Review: Here We Go Again

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

I have never read this author's other books, and maybe I should have, to prepare myself for this one; I don't know if that would have helped me like this book more than I did.

I realized that the two main characters had mental disorders (ADHD), and I should have sympathized with their issues more; I felt that the ADHD, plus the dying of a great friend plus a cross-country trip, was just a little too much. Then add to that an enemies-to-lovers scenario, and it was just a little too much for me. Separately, they would have been excellent stories; even adding one of the other themes would have made this a five-star read for me. But it was just a bit too over the top for me. Logan and Rosemary were just a tad too teenager-ish for me.

However, even though I did some mild eye-rolling while reading, I was captivated enough to finish this novel. This was a fast read that hit many emotions.

*The ARC was supplied by the publisher, Atria Books/Simon & Schuster, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.

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SYN OPSIS: " The author of Kiss Her Once for Me returns with a new queer rom-com following once childhood best friends forced together to drive their former teacher across the country.

A long time ago, Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale used to be friends. They spent their childhood summers running through the woods, rebelling against their conservative small town, and dreaming of escaping. But then an incident the summer before high school turned them into bitter rivals. After graduation, they went ten years without speaking.

Now in their thirties, Logan and Rosemary find they aren’t quite living the lives of adventure they imagined for themselves. Still in their small town and working as teachers at their alma mater, they’re both stuck in old patterns. Uptight Rosemary chooses security and stability over all else, working constantly, and her most stable relationship is with her label maker. Chaotic and impulsive Logan has a long list of misguided ex-lovers and an apathetic shrug she uses to protect herself from anything real. And as hard as they try to avoid each other—and their complicated past—they keep crashing into each other. Including with their cars.

But when their beloved former English teacher and lifelong mentor tells them he has only a few months to live, they’re forced together once and for all to fulfill his last a cross-country road trip. Stuffed into the gayest van west of the Mississippi, the three embark on a life-changing summer trip—from Washington state to the Grand Canyon, from the Gulf Coast to coastal Maine—that will chart a new future and perhaps lead them back to one another."

Review: The Flower Sisters

The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

RECOMMENDED HIGHLY

I have been reading a lot lately, including old favorites and a number of ARCs. I was a bit unhappy with most of the ARCs lately until I got to this one.

This book was riveting historical fiction. Yes, there really was an explosion that destroyed a nightclub and the surrounding block (in reality, the Bond Dance Hall Explosion). No, it was not in a town called Possum Flats! And no, while the woman who died was a licensed embalmer—the first woman to be such a thing—she was not the woman we came to know.

I could not stop reading this novel, and calling it gripping seems a little cliched, but that is exactly what this book was -gripping. It had twists and turns that I never saw coming, and I loved the book more for that fact.

For those who love truth in their fiction, I highly recommend this book, especially if you like reading about the late 1970s. Learning about the 1920s was also really cool!

If you are intrigued, I would google Bond Dance Hall Explosion -it's worth the extra time.

*ARC supplied by the publisher John Scognamiglio/Kensington, the author, and NetGalley. My sincerest thanks for this wonderful novel.

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SYNOPSIS: "Drawing on the little-known true story of a tragic event that took place in the author’s Missouri hometown at an Ozarks dance hall in 1928, this beautifully written novel, told through twin storylines fifty years apart, explores the unpredictable effect of split-second decisions, small-town tragedy, and the ways family secrets reverberate through generations.

Sure to resonate with fans of Daniel Woodrell, Donna Everhart, Ellen Marie Wiseman, and Jeannette Walls.

At birth, Violet and Rose Flowers were identical, save for a tiny bluish-purple mark gracing Violet’s slender neck. By nineteen, their temperaments distinguish them, as different as the flowers their mother named them for—Violet, wild and outgoing, and Rose, solitary and reserved. Still, they are each other’s world. Then, on a sweltering, terrible August night in 1928, an explosion rocks Lamb’s Dance Hall in Possum Flats, Missouri, engulfing it in flames, leaving one twin among the dozens dead, and her sister’s life forever changed.

