Life doesn’t always go to plan, as our trio of heroines can attest. But sometimes, the unplanned things are the best… and sometimes they’re just another reason to thank heaven you have a bestie who’s just as insane as you and won’t leave you in the lurch!
Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn: This small town romance is full of endearing characters and unfulfilled potential. Georgie and Levi are so fun and sweet together (mostly), but this is an unusual case where I think the romantic couple needs less internal and more external conflict. Instead of continually reacting badly to each other, whether because of misunderstandings or their own hangups, I’d like to see them prove their rightness to each other and everyone else by uniting against an outside force (Levi’s dad and the opinion of the townspeople were perfectly positioned for this before just… fizzling into nothing). As it is, I began questioning if they will ever get out of this cycle of hurt and reconciliation. This is a book more interested in personal healing than in romance, and while the former is well done it’s at the expense of the latter, at least for me. Still, I cared and I laughed, so I won’t warn anyone away — just don’t expect it to be world-changing. My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan #3) by Elle Cosimano: Probably my favorite of the Finlay books, this latest installment is full of nonstop banter and action. It’s a great midpoint book, as our heroines deal with the fallout of previous adventures even as new complications trip them up, and the ending had me screaming for the next book because what’s going to happen??? As always, Cosimano does a fantastic job maintaining tension and raising the stakes while still giving us plenty of laughs. Also, fans of Hot Cop rejoice. *fans self* My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Miss Newbury’s List by Megan Walker: Overall, this is a sweet, fun romance about two young people finding the courage to live their own lives. However, there is a lot of tonal dissonance, especially in the second half when melodramatic elements show up without warning — a surprisingly (and violently) overprotective brother, a bloody attack by thugs, and a callous fiancé. The sketchy characterization of supporting characters and the frequent shifts from cute and silly (the opera house escapade will stay with me a long time!) to dark and desperate make this feel like a good first or second draft but not a fully realized project. My thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
–b
Book It With Becca 