-com to kick off my 2023 reading year with, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the friends to lovers and grumpy/sunshine romances.  4.5 STARS

 

Reviews:  EXES & O’s and THE BACKUP PLANThe Backup Plan (Sunrise Cove, #3) Goodreads

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publication Date: January 17, 2023

Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

The Backup Plan is the third book in Jill Shalvis’ Sunrise Cove series, and as much as I enjoyed the first two books, I think this one is my favorite. It’s a heartwarming story about love and loss, family and friendships, and above all, about forgiveness and second chances.

The story follows Alice, Lauren, and Knox, who all grew up around the same time in Sunrise Cove.  Alice and Lauren were best friends who became estranged after Will, Alice’s brother and Lauren’s then boyfriend, was killed in a car accident.  While Lauren stayed in Sunrise Cove, Alice left, vowing to never return.   Knox, while not involved in any of the drama surrounding Alice and Lauren, has emotional baggage of his own related to Sunrise Cove and he, like Alice, left with no plans to return. Knox also happens to be the guy Alice had a not-so-secret crush on when she was a teenager.  It has been years since they have all seen each other but when the three of them co-inherit an inn, courtesy of a woman named Eleanor, an awkward reunion is thrust upon them and they each must face ghosts from their past as they come together to renovate and reopen the inn.

Everything about this story captivated me, especially the emotional and awkward moments between Lauren and Alice. The tension between the two of them is palpable throughout the story, as each of them remembers how they used to be as close as sisters, and because they know they’re going to have to eventually confront each other and talk about what happened to drive them apart.  Knox is often caught in the middle, doing what he can to try to diffuse the tension between the two women.  He also has awkward feelings of his own that he’s dealing with, however, namely that he very much reciprocates the crush Alice had on him back in the day.  Now is not the time for romance though…or is it?

As much as I loved getting to know Alice, Lauren, and Knox firsthand, I also loved getting to see them through the eyes of Eleanor.  We never actually meet Eleanor, as she is already deceased when the story opens, but she is truly the driving force behind the story. Eleanor was a childless woman who was practically a second mother to both Alice and Knox, while Lauren was the grand niece she loved but never got to know because Lauren’s father cut Eleanor out of their lives.  Through a series of email drafts she has left behind on an iPad, Eleanor slowly reveals to Alice, Lauren, and Knox why she left each of them a portion of the inn, why they were so important to her, and why she thought they needed each other.

It’s not all heavy emotion and drama though. The story also has some downright hilarious moments as Alice, Lauren, and Knox work to get the inn into shape in time for a grand reopening Eleanor had set into motion before her death.  I lost track of how many times I laughed out loud at the three of them and their antics.

If you’re looking for an engrossing story filled with both heart and humor, you’re going to want to add The Backup Plan to your TBR. 4 STARS

Reviews: ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS & THE VILLA

 

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope that 2023 will be a wonderful year for all of us.  I wasn’t originally planning on taking a week off from blogging but at the last minute, decided to take the last week of the year to just fully relax and recharge.  I did get lots of reading done during that week though and today I’m back to review two very entertaining books I ended the year with.

 

Reviews:  ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS & THE VILLAAll the Dangerous Things Goodreads

Author: Stacy Willingham

Publication Date: January 10, 2023

Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

Wow, what a book!  Stacy Willingham took the thriller world by storm with her debut novel A Flicker in the Dark and she has really outdone herself with her latest book, All the Dangerous Things.  As a mother, this new book is my worst nightmare, but as a reader, this is exactly the kind of thriller that grabs my attention and doesn’t let go.

The story follows Isabelle Drake, a woman who has barely slept a wink for the past year, not since the night her young son was stolen from his bed in the middle of the night without a trace.  The police have turned up no leads or meaningful clues and are pretty much at a dead end with their investigation.  While everyone else, including Isabelle’s husband, assumes the boy is dead and tries to move on, Isabelle refuses to give in to that way of thinking.  Desperate to find out what has happened to her son and to bring him home, she becomes fixated on doing whatever she can to find the truth, even if it costs her everything.

When a true crime podcaster who has had some success with cold cases approaches her about telling her story, Isabelle agrees to work with him.  The two of them work closely together at first, but when Isabelle realizes the podcaster is looking into some deeply troubling events from her past, she starts to doubt that his motives are as he presented them to her.  He is specifically focusing his attention on the fact that, as a child, Isabelle was a sleepwalker and often did things she later had no memory of.  Isabelle’s past had already been on her mind before the podcaster started digging and now that he has brought it to the surface, not only does she now distrust him, but she also starts to distrust everyone else she knows, including herself.

