Book Review: "Isaac" by Curtis Garner

I read queer books all year long, but for Pride Month I definitely increase the number. For my first read of Pride, I stumbled upon this gem, which I liked more and more with every page I turned.

Isaac is finishing high school in London. He’s a great student, particularly in English and writing, and dreams of being a success. He’s also gay and desperate for his first encounter, which comes via an app. He quickly becomes addicted to the thrill of being desired, although he also becomes familiar with the fickleness of men on the apps.

One night at a party he meets Harrison, a 28-year-old artist, and Isaac falls quickly. He loves to be part of a couple, to be exposed to a world and friends different from those he’s familiar with. Harrison is quixotic, and little by little, Isaac starts to feel less confident and needier when he’s in his presence. But is this the way relationships are supposed to feel?

“Happiness was not a discovery to be had, like finding money on the ground. It was exactly as his mother had described: something he didn’t realise he was experiencing until he was no longer experiencing it, in the same way that misery was not something that ended and began depending on where you were; it stayed with you, even if it changed in form.”

The time draws closer to Isaac’s leaving for university in Manchester. He makes some interesting discoveries about himself, Harrison, and his mother, which force him to stand up for himself and speak his mind once and for all. But what will this do to his relationships?

This really was a beautifully written book. Isaac’s character definitely grew on me, and I loved Cherish, Moya, and Karim, too. I really could identify with the ways Isaac felt he needed to be different in order to have a relationship with Harrison. What a great kickoff to Pride Reads!

Book Review: "Reality Bites" by Amy Mass

I love rom-coms so much. I know that when I need a book to lighten my mood or just make my heart melt, there are plenty of rom-coms out there. And this debut novel definitely hit the spot.

Grace is a scientist who has been working to save the Southern Mountain yellow-legged frog from extinction. She’s pretty focused on helping any animal that can’t help itself, and she’s always busy, so she never has time to date. And the fact is, she’s not really interested anyway.

She’s definitely an outlier from the rest of her family, who are all social media influencers. Her mother is a decorating influencer, her father has run a Power Yoga for Men YouTube channel for years, one brother is a TikTok thirst trap, and the other broadcasts on Twitch. Grace doesn’t have a social media channel.

When Grace finds out that her mother signed her up to be on the hit dating reality show Love Shack, she hits the roof. She’s never seen a reality show and has no desire to date people while the world watches. But when she learns the grand prize is enough to save her lab’s funding, she reluctantly puts on fake glasses and inhabits the role of “Sexy Scientist.”

She’s completely unprepared by the constant pressure of a reality show and having to be “on” all the time. She also can’t help stirring up trouble when she sees a cause worth championing, which puts her in the crosshairs of Andrew, the show’s sexy lawyer. The more they fight over breaking rules, the hotter their attraction burns.

I thought these characters were all so much fun, and there was more depth to them than at first glance. This was a fun book, full of banter, some steam, and lots of enjoyment and romance. Not bad for a debut novel!

Book Review: "My Dear You: Stories" by Rachel Khong

I was so excited to read Rachel Khong’s brand-new story collection. I really enjoyed her previous books, Goodbye, Vitamin and Real Americans, and couldn’t wait to see how her voice would work in a variety of stories.

This was a really intriguing collection. Many of the stories dealt with unique, almost futuristic topics, but also many dealt with relationships, love, marriage, dating, and family.

Of the 10 stories in the book, here are a few of my favorites. In the title story, a young woman dies on her honeymoon and goes to heaven, only to find her memories of her life start to disappear. “The Freshening” envisions a world where the U.S. government creates an injection which turns everyone a person sees into the same race, sex, and ethnicity.

“The Family O” is about a group of Asian women who have all dated the same man they met on a dating app, and he apparently fetishizes them. In “Tapetum Lucidum,” a woman and her husband adopt a cat who somehow conjures up the ghosts of their exes. And in “Serene,” a woman befriends a sex doll she hopes to sell in order to get breast implants.

Khong is such a talented writer. These stories evoked a range of emotions and were very thought-provoking. Some definitely packed a punch, and I’ll be thinking about them for a long while.

Book Review: "A Good Person" by Kirsten King

“When I was ten years old, I nearly pushed a girl into a gorilla pen at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Massachusetts.”

That opening sentence certainly sets the tone for what a wild book this is. It may very well be the most stable statement that the main character, Lillian, makes in the entire book!

Lillian works for a marketing firm. Well, she does enough to get by, but she spends most of her days stalking her boyfriend Henry’s LinkedIn profile. She and Henry have been seeing each other for a few months now, and she’s been completely acquiescent to his every wish. But Henry hasn’t fully committed to her yet, although he’s certainly been signaling that he’s getting there.

Just when she’s expecting him to go from, “I have fun with you” to “I love you,” he tells her he wants to end things. She’s certainly not happy about that and demonstrates that in a few, umm, unique ways. Inspired by one of her clients, she decides to put a hex on Henry.

Imagine her surprise/horror when he is murdered the next day. Did she do that? She doesn’t think so, even if the more she learns about Henry the angrier with him she gets. And the more she starts to go off the rails, until even she’s not quite sure if she can pull herself together—if she doesn’t get arrested first.

Lillian is truly one of the most unhinged characters I’ve seen in a while. I couldn’t get enough of her, even as I cringed at some things she did. But she is 100 percent true to herself, despite her unpredictability. This was quite a ride!

Book Review: "I Know How This Ends" by Holly Smale

How would you live your life if you know what is going to happen? Margot is a meteorologist whose life was upended, both personally and professionally, when her 10-year relationship ended just before she got married. Since then she’s more than just a little unstable, and while she’s been dating, the men all seem to have red flags.

One day she has a vision of herself with a man she’s never met, but the vision makes her happy. And when she meets Henry, a single dad, she realizes she is happy and optimistic for the first time in a long while.

Yet as she continues to get glimpses of different aspects of her future, she isn’t sure whether to trust what she sees. But if everything she sees will come to fruition, should she pursue a relationship with Henry, or can she outrun her destiny?

“I’d thought I’d loved Aaron—so much, for so many years—but now that love seems…contained, somehow, like a storm inside a bottle. When inside me was all the weather—all the rains and the fires and the hurricanes and the clouds, the rainbows and the dews and the tornadoes and the halos—waiting to be unleashed. I just had no idea, until I was shown how much of everything I could be.”

As she tries to figure out how to navigate her hopes and fears, she also realizes she has to work on the next steps in her career as well as her relationships with her family and friends. And how can she tell Henry what she’s seen?

I really enjoyed Holly Smale’s previous book, Cassandra in Reverse, but this gave me all the feels. I love books which deal with fate and destiny, especially as it pertains to love and relationships. This really made me think, and I can’t wait to see what Smale does next!

Book Review: "It Had to Be Him" by Adib Khorram

Oh, I loved this book so much! Ever since I read Adib Khorram’s debut Darius the Great Is Not Okay seven years ago, I’ve been a huge fan. I’m grateful to BookSparks for the complimentary copy of his newest book as part of #FRC25!

Ramin plans to propose to his boyfriend Todd at dinner. He’s so ready to start the rest of their lives together. But rather than say yes to the proposal, Todd breaks up with Ramin in the middle of the restaurant. Worse, he tells Ramin he’s too boring.

As someone who’s struggled with self-esteem his entire life, Ramin is devastated. He’s determined to prove—at least to himself—that he’s not boring, so he plans an 8-week trip to Italy, where he can sightsee, shop, and sleep with lots of Italian men.

But the day he arrives in Italy (without his luggage, of course), he runs into Noah, his high school crush. Noah looks fantastic. Although it’s been years since they’ve seen each other, Ramin quickly realizes the crush is still there. He worries that Noah won’t be attracted to him or he’ll think he’s too boring.

Noah can’t believe he’s seeing Ramin again. He really enjoyed their friendship—which he now realizes was something stronger. He’s in Italy with his ex-wife and son, but all he wants to do is spend time with Ramin. Noah has always put everyone else’s happiness first; can he concentrate on his own for once?

Italy is at the very top of my travel bucket list, so the book had me at “buon giorno.” But Ramin and Noah are such appealing characters so I was hooked on rooting for their happy ever after. There’s some great steam and fun banter, and if you read Khorram’s last book, I’ll Have What He’s Having, you’ll recognize some characters!

Book Review: "The Academy" by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

I didn’t go to boarding school and I didn’t want to, but I cannot get enough of boarding/prep school fiction. And while dark academia can be fun, nothing beats good old-fashioned drama.

Tiffin Academy has always been in the middle of the pack where boarding schools are concerned. Yet on the first day of a new school year, a huge surprise occurs: Tiffin has risen to #2 on the annual America Today rankings. That’s a 17-point jump, and it’s even a shock to Audre, the head of school.

The board president has invested a great deal of money in improvements—including a gourmet chef. But still, no one really understands how the school climbed so high in one year, especially given the fact that a popular student committed suicide the previous year.

Like many boarding schools, academics at Tiffin take a backseat to parties and gossip. The majority of the students are children of extremely wealthy parents and are used to getting their way. Yet into the mix comes Charley, a new student from Maryland—very rarely are new students admitted as juniors. But Charley is extremely smart and she’s utterly disinterested in the social games of her peers, which of course only intrigues her classmates more.

Over the course of one year at Tiffin, there’s lots of drama to be had. The new, beautiful Canadian history teacher has secrets to hide and finds herself infatuated with an older student. The TikTok influencer is struggling with her own issues while keeping up appearances. And then a controversial app seems to know what everyone is hiding and what everyone’s missteps are.

There are a lot of characters in this book; some you root for and some you dislike. Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter have created a juicy little world and I was there for every last backstabbing minute. There were a few threads that were brought up and never resolved, so is a sequel on the horizon?

The book publishes 9/16.

Book Review: "Definitely Better Now" by Ava Robinson

Add this powerful and emotional book to the long list of terrific debuts published this year!

Emma is celebrating one year of sobriety, a milestone she’s worked very hard to reach. She’s spent the last year in close contact with her sponsor, attending AA meetings, and doing little more than working, in an effort to keep from backsliding into old habits.

But staying sober isn’t easy when everything around you is going crazy. She’s finally starting to feel comfortable around her colleagues, and has been appointed to her company’s “Fun Team,” which plans the annual holiday party. She allowed her colleagues to set up a profile on a dating app—which leads to an awkward situation with a colleague. She’s even started a bit of a flirtation with Ben, her company’s IT guy.

She’s a little bit thrown when her mother tells her she’s moving in with her boyfriend (whom Emma didn’t even know about). Then her estranged father calls and wants to see her—and as an alcoholic himself, he’s always been dismissive of her journey toward recovery. But he’s not argumentative this time; rather, he’s hiding a secret from her.

This is a book full of humor, emotion, awkward moments and times you wish the characters would say what they mean instead of avoiding the truth. But more than that, this book shows just how hard it is to fight for yourself when everything around you is trying to knock you down.

Ava Robinson is a really talented writer, and this book felt tremendously self-assured for a debut. I’ll be looking forward to the next steps in her career!

Book Review: "If You Love It, Let It Kill You" by Hannah Pittard

I really had high hopes for this one, but what can you do?

A novelist and writing professor has her life turned a bit topsy-turvy when she learns that her ex-husband has created an unflattering version of her in his upcoming book. Although not many people will know it’s her—and he’s the one who ruined their marriage in the first place—she has trouble focusing.

Currently living in Kentucky with her boyfriend (and occasionally his stepdaughter), the news about her ex throws her into an emotional tailspin. Should she tell her boyfriend, knowing he might get angry with her ex? And worse, what if he doesn’t?

Meanwhile, she’s trying to deal with the foibles of her aging parents—her mother who wants to date again and her father who very well might be losing his mind. Can she just run away?

I’ve been a fan of some of Hannah Pittard’s books but this one never quite drew me into the story. It felt like there were lots of separate elements of the story that never quite came together, and the story moved very slowly.

Book Review: "Seas the Dating Coach" by Laura Langa

I think my heart grew two sizes larger while reading this book! I love a small-town romance, and this was such a sweet, fun, and emotionally rich read.

Vivian grew up in the small town of Wilks Beach, and all of townspeople are tremendously protective of her, as is her twin sister, Brynn. Vivian is kind, a talented tailor and designer, but she is painfully shy and often stumbles over her words when she gets nervous.

She’s had a crush on Atticus, a handsome accountant, for some time now, but he’s never seemed to notice her. Every time she tries to muster up the courage to talk to him, she fails. And then one morning, she is ready to make her move at her sister’s coffee shop, and she slips on a puddle of coffee and falls into the arms of Finn, a handsome newcomer to town.

People in Wilks Beach don’t have a lot of trust in “mainlanders,” but Finn in particular is very unpopular. As the new director of the town library, his plans to improve everything are met with resentment, even though they will make everything better. So when Finn realizes that Vivian can’t seem to approach Atticus, he offers to be her dating coach. In exchange, she’ll start to correct the misconceptions about Finn and his plans.

Vivian has no idea how beautiful and how brave she is, and Finn delights in helping her realize that. For his part, Finn has never let anyone get too close for fear they’d hurt him, but the more he coaches Vivian, the harder he falls. But he has to keep reminding himself that she wants Atticus, not him.

I first became familiar with Laura Langa when I read her holiday novel that took place in Wilks Beach. I was so glad to go back to that setting, and I look forward to more books in this series!! It seems like a terrific small town.

Book Review: "Hot Air" by Marcy Dermansky

Sometimes books show us that our lives aren’t as bad as they could be. Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for giving me that perspective along with an advance copy of this book!

Joannie hasn’t been on a date in years; particularly since her divorce, she’s focused all her attention on being a good mother to her young daughter, Lucy. But she agrees to a date with Johnny, the wealthy father of one of Lucy’s classmates. He turns it into a family affair: he invites Lucy to come with Joannie, so she can watch movies with his son.

Johnny is very charming. He has a wonderful home, seems like a great father, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s wealthy. The challenge is, after their first kiss, she realizes that she’s not attracted to him. Sigh.

But then things get a bit out of control. A hot-air balloon carrying a well-dressed couple crashes into Johnny’s pool. Joannie dives in to rescue them, only to realize they look familiar. The man is Jonathan, a very wealthy public figure—and Joanie’s first kiss back at summer camp.

Jonathan reserved the hot air balloon in an effort to woo back his wife, Julia, who has had enough of Jonathan’s public philandering. Their crash landing sets Johnny, Joannie, Julia, and Jonathan on a wild ride, where they’ll each have to figure out what—and whom—they want.

I absolutely loved Marcy Dermansky’s last book, Hurricane Girl. She has a knack for stream-of-consciousness storytelling that worked for this book. This is definitely a cross between satire and social commentary. It won’t be for everyone, but it was a fun read!

Book Review: "Change of Heart" by Falon Ballard

When you find an author whose books you love completely, you jump on each new one right away. Or at least I do! That’s been the case with a number of authors since I joined Bookstagram, including Falon Ballard. I’ve loved every single one of her books!

Cam is an attorney whose entire life revolves around work. She is a partner in her grandmother’s law firm and expects to take over someday. So what if she has no work/life balance? She’s a kickass attorney and that’s all that matters.

But Cam’s grandmother wants her to find a suitable partner, so she sets her up on dates. One night Cam goes out with Ben, a handsome doctor, and although he seems nice and smart, she can’t be bothered with getting to know him. She’d rather deal with her work emails. So she’s rude to him and the friendly waitress who believes there’s a connection between Cam and Ben, whether or not they see it.

The next morning, Cam wakes up in an unfamiliar place: Heart Springs, a town straight out of a Hallmark movie. Her hair and makeup are always perfect, the clothes in her closet are far from the power suits she’s used to. Ben is her next door neighbor, and he doesn’t know how they got there either.

It turns out that Cam will be trapped in Heart Springs until she finds a job she’s passionate about, becomes a valued part of the community, and experience true love. Which should be interesting, given she doesn’t believe in love. Can she change her life—and her heart?

I love rom-coms and I love magical realism, so this book was right up my alley. There’s great banter, great steam, and fun characters—it feels like a cross between a Hallmark movie and The Truman Show. Once again, Ballard has charmed me completely.

Book Review: "Every Tom, Dick & Harry" by Elinor Lipman

What a fun, bighearted book this was! I think I might have had a smile on my face from start to finish.

“I’ve been estate-sale adjacent since I could add and give change, spending weekends at a table, wrapping and bagging purchases.”

Emma moved back to her small hometown of Harrow, Massachusetts, where her parents still live. She helps out with their estate-sale business, and when they decide to retire to Cape Cod, Emma takes over the business (which she renames “Estate of Mind”) and their house.

She hears about a large house being put on the market, so she quickly reaches out to see if the owners would let her handle the estate sale. It turns out that this wasn’t just any house—it was a bed and breakfast as well as a brothel. (The customers used different sets of stairs.) Given all of the furnishings and other tchotchkes in the house, Emma expects quite a windfall, but she doesn’t count on the stress that dealing with the madam, her ex-husband, and their daughter will bring.

There are many other things going on in Harrow. Emma begins a secret romance with Luke, the chief of police, whom she went to high school with. Her boarder, Frank, a retired high school teacher, begins dating Luke’s widowed mother. And then there’s all the craziness related to Frank’s late wife…

Elinor Lipman’s books always have complex and memorable characters, and often are quite humorous. There’s a lot going on here but it’s just such a sweet, fun read. And boy, given all that’s going on in the U.S., it’s exactly what I needed!

The book will publish 2/11/2025.

Book Review: "One Perfect Couple" by Ruth Ware

I was today years old when I read my first Ruth Ware book. I’ve been meaning to read her for a long while, but thanks to my book club’s selection of this one, I finally can check her off my list of authors I’ve yet to try.

Lyla is a virologist whose research isn’t going the way she or her boss had hoped. Now she’s in danger of her contract not getting renewed. That would make life difficult for her, since her boyfriend Nico, who lives with her, is a struggling actor who keeps searching for his big break.

Then he thinks he’s found it: his agent is recommending that he and Lyla be contestants on One Perfect Couple, a new reality show that will launch an all-reality show streaming channel. Nico is convinced that simply appearing on the show will give him the notoriety he needs to get to the next level, and he begs Lyla to participate with him, since it’s a show for couples.

Lyla reluctantly agrees but keeps waiting for the whole thing to fall apart. But before she knows it, they’re off to a secluded island in the Indian Ocean, to stay at a brand-new resort, where the show will be filmed. They’ll compete against four other couples for a cash prize of undetermined value, although Lyla doesn’t expect she’ll get very far.

Shortly after they arrive, things start going awry. It appears the challenges haven’t been thought through, which leaves everyone tense, and then (of course) a massive storm is headed for their island. They’re unable to get back to the mainland or communicate with anyone, and supplies—and patience—start running low. And then the contestants start dying…

Much like the true crime podcast, I’ve seen enough books centered around a reality show on a deserted island. The main problem I had beyond disliking every character was that this book was billed as an homage to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, and I didn’t get the comparison at all. I’ve been told to try another of Ware’s books, but I don’t know if I'm up for giving her a second chance.

Book Review: "Moody's Grumpy Holiday" by Lane Hayes

Yes, I know that the holidays are over. That doesn’t mean I’m done with my holiday reads! There’s still snow on the ground here, so I’m good.

Hudson’s engagement ended and he’s honestly not that heartbroken. After spending some time at the fancy California beach resort where his honeymoon was supposed to be, he’s ready for a fresh start. And investing in the Oak Ridge Ranch seems to be the solution.

On the way to the ranch, Hudson decides to do a little sightseeing in nearby Christmas Town, known for their year-round tree and apparently some of the best chicken noodle soup you’ve ever tasted.

While waiting for some soup, Hudson visits Moody’s Marvelous Bah Humbug Bookshop and is immediately intrigued by Moody, the store’s adorable, nerdy owner. Moody is no dummy; he can’t take his eyes off the handsome cowboy that walked into his store. But there’s no way he could be interested in someone like him, right?

Not only is Hudson attracted to Moody, who uses phrases like “two shakes of a lamb’s tale,” but the more he gets to know him, the more he realizes what his heart has been missing. But strangely enough, even though Moody lives and works in Christmas Town, the month of December is his least favorite. He truly embodies the “bah humbug” in his store’s name. Can Hudson help change that?

This was sweet, funny, and romantic, and boy howdy, it was super HOT!! I love how both characters grew through the book and the way they interacted with the supporting characters. All in all, quite a festive story!

Book Review: "I'll Come to You" by Rebecca Kauffman

This book is one of those slice-of-life novels that is more character-driven than plot-driven. And much like everyday life, it is made up more of quiet moments than overly dramatic ones.

Spanning the course of one year (1995), I’ll Come to You is the story of a family, connected by blood and marriage. Ellen is recently divorced and doesn’t really understand why her marriage ended. She gets set up on a date—which convinces her she’s not ready for another relationship—but it does spark a friendship.

Meanwhile, Ellen’s son Paul and his wife Corrine are expecting a baby, after a long period of trying to get pregnant. They are understandably nervous about what’s to come and how their lives will change.

Corrine’s mother, Janet, is one of those women who is always finding something to complain about, some instance in which she gets less than others. Her husband Bruce is facing a health crisis that she’s been less than forthcoming about with her children.

Corinne’s brother Rob is a car salesman who is navigating a divorce and watching his twin sons grow up differently than he would have raised them. Rob’s penchant for lying, a habit he’s had since childhood, has eroded his relationships with his family, and one person in particular.

I think Kauffman’s storytelling is excellent. She created a web around which all of these characters revolve, and there’s enough nuance to keep it all interesting. I thought this book had an Anne Tyler-esque feel to it, in that Tyler specializes in creating irascible characters who wind up somewhat endearing.

Book Review: "Sea Change" by Gina Chung

One of my goals for 2025 is to read more books I own. Like many of you, I’m sure, I have lots of books at home that often get passed over for shiny new things, so I’m definitely going to try and shop from my stacks a bit more.

When I bought Sea Change, I’ll admit I was drawn in by the octopus on the cover. I was still riding the high of loving Remarkably Bright Creatures, so I was looking forward to another story about a relationship between the main character and an octopus.

I was wrong.

Ro’s life isn’t going the way she thought it would as she entered her 30s. Her boyfriend broke up with her to train for a space mission to Mars, her always-prickly relationship with her mother has grown into estrangement, and she probably has a drinking problem. The one thing that brings her solace is her job at an aquarium in the mall.

Ro enjoys spending time with Dolores, a giant Pacific octopus. She feels that Dolores gets her, plus the octopus was one of the last things her marine biologist father found before he disappeared on a trip when Ro was in high school.

When the aquarium sells Dolores to a wealthy private investor, Ro goes into emotional freefall. She misses her boyfriend even though she wasn’t the best girlfriend, she barely speaks to her childhood best friend, and she doesn’t know how to pick herself up and pull her life together.

This was a depressing book, and Ro isn’t the most sympathetic of characters. The book jumps around in time a lot, and other than Ro’s brief time with Dolores, there wasn’t much in the book that really grabbed me.

Book Review: "12 Dates of Christmas" by Brigham Vaughn

“It suddenly feels a little crazy to realize I totally uprooted my life in Chicago to move to some Christmas-themed small town on the off chance of finding love.”

Leo likes living in Chicago, but dating there drives him crazy. He’s tried it all—apps, bars, blind dates—but he can’t seem to find the right person. He’s even gotten scammed because he’s too naive.

His best friend Hayden had moved to the small town of Christmas Falls a year or so ago—reluctantly—but he ultimately found true love and decided to stay. With his job as a web developer, he can work from anywhere, so he decides to give Christmas Falls a try.

He already has a client in town he’s been working with—Nick, who runs a matchmaking service. When he meets Nick face-to-face for the first time, Leo is instantly smitten. But Nick is not only a widower, he’s straight. So when Nick offers to set Leo up on some dates as a way to thank him, Leo agrees.

Each date turns out to be a total flop. And after every date, Leo and Nick debrief, which Leo starts enjoying more than anything. When Nick tells Leo that he’s actually bisexual, Leo is filled with hope that they might get together. But Nick needs to be sure that his heart is ready to take a chance on love again. Will Leo be willing to wait?

This was my second trip to Christmas Falls, and I absolutely love this series. There were so many themes at play here that I loved, and the characters were just so appealing. I’m thankful that there are so many books in this series still to read!

Book Review: "Deck the Palms" by Annabeth Albert

I’ve been loving the holiday books I’ve read so far, but given it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a white Christmas, it’s always fun to read about a less-traditional celebration. And what better place than Hawaii?

Nolan has been in love with the theater since he was young, and he’s been lucky to perform both on and off Broadway. He loves NYC, but when his sister-in-law has complications with her pregnancy and his brother is in the middle of his deployment, he drops everything and heads to Oahu to help.

Once his nephew gets out of the NICU, Nolan plans to stay in Oahu for the fall season, and takes a short-term job as the music teacher and choir director at a middle school. His responsibilities include directing the school’s holiday festival, for which he’s teamed with the school’s hunky shop teacher, Merry.

Merry, a single dad to twin boys who happen to be in Nolan’s class, comes across as a giant surfing curmudgeon. It’s not that he doesn’t like Nolan (although it seems that way), it’s just that he’s learned not to get attached to people who are in Hawaii for a short time. And despite their attraction to one another, Merry is determined to keep things professional with Nolan.

Of course, their collaboration and friendship includes lots of flirting and even a little matchmaking on the part of Merry’s kids. But what happens when Nolan’s job ends and he heads back to NYC? Is the possibility of love worth the risk of pain?

Hawaii is one of my favorite places, and so it’s the perfect setting for this rom-com. I really enjoyed both of the main characters and their banter (not to mention the steam) and I found many of the supporting characters to be a lot of fun, too.

Book Review: "I Might Be in Trouble" by Daniel Aleman

“…people talk about dreams coming true as if it were a point of arrival—a final destination, and once you’ve reached it, there should be no going back….Nobody talks about what it’s like to get everything you ever wanted…and then lose it.”

David knows what it’s like to have it all. A few years ago, his first novel was a huge success and he was on the cusp of a smashing literary career. But much to his surprise, his second book didn’t make the splash he was expecting—it was a colossal flop.

Now he’s nearly broke, desperately trying to come up with an idea for a third book, and he is still pining for his ex-boyfriend. He spends time on Grindr, and while he knows it’s doubtful he’ll find anyone worthwhile, at least it’ll make him feel less alone.

One night he connects with Robert, a handsome man who is staying at the Plaza Hotel. There’s something magnetic about him, and while the sex is incredible, it feels like so much more than that. They hit a number of bars and clubs throughout NYC, and the more time they spend together, the more there seems to be a genuine connection between them. Late at night they wind up back at David’s apartment, and in the morning, David wakes up to find Robert dead.

How could this have happened? The thought of calling the police and opening his life up to scrutiny doesn’t appeal to him, so he calls the one person he can think of: his unflappable literary agent, Stacey. Stacey has a number of ideas about what to do with Robert’s body, and how David might use this to his advantage.

This book is a bit dark, a bit introspective, and utterly wacky at times. I was expecting something a bit different but I still enjoyed this, no matter how far-fetched it seemed.