Tricia Nelson

I heard about this book before it was published and was excited to read it. Someone described it as “Encanto” but an adult story. This book is more than that. There is a magical element, tied to a ranch in Mexico and a family that cares for the land. But at its heart, the story is about rebirth and new beginnings, about love, family and heritage, about becoming who you are meant to be. One of the quotes I noted sums it up: “Life is just a series of beginnings and endings. It's one long season of learning how to let go. People, dreams, ideas, jobs, love. We hold each close to our bones and spirits, clutching so tightly we risk suffocating that which we profess to love, and then the time to let go comes - it always comes. We can run, or fight, or try to hide, but none of that will change the gathering storm on the horizon. And maybe it's the storms that change us, that help carve a new path toward who we were always meant to be.”

It just wouldn't be summer without an Emily Henry book to kick it off! I can always pick up her latest safe in the knowledge that I will enjoy the story. This one has a great cast of characters that you come to know and love, who all gather in Maine for their annual week together. At the start of the week, there are things that these friends are hiding from each other, even though they are the closest people on the planet to them. By the end of the week, all is revealed and everyone is closer yet because they understand each other a bit better. I'm so glad that this author is getting the recognition for great reads, particularly summer reads with a touch of romance thrown in, with her first hardcover release. Great beach read for anyone looking for interesting complex characters and a solid storyline.

After reading this author's first novel, The Lost Apothecary, I was really looking forward to this one, and it did not disappoint. The premise is this - set in London in 1873, Lenna's sister Evie was killed and the police have no leads. She sets out to learn how to conduct a seance under the tutelage of Vaudeline D'Allaire, who is well known and respected for her seances that are used only to communicate with murder victims in order to find justice. Vaudeline is invited back to London as a favor to find out what happened to someone, and the story grows from there with suspicious activities happening at the London Seance Society, a gentlemen's club in London. The author's notes at the end of the book are very good and clearly state what is historical custom versus author's imagination. Very well done!

Listened to this in audio and it was good. Interesting premise that a company is testing out their tracking software and offer ten people lots of money if they can go off the grid and not be found for 30 days.

I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and the author does a wonderful job of telling a current day story and filling in pertinent facts with flashbacks to the past. It is somewhat of a dual timeline, but is so well done that it feels as though the story continues. The main character, Collette, is immortal and the story touches on many time periods that she has lived in, and many humans that she has loved and lost. By making someone immortal, is that a gift or a curse? Is it nothing forever or everything forever? Is all the good and the bad worth it? There are some deep themes and questions that I will be thinking about for a while.

This was a fun book to read at the beginning of February! Margot and Luke were a fun couple to root for. Their communication, or lack thereof, along with their insecurities and assumptions were frustrating at times, but happy endings prevail (surely that's not a spoiler with a romance novel?). Learning more about owning a winery and running that business was a fun twist and what drew me to this story to begin with - and did not disappoint.

This story is a fun open-door romance read. The first half of the book had me laughing and coming to like the characters, particularly Lizzie. She has ADHD and has spent her life apologizing for it among people who didn't understand her or try to understand her. The second half of the book had me cheering her on as she found her place amongst people who cared enough about her to understand and love her.

I enjoyed this book. Was typical of Nora Roberts in that it was a good story, easy read and fast read.

Louise and Mark are siblings that haven't lived near each other for most of their adult lives, but come together when their parents die unexpectedly in a car accident. Their complicated relationship adds to the tension when they enter their parents home that is FILLED with dolls and puppets that are decidedly creepy. From there the story unfolds with one twist and turn after another that kept me glued to the pages. The first Grady Hendrix book I read was The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, and I loved it. This second read by this author did not disappoint! This was the first book that truly scared me in quite some time, but in all the best ways.

This book was on my radar since the author's first book “Falling” was a favorite of mine. This one read the same - in big gulps over the course of a day. It's a great ride, with twists and turns and suspense and interesting characters you can root for. Highly recommend!!!

I read this in one evening & next morning, and loved it. I'm a fan of this author, and this newest book did not disappoint. It is a good story that had me rooting for the main characters, with some lovable, some laughable and some easy-to-dislike secondary characters thrown in for good measure.

For three summers in a row, I've read an Emily Henry book, and they are perfect summer reading! This story had me laughing out loud more than once, and there is a lot of wit in the conversations between the characters. The relationship between Nora and Charlie starts out as one would expect, with them really disliking one another, and over time they realize they really like each other, but the author kept the story realistic, with people dealing with all of their ‘stuff' and everything not being all perfectly tied up in a bow right away. Really enjoyed it!

It's not often I read 2/3 of a book thinking I understand the story, and then realized (Plot Twist!) I don't! I didn't love the characters, but that changed in the last third of the book and I couldn't wait to find out how everything pieced together. Author gets 4 stars for their writing craft.

I read this as part of a book club and I'm so glad I did! The characters are complex and endearing and more, and the author does a great job of interweaving their stories. This one has a mystery to solve, a dash of magical realism thrown in, themes of family and home and friendship and addiction and community. It is a good story that is well-crafted and there is so so much to discuss it is an excellent selection for a group!

This book was a delight. It made me laugh, made me angry, made me shake my head at the absurdity of our culture sometimes. Elizabeth Zott would be on my list of literary characters I would love to have a meal with, although she would never agree to such an activity. One of my favorite books this year!

I really enjoyed this book. It is a story of family secrets, what we will do for our children and to protect those we hold most dear, and finding ourselves in the midst of expectations that are placed on us by society, family, and community.

The structure of the book is a dual timeline, but is cleverly done in a way that doesn't give the reader whiplash from one storyline to the next. The short chapters and back and forth reads very smoothly, and adds to the story rather than distracting the reader.

The themes of family, inheritance, motherhood, race, emmigration, and grief are intertwined in a tale that has the reader rooting for the characters.

Great book club pick, and the author has a book club kit with a spotify playlist and recipes included!

This book was an ‘extra, optional' book club book, and I'm SO GLAD I read it. I'm beginning to realize that I love everything I read from this author. The premise - a woman gets stranded on vacation in the Galapagos and away from her significant other who is a front-line doctor in NYC at the beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic in March, 2020. The story swept me along as she got her footing in her new surroundings and became a part of that community, while having limited contact with NY and her life outside of paradise. Meanwhile, her boyfriend is drowing in Covid patients in NY and hoping she is ok. I saw an interview with the author where she mentioned that she interviewed front line workers while writing the book, and that they were so grateful to tell their story, and the truth of what it was like in the hospitals in 2020. I can't go into more detail about the turns the story takes without major spoilers, but it's a great read with so so much to discuss. Things like - what if we step off the path we are on and really look at it to see if it is still what we want, or what we would choose? Examine if we believe in things we can't understand, or that don't make sense. What would we risk to have a last chance to speak to a loved one? I can't wait for book club to discuss alllllll of it. Highly recommend. First five-star read of 2023!

This is a cute and spicy romance that has a little extra. Aja and Walker meet at a Bingo hall in fictional small town Greenbelt, SC. Aja moved there in search of a quieter life, and Walker is in town from Charleston for a few months helping his grandmother recover from a fall. Sparks fly and the two get to know each other, all the while dealing with their own anxieties and past traumas. I appreciate how the author incorporates characters who are real people with real issues, dealing with them in ways that are sometimes messy. Themes of family, trauma, healing, love, friendships, anxiety and more round out the story.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
#netgalley #stmartinspress

I was so excited to read this book that I ordered it from Blackwell's because it was published earlier in the UK! It did not disappoint! This was a thriller that grabs the reader from the start and takes you for a ride, and at the conclusion, you are left with something to ponder. Great book! Highly recommend!

I approached this book thinking I was reading a fun romantic romp for the Valentine's holiday, but found a somewhat deeper story. The narrators Addie and Dylan hop back and forth in a dual timeline - one where they meet one summer and the other in present day, a few years later. The story touches on relationships, mental health, finding yourself (sometimes amidst supportive people, sometimes not), and sisterhood in addition to love, and leaves you with some things to think about.
I'll admit that the Addie/Dylan relationship in the ‘before' made me frustrated, which was likely intentional, although the growth in the ‘after' is rewarding. I loved the relationships between most of the women characters, especially Addie and her sister Deb. Deb's character is deserving of her own story, that's how fun and complete she is. Overall, this is a good book, and was worth my time. I've read the author's other books and I'll read more of her in the future. It would be a good book club choice, and the discussion questions at the end of the paperback edition are actually good ones to get a conversation going.

I enjoyed this book, and would recommend for anyone who is looking for a story with a little magical realism thrown in, with themes about friendship, family, art versus science, sacrifice, and obsession. This was a book club pick, and there was a lot to discuss.

The Guide is a standalone novel, but if you read The River by this author, you will recognize the main character, or the Guide in this story. Jack is a fishing guide who takes a position at a remote resort in Montana with the hopes that he can find peace. What he finds instead are strange things happening at the resort and red flags that something is very wrong. This story will grab your attention, keep you guessing, and have you rooting for Jack and his client Alison. All the action is also held in a near future where a virus has people quarantining and distancing. It is an interesting and scary imagining of what could happen. Many thanks to Edelweiss for the advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this book!

Wow. Hard to write about this one without spoiling it. My advice - read it soon before you hear too much. I had heard a bit about the book that had me guessing some things too early, but I'm glad I read it so soon after it was widely available. There are MANY ways that this book will have me thinking about it for a while. It got a lot of buzz and didn't disappoint.

This story is about two poor young Black girls who are sterilized without consent in 1973 Alabama (fictionalized story inspired by real-life case of Relf v. Weinberger) and a Black nurse who blows the whistle on the program and helps bring a lawsuit against the government. The book is compelling and well written. The author sheds light onto this practice that continues today in the United States in some places and circumstances and it is a beautifully told heartbreaking tale that manages to leave the reader with some hope for the future. This one will stay with me for a while, as it should.

Wow! Best book of summer so far. So well written and the dual timelines were beautifully handled. I completely understand the buzz this book has received this summer. Highly recommend!