2025

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

Ooh, I’ve been busy! But besides work craziness, it’s been a good sort of busy. We had family in town over the weekend, and had a terrific dinner with the big expanded group. On Saturday, I spent about four hours at a folkdance festival, and had a blast! My legs were feeling it later, but it was worth it.

What did I read during the last week?

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto: Loved it! I recommend starting with the first Vera Wong book, but you really can’t go wrong with either. My review is here.

Swept Away by Beth O’Leary: Survival while lost at sea may not be the obvious choice for a romance, but in this case, it works! My review is here.

I borrowed a new Passover-themed graphic novel from the library:

One Little Goat by Dara Horn and Theo Ellsworth: This is a fun read, and I could see it being a good choice for middle grade readers, especially prior to Passover as prep for sitting through a seder. But, the art style didn’t really appeal to me; the black and white illustrations made it hard to read the text, and I was glad to be done by the time I reached the end.

I suppose I should also mention the book I DNFd this week:

City of All Seasons by Oliver K. Langmead and Aliya Whitely: The premise seemed promising, but I only stuck with it until about 25% before realizing that I didn’t care enough to keep going. If you’ve read this and think I should give it another shot, let me know!

Pop culture & TV:

Remember when I said I had a busy week??? Well, that means that I barely watched any TV, which is fine — except I still haven’t gotten to the last few episodes of Yellowjackets, and I really do want to know how the season ends!

Fresh Catch:

I got this ARC in the mail this week! I’m pretty sure this was from a Little Free Library giveaway opportunity for LFL stewards. I didn’t really expect it, so opening the package was a nice surprise. I put it in my LFL on my way out to run errands, and by the time I got back two hours later, it was gone! It feels great to be able to add a hot new release every so often, so thank you to the publishers!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien: My book group book for April! This is probably my 3rd or 4th reread, but I’m delighted to have a reason to revisit the story. My Kindle edition is very cool — it includes snippets of the author singing some of the dwarves’ songs and reading some passages. What a great experience!

Now playing via audiobook:

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez: My hold request for this audiobook came in much sooner than I expected! I just started over the weekend, and I like it so far.

Ongoing reads:

My book group’s classic read is Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 78%. Up next: Chapters 38 and 39.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

20Apr2025

Let us now praise celebrity book clubs

Posted in The Reading Life by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I’m not a fan of influencers or gossip magazines or tabloid news. I’m not wowed by famous people, don’t select my clothes based on what the stars are wearing, and couldn’t care less about lifestyles of the rich and famous.

But books? That’s a whole different matter.

I’m here now to proclaim my heartfelt opinion: Celebrity book clubs are good for readers, good for authors, good for the publishing industry, and… dare I say it?… good for the world in general!

Why? Because they get people to read, of course.

If you’re here reading this blog, chances are you’re a book fanatic — like me! — and need no encouragement to pick up a book wherever, whenever. (The hard part is getting us to put the books down — amirite?)

But for plenty of less avid readers who sometimes need a bit of inspiration or motivation, celebrity book clubs can be the perfect way to spread the word and get books into more readers’ hands. And even for die-hard book lovers (*raising my hand*), checking out celebrity book club picks can lead to discovering books that might not otherwise have crossed our radar.

I think we can all agree that Oprah Winfrey is the godmother of the modern-era celebrity book club. There are plenty to choose from now, but in 1996, when she unveiled her first book and introduced the book club concept on her daytime talk show, it was a groundbreaking moment.

Per Wikipedia: The book club’s first selection on September 17, 1996, was the then recently published novel The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard.

Since then, Oprah has been joined by many, many other celebrity-sponsored book clubs — some with consistently great picks, some that make me give a little side-eye — and while I say (again) that anything that gets people reading is fabulous, not every club or selection will be for every reader.

Beyond that, being chosen for one of the high-profile celebrity book clubs is often a breakthrough moment for authors. These books tend to end up on bestseller lists, and it’s no exaggeration to say that the impact can be life-changing (and certainly career-changing) for authors.

These days, if I remember, I keep my eye on the monthly selections for Reese’s Book Club (Reese Witherspoon), GMA Book Club (Good Morning America), Read with Jenna (Jenna Bush Hager of The Today Show)… and Oprah too, of course.

