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Book Review:: A Summer Affair | Elin Hilderbrand

I used to avoid books like A Summer Affair. Books marketed distinctly as ‘beach reads’. I thought they would be quick, light, shallow romance tales of people falling in love over the summer. (Ironically, I consume those exact stories like candy now anyway, but I digress. Yes, I used to be a self-proclaimed Book Snob.) Little did I know, Elin Hilderbrand, the queen of the ‘beach read’, is a weaver of complex, realistic stories that are almost the exact opposite of light and shallow. They are substantive. Really the only ‘beachy’ thing about it is the cover. Who knew?

A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand Book Cover

A Summer Affair follows Claire, a mostly-happy suburban type living on Nantucket. Rumored to have had a past relationship with Max West, one of the biggest music stars in the world, she is asked to co-chair a benefit gala for Nantucket’s Children, assuming she would be able to secure the ungettable-get that would set their event apart from other charities (yeah, yeah, these rich people are out of control). Claire is not the sort who would normally be asked to do something like this. She is a glass-blowing artist who is on a break from work after the premature birth of her last baby. She is the quintessential soccer mom with Catholic Guilt issues. She’s not filthy stinking rich. But, sitting there across from Lockhart Dixon, the man who’s wife Claire failed to keep from drunk driving years before (resulting in an accident that nearly killed her and instead changed her entire personality), she finds she cannot say no. More than that, she finds his compliments and general demeanor attractive in a way she never expected.

It’s a complex story woven through several points-of-view surrounding the gala everyone hopes to pull off without a hitch. But life is still happening. Old loves, new ones, addictions, chance-encounters, and white-collar crimes are all facets of this tale of character, happenstance, and the struggle for purpose and meaning.

I’ve found Elin Hilderbrand to be quite a reliable author. Her stories are always quite engrossing and more than anything, interesting. Her characters are tangled in complicated webs and don’t always make the best decisions. Her books are fascinating. I’m hooked. And I have several more on my reading list this year.

If you’re a Hilderbrand fan, share your favorite of hers in the comments. I’d love to know what I should read next!

Details

Title:: A Summer Affair (Nantucket #1)
Author:: Elin Hilderbrand
Genre:: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher:: Little Brown/Hachette
Length:: 416 pages
Audio Length:: 14h 41m
Audiobook Narrator:: Isabel Keating
Audiobook Publisher:: Hachette Audio
Published:: July 1st, 2008
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Most Fun We Ever Had | Claire Lombardo
Maybe Next Time | Cesca Major

Book Review:: The Summer of You and Me | Denise Hunter

One day Maggie is at the fair with her young daughter and swears she sees her husband among the crowds. Trouble is, he was killed in the line of duty five years ago.

The Summer of You and Me by Deinse Hunter Book Cover

Calling upon his brother to help her search for him opens up a new world of possibilities neither of them ever expected, and are a little afraid to entertain. But they don’t give up, and eventually are confronted with an impossible truth.

This novel is at once a mystery, a love story, and a story of revitalization. Grief is heavy and comes in waves, some hitting so hard and fast it makes us feel like we’ll never get a breath of fresh air again. But holding stagnant doesn’t allow you to buoy back to the surface, lifted by the spirits of those who came before. By the love and honor you have for them. This is a story about humanity in a lot of ways. Coping with death. Resilience.

An undercurrent of support, love, and understanding runs through this novel. The characters seem to be at least casually religious, though it’s not outwardly discussed much through the narrative. Instead they lead by example, telling truths even when it hurts, finding forgiveness in difficult situations, overcoming shock in favor of compassion. There is plenty of drama in this book, but I could feel the safety net underneath, in the best way possible.

The Summer of You and Me blurs genre lines to bring a story that will tug at your heart strings. I absolutely loved it. I hope you will too.

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 Summer of You and Me
Author:: Denise Hunter
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Thomas Nelson
Length:: 352 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 55m
Audiobook Narrator:: Kim Churchill
Published:: April 22nd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Before We Were Us | Denise Hunter
Counting Miracles | Nicholas Sparks
Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Book Review:: Can’t Get Enough | Kennedy Ryan

Can’t Get Enough is the third book in her Skyland series, but the first one I’ve ever read, and I’m impressed! I’ve heard lots of great things, and this one certainly did not disappoint.

Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan Book Cover

Hendrix and Maverick meet at a party as two people who can’t entertain the idea of being together, despite their attractions. He’s technically with someone else, and she’s on the brink of a major deal with his significant other that will lead to the career she’s dreamed of for a long time. But he does overhear an emotional conversation between Hendrix and her mother with Alzheimer’s on the phone, and offers to lend a hand. His own grandfather suffered through the same disease. As time passes, Hendrix and Maverick grow closer and closer until neither of them can deny what they’re feeling anymore.

One thing I loved about this book was how realistic it felt. Hard conversations were hard, intimate scenes don’t go off without a hitch, painful things are very painful. The author really puts herself into the shoes of her characters, and you can feel that as you read it.

The story between Hendrix and Maverick isn’t the most straight forward, but it is sexy as hell. Mav is a millionaire, and that man moves money to make things happen. I can admit that can be romantic! I loved how there were some tough decisions to make, and hard circumstances to navigate, but none of it got in the way of the truth of their feelings for one another (no third act breakup!).

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, and I’m excited to go back and read the rest of the Skyland series!

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:: Can’t Get Enough (Skyland #3)
Author:: Kennedy Ryan
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Forever
Length:: 448 pages
Audio Length:: 14h 30m
Audiobook Narrator:: Wesleigh Siobhan & Jakobi Diem
Published:: May 13th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
Spice Rating:: 3

If you liked this book, check out…

Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour | Nora Nguyen
Let’s Call A Truce | Amy Buchanan
Yours Truly | Abby Jimenez

Book Review:: The Proposal Project | Donna Marchetti

I don’t know how I stumbled across Donna Marchetti’s first book, Hate Mail, but it was one of the most memorable romances I read last year. When I saw she had a new book coming out this year, I jumped at the chance to read it.

The Proposal Project by Donna Marchetti Book Cover

The premise is two people with a mutual friend-couple who got off on the wrong foot team up to make said friend-couple’s proposal something to remember. That’s right, both the man and woman want to propose to each other, unbeknownst to the other, but certainly beknownst (ha) by our two lead characters, Pricilla and Oliver. Planning the perfect proposal is about more than just making her best friend’s day special for Priscilla, this is the moment she hopes will launch her new event planning business. Having to work with and trust Oliver was not on her bingo card, and neither was having to fake date him in order not to spoil their schemes.

Romantic comedies can be hit and miss for me. Often they veer over the line from cute and playful into cliche and annoying, but Marchetti, in both books I’ve read so far, seems to know exactly where the line is and bends it to her will. Cheesy? A little. Unbelievable? No. And the deeper character moments fill the gaps between mishaps with heart and tenderness that wins me over every time.

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 Proposal Project
Author:: Donna Marchetti
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Harper Collins | One More Chapter
Length:: 384 pages
Published:: June 27th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Hate Mail | Donna Marchetti
Not in My Book | Katie Holt
Exes & O’s | Amy Lea

Book Review:: Eight Hundred Grapes | Laura Dave

Timing is everything, and who knows that better than a wine maker? I’m learning that lesson again from Eight Hundred Grapes. I read it once before in 2022 and rated it 3 stars. Rereading again in 2025 it has earned 5.

I suppose for me it was an acquired taste.

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave Book Cover

Georgia flees town in her wedding dress, taking refuge back home in Sonoma county, at the bar her brothers own together. She’s been away awhile, and returns to find things not at all how she left them, but in just as complicated a mess as she finds her own self in. The foundations of her family she always believed to be unshakable have been shooketh, and she’s scrambling to make sense of the new reality taking shape around her.

I’m struggling to understand why a version of myself from three years ago didn’t find anything to connect with in this novel. I must not have, to have rated it three stars. The me of today sees a young woman coming to terms with a rite of passage that was thrust upon her all at once instead of coming to it on her own: the dissolution of her folks turning from ‘parents’ into ‘people’. This coming on the heels of a revelation that her fiancé has been hiding the biggest imaginable secret, and that her brothers are tangled up in something she doesn’t understand. All of these things are reinforcing the idea that people, no matter how good their intentions are, or how otherwise ‘good’ they may be, can and will make decisions that can hurt you. Decisions you may not understand. Decisions that will cause ripple effects far beyond what might have been expected.

This book is about coming to terms with the humanity and imperfections of your family, about the impermanence of some things and the imprinting of others upon the very fabric of your being. About holding onto and letting go of childhood. It’s about potential. It’s about building cultivating the soil and knowing when to give up, and more importantly, when not to. It’s about taking control of your own destiny, and accepting the fallibility of others, as we are fallible ourselves. But really it’s a story of a family in crisis, and who can’t relate to that at some level?

Laura Dave, I’m sorry I did not see or understand the brilliance of this novel the first time around. I’m just glad I picked it up again and saw its true worth this time. Thank you, for such an incredible story.

Details

Title:: Eight Hundred Grapes
Author:: Laura Dave
Genre:: Contemporary/General Fiction
Publisher:: Simon & Schuster
Length:: 274 pages
Audio Length:: 8h 6m
Audiobook Narrator:: Joy Osmanski
Published:: February 1st, 2022
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Cheesemaker’s Daughter | Kristin Vukovic
Wish I Were Here | Melissa Wiesner
I’ll Come To You | Rebecca Koffman

Book Review:: Nobody’s Fool | Harlan Coben

Nobody’s Fool is my first Harlan Coben novel, and wow – color me impressed! This is the second book in the series led by main character Sami Kierce, and I’m going back to read the origin story that left him off the police force as soon as possible, which is where he finds himself at the beginning of this novel.

Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben Book Cover

Speaking of origin stories, in a way, this novel is really the exploration of Sami’s. After college, he had a fling with a beautiful woman in Spain, and was ready to give up everything for her, until he woke up beside her bloody body, knife in his hand. He fled, and it was the series of events set off by this experience that led him to becoming a cop in the first place. Now, he sees a woman he knows is her, alive and well and here, and it changes everything.

Not only is this case from Sami’s past coming back to haunt him, but the murderer of his former fiance is being released early from prison, and he’s determined to get justice from that case, too. He has a new baby, and a wife he loves, and though he’s no longer officially a cop, he teaches a criminal justice class that fulfills him. In short, a lot to lose.

What a skillfully written novel! This one had me questioning everything, fully engaged and wondering where the heck it was going to lead next. There are so many moving pieces and so many corners for spooky things to jump out from behind, it was entertaining as hell. If this is the level of mystery and suspense I can expect from Harlan Coben, I’m adding his entire backlist to my TBR! What more can you ask for from a thriller? That feeling is what you search for in this genre, and Nobody’s Fool absolutely delivers!

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:: Nobody’s Fool (Detective Sami Kierce #2)
Author:: Harlan Coben
Genre:: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher:: Grand Central Publishing
Length:: 352 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 17m
Audiobook Narrator:: Vikas Adam
Published:: March 25th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Truth About the Devlins | Lisa Scottoline
Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister

Book Review:: Done and Dusted | Lyla Sage

Sometimes when life knocks you down, the best place for you to go is home. And sometimes the person you least suspect is the key to find yourself again.

Emmy Ryder shows up at her family’s ranch in Wyoming after years of being distant, pursuing her barrel racing dreams – but after she has a bad fall, the same thing that killed her mother, she also has a breakdown and heads back home. Her trip home was unannounced so her father and two older brothers are surprised to see her, but no one is more surprised than Luke Brooks, her brother’s best friend, when she walks in looking like a smoke show he can’t take his eyes off of. Luke teaches riding lessons at the ranch, and Emmy needs to learn to be comfortable on the back of a horse again.

This is a really sweet and spicy romance. Luke is a yearning, protective love interest we love to see. He’s also a no-good good-for-nothing, at least in his harrowed past, and as Emmy gets to know him, she sees how he’s worked hard to separate himself from that, and why he was that way to begin with.

There is just enough depth to the characters to get you engaged with the story, but not so much that we forget why we’re there – to watch two hot young people fall in love, despite it all.

The covers for this series are amazing…like an old time classy western, but what lies inside is a modern spicy romance full of tropey goodness you won’t want to put down.

Details

Title:: Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1)
Author:: Lyla Sage
Genre:: Cowboy Romance
Publisher:: Dial Press
Length:: 356 pages
Audio Length:: 6h 51m
Audiobook Narrator:: Aaron Shedlock, Stella Hunter
Audiobook Publisher:: Random House Audio
Published:: June 6th, 2023
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Play Along | Liz Tomforde
Wild Love | Elsie Silver

Book Review:: Spring Fling | Annie England Noblin

Ben was always the-one-that-got-away, but now that he’s back in town, Mylie isn’t sure how to approach him. All signs point to him leaving again, but who says it has to be something serious? Maybe they can just have a spring fling…

Spring Fling by Annie England Noblin Book Review

The tone of this novel was very lighthearted and easy, even when some of the subject matter probably warranted a little more depth. Personally, I was craving a little bit more from these characters, but every time I felt that way it seemed to launch into another tropey situation that kept things light and playful.

The characters felt well developed for the purposes of the story. Mylie, in particular, had a lot of ties to the town that drove the subplots well enough. The setting of Clay Creek is small town America with the requisite old-lady bingo group, and rascally wildlife.

For me there wasn’t a lot that really stood out as being particularly original or interesting. That’s the danger of reading so much romance! If you’re looking for something sweet and light, this book fits the bill, but if you’re looking for the next great romance novel, in my opinion this one isn’t essential reading.

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:: Spring Fling
Author:: Annie England Noblin
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 304 pages
Audio Length:: 8h
Audiobook Narrator:: Amanda Stribling
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: March 18th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars
Spice Rating:: 3 (open door explicit scenes, but brief)

If you liked this book, check out…

Business Casual | BK Borison
How to Hide in Plain Sight | Emma Noyes
Catch and Keep | Erin Hahn

Book Review:: It All Comes Back To You | Melissa Wiesner

It All Comes Back to You by Melissa Wiesner is going on my top list of all time favorite books. It reminded me of my favorite book of last year, In the Likely Event, by Rebecca Yarros. Gabe and Anna are not just two love interests, their lives are completely intertwined in all the best and most complex ways. This story had me in a vice from the first pages, and it consumed me entirely until I turned the last ones. Even now I can feel this story overtake me when I think of it, which is often.

Gabe and Anna meet when they are assigned as project partners for a college level economics class. Gabe needs it for his major, and sixteen-year-old Anna talked her way into it with her enormous brain. They become unlikely friends during that semester, and their relationship frames the rest of their lives in ways neither of them expected.

Anna would tell you her life is fine, but as the two of them grow closer, Gabe begins to suspect things aren’t as straight-forward as Anna would have him think. Though he knows it will damage her trust in him, Gabe takes steps to give her the helps she needs but does not want.

He saves her.

Anna’s relationship with the Weatherall’s (Gabe’s family) is the balm for our souls. They’re not perfect, but they are close and loving and the exact opposite of Anna’s early life. They welcome her in like one of their own, and give her a soft place to land whenever she needs it.

This story takes place over many years as Anna and Gabe flash in and out of each other’s lives. Their friendship is a pillar in both of their lives, and though their bond is undeniable, they both know it would be a mistake to take it further with Anna’s past continually haunting her.

I am in love with this book. I want to carry it around, nestled close to my chest so I can have it close to me. I’m not ready to let it go. It’s the kind of story that slithers under your skin and sinks deep into your bones. It’s not a book to read for a little escape, or a weekend of entertainment…it is an experience, and one I hope you’ll undertake as well.

Blown. Away.

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:: It All Comes Back To You
Author:: Melissa Wiesner
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Forever
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 40m
Audiobook Narrator:: Kate Handford
Published:: March 18th, 2025 (August 17th, 2023)
The Litertarian Rating:: 5 (million)-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

In the Likely Event | Rebecca Yarros
Wish You Were Here | Melissa Wiesner

Book Review:: Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) | Jesse Q. Sutanto

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) is the second book in the Vera Wong series. If you haven’t read Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers yet, start there! This is my review.

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man by Jesse Q. Sutanto Book Cover

Vera is at it again when she meets a young woman named Milly who is too scared to step into the police station (don’t ask why Vera is there…a phone scam. She was phone scammed). Milly is afraid something happened to her friend Thomas, and Vera is happy to employ her considerable investigative skills to help her.

While this book has the same grandmotherly charm and Vera is up to the same level of nosiness-with-care as usual, this one didn’t have quite the same impact for me as the first book.

Vera’s personality still shines in this book. She’s still as nosy and runs just as much interference here, and cooks even more than ever for those she cares about.

“You think I won’t? I am Chinese mother, all I do is create conflict.”

She is not afraid to stick herself into situations she’s not invited to, and to smooth things over once she’s caused some offense. It is her greatest skill.

The cast we love from book one is still around, particularly some characters that weren’t explored much, her son Tilly and his new partner, the police officer Selena. Vera is tired of waiting on grandkids, and she’s not afraid to mention it. Repeatedly.

One issue I had is Vera’s first break in the case, the one that really allows her to make any headway at all, is waaay too convenient. I guess it kind of works given the tone and Vera’s tendency to always find what she’s looking for, but that one really pushed the line for me.

The other piece that bothered me a little bit is that the subject matter is incredibly dark and honestly disturbing. There is justice in the end, but the ones apprehended in the end are not the full scope of the problem, and that haunts me (and it should haunt you too). There is only so much an old Chinese mother can do to warm up coldness like that, and for me, it just wasn’t enough.

HOWEVER

Is it still worth reading? Absolutely. Will I be continuing the series? What…and leave Vera to her own devices? I don’t think so! I’ll be there for her next adventure, and I’m sure she’ll have a bowl of delicious Chinese cooking for us once we get there.

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:: Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) (Vera Wong #2)
Author:: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Genre:: Contemporary Mystery
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 11h
Audiobook Narrator:: Eunice Wong
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: April 1st, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars