Book Review Wrap-Up #40

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

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💖 For some reason, these characters just didn’t have the chemistry I was looking for but I genuinely enjoyed the story. It touched on childhood crushes, love, and loss. It was also a sweet connection between missing a passing parent.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

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💖 This is my second Emily Henry book and I genuinely believe she has the most scrumptous witty banter. Toward the end I thought it could have been 20% shorter – I’m sorry! All in all, such a good story about two people struggling to communicate with each other.

The Beast And The Bookseller

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💖 This book was fine. The MMC is a grump, and her dad is a drunk who owns the bookshop that she has literally taken care of and customized for years. However, he refuses to give it to her because she’s a woman and doesn’t think she can handle it—even though she’s been handling it all along. Honestly, that made me mad.

Off the Hook by Julie Olivia

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💖 A Peter Pan retelling that I devoured like nobody’s business. OMG—please read this! Wendy Darling needs a job during her summer break from teaching, and Jasper needs help with his 6-year-old son. The twist? Wendy used to be engaged to Peter, Jasper’s younger brother. P.S. You will absolutely love the Never Harbor community, especially Jas and Peter’s parents.

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

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💖 Everyone has been raving about this book to me for well over two years now. I finally picked it up, and yes—I loved it! I loved everything about it, but it wasn’t a 5-star read for me because it didn’t quite reach the level of hype everyone promised. I also think the timing affected my experience; I was moving, which made my reading and bedtime schedule really inconsistent. It felt like it took forever to finish, even though I enjoyed the book! I can’t quite explain it—something was just missing that kept it from being a 5-star read. That said, I would still recommend this book to anyone! I love the age gap (she’s older), and honestly, Daniel Grant treats Alexis exactly the way every woman on earth should be treated.

A part of B&N’s buy 1, get 1 half off!

The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn

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💖 Second Meghan Quinn book. Even though I loved the first one, and gave it a 5-star, this one fell a tiny bit flat. I didn’t get butterflies for these two til near the end. I also had a tough time with a FMC. I understand she’s 24 but, lord, she was so immature. I never acted that way at 24. So, it was very hard to relate, but I loved Rowan and so will you.

All Downhill with You by Julie Olivia

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💖 I’d like to start by saying that I used to work for the most famous mouse in the world. So, after finishing Julie Olivia’s Peter Pan reimagining and discovering she had more magical books, I had to read them. When I found out she had a series about a fairytale theme park in Georgia featuring a roller coaster engineer and the park’s marketing manager—who was in a lawsuit against the engineer after being hurt on his roller coaster—I was immediately sold. You bet your zippity-doo-dah day I couldn’t wait to dive in!

Cute, flirty, a little cringe at times but still a fun read.

The Fiction Between Us by Julie Olivia

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💖 I told you I dove right on in! Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite fit the bill for me. There were a lot of great takes on mental health, finding your own happiness, and not giving up on yourself. That wasn’t the issue for me. My problem was with the chemistry and some of the dialogue. I think I’m a bit too mature for it, and I cringed a number of times—so much so that I don’t have any interest in continuing with the series. However, I will definitely finish her Never Harbor series!

Next to You by Hannah Bonam-Young

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💖 This was my second book by Hannah Bonam-Young, and saying I’m obsessed with her work is an understatement. She writes such profound characters and adds so many layers to them that you feel like you know them and just want the best for them. I am completely in love with Matt, and you will be too. He absolutely dotes on the FMC and is wonderfully perfect as a partner. And his family? OMG, be prepared to be amazed. I love how Hannah always touches on real-life issues like mental health, grief and loss, and love. Gosh, another bravo for Hannah!

Until You by K. Bromberg

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💖 A single hot cop and father to 11-year-old twin girls and living next to a woman who’s running from her ex-druglord husband? A thousand times YES, please!

This book was a delightful surprise, and I finished it in 24 hours thanks to a combination of house chores and sheer determination. My only complaint is that this is a romance, not a romantic thriller. I really wanted more suspense, but I’m happy I stumbled onto this author!