Book Review: "Meet Me in Paris" by Kristin Harmel

C’est magnifique!! I had a feeling when I picked up this book that it would leave me all kinds of emotional, but wow! This was sappy and beautiful and moving and just excellent.

“It’s in our nature as human beings to search for logical explanations for everything, but sometimes, all we need to do is find space in the quiet to listen to what our hearts are telling us.”

Julia has returned to Paris after nearly 30 years, bringing her daughter, Piper. Julia is dying, and wants this trip to be full of memories her daughter can cherish. Piper meets a handsome waiter and Julia surprises herself by falling for an American man, but how can she tell him she’s dying?

Jackson, a singer, had the biggest song of the 1990s. He’s in Paris to kick off a tour he hopes will revive his career, but he’s not counting on love, too. Ninety-nine-year-old Henry wrote Jackson’s big hit, inspired by his love for a French woman during WWII. He thought she died during the war, but he was wrong—so he’s returned to Paris to see if, despite her dementia, she remembers him at all.

Lou and George became friends as soldiers in Vietnam, and are in Paris for a tour for veterans. But there are secrets both have kept from one another. Shelby is on a trip with her two best friends, supposedly celebrating her divorce. However, celebrating is the last thing she wants to do, and when she meets Russ, a bar owner, she finally starts to see the woman she knows she is.

These stories, as well as a few others, unwind over several days. Kristin Harmel said she was inspired by Love Actually, so that was more than enough incentive for me! I was fully engaged in all of the stories, and just wish Lou and George’s story got as much page time. But this was such an amazing book.

Book Review: "Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits" by Skylar Warren

I’m so thankful that this book wound up on my radar. Of course, I’m utterly starving after reading it, but this cozy mystery absolutely warmed my heart. You’ve got to love a book that makes you wish you could somehow teleport into the town it’s set in!

Honeybee’s Hideaway diner has been feeding the bellies and the souls of Willow Bluff, Georgia for 50 years now. Jessie Haynes is running Honeybee’s now, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother. The smell of butter and garlic, with just a hint of cinnamon, has filled Jessie’s life for as long as she can remember.

On the day of the diner’s 50th anniversary celebration, the mayor comes in and orders his usual shrimp and grits. But after the first bite, he has trouble breathing, and he collapses quickly thereafter. When word gets out that the mayor died, the townspeople immediately suspect Jessie, despite the fact they’ve seen her cooking since she wasn’t tall enough to see over the counter.

Jessie is devastated by what happened to the mayor, and the damage his death does, not only to her reputation, but to the future of Honeybee’s. Suddenly she’s the topic of gossip and speculation all over town, and some are even trying to capitalize on her misfortune.

When they find a wrapper from a peanut packet in the diner’s pantry, it quickly becomes obvious that the mayor’s death was no accident. And clearly someone wanted to hurt Honeybee’s in the process. So Jessie, along with her mother, her best friend Tee, her young waitress, and the town’s handsome new therapist band together to clear Jessie’s name and find the killer.

I absolutely love books in which cooking and restaurants play a part. And while I’m craving nearly everything Jessie cooked in this book, I so enjoyed the warmth of Willow Bluff and all of the characters. I’m excited that this was the start of a new series, and the second book will be out in October!

Book Review: "Bobby Merritt Meets His Match" by Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey

When I picked up the first book in Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey’s Goose Run series, I had no idea how much this small town and this group of friends would capture my heart. I’ve just read the 5th—and it seems the final—book in the series and I wish it was a real town I could visit!

This book features Bobby, who is the self-proclaimed mayor of Goose Run and the owner of at least half the businesses in town (so far). But while he’s been a featured character in the other four books, they never hinted that Bobby had a love that got away.

When Bobby was in college and law school, he was a scholarship student, treated condescendingly by many of his fellow students. But he had a secret relationship with Granger, one of his close friends, even though Granger was always quick to ensure Bobby knew this was just a youthful fling. And when Bobby dared express his true feelings, that was the last he saw Granger. Until 20+ years later, when Granger returns to Goose Run in the middle of the town’s Pride festival.

This book not only includes Bobby and Granger’s story, but it also features four short stories, each one focused on a different character we’ve gotten to know. This was a fitting farewell and it provided a bit more depth into each of the characters.

“And maybe our lives weren’t big or loud. Maybe they were just small, ordinary lives. But there was something magical in the smallness of them, in all the spaces where we could just sit and breathe, and feel the sun on our skin, and be together. Not much happened in a town like Goose Run, but on the other hand, miracles did.”

If you like sweet, steamy, and funny M/M romances set in a quirky small town, I’d encourage you to pick up one of the books in this series. You’ll be glad you stopped by, and you’ll probably want to stay, too!

Book Review: "The Good Parts" by Evann Normandin

This book was a sad one. There are bright spots, certainly, and a dash of hopefulness, but I found this to be an emotionally heavy book. That being said, however, it’s so beautifully written.

Rose and Landon meet the first night they’re both in college. Both feel awkward at times, which is what draws them together, but with Landon, Rose feels like she can step out of her shell every once in a while. Landon falls quickly for Rose, and can think of nowhere else he’d rather be than with her.

They get married and build a life together. For a while things are wonderful. But when tragedy strikes, it destroys them both, and Rose leaves. Landon has faith that she’ll return, but then one day he gets a letter in which he learns she has taken a memory-erasing pill and will no longer remember him or their life together.

Devastated, Landon travels to Edinburgh, where Rose is living her new life. He believes that if she fell in love with him once, she can do it again. But Landon’s reappearance triggers memories that Rose should have forgotten, and these memories prove physically harmful to her. Can he let her go in order to save her life?

There are a lot of sad moments in the story. Rose isn’t the most sympathetic character all the time, although her grief is justified. And while Landon certainly has his quirks, his devotion to Rose is never in question.

The book has an interesting narrative structure: Rose’s story starts at the beginning while Landon’s starts in the present. There are lots of messages to take from this book and I’ll be thinking about this for a long while. This really was a spectacular debut!

Book Review: "Destination Funeral" by Paige Harbison

I don’t know if I’d ever want to get stuck in a time loop. That being said, though, I sure do love reading about them!! Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. Paige Harbison has done it again!

“Does it really matter if you make a mistake, I wonder, as long as you know it’s a mistake?”

Babe Bennett was larger than life. Everyone on Mercy Island had a story about her. When she died, the reading of her will and her memorial service summoned her two daughters, Didion and Sammie, and their two closest friends, Matt and Austin, to the island.

Estranged from her mother for the last several years, Didion has to see her sister and her friends for the first time in a while. There are a lot of hurts and resentments that have cropped up, not just for Didion, but the others as well. How could they go from being inseparable every summer to not speaking at all?

When they learn that Babe has left her summer house, Birdsong, to all four of them, they have to decide what to do with it. Her will stipulates that they have to spend a weekend all together, with no phones or internet access. And then they discover that they keep waking up to find it’s Saturday, so the weekend will never end. It’s up to them to find their way out of the time loop—and maybe confront all the things left unsaid for so long.

This was a funny and emotional story. There were so many issues they all dealt with. I will say that Didion is a hard character to warm up to, but once she got out of all of her spirals, I felt for her.

The book publishes 7/21.

Book Review: "Happier Here with You" by Amy Gail Hansen

This book was an unexpected surprise! I selected this as one of my Amazon First Reads for June. I really loved it and hope more people find it!

Maggie is a food historian and director of a museum. She loves her job but it’s been hard recently, juggling work responsibilities with caring for her 5-year-old daughter Hannah. She doesn’t have time to spend cooking or relaxing, and as a widowed mother, she feels horrible about it.

One day, she gets a letter from her great-aunt Alice, inviting her and Hannah to visit her farm in Wisconsin. Maggie barely remembers Alice—for some reason she never visited through the years. But little by little she starts to remember the time she spent with Alice when she was very young, and how much she enjoyed the farm.

When she and Hannah arrive at the farm, it’s as if no time had passed for Maggie and Alice. Having the time to slow down and bake together and catch up relaxes Maggie and helps her recapture her love of cooking. And then she meets Brady, a handsome local chef, who reawakens her heart.

When Maggie offers to organize Alice’s box of family recipes, she makes a startling discovery. Apparently before Alice inherited the farm, it played an important role in history—and finding the details could open the door to a whole new chapter of their lives.

This book combines found family, food history and recipes, romance, and historical fiction. I loved the town where the book was set and found the characters really enjoyable.

Book Review: "Waiting on a Friend" by Natalie Adler

It’s 1984 in New York City’s East Village. AIDS has started ravaging communities all over the country, but NYC has been hit particularly hard. Renata has been seeing ghosts of people who have died, some she was friends or acquaintances with, some she never knew. She isn’t quite sure how to help them, but for the most part, they don’t cause trouble.

When Mark, Renata’s best friend and roommate, dies from complications of the disease, she is devastated. She wasn’t at the hospital when he died, which was how she imagined it would be. So she’s eagerly awaiting Mark’s ghost to visit her. But for some reason, he’s not showing up.

“I thought about the ghosts I had known. Were any of them suffering? How would I know? Who can really tell what goes on in someone else’s life, or death? Some of them remained, outwardly, at least, concerned with the petty issues of their lives, and others were above everything, as if they had one foot in our world and another in a place we couldn’t imagine.”

As Renata mourns Mark and takes tentative steps toward a relationship with a nurse she met, Claude, she tries to move on. But at the same time, a company has popped up in the city promising to rid people’s apartments of ghosts or other disturbances. Renata is convinced this shady company is not doing the good deeds it purports to do, and it’s up to her and her friends to try and uncover their true motives.

“How was I supposed to mourn anyone—Mark, François, my mother, whoever was next—when it would take the rest of my life to accept that they were gone when they should have been here still? How do I mourn someone when I can’t get over that one fact, that they were supposed to be alive but they were not and there were people responsible for that?”

This is another terrific 2026 debut. It definitely packs an emotional punch, and some scenes remind me of the movie Longtime Companion, which I love. How much would we love a glimpse of loved ones we’ve lost, just one more time?

Book Review: "The Midnight Train" by Matt Haig

Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library was a profoundly moving book, and one of my favorite books of 2020. This book is in the same world but isn’t a sequel, so either can be read as a standalone.

“I think the trouble with life is we do things because we should. We act for outside eyes. I’m trying to live it the other way round. To do what feels right deep down even if it shouldn’t be.”

Wilbur is in his eighties when he dies. He was once a business tycoon, with bookstores all over the world. He was an adviser to prime ministers and sought after as a speaker and consultant. It was quite a journey from being raised poor in post-World War II England.

Moments after he dies, the Midnight Train comes to pick up his ghost. The Midnight Train can take you back to your past, giving you the chance to relive the moments that meant most. To see what kind of person you really were.

Wilbur knows he was happiest on his honeymoon in Venice with his wife, Maggie, whom he loved since they were children. But as the train takes him through his life, he sees all of the moments he’s squandered, the things that were unsaid to loved ones, and the things that should never have been said or done. Can he help the Wilbur he sees in these memories change course without completely ruining the future?

I loved the concept of this book. I definitely found many moments that spoke to me and made me realize the importance of being a good person, saying the things I want to the people who matter. I didn’t find this book as emotional as The Midnight Library, but that didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the book.

Book Review: "Prestige Drama" by Séamas O'Reilly

The townspeople in the Irish town of Derry are excited, which doesn’t happen that often. A show about the Troubles in Northern Ireland is going to be filmed in town. Then it is announced that famous American actress Monica Logue is going to play the lead, and the excitement reaches a fever pitch.

Not long after Monica’s arrival in Derry, where she rubs shoulders with the locals, she disappears without a trace. Everyone in town has a theory on what happened and where she could have gone. But her disappearance throws the future of the show into doubt, which could prove disappointing to many in town.

This is one of those books with multiple narrators—some that are recurring, some we hear from only once. Everyone has their own perspectives, on the Troubles, on the show, and, of course, Monica’s disappearance. And when you have multiple people sharing their views, you don’t know who’s telling the truth.

We hear from the alcoholic screenwriter, trying for one last chance at success; the woman who lost her teenage son during the Troubles and is now the focal point of the script; a local man hoping to have a part in the show; and a woman whose house is going to be used for some of the filming, among others. Each person has their own unique voice.

This was an entertaining book, because you get to shape the plot based on how you saw the characters and what they said. There are some surprises which slowly unfold, and that made the narrative a bit richer.

Book Review: "The Burning Side" by Sarah Damoff

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff was my second-favorite book of 2025. Having gotten the chance to read her upcoming book (thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy), I can unequivocally say it will be very high on my year-end list this year!

“Suffering is easy to imagine. It’s our responses that take us by surprise. The ways trials edit who we are.”

In the middle of the night, April and Leo awake to find their house filled with smoke. They get their two young children to safety and then watch powerlessly as fire rages. They head to April’s childhood home in Dallas, where her parents can provide comfort and a place to stay.

At this point, only April and Leo know that their relationship was damaged even before the fire wrecked havoc. But while they hold off on talks of divorce for a bit, the tension between them isn’t lost on April’s parents or her family. And their issues aren’t the only secrets being kept in the house—Billy, April’s father, has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.

The story alternates between present and past. It traces the path of Leo and April’s relationship from the beginning and how things came to where they are now. It also focuses on Billy and Deb, April’s mother, and how their relationship transformed over the years. The book is narrated by April, Leo, and Deb.

This is a powerful and emotional story of love, anger, uncertainty, pain, and the scars we carry with us. I was fully immersed by the story of these people and found myself being touched by the issues they confronted. Damoff is such an amazing writer and it’s hard to believe this is only her second book.

It will publish on 5/19.

Book Review: "Transcription" by Ben Lerner

Even though more experimental fiction doesn’t usually work for me, I wanted to read Transcription. The concept sounded unique and I am always interested in social commentary about our relationship with technology.

Anyway, Ben Lerner’s new book did have some beautiful moments. It’s essentially a novel divided into thirds. In the first, “Hotel Providence,” the narrator travels to Rhode Island to conduct an interview with his 90-year-old mentor and former professor, Thomas. This will be Thomas’ last interview, and given what he has meant to the narrator, the pressure is on.

At his hotel before heading to Thomas’ house, the narrator drops his phone into a sink full of water. He now has no way of recording the interview, but he can’t seem to be honest with Thomas about it.

In “Hotel Villa Real,” set after Thomas’ death, the narrator is part of a symposium, where he finally reveals he wrote most of the interview from memory because of his phone mishap. The final third, “Hotel Arbez,” is a dialogue between the narrator and Thomas’ son Max, who has been the narrator’s friend since college.

Each section of the book revisits many of the same themes—the fickleness of memory, how we rely on and—sometimes shun—technology to help our memory, and how technology both brings us together and creates gaps between us. At the same time, there are discussions about parenthood, children, and relationships. There are moments of real emotion, as the book touches on the isolation of the early days of COVID, and what it’s like to raise a child with an eating disorder.

This is a short book but it does pack a punch. The narrative gets a bit wordy and esoteric on occasion, but there’s no doubt Lerner is a talented storyteller who has given us much to think about.

Book Review: "Ghost Town" by Tom Perrotta

I started thinking about this and can’t believe it. I’ve been reading Tom Perrotta’s books since 1994! (And no, I’m not interested in knowing how young you were in 1994, or hearing you weren’t born yet, lol.) Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy of his latest!

When Jimmy, a middle-aged writer and television producer, gets a letter from the mayor of his New Jersey hometown, he’s thrown for a loop. Apparently they’re naming the new municipal complex in memory of his father, and they’d love to have him attend. Jimmy hasn’t been back home since 1974 when he was 13, and he’s not sure he wants to return.

“Maybe all that stuff catches up to you in the end, the demons you think you’ve outrun, the bad memories you locked away in a metal box, and then you hid the box in a dark corner of the basement under a heap of dirty blankets, and then you moved far away and did your best to pretend you were someone else. But that box is always right there, right where you left it.”

Thinking about the invitation takes him back to 1974, the year that everything changed. His mother died of lung cancer, his hippie cousin and his wife moved in next door, and he was just trying to make sense of growing up and really see the world around him.

For the most part, the plot is composed of Jimmy’s reminiscences about losing his mother, befriending a local dirtbag, having a crush on a girl, feeling betrayed by his best friend, and watching everything fall apart. There’s also his desire to hold onto his mother’s memory, and perhaps see and feel her presence.

As always, Perrotta’s observations of New Jersey suburban life are dead-on. But for me, unfortunately, the rest of the book never felt complete. There’s some brief discussion of racial tensions—but not enough for Perrotta to give voice to them—and a weird, unfinished ghost story plot thread. Beyond that, nothing really was that interesting, not even Jimmy himself.

The book will publish 4/28.

Book Review: "The Summer Boy" by Philippe Besson

This was such a beautiful little book. Philippe Besson always writes books that evoke the complicated emotions of one’s teenage years, and they’re tinged with a sense of nostalgia and longing. Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the advance copy!

“Again I find myself thinking about the things people tell us between their words that we don’t understand, about what they show us of themselves that we don’t see, because we’re busy doing something else or simply distracted, because another person’s life doesn’t interest us that much, or because the swimmer, far out to sea, who appears to be waving to us is actually drowning.”

It’s the summer of 1985. Philippe and his parents spend a few weeks on an island off the coast of France. This is a tradition for them: they stay with close family friends who have a son Philippe’s age. He and François are close even though they only see each other once a year, plus Philippe is gay, while François is not.

The two spend languorous summer days wandering around with their friend Christophe and a new friend, Nicolas. They spend time at the beach, they talk in the serious manner that 18 year-olds do, and at night they drink and go to bars and clubs. Philippe feels a connection with Nicolas very quickly; they seem to see each other more clearly.

They meet Alice, whom François is attracted to, and her older brother Marc, who takes an interest in Philippe. The six of them know this is their last summer before the obligations of adulthood take hold. They weather a bout of jealousy, but enjoy each other’s company. Until one night something happens that changes them all.

I know what it’s like to form a connection quickly, one that still lingers in the mind long after it ends. This book is a beautiful paean to simpler times that suddenly become complicated, and shows how one fleeting moment can move and shape us. What a lovely book!

It will publish 5/26.

Book Review: "Life: A Love Story" by Elizabeth Berg

I would give this book 500 stars if I could! If I were to describe the kind of book that fills my heart, it would be this absolutely beautiful one.

“‘I think it means you can never really get to the bottom of knowing a person,’ Teresa says. ‘There’s so much inside each of us. But you can get a strong sense of certain fundamental qualities. You can come to a point of knowing enough.’”

Flo is 92 years old and she doesn’t have much longer to live. She plans to leave her house and all of its contents to her friend Ruthie. Flo and her late husband lived next door to Ruthie and her family when she was a child, and they doted on her like she was their own. When Ruthie became an adult, she and Flo became close friends.

Flo writes Ruthie a letter explaining the meaning of various possessions—why she keeps a rubber band in a box tied with a ribbon, where a single coffee mug came from and what it meant, etc. In the letter, she shares simple and extraordinary moments in her life and her marriage. She also gives Ruthie advice about love, loss, friendship, and generosity.

I found Flo to be an utterly unforgettable character, and I’m taking some of her advice to heart. This book was profoundly thought-provoking and immensely moving. Elizabeth Berg’s prose is gorgeous and paints indelible pictures in my mind.

“Terrence told her once about a language where there is no word for ‘hello.’ Rather, people greet each other by saying, ‘You are here.’ And the response is ‘Yes, I am.’”

Book Review: "Little One" by Olivia Muenter

“…knowing your decisions were influenced by things that were bigger than you doesn’t make them lighter or easier. In the end, we have to live with the choices we make.”

Catharine grew up on a farm in Florida, which grew into a sort-of commune. The children all went to school together, everyone had responsibilities, and the focus was on eating healthy and building a strong community away from outside influences. Her father was the leader, a magnetic man, who for years seemed to have total control.

But little by little, his grip seemed to be failing. He required stricter commitments and sacrifices, and became increasingly paranoid. After trauma and tragedy affected the shrinking community, Catharine felt it necessary to escape.

Ten years later, Catharine has built a brand-new life, far from the farm and the stifling control. She’s never confided in anyone about what happened during those years, or how she found the strength to escape. But when a journalist contacts her asking if she’s the Catharine who lived in a “cult” in Florida, she tries to take control of the situation. Until it appears that the journalist knows more than she thinks he does.

Catharine decides to speak to the journalist, who claims to have another source with information about what went on. She hopes that her being (somewhat) forthcoming might help her find her sister, who left the farm shortly before she did. She also hopes to keep her own secrets safe.

The book shifts between past and present. It’s so compelling, emotional and a bit creepy. I usually don’t like stories about cults but Olivia Muenter’s storytelling definitely drew me in and didn’t let go.

Book Review: "The Fourth Daughter" by Lyn Liao Butler

Liv is an up and coming chef in NYC. But when she is involved in a traumatic incident, she can no longer leave her apartment without a full-blown panic attack. She misses cooking but can’t imagine setting foot in a noisy kitchen ever again.

After hearing from her beloved Ah-Ma, her grandmother who lives in Taiwan, Liv is motivated to end her self-imposed imprisonment. Apparently Ah-Ma saw a woman on the street that she was convinced is her fourth daughter, who was taken from her as an infant. This is a shock to Liv, who never knew that Ah-Ma had a missing daughter out there all these years. She agrees to fly to Taiwan to help find the woman.

When Liv arrives in Taiwan, she is amazed to hear Ah-Ma’s story about her fourth daughter. She tells of a country under martial law, where women had no rights and had to obey their husbands, and independent action was swiftly punished. Her husband (Liv’s grandmother) was a cruel man affiliated with the powerful military, and he arranged for their daughter to be taken.

As Liv and her grandmother try to track down this woman, they spend a lot of time eating and cooking traditional Taiwanese food. This awakens memories for both of them, and helps Liv recover some of her love of cooking.

The book shifts back and forth between 1960s Taiwan and present day, and is mostly narrated by Liv and Ah-Ma. (Other characters provide some narration from time to time.)

I found this book to be tremendously moving and thought-provoking. This is a story of love and loss, recovery and possibility. And it sure did make me hungry!!

Book Review: "Is This A Cry for Help?" by Emily Austin

This was a very moving and thought-provoking book. It felt tremendously current given the issues being dealt with across the country.

Darcy is a librarian at a local library. She loves her job, even if not every patron is kind or appreciative. She and her wife Lou have a relatively idyllic life, complete with two loving cats. Darcy has just returned to work following a medical leave, the result of a mental breakdown after she heard that her ex-boyfriend Ben has died.

She hasn’t seen or spoken to Ben for years, since their breakup. But Darcy feels tremendous guilt and sadness about Ben’s death, the way their relationship ended, and the fact that she was never completely honest with him about her sexuality.

Now that she has returned to work, she and her colleagues start dealing with protestors who believe the library is harmful to children. The leader is a particularly vociferous critic who believes the library shouldn’t carry any materials dealing with sex or race or any of the issues these conservatives believe to be “dangerous.” While Darcy is still a bit mentally unstable, she’s also outraged about this attack on the library.

“I find it grating when attention is focused on seedy, unconstructive things, while so little focus is put on all that’s good.”

Emily Austin skillfully combined grief, love, guilt, and the periodic insecurity we feel in relationships. I definitely cared about Darcy and hoped her life wouldn’t go off the rails as she returned to work. I really loved the way her wife and her colleagues made her feel protected.

Book Review: "The Storm" by Rachel Hawkins

Batten down the hatches and hold on tight, because this book will blow you away! I’ve been patiently waiting for its release date and everyone’s been loving this, so I’m quite glad it met my expectations.

Geneva is the current owner of the Rosalie Inn in St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama. The inn is actually the only structure to withstand the three hurricanes that struck the town over the decades. It’s been a part of her family for generations, but the costs of keeping it running are starting to wear on her.

When an investigative journalist reserves a room for an undetermined amount of time so he can write a book, Gen is excited about how much this stay will help the inn’s finances. It turns out he’s writing a book about a scandalous murder that happened in town in 1984, when Hurricane Marie washed ashore. The son of Alabama’s governor was found dead and the accused was Gloria “Lo” Bailey, his teenaged mistress.

The biggest surprise for Gen is that Lo comes to the inn with the author, as they’re collaborating on telling her story. Lo says she’s returned to St. Medard’s Bay so she can finally prove her innocence, but is that the truth? As long-hidden secrets start to reveal themselves, Lo’s motivations are definitely questionable.

But there’s another hurricane headed for town, and this one could be the biggest one of all. Can Gen figure out what happened all those years ago—and who was responsible—before she winds up in harm’s way, one way or another?

Rachel Hawkins’ books don’t disappoint, and this one definitely got my pulse racing! The narrative shifts between the present and the past, when each of the other hurricanes hit town. There are secrets nested within secrets, and I couldn’t wait to see how it all ended up.

Book Review: "Heart the Lover" by Lily King

This was an utterly gorgeous book, full of incredible dialogue, powerful emotions, and some truly memorable main characters. It may have been my first book by Lily King but it definitely won’t be my last!

It was her essay that caught their attention first. Our narrator wrote a parody for her English Literature class, and it caught the attention of two of her fellow students, Sam and Yash. They’re best friends and roommates, studious yet fun-loving, and they’re house sitting for a professor on sabbatical.

It’s not long before she falls into a tumultuous relationship with one, while maintaining an intense friendship with the other. But as often is the case in these situations, the lines blur between friendship and attraction, passion and jealousy, resulting in a love triangle that threatens to wreck everything.

“Love is crushing. Love is something you let yourself feel at your own peril, despite your better sense.” “But where would we be if we didn’t feel it? I think it’s the only form of hope we have. For our survival, I mean. What good is any other virtue without love?”

Years later, she is a successful author, and she gets a surprise visit from someone from her past. Old wounds are reopened; emotions pivot between regret and relief. And when they are brought together again, it’s time to say the things they’ve kept to themselves.

I love books about intense friendships that last through the years—even when the connections fray from time to time. This was such a beautiful book about how we make a life after we think we’ve been destroyed, and how love endures, even in a different form.

Book Review: "Forget Me Not" by Stacy Willingham

Loss has a way of permeating our lives, no matter how long ago it occurred. For Claire, it’s been 22 years since her older sister Natalie disappeared shortly after her 18th birthday. The police found traces of Natalie’s blood in a man’s car shortly thereafter, and an arrest was made.

But despite the speedy resolution of her sister’s case, Claire has never gotten over losing her sister. Once Claire was old enough, she left her small South Carolina hometown and moved to New York City. She became an investigative journalist, helping others get clarity in their grief and loss.

Despite a successful career, Claire is passed over for a promotion and quits her job. With no real opportunities on the horizon, she’s starting to worry about money and her future when her father calls. He asks her to come home to South Carolina to care for her mother, who was injured in an accident. Claire is at a bit of a crossroads, so she decides to go home despite her estrangement from her mother.

It’s not long before Claire remembers why she left home, and she’s affected by the memories of Natalie that are stirred up. On a whim to get away, she takes a summer job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine grape vineyard on an isolated island not far from where she grew up. Natalie had worked there shortly before her disappearance.

At first, the peace of the farm and the physical labor is therapeutic. But when Claire finds an old diary hidden in the farm’s guesthouse where she’s staying, she begins to suspect that all isn’t idyllic at Galloway Farm. She worries that the owner, Mitchell, may be dangerous—and somehow, he may hold the key to what happened to Natalie all those years before.

The story shifts between the present and the past (in the form of diary entries). For some reason the diary was written in the third person, which was a little weird, but it definitely kept me hooked. I had some idea how the story would be resolved but there were some surprises, too. I did think the pacing was slow for a while until it picked up steam.