Reviews, Etc.

REVIEW: Jamie by L. D. Lapinski

Summary


Jamie Rambeau told their best friends first. Then their parents. And eventually people at school. “Non-binary.” They spelled out their preferred pronouns. They pointed out school practices that were gendered (like “boys and girls” to refer to the group as a whole). And things worked out. Some people were more accepting and cooperative than others. But overall things were fine.

But Year 7 students go to secondary school. And in Jamie’s community there are only 2 – one for boys and one for girls. Where is Jamie supposed to go?

Review


This was lovely! I enjoyed Jamie and their friends. And I learned a TON reading this book. I appreciated the emphasis on educating readers – from the between-chapter pages defining terms to the things Jamie and their community learn along the way.

This is exactly the sort of book I think about when I talked to people about how books can help develop empathy. If you had asked me before I read this to anticipate the things that would be hard for Jamie, I would only have been able to scratch the surface. But as I was reading, I was incensed on Jamie’s behalf – over things I never expected. I kept marking moments that caught my attention.

I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to get a sense of the perspective of a non-binary character. (This book was published in the UK, so you may have to hunt a bit for a source.) This would be great for a book club or class read-aloud with discussion, especially if it’s with a group learning about various perspectives – LGBTQ+  experiences or disabilities or race, etc..

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read.

 

REVIEW: The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady

Summary


Libby and Hannah inherited a PR firm from their beloved grandmother, but they are struggling to keep it afloat. Then Lou, a self-help guru, walks in.

Lou is vetting PR firms for the launch of a new product line. In order to compete, Hannah and Libby have to follow Lou’s system to break out of comfort zones so they can work from that experience if they get the job. Hannah is challenged to go on 12 first dates, and Libby has to do a fitness challenge.

While both women work on their programs – with significant help from one another – the process leads them to revelations, and love, they weren’t expecting.

Review


This was excellent! I usually enjoy dual point-of-view books, and this does an excellent job with the voices and insights of both sisters. And the set up with the 12 week challenges was fantastically done.

I liked both Hannah and Libby and was completely engrossed in their surface stories – the lost love/reconciliation, the physical challenges, the business challenges. But when both women get to the deeper parts of their individual journeys, I was riveted. I didn’t want to put the book down.

This was a delight from start to finish. I loved every bit of it. This was the perfect book to kick off my summer reading season – I recommend you give it a try. (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

BOOK NEWS: June 13, 2023

Here are some of the books releasing this week!

Books for Kids


I Have Seven Dogs – Zoe can’t have a dog at home, but she knows all of the dogs in her neighborhood. This looks darling!
Spider-Man: Animals Assemble – When the Avengers get called into action, Spider-Man gets called in… to pet-sit. This looks adorable, too! I love Mike Maihack’s artwork so I am looking forward to seeing this one in person.
The Girl in the Tree – A girl raised by squirrels tries to make human friends. This sounds hilarious!

 

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


The Hunt for the Hollower – Following in the footsteps of their ancestor, Merlin, Percy and Merlynda practice magic as well – although Merlynda’s is often a little off track. But when they cast a spell to help her, Percy is sucked into portal, directly to the magic-stealing Hollower.
Borrow My Heart – Something new from Kasie West. A girl steps into a fake relationship when she pretends to be an online crush for a guy who is getting catfished. I hope to review this one soon.
Fat Witch Summer – A young woman discovers she’s a witch, but her mother will get to choose her type of magic – and her mother wants to choose something to change how her daughter looks. So three young witches team up to steal their own gifts by traveling across the magical Thirteen States of America. I have to know what happens here – this is at the top of my list for this week.
Going Bicoastal (LGBTQ+) – Since Natalya can’t decide if she wants to spend the summer with her dad or her mom, both options play out over the course of the book. This sounds fascinating!
Part of Your World (Graphic Novel) – The Twisted Tale series is getting the graphic novel treatment – and the artwork here is stunning!

 

Books for Adults


A Degree to Die For (Trade Paperback – LGBTQ+) – Book 2 in the University Police series. A classics professor and a campus police officer team up when departmental changes seem to lead to murder.
The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley (Trade Paperback) – A university researcher puts her skills to work on a magazine list of “Ways to Be Happy.” This looks fun!
A Little Ray of Sunshine (Trade Paperback) – Two families lives are upended when an 18 year old finds his birth mother. I love stories like this!
A Love Catastrophe (Trade Paperback) – Instead of a meet-cute, the Kitty Whisperer and her newest client have a meet-disaster. Yes, please!
Love, Theoretically (Trade Paperback) – A theoretical physicist waiting on a tenured position pads her bank account by working as a fake girlfriend. I haven’t read an Ali Hazelwood book yet, but this seems like the perfect place to start!
The Sweetheart List (Trade Paperback) – A woman reinvents herself by ditching anything that doesn’t spark joy, starting with her job, and starts over in the last place where she was happy. Yes, please! This is on my list, too.
The Body Revelation: Physical and Spiritual Practices to Metabolize Pain, Banish Shame, and Connect to God with Your Whole Self (Hardcover) – A new resource from the founder of Revelation Wellness, Alisa Keeton. This is on my list for the week as well.

 

VACATION: LGBTQ+ books

Taking a little time off, so here are some links to some past reviews of LGBTQ+ books. You can see a full set of books I have tagged LGBTQ+ in the past here. Some of these feature LGBTQ+ characters and/or storylines. Sometimes they are secondary factors. It’s taken me a bit to decide how I wanted to tag these stories so readers could find them.

Some of my favorites include:

Bookish Boyfriends: Get A Clue (YA)
Thanks a Lot, Universe (Older Middle Grade)
We Didn’t Ask for This (YA)
The Pros of Cons (YA)
ConQuest (Middle Grade) – ♥♥♥♥½
Bookish and the Beast (YA) – ♥♥♥♥½
The Princess and the Fangirl (YA) – ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert

Summary


Conrad’s not in a great place when the trip first comes up. He’s barely getting by, and his landlord is putting her house up for sale. One of his newer jobs is making cuts, so he’s about to lose that gig too. He’d probably be better off if he scalped the ticket to Massive Odyssey Con West. But he knows if he could go – and win the tournament – it could change the trajectory of his whole life.

Alden also thinks MOCW could change his life. And he needs something. He’s still living in his moms’ carriage house, and since he didn’t get into medical school he’s feeling stuck and aimless. His moms are pressuring him to make a plan. “Win a deck-building tournament” probably isn’t what they had in mind.

Alden and Conrad can’t stand each other. But in order to get to MOCW they’ll have to grit their teeth because this is a cross-country trip. The two of them – and all of their animosity – alone in a car for days.

Review


Enemies to lovers is not a trope I seek out or gravitate toward very often. In fact, several chapters in I wasn’t sure I wanted to stick with this.  Con and Alden were both hard to like from the outside. Thankfully the author gave both of them point-of-view chapters which helped me stick with the book. The gaming angle was the main reason I picked this up – I adore con/convention stories, so I had to give this a try. This is a different sort of convention than what I usually attend, but the gaming and convention vibe worked for me.

I enjoyed watching Con and Alden work through both their assumptions about the other AND their personal challenges as they grew closer. And I appreciated the twists the author threw in to get us to a happy ending. (I also appreciated the lack of panicked shenanigans like lost bags or stolen money on the road trip. Every time they stopped, my anxiety ramped up. And then, happily, nothing like that happened. It was a relief!)

For Pride month, I am trying to focus on reviews of LGBTQ+ titles, and I enjoyed this one. I had no idea there was a sequel, but I found Out of Character recently and immediately picked it up. Check both of these out. If you are looking for other conventions stories, you can explore some other options here.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

BOOK NEWS: June 6, 2023

Welcome to the first release week of June 2023 – here are some of the books I’m excited about that are out this week!

Books for Kids


Burt the Beetle Lives Here! – A sequel to Burt the Beetle Doesn’t Bite. Burt learns about insect habitats as he tries to find what is “home” for him.

 

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


Fann Club: Batman Squad – A young Batman fan creates his own crime-fighting team who then stumbles across an actual bank robbery.
The Kingdom Over the Sea – Before she died, Yara’s mother left her instructions for finding a magical land called Zehaira. But the Zehaira Yara finds is very different from what her mother always described as the Sultan has outlawed magic.
A Spark in the Cinders (LGBTQ+) – The new queen’s step-sister joins forces with a lady knight to look for pieces of a broken artifact that is prophesied to save the kingdom.

 

