The Storyteller's Death | by Ann Dávila Cardinal

 

My best friend begged and pleaded with me to read this book. She was reading it for a book club and wanted me to read it with her. I relented and was overall surprised by it. I simply wouldn't have picked this book up on my accord. 

When Isla is 8 years old she is sent to Puerto Rico to spend time with her mothers family. While she is there her father dies resulting in Isla spending every summer after with her her family in Puerto Rico. Isla enjoys her time in Puerto Rico as it gives her reprieve from her alcoholic mother. When Isla is 18 she starts get visions and the visions tell her the history of her family. A version different from what she had been told.

Isla puts on her investigators cap and looks into her family history.What she learns gives her a deeper understanding of her family and opens old wounds.

This book is compelling, full of mystery and family drama. 

The Wedding People | by Alison Espach

 

I've been putting off reading this book. It just didn't sound all that interesting to me. The write up did not capture my attention and I didn't care for the book cover. I simply did not want to read the book. My library had it available as an audiobook and I took a chance and I was pleasantly surprised. 

Phoebe is in her forties. Her husband of 20 years has left her, she hasn't completed her thesis and is losing her passion for for teaching. Years of IVF treatment has been unsuccessful and she's decided to end her life. She booked a night at the luxurious Cornwell Inn in Newport, Rhode Island. She plans to end her life at the hotel but much to her surprise and that of Lila she blurts out that she is going to kill herself with pills.

Lila is distraught not because she know Phoebe but because she is getting married at the hotel and doesn't want the festivities marred by the suicide of a stranger. Lila is going to do everything to keep Phoebe alive until after the wedding. Knocking on her door, seeking her advice and befriending her.

Phoebe quickly finds herself as part of Lila's world despite and you will too!

This character development is complex and the story is wonderful. I am sorry I put if off for so long. I really need to stop judging books by their cover. 

Providence | by Caroline Kepnes

Jon Bronson and Chloe are childhood friends. Chloe has remained friends with Jon despite the way the popular kids are school treat him. They have a close bond so on the day that Jon goes missing her world is turned upside down. Four years later Jon reappears but something about Jon is off. 

Jon discovers that people around him die and in order to keep Chloe alive he disappears.  Chloe is devastated but she carries on with her life. Jon randomly pops in with silent phone calls which make Chloe spiral.  

Meanwhile Jon lives the life of a recluse delivering papers and doing his best to stay away from people but bodies pile up. Detective Charles, aka "Eggs" is putting things together and becomes obsessed.

Providence is told in three different narratives, Chloe, Jon and Eggs. The voices are distinct which makes for good storytelling, 

The books is about 400 pages long and could do with fewer pages. There is just too much filler and not enough story telling. I was a bit bored at times but pushed through hoping for a resolution.  The only character I ended up liking at the end was Eggs. 

The book is a good enough read and difficult to review because I both loved and hated it. 

Is She Really Going Out with Him? | by Sophie Cousens

Anna Appleby is 38, recently divorced and living with her two kids and cat. She is a journalist for a struggling magazine and is competing to keep her job against her work nemesis and golden boy Will. They each have to go on seven dates and write about their experiences. 

Anna and Will go on a tech-free retreat together for work. They start to see different sides of one another because they are forced to engaged with one another. Anna discovers that her assumptions about Will are false and he's actually not that bad of a guy.

This is a super easy and fun read. It falls into the typical enemies to lovers troupe but the storyline is engaging and so are the characters. 

Maid for Each Other | By Lynn Painter

 

Publication Date: July 15, 2023

Abi Mariano is a student and working two jobs as a barista and house cleaner. She has to move out of her apartment for one week due to an infestation. She can't afford to stay in a hotel so she takes is upon herself to stay in the penthouse of one of her clients. He is supposed to be out of town so imagine her surprise when she wakes up to his parents in his apartment! They assume she is their sons girlfriend and she doesn't correct them. 

Declan Powell is a busy man and owns the penthouse Abi spent the night in. His main focus is on his career and not a love life. He's made up a girlfriend named Abby to keep his parents and others from nagging him about his love life. So when his parents tell him they met his girlfriend he is shocked!

Declan quickly discovers who the real Abi is. She needs a place to stay. He needs a pretend girlfriend so they make a deal. She will pretend to be his girlfriend for $40,000 (the amount of money she owes on her student loan).  

Abi and Declan discover that they have something between them but keep up the facade that it's just transactional. Like most RomCom's the relationship builds and readers see what's going on between before the characters do. 

Lynn Painter has written another good read. The characters are well developed and the story is told from dual point of views. I am becoming obsessed with Painters books and characters.

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

All the Men I've Loved Again | by Christine Pride

 

Publication Date: July 8, 2025

Do you remember the hit songs of 1999 and early 2000s. Can you hear a few of them in your head? If you were alive and loving music back then  All The Men I've Loved Again pull you back into the nostalgia.

I could "hear" the music being pumped off the pages.

 Cora Belle is a shy and sheltered young woman who is starting college. She's going to have to break out of her shell and find her people and place in life. She's a daddy's girl who has had advantages in life that others haven't which is going to mean that she's going to have a few eye opening moments.

Cora finds herself in a sticky situation in which her heart and that of two men are at risk. It's been twenty years since she found herself in the Lincoln/Aaron love triangle and it's about to resurface. 

This book starts of strong and had me vibing. Cora's voice and perspective is strong. Her friendships are real and her relationship with her dad is beyond sweet. The story holds until the second half and then I slowly disintegrates. Something was missing or maybe there was too much. Expect some potential triggering subjects. This book is a bit like reading someone's diary in that it has some good juicy stuff and some mundane things. Expect steam and a bit of character development confusion. 

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

Out of the Attic (Dollanganger #10) | by V.C. Andrews

Out of the Attic gives a look into the marriage and life of Corrine and Garland Foxworth. Garland is obsessed with his home and Corinne needs permission for everything. He wants it to remain as it looks and Corinne is treated more as a decoration and possession than a person. Her life is lonely but the fire that lives in her is about to ignite.

We also get to learn what a young Malcom Foxwoth is like and the complicated relation he has with his mother. Garland refuses to allow Corinne to nurse and employed a full time nanny for Malcom. This results in a distance between him and mother. Corrine doesn't have motherly instincts and in many ways has remained a selfish girl however Garland's emotional neglect increases her need for a life outside the mansion. 

Dara Rosenberg brings the story to life. I recommend the audiobook over reading it. I read this in 2022 and wasn't terribly into the book this time I found it much more interesting and worth my time.

Atmosphere | by Taylor Jenkins Reid

It's the summer of 1980 and Joan Goodwin has been selected from a pool of applicants to train at Houston's Johnson Space Center. Joan has been obsessed with the stars and space since childhood. She is a professor at Rice University in physics and astronomy. The opportunity to be an astronaut and train is going to be a challenge and taunting.  Joan and other candidates will have to decided to be friend or foe and unlikely friendships form. 

Atmosphere will put you on an emotional ride. This is one fast paced story that has well developed characters, dual timelines, romance and lots fun NASA insights. It also gives a look into what life was for women especially those in male dominated fields in the 1980s.

 At times I felt as though I was being pulled back into emotional scenes from the movie Apollo 13. There is suspense, character growth and anxiety inducing moments. Joan has a niece that is her heart and life. I was able to resonate with that relationship and I think a lot of other aunties will too.

The last book that I loved from Taylor Jenkins Reid was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and this new book is a close second. In fact I keep flip flopping on which book I loved more. 

I listened to the audiobook and also read sections from the book. They are both entertaining however the audio version has a stronger emotional punch, 

Beneath the Attic (Dollanganger #9) | by V.C. Andrews

 

I read Beneath the Attic back in August of 2019. I was indifferent back then but I was given an opportunity to listen to the audiobook and I have a new apprecia
tion for it. I looked past the modern feel of the book and really paid attention to the story. 

This book focus's on the original Corinne Foxworth. Corinne Dixon is a young woman who is enjoying her life and then she meets the handsome, rich and older Garland Foxworth. Corrine is naive and falls for Garland's antics. Corrine gets pregnant and Garland thows a lavish wedding. Corinne quickly discovers that the Garland she thought she knew is nothing like the Garland she married,

The audiobook is incredibly entertaining and Dara Rosenberg gives an engaging and emotional performance. She made me like a book that I have previously felt eh about. 

Heart of the Sun | by Mia Sheridan

 

Heart of the Sun is a mix of dystopian, romance and enemies to lovers. 

Tuck and Emily grew up as neighbors on an orange grove in the San Fernando Valley. Tuck and Emily's mothers were best friends and the death of Tucks mother changed the course of their lives.  Emily found great success as a music artist and Tuck ended up behind bars. Upon his release Emilys mom convinces Emily to give Tuck a job as her bodyguard. She is reluctant but it ends up being a decision that saves her life in more ways than none.

Tuck, Emily and her famous actor boyfriend Charlie are on a private plane when it crashes. They survive but are in the middle of nowhere. They embark on a journey to find help. Along the way they discover that something is amiss. The world has changed. The electric grid is down and society is plunged into chaos. Tuck, Emily and Charlie band together to find help but once they discover it they have to make choices that put them on different paths. 

This is an easy read but I struggled with it. The pacing was all over the place and often slow.  The only character I cared about was Tuck and while the story started off promising it didn't pull me in. I felt as though I was reading snippets of stories from others. There wasn't anything terribly unique or exciting however if you are new to post apocalyptic books this would be ideal for you.

Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade | by Barthe DeClements

Being around my young niece has inspired me to look back at books from my childhood. One of my favorite book that I read over and over again was Nothing's Fair in the Fifth Grade. It was one of my comfort books especially late at night when I was sick or couldn't sleep. Something that happened quite often. I  was actually quite surprised how much I did and didn't remember from this book. I had fond memories of it but a reread has me questing many aspects of it. This book is a lot more complex than I realized. Looking at it with adult eyes left me wondering if I'd share it with my niece. I decided that I would only if we could discuss it as she read it. 

Jenny is in fifth grade when a new student named Elsie Edwards joins her class. Elsie is overweight making her the target of bullying. The word fat is used a lot. Jenny has an aura of innocent with a bit of a mean streak in her. She's judgmental, petty and kinda bratty but what child isn't? She is also sweet, kind and eventually discovers that life isn't fair to everyone not just her. She learns to look past the physical presence of a person and see who they really are. 

The writing is simple and deals with some heavy subjects such as bullying and the underline cause of why Elsie overeats. It also deals with acade
mic struggles and wins and how friendships develop when you least expect it. There is a really peculiar section that deals with hitchhiking and kidnapping. I'm going to assume that it's because it was a huge fear in the 80s and 90s that was hammered into the children of that time and the author (and her classroom kids who helped write it) trying to teach a lesson on stranger danger. 

Nostalgia is funny sometimes and I am wondering why I loved this book so much. All I can think it that I was bullied for being scrawny, tiny and a late bloomer which left me relating to Elsie when it came to being bullied and disliked based on appearance.