Book Review: "Sounds Like Love" by Ashley Poston

“We were all made of up memories, anyway. Of ourselves, of other people. We were built on the songs sung to us and the songs we sang to ourselves, the songs we listened to with broken hearts and the ones we danced to at weddings.”

There’s just something about the way Ashley Poston writes. I’ve enjoyed all three of her books—the first two were among the best books I read those particular years. I cannot get enough of the way she sprinkles her romances with magical realism as well as humor and such gorgeous emotion.

Joni has finally made her dreams come true, being a sought-after songwriter in LA. A few of her songs are tremendously popular, and everyone is waiting for what she writes next. But she cannot find anything that inspires her, that makes her feel compelled to create.

With the pain from her mother’s recent dementia diagnosis still fresh, Joni returns to her hometown on the Outer Banks. She grew up spending most of her time at The Revelry, the music venue that’s been in her family for more than 70 years. But when Joni gets home, she’s floored by her parents’ plan to close The Revelry, her mother’s fading memories, and the way she feels life has gone on without her.

The other thing that happens shortly after her arrival at home is she starts hearing snippets of a melody in her head, one she can’t place. She starts hearing the voice of a man, whose thoughts she can hear in her head (and vice versa). They start to rely on each other, but when he comes to her hometown, she’s surprised by how different he is in person—until he lets down his guard. He believes that if they write the song they’re hearing, they may be able to sever the psychic connection.

As always with Poston’s books, I find myself highlighting so many quotes and definitely getting choked up. I know this book will be on my year-end best list!!

Book Review: "The Life of Chuck" by Stephen King

I’ve been reading Stephen King’s books since I was a teenager (which was shortly after movable type was invented, lol). While I definitely have had my favorites through the years, I always enjoy when he departs from his usual work to write more thought-provoking and emotional books.

“The Life of Chuck” was originally included in King’s 2020 collection If It Bleeds. But when a movie adaptation starring Tom Hiddleston (squee!) was released last year, King’s publishers released this on its own.

The story opens at a time where the world seems on its last legs. Natural disasters are destroying the U.S., wiping out farms and manufacturers. The internet and other forms of communication are sporadic when operational at all, and the overall state of the world has led to a significant rise in suicide.

Marty is a schoolteacher who is trying not to become too cynical as the destruction continues. Meanwhile, all over town, he sees billboards and signs proclaiming, “Charles Krantz. Thirty-nine great years. Thanks, Chuck!” But who is Chuck, and what has he spent 39 years doing?

The story follows Chuck from adulthood through his teenage years. You see him spending a few hours one afternoon dancing to a street drummer’s music, an occasion that fills Chuck with nostalgia. We also see Chuck growing up, living with his grandparents, who share some memorable moments and also leave him with a secret that shakes him to his core.

I couldn’t devour this fast enough. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, life-affirming, and a bit of a warning about what could come. It’s definitely a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Book Review: "Songs for Other People's Weddings" by David Levithan and Jens Lekman

David Levithan is one of my all-time favorite authors. I’ve had so many of his books, both YA and adult, on my year-end best lists, and this new one will join this year’s list for sure. The concept of this book is fantastic as well.

“There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of songs about falling in love, being in love. There are more about having your heart broken. But how many songs are there about loving someone and having the nature of that love change? How many songs are there about going from lover to friend, from sex to affection? How many songs are there about being happy alone?”

J is a Swedish singer of some renown. Because one of his songs essentially offered his services as a wedding singer, that’s become his gig. He interviews the couple to get a feel for their relationship and then writes an original song that he performs at their wedding. This job has taken him to weddings big and small, all over the world.

While he is writing about other people’s love stories, his own romance is on the rocks. His girlfriend has moved to NYC for work and the more time she spends there, the more she seems to be pulling away from J. She seems to resent any questions he has about whether their relationship has a future, and whether she’s planning to return to Sweden when her work is done.

As J gets invited to be part of couples’ special day—young and old, rich and poor, queer and straight—he starts wondering how to capture the essence of love for others when he can’t do so on his own. It requires both creativity and strength, and emotional maturity he’s not sure he wants to have.

This book was a collaboration between Levithan and Jens Lekman, a Swedish singer who actually has become a wedding singer. Lekman writes songs for each of the weddings, and you can actually listen to them by scanning a QR code in the book. This was such an enjoyable, romantic, thought-provoking, and emotional book, and the songs really deepened the feels.

Book Review: "Deep Cuts" by Holly Brickley

“I think songs gave me a window into a magical life,” I said. “Something bigger, or whatever, waiting out there. And I felt like the only way to get there was through the songs. Like the songs, if I listened hard enough, would show me how to get it right.”

Have you ever met someone that got you completely, someone on the exact same wavelength as you? A person who shares your obsession about a particular subject, which you can discuss for hours?

When Percy meets Joe for the first time in the fall of 2000, they’re both students at Berkeley. Percy loves music—listening to it, not performing—and she is sitting in a bar, commenting about a song, when Joe overhears her. Percy has lots of opinions about music, and a lot of knowledge about musical minutiae, and she’s not shy about sharing them.

Unlike many people Percy has encountered, Joe is utterly fixated on her opinions, and counters with his own. This marks the beginning of a friendship, a collaboration, which will impact their lives tremendously.

Joe is a songwriter, and he asks Percy for her opinion on a song. She gives her thoughts—not always as diplomatically or constructively as she should—and Joe listens. The first song she helps him with becomes the jumping-off point for a relationship shaped by Joe’s need for feedback and Percy’s desire to give it. But does her unequivocal honesty harm their relationship? Does this collaboration put Percy at a disadvantage?

I am a huge fan of music, so much of the dialogue in this book resonated for me. At times, though, I felt like an outsider looking in, because I wasn’t familiar with the bands and/or songs Percy referred to. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic, but I found their relationship to be flawed and fascinating.

Book Review: "From Here to the Great Unknown" by Lisa Marie Presley and RIley Keough

I’ve been an Elvis fan for as long as I can remember. My parents used to play his music, I watched a lot of his movies while I was growing up, and I distinctly remember people being upset when he died. A few years after college, a friend and I even road-tripped down to Memphis and visited Graceland.

As an Elvis fan, Lisa Marie Presley also fascinated me. I enjoyed her music and was always fascinated by her life, and felt it was really tragic when she died. Needless to say, when I heard her memoir, which was finished by her daughter, was going to be published, I knew I needed to read it.

This book was an emotional one. Not only was it sad to read about how devastated she was to lose her father when she was 9, but she struggled her entire life with so many things. Addiction. Depression. Being such a subject of fascination for the public. Finding and keeping love. Grief.

While there wasn’t much in the book that necessarily surprised me (although I had forgotten she was briefly married to Nicolas Cage), it still was gripping to read her thoughts. The counterpoint and further details Riley Keough provided definitely deepened the story through her perspectives.

I often wonder if life in the public eye truly prevents a person from living a “normal” life and enjoying it. Certainly from this book you can see how Lisa Marie’s fierce parenting protected Riley from falling into many of the same traps that her mother did.

This was moving and powerful. I’m so glad Riley decided to ensure that her mother’s story didn’t remain untold after her death. And I feel grateful that the Presleys shared their talent with the world.

Book Review: "A Home for the Holidays" by Taylor Hahn

“I understood how life could be both beautiful and devastating at the same time. Maybe healing was just learning how to live with both.“

⁣ ⁣ Mel has always loved Christmas, ever since her free-spirited mother Connie used to create elaborate schemes to keep the holiday magic alive as long as possible. As an adult, her memories buoy her, especially when she remembers that her mother was, more often than not, an alcoholic mess otherwise.⁣

⁣ Two weeks before Christmas, she gets a phone call from the hospital telling her that her mother has died. While this news isn’t entirely surprising, Mel is full of sadness that Connie didn’t share her health problems, as well as grief that she didn’t pay closer attention.⁣

⁣ Shortly after Connie’s death, a woman shows up at Mel’s doorstep and introduces herself as Connie’s estranged best friend, Barbara. Of course, Mel has never heard of Barbara, but Barbara can explain why, with stories of Connie’s failed music career and their fight over a man, which ended their friendship.⁣

⁣ Through Barbara, Mel gets to see a side of her mother she didn’t know, which made her decline even sadder. But as Mel gets drawn into Barbara’s family, including her son Henry, a soon-to-be-divorced doctor, she realizes that she’s not quite getting the full story, and until she does, she won’t understand her mother or, by extension, herself.⁣

⁣ I definitely loved this book. It’s funny and emotional and hopeful and sad. And while “holidays” is in the title, this isn’t really a holiday book. It’s a beautiful exploration of grief, love, addiction, and understanding how to forgive both whom you lost as well as yourself.⁣

Book Review: "Once Upon a Boyband" by Jenny Proctor

“The only thing better than tall, dark, and handsome is tall, dark, and handsome…with puppies.” (I’d agree!)

Laney is a small-town vet working with her father. Her personal life is quite boring, but she does have a bit of a crush on one of her clients, Adam, who runs a dog rescue in town. (Luckily there are a lot of dogs that come in and out of the rescue, so he’s at the vet a lot.) He’s always been rather shy, but on one visit, they start talking and apart from their shared love of music, the chemistry between them is pretty intense.

Adam has been interested in Laney for some time, but he finally gets the courage to strike up a conversation. And then he discovers that her favorite band is Midnight Rush, a boy band that was huge about 8-10 years ago.

Adam knows Midnight Rush too—because he was a member. As Deke, he was a teenage heartthrob, but he walked away eight years ago and never made another appearance. Now bearded and muscly, no one knows his secret. But Janine was obsessed with the band—and still might be.

When the band’s old label wants to do a reunion concert, there’s nothing Adam wants to do less. But when he finds out they’ll be donating the proceeds to a charity he cares about, he capitulates. Of course, his secret won’t be secret anymore, and what would Laney think knowing that the guy she’s dating used to be her ultimate crush? (Spoiler: she cannot believe it. But it’s amazing!)

Yet the more Adam reunites with his old friends and bandmates, the more he remembers why he walked away. And as demands start to increase so does the pressure. Can he deal with his issues before he destroys his friends again, and can he avoid ruining any chance at a potential relationship with Laney?

This was so much fun, full of drama, humor, and romance. I wished Adam was more communicative and didn’t keep pushing everyone away, but I understood his issues. I really enjoyed this!!

Book Review: "Seven Summers" by Paige Toon

I’ve been trying to think how best to express the way this book made me feel, and then I saw this blurb from Carley Fortune: “This book wrecked me in the best possible way.” Same, Carley, same.

Liv and Finn knew each other in grade school until he moved away. But six summers ago, they meet again at the bar Liv is working at, because Finn is filling in as lead singer for the house band. Their flirtation lasts all summer, and just when they give into their feelings, tragedy strikes. Liv is utterly bereft and Finn is there for her, but ultimately, he has to go back to Los Angeles and his real band.

They love each other deeply, but neither can move to the other. Finn doesn't want to come back to Cornwall because there are too many bad memories (and his music career is taking off), and Liv can't leave her older brother, Michael. So they make each other a promise—Finn will come back to Cornwall every summer, and if both are single, they’ll be together until Finn leaves again. But each summer it gets harder and harder to say goodbye and wait until the next year.

This summer, Liv meets Tom, a brooding man who rents out her guest cottage. At first she thinks he is surly, but she realizes this handsome man has so many layers, and is just as attracted to her as she is to him. As they draw closer, Liv realizes she’s found the reason to move on to a love that will stay all year long. But is that enough to give up on Finn?

The book alternates between the present and each of the previous six summers. Essentially it’s Liv’s story, as you see everything that unfolds through her eyes. Once again, Paige Toon dazzles with her ability to make you smile through your tears and weather the ups and downs with these characters.

I absolutely loved this book and I’m such a huge fan of Toon’s writing. This was a beautiful, emotional story I couldn’t get enough of.

Book Review: "Lo Fi" by Liz Riggs

Alison left her home in Michigan to move to Nashville. She’s in love with the city and the opportunity to immerse herself in music, which she loves so much. She works at The Venue, a club where both aspiring artists and famous bands come to play.

“I just work the door. I stamp hands. I’m not even a critic or journalist, not a true insider. I’m not in a band. To even say I write songs wouldn’t be fair, not in a town full of songwriters. If I’m anything at all here, I’m just a fan.”

Al would love to become a musician, but after a disastrous performance at an open mic night (she refers to it as “the incident”), she has no desire to perform again, nor has she been able to find the inspiration to write more songs. So when she’s not working, she and her roommate go to clubs and hear bands, and even get to attend some exclusive parties.

When she is working, Al is also drinking a lot, sleeping with the bartender, talking about music, and flirting with Julien, her coworker. She’s also trying not to obsess over her ex, who is the lead singer of an up-and-coming band, or dwell on the disappearance of a famous singer.

