Litsy

Sweethand | N. G. Peltier

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I chose to listen to N. G. Peltier's Sweethand on a whim (thanks to #partner @librofm) since I don't usually love listening to romance on audio. This one, though? I loved it. Set in Trinidad and Tobago, the book's main characters are Cherisse and Keiran who have been in the same friend group since they were young and have hated each other for just as long. ⬇

UnabridgedPod When Cherisse's sister and Keiran's best friend choose them as their maid of honor and best man, the two are thrown together to plan their joint bachelor-bachelorette party. Filled with dread, Cherisse and Keiran decide to call a truce to make things work for the wedding. Of course, you know how this one will end!

Cherisse is a pastry chef (Sweethand is the name of her business), and Keiran is a music producer, ⬇ 4mo

UnabridgedPod and Keiran is a music producer, and Peltier does a beautiful job in weaving their professions through the book. There's a rich backstory here, along with some fabulous secondary characters in their friend group. Since this is the first book in a series called Island Bites, I have high hopes that those friends will show up again! This book is super steamy and totally met my high expectations for the enemies-to-lovers trope. 4mo

37 likes2 comments

UnabridgedPod

When Sparks Fly | Helena Hunting

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hanks to #partner @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the digital ARC of Helena Hunting's When Sparks Fly in exchange for an honest review. The book will be out on September 21!

When Sparks Fly is a friends-to-lovers, open door romance about Avery Spark and Declan McCormick who have been friends since the first day of college and roommates for years. ⬇

UnabridgedPod In college, their casual friendship was strengthened when Declan stood by Avery‘s side after an ugly breakup. Avery had been dating their mutual friend Sam, but when Declan found out that Sam was cheating, he told Avery and chose their friendship. Now in their upper 20s, Avery and Declan are anchors for each other. ⬇ 4mo

UnabridgedPod When Avery is in a car accident for which Declan blames himself, things change. Avery‘s injuries are serious, and Declan, eager to make up for his mistake, vows that he‘ll be the one to take cover of her as she recovers. This is a new side to their relationship, and each becomes aware of feelings that they‘ve never allowed to grow. ⬇ 4mo

UnabridgedPod Overall, this romance worked for me. I like the friends-to-lovers trope, and Hunting‘s creation of believable back stories for both characters shows why each is hesitant to completely trust someone else. There were parts of the novel that felt repetitive, and the dialogue was sometimes too heavy—it felt more like speeches than actual conversation— ⬇ 4mo

UnabridgedPod but I like the tenderness of this couple and the way that they put in the time and effort to work through their relationship difficulties.

Hunting is a reliable author for me, and while I slightly prefer her rom coms, I‘d recommend When Sparks Fly to romance fans. 4mo

27 likes4 comments

UnabridgedPod

The Inheritance of Orqu�dea Divina: A Novel | Zoraida Cordova

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Thanks to #partner @netgalley and @atriabooks for the digital ARC of Zoraida Córdova's The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina in exchange for an honest review. The book is now available for purchase!⠀
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This beautiful novel begins with a letter. Orquídea Montoya is dying, so she calls her relatives to her home in Four Rivers to claim their inheritance. She‘s lost touch with most of them, driven them away with her secret keeping and stubbornness. ⬇

UnabridgedPod Still, each has been marked in some way by their relationship.

Orquídea‘s home is fueled by magic, a magic she brought with her when she moved to Four Rivers from Ecuador decades ago. And then she never left. When her family—and especially her grandchildren Marimar, Rey, and Tatinelly—arrive, they find that Orquídea is becoming a tree, transforming as she sits, helpless in the center of her home.

Head over to unabridgedpod.com for my full review 4mo

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Lindsays_books

Where the Truth Lies: A Novel | Anna Bailey

Atria #partner I am starting Where The Truth Lies this weekend and really looking forward to it! What are you reading this weekend?

#bookliver #wherethetruthlies #smalltownthriller #thriller #atriathrillers #weekendreading

5 likes

lovelybookshelf

Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch | Erin French

Thanks to Celadon Books for the book mail I received today! FINDING FREEDOM by Erin French sounds like a sensitive, reflective, comfort-filled memoir of redemption. And it turns out, The Lost Kitchen is about 20-30 minutes from my family in Maine! 🥰 I'm looking forward to reading this book.

#FindingFreedomMemoir #CeladonReads #Partner #Nonfiction #Memoir #Foodie #FoodieMemoirs #Maine #NewEngland #BookMail

12 likes

UnabridgedPod

Mistletoe and Mr. Right | Sarah Morgenthaler

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Thanks to #partner @NetGalley and @sourcebookscasa for the digital ARC of Sarah Morgenthaler‘s Mistletoe and Mr. Right in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published tomorrow, October 6!⠀
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Sarah Morgenthaler‘s Mistletoe and Mr. Right is her second rom com set in Moose Springs, Alaska, a small town with a fancy resort, plenty of quirky locals, and some personality-filled moose. Book one told the story of Graham, ⬇️

UnabridgedPod the grumpy owner of The Tourist Trap, and Zoey, the sweet tourist who dreamed of visiting Alaska one day. In book two, Morgenthaler shares the story of Zoey‘s glamorous friend Lana who has been buying up property in the town in an effort to save it. Unfortunately, the locals don‘t see it that way . . .⠀
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One of those locals is Rick, owner of the pool hall and divorce who has never quite gotten over his wife leaving him. ⬇️ 1y

UnabridgedPod He lives with her nephew Diego, a super-grumpy cat, and a sweet hedgehog. And he has a crush on Lana, who he knows is WAY out of his league.⠀
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Morgenthaler has a perfect touch for this type of rom com: she‘s nailed both the humor and the sweetness of this new relationship between two people who seem mismatched but are, at heart, both just really lonely. I appreciate her nuanced portrayal of Lana, ⬇️ 1y

UnabridgedPod who is definitely controlled in part by her money and obligation to the family business but is in no way a victim—she‘s not looking for an escape, and her parents aren‘t abusive, but she does need something more than business.⠀
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Rick, though shy, is still confident, and his affection for his friends and family and pets and neighbor . . . well, his loyalty is remarkable and was something I loved in the book. ⬇️ 1y

UnabridgedPod In just two books, Morgenthaler has made quite a mark for rom-com readers, and I can‘t wait to get my hands on her next book! If you haven‘t visited Moose Springs, Alaska, yet, now is the time to start! 1y

20 likes4 comments

UnabridgedPod

Just Us: An American Conversation | Claudia Rankine

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Thanks to #partner @NetGalley for the digital ARC of Claudia Rankine‘s Just Us: An American Conversation in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, September 8, 2020.⠀
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I will need to read Claudia Rankine‘s Just Us again. I think it is brilliant and important and thoughtful, but I know that there‘s more to absorb, more to contemplate. ⬇️

UnabridgedPod I read it too quickly this time, wrestled with the format of the e-book (I‘m definitely going to buy it in print), and so I know that I missed details, connections, and nuance that would have enriched my reading experience even more.⠀
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Still, even on a first read, I loved it.

Check out my review at jenlovesbooks.com! 1y

13 likes1 comment

UnabridgedPod

Sisters | Daisy Johnson

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Thanks to #partner @NetGalley for the digital ARC of Daisy Johnson‘s Sisters in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published tomorrow!⠀
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Daisy Johnson‘s Sisters is a gorgeous, mind-bending sliver of a novel. Though it‘s only 220 pages long, it immersed me in a world as disorienting to me as it is to its protagonist, July. At the beginning, here‘s what we know: ⬇️

UnabridgedPod July, her sister September, and their mother Sheela have escaped to a home called The Settle House near the sea in North York. They‘ve been driven there by the outcome of a mysterious incident at the girls‘ school.⠀ ⠀
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July has been the victim of bullying, and September--ten months older--is her constant protector, a shield for whom vengeance is routine. ⬇️ 1y

UnabridgedPod It becomes clear, however, that September also wields power, that her strength can be diminishing for July, who always gives in to September‘s dominance.
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As Johnson unveils the history of this family, including the absent father whose behavior may have been the model for September‘s actions, I was drawn into July‘s understanding of the world. She often has trouble separating her own perceptions and experiences from September, ⬇️ 1y

UnabridgedPod and though she occasionally tries to assert her individuality, she is drawn again and again into September‘s influence.⠀
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The course of the novel, told in gorgeous prose, is winding and surprising. Daisy Johnson‘s development of her characters and their perspectives--she occasionally alternates points of view--is both surreal and real, portraying vividly the minds of these women. 1y

Freespirit This is an excellent review🤩 I have heard good things about this book and it is definitely on my TBR list. 1y

UnabridgedPod @Freespirit Thank you!! I hope you enjoy it. 💗 1y

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UnabridgedPod

Six Angry Girls | Adrienne Kisner

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Thanks to #partner @NetGalley for the digital ARC of Adrienne Kisner‘s Six Angry Girls in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.⠀
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Check out my review at jen loves books.com.

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UnabridgedPod

A Star Is Bored: A Novel | Byron Lane

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Thanks to #partner @NetGalley for the digital ARC of Byron Lane's A Star Is Bored in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, July 28.⠀
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Byron Lane‘s fictional A Star Is Bored details the relationship between fabulous film star Kathi Kannon, daughter of Hollywood royalty, and her assistant, Charlie Besson (our protagonist). I pictured Carrie Fisher in every scene between Kathi and Charlie. ⬇️

UnabridgedPod But ultimately, that mental casting doesn't matter because the book, at its heart, is about Charlie. (I will admit that, the minute I finished the book, I headed to Google to see: was author Byron Lane really Carrie Fisher's assistant? And the answer is yes. ⬇️ 2y

UnabridgedPod It doesn't *truly* matter because the world he created, and the people within it, are real enough to stand on their own. But I also wanted to know.)
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[You can read the rest of my review at https://buff.ly/2NJpFfx] 2y

24 likes2 comments

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