Mini Reviews – Magical Meet Cute, The Summer Pact, & Wicked Serve

Hey everyone!  I was actually motivated to post today so I’m really hoping it means that the end of my blogging slump is in sight.  Today I’m sharing reviews for some books I’ve read in recent weeks but didn’t have time to write the reviews until our long holiday weekend. These were mostly really good reads, although I did have issues with a couple of them.

Magical Meet Cute Goodreads

Author: Jean Meltzer

Publication Date: August 27, 2024

Publisher: MIRA

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

I always enjoy Jean Meltzer’s books so I was excited to receive a review e-arc of her latest release, Magical Meet Cute, from Mira Books.

The story follows Faye, the Jewish owner of a pottery shop in Woodstock, NY.  Faye is usually pretty content with her life, but after someone leaves anti-semitic fliers all over her town, she is distraught and looking for comfort. She turns to her pottery, and in a drunken haze, decides she needs to create a golem to protect the town.  She takes some creative license along the way, infusing the golem with characters she finds attractive in a man.  The next day, too hungover to properly function, Faye accidentally runs into a handsome man with her bike. He has no memory of who he is and no idea what he is in her town.  Faye becomes determined to help him find out who he is. The more she gets to know him, however, the more she finds herself incredibly attracted to him and also a little fearful that instead of being her dream man, he may, in fact, actually be the golem she crafted.

I really enjoyed this story! It’s the perfect blend of adorable romance and magical realism, while also tackling the very serious topic of anti-semitism.  4 STARS

The Summer Pact Goodreads

Author: Emily Giffin

Publication Date: July 9, 2024

Publisher: Ballantine Books

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

The Summer Pact is the latest novel from Emily Giffin and I’m not going to lie, it’s a tough read in that it covers heavy topics like suicide and addiction.  It’s a story about friends coming together after an unthinkable tragedy. It’s dark at times, which I found somewhat at odds with the bright, summery cover, but once I got past that, I appreciated it for what it is, a story that explores the bonds of friendship and found family.

The story starts out on a college campus where four students from four different walks of life meet and become the best of friends.  When tragedy strikes, three friends are left reeling from the loss and make a pact to always be there for each other no matter what.  Ten years later, one of them makes good on the pact which leads them all on the most surprising, healing, and life changing journeys.

I really enjoyed the travel aspect of this book as the three remaining friends each choose a destination they’ve always wanted to visit, and one of them chooses Capri, a place their lost friend always dreamed of visiting, as a way to keep her with them.

Even though I enjoyed the book overall, it wasn’t quite as much of a hit with me as Giffin’s books usually are.  It felt a little off, like too heavy but not heavy enough at the same time, if that makes sense.  3.5 STARS 

Wicked Serve (Beyond the Play, #4) Goodreads

Author: Grace Reilly

Publication Date: August 13, 2024

Publisher: Avon Books

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

Wicked Serve is the new hockey romance from Grace Reilly.  The story follows Nikolai and Izzy.  Nikolai is a college hockey player who is determined to make the most of his senior year. When he’s forced to transfer to a rival college, things get messy when he realizes he had a secret summer fling with the younger sister of his new team’s captain.  Nikolai knows that rekindling his fling with Izzy would not go over well with his captain, not to mention he’s dealing with scars from his past that make a real relationship impossible. As soon as he sees Izzy again though, all bets are off because he can’t deny he’s still attracted to her.

Izzy, for her part, is solely focused on two goals this school year. She wants to win back the spot she lost on the volleyball team, and she wants to forget that Nikolai even exists. Just like with Nikolai though, as soon as Izzy sees him again, she can’t resist the attraction she still has to Nikolai. They begin a friends-with-benefits arrangement that soon morphs into so much more.

I honestly have mixed feelings about this book.  I really like Izzy and Nikolai and thought Nikolai’s journey of healing as he worked through the scars of his past was really well done. I liked Izzy and Nikolai as a couple but would have liked a bit more depth to their connection, which felt mostly sexual and surface level to me.  I also thought the pacing was a little slow at times. I still very much enjoyed the story overall but did catch myself checking a few times to see how many pages I had left to read.  3.5 STARS