Book Review: The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Comeback Summer
Author: Ali Brady
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: May 9, 2023
Length: 475 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction / romance
Source: Library
Rating:

Two sisters have one summer to crush their comfort zones and save their grandmother’s legacy in this sweet, sexy, and heartfelt novel by Ali Brady, author of The Beach Trap.

Hannah and Libby need a miracle. The PR agency they inherited from their grandmother is losing clients left and right, and the sisters are devastated at the thought of closing. The situation seems hopeless—until in walks Lou, an eccentric self-help guru who is looking for a new PR agency. Her business could solve all their problems—but there’s a catch. Whoever works with Lou must complete a twelve-week challenge as part of her “Crush Your Comfort Zone” program.

Hannah, whose worst nightmare is making small talk with strangers, is challenged to go on twelve first dates. Libby, who once claimed to have period cramps for four weeks straight to get out of gym class, is challenged to compete in an obstacle course race. The challenges begin with Hannah helping Libby train and Libby managing the dating app on her sister’s behalf. They’re both making good progress—until Hannah’s first love rolls into town, and Libby accidentally falls for a guy she’s supposed to be setting up with her sister.

Things get even more complicated when secrets come to light, making the sisters question the one relationship they’ve always counted on: each other. With their company’s future on the line, they can’t afford to fail. But in trying to make a comeback to honor their grandmother, are they pushing themselves down the wrong path?

The Comeback Summer is so much more than just a story about completing a challenge! This tale of sisters finding their own paths while navigating their relationship and their sense of family obligation is funny, touching, and highly entertaining.

Hannah and Libby have always been close, even more so since their parents divorced while they were still young. When their parents seemed to have mostly checked out of parenting, the girls relied on one another and on their wonderful grandmother Gigi. Gigi was a woman ahead of her time, a powerhouse businesswoman who owned and ran her own PR firm, which she left to the sisters upon her death.

But now, a few years after Gigi’s passing, the company is faltering and the sisters are floundering. Despite their hard work, the firm is losing clients, and without landing some major new accounts, they may lose the business altogether. When a fast-charging podcaster named Lou enters their office, she seems to be the answer to all their business problems — except she’s not quite ready to sign with them on the spot. To land her business, they have to complete her signature challenge — Crushing Your Comfort Zone. Hannah and Libby would rather just give Lou their business pitch, but she insists: They need to commit to her 12-week program, which she’ll monitor over the course of the summer. Only after they finish the challenge will she consider signing with them.

Given the state of their finances, they have no choice but to agree — even though the challenges ahead of them seem daunting. Shy, introverted Hannah — still aching after a traumatic breakup five years earlier — will have to set up a dating app profile and go on twelve dates. Libby — outgoing, energetic, and definitely not into anything more physical then ordering her favorite coffee drink on her way to work — will have to train for, and then compete in, the “Down & Dirty”, a mud-filled obstacle course race to be held at the end of the summer. Both will also be required to keep a “Crush Your Comfort Zone” journal, to explore and challenge the beliefs and approaches that hold them back.

As they move through their challenges, Libby and Hannah are forced to confront their dynamics. As the older sister, Libby has always seen herself as Hannah’s protector, but that has led to both of them getting pigeonholed into roles that seem to no longer be serving them. Libby interferes for Hannah’s own good, rather than trusting Hannah’s agency and instincts. Hannah hides behind Libby’s sociability, letting her do the parts of their work that involve connecting and generating relationships and ideas. Neither quite knows how to break out of their roles without hurting the other, but both start to realize — as they crush their comfort zones — that they way they’ve been living isn’t actually good for either of them.

But wait! Where’s the romance? Yes, there is romance — two romances, to be exact. Hannah’s ex, who broke her heart years earlier, is back in town and wants to reconnect. Hannah has never stopped loving Josh, but Libby is furious. She’s the one who picked up the pieces when Hannah fell apart after the breakup, and she has no intention of letting Josh hurt Hannah again… but is it really her job to still be the protector and make decisions for her sister?

As for Libby, she offers to manage Hannah’s comfort zone challenge by handling the dating app for her — she’ll set up the profile, select matches, and arrange the dates, and Hannah just needs to show up. This is meant to spare Hannah the anxiety that dealing with all this provokes, but it backfires in a major way when Libby finds a connection with one of the men she meets… as Hannah. Libby and Adam flirt and chat via the app, but he thinks he’s talking with Hannah. When Libby realizes that she has feelings for Adam, she’s in quite a bind — admit she’s been pretending to be her sister, let him go, or keep up the charade until it blows up in her face?

The Comeback Summer is yet another highly enjoyable and entertaining read by author duo Ali Brady. What I love about their books is that the women characters’ relationships are at the heart of the stories. Yes, there’s also romance, but those storylines tend to be secondary. What’s really important is the connection between the women. Here, it’s the complicated way in which Hannah and Libby love and need one another, yet also get in one another’s way. The Comeback Summer is at its strongest when it show them growing as individuals and facing the fact that they need to break free from their established roles and change their relationship if they want to lead their best lives.

The Comeback Summer combines emotional connections, sisterly bonds, and a strong sense of fun. Check it out!

I’d never read an Ali Brady book before 2024, and now I’ve read all three! Their next book, Battle of the Bookstores, will be released in June 2025, and I can’t wait to read it!

24Nov2024

Book Review: Weyward by Emilia Hart

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Weyward
Author: Emilia Hart
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: February 2, 2023
Length: 392 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Rating:

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family’s grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

Weyward has been on my radar since its release in 2023 — and while I’m mad at myself for not getting to it sooner, I’m thrilled to have finally read this excellent novel.

Weyward follows three women across three timelines to tell the story of a family whose women have special gifts — all of whom must break free from the rules and control of men to fully embrace who they are and what they’re capable of.

In 1619, Altha is a healer relied upon by her community, yet also viewed with suspicion. After a gruesome death, she stands trial for witchcraft.

In 1942, Violet is a teen whose cold, cruel father dictates every aspect of her life, while also denying her a life outside the walls of their estate and a chance to pursue the scientific education she yearns for.

In 2019, Kate flees her abusive boyfriend and takes shelter in the cottage she’s inherited from her great-aunt Violet. At first, she just wants a place to hide, but eventually, she learns more about her family’s heritage and what being a Weyward descendent truly means.

This wildness inside gives us our name. It was men who marked us so, in the time when language was but a shoot curling from the earth. Weyward, they called us, when we would not submit, would not bend to their will. But we learned to wear the name with pride.

The three stories swirl around each other through cycles of chapters. Each woman’s story is, in itself, compelling and utterly fascinating. Each character is wonderfully developed, with rich emotions and complicated circumstances. As a whole, the three stories paint a portrait of a family of powerful women, connected by their abilities, their knowledge, their affinity for the natural world, and their need to protect themselves from those who would do them harm.

By the final third of the book, I hated to leave each woman’s story to move onto a chapter about the next, only to find myself completely absorbed in that chapter and character as well. The interconnectedness of the three women’s lives is lovely to see unfold, and I found myself breathlessly tearing through the final chapters to see how it all came together.

I realize I’m not saying much about plot specifics, but that’s intentional. Weyward is a beautifully crafted, evocative story, and I think it’s best to read it without preconceptions or advance knowledge of details. I recommend enjoying it — slowly, if you can (I couldn’t!) — and savoring the texture and depth of the story as it develops.

I loved reading Weyward, and loved Altha, Violet, and Kate as characters. Highly recommended.

16Nov2024

Book Review: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
Author: Lisa See
Publisher: Scribner
Publication date: June 6, 2023
Print length: 352 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

An immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China.

According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.

From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.

But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? A captivating story of women helping each other, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a triumphant reimagining of the life of one person who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.

Lisa See’s books are consistent hits for me, and Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is no exception. I was hesitant about getting started, not sure if I was ready to go quite that far back in time. It should not have surprised me that this book was a compelling, excellent reading experience that pulled me in right from the start.

As the book opens, main character Yunxian is an eight-year-old girl, already learning from her mother about how to be a proper wife and fulfill her role as a woman in 15th-century noble Chinese society. When her mother, always referred to as Respectful Lady, dies of infection stemming from her bound feet, Yunxian is sent away to live with her grandparents, who begin training her as a doctor.

As Yunxian matures and then marries, her skills as doctor grow, but she’s limited in her ability to practice by the strict rules surrounding the family’s household, as dictated by society’s norms for the upper class and enforced by the iron rule of Yunxian’s mother-in-law. Her friendship with the midwife Meiling is frowned upon, as midwives are considered practically taboo — they’re necessary, yet because of their dealing with blood, are considered improper for a lady to associate with.

Without delving too deeply into plot, I’ll just say that Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is both an eye-opening exploration of the roles of women in that time and place, and a personal story of one particularly brave and talented woman, the effect she had on those around her, and the struggles with friendship, marriage, and motherhood she endured and overcame. While some of the details of individual encounters and scenes are purely fiction, Yunxian was a real person whose published works on medicine are considered groundbreaking — especially considering that they were written by a woman and focused on treating women, a field male doctors of that time had little interest or experience with.

The book sheds lights on customs that, to modern and Western eyes, seem not only archaic but cruel. In particular, the subject of foot-binding is covered extensively (as in the author’s earlier novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan). Some scenes can be hard to read, and it’s especially heartbreaking to read about a woman binding her own daughters’ feet, and to accept that in that society, it was an expected ritual of girlhood, crucial to being marriageable and viewed as a decent, honorable young woman.

Other elements are fascinating from a more historical/sociological perspective — learning about family structure, the running of a household, and of course, the practice of medicine at that time, especially since many of the basic tenets of Yunxian’s medical practice are still considered important elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The friendship between Yunxian and Meiling is especially moving. It’s not without conflict, as the two women’s very different stations in life lead to barriers that cause resentments and sorrows. Ultimately, though, it’s this relationship that provides one of the core emotional threads of the story.

Friendship is a contract between two hearts. With hearts united, women can laugh and cry, live and die together.

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a beautifully written look into the life of a fascinating woman, while also presenting an immersive reading experience about a time and place that’s so very different from our modern lives. I enjoyed every moment, and simply couldn’t put the book down once I started. Highly recommended — this book should not be missed!

Want to know more? Check out the wonderful resources available on the author’s website: https://lisasee.com/step-inside/traditions-and-culture/#welcome

23Aug2024

Book Review: The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Wind Knows My Name
Author: Isabel Allende
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication date: June 6, 2023
Length: 253 pages
Genre: Historical/contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

This powerful and moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea weaves together past and present, tracing the ripple effects of war and immigration on one child in Europe in 1938 and another in the United States in 2019.

Vienna, 1938. Samuel Adler was six years old when his father disappeared during Kristallnacht—the night their family lost everything. Samuel’s mother secured a spot for him on the last Kindertransport train out of Nazi-occupied Austria to the United Kingdom, which he boarded alone, carrying nothing but a change of clothes and his violin.

Arizona, 2019. Eight decades later, Anita Diaz, a blind seven-year-old girl, and her mother board another train, fleeing looming danger in El Salvador and seeking refuge in the United States. However, their arrival coincides with the new family separation policy, and Anita finds herself alone at a camp in Nogales. She escapes through her trips to Azabahar, a magical world of the imagination she created with her sister back home.

Anita’s case is assigned to Selena Duran, a young social worker who enlists the help of a promising lawyer from one of San Francisco’s top law firms. Together they discover that Anita has another family member in the United States: Leticia Cordero, who is employed at the home of now eighty-six-year-old Samuel Adler, linking these two lives.

Spanning time and place, The Wind Knows My Name is both a testament to the sacrifices that parents make and a love letter to the children who survive the most unfathomable dangers—and never stop dreaming.

The Wind Knows My Name is a compact but powerful story about lost children, sorrow, and resilience. It’s also quite political, which I didn’t have a problem with, but some may readers may wish to know that the author is very up front in her thoughts on a certain former President and the current, ongoing immigration crisis.

But beyond the politics and the highly charged topics, The Wind Knows My Name is deeply affecting because of the individual characters, their painful childhood experiences, and the way unexpected connections help them forge new paths forward.

The book opens in Vienna, 1938, as the horrors of Kristallnacht unfold. For young Samuel Adler, it’s the night his whole world falls apart. Eventually, to save his life, Samuel’s mother sends him off to England on a train filled with other Jewish children — and while Samuel does go on to live a long and fulfilling life, the early trauma never leaves him.

Later, we meet Leticia, a Salvadoran girl whose father crosses the border into the US with her after their entire family is murdered in the massacre of their small village.

And still later, closer to the present day, we meet Anita — also from El Salvador, cruelly separated from her mother at the border as they seek asylum from extreme danger back home.

As these three people come together, with assistance from Selena, a social worker, and Frank, the ambitious lawyer who finds his true calling in pro bono work helping undocumented children, their complicated pasts offer reflections of commons experiences, even while each has suffered in their own unique and unforgettable way.

At less than 300 pages, The Wind Knows My Name is a fast read, especially as it’s so compelling that it’s difficult to pause and come up for air once you start. Each character’s story is absorbing and tragic, and yet, there are rays of hope in each of their stories as well — even more so as they come together in an unusual but lovely found family.

My main quibble with this book has to do with the storytelling itself. Isabel Allende is a masterful writer and has a beautiful way with words, and she’s highly gifted when it comes to evoking her characters’ inner lives, dreams, and nightmares. However, the writing in this book relies too often on telling rather than showing. Especially in the later chapters, new interludes open with a recitation of what the characters have been doing. We don’t see these events unfold; we hear about them after the fact.

The story itself and what the characters experience is never uninteresting, but there’s a distance because of this narrative approach that left me feeling the emotional impact a little less than I’d expected.

I also felt disappointed that Samuel’s adult life is largely skipped and told in summary after the fact, when we meet up with him again in his 80s. I couldn’t help but feel that there was so much more to see and understand. Given the length of the book, perhaps there wasn’t room to go deeper into the characters’ lives, except in terms of how they all connect, but I wished for more, for Samuel and the others. The Wind Knows My Name might have been more satisfying if it had expanded further on all of the characters and let us go deeper into their worlds.

Overall, however, the events and experiences contained within The Wind Knows My Name are deeply moving, and I came to care deeply about all of its people and the relationships they create and nurture.

Highly recommended.

8Aug2024

Book Review: A Castle in the Air (A Stitch in Time, #4) by Kelley Armstrong

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: A Castle in the Air
Series: A Stitch in Time, #4
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Kla Fricke Inc
Publication date: October 31, 2023
Length: 306 pages
Genre: Time slip/ghost story
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Portia Hastings has spent her life rescuing her younger sister from one scrape or another. Now, she has to step through time to do it, following Miranda from the nineteenth century to the eighteenth. Almost immediately, Portia is beset by highwaymen, which might be the most exciting thing to happen to her in a long time, even if she’d never admit it.

When one of the highwaymen is injured, Portia makes the inexcusable mistake of helping him-she is trained as a doctor after all. Her travel companions abandon her, and she’s left at the mercy of a highwayman who demands she continue tending to his compatriot’s wounds.

Portia soon finds herself at a crumbling castle inhabited by the destitute Earl of Ravensford. Benedict Sterling is in desperate need of money, and his solution is a ball, where a wealthy bride will win the title of countess, even if it does come with one thunderously ill-tempered earl.

Portia agrees to a scheme to help Benedict look like a slightly more appealing bridegroom, while she continues to search for Miranda. Then there’s the small matter of the castle, complete with a ghost intent on driving her out. But once Portia sets her mind on something, she’s not going anywhere.

There should be a word for the feeling of being satisfied and happy, yet also experiencing a parallel sense of heartbreak. Because isn’t that all of us at the end of a great book series?

As far as I can tell, A Castle in the Air concludes the 4-book series A Stitch in Time. And I don’t want it to be over! But truly, this has been a terrific reading experience, so I suppose I’ll just have to suck it up and embrace the Seuss motto:

OK, I’m done moping. Let’s talk about A Castle in the Air!

As an introduction, for those unfamiliar with the story so far, the Stitch in Time books comprise a timeslip/romance series, in which a lonely manor house on the Yorkshire moors contains a “stitch” that connects across time. In the first book, we see an unsuspecting 21st century woman cross through the stitch into the Victorian era, with all sorts of romantic and ghostly adventures in store for her.

(And yes, in addition to the timeslip element, these books are also ghost stories! A love story is at the heart of each book, but also… time travel and hauntings!)

The first book also introduces a mystery about a missing woman, Rosalind, who becomes the main character in the second book. Rosalind’s two sisters then take center stage for books three and four.

Which brings us to A Castle in the Air, starring Portia Hastings, the middle sister — unmarried, responsible, and devoted to her profession. She’s a trained physician in everything but title — Victorian women are not permitted to enter medical school, but she’s worked and learned alongside her doctor father all her life, and she’s skilled and knowledgeable in her field. To camouflage herself, she dresses plainly, hides her beauty, and tries to provide care to her patients without attracting too much notice from people who might cause trouble.

As A Castle in the Air opens, Portia’s younger sister Miranda has not returned as scheduled from a time travel quest, and Portia decides to go after her — even though Portia is the only one of the three sisters who’s never crossed through the stitch until this point. She hasn’t even been tempted — her life is just fine without time stitches to complicate things — but worry for Miranda drives her to cross over.

Upon arrival, Portia finds herself one hundred years in her past, and before long, ends up confronted by a pair of highwaymen — who are not quite what they seem. Called upon for her medical skills, she ends up at the falling-to-ruins castle of Ravensford, caring for the earl’s injured brother… and trying not to notice the beautiful eyes of the brusque, moody earl himself.

As you can imagine, underneath the broody exterior there’s a heart of gold, and before long, Portia and Benedict are much more than just reluctant companions. The plot isn’t only about the romance, however: The area is suffering through a terrible drought, dire debts threaten Benedict’s ability to keep his family’s lands intact and protect his tenants, greedy neighboring landowners threaten to swoop in, and a ghostly presence haunts the keep, posing a real threat to Portia’s safety.

Portia and Benedict have terrific chemistry, and the mystery of the ghost is a good one — plus there’s a ball to find Benedict a wealthy wife (yes, really), which is complicated by Portia’s presence, and there’s still the puzzle of the highwaymen to solve.

I loved how the plot ties together so many elements, incorporating Portia’s displacement through time with the adventure story happening in Benedict’s world. It all works very, very well, giving the characters a chance to shine while also keeping the action buzzing along.

As a wrap-up to the series, A Castle in the Air is quite satisfying (although I wish Bronwyn and Rosalind, the leads from books 1 and 2, had made an appearance). It really is bittersweet to finish this book and have no more to look forward to! Still, I’ve enjoyed each and every book in the series, and whole-heartedly recommend them all.

Interested in this series? Check out my reviews of the earlier books:

A Stitch in Time
A Twist of Fate
A Turn of the Tide

12Jun2024

Book Review: Hula by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Hula
Author: Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes
Publisher: HarperVia
Publication date: May 2, 2023
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Historical/contemporary fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

Set in Hilo, Hawai’i, a sweeping saga of tradition, culture, family, history, and connection that unfolds through the lives of three generations of women–a brilliant blend of There, There and Sharks in the Time of Saviors that is a tale of mothers and daughters, dance and destiny, told in part in the collective voice of a community fighting for its survival

“There’s no running away on an island. Soon enough, you end up where you started.”

Hi’i is the youngest of the legendary Naupaka dynasty, only daughter of Laka, once the pride of Hilo; granddaughter of Hulali, Hula matriarch on the Big Island. But the Naupka legacy is in jeopardy, buckling under the weight of loaded silences and unexplained absences, most notably the sudden disappearance of Laka when Hi’i was a child. Hi’i dreams of healing the rifts within her family by becoming the next Miss Aloha Hula–and prove herself worthy of carrying on the family dynasty. She demonstrates her devotion to her culture through hula–the beating heart of her people expressed through the movement of her hips and feet.

Yet she has always felt separate from her community, and the harder she tries to prove she belongs–dancing in the halau until her bones ache–the wider the distance seems to grow. Soon, fault lines begin to form, and secrets threaten to erupt. Everyone wants to know, Hi’i most of all: what really happened when her mother disappeared, and why haven’t she and her grandmother spoken since? When a devastating revelation involving Hi’i surfaces, the entire community is faced with a momentous decision that will affect everyone–and determine the course of Hi’i’s future.

Part incantation, part rallying cry, Hula is a love letter to a stolen paradise and its people. Told in part by the tribal We, it connects Hawaii’s tortured history to its fractured present through the story of the Naupaka family. The evolution of the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement is reflected in the journeys of these defiant women and their community, in whose struggle we sense the long-term repercussions of blood quantum laws and colonization, the relationship between tribe and belonging, and the universal question: what makes a family?

Hula is a complex, multi-layered story about family, history, and heritage. I read this for a book discussion (coming in a couple of weeks), after having it on my to-read list since it was released last year. I’m glad to have read it, and even more glad to be able to look forward to sharing thoughts and responses with the book group.

Hilo’s no place for soft feet. Gotta build calluses. Then a girl can run on lava.

In Hula, the narrative is often presented through the community’s eyes, using the “we” voice to explain the dynamics within the Naupauka family and the changing world of the community itself. The history of Hawaii’s colonization and the dismantling of the monarchy is crucial to the story, and through the community’s narration, we’re presented with important people and events from the past which directly impact the unfolding events in the lives of the characters.

The novel itself revolves around Hi’i, first as a child, then as a grown woman. Hi’i is described as being different from the start. Her mother Laka disappeared as a teen, then came back with baby Hi’i with no explanation. Hi’i doesn’t look Hawaiian, with her red hair and green eyes and her susceptibility to sunburn, and yet, she’s soon absorbed by the rhythms of life in Hilo. Still, when Hi’i insists on learning hula, something sacred within her people’s lives and of central importance within the Naupauka family, Laka fears what may come of it.

Secrets abound, especially in terms of Laka’s past and Hi’i’s origins. Eventually, we learn more, but it takes the entire book for these secrets to be shared fully between Hulali (Laka’s mother), Laka, and Hi’i herself.

Mother and daughter had picked up where they’d left off, a fight that had been going on since the time the first navigators were in their canoes charting the stars to find the islands.

The writing is beautiful and often visceral. The dialogue and descriptions have a flow to them, although the heavy usage of Hawaiian words and phrases can present a challenge to a reader. (I kept Google Translate open while reading, and it helped a lot, despite some failures around idiom or intent.)

One by one the dancers shifted into the shape of the wind rattling the branches, the rain pattering upon the grasses, the dew dripping from the leaves. Stethoscopes pressed to Hawai`i’s heart. Through them Hi`i could hear it beating.

Given the book’s title, I’d expected more about hula as a dance form to feature within the story. It’s important, but not as central or dominant as I’d expected. Instead, the family dynamics and the politics around sovereignty, Hawaiian Homelands, and various government actions are what drive the story.

Nothing is spoon-fed to the reader, so for me, it was both eye-opening and occasionally frustrating to have to figure out what was going on and what the political elements actually meant. It also made me realize that I should make an effort to read more non-fiction about Hawaii’s history and the ongoing current struggles among the Native Hawaiian population to reclaim land and autonomy.

They had stolen a finger, then a hand. Then an arm, a shoulder, a hip, a leg, and soon the entire body. Now they wanted our breath, our soul.

The story of the generations of women — their complicated relationships, the concepts of belonging and responsibility, the traditions and expectations — was the most compelling element of Hula for me. I found the sections about Laka’s past and Hi’i’s adult life the most emotionally engaging, although adult Laka is hard to know and didn’t feel entirely consistent to me as a character.

Some loose ends remain at the end of the book, but overall, I appreciated how the author weaves together so many characters and plot points to create a cohesive, meaningful whole.

Hula is not an easy book to read, and requires a lot of concentration to get through, but it’s worth the effort. It left me wanting to know more, and that’s always a good sign about a book’s impact. Hula makes a reader think as well as feel, and leaves a lasting impression.

23May2024

Audiobook Review: The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Neighbor Favor
Author: Kristina Forest
Narrators: Keylor Leigh & Malik Rashad
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: February 28, 2023
Print length: 403 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 6 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

In this heart-fluttering romance by Kristina Forest, a shy bookworm enlists her charming neighbor to help her score a date, not knowing he’s the obscure author she’s been corresponding with.

Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming an editor of children’s books but has been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over e-mail turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won’t let herself entertain–until he ghosts her.

Months later, still crushed but determined to take charge of her life, Lily seeks a date to her sister’s wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, whom she feels drawn to for unexplainable reasons. Little does she know that Nick is an author–her favorite fantasy author.

Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and for pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet woman from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over e-mail months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but–not when he can’t get her off his mind.

The Neighbor Favor is a sweet contemporary romance, set in the world of book publishing and sure to set booklovers’ hearts a-flutter! A random email exchange between a book fan and the book’s author turns into a deeper connection… and while it ends badly, the two people involved still manage to find one another and explore what it means to open up in real life.

Lily emails the author of her favorite fantasy novel on a whim when she discovers that the mysterious author finally has a website. She loved his book, but it seems to have faded away into obscurity after publication by a small indie press. She’s thrilled to hear back from N. R. Strickland, and soon their correspondence turns into an ongoing series of honest exchanges, where each reveals more of themselves than they ever have to other people. But when “Strick” reaches the point where he’ll have to truly show himself to Lily, he breaks off contact abruptly and leaves her heartbroken.

Months later, Lily keeps running into the new guy who just moved into the apartment down the hall from her. And he’s hot. Oh, and seems like a really nice guy, and she’s even noticed him carrying books with him — always a good sign. Of course, he notices Lily too, despite her shyness and awkwardness around new people. As they strike up an acquaintance and set off some early sparks, Nick puts the brakes on — so Lily asks him (as you do) to help her find a date for her sister’s wedding. (It’s complicated).

Of course, Nick IS N. R. Strickland, and he realizes pretty quickly that this Lily is the Lily from the emails, and knows he should stay far, far away. His life is messy and he’s sure he’d be no good for her, so despite how much he likes her and how attractive he finds her, he’s determined to stay away. But fate seems to keep throwing them together, and their chemistry really is undeniable.

Meanwhile, both are dealing with their own family situations and career struggles — and yet, it’s only a matter of time before they get together. Even when they do, they have to deal with the fallout of hidden identities and cover-ups, and figure out whether they can truly trust enough to let one another in.

I liked quite a bit about The Neighbor Favor, although in general, I think I’ve run out of patience for romances where a significant lie is the main obstacle between the love interests. Nick could have come clean much earlier, or he could have stayed away. Getting involved but not being honest feels like an overworn romance trope, and it irritated me here. Nick and Lily are both such likable people — it’s no fun seeing them tied up in knots over a problem caused by base-level dishonesty.

On the other hand, the fact that these two are such book lovers, and especially, that they love fantasy so much, makes this book a delight. The author has the characters name-drop a ton of great books (Ella Enchanted, Riot Baby, How to Win the Time War, The Poppy War) — some of which I’ve read, some I’ve immediately added to my TBR list — and it’s a geeky joy to see them gush over how much they love their favorite books and authors. (Although, I was so frustrated to learn their shared favorite author, Elena Masterson, and her books, The Nermana Chronicles, are fictional — I want them to be real!) (And I’d also love to read Nick’s books, The Elves of Ceradon… it sounds amazing!)

I listened to the audiobook, and it was very entertaining, with gifted narrators. In the Lily chapters, the narration did become kind of screechy while voicing certain characters (especially one of Lily’s sisters), but otherwise, the narrators did a fine job bringing Lily, Nick, and their friends to life. A downside, however, is the fact that part one of The Neighbor Favor is the initial email relationship between Lily and Nick… and at least as it comes across via audio, it goes on for a really, really long time. Maybe it’s better in print, but listening to this endless email exchange gets really tiresome after a while.

Other than that, I enjoyed the audiobook. The plot moves quickly, and there are lots of fun side characters and situations that sparkle. Sure, the plot relies a bit too heavily on coincidence (really? he moved not only to New York but into Lily’s apartment building? and the very same floor?), but given how much I liked the characters, I decided to just accept it and enjoy the ride.

The Neighbor Favor is an entertaining story about relatable characters who may make questionable choices, but are still fundamentally good people. The author has a new book that released earlier this year, The Partner Plot, with Lily’s older sister as the main character. It’s supposedly a stand-alone, but in the same general world as The Neighbor Favor. While I didn’t love this particular sister in The Neighbor Favor, the description of this book makes it sound like it’ll be another fun one to experience.

Meanwhile, if you enjoy contemporary romance with booklovers front and center, be sure to check out The Neighbor Favor!

24Apr2024

Book Review: The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The River We Remember
Author: William Kent Krueger
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: September 5, 2023
Length: 421 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

On Memorial Day in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past.

Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn’s death threatens to expose.

The River We Remember was my book group’s pick for April, and we were fortunate enough to have a zoom chat with the author. I myself was late in finishing, so I attended the chat having only read half the book… but that’s okay. He was gracious and engaging, the group avoided giving spoilers on the central mystery, and all in all, it was a wonderful event. And then I finished the book the next day!

OUR LIVES AND the lives of those we love merge to create a river whose current carries us forward from our beginning to our end. Because we are only one part of the whole, the river each of us remembers is different, and there are many versions of the stories we tell about the past. In all of them there is truth, and in all of them a good deal of innocent misremembering.

In The River We Remember, a Minnesota community is rocked by the violent death of one of its leading residents. Jimmy Quinn was not loved — not by a long shot — but as the biggest landowner in the area, he was powerful, connected, and in many cases, someone to fear. Lots of people would have had grudges, resentment, even hostility, but was his death murder, suicide, or just a gruesome accident?

The story unfolds through the eyes of multiple characters living in the small town of Jewel. Chief among these is Sheriff Brody Dern, a veteran of WWII with visible and invisible scars and a complicated personal life. At various points, though, we see through the eyes of many different people — there’s a sense of the community being the true main character. All the people we meet — deputies, a diner owner, teen boys, local farmers, a lawyer, a reporter — are connected and have histories that weave together, with their actions affecting one another in an intricate chain of events.

The mystery of Jimmy Quinn’s death is the central plot thread of the novel, but as this unfolds, we encounter themes around war and survival, guilt, growing up with violence, generational trauma, and the ripple effects of hate, bigotry, and racism. There’s also the concept of home — what makes a community, a piece of land, or even a specific person feel like home? Where do people find belonging?

I won’t go further into plot details, but will sum up by saying that while the mystery has a satisfying resolution, the true beauty of this book is the outstanding character depictions. Each of the people we meet are distinct and have complex inner lives that come into play as they interact. The whole is emotional and evocative, allowing the reader to experience the time and place of the story in a way that feels authentic and powerful.

Simply put, The River We Remember is a beautiful novel. This is my third book by this author (I also loved his two other stand-alones, This Tender Land and Ordinary Grace), and I look forward to starting his long-running Cork O’Connor series.

3Mar2024

Audiobook Review: The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Second Chance Year
Author: Melissa Wiesner
Narrator: Helen Laser
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: December 5, 2023
Print length: 328 pages
Audio length: 7 hours 21 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

In this unforgettable story full of charm, wit—and just a bit of magic—a woman down on her luck is given a second chance at fixing her life and trying one year all over again. Perfect for listeners of Josie Silver and Rebecca Serle.

Sadie Thatcher’s life has fallen apart in spectacular fashion. In one fell swoop, she managed to lose her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend—all thanks to her big mouth. So when a fortune teller offers her one wish, Sadie jumps at the chance to redo her awful year. Deep down, she doesn’t believe magic will fix her life, but taking a leap of faith, Sadie makes her wish, opens her eyes, and . . . nothing has changed. And then, in perhaps her dumbest move yet, she kisses her brother’s best friend, Jacob.

When Sadie wakes up the next morning, she’s in her former apartment with her former boyfriend, and her former boss is expecting her at work. Checking the date, she realizes it’s January 1 . . . of last year. As Sadie navigates her second-chance year, she begins to see the red flags she missed in her relationship and in her career. Plus, she keeps running into Jacob, and she can’t stop thinking about their kiss . . . the one he has no idea ever happened. Suddenly, Sadie begins to wonder if her only mistake was wishing for a second chance.

The Second Chance Year is a wish-fulfillment romance and makes for a pleasant audiobook experience — but I may have strained something due to excessive eye-rolling.

As the book opens, Sadie is being dragged to an elaborate New Year’s Eve party by her best friend, as an alternative to sitting on the couch with ice cream and the Golden Girls — her usual activities during the last few months of her Very Bad Year.

Sadie’s long-term boyfriend (the only piece of her life that her overachieving parents actually approve of) dumped her after she confronted a sexist coworker of his at a work function. Her arrogant, inappropriate boss fired her after she spoke up once too often about his poor treatment of the restaurant staff. Due to her lack of a job, she’s been living in her brother’s best friend’s spare room, feeling sorry for herself and her wreck of a life.

When Sadie meets a fortune teller who offers to reset her life and give her a chance at a do-over, she doesn’t really believe her… but she also has nothing to lose.

And lo and behold, when she wakes up the next morning, it’s as if the previous year were erased, and Sadie has the chance to try again. This time, she’s determined to do it right. She’ll think before opening her mouth. She won’t rock the boat. She’ll be supportive of her boyfriend Alex as he establishes himself with his Wall Street peers, instead of being confrontational about the obnoxious bro culture. She’ll put up with her boss’s unfair demands and overly handsy restaurant guests, because the end game is a promotion to Executive Pastry Chef. And she’ll ignore her new awareness of Jacob, the man she kissed on the New Year’s Eve that (now) never happened.

As Sadie navigates her second chance year, things seem to be going her way for a change. But why isn’t she happy? Could it be that becoming a Wall Street wife isn’t her ideal future? Could it be that slaving in a kitchen for an egomaniac chef isn’t the path to career fulfillment that she expected? And could it be that tamping down her outspoken nature could lead to more negative outcomes than those she experienced in her Very Bad Year?

There are some very enjoyable elements to this contemporary-with-a-touch-of-magic romance. It’s fun seeing Sadie interact with people she knows well — who have no idea who she is, since their meetings happened during a year that was reset and therefore never occurred. She finds new purpose via a baking gig at the local coffee house, and scenes there are a treat.

However, Sadie herself is extremely frustrating, too busy trying to avoid her previous “mistakes” to see what’s right in front of her, over and over again. Watching this formerly confident woman repeatedly muzzle herself to preserve a job or a relationship is not fun. Sadie twists herself into knots to become someone she isn’t, and misses the obvious about her love life so many times. I didn’t buy it. She’s too smart and self-assured to fall into these patterns, and it’s especially ridiculous to see how often she misinterprets Jacob’s actions and statements.

Hence all the eye-rolling.

That’s not to mention the magical element of resetting a year — so because Sadie wants a do-over, everyone else loses a year of their lives too? How does that work exactly? Usually, magical interventions and timeslips are not deal-breakers for me and I can just shrug my shoulders and accept them, but something about this one feels a bit unfair to me when I stop to think about it.

Sigh. In a light romance about wishes and second chances, realism isn’t the goal, and that’s okay. It just doesn’t completely work for me here.

Still, as narrated by Helen Laser, the audiobook is an entertaining listening. I couldn’t truly let go of the plot contrivances that annoyed me, and yet, I was always disappointed when I had to turn off the audiobook and pause a day before I could continue. The story hooked me, despite my quibbles, and the narration makes the listening experience a lot of fun.

I recommend The Second Chance Year for anyone looking for a bit of light, escapist, romantic entertainment. Don’t take it too seriously, just let it draw you in, and you may be pleasantly surprised!

Added bonus: SO much talk about pastries! Yummmmm.

28Feb2024

Audiobook Review: The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Only Game in Town
Author: Lacie Waldon
Narrators: Brittany Pressley, Lee Osorio, Catherine Taber, Mark Deakins
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: March 21, 2023
Print length: 416 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 53 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

One small town, one big prize, one handsome stranger…

Nothing ever changes in Redford, Georgia. That’s what freelance editor Jess Reid loves about her hometown—and part of what keeps her from leaving. Content taking care of her father, a car mechanic who singlehandedly raised her after her mom skipped out, Jess is resigned to a safe, unremarkable existence…until Jasper Wilhelm, the town’s eccentric benefactor, dies suddenly and leaves behind the opportunity of a lifetime.

Financial advisor Carter Barclay has been too busy to visit his grandfather in Redford, but he’s heard countless stories about the town and its zany residents from Jasper. A small, insular town in Georgia is the last place Carter expects to be spending his summer—but it seems his grandfather had one final trick up his sleeve.

At the funeral, it’s revealed that Jasper has devised a massive, high-stakes game for the people of Redford, with the winning duo taking home his entire fortune. The catch? He’s already taken the liberty of pairing them up. As tensions of all kinds rise between Jess and Carter, and the life-changing prize looms closer, the two must decide what they’re willing to risk to change their lives. A love story full of spirit and hijinks, The Only Game in Town is a funny, quirky homage to the people we get to call home.

The Only Game in Town has a romance as a central storyline… but really, I’d describe it more as a love letter to the idea of small town community. There are rivalries and grudges, but also odd-couple friendships, unexpected sources of support… and yes, romance too.

Jess moved back to her beloved home town of Redford, Georgia several years earlier. Her editing career is just okay — she had the opportunity to pursue a more high-powered career with a major publisher, but missed her community and her father. Life in Redford is quiet, to say the least. There’s one bar (a dive, but full of lovable personalities), one bakery (whose owner is currently at war with a former friend who’s dared to start a pop-up muffin business), one hair salon, and plenty of unique personalities (like the guy who sits on a street corner to talk about the weather every day).

Life in Redford is upended when the local philanthropist, Jasper Wilhelm, passes away. Unknown to most of the townsfolk, he worked behind the scenes, assisted by his beloved grandson Carter, to give anonymous bequests to Redfordonians in need. (Yes, they refer to themselves as Redfordonians, which feels clunky, but okay).

Carter only connected with his grandfather ten years earlier, after walking away from his hard-driving, unfeeling parents’ family business and reconnecting with his mother’s estranged father. Carter’s first visit to Redford is for Jasper’s funeral, where he’s immediately charmed by the tiny town… and especially Jess, with her brightly colored wardrobe and devotion to Redford.

After the funeral, Jasper’s lawyer reads the will to the town. Jasper has left his fortune — $10 million — to the people of Redford, but with a catch: They have to play to win. He’s concocted a competition, assigning people as partners to carry out a series of challenges. The winning pair win it all, with all scoring at the discretion of his lawyer. No arguing, no contesting the outcome, and no changing partners. If you want in, you follow Jasper’s rules.

Naturally, the prize money is too enticing for anyone to willingly sit out. And that extends to Jess as well, who’s paired with Nikki, the mean girl who’s never gotten over a high school betrayal (as Nikki sees it) and who’s gone out of her way to be cruel to Jess ever since.

Carter isn’t interested in Jasper’s money for himself, but knows that Jasper intended for him to carry on the work they’d been doing, so when he learns that Jasper assigned him to a team and expects him to play the game as well, he’s convinced that he’s already the prearranged winner. Still, this game seems to have been very important to Jasper, so he goes along with it. But as the game progresses, he finds himself more and more immersed in town life, and starts to feel guilty that the competition may actually be a sham.

Meanwhile, Jess and Carter are drawn together from the start, and as they compete and get to know one another, their initial sparks grow in a deeper connection. But still, they’re competitors, and Carter doesn’t actually live in Redford… so is there any possible future for them once the game ends?

There’s a lot to love about The Only Game in Town. The game itself is silly — there’s a scavenger hunt, a hike, even a Barbie jeep race. Jasper clearly designed the competition to force people to work together, and it’s amusing to see the antics that the townspeople get up to, as well as the way old resentments either derail certain teams or inspire people to keep going.

The small town vibe is a little exaggerated — it’s a bit hard to believe that any small community could be quite that ideal — but still, it’s fun to see all the quirks and charm of the various characters.

I especially enjoyed the dynamic between Nikki and Jess. Their old feud is not what it seems, and Nikki is much more than first impressions might imply. Nikki gets her own point-of-view chapters, and that’s a wonderful decision on the part of the author — hearing from Nikki herself allows us to understand what drives the character and who she is deep-down, beyond the ice princess/mean girl exterior.

Jess’s relationship with her dad is also terrific. He was a teen dad, abandoned by Jess’s mother, who’s worked all his life to give his daughter a warm, loving home. He’s a great character, and I loved seeing his interactions with Jess.

Carter and Jess’s romance sparkles, but it’s not the only storyline — dare I say that the romance is not the only game in town??? — and I really appreciated that. Yes, the romance is an important part of the story, but there’s a lot more going on, and we readers get the opportunity to care about all of it, not just the will-they-won’t-they aspect of the couple’s attraction, or the inevitable romance novel beats (the slow burn, the obstacle, the reunion…)

I listened to the audiobook, and it was great! There are four narrators, one for each of the POV characters (Jess, Carter, Nikki, and less frequent, Ross). Jess and Carter get most of the narrative, but Nikki’s chapters add a lot to the overall story. As a whole, it really works, and the narrators do a terrific job presenting the different perspectives, making the silly competition scenes feel like fun, and also letting the emotions come through at key moments.

The Only Game in Town is a charming story about small town life and what community really means. Friendship and a love story are both important elements, but devotion to the town is what truly drives the characters and the plot. This is a very enjoyable book, and I recommend the audiobook. Really fun entertainment — I look forward to reading more by this author.