Return to Sender by Stephanie Parente

Return to Sender by Stephanie Parente
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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Violet is usually an optimist. But between her father’s sudden death and the overnight responsibility of caring for her rebellious teenage sister, Phoebe, she’s barely holding it together. Then Phoebe discovers a love letter, never delivered and returned to the sisters’ address, begging its recipient to give him another chance. Phoebe seems excited for the first time since their dad died, and Violet will do anything to keep that smile on her face. Together, they set out to find the letter’s author, hoping to rectify a derailed happily-ever-after.

Despite Dex being rather abrasive (valid) and more than a little enigmatic (intriguing?), Phoebe talks him into a cross-country road trip to put the letter in the right hands. Violet is thrilled to see Phoebe thriving again. With every pit stop, they chip away at Dex’s moody exterior, and Violet realizes she might like what lies beneath . . . a lot. But what happens when they finally reach their destination—and Dex’s ex-girlfriend? Is what they’ve discovered on the road strong enough to make it back home?
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I have to be honest and admit that this book started out a little slow for me. However. Once I was into it, I was REALLY into it, and I could not put it down. Going along as Violet, Phoebe, and Dex set off on their cross-country adventure felt like I was on my own adventure. And the grumpy-sunshine-ness of the whole thing combined with the experience of witnessing Phoebe's evolution as they made their way across the map...I had a lot of feelings. I am actually writing this review several days after I finished reading the book, and I can still conjure up the feelings. It was heartwarming. There was a strong theme of grief throughout the entire book, but it was handled with sensitivity. I did cry, several times. And despite all that, it made me so, so happy.

I also have to say that I felt the perfect amount of anxiety (which is why I could not book the down...I do love a little bit of angst) as the characters got closer to the end of their road trip because I could not figure out how there was going to be a resolution that I could possibly be satisfied with. After all, there was what I wanted to happen, and there was what I thought was going to happen, and there was what I thought would be best for everyone in the end, and those were not always the same thing. This is not easy to do in a contemporary romance, as sometimes they can get a little predictable. I am happy to say that I did not find this predictable.

I have already added Parente to my auto-buy authors list.

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The Matchmaker's Cottage by Kat Sloane

The Matchmaker's Cottage by Kat Sloane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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Julia Schaeffer might run the most romantic little bed-and-breakfast in Upstate New York, but as far as that infuriating Ethan Duchamp is concerned, this older, wiser Julia has a strict “no vacancy” policy. Sure, she’s teetering on the edge of a financial cliff, and his half-baked plan to pair up his celebrity clients at her inn will undoubtedly be good for business…but how much forced proximity with the man who abandoned her is she supposed to take?

Ethan needs this to work. The dreamy, autumnal—and blissfully secluded—cottage from his childhood summers is the ideal setting for playing matchmaker to Hollywood’s next power couple. It’s the only way to save his PR career from the tabloid toilet. He knew that the inn and Julia’s warm, comforting homemade touch would inspire real feelings—he just didn’t expect them to be his. Again.

But as old wounds reopen, and their connection rekindles, Julia and Ethan are forced to confront the truths they’ve both tried to bury. In a town where nothing stays hidden for long, they’ll have to decide if they can rebuild what was lost—or if their second chance will be derailed by scars that have yet to heal.
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There were some things about this book that were really fun. It had a dual-timeline/dual-POV storyline that really worked. I liked learning about the history of the friendship between Ethan and Julia and how it had shaped them into the people they are in the present day. I loved the lakeside setting and the bed-and-breakfast, and I am a sucker for any book that has a food component included in it. I also really liked the entire cast of supporting characters (except for the "villain," but you're not supposed to like the villain, right?).

However, there were a couple of things that fell a little flat for me. There were a few plot points that were a little too unrealistic/coincidental, and there was one thread that felt like it was inserted just to add a little bit of friction but could have been omitted. However, I still really enjoyed the overall experience of reading about Ethan and Julia and their story, and I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fun fall romance with a little bit of spice, a second-chance romance, and a couple of plot twists to keep them guessing.

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The Top of the World by Ethan Joella

The Top of the World by Ethan Joella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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June 1975. Maggie Bishop has just graduated high school, the future hers to embrace—but she’s still reeling from the death of her older brother, Chip. A devastating diagnosis the summer before prompted Chip to leave home for a few months, never revealing where he went. Maggie’s search for clues leads her to The Red Maple Inn, a mountaintop resort in the Poconos.

