These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

The Storm siblings have grown up under the eye of their manipulative father. He is filthy rich, powerful and likes to play games. Alice is different from her sibling. She's been kicked out and is living on her own. She hasn't visited her family home in years but her fathers death means Alice must return to Storm Island.

Upon returning to the island Alice finds that nothing has changed. The family is still chaotic and dysfunctional. The reading of the will results in Alice, her mother and siblings playing an inheritance game. Everyone has different tasks and everyone has to complete their own task. It they don't their is no inheritance. 

Alice isn't sure if she can complete her task but everyone is depending on her in more ways then she knows.

These Summer Storms wasn't for me. I nearly gave up on it several times. It's a pretty rough read and I didn't care about any of the characters. Family drama can be interesting to read and this was no exception  but it was just a little to soap opera for me. 

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

Another great read by Emily Giffin. I listened to this one and the narrator was engaging. Heart of the Matter follows two women Tessa Russo and Valerie Anderson. Valerie is a single mom to a six year old named Charlie. Tessa has two children of her own and married. Valerie and Tessa's live quite different lives but when Valerie's son is injured and Tessa's husband treats him their lives merge. 

Tessa's story is told in first person view while Valerie's is told in third person which gives them both solid character differences. The story is also told in alternating points of views and Rachel and Dex from Something Borrowed make a cameo. Both characters have likable and dislikable qualities which makes things more realistic. 

This is a fast easy read and perfect for the weekend.

The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve

Time Travel books have my attention right now. In this book four strangers, Elizabeth, Logan, Andy and Brooke time travel into their past. They pay a hefty price for it and have no control over where in their past they will travel to. They are each given one hour per the time travel guidelines but something happen and that find themselves in the past way longer than then an hour. 

Readers quickly discover that these four people have all some how jumped into the same timeline and what happens is unpredictable. As the stories are unraveled and the connections revealed the story becomes more interesting and the characters become more desperate. 

August 25th changed their past lives but will revising it cause them further emotional harm of give them closure. 

This is a character driven book and told through multiple points of view. It's a mystery that explores a variety of themes such as loss and grief. Would you take a chance on traveling back in time knowing it won't change the past?

Love the One You're With | by Emily Giffin

Your first year of marriage is blissful. It's perfect and you bring out the very best in one another. You couldn't be happier. Ellen and Andy don't have to imagine because that is the life they are living. Then Ellen runs into the one who go away. Her very first love. Leo the who broke her heart and whom she never got closure from. Ellen never forgot Leo and when he offers her a job she can't refuse she takes it. This means spending more time with Leo and with that complications arise. 

Ellen begins to question her life, her relationship with Andy and when Leo finally reveals why he left her she is pulled into an emotional tailspin. Ellen needs to make some decisions and whatever choice she makes will result in not only herself being hurt but her hurting someone. 

Giffin's writing makes you feel what Ellen is going though and puts you in her shoes. This is a book of rollercoaster emotions and if you like that type of romance book this one is for you!

First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1) by B.K. Borison

Aiden Valentine is the host of a romance hotline in Baltimore but Aiden has a secret. He no longer believes in love which is a bit of a problem when you host a show that deals with romance and love. Lucie Stone is happily living her life with her young daughter while living next door to her daughters dad. She likes her job and isn't interested in dating but her daughter calls Aiden's hotline seeking dating advice for her mom. The interview ends up going viral and Lucie finds herself on dates and discussing them on the radio.

Aiden and Lucie find themselves drawn to one another but will they get their happy ending together or apart?

This is a perfect book for those who enjoy romantic stories. Super easy read and the audio book is engaging in particular the radio parts. Perfect read for the last days of summer. 

Pack Up the Moon | by Kristan Higgins

Laura is only 26 years old and newly married to Joshua when she is diagnosed with a terminal illness.  She has IDF (Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis). Laura and Joshua are deeply in love and think nothing about the series of asthma attacks she's having or how tired she feels. Laura just sums it up to her asthma but a series of ER visits and a bout of pneumonia resulting in a hospital stay ends up with Laura visiting a pulmonologist and being diagnosed with IPF. 

The diagnoses leaves them both shattered but Laura puts on a smile and deals with her upcoming death with grace and love. Laura in secret writes letters to people in her life and when Josh receives his 12 letters to help him get through the next year without her he both shattered and relieved. Each letter has a task for him, ones that will take him out of his comfort zone

Pack up the Moon broke me. It put me through the emotional ringer, It made me cry and laugh. This book is both sad and cute. If you need an emotional read pick this book up. 

