Audiobook Review: One & Only by Maureen Goo

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: One & Only
Author: Maureen Goo
Narrator: Jeena Yi
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: February 3, 2026
Print length: 364 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 32 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

In Five Years meets a millennial The Joy Luck Club in the adult debut from the author of YA Reese Pick Throwback— a funny and fresh love story of a woman thrown a curveball by fate, and the family secret that will make her question everything.

She’s seen what her happily ever after looks like. And it’s not him.

Cassia Park believes in soul mates. Fated love stories. It’s her family business, after all—for centuries, from Korea to Los Angeles, Park women have peered into clients’ past lives to find their one true love, their fated. This magical secret is why One & Only Matchmaking has a 100% guarantee…for everyone but Cassia.

For ten years, Cass has been searching for her fated, a man named Daniel Nam. But he’s still nowhere to be found.

And so, on the eve of her 40th birthday, Cass decides to do something for herself. She impulsively has a fling with Ellis. He’s twenty-eight, indecently handsome, and not destined to be the love of her life. But she’s surprised by their connection and their fling feels like something more—up to the moment he introduces her to his boss…Daniel Nam.

As she battles between fate and chance, head and heart, a family secret is revealed that will make her question everything she’s ever known. Cassia will have to decide if she’ll follow her fate…or make her own.

Before jumping into the review, can we just talk for a minute about how weird the blurb is? “In Five Years meets a millennial The Joy Luck Club“?? Is that the marketing team’s way of saying this book has some woo-woo elements plus it’s about a multi-generational Asian family and the main character is about to turn 40? I think these blurbs that try so hard to compare a book to other books have now stretched themselves to the breaking point. Anyway…

One & Only is a recent Read with Jenna pick, and since I’ve had good experiences with many of that book group’s picks (see my post about celebrity book clubs), I thought I’d give the audiobook a try.

In One & Only, the concept of meant-to-be is given quite a workout! Main character Cassia is about to turn 40, and has yet to meet her one and only… although she knows exactly who he is, or at least, she knows his name. Cassia works for the One & Only matchmaking company in LA, a family business run by her grandmother which carries out traditions that go back centuries within her Korean family.

To their customers, One & Only is a hugely successful matchmaking business. They even offer a guarantee and boast of a 100% success rate! They use the ancient art of face-reading to understand who someone truly is and then find the perfect match for them — but what they never tell anyone is that the women of their family also have a gift: As they read their clients’ faces, they get visions of their past lives which show them their “fated” — the person they’re destined to be with, and whom they’ve loved throughout shared lives together. Cassia has the gift as well, and as the only woman of her generation in the family, she knows that the business’s future rests on her having children to carry on the gift… something that seems frustratingly out of reach.

Ten years earlier, Cassia finally agreed to have her grandmother read her face and reveal her fated, and Cassia has known his name — Daniel Nam — ever since. But after a decade of searching, she’s still unable to find him. Meanwhile, she’s had a string of short, uninvolved romances. Why bother giving her heart to anyone when she knows her future lies with someone else?

And then Cassia meets Ellis. He’s a younger man with a lovely energy and personality, and the two click right away. They spend a passionate weekend together, and their chemistry is obvious. But when Cassia runs into Ellis on a work retreat, their new relationship comes to a screeching halt, because Ellis’s boss is Daniel Nam. Yes, that Daniel Nam. Adopted as a child, Daniel grew up with a different last name, and only recently added his Korean surname to his public persona.

Cassia does feel a connection to Daniel right away… and he’s so much better a choice for her — at least, on paper. And he’s her fated! She owes it to herself and to Daniel to pursue this, so she dumps Ellis and begins dating Daniel. And it’s good… for a while. But every time she runs into Ellis, there’s a pang over what might have been, and a nagging sense that maybe her fated doesn’t quite fit her life after all.

As the story progresses, we see Cassia attempt to forget about Ellis and focus on her meant-to-be life with Daniel, but there’s an element of unease. If Daniel is her fated, why does she still have feelings for someone else? Also, Cassia discovers months into her relationship with Daniel that they’re not on the same page about a huge issue, which is confusing and distressing: If they’re perfect for each other, why doesn’t this critical piece match up?

There’s a lot to appreciate about One & Only, especially the dynamics between the women of the Park family. Cassia’s grandmother is a force to be reckoned with, and her great-aunt and aunt are entertaining and dynamic too. The love between the generations of women is fierce and protective. Cassia’s mother died when Cassia was eight years old, and she was raised by her grandparents, who showered her with love and did their best to nourish a broken-hearted little girl.

Cassia’s grief related to her mother’s loss is a dominant theme throughout the book, as are some of the mysteries surrounding her mother’s life. Yvette was a rebel, an artist who chose to pursue her own path and not follow her elders into a life in the matchmaking business. More crucially, Cassia has known all her life that Yvette chose to marry someone she met in college, who wasn’t her fated… and who left her and Cassia because he couldn’t handle fatherhood. Cassia’s core beliefs are tied to this family history. See what happens when you ignore your fated?

Of course, the truth is more nuanced. Late in the book, Cassia tracks down the father she’s never known, and learns more about his years with her mother. Starting to heal this broken part of her life is a major step that gives Cassia fresh perspectives on her own choices — including finally acknowledging that she has more options than she once believed.

Cassia’s actions related to Ellis and Daniel can be troubling at times. She handles neither relationship particularly well, and I wished she’d been more honest with both about her reasons for ending and starting things with each of them. Her behavior toward Ellis feels particularly problematic. He’s a cinnamon roll character, totally sweet and caring and giving. Cassia dumping him in order to immediately start dating his boss is cruel. The fact of Daniel being her fated is Cassia’s excuse to herself for her behavior, but it’s just all so painful and awkward, not helped by going with Daniel to company events where this uncomfortable love triangle is on full display.

In real life, Cassia definitely wouldn’t get the happy ending she gets here… but given that this is a romance, we know she’ll find her way to true love by the final pages. The book takes a bit of a hand-wavy approach to settling the issue of fateds and past lives and reconciling this with Cassia’s choices. Honestly, I didn’t quite buy the matchmaking company’s business model or their astonishing success rates, and felt it might have helped readers suspend disbelief if we got to spend more than a few minutes with other matched couples, to get a sense of how finding your fated translates into building a relationship and a life together.

Despite not entirely loving the entire matchmaking storyline and feeling really uncomfortable with some of the love triangle scenes (including one near the end where Cassia behaves very badly), I found the plot overall to be engaging and unusual. The generational aspect and the focus on the impact of Cassia’s mother’s death on her life add depth to the story and provide some of the deepest emotional impacts.

The audiobook narration by Jeena Yi is lovely. She brings a lot of spirit to the narrative, and lets us really feel what Cassia is going through. I also enjoyed her portrayal of the older women in the family — they truly sparkle.

One & Only held my interest and made me care about the characters. The storyline feels fresh, I really enjoyed the vivid depiction of the LA setting, and the family dynamics greatly enrich the romantic framework. This is a nice option to pick up for a mix of entertaining set pieces and deeper emotional experiences.

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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15Mar2026

Book Review: Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Lady Tremaine
Author: Rachel Hochhauser
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Publication date: March 3, 2026
Length: 341 pages
Genre: Fairy tale retelling
Source: Library
Rating:

Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband’s title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters’ future through marriage.

When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters—only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the wellbeing of the stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.

As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world’s most famous fairy tale. It is a battle cry for a mother’s love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes.

Lady Tremaine was not on my reading radar for this month — but I was curious after seeing that it was the newest pick for Reese’s Book Club, and then was lucky enough to have my library hold come in within a week. I love when the book gods put something unexpected in my path this way, and I end up reading a terrific book that I might otherwise have missed.

Lady Tremaine is a retelling of the Cinderella story, set in an unnamed kingdom with a prince in need of a bride. The story is told through the first-person narration of Lady Etheldreda (Ethel) Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley — the “evil stepmother” of fairy tale infamy, who tells us a very different story than the one we think we know.

Note: Apparently, the Tremaine surname was a Disney invention! Before the 1950 film, the character and her daughters were basically just known as the evil stepmother and ugly stepsisters.

We first meet Ethel in the woods, muddy and disheveled, hunting with her trained falcon Lucy to put food on her family’s table. “Poaching” might actually be more accurate than “hunting” — she’s crossed over to the king’s land on the other side of the river where there’s more game to be found… but it’s that, or her girls will go hungry.

Ethel’s family is in dire straits. Twice widowed, her most recent husband, Lord Bramley, left her a crumbling estate and a step-daughter to care for. All of Bramley’s money has been left for his daughter Elin’s dowry, and is untouchable. Ethel and her daughters Rosamond (Rosie) and Mathilde slowly sell off all of the property’s valuables, desperately clinging to the bare essentials as the manor’s rooms empty and the roof develops leaks. They work hard to scrape by, while clinging to the surface necessities when in public so that no one knows just how low they’ve fallen.

All except Elin, who lives her life according to a book of maxims about virtue, all she has left of her own deceased mother. Rebuffing all attempts at kindness or maternal comfort from Ethel, Elin holds herself apart and trains herself on the accomplishments prized in marriageable girls — decorative skills that do nothing to help the struggling household. Still, Ethel makes sure Elin is safe and fed, despite the growing resentment over her unwillingness to work as the rest of them do.

The plot kicks off with the announcement of a royal ball. As the carriages of the royal messenger roll up to the Bramley estate, Ethel scrubs off the mud and hides the evidence of their decaying home, presenting three pretty girls to hear the messenger’s words. But the invitation that’s presented is only for Elin — Rosie and Mathilde are passed over.

When I’d first heard the rumors, I wasn’t afraid of not being invited to the royal ball; I was afraid of one existing. For if it existed, we must go. And if we went, we must succeed. And if we were successful, my daughters would be married and move away from me forever. My own desires contradicted each other.

The ball represents not just a party. In Ethel’s viewpoint, it’s key to their survival. Clinging desperately to their precarious social status, Ethel knows that good marriages — representing physical and financial safety — are only available to young girls of high enough social standing. The ball is an opportunity for her daughters to be seen in society and make connections, and may be their last hope. Ethel takes a gamble to secure invitations for her girls, but as the date of the ball approaches, a new opportunity arises: One of her daughters has caught the eye of the prince. Now, not just a noble marriage, but a royal one, may be within reach.

Opportunities came and they were small and unlikely and easy to overlook. You had to stick your fingers into them and pinch the edges and pull. You had to widen the aperture of possibility.

Lady Tremaine achieves startling results by making Ethel a strong, relatable, and sympathetic character. She doesn’t yearn for royalty or nobility for the sake of power or money. She simply wants her daughters to be safe and have better lives than the one she can provide for them. Over the course of the book, through scenes showing her backstory, we learn much more about Ethel’s struggles, as well as what she’s learned about women’s lack of power and agency in their society.

Driven by love for her daughters — even including Elin, despite their prickly relationship — Ethel is willing to do practically anything to protect them. Ethel’s reflections on motherhood and what it means to love one’s children are startling, powerful, and moving. The book’s plot becomes darker than I would have expected, and Ethel is forced to make drastic decisions that put the entire family’s future at risk, for the sake of making sure that all those that she loves are protected.

Lady Tremaine is a compelling story, dramatically told and utterly absorbing. I couldn’t put it down! We may think we know every last version of the Cinderella story, and yet, Lady Tremaine provides a fresh take with a thoughtful viewpoint and memorable characters. Highly recommended.

Of course, Lady Tremaine got me thinking about other Cinderella retellings, so I had to look back through my shelves to find other versions that I’ve read. There are a lot!

What Cinderella retellings have you read?

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.

11Mar2026

Audiobook Review: This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: This Book Made Me Think of You
Author: Libby Page
Narrator: Zadeiah Campbell-Davies
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: February 3, 2026
Print length: 411 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 26 minutes
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

A woman receives an unexpected gift from the man she loved and lost—a year of books, one for every month—launching a reading-inspired journey to live, dream, and love again in this glimmering and heart-stopping novel.

Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart…

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago….

When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift—twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

At first Tilly can’t imagine sinking into a fictional world, but Joe’s tender words convince her to try, and something remarkable happens—Tilly becomes immersed in the pages, and a new chapter begins to unfold in her own life. Monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to share her journey with others, her story—like a book—becomes more than her own.

This heart-warming book is a story about grief, support, and healing. It’s also very much a love letter to the power of reading and a huge note of appreciation for independent booksellers.

I am the person I am because of the books I have read. My reading history is a map that shows the path of my life.

Tilly is a young widow, buried under the grief of losing her beloved husband Joe after a brief, intense battle with cancer. Immersing herself in her career as an editor of non-fiction books — specifically, ghost-written celebrity tell-alls — Tilly flounders in her personal life, living in the flat she and Joe shared, surrounded by his papers, clothing, and other belongings, and unable to return to her lifelong love of reading. In fact, Tilly can’t recall a single book she’s read since Joe’s terrible diagnosis.

Five months after his death, she’s shocked to receive a call from Book Lane, her neighborhood bookshop, asking her to come in to pick up a book on hold for her. Tilly thinks there must be a mistake — she didn’t order any books. But when she goes into the store, she’s handed a wrapped book and receives an explanation. Prior to his death, Joe ordered a year of books for Tilly. She’ll receive one book each month, each one specifically chosen by Joe. Tilly is floored, to say the least. After her months of pain and loneliness, here is Joe reaching out to her one final time.

As the year unfolds, the books from Joe and the letters he’s enclosed with each one open up a small window for Tilly to start seeing the world outside herself once more. The books are varied (and are delightful to discover each month, so I won’t name names). Each is chosen for a reason — and with each, Tilly is challenged to expand her horizons ever so slightly, to venture out of her flat, and to try to reengage with the people and experiences she’s shut herself away from.

Meanwhile, we also follow Alfie, the owner of Book Lane, who deals with his own challenges in maintaining the family bookstore after his father’s death years earlier, trying to live up to his legacy while also keeping the store afloat. Alfie is immediately drawn to Tilly, and becomes a friend and confidante over the months as they interact about Joe’s books, and then find other common ground to share.

Romance is a backburner plot in This Book Made Me Think of You, which feels appropriate. The story is really about Tilly’s personal growth. It’s clear that there are romantic feelings that will emerge over the course of the book, but this aspect is handled tastefully and in a way that feels true to Tilly’s process of grieving and honoring Joe’s memory.

The book is structured by month, as we (and Tilly) see Joe’s new book choices as the year goes by, and see Tilly’s reactions and experiences in relation to the book. As well, each month’s section opens with thematic book recommendations from Book Lane. Between these and Tilly’s memories of important books in her life, reading This Book Made Me Think of You feels like a delicious feast for book lovers.

Start to finish, This Book Made Me Think of You is a beautiful reading experience. It made me tear up quite a few times (always a bit embarrassing while listening to an audiobook in public!), and made me laugh too. I loved hearing about all the books in Tilly’s life, loved seeing her adventures and how she reconnects with so many people in her life, and loved how delicately and realistically the book portrays the idea of living with grief, rather than seeing grief as something to be gotten over.

The audiobook is very well done. The narrator conveys Tilly’s inner thoughts well, and provides variation for the various characters with whom Tilly interacts. She even does a convincing American accent for Joe!

Overall, I really loved this book — both the plot and the way the books expresses all the ways in which books enhance lives. Highly recommended.

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1Mar2026

Audiobook Review: Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Sophie Cousens

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Is She Really Going Out With Him?
Author: Sophie Cousens
Narrator: Kerry Gilbert
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: November 19, 2024
Print length: 368 pages
Audio length: 11 hours 42 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

A hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.

Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

In this feel-good romance, 37-year-old Anna is trying to bounce back from divorce — which is especially hard now that her ex has moved his much younger girlfriend into his home, yet can’t be bothered to do the kids’ laundry or make sure their homework is done when they’re with him. What’s more, Anna’s career as a columnist is at risk when Bath Living is acquired by someone more focused on profits than on great writing. Anna’s new publisher wants her column to be edgier and more personal, and she just doesn’t know if she has it in her. But, her annoying (and attractive) coworker seems to be angling for her column space, and she’s determined not to let him win… so she pitches one last desperate idea for a new dating-themed column.

After trying online dating, with the expected awful results, Anna wonders if it’s possible to find romance in real life anymore. Her kids are eager to set her up, and a concept is born: Anna will go on seven dates, with people selected by the kiddos. What could possibly go wrong?

From a fishing trip with a painful ending to a Regency encounter to a setup with the grumpy widower next door, Anna goes on a series of dates — some ending with awkwardness, one proving that you should never meet your idols, and one that results in an ill-advised tattoo. None are exactly successful, but they do make for entertaining column material.

Meanwhile, the office rivalry with Will goes from barely tolerating each other as coworkers to something much more NSFW… but Anna doesn’t see a future with Will, who seems to be destined for jetsetting career success while she is firmly tied to her roots in Bath. But they do have undeniable chemistry, so even as she continues to date according to her kids’ whims, she can’t help but wonder if there’s any possible scenario where she and Will could actually have more than casual hook-ups.

Is She Really Going Out With Him? is a charming look at the ups and downs of reentering the dating scene after marriage, with an engaging, bright main character who’s a delight to get to know. A devoted mother, Anna struggles to balance her home and work commitments, and can’t imagine ever putting herself first… but through the dating experiment, she’s reminded of experiences that bring her joy, such a rediscovering her creative, artistic side and finding an upbeat, life-affirming new friend when she least expects it.

One of the many pleasures of this book is seeing Anna coming out of her dates with new connections — not in terms of romantic partners, but finding people to engage with outside of her worlds of home and office, and finding ways to break out of her routine in a way that benefits all the people in her life.

Of course, the romantic storyline is important too, and while I was initially skeptical about reading yet another enemies-to-lovers story arc, this is a good one! There are plenty of reasons why Will and Anna shouldn’t work, and while it’s clear from the start that their pairing is the book’s endgame, it’s quite fun to see the ups and downs along their path to figuring it all out.

The less said about the 3rd act break up, the better: It’s one of my least favorite tropes — the old “breaking up with you for your own good”, with a smattering of “pretending never to have cared so it’ll be easier for you to walk away”. Fortunately, this part flies by pretty quickly and honesty prevails, but still… this was the only part of the book that annoyed me.

The audiobook narration by Kerry Gilbert is light and whimsical, with the humor very well captured by her character voices and delivery. I enjoyed the listening experience very much — it kept me engaged and entertained.

All in all, Is She Really Going Out With Him? is a lot of fun, and I look forward to trying more by this author.

Any favorites to recommend?

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1Feb2026

Book Review: The Names by Florence Knapp

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Names
Author: Florence Knapp
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Publication date: May 6, 2025
Length: 328 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register the birth of her son. Her husband, Gordon, respected in the community but a controlling presence at home, intends for her to follow a long-standing family tradition and name the baby after him. But when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates….

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of their lives, shaped by Cora’s last-minute choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities for autonomy and healing.

Through a prism of what-ifs, Florence Knapp invites us to consider the “one … precious life” we are given. Full of hope, this is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark. It is the story of one family and love’s endless capacity to endure, no matter what fate has in store.

The Names is a fascinating look at decisions and possibilities:

Yes, people’s lives bump and collide and we send one another spinning off in different directions. But that’s life. It’s not unique to you. We each make our own choices.

Before going further:

Content warning: While I don’t typically read or provide content warnings, I do feel it’s important to make clear that this book deals very heavily with domestic violence and abuse.

I had no idea what to expect when I picked up The Names. I knew it made a lot of “best of” lists for 2025 and had been a Goodreads Choice nominee. I vaguely knew that the plot had to do with deciding what to name a baby. Not much to go on! So I was both surprised and pleased to find myself completely immersed in this unusual, moving story.

As the book opens, Cora is on the way to the registrar’s office to officially register the birth and name of her newborn son, accompanied by her nine-year-old daughter Maia. Cora and her husband have already picked a name — he’ll be called Gordon, just like his father and grandfather before him. But as mother and daughter walk, they start to talk. Cora shares that she likes the name Julian, which means “sky father” — and the “father” element could be a nod to her husband while not passing on the actual traditional name. And Maia, full of creativity and whimsy, says that if she could pick, she’d name him Bear — because “it sounds all soft and cuddly and kind […] but also, brave and strong.”

From there, the story splits in three, providing three chapters in the immediate aftermath of the registrar’s office — Bear, Julian, and Gordon. In each, we see the consequences and fallout of Cora’s naming decision. How does her life — and Maia’s, and the baby’s — change depending on what she named him? The structure of the book follows this three-branched approach, moving forward in seven-year increments, each one showing this new period with Bear, Julian, and Gordon versions of their lives.

I’m not providing details, as it would spoil much too much to go into the specifics of the variations, how very different each version of their lives is, and why their lives develop as they do. This is a book that should be allowed to unfold for the reader, without foreknowledge or expectations. There are beautiful moments as well as pain, sorrow, and regrets. The characters are complex, and the ramifications of their choices are shown through the textures of the lives they live.

As I stated in the content warning, domestic abuse is the driving force — the origin story, in a way — for much of what happens, as well as the secret weight behind Cora’s naming choice. The violence isn’t gratuitous in any way, but it is painful to read, making certain sections of the book feel practically overwhelming.

Still, at its core, The Names is a story about love and family, finding beauty in life and in the people who we care about. It’s fascinating, powerful, and deeply emotional. I’ll be thinking about this book long after closing the cover. Highly recommended.

31Jan2026

Audiobook Review: Anne of a Different Island by Virginia Kantra

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Anne of a Different Island
Author: Virginia Kantra
Narrators: Kathleen McInerney and Will Collyer
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: January 20, 2026
Print length: 368 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 54 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library (audiobook); ARC via NetGalley (ebook)
Rating:

A woman learns to be the heroine of her own life in this heartfelt novel inspired by Anne of Green Gables by New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.

She believed life could follow a plotline—until the story she was living unraveled.

Anne Gallagher has always lived by the book. Anne of Green Gables, that is. Growing up on Mackinac Island, she saw herself as her namesake; the same impulsive charm, the same wild imagination, even the same red hair (dyed, but still). She followed in Anne Shirley’s fictional footsteps, chasing dreams of teaching and writing, and falling for her very own storybook hero.

But when a string of real-life plot twists—a failing romance, a fight with the administration, and the sudden death of her beloved father—pulls her back to the island she once couldn’t wait to leave, Anne is forced to face a truth no story ever prepared her for. Sometimes, life doesn’t follow a script.

Back in the house she grew up in, Anne must confront her past and the people she left behind, including Joe Miller, the boy who once called her “The Pest.” It’s time to figure out what she wants and rewrite her story to create her own happy ending. Not the book version. The real one.

Anne (with an E!) is a 24-year-old high school teacher who enjoys inspiring her students by making sure they find the books that might change their lives. She lives alone, waiting for the day when her doctor boyfriend Chris is ready for them to move in together. Anne dreams of being a writer, but meanwhile, everything is fine, and her happy ending seems within reach.

And then, her life more or less implodes. Anne’s beloved father dies — the man who was always her greatest source of love and support, the man who first put a copy of Anne of Green Gables into her hands, the man who always seemed to appreciate Anne’s nonstop chatter and big dreams. Going back home to Mackinac Island for the funeral, she is wracked by guilt over not visiting more, and has to deal with the sense of abandonment she feels when Chris chooses to stay behind to take care of a patient rather than going with her.

Back on the island, Anne at first is reminded of her own isolation. Her mother isn’t emotionally accessible. Anne has never quite repaired the distant relationship with her childhood best friend. Her father’s former apprentice and business partner — who nicknamed her the Pest when she was a child — seems to always be around, apparently closer to her parents than she herself was. By the end of the funeral, Anne can’t wait to get back to her “real” life in Chicago.

But when a parent complaint leads to a temporary leave from work, and Chris makes a unilateral decision about their future, Anne retreats back to Mackinac for the summer to take a break, recharge, and take stock of what she really wants. And the longer she spends on the island, the more she starts to see the potential of a good life back where she started from, especially as she reforges relationships with the people who matter most to her.

Anne of a Different Island is, obviously, filled with references to and inspiration from Anne of Green Gables, but it’s not a retelling. Anne Gallagher holds up Anne Shirley as her idol (she even has a tattoo of a favorite Anne quote, “tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet”). The Anne of this book shares Anne Shirley’s optimism and imagination, and uses the Anne books as a point of reference when she feels lost in her own thoughts and quandaries.

Seeing Anne find her place on the island is heart-warming, and while we may figure out long before Anne does that (a) Chris sucks, (b) her old school sucks too, and (c) she really can have a future on Mackinac, it’s still sweet to see how Anne finally realizes all this too. The romance with Joe is mostly a slow-burn, as each deals with the baggage of former relationships, but there’s really no doubt that they’ll work it all out eventually.

The story is mainly told through Anne’s point of view, with a scattering of Joe chapters mixed in. The narrators do a nice job of voicing the characters and their friends and neighbors; Kathleen McInerney is particularly charming as she brings out Anne’s quirkiness, self-doubt, and irrepressible brightness.

One thing I really loved about this book is the emphasis on how reading can change lives. We get the sense that Anne is an amazing teacher. She reaches her students through books, and makes sure that they have access to books that can open their eyes or speak to their inner fears and needs. I was pleased that teaching remains a focus for Anne throughout; even though she finds more time and commitment for writing, she never views teaching as just a fallback until she makes it as an author.

Anne of a Different Island is a sweet, lovely story that made me yearn for a little island community of my own… and reminded me that it’s about time for me to revisit the world of Anne of Green Gables.

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21Dec2025

Book Review: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Correspondent
Author: Virginia Evans
Publisher: Crown
Publication date: April 29, 2025
Length: 291 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime. Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever find.

The Correspondent is a lovely book about looking back at a life, understanding the past, making amends, and finding connections. It’s about a lot, actually — but isn’t life like that?

This epistolary novel takes place solely through the letters Sybil Van Antwerp writes and receives. Covering a span of ten years, we follow Sybil through her seventies, as she looks back on a life full of professional achievement, family joys and sorrows, good friends, and lots of literature. Through it all, she’s been a letter writer, sitting at her desk each day to write by hand on lovely paper. She writes to friends and family members, but also to a college dean, customer service representatives, obnoxious garden club members, and her favorite authors.

Sybil’s letters, one by one, provide readers with insight into the complicated inner life of a woman who, at first, seems like yet another somewhat cranky older woman character. But there’s so much more to discover: There’s a deep vein of grief that runs through all her letters, and as we learn, there are regrets from her past that she wishes to fix, if she can. Her family dynamics can be fraught, as we see in her often contentious relationship with her daughter, yet she displays a remarkable amount of kindness toward others in need, whether the son of a good friend with whom she corresponds throughout his difficult teen years or the high school student who reaches out for a school research project.

Themes of reconciliation and forgiveness add depth to the novel. Sybil affects others’ lives in big and small ways. A situation that seems threatening turns into an opportunity for making amends. Someone with whom Sybil interacts in a business capacity ends up having his life changed thanks to Sybil’s assistance.

And yet, we also see Sybil’s pain over a terrible loss, her ruminations on how and why her marriage ended, and her sorrow over her failures regarding her relationship with her daughter. Through her letters, Sybil communicates with others, but also investigates her own experiences. As we learn early on, Sybil has a condition that will lead to blindness, and while she doesn’t engage in self-pity, we see how deeply she fears the loss of vision, especially as a lifelong passionate reader who knows her time with books and writing may come to an end.

Lest this all sound quite dire, I must point out that The Correspondent has wonderful moments of joy and laughter as well. Sybil is courted by two very different men, and her descriptions of her experiences are sweet and funny. I loved her letters to authors. We might at first consider Sybil naive in her belief that a famous author might read her letters or remember her — but Sybil’s philosophy is to write to whomever she’s interested in communicating with, and who knows? She may actually get a response. There are several results of her letter-writing that absolutely delighted me — I won’t get into details, because these episodes are just too wonderful to spoil.

I’m so glad that I picked up The Correspondent. It’s a quick read that pulls on the heartstrings without becoming overly sentimental. There’s a deep sense of goodness here. Sybil isn’t perfect and hasn’t lived a perfect life. Through her letters, we understand her, and see what a difference one imperfect person can make.

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.

20Dec2025

Audiobook Review: Next Time Will Be Our Turn by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Next Time Will Be Our Turn
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Narrators: Emily Woo Zeller and Louisa Zhu
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: November 11, 2025
Print length: 352 pages
Audio length: 11 hours 19 minutes
Genre: Contemporary / historical fiction
Source: Library (audiobook); ARC via NetGalley (ebook)
Rating:

A grandmother tells her granddaughter about her twisty, often surprising, journey to who she is now in this sweeping love story by USA Today bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto.

Izzy Chen is dreading her family’s annual Chinese New Year celebration, where they all come together at a Michelin-starred restaurant to flaunt their status and successes in hopes to one up each other. So when her seventy-three-year-old glamorous and formidable grandmother walks in with a stunning woman on her arm and kisses her in front of everyone, it shakes Izzy to her core. She’d always considered herself the black sheep of the family for harboring similar feelings to the ones her Nainai just displayed.

Seeing herself in her teenage granddaughter’s struggles with identity and acceptance, Magnolia Chen tells Izzy her own story, of how as a teen she was sent by her Indo-Chinese parents from Jakarta to Los Angeles for her education and fell in love with someone completely forbidden to her by both culture and gender norms—Ellery, an American college student who became Magnolia’s best friend and the love of her life. Stretching across decades and continents, Magnolia’s star-crossed love story reveals how life can take unexpected turns but ultimately lead you to exactly who you’re meant to be.

If you are only familiar with Jesse Q. Sutanto through her uproariously funny Aunties and Vera Wong series (as I was), you may not be prepared for the emotional, beautiful journey that is Next Time Will Be Our Turn. This lovely book surprised me in all the best ways, and is one of the most moving books I’ve had the pleasure to read this year.

The story is framed through a sixteen-year-old Chinese-Indonesian girl’s experiences at her huge family’s Chinese New Year part in Jakarta. Izzy considers herself an outcast — she doesn’t fit it amongst her boisterous aunts, uncles, and cousins; would rather read in a corner than socialize or draw attention to herself; and knows that if anyone knew the truth about her interest in girls — in a society that’s very much rooted in traditional marriage — she’d be even more of a black sheep than she already is.

The party is shocked into silence when Izzy’s glamorous, successful businesswoman grandmother enters the party on the arm of a statuesque white woman… and proceeds to kiss her in a way that’s clearly non-platonic. Izzy is thrown for a loop, drowning in confusion and her own tumult of emotions. Later, her grandmother Magnolia meets her outside her home for a late-night walk, and proceeds to tell Izzy her own story.

And what a story it is! Magnolia takes us back to her youth when, at age 16, her parents send her to LA to join her older sister Iris at community college. Magnolia knows exactly the future that’s expected of her: Go to America, get a college degree, then return to Indonesia and marry a successful young man who’ll then be a successor to the family business (a medical practice), while Magnolia fulfills her role as a good, respectable, accomplished wife and bears lots of children. But something inside Magnolia itches at the idea of following this path. Her sister Iris certainly isn’t doing what’s expected of her — she’s loud, rebellious, impatient, and seemingly has no interest in making life easy for her little sister. She’d rather be with her American friends and pursue a career, not think about landing a good husband just to please her parents.

Everything changes for Magnolia when, on her very first day on campus, she meets Ellery — whom she describes (to Izzy’s shock) as the love of her life. Ellery is beautiful, tall, American… and warm and funny, and open to life in a way that Magnolia hasn’t seen before. The two becomes immediate friends. Magnolia doesn’t know what to make of her feelings for Ellery — back home, girls often had “girl crushes”, so that’s all this is… right? Ellery herself has a girlfriend, and what she offers Magnolia is friendship, but the intensity between the two makes it clear that there’s much more beneath the surface.

What follows is an incredibly moving story spanning decades, as Magnolia is torn — over and over again — between family expectations, societal demands, and her heart’s deepest wishes. She and Ellery go through periods of painful separation, but their deep connection is never broken. When Magnolia eventually returns to Jakarta and follows the path set out for her, she settles into a life that doesn’t fulfill her, but sees no other real options, until a reconciliation with her sister Iris brings the two closer together than they’d ever been. Iris helps Magnolia realize that she yearns for more than a life as a trophy wife, and helps her start to make her dreams come true.

As Magnolia tells her story to Izzy, she covers the years of longing and absence, the memories of Ellery that never left her, and the beautiful story of her love for Iris. Much isn’t entirely straightforward — because yes, Izzy is at first horrified to hear Magnolia describe some woman she’s never heard of as the love of her grandmother’s life. What about her grandfather? It’s complicated, to say the least.

We get interludes throughout where Izzy responds to Magnolia, but this is truly Magnolia’s story. With a well-developed narrative voice, Magnolia shares the confusion of her teens, the hopes and fears of her early adulthood, and the sometimes bitter realities of what it means to be a woman in Indonesia. As she shares her secrets, her emotions are plain to see. She’s trying to knock Izzy out of her own sense of despair and hopelessness, and it works: By telling her own story, with nothing prettied up or hidden, Magnolia shows Izzy that there are in fact other options and other ways to live a life.

I need to pause here and give a huge shout-out to the audiobook narrators, especially Emily Woo Zeller, who is simply magnificent as the voice of Magnolia. As I mentioned, this is really Magnolia’s story. The narrator accomplishes the tricky feat of making the listener feel like we really are hearing a grandmother tell her story to her granddaughter — but at the same time, her voice shifts enough while narrating Magnolia’s younger years that we also feel that we’re hearing her authentic voice at that age.

The book itself lends itself perfectly to the audiobook experience, because almost the entire narrative is a woman telling her story out loud. And at various places, she interjects with comments to Izzy — so she may be describing a romantic scene with her future husband, and will pause to tell Izzy to stop freaking out, and yes, she’ll spare her the intimate details!

I really don’t think I can say enough good things about Next Time Will Be Our Turn. Having only read this author’s comedic works, I did not expect the depth of this story or the emotional impact. I laughed throughout at Magnolia’s wry, sharp delivery — but believe me, there were so many tears too. This book left me both uplifted and heartbroken, and I loved every moment.

I know the Aunties and Vera Wong books are hugely popular — but I do hope the author continues to also write books in the spirit and feel of Next Time Will Be Our Turn.

It’s a beautiful book. Don’t miss it.

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11Dec2025

Audiobook Review: Anne of Avenue A (For the Love of Austen, #3) by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Anne of Avenue A
Series: For the Love of Austen, #3
Author: Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding
Narrators: Brittany Pressley and Teddy Hamilton
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication date: October 28, 2025
Print length: 336 pages
Audio length: 8 hours 5 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

Jane Austen’s Persuasion meets the Big Apple in this swoon-worthy holiday romance from the authors of the “charming” (Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author) Elizabeth of East Hampton and Emma of 83rd Street.

Eight years ago, Anne Elliot broke Freddie Wentworth’s heart when she refused to give up her five-year plan for the sake of adventure. But despite big dreams, Anne, now thirty, is still living at home with hardly a plan in sight. Anne tries to be optimistic—she knows better than anyone that regret will get you nowhere—but that goes out when the window when, thanks to her father’s bad spending habits, her childhood apartment in is rented out to the very man still living in her head rent-free.

Freddie Wentworth never thought he would see Anne Elliot again after she dumped him for accepting a job overseas. He spent years trying to forget her, and he’s been mostly successful. So when a job opportunity takes him back to New York, he’s shocked to find out that Anne is not only his new neighbor, but also the former resident of his new Greenwich Village penthouse.

Nearly a decade after Anne and Freddie’s fateful romance, the only thing they still have in common is a desire to leave their relationship firmly in the past. But between a disastrous off-Broadway show and a drunken Thanksgiving dinner, nosey neighbors, and flirtatious friends, Anne and Freddie suddenly find their lives more intertwined than ever before. When old feelings start rising to the surface, they must decide whether to put their hearts on the line or walk away all over again.

Welcome back to the world of For the Love of Austen, a delightful series of contemporary retellings of Jane Austen classics by author duo Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding. In this third installment, the authors tackle Persuasion, transposing it to a modern-day New York setting, and finding a way to make this tale of regret and second chances feel fresh and believable.

Anne Elliot and Freddie Wentworth dated throughout their college years at NYU and thought they’d be together forever, until a late-in-the-game discovery that their future plans didn’t match up led to a devastating break-up. Now, eight years later, Freddie has returned to New York — and inadvertently buys the apartment that Anne has just been forced to move out of thanks to her father’s financial messiness. Neither Anne nor Freddie has ever truly gotten over their breakup, and running into one another in the building is shocking, to say the least.

As they reunite in Anne of Avenue A, both are older and wiser, with professional accomplishments under their belts, yet both are also at a crossroads in terms of what to do next with their careers. As they slowly reconnect and learn to trust again, they have to balance what they want in their own lives against the risk of considering a future together. It’s quite delicious to see them start to warm up and spend time together, especially as they realize that the feelings they’ve never been able to fully let go of are shared by the other person.

I love that the authors present the basics of the Austen storyline without following it point by point. Yes, this modern-day version of Anne was also persuaded to refuse Freddie for practical reasons — but the advice she follows does actually make sense, and Anne’s reasoning is solid (if unromantic). She and Freddie hadn’t discussed their long term plans or the post-graduate programs they’d applied to. Anne may not have known exactly what she wanted to do career-wise, but following Freddie on his adventures was a risk she didn’t feel she could take. And while Freddie would have given up his own plans to stay with Anne, she knew she couldn’t ask that of him, and ended the relationship instead.

The supporting characters are lots of fun — mainly some quirky characters from the building, plus assorted family members. The male leads from the previous two books are back as well, since Freddie is close friends with Will Darcy and George Knightly — this gives us a nice opportunity to see what the couples from the other books are up to now, and it’s great to see Emma, Lizzie, and Anne spending time together and becoming friends.

Many familiar Persuasion beats are included. I was very curious about how the dramatic fall-from-the-Cobb scene might be included in Anne of Avenue A… and it’s decidedly nondramatic here, with a silly New York slice-of-life twist to it that prevents it from bringing down the generally upbeat vibe. I’m consistently entertained throughout this series by spotting the Austen moments and how they’ve been reshaped to fit the modern world.

You might be wondering if Anne of Avenue A could possibly find a way to fit in some of the best Persuasion lines… and the answer is yes!

“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.”

If these words make you swoon, well… you may be amused by how the authors incorporate these words into their story, and you certainly won’t be unsatisfied!

As with the previous two audiobooks, the narrators do a terrific job presenting chapters from Anne and Freddie’s perspectives. Brittany Pressley is especially delightful to listen to in these books, and she’s truly up there on my list of favorite audiobook narrators. Teddy Hamilton’s delivery doesn’t always quite work for me, but I suppose I’ve gotten used to him at this point. Overall, the audiobook experience moves quickly and feels lively and engaging.

Three books in, I know by now to expect that there will be at least one or two open door sex scenes. As I’ve said in my other reviews for this series, I really don’t need to see Austen characters having explicit sex! It feels weirdly intrusive… but I’ll also acknowledge that I prefer a closed door approach in general when it comes to romance novels, so my objection here is not only related to this particular series.

My minor quibble with the story is that Anne finds a new career in the blink of an eye, and it seems like a lovely opportunity for her… but I wasn’t convinced that her new business made sense in terms of what we’d come to know about her interests. Also, from a practical standpoint, I didn’t quite buy that she was able to become an equal business partner in her new venture without (seemingly) any financial investment — rather than, say, coming on board as an employee — but who am I to argue with a woman’s professional success in a romance novel?

Overall, I really enjoyed Anne of Avenue A. The stakes are perhaps a little lower than in the other books, but I still found it engaging, warm, and full of Austen-esque spark.

I’ve been seeing the For the Love of Austen books being referred to as a trilogy, and I’m hoping that’s because there are three books SO FAR, and not because they’re stopping at just three! Here’s hoping that retellings of Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park are in the works!

Previous books in this series:
Emma of 83rd Street
Elizabeth of East Hampton

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14Nov2025

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.