Audiobook Review: Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Britt-Marie Was Here
Author: Fredrik Backman
Narrator: Joan Walker
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: 2016
Print length: 324 pages
Audio length: 9 hours 18 minutes
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

From the best-selling author of the “charming debut” (People) A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, a heartwarming and hilarious story of a reluctant outsider who transforms a tiny village and a woman who finds love and second chances in the unlikeliest of places.

Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. She eats dinner at precisely the right time and starts her day at six in the morning because only lunatics wake up later than that. And she is not passive-aggressive. Not in the least. It’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention.

But at 63, Britt-Marie has had enough. She finally walks out on her loveless 40-year marriage and finds a job in the only place she can: Borg, a small, derelict town devastated by the financial crisis. For the fastidious Britt-Marie, this new world of noisy children, muddy floors, and a roommate who is a rat (literally) is a hard adjustment.

As for the citizens of Borg, with everything that they know crumbling around them, the only thing that they have left to hold on to is something Britt-Marie absolutely loathes: their love of soccer. When the village’s youth team becomes desperate for a coach, they set their sights on her. She’s the least likely candidate, but their need is obvious, and there is no one else to do it.

Thus begins a beautiful and unlikely partnership. In her new role as reluctant mentor to these lost young boys and girls, Britt-Marie soon finds herself becoming increasingly vital to the community. And, even more surprisingly, she is the object of romantic desire for a friendly and handsome local policeman named Sven. In this world of oddballs and misfits, can Britt-Marie finally find a place where she belongs?

Zany and full of heart, Britt-Marie Was Here is a novel about love and second chances and about the unexpected friendships we make that teach us who we really are and the things we are capable of doing.

After finishing Fredrik Backman’s most recent book, My Friends — a true masterpiece — I decided to go back and read the remaining couple of his books that I’d somehow missed. But now that I’ve read Britt-Marie Was Here, I realize that his earlier books may not work for me quite as well as the more recent ones.

In Britt-Marie Was Here, we meet the prickly, socially awkward Britt-Marie who, after 40 years of marriage, leaves her husband and decides to start a life of her own. She’s spent all these year catering to her husband and keeping their home spotless, and has simply taken his word for it when he tells her that she’s not good with people. Now, she’s determined to find her own path, and starts by hounding the poor woman at the unemployment office until she’s finally offered the only available position — acting as caretaker for an abandoned community center slated for closure shortly, in the forgotten, run-down town of Borg.

Borg is miles from nowhere, and seems to mainly consist of a pizzeria that’s also the local grocery store, post office, and car repair shop. The recreation center is just next door, and in just as desperate need of cleaning as the pizzeria, so Britt-Marie gets to work. She’s incredibly awkward and rubs the locals the wrong way right from the start — and yet, she’s not fazed when the curious local kids show up to check her out. Somehow, almost against her will, she gets involved, and soon, she’s formed abrasive yet fond relationships with the adults of Borg while also getting roped into acting as the kids’ soccer coach.

If you like your stories quirky and heart-warming, then there’s a lot you’ll enjoy about Britt-Marie Was Here. Backman’s storytelling is always a delight, and his wordplay and descriptions are just as clever as we’d expect. I especially love how this author captures so much depth about life and emotions in seemingly simple sentences:

She has not run down the stairs like this since she was a teenager, when your heart reaches the front door before your feet.

However… Plotwise, Britt-Marie Was Here feels a little bland. I’ve read plenty of books already about outsiders finding connection and community in a peculiar small town, so this book didn’t especially stand out for me. What’s more, I found the timeline hard to believe: Britt-Marie spends three weeks in Borg, and somehow manages to change everyone’s lives for the better, create new hope for the children and their soccer team, and encourage the townsfolk to become their best selves. In three weeks? As I said, perhaps I’ve just read too many of these outsiders-transform-a-community stories, but I just wasn’t buying it.

On top of my issues with the story, I really struggled with the audiobook narration. The narrator’s delivery was a challenge for me, especially the rhythm and tone of her speaking voice. Something about it just didn’t click, and I often found myself puzzling over what I’d just heard or having to go back and repeat sections — or double-check them against the printed edition.

This is a cute story, and there are some moments I truly enjoyed, but between the narration and the sense of having read too many similar stories already, Britt-Marie Was Here was only a so-so audiobook experience for me.

I do think the author’s style and subject matter have developed spectacularly over the years, and his later books feel much deeper to me. I believe I have just one more of his early novels, and possibly a few shorter pieces, left to read, but after Britt-Marie, I’ll probably hold off for a while before delving further into his backlist.

