Our lives are made up of one moment to the next – moments that are mostly logical and organic as they happen. If we’re not careful, those moments that make so much sense up close may lead us down a path we never wanted for ourselves. Sometimes we have to zoom out to make sure we’re on the right track. You can do it yourself as part of your planning, goal-setting, or self-care regimens…
*OR*
you might be forced into an alternate dimension by a magic waitress that forces you to examine your life in new ways.
That’s what happened to Campbell and the blind date her grandmother set her up with. She was out on another obligatory date, which she had no time for and blatantly blew off, even still at dinner with him, without having had any attempt at conversation with him. Then she wakes up in Heart Springs, a tiny warped town she’s stuck in like a waking dream until she fulfills all the right criteria. She must find work she loves, participate in the community, and experience true love. Oh, and the blind date is there too, with his own mission.
Sigh.
If you’re looking for a straight up Hallmark movie in a novel, you’ve found it. Exaggerated, but fun if you don’t look too closely and syrupy sweet.
We start with a character who is straight up unlikeable, and by the end she learns important lessons ‘the hard way’ before her inevitable happily ever after.
I had a few problems with it.
The love interest didn’t make any sense. He was pretty much only in Hope Springs as an accessory. He was far underdeveloped and a huge wasted opportunity.
Campbell was just too unlikeable. She doesn’t really redeem herself. Her motivation is purely to do whatever she has to to get back home to her shitty New York existence. She changes, but I’m not convinced she’s really learned anything long-term. It ends too quickly for someone so flawed, in my opinion.
I didn’t care enough. Due to the first two problems, I just didn’t really care what happened. There would obviously be a happy ending, and the details didn’t interest me much.
Now, this isn’t Falon Ballard’s first book. In fact, I have two others on my bookshelf right now that I haven’t read yet and have been looking forward to. I’m still going to read them and I’m hoping she’ll blow away my expectations with those, because this one…didn’t.
I can see how this book might appeal to younger romance readers, or ones with a penchant for whimsy. It just didn’t work for me.
Onwards and upwards, my friends.
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:: Change of Heart Author:: Falon Ballard Genre:: Romance Publisher:: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Length::336 pages Audio Length::10h Audiobook Narrator:: Carly Robins Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio Published:: February 11th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 2-Stars
What have Finlay and Vero gotten themselves into next? Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is the third book in a sometimes-hilarious contemporary mystery series led by a novelist mother of young kids who gets caught up in schemes way over her head.
The series needs to be read in order, so to avoid spoilers for you, please click to my review of the first book,Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, if you haven’t read the first two books yet!
So here we start: the site is down, Steven is safe, but Finlay is on the hook now for discovering the identity of EasyClean, and Feliks is not the most patient of men. Behind bars or not, Feliks’ people are everywhere and she can’t afford to get this wrong, or waste time. Cam says the suspect is a dirty cop and Nick, with his injuries from the finale of the last book, is on desk duty and volunteered to teach at a week-long citizen’s police academy. His squad invites Finlay along so she can do ‘book research’, and Vero won’t let her say no. Ah, what the hell, Steven has the kids for the week anyway.
The usual shenanigans ensue immediately, and don’t let up.
The first time I read this third book it was my least favorite of the series, but reading through it a second time, I think it was an issue with my own comprehension. There is so much going on, and so much to mentally juggle, I think I just didn’t absorb everything going on the first time. My advice is not to rush through it, as tempting as that may be. I think maybe the greatest flaw of this series is that it’s too easily bingeable. At this point in the larger story there are so many lines of complexity running through it’s more difficult to keep everything straight.
Let’s talk about Nick! I’m a great fan of this clever hot cop. The entire premise of whatever relationship he and Finlay may or may not have is so tension-laden. He’s the cop on Feliks’ case, and there’s no way she can ever reveal to him everything that’s happened to her without severe consequences for one or both of them. I was so tickled that he and Finlay got to spend a lot of quality time together in this book in this sleep-away camp situation 🙂 I also live for the fact Finlay has never outright lied to him. Oh my tender little heart…I fear it is destined to be broken by this…situationship?…sooner or later!
