I tried, Tartlets. I really, really tried to get into Real Life and Other Fictions.
This women's fiction book by Susan Coll totally seemed like one I would enjoy. I mean, The Mothman’s in it! We all know supernatural stuff is right up my alley. And, there’s a dog in the book. Animals are the best. The main character's a struggling writer and novelist, and I can completely relate to that.
Despite all this and so much else recommending this...
I love me some good women’s fiction, and Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein hits all the right notes.
What’s Dear Eliza about?
Dear Eliza follows Eliza Levinger, who, on the day of her father’s funeral, is given a letter that was written by her late mother. Inside the letter is the bombshell news that Eliza’s biological father isn’t the dad she just laid to rest.
Still unhealed from her mother’s passing ten years before, Eliza finds...
The Fabled Earth is another book that I hate sticking in my DNF pile. The premise of this novel really drew me in, and its beautiful cover art sealed the deal. This historical fiction/women’s fiction work by Kimberly Brock contains good writing and a good story, but it just didn't have enough oomph to keep me turning the pages.
What’s The Fabled Earth about?
This novel packs a LOT into its pages. The Fabled Earth has two timelines that...
The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman is a lovely blend of contemporary women's fiction and historical fiction with a smidge of magical realism.
What’s The Matchmaker’s Gift about? The Matchmaker’s Gift introduces us to Sara, who immigrates to NYC in the early 1900s and uses her matchmaking gift to support her family. However, Sara's attempts to help couples find happiness brings trouble to those she loves most. This is partly...
I’d seen Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano circling Bookstagram for almost a year before I read it. This family saga was receiving a lot of hype, and I’ve been disappointed by overhyped books before.
What finally convinced me to read Hello Beautiful were two things: a book recommendation from Just Leave It to the Prose from my writing workshop group, and the fact that the story is loosely based around Little Women.
As you may remember from...
Meredith, Alone is one of those stories that gives you hope. It’s a book that makes you want to hug the main character when you reach the end.
There's not a very original premise – traumatized woman with a big heart learns to take steps outside of her comfort zones, both literally and figuratively – but author Claire Alexander creates a main character that you’re cheering for the entire time you’re reading.
What’s Meredith, Alone...
Grab a glass of lemonade, settle into your beach chair, and get ready for the lovely summer read that is The Summer Club.
What’s The Summer Club about? The Summer Club by Hannah McKinnon takes place at a generations-old beach club in Massachusetts named Mayhaven. Everything at Mayhaven – along with its members and staff – is going through a summer of change, whether it's ready for it or not.
This contemporary novel has an ensemble...
I really wanted to love Namrata Patel’s newest novel, The Curious Secrets of Yesterday. I absolutely adored Patel’s debut, The Candid Life of Meena Dave. While I didn’t get a chance to read her sophomore book, Scent of a Garden, I was excited when Kaye Publicity approached me about an ARC for book #3.
Unfortunately, The Curious Secrets of Yesterday is getting added to the DNF pile for me. Let’s talk about why.
What’s The Curious...
I seem to be on a Jane Austen retelling kick lately: first Once Persuaded, Twice Shy, and now Relative Strangers, which is a modern reimagining of Sense and Sensibility.
What’s Relative Strangers about?
Amelia Bae-Wood ((ahem, Marianne Dashwood) goes to live with her widowed sister Eleanor, her widowed mother, and her niece Margaret after her glamorous foodie-preneur lifestyle falls apart. Her family has been rendered near penniless...
I actually let out a cheer while reading Once Persuaded, Twice Shy.
I mean, it was a quiet cheer. Because it was 4am and my husband was asleep next to me. But, at a crucial moment in the book, a fist pump and a hissed "yes!" went up in honor of Anne Elliot.
What’s Once Persuaded, Twice Shy about? Once Persuaded, Twice Shy is Melodie Edwards’ modern rom-com reimagining of Jane Austen’s famous novel Persuasion.
I’ve only read...