Purchase links: Amazon – Audible – 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.

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12Nov2025

Book Review: Children of Time (Children of Time, #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Children of Time
Series: Children of Time, #1
Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Publisher: Orbit
Publication date: June 4, 2015
Length: 600 pages
Genre: Science fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

A race for survival among the stars… Humanity’s last survivors escaped earth’s ruins to find a new home. But when they find it, can their desperation overcome its dangers?

WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind’s worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?

Children of Time is a big, detailed, complex work of science fiction. It requires focus and concentration… and is absolutely worth the effort.

In Children of Time, humanity’s time on Earth has come to an end. While expanding out beyond the solar system and exploring other worlds, factions at home and throughout Earth’s space colonies go from adversarial politics to all-out war. The few remnants of humans on Earth find ways to survive an ice age, only to discover, as the ice finally recedes, that the ice actually protected life from the toxins that now doom them all to extinction — unless they can recreate the ancient tech of their space-faring ancestors and journey to a new planet to start again.

Meanwhile, the earlier humans’ space exploration included an ambitious terraforming agenda, journeying to far-flung solar systems to seed likely planets with the potential for new homes for humanity. As we learn early on, though, even this undertaking comes to ruin due to the factionalism and wars that devastate life on Earth.

One scientist heading a terraforming project succeeds, however… in a way. The pioneer of a project known as exaltation, Dr. Avrana Kern’s mission is to seed a terraformed planet with monkeys and a nanovirus to speed their evolution — then have the humans remain in suspension for centuries until the monkeys have evolved enough to support human settlement on their planet. But thanks to the war between humans, something goes very, very wrong with her plans.

Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that the story of what happens on this planet is utterly fascinating. Essentially, an unintended species is infected by the nanovirus — and over the course of Children of Time, we see an intensely interesting version of human evolution as played out by another species entirely. Thanks to the relatively short life span of this species, many generations pass over the course of the decades and centuries that follow — and we see them evolved from basic hunting skills to complex reasoning, strategy, building, communication, religious ideology, and eventually, highly advanced biochemistry and technology.

Meanwhile, in alternating chapters, we see the final remnants of the human race aboard the ark ship Gilgamesh, following the star maps and recovered documents of the last space-exploring humans in a desperate search to locate the old terraformed planets. Because they mainly exist in suspension, millennia pass during the Gilgamesh’s journey. We see familiar characters as they come out of suspension, often after decades or centuries have passed, in order to deal with new threats or discoveries. The concepts of time and what constitutes a life span are investigated in strange and wonderful new ways.

I don’t want to go too far into specifics, as there’s a real joy in seeing just how inventively the author spins out this story. The chapters alternate between life on the Gilgamesh and life on the planet, and it’s done so well that by the time the inevitable conflict between the two arrives near the end of the book, it’s impossible for a reader to favor one side over the other.

I’m thrilled that I’ve finally read Children of Time. Despite the book’s length, it’s so engrossing that the pages just fly by. For science fiction fans, this book is a must!

There are two more volumes in the series currently available, with a fourth set for publication in early 2026. On the one hand, Children of Time does wrap up very well, so I’d say it’s perfectly fine and satisfying to approach it as a single-volume stand-alone. On the other hand, I enjoyed Children of Time so much that I’m eager to read more set in this sci-fi universe!

Purchase links: Amazon – Audible audiobook – 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.

11Nov2025

Top Ten Tuesday: Not my typical books!

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 I Enjoyed that Were Outside My Comfort Zone.

I don’t know that I have a particular comfort zone when it comes to reading. I read across genres, and wouldn’t say that certain types of books or topics make me uncomfortable. Still, there are books that are more unusual choices for me, and those are the books that I’m highlighting today.

Here are ten books that are not my typical reads! For a variety of reasons, these books were out-of-the-ordinary when it comes to my reading habits… and I’ll share why!

1. The Roommate by Rosie Danan (review): I enjoyed this contemporary romance, but it was WAY more spicy (i.e., extremely explicit) than anything I typically read.

2. The Blind Side by Michael Lewis: If you’d asked me in advance if I’d consider reading a book about football, the answer would have been no! Not a football fan, and really, little to no interest in reading about sports. And yet, after hearing an interview with the author, I decided to check out the book, and found it surprisingly fascinating.

3. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (review): After geeking out on Hamilton (the musical), I decided to read the biography that inspired it. I would not normally pick up a massive history/biography like this… but I’m glad I did.

4. Vietnam: A History by Stanley Karnow: Yet another massive history book that I picked up thanks to pop culture! I went through a phase (many years ago) where I was very into both TV shows and movies set during the Vietnam War, and decided I needed to go deeper. As a fiction reader to the depths of my soul, reading a big history book like this was definitely an unusual step, but it paid off.

5. Red Earth and Pouring Rain by Vikram Chandra: A book group I participated in many years ago picked this book, and I was not prepared for the writing style or subject matter! I stuck with it for the sake of the group discussion, but this was not a typical read for me by any means.

6. An Immense World by Ed Yong: I do like to pick up pop science books from time to time. This one was a gift, and was much more science/detail-heavy than what I might typically read. I’m glad I was gifted this one — I might not have picked it up otherwise, and I found so much of it really fascinating.

7. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: An unusual reading experience for me, in that I only succeeded in finishing this book on my 3rd (or possibly 4th) attempt. At various times in my life, I’d started this book, only to quit somewhere around the halfway mark. For a long time, I considered this my own personal unreadable book… and then finally decided that I was going to give it one more try and actually finish it, no matter what. I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t love it, but I’m still glad that I made it happen.

8. Death of an Eye by Dana Stabenow (review): If not for being a fan of the author (I love her Kate Shugak series!), I probably would have skipped right by this book. A mystery set during Cleopatra’s reign, there was so much about the time period and setting that I had to Google while reading that it took real perseverance to see it through. It was a good read, but the subject matter made it an unusual choice for me.

9. Reading Shakespeare for myself, not for a class! A catch-all category here… I’ve now read Shakespeare plays a few times over the past several years, just for my own enjoyment. Again, definitely not something I’d consider part of my typical reading habits! I’m looking forward to continuing — there are still plenty left that I haven’t read or studied.

10. Moby Dick by Herman Melville: At some point a few years ago, I decided that I had to read Moby Dick. Just because. Maybe as a point of pride, to be able to say I’d done it? Overall, it was a rewarding experience… but the endless chapters about different types of whales? Definitely not something I’d ever thought I’d spend that much time on!

And finally…

One extra book — this is one from my to-read pile that truly feels outside my comfort zone… mainly because I keep hearing how hard it is to get through it!

Have you read The Silmarillion? Thoughts on whether it’s worth the effort?

Have you read any of the books on my list? Do you have any particular books that were unusual reading choices for you?

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

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10Nov2025

The Monday Check-In ~ 11/10/2025

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.

Once again, the week just flew by! Work has been intense and busy… ’nuff said about that.

Outside of work, I managed to fit in some good outdoor time on our surprisingly sunny November days this week. A couple of walks, some outdoor dancing — just what I needed!

What did I read during the last week?

Villette by Charlotte Bronte: This was a group read with my book group, and all I can say is — thank goodness that’s over with! Such a frustrating book, although it had its more interesting moments.

Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding: A really fun retelling of Pride and Prejudice! My review is here.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix: Wow! Fantastic horror with a lot to say, and utterly compelling storytelling. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

I know I’ve mentioned before that I watch Dancing with the Stars, partially because it reminds me of my dad, but also just because I do enjoy watching dance performances. It can be really fun to see people with little to no dance experience learn and grow from episode to episode. That said, this season is making me especially annoyed. There’s a clear favorite to win (Whitney, dancing with awesome pro Mark) who get top scores every week… but – but – BUT she is someone who has a competitive dance background and was a dance major in college. How is that fair against people who either literally never danced before or had some sort of injury that affected their ability to dance or any of the other (much more compelling) backstories of other contestants? It feels rigged… plus I can’t stand how heavily audience voting counts, making the results pretty much a popularity contest from week to week.

Argh. So why, you may ask, do I keep watching? Easy — the dancing can be so much fun! I like many of the so-called “stars” this season, and the pros are always amazing. But if Whitney and Mark win, I may start throwing things!

Other than that, I’ve been casting around for a new show to try, and just started The Morning Show over the weekend. It’s good! I know I’m a few years behind — I’m excited to see what all the buzz is about.

Fresh Catch:

I received an Amazon gift card last week, and treated myself to these three books:

I’ve already read The Everlasting (review), and loved it so much that I needed my own copy. Alchemy and a Cup of Tea is the 4th (final?) book in the Tomes & Tea series, and since I have the other three, I thought I should round out the collection. I was really on the fence about The Rose Field, but I’ve decided to bite the bullet and read it (after I do a re-read of The Secret Commonwealth).

