Book Review:: Funny Story | Emily Henry

Let’s talk about the new Emily Henry book —

Funny Story Emily Henry Book Cover

Daphne’s fiancé came back from his bachelor party weekend with a declaration of love on his lips. Unfortunately, it was for his childhood friend Petra, not her. She had packed up her entire life and moved to Michigan for the guy. She lived in the house he bought for them. And now? Now the only thing she has is her dream job as a children’s librarian…in the one place on earth she no longer wants to be. She has nowhere to go. Then Miles, Petra’s beau, shows up after he gets the NOTE she left him, ending their years long relationship. He wants answers, but they’re already long gone. Instead, he picks up a new roommate. Daphne & Miles are practical strangers, both mourning the death of relationships they’d put everything on the line for. In a bout of revenge, they decide to pretend they’ve found new love in each other. We know how the rest of the story goes, right? They grow closer, become true friends, help each other navigate the troubles in their lives, and the pesky little spark between them, once struck, refuses to die out.

The banter is top tier. Daphne and Miles get each other. The bond of friendship that anchors them is so genuine. They’re not just grieving together, they’re grieving the exact same thing. And when one of them is going through something rough, the other is there with immense support.

Although it is firmly inside romantic comedy territory, it has authentic depth that pulls the ol’ heartstrings. As Daphne sifts through the wreckage of her life to figure out what she even wants out of life, she has to really examine all the pieces of it. Would moving back ‘home’ solve any of her problems? Or is she just trying to run away…again?

In conclusion – drumroll please – I loved it. As far as Emily Henry goes, this ranks for me just under my favorite she’s written (Beach Read) for a solid runner-up. I loved Miles. I loved how he was revealed in layers, just a little bit at a time. I related so hard to Daphne in many ways. The difficulty of adult friendships, her self-doubt. Very little of this book felt tedious to get through (unlike Book Lovers, honestly). Although there were some things that bothered me, too.

  • The third act conflict was confusing and needlessly stressful (in my opinion). It stretched the bounds of my belief, but it wasn’t enough to ruin it for me.
  • The title. It’s explained in the opening anecdote, but other than that, it doesn’t feel like it applies in any meaningful way to the actual story. Not the only Emily Henry book to which this gripe applies though. Titles are hard. Hers are catchy. I get it.

It’s hard to go wrong with an Emily Henry book. She’s a sharp-witted writer with a modern style that is easy to read and lose yourself in. Her characters have so much complicated depth, and the narrative works long and hard to resolve their long-standing issues realistically. They’re more spunky than fluffy, and give you plenty of fodder to ruminate over long after the last pages are turned. I’d say of the four Henry’s I’ve read so far, for me this is a solid runner-up behind Beach Read (Happy Place settled at the rear).

Details

Title:: Funny Story
Author:: Emily Henry
Genre:: Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 395 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 23m
Audiobook Narrator:: Julia Whelan
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: April 23rd, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

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Author Website
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[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Summertime Punchline | Betty Corrello
Amazing Grace Adams | Fran Littlewood

Book Review:: Not in Love | Ali Hazelwood

I’ve read a few Ali Hazelwood books. Love, Theoretically, Love on the Brain, The Love Hypothesis, Check & Mate — I was expecting Not in Love to be in a similar vein, but unlike the others, which are all romances and usually contain a pretty awkward sex scene or two, this book needs to come with a disclaimer:: This Book is Pure Porn. That being said, the underlying story between the orgasms is a decent story of revenge, personal growth, and lots of obsession.

Not in Love Ali Hazelwood Book Cover

Rue Seibert works in food security science for a pioneer woman in the field who founded her own company, Kline, so the university she worked for wouldn’t own her patent. Now Rue is on the cusp of needing her own patent, just when a finance company swoops in a buys up Kline’s loan. Rue’s hero believes they’ve come in to destroy everything she’s ever worked for, so they are enemy number one. But when Rue recognizes one of the finance guys from a recent hookup, and she learns more about her boss’ history with them, the lines of her allegiance start to blur.

