Book Review, Fiction, Romance

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver ~ Book Review

Morgan

Ballantine Books
Genre: Romance
Release Date: February 15, 2022
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪.5

The premise of One Night on the Island was so wonderfully quirky and unique. Cleo is a dating columnist, and for her 30th birthday, she’s given the assignment of going to a remote island to ‘marry herself.’ When she arrives however, she finds there’s been a mix-up with her lodging and she’s forced to share the small cottage with a photographer named Mac, who’s escaped from Boston to face his own set of demons. Initiate forced proximity romance.

Salvation Island was such a perfectly atmospheric setting. From the seaside hill where women occasionally go to scream, to the charmingly nosy cast of locals, I fell in love with this Irish island. The stark, rural location perfectly framed Cleo and Mac’s inner turmoils and outer thawing as they slowly got to know each other and the motivations that drew them to the same place.

Cleo and Mac were both detailed and realistic and the difficulties they were dealing with made me feel like I understood them. Salvation Island was a temporary stopover for both of them, a pause as they figured out how to forge onward with their lives. I was holding my breath to see what would happen with the two of them when that pause ended.

Although I found parts of the story slow, and I found the number of characters a bit hard to keep track of, I loved the realness and messiness of the romance, and above all, I loved the ambience it took place within.

Buy One Night on the Island at an indie bookstore near you
One Night on the Island on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Horror

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward ~ Book Review

Morgan

Viper
Genre: Horror
Release Date: March 18, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

I only realized this book was classified as horror once I started reading, and came across a very graphic description of dead birds a few pages in. I’m not a huge fan of horror, but the story of Ted, his daughter Lauren, and his cat Olivia intrigued me. From the start, it was obvious that Ted’s mental state was not quite right, and it was hard to know what to believe. The author did an exceptional job of diving inside Ted’s mind and describing things as he saw and understood them.

This book was extremely dark and twisted and the details are not for the faint of heart. I pieced together little parts of what was going on, but definitely did not have the full picture and found the story unlike anything I’ve ever read.

The narrations were so distinct and the descriptions so explicit that I found myself fully immersed in this uncomfortable and unsettling narrative until the very end.

Buy The Last House on Needless Street at an indie bookstore near you
The Last House on Needless Street on Goodreads

Book Review, Nonfiction

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig ~ Book Review

Morgan

Penguin Life
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: July 6, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

I’ve never put as many sticky notes in a book as I did with The Comfort Book. Many of Matt Haig’s insights come from a place of deep pain and hopelessness, but the glimmers of positivity or at least calm that he was able to outline were deeply moving. The book is laid out in a series of mini essays, stories, and notes that focus on finding the way through times of pain or discouragement.

I loved the simplicity of many of these pages. Haig reminds the reader again and again that sometimes finding joy in the smallest things, like sitting down to eat a pear, is enough for one day. Each excerpt was a full and complete thought, but none was longer than a few pages.

The format made it easy for me to pick this book up during small bouts of free time throughout the day, and no matter how short they may be, I always felt that I got something out of it.

As brief as his musings may be, Haig has a wonderful gift of being able to shift my perspective and make me feel comforted and not alone.

Buy The Comfort Book at an indie bookstore near you
The Comfort Book on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle ~ Book Review

Morgan

Atria
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: March 1, 2022 (Thank you NetGalley for my eARC!)
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

The setting in One Italian Summer is everything. Rebecca Serle paints a tactile description of Positano Italy. I could practically feel the summer heat as Katy, the main character, climbed the historic steps to look out over the town and the sea beyond. Katy was supposed to take the trip with her mom, who spent her own solo summer there when she was young. Desperately needing an escape to gather her thoughts, Katy goes alone after her mom dies. Shortly after she arrives on the Italian seaside, however, Katy finds herself face to face with a young version of her mom.

I was completely enchanted by Positano – the history and beauty of it, the people Katy meets there, and the atmosphere. I loved exploring with Katy and seeing her begin to appreciate the beauty around her, even as her grief simmers just under the surface. Objectively, this was a beautiful story.

My expectations were really, really high going into this one, and unfortunately I did feel a bit let down. I was fine with suspending reality as Katy befriends the young version of her mom, but the ending felt unfinished. I was confused about what Katy had really taken away from this experience, and ended the book feeling like there were loose ends.

Buy One Italian Summer at an indie bookstore near you
One Italian Summer on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction

Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand ~ Book Review

Morgan

Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: October 9, 2018
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪.5

When a man and a woman are killed in a helicopter crash off a Caribbean island, their loved ones are forced to grapple with what the truth behind their clandestine relationship and what it means for their future. Irene Steele finds herself reeling from the lies her husband was keeping from her. When her sons arrive on the island, they quickly meet and are both enchanted by Ayers, the best friend of their father’s mistress.

In true Elin Hilderbrand fashion, Winter in Paradise is full of never ending drama. The relationships she introduces are complicated and layered with secrets. The setting provided wonderful escapism filled with picturesque tropical outings and adventures.

I felt like the grief that should have permeated this book wasn’t really present. No one seemed quite as upset about the deaths of their loved ones as I would have expected. It seemed weird that the characters were able to focus on pursuing romance and galavanting around the island instead of the deaths that brought them together.

I happily consumed the drama and the tropical beaches in the pages of this book, but I don’t think I liked it enough to read the rest of the series.

Buy Winter in Paradise at an indie bookstore near you
Winter in Paradise on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Romance

The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen ~ Book Review

Morgan

St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Romance
Release Date: February 8, 2022
My Rating: 🍪🍪.5

After complaining loudly about the lack of eligible single men in New York City, Ursula is approached by a representative from the Arc, an elite matchmaking service that promises success. To start off, I do not like the idea of feeling the need to spend ~$40,000 to find your perfect match. It made me immediately dislike Ursula.

Ursula soon finds herself happily dating Rafael. With the Arc’s guarantee of matching you with the right person, they jump into their relationship quickly. I loved all their cute little relationship quirks, which made them feel like a very real couple.

At the first sign of discontent, things took a sudden turn that felt incredibly unrealistic to me. After that, there was very little that actually happened. There was a lot of focus on Ursula’s work and Rafael’s lack of trust, but it I didn’t find any of it very compelling.

The very ending actually redeemed this book for me somewhat. It was clever and unexpected, but ultimately wasn’t enough for me to be excited about the overall story.

Buy The Arc at an indie bookstore near you
The Arc on Goodreads

Book Review, thriller

The Push by Ashley Audrain ~ Book Review

Morgan

Pamela Dorman Books
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: January 5, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪

When Blythe’s daughter Violet is born, she tries her hardest to be the best mother possible. Violet, however, seems to actively hate her mom, choosing her dad, Fox, over her at every chance and refusing to connect with Blythe. Blythe increasingly comes to believe that there’s something wrong with Violet.

I found this story incredibly predictable and repetitive. So much of it is just Blythe being scared of what Violet is going to do, that it’s no surprise when Violet does act in accordance with Blythe’s fears. The friendship Blythe cultivates with another woman in the later half of the book seemed random and unbelievable and there was nothing intriguing enough to really keep me invested.

I’m honestly not sure what compelled me to finish this book, other than wanting to know how it would end. Although the premise was intriguing and Blythes’ fear of her daughter was written well, there was nothing surprising or especially ‘thrilling’ that would make me recommend The Push.

Buy The Push at an indie bookstore near you
The Push on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Romance

With Love from London by Sarah Jio ~ Book Review

Morgan

Ballantine Books
Genre: Romance
Release Date: February 8, 2022
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

Opening the (virtual, in my case) pages of With Love from London felt like being transported fully into the narrative. Following her divorce, Valentina travels to Primrose Hill where her estranged mother, Eloise, has left her a bookstore. Valentina finds a fresh start for herself amidst the Primrose Hill community’s memories of her mother.

Valentina always felt abandoned by Eloise, but uncovering pieces of her mom’s life allows her to begin to understand that there was more to the story. The community that welcomes Valentina is wonderful and heartwarming. Although a bit cliched, I loved seeing them all come together to try to make the bookstore a success.

I was also enchanted with the second storyline, that of a young Eloise growing up in London. Her story intertwines both the glamor she experiences as she goes on dates, and also the intense sadness and pain she undergoes while trying to secure a better life for herself. Her story became much darker as the book went on, and I felt that this was glossed over and did not really do her character justice. The ending in general felt rather rushed to me, and I wished that the romance had been more well developed – I didn’t feel much chemistry from the characters and it struck me as odd that this book is classified as a romance.

Buy With Love from London at an indie bookstore near you
With Love from London on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Romance

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood ~ Book Review

Morgan

Berkley Books
Genre: Romance
Release Date: September 14, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

This book was unique in its setting, with its focus on Olive, a biology PhD candidate. In an effort to cover up a lie to her best friend about going on a date, Olive randomly kisses the first man she sees. Said man just happens to be Adam Carlsen, a young professor notorious for being hard on students. Once the awkwardness subsides, Olive explains herself and, to her shock, Adam agrees to pretend to date her.

I liked the idea behind this book, but honestly, the romance never seemed that believable to me. It continued to feel performative even when it was clear that real feelings were growing on both sides. A lot of the conversations between the two of them were just not interesting, and I didn’t feel the sparks. I also didn’t feel like I knew enough about either of them and their deeper motivations.

As great as the representation of the young female PhD candidate in STEM was, the rest of the book didn’t uphold the promise. 

Buy The Love Hypothesis at an indie bookstore near you
The Love Hypothesis on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Romance, Uncategorized

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey ~ Book Review

Morgan

Avon
Genre: Romance
Release Date: July 13, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪.5

Oh my steam. I was not prepared for how steamy this book was going to be. If you’re not comfortable reading books with a lot of detailed sex scenes, this one should be a hard pass for you.

I found the beginning of It Happened One Summer somewhat misleading, in that it cast the main character as an airheaded party-girl. The opening scenes were lavish and over the top, filled with LA drama and glitter. That is not the rest of the book. Piper redeemed herself quickly when she arrived in the small town of Westport after being cut off by her stepfather.

Bailey did a wonderful job of creating a delightful small town feel in Westport and introduced an interesting and heartwarming set of characters. Although complete fish out of water at first, Piper and her sister are slowly taken in by the community and find soon find ways to give back. I loved that Piper’s kindness and realness were able to shine through and it was clear how much she came to care for those around her.

The romance, as previously mentioned, was a LOT. I liked Brendan’s backstory, and seeing his character warm up to Piper, but things seemed to move incredibly fast from there. Maybe that’s just the nature of romance novels. Did I think all the sex scenes were necessary? No. But I also wasn’t really put off by them.

Despite my initial mixed feelings about this story, I found it enjoyable once LA was left behind, and really fell in love with the town of Westport and the space Piper came to fill within in.

Buy It Happened One Summer at an indie bookstore near you
It Happened One Summer on Goodreads