Posted on by tacklingtbr

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!

Posted on by tacklingtbr

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

Both Can Be True

by Jessica Guerrieri

Thanks so much to BookSparks, the author, and Harper Muse for the gifted advanced copy of this book in in exchange for my honest thoughts and participation in this book tour. Thanks also to Harper Muse for the gifted audio copy via Libro.fm. 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 19, 2026

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

Themes: motherhood, found family, recovery from substance abuse

Page Count: 352 pages

Audiobook Length: 9 hours and 29 minutes

Audiobook Narrators: Helen Laser, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Rebecca Lowman, Jessica Guerrieri

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?

Review: 4.25 stars

TW: death, substance abuse (alcohol and drugs), sexual assault

Wow.

It isn’t too often then days that I pick up a general women’s fiction read, since I’m so often distracted by my love of many other genres of fiction. While this book is categorized as a mystery, I would say that it fell (at least for me) much more under the larger umbrella of women’s fiction. Either way, I loved every minute of it and I am so thrilled that I got a chance to read it.

This complex book explores many overarching themes relating to motherhood, womanhood, and sisterhood (both born- and found-family).
And when I first read the description of this book I was both very excited to read it and also a little bit nervous.

As a woman in today’s society, and as someone who became a new mom within the last year, I am no stranger to the idea of disappearing in plain sight.
Making yourself smaller to fit into society or avoid drawing attention to yourself.
Losing the woman that you were completely behind your new role of “mom.”
The constant mom guilt.
The shame that the world puts on us for being an imperfect person while also being a woman.

It can feel so lonely and isolating. What I loved most about this book was the raw look at these emotions and explored the relationships between a group of women learning to feel them and push through them all together.
This book felt like it was both permission to feel those things as well as permission to let go of them entirely, while encouraging you to find your way back to your own personhood and who you are outside of the influence of those other things.

I decided to tackle this book with immersive reading, so I read it while also listening to the audio. The group of women that narrate the audiobook (including the author) do such a phenomenal job with their performances, and it really made the book and characters come alive for me. I would highly recommend this style of reading, or would generally recommend the audiobook if you’re not looking to take on both.

I would absolutely recommend this book. Truly, I finished it on audio while I was in the car yesterday and was worried that other drivers would be concerned about the crazy lady crying in the car next to them.

I am so thrilled to have a copy that I can come back to again in the future – I’m sure when I reach a new phase of life and motherhood I’ll find another new thing in it.

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

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!)

Posted on by tacklingtbr

May 14 – May 20

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!

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts

Author: Kristyn J. Miller

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Fiction, Travel

Page Count: 352 pages

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

Description from Goodreads:

Love breaks all the rules.

Margo Anderson is sworn off commitment. Alongside her best friend, Jo, she runs a viral podcast featuring rules for hooking up without catching feelings. So when Jo surprises her by deciding to get married and taking up a sponsor’s offer to host an all-expenses-paid wedding trip on Catalina Island, they have the whole internet to answer to.

In a scramble for content to appease their disappointed listeners, Margo cooks up a social experiment: Break all her own dating rules, just to prove that it’s a bad idea. And she’s found the best man for the job in the groom’s best friend and her old high school nemesis, Declan Walsh. He may be easier on the eyes than Margo remembered, but he’s sure to be as smug and annoying as he was before—there is no chance Margo will ever catch feelings for him . . . until she does.

The more time they spend together through cake tastings and wedding party activities, the more Margo can’t ignore their obvious spark, and she may actually be enjoying getting to know Declan. But can she let go of the rules to let him in?

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!)

Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success

Author: Jessica Parra

Narrated by: Karla Serrato

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

Page Count: 320 pages

Audiobook Length: 8 hours 41 minutes

Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book, as well as Dreamscape Media and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy!

Description from Goodreads:

Graduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track.

*Step 1: Get into the prestigious Alma University.
*Step 2: Become incredibly successful lawyer.

But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years. In order to get off the waitlist without her parents knowing, she needs math tutoring from surfer-hottie math genius Ryan, lead the debate team to a championship–and remember the final step of the recipe.

*Step 3: Never break the ban on baking.

Rubi has always been obsessed with baking, daydreaming up new concoctions and taking shifts at her parents’ celebrated bakery. But her mother dismisses baking as a distraction–her parents didn’t leave Cuba so she could bake just like them.

