Jeff Sexton

Important History That Should Spark Needed Discussion. First up, I fully admit I am *far* from a public housing expert of any kind. I read books like this to learn about issues, not because I already know about them. The closest first hand knowledge I have of any of this is growing up in Exurban Atlanta and being generally aware of the Atlanta news... right as the Atlanta Projects were coming down and being rethought in the late 90s/ early 2000s around the time of the Olympic Games in Atlanta. And even then, even while working with a community service oriented collegiate honor society throughout my college years in this period, while we worked a lot with various "community revitalization" efforts, we never really worked in the Projects. Maybe some other Atlanta chapters did (Georgia Tech, Morehouse, Spelman, etc), but my school just in the suburbs (Kennesaw State) didn't.

All of that tangential personal history dealt with, the actual text here is great for sparking discussion on a few different, yet mostly related, topics... but the text here is also written almost as a textbook. It *feels* like something you would actually take a class on with this as the text and expect to be quizzed and tested about the various people and dates and movements and philosophies and such, yet it isn't as dry and formal as an actual academic paper tends to be. It is one of those University Press (NYU, in this case) titles that seems truly destined to be *most* read as a textbook, very nearly explicitly designed for exactly that... and yet it *should* be read by a much wider audience, particularly among the "leader" / "influencer" / "organizer" set, because it really does have some interesting things to say about the entire history up to 2023 or so - and, somewhat, of the potential future - of public housing in the United States.

Among the discussions relevant here are the Nazi-based origins of public housing as we now know it in the 2020s - literally, the leaders who first proposed the national laws that led to the Projects openly praised Adolf Hitler and many of his acolytes of the late 1920s/ early 1930s - when their antisemitism and violence was already clear, but well before their "final solution" began. How can we openly embrace the freedom and diversity we claim to hold so dear in the US in the 2020s while also advocating for ideas that are in places almost word for word out of Hitler's own mouth?

Another discussion point that Husock actually does a truly phenomenal job of exploring, even if a touch tangentially, is reparations. No, not for slavery - by and large, clear records of that don't exist and the people directly affected by it are long dead. HOWEVER, the black communities whose property was effectively stolen -via so-called "eminent domain", where the government can dictate the price it will pay you for your land - ... this happened in the 1930s and later. We have actual property records of those who owned that land at that time. While many of the owners themselves are now dead, as many of them would have been born around the turn of the 20th century, some of the later ones - the projects built more in the "golden era", as Husock describes it, of the 1950s and early 1960s... some of those original owners *may* still be alive. In either case, it is very likely that direct legal heirs of many of these people - their kids, grandkids, or even great-grandkids - are very much alive today and could be more adequately compensated for what was taken from their near ancestor. In theory, this could be seen as a just remediation for sins that while in the past, are still recent enough to bear accurate justification. Obviously, this would have to be more completely thought through and debated by those with far more knowledge of the specifics than I have, and likely far greater philosophers and ethicists than I will ever begin to approach claiming to be, but I do believe that Husock lays the basic groundwork for such conversations quite well in this text, and it should be read for this if for no other reason.

The final major discussion that Husock leads to here in the text is actually the very original discussion - what, if anything, should be done regarding public housing: Who should fund it, who should manage it, who should benefit from it, *is it possible* to truly benefit from it, under what conditions can it be successful, what is "successful public housing", etc?

Husock makes clear that in certain times and places - even in this Millennium - public housing *has* worked and *can* work - but he also makes equally clear that the realities of public housing have rarely lived up to the ideals and goals of its proponents.

Read this book. Even if you yourself happen to be a public housing expert, you're still likely to learn at leasta few things here. Write your own review of this book. And, perhaps more importantly, write to your governmental "leaders" at every level from your local City Councilman (as Housing Authorities are run by local leaders) all the way through your Congressman and even the President (as Federal policy is set in DC) and let them know your thoughts after reading it. Maybe, just maybe, we can actually get these discussions had in the manner than they are due.

Oh, and the star deduction? The bibliography clocked in at just 11% or so, which is short of even my recently relaxed standard of 15%.

Very much recommended.

Truly Masterful. This is one of those books where the dangers of a foreign country - specifically, Mexico relative to US tourists, in this case - form a major plotline... so be aware of that going in, and depending on your own views you may like it or not. Either way, Bratt works it pretty amazingly to show that there are both good and bad people everywhere, and for the most part, people really just want to live their lives and work for the best for those they love.

In addition to the dangers of Mexico though (which are central to one of the major plotlines of the book), Bratt also does a great job of showing just how beautiful the resort areas in its tourist hotspots can be - which I can also attest to as well.

And then there is the plotline following the youngest of the Hart sisters, back again in a major way and having a more direct link with some of my own activities over the last couple of weeks, as I mentioned in Bratt's Facebook group. So that was pretty cool for me personally, but even more generally Bratt managed to layer this particular plotline into this story very well, despite its only real connection to the Mexico-based plotlines being that it involved a member of the Hart family.

Overall I do think this was one of the stronger tales of this series, really, with all that is done herein and all that is set up to come out of everything. Bratt carefully and beautifully layers all these elements of destination wedding, missing person suspense, travel danger, personal danger, family loyalty, non-preachy political commentary, and so much more... and she manages to do it all while telling a compelling tale in just over 250 pages. As I mentioned in the title, truly masterful.

Start from Book 1, Hart's Ridge, to understand all that is going on here, but for those more adventurous readers, this *can*, technically, be read as a standalone / entry point in series.

Very much recommended.

Well-Documented Examination Of How Roads Affect Animals. The subtitle of this book in particular is at least slightly misleading, as the book isn't so much about all the ways roads impact ecology as much as how roads impact animals. It also isn't so much about the "future of our planet" so much as it is about preventing extinction of migratory animals in particular.

But for what it *is*, this is actually a well documented (38% of the overall text) examination of how roads impact animals and how we can make them better for the wildlife around us... and thus ultimately safer for us. (As Goldfarb points out, at least at one point deer were the most deadly animal in America, far surpassing sharks or even snakes or even insect stings, due to the sheer volume of people killed in crashes wherein they either hit deer directly or swerved to avoid doing so.)

Indeed, much of the book is spent discussing largely three topics: roadkill, animal crossings, and to a slightly lesser extent, noise pollution and how it affects animal crossings and roadkill. Along the way we get sidetracked to a discussion of LA's cougars, Tasmania's world record roadkill, Interstates preventing deer migration in the Rocky Mountains, and even some discussion of salmon migration in the Pacific Northwest, among others.

If you're looking for a book about the *totality* of how roads affect ecology... this isn't that.

If you're looking for a historical/ current look at how roads affect animal life... you've come to the right place.

And yes, Goldfarb has rather frequent leftist political rants sprinkled throughout the text, but none anywhere near as severe as the ultra leftist reviews eviscerating this book, so take that for what it's worth - while annoying, I've read books with far worse rants with far fewer interesting facts, so I personally didn't think it was *too* terrible - hence the reason I didn't deduct a star for it. But your mileage will absolutely vary there, so just be aware of this before coming into this book.

Recommended.

Another Solid Sarah Morgan Book. Long time fans of Morgan know what to expect with her non-Christmas books (nearly the same thing as with her Christmas books, but generally in a more "Summery" location and without the magic of Christmas playing a role). For those new to Morgan, this is actually a solid enough representation of her style to welcome you in.

The characters are (mostly) fleshed out well enough, particularly our various female characters, and they're all flawed enough in those real world kind of ways to make them relatable to most of us to some degree or another without being so flawed as to be caricatures. The men... could probably have been better fleshed out, but meh, that can be said of most of Morgan's books. At least with Morgan you're never going to get a man shown as utterly irredeemable... even as he may not be the *best* man around. (And yes, amongst our men in this book, there is absolutely one that is... not so great, let's say... among a few that are much better.)

The conflict here is tense enough to drive the plot and provide for at least some Hallmarkie level drama without being such that anyone's pulse will really raise at all. For those looking for "spice"... not exactly Morgan's style, and this is no different This, as with most of Morgan's books (at least in my few years reading many of them now), is about as "spicy" as a warm glass of milk... even with the super hot actress and the adultery discussed herein.

One interesting thing for me in particular is that I'm currently playing Atomfall, which was released just weeks before this book, on my XBox, and both happen to be set in the same general region - the UK's Lake Country - yet tell *very* different tales. (Atomfall being an alt-history in the style of the Fallout games, but based on a real life nuclear accident in this region back in the 1950s.) So it truly was quite interesting seeing the region from such different perspectives. :)

Very much recommended.

Not As Bad As It Could Have Been. Quite honestly, if I had known up front that I was reading a book about proof and certainty written by a *COVID "scientist"*... I would never have picked the damn book up to begin with. Those fuckers have been more wrong than flat earthers, and the world learned from dire direct personal experience to not believe a word they say.

This noted, Kucharski does at least admit that even he was wrong in at least certain areas, so the fact that he wasn't trying to defend everything he and his colleagues did to us and all of their blatant mistakes was at least somewhat refreshing and gave this review its title.

Kucharski actually does a good job here with writing about precise concepts in layman and approachable terms, and even raises great (and hitherto unknown even to me) points about how even Euclid's Elements ultimately shaped decades of American politics... via one State Senator working himself through it in order to learn how to be a more convincing orator. That particular State Senator being none other than later President of the United States Abraham Lincoln.

Similarly, other sections are also quite enlightening about other forms of proof, even going so far as to at least allow for the possibility of Bayes being wrong in his Theorem (a topic explored much more fully in the much more targeted work Bernoulli's Fallacy by Aubrey Clayton) - which not many books about proof and statistics have ever done, at least in my experience as a former math and math related fields major and avid reader. (LONG story short, I came within a half dozen classes of getting degrees in Computer Science (the one I ultimately did get), Mathematics, and Secondary Mathematics Education at once... almost 20 yrs ago to the day as I write this review.)

Ultimately, the star deductions are for the long focus on COVID, which even 5 yrs later still warrants a star deduction in my own personal war against books focusing on that topic, and for trying to defend the scientists who were pushing so much of the damaging narratives - including, it seems, Kucharski himself. In a book about "proof" and "certainty", where history has now proven that one group of scientists in particular was so *incredibly* wrong in their "certain" judgements, to defend that very group of scientists as correct is to actively deny reality, and this cannot be ignored in such a text as this. (I've since come to forgive/ be far more lenient about more passing references to that horrible period of the 21st century, by the way.)

Now, maybe your political positions align more with Kucharski's. Maybe you still believe the blatant lies the world was fed about that period that ultimately caused far more harm and devastation than the actual virus ever did. In which case, you're going to LOVE this book.

But for those like me who believe that every single one of those "scientists" should find a more appropriate job that suits their actual knowledge and skill level - burger flipper, maybe? - eh... read this book anyway. Kucharski really does have some great stuff here, when he's not talking COVID.

Recommended.

Solid Nonpartisan Examination Of The Psychology Of Nazism - And All The More Terrifying For It. This is one of those *detailed* looks at the full history of Nazism, all the way back into its origins in the 19th century, that uses different psychological concepts as the focus of each chapter and shows how both the leaders of the Party and even the German laypeople fell under its spell.

Even with most chapters being a detailed history of the Nazi period of Germany and with only the final "Twelve Warnings" chapter having really anything to do directly with life a century later, the parallels to political life now - on *all* sides - become quite clear, even without Rees having to explicitly detail them. Whether it be the anti-immigrant MAGA or the anti-white "Woke" Left, the parallels to the various psychological foibles of Nazism are quite clear in Rees' history here - which makes it all the more utterly terrifying.

Because no matter what modern society wants to think, and as a great grandson of an American soldier who was a German POW during WWI and a grandson of two survivors of the Battle of the Bulge on the American side (one of whom earned a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for this actions in that particular battle) of WWII, I think I have some space to talk here: Nazis did utterly horrific things, this is clear. Things that would drive those who even witnessed them - even as liberators - to lifelong alcoholism after the war, and that was among the *better* effects. But Nazis were *not* some mythical monster. They were utterly, completely, 100% human - and we and our society - *any* of us - could fall into their depravities much easier than we like to think in the 2020s. Rees' history here makes this all too clear, and should serve as a clarion call to *ALL* of us, no matter our political beliefs or reasonings.

Read this book. Apply it to your political enemies - that's the easy part. Then critically look at those closest to you politically... and apply it to them as well. That's hard. Then critically look into your own mind, seriously examine your own thought processes and how you believe what you believe, and apply this book to that as well. That's the hardest part of all. Yet it may indeed be our only way of truly preventing the horrors of the past from becoming a prophecy of a future that could come again.

Very much recommended.

On Par With Foley and Jericho RE: Best Written Wrestling Memoirs. Admittedly, my favorite memory involving Kross as a wrestling fan, one I actually repeat occassionally, was actually something his opponent said to him a few years ago. He was in a feud in NXT as the NXT Champion with the former NXT Champiom, Adam Cole (now working for rival promotion AEW) when Cole said to Kross "This brand has done everything in their power to make *you* feel special. You got the cool music, you got the lights, you got the fog machine, you got the girl. You know what they do to make Adam Cole feel special? They ring the freakin' bell." This was during the COVID, "Thunderdome" era of WWE/ NXT, when Kross had a shaved head and was tearing through any and all competitors - a period he does in fact discuss over the course of this book.