At the Red Maple, Maggie is welcomed into a tight-knit community. As she unravels secrets about her brother’s final days, she begins to connect with the people he loved, and whose lives he touched. Through the warmth of strangers, Maggie begins to heal and is able to help others cope with loss.

Set in a nostalgic resort town over two transformative summers, this dual-narrative novel explores sibling relationships, coming of age, and the quiet power of human connection. Perfect for fans of emotional storytelling and small-town summer books, The Top of the World is a timeless story about memory, grief, second chances, and hope.
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Fun fact: My parents honeymooned at a resort in the Poconos in 1975.

Moving on...I don't think there are enough words to use to explain to you how much I love the way Ethan Joella writes books. I was first introduced to his writing with his debut novel, and I have loved everything he has written since then. I live in the Lehigh Valley in PA, so it is fun to read references to places that are very real to me, but that is not what makes his books special. There is just a quality that I can't really put my finger on that makes them all lovely, lovely books.

Now, specific to this book...I think we all want to believe that we are living our lives to the fullest. However, especially in these days of hustle culture, it is easy to spend too much time scrolling on social media and not enough time out there living. In the summers or 1974 and 1975, social media is not in play, so first Chip and then Maggie are able to set out and really explore what it's like to throw yourself into finding yourself in a new place, but without quite being able to leave behind the tragedy that has shaped them. There was something comforting about taking this trip to The Red Maple Inn with them and seeing first Chip then Maggie reconcile with what his summer away from his family meant to him and for her future. I expect to remember them both for a long time to come.

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The Rainy Day Bookshop by RaeAnne Thayne

The Rainy Day Bookshop by RaeAnne Thayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Sandwiched between caring for her mother and rebuilding the relationship with her estranged daughter, Emma, Rosie Lucas’s life is full. In the best way. With Emma and her 3-year old daughter, Olive, back home, Rosie has a partner for The Rainy Day Bookshop, the family business, and a chance to fix the past. What she doesn’t have time for is a romantic relationship. And even if she did, Andrew Morgan is the last person she’d choose. Not only is he an arrogant and reclusive writer, but he’s a single dad with two young kids. She’s already been there, done that. Still as an irresistible flirtation builds between them, he becomes her unexpected confidante on the distance Rosie can’t seem to overcome with Emma, a secret she can’t quite unravel…

Emma isn’t proud of her past. But she’s pulled herself up by the bootstraps, caring for her own daughter, and protecting her mom at all costs. Just as she always has. She never told Rosie what she saw all those years ago and she never will. But some secrets refuse to stay buried, and sometimes the truth is more shocking than fiction. Rosie and Emma will have to navigate an unimaginable path forward. Together.
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I have been reading RaeAnne Thayne's books for a long time, and I have always enjoyed her particular brand of romance novel. In this newest offering, she brings us a multi-generational romance, and as I have aged as her writing career has progressed, I have loved that I am starting to find more and more books to read with characters that reflect my demographic in them.

Along with being a romance, this is a story of family relationships, as four generations of women live together in close proximity and work to overcome some fractures in their relationships from the past. As usual, Thayne captures so well the emotion and tension in these relationships. Emma and Rosie's relationship is messy and raw, and it's a journey to come back together.

This was another reliably enjoyable addition to Thayne's long list of hits for me. She has a style that will always have me coming back for more of her heartfelt, emotional writing that feels like meeting up with an old friend.

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June Baby by Shannon Garvey

June Baby by Shannon Garvey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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At seventeen, Ruth lost her mother to cancer, and her father, unable to handle his grieving daughter, shipped her off to Block Island with nothing but a name scribbled on the back of a receipt: Diana Beckett. Diana, a renowned photographer, took Ruth in for the summer, and Block Island became Ruth’s refuge, a place of beauty and creativity, a place where she could nurture her dreams of being a writer, a place where she could fall in love for the first time—with Diana’s nephew, Charlie.

Now, at twenty-seven, Ruth has spent the last ten summers living and working among the lucky few who get to vacation in this wealthy beach town, and the rest of the year just scraping by, yearning to return to the place where she feels safe and unburdened. But then Ruth’s world is upended by tragedy again. Desperate for an anchor, she reaches for the person she’s been pining for since she met him—Charlie—who has his own startling revelation to share. And when another surprise comes in the form of a box left to Ruth by Diana, its contents raise questions about just how well she knew the two women who raised her. Torn between what to believe about her past, and what her future might hold, Ruth is faced with another choice: does she dare to rewrite her story entirely?

Both a heartfelt coming-of-age story and a tender exploration of love and grief, set against a backdrop of golden dunes and seaside sunsets, June Baby shows us what it might look like to embrace a life shaped not by loss, but by possibility.
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When I think of a "beach read," I think of a light, breezy read, maybe a contemporary romance or a romcom or even a women's fiction novel. This book is not that. It does take place on an island in the summer. However, beyond that, it does not resemble the kind of book that I usually would stick in my beach bag and bring with me for a light, breezy summer read. Does that mean I didn't like it? Obviously not, as I gave it four stars.

This is instead a meaty, character-driven story that allows the reader to dig deep into the lives of characters and get to see their many facets as they move through one summer on Block Island. This is most of all a novel that is a study of grief and how it impacts different people. However, in the midst of great loss, there exists the possibility of new beginnings. The main character, Ruth, is, at different turns, sympathetic and wildly frustrating, and the descriptions of Block Island had me able to picture in my mind a place I have never visited before due to the vivid detailed writing. This speaks to the beautiful writing of this debut novelist.

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Brighter than Before by Courtney Walsh

Brighter than Before by Courtney Walsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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After a painfully public discovery shatters her marriage, along with her picture-perfect, country club life, Claire finds herself suddenly single and faced with a blank page for a future. On that page she writes a simple list that reads like equal parts dare and daydream--Move to a new city. Make a real friend. Get a job I love--and she vows to accomplish every single one.

Before she can talk herself out of it, she takes a step of faith, puts her old life in the rearview mirror, and leases an apartment in Chicago, the city that has always had her heart. This one step sends Claire on a journey of self-discovery, giving her the courage to conquer her fears, one checklist item at a time, and showing her that life can be a whole lot brighter than she imagined.

She rediscovers a love for baking, stumbles into new friendships, and even allows her daughter, Minnie, to create a dating profile and choose her dates for her. Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is Miles, the charming, off-limits neighbor whose kindness makes it hard to remember why he's off-limits at all.

Between late-night journaling, disastrous first dates, great big lessons and priceless small victories, Claire learns to quiet the voice telling her she wasn't enough and listens to the one that asks the harder question . . .

What do I really want?

As old expectations loosen their grip, Claire discovers that belonging isn't a place you're invited to--it's a life you build one brave choice at a time. And the sweetest things often show up when you finally get out of your own way.
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When I read The Summer of Yes two years ago, it was one of the best surprises I have ever had in a book. I loved every page. Therefore, when I heard that Courtney Walsh was releasing another novel, I could not wait to get my hands on it. And when I read that it was about a woman reinventing herself after a divorce, I was even more excited because, well, been there, done that. I did not make the radical changes that Claire made, but I still loved going along with her as she took the reins of her life and went on an amazing journey to discover what it was she really wanted.

I am a big fan of closed door romance, and Walsh writes it well. She also really captures the magic of found family in the pages of her latest work, and if I had to pick a favorite trope in modern novels, it would be that one. As she gathered her village around herself and rebuilt her life from the ground up, it was impossible not to root for this new version of Claire, who is brave and bold, as she headed into her bright new future. I could not give anything less than five stars to this one. I loved it!

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Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

Road Trip 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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Maeve and Therese Dunigan haven’t spoken in years. Raised under the same roof in Savannah, the two sisters could not be more opposite—Maeve the rule follower, Therese the unapologetic rebel. But when their mother’s death pulls them back together, they inherit more than just grief: a mysterious painting that may be worth millions…if it’s real.

Determined to uncover the truth—and desperately in need of the money—the sisters set out on a journey to Ireland, tracing their family’s roots and the origins of the portrait. What begins as a search for answers soon becomes something deeper—a reckoning with the past, as they uncover secrets that span generations and reshape everything they thought they knew about their family.

With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm.

Can Maeve and Therese actually survive the journey without killing each other? Join Mary Kay Andrews on a road trip that will entertain you for miles.
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I have long been a fan of Mary Key Andrews, and while I usually gravitate toward her more beachy reads, there were some very delightful aspects of her newest book. As someone who has a sister myself, I tend to really enjoy books that explore the bond and relationship between sisters, so I really loved the exploration of Maeve's and Therese's. I also really had fun meeting the colorful characters that they crossed paths with as they went on their journey to Ireland to try to get to the bottom of the mysterious secrets of their family's past. It did take a bit of time for me to really feel invested in the dual timeline story, but once I got there, I was hooked. And there was a nice slow burn to the romance, which I always enjoy. This is definitely a good choice to add to your summer reading list!

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