Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the gifted, advanced copy of this book, as well as NetGalley for the gifted e-copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction
TW: murder, arson, mention of attempted kidnapping
If there is anything that I love, it’s books about book people, and especially if those book people are also in a setting surrounded by books. Like, for instance, a book person who works and spends most of her time in a cute little bookshop in Scotland. You know, as a random example.
This was a fun mystery with a whole lot of storylines that until the end you’re not quite sure if they’re all connected in some way or not. There’s just a lot going on. I liked each storyline, and I do like how they do fit together in the end (spoiler? I guess?), but I will say that once or twice it got difficult to try and keep everything straight. There were characters with little roles in the smaller scale plots that I had to go back and remind myself who they were and how they were related to the story a couple of times.
I will say, I’m sure part of that is because this is book 7 in this series of cozy mysteries, and is the first one that I’ve read. I’m sure all of the main characters, and maybe some of the more supporting characters as well, were introduced in length in the previous novels, so maybe if I’d read the previous 6 books I would have had a little bit easier time with that. I don’t know that the problem would have completely gone away, since I was mostly having the trouble with folks related to the specific mystery. But either way, take that with a grain of salt.
One other small thing to note is that a lot of the dialogue is written out in a way to be read in a Scottish accent. This made it really fun and feel really immersed in the setting, but definitely keep in mind that you may need to use your own deductive reasoning to figure out a couple of words or sayings if you’re not familiar with it.
Overall I would recommend this book as a fairly easy cozy mystery. I figured out the ending before I got there, but isn’t that part of the charm of a cozy? I tend to think so, anyway. I think that the perfect way to read this book would be curled up in a comfy chair in a little bookshop, or at home surrounded by your bookshelves.
Hello, friends – and happy Tuesday! Welcome to another round of new releases that I was lucky enough to get an early copy of, and have either already read or are upcoming on my #TBR.
These books could be gifted from the publisher through sites like NetGalley or Edelweiss+, they could be electronic copies gifted directly to me from the publisher or the author, an early audiobook copy through the publisher or Libro.fm, or even a physical copy that has been sent to me from the author or publisher. I am so thankful for all of the reading opportunities that I am given through these various sources, and I am excited to share these new releases!
In these weekly posts I will include a 20% review if I am currently reading the book, as well as a link to my full review if I have already finished the book. And if I have not yet started the book by the time this is posted, I will leave those spots blank and edit the post to add them in later!
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the gifted, advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Get ready for lost wills, broody dukes, and scorching hot kissing all over London.
Constance Lysander needs a husband. Or, so society says. She’s about to give birth to her late husband’s child―a man who left her with zero money, and two other wives she didn’t know about. Thankfully, she has her Aunt by her side, and the two other wives have become close friends. But still―with a baby on the way, her shipping business to run, and an enemy skulking about, she has no time to find the perfect match.
Enter Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston. Returned war hero and Constance’s childhood best friend, his reentry into society has been harsh. Maligned for an injury he received in the line of duty, Jonathan prefers to stay out of sight. It’s the only way to keep his heart from completely crumbling. But when a missive from Constance requests his presence―to their marriage ceremony―Jonathan is on board. His feelings for Constance run deep, and he’ll do anything to make her happy, though it means risking his already bruised heart.
With Constance, Jonathan, and the new baby all together, it’s clear the wounds―both on the surface and in their relationship―run deep. But when the nights come, their wounds begin to heal, and both come to realize that their marriage of convenience is so much more than just a bargain.
20% Review:
This book is not shy about throwing you right into the story! We get a short prologue showing our two leads when they were young, to show their previous relationship and their feelings about each other, and then it jumps right to Jonathan’s journey to Constance in London. The events that the back cover mentions (her marriage and finding out about her husband’s deception, Jonathan receiving her letter, etc.) aren’t shown in the book, only the events that follow. I understand that all of it may not have been necessary, but I would have liked to see Jonathan’s initial reaction to hearing from her after all of those years. Other than that, I will say I’m not yet feeling that same draw that I get when I’m really invested in the story. That may very well come later, but so far the story has gotten off to a slightly slow start for me. I’m definitely keeping an open mind, hoping that that will change!
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the gifted, advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
Anyone who tries to say they aren’t a sucker for a childhood best friends to lovers story is lying to you and also themselves, and they can’t be trusted. There, I said it. Now, with that out of the way, let’s take a look at this book in particular.
This one started off a bit slow for me, because the two leads are apart for a good chunk of the book to begin with. When I picked up this book I didn’t realize that it was a second in a series, however, and that the two friends that Constance spends this portion of the book with are characters that you met and undoubtedly fell in love with in the first book (A Duke in Time). I really loved the bond between these three women throughout this book, so I think if I had that love of them going into it then the beginning wouldn’t have felt so long for me. So maybe this is one best read in order, purely for that relationship!
But now on to this story’s love match – Constance and Jonathan. They were best friends in their younger years, and you can tell they both secretly knew that they were each other’s futures, but they never shared that out loud. Bring in the steamy second chance romance! I really loved their relationship. It was a little bit difficult at times, because sometimes it’s hard to read a character treating someone else so coldly, even if you know they’re trying to protect them and that it will all work out in the end. And there are definitely some of those moments in this book where Jonathan was really cold and hurtful to Constance. But what I loved is that that time wasn’t just brushed under the rug like “well he’s not like that anymore, so it doesn’t matter” which I think can tend to happen in those types of stories. Both of these characters knew and acknowledged that that treatment was wrong, and we really got to see them make the choice to move forward anyway, and see him really work to make himself better.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to friends! Like I said earlier, though, I may need to go back and read the first one, and might recommend that folks read it in order so that they don’t miss any of that badass female friendship! I think that the best way to read this book would be outside in a garden, with the sunshine on your shoulders, and maybe a cup of tea or coffee in your hands. Bonus points for a fresh garden picnic, but not all of us have the Earl of Sykeston’s grounds.
Hello, friends – and happy Tuesday! Welcome to another round of new releases that I was lucky enough to get an early copy of, and have either already read or are upcoming on my #TBR.
These books could be gifted from the publisher through sites like NetGalley or Edelweiss+, they could be electronic copies gifted directly to me from the publisher or the author, an early audiobook copy through the publisher or Libro.fm, or even a physical copy that has been sent to me from the author or publisher. I am so thankful for all of the reading opportunities that I am given through these various sources, and I am excited to share these new releases!
In these weekly posts I will include a 20% review if I am currently reading the book, as well as a link to my full review if I have already finished the book. And if I have not yet started the book by the time this is posted, I will leave those spots blank and edit the post to add them in later!
Thanks so much to the author and Minotaur for the gifted, advanced copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Friday Night Lights meets Mare of Easttown in this small-town mystery about an unlikely private investigator searching for a missing waitress. Pay Dirt Road is the mesmerizing debut from the 2019 Tony Hillerman Prize recipient Samantha Jayne Allen.
Annie McIntyre has a love/hate relationship with Garnett, Texas.
Recently graduated from college and home waitressing, lacking not in ambition but certainly in direction, Annie is lured into the family business—a private investigation firm—by her supposed-to-be-retired grandfather, Leroy, despite the rest of the clan’s misgivings.
When a waitress at the café goes missing, Annie and Leroy begin an investigation that leads them down rural routes and haunted byways, to noxious-smelling oil fields and to the glowing neon of local honky-tonks. As Annie works to uncover the truth she finds herself identifying with the victim in increasing, unsettling ways, and realizes she must confront her own past—failed romances, a disturbing experience she’d rather forget, and the trick mirror of nostalgia itself—if she wants to survive this homecoming.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Hello, friends – and happy Tuesday! Welcome to another round of new releases that I was lucky enough to get an early copy of, and have either already read or are upcoming on my #TBR.
These books could be gifted from the publisher through sites like NetGalley or Edelweiss+, they could be electronic copies gifted directly to me from the publisher or the author, an early audiobook copy through the publisher or Libro.fm, or even a physical copy that has been sent to me from the author or publisher. I am so thankful for all of the reading opportunities that I am given through these various sources, and I am excited to share these new releases!
In these weekly posts I will include a 20% review if I am currently reading the book, as well as a link to my full review if I have already finished the book. And if I have not yet started the book by the time this is posted, I will leave those spots blank and edit the post to add them in later!
This May End Badly
Author: Samantha Markum
Publication Date: April 12, 2022
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, Fiction
Thanks so much to the author, Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the gifted, advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.
To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.
As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.
This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do.
20% Review:
This book is such a fun read so far! The story is really just starting to dip it’s toes into the fake-dating trope (which I love and am quite excited about), so it’s mostly been talking about the pranking and rivalry so far, but I have not wanted to put it down! I really like Doe as a main character, and being in her head while she talks (thinks?) about the school rivalry is honestly making me feel like I’m back in high school with her. While they may not have been the best years of my life, things like school rivalries and first love are so fun and nostalgic to look back on, making this a really delicious read so far! I can’t wait to fall in love with Wells, because I get the feeling I will.
Thanks so much to Hachette Audio and Libro.fm for the gifted, advanced audio copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
The bestselling, beloved writer of romantic comedies like You’ve Got Mail tells her own late-in-life love story, complete with a tragic second act and joyous resolution.
Delia Ephron had struggled through several years of heartbreak. She’d lost her sister, Nora, and then her husband, Jerry, both to cancer. Several months after Jerry’s death, she decided to make one small change in her life—she shut down his landline, which crashed her internet. She ended up in Verizon hell.
She channeled her grief the best way she knew: by writing a New York Times op-ed. The piece caught the attention of Peter, a Bay Area psychiatrist, who emailed her to commiserate. Recently widowed himself, he reminded her that they had shared a few dates fifty-four years before, set up by Nora. Delia did not remember him, but after several weeks of exchanging emails and sixties folk songs, he flew east to see her. They were crazy, utterly, in love.
But this was not a rom-com: four months later she was diagnosed with AML, a fierce leukemia.
In Left on Tenth, Delia Ephron enchants as she seesaws us between tears and laughter, navigating the suicidal lows of enduring cutting-edge treatment and the giddy highs of a second chance at love. With Peter and her close girlfriends by her side, with startling clarity, warmth, and honesty about facing death, Ephron invites us to join her team of warriors and become believers ourselves.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the gifted, advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
Publication Date: April 12, 2022
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, Fiction
TW: discussion of sexually predatory behavior towards a minor, discussion of homophobia, bullying
I really, thoroughly enjoyed this book! I think with YA romances it can be a little bit tricky sometimes to find the balance of the romance between two characters who are at an age that they are really starting to explore the steamier sides of romance, but also acknowledging how young the characters still are – no matter how adult they may think they are. And this book captured that really beautifully for me – the feeling that these characters are still kids, and still learning and growing, but that they very much see themselves as the adults that they are just a year or two shy of being.
There were SO MANY characters to fall in love with in this book! You’ve got to love a good, old fashioned ensemble cast, right? At least, I do.
Let’s start with the friend groups. The Winfield boys were really intriguing to me as I was reading – from the description you know that they have to all come together at the end against a bigger, better cause, so I was looking forward to seeing how the author humanized these characters to Doe, and maybe even brought her around a bit to their side, and I thought that the background that she gave them was really interesting. Nothing groundbreaking, but really well told.
As for Doe and her group of best girlfriends, there were so many different personalities in the group, and I think the author did a really good job of showing those personality types both clashing and blending, and the love that these girls had for each other through both types of interactions. No friend group is going to get along perfectly all the time, or always agree, so I love it when authors (especially in children’s or young adult stories) show those sides of it too. Especially in a way that shows that not only is it normal but also healthy, and that it doesn’t mean you love your friends any less.
And okay, let’s briefly touch on Wells. I loved him. A whole lot. Like, if I had read this book in high school he may have been my dream guy. I loved him, I loved their relationship, I love the fake-dating trope. It just all really worked for me!
Overall I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends. In fact, I think I may have already recommended it once or twice in conversation. I thought it was such a fun and engaging read, and I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy to put on my bookshelf in case of future re-reads. I think that the best way to read this book would be curled up with a cute guy on a big red arm chair, but if you can’t get that, then I guess any comfy reading nook will suffice. But someone or something cute to cuddle is mandatory!
Hello, friends – and happy Tuesday! Welcome to another round of new releases that I was lucky enough to get an early copy of, and have either already read or are upcoming on my #TBR.
These books could be gifted from the publisher through sites like NetGalley or Edelweiss+, they could be electronic copies gifted directly to me from the publisher or the author, an early audiobook copy through the publisher or Libro.fm, or even a physical copy that has been sent to me from the author or publisher. I am so thankful for all of the reading opportunities that I am given through these various sources, and I am excited to share these new releases!
In these weekly posts I will include a 20% review if I am currently reading the book, as well as a link to my full review if I have already finished the book. And if I have not yet started the book by the time this is posted, I will leave those spots blank and edit the post to add them in later!
Thanks so much to the author and St. Martin’s Press for my gifted advanced copy, as well as Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy!
Description from Goodreads:
THE HUSBAND A heart surgeon at the top of his field, Stephen Aston is getting married again. But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself.
THE DAUGHTERS Tully and Rachel Aston look upon their father’s fiancée, Heather, as nothing but an interloper. Heather is younger than both of them. Clearly, she’s after their father’s money.
THE FORMER WIFE With their mother in a precarious position, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is.
THE YOUNGER WIFE Heather has secrets of her own. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses in all of them?
20% Review:
This book definitely does not get off to a slow start, that’s for sure! Starting with suspicious events at the wedding, and then jumping back to a year prior to see what lead up to that point. So far we’ve got multiple POV and the idea that (at least) one of these narrators may not be completely reliable, but no idea who yet. I’m enjoying it so far, although I’m yet undecided on how I think I’ll feel about this read. It’s got me turning pages and wanting to keep reading, but I’m not yet sure how I’m feeling about the characters, which I know are going to play a huge part in this story. But I loved The Good Sister when I listened to it last year, so I’m keeping an open mind and I’m excited to see how it all plays out!
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
The hilarious debut novel from Lex Croucher. A classic romcom with a Regency-era twist, for fans of Mean Girls and/or Jane Austen.
Abandoned by her parents, middle-class Georgiana Ellers has moved to a new town to live with her dreary aunt and uncle. At a particularly dull party, she meets the enigmatic Frances Campbell, a wealthy member of the in-crowd who lives a life Georgiana couldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams.
Lonely and vulnerable, Georgiana falls in with Frances and her unfathomably rich, deeply improper friends. Georgiana is introduced to a new world: drunken debauchery, mysterious young men with strangely arresting hands, and the upper echelons of Regency society.
But the price of entry to high society might just be higher than Georgiana is willing to pay …
20% Review:
Oh my gosh this book is everything that I need right now and more! Surprising to nobody, I am among the masses waiting around for the premier of Bridgerton season 2, so this has been the PERFECT read to fill that void! It’s regency but also has very teen-romcom movie vibes. The description compares it to Mean Girls, and I would throw Clueless in there too, honestly making it a potential for a top read of the year for me if it continues the way it’s been going. The characters are fun and mysterious, the time period is dreamy, and I’ve laughed out loud a few times already. I seriously don’t want to put it down!
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for my gifted advanced copy, as well as Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy!
Description from Goodreads:
Delaney Nichols faces off against an elusive arsonist in the seventh Scottish Bookshop Mystery, The Burning Pages, from beloved author Paige Shelton….
One winter’s night, bookseller Delaney Nichols and her coworker Hamlet are invited to a Burns Night dinner, a traditional Scottish celebration of the poet Robert Burns. She’s perplexed by the invitation, but intrigued. The dinner takes place at Burns House itself, a tiny cottage not far from the Cracked Spine bookshop but well hidden. There, it becomes clear that Delaney and Hamlet were summoned in an attempt to make amends between Edwin, Delaney’s boss, and one of the other invitees, who suspected Edwin for burning down his own bookshop twenty years ago after a professional disagreement.
But after the dinner, there’s another fire. The Burns House itself is burned to the ground, and this time there’s a body among the ruins. When Hamlet is accused of the crime, Delaney rushes to prove his innocence, only to discover that he might actually have a plausible motive…
20% Review:
Mystery, intrigue, Scottish accents (written out so that they are still present in a physical format) – so far this book has it all! It is a rainy day today in the PNW, so I am devouring this cozy mystery and dreaming of Scotland. I’m really enjoying the characters so far and, as someone who is notoriously bad for picking up a cozy in the middle of a series and reading it as a standalone instead, I really appreciate the bit of background that we’ve gotten on them in the beginning of this book. It’s enough to make people reading it as a standalone feel like we aren’t missing too much, but not enough that it will bore folks who have read the previous books – just a happy medium!
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Thanks so much to the author, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and Edelweiss+ for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
When Arlo Dilly learns the girl he thought was lost forever might still be out there, he takes it as a sign and embarks on a life-changing journey to find his great love—and his freedom.
Arlo Dilly is young, handsome and eager to meet the right girl. He also happens to be DeafBlind, a Jehovah’s Witness, and under the strict guardianship of his controlling uncle. His chances of finding someone to love seem slim to none.
And yet, it happened once before: many years ago, at a boarding school for the Deaf, Arlo met the love of his life—a mysterious girl with onyx eyes and beautifully expressive hands which told him the most amazing stories. But tragedy struck, and their love was lost forever.
Or so Arlo thought.
After years trying to heal his broken heart, Arlo is assigned a college writing assignment which unlocks buried memories of his past. Soon he wonders if the hearing people he was supposed to trust have been lying to him all along, and if his lost love might be found again.
No longer willing to accept what others tell him, Arlo convinces a small band of misfit friends to set off on a journey to learn the truth. After all, who better to bring on this quest than his gay interpreter and wildly inappropriate Belgian best friend? Despite the many forces working against him, Arlo will stop at nothing to find the girl who got away and experience all of life’s joyful possibilities.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Sari, Not Sari
Author: Sonya K. Singh
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Fiction
Thanks so much to the author, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
This delightful debut rom-com follows the adventures of a woman trying to connect with her South Asian roots and introduces readers to a memorable cast of characters in a veritable feast of food, family traditions, and fun.
Manny Dogra is the beautiful young CEO of Breakup, a highly successful company that helps people manage their relationship breakups. As preoccupied as she is with her business, she’s also planning her wedding to handsome architect Adam Jamieson while dealing with the loss of her beloved parents.
For reasons Manny has never understood, her mother and father, who were both born in India, always wanted her to become an “All-American” girl. So that’s what she did. She knows next to nothing about her South Asian heritage, and that’s never been a problem—until her parents are no longer around, and an image of Manny that’s been Photoshopped to make her skin look more white appears on a major magazine cover. Suddenly, the woman who built an empire encouraging people to be true to themselves is having her own identity crisis.
But when an irritating client named Sammy Patel approaches Manny with an odd breakup request, the perfect solution presents itself: If they both agree to certain terms, he’ll give her a crash course in being “Indian” at his brother’s wedding.
What follows is days of dancing and dal, masala and mehndi as Manny meets the lovable, if endlessly interfering, aunties and uncles of the Patel family, and, along the way, discovers much more than she could ever have anticipated.
20% Review:
Confession time, I’m a little bit past 20% (not by much, only an extra chapter or so) because I couldn’t stop long enough to write a mini-review. And where this last chapter just ended? I. Am. HEATED! I won’t spoil anything, but you know that point in every cheesy Hallmark romcom where the boyfriend/fiancé that she has at the beginning of the movie does or says something terrible, and even though you know he isn’t the main love interest in the movie it still makes you mad? That’s the point I’m at in this book. Okay anyway moving on – this book is such a fun read so far! I am loving Manny as a main character, and honestly I wish Breakup was a real company. Lord knows I could have used that service once or twice when I was in the world of dating! I can’t wait to see where the rest of the story goes from here.
Thanks so much to the author, Doubleday Books, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
A delight for readers of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, this blockbuster debut set in 1960s California features the singular voice of Elizabeth Zott, a scientist whose career takes a detour when she becomes the star of a beloved TV cooking show.
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with–of all things–her mind. True chemistry results.
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.
Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Thanks so much to the author, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the gifted, advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Fiction
TW: whitewashing POC, some racially/culturally insensitive language
I will start off here by saying that I really loved this book! Once I finished it I messaged my husband and told him that it might have already cemented itself as one of my favorite reads of the month, that’s how much I enjoyed it.
I want to say early on in this review, however, that I am not Indian, so I don’t have that insight into the story or characters that own-voices reviewers might have. I have seen some folks talking about this book in reviews and elsewhere online that the way it was written and the way the people and culture were represented may not have been as accurate or respectful as some folks would have liked, which is what will keep this from being a 5-star review for me.
A huge part of the plot of this book is that Manny is spending the week with Sammy (the love interest) and his family to really get a taste of the Indian culture that she didn’t experience growing up, and that she’s never felt like she’s had access to. I’ve seen a lot of people online talking about how what is basically a week-long boot camp on how to be Indian is problematic because there is no one specific way to represent any culture or community, and I absolutely agree with that. The author makes a specific point more than once throughout the book to acknowledge this, and to have multiple characters tell Manny that or show her their own versions of their culture.
I think that the author adequately acknowledges this and it is therefore an intentional part of the story, as well as Manny’s character development. However, as I said in the beginning, since I am not a member of this culture I don’t believe I’m the one to speak on this. I’ve lowered my review by one star to reflect this, and will gladly re-evaluate it in the future if more own-voices reviewers come out to speak on it.
All of that being said, I think that the book was well written, and the characters were entertaining and engaging. And I absolutely fell for Sammy – I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t! For me, this was a book that I didn’t want to put down.
Overall I would recommend this book to friends and fellow readers, but with the above note. I think that the best way to read this book would be out at a park or someplace with the buzz of activity and a large glass of white wine!
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the gifted, advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
TW: sexual assault/rape, loss of family members, alcohol related death, underage drinking/drug use, drinking to excess
When I read the description of this book and saw that it was being billed as Jane Austen and Mean Girls, I was already sold on it. Truthfully, I was so excited to read this book that I was a little bit worried that it would disappoint me, especially after seeing some of my friends posting kind of a mixed bag of reviews about it. But it really lived up to that for me, and I found that I really, thoroughly enjoyed the read. It was Emma and Mean Girls and Bridgerton all kind of rolled into one, and I really loved it!
I will say that you have to enjoy flawed characters for this particular read, because there are really only the smallest handful of characters that I would classify as innocent in this story it’s basically Betty and a few (but not all) of the adults, and that’s about it. But all of the characters truly believe that they are in the right and that they are faultless, which made it very believable for me and gave the characters room to reflect and grow. Everyone thinks they’re the hero in the story, at least on some level, right?
Also I was swooning over Thomas a few times. Quiet and brooding but really in touch with and open about his feelings, and ready to shout his love from the rooftops? Yes please.
The story starts off a bit slow – a fairly normal pace for a regency, with a ball here and there but not much else happening, but definitely taking the pace more from the Jane Austen-side versus the Mean Girls-side – but it really picked up by the halfway point. This didn’t bother me because I do tend to read my fair share of regency, so I’m used to a bit slower pace especially before the scandals of the stories really get going, but be prepared for it if you aren’t.
I would say that this book definitely wouldn’t be for everyone, but it was absolutely for me. I would recommend it to my friends who enjoy regency and want a fun twist on a familiar type of story. I would also recommend it to friends who enjoy more contemporary stories that are wanting to dip their toes into regency, because with the ties to Mean Girls (there’s literally a take on the classic “Get in, loser, we’re going shopping” line) would make it a pretty accessible introduction to the genre. I think that the best way to read this book would be lounging in the comfort and safety of your bed with a rather large glass of wine.
Thanks so much to the author and St. Martin’s Press for my gifted, advanced physical copy, as well as NetGalley for the e-copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
TW: murder, sexual assault/rape, domestic abuse/violence, miscarriage/anembryonic pregnancy, loss of parents, dementia/Alzheimer’s, addiction (alcoholism, kleptomania, binge eating), gaslighting, and COVID-19
I was so excited to be receiving an early copy of this book, because I have really loved books by Sally Hepworth in the past. And I really and truly wanted to love this book. For the first third or so I really was enjoying it – it was suspenseful at times and messing with my brain a little bit, in the way you expect a book with potentially unreliable narrators to. But by the end I really couldn’t get behind this book.
For the most part the characters were interesting and flawed and felt realistic and human. I will say that I had a hard time relating to or sympathizing too much with Tully, but I’ve never dealt with kleptomania or any related addictions, so maybe she would be a perfectly written and relatable character to someone with more of those shared experiences. I found myself liking and relating to Rachel the most, though. She seemed to be the audience surrogate to a certain extent – she was the one putting some of the pieces together and trying to get to the bottom of the mystery, so I enjoyed her chapters the most.
Now let’s get into what I didn’t like about this book – I feel like there is a fine line between an unreliable narrator and gaslighting all of the characters (and therefore the audience) to the point that even by the last page nobody trusts or believes their own memories or understanding. A book can have an ending that is left up to interpretation without making it seem like all of the women in the book are out of their minds, you know? By the end of this book it felt a bit like the takeaway was that women, and particularly abused women, can’t be trusted to know their own minds or to understand what is happening to and around them. I know that that couldn’t have been what the author was trying to get across, but from an outside perspective, that was how it felt after closing the book, and it felt a bit gross.
I will say that I have heard through the grapevine that there is an added portion in the final copy of the book that completely changes the outcome of the story. Both of my gifted copies were the advanced, unfinalized version, so I have not seen this new addition. While I would be interested in picking up a final copy and reading this added paragraph to see if it changes my feelings towards the book, unfortunately at this time I can only review based on what I have read.
Overall I’m not sure that I would recommend this book to my friends, and if I did I would make my feelings stated above very clear in the same breath as the recommendation. I think that the book is well written and I’m sure that there are people who would love it. And like I said, maybe if I read that added bit in the final copy then it would change my opinion a bit as well. But at this time I don’t see myself returning to this book or recommending it very highly, without knowing outright that the person I’m talking to would love it.
If you or anyone you know is the victim of domestic violence, please don’t wait. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
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