But some recipes are begging to be tampered with…

When the First Annual Bake Off comes to town, Rubi’s passion for baking goes from subtle simmer to full boil. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to become OC’s best amateur baker, and there’s only one way to find out–even though it means rejecting the ban on baking, and by extension, her parents. But life is what you bake it, and now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds, and finding the path she’s meant for.

20% Review:

I’m about halfway through this audiobook as I write this, and it is so cute so far! The characters are enjoyable, the romance is sweet, and the stakes are relatively low – overall so far it is just a solid YA listen.

Check out my full review here!

The God of Good Looks

Author: Breanne Mc Ivor

Narrated by: Varia Williams & Alexis Rodney

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Adult

Audiobook Length: 10 hours 40 minutes

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

Description from Goodreads:

This entertaining, transportive, and luminous debut novel follows a young Trinidadian woman finding her voice and a new kind of happy ending.

Bianca Bridge has always dreamt of becoming a writer. But Trinidadian society can be unforgiving, and having an affair with a married government official is a sure-fire way to ruin your prospects. So when Obadiah Cortland, a notoriously tyrannical entrepreneur in the island’s beauty scene, offers her a job, Bianca accepts, realizing that working on his magazine is the closest to her dreams she’ll get.

As Bianca begins to embrace her power and creative voice, she starts to suspect Obadiah is not the elite tyrant he seems. She’s right. Born in one of the poorest parts of Trinidad, Obadiah has clawed partway up society’s ladder and built his company around his meticulously crafted persona. Now, he’s not about to let anyone, especially Bianca, see past his façade.

When Bianca’s ex-lover threatens everything she’s rebuilt, jeopardizing all she’s come to love about her new life, she’s surprised to find support from the most unlikely ally and, finally, draws the strength to fight back like her mother taught her.

Sharp-witted and fiercely fun, The God of Good Looks alternates between Bianca’s diary entries and Obadiah’s first-person narrative to portray modern Trinidad’s rigid class barriers and the fraught impact of beauty commodification in a patriarchal society. Boisterous, moving, and full of meaty, universally relatable questions, Mc Ivor’s sparkling debut is an open-hearted, awakening tale about prejudice and pride, the masks we wear, and what we can become if we dare to take them off.

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!)

The Rachel Experiment

Author: Lisa Lin

Narrated by: Kat Riley

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance

Audiobook Length: 7 hours 50 minutes

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

Description from Goodreads:

Who knew that one night out would change everything?

As a financial analyst, Rachel Bai is more comfortable with numbers than people. When her boss promotes her to head a team in San Francisco, his message is clear—she has one year to build a successful team and become an effective leader. Rachel sets out to discover how to be more comfortable interacting with people, but a drunken night meant for research results in a mechanical bull ride and a one-night stand with a sexy stranger—definitely not part of her plan.

Attorney Luke Trudeau is intrigued by the mysterious woman who’s determined to put their night together firmly in her rearview mirror. So when Luke sees Rachel again, he proposes a deal: he’ll smooth out her rough social edges and teach her to charm clients if she’ll help him devise a financial plan to open his own practice.

It seems like a win-win, but Luke breaks the rules by falling in love. Can he convince Rachel that what they have is real and, when it comes to love, there are no set rules?

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!)

Quietly Hostile

Author: Samantha Irby

Narrated by: Samantha Irby

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Genre: Essays, Nonfiction, Humor, Memoir, LGBTQIA+

Audiobook Length: 9 hours 31 minutes

Thanks so much to Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!

Description from Goodreads:

A much-anticipated, hilarious new essay collection from #1 New York Times bestselling unabashed fan-favorite Samantha Irby invites us to share in the gory particulars of her real life, all that festers behind the glitter and glam.

Beloved writer Samantha Irby has returned to the printed page for her much-anticipated, sidesplitting fourth book following her 2020 breakout, Wow, No Thank You, a Vintage Books Original.

The success of Irby’s career has taken her to new heights. She fields calls with job offers from Hollywood and walks the red carpet with the iconic ladies of Sex and the City. Finally, she has made it. But, behind all that new-found glam, Irby is just trying to keep her life together as she always had.

Her teeth are poisoning her from inside her mouth, and her diarrhea is back. She gets turned away from a restaurant for wearing ugly clothes, she goes to therapy and tries out Lexapro, gets healed with RReiki, explores the power of crystals, and becomes addicted to QVC. Making light of herself as she takes us on an outrageously funny tour of all the details that make up a true portrait of her life, Irby is once again the relatable, uproarious tonic we all need.

A VINTAGE ORIGINAL.

