Posted on by tacklingtbr

You get a book! And you get a book!

My bookish week in the PNW

This last week was filled with trading books from my bookshelves that I’ve already read (and that I’m not keeping as shelf trophies, IYKYK) out for new-to-me books from other readers’ collections!

Between a local event and Little Free Libraries, the theme of this week truly was just a good, old fashioned book swap.

This week I’m reading…

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

I’ve been listening to Our Perfect Storm on audio, and I am loving it! Two best friends who have been drifting apart decide to use her honeymoon to relax and reconnect after she is dumped the day before her wedding – what’s not to love about that? Friends to lovers, vacation romance, and lots of delicious food descriptions. I’m a happy camper!

Book Swap & Sip at Odd Otter Brewing

Mixing it up starting with the end of the week, but I have to jump in by talking about this super fun event!

People who know me out in the real world know that I’m not a beer girlie, so it may surprise some people to know that one of my favorite spots in Tacoma is this delightful, Otter-themed brewery.

And it’s become even more so recently, because they have really upped their game when it comes to hosting events – and especially bookish events! This week it was a book swap, complete with a local author signing and an amazing mobile bookstore that makes the rounds to events in the area.

The books up for trade…

I brought three books with me to contribute to the swap table in the back of the brewery, which definitely represent a wide variety of my book collection.

The first was The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling.

This is a book and a series that I LOVE, and absolutely still have shelf trophies of in my library, but I had an extra copy of this first book in the series.

(Shameless plug, but if you want to see my full thoughts on the book from when I read it around four years ago, you can take a look at my review here!)

The Four Dorothys by Paul Ruditis

This is a YA book that I read all the way back in junior high or high school – long before I forced my many book-thoughts on anyone but my mom. I remember enjoying it when I read it (I was a theater kid, so I was already biased in its favor), but it certainly wasn’t something that was foundational to my young life.

And despite that, it has been included on my shelves and moved from home to home since the time that I read it all those years ago. It was definitely time to let it find its place on a new bookshelf.

Hungry Hearts by Julie Hoag

This is one that I was gifted early on in my online reading journey, but it turned out that it wasn’t going to be the one for me.

I DNFed this book pretty early, and I kept it all these years in case I wanted to go back and give it another go – but that was starting to feel like the pair of jeans stuck in the back of the closet in case I can fit back into them one day.

While I’m not quite emotionally ready to let go of the old denim yet (one of these days those pre-pregnancy jeans just might come in handy, and who am I to risk not having them?), I’ve recently decided that there are too many amazing books in the world that I’ll never have the time to read. So I’m working on getting rid of the books that I’ll likely never go back to and make room for the next obsession or shelf trophy.

Now on to the rest of the fun!

After dropping my books off on the table for swapping, and having a few sips of a delicious beverage (it was mama’s night out, and I was going to enjoy it) my first stop was the mobile bookstore!

I have been following along with Lost the Plot ever since Ash, the owner, started posting content on TikTok about the behind the scenes of creating her mobile bookstore, focusing on adult fiction from under represented authors, from the ground up.

Ash is adorable, her videos are delightful, and truly, who among us hasn’t dreamed about quitting our daily life to open a bookstore? So it’s safe to say I was hooked from the very start, and I had just been waiting for the time that I could finally explore her little slice of heaven for myself!

While I didn’t let myself buy anything this time (since we’re on a budget, and I knew my next stop was going to get me), I had the most fun just getting to chat and look through the inventory. And believe me when I say that there are plenty of things that I’m keeping my eye on for next time she’s in my area.

Check out the Lost the Plot website here, to learn more about the bookstore and see where she’ll be popping up next!

And that brings me back to the excitement inside, with a signing table with local author NC Barton!

I had met NC before at a book fair earlier this year that was filled to the brim with local authors and bookish goodies, and she is just the sweetest! My mom (who went to that event with me) and I had a lovely time chatting with her, but when we were making our final rounds, we weren’t able to make it back to NC’s table to pick up the book that we had been eyeing.

So you know I had to get it this time around! It was like the book Goddesses were giving me another go, and I couldn’t disappoint them. Right?

It was so lovely getting to chat with NC again in a little bit calmer of an environment (I was there pretty early in the evening, so she had only just opened up her signing table), and I can’t wait to catch up with her again at the next event.

The book that I picked up was Meet Me at the Loch, which she was kind enough to sign for me! It is a Grumpy x Sunshine Celebrity romance set in a Scottish castle in the Highlands – so really, is there anything more you could want? I’m not sure there is.

You can purchase a copy of Meet Me at the Loch via Bookshop.org here, or check out the rest of what NC Barton has to offer on her website!

All in all it was a fabulous evening.

I got to chat with some of my online book friends, explore Lost the Plot, check out the Little Free Library onsite at Odd Otter (more on that later!), and walked away with four new to me books!

The books that I walked away with are…

Falling like Leaves by Misty Wilson

The book blurb describes this as “Gilmore Girls meets Jenny Han,” so you KNOW I had to grab it. A teen romcom about a city girl stuck in a small town, running into her post-glow up former best friend, during an annual fall festival that Stars Hollow would be proud of. Yes please.

Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren

A part of the Meant to Be series where different authors take on the task of reimagining different Disney princess stories, this one (obviously) taking a turn on Rapunzel and Flynn’s story from Tangled. And Christina Lauren (best friends and writing partners, truly the dream) are some of my favorite authors for contemporary romance, so this has been on my list for quite a while! I was very excited to find it in the Little Free Library.

Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest by Lorene Edwards Forkner

This one is pretty self-explanatory, honestly. Since moving from an apartment to a house, I’ve had a dream of being one of those girls with a thriving back garden. One of my best friends has the DREAMIEST garden you’ve ever seen, with everything from delicious veggies to florals that I want to fill every one of my vases with, so the daydream only grows by the minute. And I thought this might be fun to add to my collection, to thumb through and try to get some tips to maybe keep up with her one of these days!

Little Free Library Week 2026

Okay, circling back around to the beginning of the week now.

Sunday, May 17th was the first ever Little Free Library Day, and kicked off Little Free Library week – a full week of celebrating these tiny book sharing spaces in communities all around us.

Little Free Libraries provide every person in their communities with 24/7 access to books and have programs in place to champion diverse books and reading.

I’m a huge fan of Little Free Libraries and have gone out of my way to visit tons of them over the years, both in my own community and passing through on road trips. Each LFL is different and unique, with so much life and personality put into them by the stewards that maintain them. I can’t wait for the day that I get to put together my own LFL – so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to celebrate!

A snapshot of the Little Free Libraries that we visited!

I visited a few of these on my way to and from someplace else, and one was even onsite at Odd Otter! The rest were an outing all their own – baby girl and I spent an afternoon driving around exploring different neighborhoods and dropping off books as we went.

It was the best way to spend a quiet, sunny day.

In honor of the celebration, the folks behind the scenes even put together a bingo board that you could download and play all week long – while I didn’t quite get a full-board blackout, I had a lot of fun crossing some things off.

And two completed lines and three near misses isn’t too shabby, right?

Head to the Little Free Library website to learn more about it, and to look at the map to find your closest LFL!

I had a really terrific week finding new-to-me books and doing my own little library refresh.

Me to secondhand books:
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(page and) Pine and Prejudice

My bookish week in the PNW

There was lots of book-related fun to be had in my neck of the PNW last week!

From date night with my partner to outings to share with baby girl – these were the perfect excuses to get out into the real world this week.

This is a new post style for me, a bit closer to the true-to-form blog post than I’ve explored in a while. The style and format may take shape and change here and there, but I’m hoping to add these more casual chats fairly regularly, even if it doesn’t end up being every week. Sometimes mom is busy, you know?

Right now my books are my time to turn my mom brain off. Sometimes these outings are an excuse to talk books with people older than a year old, and sometimes they’re an excuse for the baby and I to simply get out of the house. And while I’m pretty sure this section of my “brand,” for lack of a better term, is mostly just me talking to myself on the internet, I like the idea of celebrating those fun memories and breaks in routine.

And if I get to celebrate all of the fun events and local small businesses around me at the same time? Truly all the better.

This week I’m reading…

The Devil of Arden by R.H. Linehan

As soon as I saw the author describing this as Robin Hood x A Midsummer Night’s Dream, I knew that I absolutely had to read it. Throw in Autumn Equinox vibes and a slow burn romance filled with banter and sassy nicknames, and I am all over it.

Storytime at Page and Pine Books

On Thursday morning baby girl and I attended the cutest story time hosted by Page and Pine, an independent bookstore in Puyallup that we absolutely love.

It was themed around nursery rhymes and, together with a small group of kiddos and their grownups, we spent the morning reading and singing about speckled frogs and itsy-bitsy spiders.

This was such a lovely way to spend a morning! It was just a quiet, low-pressure event completely centered around reading and singing and letting the babies show off their newly found walking skills by wandering all around the bookstore.

Plus, all of the other kiddos were really close in age to my baby girl as well – while she does have lots of “cousins,” there is a pretty wide range of ages in the group. So any time there is a group this close in her age it always feels like such a treat. At least it does for me.

And, of course, girlie takes after me, so we couldn’t leave without picking something out to take home with us. We decided to grab the Five Little Speckled Frogs book that was a part of the story time, and she very excitedly read it again with my partner that night before bedtime.

The Music of Jane Austen with the Seattle Symphony

Throughout the course of my life, I truly believe that I have spent at least two cumulative years watching Jane Austen adaptations.

And I’m not even counting the retellings, although I would argue that Clueless and the first Bridget Jones are possibly perfect movies. Sorry, film bros.

I’m a sucker for a BBC mini-series of all varieties.

And both the 1995 and 2005 Pride and Pejudices (Prides and Prejudice? Pride and Prejudici?) are among the pillars holding up my entire personality.

Truly I can’t have any form of potato with dinner without internally complimenting a fair cousin for the exemplary vegetable; or even think about the existence of my birthday without contemplating my status as a) a burden to my parents, and b) frightened.

