Reviews: THE GOOD PART & THE PREDICTABLE HEARTBREAKS OF IMOGEN FINCH
Happy Monday everyone! Apologies for the lack of posts last week. I did not realize that when my copy of Iron Flame arrived, it would take over my reading life for nearly two weeks. I’ll have my review for that up next week and will be playing catch up this week on all of the books I should have been reading and reviewing instead. For those who are celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I hope you have a wonderful holiday and for everyone else, I hope you have a great week. Today I’m sharing my thoughts on two authors that have consistently turned out excellent reading experiences for me. I’ve loved everything I’ve read because they write about characters I can relate to and themes that really hit home.
The Good Part Goodreads
Author: Sophie Cousens
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from G.P. Putnam’s Sons via Netgalley and a complimentary ALC from Penguin Random House Audio. All opinions are my own.
I always enjoy Sophie Cousens’ novels because they are heartwarming stories with themes that tend to really resonate with me. With its theme of “be careful what you wish for,” Cousens’ latest novel The Good Part is my favorite yet.
Lucy Young is 26 years old and is already just over how her life is going. She dreams of a career in television but so far has spent most of her time at the station where she works fetching coffee for others, even after earning a promotion to Junior Researcher. To add insult to injury, the job doesn’t even really pay enough for her to live on. Her personal life is just as much of a letdown as her professional one, and after another particularly bad date leaves her stranded near a tiny shop that happens to have a wishing machine in it, Lucy makes a desperate wish to please let her skip to the good part of her life. When she wakes up the next morning, Lucy is suddenly a forty-something year old married woman with children, and she also has her dream job. Has she skipped to the good part or has she simply missed out on most of her life?
I loved this story in part because it reminded me of several of my favorite movies like Big with Tom Hanks and It’s a Wonderful Life, which both feature that similar glimpse into what an alternate life could be like as well as that theme of be careful what you wish for. I also loved that this is a story that really makes you think about your own life and whether or not you’ve made it to the good part or would wish to skip over certain parts to, in theory, get to something better.
One of my absolute favorite parts of The Good Part though is watching Lucy’s journey as she navigates this new life she has found herself in. She has no idea if she’ll ever get back to her own life, or if she even wants to, so she decides to embrace where she is and try to make a go of it. There are of course plenty of humorous missteps along the way, particularly as Lucy adjust to technological advances and such, but it is just so lovely watching her get to know her husband Sam and their children. There is a bit of a romantic element as Lucy begins to really see how her future self could fall for Sam, but that is definitely secondary to Lucy’s journey to find herself.
If you’re in the mood for a heartwarming, humorous story that will leave you with plenty of food for thought about your own life, I highly recommend The Good Part. I alternated between the e-book and the audio and thought both versions were excellent. Kerry Gilbert narrates the audiobook and does a beautiful job capturing all of Lucy’s emotions and really making me all the more invested in her journey. 4.5 STARS
The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch Goodreads
Author: Jacqueline Firkins
Publication Date: October 31, 2023
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I’m a sucker for a good second chance romance and Jacqueline Firkins’ new novel The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is one of the sweetest ones I’ve read in a long time.
When Imogen was younger, her mother tells her that she is cursed to never take first place in anything she does, including in her love life. Her mom’s prophecies tend to come true, so Imogen isn’t surprised when she loses every sport she plays, every art contest she enters, and she isn’t even surprised when every guy she dates eventually tells her that he has met someone better. She has come to accept the curse for what it is and to just live with it. That is, until Eliot, Imogen’s secret crush from high school, unexpectedly returns to town and appears to take an interest in her. Imogen suddenly finds herself motivated to see if there is a way to break this curse once and for all.
Imogen is an immensely likeable character. She has a huge heart and is always looking out for others, so everything about the curse just broke my heart and made me so angry on her behalf. As soon as I saw how much she clearly still had feelings for Eliot, I was rooting so hard for the two of them to find their way to each other.
I also really liked Eliot and that he is Imogen’s biggest cheerleader when it comes to trying to break the curse. He believes that if she can just score one win, in absolutely anything, that everything will change for Imogen and so he makes it his mission to take her around town trying out any possible game and contest from trivia games to corn-shucking contests to try to score that elusive first place. I loved his determination and I especially enjoyed that it led to so many cute moments between them. Eliot’s nomadic lifestyle had me a little concerned and angsty that a happily ever after might not be an option, but that did not stop me from hoping.
The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is a moving story with a hint of magic that while sometimes sad, is ultimately heartwarming and uplifting. Give it a read and I’m sure Imogen and Eliot will capture your heart just like they did mine. 4 STARS.
Thriller Thursday Reviews: The House Beyond the Dunes & My Darling Girl
Hi Everyone, Sharon here wishing you all happy Thriller Thursday! This week I am so excited to share my thoughts on two amazing books I read. Mary Burton’s awesome psychological thriller, The House Beyond the Dunes and Jennifer McMahon’s great supernatural thriller, My Darling Girl.
The House Beyond the Dunes Goodreads Author: Mary Burton
Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Publisher: Montlake
I have never read anything by Mary Burton, but when Goodreads suggested The House Beyond the Dunes as a book I may like, I decided to give it a read and now I want to check out more of Mary Burton’s books, because Goodreads was on the mark in suggesting this book.
Kyle Iverson brought his new girlfriend, Lane McCord to his secluded beach house to spend the New Year’s weekend and bring their relationship to the next level, but a romantic weekend this was not. An hour after they arrive, both Kyle and Lane fall down a flight of stairs. Lane wakes up in a hospital with multiple bruises, but Kyle died. As Lane tries to make sense of what happened, she is confronted by Detective Becker, who is not so sure that Kyle’s death was an accident. Detective Becker is also investigating the disappearance of two women from nearby Nags Head, both of whom went missing around the July fourth holiday. Lane returns to the beach house to retrieve her belongings and try to understand what happened to make her and Kyle fall, but she learns things about Kyle and realizes she did not know him as well as she thought. Lane is also getting texts messages with copies of a journal from one of the missing women, Stevie Palmer. Who is Stevie Palmer and why is someone sending her journal to Lane? And what really happened at the beach house?
OMG! Guys, I loved this book so much. The story was told from Lane’s POV as well as Stevie’s journal. I loved getting the story this way. I was equally invested in both POV’s. I also loved both Lane and Stevie. They were both strong and determined women.
With Lane’s POV, we follow her as she goes back to the beach house and tries to unravel what happened, as well as trying to figure out who Stevie is and what happened to her. The more she learned about Kyle the more confusing things became. She kept things she learned to herself because she was not sure who to trust. And I was right there with her on that one. Detective Becker came across as very shady to me, so he immediately was on my radar. As was, Reece, the neighbor that called the police after the accident and Devon, the caretaker of the house.
I loved reading Stevie’s journal. Stevie worked as a bartender at a local pub in Nags Head. It is here that she meets the other woman, Nicki, that went missing. Stevie actually took it upon herself to investigate Nicki’s disappearance and I loved that about her. She didn’t really know Nicki, but as she said, “If I don’t look for her, who will?” The further along we got in Stevie’s journal the more things started to come together on how Stevie, Nicki, Kyle, and Lane were all connected. There was one final connection at the end of the book that took me totally by surprise. It actually brought tears to my eyes.
The House Beyond the Dunes is an amazing psychological thriller. Mary Burton did a great job of creating this story. I was so caught up in the mystery of what happened at the beach house, as well as what happened to Stevie and Nicki, that by the end of the book I was on the edge of my seat. 4 ½ stars
Trigger warning: This book does deal with rape. Mary Burton does not get into the details, but it is there.
My Darling Girl Goodreads Author: Jennifer McMahon
Publication Date: October 3, 2023
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
I love Jennifer McMahon’s books and how they deal with the supernatural. So, what better time to read her latest book, My Darling Girl, than spooky season. This book is set around Christmas, so I got all my holiday vibes in one reading. LOL!
Alison O’Connor lives in Vermont with her husband, Mark, and their two children, sixteen-year-old Izzy, and six-year-old Olivia. Alison is estranged from her mother Mavis. Alison and her brother suffered abuse from their mother when they were children. Alison has put her past behind her, but then she gets a call from Mavis’ assistant that will turn her life upside down. Mavis is in the hospital with cancer and only has a few weeks left to live, and she wants to move in with Alison and spend her last few weeks with her and her family. Alison is reluctant at first, but after talking it over with Mark, who knows the whole story of her childhood, they agree to take Mavis in. But not long after Mavis moves in, things start to happen and Alison is forced to revisit her childhood and she discovers that her mother is not who she seems to be and their family’s happy Christmas season is turned into a nightmare. How far will Alison go to keep her family safe?
Not long after Mavis moves in strange things start to happen, but they only seem to happen when Alison is around. Mavis is sweet as pie when anyone else is around, but when she is alone with Alison her demeanor changes. And Mavis knows things that Alison did as a child that no one should know. Alison starts to wonder if her mother is possessed by an evil entity. I was right there with Alison, especially when their dog Moxie would not go into Mavis’ room. He would just look inside and growl. To me if a dog does not like you then something is wrong. After Mavis’ assistant dies in a car accident, Alison is forced to return to her childhood home to retrieve important documents and it is here that Alison finds her mother’s journal and she knows that something has a hold on Mavis and once Mavis dies this evil being will want a new host. Alison is now in a race against time to figure out how to keep this evil being from destroying her family.
I loved all the characters in this book. I loved how Alison was willing to do anything to protect her family. Even when her husband thought she was going over the deep end and wouldn’t believe Mavis was possessed, she still pushed forward and confronted her past. Little Olivia was such a cutie pie and she loved getting to know her grandmother, which scared me and Alison.
WOW! My Darling Girl was an awesome read. While not super scary, it had that underlining creepiness to it, and I loved that. McMahon did a great job of bringing the eeriness and supernatural forces to life. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. And the end! OMG! I did not expect that ending. Well done Jennifer McMahon, well done! 4 ½ stars
Top Ten Tuesday – Book Titles That Would Make Great Newspaper Headlines
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Book Titles That Would Make Great Newspaper Headlines. This is such a fun topic but also one that I found to be super challenging. I’m not sure the ones I picked would actually make good newspaper headlines, but I’m going to try to explain what my thought process was for picking each of the titles I chose.
Book Titles That Would Make Great Newspaper Headlines
1. CHECK & MATE – In my head, I see this one as possibly being political in nature, particularly with some of the manueverings we’ve seen lately.
2. THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER – This one also made me think of politics, but something more global. Russia immediately came to mind.
3. BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CHRISTMAS – This title made me think of a either an article advertising an upcoming holiday event or perhaps reviewing the event.
4. CARRIE SOTO IS BACK – I imagine this was probably TJR’s intention, but this one definitely feels like it could be a news headline announcing a big comeback.
5. THE FINE PRINT – I could see this being the title of one of those buyer beware kind of articles warning people about scams.
6. NONE OF THIS IS TRUE – My local paper prints so many downright heated letters to the editor about local politics and other local hot button issues and I could easily see this one being a title to one of those letters.
7. HOW NOT TO FALL IN LOVE – This just screams headline in the Style/Leisure section of the paper to me.
8. THIS SPELLS DISASTER – I can easily imagine this one as an op-ed headline since so many of those seems to predict doom and gloom lately.
9. THE GIRL WHO COULD MOVE SH*T WITH HER MIND – Minus the sh*t obviously, this sounds like it could be a headline announcing a scientific discovery.
10. BETTER THAN FICTION – This one jumped out at me as perfect for one of those stories you read about where something so outlandish has happened, you can hardly believe it’s true.
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