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 Betrayal Murder

Author: Adam Mitzner

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot, Elizabeth Evans & Brian Hutchison

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Legal Thriller

Audiobook Length: 7 hours 56 minutes

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

Description from Goodreads:

Love: Matthew Brooks and Vanessa Lyons are a perfect match, both attorneys at a powerful New York City law firm. But there’s a small hitch: Matt just made partner, and Vanessa is coming up for partner next year. Two hitches, actually, because Vanessa is married.

Betrayal: Vanessa is assigned to the biggest case at the firm, the one that will determine her own partnership chances. Unfortunately, Matt has been working on the case for years, leaving him no choice but to supervise his lover in violation of firm policies. After the case is over, Vanessa’s ascendance is assured. But when Vanessa is denied her partnership, she can only assume that her affair with Matt was the reason.

Murder: in broad daylight, on a crowded Manhattan street corner. But with so many having been betrayed, will the true murderer be brought to justice? A gripping criminal trial will leave readers unsure of who, if anyone, is telling the truth. All culminating in the shocking final reveal.

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!)

Famous for a Living

Author: Melissa Ferguson

Narrated by: Talon David

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Adult

Audiobook Length: 7 hours 49 minutes

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

Description from Goodreads:

From Park Avenue to the Parks Department—the world’s most beloved social media star is about to get a rude awakening.

With her millions of followers, Cat Cranwell is adored around the world. But when an app partnership goes very, very wrong, Cat suddenly finds herself shunned from the community that not only fed her soul all these years but paid her bills. When Cat’s closest living relative, Uncle Terry, offers her a position on his staff at a small national park in Montana to get away from the city, Cat hesitantly accepts the opportunity.

What she doesn’t realize is that as the new social media strategist her goal is to save Kannery National Park from being absorbed into Glacier National Park by boosting the number of visitors. And at least one of her new colleagues—namely, handsome and rugged ranger Zaiah Hudson—thinks social media is the root of everything that’s wrong with the world. Written with bestselling author Melissa Ferguson’s signature wit and charm, this romantic comedy of opposites attract is full of hilarious romp and a romance that will melt readers’ hearts.

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!)

Posted on by tacklingtbr

You Wouldn’t Dare by Samantha Markum

Wednesday Books – Review: 4 Stars

Thanks so much to the author and Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press) for the gifted physical ARC of this book, as well as to 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 Goodreads.

Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Genre: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Page Count: 368 pages

TW: major injury to a minor, infidelity, discussion of death, underage drinking

When I first learned about this book I heard it being described as “Gilmore Girls-like,” so I will say that I had pretty high expectations going in to it – but I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint!

First let’s look at the characters – and I’ll just do a brief overview because there were so many fun characters at the core of this story! Junie, our female lead, is far from a perfect character, but I think that’s a big part of her charm. She is sassy and yes, very melodramatic – but she’s a teenager in a theatre department, so what else would you expect? As a former theatre kid myself, I found her dramatics and drama club related goals to be almost too familiar to me.

And her two primary relationships being built in this story – her romance with Graham, and her friendship/sisterhood with Tallulah.
She and Graham had such a lovely relationship – I think it was a great balance between the history that they had and the chemistry in their interactions with the inherent fears and risks with a friends to lovers relationship. I was absolutely rooting for them throughout the story, and I loved watching their romance really rekindle.
But I will say that I think Junie and Tallulah’s relationship was the one that made me feel the biggest feelings while reading this book. It’s easy to understand how these two characters got off on the wrong foot and had a hard time getting going from there, and getting to see them slowly thaw towards each other and really get to a solid point of caring about each other and looking after one another by the end of the book was really lovely to see.

And I can’t talk about this book without mentioning the setting, because much like Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls, this small beach town really was a character all it’s own! To say that I wanted to move in and work at a cute little bookshop in this town and hide away from my other responsibilities for the rest of my life would be a gross understatement. This was a perfect summer read, and I only wish I had a more beachy location to enjoy it in.

Overall I would recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers who are looking for something fun and easy to get them into a summery mood. While there are some tougher topics and a few tense scenes (take a look at the trigger warnings above before jumping in), I think that the perfect way to read this book would be on the beach or somewhere else warm and sunny with some sort of tasty treat – maybe a cocktail, or a lemonade, or an ice cream cone. Doesn’t matter, just settle in and get comfy! If you enjoy it like I did, then you’ll probably be there for a while.