Now Vero: Finlay’s Latina partner in crime who plays waaay too fast and loose for my comfort. I love that she and Finlay can rely on one another – their trust is really the glue sticking everything together in this series. As soon as that starts to fall apart, they’re F*%#ED! I really enjoyed getting to peek behind the crack of her hard-enameled shell to see a little bit of possible-vulnerability in the person of Javier. The two clearly have a history, and that guy seriously caught no breaks in this book.
Though this book is complex as all-heck, it really holds its own in the series overall. I mentioned that it used to be my least favorite in the series the first time through, but this time it changed my mind. So far, I don’t have a least favorite. If one thing is true, it’s that this series is deliciously bingeable.
Details
Title:: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan #3) Author:: Elle Cosimano Genre:: Contemporary Mystery Publisher:: Minotaur Books Length::304 pages Audio Length::8h 47m Audiobook Narrator:: Angela Dawe Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio Published:: January 31st, 2023 The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
What if your next great love was one you already had? What a question. Timing is everything, after all. Then again, maybe fixating on your past can leave you blinded to what is right in front of you.
Tara needs a date for the Valentine’s Day event she’s attending, and her grandmother has convinced her to look to her past to find one. Explore the ghosts of romance past and reconnect with her exes to see if there is any lingering spark there. Her very own second chance romance. She launches a whole project on her bookish social media, typecasting her exes into tropes and reaching out to them to see if there is any lingering potential there. Her new roommate Trevor is as invested in the project as anyone, helping to coach her through the dates, giving her tips to avoid scaring them off too early (given that she’s often called “crazy” or “too much”).
It’s a high concept novel, in a way. The project is a gimmick, exposing all of Tara’s sometimes still-tender wounds and insecurities. This of course is perfect territory for real feelings to catch between her and Trevor, the one who’s always there for support when she’s continually disappointed.
It’s a successful trope for a reason, the trusty forced proximity roommate romance. They’re there to see all the high-highs and low-lows. The vulnerabilities and the celebrations. Real life. If they’re still interested after all that? They’re a keeper for sure.
The concept of a woman being ‘too much’ or ‘crazy’ I think is well placed here. It’s clear that it isn’t a her problem, it’s a them problem, and though she does learn some lessons along the way (confidence in herself being the big one), she is ultimately accepted by those she cares about for being her own dang self.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, lighthearted, Valentine’s-Day-season winner. If you’re looking for something fun to cheer you up this time of year, or to just get you in the mood for good ol’ V-Day, this one is a great choice.
Love. Why is it so many are in pursuit of a thing that can cause so much pain? Heartache is a real thing, with real, physical, symptoms. Is it ever worth it?
Chryssy has dedicated her life to healing with an eastern, Chinese medicine, approach. She and her auntie’s run a retreat center to help the lovesick heal their broken hearts. She has plenty of experience with them. Her whole family does, in fact, because the women of her family are cursed. Not a one of them has had a successful long-term relationship because one of their ancestors cursed them. She’s come to accept it. So when a celebrity cellist comes along asking to strike up a deal for a publicity-relationship, she doesn’t see any reason not to. When she starts catching feelings though…she’s convinced they’re doomed for heartache all over again.
This book has a lot of really cozy elements. Chryssy essentially makes people cups of custom tea for a living, after all. She listens well to people, hears between the lines what they may need, and prepares for them something to help. Reading about that process was very calming.
The structure was quite good as well: having Vin’s brother be in need of Chryssy’s family’s services was an organic in for the fake dating element. For me, that trope is over-tired, but for this book it didn’t make me roll my eyes, at least. There was enough meat in the plot to keep things interesting.
That being said, I was hoping for a little more steam in the romance. I liked both Vin and Chryssy, and while there were some sweet moments, I was left wanting a little bit more. I was missing the fireworks. The pop and sizzle of real, deep chemistry.
