Tag Archive for: jacqueline firkins

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.

 

Reviews: THE GOOD PART & THE PREDICTABLE HEARTBREAKS OF IMOGEN FINCHThe 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

 

Reviews: THE GOOD PART & THE PREDICTABLE HEARTBREAKS OF IMOGEN FINCHThe 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.

Romance Reviews: MARLOWE BANKS, REDESIGNED & A COSMIC KIND OF LOVE

 

Happy Monday everyone!  After taking a short blog break late last week to be there for my mom for her surgery and post-op recovery, I’m back today with reviews for a couple of romances I read in the hospital waiting room that really helped me to pass the time.  Both are from authors I read and enjoyed for the first time last year, so I was eager to get my hands on copies of their latest offerings. How fun are those vibrant covers?!

 

Romance Reviews:  MARLOWE BANKS, REDESIGNED & A COSMIC KIND OF LOVEMarlowe Banks, Redesigned Goodreads

Author: Jacqueline Firkins

Publication Date: October 25, 2022

Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin

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

 

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned by Jacqueline Firkins follows Marlowe, a costume designer who works on Broadway and lives in New York City. When one of her costume designs is panned in a review, Marlowe’s self-esteem is sent on a downward spiral and she flees New York for L.A. to hide out for a while and lick her wounds.  When we meet Marlowe, she is working as a production assistant/errand runner for a popular TV show, sorting a bin full of socks, and very much over-qualified for the job.

Marlowe captured my attention and my heart right from that opening scene and I wanted to know more about why she was so quick to give up her old life, not to mention her boyfriend, and move 3,000 miles away.  Marlowe is a messy and flawed character, which of course makes her very relatable since we’re all a bit messy, and she’s also someone who needs to learn to stand up for herself and confront what is dragging her down rather than hiding from it, again something that makes her very easy to relate to.  There are a lot of layers to Marlowe and the more Firkins allowed me to start peeling back those layers, the more invested I became in seeing Marlowe bounce back from what she perceives as a huge failure on her part. I couldn’t wait to see what, or who, would be the catalyst that helps her bounce back and reclaim her life. And oh boy, what a catalyst it was!

Angus Gordon is not only the rising star on the TV show where Marlowe works, but he’s also a Scottish hottie who makes everyone swoon when he’s around.  Angus also has the reputation for being an arrogant bad boy, and when Marlowe accidentally crashes into him and spills coffee all over his shirt, she gets to experience firsthand why he has that reputation.  When a costume mishap requires Marlowe to actually step into a scene as Angus’ potential love interest, the death glare Marlowe and Angus give each other somehow convinces the producers that Marlowe should actually be written into the show, and things take an even more awkward turn.

Just as with Marlowe, it soon becomes clear that there’s a lot more to Angus than meets the eye.  He has created the bad boy persona as a way to shield himself from a lot of the pitfalls of fame and in many ways, he’s hiding just as much as Marlowe is.  I loved the way Firkins has their relationship develop.  Even though they start out as enemies, Angus ends up taking Marlowe under his wing and mentoring her to help her get comfortable on camera and working with him.  This leads to a budding friendship as they slowly get to learn more about each other, which then immediately had me rooting for them to become more than friends as it became clear that they were great together, each helping the other to grow.  I loved the journey for both of them.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned is Jacqueline Firkins’ adult debut novel, and having been a fan of her YA novels, I was eager to get my hands on a copy.  It’s a fun and moving story and if you’re a fan of slow burn romances and stories about second chances and picking yourself back up after failure has knocked you down, I think you’re going to love it!  4 STARS

 

Romance Reviews:  MARLOWE BANKS, REDESIGNED & A COSMIC KIND OF LOVEA Cosmic Kind of Love Goodreads

Author: Samantha Young

Publication Date: October 18, 2022

Publisher: Berkley

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

 

Samantha Young’s Much Ado About You was one of my favorite romance reads from 2021, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of her latest novel, A Cosmic Kind of Love.  I was intrigued by the unique premise of an astronaut and an event planner falling for each other after secretly watching each other’s digital diary entries and couldn’t wait to see how Young would work her magic to bring this unlikely couple together.

The story follows Hallie Goodman, a successful event planner who is planning the wedding of Darcy, a New York socialite whose ex-boyfriend Chris happens to be an astronaut. While exchanging information about the wedding plans, Darcy accidentally forwards Hallie a folder full of personal videos that Chris had recorded for Darcy while he was on his last space mission.  Even though she knows it’s wrong, once Hallie starts watching them, she can’t stop.  She loves listening to his soothing voice as he describes what it’s like to be in space. He shows a vulnerable side of himself that Hallie finds herself very attracted to and she can’t stop thinking about him and rewatching the videos every chance she gets.  She decides to record a video of herself to send to him, and although disappointed when it bounces back as undeliverable, she decides she likes to record her own personal thoughts in this way and continues to send them even if they’re not really going anywhere.  Unbeknownst to Hallie, however, Chris is receiving them, and just as she was so drawn to his messages, he finds himself equally drawn to hers and begins trying to figure out how to meet her in person.  Darcy’s wedding of course is the perfect opportunity…

I loved these two characters so much!  They’re just so well drawn and complex, with layer upon layer that make them both seem so realistic.  Hallie is a bit of an underdog, dealing with verbal abuse from parents and an ex who belittles her as a “party girl” because her job is to plan events.  Her ex even goes so far as to tell her she isn’t good enough and that he’s embarrassed that she plans parties for a living.  Chris is dealing with issues of his own, still trying to adjust to life back on Earth and trying to decide what he wants to do next, all the while dealing with an overly demanding father who constantly berates him for not having a clear direction for his life yet.  It was impossible not to root for Hallie and Chris to find their way to each other, or at least to find their path forward and get away from the toxic relationships in their lives.

I also loved the premise of having the two of them meet in person for the first time while each already knew so much about the other because of those personal videos.  Secretly knowing so much about each other added a quiet tension to their in-person meeting that really elevated the scene for me to so much more than your typical meet-cute in a romcom.  The scenes where they each finally had to each confess they had watched the videos impacted me in the same way.  I loved that they were able to be so open with one another and that a relationship between them brought them the love and support they had both been missing in their lives.

A Cosmic Kind of Love is the perfect blend between heartwarming, swoony romance and intense family drama that will not only have you rooting for the main characters to get together but also cheering for them both to finally tell off their toxic family members.  4 STARS

Reviews: IF THIS GETS OUT & HOW NOT TO FALL IN LOVE

 

Here we are, another week closer to the end of 2021.  This week I’ll be wrapping up the last of my 2021 review books and then will be getting a jump on my January 2022 books.  I thought I had been cutting back on the number of review books I requested but somehow have 13 for January. Oops.  Anyway, I’m sharing my thoughts on two very different books today. The first takes a hard behind-the-scenes look at the music industry, while the second is a heartwarming story about love, family, and friendship.

 

Reviews:  IF THIS GETS OUT & HOW NOT TO FALL IN LOVEIf This Gets Out Goodreads

Author:  Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich

Publication Date: December 7, 2021

Publisher:  Wednesday Books

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

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich is one of those books that wasn’t exactly what I was expecting it to be. I knew going in that there was a romance between two members of a boy-band, but it’s so much more than that.  It’s also an in-depth exploration of what goes on behind-the-scenes of the music industry, where apparently there’s not much of the good but a lot of the bad and ugly.

The story follows Ruben and Zach, two members of the ultra popular boy-band, Saturday.  Ruben and Zach, along with the other two members, Jon and Angel, all became best friends years ago in music camp and eventually decided to form a band together.  Over the years, as they have all grown closer, Ruben realizes that he has developed more than just friendly feelings toward Zach and is elated to learn that Zach feels the same way.  Both boys want to come out publicly as queer and tell the world that they are in love with one another, but to their utter dismay, the record company management just isn’t having it for fear of alienating the band’s female fans and the parents who ultimately buy the band’s albums for their children.

I adored all four of the boys in the band and my heart also broke for them all on so many levels.  It becomes clear that even though they are mega celebrities, they have no control over their own lives or even of their own personalities and sexual identities.  Management decides how each of them will look and dress, often creating personas for them that in no way match up with what each boy is really like.  When they go to Europe on tour, they are practically kept like animals in cages, not allowed to even go out and see the sights.

The strain on each boy’s mental health is intense, and it was this raw and dark look at the music industry that really made If This Gets Out such a powerful and compelling read for me.  It was horrifying to think the mental health and well-being of these boys fell a distant second to exploiting them and doing whatever was necessary to keep the money rolling in. All I kept thinking while I was reading was thank goodness these boys have each other to turn to. I loved their friendship; in so many ways, they’re truly like brothers, always there for each other no matter how hard things get.  Those friendships and the love between Zach and Ruben nicely balance out what would otherwise be a very dark story.  4 STARS

 

Reviews:  IF THIS GETS OUT & HOW NOT TO FALL IN LOVEHow Not to Fall in Love Goodreads

Author: Jacqueline Firkins

Publication Date: December 21, 2021

Publisher:  Clarion Books

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

How Not to Fall in Love by Jacqueline Firkins is an absolutely delightful YA contemporary romance.  It follows Theo and Harper who have been best friends since they were toddlers and who are now trying to navigate the often treacherous waters of teenage love and romance.  Harper is actually completely off love at the moment after recently getting her heart broken by a boy she thought was the one.  It also doesn’t help her thoughts on love that she works at her mom’s bridal shop and is surrounded by Bridezillas all day.  But when she sees Theo, a hopeless romantic, getting his heart broken time and time again because he just tries too hard, Harper vows that she’s going to help Theo by teaching him how to tone down his approach to dating.

I adored the friendship between Harper and Theo.  They have such an easy banter and a wonderful chemistry, and I especially loved how Harper found endearing every quality about Theo that all of his potential girlfriends found weird or too nerdy.  She truly appreciates what a special and unique person he is.  I also had such heart eyes for Theo because he’s so soft and he just loves everything about love.  He was adorable and nerdy in the cutest possible way, and it was so frustrating that girls didn’t appreciate him.  I thought Harper was great too and I especially loved how badly she wanted to help Theo even though she herself wanted nothing to do with love and was still hurting from her own failed relationship.  I also found Harper’s overall journey in this book to be quite compelling, especially because even though she’s the teacher in their arrangement, Harper also learns a lot from Theo as well, which gives her the nudge she needs to open her heart again.

I also loved all the scenes that took place at the bridal shop.  Harper and her mom made such a great team, and Pippa, the fun and quirky shop girl who is a great friend to Harper and who also appreciates Theo and all of his nerdy goodness, is a fabulous secondary character.  There were also several wonderful scenes where Harper gets to interact with non-Bridezilla clients who help make her a little less jaded when it comes to love and realize that once you’ve found the right person, nothing else matters.

If you’re in the mood for a heartfelt story of love, friendship, and family, be sure to check out How Not to Fall in Love4 STARS