Happy Place Review

9780593441275Summary (from the publisher):Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?

My Rating: 5/5 Stars 

My Thoughts: 

Emily Henry can do no wrong!!!

Be prepared for some rambles that will hopefully read as a coherent full review, but know that these are my exact thoughts thirty minutes after devouring Happy Place. And for those interested, I did get a (signed!!!) B&N edition of the novel with Emily Henry’s vacation read book recommendations in the back (I think there’s only 2 books included that I haven’t read). 

I’m really about to start rereading PWMOV and Book Lovers (I reread Beach Read right after Book Lovers last year) because I already feel a book hangover coming on. I truly don’t care what Emily Henry’s books are about BECAUSE I will read them regardless. I really kept my blinders on with the Happy Place hype since I wanted to know nothing going in. All I knew was that this was another lovers- to enemies set in Maine, based on EH’s post Book Lovers announcement last year. 

Her books just work!!! Again, I don’t care knowing what Emily Henry’s books are about because I know I will be fully wrapped up and engaged with the writing style alone. Her writing is sharp and funny, but also has such detail of setting and also doesn’t need to spell out the character’s every single emotion or thought because her writing makes it so easy for the reader to infer & understand!!

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January – March 2023 Favorite Books

As per usual, I meant to share my favorite books for the first three months of 2023 within the first week of April, but as per usual, I was distracted by work, life, and of course, the books I’ve been loving this April. Between January, February, and March, I read a total of 41 books, with my absolute favorites shared below! 

Which books have been your absolute faves of 2023 so far? Share in the comments!

What I’ve Been Reading: April 2023 

I fortunately had spring break over the past week, and it was one of the best spring breaks because the weather was basically summer, which means I got SO much reading done outside and even at the beach. I caught up on TV over the week too, including the latest seasons of Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – I’ll have more thoughts on both in my monthly wrap ups, but Ted Lasso is still the most comforting comedy and I’m SO sad that Maisel is ending because it’s just such a fantastic show and I’m loving the glimpses at the future of Midge’s career. I also started watching Shrinking, starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford – another show I’ve been loving but trying to savor & not rush through. 

Anyways, you’re probably here for my reading updates, so let’s get into it!If you want more real time updates on what I’m reading or a peek on what I’m excited about in the book world (usually announcements about new books or adaptations), you can follow me on Instagram at Fangirl Fury

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson – Jenny Jackson’s Pineapple Street has deservedly gotten so much buzz. This book is set amongst the New York 1% in Brooklyn, & it’s the perfect read for readers like me who love reading about the elite and their spending habits and scandals. Such a easy read to breeze through in one sitting. My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

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MUST READ GRAPHIC NOVEL: Sunshine by Jarrett J. Krosozska

Summary (from the publisher):The extraordinary–and extraordinarily powerful–follow-up to HEY, KIDDO.

71vwW2rACrL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into, Jarrett was worried: Wouldn’t it be depressing, to be around kids facing such a serious struggle? Wouldn’t it be grim?

But instead of the shadow of death, Jarrett found something else at Camp Sunshine: the hope and determination that gets people through the most troubled of times. Not only was he subject to some of the usual rituals that come with being a camp counselor (wilderness challenges, spooky campfire stories, an extremely stinky mascot costume), but he also got a chance to meet some extraordinary kids facing extraordinary circumstances. He learned about the captivity of illness, for sure . . . but he also learned about the freedom a safe space can bring.

Now, in his follow-up to the National Book Award finalist Hey, Kiddo, Jarrett brings readers back to Camp Sunshine so we can meet the campers and fellow counselors who changed the course of his life.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars 

My Thoughts: 

I was a on a graphic novel reading kick back in 2018 and one of the ones I LOVED (& still do) is Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s graphic memoir, Hey, Kiddo, following his childhood being raised by his grandparents and being the child of a parent with addiction. Flash forward to 2023, I once again have been incorporating more graphic novels into my reading because my middle school students love them. The most popular book in my classroom library is Hey, Kiddo. I think they love that yes, it’s a graphic novel, but more importantly, deals with more serious and applicable themes. That being said, I felt like the coolest person (still do) that Scholastic sent me an advance reader’s edition of the follow-up graphic novel, Sunshine.

Sunshine follows Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s week during summer vacation in high school volunteering at a camp for kids with serious illness and their family members. Jarrett is assigned to work directly with a family whose youngest sibling, Eric, has been treated for cancer and Diego, a thirteen year old kid whose cancer forces him to be in a wheelchair.  

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The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise Review

81kC0gJOWXL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_Summary (from the publisher): Twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Preferably one where she can continue sitting around in sweatpants and playing video games nineteen hours a day. Since she has no credit or money to speak of, her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman falls into her lap, she takes it.

One slip on the rug. That’s all it took for Louise Wilt’s daughter to demand that Louise have a full-time nanny living with her. Never mind that she can still walk fine, finish her daily crossword puzzle, and pour the two fingers of vodka she drinks every afternoon. Bottom line — Louise wants a caretaker even less than Tanner wants to be one.

The two start off their living arrangement happily ignoring each other until Tanner starts to notice things—weird things. Like, why does Louise keep her garden shed locked up tighter than a prison? And why is the local news fixated on the suspect of one of the biggest jewelry heists in American history who looks eerily like Louise? And why does Louise suddenly appear in her room, with a packed bag at 1 a.m. insisting that they leave town immediately?

Thus begins the story of a not-to-be-underestimated elderly woman and an aimless young woman who—if they can outrun the mistakes of their past—might just have the greatest adventure of their lives.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

In an amazing twist, my library received an early copy of Colleen Oakley’s latest book, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise. I’ve read Colleen Oakley’s The Invisible Husband of Frick Island and You Were There Too, and this book definitely takes on a new genre from her romances. Comedy meets adventure when Louise Wilt’s daughter forces her to have a caretaker come into her home after breaking her hips month ago. This caretaker comes in the form of twenty-one year old Tanner, whose mother has thrown her out as Tanner’s attitude has been non-stop since an injury turned her life upside down months prior. Tanner’s life gets thrown upside down again when Louise wakes her up in the middle of the night insisting that they leave town immediately, since Louise’s past has finally caught up to her. 

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FIVE STAR READ: Off the Map Review

Summary (from the publisher):
4186VHILqDLCarla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love – if only they choose it.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I’ve been reading at my usual (fast) pace lately, but I haven’t found too many books that I’d call favorites in March – and Trish Doller’s Off the Map came at just the right time because this book was an absolute home run for me. I devoured Off the Map over the course of one day, eating it up in three sittings. If this were summer, I so would’ve read this 250 page read from cover to cover while floating around the pool one afternoon. I should’ve known from the fact that most of this book is set in Ireland that this would’ve be a five star read.

Off the Map is the third book in the Beck Sisters companion series, following Carla, the best friend of Float Plan’s protagonist, as she takes a mini break from her worldly adventures to attend her best friend’s wedding in Ireland. Carla finds instant chemistry with the best man, Eamon, and the two get into some mini detours and adventures as they travel to the wedding. 

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IS THIS WORTH THE HYPE? Icebreaker Review

Summary (from the publisher): Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA.

41j6ViuX3vLA competitive figure skater since she was five years old, a full college scholarship thanks to her place on the Maple Hills skating team, and a schedule that would make even the most driven person weep, Stassie comes to win.

No exceptions.

Nathan Hawkins has never had a problem he couldn’t solve. As captain of the Maple Hills Titans, he knows the responsibility of keeping the hockey team on the ice rests on his shoulders.

When a misunderstanding results in the two teams sharing a rink, and Anastasia’s partner gets hurt in the aftermath, Nate finds himself swapping his stick for tights, and one scary coach for an even scarier one.

The pair find themselves stuck together in more ways than one, but it’s fine, because Anastasia doesn’t even like hockey players…right?

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I’ve been looking for a book to give me the same feels that Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus did back read I read the college hockey romance series in 2019. I have read Elle Kennedy’s spin-off series, Briar U, and I will probably check out her recently announced, The Campus Effect, the first book in the Campus Diaries, another Off Campus spin off.

Anyways, I thought that Hannah Grace’s social media hit, Icebreaker, would satisfy that book craving. I had seen Icebreaker all over Instagram for a few months and especially even more so when it was traditionally published by Atria in February. This romance follows top college athletes, Anastasia and Nathan, at the fictional Maple Hills University. Anastasia is a figure skater  and senior Nathan is a hockey star headed for the NHL post graduation. The two never run into each other’s circles, until a prank gone wrong forces them to share ice time.

My library has gotten better about stocking indie titles and romance titles in general lately, given the spike in popularity over the past year, but they only had one e-copy available through Libby that was at least a six week hold (sidenote that my Libby holds usually come in early, but this was seriously a title I had the wait nearly the whole hold period for). I was in Barnes & Noble while running errands one day (because where else would I end up?), and I debated on picking up a physical copy. I put up a quick Instagram poll and it was a mixed bag of to buy or not to buy. I ultimately didn’t buy it because there’s some upcoming releases I’d rather put my money towards and I’m kind’ve glad I did because Icebreaker wasn’t a home run for me. 

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Things We Hide from the Light Review

Summary (from the publisher):
519fN8XynhL._AC_SY780_Nash Morgan was always known as the good Morgan brother, with a smile and a wink for everyone. But now, this chief of police is recovering from being shot and his Southern charm has been overshadowed by panic attacks and nightmares. He feels like a broody shell of the man he once was. Nash isn’t about to let anyone in his life know he’s struggling. But his new next-door neighbor, smart and sexy Lina, sees his shadows. As a rule, she’s not a fan of physical contact unless she initiates it, but for some reason Nash’s touch is different. He feels it too. The physical connection between them is incendiary, grounding him and making her wonder if exploring it is worth the risk.

Too bad Lina’s got secrets of her own, and if Nash finds out the real reason she’s in town, he’ll never forgive her. Besides, she doesn’t do relationships. Ever. A hot, short-term fling with a local cop? Absolutely. Sign her up. A relationship with a man who expects her to plant roots? No freaking way. Once she gets what she’s after, she has no intention of sticking around. But Knockemout has a way of getting under people’s skin. And once Nash decides to make Lina his, he’s not about to be dissuaded…even if it means facing the danger that nearly killed him.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Thoughts:

Like many readers, I became quickly obsessed last fall when I picked up Lucy Score’s super popular, Things We Never Got Over, set in a rural Virginia town and featuring an opposites attract romance with so much cuteness, romance, and yes, a crime subplot (hello Virgin River fans). The second installment in the series, Things We Hide from the Light, follows Knox’s police chief brother, Nash, and Lina, a friend of Knox whose reason for being in town aligns with Nash’s current mystery: what happened the night he was shot? 

Things We Hide from the Light has that same addicting quality that the first Knockemout novel has. Is this the best romance story I’ve ever read? No. Is there a level of cheesiness? Yes. Do you have to suspend your disbelief at times? Yes. But is it a super enjoyable, unputdownable series that everyone should read? Yes! It’s such a light and honestly joyful reading experience. Its wide cast puts a smile on your face..and leaves you trying to figure out if certain pairings will get their own spinoff. Like book #1, this one falls into opposites attract territory. And yes, the size of this book get definitely be intimidating, clocking in around 570 pages, but the story absolutely flies. While there is a ton of tension building around the romance between Lina and Nash and the crime subplot, Lucy Score’s writing style, character development and banter included, makes you want to keep reading.. and don’t make you realize you’re reading 100 pages at a time. 

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Just My Type by Falon Ballard Review

Summary (from the publisher):
41DFt+ktbeL._AC_SY780_Lana Parker has never been single for long. After a disastrous break-up with her high school boyfriend, Seth Carson, Lana’s bounced from long-term relationship to long-term relationship. She’s an expert girlfriend, even acting as the resident dating and relationship columnist for one of Los Angeles’s trendiest websites. But now, at the age of thirty, Lana suddenly finds herself single again, and she’s determined to stay that way, no matter how challenging.

That is, until her high school ex, Seth, now a journalist in his own right, takes an assignment at Lana’s site. Ready to put down roots after years of traveling and freelancing, Seth becomes not only Lana’s colleague but also her competitor. With their combative relationship history–and undeniable chemistry–they quickly find themselves pitted against each other in a battle of wits: writing an article series that goes against dating type. For Lana, that means writing about staying single and embracing it. For Seth, it’s learning to settle down and become boyfriend material. Whoever’s is most popular wins a highly coveted columnist spot that either could only dream of. But when the two square off against one another, it’s not only their careers on the line–it’s also their hearts.

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Despite seeing all the hype, I slept on Falon Ballard’s debut Lease on Love for a few months after its release last year. I picked it up on a random Friday night that March..and had it completed by the time I went to bed that night. That being said, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Falon Ballard’s sophomore release, Just My Type! I’m happy to report that I started this one on a holiday off from work and had it finished by early evening. 

Like I shared in my review for Lease on Love, there’s such an addictive  quality to Falon Ballard’s writing that was again captured from the very start of Just My Type (it probably had something to do with the very reminiscent (and referenced) Legally Blonde scene). I knew going in that Just My Type is a second chance romance following two writers, but I really love how the plot expanded from the basic premise, especially since (while I absolutely love it) we’ve seen more & more books following writer or even bookish couples over the past few years (hello Beach Read and The Roughest Draft). 

The book is told from the perspective of relationship columnist, Lana, who has been dreaming of getting a column where she could write about what she truly loves, books, Marvel movies, and all things pop culture. The opportunity presents itself the next day, after she is dumped by her boyfriend on the night she thought he’d propose. Lana’s company is looking for more clicks and ad revenue, so Lana’s boss challenges her to write a series of posts and complete a series of challenges to see what it’s like being single. If she’s successful, she’ll get to make the column of her choosing. The catch? Lana’s posts will go against the company’s newest hire, whose being challenged to see what it’s like be in a relationship & write a series about it: Seth, Lana’s high school sweetheart, first love,..and first ex. 

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What I’ve Been Reading Lately: February 2023

February has been such a good month of reading! While I admittedly haven’t read a YES THIS IS A FAVORITE BOOK yet, two of the following are definitely in my top 3 favorites of 2023 so far and another was a highly anticipated 2023 read. 

On a Night Like This by Lindsey Kelk – I read Lindsey Kelk’s The Christmas Wish in December & I knew I wanted to read more by her in the new year. I know British romances usually have more wit and sarcasm, bu Lindsey Kelk’s books are so laugh out loud funny with some of the one-liners. On a Night Like This was no exception and it should honestly be part of a starter kit for contemporary romances because it was THAT good. The book follows a woman who’s had a series of temporary assistant gigs and lands a high paying role as an A-list singer’s assistant aboard a private yacht on the way to a charity ball. On a Night Like This felt like two stories in one – the first half of the book follows Fran’s role as an assistant on the yacht and the second half follows her Cinderella like night at the Crystal Ball where she falls for a handsome stranger – but I love how the story came together and made for the perfect happily ever after. So looking forward to picking up more of her work! My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

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