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

Posted on by tacklingtbr

The Angel Maker by Alex North

Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio – Review: 5 Stars

Thanks so much to the author, Celadon Books, and Netgalley for the gifted e-copy of this book, as well as to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audio 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: February 28, 2023

Genre: Thriller, Horror, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Suspense

Page Count: 336 pages

Audiobook Length: 8 hours

TW: death/murder, stalking, violence, death/injury to children

Oh my gosh, I listened to this book on audio and it was slightly terrifying! I couldn’t stop listening to it and almost listened to it all in one go, just because I needed to know how it ended and what happened next.

There are multiple stories and timelines going on in this book – there is the past with two young siblings being raised by a religious serial killer who believes everything is fated and pre-written in a diary for him; there is the more recent past with two young siblings that experience a great trauma in the form of an attack on the brother; and then there is the present, where the police are investigating a strange death that may link the two other storylines together.

This book was really well written and had me invested basically from the first page, and the narration on the audiobook was amazing! The narrator really captured every emotion, and absolutely added to the horror and terrifying atmosphere of the book. I think that it is absolutely worthwhile to read the book in this format.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers – but I would definitely recommend looking at the trigger warnings before reading this book, as it is pretty intense at times. I think that the perfect way to read this book would be inside on a grey and stormy day, under a blanket, and with a very large glass of red wine. Maybe even next to a roaring fire, to add to the ambiance and make it feel like a real ghost story!

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

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Once Upon A Book Club: Adult Box December 2022

The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano

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 December, with the clue “Melody of Madness!”

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

The Melody of Madness box was Once Upon a Book Club’s adult box for December 2022! Each box contained a custom edition of the book designed specifically by Once Upon a Book Club, as well as three wrapped gifts to tie into the book – bringing the book and reading experience to life!

Page 62

“I said, don’t drink the tea.”

A set of two 10oz. Glass Mugs

Page 205

“The blanket edged down, and I felt her racing heart against my shoulder, a wild tempo of fear, and closed my eyes.”

A 51″ X 71″ Polyester & Flannel Moonlight Sonata Blanket

Page 302

“‘So you never have to face the darkness.’ He took my right hand and wrapped my fingers around what felt like matches.”

A set of two Taper Candles

About the Book

Published By: Fleming H. Revell Company

Publication Date: October 4, 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance, Mystery

Page Count: 378 pages

Description from Goodreads:

“Darkly premised and brilliantly presented. The Lost Melody serves a pitch-perfect blend of history, romance, mystery, and faith.”– Booklist starred review

***

When concert pianist Vivienne Mourdant’s father dies, he leaves to her the care of an adult ward she knew nothing about. The woman is supposedly a patient at Hurstwell Asylum. The woman’s portrait is shockingly familiar to Vivienne, so when the asylum claims she was never a patient there, Vivienne is compelled to discover what happened to the figure she remembers from childhood dreams.

The longer she lingers in the deep shadows and forgotten towers at Hurstwell, the fuzzier the line between sanity and madness becomes. She hears music no one else does, receives strange missives with rose petals between the pages, and untangles far more than is safe for her to know. But can she uncover the truth about the mysterious woman she seeks? And is there anyone at Hurstwell she can trust with her suspicions?

Fan-favorite Joanna Davidson Politano casts a delightful spell with this lyrical look into the nature of women’s independence and artistic expression during the Victorian era–and now.

Review:

Unfortunately, I ended up DNF-ing this book at about the halfway point. I was having a really hard time feeling invested in the story or the characters, and I wasn’t feeling like I was looking forward to getting home from work and picking this book up to learn more.

I have no specific complaints about this book, besides to say that at this time it wasn’t the right read for me.

I am definitely keeping an open mind to the possibility of picking it back up in the future, either with this gorgeous physical copy or jumping into it in an audio format!

About the Author

Joanna Davidson Politano freelances for a small nonfiction publisher but spends much of her time spinning tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives. Her manuscript for Lady Jayne Disappears was a finalist for several contests, including the 2016 Genesis Award from ACFW, and won the OCW Cascade Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence.

She is always on the hunt for random acts of kindness, people willing to share their deepest secrets with a stranger, and hidden stashes of sweets. She lives with her husband and their two babies in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan and shares stories that move her at www.jdpstories.com.

Link to Purchase the Book

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

Posted on by tacklingtbr

February 19 – February 25

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!

The Case for Cancel Culture

Author: Ernest Owens

Publication Date: February 21, 2023

Genre: Nonfiction, Politics

Page Count: 256 pages

Thanks so much to the author and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted advanced copy of this book!

Description from Goodreads:

Refinery 29‘s Most Anticipated Books By Black & Latine Authors in 2023!

Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Best New Books for February!

“A necessary discourse about power and control, and who ultimately has a voice versus whose is often stifled.” —Preston D. Mitchum, LGBTQIA attorney, activist, and adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University

The first major case for cancel culture as a fundamental means of democratic expression throughout history, and timely necessity aimed at combating systems of oppression.

“___ is canceled.”

Chances are, you’ve heard this a lot lately. What might’ve once been a niche digital term has been legitimized in the discourse of presidents, politicians, and lawmakers.

But what really is cancel culture? Blacklisting celebrities? Censorship? Until now, this has been the general consensus in the media. But it’s time to raise the bar on our definition— to think of cancel culture less as scandal or suppression, and more as an essential means of democratic expression and accountability.

The Case for Cancel Culture does just that. This cultural critique from 2023 Philly News Award-Winning journalist Ernest Owens offers a fresh progressive lens in favor of cancel culture as a tool for activism and change. Using examples from politics, pop culture, and his own personal experience, Owens helps readers reflect on and learn the long history of canceling (spoiler: the Boston Tea Party was cancel culture); how the left and right uniquely equip it as part of their political toolkits; how intersections of society wield it for justice; and ultimately how it levels the playing field for the everyday person’s voice to matter.

Why should we care? Because in a world where protest and free speech are being challenged by the most powerful institutions, those without power deserve to understand the nuance and importance of this democratic tool available to them. Readers will walk away from this first-of-its-kind exploration not despising cancel culture but embracing it as a form of democratic expression that’s always been leading the charge in liberating us all.

“Journalist Owens debuts with an incisive defense of cancel culture… his arguments are thought-provoking and well supported. The result is an invigorating survey of a hot-button political issue.” — Publishers Weekly

“An important tool for all times, and for anyone looking to learn how to have the difficult but necessary conversations about race, injustice, inequality, and oppression.” —Dawn Ennis, award-winning journalist, advocate, and university professor

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!)

The Writing Retreat

Author: Julia Bartz

Publication Date: February 21, 2023

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

Page Count: 313 pages

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

Description from Goodreads:

The Plot meets Please Join Us in this psychological suspense debut about a young author at an exclusive writer’s retreat that descends into a nightmare.

Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.

But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself.

A claustrophobic and propulsive thriller exploring the dark side of friendships and fame, The Writing Retreat is the unputdownable debut novel from a compelling new talent.

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!)

Primer and Punishment

Author: Diane Kelly

Publication Date: February 21, 2023

Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Page Count: 304 pages

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

Description from Goodreads:

Primer and Punishment marks the fifth in the delightful cozy mystery series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville, Tennessee. Whitney Whitaker has a knack for nailing down murderers . . . but this time she might just come unmoored.

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are looking once again to rehab and resell a house, only this particular house is made of fiberglass, floats, and has been dubbed the Skinny Dipper. The old houseboat sure could use some work, but the unusual project has Whitney bubbling with excitement.

The charming and handsome Grant Hardisty lives on the cabin cruiser in the adjacent slip, but the cousins soon learn he’s left a half dozen angry ex-wives in his wake and made enemies of all sorts of unsavory folks. The man is clearly caught in an increasingly dangerous current with no life preserver in sight.

Whitney and Buck are spraying primer on their houseboat when—KABOOM!—Grant’s boat blows sky high with the man himself inside. Detective Collin Flynn has no shortage of suspects, but the waters become muddied when several of them confess to the crime. Is one of those who confessed truly guilty, or are they taking a dive for someone else? When anonymous threats are made against the cousins, Whitney must quickly determine who killed their neighbor at the lake, or she and Buck might also be sunk.

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!)

I Have Some Questions for You

Author: Rebecca Makkai

Narrated by: Julia Whelan & JD Jackson

Publication Date: February 21, 2023

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Adult, Contemporary

Audiobook Length: 14 hours 3 minutes

Thanks so much to Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!

Description from Goodreads:

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by TIME, NPR, The Seattle Times, Good Housekeeping, Today, Southern Living, and CrimeReads

The riveting new novel from the author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist The Great Believers

A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death and the conviction of the school’s athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie.

But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn’t as much of an outsider at Granby as she’d thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.

In I Have Some Questions for You, award-winning author Rebecca Makkai has crafted her most irresistible novel yet: a stirring investigation into collective memory and a deeply felt examination of one woman’s reckoning with her past, with a transfixing mystery at its heart. Timely, hypnotic, and populated with a cast of unforgettable characters, I Have Some Questions for You is at once a compulsive page-turner and a literary triumph.

20% Review:

I am flying through this audiobook! I turned it on the other day while I was working on something, and I looked down and realized I was about 50% of the way through it. So far I think that the story and the way it is being told are both really interesting, and I’m enjoying Bodie as a lead character. Now I’m just counting down until I have time to sit down and finish it!

Check out my full review here!
Posted on by tacklingtbr

End of Story by Kylie Scott

Review and Blog Tour courtesy of Valentine PR

Thanks so much to the author, Graydon House publishing, Netgalley, and Valentine PR for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and participation in this blog tour. { partner }

Publication Date: February 14, 2023

Published by: Graydon House

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Fiction

Romance Trope: Forbidden Romance/Ex’s Best Friend

Page Count: 320 pages

Description from Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling sensation Kylie Scott’s sexy, smart and unconventional opposites-attract love story looks at what happens when fate refuses to give up on what’s meant to be…

When Susie Bowen inherits a charming fixer-upper from her aunt, she’s excited to start living her best HGTV life. But when she opens the door to find that her contractor is none other than her ex’s best friend, Lars—the same man who witnessed their humiliating public breakup six months ago—she isn’t exactly eager to have anyone around whose alliance is with the enemy. But beggars can’t be choosers, and the sooner the repairs are done, the sooner she can get back to embracing singledom.

Things go from awkward to unbelievable when Lars discovers a divorce certificate hidden in a wall and dated ten years in the future—with both their names on it. It couldn’t possibly be real…could it? As Susie and Lars work to unravel the document’s origins, the impossibility of a spark between them suddenly doesn’t seem so far-fetched. But would a relationship between them be doomed before it’s even begun?

“Sweet and spicy—the unique setup, top-notch banter and charming enigma had me hooked.” —Anna E. Collins, author of Love at First Spite

Review (4 stars):

TW: toxic relationships (romantic and familial), loss of a family member, injury from a car accident

I was excited to read this book when I initially read the description, but this Seattle-based girl really fell in love once I started reading it and realized that it was set right here in my own back yard! Is there anything more fun for a reader than reading books set in your hometown?

Let’s talk about the characters. I really enjoyed Susie and Lars as our main character and love interest! I thought that they were both fun characters to read, and that they played off of each other nicely. I can totally see how these two characters would fall for each other. I wish we had gotten a dual POV so that we could see a bit of the process of him falling in love with her – especially since Susie was so reluctant to love all the way until the end of the book, I think it would have been nice to get a bit of his side of the love story too and maybe get a bit more of the he-fell-first side of the story.

I thought that the story itself was a really interesting idea, with a mystical and mysterious divorce certificate appearing out of nowhere, but obviously you do lose a bit of the realism in the story that way – so if you are someone that prefers to read stories that could really happen to anyone, keep in mind that you’ll want to go into this one with an open mind for the unexplainable.

I will say that one bit of the writing style took me a little bit to warm up to – and that is the way Susie’s inner monologue played out in the book. There were lots of sarcasm and slightly silly asides to herself that I wasn’t expecting, and like I said they took me a little bit of time to warm up to. I think partially because this book jumps right into the story (I think they find the divorce certificate on page 8 or 9), so there wasn’t really a ton of time to acclimate to the story or writing style.

I will also say that at times during conversations between characters it was a little bit tricky to determine which character was talking, but I’m not sure if that was the way it was written or if it was the fact that the galley I read had not yet been properly formatted, so take that bit with a grain of salt – entirely possible it is fixed in the finished copies!

Over all I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends and my fellow readers, especially my friends who live nearby – I mean really, reading a book set in your city is so much fun! I think that the perfect way to read this book would be curled up with a cat and a pint of ice cream. Molly Moon’s would be preferable, but if you’re not local, then anything delicious and sugary will do in a pinch!

About the Author:
(Taken from the author’s website, listed below)

Kylie is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling, Audie Award winning author. She has sold over 2,000,000 books and was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year four times by the Australian Romance Reader’s Association. Her books have been translated into fifteen different languages and she is based in Queensland, Australia.

Connect with the Author:

Website: https://kyliescott.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kyliescottwriter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KylieScottbooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6476625.Kylie_Scott

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorkyliescott/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kylie-Scott/author/B009CJ8188

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorkyliescott

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kylie-scott

Verve Romance: https://ververomance.com/app/KylieScott

Link to Purchase on Amazon: