Book Review: "When Stars Align" by Melissa de la Cruz

Meh. I wanted to like this book but it was just sooo melodramatic!

Sicily, Germaine, and Miranda met as teenagers while performing on a hit television show, and quickly became best friends. Even after the show ended, each found fame, and together they were darlings of the paparazzi, turning every appearance into a party. But nothing lasts forever.

Miranda, who became a movie star, was tempted by the preponderance of alcohol and drugs. Each time she would mount a comeback, she would get derailed by addiction and impulsivity until it seemed like she had hit rock bottom. Germaine was the daughter of billionaire hotel moguls who never approved of anything their daughter did, leading her to question her ambitions. And Sicily, a successful pop singer, fell in love a little too quickly and found herself under the thumb of her greedy and controlling family.

The book follows each of the women over a 20-year period, as they try to deal with the struggles of their lives. Each of them tries to take control but finds themselves fighting an uphill battle. Yet they will learn they can’t do it alone, and it’s nice to know you have friends in your corner.

I love books that deal with the seedier side of fame and the crises that come from being in the public eye. But my problem with this book is that these characters never learned from their mistakes. The plot essentially watched each do the same things over and over again. I can experience that in real life.

This was an Amazon First Read for April and another book from Mindy Kaling’s imprint. It definitely didn’t work for me, but maybe it will for you?

The book releases 5/1/2025.

Book Review: "Rabbit Moon" by Jennifer Haigh

This was such a powerful and emotional book, one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Claire and Aaron’s 22-year-old daughter Lindsey is teaching English in China. When they get a call telling them that Lindsey was hit by a car in Shanghai, they’re both devastated and confused, because as far as they knew, she was working in Beijing.

Lindsey is comatose and her parents come to Shanghai to sit with her and pray that she wakes up. Both Claire and Aaron, who got divorced a few years earlier, want to understand what happened to their daughter. The hit-and-run happened in the early hours of the morning and there were no witnesses.

The book follows the couple in the days following the accident and also traces both the end of their marriage and the erosion of their relationships with Lindsey. We also see Lindsey’s life in China and the secrets she kept from her family, as well as the perspectives of her best friend Johnny and her younger sister Grace, adopted from China as an infant.

This is a book about family, the bond between sisters, and the desire to be loved. It’s also a book about cultural identity, found family, and the things we wished we had said before it was too late.

I’ve read a number of Jennifer Haigh’s books and I’m always dazzled by her talent. I loved the way the disparate elements of this story came together, and I loved how much Haigh’s storytelling drew me in.

Book Review: "Run Away with Me" by Brian Selznick

Thanks so much to Scholastic and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book! This was a sweet and emotional read.

In the summer of 1986, Danny is 16 years old. He and his mother are spending the summer in Rome, as she has a job at a museum. Left to his own devices, he wanders the streets, visiting the sights, and waiting for something to happen to him.

And then he meets Angelo. Angelo seems to be following him through Rome—but once he steps out of the shadows, he has a powerful impact on Danny’s life. Angelo has stories about so many of the places and things they see, each of which focuses on love stories between men throughout history. Against this backdrop, the two boys’ attraction to one another quickly turns to love.

Of course, their relationship has an end date, since Danny will have to go back to the U.S. with his mother at the end of the summer. This only serves to intensify their feelings for one another and the emotions related to Danny’s impending departure.

As much as this is a love story between two young men, Brian Selznick has also written a gorgeous love letter to Rome. I’ve never been but Italy is very high on my bucket list. Selznick’s prose made me feel immersed in the sights and sounds of the city.

Having grown up in the 1980s, I love books set during that time. It’s always interesting to read a love story that takes place before the immediate connections that mobile phones and email could provide. The added bonus is the beautiful illustrations that Selznick drew. This book really packed a punch.

Book Review: "Heartwood" by Amity Gaige

“…hiking the Appalachian Trail isn’t a reasonable thing to do. Anyone who wants to walk two thousand miles in a row does it because they find beauty in the unreasonable.”

Valerie is nearing the end of her journey hiking the Appalachian Trail. But 200 miles from her final destination, she disappears in the woods of Maine. No clues can be found regarding her whereabouts or what might have happened.

Beverly is the Maine State Game Warden in charge of the search for Valerie. She feels confident that they’ll find her quickly, and hopes that she’s not been injured or harmed in any way. She knows that every day that passes lessens the chances that Valerie will be found, knowledge that takes its toll on Beverly and her team.

“I’ve heard it said that the sorrow of human life is that it ends. But I don’t think that’s the source of our sorrow. Everything ends, not just human lives. Days end. Species disappear. Planets die. No, the real sorrow of human life is that we feel. That’s our affliction. That’s why I wanted to walk for months on a trail through the woods.”

The narration shifts among Beverly, Valerie (including letters she wrote her mother while she was lost), and Lena, an elderly woman in a retirement community, who takes an interest in the search for Valerie. Along the way, we also get transcripts from interviews with the hiker who becomes close to Valerie and other people as well.

Amity Gaige’s writing is so evocative. I’ve never hiked anywhere, but reading this book, I felt as if I had. I could see the surroundings Valerie was in, feel the conditions. For a while, I felt that the portions of the story dealing with Lena robbed the narrative of its momentum, but everything ties together nicely.

Book Review: "The One That Got Away" by Mike Gayle

When Reuben met Beth, he knew he’d found someone special, someone he wanted to spend his life with. But while Reuben fell head over heels in love with Beth, she declared she didn’t believe in love. That’s not a good foundation for a relationship, is it?

Six months ago, they broke up. Needless to say, Reuben is shocked to learn that Beth is getting married this coming weekend. Yep, his ex-girlfriend who didn’t believe in love is going to get married, to someone other than Reuben.

“This was not the way we were meant to end up; we were supposed to get our hard-earned, written-in-the-stars, course-of-true-love-never-did-run-smooth-but-comes-good-eventually happy ever after. What on earth went wrong?”

Reuben’s friends spring into action to protect him from losing his mind on the day of Beth’s wedding. They plan a whole host of wild activities, even renting a bright red Ferrari for the day. But then Reuben gets a call that will throw not only all of their plans, but also Reuben’s heart, into disarray.

This was a cute story about how you figure out whether a person is truly right for you. It alternates back and forth between the past and the present, illustrating the rise and fall of Reuben and Beth’s relationship.

I would have loved if this story were narrated by both Reuben and Beth instead of just Reuben. It would’ve added a bit more depth to see how similar and how far apart they were from each other. But this was still sweet.

It will publish 5/1/2025.

Book Review: "Say You'll Remember Me" by Abby Jimenez

I would give this book 10 stars if I could! Thanks so much to Abby Jimenez and Forever for the advance copy!

Xavier is a veterinarian with an enormous heart. Plus, he’s gorgeous, tall, and brooding. But he rarely smiles and maybe he’s a bit intense?

When Samantha first sees Xavier, he looks like a god in a lab coat. And then he opens his mouth and tells her the complete opposite of what she wanted to hear. In short, he’s a total jerk to her. She can’t wait to prove him wrong.

Prove him wrong she does. But he’s more than willing to fall on his sword—and then he asks her on a date. It’s the longest date ever and, quite possibly, the best either has been on. They both feel an intense connection to one another. Then Samantha drops a bombshell—in a few hours she’s moving to California to help her family care for her mother, who has early-onset dementia.

Samantha tells Xavier he should forget about her, but of course, that’s utterly impossible. They spend a few days together here and there, and fall deeper for each other every time. But since neither is in the position to move to where the other is, is this relationship doomed to fail? Wouldn’t it be better just to throw in the towel now?

Abby Jimenez knows how to work my emotions better than almost any author. This is a funny, steamy, and gorgeous book, and as always, it’s full of moments that make me laugh and tear up, as well as sentences I marvel at over and over. There could be triggers for some, so definitely read the author’s note. And then pick this one up!

Book Review: "Pomona Afton Can SO Solve a Murder" by Bellamy Rose

Imagine a cozy mystery with Paris Hilton as the main character, and you’ll get this fun, bighearted book.

Pomona Afton is an heiress to the Afton Hotels fortune, currently ruled with an iron claw by her grandmother. As cruel as her grandmother is, the last thing Pomona would’ve expected was to find her murdered body. But there it was.

When her family discovers that her grandmother put a clause in her will that freezes all assets in the event of a mysterious death, Pomona finds herself out on the street. She has no apartment, no money (except for what she makes as an influencer), and everyone else in her family seems to be making do.

She quickly realizes that her friends have abandoned her since she has no money. She moves in with Gabe, the (handsome) son of her former nanny, but it’s not a doorman building—it doesn’t even have an elevator! And even worse than that, she has to get a job at the coffee shop Gabe manages. This is a big shock for her, as she never paid attention to how her coffees were made or who served her.

When Pomona learns that her family’s fortune will never be released unless her grandmother’s murder is resolved, her only choice is to try and solve the crime. With Gabe as her sidekick/partner (because his mother was owed money as well for working for Pomona’s family), she embarks on an unlikely investigation. But if she gets her fortune back, will she lose any chance she might have with Gabe?

This was a quick and fun read. It’s always fascinating when “ordinary” people turn into detectives in books, but there’s nothing ordinary about Pomona. She and Gabe are both such fun, and bring a sweetness to the story.