A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING Book Review

It took me a long time to read Where the Crawdads Sing. Please don't make the same mistake I did.     Why it took me so long to read Where the Crawdads Sing There has been So. Much. Hype. around this 2018 novel by Delia Owens. It was picked up by both Oprah's Book Club and Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club. And, the movie adaptation releases next week. Clearly, Where the Crawdads Sing is a BIG DEAL. So, why'd it take me so long to...

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES (DNF Book Review)

I'm just going to come out and say it. **deep breath** A Discovery of Witches is Twilight for adults. **cringes** And y'know what? I liked Twilight better. **ducks as A Discovery of Witches fans throw things at her**      I feel like I've read A Discovery of Witches before... C’mon, people! I can't be the first person to draw parallels between Deborah Harkness’ series and the wildly popular vampire books by Stephenie Meyer. SO MUCH...

THE NEWCOMER Book Review

Honestly, is it even summer without a Mary Kay Andrews book to read? You all know my love for MKA runs deep, and The Newcomer hit every expectation that I had for my summer beach read: dreamy Southern vacation spot along the water? Check. a sweet and plucky heroine? Check. a predictable but enjoyable romance with a hot, too-good-to-be-true guy? Check. a spot of murder for a dash of intrigue? Check.   What's The Newcomer about? When I told my...

WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING Book Review

It took me awhile to shake off everything that happens in When No One Is Watching. This is the type of thriller that stays with you long after you turn the last page. Because even though Alyssa Cole's novel is a work of fiction, it's all too easy to see how fiction is spun out of facts.     What's When No One is Watching about? Who here has watched the movie Get Out? That's pretty much what you're in for. When No One Is Watching was one of...

HIDDEN PICTURES Book Review

Hello, Tartlets! I'm so excited to be part of the blog tour for Hidden Pictures. Because I seriously loved this book. (Whew! What a relief. It would've been totally awkward to be part of a blog tour for a book I hated.) Billed as "The Haunting of Hill House meets The Perfect Nanny," this supernatural thriller by Jason Rekulak surpassed all the expectations I had for it. I ripped through Hidden Pictures in just two days. TWO...

THE CANDID LIFE OF MEENA DAVE Book Review

Let's jump right into it: I loved The Candid Life of Meena Dave. Like, really loved it. As in, I give it all the stars! You guys know my fondness for the "unexpected inheritance" trope, so when Kaye Publicity asked me if I wanted an ARC of The Candid Life of Meena Dave, I was like, You had me at "inherits a Victorian brownstown in historic Back Bay, Boston." I love Boston, and, like most people, my favorite area of the city is Back Bay...

A (NOT SO) LONELY PLANET: ITALY Book Review

A (Not So) Lonely Planet: Italy by Karina Kennedy is the crazy, sexy, fun-filled Eurotrip-esque romp that most women dream of but will probably never experience. Because let's be real, ladies -- most of us don't have the balls (or figa) to let ourselves actually have THIS. MUCH. FUN.   What's A (Not So) Lonely Planet: Italy about? This feisty travel comedy follows writer Marina Taylor on her solo adventure around Italy. Marina's main...

THE PULL OF THE STARS Book Review

I suppose that when Emma Donoghue wrote The Pull of the Stars in 2018, the premise of a story set during the 1918 influenza pandemic was pretty darn unique. Not to mention a great way to celebrate the world being free of a crippling epidemic for 100+ years. Enter 2020, the year that The Pull of the Stars was published -- a.k.a, the year COVID-19 overtook the world. Ummm, yeah. Scratch that statement about being epidemic-free.     What's The...

SUNRISE BY THE SEA Book Review

Sunrise by the Sea is the fourth installment of the Little Beach Street Bakery series, and boy, was it worth the wait. Much like one of the “red thinks” (a.k.a., strawberry tarts) from character Polly’s bakery, I devoured this Jenny Colgan novel that brought me back to the fictional Mount Polbearne, a quaint and remote fishing village on an island off the Cornish coast.   A note about the Little Beach Street Bakery series If you’re...

THE BONE HOUSES Book Review

The Bone Houses has one of the best first lines I've ever read: "The evening air smelled pleasantly of a fresh grave." I mean, come on. HOW CAN YOU NOT GET SUCKED IN BY THAT? Talk about imagery. Take notes, fellow writers. This is just one example of author Emily Lloyd-Jones's beautiful writing in this young adult historical fiction/ fantasy / horror novel mash-up.   What's The Bone Houses about? The Bone Houses follows Ryn, a...