Fifty years later, Daisy Flowers is dumped on her grandmother Rose’s doorstep for the summer. A bright, inquisitive fifteen-year-old, Daisy bargains her way into an internship at the local newspaper—where she learns of the mysterious long-ago tragedy and its connection to her family. Rose, now the local funeral home director, grows increasingly alarmed as her impulsive granddaughter delves into Possum Flats’ history, determined to uncover the horrors and heroes of the fiery blast.

For a small town, Possum Flats holds a multitude of big secrets, some guarded by the living, some kept by the dead. And through Rose, Daisy, Dash—a preacher who found his calling that fateful night—and others, those ghosts gradually come into the light, forcing a reckoning at last."

Review: Christa Comes Out of Her Shell

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I genuinely do not know how to rate this book. I neither loved it nor hated it, but I think I disliked it just a tiny tad more than I liked it! I think I disliked the fact that a certain character (and thankfully was not a main character) had not-so-nice things to say about people of a certain age, which I am one of!

Authors, please don't insult what could possibly be a large part of your audience. Those of us of a certain age like to read books like this too, you know!

I expected something that I did not get; I got more romance than I expected, less comedy than I expected, and more characters that I disliked. I didn't even feel all that much for the Liddle family.

However, the story was, for the most part, an interesting and clever one and had an intriguing little twist at the end.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Penguin Group/Berkley Books, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Just when she thought she’d gotten far enough away . . . a life-changing phone call throws an antisocial scientist back into her least favorite place—the spotlight. A hilarious and insightful new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.

After a tumultuous childhood, Christa Liddle has hidden away, both figuratively and literally. Happily studying sea snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Christa finds her tranquil existence thrown into chaos when her once-famous father—long thought dead after a plane crash—turns out to be alive, well, and ready to make amends. The world goes wild, fascinated by this real-life saga, pinning Christa and her family under the spotlight. As if that weren’t enough, her reunion with an old childhood friend reveals an intense physical attraction neither was expecting and both want to act on . . . if they can just keep a lid on it. When her father’s story starts to develop cracks, Christa fears she will lose herself, her potential relationship, and—most importantly—any chance of making it back to her snails before they forget her completely."

Review: Expiration Dates

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 2.5 stars rounded up.


The idea of a single woman knowing exactly how long a relationship was going to last sounded like an interesting plot line. However, it actually didn't do all that much for the story. The story was more about her relationships with two particular men—not a lot of discussion was had with anyone about this bit of eerieness! Just one person knew about it and believed in it.

The first half of this was pretty unexceptional. You would think that with a twist such as Daphne has, of knowing just how long she is going to date a particular person, her life would be an exciting adventure. To me, it was the half of the book that was filled with unneeded descriptions of clothing, places, drink etc. Just fluff and filler. This was a short novel so perhaps some of this was added in to lengthen the book.

The second half of the book (or so) was much better—after Daphne's big reveal. Some reviewers thought what was revealed was cheating or cheap; I personally thought it made some sense, as it showed why Daphne never really seemed to care about when her relationships broke up.



As for who she ends up with...I saw that coming a mile away!

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Atria Publishing Group/ Simon & Schuster, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS:"From the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer comes a love story that will define a generation.

Being single is like playing the lottery. There’s always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all.

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.

Told with her signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart, Rebecca Serle has finally set her sights on romantic love. The result is a gripping, emotional, passionate, and (yes) heartbreaking novel about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. Expiration Dates is the one fans have been waiting for.?

Review: The Guncle Abroad

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 I was not as enamored with this installment as I was with the first installment of this series? mini-series? I'm not sure what it is or is going to be!


