Contemporary Archives - Page 7 of 24

Book Review:: As A Last Resort | Kristin Wollett

Burying your head in the sand is so much easier than facing your past. Or in Samantha’s case, fleeing her home town, severing all ties, and hyper-focusing on her New York career like she doesn’t have a past at all. That is, until her development company starts eyeballing the island she grew up on for a new luxury resort and the only way to reach her professional goals is to try to win the lead on the account.

As A Last Resort by Kritstin Wollett Book Cover

This book has no right being as good as it is. From the classically charming rom-com moments to the character growth, weighty themes, and details that will have you swooning, As A Last Resort had me laughing, crying, clutching my chest, and the only thing I didn’t like is that it’s already over.

Samantha was so wounded by her mother’s bad habits that she abandoned even the good parts of her formative years to escape from it. Her best friend Lexie was really hurt by her abrupt departure and subsequent ghosting, and now she’s on the precipice of her wedding when Sam finally shows her face on the island again. Samantha has to take accountability for her actions, even when she never intended any harm.

Lexie’s older brother Austin, who was badly burned by the relationship he thought would go the distance, is the one who ferries Sam back home, and saves her from confronting her biggest fears too early. His life has become stagnant in his fear of more big changes with unexpected, possibly catastrophic consequences, but Samantha makes him realize just how stuck in his ways he’s become. He’s one heck of a sympathetic hero, and he’ll have you swooning after him too before it’s all said and done.

The balance of Sam’s professional life, personal life, and love life is done impeccably well, and we’re right there with her as she navigates the tangle she finds herself in. She’s a sensible girl, but she’s also wounded, and that isn’t an easy thing to overcome.

As A Last Resort is a debut effort by author Kristin Wollett and I have to say, she knocked it out of the park. My eyes will be fully open for anything she publishes going forward, and I can only hope they all come as close to contemporary romance perfection as this one did. All the thumbs, way, way up!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: As A Last Resort
Author:: Kristin Wollett
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Forever
Length:: 400 pages
Published:: September 2nd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Book Review:: Not Quite Dead Yet | Holly Jackson

What do you do with the time you have left after you find out a traumatic brain injury will kill you within days? For Jet, it is catching the one who did this to her. Solving her own murder.

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson Book Cover

After a vicious attack that left her for dead, Jet is determined, despite objections from her family, to refuse surgery that will almost certainly kill her, to unravel the mystery of her attack. With the help of her oldest friend, Billy, they track down every lead and analyze every lie until they get to the truth. Jet’s injury informs the urgency of their search. Finding her killer is her dying wish and last request, and Billy would do anything for her.

Wow – what a ride. A seemingly normal cuburb family is surprisingly dark and twisted, and history is never erased, only buried, ready to be uncovered again someday.

This story is exciting and tragic, and I couldn’t stop turning pages. Jet’s fate is sealed, but that doesn’t make her story any less interesting. In fact, it maybe makes it more interesting. If it weren’t for her insistence and knowledge of those around her, who knows if the case would ever be solved? No one cares more about a crime than the victim herself, right?

Readers of crime mysteries will love this unique take on a murder investigation. Slam dunk, Jackson.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Not Quite Dead Yet
Author:: Holly Jackson
Genre:: Mystery Thriller
Publisher:: Bantam
Length:: 400 pages
Audio Length:: 13h
Audiobook Narrator:: Alex McKenna
Published:: July 22nd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Ghostwriter | Julie Clark
Closer Than You Know | Debra Webb
Famous Last Words | Gillian McAllister
A Sea of Unspoken Things | Adrienne Young

Book Review:: The Goldens | Lauren Wilson

Lauren Wilson’s new book The Goldens will have you sucked into the orbit of a young influencer and experience first-hand the dogma that can lead impressionable young people down a path they may not even realize they’re being led down. It’s an excellent commentary on the tides of social media and social manipulation packed into a suspenseful novel that will have you raising, then clenching your eyebrows.

Clara is a golden girl. She seems to have everything a young woman might ever hope for: wealth, beauty, a social media following, all the new ‘it’ items, and even setting trends herself. She’s also far more approachable than one might think. A fortuitous coincidence of matching initials leads Chloe to meet her, and they hit it off. Chloe is a bit infatuated with the whole aura Clara has going on, and she becomes her right hand, indispensable, and she revels in the feeling of being loved and needed by someone so cool. But as more of Clara’s layers are revealed, and her actions start taking things too far, Chloe wonders if everything is as it seems, or if she needs to start removing herself from what others are beginning to call a cult.