So when I saw that the Seattle Symphony was hosting a night dedicated to the music of the adaptations that bewitch me body and soul, I immediately knew that I wanted to go – and my partner was amazing enough to get us tickets for my birthday!

There were people dressed in their Bridgerton-best, there was onsite book shopping from Seattle romance favorite Beguiled Books, and there was even someone leading regency style dancing in the lobby that Emma Woodhouse would have approved of. It was an absolute dream.

And there were two more stars of the evening, in addition to the symphony.

The first is soprano Jane Eaglen who was featured in several songs throughout the evening, and whose name you might recognize from the soundtrack for the Sense and Sensibility movie from 1995 starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. Y’all, she was incredible.

The second was the host of the evening, acting as a narrator and storyteller – Susannah Harker, miss Jane Bennet herself from the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Are you kidding me? I lost my mind. I fangirled. I want her to narrate my life.

This was seriously the best night. The music was so amazing. The dancing was so much fun. I only wish I had realized people were going to show up in costume, because I absolutely could have obsessed over that for the couple of weeks leading up to it.

Audiobook Walk with the Tacoma Silent Book Club

Tacoma’s chapter of the Silent Book Club got together on Sunday morning at Titlow Park to take a walk and soak in the sunshine of an early PNW summer day.

I used this walk to finish up The Breakup Vacation by Anna Gracia on audio. I pulled this one out of my Libro.fm library because after all of the fantasy/romantasy and other slightly more intense reading I’ve been doing lately, I wanted something a bit light. Something that I wouldn’t have to think too hard about, and I could just listen and giggle and kick my metaphorical feet about the romance. This book was all of that and more, and I really enjoyed it!

After the walk the group found a spot on the grass in the park to sit and chat, and a couple of folks even brought some fun beverages – let me tell you, I will be much more prepared with some fun snacks and things for the next meeting!

As a socially awkward person who quickly fell out of practice at talking to people who aren’t my partner or my baby, a Silent Book Club is truly my dream come true. You have the opportunity to make friends and chat about books as much as you’d like to, but you can also just sit and read and simply share space. No pressure to read the same book and prepare talking points, and no pressure to socialize more than you’re prepared for.

All in all, this week was truly…
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May 17 – May 23, 2026

New Releases and Publications

Happy new week! Let’s take a look at some of the many exciting new books that are being released out into the world this week.

The list below includes books that I’ve been gifted early reading copies for (from the author, publisher, or sometimes a third-party PR company), as well as any books that I’ve pre-ordered for purchase, that I’ve either already read or have added to my upcoming TBR!

I am incredibly thankful for all of the reading opportunities that I am gifted through these various sources. These books represent the many hours of work that countless people have put in to telling these stories, and I’m so grateful to be a small part of the book’s journey.

These weekly posts include an overview of the book as well as my thoughts on the book, if I’ve already read it.

As always, if you are looking to get a copy of one of these new releases for yourself, I highly encourage you to support an independent bookstore that’s local to your area! Physical copies can be purchased in person at your local indie bookshop, or online via Bookshop.org. You can also support independent bookstores with audiobook purchases via Libro.fm. For books that are independently published by the authors, they can also likely be purchased directly from the author via their website!

Both Can Be True

Author: Jessica Guerrieri

Genre: fiction, contemporary, mystery, women’s fiction

Themes: motherhood, found family, recovering from substance abuse

Page Count: 352 pages

Publisher: Harper Muse

Publication Date: May 19, 2026

Thanks so much to BookSparks, the author, and Harper Muse for the gifted advanced copy of this book, and including me in the release review tour via BookSparks!

Book Blurb:

Two sisters reconnect on a long-overdue girls’ trip to Mexico—just as a woman from their small town back home goes missing, setting off a chain of revelations that forces them to confront old traumas, fractured marriages, and the fragile threads holding their lives together.

Told in alternating perspectives, Both Can Be True follows Mare and Frankie—two sisters in their late thirties navigating motherhood, marriage, and identity in a post-pandemic world. Mare is the hyper-responsible older sister, mother of a neurodivergent preschooler, and married to a husband who’s long since checked out. Frankie is a charismatic, sober bookstore owner raising two teenage daughters and struggling to maintain boundaries between her sobriety, motherhood, and the messy realities of womanhood.

Together with three friends, they embark on a girls’ trip to Mexico to celebrate Frankie’s ten-year sobriety milestone. But back home, their husbands go camping and stumble upon what they believe might be the body of Brie Hoover—a woman from their town and Frankie’s AA circle. What follows is a slow unraveling of secrets and shifting loyalties, set against the backdrop of a deeply rooted female friendship.

As the sisters reckon with the emotional weight of caregiving, trauma, and who they’ve become outside their roles as mothers and wives, Both Can Be True Can we be good mothers and still want more? Can we love our partners and still feel trapped? And what happens when the support systems we’ve so carefully constructed start to crack?

Check out my final review and blog tour for Both Can Be True here!

You can purchase a copy of this book via Bookshop.org here!