Baby Proof | by Emily Giffin

 Claudia and Ben are successful in their careers and life. They agreed to be child free but after their friends become parents Ben has a change of mind. He wants to become a father but Claudia doesn't have the desire to have kids and is upset that Ben has back out of an agreement they made prior to marriage. Claudia essentially makes Ben chose between being a father or being married to her. This results in a divorce. 

Claudia still loves Ben but has moved on with her colleague Richard. She's able to self reflect during her relationship with Richard. Richard doesn't want kids, he enjoys the child free live and the freedom it gives him. Claudia soon realizes that she still wants Ben but does Ben still want her? 

Giffin knows how to write and how to put emotions into her characters. Baby Proof is an easy and entertaining read. Characters from previous novels make a cameo and play a fairly important role. I love when authors bring back characters even if they are supporting ones. 

What Comes After | by Katie Bayer

 

Publication Date: April 29, 2025

Mari is dead and she finds herself living her afterlife in a place called Paradise Gate. Paradise Gate is an in between place. A place that people who have unfinished business and no religious affiliation find themselves. 

The dead have to attend classes and earn points in order to ascend and if they fail to do so well .... the afterlife won't be so pleasant. She had 90 days to to figure things out and it's not looking so good for her. 

Mari died before she could turn seventeen and much to her surprise and dismay her mother is also in Paradise Gates. Her relationship with her mom is complex at best making her time there all that more challenging. 

Mari quickly finds a friendship in someone who shows her the ropes and finds a love interest. Paradise Gate seems like an okay place until secrets about her death and relationship with her mother becomes public knowledge. 

What Comes After had so much promise. The initial build is well executed but then everything fell apart. I blame myself for having high hopes for this novel because I thought it would capture my love for ELSEWHERE.

** I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Something Blue (Darcy & Rachel, #2) | by Emily Giffin

 

I have always been a fan of Emily Giffin and I am revisiting her books. Something Blue follows Darcy Rhone. Darcy and her fiance have called off their wedding. Darcy has fled to London to visit (live) with her childhood friend Ethan. 

Darcy is pregnant (not with her ex fiance's child) and trying to figure things out but in typical Darcy fashion she is a bit chaotic lucky for her Ethan is grounded. Ethan is able to help Darcy see things which helps in turning Darcy's character around. 

I love Darcy's character development and how she finds a way to forgive herself and others. She also undergoes a lot of self discovery which helps her recognize that she isn't always the victim and can be the villain. 

I love this book. You don't have to read the Something Borrowed in order to understand the storyline or characters but I recommend it just so you have backstory. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) (Part 1 & f 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) | by Sarah J. Maas

 

I've been hearing about this book and series for ages now. It isn't usually a genre I care for but it was recommend  I listen to the dramatized adaptation of it. The book is broken down into two parts and I was able to borrow them from Hoopla. It comes in two parts so you will need to get part 1 and part 2. I have the physical book copy but it wasn't pulling me in however the dramatized version did so if you are like me I recommend you listen to the dramatized adaptation because it is entertaining. It is mixed with the voices of different actors, sound effects and music. 

Nineteen year old Feyre is responsible for feeding and caring for her family. In order to do this she hunts. On a hunting trip she kills and skins a wolf unfortunately this results in her being taken by a fairy as retribution. She is forced to live with him in this castle but as she learns more about the Fae world and of her capture, Tamlin she finds herself wanting to save Tamlin and others like him.

I usually loathe books in which magical words of fairy's, wolves, dragons, etc are built but this one mixes in humans and it works. The creatures are also given human qualities making you on occasion forget that you are reading about a fantasy world. 

This dramatization adaptation makes this book work for me otherwise I would have DNF'd it. It did take me checking out the audiobook twice to get through each part but it was worth it especially when I got to the last quarter of the book! Mass builds a world that is believable and magical. I will be moving on to the next book sometime this year. This isn't a series I can read books back to back in. 

The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker

 

One of my favorite books is The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. I also enjoyed The Dreamers. Walker doesn't put out books often so I jumped on the chance to read The Strange Case of Jane O and I absolutely loved it. 

Jane O is a single mom who a year after the birth of her child experiences a series of episodes that result in the loss of time, premonitions, hallucinations and a feeling of dread. Her first episode results in her being found in a park. She has no memory of what happened and this results in her visiting Dr. Henry Bryd a psychiatrist. Jane O disappears again this time with her child and it becomes a headline news.

Dr. Bryd tells Jane O's story via journal entries and memories he has kept from their visits. Dr. Bryd has his own secrets and as the story unravels you become completely immersed. I read the book and listened to the audiobook. I recommend either but the audiobooks gives a bigger punch to the story.