Al has no idea what she really wants, or how to get what she thinks she wants. She knows she wants Julien but can’t seem to fully commit to that, and she wishes she could perform again, but she can’t get past her fear. It takes help from some unlikely sources to move forward.

It took a bit for the book to hit its stride, but then it really clicked for me. Liz Riggs uses a stream of consciousness style at times, but it really puts you in Al’s frame of mind. It reminded me of being in my 20s and going to concerts all the time, barely sleeping and living for music.

Book Review: "The History of Sound" by Ben Shattuck

When short stories are done well, they can have as much power as a full-length novel. And sometimes, they make you long for more time with their characters but don’t leave you hanging. The History of Sound hits both of those targets.

What’s unique about this collection, however, is that elements of one story appear in another, so they’re essentially paired. Sometimes the pairing is more obvious and other times it’s more subtle, but this technique gives you a different perspective from a different timeframe.

There are absolutely beautiful stories in this collection. My favorite is the title story, where a music student meets a man in a bar just as WWI is heating up. The two fall in love, and spend a summer walking through the woods of Maine, collecting folk songs from various people. Their relationship is brief but has an immense effect on the musician, even years later. (This is being made into a movie with Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor.)

Some other stories that I know will stick with me include: “The Auk,” which follows a man dealing with his wife’s dementia in a very unique way; “August in the Forest,” about relationships and secrets we keep from those we love; and “Edwin Chase of Nantucket,” in which a young man’s life in 1796 is upended when his mother’s old boyfriend arrives with his new wife.

All of the stories take place in New England, and are set anywhere from the 1700s to the present. Ben Shattuck is definitely an immense talent, one whose career I’ll eagerly be following.

Book Review: "Anyone's Ghost" by August Thompson

I really love coming-of-age novels, particularly when the main character is profoundly changed by someone or something. August Thompson’s debut novel is utterly fantastic—it’s thought-provoking, poignant, funny, and it felt so incredibly real.

Following Theron’s parents’ divorce, he lived with his mother in Los Angeles during the school year and with his father in New Hampshire during the summer. When he was almost 16, he planned to spend the summer watching TV and getting high, but his angry father had other ideas, and got Theron a job at a hardware store.

The only other employee in the store was Jake. Jake was 17, and everything that Theron was not—tall, confident, handsome, and he did what he wanted. The two quickly bonded over their shared love of music, jokes, and being critical of their parents, not to mention smoking pot and drinking.

They spend nearly every day at work, and usually hang out together at night. Their friendship is one where they can say anything to each other, express their true feelings or fears. Theron has never had a friend like Jake—he feels admiration, envy, even some infatuation for him.

“I wanted Jake as much as much as I wanted to be Jake as much as I wanted to be his friend as much as I wanted to be his brother.”

I was really moved by this story, which tells of Theron and Jake’s relationship that summer, the fits and starts through subsequent years, and moves to the present, where Theron is 30 and grieving. I can’t wait to see what Thompson does next!

Book Review: "A Storm of Infinite Beauty" by Julianne MacLean

Scarlett Fontaine was a Hollywood star. She won several Oscars—for acting and songwriting—and was known for her beauty and fashion sense. Amazingly, she died when she was only in her mid-30s, but her talent lives on.

Gwen is a distant cousin of Scarlett’s and is the curator of a museum in Nova Scotia (where Scarlett grew up) that is dedicated to Scarlett’s life. She’s also going to inherit Scarlett’s estate, as she’ll be the last living heir.

One day, Peter, a photojournalist, comes to the museum to discuss a biography he’s writing about Scarlett. He shares some things about Scarlett that Gwen had never heard before, a story about time in Alaska and a secret child. Gwen, who is tremendously protective of Scarlett’s legacy, is shocked by Peter’s claims at first, and wonders if he has fabricated a scandal to sell his book.

But the more facts Peter lays out, the more the pieces start falling in place for Gwen. She’s been dealing with the end of her marriage as well as feelings of grief and anger, so working with Peter to verify this information becomes a good distraction for her.

Peter and Gwen travel to Alaska to see what they can find, and at the same time discover more about themselves as well. The book shifts between the 1960s in Alaska and the present, as the events in Scarlett’s early life unfold.

I didn’t realize that the bulk of the story was going to be Scarlett’s time in Alaska. It really didn’t grab me at all, but this book is highly rated on Goodreads so I might have missed something.

Book Review: "We Love the Nightlife" by Rachel Koller Croft

If you grew up in the 1970s and/or are a fan of disco music, you might know what song has been running through my head since getting an ARC of this book!!

Nicola and Amber meet in a London dance club in 1979, the tail end of disco’s popularity. Amber, a vivacious young American married to a staid Englishman, longs for fun and attention, so she goes clubbing alone many nights. Both women see each other as kindred spirits, and their shared love of dancing cements their friendship.

But while they may share similar interests, they’re actually quite different. Nicola has actually been a vampire for nearly 200 years, and she thinks Amber might be the perfect companion to spend eternity with. Realizing Amber’s unhappiness, Nicola offers her the opportunity for immortality, where every night can be full of music, dancing, and glamour, without any of the trapping burdens of human life.

While becoming a vampire is exotic and exciting, Amber realizes that she still needs friends, and perhaps more. But Nicola is full of rules and wants to control Amber. And after nearly 50 years, Amber discovers just how far Nicola has gone to keep Amber right where she is, so Amber is ready to start a new life. The thing is, though, leaving Nicola may be the most dangerous thing she does—if she can even succeed.

The book is narrated by both Amber and Nicola, and shifts through time, from Nicola’s childhood in the 1800s to the present. It’s rare to find a story which has female vampires at its core, and these are really fascinating characters.

Rachel Koller Croft’s debut, Stone Cold Fox, was excellent, and this book, while very different, once again proves what a talent she is.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy. The book publishes 8/20.

Book Review: "Table for Two" by Amor Towles

Amor Towles is a tremendously talented storyteller, with the ability to create vivid, unique characters and evoke time and place in your mind’s eye. I loved Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow, and still think of those books.

One word rarely used to describe Towles’ books is concise. The Lincoln Highway is just under 600 pages; A Gentleman in Moscow is approximately 500 pages. Even this, his new collection of not-so-short stories and a novella, runs about 450 pages.

Table for Two includes six stories set, or ultimately winding up in, New York City. Some of these stories are absolutely beautiful. “The Line” focuses on a Russian man in the early 1900s who goes far simply by being nice; “Hasta Luego” tells the story of two men who meet in an airport during a winter storm, and one man’s life is more complicated than meets the eye; “I Will Survive” is about the damage secrets can do to a relationship; and “The Bootlegger” is a poignant story about grief and moving on.

The novella, “Eve in Hollywood,” focuses on Evelyn Ross, a character from Rules of Civility. Eve decides to go to Los Angeles rather than return home to Indiana with her parents. While there, she connects with a variety of people, famous, infamous, and ordinary, including legendary actress Olivia de Havilland.

“Eve in Hollywood” is told from seven points of view, which was too many for me. It takes a LONGGG time to get going—there’s lots of narrative that I wasn’t sure would ever get me to the story’s main focus—and not all the characters are as fascinating as I hoped.

I definitely had high hopes for this book that didn’t quite come to fruition, but I’m still glad I read it for the four stories I loved. And of course, I’ll be looking to see what comes next for Towles!

Book Review: "The Breakup Tour" by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Riley Wynn might be the most famous singer/songwriter at the current time. Her natural charm, her beauty, and her talent have garnered her countless fans, and her romantic relationships keep her in the public eye.

When her marriage to a handsome actor ends after only a few months, she chooses to put her pain into her music. She writes what is essentially an album of breakup songs, each one inspired by a different relationship. The lead single, “Until You,” becomes an instant hit, with her ex-husband publicly discussing how he inspired the song.

The truth is, though, the song is about her college boyfriend Max, a fellow musician who decided to stay home and run his family’s retirement home instead of pursue their romantic and musical dreams together. Now 10 years later, Riley shows up to ask Max if she can tell the world that he inspired her song. His counteroffer is to play the song on tour with her.

As they travel across the country, the song sounds great but it’s not authentic because there’s no connection between them. Both are fighting to keep their feelings in check, afraid if they pursue love again, it could shatter them forever.

I’ve seen many people refer to this book as the “Taylor Swift story”; even one of the blurbs on the back cover says, “This one is for the Swifties.” For me, knowing these things made it difficult for me to separate the main character from her alleged inspiration.

This character isn’t particularly likable. She’s immensely cynical and seems to view love—its beginning and ending—as nothing more than musical inspiration. Obviously there is more to her than meets the eye, but while I enjoyed the book, I found it hard to get fully absorbed by Riley’s story.

Book Review: "A Winter in New York" by Josie Silver

With A Winter in New York, Josie Silver has written another light, sweet romance that makes you long for swirling snow, flirty glances, and gelato. Lots of gelato.

Iris has so many memories of her mother, from watching classic romantic comedies to enjoying homemade gelato from a secret recipe. Her mother used to talk about her magical time as a rock singer, which included a stint in New York City, but she gave up singing when Iris was born. So when she needed to escape after a bad relationship ended, she decided to restart her life in the Big Apple.

She finds a job as a chef at a noodle joint, and while it's not quite the gourmet job she dreamed of, she's able to find both a place to live (above the restaurant) and the owner of the restaurant, Bobby, becomes her best friend. When she's not working, she's more than content to stay home, watch her mother's favorite rom-coms, and eat gelato, but Bobby doesn't want her to languish indoors alone. One weekend he drags Iris to the famed San Gennaro Festival, and they stuff their faces with lots of Italian food. Walking through the festival, they come upon a family-owned gelato place, and for some reason, the store's logo seems tremendously familiar to Iris.

It turns out that the store appeared in one of Iris' mother's photos, accompanied by her mother's secret gelato recipe. When Iris visits the gelato store the next day, she meets Gio, the handsome member of the family who is running the store. He tells Iris that his uncle is the only one in the family who knows their gelato recipe, and since he is in the hospital recovering from a stroke, his memory is faulty and he cannot remember the recipe. Without it, the store may have to close.

When Iris tastes some of their last batch, she realizes that their secret gelato recipe is her secret gelato recipe—and the one in her mother's possessions. But she can't just tell Gio that his uncle actually shared the recipe with a stranger years ago, right? So she offers to help Gio and his family see if they can stumble on the recipe so they can get back to business. Through all of the attempts, Gio and Iris draw closer to one another, but what happens if his uncle regains his memory and exposes all the secrets that Iris has been keeping? Would they have any shot at a future together?

Once the plot starts to unfold, you can predict what will happen, and you won't be wrong. But the romantic vibes, the family dynamics, and the secrets on the verge of discovery kept me reading regardless of the predictability of the story. And I haven't stopped craving gelato since!

Book Review: "Last Call at the Local" by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

I've never been to Ireland, but it's definitely on my travel bucket list, and I tend to love reading books set there. But that's not the only reason I loved Sarah Grunder Ruiz's newest book, Last Call at the Local. I've definitely been a fan of her first two books, Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships and Luck and Last Resorts, so I had high hopes for this one—and it definitely delivered.

Much to the disappointment of her parents, Raine dropped out of medical school after 2+ years and headed to Europe to work as a traveling musician. The busking life gives Raine a freedom she's never had before, and she truly loves performing (although she doesn't have the courage to perform any of her original music). But at times, her ADHD gets the best of her, and when she spends the day in the Irish city of Cobh, she makes a crucial mistake that leaves her with very little money and unable to perform.

She can't believe that her only option is to call her parents and ask for the money to fly home to Boston. The thought of having to return home and face her parents' disapproval has her on the verge of depression, but she knows she has no choice. She takes refuge in a pub, The Local, where she she figures she'll spend her last few dollars on a pint of Guinness and prepare herself. And then she finds herself flirting with handsome, tattooed Jack, who seems to be a regular at the pub.

Raine can't help but enjoy talking to Jack, even though her mind keeps wandering back to the mess she's in. But when he asks what she thinks of the pub, she is a little too honest. And then she finds out he owns the pub with his brother. But Jack isn't insulted by her comments, he's inspired—and he offers her a job as an entertainment coordinator, so she can help turn her vision for the pub into reality.

Ever since he inherited the pub from his father, Jack has wanted to make it different than the one he grew up in. However, he struggles with OCD, including intrusive thoughts which often paralyze him, so making progress has been difficult. But if Raine can stick around, maybe she can make change happen. And it doesn't hurt that he's really attracted to her.

Can both Jack and Raine keep control of their minds in order to turn The Local into the pub of their dreams? And will their hearts behave? This book is charming, funny, and emotional, and it really captures the struggles of living with ADHD and OCD. If you've read Ruiz's previous books, you'll see some familiar characters, but this could easily be read as a stand-alone.

Book Review: "A Love Song for Ricki Wilde" by Tia Williams

I'm a bit of a Tia Williams stan, so when I got a random email from NetGalley offering “Read Now” access to her upcoming book, you bet I jumped on that chance, even in the middle of a work Zoom call.

“Leap years are strange. And because February 29 exists only every four years, it is a rare, charged day. In the old days, back home, folks whispered that it was an enchanted time. When the veil between this world and the other was gossamer thin.”

Ricki Wilde was born into a wealthy Black family in Atlanta, with her father being the famed owner of a nationwide chain of funeral homes. And while her future is laid out for her–following in the footsteps of her three older sisters and taking over her own franchise, not to mention tapping into a trust fund–Ricki isn’t interested in this path. Instead, her creative, impulsive, and rebellious nature causes significant friction between her and her family.

When she announces her dream of opening a flower shop, her ambitions are ridiculed by her family. So she quits her receptionist job at one of the family funeral parlors and decides to make her own way. But a chance encounter with a nonagenarian widow, Ms. Della, opens up an unexpected opportunity.

Ricki takes Ms. Della’s offer to move into the ground-floor apartment of her Harlem brownstone, and opens her floral boutique, Wilde Things, in the storefront portion of the space. Ricki is mesmerized by Harlem, and is fascinated by the history that existed in that neighborhood, particularly during the Harlem Renaissance.

Owning her own shop Is exhausting work, but for the first time in her life, Ricki is following her dreams without her family’s criticism. And in Ms. Della, she finds a surrogate grandmother, who recognizes Ricki’s need for love and encouragement.

One February night, she is drawn by the scent of night-blooming jasmine in a nearby community garden. She knows it is not the season for jasmine to bloom, but she cannot resist. And then she encounters a handsome, mysterious stranger who upends her world.

I’m going to leave the plot description fairly vague, although once you start reading, everything becomes clear fairly quickly. Suffice it to say that Williams imbues her upcoming book not only with steamy romance, but also lots of history of the Harlem Renaissance, and some magical realism.

This wasn’t my favorite Williams book–that honor still goes to Seven Days in June–but I’m always captivated by her storytelling. I felt like the pacing dragged a bit here, but I enjoyed all of the characters except for Ricki’s family, who were fairly one-dimensional. (But Ms. Della was absolutely fascinating.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this advance copy. The book will publish February 6, 2024.

Book Review: "A Thousand Miles to Graceland" by Kristen Mei Chase

Two women. One convertible. One thousand miles.

This book was adorable and poignant.

Grace has found that the easiest way to deal with her outrageously over-the-top mother is to connect with her as little as possible. But when her husband ends their barely functioning marriage, she decides to cope with that by granting her Elvis-obsessed mother’s 70th birthday wish—a road trip from El Paso to Graceland.

What’s a road trip without adventure or chaos? Throw in an overabundance of her mother’s makeup and wigs, and lots of unresolved hurts and memories, and this one is sure to be a doozy. But as much as her mother aggravates her, spending all that time in the car, with Elvis songs on repeat, helps her understand some of what has made her tick.

Will they make it to Graceland in one piece? Can they overcome the issues from their past that made Grace leave home as soon as she could? And can the power of the King move them through?

This was a fun book, sweet and emotional. Reading it a few weeks after Lisa Marie Presley’s death gave it an added bittersweet note, but I love stories of family dynamics and, of course, Elvis.

Book Review: "Before We Were Strangers" by Renee Carlino

A missed connection. A second chance at love.

Matt and Grace met 15 years ago when he moved into the room next to hers in an NYU dorm. Their connection was instant, their chemistry intense, yet both were hesitant to jeopardize their friendship by acting on their feelings for one another. But they were inseparable, with Grace acting as Matt’s photographic muse, and they did so many crazy things to save and make money.

After graduation, Matt was scheduled to work in South America for National Geographic for the summer, and then in the fall, he’d stay in New York while Grace attended grad school. Yet when he returned from South America, Grace was gone. And that was it; he never saw her again.

Until 15 years later, when Matt catches a glimpse of Grace waiting for a subway train. They see each other as she gets on the train, but by then it’s too late, as the train leaves the station. Can he find her again? Where did she go all those years ago? Will love give them a second chance?

I’ve been meaning to read this for a few years now. I love second-chance romances and I was definitely drawn into this story. There were a few frustrating things—I’m so not a fan of miscommunication in romances—but I really enjoyed this!