The Heart of Faerie

Author: Rowan Parker

Genre: romance, fantasy, romantasy

Tropes: chosen one, dual POV

Page Count: 562 pages

Publisher: Independently published

Publication Date: May 19, 2026

Thanks so much to the author for gifting me an early e-copy of this book!

Book Blurb:

A story for anyone who has ever wanted to lose themselves in a good book, and for those who have needed to rediscover themselves again the same way…

When Alastair, playboy fae prince and bisexual disaster, and his stoic, snarky bestie Killian travel to the human realm to retrieve the prophesied Chosen One, they abduct Vivi Pierce to save their home from a sinister, ancient curse. Vivi may be a nineteen-year-old college student, but fortunately for Faerie, she’s eager to save the world. In fact, she’s pretty sure that she could ride a dragon or help perform a coup, should the need arise. She has, after all, read every romantasy novel she’s ever gotten her hands on. She knows every trope in the book.

The only problem? Vivi isn’t actually the Chosen One, and this kidnapping isn’t the meet-cute that she thought it was. It turns out the Chosen One is actually her middle-aged mother Jenn, and the fae men grabbed the wrong woman. Now, instead of leading the charge to save the world, becoming inexplicably good at combat through a quick training montage, and getting seduced by a sexy, impossibly-old fae love interest, Vivi has to contend with the fact that her mother may be the real Main Character in this story. Worse yet, it looks like Jenn has known about the existence of Faerie for years, and purposely hid that knowledge from her daughter. It seems that maybe Vivi’s books have gotten more than a few things terribly wrong…

A loving but humorous homage to the genres of romantasy and portal fantasy, The Heart of Faerie is the first book of the Broken Tropes trilogy. This trilogy, meant for adult readers 18+, includes a Happily Ever After for all main characters by the end of the trilogy and wraps up at least one HEA in each individual book. It is a first person, dual point of view story that includes the POVs of both Vivi and Jenn (who, unfortunately, isn’t nearly as boring as Vivi thought she was).

You can purchase a copy of this book via Bookshop.org here!

The House of Now and Then

Author: Edward Underhill

Genre: romance, LGBTQIA+, adult, magical realism, fantasy

Themes: angsty new romance, magical cottages, haunted by the past

Page Count: 288 pages

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: May 19, 2026

Thanks so much to the author and Avon for gifting me an advanced e-copy of this book via Netgalley!

Book Blurb:

“The kind of book that feels like home. A brand-new all-time favorite.” — Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Amelia, If Only

From the author of The In-Between Bookstore , the sweet, unforgettable story of a trans man in his thirties who books a Cape Cod cottage for one lonely summer—only to have its magic bring him visitors from the past and romance where he least expects it, perfect for fans of TJ Klune and Ashley Poston.

Harlowe could use a break. With his academic future over, just like his relationship with his long-term boyfriend Jackson, a suspiciously cheap summer rental on the Cape feels like just the escape he needs.

But when he arrives at the picturesque seaside cottage, he’s alarmed to find his discouraging old professor in the living room. His father making coffee in the kitchen. And a handsome young repairman fixing things in the bedroom. Worst of all, Jackson is in the bathroom. None of them will leave. No one else can see them. And they won’t leave him alone.

The house isn’t magic only for Harlowe, and as the summer grows hot and thick with tourists, old wounds and fresh secrets—both in and outside its walls—begin to transform him. It’s clear the house is trying to tell him something, and he’s sure it has to do with the mysterious repairman who suddenly seems to be everywhere he looks… But can Harlowe let go of the past long enough to listen?

Evoking all the windswept dunes and Fourth of July fireworks of a perfect Cape Cod day, The House of Now and Then asks who you would find, if all your unfinished business was just behind one door.

You can purchase a copy of this book via Bookshop.org here!

Rani Deshpande Takes the Wheel

Author: Arushi Avachat

Genre: romance, young adult, contemporary, fiction

Tropes: slow burn, friends to lovers, coming of age, self-discovery

Page Count: 320 pages

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication Date: May 19, 2026

Thanks so much to the author and Wednesday Books for gifting me an advanced e-copy of this book via Netgalley!

Book Blurb:

Rani’s summer checklist didn’t include falling in love in this sparkling romance for fans of The Summer of Broken Rules and Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute.

Nineteen-year-old Rani Deshpande is on a mission to reinvent herself the summer before transferring to her new university. After a challenging freshman year, Rani can’t help but feel like she’s playing catch up. To that end, she’s crafted a packed summer to get back on track: a dream internship, adventures with her hometown best friend, and regular driving lessons so that she can finally lose her passenger princess reputation – even if it means learning from her aggravating family friend (and childhood crush), Kush Khanna.

Kush and Rani grew up together, but they couldn’t be less alike. Within their close-knit Desi community – a Jane Austen style cast of ridiculous, meddlesome families – Kush is the beloved model son; Rani is more the black sheep. Kush is pre-med; Rani plans to teach elementary school. Kush is cool and collected, bordering on reticent; Rani couldn’t keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. So when their mothers first force the pair to drive together, the arrangement feels like a recipe for disaster. As the lessons progress, however, Rani discovers there’s more to the boy she’s known her whole life than meets the eye.