I thought I’d share some of the books I’ve love that I’ve either discovered through these book clubs, or read and then discovered that they were book club selections.

And finally, going back to the GOAT of celebrity book clubs…

Among other wonderful things that Oprah has done by popularizing great books through her book club, she’s made a point of including classic fiction among her selections. Here’s a look at some of the classics she’s chosen over the years — I’m highlighting the ones that I’ve read, although until just now, I didn’t realize that they were Oprah picks!

And here are other Oprah books I’ve read. As with the other book clubs mentioned, I didn’t necessarily pick up these books directly because of Oprah… but I think for many, she gets the credit for making them so widely discussed and shared, which one way or another really raised awareness of these books.

I should point out that it’s thanks to Oprah that I first read a book by author Chris Bohjalian (Midwives)… and he’s become one of my favorite authors!

This round-up really just scratches the surface when it comes to celebrities promoting books! I’ve highlighted the book clubs that seem to consistently choose books I enjoy — although I certainly pick and choose which of their selections to read, even for the clubs I follow. Again, not every book is for every reader! And also, if I read every single one of their selections, when would I find the time to read anything else???

I’ll note that I’ve found some other interesting books that are tied to celebrity book clubs; notably, in the last year or so, I’ve read two of Mindy Kaling’s recommended books, and have a couple of others bookmarked to come back to at some point:

As I’ve said, there are lots of celebrities promoting lots of books, and while I might not be interested in all of them — either the celebrities or the specific books — I do wholeheartedly endorse anything that gets more people interested in reading and discussing books!

Do you follow celebrity book clubs? Are there any whose picks you find especially worthwhile? Have you ever discovered an amazing book thanks to one of these (or any other) celebrity book club? I’d love to hear your experiences!

Purchase links: There are obviously too many books in this post to provide links to every single one! But if you’re interested in clicking through, here are a few places to start:

Amazon – Oprah’s Book Club
Amazon – Reese’s Books Club
Amazon – Read with Jenna
Amazon – Mindy’s Book Studio
Amazon – GMA Book Club
Bookshop.org – Celebrity book club picks recommended by Bookshelf Fantasies

19Apr2025

Audiobook Review: Swept Away by Beth O’Leary

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Swept Away
Author: Beth O’Leary
Narrator: Connor Swindells, Rebekah Hinds
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: April 1, 2025
Print length: 384 pages
Audio length: 9 hours 53 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Audible (eARC via NetGalley)
Rating:

Two strangers find themselves stranded at sea together in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?

Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend’s daughter.

Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.

With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.

Beth O’Leary’s books have become must-reads for me. I love the way she blends engaging, unusual love stories with unexpected real-life situations and complications.

Swept Away offers all this… and in terms of unexpected situations, this one is off the charts. (Sorry, my feeble attempt at nautical humor…)

Lexi works at the local pub in Gilmouth, a small town on the northeast coast of England. She lives with her best friend/practically sister Penny and Penny’s four-year-old Mae, whom Lexi has helped raised since she was born. After a big fight with Penny, Lexi finds herself moping over a drink at the pub when her eye is caught by a gorgeous stranger. Zeke is charming and attentive, and he’s just in Gilmouth for one night. Sparks immediately fly. After a few more drinks, they head back to Zeke’s houseboat, both very clear that all they’re looking for is one great night. Which they have.

Things take a decidedly uncomfortable turn the next morning due to confusion about whose boat it actually is and which of them should leave… which all becomes moot when they head out on deck and see nothing but water in every direction. Due to a misunderstanding (plus fog plus drinks), each thought the other had made sure the boat was tied up properly, and neither actually did.

So what do you do when you can’t escape your one-night stand? The boat has no power, and because Zeke only bought it the day before, it has limited provisions. They expect to be rescued right away, but have no way to signal for help, and no ability to steer or navigate. All they can do is float, repair the things that break, and try to survive on what they have.

The longer they’re at sea, the more they open up. With nothing to do but wait, they talk and get to know one another in a way they hadn’t on their night together — and they agree early on to take sex out of the equation, so talking and sharing is really all they have. At first, they’re hesitant, but especially after a dangerous injury (no spoilers!), they’re forced into an intimacy they hadn’t expected. If they’re going to survive, they need each other, and with each passing day, their connection deepens and strengthens.

I won’t go too deeply into spoilers or divulge the major events of their ordeal or how it ends… although I think you can safely assume, even without me saying so, that given the cover and the marketing blurbs, this is not going to be a tragedy.

There’s a lot to love about Swept Away. It’s such an odd, offbeat setup. Lexi and Zeke’s struggle to stay alive and hold on to hope seems doomed at times, especially once the boat starts to break down bit by bit. And yet, their honesty with one another, their explorations of their pasts and their family tangles and secrets add a poignancy to each day, despite the stress of their dwindling supplies and options. As they come to care for one another more deeply, they each become committed to taking care of the other, and there are some sweet, more light-hearted moments as they find ways to bring joy into their otherwise bleak situation.

On the other hand, there are times when Swept Away feels tonally odd. There are plenty of typical romance beats along the way, and mixing these with a survival story can feel jarring. The more days they spend at sea, the more the dangers pile up — and the more out of place some of these cute romantic exchanges can feel.

Still, my occasional skepticism was overridden by the mounting tension as the stakes got higher and higher. I absolutely had to know what would happen! There’s even a Titanic-esque moment (even though this boat is so much tinier!) where I felt all sorts of dramatic feelings… but as I said, it was a safe bet all along that they’d get rescued, so mostly, it was a question of when and how, and in what condition Lexi and Zeke would be when they finally do get saved.

Now, is it realistic that a houseboat that hadn’t left a dock in years, and was designed for gentle river or canal floats, could actually survive the North Sea? Who knows! I doubt it, but it’s something we just have to go with in order to enjoy the story.

I did have a couple of quibbles with loose ends at the end of the book. We never do find out exactly where they were when they were rescued or how far they’d traveled… and I want to know! Also, there is one particularly scary injury that happens during their journey — we know they’re both fine in the end, but I wanted to know more about this in the immediate aftermath, and didn’t feel like I got closure on this particular element.

In general, though, I really enjoyed Swept Away. This isn’t a surprise — Beth O’Leary is a terrific writer who spins engaging tales about people we can’t help but care about. The survival tale provides captivating moments and a highly unusual story arc for a romance, and because Lexi and Zeke are both such layered, well-drawn characters, there’s not a moment where we don’t feel invested in both their well-being and their happiness.

The audiobook narration by Connor Swindells and Rebekah Hinds flows beautifully. The alternating chapters from Zeke and Lexi’s perspectives work very well as a whole, and the narrators bring out their characters’ personalities through their delivery. The funny bits really work, and the emotional moments are well done too.

Fans of Beth O’Leary will not be disappointed, and Swept Away is also a great introduction for those new to this author. Either way, if you’re looking for a book with high stakes, a love story to root for, and a plot to keep you hooked, don’t miss Swept Away!

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

For more by Beth O’Leary:
The Road Trip
The Flatshare
The Switch
The No-Show
The Wake-Up Call

17Apr2025

Book Review: Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: April 1, 2025
Length: 325 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Vera Wong is back and as meddling as ever in this follow-up to the hit Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.…

Ever since a man was found dead in Vera’s teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. She’s surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tilly, has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly’s girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena Gray. The very same Officer Gray that she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn’t be ungrateful, even if one is slightly…bored.

Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena’s, Vera finds a treasure trove: Selena’s briefcase. Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer—who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for.

Online, Xander had it all: a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer. The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can’t seem to actually identify him. Who is Xander Lin? Nobody knows. Every contact is a dead end. Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.

Vera is determined to solve Xander’s murder. After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, and there is nothing she wouldn’t do for her future daughter-in-law.

If you love to laugh… if you love a main character who sticks her nose where it doesn’t belong… if you love a character who’s a force of nature… then Vera Wong is ready and waiting to entertain you! And, of course, to do quite a bit of snooping… er, investigating.

“The guy literally said that to you?” Aimes says. “Stop digging? And you’re not only continuing to dig, you’re involving us in the digging?”

“Yes,” Vera says. “I thought is very obvious. Why I have to spell it out for you?”

Author Jesse Q. Sutanto introduced Vera Wong in the 2023 novel Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers — a totally delightful romp starring a no-holds-barred busybody whose mission (besides solving murders) is to fix everyone else’s lives… and maybe ensure herself some grandbabies too.

Vera is the 61-year-old owner of a Chinatown tea shop, which had been on its last legs before the whole finding-a-dead-man-in-her-shop-and-solving-his-murder incident. Since then, the tea shop’s business is booming, but Vera herself is a bit bored. Sure, she’s got the circle of young people she’s turned into family (now that she’s cleared them all of the murder she’d originally accused them of), but she misses the excitement of an active investigation… not that she’s ever been hired to investigate anything, and of course, despite all the police warnings (including from her hopefully-someday-future-daughter-in-law) to stay out of police business.

When her beloved son Tilly and his police officer girlfriend Selena move in together, they make a rookie mistake — they ask Vera to feed their cat while they’re away. Well, once she’s in their apartment, how is she supposed to avoid looking inside Selena’s (locked) briefcase and reading the files there? And if it just so happens that the case she sees relates to the missing friend of a young woman she’s just befriended… well, it would be wrong for Vera not to get involved!

Vera is an absolute steamroller, who pushes her way into people’s lives, feeds them (very, very well!), and insists that they now belong to her (and for the younger folks, that they call her Grandma). She’s persistent and manipulative, putting on a show of being elderly when it suits her, but never misses her morning power walks… or the opportunity to boss people around.

“I am helpless old lady, I need to protect myself”

“For the last time, you are not old.”

As the story progresses, Vera digs deeper and deeper into all sorts of shady goings-on, and also gets a crash course on influencer culture and viral videos. I can’t even begin to express how amazingly blunt and funny and awesome Vera is.

“So, you were actually assaulted?” Julia says. “That wasn’t just you embellishing as usual?”

Vera looks sharply at Julia. “Embellish? I don’t even know what that is meaning, so how can I do it if I don’t know what it is?”

Meanwhile, the mystery itself is compelling. Several characters get POV chapters, so that we learn more and more about the mystery while also seeing why so many people feel guilty or worry that they’re implicated in something nefarious. They all have secrets to hide — yet Vera is not a woman you can hide things from for very long. Especially not when she feeds you like that!

I loved this newest outing with Vera Wong. The storytelling flows, the characters are terrific, and the laughs pop up in the most unexpected ways. Plus, the investigation is fun to follow, unveils some more serious and tragic situations, yet never is too much of a downer at any one time.

I enjoyed the author’s Aunties series, but in my opinion, the Vera books are even better. Great plotting, super enjoyable dialogue, and a terrific cast of characters. The Vera Wong books are a treat!

I do recommend starting with the first book before reading the second. Sure, most of the plot would work anyway without the prior book, but you’d be missing out on getting to know Vera and the rest of the characters.

If you’re looking for some light, silly entertainment with a memorable lead character, definitely check out the Vera Wong books. Perfect for a spring or summer getaway, or any day when you just need a good laugh.

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

15Apr2025

Top Ten Tuesday: My Unpopular Bookish Opinions

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is My Unpopular Bookish Opinions.

That’s hard! But I’m up for giving it a try. Maybe these opinions are more popular than I realize, but here goes my attempt:

The Twilight series is actually better than people think. If you read them when they came out, then you remember how all-consuming and impossible to put down these books were. Sure, we can (and do) poke lots of fun at the more ridiculous plot points… but these books were an amazing read at the time.
Wuthering Heights will never appeal to me. I can’t see why this book is so beloved… and believe me, I’ve tried!
Many “classic romantic couples” are dysfunctional as hell. Romeo and Juliet, I’m looking at you… not to mention Heathcliff and Catherine, and many more.
Zombie fiction has passed its peak. Enough, already.
Assassins and killers are not compelling protagonists. Books about killers seem to be all the rage, and I’ve actually read a couple of good ones — but no matter how you dress it up, I still can’t get behind having a murderer (no matter how great the cause!) as a lead character we’re supposed to root for.
Grumpy love interests would just be jerks in real life. Romantic fiction is amazing, and I know people love the grumpy-sunshine trope… but I think so many of these guys would be actually insufferable if you met them in person.
Fourth Wing is nonsense. Don’t throw rocks at me! I know I’m in the minority on this — but to me, this book is a weird mash-up of a [insert any YA about a special school here] + death + sex + dragons. It doesn’t work.
Sprayed-edge books aren’t special anymore. I do love when there’s a gorgeous edition of a book I love, and I’ll happily buy one, but it seems like it’s becoming more and more standard for new releases to have the painted edges, no matter what it is (but especially in fantasy/romantasy). It’s starting to feel like too much of a good thing (and/or, just another excuse to raise prices for a new book).
Reading stats can have a negative effect on reading. I’m guilty of falling into this trap: We set a reading goal to read xx number of books in a year, then plan our reading to make sure we meet that target. I think readers (again, including myself) who focus on the numbers, page counts, etc often end up avoiding longer or more challenging books out of fear of missing their targets.
Celebrity books clubs are good for readers and the book industry. Don’t scoff! I have a post coming soon about celebrity book clubs in general, but my quick take is that there are some really great books that get attention because they’re book club picks, when they might have totally gone unnoticed otherwise. I think these type of clubs overall do a great service for the reading community.

I’ll just wrap things up with what I think should be a POPULAR opinion: People should read whatever they want! Read what makes you happy! That’s it, that’s all that matters.

What are your unpopular bookish opinions?

If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link!

14Apr2025

The Monday Check-In ~ 4/14/2025

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Life.

The past few days have been a whirlwind, in the best possible way! We had a lovely Seder for the first night of Passover — good food, great company, lots of fun. My daughter and her fiancé came for the weekend, and we spent one day playing tourists, visiting parts of San Francisco that I haven’t been to in years. It was great to have the time together — I just wish we’d had even more!

What did I read during the last week?

Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory: An okay, not great, romance set in Wine Country. My review is here.

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone: An engaging story about two people helping each other through grief and loss, and falling in love along the way. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

I really haven’t been watching much, and the weekend was just too busy to leave time for TV. So, I’m still working my way through season 3 of Yellowjackets! Beyond that, my son and I are really enjoying this season of The Amazing Race, and I’m tolerating Survivor.

Fresh Catch:

One new books this week! Looking forward to starting it…

(It’s prettier in person — the lighting for my photos wasn’t good, but it was the best I could do in the moment.)

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto: This book is a hoot! I ran out of time to read over the weekend, but I should be able to wrap this up in the next day or so.

Now playing via audiobook:

Swept Away by Beth O’Leary: I always enjoy this author’s books, although I’m not sure that the overall tone is really working for me on this one. I’m just past the halfway mark — looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

Ongoing reads:

My book group’s classic read is Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 74%. Up next: Chapters 36 and 37.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

12Apr2025

Affiliate programs: Worth the effort?

Posted in Blogging, Bookish Thoughts by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Affiliate programs: An affiliate program is a marketing arrangement where an individual or website (the “affiliate”) earns a commission by promoting another company’s products or services. The affiliate earns a percentage of each sale made through their unique affiliate link, effectively outsourcing sales efforts

Years ago, when I first started blogging regularly, I jumped at the idea of signing up for affiliate programs.

The general concept is this: You enroll or set up an an affiliate account with an online retailer, provide links to products on your blog (or whatever platform you use for sharing content), and when someone clicks through from your link and makes a purchase, you make a certain percentage of the price as a commission.

Ah yes, the illusive idea of actually earning a bit of money through blogging. Ha.

I enrolled in Amazon’s affiliate program, as well as Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and (the dearly departed) Book Depository. Amazon dropped me because I failed to meet their quota, which was something like three purchases via affiliate links in the first three months. (I had zero). In all, I made a whopping $0.80 through my various affiliate accounts!

Woo hoo! Eighty cents! I’m rich!

After keeping the other non-Amazon programs going for a bit, I dropped the idea entirely and stopped including purchase links in my posts. But lately, I’ve been toying with the idea again. If people are stopping by my blog to check out my reviews or other book-related posts, and want to go from there to a purchasing site to buy one of the books I mentioned, why not try to get a teeny bit of a benefit out of it?

So, a couple of weeks ago, I signed up once again for the Amazon affiliate program, reactivated my Bookshop.org account as well, and have started including purchase links at the end of my book review posts.

I’m on the fence about it all. I don’t actually think I get enough traffic to make the links worthwhile, especially since most of the people I engage with are also book bloggers — so why would they use my links when they probably (maybe) have links through their own blogs?

And let’s be clear, I by no means consider myself (or would ever want to be) an influencer! I’m just a reader, who loves books, and likes to chat with other people who love books too.

My point in all of this is to put some questions out there to my fellow book bloggers:

Do you participate in any affiliate programs?
If so, which ones? Are there any you find especially worthwhile?
Have you actually earned anything through affiliate programs?
If you’re not in an affiliate program, have you considered it?

I’m interested in hearing about other people’s experiences, as I debate whether to bother with it all. I’m guessing that without a lot more effort than I’m willing or interested in investing, my connection to affiliate programs will go nowhere. I’m curious to hear whether anyone else has actually seen their links pay off in any sort of way.

The topic of monetizing blogging comes up quite a bit in the blogosphere, and in general, it’s never been of interest to me. As I’ve said in so many different contexts, I blog because it’s fun and I enjoy it. It’s not a job, it’s not an obligation, and I don’t expect to make a dime from it. This is why I’m so on the fence about affiliate programs: Sure, it’d be nice to get a few dollars back from time to time (which would go right back into buying more books), but I’ve never expected a financial payoff from blogging, so why start now?

So… affiliate programs: Yea or Nay? Please chime in and share your thoughts!

10Apr2025

Audiobook Review: Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Promise Me Sunshine
Author: Cara Bastone
Narrator: Alex Finke
Publisher: Dial Press
Publication date: March 4, 2025
Print length: 416 pages
Audio length: 11 hours 11 minutes
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Audible (eARC via NetGalley)
Rating:

Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not

Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Ever since cancer stole away her best friend, she has been completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with her best friend, and the ever-laminated “live again” list of things she’s promised to do to survive her grief. But maybe if she acts like she has it all together, no one will notice she’s falling apart.

The only gigs she can handle right now are temporary babysitting jobs, and she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. The only catch: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of. . . a walking version of the grumpy cat meme. Worse – he seems to be able to see right through her.

Surprisingly, Miles knows a lot about grief and he offers Lenny a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again” list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the void her best friend has left behind, but between late night ferry rides, midnight ramen, and a well-placed shoulder whenever she needs it, Miles just won’t stop showing up for her. Turns out, sometimes your life has to end to find your new beginning.

After listening to Ready or Not by Cara Bastone just recently, I was more than happy to jump at the chance to listen to her newest audiobook as well. Promise Me Sunshine does not disappoint… although I think billing this book as a romance might be a bit misleading. Yes, there’s a love story — but Promise Me Sunshine is very much a book about living with grief and figuring out how to carry on after a tragic loss.

When we meet Lenny, she’s bustling uptown to start a temporary babysitting gig, caring for a cute 7-year-old while her single mom is away on a business trip. Lenny connects with Ainsley and her mom Reese right away, but she’s a bit put off by Ainsley’s uncle Miles, who shows up at the apartment as soon as she does, and seems to just plant himself there. He’s cold and judgmental, and watches Lenny like a hawk. Reese doesn’t seem to particularly want him there, but he stays, and stays, and stays.

Lenny is full of sunshine around Ainsley, but alone, it’s clear that she’s not okay. Her best friend Lou died just six months earlier, still in her 20s, after battling cancer for years. Lenny can’t bring herself to return to the Brooklyn apartment they shared, so instead, during her off hours, she rides the Staten Island ferry all night, dozing on and off until she returns to her job the next morning.

She’s annoyed by Miles’s constant hovering, but a breakthrough comes when he spots a book about grief in her backpack. He’s read it too — and he lets Lenny know that he’s been there. Miles lost his closest family members ten years earlier, and while he’s worked through the immediate pain, he understands how grief changes a person and never truly ends. He offers to be there for Lenny — someone to call in the bad moments, someone to lean on when needed. She’s skeptical at first: Why would he go to the effort for someone he barely knows? It turns out, Miles wants something in return. Ainsley and Reese are all the family he has left, and he doesn’t know how to connect with them. Lenny is such a natural with Ainsley, and Miles wants her to teach him how to build a relationship with his niece.

