The Shippers by Katherine Center

The Shippers by Katherine Center
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am not sure whose nice list I got on, but yesterday a magical email arrived with a widget for an ARC of this book, and suddenly my December has been made! As per last time Katherine Center’s publisher smiled down upon me and entrusted me with the honor of reading one of my most-anticipated releases of the (next) year early, I will probably spend today on my couch and will not emerge from the pages (?) of my Kindle until I am ready to review. Stay tuned!
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Thank you to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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After a whole lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo Burton decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. With the help of a little pop psychology, she diagnoses herself with a fixation on the neighborhood guy who was her first crush and first kiss (and who just happens to be a newly-divorced wedding guest ), and she decides to woo him during the cruise for some long-delayed closure. Only problem is, her sister’s a little busy being a bride at the moment—so JoJo ropes in her childhood bestie, Cooper Watts, to be her wing man. Cooper: who RSVPed no, but then showed up, anyway. Cooper: who left town without a word four years earlier and moved to London. Cooper: who was, if she’s honest, the worst heartbreak of JoJo’s life. It’s bliss for her to see him again, and it’s agony, too—and the more they team up for Project Conquest, the more she obsesses over questions she can’t bring herself to ask.

Shipboard antics ensue in this witty, heart-tugging, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance—as JoJo and Cooper fake flirt, slow dance, share a cabin, sing duets, treat sunburns, get jealous, rescue each other over and over, and finally, at last, figure it all out in the most blissful, swoony, romantic way.
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What is there even to say about another Katherine Center masterpiece being released into the world? Year after year, we get treated to the kind of romance that is absolutelyI fun to read. There are parts that are just laugh-out-loud funny. There's some excitement thrown in. There's plenty of will-they-or-won't-they tension (although we know we are going to get a HEA from this author, so of course they will in the end). And every year, Center finds some fun new central plot point to build her book around, and I have yet to be disappointed in one of them.

JoJo and Cooper's story is a witty, touching, satisfying journey from their childhood days all the way up until the last page of this summer romance. With shades of fake dating and the classic childhood-friends-to-lovers trope, along with some miscommunication (which is usually one of my least favorite tropes but works very well in this instance) and a bit of a redemption arc, we get some of Center's best, and I would recommend this to anyone who loves love. I often go back and purchase Center's book as audiobooks so that I can experience them again in a different format, and I can already tell The Shippers will be added to my audiobook library. It was an easy decision to rate this one five stars!

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Like Family by Erin O. White

Like Family by Erin O. White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Radclyffe, New York, is an idyllic upstate town, nestled in the hills and complete with artisanal bakeries, pottery studios, and hidden swimming holes. Ruth and her wife, Wyn, are living the dream (or Wyn’s dream, at least) with their four children on their small farm, which is also the bucolic gathering place for their circle of friends. It’s a sweet life, but there’s a secret at its center, one that not even Ruth’s best friend, Caroline, knows.

What Caroline does know is that she loves and depends on Ruth, and on the bond between their families. More than anything, she wants her tender-hearted son not to grow up lonely the way she did. Unfortunately, no one can assure her of that, especially not her husband. He just wants things to be easy, drama-free—which is impossible, as he has donated his sperm to his cousin Tobi and her wife so that they could have kids of their own. Now those children are asking unanswerable questions.

After an unexpected death in their community, all three couples are forced to confront the tensions that have long been buried beneath the surfaces of their lives. Richly textured and big-hearted, this exhilarating debut is an unforgettable story of the alchemy of love and loyalty that makes friends Like Family.
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This is a beautiful debut novel that celebrates the nuance and complexity of all types of female relationships. As White leads us on a journey, told through the experiences of one member of each of the three couples at the heart of this story, we are introduced to three different versions of the American family and the impact that an unexpected death in their community has had on each of them. Some of the characters felt at times a bit polarizing, as they were as imperfect and real as the people you meet in your everyday life, but they also resonated strongly with me because this is a book that is written about people of my generation (X), and that is not something I often find. It was a beautiful celebration of female friendship, an acknowledgment of the uncertainties that can accompany midlife (Am I doing any of this right?), and an exploration of the messiness that is family life. However, as I sit here with my thoughts, having just read the last word, I am left thinking about how heart-warming and big-hearted the book was and how much I enjoyed reading it. I hope that it is just the first novel we can expect from this author. This is just the kind of immersive, character-driven writing that I love to fill my bookshelves with.

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The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber

The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Juliet Nightingale is lucky to be alive. Months after a freak accident involving lightning, she’s fully recovered but is left feeling that something is missing from her life. Something big. Impulsively, she decides to take a solo summer road trip, hoping that the journey will lead her down a path that will help her discover exactly what it is that she’s searching for.

Newly single mom Tallulah Byrd Mayfield is hanging by a thread after her neat, tidy world was completely undone when her husband decided that their marriage was over. In the aftermath of the breakup, she and her two daughters move in with her eighty-year-old grandfather. Tallulah starts a new job at the Forget-Me-Not Library, where old, treasured memories can be found within the books—and where Lu must learn to adapt to the many changes thrown her way.

When a road detour leads Juliet to Forget-Me-Not, Alabama, and straight into Tallulah’s life, the two women soon discover there’s magic in between the pages of where you’ve been and where you still need to go. And that happiness, even when lost, can always be found again.
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I am of the opinion that nobody writes magical realism as well as Heather Webber. In fact, until I read Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, which had been loaned to my mom by a friend of hers, I wasn't even really aware that was a genre of literature. However, now I have come to love it, and specifically Webber's brand of it, so much that I eagerly await her new offering each year. I know that I have to set aside a full day to read it because I likely won't be able to put it down. And this year, today was that day. I am happy to report that this book did not disappoint.

Within the first few pages, I knew that this town and these characters were going to be special. Within the first pages, we are introduced to the mischievous young reader Katy (I would hazard a guess that many of us will see ourselves in her), our protagonist Juliet (the person who needs that special Heather Webber magic), and a whole town full of the sorts of people that help create the kind of found family that has become Webber's specialty. With a library at the center of the action, some romance at the outskirts, and a redemption arc that left me reaching for a tissue, I couldn't rate this anything less than five stars.

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Overdue by Stephanie Perkins

Overdue by Stephanie Perkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Saturday Books/St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Ingrid Dahl, a cheerful twenty-nine-year-old librarian in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, has been happily dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for eleven years without ever discussing marriage. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory feel pressured to consider their future. Neither has ever been with anybody else, so they make an unconventional decision. They'll take a one-month break to date other people, then they'll reunite and move toward marriage. Ingrid even has someone in mind: her charmingly grumpy coworker, Macon Nowakowski, on whom she’s secretly crushed for years. But plans go awry, and when the month ends, Ingrid and Cory realize they’re not ready to resume their relationship—and Ingrid’s harmless crush on Macon has turned into something much more complicated.
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Fifteen years ago, I was bonding with a group of women over a shared love of books on an internet message board and swooning over Stephanie Perkins's young adult romance novels. When she moved on to thrillers, I went along with her. And when her adult romance debut appeared, I was very excited because I knew that I was in for a treat. I spent most of my day off reading this lovely, lovely book, and I have no notes. It was so good. Ingrid is the kind of relatable protagonist that you can't help but root for. Macon is her perfectly imperfect crush. The slow burn between them was so satisfying, and the supporting cast of characters just rounded things out perfectly. This is not just some fluffy romance either, mind you (not that there is not a place for fluffy romance on my bookshelves). This book had some real depth to it and tackled some serious topics with grace and thoughtfulness, while also providing some laugh out loud moments. I hope we can look forward to more books for adult readers from this author.

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Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews (read in 2024)

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .

Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.

Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.
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I have long been a fan of Mary Kay Andrews and her summer additions to southern women's fiction. Whether we find ourselves on the Outer Banks or in Savannah or somewhere in Florida, we can always count on a fast-paced story filled with relatable female characters that celebrate the relationships among women with a touch of romance often thrown in. In this book, we are treated to some rich, detailed characters at the flagging St. Cecelia, a grand dame of an old resort, and they find themselves in some fixes. The ultimate fix is the mystery that is at the heart of this book, a tragedy that challenges owner Traci as she tries one last time to turn things around. As we follow her throughout what might be the last season at "The Saint," we are treated to some twists and turns as we join Traci on her quest to get some answers and hopefully save her beloved hotel. This is a perfect beach read, but with a little more depth, and it represents classic "MKA" at her finest.

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A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan

A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Becky is stranded at the airport, so when she bumps into her brother’s best friend, Will, and he suggests they drive home together, Becky reluctantly agrees. For the first time, Becky is dreading Christmas, and only Will knows why. Can she trust him to keep her secret?

Her twin sister, Rosie, married Declan after a whirlwind romance, and now the cracks are starting to appear. Rosie and Declan have agreed to hide their problems from her family, but Rosie’s insecurities are growing. Will this Christmas bring them closer or drive them apart?

Hayley can’t wait for her first Balfour family Christmas with Jamie. The Balfour Christmas traditions sound wonderful, but she’s worried about her place in this close-knit family. Will there be room for her too? And how will they react to the secret she and Jamie have been keeping?

Despite everyone’s best intentions, all the chaos and confusion could derail their normally happy holidays. Can they tell each other the truth in time to enjoy a perfect family Christmas?
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This was one of those books that just makes you feel good. There's plenty of holiday cheer. There are some complex characters, but they are all just...nice people. It is filled with some of my favorite romance novel tropes - fake dating, friends-to-lovers, only one bed - and they are well-executed. Was it a particularly challenging book to read? No. Did I need it to be? Also no. I spent the entire day smiling and laughing and truly enjoying myself as I read about these lovely people from this beautiful family enjoying a loud, chaotic, and joyful holiday together on the British seaside. I can't think of anything I would have rather done with my day today, and since this is only the second of Sarah Morgan's books I have read, I am excited to check out more of her back catalog.

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Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell

Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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NO ONE IS SAFE FROM THE SERIAL KILLER

NOT EVEN SCARPETTA…

During the early hours of Christmas morning, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta receives a chilling call. The Phantom Slasher has struck again.

The serial killer has terrorized Northern Virginia for months. His pattern is to stalk with a sophisticated technology that enables him to invade his victims' homes and watch their every move. They wake up to a ghost-like hologram before being murdered in their beds.

Scarpetta is summoned to Mercy Island, the site of a notorious psychiatric hospital where two people have been brutalized, one of them from Scarpetta’s past. It soon becomes apparent that she could be next…
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I have been reading Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta books since day one, so when the opportunity to review her newest came up, I jumped right on it. I love the combination of government agencies with medical examiner with straight up mystery thriller that she brings to the table, sometimes with a little bit of gore thrown in. This book is no different. We have Benton Wesley and his Secret Service background, niece Lucy and her FBI connections, and Dr. Scarpetta the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia. We have her usual foil in Pete Marino but also a little of his softer side. We have a serial killer and a bit of a grisly autopsy and the kind of forensic detail we have come to expect from this author. We have darkness and suspense and everything that makes for a good thriller. And most of all, we have the years and years of history I have with these characters and the relationships I feel I have formed with them, which is part of the joy of reading a series such as this one. I found myself so engrossed in the action of the story that I was surprised when I reached the end and found out who the killer actually was. Did the answer perhaps come a little bit out of left field? Maybe. Did I still enjoy the journey I took to get there? Absolutely. In other Scarpetta books, Cornwell has used a dual point-of-view to tease the reader throughout the book with the perpetrator's side of the story. In my opinion, this ending felt a little abrupt in comparison to some of her other works. Nevertheless, I couldn't give this one any less than five stars because the highs of this book were very high for me and more than made up for that little issue I had with it. I can't wait to see where Dr. Scarpetta takes us next.

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