I liked this one! If Elinor Oliphant could time travel!

I picked this book for its comparison to Stars Hollow and Gilmore Girls. TBH, I didn’t really make that connection. While the town is definitely small, and the people are friendly, it didn’t have quite the same feel as Stars Hollow.

For a romance novel, this book was decent. The Renaissance Faire concept was unique, and thought I’ve never been to one myself, I could completely envision it. I enjoyed the characters, but sometimes I felt like there were unnecessary conflicts created as a result of their lack of common sense. However, I loved all the characters’ personalities. The romance scenes were ~spicy~ but not over the top, and there weren’t too many of them.

Some of the things that shattered the illusion of the story for me:

As a teacher myself, I found the behavior of someone the teacher characters a bit… off? Like, the faire is a community event and a fundraiser for the school. I find it weird that the teachers are half dressed and flirting with their students’ families? But that’s just being judgmental.

The family dynamics between Emily and her sister/niece were strange. I get that the sisters weren’t close, and they had their own arc. But, I found it weird that the moment Simon came on the scene, Emily sort of… stopped caring about strengthening the bond with her family and opted to focus on the bond with the town? I couldn’t really connect with that.

Regardless, I have already started the second book in the series. I’m a sucker for a cute romance!

I heard about this story from my friend Nicole, who was reading it with her book club. I am SO glad I followed her suggestion.

Summer is a weird time for me; the lack of structure due to summer break means I don’t spend as much time in the car, and audiobooks tend to go un-listened to. I really enjoyed the audio version of this novel. The voice actors were articulate and convincing. The story was mysterious and thrilling, but it wasn’t totally predictable. Some of the romantic aspects felt a bit unnecessary, but maybe I’m just prude! Even though Lucy was a bit rough around the edges, she was believable and like-able. Her parents, on the other hand….

Normally, I can get confused with too many characters. But in this case, each character’s story was so well written. I was able to keep everyone straight. Each person was absolutely necessary to the story, whether it be to cause chaos and confusion or to keep the events going. My favorite character was proooobably the grandma, though. She was a bad ass.

I ATE this book up, and I can’t wait for my friends to read it so we can talk about it!!

It’s been a while since a book’s ending has made me sob. The last few chapters had me crying harder than I’d like to admit, and when I finally closed the back cover, I needed to be consoled by my husband for a solid five minutes. He asked me if my book was sad, and I didn’t even know how to answer in a succinct way.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club wasn’t a sad book; it was moving. I’ve mentioned in previous reviews that I love the “found family” trope or the “grumpy-old-curmudgeon-finds-love” trope. This book fell right into those categories, and it just pulled on my heart strings. I could continue reading about these characters and their interactions for another twenty chapters. Their banter/discussion was strong and comical while also being realistic. The dynamic between each character resulted in a lack of one protagonist. Instead, each character had their shining moment when they got to share their perspective. The character growth was strong, but it didn’t feel rushed. There was happiness to the ending while also staying in the realm of realistic fiction. The timeline felt authentic, and the characters acknowledged when things felt rushed. I just really enjoyed every aspect of this story, and I would absolutely recommend it to any person looking for a wholesome and moving novel.

I’ve been reading a lot of romance novels lately, and I’ve been increasingly frustrated with the characters’ communication skills and coping mechanisms. While this story certainly has its frustrating moments, I found myself less bothered by it all than usual. I think Jimenez did a great job building Emma’s character up and her friendship with Maddie provided some .

I knocked a star off for the unrealistic timeline of the relationship and the “happily ever after”- ending. It felt a little too good to be true and corny.

Oooof this book was not for me. I considered abandoning it several times, but instead I just sped up the audiobook to 2.0. The characters in this story were just straight stupid. I want to shake them from the shoulders and shout COMMUNICATE at them. Their problems are childish, not relatable. As an anxious and panicked person myself, Adrian needs to learn how to deal his panic attacks in a healthy way. Acknowledge his mental health, see a therapist, communicate with friends and family.

Hallie’s relationships with her friends, the owner of Corked, etc. were flat and meaningless. Many plot lines ended up getting lost. Even the romantic scenes felt cringy to me. The character of Natalie’s sole purpose was to force the plot along because the characters couldn’t do it themselves.

Also, why are the three stupid letters SUCH a big deal? Like. They’re not that embarrassing.

I am so glad to be done with this book.

Funny Story had all the build up, but it felt like a let down for me. I liked the pacing at the beginning, but the plot sort of shifted half way through. Instead of focusing on the whole Peter and Petra drama and maintaining the lie, everything shifted to mommy and daddy problems and a series of minuscule conflicts. I didn’t really find the dilemmas as big of a deal as the characters, and I wasn’t very invested. The characters felt one note, and there were randomly a lot of them. I don’t know, this one just wasn’t for me. BUT, the ~spicy~ scenes were typical solid, if that’s what you’re reading for!

I loved the premise of this book. I am a big fan of mysteries that are NOT considered psycho-thrillers. The beginning had me hooked, but as the story continued, I found myself getting lost between the characters and timelines. There were a handful of red herrings that threaded through the plot. However, the characters weren’t really developed to the point where I felt like I knew them or wanted to root for them. The plot felt convoluted and overly complicated. At the end of the day, I couldn’t really understand the different choices the characters made and what motivated them to do so. The ending felt rushed to me, too. It was a solid read that I didn’t want to put down, but when it ended, I was ready to move on.

The hunt for the Golden State Killer is truly fascinating. Michelle McNamara was such a talented writer. True crime is a tricky subject- you want to engage your reader while doing justice to the victims affected, and McNamara did just that. Though I know nothing about the geography of California, McNamara’s explanations and descriptions of the variety of locations were vivid and detailed. I couldn’t stop reading (listening), even though the details were horrific and terrifying. I felt like I was sitting there with her, staring at her glowing laptop screen in the middle of the night.

The worst part of the book is the reality that McNamara was unable to see justice brought and the GSK caught and arrested. I firmly believe her dedication to this case helped shed the necessary light on the crimes committed, leading to the eventual arrest. Thank you, Michelle, for your hard work.

Okay, so I didn’t realize that this book was based on true events! And I definitely didn’t realize until the last like… 15 minutes of the audio that I KNEW about these events! While the story-telling was a little slow, it helped that I was listening to the audiobook. I adore Sutton Foster, so that made the story even better!

Pamela, Ruth, and Tina were such strong women and inspiring characters to me. I connected to each of them throughout the story, to the point like I felt I knew them and their struggles personally. I enjoyed the metacognitive moments and internal conflicts throughout. I would absolutely recommend this book, but I wouldn’t label it as a thriller or a mystery - just a fictional narrative inspired by reality.