Tag Archives: contemporary fiction

Book Review: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: The Husbands
Author: Holly Gramazio
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication date: April 2, 2024
Print length: 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Library

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

This exuberant debut, praised by Gabrielle Zevin as a “time-bending gem,” asks: how do we navigate life, love and choice in a world of never-ending options?

When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.

As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?

I can pretty much guarantee that you’ve never read a story like this before! The idea sounds nuts — a woman discovers that she has some sort of magical attic that delivers a stream of new husbands to her (not that she had a husband to begin with), and if she doesn’t like the one she gets, she just sends him back up to the attic and waits for the next one to come down.

Despite the out-there premise, The Husbands is a terrific read. Parts are laugh-out-loud funny, but mixed in with the absurdity of it all are nuggets of truth about love, relationships, and learning to live with and accept another person.

The moment his foot disappears, doubt washes through her. Perhaps she will receive only worse and worse husbands, maybe he was the best available, this was her chance and she’s fucked it up.

Lauren’s life turns upside-down when the first husband arrives, but once she realizes that the attic essentially offers a reset, she’s able to change her life at will. Different husbands bring different realities. Each time a new husband arrives, she discovers that her life changes too: Each husband is a doorway into a life some version of her would have chosen, and that means not only a different partner, but also other areas of divergence — different clothes, differently decorated flat, different jobs, even different body shapes. Some versions of Lauren’s life include a devotion to working out or hiking; in others, she’s clearly too worn down to bother. In many, she works in the same job, but there are times when she doesn’t work at all, has jobs she doesn’t know how to do, or finds herself promoted into a role that stresses her out.

Some husbands are more memorable than others. Some Lauren sends back immediately; some she lives with for a few days. There are some she can’t wait to get rid of, and one, sadly, that she wants to keep, but loses to his efficiency (he goes to stow something in the attic before she can stop him, and then he’s gone).

For the first third or so of the book, I wondered if this was what the whole book would be like — just a random string of husbands, and how Lauren interacts with each one. It goes much deeper than that, though, and the storyline gets more intricate and compelling as new developments occur.

Lauren’s never-ending cycle of husbands leads her to ponder choices and outcomes. She realizes that each husband is someone some version of herself chose, and therefore starts to assess each one more critically. Why this person? How did the two of them forge a connection? In what version of her life does this particular marriage make sense?

It’s such an interesting dilemma: What does it mean to enter a relationship that’s already well underway? Lauren is never a newlywed in any of these alternate versions of her life. Each husband is someone she must originally have fallen for, with all the thrills of new love… but by the time they descend the attic stairs, those days are in the past.

There is a time, she thinks, at the start of any relationship, when the process of falling in love softens a personality, like wax in a warm room. And so two people in love change, just a little, pushing their wax figures together, a protuberance here smoothed down but creating a dip there. It doesn’t last long, the time when love can gently change who you are, and in the relationships that she’s visited over the last six months, the moment has long passed.

With each husband, Lauren has to wonder if this is the one to keep, or could the next one possibly be better?

She has always hated being wrong, the idea of doing something that turns out to be an irredeemable mistake.

The consequences of Lauren’s shuffling of husbands become more dire as the book progresses. Eventually, Lauren must decide how much more she can take and whether getting herself out of the cycle is worth the risk of being stuck with someone imperfect.

The Husbands is such a weird and wild book, but I loved it! The writing is fantastic. The pacing zips along, but there are moments of introspection that really strike a nerve. I found the concept and Lauren’s ever-shifting reality absolutely fascinating, deeply engrossing, and very often, incredibly funny. The book provides lots of food for thought on what we risk when we enter into a relationship with another human being — how much can go wrong and how much can go right, how much is unknowable, and how many different outcomes can stem from seemingly simple decisions.

Ultimately, The Husbands is both terrific entertainment and a below-the-surface look at the intricacies of relationships and marriage.

Book Review: The Partner Plot (The Greene Sisters, #2) by Kristina Forest

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: The Partner Plot
Series: The Greene Sisters, #2
Author: Kristina Forest
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: February 27, 2024
Length: 416 pages
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Two former high school sweethearts get a second chance in this marriage of convenience romance by Kristina Forest, author of The Neighbor Favor.

To Violet Greene, fashion is everything. As a successful celebrity stylist, she travels all over the world, living out her dreams. Professionally, she’s thriving, but her personal life is in shambles. After surviving a very public breakup with her ex-fiancé six months ago, Violet is now determined to focus on her career. But life hands her something—or rather, someone—that might derail everything…

Xavier Wright did not expect to run into his high school girlfriend Violet—the girl he once thought he’d marry—on a birthday trip to Vegas. As a high school teacher and basketball coach, he rarely leaves his New Jersey hometown, so what were the chances? But when the initial shock wears off, they decide to celebrate together. They feel young and reckless as they party the night away—and reckless they clearly were when the following morning, they wake up beside each other with rings on their fingers.

Their impulsive nuptials might be a blessing in disguise, though, when they realize that both of their careers could benefit from the marriage. So they play the part of a blissfully wedded couple. Yet when their passion comes hurling back, they realize their feelings are just as real as they were back when they were teens. But are their lives too different to stick it through or will they finally get a happy ending?

The Partner Plot is the 2nd book in author Kristina Forest’s Greene Sisters trilogy, which began with the 2023 novel The Neighbor Favor. The first book focuses on Lily, the youngest of three sisters (all with flower names), a booklover who falls for the author of her favorite fantasy series, not realizing that he’s also the attractive man who lives down the hall from her.

In Lily’s story, we meet middle sister Violet, a fashion stylist who moves in a high-octane world of celebrities and nonstop parties. Here in The Partner Plot, Violet takes center stage.

When we last saw Violet, her wedding had imploded rather spectacularly after her fiancé cheated on her with one of her clients just a few short weeks before the big day. Now single again, Violet doubts she’ll ever trust enough to invest in a new relationship, and has to deal with seeing her ex and her ex-client constantly making the tabloids. It’s embarrassing, to say the least.

While away with her best friend (and biggest client) in Las Vegas, she runs into Xavier Wright, her first love, who broke Violet’s heart at age 19. Neither has truly recovered from their breakup, even though it’s been 10 years. After a night of drinking and dancing, Violet and Xavier wake up in bed together with rings on their fingers… and after a few moments of panic, find a receipt from a chapel that specializes in fake weddings. It was a great night, but they’re relieved that they didn’t do anything truly stupid, and prepare to go their separate ways again.

Except… as Violet is being interviewed for a fashion magazine profile that could catapult her career to the next level, she’s asked about her ex-fiancé yet again… and desperate to redirect, she mentions that she’s over him completely — in fact she just married her high school sweetheart, who now teaches and coaches basketball at the high school where they met. Meanwhile, Xavier is applying for what he thinks could be his dream job, an assistant coach position at a nearby college, but the (jerkish) head coach doesn’t think a single guy would be as reliable as he needs. Fortunately, Xavier just got married to his high school sweetheart…

Cue the fake marriage trope! In this case, Xavier and Violet end up thrust back into each others’ lives (because reasons), start spending serious amounts of time together, and realize that the sparks — and the love — never truly went away. But their lifestyles are so different — is there any way they could make a real relationship work?

The Partner Plot has cute moments and likable characters, but the plot itself is a tad rote. We know exactly where it’s going, and even the predictable last-minute crisis that threatens to derail the relationship isn’t really much of a crisis after all. Violet and Xavier will of course end up together, will of course achieve the career success they’re looking for, and will of course find a way to have it all. Sure, there are bumps along the way, but the outcome is never in doubt.

I enjoyed The Partner Plot, and it’s fun to see the Greene family back in action, but overall, it felt like it was missing something, especially in comparison to The Neighbor Favor, which focused on two very bookish main characters: We see them in bookstores, discussing books, sharing books, absolutely fangirling/fanboying out over their favorite authors and series… and that made The Neighbor Favor delightful, even when the romance tropes of the novel started to feel a bit by the numbers. Without that fun piece to pull me in, The Partner Plot was just… fine. The worlds of fashion and celebrity gossip really don’t interest me, so while I liked Violet, her career path and its challenges just didn’t hold much appeal.

And then there’s the central issue of the fake marriage. Violet and Xavier are both initially motivated to keep the fake marriage going because it’s good for their careers — and this just feels preposterous. Violet could surely have found another way to redirect the interview back to her achievements and away from gossip (this is supposed to be a prestigious magazine, after all, not a gossip rag). For Xavier, the coach who doesn’t want to hire a “bachelor” because he won’t be as committed to the job as a married man is clearly an awful person, and he should have run screaming in the other direction after one phone call. The idea that claiming to be married is beneficial to their careers feels like an unhelpful throwback to the 1950s (okay, maybe 1980s or 1990s) — such an awkward reason to get this plot point off the ground.

Still, The Partner Plot is a quick read, and some scenes and situations are quite clever, with humor and emotion mixed in. The challenge of seeing whether the teen love of your life can translate into an actual relationship partner as an adult is portrayed sensitively, and I appreciate how this series emphasizes the importance of family and community.

Next up in the series: The Love Lyric, focusing on oldest sister Iris. I really like her as a character… so yes, I’ll be looking for this one when it’s released in 2025~

Audiobook Review: My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: My Oxford Year
Author: Julia Whelan
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication date: April 24, 2018
Print length: 352 pages
Audio length: 9 hours 58 minutes
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Set amidst the breathtaking beauty of Oxford, this sparkling debut novel tells the unforgettable story about a determined young woman eager to make her mark in the world and the handsome man who introduces her to an incredible love that will irrevocably alter her future—perfect for fans of JoJo Moyes and Nicholas Sparks.

American Ella Durran has had the same plan for her life since she was thirteen: Study at Oxford. At 24, she’s finally made it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she’s offered an unbelievable position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign. With the promise that she’ll work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she’s free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. That is until a smart-mouthed local who is too quick with his tongue and his car ruins her shirt and her first day.

When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by none other than that same local, Jamie Davenport, she thinks for the first time that Oxford might not be all she’s envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she wasn’t anticipating finding and what begins as a casual fling soon develops into something much more when Ella learns Jamie has a life-changing secret.

Immediately, Ella is faced with a seemingly impossible decision: turn her back on the man she’s falling in love with to follow her political dreams or be there for him during a trial neither are truly prepared for. As the end of her year in Oxford rapidly approaches, Ella must decide if the dreams she’s always wanted are the same ones she’s now yearning for.

Warning: Do not listen to My Oxford Year in public. I can’t be responsible for what happens. (But embarrassing ugly crying is a strong possibility…)

I’m a little baffled as to how to write this review. I had a major plot point spoiled for me ahead of time, and I wish I hadn’t known to expect it. So, on the one hand, I don’t want to give spoilers here… on the other hand, it’ll be hard to discuss this book in any meaningful way without it.

But here goes… I’ll give it a try.

(But first, a further note: The content could be upsetting for someone to encounter without forewarning… so I’m going to put content warnings over on my Goodreads review, under a spoiler blur. Check if out here if you want to know.)

24-year-old Ella Durran heads to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, something she’s dreamed of all her life. As her magical, longed-for year kicks off — literally as she’s arriving at Heathrow — she’s also offered a dream job opportunity, working as the education consultant for the woman who stands a good chance of becoming the party nominee for President in the next election. Ella’s future lies in political organizing, and while she’ll be studying literature at Oxford, she also has her eye on what happens after Oxford. Ella’s return ticket is already booked for June 11th of the next spring, and she works out a deal with the campaign: She’ll work remotely while at Oxford, then return next June and commit full-time to the race.

Initially, Ella experiences fish-out-of-water mishaps at Oxford — such as nearly getting run over due to looking the wrong way while crossing the street. The “posh prat” at the wheel ends up being Ella’s literature lecturer, and their unfortunate first meeting leads to attraction, and eventually, a no-strings hook-up plan that’s hot, exciting, and low commitment. It’s good for as long as it’s good, and that — they both agree — will be that.

Meanwhile, Ella also settles in, forms a handful of close friendships, and starts to truly relax into and appreciate her Oxford experience. And as things with Jamie continue to be thrilling, Ella’s having the time of her life.

All is not as perfect as it seems, though… and then Ella’s life (and the book) become more intense and complicated. One of Ella’s go to responses is “It’s a plan” as a form of agreeing or making a commitment, but what happens when life gets in the way of well thought-out plans?

I really can’t say more, but trust me when I say this book packs an emotional punch. There were times when I wanted nothing more than to give Ella a good shake, but her visceral responses to certain challenges, as well as her unwillingness or inability to see what’s right in front of her, feel real and true to life. It makes sense that Ella takes so long to acknowledge what she truly wants, or to recognize that having a plan doesn’t mean that the plan is actually the right course of action. As frustrating as she can be, Ella is a character who clicks precisely because she doesn’t always make perfect decisions or react the way we’d want her to react. She’s definitely flawed, and that helps us root for her.

And what can I say about Jamie? He’s sheer perfection, an absolute cupcake, and I challenge any reader not to be absolutely mad about him.

The larger cast of characters is terrific as well, rounding out Ella’s life in a way that gives her experiences more depth and connection. I loved getting to know the various people in her and Jamie’s lives, and seeing each of their journeys as well.

Author Julia Whelan narrates the audiobook. For any audiobook fans, you’ll know that this means the listening experience will be fabulous. Julia Whelan is the queen of audiobook narration, and hearing her narrate her own book is a chance to be transported into the feel of of the story and utterly absorbed.

My Oxford Year puts the reader through the emotional wringer in a way I hadn’t anticipated (until I was told a spoiler). At first, when I thought I was just reading a book about a year in a rarified academic setting, I didn’t feel entirely engaged. Do I care about stuffy universities and lecture halls and dissection of poetry? (Maybe just a smidge…) But when the more personal aspects of the plot kicked in, I was hooked, heart and soul.

I was a mess by the end of this book, but also uplifted and moved and satisfied. My Oxford Year is lovely and powerful, and should not be missed.

PS – My Oxford Year is coming to Netflix! No information yet on exactly when, but a preliminary casting announcement was recently shared… good stuff!



Book Review: Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: Finding Mr. Write
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: June 25, 2024
Print length: 368 pages
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Purchased

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

A  fun romantic comedy about a woman writing under a male pseudonym and the man she hires to play the role in public.

Daphne McFadden is tired of rejection. After submitting her manuscript to dozens of agents, she’s gotten rejection after rejection, and now it’s time for something drastic. And so, Daphne submits her manuscript again… under a man’s name.

Imagine her surprise when it sells for big money at an auction and soon becomes a publicity darling. Only she needs a man to play her super macho alter ego Zane Remington. Enter Chris Stanton, who absolutely looks the part of a survivalist and has a talent for pressing her piss‑me‑off‑I‑dare‑you buttons while somehow being endearing at the same time. But Chris has a few secrets of his own, including the fact that he’s really an accountant who has no idea how to chop wood or paddle a canoe. When Daphne’s book becomes a bestselling sensation and they’re forced to go on tour together, Daphne finds herself wondering if this city‑boy geek is exactly what she needs to push her to claim her dreams.

Author Kelley Armstrong writes books I’ve recently become practically obsessed with, including two amazing timeslip series: A Stitch in Time (romantic timeslip with supernatural elements) and A Rip Through Time (timeslip focused on Victorian police procedurals — with a smidge of romance too). Finding Mr. Write is quite a departure — this is the author’s first rom-com… but have no fear! In the hands of this talented author, it’s fun and sassy and just a wee bit outside the norm for the genre.

In Finding Mr. Write, Daphne is a trained architect with the heart of a novelist. She’s been writing stories all her life, but is beyond frustrated. Her novel gets rejection after rejection, leading her to declare to her best friend, in one of the more memorable opening lines of the year:

After reading about a woman author who got five times the response when she submitted her manuscript with a man’s name, Daphne tweaks her book synopsis (“more survivalism, more zombies, less romance”), sticks on a fake man’s name (Zane Remington… hilarious), and sends it off. Lo and behold, she (Zane) gets a book deal, and a big one at that.

The problem is, the publisher wants an author bio and photo. Daphne enlists her best friend Nia (conveniently, a lawyer) to help her find an actor to play Zane, and to ensure that the legal documents are on the up-and-up in terms of her pseudonym. Nia finds a seemingly perfect guy for the role of the swaggering, outdoorsy author — Chris is gorgeous, hard-bodied, and has plenty of game and attitude.

He’s also a fake. Yes, he did a bit of acting way back when, but he’s actually an accountant who’s a client of Nia’s, and nothing warms his heart more than a well-structured spreadsheet. He sprouted from nerdy mathlete to hottie over the years thanks to determination and gym hours, but in his heart of hearts, he’s no more a Zane than Daphne herself is.

All goes well, until Daphne’s book is released (complete with sexy Zane photo on the back cover). When it becomes an instant bestseller, the publisher insists on TV interviews and a full tour schedule, not something Daphne and Chris planned for. A camera crew is scheduled to profile Zane at his Yukon home (i.e., Daphne’s Yukon home), and the unlikely duo have to do a crash-course on learning about each other… and teaching Chris some basics like paddling a canoe, splitting firewood (just don’t!), and what to do when confronted by a grizzly.

Daphne and Chris start with playful banter via text and email. At first, he fully embraces the Zane persona (no, he hasn’t read her book and no, he doesn’t actually read books), but bit by bit, he lets the real Chris come out (who does, in fact, read — and loved her book). They develop a lovely chemistry, but Chris is clear that a fling isn’t what he’s looking for, and Daphne is wary of relationships. Not to mention, he lives and works in Vancouver and she’s loving her solitary life in the Yukon — any sort of lasting connection seems highly unlikely.

Without going much further into the plot, it’s clear that there are two central conflicts looming: First, can Daphne and Chris work through their differences and allow themselves to explore their feelings and mutual attraction? And second, what will happen when, inevitably, the truth about Zane/Chris/Daphne and the authorship of Daphne’s book gets exposed?

Both elements are handled extraordinarily well. We get plenty of goofy scenes of Chris learning to get along in Daphne’s world, and get to see both of them learn that their first impressions and surface-level expectations aren’t the true picture of who they each are underneath. Their time together is flirty, sexy, steamy (some explicit scenes await), and sensitive.

The publishing drama feels realistic, although I had a bit of a hard time buying into the initial setup. Daphne’s book is about a teen girl surviving in the wilderness after a zombie apocalypse. She knows in her heart that it’s YA, and she thinks lovingly of all the YA books she read growing up that inspired her to become a writer. Yet with Zane’s name on the cover, it’s branded as a survival/zombie/action story and placed on the general fiction shelves — but no one seems to question too deeply how this “man’s man” author managed to create such a compelling teen girl protagonist. I’d think someone would have twigged to this anomaly along the way.

In any case, Daphne and Chris have woven a complicated web that starts to unravel once fans start trying to track down Zane’s true identity, and then the race is on: Can Daphne reveal the truth before she’s outed, and how can she step forward without destroying her own reputation and losing all credibility?

One thing I really loved is that the point of view bounces back and forth throughout, with “Chris” and “Daphne” sections alternating frequently, even within the same chapter. When Chris jumps in to try to fix things for Daphne, we understand why he does what he does, and pretty much immediately also get Daphne’s take, letting us know just how badly he’s misinterpreted what she needs. It’s fun and smart — and very clear that despite her public shyness, Daphne is capable of making her own decisions and speaking up when it’s right for her, without needing to be pushed or rescued.

Finding Mr. Write is a total treat. The writing is spirited and clever, the romance zings, but there’s real content here too about women’s treatment in the publishing industry and beyond. Daphne and Chris are both great characters, and I loved seeing how they challenge and complement one another.

Also, kudos to Finding Mr. Write for a totally awesome use of a PowerPoint presentation — something I never expected to mention in a review of a rom-com!

PS – Can someone please explain to me what’s going on with the name Daphne? This is the 3rd book I’ve read within the space of a month — no exaggeration!! — with a Daphne as the lead character. Is Daphne the new Jennifer/Brittany/Emily/insert-whichever-decade’s-hottest-name-here?

Book Review: The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: The Art of Catching Feelings
Author: Alicia Thompson
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: June 18, 2024
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

A professional baseball player and his heckler prove that true love is worth going to bat for.

Daphne Brink doesn’t follow baseball, but watching “America’s Snoozefest” certainly beats sitting at home in the days after she signs her divorce papers. After one too many ballpark beers, she heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler, who quickly proves there might actually be a little crying in baseball. Horrified, Daphne reaches out to Chris on social media to apologize . . . but forgets to identify herself as his heckler in her message.

Chris doesn’t usually respond to random fans on social media, but he’s grieving and fragile after an emotionally turbulent few months. When a DM from “Duckie” catches his eye, he impulsively messages back. Duckie is sweet, funny, and seems to understand him in a way no one else does.

Daphne isn’t sure how much longer she can keep lying to Chris, especially as she starts working with the team in real life and their feelings for each other deepen. When he finds out the truth, will it be three strikes, she’s out?

Let me get this out of the way to start with: I am not a baseball fan. I’ve watched my share of games, but I don’t seek them out, and if pushed, would probably agree with Daphne’s opinion (America’s Snoozefest). So I certainly started this baseball-themed romance with, oh, just a smidge of hesitation… but I needn’t have worried. Alicia Thompson hits it out of the park with The Art of Catching Feelings! (Sorry, I’ll try to avoid indulging in baseball puns from here on out…)

You’re the book I want to reread. For the rest of my life.

Have more romantic words ever been spoken?

In The Art of Catching Feelings, newly divorced Daphne — who couldn’t care less about baseball — attends a home team game courtesy of her brother, who works for the team. And because the seats are so good, when Daphne (very drunk) decides to get into the spirit of things by heckling a player, her words hit her target very directly. Not only does the heckled player not laugh it off, he seems to be injured by her words to the point of tears. The moment goes viral, of course, and while he is subjected to an awful lot of public criticism (mainly by trolls), she’s also considered a villain. Who does that to a player on their own home team?

Once Daphne sobers up, she’s horrified by what she’s done, and impulsively DMs the player, Chris Kepler. Chris is usually a great hitter and rock solid at third base, but he’s not having a great season. Daphne works on her apology draft, but somehow in copying and pasting it into the DM, the piece where she identifies herself as the heckler gets deleted. What Chris actually receives is a very nice message from a person known as Duckie, who’s sorry for what he experienced and offers care and concern. He responds back, and soon, the two are exchanging messages that grown deeper and more personal.

Unfortunately for Daphne, her professional life is about to intersect with Chris’s, as she’s asked to step in as a sideline reporter to temporarily replace her sister-in-law who has to take an earlier-than-expected pregnancy leave. At first, having Chris’s heckler step in as a reporter seems like a publicity gimmick, but she’s actually good at this, and soon she and Chris develop a tentative friendship… all the while, continuing her DM relationship with him under her online ID.

The closer she and Chris get in real life, the deeper the hole she’s dug for herself becomes. She knows she needs to be honest with Chris, but can’t see any way to do so without losing him forever. And as their feelings deepen beyond friendship, she really can’t stand the idea of losing him.

The Art of Catching Feelings conveys this dilemma with sensitivity and emotion, while also showing the chemistry and connection between Daphne and Chris. It’s clear from the start that she needs to come clean and set the record straight — but we spend enough time in her head to understand all of her fears and what’s at stake. We may not approve of her decision-making, but we can at least sympathize.

Chris is a lovely character, laser-focused on baseball but dealing with a terribly painful loss that he’s kept hidden from his team until now. He thinks if he pushes past it, he’ll make it through the season, but he’s fraying at the edges and his emotions are raw. Getting to know Duckie is a huge step forward for him in terms of opening up, but the hurt he feels when she ends their connection sets him back quite a ways… until he starts getting closer to Daphne. Confusing, right? He doesn’t know that he’s ended up falling twice for the same person.

This book is such a joy to read, even when things are difficult. The connection between Daphne and Chris is apparent right from their start, and their communication is full of both silly banter and meaningful sharing. Of course we readers know that Daphne is making a huge mistake by not owning up to her true identity, but as she wonders each time she thinks about their situation, if she’d done things differently, would they have ended up connecting the way they did?

Chris’s loss is handled sensitively, as is Daphne’s divorce and the pain associated with her unsuccessful marriage. The author provides content warnings at the start of the book, so the information is easily available for those who prefer to know in advance.

In terms of Chris and Daphne’s chemistry, the sex scenes in The Art of Catching Feelings are explicit (open door). There’s nothing left to the imagination. Personally, I’m tend to prefer these scenes more on the implied side — door slightly ajar or a nice gauzy curtain in between in the action and the reader — but given how much I liked these two characters, it didn’t end up bothering me.

Sure, a couple of elements feel less than completely believable — especially Daphne getting drafted for the reporter role based on her family connection and the fact that she’d been a communications major in college. She ends up growing into it, but it’s a very silly plot contrivance that we just have to accept and roll with.

On the plus side, I love how much of a reader Daphne is, and over the course of their relationship, she and Chris discuss some of their more foundational books, including The Phantom Tollbooth, Catch-22, and Mandy (the lovely children’s book by Julie Andrews). Maybe that’s a piece of why I liked the characters so much — their book talk absolutely made my heart sing.

I’ll be honest — if I’d come across a book with this cover by an author I didn’t know, I’d probably skip right by it. However, I read and loved Alicia Thompson’s two previous novels (Love in the Time of Serial Killers and With Love, from Cold World), so I knew I’d be in for a treat… despite the focus on baseball.

The Art of Catching Feelings is engaging, emotional, and funny, and its main characters are two good-hearted people stumbling their way toward one another. This is a feel-good, absorbing read — a perfect choice for when you want to curl up and get lost in a good book.

Book Review: Funny Story by Emily Henry

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: Funny Story
Author: Emily Henry
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: April 23, 2024
Print length: 387 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased

Rating: 4 out of 5.

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

I’m going to keep this review short (which can be hard for me!): Funny Story is entertaining, heart-warming, funny, and relatable — in other words, a great summer read, and highly recommended.

Daphne and Miles have exactly one thing in common as the story opens: Daphne’s fiance and Miles’s girlfriend, life-long best friends, have realized they’re actually in love in the lead-up to Daphne and Peter’s wedding. Suddenly dumped, Daphne not only loses Peter, but also her home (which is actually his) and her local friends (which are also actually his). With no place else to go, she moves into Miles’s spare room, and two partake in lots of wallowing and pity parties, alone but at least under the same roof.

Daphne had uprooted her whole life for Peter, moving to his small town and into his social circle — and newly single, she faces the harsh fact that she hasn’t built a life for herself apart from him. Yes, she loves her job as a children’s librarian, but she really has nothing else. With a major fundraiser coming later in the summer that she’s responsible for, she can’t leave Waning Bay just yet… but with every chapter in the book, we get a countdown of just how long is left before she can get away.

And yet… Miles (who we first meet as a big, stoned, crying mess) is a sweet guy with a heart of gold who has the rare skill of making everyone he meets feel special. He knows just about everyone in Waning Bay, and the people he doesn’t know are just one conversation away from being his devoted friends too. Miles and Daphne first start hanging out from a sense of mutual sadness and loneliness, but they soon find that they connect as more than just the people who got dumped together. A sweet friendship grows, and each is able to offer the other a shoulder to cry on, a distraction, a companion, and eventually, a deeper connection of support, caring, and affection.

Without going into a ton of detail, I’ll just say that I loved seeing Miles and Daphne’s relationship develop, and one of the really delightful aspects is noticing, without being hit over the head with it, how Petra and Peter kind of fade out of the storyline as they become less and less important to Miles and Daphne.

Beyond the growing friendship/chemistry/attraction between Miles and Daphne, Daphne’s efforts to find more for herself in Waning Bay are also integral to the story. I love that a book about romance gives plenty of space to women’s friendships. Daphne has to force herself to connect and interact, but once she does, she finds a true friend. Sure, there are complications and ups-and-downs, but it’s so important for Daphne’s sense of purpose that she learns how to be present for someone else, and how to open her heart to a whole community of people.

OK, I said I’d keep it brief, so let me wrap up by saying that Funny Story is signature Emily Henry, meaning that the smart, sensitive plot has just enough silliness and humor to keep it bubbling along, without losing sight of the characters’ inner lives and their emotional growth. The love story is delicious, but so is the story of a woman finding herself a place to belong.

As with previous Emily Henry books, I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Julia Whelan, who is just as fabulous as she always is. The narration and the character voices are all spot on, and listening to this book is a total treat.

Print or audio, Funny Story is sweet, emotional, and oodles of fun. Don’t miss it.

Book Review: One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: One-Star Romance
Author: Laura Hankin
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: June 18, 2024
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

A struggling writer is forced to walk down the aisle at her best friend’s wedding with the man who gave her book a very public one-star rating in this fresh romantic comedy from Laura Hankin.

Natalie and Rob couldn’t have less in common. Nat’s a messy artist, and Rob’s a rigid academic. The only thing they share is their devotion to their respective best friends—who just got engaged. Still, unexpected chemistry has Natalie cautiously optimistic about being maid of honor to Rob’s best man.

Until, minutes before the ceremony, Nat learns that Rob wrote a one-star review of her new novel, which has them both reeling: Nat from imposter syndrome, and Rob over the reason he needed to write it.

When the reception ends, these two opposites hope they’ll never meet again. But, as they slip from their twenties into their thirties, they’re forced together whenever their fast-track best friends celebrate another milestone. Through housewarmings and christenings, life-changing triumphs and failures, Natalie and Rob grapple with their own choices—and how your harshest critic can become your perfectly imperfect match.

After all, even the truest love stories sometimes need a bit of rewriting.

With a title like One-Star Romance, the review practically writes itself. Here goes:

One-Star Romance is strictly a three-star reading experience.

While One-Star Romance has some fun, engaging elements, there are far too many points in this book that left me shaking my head, and it doesn’t help that the only reason we know that the main characters have chemistry is that we’re told that they do.

Okay, let’s dive in. Natalie and Gabby have been best friends since their freshman year of college. Even after college, they share a teeny little apartment and love each other more than anything… except Gabby’s boyfriend Angus is around a LOT and annoys the heck out of Natalie. And when Angus and Gabby get engaged, Natalie has to face the harsh fact that she’ll never be Gabby’s #1 again.

Fast-forward a year and a half to Gabby and Angus’s wedding. Natalie is maid of honor, and is doing an amazing job at it, even though she still feels that Angus isn’t good enough for her best friend and that this entire marriage is happening too quickly. On the bright side, Natalie’s first novel has just been published, and she’s feeling pretty good about the positive reviews on Goodreads — until her great rating score suddenly dips thanks to a one-star review. Natalie is absolutely spun out over this, and ultimately figures out that the one-star review was posted by Angus’s best friend/best man Rob, a Ph.D. candidate who comes off as a bit uptight and judgmental (although, as expected, he’s hot). Any potential sizzle between Natalie and Rob is immediately dowsed by the blow-up that ensues.

As the book progresses, we follow milestones in Gabby and Angus’s lives — from wedding to new job celebration to christening to housewarming — each event requiring now-sworn-enemies Natalie and Rob to once again be in close proximity for the sake of their friends. And at each event, they learn more about each other and start to break down walls, only for new offenses to crop up again.

On the one hand, One-Star Romance is fine — the structure of the book is built around the different milestone events, and the chapters for each move quickly and keep the momentum high. The book has a slightly higher page count than we typically see in a contemporary romance, but it’s fast-paced enough that it doesn’t bog down at all. As a whole, the story is entertaining and engaging.

Yet on the other hand… there is just so much in this book that felt false to me, as well as places where Natalie is insufferable, and the lead characters simply lack any sort of tangible spark.

Natalie blames her first novel’s lack of success on that one-star review, and honestly, one one-star review is not going to tank an otherwise great book! The fact that she constantly checks the Goodreads page for updates and obsesses over who this particular user might have been who gave her the one-star review… well, as is discussed again and again and again in the book blogosphere and beyond, this is very bad author behavior! Don’t read the reviews! And if you must, don’t focus on the individual reviewers! We’ve all heard too many stories about authors destroying their own reputations by coming after people who’ve written negative reviews. It’s impossible to feel any sympathy for Natalie here, and that’s even more true after we learn why Rob did what he did. Sorry, Natalie — Rob has a point, besides which, he’s entitled to leave whatever review he wants.

Natalie really doesn’t improve in terms of likability as the book progresses. She’s unrealistic and selfish when it comes to Gabby, always resenting that Gabby has a husband and later a child to get in the way of their friendship. It’s really off-putting.

It felt like eons since Natalie and Gabby had been able to have an uninterrupted conversation, since they’d truly been able to pay attention to each other.

That, in case you’re wondering, is Natalie whining to herself about Gabby being distracted — while Gabby is trying to get her newborn baby to latch on and breastfeed. How dare Gabby not pay more attention to Natalie!

The author doesn’t seem to have a positive view of stable relationships, either. At one point in the book, Rob is in a committed, loving relationship that’s working for him and his partner, and yet here’s how it’s described:

It was all too easy when he and Zuri were together to sink into quiet contentment, sitting side by side as they did their research or a crossword. Arms linked, the two of them had fast-forwarded straight into a comfortable middle age, despite only being thirty.

All of this doesn’t even scratch the surface of how many ridiculous set pieces there are — most egregious of which is Gabby and Angus’s wedding. (Note: I’m about to spoil a scene from the book, so look away if you don’t want to know!) For… reasons… Angus decides to zipline to the altar, and (of course) the zipline gets jammed and he falls off (because of course he’s not wearing a harness) into an algae-filled pond. The groomsmen rush in to retrieve him, so he and they are all soaked and algae covered as Gabby starts down the aisle. Natalie expects Gabby to freak out and maybe make a run for it (which Natalie would totally approve of) — but instead, Gabby sees her dripping, slimy groom… and jumps in the lake herself. Just… no. What bride on earth would do this? It isn’t cute, it isn’t funny, and it just doesn’t work.

Later in the book, One-Star Romance seems about to turn into the movie Beaches (if you’ve seen it, you know what I mean). Fortunately, there’s still a happy ending, but this section of the plot feels manipulative, not touching.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, there’s just no chemistry between Natalie and Rob, except that this is an enemies-to-lovers story, so of course they have to secretly be in love with one another despite seeming like they hate each other. I didn’t buy it. Other than some physical attraction, there’s nothing between them, and they never become more believable as a couple. In real life, maybe they would have flirted a bit at the wedding before their big fight, and never would have given each other another thought — and when forced together by Gabby and Angus’s events, would have kept miles of distance between them. The core concept of the novel may sound cute, but it just doesn’t work.

Okay, it clearly sounds like I didn’t like this book very much. I didn’t hate it… but I didn’t love it. I got a decent amount of entertainment while reading One-Star Romance, and I was never bored. It’s not a bad way to pass the time, but three-stars is as high as I’ll go… and even that feels a tad generous.

Book Review: Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: Summer Romance
Author: Annabel Monaghan
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: June 4, 2024
Length: 321 pages
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Benefits of a summer romance: it’s always fun, always brief, and no one gets their heart broken.

There aren’t enough labeled glass containers to contain the mess that is Ali Morris’s life. Her mom died two years ago, then her husband left, and she hasn’t worn pants with a zipper in longer than she cares to remember. She’s a professional organizer whose pantry is a disgrace.

No one is more surprised than Ali when the first time she takes off her wedding ring and puts on pants with hardware—overalls count, right?—she meets someone. Or rather, her dog claims a man for her in the same way he claimed his favorite of her three children: by peeing on him. Ethan smiles at Ali like her pants are just right—like he likes what he sees. The last thing Ali needs is to make her life messier, but there’s no harm in a little Summer Romance. Is there?

Summer Romance delivers on the promise of its title, but with so much more. And it’s really no surprise — this 3rd book** by author Annabel Monaghan is just as delightful as the previous two, Nora Goes Off Script and Same Time Next Summer.

**3rd adult novel — she has earlier YA and non-fiction books, according to her Goodreads profile.

In Summer Romance, the main character is Ali, whose life is incredibly messy despite her professional role as a home organizer. It’s been two years since her mother’s death and one year since her husband Pete decided he wanted out. Ali’s pantry is overflowing with unneeded items (who needs four boxes of corn starch?), her sweatpants have seen much better days, and her counters have piles of paper everywhere. Just keeping her three children going takes all her effort — and yes, she’s a terrific mom, but her emotions are a mess and she’s just so, so worn out.

When Ali’s best friend Frannie pushes her to make a change and at least put on a pair of “hard pants” (i.e., any that don’t feature an elastic waist), Ali thinks Frannie’s probably expecting too much, but a trip to the dog park leads her to a very attractive man with a cute dog and a sense of humor. He’s new to their small town — Ali would definitely know if he were a local — and he seems to like what he sees when he looks at Ali. For the first time in years, Ali feels a bit of joy. Maybe a summer romance with a visitor to town will snap her out of her funk.

Of course, the mystery man — Ethan — has more to him than meets the eye, but Ali is drawn to him, and their chemistry is terrific. Plus, he’s kind and considerate and funny, not to mention hot, and with very specifically appealing features, such as his “shouldery shoulders” and:

His hands are the hands of a man who works construction all day and then races home to perform a piano concerto.

As they spend time together, Ali starts to get a new sense of energy for the rest of her life too, and starts to realize that the line from her high school graduation speech (which gets quoted back to her at a key moment) about being “the architect of your own experience” might be more relevant to her today than it was all those years ago.

Without going too far into the plot, I’ll just talk about some of the elements you might not get based just on the synopsis. The central theme in Summer Romance is not just the love story, but Ali rediscovering herself and finding a way to live through and past her grief. Her mother was her touchstone, the one constant in her life, the person who was there for her even when her marriage wasn’t going great and she started feeling like she’d lost her way. When we first meet Ali, she talks to her mother in her car whenever she’s alone, and hears her mother’s responses — not in a “oh my god, she’s hallucinating” sort of way, but more like she’s soothing herself by imagining how her mother might talk her through any of her fresh challenges.

And it’s in this moment that I understand my mother’s love for me. I can still feel the intensity of that love and the way she walked into my home, bright as the sun, and blinded me to all the shadows.

The depiction of Ali’s life as a single mother feels realistic. She loves her kids and is wonderful with them, but she’s also tired. Her ex can’t be counted on — he’s the type of clueless ex-husband who still just walks into the house when he arrives, and changes plans on a dime when he’s supposed to have the kids because something else has come up. Ali is the anchor, the one who can be counted on, and it’s clearly exhausting to have to be the one responsible person in all of their lives.

I really appreciated how well the author shows Ali’s return to hope and joy over the course of the summer. It’s not just about having a new man in her life — it’s about recognizing her own worth, finding purpose, and recommitting to all the messiness that emotional involvement can bring, even knowing that sometimes there will be loss down the road, but getting involved anyway.

As with her previous books, the author excels at writing clever or funny lines that capture something true beneath the wittiness:

When I stopped working, I started making the coffee to suit Pete. He liked me to add cinnamon to the grounds, which I think completely ruins the taste of the coffee, but I made it that way because he was the one going to work. It seemed like his coffee moment mattered more than mine. 

One of Ali’s big epiphanies over the course of her summer romance is that love and beauty and joy need to be embraced, even if there’s sorrow inevitably coming later. Whether it’s befriending the old woman next door despite knowing her time is limited, or getting a dog who in the natural course of things she’ll eventually see die, Ali learns that her life is richer when she accepts the joy in the moment — even if, like a summer romance, it has a predetermined end date.

Summer Romance is a wonderful read — the romantic elements are absolutely great, but the family dynamics, the memories of Ali’s mother and how Ali processes her grief, the appreciation of the connections of life in a small town, the depiction of how sexy kindness can be — all of these really make this book something special. Don’t miss it.

**Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Book Review: Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: Jackpot Summer
Author: Elyssa Friedland
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: June 11, 2024
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

After the Jacobson siblings win a life-changing fortune in the lottery, they assume their messy lives will transform into sleek, storybook perfection—but they couldn’t be more wrong in the new laugh-out-loud novel from beloved author Elyssa Friedland.

The four Jacobson children were raised to respect the value of a dollar. Their mother reused tea bags and refused to pay retail; their father taught them to budget before he taught them to ride a bike. And yet, as adults, their financial lives—as well as their personal lives—are in complete disarray.

The siblings reunite when their newly widowed father puts their Jersey Shore home on the market. Packing up their childhood isn’t easy, especially when they’ve all got drama brewing back home. Matthew is miserable at his corporate law job and wishes he had more time with his son; Laura’s marriage is imploding in spectacular fashion; Sophie’s art career is stalled while her boyfriend’s is on the rise; and Noah’s total failure to launch has him doing tech repair for pennies.

So when Noah sees an ad for a Powerball drawing, he and his sisters go in on a ticket. Matthew passes but the ticket is a winner and all hell breaks loose as the infusion of cash causes sibling rivalries and family secrets to resurface. Without their mother, and with their father busy playing pickleball in a Florida retirement village, the once close-knit siblings search for comfort in shiny new toys instead of each other.

It’s not long before the Jacobson’s start to realize that they’ll never feel rich unless they can pull their family back together.

Jackpot Summer is a story about siblings and life choices, with a “careful-what-you-wish-for” message that isn’t exactly subtle. After all, even before chapter 1, we read excerpts from several different newspaper articles about lottery winners, including one that explains how one man went from rolling in money to complete bankruptcy in only a few years. This can’t bode well for the Jacobsons, can it?

As the story opens, the “fantastic foursome” (as their late mother used to call them) have gathered for her unveiling. It’s been a year since her death from cancer, and as they talk together, their father Leo drops a bombshell: He’s selling the family’s beach house on the Jersey shore and moving to a retirement village in Florida, where he can play pickleball to his heart’s content. Instead of gathering at the beach house for the family’s traditional 4th of July celebration, they’ll be gathering to pack up the house and sort through a lifetime’s worth of odds and ends.

Each of the siblings is shaken, while also dealing with the stressors in their own lives. The oldest, Matthew, works alongside his ultra-ambitious wife in a prestigious corporate law office, while delegating the raising of their son to a stream of au pairs and tutors. Laura faces being an empty-nester when her younger daughter leaves for college, forcing her to acknowledge that her marriage seems to have dried up without her actually noticing it. Sophie’s day job as a public school teacher has her cleaning up glitter every day before working on her paintings in a grimy shared art space, getting nowhere while her sculptor boyfriend’s career seems to be taking off. And the youngest, Noah, lives in the beach house, does tech support house calls for the locals, and has no idea what to do with himself, but knows he doesn’t want to have to deal with actually changing anything.

On a whim, the Jacobson siblings — minus Matthew, whose wife expresses that the lottery is “a tax on stupid people” — go in on Powerball tickets… and win. This, of course, uproots all of their lives. First, the dilemma — do the three of them cut Matthew in on the winnings, even though he opted not to go in with them on the tickets? Much family drama stems from this point.

Once the money is in the family’s hands, more problems crop up. Everyone immediately dives into spending their new riches. Laura and husband Doug buy a mansion in a snobby new town, then head off on ultra-luxury vacations (which include couples massages with gold-infused lotions) — none of which does anything to actually improve their marriage. Sophie quits her teaching job, invests in a shiny, beautiful studio to work in, then finds herself utterly blocked when it comes to creativity. And poor Noah mopes about eating junk food and giving away money to anyone who asks — yes, the guy needing money to escape a “diktatership” is probably a scam… but what if it’s not?

Meanwhile, father Leo watches from afar and seems to be waiting for his kids to get their acts together, which it takes them quite a long time to do.

Jackpot Summer has a lot going for it, so let’s focus on the positives first. It’s funny and fast-paced, and while I initially feared that I wouldn’t be able to keep track of the individual characters (note: I hate books that introduce an entire family in one scene!), the fantastic foursome are actually all quite distinct. Chapters focus on one at a time, which gives readers a chance to get to know each one, understand their inner lives, and identify with the problems they face.

The Jacobsons are a Jewish American family, and it was enjoyable to see their rituals, their family traditions, and learn more about their heritage and how it affects their present attitudes. They’re not a particularly religious family, but their Jewishness is seen through pieces of their lives that include the local JCC, temple fundraisers, sitting shiva, and learning to bake their mother’s babka. It’s sweet, and the family scenes convey so much about how the kids were raised and how they ended up growing into the adults we now see.

The dynamics between the siblings is lots of fun too, especially once the rift with Matthew and his wife is resolved. They’re all adults, but their inner goofiness comes out when they’re together, and their group text chat is especially adorable.

A few negatives, though. The book sets us up from the beginning to expect the Jacobsons to squander their winnings, and they mostly do. None end up bankrupt, but they all make questionable choices before — finally, after some obviously very wrong turns — reassessing where true happiness lies and starting to course-correct. Not that we’d expect them all to be perfect, but there’s some clear bone-headedness that goes on longer than I felt necessary.

Matthew and his wife Beth are awful parents, forcing their 13-year-old Austin into one high-pressured activity after another, with no time to be a kid. We’re meant to like Matthew and Beth and eventually their more personable sides come out… but the depiction of the hard-charging corporate lawyers substituting hiring the best help for actually parenting their kid feels clichéd. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, and as with other conflicts in this book, takes longer than necessary to resolve.

My final quibble: While the chapters focus on different siblings and so ostensibly are told through the characters’ points of view, there’s some nastiness about describing certain people that reeks of ageism to me:

On stage, a cluster of post-menopausal women dressed in black leotards, fishnets and tap shoes were performing a coordinated song and dance routine. […] His appearance brough the arthritic rendition of “Don’t Tell Mama” to a standstill.

Sorry, but I think it’s awesome that these adult women are tap dancing! What does post-menopausal have to do with it? Why are they, apparently by default, supposed to be arthritic? Ugh, this attitude bothers me so much.

Okay, all that aside, Jackpot Summer is overall a very fast and mostly enjoyable read. The ending feels rushed and the siblings’ various problems and dilemmas get tied up neatly and a bit too easily. Still, I liked it enough to read it in a day and a half. As light summer entertainment, this one deserves a place in the beach bag!

Book Review: The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: The Guncle Abroad
Author: Steven Rowley
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: May 21, 2024
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy via NetGalley (audiobook purchased via Audible)
Rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Patrick O’Hara is called back to his guncle duties . . . This time for a big family wedding in Italy.

Patrick O’Hara is back. It’s been five years since his summer as his niece Maisie and nephew Grant’s caretaker after their mother’s passing. The kids are back in Connecticut with their dad, and Patrick has relocated to New York to remain close by and relaunch his dormant acting career. After the run of his second successful sit-com comes to a close, Patrick feels on top of the world . . . professionally. But some things have had to take a back seat. Looking down both barrels at fifty, Patrick is single again after breaking things off with Emory. But at least he has a family to lean on. Until that family needs to again lean on him.

When Patrick’s brother, Greg, announces he’s getting remarried in Italy, Maisie and Grant are not thrilled. Patrick feels drawn to take the two back under his wing. As they travel through Europe on their way to the wedding, Patrick tries his best to help them understand love, much as he once helped them comprehend grief. But when they arrive in Italy, Patrick is overextended managing a groom with cold feet; his sister, Clara, flirting with guests left and right; a growing rivalry with the kids’ charming soon-to-be-launt (lesbian aunt), and two moody young teens trying to adjust to a new normal, all culminating in a disastrous rehearsal dinner.

Can Patrick save the day? Will teaching the kids about love help him repair his own love life? Can the change of scenery help Patrick come to terms with finally growing up?

Gracing the work with his signature blend of humor and heart, Steven Rowley charms with a beloved story about the complicated bonds of family, love, and what it takes to rediscover yourself, even at the ripe age of fifty.

Here’s how I started my review of The Guncle, the book that first introduced us to Patrick O’Hara and his niblings, Maisie and Grant:

After absolutely loving this author’s most recent novel, The Celebrants, I was eager to explore more. The Guncle, released in 2021, charmed me as soon as I saw the cover (I’m easily swayed by great covers!). I’m happy to report that The Guncle delivers in so many ways, and won my heart completely.

One advantage of reading a book a few years after its release is that you barely have to wait at all for a sequel! The Guncle was published in 2021, but I read it earlier this year… and yet — voila! — between that book and The Guncle Abroad, five years have passed! For the characters, in any case.

In The Guncle Abroad, Patrick is a far happier man in many ways, especially in comparison to how we first me him in The Guncle. He’s experienced a career revival, has moved to New York and remained actively involved in his brother’s family’s lives, and (until their recent breakup) had a loving long-term relationship with the wonderful Emory. (And yes, I felt my heart break just a teeny bit upon learning that they’d broken up.)

But as the book opens, Patrick finds himself with a mission. Greg, widowed five years earlier, is getting married to the woman he’s fallen in love with… who happens to be from an insanely wealthy, titled Italian family. (Who knew they still had nobility and titles in Italy? I sure didn’t!) The wedding will be a no-expense-spared affair at Lake Como, and all is delightful — except the kids aren’t happy. Clearly, Greg needs Patrick’s help.

As Greg prepares to meet his fiancée Livia in Italy for wedding prep, Patrick agrees to take the kids for summer. They meet him in London (where he’s wrapping filming on a new movie co-starring Jude Law!), and then accompany Patrick on a European vacation. His goal? Teach them all about love and love languages, so they can maybe find it in their hearts to accept Livia and their dad’s upcoming marriage.

Patrick, Maisie, and Grant are as amazing together as ever… although it is a bit disconcerting to encounter them at ages 14 and 11. Kids grow up so fast! Maisie is hovering between childhood and full-on teen mode, and Grant has outgrown his lisp but not his cuteness. As the trio traverse Paris, Salzburg, and Venice, Patrick does his best to teach them about cherishing people who care about them, accepting gifts with gratitude, and opening their hearts to new people and experiences. It’s an uphill climb for sure. Maisie and Grant still carry their grief for their mother, as does Patrick, and can’t fathom allowing Livia into their lives.

Can grief and gratitude coexist? Could he miss the kids’ mother and also be grateful for his time with Maisie and Grant? Or did the gratitude just make him miss Sara more and wish she was the one on this train with him instead of her sleeping kids? And in helping them these past few years with their grief, had he once again neglected his own?

The Guncle Abroad is as riotously funny as the previous book. Patrick is so incredibly over the top, and honestly, I love him to bits. But silly quips and jokes are not the only things going for this book. There are deeper veins of love, loss, healing, honoring memories, finding hope, and facing hard truths. The European adventure is eye-opening not just for Maisie and Grant, but also for Patrick.

Okay, but we do actually need to pay tribute to just a few of the passages and conversations that cracked me up:

Grant’s game console made a sound like something swirling a drain and he groaned. “Why can’t Dad marry Palmina?”

Speaking of nemeses, a cold child ran down Patrick’s spine. “Palmina’s a lesbian, you know that.”

Grant didn’t seem to view that as disqualifying. “Yeah, but gay marriage is legal now.”

“Children,” Livia said, part greeting, part statement of fact.

“I ask what’s going on, I do, but they don’t give me straight answers.”

“Do they give you gay ones?”

Patrick really is utter perfection — outwardly vain, always needing the spotlight, and with a bon mot for all occasions — but inwardly sensitive and oh-so-amazing as an uncle (guncle) to the pair of children he loves so much.

I listened to the audiobook version of The Guncle Abroad, and as with the previous book, the author is also the narrator. And while some authors are cringe-level awful at narration, the opposite is totally true here. Steven Rowley absolutely nails his characters voices, and his delivery as Patrick is *chef’s kiss* amazing.

My only teensy quibbles with The Guncle Abroad have to do with Livia and her sister Palmina. Livia is something of a blank. We see her in various scenes, but I didn’t feel that I got to know anything about her personality or a deeper sense of how she feels about Greg and the children. Meanwhile, Palmina (referred to by the kids as their new “launt”) immediately sets off Patrick’s alarms as competition for the kids’ affection and admiration — she’s just so effortlessly cool — but the shtick gets old pretty quickly, and I could have done without quite so much Palmina focus.

Still, these factors did not in the slightest keep me from loving this book. The Guncle Abroad is sweet, funny, honest, and constantly entertaining, and Patrick is the best. (Have I said that already? It’s true. He is). The Guncle Abroad has a super satisfying ending… but I still felt sad, because it seems pretty definitively to have wrapped up all storylines, and I’d love to think that there’s another Patrick/Maisie/Grant adventure in our future. Maybe when they’re another five years older?

Having read Steve Rowley’s three most recent books, I can safely say that I’ll read whatever he writes from this point forward. I love his characters, his humor, his pacing, and his way with snappy dialogue. I encourage everyone to check out The Guncle Abroad (read The Guncle first, obviously)… and if you really want a treat, give the audiobook a try.