In Arushi Avachat’s Rani Deshpande Takes the Wheel, Rani must learn to course-correct, no matter how bumpy or windy the road – and even if it includes a detour right into love.

You can purchase a copy of this book via Bookshop.org here!

The Arcane Arts

Author: S. D. Coverly

Genre: romance, romantasy, dark academia, adult

Tropes: age gap, secret society, forbidden romance

Page Count: 400 pages

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: May 19, 2026

Bonus entry! I pre-ordered this book from my local indie bookstore, and couldn’t wait to pick it up!

Book Blurb:

In this thrilling and sexy dark romance, a graduate student and her adviser dive into a taboo branch of magic, igniting a dangerous passion.

“Dark academia, romance, and fantasy join forces in a gripping new book.”—People

Ambitious and driven, Ellsbeth Storer has long been determined to study the arcane arts, even before the mysterious death of a loved one draws her to prestigious Newlyn University. 

Professor Thaddeus Rawlins was once the wunderkind of the field, but in the wake of a horrific tragedy that nearly ended his career, he has resigned himself to the boredom of tenure. 

Yet when the magnetic Ellsbeth enters his orbit, he finds her impossible to resist. He agrees to oversee her pursuit of a taboo thesis topic: the study of writmagic, the illegal power to control and compel others—and a secret obsession of Rawlins’s. 

As student and professor undertake their illicit research, harmless flirtation crosses into uncontrollable desire, which threatens to bloom into something even more dangerous: love. 

But can two people who are masters of manipulation ever trust each other?

You can purchase a copy of this book via Bookshop.org here!

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Of Plots and Tropes

by Stephanie Sawyer

Review and blog tour courtesy of the author and Twisted Chaos PR!

Thanks so much to the author and Twisted Chaos PR for the gifted advanced galley of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts, as well as participation in the author’s Street Team for release. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner }
My reviews and content can also be found on Goodreads, StoryGraph, on Instagram @Tackling_TBR, and on TikTok @TacklingTBR.

Publication Date: May 12, 2026

Genre: fantasy, romantasy, new adult, comedic

Tropes: the chosen one, dragons, found family, heir trials, prophecy questline, old wizard mentor, breaking the fourth wall

Page Count: 507 pages

Book Blurb:

Eighteen-year-old Em Smith has spent her life preparing to become the Main Character in a fantasy novel written by one of the Great Authors.

Except, when her big break comes, it’s a disaster of clichés. She’s declared a “Chosen One” by an ancient elf prophecy and sent out on a mediocre questline to overthrow a dark lord in a tower–– with two hot guys, an impish sidekick, and an old wizard mentor in tow, of course. Caught in love-triangles, heir trials, and every trope possible, it feels like her story aligns with every plotline she swore off.

Worse, if she doesn’t complete her designated prophecy, it will kill her. Determined to rewrite her destiny before this book ruins her reputation, Em sets out to hunt down the author dictating her life before losing her last shot at true main-character glory.

OF PLOTS AND TROPES is an New Adult Comedic Fantasy about self-discovery, adventure, and every fantasy trope a reader could hope for.

Review:

At the time of publishing, I am still mid-adventure in the world of Of Plots and Tropes!

My full thoughts will be added here as soon as I have finished reading.

About the Author:

Stephanie Sawyer wasted her teenaged years covered in paint thinking she’d be an animator for an unnamed movie studio with a cool theme park she’s obsessed with, all while handwriting stories about her imaginary friends and dreams. After attaining her BFA in Art Education in the armpit of the United States, she eventually found free time in her busy life as high school teacher to fall in love with writing again. She’s currently studying for her MFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design while raising a zoo of cats and freshwater fish tanks. Of Plots and Tropes is her debut.

Connect with Stephanie on Instagram!

Purchase on Bookshop.org to support your local independent bookstore!

Posted on by tacklingtbr

First and Forever

by Lynn Painter

Thanks so much to the author and Berkley Publishing for the gifted advanced galley of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner }
My reviews and content can also be found on Goodreads, StoryGraph, on Instagram @Tackling_TBR, and on TikTok @TacklingTBR.

Publication Date: May 12, 2026

Genre: romance, sports romance, contemporary romance

Tropes: fake dating, dual POV, sports romance, he falls first, forced proximity

Page Count: 320 pages

Book Blurb:

A football star and a diehard fan entangled in a PR stunt—that only one side knows is fake—might be the right play in this new romantic comedy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter.

Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyotes football. So when she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain, she is distraught—and disgruntled. All she did was shove Coyote Carl away when he made a move on her, but everyone else just saw a woman attacking their team’s beloved mascot. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.

When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of their PR nightmare, he thought that meant saying a few words on the team’s behalf. Instead, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. Duffy pelts him with fiery jabs but is also clearly diehard about the Coyotes—color him intrigued…and attracted.

The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. A strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, he’s surprised to discover being with Duffy is much easier than he thought, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. Harboring this secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.

Review: 4 stars

TW: illness in elderly parents, loss of parents (off page, prior to events)

Y’all, is there any more delicious combination than Fake Dating and He Falls First? I’m really not sure that there is.
I mean, come on, the banter possibilities with that combo are endless – and First and Forever did not disappoint on that front!

This was such a fun, light, and easy read. I finished it in just a couple of days because I truly did not want to put it down – simply because it was making me smile!

Duffy, the FMC, is direct and sarcastic and pretty sure she knows better and more than anyone else in the room. Meanwhile Connor, the MMC, is basically the human equivalent of the heart-eyes emoji. In my humble opinion, it’s a match made in heaven.

I will say, I wish we had gotten a little bit more from Duffy’s best friend, Ellie. She seemed like such a fun character, and aside from a few choice “I’m your best friend and I’m going to knock some sense into you” moments with Duffy, we didn’t get much more from her than her interest in fashion as it related to Duffy’s storyline. I totally get that that isn’t uncommon for the female lead’s best friend in a romcom, so I’m not holding it against the book too harshly – I just feel like she is someone I really could have fallen in love with if there was a little bit more time dedicated to letting me do so. Who knows – maybe I’ll get my wish in a future book!

That being said, I think that overall this book was the perfect length. I didn’t find myself getting to the 3/4 point and constantly looking at my kindle’s progress bar to see where I was at in the book. It was just the right amount – and maybe could have even taken the tiniest bit more time at the end, which I almost never say, so you know I mean it.

All that to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be running to pick up any other books in this world, should we get them in the future (I’m looking at you, Lynn!).

Don’t go into this expecting to get a brand-new masterpiece of a story that you’ve never seen anything like before. This is a pretty standard, pretty predictable sports romcom.
But if you like Hallmark movies and sassy characters with a lot of chemistry, then I think this just might be the book for you!

Purchase on Bookshop.org and support your local independant bookstore!

Posted on by tacklingtbr

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave

Minotaur Books: 5 stars

Thanks so much to the author, Minotaur Books, 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.

Publication Date: March 4, 2025

Genre: MYSTERY, THRILLER, CONTMPORARY, ADULT, HUMOR, SUSPENSE

Page Count: 309 pages

TW: murder/death, violence

Y’all, Mrs. Haggerty is an icon. 

I loved (to hate to love) her from the very beginning, and she truly gets to shine in this book. 

Okay, now on to the rest of the review. 

I’ve said it before, but I truly believe that (with the exception of the first, because you can’t beat the original) this series only gets better and more fun as it goes along. It really has become my favorite series of books that is currently being released, and I find myself looking forward to getting to the end of one year/beginning of the next when I get to read the next installment. 

Sounds dramatic, but here we are. These books are a familiar favorite sweater, in my opinion, and I want to stand outside of Finlay Donovan’s window with a boombox or a “To me, you are perfect” sign. She would probably hate it, and Vero would mercilessly mock it, but I would do it all the same.

I think that if you enjoy a romantic mystery where the characters’ stakes are sky high but it all still feels light and silly, with a ride or die female friendship reminiscent of The First Wives Club (one of my favorite movies, maybe I’m sensing a pattern?), then this is the series for you. 

They should definitely be read and enjoyed in series order, however, so if you’re seeing this then go back to Finlay Donovan is Killing It and work your way back – meet me back here when you’re done, I’ll have a bottle of wine at the ready to discuss everything Finlay.

My Reviews for the rest of the Finlay Donovan series:

Finlay Donovan is Killing It

Finlay Donovan Knocks ’em Dead

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

Posted on by tacklingtbr

February 18 – February 24

New Releases and Publications

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!

I See Buildings Fall like Lightning

Author: Keiran Goddard

Publication Date: February 20, 2024

Genre: fiction

Page Count: 256 pages

Thanks so much to the author, Europa Editions, and Edelweiss+ for the gifted, advanced e-copy of this book!

Description from Goodreads:

Told through the alternating perspectives of five childhood friends from the same housing estate in England, I See Buildings Fall like Lightning is a story about friendship, place, loss, addiction and the ways in which lives, minds, and bodies can be limited by material conditions; it also speaks powerfully to the ways in which humor, loyalty, and family can bestow meaning and life even in the toughest circumstances.

Only Rian has made it out of the estate and moved away to another city, but his money doesn’t stop him clinging to a vision of the past that is quickly slipping away.

Oli is fading by the day, drinking and snorting his way through the endless boredom.

Things are looking up for Conor, but he is never too far away from chaos.

Patrick and Shiv are as in love as ever, always the calm in the eye of the storm, but even they are rocked when old secrets begin to open new wounds.

Bold, ambitious, and stylistically striking, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning lays bare the economic, psychological, and spiritual impact of poverty, explores the redeeming and transforming beauty of friendship and examines the true limits of hope and forgiveness.

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!)

Due to hatred shared publicly by an employee under St. Martin’s Press, as well as a lack of action on the part of St. Martin’s Press, I am one of many readers and bookish content creators currently taking part in the #SpeakUpSMP boycott.
Therefore, while there are additional books that I am grateful to have received and that are being published this week, I will not be sharing anything about them at this time.
I look forward to sharing more about these books in the future, provided that the needs and demands of the boycott are met, and at that time I will update this post to include them.
For more information on the boycott, head to @ReadersForAccountability on TikTok.
Posted on by tacklingtbr

Once Upon A Book Club: Young Adult Box December 2023

Recent Release by Lex Croucher

I am so excited to have received another box from one of my favorite bookish subscription services, Once Upon a Book Club! This time I received the Young Adult box for the month of December, with the clue “Round Table Romance!”

Take a look below for information on the book and gifts that I received in this box and more – but keep in mind that there will be spoilers on the gifts!

Thanks so much to the folks over at Once Upon a Book Club for gifting me with this box! Check them out for yourself, and use my code TACKLINGTBR at check out for a discount!

About the Box

This Round Table Romance box was Once Upon a Book Club’s young adult box for the month of December! Each box contained a copy of the book, a bookplate/sticker with the author’s signature, and four wrapped gifts to tie into the book – bringing the book and reading experience to life!

Page 21

“He ducked just as the ink bottle smashed against the door next to his head; ink poured down the wood and pooled on the floor, soaking his boots.”

Black, scented Inkwell Bath Salts, from Camelot Co., in a themed, glass inkwell bottle.

Page 86

“’Good evening,’ he said from the floor. Gwen slammed her book shut and stood up.”

A hardcover copy of Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert.

Page 204

“She cast around for something to stop the bleeding; her half-finished embroidery was on the table by the fire, and she hesitated for a minute before tearing off a long strip of the pearly-white fabric and returning to Arthur so she could wrap his arm.”

A cream-colored linen scarf with embroidered florals in bright pinks, greens, and oranges, measuring 35×71”.

Page 325

“They both watched the cut black stone rotate slowly between them at the end of its chain.”

A cut crystal black tourmaline pendent on a silver necklace chain.

About the Book

Due to hatred shared publicly by an employee under St. Martin’s Press, as well as a lack of action on the part of St. Martin’s Press, I am one of many readers and bookish content creators currently taking part in the #SpeakUpSMP boycott.
Therefore, while I am very grateful to have received this book and box from Once Upon A Book Club, I will not be sharing the title or cover of the book at this time.
However you’ll find the author’s information is all still listed below – As this is only a marketing boycott, rather than a boycott on consumption, please feel free to still show the author all of your love and support!
I look forward to sharing more details about this book in the future, provided that the needs and demands of the boycott are met, and at that time I will update this post to include them.
For more information on the boycott, head to @ReadersForAccountability on TikTok.

About the Author

(Photo and bio taken from the author’s website, at the link below!)
Processed with VSCO with c7 preset

Lex Croucher grew up in Surrey, reading a lot of books and making friends with strangers on the internet, and now lives in London with an elderly cat.

With a background in social media for NGOs, Lex now writes historical-ish rom coms for adults (REPUTATION, INFAMOUS) and historical fantasy rom coms for teenagers. GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is their YA debut.

Check out Lex’s Instagram here!
Check out Lex’s website here!

Learn more about Once Upon A Book Club, or order your next read, here!

Posted on by tacklingtbr

Once Upon A Book Club: Adult Box September 2023

Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon

I am so excited to have received another box from one of my favorite bookish subscription services, Once Upon a Book Club! This time I received the Adult box for the month of September, with the clue “Murder, She Wrote!”

Take a look below for information on the book and gifts that I received in this box and more – but keep in mind that there will be spoilers on the gifts!

Thanks so much to the folks over at Once Upon a Book Club for gifting me with this box! Check them out for yourself, and use my code TACKLINGTBR at check out for a discount!

About the Box

This Murder, She Wrote box was Once Upon a Book Club’s adult box for the month of September! Each box contained a copy of the book, a bookplate/sticker with the author’s signature, and four wrapped gifts to tie into the book – bringing the book and reading experience to life!

Page 57

“‘Please. Anything in the wine rack is fair game. And we have an entire cellar to dig into if there’s nothing there that appeals.’ Brittany flicked her long hair over her shoulder and plucked a single almond off the board.”

A small serving tray for a charcuterie board made of açaí wood.

Page 100

“‘Actually, I think I’ll beg off too,’ Lydia said, slipping the dog-eared playing card between the pages of her book again and laying it down on the counter. A faded jester’s head peeked out over the top.”

A copy of The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz, with a dog-eared bookish playing card joker inside.

Page 342

“My fingers closed around the corkscrew in my pocket, its cool, sleek shape growing less and less reassuring by the moment. I flicked open the twisted strip of metal, pressing the pad of my thumb to the end, testing its sharpness.”

A gold toned corkscrew.

Page 375

“‘So?’ Vanessa tugged off her gigantic sunglasses to fix me with an expectant stare as I slipped into the passenger seat.”

A pair of oversized, black sunglasses with gold accents, with a brown carrying sleeve and lens wipe.

About the Book

Published by: Bantam

Publication Date: September 5, 2023

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Contemporary, Adult

Page Count: 379 pages

Description from Goodreads:

An ambitious screenwriter tries to solve her friend’s disappearance by recreating their fateful final girls’ trip in this riveting locked-room mystery from the author of All Dressed Up.
A remote winery. A missing friend. And a bunch of sour grapes.

It should have been the perfect spring break. Five girlfriends. A remote winery on the Oregon coast. An infinite supply of delicious wine at their manicured fingertips. But then their center—beautiful, magnetic Vanessa Morales—vanished without a trace.

Emily Fischer was perhaps the last person to see her alive. But now, years later, Emily spots Vanessa’s doppelganger at a local café. At the end of her rope working a lucrative yet mind-numbing gig on a network sitcom, Emily is inspired to finally tell the story that’s been percolating inside her for so long: Vanessa’s story. But first, she needs to know what really happened on that fateful night. So she puts a brilliant scheme into motion.

She gets the girls together for a reunion weekend at the scene of the crime under the guise of reconnecting. There’s Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin and the inheritor of the winery; Paige, a former athlete, bullish yet easily manipulated; and Lydia, the wallflower of the group.

One of them knows the truth. But what have they each been hiding? And how much can Emily trust anything she learns from them… or even her own memories of Vanessa’s last days?

Suspenseful, propulsive, and interspersed with scenes from Emily’s blockbuster screenplay, Scenes of the Crime is an unforgettable mystery that examines culpability, the shiny rearview mirror of Hollywood storytelling, and the pitfalls of female friendship.

Review:

My full review will be added here and on Goodreads at a later date. Feel free to check back later!

About the Author

(Photo and bio taken from the author’s website, at the link below!)

Jilly Gagnon is currently based in Salem, Massachusetts, but is originally from Minnesota, a fact she’ll likely inform you of within minutes of meeting you. She is the author of Love You, Mean It; Scenes of the Crime; All Dressed Up; and #famous (a young adult novel).

She’s represented by Taylor Haggerty of Root Literary (for all fiction writing), nd Uwe Stender & Amelia Appel of Triada Literary (for works co-authored with Mike MacDonald).

You can connect with Jilly on Instagram. She’s an especially good conversation partner if you love amazing cocktails, terrible television, or talking to your cats.

Check out Jilly’s Instagram here!
Check out Jilly’s Website here!

Link to Purchase the Book

Learn more about Once Upon A Book Club, or order your next read, here!

Posted on by tacklingtbr

October 8 – October 14

New Releases and Publications

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!

Stars in Your Eyes

Author: Kacen Callender

Narrated by: André Santana, AJ Beckles, Dani Martineck, Hannah Church, Avi Roque, George Newbern, Patryce Williams, Sarah Mollo-Christensen & VyVy Nguyen

Publication Date: October 10, 2023

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA+, Contemporary, Queer, Adult, Fiction

Audiobook Length: 9 hours 53 minutes

Thanks so much to Hachette Audio and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!

Description from Goodreads:

The National Book Award-winning author of  Felix Ever After  delivers a beautifully tender story of two grumpy/sunshine, fake-dating actors navigating their love story both on and offscreen—perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall.

Logan Gray is Hollywood’s bad boy—a talented but troubled actor who the public loves to hate. Mattie Cole is an up‑and‑coming golden boy, adored by all but plagued by insecurities.

When Logan and Mattie are cast as leads in a new romantic film, Logan claims that Matt has “zero talent,” sending the film’s publicity into a nosedive. To create positive buzz, the two are persuaded into a fake‑dating scheme—but as the two actors get to know their new characters, real feelings start to develop. 

As public scrutiny intensifies and old wounds resurface, the two must fight for their relationship and their love.

A heartfelt, hopeful, and nuanced story about identity, healing, and growth.

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!)

Love Interest

Author: Clare Gilmore

Publication Date: October 10, 2023

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Fiction

Page Count: 335 pages

Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Griffin (St. Martin’s Press) and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!

Description from Goodreads:

A sparkling adversaries-to-lovers romcom set at a magazine publisher in Manhattan. When Casey and Alex are forced into proximity, they soon realize falling for each other is just as much of a risk and as it is a reward.

Casey Maitland has always preferred the reliability of numbers, despite growing up the daughter of two artistic souls. Now a twenty-four-year-old finance expert working in Manhattan, Casey wonders if the project manager opening at her company – magazine powerhouse LC Publications – is a sign from the universe to pursue a career with a little more sparkle. That is, until she’s passed over for the job in favor of the board chairman’s son.

Alex Harrison is handsome, Harvard-educated, and enigmatic. Everybody loves him – except for Casey. But when the two are thrown on the same project, they both have something to prove. For Casey, it’s getting tapped for a transfer to the London office and fulfilling her dreams of travelling. For Alex, it’s successfully launching a brand that will impress his distant father.

As work meetings turn into after hours, Casey and Alex are drawn to each other again and again, but neither can avoid the messy secrets and corporate intrigue threatening to tear them apart. What they discover about their workplace might change everything – including the dreams each of them is chasing.

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!)