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.

Book Review: "Who Loves You Best" by Marilyn Simon Rothstein

This book was so sweet and enjoyable on so many levels. It also made me miss my grandmothers, and the characteristics that made them so special.

Jodi is a podiatrist in Boca Raton, Florida. She’s thrilled that her daughter Lisa has asked her to come up to the Berkshires to babysit her granddaughter Macallan. (Yes, like the Scotch.) Jodi doesn’t spend nearly as much time with Macallan than Di, Lisa’s mother-in-law, does, so she jumps at the chance for one-on-on time.

Yet when Jodi arrives, she’s shocked to find that she’s going to have to share Macallan after all. Not only is Di going to be staying at Lisa’s as well, but she also has to contend with “Grannie Annie,” the girlfriend of Lisa’s father-in-law. (She’s only 27.)

After some tense moments, the women start to get along and care for Macallan together. At the same time, Jodi has to deal with Jake, her husband, who has been unceremoniously let go from his job, so he’s falling apart a bit.

When Lisa shares that her marriage is in trouble, Jodi has to decide how she should help her daughter. But that decision could upend everything in Jodi’s life, so she’ll need to truly think things through. What can she change and what must stay the same?

This was such a warm, funny, and heartfelt book. These characters—especially Jodi and Jake—definitely seemed familiar to me, and that just enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

Book Review: "Find Me in California" by Kerry Lonsdale

“Time doesn’t heal relationships, but conversation does.”

Matt is a photographer in Santa Fe. He lives a lonely life, with his business partner, Dave, as his only friend. But when he arrives home one night to find boxes stacked outside his garage, he is confused and figures someone else's boxes were mistakenly delivered. And then he sees that they were sent on behalf of his grandmother, who raised him for eight years, and never gave him one ounce of affection.

Julia volunteers at the nursing home where her grandmother, Ruby Rose, has been a resident since her dementia diagnosis, in order to afford her staying there. It’s becoming harder and harder to deal with the imminent loss of the woman who raised her, and handle not being recognized, even being feared at times.

Matt’s grandmother is a resident at the same facility; in fact, Julia is the one who shipped the boxes to him. When he learns his grandmother has run out of money and needs him to find a new facility for her, he reluctantly agrees to drive to California. But he’s not sure he can face the woman who made him close his heart to love.

When Julia finds her grandmother’s diary, she is shocked to find out what her life was like back in the 1970s. But more than that, she discovers that there were connections between her grandmother and Matt’s, and that Matt’s grandmother might have come to the facility because of Ruby Rose.

This is an emotional read, with a lot of loss as well as Ruby Rose’s dementia. It’s also a hopeful book, about letting yourself love and be loved, and about the secrets we hide to protect ourselves, but they may hurt others. There is also a strange thread of magical realism which I didn’t enjoy and found very unsettling (strange, since I love magical realism), so I focused on the rest of the story.