Lenny agrees, and also agrees to extend the weekend babysitting into a longer-term job. Miles is as good as his word. He refuses to allow Lenny to wall herself off and to continue indulging in riskier behaviors (like sleeping on the ferry all night) — he insists that she stays (for now) at the studio apartment he’s not using, that she calls him if she can’t sleep, and that she starts working her way through the “live again” list Lou left her with.

Lenny and Miles are charming together. She’s funny in an oddball, off-kilter sort of way, silly and ridiculous, yet loads of fun. He’s the typical grumpy half of the familiar grumpy-sunshine dynamic, but he’s lovable too. Yes, he comes across as judgy and walled-off and stiff, but he goes above and beyond for Lenny from day one, and it turns out that his gruff exterior hides a big, squishy heart.

Promise Me Sunshine doesn’t shy away from showing the depths of Lenny’s grief and despair. There are many terribly sad scenes where we see her absolutely fall apart — because loss is like that. Time helps, but there’s no avoiding the seemingly innocuous triggers that wait around every corner, sending Lenny into a spiral of sobs and fresh mourning at a moment’s notice. With Miles in her life, though, she’s no longer suffering alone… and eventually, Lenny is able to start appreciating the sunshine moments again.

There’s a lot to love about Promise Me Sunshine. Miles and Lenny bond right away, and their dynamic is cute in the funnier moments, heartfelt in the sadder times. As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t strictly speaking a romance novel, in my opinion — it’s contemporary fiction that includes a love story, but the romantic element isn’t the whole point. Yes, of course Miles and Lenny fall in love, but it takes the entire book for them to get there, and meanwhile, what we see is a story of two people helping each other find reasons to embrace life again.

Beyond the love story, it’s refreshing to see that Miles and Lenny don’t instantly become each others’ entire worlds. Miles encourages Lenny to make new friends, be open to connecting with people, and even, finally, stop avoiding her parents and everyone/everything who reminds her of Lou. For Lenny’s part, she helps Miles find a way to build trust and affection with Reese and Ainsley, to let go of some difficult chapters from his life, and to start planning for a future instead of living in a sort of holding pattern.

My only quibble with Promise Me Sunshine is that Miles comes across as too good to be true. He’s absolutely selfless, and devotes himself 100% to doing and being whatever Lenny needs. It’s lovely… but he seems more like an ideal than an actual person.

The audiobook narration is quite a lot of fun. Narrator Alex Finke capture’s Lenny silliness and over-the-top delivery, as well as Miles’s stilted, awkward lines in his grumpier moments. As with Ready or Not (same narrator), I sometimes found it difficult to distinguish between Lenny’s spoken lines and her internal dialogue, having to figure it out based on context or whether other characters responded to what I thought she might have said to them.

These quibbles in no way detract from the overall pleasures of listening to Promise Me Sunshine. There are plenty of funny interludes, but the heart of the story is Lenny’s heartbreaking grief over the loss of the friend she describes as her soulmate. The depth of their friendship is beautifully depicted, and Lenny’s journey feels real and powerful. Plus, the love story elements really work, and Miles and Lenny, with all their differences, click amazingly well as friends before becoming much more.

I’m happy to recommend Promise Me Sunshine… and now that I’ve had two great experiences with Cara Bastone’s books, I’ll be on the lookout for more!

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

9Apr2025

Book Review: Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Flirting Lessons
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: April 8, 2025
Length: 416 pages
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

The exciting new contemporary romance—and her first to feature a queer romance—by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory

Avery Jensen is almost thirty, fresh off a breakup, and she’s tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially other women), flirt with everyone she sees, all the fun stuff normal people do in their twenties. One Avery doesn’t know how to do any of that. She doesn’t have a lot of dating experience, with men or women, and despite being self-assured at work, she doesn’t have a lot of confidence when it comes to romance.

Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley’s biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker. Taylor just broke up with her most recent girlfriend, and her best friend bet her that she can’t make it until Labor Day without sleeping with someone. (Two whole months? Without sex? Taylor?!?!) So, she offers to give Avery flirting lessons. It will keep her busy, stop her from texting people she shouldn’t. And it might distract her from how inadequate she feels compared to her friends, who all seem much more settled and adult than Taylor.

At first, Avery is stiff and nervous, but Taylor is patient and encouraging, and soon, Avery looks forward to their weekly lessons. With Taylor’s help, Avery finally has the life she always wanted. The only issue is: now she wants Taylor. Their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, despite them both insisting to themselves and everyone else that it isn’t serious. When Taylor is forced to confront her feelings for Avery, she doesn’t know what to do—and most importantly, if she’s already ruined the best thing she’s ever had.

Mega-popular author Jasmine Guillory returns to Napa Valley, setting of her previous novel, Drunk on Love, for her newest romance. As the blurb tells us, this is the author’s first foray into queer romance, with a love story featuring two women who start as friends and become much more.

Taylor is the woman everyone loves to be around, and she’s dated practically every woman in wine country at one point or another. She’s famous (or infamous) for not doing relationships — everyone knows that she’s great for a fling, but not someone to get serious with.

At an event at the winery where she works, Taylor runs into Avery, the best friend of a former coworker. Avery is gorgeous and a bit reserved. She’s excellent at her event planning business, but comes across as shy and self-conscious in social settings. After a couple of glasses of wine, she admits to Taylor that she’s tired of being seen as reliable and predictable — in other words, boring. She wishes she knew how to to have fun, flirt, and grab onto life.

Meanwhile, Taylor’s best friend Erica has just bet Taylor that she can’t stay celibate for the entire summer, and Taylor never can resist a dare. Since sleeping with anyone new is off the table, she needs a distraction, and offers to be Avery’s dating guru. She’ll give her flirting lessons! Avery has never dated women before, but wants to, and Taylor offers to take her out, put her in high-potential flirting situations, and teach her how to flirt like a champ.

What follows is a series of very fun lessons, where Avery is given challenges such as talking to five new people or trying something outside her comfort zone. The goal isn’t going to bed — it’s empowering Avery to feel more confident with new people, and to stop the self- talk that holds her back.

Of course, Taylor and Avery end up catching feelings for one another, and their flirting lessons turn into much, much more…

Flirting Lessons is at its best when it’s focused on the social settings and activities that Taylor orchestrates for Avery’s lessons. An author event at a bookstore, queer salsa dancing, trivia night at a bar, community gardening — all are terrific venues for seeing the two women interact with each other and with new people, and provide different ways for Avery to spread her wings and try something new.

I appreciated that honesty was an important part of what both women needed to learn — how to accept a compliment without deflection, how to express what they actually feel rather than what they think the other person wants, how to stop undermining themselves by wondering if they’re interesting enough or match what others want to see. It’s also nice to see that they have other friends. Their relationship is not their sole focus, and for each, paying attention to the other people in their lives is yet another element that helps them grow and acknowledge their own strengths and blindspots.

Despite the positives, I can’t say this was more than just a so-so read for me, and here’s why:

I’m not sure that I entirely bought Avery and Taylor’s chemistry. Avery is just too tentative and walled off to make true sense as a partner for Taylor, or to hold Taylor’s attention long enough for her growth to give them a more equal footing. Further, the plot as a whole is a bit dull. Sure, the various dates and events are fun, and the ups and downs of Taylor and Avery’s relationship are nice to see unfolding, but it’s entirely predictable. Even the potential breakup is easy to see coming, as is its solution.

On the whole, Flirting Lessons is a bit longer than it needs to be, and doesn’t cover much new ground or provide a ton of surprises. I enjoyed the book enough to want to keep going, but now that I’m done, it’s not likely to stick with me in any meaningful way.

Still, Flirting Lessons could be a good choice for a light summer read — and the Wine Country setting provides a nice sense of a sun-filled getaway.

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

8Apr2025

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Springy Covers

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books with Springy Covers. When I think of springy covers, I think of light colors, flowers… and the occasional cupcake too.

So here we go — my top ten books that give me spring vibes: