Review – EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE by Natalie Jenner
Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner 
Series: Jane Austen Society #3
Published by St. Martin's Press on May 14, 2024
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 336
Source: the Publisher
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FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via the Publisher. All opinions are my own.
Every Time We Say Goodbye is the third book in Natalie Jenner’s popular Jane Austen Society series. I was a little nervous going in that I would be confused since I have admittedly not read the first two books in the series. Thankfully, while all three books are set in the same world, this one works quite well as a standalone and I didn’t find myself lost at all.
This compelling story follows Vivien Lowry, a playwright whose most recent play, which opened in London’s West End in 1955, was panned by critics and quickly shut down. At a loss for what to do next, Vivien takes a friend’s advice and takes a job in Italy working as a script doctor in the film industry. She, like many others, is still healing from the devastating losses of WWII, including the loss of her fiance David, who went missing in Italy during the war and is presumed dead. Vivien looks at her trip to Italy as a way to both find a new path forward for herself and to find out what really happened to David. Vivien is a complex, well drawn character and I found myself very invested in everything to do with her time in Italy, especially since it becomes such a personal journey for her.
One of my favorite parts about reading historical fiction is that I always learn something new when I read it. In the case of this book, I learned a tremendous amount about post-WWII Italy, and especially about the Italian film industry. Not only were there numerous iconic Italian actresses like Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida present, but there were also many well known Expatriate actors and directors from the U.S. and from England on the scene. All the glitz and glam of the film scene provided quite the contrast to the struggles of the orphans and refugees that were of course also present in Italy after the war. She also explores just how much the Catholic church was policing and censoring the content of Italian films, as well as the political landscape of Italy as it tries to come to terms with its own role in the war.
Jenner also effectively uses a dual timeline in this multi-layered story. During her time in Italy, Vivien works with a director who is determined to make a movie about a young woman he doesn’t want the world to forget. This woman was not only his girlfriend, but she was also a member of the Italian Resistance and an assassin, who was tortured and murdered during the war. We learn more about the circumstances that led to her death in a timeline that is set during WWII.
Even though I read a lot of WWII historical fiction, I’ve not come across many novels that cover what happens in the years immediately following the war. If like me, you’re interested in books that help expand your knowledge of that time period, I definitely recommend Every Time We Say Goodbye. It is both a well researched work of historical fiction and an engaging story of love, loss and truth.
If you’re an audiobook fan, I also highly recommend the audiobook for this novel. It’s narrated by Juliet Aubrey who does a wonderful job bringing Vivien to life and capturing all of the complexities of emotions that run through the story. I alternated between the physical copy and the audio and was able to comfortably listen at my usual 1.75x speed.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, MacMillan Audio, Natalie Jenner, and Laurel at Austenprose PR for the gifted copy and for the opportunity to take part in the tour for this book!
About Natalie Jenner
NATALIE JENNER is the author of the instant international bestseller The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls. A Goodreads Choice Award runner-up for historical fiction and finalist for best debut novel, The Jane Austen Society was a USA Today and #1 national bestseller and has been sold for translation in twenty countries. Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie has been a corporate lawyer, career coach and, most recently, an independent bookstore owner in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs. Visit her website to learn more.
Thriller Thursday Reviews: Holly & Almost Surely Dead
Welcome to another edition of Thriller Thursday with Sharon. This week’s reviews are, Holly by Stephen King and Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar. These books were both so different from each other and terrific reads in their own ways. I loved them both and hope you enjoy the reviews. 🙂
Holly Goodreads Author: Stephen King
Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Publisher: Scribner
Why I waited so long to read Stephen King’s Holly, is beyond me. Stephen King is one of my favorite authors, yet it took me until now to read Holly, even though it came out last September.
We first met Holly Gibbs in King’s Mr. Mercedes series. I fell in love with Holly then and am so glad she was able to branch out into her own books after that series ended. Holly is now running the private investigating office of Finders Keepers, after the death of Bill Hodges. The office is temporarily closed due to the death of Holly’s mother and Holly’s current partner, Pete, having Covid. Penny Dahl leaves a message for Finders Keepers; her daughter, Bonnie, is missing, and she desperately needs their help to find her. After listening to Penny’s message, Holly reluctantly takes the case. As she is following leads in Bonnie’s disappearance, Holly starts to uncover that more people have gone missing in the same area and under similar circumstances. Holly must use all the talents Bill taught her to uncover this mystery and to keep herself alive.
I loved watching as Holly pieced together Bonnie’s last movements and at the same time uncover information of another missing person. As each new missing person was introduced, the next chapter would be from their abduction. We know early on who is responsible, but I am not going to give that away here. You need to read for yourself and find out. Lol! Okay, I will give you a hint: Watch out for the seemly sweet elderly couple.
It takes Holly a while to really connect each disappearance. Even though they all seem to have the same M.O., each disappearance happened three years apart. But the closer Holly got to connecting everything, the more on the edge of my seat I was.
I also loved how Jerome and his sister Barbara from the Mr. Mercedes series was in this book as well. They are part of Holly’s found family, and I loved seeing them together and helping Holly as much as they could.
Wow! Stephen King certainly ramped up the creepy and horror meter in this book. When we find out why these people were taken and what happened to them after, all I will say is that even I got a bit queasy, and it usually takes a lot for that to happen to me.
If you are a Stephen King fan I think you will love this book. Even though Holly is a spin off from a different series, I don’t think it matters if you read this first. Though I do recommend reading the Mr. Mercedes series as well at some point. 4 ½ stars
Almost Surely Dead Goodreads Author: Amina Akhtar
Publication Date: February 1, 2024
Publisher: Mindy’s Book Studio
I have never read anything by Amina Akhtar before, but when Almost Surely Dead showed up as free on Amazon first reads, I thought I would give it a try.
Dunia Ahmed is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants living in New York working as a pharmacist. Dunia did not have an easy childhood. Her father died when she was six years old, and her mother and older sister blamed her for his death. She had cut off most communication with her mother and sister and tried to make a life for herself in New York. Recently though her world was turned upside down. Her mother died six months ago, and she recently broke up with her boyfriend. And then one day while waiting for the train, some one tried to kill her by throwing her on the tracks. Her assailant ended up throwing himself on the tracks, and as the police try to figure out why this man tried to kill Dunia, there were two more attempts on her life. Dunia is now missing, has been for a year, and is the subject of a true crime podcast called “Find Dunia”.
I loved how this book was presented. There are chapters told by Dunia, starting from when the first attempt was made on her life. There are also chapters from the podcast and chapters from when Dunia was six years old. I loved getting all the different perspectives and timelines and then trying to piece together on who wanted Dunia dead and where she was now.
My favorite parts of the book were from when Dunia was six. I had such sympathy for her. Dunia’s mother was convinced she was being haunted by a Jinni, a spirit that can take many forms. Evil did seem to follow Dunia, her father died of a sudden heart attack when she was the only one home with him, and close family members who were not nice to Dunia ended up having accidents. So, it is no wonder her mother thought she was haunted, as well as the rest of their community. So poor Dunia was basically shunned and spent most of her time alone or with a neighbor. Learning all these things gave the story a supernatural vibe and added to the mystery of what was going on now with Dunia.
I don’t want to say much and spoil things. I think experiencing all that happened to Dunia as you are reading, adds to the mystery and enjoyment of the book. I did love how Amina Akhtar created the mystery surrounding why someone wanted to kill Dunia and where has she been the past year, with the Islamic culture and folklore. I thoroughly enjoyed Almost Surely Dead and would definitely recommend it. 4 stars
Can’t Wait Wednesday – THE BUMP by Sidney Karger
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about. It is a meme that I have loved participating in since I first started blogging, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.
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My selection for this week is The Bump by Sidney Karger. I love a good road trip book anyway, but when I heard the author describe this book at the Booked with Berkley Spring Preview virtual event, I knew this one had to go on my TBR. It just sounds like one of those reads that’s going to give me all the feels!
THE BUMP by Sidney Karger
by Berkley
Publication Date: May 21, 2024
Two men expecting a baby via surrogate go on the road trip of a lifetime in this hilarious and poignant novel by Sidney Karger, author of Best Men.
Wyatt Wallace is a practical, super organized director of TV commercials. Biz Petterelli is a child-actor-turned-magazine-writer who thrives on spontaneity. Though polar opposites, they are fully committed to their relationship and their life in Brooklyn with their dog, Matilda. They’re also about to have a baby together.
And they’re freaking out.
They’ve both dreamed of becoming parents, but now that it’s happening, they’re doubting everything. Their baby is due in a few weeks and instead of flying to California just before the birth as planned, Biz has a better idea. They could use one last hurrah, along with some serious “us-time” to mend the issues they’ve been having lately—before they get tied down by fatherhood and its impending responsibilities. So the daddies-to-be load up their 1992 Volkswagen Cabriolet and embark on an epic cross-country babymoon. They attempt to recharge at the beach in Provincetown, stumble through their impromptu baby shower in Chicago, and endure a Star Wars-themed wedding in Colorado before heading west for the baby.
But when they take several unexpected detours, old wounds are reopened and secrets spill out that could change their relationship for better or for worse, forcing the couple to reexamine the meaning of family while building their own. After all, what’s a road trip without a few bumps along the way?
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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