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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Down with the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore

Down with the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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It’s the week after Fourth of July, and the Shipman sisters are returning to their picturesque summer home on the New Hampshire coast for what they believe is a family reunion, the first without their late mother. However, their tranquil setting quickly becomes a stage for drama when their father, Calvin, drops the bombshell news that he plans to sell the cherished beach house.

Mae, the youngest daughter, who has a newfound penchant for attracting trouble, is distraught, already dealing with her own emotional scars and a problematic rescue dog. Natalie, the middle sister and social media darling known for her seemingly idyllic life as a tradwife, is equally anxious, especially since her flawless public image is on the verge of imploding. Meanwhile, Jordan, the eldest, a high-powered crisis communications expert, is ready to be rid of the house so she can tend to her own professional disaster.

As old memories are stirred up and the sisters navigate both the packing of the house and their personal crises, the arrival of Calvin’s new wife pushes Jordan, Natalie, and Mae to decide how far they’re willing to go to preserve the Shipman bond.

A delicious summer read that explores the enduring power of family and sister connections, Down with the Shipmans is a humorous, heartfelt reminder that home is not a place, but the people who love you, no matter how imperfectly.
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When summer comes along, I want nothing more than to head to the beach...and if I can't be on a beach, I want at least to be able to visit one in the pages of whatever book I happen to be reading. For the past two years, Meg Mitchell Moore has given me that opportunity, and I am happy to say that I enjoyed her latest novel just as much as I did last year's Mansion Beach, although they were very different kinds of stories. In this book, we are introduced to three very different sisters, living three very different lives, who are brought back together at the behest of their father to spend what turns out to be their last summer in their late mother's beloved beach house. This turns into a exploration of their grief over the loss of their mother and this important tie to her, as they learn new things about each other and repair cracks in their relationships with one another that have been forming for a long time. Along the way, they also find out that some assumptions they have made in the past might not be true, and they all grow, both together and separately, in profound ways. While this presents as a beach read, there is complexity to the writing that had me wanting to sit with the Shipman sisters and dive deep into their individual stories...until I reached the point of the book where I could not put it down, and then I raced through to the finish and stayed up way too late until I had read every last word. And that, in my opinion, is the best kind of book. I look forward to reading more from this author.

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