Review: PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA by Jenn McKinlay
/18 Comments/by SuzanneAlso by this author: Wait for It
Published by Berkley Books on July 21, 2020
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
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FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Thanks so much to Brittanie at Berkley for inviting me to take part in the blog tour for Jenn McKinlay’s latest novel, Paris is Always a Good Idea. I had a major case of cover love for this book as soon as I saw it, and I’m thrilled to report that the story itself is as wonderful as the gorgeous cover and can’t wait to share my thoughts on it with you.
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Chelsea Martin is in a rut. She’s all work and no play, and as her sister points out, hasn’t been in any kind of relationship in years. Seven years ago their mother died of cancer, and it’s like Chelsea stopped living as well. Things come to a head when Chelsea’s father announces that he is getting remarried. Chelsea is overwhelmed by the news and feels like her Dad is betraying her mom’s memory and basically tells him this, creating a very awkward and tense situation. A heart-to-heart with her sister afterwards convinces Chelsea that she really needs to do some soul searching. Since the last time she can even remember actually being happy is during her trip to Europe after college, she decides she wants to retrace her steps and see if she can rediscover the Chelsea she used to be.
Paris is Always a Good Idea follows Chelsea on this journey to self-discovery, and wow, what a journey it is! I don’t want to give away any details because her journey is best experienced knowing as little as possible up front, but I do want to share what I loved most about the story. Below are some highlights.
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5 REASONS PARIS IS A GOOD IDEA IS A MUST-READ
- Wanderlust. If you love traveling like I do and have been missing it fiercely because of the pandemic, Paris is Always a Good Idea is the perfect read for you. We not only get to travel to romantic and beautiful Paris as the title suggests, but as part of retracing Chelsea’s gap year abroad, we are transported to the lush countryside of Ireland and to an incredible castle and vineyard in Tuscany, in central Italy. The author does an incredible job of capturing the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of each location and bringing them to life. It’s as close as you can get without your passport and I loved following Chelsea on this journey.
- Mamma Mia vibes. Okay, so maybe I’ve watched Mamma Mia a few too many times, but as I was reading this book, I kept thinking certain aspects of it reminded me of Mamma Mia. No, Chelsea doesn’t go to Greece and no, there’s no love child with three possible fathers, but still, Chelsea does go to Europe hoping to rekindle her heart by tracking down three hot guys she had fallen in love with during her gap year. The search for these three hotties leads to many awkward and hilarious moments for Chelsea, which is where my Mamma Mia comparison comes from. If you’re a Mamma Mia fan like I am, I think you’ll love this book too.
- Emotional journey. It’s not all lighthearted fun and games though. Paris is Always a Good Idea also very much focuses on the emotional journey Chelsea takes as she tries to find herself again. Chelsea has been grieving for the loss of her mother for so many years now that trying to find her way past that grief so that she can live and love again is a tall order. As much as I enjoyed the humor of those lighter moments as Chelsea looks for her old boyfriends, I really loved having this emotional journey as part of the reading experience as well. It made for an all around satisfying read.
- Relatable protagonist. Chelsea is definitely a character I found easy to relate to. So much of what she goes through are things many of us have gone through or probably will go through at some point. Burying ourselves in our work to avoid troubles in our personal lives, friction between family members, the loss of a parent, or even just feeling like we’ve lost some essential part of ourselves. She’s also relatable in the sense that she’s messy and flawed. Some of what she says to her dad when she learns he’s getting remarried was downright cringeworthy, but at the same time, the reaction felt very authentic, like drama I could imagine playing out in my own family.
- Enemies to Lovers. Lastly, and perhaps the most fun reason of all, for all of you romance fans, there’s a fabulous enemies to lovers romance. I don’t want to give away any details on this, so I’m just going to say if you enjoy sparks flying, witty banter, and off the charts chemistry, you’re going to love this book!
Paris is Always a Good Idea is an emotionally satisfying read that will fill both your heart and your need to travel.
About Jenn McKinlay
Jenn McKinlay is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series and will be debuting a stand alone romantic comedy in July 2020 entitled PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets and her husband’s guitars.
Weekly Recap #159: Week of 7/12 – 7/18
/28 Comments/by Suzanne
It’s time for another weekly recap post of all things happening on and off the blog. This week I’ll be linking to the Sunday Post, which is hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
This is actually my first weekly recap in almost a month. I have to confess that I just abruptly stopped writing these posts a few weeks ago because they were starting to really bring me down since absolutely nothing has been going on and it made me sad to just keep documenting that fact over and over again. There honestly still isn’t all that much going on, but I’m trying to get back to some sense of normalcy so I decided to go ahead and get back to posting.
July started off with a short, socially distanced visit with my mom and sister over the 4th of July holiday weekend. I hadn’t seen them since Christmas so it was really nice to finally have a face-to-face visit and to spend quality time with other human beings. We wore masks and stayed six feet away from each other and 2+ weeks later, everyone is still healthy so we may do that one more time before the end of the summer.
I’m still working at home so there’s no real change there. We had reopened our office in Hampton Roads, Virginia a couple of weeks ago but then cases immediately started surging there and everyone got sent back home. Statewide, we had gotten down to about 400-450 new cases everyday before July 4th but now we’ve had 5 straight days of 900-1,000+ cases. For that reason, I think we will probably be in a holding pattern on reopening offices for a while. The holding pattern works for me as the main issue we’ve been dealing with all July is what to do with my son when the school year officially starts in August. We were presented with two “return to school” options, 1) 100% virtual/distance learning, and 2) a hybrid model with 2 days in school instruction, 3 days virtual/distance learning. The in-person would involve social distancing and wearing masks from the bus stop all the way through the entire school day, not to be removed until they return home, with the exception of eating lunch. After much discussion and testing how long my son would willingly wear a mask, we have opted for the all virtual plan. It will be challenging, but we feel it’s the safest option and thankfully my employer is good with me flexing in my hours around my son’s class times so that I can supervise him. At first I was a little worried about missing out on things like gym, but soccer started back up this week (socially distanced of course, which is so weird, lol), so at least I know he’ll have physical activity and safe in-person social interactions with his teammates.
Not much else has been going on. Just lots of reading and watching shows on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus. I think I’ve already watched Hamilton 6 times since it came out on July 3, lol. Then I binged the first two seasons of Good Girls, which is such a fun show. I’m trying to decide what to watch next. I need to get caught up on Riverdale and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina but that need for light and fluffy I’ve had with my reading lately is also carrying over to my TV watching so I have no idea what I’m going to go with, probably Love, Victor on Hulu since that ties to one of my favorite feel-good books, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.
I think that’s pretty much it for me. I hope everyone out there is staying safe, healthy, and is practicing social distancing. Have a great week!
WHAT I POSTED LAST WEEK
- [13 Jul] What You Wish For by Katherine Center ★★★★½
- [14 Jul] Top Ten Tuesday – Books That Make Me Smile
- [15 Jul] Can’t Wait Wednesday – SUPER FAKE LOVE SONG by David Yoon
- [17 Jul] Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby ★★★★½
WHAT I’M READING THIS WEEK
UPCOMING REVIEWS
STACKING THE SHELVES
TOTALLY RANDOM
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Review: BLACKTOP WASTELAND by S.A. Cosby
/14 Comments/by SuzanneAlso by this author: Razorblade Tears
Published by Flatiron Books on July 14, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 320
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I don’t normally read a lot of crime novels but I was drawn to S.A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland because it’s set in my home state of Virginia. Whatever my reasons for initially picking it up though, I’m so glad I did because Blacktop Wasteland really blew me away. It is both an action-packed thrill ride that features a high stakes heist and an emotional journey about a man who is caught between the sins of his past and what he desperately wants for his future.
Blacktop Wasteland hooked me from the very first chapter when we meet the protagonist, Beauregard “Bug” Montage. If you like complicated characters, you’re going to love Bug. When we first meet him, Bug is drag racing for cash and it becomes immediately clear that Bug’s driving skills are unmatched. Think “The Fast and the Furious” and you’re on the right track. For years, Bug was the go-to wheelman for anyone out there who was trying to pull off a heist. He’s now trying to leave that life of crime behind though. Bug has a wonderful wife, great kids, and he owns his own auto body shop. He loves his life as a family man and business owner, living on the up and up, and wants to do right by his family no matter what. Bug is also haunted by memories of his father, who led a similar criminal lifestyle but ultimately abandoned his family rather than stick around and take care of them. Bug is determined not to be like his father.
Life gets complicated for Bug, however, when for reasons beyond his control (unexpected expenses, new competition from a rival shop, etc.), he starts struggling to make ends meet and fears he won’t be able to provide for his family. As he exhausts all of his non-criminal options, his old way of life starts calling to him and when a former associate approaches him about a can’t miss heist, Bug agrees to take part, rationalizing in his mind that he’s doing this one last time and that it’s all for his family. Things unfortunately don’t go according to plan as Bug and his associates realize they’ve stolen from the wrong person and that things are about to go from bad to worse for them.
There’s so much tension and suspense building as Bug finds himself in an increasingly impossible situation. When the heist goes wrong, Bug’s life spirals down a dark and dangerous path that leaves him and his family more vulnerable than ever before and he has to figure out a way to fix it once and for all. And what made Bug such an especially compelling character for me is that no matter how deep he found himself in trouble, he never loses sight of his family. He truly is willing to do absolutely anything to protect them and secure their future, even if it means possibly sacrificing himself. S. A. Cosby does such an incredible job with painting Bug as both morally gray and completely sympathetic that I actually found myself rooting for Bug to do whatever he had to do to take out all threats to his family, even if it involved violence. I was just that invested in Bug and his family.
S. A. Cosby’s writing in Blacktop Wasteland is phenomenal as well. Whether he’s describing the back roads of rural Virginia, muscle cars and action-packed driving scenes that would easily fit into a Fast and Furious script, exploring the landscape of poverty and racism that is ever-present in our society, or laying out an emotional discussion between a husband and wife about the challenges that are facing their family, Cosby’s characters are both authentic and unforgettable, and his imagery is vibrant, powerful, and sure to resonate. This is my first time reading one of S. A. Cosby’s novels and I very much look forward to reading more from him. If you’re in the mood for a fast-paced crime thriller that is raw, gritty and will leave you on the edge of your seat, Blacktop Wasteland is a must-read.
About S.A. Cosby
S. A. Cosby is a writer from Southeastern Virginia. He won the 2019 Anthony Award for Best Short Story for “The Grass Beneath My Feet”, and his previous books include Brotherhood of the Blade and My Darkest Prayer. He resides in Gloucester, Virginia. When not writing, he is an avid hiker and chess player.