While this book was fascinating, it wasn’t quite as compelling as I’d have liked. It approached a real suspense novel a few times, and I think it would have been amazing if that had been leaned into a little bit more. The description calls it a thriller, but I wouldn’t agree at all, and I think that’s where my inclination to rate to three stars comes from. The messages it explores are incredibly important, especially for young ladies who are always trying to fit in and find their place among their contemporaries.

One of the strengths I think is that the characters are portrayed very well to support the story. Everyone has the right kind of background and history to fuel the circumstances they find themselves in now, and the ending was absolutely haunting. I’m looking forward to reading more from this debut author!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Goldens
Author:: Lauren Wilson
Genre:: Contemporary Suspense
Publisher:: Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar
Length:: 304 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 25m
Audiobook Narrator:: Cassandra Harwood
Published:: July 15th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Splendid Little Schemes | Robin Strong
These Summer Storms | Sarah MacLean
Hate Follow | Erin Quinn-Kong

Book Review:: The Unraveling of Julia | Lisa Scottoline

Julia, still grieving the loss of her older adoptive parents, finds out she is the recipient of an old Italian villa from a woman she’s never heard of. At first she is convinced it is a misunderstanding, but once she arrives in Italy it becomes clear that there’s been no mistake, and that perhaps Emilia Rossi knew something Julia didn’t.

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline Book Cover

There are many mysteries to uncover in the old Italian villa, about the proprietress and the family that once lived there. Julia begins almost immediately having vivid visions once she arrives that has her convinced there is a tether somewhere there of Julia’s biological family.

Like any good psychological thriller, the lines of reality get a little bit blurry, and almost everything we think we know is constantly in doubt. Who is this woman who left Julia this decrepit property? Did she really have ties to an ancient Italian duchess with a scandalous history? Are either or both of them of any relation to Julia? And why is she feeling so much pressure to sell and leave the past to be buried with the old crone who left it to her?

This book explores something I don’t often encounter in books: a spiritual intuition. Astrology, horoscopes, intuition, and even communicating beyond the veil as a medium. I tend to believe there is a spiritual realm of some sort of which we normally do not have access to. I love the idea that sometimes, under the right circumstances, or with the right people, we can connect over that bridge. If you are fully anti-‘woo-woo’, you will probably not enjoy this book.

While I did really enjoy this story, it didn’t really grab me fully under its spell. Theoretically I really enjoy the idea of this book, but I just wasn’t able to fully sink in the way I like. It might have been a timing issue, or something about trying to juggle so many theories without knowing up from down for so much of the novel. Was it a good book? Absolutely. Will I continue to read every Lisa Scottoline book I can get my hands on? Also yes. If you’re a fan of the ol’ psychological thriller, I think you’ll find a lot to enjoy about The Unraveling of Julia.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Unraveling of Julia
Author:: Lisa Scottoline
Genre:: Psychological Thriller
Publisher:: Grand Central Publishing
Length:: 400 pages
Audio Length:: 12h
Audiobook Narrator:: TBA
Published:: July 15th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Truth About the Devlins | Lisa Scottoline
The Midnight Feast | Lucy Foley
Famous Last Words | Gillian McAllister

Book Review:: The Greatest Possible Good | Ben Brooks

Most people do not live their lives according to their own values. They say they do, they say they support certain things or care about them, but they never actually adjust their behavior. It’s not easy to retain your convictions. To honor your beliefs. It takes courage, and sometimes radical and uncomfortable change. For Arthur Candlewick, it took a traumatic brain injury. A hard reset. And it changed everything.

This novel is an interesting study of relationships, moral philosophy, materialism vs. charity, familial responsibility, and this crazy thing we call life in general.

Each of the characters is complex and in some ways, contradictory, even to themselves. In other ways, they were steady and immovable, usually to their own detriment.

Arthur’s change in personality after his accident broke their family apart. His wife Yara could not reconcile his new self with the man she married and for their two children, teenagers at the time, the fracture was a formative experience.

What is there to say about a novel like this one, except to read it for yourself? It isn’t necessarily an easy read, though it’s not heavy or difficult quite either. The thing it will demand of you is your full attention. It will make you think, and to face your own thinking. Emil (the son) is one of the most thoughtful and considered characters I may have ever read. Sometimes things are black and white, but both the black and the white have larger implications, and it is always useful to explore them.

You will take out of this book what you put into it, and I absolutely love that.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Greatest Possible Good
Author:: Ben Brooks
Genre:: General/Literary Fiction
Publisher:: Simon & Schuster
Length:: 336 pages
Published:: July 15th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Most Fun We Ever Had | Claire Lombardo
These Summer Storms | Sarah MacLean
Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Book Review:: The Reluctant Flirt | Jennifer Probst

Jennifer Probst fans, we’re back in Outer Banks, a small idyllic beach town perfect for falling in love. Book of the Month is the first title in this series, my review of which can be found here, but you don’t need to read it before enjoying The Reluctant Flirt.

Sierra runs her own boutique in a new town away from her old life and ex-husband. Outer Banks is her fresh start, and she’s determined to succeed, but when the best hookup of her life shows up in town, apparently the best friend of her sister’s fiancee, things get complicated.

This book has all the ingredients of an indulgent weekend romance read. A sexy start, a crisis meet-cute-take-two, and characters both smitten and too stubborn for their own good. I loved the secret and unique history between these two characters, and their story of falling in love is very sexy (with lots of spice!). My favorite moment was probably when the significance of Sierra’s shop’s name was revealed. However, it didn’t blow me away. By the time I neared the end there were some problems I had with the communication between the characters (or lack of) that is one of my pet peeves, and some of the pacing made it hard to stay really locked in at times. By the end I was reading mostly just to finish.

Outer Banks is a cozy and romantic setting to indulge in, and if you’re looking for some ‘candy’ to read, this may be exactly what you’re looking if. It just wasn’t for me.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Reluctant Flirt (Outer Banks #2)
Author:: Jennifer Probst
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Blue Box Press
Length:: 246 pages
Published:: July 15th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 2.5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Book of the Month | Jennifer Probst
Once Upon A Boyband | Jenny Proctor

Book Review:: Both Things Are True | Kathleen Barber

I love a good complex second chance romance story, but hanging it all upon a series of miscommunications is risky business, and in Kathleen Barber’s new release Both Things Are True, I didn’t quite buy it.

Both Things Are True by Kathleen Barber Book Cover

After years apart, Vanessa and Sam end up living in the same building. Both of them are at pivotal moments in their lives and careers and are harboring old feelings for one another. The present timeline is honestly so sweet between the two of them, and I totally bought into all the romance and leftover feelings. I was rooting for them so hard. But as their past started revealing itself in layers, and especially once the revelations came up in the back half of the book, the problems that came up between them made me like them less. It was one miscommunication after another. Really, did they understand one another at all? I accept that miscommunication is a realistic element to many serious relationships, but to rely on that entirely and for that to ‘fix’ everything in the end…it kind of ruined the good thing they had going.

Would I still recommend this book? Gah, maybe. There is still plenty of good romance and other storylines that make the novel interesting, but it wasn’t a smash hit for me. Hey, both things are true.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Both Things Are True
Author:: Kathleen Barber
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Lake Union Publishing
Length:: 303 pages
Audio Length:: 8h 38m
Audiobook Narrator:: Amy Handelman
Published:: September 1st, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Summertime Punchline | Betty Corrello
Not Safe for Work | Nisha J. Tuli
What Happens in Amsterdam | Rachel Lynn Solomon

Book Review:: Bitter Sweet | Hattie Williams

Bitter Sweet is the story of a damaged young girl during a year of bad choices that includes an illicit affair that will change her life forever. It is somber and bleak and hard to look away from, but ultimately a story many might see themselves in in some way or another. It is a very human story about growing up and showing up.

Charlie’s mother died unexpectedly when Charlie was a teenager, leaving her primary guardian her step-father, a man she’s not even related to. This trauma informs a lot of the way Charlie thinks of herself, leaving her with low-self-esteem and a deep sense of not belonging. During the hard years she found refuge in the novels of Richard Aveling, and when she meets him as part of her job in publishing, they share a special moment. A moment turns to an evening, then into a clandestine affair that swallows her whole.

Charlie’s story teaches us about friendship and obsession and the stories we tell ourselves and how they shape our actions. It’s about betrayal and depression and being chased by a nameless darkness. It’s about all the hard parts of growing up and realizing we’re responsible for the choices we make. It’s a sad story, but an important one.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Bitter Sweet
Author:: Hattie Williams
Genre:: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher:: Ballantine Books
Length:: 304 pages
Audio Length:: 12h
Audiobook Narrator:: TBA
Published:: July 8th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Thank You for Listening | Julia Whelan
Amazing Grace Adams | Fran Littlewood
Malibu Rising | Taylor Jenkins Reid

Book Review:: The Homemade God | Rachel Joyce

Something I am coming to terms with about myself is that I am absolutely lost over a good family saga. Seriously send me all of your recommendations because I will gorge myself until my dying day. I can’t get enough of them, and The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce was no exception.

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce Book Cover

Vic Kemp, world-renowned artist, is dead, leaving his four (grown) children orphaned. Their upbringing was quite unusual with no mother and such an eccentric man as their patriarch, but they had one another. His death was unexpected, and his behavior in the weeks leading to the disaster leave the siblings with reasonable doubt as to the truth of what really happened to him. They all set off for the villa at Lake Ora where he drowned to await the autopsy results and to meet his very new, very young, very mysterious, wife for the first time.

Here is a direct quote from my reading journal as I neared the end of the book:: “Wow. What a study of human behavior. A complex web of emotion and the histories we hold about ourselves and those we know or love.”

And that right there sums up my love of the great family sagas I have read. Families are complicated. So many personalities cooped up into one household to be raised in, each reacting differently to events that happen, each revealing a deep knowing of yourself to the others around you (even things you may not want them to know about you), at least, theoretically. There is also a part of us that no one can understand, not even ourselves. And all of it is messy.

Susan, Iris, Netta, and Goose (Gustavo) are each affected differently by the death of their father. As they process what it is to have lost him, and to come to terms with the man he was, it changes them, and even forces them to realize and accept things about themselves that they have denied or repressed for far too long.

I could probably write a dozen essays on the different threads of this novel I find fascinating, but for the purposes of a book review, I hate to spoil a single moment of the discovery of this story. The magic of it is meant to be experienced in the pages. But if it isn’t obvious enough by now, I cannot recommend it highly enough for readers who are equally as fascinated by detailed character studies and families in crisis.

Drama, drama, drama.

I love it.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Homemade God
Author:: Rachel Joyce
Genre:: General Fiction
Publisher:: The Dial Press
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 8h
Audiobook Narrator:: Rachel Joyce & Sarah Winman
Published:: July 8th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Malibu Rising | Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Accidental Favorite | Fran Littlewood
The Most Fun We Ever Had | Claire Lombardo

Book Review:: These Summer Storms | Sarah MacLean

Fans of Laura Dave, Claire Lombardo, or anyone in between will love Sarah MacLean’s new book These Summer Storms. It’s a mix of family drama, personal crisis, situational intrigue, and a satisfying dose of steamy romance on the side. There are themes of coming of age, coping with and accepting family, and learning lessons the hard way. Everything this book does, it does well. I didn’t even wait to finish it before I pre-ordered a first edition copy for my home library. It’s so good.

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean Book Cover

The premise is the billionaire patriarch of the Storm family dies, so his family gathers on their private island in New England for the reading of the will, including his daughter Alice, who has been estranged from the family for five years. Turns out the manipulative old man left stipulations for each person – a task that must be completed within a week – before they can inherit. Oh, and if one of them fails, no one gets any money.

I suppose this is a common story. Someone dies, and the wake of that event sends dramatic or mysterious ripples out disrupting everything that surrounds them. I’ve read several books with this specific situation even this year. So what makes These Summer Storms great, a cut above the rest? For me? Writing is first (always), and then the mix of plot and character that just turn this into something intriguing and exciting to read.

Right away I was hooked by a scene between Alice and a dark handsome stranger at the train station, caught in the rain. The depth of character already explored in those early chapters made it impossible to stop reading.

The Storm family is a complicated one, made even more complicated by the enormous amount of money involved. Add the father’s right-hand-man to the mix of this week-long…adventure, and even more tension ratchets up. I was just so impressed by the structure of the book as a whole and so many scenes that were unique and seducing and complex and just plain interesting. I couldn’t put the dang thing down.

I will certainly be reading this book again (maybe starting today *blushes*), and I’ll be sure to recommend it to all of my readerly friends asking about my recent great reads. I have no doubt this will end up being one of my best books of the year in 2025. AND the audiobook is being read by our queen Julia Whelan. Just mark me down as this book’s number one fan already. Release day cannot come soon enough!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: These Summer Storms
Author:: Sarah MacLean
Genre:: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher:: Ballantine Books
Length:: 400 pages
Audio Length:: 14h
Audiobook Narrator:: Julia Whelan
Published:: July 8th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars