Book Review: The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Poppy Fields
Author: Nikki Erlick
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication date: June 17, 2025
Length: 324 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit The Measure—a runaway bestseller and a Read with Jenna TODAY Show pick—comes a stunning speculative story of healing, self-discovery, forgiveness, and found friendship.

What if there were a cure for the broken-hearted?

Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal.

Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain…and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects.

On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog: Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a fireman; Sasha, an occupational therapist; Sky, a free spirit; and a friendly pup named PJ. As they attempt to make their way from the Midwest all the way to the Poppy Fields—where they hope to find Ellis, its brilliant, enigmatic founder—each of their past secrets and mysterious motivations threaten to derail their voyage.

A high-concept speculative novel about heartache, hope, and human resilience, The Poppy Fields explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person, posing the questions: How do we heal in the wake of great loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?

If you could sleep away your grief… would you?

In this contemplative novel by Nikki Erlick, author of The Measure (which was fascinating!), scientist Ellis Jones has developed a popular but controversial treatment for grief: After a careful screening process, patients are put into a chemically induced sleep for one to two months, during which they are closely monitored and treated with a blend of hormones and medications to aid the healing process. When they awaken, they find themselves at peace with their loss, having bypassed the agonizing early stages of grief and slept their way through to acceptance.

This sleep comes with a price for about 25% of the patients: Not only do they wake free of the sharp pain of their loss, they also experience “emotional moderation” — they no longer feel any sort of emotional attachment to the person they’ve been mourning. They retain their memories of their lost loved one, but have no feelings for them, one way or another. This may sound terrible, and the odds aren’t especially great, but for the patients who feel that they can’t take one more moment of their suffering, it’s a price they’re willing to pay.

The plot of The Poppy Fields focuses on a group of travelers to Ellis’s institution (which is named — you guessed it! — the Poppy Fields). Stranded in the midwest by flight delays, they decide to drive the remaining distance together. Over the course of their journey, they shared their stories — why they feel the need to go to the Poppy Fields, what the idea of it means to them, what losses they’ve suffered, and what they’re hoping to achieve by sleeping.

Meanwhile, there are hints of trouble: Protesters are starting to appear outside the offices of the foundation that sponsors Poppy Fields, demanding that people “Stop the Sleep”. And within Poppy Fields itself, there’s division, as key staff members push for a for-profit model and facility expansion, while Ellis is committed to keeping their services free and to understanding how to stop the sleep’s side effects.

I think I went into this book with incorrect expectations. Based on the general description, I expected a darker story, with corporate twistiness, evil scientists, and some sort of dramatic revelation about the side effect. Instead, I found a very people-centered story about love, connection, grief and mourning, and how to move on after terrible loss.

Perhaps my early assumptions have a lot to do with my reaction, but I couldn’t help but feel that The Poppy Fields is a bit inconsequential. I believe it’s trying to say something deep about our memories and how we keep pieces of those we lose — but the overall story seems to veer between a road-trip-with-buddies plotline and serious introspection, and it just doesn’t gel well.

The main characters each have interesting backstories, and I enjoyed seeing them form bonds over the course of their days together in the car, although I wasn’t entirely convinced by each of their decisions by the end of the book. A random teen who tags along for part of the journey is rather pointless, and the various stops along the way provide some diverting interludes, but also mainly seem to serve to stretch the story.

As for the science and protest and corporate maneuvering, there’s not much there there. The setup seems to suggest that something dire is afoot, but that’s not actually the case. It all just kind of wraps up without a ton of fanfare.

Overall, there are some interesting ideas in The Poppy Fields, but I found it unconvincing. I think I really would have preferred the version I expected — give me evil scientists carrying out mad experiments in an isolated desert facility any day!

I loved how much there was to think about while reading The Measure, and my sense is that the author was going for something similar in this new book. However, the concept and the controversies didn’t strike me as all that exceptional. The Poppy Fields held my attention and had some solid points and good storytelling behind it, but failed to really grab my imagination. A decent piece of summer entertainment, but not much more than that.

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

10Apr2025

Audiobook Review: Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16Jun2024

Book Review: Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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:

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

1Jun2024

Book Review: The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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:

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.

24Jan2024

Book Review: The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Guncle
Author: Steven Rowley
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: May 25, 2021
Length: 326 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is honestly a bit out of his league.

So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick’s brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of “Guncle Rules” ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting—even if temporary—isn’t solved with treats and jokes, Patrick’s eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you’re unfailingly human.

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.

In The Guncle, our main character is Patrick O’Hara, a successful TV star (he’s won a Golden Globe!) now living a secluded life in his lovely (but lonely) Palm Springs home. In the four years since his sitcom ended, he’s stayed in the desert, avoiding anything close to real human interaction or connection.

As we learn, Patrick is a man so deeply mired in grief that’s he’s completely walled himself off from the possibility of truly caring — or getting hurt — again. Years earlier, his beloved was killed in a tragic car accident. Making things as painful as possible, Joe’s family refused to acknowledge Patrick’s relationship with their son, and banned him from Joe’ hospital room during his awful final days. Patrick has simply never recovered, and shields himself with quips, banter, fabulousness, martinis, and solitude.

As The Guncle opens, however, Patrick is forced back into the sticky world of human connection when his former best friend (who later became his sister-in-law) passes away after a battle with cancer. Not only does Patrick have to mourn Sarah’s loss, but he’s also confronted immediately with a huge demand: Sarah’s husband (Patrick’s brother) Greg informs Patrick that he’s signed himself into rehab, and that he wants Patrick to take his two children, Maisie and Grant, for the summer.

Patrick loves his niece and nephew, of course… but from a distance. He’s not a family man and has never even considered raising children. Yet within days, he finds himself back in Palm Springs with a 6- and 9-year-old, and with no clue what to do with them.

Silliness and hijinks ensue — everything from teaching them the fine art of brunch to creating cotton candy mustaches to adopting a dog, and we mustn’t overlook (and really, it would be impossible to overlook) the pink Christmas tree in the living room. And yet, there’s seriousness and sadness underneath it all: These children have just lost their mother and been separated from their father. They’re adrift, and it’s up to Patrick to anchor them, teach them how to live again, and show them a way forward through their grief.

But how can Patrick, a man who’s never fully dealt with his own heartbreaking loss, hope to help the children?

Seeing how Patrick evolves alongside the children is part of the beauty of The Guncle. Who would think, with such a cute and silly cover, that this would be a book of depth and emotion? After reading The Celebrants, I really shouldn’t have been surprised at how beautifully the author conveys the full range of emotions, denial, anger, and confusion that comes with terrible loss.

Despite the sadness that permeates so much of the book, The Guncle is also hilarious. Patrick is a trip, who never fails to delight with his quips and snide comments and blazing asides. I think every child could benefit from an Uncle Patrick — he doesn’t coddle and he doesn’t talk down; he may not always be the most age-appropriate, but at the end of the day, he’s supportive and loving and… well… just amazing.

I only have two minor quibbles when it comes to The Guncle: First, the timeline confused me (possibly more so because I listened to the audiobook, so it’s entirely possible that I might have missed soemthing early on). The book states that Patrick has been living his secluded life in Palm Springs for four years, so I’d assumed that this related to Joe’s death… but no, it’s clear later that Joe died twelve years earlier. The timeline for Patrick’s relationship with Joe, his TV career, Sarah and Greg’s marriage… all felt fairly jumbled to me, and I would have prefered greater clarity.

Second, I wish we’d gotten to see more of Patrick and Sarah’s frienship. There are flashback scenes throughout the book, but not enough to make me feel as if I truly understood or was invested in their chemistry and commitment to one another. For that matter, I would have liked a little more about how Sarah and Greg got together, and what the immediate impact was on her relationship with Patrick. We get a little of this, but I felt like I was missing the big picture.

Quibbles aside, I loved The Guncle. It’s piercingly funny, yet also heartbreaking and sweet and even hopeful. The characters are wonderful, the descriptions are vivid, and the depiction of Patrick and the children muddling through a summer together is unforgettable.

I’m delighted that a sequel is on its way! While The Guncle has a completely satisfying ending, I’m happy we’ll have the chance to spend even more time with Patrick, Maisie and Grant. The Guncle Abroad will be released in May 2024.

8Jul2023

Book Review: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Seven Year Slip
Author: Ashley Poston
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: June 27. 2023
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction/romance
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a really satisfying time slip novel… and The Seven Year Slip absolutely delivers.

Clementine works as a book publicist, and has plans worked out for every aspect of her life. Her aunt Analea — vibrant, spontaneous, vivacious, always provided the spark in Clementine’s life, whisking her away for world travels, ready to explore, to taste, to try, to experience. But after Analea’s death, the joy has leached out of Clementine’s life, and moving into the apartment bequeathed to her by her aunt just drives home how much she’s lost.

Until she returns home one day, not to her stacks of unpacked boxes, but to the apartment as it was during Analea’s lifetime… and with a very cute guy zipping around the place, offering to make her dinner. Iwan informs Clementine that his mother is a friend of her aunt’s, and her aunt has offered to sublet the apartment to him for the summer while she’s off on a journey with her niece — a journey which Clementine and Analea took seven years in the past.

Clementine finds herself reeling — but not entirely unprepared. After all, all her life, her aunt has insisted that the apartment is magic, and even told of her own seven-year-slip romance at a younger age. Clementine never truly believed the stories, of course, but now, the proof is right there in front of her eyes.

She and Iwan connect over food, family, and dreams, and they enjoy each other’s company immensely. Still, she knows that once she leaves the apartment, she’ll be back to her regular life, and who knows if the magic will work more than once?

The plot of The Seven Year Slip unfolds deliciously, with clues and interludes and interactions woven together to form a wonderful, romantic, hopeful whole. For Clementine, so immersed in grief and loss, meeting Iwan is the spark she needs to rediscover her creative side once again and rethink her true sources of happiness. We see the story through her POV, but Iwan is a lovely character and we get hints of what his side of this magical yet strange experience must have been.

The Seven Year Slip is best experienced without too many expectations or foreknowledge. The book zips by, and the plot threads come together in such a rich and unexpected way. The characters are engaging, and getting to see them as different versions of themselves is really a treat.

This story exists in the same world as the author’s previous novel, The Dead Romantics, but it’s not a sequel — there’s a nod to some of the people from that book, but if you haven’t read that one yet, it won’t take away from The Seven Year Slip at all. (Although, it is VERY good, so check that one out too!)

I really enjoyed The Seven Year Slip, and recommend it highly! It’s a perfect summer read, full of hope and love, friendship, family, and romance. After reading this author’s YA Once Upon a Con trilogy and now two of her adult novels, I can definitely say that Ashley Poston’s books are must-reads!

29Mar2023

Book Review: Float Plan by Trish Doller

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Float Plan
Author: Trish Doller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication date: March 16, 2021
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

Critically acclaimed author Trish Doller’s unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself…

Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.

But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.

In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn’t mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.

I really didn’t know what to expect from Float Plan — I’m so glad I gave it a chance!

I expected a light-hearted book about sailing… but what I got was a story about grief and loss, starting to live again after tragedy, and finding a way to discover joy and hope even in dark times.

Content warning: This book deals significantly with suicide and the impact on those left behind. For readers for whom this might be a triggering topic, I would advise proceeding with caution, if at all.

As Float Plan opens, it’s been 10 months since Anna’s fiancé Ben took his own life. Although he’d been struggling with depression, his suicide was a complete shock, and left Anna bereft, deeply in mourning, and unable to to move forward.

One of Ben’s pet projects had been charting a sailing trip through the Caribbean — a trip that he and Anna never got to take. But when Anna gets a reminder on her phone on the day that their trip should have begun, she impulsively heads back to their sailboat and sets out, determined to follow the course that Ben charted.

However, Anna has limited experience as a sailor and has never sailed solo, and after some near misses (as well as an embarrassingly bad drunken night out in her first port of call), she realizes that maybe she shouldn’t be attempting this journey on her own. Enter Keane, an experienced sailor available to assist in exchange for passage to Puerto Rico. He’s charming, considerate, and an excellent sailor, but has his own sorrows and disappointments to face down.

Together, Anna and Keane set sail, experiencing beautiful high points amidst the islands they visit, as well as dangerously rough seas and emotional low points too. And as expected, their professional agreement leads them to forming a close friendship that eventually becomes something even greater, if only they can allow themselves to feel what they’re feeling.

While some of Anna’s decision’s seem dubious, I could easily believe that a young woman suffering such awful grief would decide to take on a risky adventure that she wasn’t actually prepared for. With Keane there to assist, Anna had the opportunity to stick to her plan, but also get the skills and knowledge she needs to accomplish what she set out to do. This was not the dreaded storyline of a woman needing a strong man to save her; instead, this story showed two people able to support one another through hard times and whose abilities and personalities complemented each other. In some ways, Anna and Keane rescue one another, yet it’s also very much a partnership.

Of course, the armchair tourist appeal is a huge plus! I was both loving the descriptions of the gorgeous seas and islands and hating the fact that I wasn’t along for the ride!

I really enjoyed Anna and Keane’s chemistry, the slow development of their romantic feelings, and the way the author gives Anna time and space to come to terms with Ben’s death. She’s given room to vent her anger and her sorrow, and ultimately to realize that she can and does have a life without Ben in it. She’ll always love him, but she can also have love again without him.

At the start of the book, Anna is 25-years-old and working at a pirate-themed bar in Florida. My only two small complaints are (1) it’s not really clear to me how she was able to afford to literally sail off on the spur of the moment and have the funds to support the journey, and (2) there’s no discussion of what Anna’s plans for her life were prior to Ben’s death. Education? Career goals? Never mentioned.

Other than that, I though Float Plan gave a lovely view of rediscovering hope after suffering a terrible loss. The characters are memorable, and their dynamic was terrific to watch unfold. The next book by the author focuses on Anna’s older sister, and while I don’t know more than that, I liked Float Plan so much that I’m eager to read the next book too!

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