Luckily there was more to this book than just the romance. I really enjoyed learning about Chryssy’s business and her knowledge of Chinese medicine. Her auntie’s added some layered interest to the story. The B-Plot of the family curse didn’t do a lot for me outside of it being the vehicle for Chryssy to do some soul-searching and self-examination of her own beliefs brought on by the curse-myth upheld by her family. I found this novel to be just as much about personal growth as it was about finding love.
I was granted an early listening copy of the title from netgalley and the publisher, and I really enjoyed the audio narration. I recommend it if you’re able to get your hands on it.
Details
Title:: Yin Yang Love Song Author:: Lauren Kung Jessen Genre:: Contemporary Romance Publisher:: Forever Length::352 pages Audio Length::11h 3m Audiobook Narrator:: Eunice Wong & Eric Yang Audiobook Publisher:: Forever Published:: January 28th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
Fanning the flames immediately from the bombshell revelation at the conclusion of book one, Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is another whirlwind of accidental shenanigans and intertwining mysteries that is hard to not get swept up in.
If you haven’t read book one yet, start there. You’ll want to read this series in order, and the most basic plot elements of this book might be considered spoiler-y. You’ve been warned! 🙂
The online women’s forum post about Steven has a reply, and it wasn’t from Finlay. Someone is out to get him, and though Finlay isn’t his biggest fan after everything they’ve been through, he is the father of her children, and she can’t just sit idly by while someone is out trying to off him. She and Vero are on the case, researching who is behind the post, and who this other assassin is who responded that they’ve accepted the job. Things are complicated as usual as she explores her unsustainable relationship with the law student, and meanwhile Nick the detective reliably turns up to rachet up the stakes every time.
This series is so much fun, and this one continues the raucous, complicated, and somehow never dull party. Any one of the antics Finlay gets herself tied up in would give me an actual heart attack, but somehow she manages everything by the skin of her teeth. (Maybe her eventual tell-all autobiography should be called Somehow I Manage instead of Michael Scott, lol).
Some of my favorite characters of the series start blooming in this book. The kid-hacker, Cam, in all his nerdy-flavored rizz, and especially Nick. That man is wonderful and Finlay doesn’t deserve him, but I’ll keep reading every damn word because I’m convinced the two of them are going to happen for realskies one day.
The little capsule universe Cosimano creates with this series is so endearing. This is my second read through (in preparation for the new release in 2025) and the characters feel so familiar in the best way. It’s like watching a bingeable contemporary crime series on Netflix (Santa Clarita Diet), Hulu (Only Murders in the Building), or Peacock (Based on a True Story) – easy to read, and constantly entertaining. It has all the ingredients for mass appeal, and from the looks of things, it’s absolutely succeeding that way.
Angela Dawe, the narrator of this series on audiobook is phenomenal at capturing the tone of Finlay’s story. I absolutely recommend!
Details
Title:: Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2) Author:: Elle Cosimano Genre:: Contemporary Murder Mystery Publisher:: Minotaur Books Length::357 pages Audio Length::9h 20m Audiobook Narrator:: Angela Dawe Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio Published:: February 1st, 2022 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Valentine’s Day isn’t for everyone, but the feeling a really great love story gives you certainly is! I believe there is a book for every state of heart out there, and today I’m going to try and pair you up with a story that will match whatever your Valentine’s Day philosophy might be this year. This post is full of all my best romance book recommendations! Feel free to scroll to whatever section calls out to you and I’ll see you on the other side!
A few notes…
If I have already reviewed the book on this blog, I will link a review so you can read more of my thoughts if you’re interested!
Many of the titles below are currently included in the Kindle Unlimited membership. If you want to learn more about the membership, click here.
If you’re more of an audiobook listener and you haven’t tried Audible yet, you can click here to get your free trial! (I highly recommend them:: multi-task like a book nerd, lol)
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Without further ado, here are all my best romance book recommendations!
The Flirt
I like to think of romantic comedies as candy. Books so fun and satisfying that you gobble them up without reservation. Here are some of my favorites::
This book is so special. Zoey is on her dream vacation to Moose Springs, Alaska. Despite a very tight budget, she is determined to have the time of her life. Hilarious and charming as hell, Zoey’s trip and the disgruntled diner owner she meets there are sure to win your heart immediately. If you love a good romantic comedy, you do not want to miss this novel!
Cat and Luca are so perfectly cast in this unforgettable big city romance. She is buttoned up and disciplined and doesn’t think very well of the doorman of her new building who is carefree, airy and dare-she-say reckless? But when she finds herself up a creek (figuratively), he’s the one who steps up to help her. Their story is *magic*
I didn’t love the ending of this book, but the rest of it is so good that I couldn’t keep it off this list. A vacation enemies-to-lovers style whirlwind romance. If you’ve never read a Christina Lauren book, girl, what are you waiting for?!
When in Rome | Sarah Adams
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I read this book a few years back and it is still stuck in my head. Rome, Kentucy is the idyllic small town of your rom-com dreams. Searching for a little respite from her world-famous persona, Amelia Rose disappears into middle-America for a few weeks. What she doesn’t expect is the grumpy pie-shop owner that changes everything…swoon.
The Hopeless Romantic
These romance books dig a little bit deeper, carving their own place out inside your heart. The love inside them is anything but ordinary. These stories feel so personal to me, but I’ll let you in on their magic in case you need a good romance to seep deep into your soul this season.
The Simple Wild | K.A. Tucker
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This is my favorite contemporary romance of all time. I’ve read dozens before and after and nothing hits quite the same as this beautiful story of unexpected connection and grief. Calla and Jonah are unforgettable – and look at that cover! One day I will write a review for this masterpiece to try and explain the depth of emotion I feel about it. For now I will just say, read it!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society | Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
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Oh – a beautiful, devastating, and uplifting World War II historical novel that doesn’t really feel like a romance. Don’t worry, it still has a happy ending, but the focus isn’t fully on the love story. Instead, it is told through nothing but correspondence as a journalist from London gets to know a group of readers on the once-occupied channel island of Guernsey. This book has gotten me out of multiple reading slumps. It feels like an old friend. I hope you find as much heart in it as I have.
Divine Rivals reads as a historical romance, but it has a fantastical twist. An unlikely love story set in a time not dissimilar to the World Wars, Iris and her mystery correspondent fall in love through letters, then so much more. This is a powerful duology you don’t want to miss!
The One That Got Away
Second chances sometimes make for the most powerful love stories. The books below all return to my mind often.
The Girl He Used to Know | Tracy Garvis Graves
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I don’t remember how or why I picked up this book, but it changed me. Annika and Jonathan’s relationship in college was something sincere and transformative, but like most things do, it ended. When they meet again years later, he’s divorced, and she finally feels ready to explain herself. This is an immaculate book that blind-sided me in only the best possible ways.
I cannot say enough good things about this book. It was my favorite read of 2024, and I read a lot of books last year. It’s a second chance military romance that gave me chills after chills after chills. Don’t sleep on this book!
Another book about letters! I guess I have a type *blushes* I adored this book about childhood pen pals who never had a nice thing to say to one another, and, as such, knew their deepest and darkest selves. After losing touch for years, Naomi gets a new letter and has to know once and for all if there’s something there, or if she needs to say goodbye forever.
Emergency Contact | Lauren Layne & Anthony LeDonne
Technically this is a holiday romance, so save it for the festive season if you must, but this book got me right in the feels. It’s a book about priorities, and openness, and family. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
The Recently Uncoupled
Sometimes the timing of Valentine’s Day can be a little bit painful. Here are some books where the main characters recently got out of big relationships too.
This book is immaculate. Really. The romance is magnetic, the personal dramas are intense and organic, the characters learn and grow so much. Did I mention there’s a baby goat…in pajamas? This is a perfect Valentine’s Day book!
A young woman goes to the UK to heal her broken heart, but the trip turns out so much differently than she ever imagined. It’s not just romance she finds on the tour, but friendships, too, that will last a lifetime!
Delfina is down on her luck and returns home to NJ with her tail between her legs. She never thought she’d end up back there, but now that she is, it might not mean she’s a failure after all. My favorite thing about this book is that the characters choose to be together, even though it’s never been smooth sailing between the two of them. I adored this book!
The Friend With Benefits
IYKYK
Funny Feelings | Tarah DeWitt
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Farley is a stand-up comedian who has been in love with her single-dad manager, Meyer, as long as she can remember. It would be a big risk to make a move, but can they live this way forever? This was my first and remains my favorite book from Tarah Dewitt. It’s sweet and sexy and funny, too!
Nova is a badass chick opening up her own tattoo shop in her hometown. Charlie is a bigshot businessman from New York who can’t stay away from the idyllic community. She’s looking to burn off some steam, and he agrees to help, but once just isn’t enough and before they know it their simple arrangement is suddenly much messier than they ever anticipated. The ratings speak for themselves!
The Situationship
Sometimes the right person is the one standing right in front of you, amiright? Here are my best recommendations in workplace romance.
This book is so so good and I’m convinced Sarah Chamberlain is going to be a very well-known name very soon! The Slowest Burn is about falling in love while working on a new cookbook. The writing about food here is *chef’s kiss* and so is the romance!
Ah, the book I loved so much I brought my blog back to life just to have a special place to review it. If you’re looking for a book with realistically struggling characters and subtle intimate moments, boy, are you going to love it. Its portrayal of anxiety also read spot-on. Someone find me a strawberry hoodie, stat!
Josie and Will run into each other just in time for him to swoop in and grab up the consulting job Josie’s brand is looking for. In high school he was her best friend’s brother. Now, they have a second chance to make the things that went wrong back then right again. So sweet – so romantic. Josie and Will give me the warmest of warm fuzzies!
Two single parents get off on the wrong foot and have a frenemies thing going for years before running into each other at an out-of-work event that makes them see one another in a new way. This one had me in a grip y’all.
The One Who Thinks ‘V-Day is a Conspiracy Created by Greeting Card Companies’
If you’re just not a Valentine’s Day believer, I even have a few picks for you!
Beach Read | Emily Henry
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My favorite Em Hen novel just can’t be beat! I’m drawn to books that aren’t always the happiest. The characters need to be going through it to really draw me in deep, and this novel fits that bill. August is struggling with his divorce, and January with the death of her father. Both are writers who feel blocked, so they propose a challenge to get things started again. The whole thing just has a vibe of skepticism and dwelling in pain you might just enjoy.
You want someone who rejects holidays? I can’t think of a character who resents them more than Charlotte from Christmas Is All Around. Wrong holiday maybe, but still a great read!
This incredible novel isn’t really a pick-me-up, so if you’re not feeling the love in the air, How to Hide in Plain Sight might be your best medicine right now. It’s down and dirty into mental illness and grief and guilt, but within the journey of this book is a beautiful friends-to-lovers romance that will make you weep with tears of empathy, sorrow, and pride. This book blew me away!
The Outdoorsy-Date Type
Okay, so I couldn’t come up with a better Valentine’s Day equivalent for sports romance, but I refuse to leave them out of a romance book recommendation list! I am not a sports person and I avoided sports romance for a long time because I thought I’d hate it. I was wrong.
Each volume of this series runs a little longer than most romances, but it is 100% worth it. The relationships are so intimate and beautiful and the character growth in each one of them is really immaculate. They are connected through a larger friend group that develops through the series and includes sports players in several Chicago professional sports (hockey, basketball, and baseball). The best part? There is one more book still to come, later this year, and you know your girl has it on preorder!
The Fake Out | Stephanie Archer
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A random KU read turned into one of my favorite sports romances, and one of the better romances I’ve read, period. The relationship between Hazel and Rory is something special. It starts almost as an enemies situation, but quickly turns into a mutually beneficial friendship that blossoms organically into more. They support one another through the hards in their lives and there is no pesky third act breakup!
Six Summers to Fall | C.W. Farnsworth
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This one might not qualify as a sports romance because it is off-season and the characters are spending the time at a very outdoorsy wedding. But not just spending time there…they’re falling in love and ooo, it’s delicious.
The Fairy Tale Romance
Sorry, this category doesn’t mean retellings — these are my picks for things that are a little bit out of this world. Ghosts, okay? These have to do with ghosts, which I didn’t realize I liked so much until I was trying to fit these into a category. The last one doesn’t have ghosts, but it’s my favorite romance series OF ALL TIME (and has magic)! Just read them, you’ll see!
When a girl finds out her New York City apartment is haunted, she hardly bats an eye. She needs this place, and she’s not going anywhere. Unfortunately, neither is he. But when they get to know each other, it turns out he can help her. Oh guys, this one is good. And long! It honestly feels like a two for one deal. If you read it, you’ll understand what I mean…
A haunted Florida town known for its ghosts? Why not buy your first home there! But it’s not so kitchy when she discovers the house she bought was inhabited by the meanest ghost in town. Good thing the hunky coffee shop owner is willing to help…
The Dead Romantics | Ashley Poston
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I was hooked on this book in the first chapter. A daughter in a family who owns a funeral home who can see ghosts? Who works as a….ghostwriter? And what a title! I absolutely love this book, and I hope you will too.
A private investigator with the secret ability to tell when people are lying to her. The most powerful prime magic user in the city of Houston. And a conspiracy beyond anything they could have expected. Working together is dangerous, but not as dangerous as if they work alone.
Trilogy #2 | Catalina
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Catalina’s magical abilities aren’t as direct or well-known as her sister Nevada’s, but it is her incredibly quick-witted brain that is her biggest asset. When an investigation for a friend spirals out of control, she finds an ally in the most unlikely place she might have ever imagined: her teenaged crush, Italian playboy (and dreamboat) Alessandro Segredo.
Galentine’s Day
Maybe this Valentine’s Day isn’t about a love interest, but a celebration of strong female friendships. I’ve got recommendations for those too::
Finlay Donovan gets herself into some serious hijinks in this series. It starts off with a bang with this book where Finlay is mistaken for an assassin and is hired to kill someone’s husband…accidentally. If you’re not in the romance mood, this hilarious contemporary mystery is sure to scratch an itch you didn’t know you had.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise | Colleen Oakley
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A teenager and a vigilante granny go on a road trip. This is the kind of medicine you just might need this time of year. Unexpected friendships are sometimes the sweetest. They’re certainly fun to read about! And hey, you’ll get a sense of what it’s like to drive cross-trip across America, too.
If you’re a true V-Day skeptic, this is my #1 pick for you. It’s a contemporary gothic…kind of thriller? There are mysteries to unpack and revenge to exact. I frigging love Rachel Hawkins, and if you’re feeling bitter this month, read this.
This is the coziest book I’ve ever read. There is some romance, but this is more about all of the human connections, female friendships and mother-daughter bonding, too. It’s like a hug in a book and I highly recommend it!
Whew! That was a lot! I hope you found something in there somewhere that looks like a good match for you. Let me know your favorites and I will add them to my TBR for this year!
If you were a big fan of Icebreaker, Unloved is another college hockey romance with spice, heart, and finding your place you that will scratch that same itch.
Matt Fedderic is a hockey star with learning disorders that make it difficult for him to stay eligible for the team. Ro is his new tutor. She has a toxic ex who builds himself up by bringing her down, and though he doesn’t want to date her, he doesn’t want to be rid of her either, since she’s an easy punching bag. Matt has a reputation for getting around, fueled by the gaping hole left by his piece of crap father and his mother’s passing. As Matt and Ro spend more time together, a friendship forms between them, and maybe even something deeper.
For me, this was an enjoyable read, but there were some problems. The fact that most of their early tension and attraction was caused by two different nights they had together that the other couldn’t remember and was formative to the other…that just seemed problematic to me. Especially the prologue – since there is another scene based on that plot device a little later on, I kind of wish it hadn’t been included.
There is some pretty dark stuff insinuated in this book. Matt’s sexual past is…not great. It mentions some action with a high school teacher at one point. …um, what? And then his most recent ex is nothing but bad news as well. And Ro’s ex had zero redeeming qualities or background to back up his actions toward her.
I don’t know. A lot of it was a little too much for me. If there were a volume dial on the drama scale I might have turned it down like two notches.
The relationship between Ro & Matt was sweet though. Having them prioritize friendship between them for so long was absolutely necessary for these two and absolutely refreshing. It was clear they weren’t just horny for one another, but that they really cared about the other in much deeper ways. They are both going through some rough stuff, and they show up for each other every time it counts. That’s the kind of stuff I love in a romance.
Unloved is really what I’m finding to be a ‘typical’ college sports romance novel. It’s long, there are lots of plotlines, family traumas, lessons to be learned, steamy scenes, and a nice happy ending at the end. For me, it felt like I’d read it before honestly. There wasn’t enough there to stand out, but I read A LOT of romance. But this is exactly what you might be looking for if you were a big fan of Icebreaker by Hannah Grace.
Details
Title:: Unloved (The Undone #2) Author:: Peyton Corinne Genre:: Sports Romance Publisher:: Atria Books Length::464 pages Audio Length::14h Audiobook Narrator:: TBA Audiobook Publisher:: Simon & Schuster Audio Published:: February 4th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars Spice Rating:: 3
One summer can alter the course of everything. One new friend. One lost story. One betrayal. One house in the pines.
Maya is convinced the strange boy keeping her company over her last summer before college killed her best friend Aubrey during a disagreement. The only problem is, he never touched her. Maya knows this because she watched it happen. He and Aubrey were talking, then she fell over. Dead.
Seven years later, she sees a viral video online of the same boy in the very same scenario. Another girl, dead. Not a finger laid upon her.
It can’t be a coincidence.
But ever since that summer, with her insistent conviction of his guilt, she’s been repeatedly told she is mentally ill. Delusional. Crazy. She’s even been medicated. And now, having quit her medication cold turkey, she travels back to find out the truth and get justice for Aubrey and all the other women he might have hurt.
I was surprised to see the Goodreads rating so low on this book. At the time, it was 3.10, which is one of the lowest I’ve seen on a book I’ve actually read. There were no major dealbreaker type flaws in my view. In fact, I was quite captivated.
This checked all the boxes of a psychological thriller. The possibly untrustworthy narrator, a strange and compelling mystery to solve, a setting that toes the incredibly thin line of being either idyllic or incredibly creepy, a suspect that could as easily be a murderer or completely innocent and misunderstood…
The narrative is sprinkled with flashbacks from that pivotal past summer where everything ended up so wrong. I thought the flashbacks were handled very well and felt as compelling as the current events. It is in the past that we get to know our suspect, after all.
It all just felt very well crafted to me. The details kept me doubting my own theories, and while there were plenty of clues to the truth that was ultimately revealed, I was never sure until quite late into the story.
I wasn’t as interested in the part of the story that didn’t have to do with the mystery – her current boyfriend and the conflict she felt with spending time with his parents – but it didn’t take up much time and ultimately didn’t bother me.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. If you’re looking for a compelling psychological thriller to add an extra chill to your dark winter evenings, consider this one!
Details
Title:: The House in the Pines Author:: Ana Reyes Genre:: Mystery/Thriller Publisher:: Dutton Length::321 pages Audio Length::8h 34m Audiobook Narrator:: Marisol Ramirez Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio Published:: January 3rd, 2023 The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
What a treat this book is. Perhaps this specific flavor of mystery genre already existed before Finaly Donovan, but I’m having a hard time imagining a better execution than Finlay Donovan is Killing It. Snappy, smart, often unfortunate, but laugh out loud, gripping, and ridiculously layered, this book is a marvel of the contemporary murder mystery genre.
Things aren’t going well. Finlay is under a book deadline for a crappy contract that doesn’t even pay the bills anyway, and can’t summon the muse between dirty diapers, loose scissors (and unexpected haircuts), ailing minivan, and constantly struggling against her douchebag ex-husband who treats her like a sad woman who will be reliant on him forever. Did we mention he’s getting married again? And it’s only been a year.
Anyway, it’s a miracle she makes it to an important meeting with her agent on time, and while discussing some details about a potential murder mystery plot, a nearby voyeur mistakes her for a real life hit-woman and commissions her for a job. Despite trying to explain the misunderstanding, the woman on the other end of the phone calls doesn’t take no for an answer, and $50,000 could really turn things around for Finlay. She isn’t going to actually do anything, but she decides to hit the bar where she knows the target will be, just to see. She needs a night out, anyway. She deserves that much, at least.
From there it’s all a series of implausible but all-too-possible events that lead to a dead body in her garage, a nanny-accomplice, being a person of interest to a mob boss, and two kind-of boyfriends, both of which have the power to ruin everything. Did I mention the crochety old neighbor window-spy who misses nothing?
It’s like a game of cat and mouse except there are cats in every direction and it’s not a mouse, it’s a gerbil that was mistaken for a mouse and now has to pretend to be a mouse because she’s accidentally done a mouse-like thing and also wants to earn the money of a mouse to keep her scumbag ex-husband off her back and she just may be in mortal danger if she doesn’t keep up the mouse ruse at least a little while longer.
In short, it’s a delight, and I think you should read it. Once you start turning pages, I dare you to stop. And the best part? There’s more where that came from. This is just the start of Finlay’s adventures.
Details
Title:: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (Finlay Donovan #1) Author:: Elle Cosimano Genre:: Contemporary Mystery/Thriller Publisher:: Minotaur Books Length::355 pages Audio Length::9h 59m Audiobook Narrator:: Angela Dawe Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio Published:: February 2nd, 2021 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Welcome to a new series on the blog I’m calling The Books that Built Me. I will be featuring books I’ve found formative in my life as a reader. Each post will explore one book that changed my life. I’ll share my personal history with each book and why I chose it for this series.
It’s actually a really nice exercise to think back to all the books you’ve loved before (heh, that’s not a hint, I’ve never read that series). What are the books that stand out? Which books really had a profound influence on your thinking, for however long it might have been? What was the very first book you remember loving? For me it was Twig, by Elizabeth Orton Jones.
My First Children’s Chapter Book: Twig
The first thing I loved about this book was the cover. Our original copy of Twig, which I still have somewhere, has a brown packaging tape spine, and a binding tape corner. It might even be from the original printing. It’s a rusty red color, and has a small illustration of the protagonist. I can see it so clearly in my mind’s eye, and it brings me such a warm feeling to recall it.
I remember laying in bed with my mom, turning to the table of contents, and seeing all the chapter names. Because all we’d read before this were story books, I erroneously thought I could pick any chapter to start with. It blew my little child’s mind that we’d have to read them in order! What if we don’t want to read some of them? What if they sound boring!
It’s a chapter book, as I mentioned, but it is also illustrated, and with the cutest little drawings! The story is about a little girl living in an apartment building. They didn’t have much, so her whole little world was her family, their neighbors, and their little yard. It was written in 1942 so there is an ice-wagon horse in the alley behind the house, and an old cat who sits on the trash can, and a family of sparrows who’ve made the apartment building their home too.
One day, Twig finds a brightly printed empty tomato can in the yard, and she decides to build a house out of it to attract a fairy next to a robust little dandelion in the yard! She finds other things, too. A thimble, a soda bottle cap, a gum wrapper. These things turn into the furnishings. And it works! Soon a fairy comes along who is learning magic! And it grants her wish to become a fairy, too!
The illustrations are just magic. The story was so clear and bright in my mind’s eye. Twig and her fairy friend became friends with Mrs. Sparrow and even helped to hatch her eggs while she went out searching for that naughty Mr. Sparrow.
I’ll never forget that book. I bought a second hand copy in a panic when I couldn’t find the original (they also have an ebook version you can get here), and I read it to my own children last summer. They loved it too. It’s just a perfect example to me of how books can just be magic. Sometimes they find us at the right time and implant themselves into the fabric of who we’re becoming. Twig was that for me. If it weren’t for her, who knows where I’d be?
What is the very first book you can still remember? Share with us in the comments…