I really enjoyed this story because it kept me guessing every step of the way and because every time I thought I had a main suspect in mind, the story took a completely unexpected turn that made me have to reevaluate and find another suspect.  I swear, by the end, just about every character had been on my suspect list and I was still wrong about who the perpetrator was, haha.  I just love stories that do that, and I also loved how complex the main character, Isabelle, is.  While she’s clearly flawed and a bit messy, going rogue with her investigation whenever it suits her, I just loved how realistic she was.  Her exhaustion, and her desperation and longing for her child was palpable, and as a mom, I could easily relate to all the lengths she went to in order to try to find the truth.  I especially admired her commitment to finding the truth even if it led her somewhere she really didn’t want to go.  The writing is also fantastic – sharp, smart, and very atmospheric, making me feel like I was fully immersed in the story and in the marshy, southern setting.

If you’re looking for a twisty thriller that will keep you on your toes and guessing until the very end, you’ll want to kick off your 2023 reading with All the Dangerous Things4.5 STARS

 

Reviews:  ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS & THE VILLAThe Villa Goodreads

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: January 3, 2023

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

I was a big fan of Rachel Hawkins’ last two novels, The Wife Upstairs, and Reckless Girls, both of which were wild and twisty rides, so I was eager to get my hands on a copy of her latest thriller, The Villa.  The promise of another read that would keep me on the edge of my seat, coupled with the Gothic vibe of its Italian villa setting, was just irresistible to me.

The story is told through dual timelines, one set in the present and one set in the 1970s. In the present day timeline, we follow Emily and Chess, two writers who also happen to be lifelong friends who have drifted apart in recent years.  They decide to spend the summer in Italy as a way to reconnect and to both get in some quality writing time on their books.  When Emily does some research about the villa they’ll be staying at, she learns a murder was committed in the house back in the 70’s when a rockstar and his friends were staying there.  Emily becomes fixated on learning more about what happened there in the 70’s, and so part of the present timeline follows her on her hunt for information.  The second timeline focuses on Mari, a young woman, who also happens to be a writer, who was staying at the villa at the time of the murder and who witnessed the events that led up to it and incorporated some of what she witnessed into what went on to become a best selling novel.

The 1970s timeline was, by far, my favorite.  The relationships between the rockstar and all his guests were so intriguing and so complicated that it was just fascinating to watch them interact, especially since you could tell trouble was brewing between them. Jealousy was often the driving force between their interactions and the vibe that surrounded them was often foreboding.  Mari often tried to remove herself from the drama by focusing on the book she was writing, but as tensions escalated, more and more of what she witnessed found its way into her book.

I wasn’t quite as big of a fan of the present day timeline, mainly because I couldn’t stand Chess.  She just came across as fake and shady, and I didn’t trust her at all.  I did like Emily though and so was rooting for her because she has been struggling with her writing and dealing with an obnoxious soon to be ex-husband who seems to think he’s entitled to a huge chunk of the profits from her books.  Emily writes a cozy mystery series but has writer’s block because the love interest in her series was modeled on her ex-husband. Now that they’re on the outs, she can’t bear to write about his character anymore. When she finds a copy of Mari’s famous novel on a bookcase at the villa, she devours it in a sitting and then pairs it up with what she knows about the murder. What she sees inspires her to write a book that is entirely different from anything she has ever written before.  I was cheering her on every step of the way, not just because I wanted to learn every little detail about what happened that fateful night in the 70s but also just because I wanted a win for Emily because she deserves one after all her ex puts her through.

The Villa is definitely what I would call a slow-burn thriller, but if you’re patient as you follow those two timelines slowly merging and putting the pieces of the murderous puzzle together, the payoff is well worth it.  3.5 STARS

Reviews: WELL TRAVELED & HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND UNFAIRLY CUTE

 

I don’t know how much folks will be around this week so I just wanted to take a quick moment now to wish everyone Happy Holidays! I don’t know how much I’ll be around either, but today I’m back to share reviews for my last ARC of 2022 and my first ARC of 2023.  One is the fourth installment of a series I love, while the other is the YA debut from an authors whose adult romances I adore.

 

Reviews: WELL TRAVELED & HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND UNFAIRLY CUTEWell Traveled (Well Met, #4) Goodreads

Author: Jen DeLuca

Publication Date: December 6, 2022

Publisher:  Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

Well Traveled is the newest book in Jen Deluca’s Well Met series and in this latest installment, we meet Louisa Malone (Lulu to her friends and family), a successful attorney who, when we first meet her, is traveling for work, going the extra mile because she’s hoping to make Partner soon. When Lulu comes across a Ren Faire during her travels, she decides to attend during her downtime, having many fond memories of Ren Faires thanks to her cousin, Mitch, who fans of the series will surely remember from the earlier books. What Lulu doesn’t realize is that her little side trip to the Faire is about to change her life in every way.

While at the Faire, Lulu can’t even enjoy herself because everyone at work keeps calling her and making unreasonable demands.  It suddenly hits her that 1) she’s never going to be made Partner, and 2) she really hates her job, and so Lulu quits her job on the spot, flinging her cell phone into a nearby laundry tub. After an initial freak out, Lulu befriends Stacey, a Ren Faire employee who happens to know Mitch.  Stacey puts Lulu in touch with Mitch, who helps her come up with a game plan.  Lulu is going to go off grid for a while, traveling to various Ren Faires with Stacey and the band she works with. This will give her much needed time to relax and regroup, and then once she’s ready, time to come up with a new gameplan for her future.

I really adored Lulu. Her frustration at being completely taken advantage of at her job was so relatable and I found myself cheering her on every step of the way as she moved forward to redefine herself.  I admired her determination and her resilience and was actually a bit envious as she traveled from Faire to Faire. She really embraced her newfound situation, found ways to earn her keep, and become an important part of the Faire.  As always, the Faire employees are such gems, becoming the found family that Lulu needed to pick her up when she was down.  I especially enjoyed her friendship with Stacey, who was just so supportive and welcoming every step of the way.

The story isn’t just about Lulu though.  Dex is a sexy, kilt-wearing guitar player in the band Stacey travels with.  Dex has a bit of a bad boy, playboy reputation; his bandmates and other Faire employees like to tease that he jumps from one girl’s bed to the next.  Even though she is warned by several that Dex is bad news, Lulu finds herself drawn to him anyway and thanks to being forced to share a motorhome with him, Lulu gradually gets to know the real Dex, who is a total sweetheart that bears little resemblance to the reputation he has been saddled with.  While the banter between Lulu and Dex is often fun and flirty, and their chemistry is obvious, it was those heart-to-heart chats between them that really tugged at my heartstrings.  It turns out that Lulu isn’t the only one who is trying to carve a new path forward and I found myself fully invested in both of their journeys.

As I’m sure you’ve gathered by now, I thought Well Traveled was a charming and delightful tale.  I’m still thoroughly enamored by this Ren Faire romance series four books in and hope that there will be more books to come.  4 STARS

 

Reviews: WELL TRAVELED & HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND UNFAIRLY CUTEHighly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute Goodreads

Author: Talia Hibbert

Publication Date: January 3, 2023

Publisher: Random House Children’s, Joy Revolution

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

I’m a huge fan of Talia Hibbert’s adult romance series, The Brown Sisters, so when I heard she was writing her YA debut, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, I knew I had to read it.  I’ll admit I was a little nervous going in, just because I haven’t had great luck with YA books this year, but I’m happy to report that I needn’t have worried.  Talia Hibbert, as always, has delivered in every way. Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a funny, heartfelt and charming story that I devoured in less than a day.

Hibbert excels at creating complex, multilayered characters that will capture your heart, and Bradley and Celine in this book are no exception.  I adored them both from the moment we meet them.  Celine is smart, sassy, and academically driven.  She also loves a good conspiracy theory and has garnered herself over 30,000 followers on her popular conspiracy theory Tik Tok account.  Unfortunately, her internet popularity hasn’t translated to real world popularity. Celine has a few close friends, but that’s it.

Bradley is also smart and academically driven, but where Celine is sharp and sassy, Bradley is more of a soft cinnamon roll.  He has also been diagnosed as having OCD and works hard to keep that from holding him back.  Bradley also has a big secret.  Even though he says he’s going to study law in college, what he really wants to do is become an author.  He has a real passion for writing and has a secret stash of novels he has started writing but is struggling to finish.

I adored both Celine and Bradley separately and became fascinated with their story as soon as we first encounter them in a high school philosophy class and it becomes clear that they really do not get along, at all.  They both act like it’s physically painful to have to sit next to each other and that it’s actual torture when they are forced to partner for an assignment.  They are clearly academic rivals, but the tension between them clearly runs deeper than just academics and I was dying to know what had created such a sense of mutual loathing between them.

I have to admit that my heart broke for both Celine and Bradley when it’s revealed that they actually used to be childhood best friends before their big falling out.  I’m a sucker for a good enemies to lovers story though and Hibbert doesn’t disappoint here either. She throws in a fantastic academic competition that neither Celine nor Bradley can resist even though it forces them to work as a team.  I loved every aspect of the competition, especially how it forces both Celine and Bradley to not only confront their past issues with one another but it also forces them to reexamine their goals for the future and whether or not they are pursing them for the right reasons.  The competition also features a hilarious and adorably brainy group of friends that I couldn’t get enough of.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is a delightful read that has a little something for everyone.  It’s both a fun enemies to lovers romance and a heartfelt coming of age story that touches on the importance of following your own dreams rather than someone else’s.  If you enjoy hilarious sarcastic banter, sassy heroines, and cinnamon roll heroes, you’ll want to check this one out!  4.5 STARS

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Inmate & Secrets Between Friends

 

Happy Thriller Thursday! Sharon here, and this week I am happy to share my thoughts on Freida McFadden’s new book, The Inmate and Tracy Buchanan’s new book, Secrets Between Friends. I really enjoy both of these authors and I am happy to report their new books did not disappoint.

 

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Inmate & Secrets Between FriendsThe Inmate Goodreads

Author: Freida McFadden

Publication Date: June 13, 2022

Publisher: Hollywood Upstairs Press

I love how Freida McFadden always keeps me guessing with her books and The Inmate was no different.

Brooke Sullivan is a nurse practitioner who is starting a new job at a men’s maximum-security prison. No one knows that Brooke knows one of the inmates, Shane Nelson. Shane was convicted of three grisly murders eleven years ago and it was Brooke’s testimony that helped convict him. Brooke and Shane were high school sweethearts. Right after the trial Brooke left town and is only back now because her parents died in a car crash. Brooke has a ten-year-old son, Josh, and unbeknownst to anyone, Shane is the daddy. Shane is still maintaining his innocence and has warned Brooke to watch out for Tim Reese, Brooke’s childhood friend. Brooke is now starting to doubt her memory of the events of the night of the murders. Could she have gotten it wrong? Is Shane really innocent?

Wow! This book had me all over the place on who I believed and who I didn’t. There is not a lot I can say without giving anything away.  This story was told in a dual timeline, alternating between the night of the murders eleven years ago and the present. I loved having the story presented this way because it just kept me guessing. Things would happen in the present day chapters and then we would get a chapter in the past and that would make me think I was sure I knew what really happened, but then something else would happen that would make me rethink everything.  I love how McFadden had me all over the place.

I really liked all the characters in this book as well.  Brooke did annoy me at times with her naïve thinking, but I loved how she wanted to make sure she righted any wrongs she may have done. She was also a great mother to Josh and would do anything to protect him.  I even liked Shane even though I couldn’t truly trust that he was innocent. Brooke’s childhood best friend, Tim was another character that I couldn’t truly trust. I was more suspicious of him than I was of Shane. Lol!

I know I didn’t really say much about what happens in this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything. The Inmate was full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. And oh what an end it was! If you are looking for a read that will keep you on your toes, then definitely check this one out.  4 stars

 

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Inmate & Secrets Between FriendsSecrets Between Friends Goodreads

Author: Tracy Buchanan

Publication Date: October 25, 2022

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Tracy Buchanan’s newest book Secrets Between Friends follows Liz Barrowman, a divorced postal worker, who has recently moved back to her small hometown of Easthaven with her two teenage daughters.  Twenty years ago, Liz left Easthaven to escape the memory of a tragic event that happened at Lakewell Manor, the home of her best friend, Tamsin Lakewell.  Tamsin has also just returned to Lakewell Manor after the death of her mother, but when she sees Liz she acts like she does not remember her or what happened that fateful night. Liz realizes something is not right with Tamsin and as she starts to dig around, she not only brings the memories of twenty years ago that she has been trying to forget to the surface, but she also puts her life, one of her daughter’s life and Tamsin’s life in jeopardy.

This book is told in an alternating dual timeline. We get to see the events from twenty years ago unfold up to the night of the tragedy that took place.  And in the present-day timeline, we follow Liz as she tries to figure out what is going on with Tamsin and all the while trying to keep the secrets of that night from being uncovered.  I loved having two mysteries to figure out, one being what really did happen twenty years ago and the other being what is up with Tamsin.  I did pretty much figure out what was going on with Tamsin, but it took me until about halfway through the book and, once I did, I became very concerned for Liz’s safety.

This book had a lot of unlikeable characters. It seemed everyone Liz had contact with in the present day went out of their way to be mean to her. Especially her mother. OMG! I hated that woman. When Liz moved back to Easthaven with her daughters, she had to move in with her mother and I do not know how she could stand it. Her mother was just so cruel. It made me love and sympathize with Liz so much more. I liked Liz’s determination to find out what was going on with Tamsin, even when it got to the point that she was going to have to tell what happened at Lakewell Manor twenty years ago.

While I did figure out the Tamsin mystery, the events from twenty years ago kept me guessing. And then just when all was revealed, a plot twist took it in a new direction. I love when that happens.

Secrets Between Friends was an engrossing, fast paced read that had me on the edge of my seat until the end.   3 ½ stars

Reviews: ASTRID PARKER DOESN’T FAIL & THE KEY TO MY HEART

 

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Sorry I fell off the face of the earth again.  Work stayed unexpectedly busy this week and then I got bogged down with holiday planning and basically forgot all about the blog.  I started playing catch up last night though so if I haven’t stopped by to comment on your posts yet, I’ll be there soon!  Today I’m back to review the latest releases from two authors I really enjoy.  Ashley Herring Blake is an author I first encountered through her YA novels and I just fell in love with the unforgettable characters she creates. I’m now loving her adult romance series just as much as I adored her YA novels.  Lia Louis is an author I just started reading last year and she quickly became a favorite after I read and fell in love with both Dear Emmie Blue and Eight Perfect Hours.  She just writes those books that tug at your heartstrings and have you reaching for the tissues.  Anyway, I’m thrilled to be able to share my thoughts on both of their latest endeavors.

 

Reviews:  ASTRID PARKER DOESN’T FAIL & THE KEY TO MY HEARTAstrid Parker Doesn't Fail (Bright Falls, #2) Goodreads

Author: Ashley Herring Blake

Publication Date: November 22, 2022

Publisher:  Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail is the second installment in Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls romance series.  When I first met Astrid Parker in the first installment, I’ll freely admit that I couldn’t stand her.  Blake worked her magic though and had me loving Astrid by the end and wanting to know more about her.

When the story opens, Astrid has taken over her overbearing mother’s successful interior design business.  She is struggling to make a go of it though and, desperate to bring in new business, Astrid agrees to be the designer for the renovation of Everwood Inn, a once successful, but now dated, inn located in town.  Not only will she serve as the lead designer, but the entire renovation is being featured on Innside America, a popular home improvement reality TV series.

I’ve really been enjoying the trend of incorporating reality TV series into romance books, and its use here was a winner for me as well, as Astrid’s love interest is closely tied to this renovation project. Jordan Everwood not only grew up at Everwood Inn, but she is also serving as the lead carpenter on the project. Jordan is not overly excited about this renovation because she finds Astrid’s designs impersonal and devoid of any of the charm that makes the inn such a special place.  Some of the funniest moments in the book stem from Jordan plotting to sabotage Astrid’s designs.  Talk about sparks flying! It was so much fun watching their relationship evolve from being at odds over everything to finally coming together to make things happen.

What I especially loved about Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail though is that not only did I get to know Astrid better, but Astrid also learns so many things about herself.  She realizes that most of her struggles to take over her mother’s business stem from the fact that she actually has no passion for interior design and has only taken over the business because it was expected of her.  I enjoyed this journey for Astrid as she slowly realizes that if she wants to be happy and successful in life, she has to strike out on her own and figure out what she’s truly passionate about.

Astrid’s journey of self-discovery doesn’t stop with her career and with stepping out of her mom’s shoes though.  Her journey is also one of sexual awakening.  When she and Jordan first literally run into one another, Astrid doesn’t really understand the feelings she is experiencing because she has always considered herself solely attracted to men.  Once she realizes she truly is attracted to Jordan, she reflects back over her life and realizes she has always been bisexual.  I thought Blake did a wonderful job portraying this aspect of Astrid’s personal journey in a very realistic way.

I loved the balance between the hilarious moments, witty banter, and steam that I come to expect from rom-coms coupled with the more serious elements of self discovery that Astrid experiences.  It was also just great fun to be back in this world and to see Delilah and the rest of Astrid’s friend group again.  Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail is definitely a solid installment in the Bright Falls series.  4 STARS

 

Reviews:  ASTRID PARKER DOESN’T FAIL & THE KEY TO MY HEARTThe Key to My Heart Goodreads

Author: Lia Louis

Publication Date: December 6, 2022

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

The Key to My Heart is the third book I’ve read from Lia Louis and I think it’s my new favorite!

When we meet Natalie Fincher, she is just going through the motions from day to day.  Life has lost all meaning to her since she lost her beloved husband unexpectedly just over two years ago.  She goes to work and she sees her friends enough to keep them from worrying about her too much.  They all think she has been grieving long enough and should be ready to move on. I really loved how the author highlights how personal the grieving process really is and that there’s no set moment when a person should be ready to just get on with their lives. I also felt tremendous sympathy for Natalie because she was struggling so much.  It was heartbreaking to see her just going through the motions and to learn that she has all but given up one of her life’s passions, playing piano, because she’s so lost in her grief.

Aside from loving Natalie, one of the big highlights of the book for me was when someone discovers Natalie has been anonymously playing at a London train station’s public piano and they start leaving sheet music on the piano for her to find. They leave it anonymously and it’s always one of her deceased husband’s favorite songs.  I loved the little element of mystery that this added to the story and couldn’t wait to find out who was doing it and why.  It also gave Natalie a much needed distraction as she continues to process her grief.

Aside from the poignant grief story and the intriguing sheet music mystery, I was also a huge fan of the “found family” that surrounds Natalie and helps her start to find her path forward.  By the end of the story, Tom, Shauna, and several others who helped Natalie along the way, captured my heart just as much as Natalie did.

The Key to My Heart is a beautifully written story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming as it explores grief and loss and whether it’s possible to find love and joy in life again after losing your soulmate. 4.5 STARS

Review: THE WILDERWOMEN by Ruth Emmie Lang

Review:  THE WILDERWOMEN by Ruth Emmie LangThe Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang
three-half-stars
Published by St. Martin's Press on November 15, 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction
Pages: 336
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Bookshop
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

 

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang follows Zadie and Finn, two sisters who possess unique magical gifts.  Zadie is able to see into the future and sense things that are coming, while Finn is able to somehow detect echoes of memories of others who have been wherever she happens to be at the moment.  Somehow, even with these abilities, both sisters are blindsided when their mother, Nora, abruptly leaves their home and disappears.

Fast forward five years and Zadie and Finn have become estranged from one another and there’s still no sign of their mother, that is, until Finn stumbles across a memory echo that she is convinced belongs to her mother.  She reaches out to Zadie and after some coaxing, convinces Zadie that she can retrace their mother’s steps using her memories and finally figure out what happened to her.  The sisters embark on a road trip that will change their lives in more ways than they can possibly imagine.

The relationship between Zadie and Finn was by far the highlight of the book for me.  It’s clear they need each other in spite of having grown so far apart without their mother there for guidance.  And it’s also clear that the absence of their mother and the constant wondering about why she just left them has really kept them from truly moving on and living their lives to the fullest.  I loved watching Zadie and Finn reconnect as they worked together to retrace their mother’s steps.  No matter how far apart they’ve grown, the bond of sisterhood is still there.  Similarly, I also enjoyed the coming of age aspect of the story as we watch each sister grow and figure out their place in the world as they’re on this journey.

Another highlight for me was Lang’s beautiful writing.  It reminded so much of Alice Hoffman’s writing, very lyrical and atmospheric, almost weaving a spell around me as I was reading.  Her descriptions of the girls’ abilities were so vivid that it was easy to picture exactly what the girls were sensing every step of the way.

The only thing that didn’t quite work for me was the ending.  For me it felt a bit rushed and like all of the loose ends were tied up a bit too neatly.  In some ways I was content with how it ended, but in others, not so much.  I found myself with unanswered questions, particularly with respect to the why behind Nora’s disappearance and the why behind the sister’s abilities.  I found myself flipping back through the pages to see if I had missed something.

Even with my issues with the ending, however, I still found The Wilderwomen to be a lovely read overall.  It’s a wonderful story for readers who enjoy stories about family, sisterhood, and magic.  3.5 STARS

three-half-stars

About Ruth Emmie Lang

Ruth Emmie Lang was born in Glasgow, Scotland and has the red hair to prove it. When she was four years old, she immigrated to Ohio where she stills lives today. She has since lost her Scottish accent, but still has the hair. Ruth lives with her husband and son on two wooded acres in the Cleveland area. Her first novel, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, was a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: A Familiar Stranger & The Prisoner

 

Hey everyone! Welcome to Sharon’s Thriller Thursday. I hope everyone is doing well and having a good week with lots of great reading. I’m doing good and have been reading some great books. Today I am happy to share my thoughts on A Familiar Stranger by A.J. Torre and The Prisoner by B.A. Paris.

 

Thriller Thursday Reviews: A Familiar Stranger & The PrisonerA Familiar Stranger Goodreads

Author: A.J. Torre

Publication Date: September 27, 2022

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

A.J. Torre’s A Familiar Stranger follows Lillian Smith, a wife and mother, who is an obituary writer for a local newspaper. Lillian leads a quiet and ordinary life. Then she meets David Laurent in a coffee shop, and feeling restless with her life, Lillian starts an affair with David. Lillian creates a new persona when she is with David, and as their affair intensifies, her lies start to catch up with her and Lillian’s two worlds spiral out of control. But Lillian is not the only one leading a double life and someone is going to die.

The first chapter of this book is titled “2 Months Before Death” and that just piqued my interest right away. As the story progresses it gets closer to “the death”. The whole time I was reading I was trying to figure out who had died and once we find out who was dead, I was trying to figure out who killed them. I loved how Torre presented the book this way because it just made my investigative brain flip into high gear.

The story is told mostly from Lillian’s POV. Lillian is a very complex character who has a very dark sense of humor. She has a Twitter account where she posts murder mysteries, based on past obituaries, to her followers. I also really liked her relationship with her best friend Sam. She could be herself with him. Sam knows all of Lillian’s secrets, and because of that, I was watching him with a very cautious eye.

Lillian’s husband Mike is also leading a double life. I did not like Mike at all. He was so controlling and condescending when it came to Lillian. He was also very arrogant. He thought he had everything in his life just as he thought it should be. So, it was nice when things started to crumble, and he realized he was not in as much control as he thought.

I wish there was more I could say about this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything. I will say, I thought going in that I was going to be reading a domestic thriller, with cheating spouses and lies upon lies, but this book was so much more than that. Yes we have the cheating spouses, but we also have the mystery of who is dead and then who killed said person.

A Familiar Stranger was full of twists and turns that made me stop a few times to get my head around what I had just read. When the person who died was revealed I was totally taken by surprise and the cat and mouse game that played out after had me on the edge of my seat. 4 stars

 

Thriller Thursday Reviews: A Familiar Stranger & The PrisonerThe Prisoner Goodreads

Author: B.A. Paris

Publication Date: November 1, 2022

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

B.A. Paris is an auto buy author for me. I fell in love with her books when I read her debut novel Behind Closed Doors a few years ago, so I was very excited when I saw she had a new book, The Prisoner, coming out. While this book was not up there with her other ones, I still enjoyed it and continue to look forward to her next book.

Amelie Lamont lost her mother when she was a small child, and she lost her father when she was seventeen. After the death of her dad, Amelie moved to London where she met her husband, billionaire Ned Hawthorne. Life was good at the beginning of their relationship, but then things take a turn for the worst. Ned is not who Amelie thought he was. Amelie is determined to stick it out though because it will be worth her while to do so.  But then one night Amelie and Ned are kidnapped, and she wakes up alone in a pitch-black room. Who has taken them and why? And why does Amelie feel safer in that dark room than she did with her husband?

This story is told through an alternating dual timeline. It starts out the night Amelie and Ned were kidnapped, and then jumps back to when Amelie was seventeen. I loved Amelie. She was a very strong and determined protagonist, which comes across in both timelines. When she was being held in the dark room, she never stopped trying to find a way out and when she was suddenly on her own at seventeen, she took control and made a life for herself.

The chapters with Amelie trapped in the pitch-dark room really gave me the creeps. I could not even imagine what that must have been like. From the panic Amelie felt when she woke up in that room to the way she navigated around the room, I think Paris did a great job of bringing those scenes to life. I love how Amelie used her other senses in the room. She got the layout of the room by feel and counted steps to figure out where the bathroom door was, as well as where the door her captors would enter was. She also would be very quiet when they came into the room to bring her meals and listened to where they would come and stand and used that advantage for her escape attempts.

I really loved everything about this book up to the ending.  I was not 100% sold on who kidnapped Amelie and Ned and why they did it. I had a couple of different scenarios that I thought would play out. But all in all, I thought The Prisoner was a solid read that kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat for most of the book.   3 ½ stars

Reviews: BETTER THAN FICTION & TWO WRONGS MAKE A RIGHT

 

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone who was celebrating Thanksgiving had a nice holiday.  Mine was good, although not especially productive.  I had intended to get caught up on all of my blog hopping and that just didn’t happen.  I did sleep for at least 9-10 hours every day of my holiday though so I’ll be well rested for playing catch up this week, haha.  Today I’m sharing reviews for two wonderful contemporary romances that I read over the long holiday weekend.  One is from an author I always enjoy, Alexa Martin, while the other is from a new-to-me author, Chloe Liese.

 

Reviews:  BETTER THAN FICTION & TWO WRONGS MAKE A RIGHTBetter than Fiction Goodreads

Author: Alexa Martin

Publication Date: November 8, 2022

Publisher:  Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

As soon as I read it was set in a bookstore, I knew I couldn’t resist Alexa Martin’s new novel, Better Than Fiction.  What especially intrigued me about it is that based on the synopsis, the main character actually hates reading. I couldn’t wait to dive in and see if Martin could actually make me fall in love with a book hating protagonist!

Drew Young is a successful travel photographer who recently lost her beloved grandmother. Drew was practically raised by her grandmother. Although Drew spent countless hours in her grandmother’s bookstore, The Book Nook, while growing up, what she doesn’t anticipate is her grandmother leaving The Book Nook to her in her will. Drew herself isn’t a book lover at all and is in completely over her head trying to run the store, but she feels like she has to give it her all in order to honor her grandmother’s wishes, even if it means giving up on her own career dreams and settling in Colorado full time to run the store. She has no idea that The Book Nook and the meddling old ladies from the Dirty Birds book club are about to change her life in so many ways.

Thanks to the Dirty Birds, bestselling romance author Jasper Williams has a book signing event at the bookstore.  When he meets Drew and she confesses to him that she doesn’t like to read, Jasper makes it his mission to help her discover the joys of reading while he’s in town.  He makes a deal with her:  he needs a travel expert to give him an in-depth look at Denver because it’s the setting for his next book. If Drew plays tour guide, he’ll curate a list of books he thinks she’ll love and for every one she reads, he’ll reward her with a book-inspired adventure.

I really enjoyed everything about this story! I loved Drew and Jasper together, from those awkward opening moments between them to later on in the story as they grow closer and bond as they work to complete their deal.  There are so many fun and adorable moments between them as they visit local restaurants, admire the scenery, and even take an amazing whitewater rafting trip together.  I was rooting for Jasper to not only make Drew fall in love with reading, but to also fall in love with him as well.

I’m a big fan of books that have many layers to them, and Better than Fiction really fits the bill here.  Not only is there the blossoming relationship between Drew and Jasper, but there’s also a journey of grief here as Drew is still mourning the loss of her grandmother and trying to move forward. Add to that the hilarity of the Dirty Birds and their constant but well intentioned meddling, as well as some messy family drama because Drew’s father is jealous that she inherited the store, and you have a wonderful book that has something for everyone. 4 STARS

 

Reviews:  BETTER THAN FICTION & TWO WRONGS MAKE A RIGHTTwo Wrongs Make a Right Goodreads

Author: Chloe Liese

Publication Date: November 22, 2022

Publisher: Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

 

I’ve been wanting to try Chloe Liese’s novels for a while now so when I heard that her latest romance, Two Wrongs Make a Right, was inspired by one of my favorite plays, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, I knew I had to read it.

The story follows Bea Wilmot and Jamie Westenberg, two people who seemingly have nothing in common aside from a disastrous first meeting and a mutual disdain for one another. Bea thinks Jamie is cold and stuffy, while Jamie thinks Bea is a tornado of chaos.  They couldn’t be more different and neither of them can understand why their friends keep trying so hard to push them together.  When their friends take things a step too far and trick them into going on a date together, Bea and Jamie decide to abandon their dislike for one another in favor of seeking revenge on the meddling matchmakers in their lives. They hatch a plan to fake date and convince everyone that they’re madly in love with one another, which will then be followed by a dramatic breakup that will put an end to the matchmaking once and for all.  What they don’t anticipate is that their friends may have been right about them all along…

This story was so much fun! Whether they were trading witty barbs, plotting their revenge, or having more heartfelt moments as they got to know each other better, Jamie and Bea were absolutely adorable together.  They may be complete opposites, but they have incredible chemistry and those opposites play off of each other perfectly.

I also loved that both protagonists are neurodivergent.  Bea is on the autism spectrum, while Jamie experiences anxiety. The author did a wonderful job portraying both of these characters realistically, particularly as she demonstrated how autism and anxiety can impact someone’s day to day life, especially in social situations such as the party where Bea and Jamie met and had their “meet disaster.” I was so moved by one scene in the story where Bea finally tells Jamie she’s autistic and he tells her that he’s glad she told him because it helps him to see her better.  I already loved Jamie but that moment just really got to me and had me rooting for them to get together all the more.

As I mentioned, Two Wrongs Make a Right is inspired by Much Ado About Nothing.  I recognized and delighted in the similarities between the two stories, but I don’t think it will hamper your enjoyment of Liese’s book at all if you aren’t familiar with Shakespeare’s play.

Two Wrongs Make a Right is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys fake dating and opposite attract romances. 4 STARS