All in all, I’m happy to have all three of these to add to my shelves!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky: This is a BIG book, and it requires a lot of concentration, so I haven’t made quite as much progress as I’d hoped. (I realized that I can’t stay up late reading in bed with this book, because my tired brain doesn’t absorb it well enough!) I’m fascinated by what I’ve read so far, and I’m happy that I’m finally reading this book after planning to get to it for years now.

Now playing via audiobook:

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman: After reading My Friends last month (amazing!), I decided to try to catch up on this author’s earlier books that I hadn’t read yet. I’ve gotten about halfway through this audiobook, and I’m finding it sweet so far.

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments (current and coming up):

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien: Another book group read, continuing our LOTR adventure. Progress (relative to the entire LOTR opus): 55%.
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin: My newest Classics Club Spin book! I’m leaving it here as a reminder to myself. The goal is to complete our spin books by December 21st, so I still have time.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

7Nov2025

Spell the Month in Books: November

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Spell the Month in Books is a monthly meme hosted by Jana at Reviews from the Stacks. To participate, find a book title that starts with each letter in the month’s name, make a list, share your link, and that’s it! You can share anytime by the end of the month. Some months have additional themes, but feel free to participate however you’d like!

This month’s theme is Nostalgia! I’m spotlighting books that hold fond memories for me — some from my childhood, some that I’ve enjoyed with my children, and some that just make me remember how happy I was when I first read them.

Here are my NOVEMBER books:

N:

No Flying in the House by Betty Brock
Nostalgia factor: I was OBSESSED with this book as a child! Especially the “fact” that you could tell if someone was actually a fairy by seeing if they could kiss their own elbow. Did I spend a lot of time trying? Of course I did!

O:

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Nostalgia factor: I’m including this book as a stand-in for the entire Little House series — which I enjoyed during my own childhood and then enjoyed all over again once my daughter was old enough to be interested.

V:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Nostalgia factor: Endless times reading this book with my kids! And always so much fun, especially when they’d read aloud with me.

E:

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Nostalgia factor: One of my daughter’s favorites! She insisted that I read this one the second she finished it.

M:

Merry, Rose, and Christmas-Tree June by Doris Orgel
Nostalgia factor: I remember loving this book! I don’t remember the entire story, but I know there were three special dolls. As a kid, I didn’t know enough to be excited that the illustrations were by Edward Gorey, but as an adult, that makes me even more determined to track down a copy!

B:

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Nostalgia factor: Nightly read-alouds with my kids… and just so sweet and charming

E:

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
Nostalgia factor: I’ve read this at several points in my life, and each time it’s been a great experience. This wasn’t my first King novel by any means, but I have such warm memories of how I felt while reading it.

R:

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
Nostaglia factor: At one point, many years ago, I could not get enough of Robin McKinley’s fairy tale retellings (and I still think they’re amazing) — and then had the joy of seeing my daughter become just as crazy about them.

Wishing everyone a very happy November! If you spelled the month in books, please leave me a link to your post — I’d love to see it!

6Nov2025

Book Review: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
Author: Grady Hendrix
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: January 14, 2025
Length: 482 pages
Genre: Horror
Source: Purchased
Rating:

There’s power in a book…

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood.

Grady Hendrix writes marvelously inventive horror novels, with psychological and physical terrors around every corner. Here in Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, the greatest horror is not in the supernatural elements, but in the treatment of the pregnant teens sent in disgrace to the Wellwood Home.

“You are here because you acted like a barnyard animal,” Miss Wellwood said. “You took the glory of your womanhood and threw it in the mud.”

The girls at the home are young, and at the complete mercy of their families, the staff of the home, and the doctors. They are never allowed to forget just how awful they are, how little they matter, and how little control they have over anything that happens to their bodies. They are all utterly ignorant as well — they know what they did to get pregnant, but have no idea what childbirth actually entails.

“You all don’t need to worry yourselves about what’s going to happen when you go to the hospital,” he said. “Because it’s none of your business. You just do what the doctors say and you’ll be fine.”

Fern is distraught when her father angrily bustles her off the home and leaves her there without even a good-bye. “Fern” isn’t even her name — all girls are given new names upon arrival, to preserve anonymity and to make the entire experience as separate from their real lives as possible. All Fern wants is to go home, to forget this ever happened, and to get back to her school, her friends, and the senior play.

But the harsh realities of pregnancy are impossible to ignore, especially once Fern witnesses another girl go into early labor in the bathroom and has to face the awful truth of what lies ahead for her. When the biweekly book mobile shows up, Fern asks the librarian for a book on what really happens during childbirth — which would be considered contraband at the home, where pleasant middle grade books seem to be the only allowed reading material.

The book the librarian passes along is anything but benign children’s fiction. Instead, she hands Fern is a hidden copy of a book titled How to Be a Groovy Witch (how awesome is that?!?!). The book’s contents are mostly incomprehensible, but Fern, Rose, Zinnia, and Holly are able to figure out a spell to cure Zinnia’s unrelenting morning sickness… by transferring it to someone else, with shockingly effective results.

The girls are drawn in by the lure of witchcraft and the power it promises, not seeing until it’s too late that nothing is given for free.

In this world there is one truth: everything has a price, and every price must be paid. Perhaps you will not pay it today, maybe you can put it off until tomorrow, but one day there will be a knock at your door in the middle of the night, a voice in the darkness beside your bed, a letter laid upon the table when you believe yourself to be alone, and it will contain a bill that must be paid, and you will pay it in blood.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is an absolutely compelling read. It’s a little on the longer side, but it flies by. The girls’ terror and helplessness feel palpable, and the book is a stark reminder of how far we’ve come in so many ways… and how awful it would be to move backward.

There are several gross-out scenes resulting from the girls’ spells, as well as scenes of supernatural power and strange, other-worldly phenomena. Some parts can be truly scary. And yet, the most horrifying scene is a hospital delivery. Nothing goes wrong medically, but it’s a detailed, horrible depiction of what labor and delivery in the 1970s entailed for so many women. That, to me, is the truly disturbing part of this book. Well, that, plus the girls’ utter lack of agency, the casual cruelty of the adults controlling them, and the soul-crushing sense of shame forced on them from every direction.

They said she could go back to her old life. They said it wouldn’t hurt. They said she’d never have to think about it again. They lied.

I loved the girls’ character development, and how each of them struggles to find strength to face their own particular hell. The girls’ power truly lies in their connection and support of one another, even more so than in the gifts they discover through the book and the librarian’s coven. Despite their individual suffering, they still find joy and friendship, as they band together to take back control and figure out how to survive.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a moving, powerful, absorbing read. The depiction of the historical time and place feels spot-on. 1970s slang and attitudes provide some needed moments of fun and entertainment, despite the overall seriousness of the subject matter. (It’s shocking to see the pregnant girls constantly smoking cigarettes… but hey, it’s 1970!)

Grady Hendrix writes terrific horror, always with unique, clever twists and set-ups. I believe I have one more of his books yet to read (and I’m looking forward to it!); meanwhile, I’m thrilled that I finally got my hands on Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. Highly recommended.

For more by this author:
Horrorstör
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of ’70s and ’80s Horror Fiction
We Sold Our Souls
The Final Girl Support Group
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

Purchase links: Amazon – Audible audiobook – 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.

5Nov2025

Audiobook Review: Elizabeth of East Hampton (For the Love of Austen, #2) by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Elizabeth of East Hampton
Series: For the Love of Austen, #2
Author: Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding
Narrators: Brittany Pressley and Teddy Hamilton
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication date: August 6, 2024
Print length: 384 pages
Audio length: 9 hours 54 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

This fresh and whip-smart modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice transports you to summer in the Hamptons, where classes clash, rumors run wild, and love has a frustrating habit of popping up where you least expect it.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged—well, by Elizabeth Bennet anyway—that there’s nothing worse than summer in the Hamptons. She should know: she’s lived out there her whole life. Every June, her hometown on the edge of Long Island is inundated with rich Manhattanites who party until dawn and then disappear by September. And after twenty-five years, Lizzy wants to leave, too.

But after putting her own dreams on hold to help save her family’s failing bakery, she’s still surfing the same beach every morning and waiting for something, anything, to change. She’s not holding her breath though, not even when her sister starts flirting with the hot new bachelor in town, Charlie Pierce, and he introduces Lizzy to his even hotter friend.

Will Darcy is everything Lizzy Bennet is not. Aloof, arrogant…and rich. Of course, he’s never cared about money. In fact, it’s number one on his long list of things that irk him. Number two? His friend Charlie’s insistence on setting him up with his new girlfriend’s sharp-tongued sister. Lizzy Bennet is all wrong for him, from her money-hungry family to her uncanny ability to speak to him as bluntly as he does everyone else. But then maybe that’s why he can’t stop thinking about her.

Lizzy is sure Will hates everybody. He thinks she willfully misunderstands them. Yet, just as they strike an uneasy truce, mistakes threaten Charlie and Jane’s romance, with Will and Lizzy caught in the undertow. Between a hurricane and a hypocritical aunt, a drunken voicemail and a deceptive party promoter, the two must sift through the gossip and lies to protect the happiness of everyone they love—even if it means sacrificing their own. But when the truth also forces them to see each other in an entirely new light, they must swallow their pride to learn that love is a lot like surfing: sometimes the only way to survive is to let yourself fall.

Back in September — on a vacation that seems like it happened waaaaaay too long ago — I read this author duo’s first Austen spin, Emma of 83rd Street. It was a lot of fun, but at the time, I wasn’t sure about continuing the series, fearing I’d get tired of rich New Yorkers in a big hurry, despite the Austen themes.

Well, I’m back to say that I dove back in after all, and I’m glad I did! Elizabeth of East Hampton is a clever, engaging retelling of Pride and Prejudice, which admirably succeeds in relocating Elizabeth and Darcy to the Hampton shores… and even turns Lizzy into a surfer!

Lizzy is one of five Bennet sisters, and she’s taken responsibility for running her family bakery ever since her father’s stroke earlier in the year, even though that’s meant deferring her dream of enrolling in Columbia’s prestigious journalism program. Family comes first — although the Bennets can be hard to take, especially the intensely needy and oblivious Mrs. Bennet, party girl Lydia, and environmental activist Mary.

When Charlie Pierce walks into Bennet Bakery with his friend Will Darcy, the Bennet family’s lives are turned upside down. Charlie is renting an extremely expensive East Hampton beach house (beach mansion would be more accurate) — and he’s instantly smitten with Lizzy’s sweet older sister Jane. Unlike Charlie and Jane, Lizzy and Darcy do not click… their antagonism is clear right from the start.

Elizabeth of East Hampton follows the major P&P beats, but with charming twists. It’s often disconcerting to see Austen tales transposed into modern settings, where plot points like looking for wealthy husbands can seem jarring, to say the least. Here, though, the authors really succeed at keeping the bones and feel of the original while making the modern-day story make sense.

The focus is not marriage, but love. Lizzy and Darcy’s chemistry is apparent from the start, even if they don’t realize it. The dynamic of ridiculously wealthy people summering in the Hamptons vs the local folks trying to make a living off the tourist who invade their town for a few months every year works really well at conveying themes of class differences and snobbery. The Bennet family’s dynamics are really entertaining — casting Mary as a rebel activist is a hoot.

It’s quite fun to figure out how the various characters fit into the Austen framework. Some key Austen characters are missing here (no Mr. Collins, and Darcy is an only child, so no Georgiana either). The replacement for Lady Catherine de Bourgh is really entertaining, and the Wickham stand-in is just as sleazy as you’d expect. (No spoilers from me, but I loved that the Wickham scandal unfolds really differently than in P&P).

The audiobook narrators are terrific, although I don’t always love Teddy Hamilton’s line delivery. Still, the alternating chapters from Lizzy and Darcy’s perspectives provide great insights into their actions, and the audio experience zips along and keeps things lively.

I’ll share the same complaint I had while listening to Emma of 83rd Street — I prefer my Austen retellings with closed bedroom doors, thank you very much! There’s something really disturbing about having to endure explicit sex scenes with Jane Austen characters, even if these are modern-day versions of them. I do not need to know what Darcy and Lizzy get up to in bed (or on the floor… or in the kitchen…)

That quibble aside, I had a lot of fun with Elizabeth of East Hampton (and enjoyed seeing George and Emma pop in for quick visits too). At this point, I can safely say that I’ll be picking up the next book just as soon as my library gets a copy!

*Next in series: Anne of Avenue A (a Persuasion retelling)*

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4Nov2025

Top Ten Tuesday: Random books from my (virtual) shelves

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 The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf, with the prompt:

Stand in front of your book collection, close your eyes, point to a title, and write it down. If you have shelves, point to your physical books. If you have a digital library, use a random number generator and write down the title of the book that corresponds with the number you generated. You get bonus points if you tell us whether or not you’ve read the book, and what you thought of it if you did!

I do have lots and lots of books on my physical shelves… but I also know exactly where each book is, so I don’t think closing my eyes and pointing will help me be particularly random! So, I’m going with the virtual option. I have a spreadsheet (Excel nerd alert!) with all the books in my Kindle library, and I used a random number generator to help me pick books.

Here are the ten books that I landed on:

The Sky Vault (The Comet Cycle, #3) by Benjamin Percy

Read? No

Thoughts: The first two books in this trilogy were great… but I think by the time I got a copy of the 3rd, my interest had waned. I do still want to read this (eventually).

The Book of Hidden Things by Francesco Dimitri

Read? No

Thoughts: Honestly, I’d completely forgotten about this book! I picked up a copy over five years ago, after seeing positive reviews. Now that I’ve been reminded of it, I may still want to read it!

The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan

Read? No

Thoughts: I’ve read two other books by this author, and thought they were great. This is yet another “someday, maybe” book.

Feed (Newsflesh, #1) by Mira Grant

Read? YES!

Thoughts: I loved it! This series is amazing… I’d love to reread it at some point. (Check out my review of the trilogy, here)

Kilmeny of the Orchard by L. M. Montgomery

Read? Yes

Thoughts: Not the best of this author’s works (by a long shot!), but for those who want to explore beyond Anne and Emily, it’s an interesting stand-alone to check out. (review)

And Put Away Childish Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Read? No

Thoughts: I absolutely want to read this novella! Funnily enough, I’ve only read novellas by this author (although I have a few of his novels on my TBR too). The ones I’ve read have been excellent, so I look forward to checking this out.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Read? No

Thoughts: I think I grabbed a copy when there was a Kindle price break… but given that I’m not much of a non-fiction reader, I doubt I’ll ever get to this book (even though I’ve heard great things about it).

Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby

Read? No

Thoughts: Another one I’d forgotten! I remember hearing good things about it, so this is a helpful reminder that I should give it a try.

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman

Read? Yes

Thoughts: Now that the 3rd book is out, this trilogy has been on my mind. I’m leaning toward reading #3 (The Rose Field), but I’ll need a major refresher on the previous book first. (Here’s my review of La Belle Sauvage)

Crazy Rich Asians trilogy by Kevin Kwan

Read? 1 of 3 books

Thoughts: This last item that came up randomly for me is a 3-in-1 edition of the Crazy Rich Asians books. I read the first book earlier this year (review), and I do want to read the rest!

Have you read any of my books? Any that you’d particularly recommend?

I’d love to see other people’s random book selections! If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!

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3Nov2025

The Monday Check-In ~ 11/3/2025

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

Life.

How did it get to be November already???

This has really been a challenging reading week for me! I finished an excellent book (5 stars!) and am in the middle of another that I’m really enjoying… but it just feels that every bit of reading time I have is squished in between other commitments. I’m just aching for hours of uninterrupted time to curl up with a cozy blanket, a cup of tea, and my Kindle!

But other than that… it was a good week! My husband, son, and I went out for a yummy early dinner on Halloween, and then my husband and I wandered around a neighborhood with awesome Halloween decorations for a while, just enjoying the houses and the kids and the overall vibe.

And here’s a random item that made me laugh this week, which felt timely since I’m now just slightly past the mid-point of a group LOTR read:

What did I read during the last week?

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow: As I was about to start reading The Everlasting, I stumbled across a Reddit thread suggesting reading this short story first. According to an Instagram post by the author:

(if the copy sounds a little like THE SIX DEATHS OF THE SAINT, it’s bc i wrote that story after outlining this book, as a kind of road test. they don’t quite echo, but they rhyme).

I enjoyed the story, and I definitely saw the “echoes” in The Everlasting… but there’s enough of a difference to make each one its own special thing.

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow: Absolutely loved this novel! I gave it 5 stars. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

I just finished season 2 of Nobody Wants This. I liked it, but not as much as season 1. But, I think that’s often the case with second seasons. In any case, assuming there will actually be a season 3 (it hasn’t been confirmed yet, as far as I could tell), I’ll be watching!

Fresh Catch:

No new books… But, a vendor I deal with at work sent me an Amazon gift card as a thank you gift, and I’m trying to decide how to spend it! I don’t treat myself to hardcovers all that often any more, but I think now may be the time.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix: I’m really enjoying this book… and I’m frustrated that I haven’t gotten further along (or finished by now). Ugh, the agony of not having enough reading time!

Now playing via audiobook:

Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding: Same situation as above… just not enough time to finish this audiobook this week! But, I think I only need one more day. This is a very fun Pride and Prejudice retelling!

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments (current and coming up):

Villette by Charlotte Brontë: Group classic read, two chapters per week. Progress: 97%. Up next: Chapters 41 and 42. Final week!!
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien: Another book group read, continuing our LOTR adventure. Progress (relative to the entire LOTR opus): 53%.
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin: My newest Classics Club Spin book! I’m leaving it here as a reminder to myself — I’ll likely start it in November. The goal is to complete our spin books by December 21st, so I do have plenty of time.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

29Oct2025

Book Review: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Everlasting
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Publisher: Tor
Publication date: October 28, 2025
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

From Alix E. Harrow, the New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, comes a moving and genre-defying quest about the lady-knight whose legend built a nation, and the cowardly historian sent back through time to make sure she plays her part–even if it breaks his heart.

Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters―but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten.

Centuries later, Owen Mallory―failed soldier, struggling scholar―falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives―and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs.

But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una’s legend―if they want to tell a different story–they’ll have to rewrite history itself.

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow is a beautifully written, slow-burn heartbreaker, with time twists that are truly mind-boggling. After finishing the book a few days ago, I’m still trying to put all the pieces together, but I’m also just basking in the overall feel of the story.

The story of Dominion had many villains over the years, shifting along with the borders of her empire, and many storytellers. But it only ever had one hero, and her name was Una Everlasting.

The country of Dominion has a long, bloody history of war and conquest. Generations of soldiers return home damaged mentally and physically, if they return home at all. Historian Owen Mallory is one of these, suffering recurring trauma and carrying scars from his time at the front. Now, he devotes his time to research the foundational national mythology of Dominion — the story of Sir Una Everlasting, the greatest knight the country has ever known.

“In order to have a future worth fighting for, you must have a past worth remembering.”

Everyone knows the story of Una, a young orphan who found greatness after pulling a legendary sword from a tree, then pledging herself to find for her queen and country. Hers is a tale of strength, courage, and devotion. From her battles to her seemingly impossible quests to her tragic death, the tale of Sir Una Everlasting has motivated and inspired the people of Dominion for centuries.

When a mysterious book arrives on Owen’s desk, it seems to hold the answers to his obsessive research: It’s impossible… but it appears to be the story of Una, written in her own time. Such a thing has never been found before, or even rumored to exist. The arrival of the book plunges Owen into a journey through time, as he ends up transported back into Una’s lifetime — where he discovers that there is more to the story than he ever could have imagined.

The intricate storytelling is best experienced without too much information in advance, as seeing it unfold is part of the book’s power. I went into The Everlasting knowing nothing more than what was in the book’s cover blurbs… and found myself both shocked and entranced as the story unfolded.

The Everlasting conveys several powerful themes; among the most fascinating is the power of shared legends to shape history. Countries experience a sense of shared pride in their foundational stories. But what happens when those stories have holes in them, or when the glorious past is perhaps not so glorious after all? The Everlasting shows the power of these stories to motivate, but also to be used to manipulate. In the hands of corrupt, power-seeking leaders, tales of sacrifice and nobility can be the excuse needed to conquer, kill, and engage in endless wars.

The Everlasting is also a love story, which isn’t obvious at the beginning. There’s a slow awakening, a sense of devotion and yearning that builds over time, and ultimately, a gorgeous connection that’s a meeting of hearts, souls, and bodies. And yet, a sense of tragedy hangs over the love story. By the time the love between the characters fully blossoms, we already know that there can be no happy endings for these two.

I love you by then, or would soon, or always had.

In terms of the reading experience, I found the opening chapters a bit slow, but once the book arrives and Owen gets drawn into Una’s story, it’s un-put-down-able. A few oddities make the reading experience challenging but worthwhile: Large chunks of the story are written in the second person, but in places, the person telling the story changes. I had to stop at several points to remind myself of who was narrating a particular section and who the “you” was.

The main challenging aspect is the time factor. Time loops in all sorts of interesting ways, and the weaving and changing of history becomes more and more complicated as the story progresses. I couldn’t always quite make the “how” of it all make sense… but I also couldn’t look away. The puzzle pieces do fit, but at some point, I stopped trying to apply logic to certain elements and just let myself be swept away by the lush, gorgeous writing.

I highly recommend The Everlasting. It’s a remarkable piece of writing, with powerful messages about power, propaganda, and corruption, told through the vehicle of an achingly beautiful love story. This is a story that will stick with me for a long time to come.