Books for Adults


The Bookshop by the Bay (Trade Paperback) – Two women looking for second chances team up to run a beloved bookstore.
A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality
 (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Saffron Everleigh Mystery series. Saffron and Dr. Lee encounter a case of murder by floral arrangements. This series sounds fantastic!
Cassandra in Reverse (Hardcover) – After getting dumped and fired, Cassandra discovers she can go back in time and fix her life, bit by bit.
Charm City Rocks (Trade Paperback) – A teen worried his dad might be lonely cooks up a scheme to get a once-famous rock star to perform at the music shop underneath their apartment so the two adults can meet.
Marion Lane and the Raven’s Revenge (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Marion Lane Mystery series. Marion is on the case when her best friend’s girlfriend goes missing and the Inquirers get a package containing a dead raven – just like what happened before Marion’s mother died.
Mortal Follies (Trade Paperback – LGBTQ+) – A young woman under a curse seeks out a dangerous enchantress for help.
Naming of the Queen (e-book) – Book 2 in the Return of the Ancestors series. The princess with no name is on the run, falsely accused of killing her betrothed’s family. She will have to figure out what schemes have led her to this place if she ever hopes to reunite with King Rowan and prove her innocence.
Unfortunately Yours (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Vine Mess series. A marriage of convenience may be just what Natalie needs to get her trust fund and launch a fresh start while August desperately needs some help with the vineyard he’s trying to save. But the chemistry between them isn’t really “convenient” for either.
Gentle Writing Advice (Trade Paperback) – Chuck Wendig, author of novels like Wanderers and Star Wars: Aftermath, pens this book of “gentle” writing advice with a focus on discovering who YOU are and what methods will work for YOU rather than a one size fits all set of writing “rules.”
Unlock Your Menopause Type (Hardcover) – Personal recommendations based on quiz results for the reader’s particular type of menopause.

REVIEW: The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz

Summary


When her father dies, the only ways for Lady Camembert to inherit are for her to marry a man – something she has no interest in – or pretend to be one. So she moves away – somewhere no one will know her with only one servant – and becomes Count Camembert.

And that plan might have worked if she was content with a quiet life at home, mostly on her own. But “Count Camembert” can’t resist a party and eventually becomes friends with Princess Brie. And before long, she’s fallen in love with her. But the princess can never know the truth.

Review


While I don’t read historicals often, when I do the idea of women fighting to keep their inheritance is a theme I gravitate toward. I love those stories. But I think I prefer them in prose over graphic novels. I found myself wanting more here.

That said, I did enjoy this graphic novel. The characters were fun and the artwork is gorgeous. I think readers will get a kick out of the cheesy references and Cam’s journey to the freedom to wholly be herself.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

[I received a free review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary


Samantha says she is on Martha’s Vineyard for the summer to watch her teenaged half-brother, Tyler, while his parents are on an extended vacation. But in reality, she quit her job as a chef in Boston when she was passed over for a job. She needs a soft place to land and re-group.

Sam did not count on meeting a handsome stranger on the ferry. She knew Ben was bookish because she accidentally knocked his book into the ocean. But he’s also a librarian. She’s not sure what to make of all of that bookishness. Sam’s dyslexia means that reading is a tremendous challenge. There are just too many other things she’d rather do instead. Things that don’t fill her with shame.

But the chemistry between them is undeniable. And Ben doesn’t seem to think Sam has anything to be ashamed of. But Sam has lost boyfriends and jobs over her dyslexia in the past, so she’s not sure she can trust him long term. But a summer fling might be all right, if she can keep herself from falling head over heels for him.

Review


That summary really doesn’t do this book justice, but if I try to explain all of the magic of this story, I will end up spoiling it. And this is too perfect to risk spoiling it.

I. Loved. Everything.

All of the characters are fantastic. And the set up – the family things, the reading things, the romance, the setting – is all perfect. There are funny moments and swooning moments and heart-tugging moments and angsty moments. And I adored them all. This was definitely a book I wanted to hug when I was done.

The author’s note about dyslexia and the choices she and the publisher made in the production of this novel were icing on the cake. I loved how that aspect of the story was handled. I can’t wait to see this book in person to see the dyslexia-friendly font they chose and other accommodations.

Finally, there’s a teaser for a companion novel focusing on another character – and I need it in my hands immediately!

Jenn McKinlay has never failed me before, and she certainly hasn’t here. Fans of her other romances – and fans of her mysteries if you  also like books with some spice – should absolutely pick this up. She really hits this one out of the park. Highly recommend! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

BOOK NEWS: May 30, 2023

Happy Memorial Day – Here are some of the books releasing this week!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


Falling Out of Time – Sequel to 1997’s Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix. A girl in 2193 finds clues that her utopian world may not be all she thinks it is and that she might have a connection to Jessie Keyser (Main character in Running Out of Time).
The First Magnificent Summer (Older Middle Grade) – After a two year absence, Victoria is looking forward to some time with her father, hoping to impress him with her wit and maturity. But he shows up with his new family, the Replacements, and he treats Victoria in a way that makes her think he doesn’t like her because she’s a girl. This is on my list for this week!
The Night in Question – Sequel to one of my favorite books of 2022. You can read my full review here.
Time Out – When the local basketball star comes out to his community, he faces backlash he wasn’t expecting

 