So let’s just jump into it and talk about the sex. This is by far the sexiest (as in literally so much sex) Hazelwood story I’ve read so far – but I haven’t read them all, so can’t say for certain it has the most. Please, enlighten me in the comments. There’s a lot of it. I know I already said that like eight different ways, but really, you need to prepare yourself. If you took away the explicit sex scenes, there may be nothing more than a novella length story in front of you. This is erotica territory.

I couldn’t help but feel bad for the two main characters, who pretty much treat sex as a biological urge and nothing more. They use a sex app (not a dating app) to find others who just want to use each other’s bodies for pleasure. They are both so detached from their feelings that that’s all they think they want or can offer someone else. I guess it did leave room for them to grow, but it was an ick for me. Sex is more than just a physical connection. Or maybe I should say sex should be more than just a physical connection. But maybe that’s my age showing? It was uncomfortable to read so much of it, and the way Eli was obsessed with Rue kind of gave me creepy-sex guy vibes. Sorry, not sorry.

One of the things Rue and Eli exchanged (other than copious amounts of bodily fluids) were all the dark pieces of themselves. Truths they’ve never told anyone before because of the shame it brings them. Similar to Hate Mail by Donna Marchetti (solid 5-Star book), I loved it. They spoke, and the other listened, and there was acceptance. The acknowledgement of their regrets and flaws and imperfect choices – it makes the connection they forge feel genuine. They’re not falling for an image of the other person they’ve built up in their own mind – they’re falling for the whole person. The real person. In that way, I found it very romantic. Then again, the same could happen in a platonic friendship, but since they’re fucking, like, all the time, let’s call it romance.

There are also storylines with themes of food scarcity, complicated family relationships, social struggles, and strong friendships. There’s some good stuff in there, you just have to wade through a lot of fornication to get there, because I’m not sure if you’ve heard yet, but there’s a lot of it.

Overall, it was a decent story. Everything that was promised had a satisfying payoff, and we get a happily ever after. If you like Hazelwood’s science-y style, you still get a bit of that, but the main course is real raunchy. It just wasn’t the one for me.

Details

Title:: Not in Love
Author:: Ali Hazelwood
Genre:: Erotic Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 384 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 55m
Audiobook Narrator:: Callie Dalton & Jason Clarke
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: June 11th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 2-Stars

Linky Links!!

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Author Website
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[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

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Book Review:: Summertime Punchline | Betty Corrello

Many romance novels are almost sickly-sweet, like candy. Bubbly and sunshine-y. You know the ones. Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello is different. Its humor is drier, its romance less sure-footed than most. The characters may or may not be fated (I could argue both ways), but in the end, their love is chosen, not inevitable, and it gives the story a different flavor. Like a chocolate covered pretzel, maybe. A little salty. A little zing. A little something special.

Summertime Punchline Betty Corrello Book Cover

Delfina Silva-Miller is a stand-up comic on the edge of getting everything she’s worked toward for the past decade. Right on the edge – then she topples off, landing in the last place she ever wanted to be. In one fell swoop she finds herself jobless, single, and homeless (just a typical run-of-the-mill boyfriend-banged-her-roommate-the-day-she-quit-her-job situation). She still has a spot booked on an epic comedy festival in a few months, but suddenly, she can’t use any of the material she has about the asshat boyfriend, and nowhere to stay in the meantime. So, with her tail tucked between her legs, she makes her way down the Jersey shore, to the town of Evergreen, where she grew up. Trouble is, she ran away from that town kicking and screaming immediately after graduation with no plans to ever return. There was nothing for her there except her kind little Italian grandmother who raised her. Her mother died before she could remember, her father was a druggie drunk failure typa guy, and the boy she was in a near constant love-hate relationship with growing up never chose her when it counted. She returns to find Evergreen different from the decade before, but some things never change. Eddie is still around, her father got sober, her grandmother does weekly aquarobics, and incredibly, there’s an open mic night in a bar downtown that’s perfect for her to work on her new material (just guess who owns the place). She has to get a new set written – a great one – but being back in her hometown stirs up a lot of old hurts, and grown-up Del finds herself needing to heal old wounds before the jokes will flow.

Y’all know by now I’m a sucker for good writing, and damn girl – this one slaps. A few examples of lines I absolutely lust after:

My last shot to repot my lifelong dream like a grocery store houseplant and make it bloom.

The next morning, I left town before Evergreen had rubbed the sleep from its eyes…

It wasn’t like Eddie and I avoided the deep end; we’d met each other in the deep end.

Eddie trailed behind me, laughter winking in his eyes alongside the flickering multicolor lights that surrounded us.

[regarding families] It was arguing without any ill will; it was lunging like a python without dispensing any venom; it was lancing close to the jugular and pulling back at the last nanosecond, kissing your victim on the forehead as you slipped away.

The banter in this book is frankly unparalleled. I laughed out loud – often pausing to appreciate the genius & sometimes the sheer surprise of whatever retort came next. I can’t remember the last time I was so delighted by back-and-forth between characters. And not just once. Like, a dozen times. For that alone, I will treasure this book. For me, that goes a long way.

Now, the romance. Del and Eddie don’t have a linear insta-lovefest. They met at an age where being cool was more important than being genuine, and though they found authenticity and truth in each other occasionally back then, ultimately cool won out and they never could connect. Now as adults, their feelings are complex, and the details of their lives even moreso. The ties of their past are still there, maybe even stronger than ever, but is letting it draw them close again the right thing? Or will it end up pushing them further apart than ever before?

I appreciated the hesitancy in both characters to not only admit their feelings to themselves (let alone each other), or to give into temptations, and I think that’s a testament to how real these characters and their world felt. Some of the early flashback scenes annoyed me a little bit because it was interrupting a story I was quickly falling into, but ultimately, they helped to color the nuance of Del & Eddie’s relationship, which is far from typical. Their relationship is layered and complicated, and I really loved that it was their ‘complicated’ home lives that set them apart in their friend group and drew them together. Not unlike my husband and I.

The nuance was so vibrant that it was sometimes hard to grasp onto. Sometimes the characters would do or say something that didn’t exactly fit the puzzle of them I’d built in my brain up to that point. Maybe something about the timeline of when things were presented just had me tripping up a little bit sometimes.

I also wish some of the details were explored a little bit more somehow. Alfonso the little man who lives in their building. A good scene with Valerie and Del interacting (more than the little we were offered). More comedy? I was left feeling like there were maybe more loose ends that could have been tied up, at least a little more neatly in some cases.

Overall, I loved the book, and it will live proudly upon my shelf for a long time to come. It’s smart, surprising, complicated, and ultimately hopeful. A summertime romance with some punch – and punchlines. Pick this one up if you’re in the mood for a snarky, complex romance with some painfully realistic throwbacks to high school side-character energy.

Details

Title:: Summertime Punchline
Author:: Betty Corrello
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 24m
Audiobook Narrator:: Joy Nash
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: May 21st, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

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Author Website
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If you liked this book, check out…

Business Casual | BK Borison
Thank You for Listening | Julia Whelan

Book Review:: The Midnight Feast | Lucy Foley

One cannot escape the past. Crimes cannot be erased. And those who were affected cannot simply be forgotten.

The Midnight Feast is another edge-of-your seat, layered, multiple POV mystery by Lucy Foley that tells of the secret trauma of one fateful summer night on the English coast, and its rippling effects through time.

The Midnight Feast Lucy Foley Book Cover

Opening weekend at The Manor is slated to be the event of a lifetime with Francesca Woodland at its helm. The cabins are full, the facilities impeccable, and every detail has been fussed over and perfected down to the architect, the staff, the wine, and the turndown service. But by the time it’s over, the police are called in to investigate the dead bodies left in the aftermath.

The first 15% of this book followed the same blueprint as The Guest List (also by Lucy Foley), which had me scratching my head a little bit. Doubling down on a good thing, I guess. Instead of a new, exclusive, wedding venue on an Irish island, this book is based on a new, exclusive, glamping resort-type facility on the English coast. I feel like it probably could have been a little more original, but it’s ultimately forgivable.

We flip back and forth between the present and past diary entries kept by one of the characters on a summer holiday, revealing one entry at a time what happened all those years ago to create so much tension in the present. Probably my favorite part of a book like this one is how each of the POV characters fit into the grander story, and that is one thing this book does so well. Everyone has a link to the past, and they all have a role to play in the present, too.

I loved the folklore thread in the weave. Like any good English town, this one has a longstanding lore surrounding a hundred-eyed tree deep in the forest, and The Birds who seek justice on wrongdoing done in the community. It was a little exhausting reading the words “the birds, the birds, the birds” again and again, but the layer of uncertainty and supernatural it adds really worked for me.

About halfway through I knew this was going to be a banger. I listened as an audiobook and was honestly surprised when I looked down and saw I was only at the midpoint. It has the punch of a climax already at that point, but we get so much more, and the true climax is even more satisfying. If you’re looking for something thrilling and satisfying with elements of horror, this book is for you. Good luck putting it down!

Details

Title:: The Midnight Feast
Author:: Lucy Foley
Genre:: Thriller/Suspense
Publisher:: William Morrow
Length:: 354 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 20m
Audiobook Narrator:: Joe Eyre, Sarah Slimani, Roly Botha, Laurence Dobiesz, Tuppence Middleton
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: June 18th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

In the Likely Event | Rebecca Yarros
Burn for Me | Ilona Andrews

Book Review:: Thank You for Listening | Julia Whelan

We know and love Julia Whelan for reading us beautiful stories from authors like Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Rachel Hawkins, V.E. Schwab, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and many many more as an audiobook narrator, but did you know she writes books too? Thank You for Listening is her second book, and it’s clear this woman knows her way around the romance genre. I recommend the audiobook, obviously.

Thank You for Listening Julia Whelan Book Cover

Sewanee is an audiobook narrator who has left the romance genre behind her under a pseudonym she no longer acknowledges. She dislikes the genre so much, she dreads covering for her boss at a romance convention in Vegas, but in a surprising turn of events, the trip ends with a scintillating evening with an Irish stranger she will never forget. When she returns to real life, the offer of a lifetime is waiting for her — join one of the industry’s most popular (and illusive) male narrators in the final post-humous project of one of the greatest romance authors of all time (her Sewan song, if you will). Against her personal reservations, she agrees to do the project as they are offering her a stupid amount of money that will enable her to care for the aging grandmother who always had her back. Working with Brock (the heartthrob narrator) turns out to be an unexpected delight, and when she runs into the mysterious stranger from Vegas again, things begin to tangle into delicious complexity.

A good contemporary romance novel will give you more to chew on than simply the girl-meets-boy, heart-eyes, fall-in-love storyline, and in that regard, Thank You for Listening delivers. An accident in Sewanee’s past leaves her with life-changing consequences to deal with, her grandmother’s decline is a huge emotional vampire, her best friend is getting to live the life she wanted for herself, and each of her parents have lessons to teach her before the story closes.

I appreciated the slow-burn natural romance development between Sewanee & her suitor(s). One thing I can say with confidence is that everything that happens is supported by the story. That is to say nothing felt “too convenient” or not rational, even in the midst of several well-used tropes (and they’re even called out by Sewanee when they happen, which adds to the witty humor of the novel).

Julia was able to call upon her first-hand knowledge of how audiobook production works, the industry as a whole, and even included a few tricks of the trade in this novel (green apples, amiright?). I loved all the details — her expertise really had a chance to shine here.

This was definitely a 5-Star read for me, and if you like your romance complex with a side of self-discovery, then this one is certainly for you!

Details

Title:: Thank You for Listening
Author:: Julia Whelan
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 432 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 16m
Audiobook Narrator:: Julia Whelan
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: August 2nd, 2022
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

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Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

The Most Fun We Ever Had | Claire Lombardo
Funny Story | Emily Henry
My (Not So) Perfect Life | Sophie Kinsella

Book Review:: Savor It | Tarah Dewitt

Brace yourselves for another lovely summer romance novel. Savor It, by Tarah Dewitt is a new release for summer 2024 and I think it’s a crowd pleaser. If you love cozy small town achingly sweet romances, look no further.

Savor It Tarah Dewitt Book Cover

Finch is a gourmet chef in New York City who’s lost his edge. After an incident in the city, his former boss whisks him off to a small-time project she’s fielding on the Oregon coast while he gets his poop in a group and is ready to come back to the big time. Bringing with him the angsty niece he’s the guardian for, he’s looking to recover his mojo and get the heck out of dodge. He’s from a small town, and another one is the last place he wants to be. But then his cute hobby-farm tending new neighbor shows up in a moment of need in a…unique cow print robe looking for her three-legged cat (Legoless) and plenty of sage advice, and suddenly his summer might not be the absolute misery he expected.

Sage (the homegirl neighbor) is still trying to find herself after a very public breakup with her high school sweetheart (everything is very public in a town as small as Spunes Oregan). Competing and winning the local summer competition will be the way she can prove to herself (and everyone else) that she is capable of anything. She just needs to find a partner for the rowing competition. When the new renters show up next door, everything clicks into place, and she might get more out of this than just a rowing partner. The thing is…he’s not sticking around. What if the feelings threatening to spark start to get out of hand? This small town is everything to Sage. She has roots here that run deep. So a future together is impossible — right?

This book felt like it could be the beginning of a successful standalone romance series (but I don’t think it is?). Sage has three older brothers, and the little town of Spunes is full of quirky characters that bring vibrant color to the world. I loved Sage’s dynamic with her brothers, and honestly, I hope she writes stories for them, too. I want to know more about the relationship of Sage’s oldest brother and his ex-wife. So much to work with there! Tarah, are you listening? 🙂

If you enjoy small town vibes, this book has them in spades. Sage’s hobby farm makes you want to shluff off onto your own acerage and adpot a giant dog, several geese, and a clydesdale. As a gardener, Sage’s garden sounds like a dream. The setting wraps around you like a hug.

Sage and Finch are good together. She’s a teacher and an aunt and she’s used to dealing with kids Finch’s niece’s age. He loves to use her ingredients as inspiration for new recipes. They have a deeper connection than just the attraction. Sometimes romance novels don’t have a hell of a lot of actual romance, but that’s not the case here. These characters fit into each other’s lives, and I loved watching them fall. It’s the kind of book that leaves you with a sweet aftertaste, you know?

I loved that the ending wasn’t the typical cliche, but to avoid spoilers, that’s all I’ll say. Yes, don’t worry, they get their HEA 😉

Spice Level: Tasteful.

Details

Title:: Savor It
Author:: Tarah Dewitt
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 5m
Audiobook Narrator:: Karissa Vacker & Zachary Webber
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: May 21st, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Thank You for Listening | Julia Whelan
Haunted Ever After | Jen DeLuca
The Tourist Attraction | Sarah Morgenthaler

Book Review:: Hate Mail | Donna Marchetti

Buckle up for this sweet and hilarious romance that tastes like pure candy! I bought this one on an absolute whim and it paid off big time! I enjoyed every page of this book. It was so endearing and I found myself rooting so hard for the characters. In a world of the same ol’ tropes over and over, this story was so refreshing! Ten out of ten, would recommend!

Hate Mail Donna Marchetti Book Cover

Naomi Light, Miami’s weathergirl, receives an unsigned death threat in the mail one day…and laughs. It’s not a real death threat, it’s just a note from the pen pal she’s had since fifth grade and has been estranged from for the past two years. It started with a project organized by the schools, but nothing about their relationship followed the rules. First, they kept writing long after the other students had forgotten about the project all-together — and they never said anything nice to one another. Every letter was an attempt to craft a better insult than the last. Even still, through the years, Naomi and Luca got to know one another, and they were a constant in one another’s lives. Luca wouldn’t know, but it was he who first suggested Naomi pursue a career in meteorology, and Naomi never knew that Luca kept track of her through social media through high school and beyond. They lose contact in a point of change in both their lives after high school, each of them with new addresses and no way to contact the other.

Until now.

Luca doesn’t leave a return address for Naomi on his sinister note, so, with the help of her friend, she plays along with his little game to see if she can find him anyway. She traces the steps of his life through his old addresses on the weekends, and meanwhile, a handsome hunk in Naomi’s building asks her out. They have a real connection, but what about Luca? He once wanted to meet in person, and she suspects that’s where his little game will end. Can she commit to the man in front of her with the idea of Luca lingering behind the postbox? Or does she need to track him down, meet him face to face, and finally see what lies behind the letters? The story unfolds one letter at a time in a playful and honest narrative that had me hooked from the get.

This book was the perfect balance of humor and lightness with a deeper authentic heart underneath. Did I mention there are skateboarding kittens? This one will definitely be in my reread rotation when I need a quick pick me up. What are you waiting for? If you’re a romance reader, this is an absolute must read!

Details

Title:: Hate Mail
Author:: Donna Marchetti
Genre:: Romance
Publisher:: One More Chapter
Length:: 355 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 27m
Audiobook Narrator:: Norma Butikofer
Audiobook Publisher:: One More Chapter
Published:: March 14th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

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Book Review:: This Summer Will Be Different | Carley Fortune

I sank into this book like a hot knife through butter. I savored the rich descriptions and sentences dripping with longing and heat. This is Carley Fortune’s third book and she’s made it abundantly clear she is a great writer. She knows how to set a tone. Her stories have this dark cloud over them, looming as a melancholic backdrop, not so subtly shouting how miserable the characters have made themselves with past choices. In theory, I love that. But for some reason with her books, it ends up leaving a sour taste in my mouth (though this one is not nearly as sour as Every Summer After, I must say. Girly MC really blew it in that one). But man, the writing. It’s undeniable. Take the first line for example::

I cupped my hands over my eyes so I could gulp down the view.

This Summer Will Be Different Carley Fortune Book Cover

Lucy and Bridget are the best of friends. They met as adults in Toronto, and quickly grew to be inseparable. On their first planned girls trip to Prince Edward Island, where Bridget is from and where her family still lives, Bridget is unexpectedly delayed, leaving Lucy alone for her first night on the island. She meets someone shucking oysters at dinner she has an instant firecracker connection with, and they share a night of passion together most only dream of.

In the morning, Lucy realizes…he’s Bridget’s brother — the one she made Lucy promise to stay away from after his heart was recently put through the grinder by a local.

Let the lies begin.

Instead of fessing up to what had happened on accident (I don’t think I can say innocently after a night like that!), both Felix and Lucy lie their faces off to both Bridget and themselves. There is a connection there that’s undeniable, and trying to pretend there isn’t never seems to work.

Flash forward several years, and we are days away from Bridget’s wedding when she calls Lucy, desperate to get her to drop everything and spend a few days on PEI. She won’t say what’s wrong, but it is out of character for her friend to make an ask like this. So she goes, despite her epic current workload, and the fact that Felix will be there too.

He held my gaze for less than a second. I saw him, and he saw me, and in that blink of time, something passed between us.

The prologue of this book is delicious: rich, satisfying, steamy, and leaves you craving more. Then the story begins, and falls a little flat for me. The longing continues to be just as magnetic and scorching, but…I mean…there’s just a lot of it. Most of the first half of the book feels quite repetitive to be honest. Lucy wants Felix but refuses to give in (again) to the temptation, and Bridget constantly refuses to bring up why she drug Lucy out to PEI, at, like, the worst possible time. Like, girl, just spill the deets, quit being so unreasonable here! It feels like scene after scene of Lucy and Felix trying to tip toe around Bridget, setting up about a billion little moments of L&F being alone together…which, come on. I get that making the same mistakes over and over is kind of the theme of this book (hello title), I just feel like it could have been a little cleaner.

After all that, when things finally start to progress, it does pick up. Turns out Bridget has a good reason to have this emergency pal pow-wow, and Lucy finally starts to make some progress in righting the things that aren’t working in her life. In the end, I did enjoy the book, it just seemed to take far too long to get to the point, you know?

For me, the part that shined was the physical tug between Lucy & Felix. Every sentence was dripping with magnetism. Very visceral, almost abstract descriptions. You could feel the tension. I think Fortune probably knew that, which is why there’s so much. But when you convey things that well, you don’t need as many words. Turns out too much of a good thing is still too much.

My favorite detail in the book were the seed packet/book exchanges between Lucy & Felix. What a simple and ‘innocent’ little routine that was just drenched in their true feelings. Loved it. And my least favorite thing? Can I say Lucy’s personality? Lol. She was so stubborn about things that felt inevitable. Open your eyes, girl, or stop being so miserable with your choices! Luckily she stopped getting in her own way…eventually.

I wasn’t lying when I said I savored this book. Even the paperback edition I pre-ordered is lovely. Lovely cover and smooth beautiful pages. I found myself flipping through it again and again just for the page feel. Where my other book nerds at? You know what I mean!

It wasn’t my favorite read of the summer, but it is certainly worth picking up! Carley Fortune is an auto-buy author for me. You can trust that the prose will wax poetic, even if the greater story might be a little flawed. Obviously I have mixed feelings, but I can’t bring myself to dole out less than four stars.

If you’ve read it, let’s talk in the comments. I want to know all your pros/cons on this one!

Details

Title:: This Summer Will Be Different
Author:: Carley Fortune
Genre:: Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 31m
Audiobook Narrator:: AJ Bridel & Carley Fortune
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: May 7th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

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The Most Fun We Ever Had | Claire Lombardo
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Book Review:: The Rom-Commers | Katherine Center 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Sometimes you read a book that kind of ruins you for awhile. You finish the last pages, close the back cover and just linger in the tingly afterglow for a moment, thinking about what a marvel you just witnessed. You think about the characters in the story like they’re real people and can imagine what might have happened between the pages. You remember the scenes you liked best and wonder how the hell someone came up with something so brilliant and moving and wonder why exactly it is as good as it is…like you learn something new about yourself for having found something you love so profoundly. That’s the feeling I had after finishing The Rom-Commers, by Katherine Center.

I knew it was something special when I stopped to tell my husband this is the kind of book that makes you wish you didn’t hand out so many five star reviews, so when you say this is a five-star book, it carries a little more weight. Folks, this is a five-star book. For realsies. That’s why I put them in the title of this post, if that wasn’t clear.

The Rom-Commers Katherine Center Book Cover

The premise is a once-promising screenwriter, who had to abandon her dream to care for her father after a catastrophic accident, gets a call from an old-friend-turned-agent begging her to help one of his clients rewrite an “apocalyptically shitty” rom-com screenplay. The client just happens to be one of the most renowned writers in the business who’s off his game, and Emma, our protagonist, worships him — in the manor of professional mentor, of course. The timing works out just so for Emma to have no excuses not to go, so she’s on the next plane to L.A. to see if her dream may still be in reach after all this time. When she gets there she finds out Charlie Yates (the Hollywood writer phenom) has the yips (*wink* not writers block *wink*), and hasn’t been able to write anything in the past five years. He only needs to write this catastrophe of a rom-com well enough to be ‘passable’ so he can get his actual passion project produced. Oh, also, the mutual-agent-friend, Logan (the real hero of this story), didn’t tell Charlie Emma was coming. Did I mention he also doesn’t believe in love? Emma has her work cut out for her!

(Also, look at that spectacular cover — friggin swoon)

There are so many things I could talk about loving in this book, but I think it boils down to the details. The superstitious items of clothing, the ever-the-optimist father, the casual googling of highly specific questions, the heartbroken guinea pig named Cuthbert, the douchebag bro-dude wannabe rival, Teej. And the more romantic ones: the writing workday detritus, morning laps in the pool, grocery shopping and cooking together, nicknaming the mean ex-wife the mean ex-wife. Some of them aren’t even really on the page, but alluded to in a way that is so real and tangible, that it makes it easy to sink in and adore the story.

One of my favorite things in the book is Emma & Charlie’s mutual recognition of anxieties. They don’t have the same ones, but they both experience it. Instead of trying to ‘fix’ it when it appears in the other, they more so just sit in the feeling together, steadying one another, instead. It felt real. It felt…beautiful. My favorite scene is the middle of the night earthquake/panic-attack where Emma finds Charlie and Cuthbert the broken-hearted guinea pig already up and playing a mindless power-washing video game that soothes them all back into calm. It was so tender, but also…was it? Nothing romantic happened. Hardly anything happened at all. That’s the point, really. And that’s when I fell in love with Charlie Yates.

It’s a lovely book with a compelling, witty narrative with a thousand thoughtful intricacies. Here I was thinking that Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major was going to be my favorite book of the year — but that was before The Rom-Commers. Bravo, Katherine Center. It’s a standing-O from me!

Details

Title:: The Rom-Commers
Author:: Katherine Center
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Press
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 39m
Audiobook Narrator:: Katherine Center & Patti Murin
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: June 11th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

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The Litertarian | Book Reviews & More

Welcome to my bookish little corner of the internet!

I am a Litertarian, a term I invented for a (hopefully) catchy blog title. What does it mean? Well, similar to the way vegetarians consume vegetables and carnivores consume carne (that’s meat in Spanish), a litertarian consumes literature. Books. Stories. Legends. Because like Thomas Jefferson once said:

I cannot live without books.

I read a lot. More than most, probably. I used to keep casual book blogs years ago where I would post reviews, and I realized recently that I missed it. I love having something to look back on when I read a book I really enjoyed. It’s like a journal, you know? Looking back on the reviews bring me joy, and can remind me of what was going on in my life at the time I read them. It’s special.

I also love helping people connect with books they love. When someone asks me for a book recommendation, I take it seriously. When I recommend something someone truly enjoys, the satisfaction is immense. There is nothing better than a good book, and everyone deserves to have that feeling as often as possible. No one can read them all, and there’s nothing wrong with being selective.

So here I am, embracing the responsibility that is book blogging. I’m ready to have a place to record my reading in a more personal way again. I’m ready to have a place to rant and word-vomit about book nerdy topics that only other people who are as obsessed with books as I am will care about. I’m ready to commit myself to something I love, that also isn’t all that demanding. All I have to do is read books and jot down some thoughts after, right? That’s pretty much my favorite thing to do anyway.

So let’s do this, folks! Let’s grab a book from the top of our TBRs and dive into the pages! If you’ve read a book that pops up on my review list, I’d love to know your thoughts about them in the comments. Books are pretty much my favorite thing to talk about, so don’t be shy! Feel free to bookmark my site and check back periodically old-school blog style. Or, you can sign up for emails every time I post in the sidebar signup. Or, if you’d rather follow along on via social media, click the ‘Socials’ tab above to connect with me on Goodreads, Threads, or Instagram. And of course, if you know of a book I should read, just shout!

I want to help you find a new book you’ll love.

Happy reading, everyone.

-e.