Book Review: Things We Never Say

📚 Book Review: Things we Never Say 

Caitlin Weaver 

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

🗓️ Publication Date: September 27, 2024

📚 My Review: I really enjoyed this! The plot highlights the strength of female friendships, showing how the women supported each other through scandal and deception. It was a fast paced read about the price of perfection and the unbreakable bonds between women.

Thank you to Netgalley and storm publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚 Goodreads Synopsis: Three mothers. Three secrets. One devastating scandal.

Anna has always been the quiet one, the soft-spoken mother who kept her head down and her secrets close. But when she's thrown together with Maggie and Rhea on a PTA project, they begin to bond over wine and gossip, and slowly share the truths behind their picture-perfect lives.

As a relationship therapist, Maggie is struggling with the painful, embarrassing reality of her floundering marriage. Rhea, despite her wealthy appearance, admits her troubled past could resurface and shatter her perfect world. But it's Anna who harbors the darkest secret, hiding the reality of her home life to protect the reputation of her husband – the school headmaster.

When the three women stumble upon a scandal the school has gone to great lengths to bury, Anna is caught in an impossible dilemma. With the centennial gala approaching, she must decide how far she's willing to go to expose the truth. Because doing so could wreck all of their perfect lives in one instant

Book Review: The Second Marriage

📚 Book Review: The Second Marriage

Rebecca De Winter

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

🗓️ Publication Date: September 26, 2024

📚 My Review: This book had an intriguing premise, and the twists kept me turning the pages. I think that the buildup of suspense was well done, and I did enjoy how the layers of secrets were unraveled. That said, at times the pace of the book was a bit slow for me and overall, it didn't fully blow me away. It was still an interesting read though and worth checking out if you enjoy domestic thrillers!

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

📚 Goodreads Synopsis: New husband. Old secrets.

I know it’s a cliche, but your wedding day really does go past in a blur, even if you’ve done it before. When I look back, I only remember walking down the aisle of the ballroom, my silk skirts blowing in the sea breeze…

I thought my second marriage would be different. He was everything my first husband wasn't – magnetic, successful… But I started noticing things. Small things at first, then bigger ones.

Why was there an old phone hidden in his desk? And those torn-up letters he tried to hide? At first, I thought he must be cheating, but it wasn’t that. It was a hundred times worse.

They say there's nothing like becoming someone's wife. But guess what's even more unforgettable? Becoming his widow on the same day. Did he think he was the only one with skeletons in his closet? It turns out, some secrets aren’t meant to be told...

This twisty and unputdownable domestic thriller about betrayal and complex family relationships will keep you guessing until the very last page.

The Slowest Burn

📚 Book Review: The Slowest Burn

Sarah Chamberlain 

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

🗓️ Publication Date: September 24, 2024

📚 My Review: I really enjoyed this debut novel, especially the dual POV, which gave insight into both Kieran and Ellie's struggles and personal growth. Their chemistry was undeniable, and I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers plot. This was a charming, fun read overall and I would definitely recommend for fans of sweet, slow-burn romances!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚 Goodreads Synopsis: Love could be a recipe for disaster, or the best thing they ever cooked up... 

Kieran O'Neill should be on top of the world. He's just won a cooking reality TV show, he's on track to open his own restaurant before he turns thirty, and he's even got a high-paying cookbook deal. Still he can't impress his stuck-up family, his ADHD makes planning ahead impossible and, worst of all, his ghostwriter is the most uptight, humourless woman he's ever met. But to be seen as a serious chef like he's always wanted, he needs to finish this book... 

Ellie Wasserman is barely holding it together. She's a thirty-year-old widow living with her needy in-laws, her little brother won't adult without her help, and instead of working on her own cookbook, she's ghostwriting one for the chaotic, impulsive Kieran O'Neill. Or would be, if he'd ever answer her emails. But to own her own home like she's always dreamed of, she needs to finish this book... 

As their deadline gets closer and the heat between them builds, can these two driven, lonely people let go of their past hurts and make something truly sweet together? Or will their fragile new love go up in smoke? 

Book Review: Coming Home to Starr's Fall

📚 Book Review: Coming Home to Starr's Fall 

Kate Hewitt

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🗓️ Publication Date: September 18, 2024

📚 My Review: This was a cute novel with cozy fall small town vibes. The characters were likeable (even the grump!), and the story had some sweet moments. An enjoyable end of summer read to add to your list with your PSL!

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚 Goodreads Synopsis: Just like the whole town of Starr’s Fall, thinks Laurie Ellis – as she and her beloved dog Max head to collect the store keys. Maybe she has seen better days, too, but she’s certainly ready for a new start—and to leave her past behind. Still Laurie wonders whether she made a terrible mistake in coming to lovable but shabby Starr’s Fall. Will she even find customers for her pet store and bakery, never mind a community to welcome and accept her?

Not according to Joshua Reilly, the handsome but grumpy manager of the bookstore across the road, who claims he’s never heard of anything so ridiculous as a bakery for dogs.

But Laurie remains stubbornly undeterred. She’s starting over, right here. Not least because she has another secret reason for being here… one she isn’t telling anybody, at least not yet, as it involves her own tragic past.

What she doesn’t yet know is that a clue to the mystery is hidden deep in Joshua’s bookstore. And he doesn’t yet realize that Laurie herself might be the key to mending his own battered heart… for Laurie and Joshua and the whole town, it’s going to be a fall to remember.

Book Review: How to Walk Away

📚 Book Review: How to Walk Away

Katherine Center

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚 My Review: I haven't met a Katherine Center book I didn't enjoy and this was no exception! A story of love, determination, hope and acceptance. I also loved the relationship with Kit and how much she was rooting for Maggie. Katherine Center has a great way of bringing her characters to life. I listened to this and enjoyed the narration throughout!

📚 Goodreads Synopsis: Margaret Jacobsen has a bright future ahead of her: a fiancé she adores, her dream job, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just around the corner. Then, suddenly, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in one tumultuous moment.

In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Margaret must figure out how to move forward on her own terms while facing long-held family secrets, devastating heartbreak, and the idea that love might find her in the last place she would ever expect.

Book Review: Counting Miracles

📚 Book Review: Counting Miracles

Nicholas Sparks

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🗓️ Publication Date: September 24, 2024

📚 My Review: This is a story of love, loss, family, trials and tribulations and overcoming grief.. the last 5-10% will make your heart hurt and be overly happy at the same time!

I enjoyed the pace of the story and the altering POVs. I wouldn't have expected anything less! If you've read and enjoyed novels by Nicholas Sparks before you know what you're getting into.. grab the Kleenex and enjoy!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚 Goodreads Synopsis: Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone . . . happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are: find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where he might be found.

Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. For Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.

Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog Arlo for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.

As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.

Book Review: Just For the Summer

📚 Book Review: Just For the Summer

Abby Jimenez 

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🗓️ Publication Date: April 2, 2024 - Out Now!

📚 My Review:A quirky romance with a unique premise, I thought this was a heartwarming book! The story takes some unexpected turns, especially when real-life complications like family responsibilities and toxic relationships force the characters to confront their feelings. You couldn't help but love Justin, and everyone needs a Maddie in their life!

📚 Goodreads Synopsis: Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work. 

Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?