Books for Adults


The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (Trade Paperback) – Twins of a certain age look for excitement and distraction by helping a friend out of a bad relationship. But they encounter unexpected trials – and one has a chance at love. This sounds so fun. I have a review copy of this waiting for me.
Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly (Trade Paperback) – In this new novel by Marie Bostwick, a newly unemployed and single woman returns to her childhood home and helps her estranged family try to save their lakeside retreat. While there, she discovers a chapter of her late-grandmother’s life she never knew before. This sounds lovely – and I thoroughly enjoyed The Restoration of Celia Fairchild. I’ll be checking this one out.
Even If the Sky Is Falling (Trade Paperback, collection) – When the world thinks an incoming meteor shower could mean the end of life as we know it, 6 couples decide to make the most of their “last” hours – except the world doesn’t actually end. This looks like it will be 6 interconnected short stories. What a clever set up! This is on my list.
The Gay Best Friend (Trade Paperback) – Dom feels torn trying to be the best friend to both the bride and the groom as they approach their big day – and he starts to realize how little attention he has paid to his own heart and what he wants for his own life. Yes, please!
Ink Blood Sister Scribe (Hardcover) – Half sisters charged with supervising and protecting a library of magical books discover centuries worth of secrets kept by their parents. Yep, sounds right up my alley!
Marrying Off Morgan McBride (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the McBrides of Montana series. A woman who always seems to be “too much” answers an ad for a mail order bride, but the husband-to-be isn’t the one who placed the ad – his younger sister placed it for him! I’m not much for westerns in general, but these two books sound fun!
Murder Off the Books (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 3 in the By the Book Mystery series. Right when Tess is trying to get back in the town’s good graces by having an extravagant book release/store opening event, her mother arrives in town with a notorious conman connected to the deaths of three elderly women. When the conman is found dead, and Tess’s mother becomes the prime murder suspect, Tess has to start sleuthing again. I adored book 1 in this series and cannot wait to dig into books 2 and now 3, hopefully this summer!
Once More with Feeling (Trade Paperback) – Once upon a time, she was a pop star with everything. Then a hook up with a member of a popular boyfriend – and not the one she was dating – destroyed everything. Now she’s content in a more quiet life – until the hook up shows up with a Broadway offer she can’t refuse. Yep, this one too! I told you there were a LOT of great books releasing this month!
Puzzled Pieces (ebook) – Book 5 in the PTO Murder Club Mystery series. Mustang and her friends investigate a string of murders of school bus drivers. This is the first I had heard of this series, but it sounds great! I’ve picked up the first book in the series to check it out.
Star Trek: Discovery: Somewhere to Belong (Trade Paperback) – The Discovery crew has gone 900 years into the future. After helping a world cut off from the Federation because of the Burn, the Discovery answers a distress call that seems to have connections to their old 23rd century lives.
The Wishing Game (Hardcover) – After a difficult childhood, Lucy is sensitive to the needs of one of her students who was recently orphaned. If only she had the resources to adopt Christopher and give him the love and home he deserves after such loss. Lucy gets her chance when she is chosen to participate in a contest where she can win the only copy of a new book written by her favorite author from her own childhood. This sounds like a not-to-be-missed story!

 

REVIEW: The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will release on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.]

Summary


Alice and Iris and their friends are with everyone who’s anyone at the Sadie Hawkins dance at Levy Castle. The history of the castle – including the mysterious death of movie star Mona Moody – is something Castle Cove takes very seriously. But two of Alice’s old friends, Kennedy and Park, seem more concerned with contemporary drama rather than history. They have a very public fight in the middle of the dance.

Then there’s the screaming.
The blood.
Kennedy is gravely injured. Park runs.
The students are trapped at the Castle due to a storm-caused mudslide – and the authorities struggle to get there.

It’s like one of Alice’s Agatha Christie novels! While Kennedy is soon taken to the hospital, and the students can finally leave the Castle, the questions over what really happened aren’t going away any time soon. So Alice, Iris, and their friends start investigating.

Review


I absolutely adored The Agathas when I first read it a year ago. In fact, it was one of my top 10 most favorite reads of 2022. Halfway through the book I was begging the universe to make this a series. I was so excited when I heard there would be a sequel!

This was outstanding! The story blew me right out of the water. Alice and Iris are back, better than ever – with a real friendship with ups and downs but a core connection and loyalty that keeps them together. The mystery is layered, and each piece is solid and meaty on its own. There’s a LOT going on here – and I loved all of it! There are real stakes here, too, which added to the tension and to my enjoyment. There were several moments when I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough.

I blitzed through The Agathas in a day before I started this so I would have the characters fresh in my mind. I am glad I did so I could jump right into this new story.  Newcomers should absolutely start with book 1, if for no other reason than the ending is “spoiled” here in book 2. You’ll be happier if you read these in order. Fans of book one should snap this up immediately – it was terrific! I can’t wait to see what comes in book 3.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!