I actually read the book on Wrestlemania 41 weekend in April 2025, specifically on Wrestlemania Sunday - when Kross wasn't on the card, but would ultimately have a "run-in" during the AJ Styles/ Logan Paul match... and then go on to cut what is likely the defining promo of his main roster career after the event, in a 3 minute video that has already gone viral this week with many calling for now WWE Hall of Famer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Head of Creative for WWE, to give Kross a push the likes of which he hasn't really seen since that run he was on when Cole made the comment above.

I mean, I already had the memoir of a current WWE Superstar in my hand on Wrestlemania Weekend, I needed something to do before the show started up Sunday night, this book is sub-300 pages and thus a relatively quick read... so... yeah.

And y'all, it really was an excellent look into the life of Kevin Kesar, both long before the Kross character ever came into being - and even a fair amount of how Kesar created Kross - and at least some about his new career as Killer/ Karrion Kross. Indeed, most of the text is actually spent on his pre-WWE days - while there is *some* discussion of his WWE colleagues, the singular most common one discussed is his now-wife, known by her government name of Elizabeth but known to wrestling fans as the character Scarlett, a witch who both empowers and is powered by Kross' brutal warrior.

Those looking for a lot of behind the scenes name dropping are going to be sorely disappointed. Kesar keeps the book focused on himself, even when discussing Elizabeth/ Scarlett. Even when others are in the scene, such as when he is meeting Elizabeth those first few times before they really started dating, or when he finally gets the call from WWE, or even when he and Elizabeth get married on an Alaskan glacier after having both been recently "let go" from WWE (and before they were both ultimately brought back), throughout the tale we see much more of Kesar than anyone else... as s memoir should be, to an extent, but also not as perhaps some fans reading wrestling memoirs specificlaly would necessarily like as much.

Instead we get all of Kesar - at least as much as he is willing to discuss publicly, even/ especially in book form. We see his early days as a kid watching wrestling and knowing even then that he wanted to do that "someday". We see his beginnings in what turned out to be a very "unsanctioned" dive bar bare knuckle fight. We see his first career as a bouncer and later professional bodyguard, in Vegas and beyond - again, without any name dropping and with quite a bit of channeling Patrick Swayze in Road House, specifically as it relates to professionalism, treating people well, and "being nice".

And then... a scene that ultimately reads much as the church scene from the original Kingsmen movie played out. I don't want to go into too many details and spoil the scene, but this scene will very likely be one of the most memorable scenes in the entire book for readers, perhaps even above and beyond even his wedding (which, as he mentioned in the text, he did put pictures of on Instagram, and they truly were absolutely stunning) or anything he has done to date (as of the writing of the book) in WWE. This scene is *BEYOND* bonkers, and it really shows Kesar in all of his abilities outside of WWE.

Overall a very easily read and very approachable book about a guy that even guys that consider themselves dangerous likely would at minimum pay extra attention to if they saw him on the street, and yet the text shows that Kesar's mind is at least as skillful as anything he can make his large, muscular body do. A guy who is much more easily approached here, at the standoff distance of a book, than he ever is staring into a camera with that fire in his eyes. Kesar takes pains to make sure the reader understands that he knows 100% that Kross is a character, and that outside of WWE work, Kross prefers to be known as "Kevin" - even among friends he works with. Yet he also does a damn good job of showing that while Kross may be borderline (or even well beyond borderline) psychotic, Kevin is a very sane - yet also still quite dangerous, when he needs to be - man. One who is, despite his appearances (both intentional and not, at times), as much a philosopher as a fighter - and thus proves to be as adept at writing as he is at fighting... and breaking bats. (Check his Instagram for that last. ;) )

Very much recommended.

Short, Accessible Primer On The Field. While a lot of the 2* reviews criticize this book claiming that the author "never defined 'axe murder'" and that the overall narrative "lacks cohesion" and/ or "doesn't show enough murder", I feel like these reviewers are being perhaps too pendantic and/ or legalistic. Instead, the author makes clear - repeatedly - that this book is about the evolution of both the axe and its use as a mechanism of killing humans - regardless of whatever government decrees at the time may or may not excuse certain individuals (particularly those working for said governments) for killing their fellow humans. For those of us who feel that *any* killing of *any* human for *any* reason is murder... this book is absolutely a primer on the history of axe murder, in all of its varying forms over the expanse of human existence.

The book begins with the earliest axes and the among the earliest proto-humans, showing that injuries above the "hat line" of the head are generally considered "intentional acts" (ie, murder) rather than accidental, as that particular region of the head is apparently difficult to injure accidentally, at least according to the text here. There is apparently at least one example of just such an injury in an early protohuman that seems to have been caused by one of the earliest, flint-knapped, hand-held axes, before handles were later added to axes, and this history is the core of the beginning of the book.

The book then goes through the evolution of the axe and its uses as tool for clearing land - and in warfare and government-sanctioned executions, particularly during the reign of Henry VIII of England - all the way up to the 2020s in showing how homeless people will often carry an axe (or its smaller form, a hatchet) as a basic tool of survival in the streets, both for clearing debris and, when needed, for personal defense. And yes, Lizzie Borden is discussed along the way.

Indeed, the one area the book is lacking, the reason for the star deduction - and the reason one *should* be at least somewhat skeptical of the author's perhaps more fantastical claims, including those about modern era homeless people, is that at just 13% documentation, this book falls short of even my more relaxed standards of 15% documentation, much less my older, more stringent need to see at least 20% documentation. Carl Sagan had it right in proclaiming his standard of "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence", and sadly, this book is simply lacking - if by not much - in this regard. A more complete bibliography could have landed this in the 5* territory, it simply wasn' present in the Advance Review Copy of the book I read.

Overall this really is a short, well written, approachable and understandable primer on the general topic of humans killing other humans (ie, humans committing murder) with a particular tool (the axe, in all of its various forms) over the course of human evolution. Yes, it is missing many key details and events, but in its brevity it is clear that it is meant to be more a primer of the topic than any extensive discussion thereof, and as a primer it works remarkably well to encourage people to do their own research into the topic, should they be so inclined.

Very much recommended.

Twisty Tale Packs A Lot Of Action Into Its Short-Ish Package. This is one of those sub-300 page books that is going to feel like it *has* to be longer than it is... in all the best ways. For all that happens here, you're going to be thinking this book is probably 100 or more pages longer than it actually is... and you're not even going to notice until you get to the end, look down, and question your sense of reality when you see the actual page number.

And speaking of questioning reality, this is absolutely one of those ultra twisty psychological thrillers where both the characters - and you, the reader - will be questioning all that you know (possibly even in your own "real" life) by the end.

I've read several of Mercer's books now, and this is absolutely both a solid look at her style (for new readers) and quite easily among the best she's done to date (for readers who have been around a while and already get excited when they see her name on a book). Either newbie or established fan, this one is one that will likely gain her far more fans than it loses. (Let's face it, *no* book is for everyone, and there *will* eventually be - wrong - reviews that claim this book is lacking in some aspect. Some people are idiots, and you just have to move on. ;) (And yes, I fully acknowledge that some consider *me* to be an idiot, but I also doubt those people are reading this review. :D) )

There will be at least some who don't want to read it for the simple reason of its basic premise, which largely hinges on mothers' fears, even years after the baby is born, which is respectable. As a childfree married dude, I *fully* get this, particularly given the book's release date between UK Mother's Day and US Mother's Day. For these types, I think the book is strong enough and doesn't really dive into too many problematic issues within the childfree community that I think many of us can still enjoy this book as much as I have, but again, from this angle (and similar), I absolutely get deciding that this book maybe isn't for you. Just please, I beg you - you've now been warned about this in this very review, so PLEASE don't DNF / 1* this book because of these issues. Just skip it entirely. You. Have. Been. Warned. :)

Overall truly an excellent tale superbly told, and great for when you maybe don't have as much time as you'd LIKE to read, but still don't want to read a sub-200 page book either (even though there are many at that length that are also awesome, fwiw).

Very much recommended.

Likely To Be Controversial In Booklandia. Straight up, in making plausible arguments *for* the use of AI in writing, this is going to be a book that will prove quite controversial in booklandia - one area of society that tends to be the most extremist in terms of being absolutely anti-AI, even moreso than visual artists. Even as the book *also* makes strong arguments *against* the use of AI in writing... and ultimately sides with that position, as it is the position of our lead character.

Additionally, in serving as a fairly direct and in-your-face expose and commentary about the publishing industry more broadly, this book is likely to stir up quite a bit of controversy on these topics that already get some discussion in particular circles, with this book perhaps widening those circles and introducing new people to these discussions. Will anything actually get resolved? Unlikely, mostly because humanity rarely actually solves any problems - even among the more objective/ scientific variety. But more people will be talking about them, and assuming at least a few of them reference that they saw the discussion in this book, Gold will likely garner at least some extra attention herself.

Outside of these two factors, the tale itself ultimately becomes a bit of a bumbling crime saga, with the various characters being both so brash and so stupid in some ways that it plays quite well comedically... so I *hope* that is what Gold was after there. These scenes, as objectively serious as they are, involving a major crime, wind up providing the levity that the heavy handed discussions of the "inside baseball" of publishing and the more general use of AI within booklandia so desperately need in order to lighten the overall book at least enough to be a pleasant enough read.

Ultimately this is likely a book that will play better for those interested in the heavier discussions herein than with those just looking for some level of escape - particularly those of us who are already "in the industry" to some flavor (yes, I include even myself here, as a book blogger / book "influencer" (according to some authors, though I still despise the term myself) / Head Librarian at Goodreads alternative Hardcover.app). Still, an interesting book regardless, with commentary from perspectives even authors themselves may not have had coming into this book.

Very much recommended.

Something For Damn Near Everyone. Seriously, this book has a LOT. You've got romance, in both timelines. You've got a touch of action, in both timelines. You've got adventure, again, in both timelines. You've got pirates and witches. You've got a lonely mom just trying to keep her family together. You've got a son desperate to keep his business... in business. You've got various heartaches. You've got at least some humor. You've got an academic investigation. You've got the fucking Amalfi Coast of Italy, which apparently is one of the more beautiful settings in Europe. (One I personally have no interest in ever visiting, despite this book's strong efforts of conveying just how beautiful it is. I have do doubt it is every bit as beautiful as this book describes so vividly... and yet, I can tell you of places in the Caribbean and the Americas that are just as beautiful. :D)

Overall, the story works well here in both timelines. Yes, it can be a touch slow at times... but then, in a setting such as this... maybe you want to more casually linger, have a more relaxing time in this world and in this location, if only in your mind while you trudge through your "real" life in whatever location you may find yourself in. It *does* take a bit more effort to get into the 19th century story than the 21st century one, but once you do... both parts are equally magic.

Ultimately it almost doesn't matter how you approach this book - whether you're in it for the 18th century pirates/ witches story, the 21st century travel/ adventure/ discovery story, either one of the romances, or even just here for some of the secondary characters or just to hang out in the Amalfi Coast for a few hours in your mind... you're going to find something to enjoy here regardless. Truly about the only types of readers that will be overly disappointed - and I'm warning you now if you're one of these - are those who can *only* read balls to the wall action or Carolina Reaper scorching, damn near erotica, romance, as neither of those are here at all - though their milder forms certainly are. Enough to get the pulse pounding but perhaps without the flood of adrenaline. :)

Very much recommended.

SHE DID THE JOKE!!!! One of my favorite jokes EVER, one that I literally laugh out loud every time I see it, goes like this: "My wife asked me why I carry a gun in the house. I said 'Decepticons'. She laughed. I laughed. The toaster laughed. I shot the toaster. It was a good day."

Ladies and gentlemen, a minor spoiler: Deep in the heart of this book about AI tools controlling our machines and how these tools could be used for murder, there is a line:

"If I'm going to need to shoot anything, he thought dryly, it would need to be the appliances."

YEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHE DID THE JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That alone MADE this book for me. That one line guaranteed a 5* review. Because it referenced my favorite joke ever. :)

Now, the rest of the story, taking place largely in the area I currently live (Jacksonville/ St Augustine, FL) with a few trips to some areas I've visited over the years (Tennessee), was a fun one just because of the personal connections... and the well told story. This is one that could have gone a T2: The Future War (an excellent book from earlier this Millenium, the conclusion of a trilogy that picks up immediately after T2: Judgement Day and tells a better conclusion to the Terminator story than anything put on screen since T2) route, given its basic premise... and yet chooses to make everything more more human focused.

Which makes it absolutely more terrifying.

Overall a well told story that could seemingly work as a series starter - and it would be very interesting to see where such a series goes.

Very much recommended.

Tries Too Hard To Be 'Edgy'. Having read both Mistakes Were Made and Cleat Cute, it seems that the issues that really seem to have begun in Cleat Cute, where I wrote in my review that "this is one of those stories where there are a LOT of valid issues that people may have with the book, but ultimately pretty well all of them are matters of taste and not something truly concretely objectively *wrong*" have gone even further here, and now there are things that while still arguably not *objectively* wrong, there is a fair amount here that gets much closer to that line, at least in some readers' eyes.

Specifically, while none of the following really get up there to a star deduction on their own, there is enough that I'm about to detail that I felt the star deduction was warranted due to the accumulation. First, there is the more than once yet also not *pervasive* bigotries against anything non-queer, including one character getting quite preachy when a server refers to both characters as "Ladies", even though one of the characters is a female but claims "non-binary". Then there is the oral period sex. Yes, you read that right, and yes, I know it is a (minor) spoiler. But it is one that I feel people will want to be aware of when deciding to read or skip this book, so I feel justified mentioning it here. It is also one that many that decry explicit lack of use of condoms during sex *should* decry as even more unsafe than condomless penetrative sex can ever be, yet I've seen no such condemnations as I write this review less than two weeks before publication. To be fair, I also don't track reviewers who explicitly comment about such things in other books, so it is quite possible that *someone* has in fact called this out and I am simply unaware of it. Then there is the degrading talk during sex, but to be fair to Wilsner this *was* specifically done with a discussion of safe words just before this and explicit instruction to use them if the partner was uncomfortable with such speech. Finally, there are the barely-there and almost caricature level supporting characters - indeed, it almost seems as though the aforementioned server was included specifically so the preaching could be "excused". Even relatives of the characters felt like stereotypes at best, rather than fully (or even really partially) fleshed out and understood characters. As I noted previously in this review, none of this (possibly with the exception of the oral period sex) is objectively *wrong*, but it also all adds up to Wilsner just seeming to try to hard, particularly as the sex scenes take up seemingly 20% of the book - and the entire middle section of it. Thus, the star deduction. If you don't like that I deducted a star for this, maybe read the book and write your own review. Feel free to crucify me when you do, should you feel the need.

Beyond these issues though, Wilsner actually manages to create a plausible enough, if in a "queer Hallmarkie" kind of vibe, story that works well enough. Yes, things happen *fast* in actual shown-time, but at the same time, again in a "queer Hallmarkie" kind of mindset... meh, I for one didn't really have a problem there. Particularly given that these two had known each other for decades before the events of this book, again, meh, plausible enough that one day long-guarded truths are exposed and different paths emerge.

And then there is the titular honeymoon. The Caribbean setting was done well enough, though as it largely takes place inside that middle damn-near-erotica section of the book... maybe it could have been done even better, but that is likely a quibble that some will agree with and others will think it was done quite well indeed. For me, it was absolutely enough to show the beauty of the setting, almost in a Couples Retreat (the 2009 Vince Vaughn movie) way. They're there, they spend quite a bit of time in their mostly private hut over the water (as honeymooning couples would do, obviously, even though this couple isn't actually on their honeymoon and hasn't even admitted their feelings to each other at the time they arrive), but they also get out and explore a decent amount as well (which is where the server scene above happens, among other locations around the resort they explore). Like I said, it works well enough, could arguably have been done a touch better, but nothing really to *actually* complain about there.

Overall this was a book that many won't want to read for many perfectly valid reasons, but also many *will* want to read for equally perfectly valid reasons, and as with Cleat Cute in particular, it absolutely is one Your Mileage May Vary on. If what I've described above is close enough to something that interests you and you don't really have any major issues with those things, this is likely a book you should at least try to read and see if you enjoy. If you're more adamantly opposed to any of the things I describe above, you're likely better off skipping this one and sparing yourself the wasted time and the author the potentially far more harsh review than what I hope I've done a relatively balanced job with here. If you do choose to read it though, please leave a review on Hardcover dot app, BookHype dot com, PageBound dot co, or whatever your preferred book review platform may be.

Recommended.

More Women's Fiction Than Science Fiction. Seven years ago, in 2018's The Space Between, Meserve managed to take a quasi-science/ science fiction concept of a NASA scientist discovering an asteroid behind the sun and spin an electric missing person tale around it - and did so quite well.

Here, she again delves into the "science fiction" element... without ever writing a convincing science fiction book. Yes, it has elements of scifi - the main thrust of the plot is that it is now possible to "time travel" into your own memories and there is now tech to do exactly this. But that is where the science fiction begins and ends here, and other than a (brief) realistic look at the price of such groundbreaking tech and how it would spread to even remotely common use, there really isn't an actual "scifi" bent to this particular tale.

Now, if one approaches this from more of a "women's fiction" tale with a few nods to scifi... it actually works a LOT better and is actually quite a strong story... that just needed those nods to scifi to make it work. As a women's fiction tale of a mother devastated over her son's death and another mother devastated over something she did that can never be forgiven, both seeking to understand what happened and both desperate to have even a few more minutes of their lives before said events... this is a truly compelling tale.

Meserve manages to weave all four central characters' stories together seamlessly, though the fact that all use the same tenses and even the same verbal stylings *can* make it a bit hard to distinguish which character you're reading, particularly in the beginning bits of a hand-off. And still, you can almost see TV/ film producer Meserve - her "day job" when she's not writing - thinking of camera angles to show viewers certain elements of certain scenes that the characters themselves won't necessarily realize at the time. Which is actually a cool effect that she brings to the page quite effectively.

Overall I think opinions will likely be divided on this tale based on which side of it you give more weight, which is why I'm trying to caution you in this review. If you come into this book expecting a science fiction book... if you're familiar with/ enjoy science fiction before this book, you're going to be disappointed at the science fiction within it. If you're coming from a more women's fiction world and perhaps this is (somehow) your first brush with scifi... the scifi may well work for you here. On the other hand, if you're coming into this book expecting more of a women's fiction tale with scifi elements to make it work... congratulations, that is *exactly* what you've found.

If you're more of that first more scifi-oriented crowd that is perhaps looking to branch out but need something somewhat close to your scifi preference in order to take a baby step outside of that space to just test the waters... this really is a strong women's fiction tale that will allow you to do just that, and you'll likely find something you genuinely enjoy here. So take the chance.

Either way, maybe you think *I'm* the idiot here and that I have no clue what I'm talking about regarding this book. PLEASE, read the book, write your own review - and feel free to call me out as the idiot you think I am, should you feel the need. :)

Very much recommended.

Beautiful Execution Of LGBT / Elderly Story Wrapped In Murder Mystery. This was an excellent and beautiful story of several different types of people who don't often play lead roles in stories coming together to create a particularly powerful one.

You've got women loving women - in 1972. You've got a whole group of elderly people living in a retirement community in 2024... along with a much younger recluse living in an RV she parks near the community. And yes, you've even got both cameo and more expansive scenes with different dogs and even a cat.

Payne handles all aspects of this tale with remarkable care and a particular penchant for showing that no matter our backgrounds or where we find ourselves, we all strive for community and family... and often times, we can be our own worst enemies in having them if we aren't careful.

The fact that she was able to bring so much near psychological horror level tension into the tale, and even a brief sprint of (somewhat comedic, though this may have been unintentional) action late in the tale truly shows just how well Payne knows her craft, as everything was done pretty damn close to perfectly.

Yes, this is a slow tale - it moves along at about the pace of the elderly people using walkers that so many of the characters are. But it is also a particularly beautiful one in both the characters it chooses to use and the story being told here.

For those looking for more elderly people in books or more naturally LGBT - without feeling forced or preachy at all - this is absolutely a book you should check out, and I genuinely believe you'll enjoy. If you're a reader that, for whatever reason, *doesn't* want to read about either of those types of characters... eh, this really isn't your book. Just move on in peace rather than one starring it because it has such characters.

Ultimately this really was yet another strong tale from Payne, who has done a phenomenal job throughout her career of creating just such tales.

Very much recommended.

Utterly Horrific. The crimes of Josef Mengele (Auschwitz) and Shiro Ishii (Unit 731) during WWII will (hopefully) live on in infamy throughout human history as among the worst things governments have ever done. Sadly, even since then, humanity has shown its horrific side more times than any of us care to really think about, be it genocides in Myanmar and Rwanda, the continual sex trafficking that despite efforts has never been eradicated, the child sex scandals that have rocked so many once-trusted professions, and many, many other ways.

While none of the above should be downplayed in any way whatsoever, they *do* set the stage for the horrors of this particular tale in that we know that most of those involved in the above were the bad guys. They were monsters clothed in scrubs or robes or wearing ties. Here, the monster is... well, the government itself and the sheer ineptitude of its bureaucracies and even legislative and executive leadership - not to mention the judicial leaders that are *supposed* to alleviate some of the worst excesses of the legislative and executive branches, but as Barrett Lain shows here, rarely do when it comes to the mechanisms of putting condemned criminals to death via lethal injection in the United States.

What Barrett Lain lays bare here in this very well documented (29% of the overall text) expose are the true horrors of lethal injection - the very execution method *specifically created* to give the *illusion* (as Barrett Lain makes clear) of a "humane" murder. Except that, as noted often within this text, the particular mechanisms of how this is done in humans are actually so barbaric and horrific that they are actively outlawed for use in animals!

No matter your position on capital punishment, no matter how much you may think a particular convicted criminal (or even, as is so often the case in social media, people merely accused of various crimes and yet so many still clamor for their execution before even a criminal conviction, without any form of legal due process as guaranteed for all persons - not just citizens - in the US Constitution) "deserves" to die... you NEED to read this book.

Read this book, and consider your own conscience. Can you honestly say after reading this book that this particular method is truly reasonable in its actual application today? Can you honestly say after reading this book that you are 100% comfortable with your own loved one going through this exact process? Because as others have noted in so many other works about the other problems with the American retribution system, there are next to no actual guarantees that you or your own loved ones won't face this fate at some point, no matter how good and righteous you may feel you are - there are simply far too many laws - even laws with felony penalties! - within the US now, to the point that *no one* can truly know when they are not running afoul of at least one of them in any given moment or action. Read this book, examine your own conscience, and truly ask yourself if you could do this job or ask your best friend to do it. Read this book, examine your own conscience, and ask yourself if you could bear to allow your children to witness this process.

Read this book, examine your own conscience, and write your own review.

As SCOTUS has decreed, as documented by Barrett Lain here, that the condemned must offer an alternative to lethal injection for their challenges to have even a possibility of even being heard, let me state clearly here now that I would vastly prefer a firing squad to the inhumane and downright barbaric practice of lethal injection. As for me, while I've been an advocate of permanently ending the death penalty in favor of life without parole for many years now, even I hadn't been fully aware of just how utterly horrific this particular execution method - posed to the US public as the more "humane" option - truly is, and I for one now count as one calling for the end of this particular method even if capital punishment must be allowed to continue.

Read this book, examine your own conscience, and let the world know in your own review whether you agree with me or not.

Very much recommended.

Dark Tale Well Told From An Interesting Perspective. First, I gotta give props to Holmes for the way she handled the trigger warning in this book. I personally prefer them to be on the author's website so those (like me) who prefer not to have any spoilers at all going into the book can have that experience, yet those who need/ want trigger warnings can still find that information as well. (Also, to be clear, Kindles automatically begin just after the table of contents in a book, so if a trigger warning is included at that spot, it *cannot* be easily skipped.) This noted, if you as an author are going to put one at the front of the book... maybe use a version of the one Holmes used here. ;)

As to the actual story here, it is one of those slower psychological thrillers where you *know* some *dark* stuff is going on largely behind the scenes... and even get the occassional glimpse of it from other characters... yet getting our main character to the point of seeing that which she has spent a lifetime not seeing.... takes some time.

One good thing that Holmes chooses here that keeps the book from going even more into the darkness is that while *some* aspects of the behind-the-pages darkness make it onto the page - enough to get a glimpse of all that is happening - that particular element isn't shown as much as perhaps some readers may want. Instead, Holmes focuses much more on the views of the wife who thinks her family is finally safe and can live a normal life... except that she keeps catching her husband having hushed conversations about... something. This, to me, is the far stronger storyline as it is one of the *less explored* stories in the genre generally.

There are a lot of characters here, absolutely, and while it can get a touch tough to track them all in the beginning, as the story plays out it does become much more clear who is doing what and when, particularly in the rather explosive climax.

For those who prefer their stories ended in nice little bows that wrap up every single thread... yeah, this aint that. And is actually a stronger tale because of it... and, perhaps, one that means that Holmes intends to come back to this world. Time will tell. ;)

Very much recommended.

Less Romp. More GirlBoss. Set in the aftermath of Young Rich Widows (though with curious timing, as that book was supposed to take place in 1986, this one is supposed to take place in 1987, and yet at least one character has had events happen that would mean this book would need to be in 1988 at minimum), this is less of the borderline comedic romp Young Rich was and far more GirlBoss now as the titular Widows all find themselves in various positions of power and influence themselves. Oh, and there is a complex murder mystery here with even more twists and turns - of more serious, if less life threatening, natures - than the first book.

And this is actually a good thing, as it shows a great deal of growth of our four lead characters even from the first time they show up in this book all the way through the end. The friendships they managed to create through the first book are going to be put to the test in several different ways here, and while there is a decent amount of comedy still left to be had... it is almost more of a Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants / Crossroads (the 2002 movie with Britney Spears) type tale here (and indeed, Spears' last line in Crossroads could well be the ending line here).

Ultimately this really was quite good and a remarkable follow up to Young Rich Widows... specifically *because* it didn't follow the exact same type of tale and instead went the direction of showing growth in all aspects, even as it remained true to the core of the tale and stylings of the book that came before. This noted, much like say a Big Fat Greek Wedding or a Mamma Mia, while a second tale works much better than one might expect given where the first tale ended... maybe the series ends here. Or maybe Belle, Fargo, Holahan, and Lillie find a way to continue it one more time that makes sense without being a blatant cash grab. But for me at least, this really does work as a finale to these characters and this world, so we'll see what happens going forward.

Very much recommended.

Doan Does It Again. I titled my review of Doan's LADY SUNSHINE "Cinematic" and my review of her THE SUMMER LIST "The Boys Of Summer", and I can tell you that despite the few years away, Doan has not lost a single step in her storytelling. This tale is just as cinematic and just as evocative as either of those prior books, and does a phenomenal job of showing one particularly extreme lifestyle... and the repercussions it can have as kids raised within it grow up and begin making decisions of their own.

As with much other fiction - and particularly as I write this review on the day that news breaks that, yet again, Augusta, Ga has arrested a parent trying to make a better life for his kids because he placed them in a safe area for a few minutes while going to a nearby spot for a job interview - yes, there are absolutely elements of this story that would not play in the real world of the 2020s. Yet this book also isn't set in the real world of the 2020s, instead being set decades earlier, in a period where I myself lived at least very certain specific elements of this life both in and out of the trailer park. Identifying which elements goes into spoiler territory, but suffice it to say that it involves what was truly a common practice among working class families of prior eras - even if it may be criminalized by Karens and bureaucrats today.

Still, even with these elements taken as the fiction they are, the story they work to show is itself quite powerful indeed, and Doan truly does an excellent job of showing how halcyon days may not have been as perfect as were remembered... and perhaps we didn't know all that we thought we did in those days either. Doan just has a way with coming of age stories, clearly, and yet again it truly shines through here in so very many ways.

Come for the beautiful, evocative prose that captures the best of (what I imagine to be, having never actually experienced it) the California summers, both back in the 80s and again in the early 2000s. Stay for the all too relatable story of children confronting what they think they know about their own childhoods and all the family dynamics this brings forth in adult children dealing with their parents.

Very much recommended.

Wild NYC 80s Romp. I really can't say enough great about this book. The fact that I was able to read it at least partially in a not-so-smoke-filled cigar lounge made it even better personally, if only because it made it that much easier to get "in character" as a dude of the era. (Btw, even though I *was* born in the early 80s, my God, to have been able to be a young adult in that era... the 2000s of my own 20s were wild, but I'm pretty sure that era would have been even more fun. :) ) Moving on...

Seriously, this starts out with a bang... nearly literally... and while the action itself doesn't start picking up as much until at least the 1/4 to 1/3 or so mark (and *really* in the back half, when it becomes almost a different book), here really is quite a bit to enjoy here. The ladies are clearly distinguished characters - likely stemming from likely having one author handle each? - and the initial "come together" scenes are done particularly well given the overall setting and specific events that have taken place to this point. From there, it becomes a somewhat classic tale of people who think they know each other - and largely hate what they know - being forced to work together to achieve some common goal... before shifting from that into a more action/ thriller tale that Michael Bay would have loved to shoot.

The entire "New York, 1980s" setting hits particularly well as well, complete with the strippers and the drugs and the largesse of the lowlifes, and... well, what I was going to say there gets a touch too close to spoilers, so let's just say that truly everything about this book simply SCREAMS "1980s NYC", to the level that you begin to suspect that at least some of the authors had to have at least a version of lived experience here. Yes, it is *that* real and *that* visceral, at least in the side of NYC in this period that it chooses to show.

Overall a book that starts slow but picks up steam, one that people who don't like multiple POV stories should check out anyway, as it is truly well done in this particular instance. You'll be glad that its sequel is now ready - I know I was, as I was able to finally start my Advance Review Copy edition of the sequel moments after finishing this book - and yes, you really are going to want to start it right away as well.

Very much recommended.

Solid Examination Of The Topic Told Mostly Via The Stories Of Those Involved. To be a bit more precise, if the topic at hand is "the rise and fall of the death penalty" throughout the United States generally... this book doesn't fare as well. While it does make various attempts to show national issues and trends in capital punishment, the subtitle here really should more accurately be "The Rise And Fall Of The Death Penalty *In Texas*" (emphasis mine)... which is 100% accurate as to what you're getting into with this book.

Chammah does a solid job of using his case studies and biographies to show the different people involved in the various cases and how they came to be in the moments they found themselves, and while the stories *can* get a bit too muddled and choppy at times when a lot is going on at once, it really isn't any different than a multi-POV fiction novel only sporadically popping in with certain characters' perspectives, which is a storytelling strategy I've seen more than once - and thus this really wasn't a problem for me, but could absolutely be an issue for some readers. He does a similarly solid job of showing the various cases and people that played into the rise of capital punishment in Texas and the broader national trends that were occurring at the same time... and the same with the fall, showing the various people and cases that were leading that effort in Texas and how broader national trends also came to bear there as well.

Overall though, this is a reasonably well researched book, clocking in at about 17% documentation, per a Twitter conversation I had with the author, as I read the Audible version of the book and had no easy access to a Kindle or print copy of the text for purposes of this review. (My local library system here in Jacksonville, FL did in fact have print copies available even at the branch barely a mile away from my apartment, but I was working on this review before I could get there and it did *not* have eBook copies available, unfortunately.) Far from the best documented I've ever seen, as I've read a few books approaching or seemingly even over 50% documentation, but also within the more relaxed 15% or so standard I've been trying to adopt these last few years.

For those interested in capital punishment and related issues, this is going to be a book you should absolutely check out. Even for more general audiences, this really is a solid look at this particular topic, and you're going to learn some things from reading it - even I did, and I'm at least somewhat well versed in the topic already due to prior reading and activism.

Very much recommended.

WWII Historical Fiction *Action* Book. *With A Bibliography*! Yes, you read that right. Not only do we get a kick ass action/ adventure tale set during WWII, but this one is so accurate that it actually has a bibliography longer than some nonfiction books I've read recently!

The tale itself, while technically a sequel, has enough in the story here to provide the necessary context to understanding this tale itself... *and* has a summary of book 1 at the back of the book, just before the bibliography, as well, for those that need it laid out a bit more explicitly and don't mind being completely spoiled on Book 1. For those that would rather read Book 1 first... I haven't read it, but if it is anything like this one you're in for an awesome time and apparently you'll be ready for this one pretty well as soon as you finish that one.

And what a tale it is! Yes, if you're looking for *hyper* realism... you're going to be disappointed. There are *several* times where in real life.... yeah, dead or in prison or in prison and then dead. But you don't (shouldn't) read action/ adventure tales for that level of realism, and the level of realism brought more generally, with the various units and locations and tech and such is on par with the best WWII era historical fiction tales I've come across.

With the running problem in booklandia of needing more male readers and with the "understanding" that once a male hits 40 he either becomes intently focused on WWII or on grilling... for those who, like me, went the WWII route (though admittedly I did it long before 40 due to both of my grandfathers serving in it), this book is going to be one those types of guys are truly going to enjoy.

But truly, if you're into action tales and/ or historical fiction tales set in WWII, you too are going to find a lot to enjoy here, and I really do think this one will be something you'll want to read as it brings a style not commonly seen much (if at all) anymore, and one which I believe needs to be celebrated just as much as the more women's fiction oriented tales of the period. (Which are awesome in their own right, to be clear... but they're also not this particular type of tale either, and I believe there is more than enough space on the digital shelves for both types of stories. :) )

Very much recommended.

Negative On Everything. Straight up, this is the most depressing book I've ever read other than The Road by Cormac McCarthy - which is the singular *worst* book I've ever read. Kendzior's all-encompassing and ever present sense of doom drips from every page, and it is truly exhausting to even read a book that is this utterly bleak. I truly can't imagine living life so utterly despairing - even in my own darkest of times. And this was the reason for one of the star deductions. This tale could have been phenomenal, even transcendental, as a more hopeful look at traveling the US to see its various national parks - and it could have been such even with a pessimistic world view and even with the author's rampant cognitively dissonant political views intact. Simply write with a more hopeful tone than what is presented here!

The other star deduction is the dearth of the bibliography, clocking in at just 7% of the overall text, well short of even the 15% or so I would expect to see in even my more relaxed bibliographical standards of these last couple of years.

For those that see the United States as something to "survive, not thrive" as Kendzior so often notes - even during the Obama and Biden years! - and those that see "women treated as second class citizens, no longer having the same rights as men" (a paraphrase, but not too far off from an exact quote)... you're probably going to think Kendzior a savant here, describing exactly how you feel to a T.

For the rest of us that choose to look on every situation, no matter how bleak, with hope - indeed, particularly for those of us who will *NEVER* see our own political preferences win in any ballot box, given the current state of affairs, yet we fight on for a better future for everyone anyway - this book is going to be one you're going to want to defenestrate early and often.

To be quite honest, had I not accepted this as an Advance Review Copy given the strength of Kendzior's prior work A View From Flyover Country, I would have been right there with you. Had I known how utterly depressing this book would be - obvious in even the first few paragraphs, much less the first chapters - I would have returned it in a heartbeat and never looked back.

As an exemplar of how at least some Americans are feeling and have felt for several years, yes, this book will stand as a time capsule of an era.

But it is also *a* time capsule, and one that will earn its place in the annals of history - if it is remembered that long - for how wrong it is. For how utterly depressing it is, even in a time when America and Americans are more prosperous than literally any generation before them. Things that were science fiction even in my own childhood, just a few scant years behind Kendzior's own, are now science fact. Devices and technologies that Kendzior describes *in this text* as using at various points were barely imaginable in my own childhood, certainly to the level that they both now exist and permeate modern life.

Yes, we absolutely face challenges today, as *all* eras have faced. Denying this is denying reality at least as bad as Kendzior does. But for a book so replete with so much historical data about so many different places, Kendzior seems to miss that many of the very eras she discusses had *just* as many problems. Hell, not only this, Kendzior openly discusses the history of "Blood Island", where politicians and others would go to duel... and yet still decries a heated political rally as a "coup", even when no weapons were present other than in the hands of police.

No, this is a book that will play well with a very particular mindset and a very particular political view... and in all honesty, the only use anyone outside of that mindset and worldview would have to read this text is simply to see this mindset and at least attempt to understand it. Hell, maybe you'll have more success on that point than I have after reading this.

Recommended. Only for certain readers.

Gilmore Girls Yet Not Gilmore Girls. He's Luke and he works in a diner. She's Lorelai and she wants to run a bed and breakfast. Stars Hollow? NOPE! Equally fictional and equally charming Elk Lake. But yes, the Gilmore Girls comparisons, at least at a very high level, are simply too blatant to be completely ignored.

This noted, Dineen *does* do her own thing and *does* manage to tell a tale completely different than anything I remember from Gilmore Girls. (Don't hate me, but despite Lauren Graham being hot, it just wasn't a series I could ever really get into. Sorry, ladies!)

Here, the angst is arguably done better than the romance, and indeed it often seems at times that this ostensibly romance book keeps its central couple apart far more than they're together, with the togetherness coming in very tentative and awkward steps at first before "suddenly out of no where" kind of exploding... after a damn near fatal implosion first, of course.

But truly the most relatable part of this for me personally was in fact Luke's story, and even his dad's story. While I know at least *some* of my dad's story (more than Luke does throughout a large part of the tale here), like Luke, there are absolutely things I don't know - and will never know - about my dad's childhood and my grandfather (who in my case died just five weeks after my birth). Like Luke, as an adult I've had to try to come to understand my dad through the bits and pieces of his history I've learned, and how that has shaped him into the man he chose to become... and thus how it shaped how he raised me and shaped me into the man I chose to become. While I never lost years of our lives due to a misunderstanding, that's not to say there haven't been misunderstandings along the way (including one particularly infamous one when I was a teenager that was perhaps the closest we ever got to this level of blowup). So... yeah, Luke's story absolutely hit a touch harder here.

Overall while this seemed to be probably the most angsty book in the series, there really was quite a bit of fun and self discovery along the way as well, and it really was both a solid entrant in the series and a solid setup for a seeming near-direct sequel.

Very much recommended.

Beautiful Setting. Atrocious People. Maybe Someone Will See The Light. This is one of those tales where there aren't really too many "good" people - even the people you ostensibly want to root for are doing some very *bad* things! But the imagery of the beautiful Italian islands is absolutely stunning and well done... and even make it a point to play into the endgame, which is always appreciated.

While the book *does* start rather slow, stick with it. It is no Great Gatsby where the first x amount of it is an utter snooze fest that is more apt to put you to sleep rather than keep you up all night... but it *does* get to the "keep you up all night" level. Eventually. And then it keeps you there until damn near the last word of the tale.

Overall a fun book of its type, one with enough to keep you invested and take you to somewhere not where you are. (Unless you happen to be on said Italian islands. Then... maybe read something else if you want to be transported somewhere else? :D) Actually a rather good beach/ cruise read due to the setting at minimum.

Very much recommended.