Book Review: "Love by Design" by Effie Kammenou

As we learn in Effie Kammenou's Love by Design, sometimes the biggest obstacle to happiness is our fear of being hurt.

Effie Kammenou returns with Book 2 of her Meraki series featuring the Andarakis sisters. Once again she brings us romance and drama and a little steam, as well as some beautiful imagery and some fantastic-sounding recipes!!

Mia has been dreaming of ultimately becoming creative director for a magazine. When she is tapped to work on Opul, a new luxury magazine, she’s so excited to be a step closer to her professional goal, and she’s more excited when she learns she’ll be working directly for Nick Aristedis, the handsome man she’s been swooning over from afar.

But her excitement is quickly dashed when every encounter with her new boss ends with them fighting with each other. He doesn’t seem to respect her talent or want to work with her, and why is it that everything he says and does seems to rub her the wrong way? (Well, we all know the answer to that even if they don't!)

Although it seems this working relationship is doomed, they keep trying, and little by little Nick not only realizes how talented Mia is, but he also can’t deny his feelings for her. And for Mia, the last thing she needs is a relationship with her boss, but she feels an unbelievable connection with Nick...until the next time he says or does something to drive her away.

What is causing Nick to act this way toward Mia? Should she try and see if there’s a possibility for a relationship with him or should she just keep things professional? Both have secrets they’ve kept tightly guarded, causing them to be more afraid of moving forward than ever before.

"Tragically, people die. Lovers break up, sometimes shattering our hearts. But when the right person comes along, they not only glue those shards back together, they also penetrate your soul in a way no one else can."

It’s great to be back amongst the Andarakis family again after reading Love Is What You Bake of It. I enjoy all of the characters and their relationships so much, and I liked getting more insight into a familial mystery that was touched on in the first book. I'm definitely looking forward to Book 3!

Kate Rock Book Tours and Effie Kammenou invited me on the tour and provided me with a complimentary copy of Love by Design in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks so much!!

Book Review: "Back in the Burbs" by Tracy Wolff and Avery Flynn

Back in the Burbs, a new collaboration between Tracy Wolff and Avery Flynn, is a fun, sexy, emotional rom-com about finding the strength to start over and take control of your life.

Mallory hasn’t had a great run of luck lately. Her marriage has ended, she lost her job (never a good idea to work with/for your husband), and she has had to move back in with her parents, who keep denigrating her and make her believe she’s a failure.

When it turns out that her beloved aunt Maggie left Mallory her house in her will, Mallory is floored. The house, with at least 47 HOA violations, is in desperate need of an immense amount of work, and it certainly makes sense to sell it, especially since Mallory has no money for repairs. But despite everyone telling her what to do, for the first time in her life she does what she wants, and moves in to the house.

Of course, the house is even worse than she imagines, and she isn’t prepared for the (incredibly sexy) neighbor across the street to immediately start harassing her to cut the grass. But little by little, Mallory starts to find her way, even when more bombshells explode in her face. (A hunky young handyman doesn't hurt matters either.)

How do you find the courage to start over when so many people—including your family—tell you that you can’t? How do you allow yourself to trust again when your trust and your self-worth have been so damaged? Are you willing to let a good thing pass you by because you’re too afraid of the risk?

I really enjoyed Back in the Burbs and read it in one sitting. It combines all of my favorite elements of rom-coms with family dysfunction and a little bit of steam, and some great characters. I’d go back to the burbs again!!

Book Review: "Libertie" by Kaitlyn Greenidge

Thought-provoking and emotional, Kaitlyn Greenidge's Libertie is a reflection on what freedom really means and how relationships of all kinds are sometimes the things keeping you from being free.

“How is it possible to become free when you do not even know who you are?”

Libertie is a girl growing up in post-Civil War Brooklyn. Her fearless mother is a doctor, and Libertie marvels at the things she can do. And her mother has a plan—Libertie will become a doctor, too, and they can have a practice together.

While her mother is light-skinned enough to pass, Libertie is constantly reminded her skin is too dark. As she grows, she starts to chafe under her mother’s rules and plans, and wonders if her only course of freedom is doing what someone else wants her to do.

When she meets one of her mother’s protégés, she is utterly charmed by him. He promises her a life as his equal back at his home in Haiti, so she abandons everything to follow him. It’s not long, of course, before she learns that the promise of freedom he sold her is an illusion, and that the role of a Haitian wife is actually subservient. As Libertie considers her future, she must make a decision which could truly determine the course of her life.

Greenidge is an exceptional writer. I was so blown away by the characters she created, how evocative the different settings were where the book took place, and the realizations Libertie made along her journey.

One thing, however: I would’ve loved an epilogue for this book, because I thought the ending happened abruptly. I’d love to know what happened after the decision Libertie made.

I was honored to be part of the tour for Libertie. Algonquin Books provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

Book Review: "How It All Blew Up" by Arvin Ahmadi

How It All Blew Up, Arvin Ahmadi's newest book, is a lovely, poignant, even funny story about finding yourself in the midst of emotional upheaval.

Amir always knew he was gay, but he also knew his Muslim family would never accept it. So he kept that part of him hidden, hoping that he can just coast until he can go away to college, where he can finally be himself.

At a new high school, when he meets a fellow student who’s also hiding his true self, he falls hard. But faced with blackmail and his parents discovering his secret, he does the only thing he can think of—he runs away. On the day of his high school graduation. To Rome. (Because of gelato, of course.)

Soon he finds himself with a group of friends in Rome, including some American expatriates. They accept him for the person he really is—or at least what he tells them—and he discovers what it’s like to feel free for the first time, to feel as if you had the opportunity to choose your family rather than be born into one. But amidst late nights drinking and kisses in the Sistine Chapel, he can’t ignore his family or the truth they all most confront.

When everything comes to a head in a messy altercation on an airplane, Amir and his family tell their story in the most unlikely of places—in airport interrogation rooms. Alternately heartbreaking and hopeful, funny and emotional, How It All Blew Up was such a great story.

Although he was a little naive at times, Amir was a terrific character, caught between his fears and his desire to be his authentic self. His family’s reactions weren’t always what I wanted but they seemed authentic.

I really loved this!

Book Review: "Her Dark Lies" by J.T. Ellison

In Her Dark Lies, J.T. Ellison's latest mystery/thriller, a destination wedding turns into a serious disaster.

Claire is more than ready to marry her fiancé, Jack, and really begin their life together. But since Jack’s family is incredibly powerful, well-known, and wealthy, this won’t just be any wedding. They’ll be getting married at the family’s cliffside villa (more like a castle) on the remote Isle Isola off the Italian coast. Sounds like a fairytale, right?

Already on edge from an event that occurred before they left for Italy, when the couple arrives on the island, things immediately start to go awry. Skeletal remains are found. A massive storm threatens the island and the festivities. Jack’s family is getting threatening tweets. Claire’s wedding dress is ruined. And that’s just the beginning.

Claire isn’t sure what’s going on. Is someone trying to destroy Jack’s family or stop their marriage? Have Claire’s own secrets caught up with her, too? And what’s the real story behind Jack’s first wife? As the body count starts climbing, she doesn’t know what or whom to trust, or if at the end of it all she’ll actually get married—or survive.

Much like Lucy Foley’s The Guest List, Her Dark Lies offers a great setting for a locked-room mystery of sorts. There are lots of twists thrown at you and you don’t know ultimately whom to root for or whom to fear.

I wasn’t wild about this one, honestly. There was just so much going on, so many multiple narrators, and yet virtually no surprises. My prediction at the very start was absolutely what happened and it just seemed a bit preposterous to me. I know others loved it, though, so maybe it’s just me.

I’m starting to think thrillers and I need a time-out. It's not them, it's me.

Book Review: "Nick and Charlie" by Alice Oseman

OMG, Alice Oseman's novella Nick and Charlie is truly cuteness and sweetness overload!! Squee!

“I have been going out with Nick Nelson since I was fourteen. He likes rugby and Formula 1, animals (especially dogs), the Marvel universe, the sound felt-tips make on paper, rain, drawing on shoes, Disneyland and minimalism. He also likes me.”

I’m an enormous fan of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper—in fact, all three of the books have been on my year-end list of favorites. It’s a series of graphic novels featuring Nick and Charlie, two high school students who fall in love. The books chronicle the struggles of acknowledging your sexuality, dealing with bullying and other mental health issues, and follow the ups and downs of young love.

This eponymous novella finds Nick and Charlie at the end of the school year. But it’s not just any school year—Nick is set to go to university in the fall since he’s a year older than Charlie. They’re planning to stay together and hope to see each other every few weeks. Everyone thinks it'll work—they're Nick and Charlie, after all.

But the idea of being apart when they see each other ever single day now is starting to wear on Charlie in particular. He knows that Nick is excited about going to university, but what if he meets someone better or doesn’t want to be with Charlie anymore? Are all of the things he hears from people on the internet about long-distance relationships not working true? Is it better to end things before they get hurt?

I’ve been missing Nick and Charlie, since it’s been a bit of time since I read Volume 3 of Heartstopper, so this was just perfect. I love their relationship and the things each brings to the other.

The only problem after reading Nick and Charlie? Now I want more! (Volume 4 of Heartstopper doesn't come out until December!)

Book Review: "Perfect on Paper" by Sophie Gonzales

In her newest book, Perfect on Paper, Sophie Gonzales gives us a cute YA rom-com that shows how the person giving advice is often the one most in need of taking it.

When students need relationship advice, there’s often only one place they turn—Locker 89. This is where they leave their letters asking for help—along with a contribution to pay for the advice. The system works pretty well, and the advice nearly always is correct.

Darcy is the person behind the operation, and no one has discovered her secret, until one day she is caught in the act of retrieving letters of help from the locker by Alexander Brougham, an arrogant classmate. Brougham agrees to keep Darcy’s secret—well, he blackmails her, actually—if she helps him win back his ex-girlfriend.

The thing is, Darcy could probably stand to listen to her own advice. She has an unrequited crush on her best friend, Brooke, who doesn’t seem to like her that way. And if Brooke ever finds out that Darcy is the person behind the advice coming from Locker 89, their friendship is sure to end because the advice Darcy gave in the past wasn't always helpful to those seeking it, especially Brooke.

When everything falls apart, why does Darcy find herself caring whether Brougham is successful at winning back his ex? What does that mean for her sexuality? Will she be able to regain anyone’s trust?

With Perfect on Paper, Gonzales has delivered another fun story full of high school drama, friendship, identity crises, thrift-shop fashion, and even a trip to Disneyland! (Her last book, Only Mostly Devastated, was fun, too.)