While The Guncle was a book about growth, emotions, and having faith in oneself, I found this book to be one of selfishness. Although I can understand some of it on Maisies' side (her age gives her a tiny break from me), everyone else just seemed more worried about themselves and filled with deep introspection at all times.

The first book reminded me a lot of Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade, and in my opinion, that is what made the book ideal. This book just got bogged down in all of the "poor me" garbage. Yes, we did have an interesting HEA, but I wish I hadn't had to be as depressed as I was to get to it.

I recommend this book, but not as wholeheartedly as I recommend the first one.

*ARC supplied by the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons, the author, and Edelweiss My thanks.

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SYNOPSIS:" From the nationally bestselling author of The Guncle comes the much-anticipated sequel, in which Patrick O’Hara is called back to his guncle duties…at a big, family wedding in Lake Como, Italy.

Patrick O’Hara is finally in a league of his own…professionally. Inspired by his stint as Grant and Maisie’s caretaker after their mother’s passing, Patrick has "un-stalled" his acting career with sit-com, Guncle Knows Best . Still, some things have had to take a back seat. Looking down both barrels at fifty, Patrick is single and lonely after breaking things off with Emory. But at least he has family, right?
When his brother Greg announces his big, second wedding in Lake Como, Italy, Patrick feels pulled toward Grant and Maisie and flies to Europe to attend the lavish event, only to butt heads with a newfound Launt (Lesbian Aunt), curb his sister Clara from flirting with guests, and desperately restore himself to the favored relative status in the eyes of the kids, as they struggle to adjust to a new normal. But is it Patrick’s job to save the day? Or is simply celebrating love enough to quell the family chaos?
Gracing the page with his signature blend of humor and heart, Steven Rowley delivers the long-awaited sequel to a beloved story, all about the complicated bonds of family, love, and what it takes to rediscover yourself, even at the ripe age of fifty."

Review: Lies and Weddings

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness! Just see what this non-crazy middle-class American is missing! I loved this book. I loved the fact that it was written in different timelines (not much of the book, but some). I loved what a *itch Arabella was-although she wouldn't see it that way. She would see it as being helpful. The father Francis...clueless, but are we really sure about that?

The backdrops, the money spent, and the people all add up to make this a hilarious read—well, not knee-slapping funny, just jaw-dropping funny. I mean, who in heaven's name would build a bazillion-dollar resort on an active volcano?

The twist at the end had me amazed. I saw some of it coming but not all of it, and it was just perfect.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Doubleday, the author Kevin Kwan, and NetGalley. Many thanks. This is an ARC that I'm going to purchase to add to my collection!

It is the perfect beach read for anyone who is looking for something fluffy but well-written and very entertaining.

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SYNOPSIS:" From the iconic internationally bestselling author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy: A forbidden affair erupts volcanically amid a decadent tropical wedding in this outrageous comedy of manners from the iconic author of Crazy Rich Asians.

Rufus Leung Gresham, future Earl of Greshambury and son of a former Hong Kong supermodel has a problem: the legendary Gresham Trust has been depleted by decades of profligate spending, and behind all the magazine covers and Instagram stories manors and yachts lies nothing more than a gargantuan mountain of debt. The only solution, put forth by Rufus’s scheming mother, is for Rufus to attend his sister’s wedding at a luxury eco-resort, a veritable who’s-who of sultans, barons, and oligarchs, and seduce a woman with money.

Should he marry Solène de Courcy, a French hotel heiress with honey blond tresses and a royal bloodline? Should he pursue Martha Dung, the tattooed venture capital genius who passes out billions like lollipops? Or should he follow his heart, betray his family, squander his legacy, and finally confess his love to the literal girl next door, the humble daughter of a doctor, Eden Tong? When a volcanic eruption burns through the nuptials and a hot mic exposes a secret tryst, the Gresham family plans—and their reputation—go up in flames.

Can the once-great dukedom rise from the ashes? Or will a secret tragedy, hidden for two decades, reveal a shocking twist?

In a globetrotting tale that takes us from the black sand beaches of Hawaii to the skies of Marrakech, from the glitzy bachelor pads of Los Angeles to the inner sanctums of England’s oldest family estates, Kevin Kwan unfurls a juicy, hilarious, sophisticated and thrillingly plotted story of love, money, murder, sex, and the lies we tell about them all."

Review: Finding Margaret Fuller

Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Although I adored The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post and found it incredibly informative and enjoyable, I am not finding Finding Margaret Fuller to be the same. The first book had a wonderful real history behind it, and this book does, too, but it is written in a much drier way.

This book is not what I had expected; the beginning is slyly written and very depressing. But I do admit that Margaret was a wonderful champion of women's rights and Feminism, way ahead of her time, especially in that bastion of Puritanism (Boston). As far as her being one of the few women Transcendentalists, this is true, and a lot of the ideology of this group was sound but way ahead of their time.

The prose is lovely, but the inner dialoguing was too much for me.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher, Ballantine Books, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Young, brazen, beautiful, and unapologetically brilliant, Margaret Fuller accepts an invitation from Ralph Waldo Emerson, the celebrated Sage of Concord, to meet his coterie of enlightened friends. There she becomes “the radiant genius and fiery heart” of the Transcendentalists, a role model to a young Louisa May Alcott, an inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne and the scandalous Scarlet Letter, a friend to Henry David Thoreau as he ventures out to Walden Pond . . . and a muse to Emerson. But Margaret craves more than poetry and interpersonal drama, and her restless soul needs new challenges and adventures.

And so she charts a singular course against a backdrop of dizzying historical drama: From Boston, where she hosts a salon for students like Elizabeth Cady Stanton; to the editorial meetings of The Dial magazine, where she hones her pen as its co-founder; to Harvard’s library, where she is the first woman permitted entry; to the gritty New York streets where she spars with Edgar Allan Poe and reports on Frederick Douglass. Margaret defies conventions time and again as an activist for women and an advocate for humanity, earning admirers and critics alike.

When the legendary editor Horace Greeley offers her an assignment in Europe, Margaret again makes history as the first female foreign news correspondent, mingling with luminaries like Frédéric Chopin, William Wordsworth, George Sand and more. But it is in Rome that she finds a world of passion, romance, and revolution, taking a Roman count as a lover—and sparking an international scandal. Evolving yet again into the roles of mother and countess, Margaret enters the fight for Italy’s unification.

With a star-studded cast and sweeping, epic historical events, this is a story of an inspiring trailblazer, a woman who loved big and lived even bigger—a fierce adventurer who transcended the rigid roles ascribed to women and changed history, all on her own terms."

Review: Scandalous Women: A Novel of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann

Scandalous Women: A Novel of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann by Gill Paul
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I must remind you, readers, that this book is mostly fiction. If you want more of the truth, make sure you read the notes at the end of the book. I did a bit of research myself, as I like to do with biographical/historical/fiction, and while I am disappointed at the one thing I found, everything else is spot on.

This was a fabulous novel. I could not for the life of me, put it down and finished it in one big gulp! Gill Paul is one of my favorite biographical/historical/fiction writers, and this novel just puts her one more notch toward my all-time favorite of this genre.

It not only showcased Jacqueline's trouble trying to get Valley of the Dolls published, but it also showed just how far women truly have gone in the publishing world of today and how bad it was for women of that era who wanted to become editors.

*This ARC was supplied by the publisher William Morrow, the author, and NetGalley. Thank you all.

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SYNOPSIS: "Mad Men  meets the world of publishing in international bestselling author Gill Paul’s new novel about Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann, two dynamic, groundbreaking writers renowned for their scandalous and controversial novels, and the beleaguered young editorial assistant who introduces them. 1966, Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls hits the bookstores and she is desperate for a bestseller. It’s steamy, it’s a page-turner, but will it make the big money she needs? In London, Jackie Collins’s racy The World Is Full of Married Men launches her career. But neither author is prepared for the price they will pay for being women who dare to write about sex. Jacqueline and Jackie are lambasted by the literary establishment, deluged with hate mail, and even condemned by feminists. In public, both women shoulder the outcry with dignity; in private, they are crumbling—particularly since they have secrets they don’t want splashed across the front pages. 1965, College graduate Nancy White is excited to take up her dream job at a Manhattan publishing house, but she could never be prepared for the rampant sexism she will encounter. While working on Valley of the Dolls , she becomes friends with Jacqueline Susann, and, after reaching out to Jackie Collins about a US deal, she is responsible for the two authors meeting. Will the two Jackies clash as they race to top the charts? Will Nancy achieve her ambition of becoming an editor, despite all the men determined to hold her back? Three women struggle to succeed in a man’s world, while desperately trying to protect those they love the most."

Review: The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County

The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was not what I was expecting by reading the synopsis. I expected a relatively light read with much good gossip between the funeral ladies. What I did get was a book that was mostly about PTSD, a romance, a lot of death (and not just of the county's people), and an elderly woman who gets scammed for about $30,000 and what she is going to do to save her house. Religion plays a rather large part in this novel, but not to the point where the book is only about religion.

It was an interesting read, but it was not light and would not be recommended as a beach read.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Avon and Harper Voyager, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS:"Armed with a Crock-Pot and a pile of recipes, a grandmother, her granddaughter, and a mysterious young man work to bring a community together in this uplifting novel for readers of The Chicken Sisters.

Esther Larson has been cooking for funerals in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for seventy years. Known locally as the “funeral ladies,” she and her cohort have worked hard to keep the mourners of Ellerie County fed—it is her firm belief that there is very little a warm casserole and a piece of cherry pie can’t fix. But, after falling for an internet scam that puts her home at risk, the proud Larson family matriarch is the one in need of help these days. Iris, Esther’s whip-smart Gen Z granddaughter, would do anything for her family and her community.

As she watches her friends and family move out of their lakeside town onto bigger and better things, Iris wonders why she feels so left behind in the place she is desperate to make her home. But when Cooper Welsh shows up, she finally starts to feel like she’s found the missing piece of her puzzle. Cooper is dealing with becoming a legal guardian to his younger half-sister after his beloved stepmother dies. While their celebrity-chef father is focused on his booming career and top-ranked television show, Cooper is still hurting from a public tragedy he witnessed last year as a paramedic and finding it hard to cope. With Iris in the gorgeous Ellerie County, though, he hopes he might finally find the home he’s been looking for.

It doesn’t seem like a community cookbook could possibly solve their problems, especially one where casseroles have their own section and cream of chicken soup mix is the most frequently used ingredient. But when you mix the can-do spirit of Midwestern grandmothers with the stubborn hope of a boy raised by food plus a dash of long-awaited forgiveness—things might just turn out okay. Includes Recipes   "

Review: Summers at the Saint

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'll have to tell you one thing: I will be turning around and re-reading this book quite soon. There are so many plots and sub-plots that sometimes it gets to be a little too much. But the more I read, the more enthralled I became with this novel. I got so caught up in everything that was going on that I just couldn't put this book down.

I must admit that Mary Kay Andrews is one of my favorite authors, but I will let you know right here that I don't always LOVE her books. This I indeed did!

The only tiny problem I had (and I admit that it is my problem alone) is that there was so much young adult issues going on and I'm a little too old to understand some of the lingo etc. Oh well, that's all on me!


Murder, theft, arson, financial difficulties, and possible love connections make this a perfect beach read. I have to admit that I didn't finally figure out who was behind all these machinations until the last quarter or so of this book.

I loved this book and can't wait to re-read it...slowly!

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SYNOPSIS:"Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .

Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.

Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart."