Stephanie Mack is having the "time" of her life!

Credit: Blaire Going Photography

We're excited to have Stephanie Mack here today! Her traditional publishing debut, Twenty Something Else (Tyndale), will be available next week and she has another one coming this fall. If you're a fan of time travel, this novel is definitely up your alley. Melissa is excited to add it to her five-book pile soon. We had a lot of fun interviewing Stephanie and we hope you will enjoy her answers as much as we did!

Stephanie Mack is an author with a passion for storytelling—on the page, on the mic, and beyond. Her novels blend women's fiction and romantic elements with meaningful insights for readers navigating the complexities of modern life. Stephanie lives in Orange County, California, with her husband, three daughters, and beloved mini Bernedoodle.

Visit Stephanie online:

Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:

Sutton Layne is almost-forty and fabulous, with a happy marriage, three beautiful children, and a successful interior design business. But there’s plenty of chaos behind the scenes of early midlife. Her preteen son is going off the rails, her husband is bailing on the party he was supposed to throw her, and that thriving business? If she can’t land her next big client, it might all come crashing down. Then a surprise DM from someone in her past sends her spiraling into what-ifs. What if she settled down too young? Walked away from her big break? Never had her great adventure?

Despite her simmering mini-crisis, Sutton can’t wait for the birthday luncheon and pickleball tournament her friends have planned in her honor. But when an accident on the court knocks her out cold, she wakes up somewhere else . . . and is offered the chance to do it all over again. She can revisit her twenties―out of order and on her own terms. And this time around, anything goes: cities, careers, friendships. Even love. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"Asking a question many of us have pondered―What if life took a different turn and sent us in an entirely different direction?―this novel is both distinctive and clever, plucky, and entertaining. A must-read!"
- T. I. Lowe, internationally bestselling author of South of Somewhere

"A hilarious, heartfelt exploration of love, family, and friendship. With sharp humor, clever observations, and deeply human insight, this novel will have you laughing, reflecting, and texting your best friend mid-chapter. Get ready for your next obsession."
- Devon Daniels, author of The Rom Con

"Twenty Something Else is the most beautifully, achingly real story I’ve read in ages. Equal parts comfortingly wholesome and refreshingly frank, this one straight-up knocked my socks off."
- Bethany Turner, award-winning author of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
My road to publishing was winding, crazy, unpredictable, and nothing like I expected—but every step of the six-year journey was worth it.

How is Sutton similar to or different from you?
Sutton is similar to me in many ways—we both married young, live in suburbia, have three children, work in creative fields, and turned forty this year! Where we differ is probably in the extent of her ponderings and regrets. I’ve felt many of them myself, but exploring them much more deeply through her character was incredibly meaningful to me as I faced my own milestone birthday. And, unlike Sutton, I don’t have an actor’s bone in my body!

If Twenty Something Else was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Sutton was distinctly her own creation in my mind, but my dream pick would be Hilary Duff. I’ve always loved her, especially in Younger—and not just as an actress, but for what she represents to millennial women: nostalgia, strength, motherhood, power, and a certain grounded sense of goodness. Holden would be Theo James, Reid would be Ryan Gosling, and I’d love Olivia Munn as Quinn!

What is a favorite memory from your twenties?

One of my favorite memories from my twenties was a road trip I took with two girlfriends up the California coast. It’s my home state, but we explored so much I’d never seen before—from Southern California through Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo all the way up to Monterey. I’ll never forget it. There’s just something about a road trip with people you love. The snacks, the conversations, and the zany moments you end up sharing.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
What a fun question! I’d have to say Christine Lakin from Step by Step because of the way she brought Twenty Something Else to life in the audiobook. I’m in awe of her ability to move from humor to vulnerability and back again with such ease and heart.

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
Please come visit me in Orange County! I’d definitely take you to The Beachcomber—a magical restaurant right on the sand in Crystal Cove State Park—and to Lido Marina Village, the dreamiest seaside enclave and home to my favorite indie bookstore, Lido Village Books. The Beachcomber is written into Twenty Something Else, and I can’t wait to see Twenty Something Else on shelves in Lido soon.

Thanks to Stephanie for chatting with us and Kaye Publicity for coordinating the interview.

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Book Review: Whistler

By Allyson Bales

**Before reading the synopsis, see the note in the review below.**

When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than a year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.

Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

“There is so much randomness to youth.  The person assigned to share your room becomes your friend, the girl you pass on your way out the door becomes your wife, and from these random encounters our entire lives are built."

I devoured this book. Here is another one I went into blind and grabbed purely because I LOVE Ann Patchett and anything she writes sits on my favorites list year after year.  I loved Tom Lake and this story had similar vibes.  

I highly recommend you go into this one blind too. You will be overcome with emotions.  It is a slower moving story with characters that will make you feel a range of emotions and at least one of them will remind you of someone you love deeply.  I just know this is a story I will think of probably at least once a day for a long time to come and stories like that don’t come around too often.  Stories that hold so much power, insight, complex characters, and ones where you are highlighting and tabbing so much.  I will cherish this story.

This story surprised me.  This story made me feel seen.  This story made me laugh and cry and healed me.

I really, really enjoyed the audio of this story too.  Ann reads it and I just loved her delivery and overall presentation. 

I cannot recommend this one enough.  If you are a fan of compelling family sagas you won't be sorry you read it and it will definitely be on your favorites list too.

Five stars.

Thanks to HarperCollins for the book in exchange for an honest review. Purchase Whistler here.

More by Ann Patchett:
Tom Lake
Commonwealth 
These Precious Days

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Spotlight and Giveaway: The Last Days of Summer

We're excited to feature The Last Days of Summer by Sarra Manning, which is now available in paperback! This steamy rom-com has enemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes, along with a lot of great reviews. Thanks to Harper Perennial, we have TWO copies to give away!

Sometimes all it takes is one long summer weekend for the person you thought you hated to become something more . . .

After a disastrous first meeting, Cassie and Marc are instant archnemeses. Despite Marc’s frustratingly sharp cheekbones and sexy French accent—and the fact that Cassie's best friends Lucy and Russell think he’s wonderful—Cassie is convinced that Marc’s a terrible person who did a terrible thing, full stop.

But, years later, when their friends are hit with bad news, Cassie and Marc decide to put aside their differences and give Lucy and Russell the best weekend ever. While they can’t change the past, they can help their friends make new memories with all of their favorite people. Which means convincing everyone that Cassie and Marc are head over heels in love, since their best friends have always thought they would be perfect together, and badly wish each would find an ideal partner.

After years of loathing Marc, it only takes four bittersweet days for Cassie to reconsider whether she got the man completely wrong all these years. But can the two let go of their troubled past, and together, face whatever the future will throw at them? Or is this doomed to be just another steamy vacation fling, never again to be acknowledged or repeated? (Synopsis courtesy of HarperCollins.)

“One of my favorite writers . . . It's about friendship, it's about life, it's about how people change . . . I loved it very much.”
—Marian Keyes

“By turns fun, sexy, bittersweet and utterly romantic, I fell head over heels for Cassie and Marc (cheekbones, accent and all) and their captivating, page-turning love story.”
 —Lindsey Kelk

“The Last Days of Summer is funny, filled with emotion and very, very sexy!” 
—Beth O'Leary

Credit: Ellie Smith

Sarra Manning has been a voracious reader for over forty years and a prolific author and journalist for thirty. She has written over twenty-five novels, both YA and adult. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, the Telegraph, Elle, Grazia, Stylist, You Magazine, and Harper’s Bazaar. She lives in London surrounded by piles and piles of books. Visit Sarra at her website and on Instagram.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends June 7th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Wild Italian Nights

By Sara Steven

Good girl Juno Darlington-Hume has always pursued excellence in every field—now she’s determined to master the art of sexual pleasure. Gorgeous, notorious, and utterly irresistible, Italian playboy Alessandro Ricci has the experience, the charm, and the expertise to give her exactly what she’s craving.

From the magical streets of Florence to the golden hills of the Tuscan countryside, Alessandro leads Juno on a journey of desire, teaching her every delicious lesson with a wicked smile.

But there’s one thing Alessandro refuses to her heart. And as Juno surrenders to temptation, she discovers that passion isn’t the only lesson in store—because some pleasures run deeper than the body, and falling for Alessandro might be the most intoxicating—and dangerous—experience of all. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Having read In Too Deep, another book by this author (reviewed here), I anticipated some steam–but in Wild Italian Nights, the steam factor has been kicked into overdrive, and in the best ways! There were a lot of hot moments between Juno and Sandro, while Sandro attempts to teach Juno everything he knows when it comes to sex. Juno is a willing pupil. They have boundaries and limits that have been set by both characters, not wanting to go too far or delve into anything that might create attachment and feelings. Juno is merely in this for the lessons, and Sandro is in it because his father thinks it’s important for the two young lovebirds to be seen together in public, aiding Sandro’s image. But Juno doesn’t know that. 

Juno has enlisted Sandro’s help so she can catch the eye and attention of someone else, and secretly, it’s killing Sandro. Spending so much time together has unavoidably created more between them than just sexual tension, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to him or anyone else. There is so much more to a person than what can happen between the sheets, and Sandro is slowly falling for Juno and the person she is–her kindness, her generosity, and the fact that she seems to accept Sandro for who he is, not focusing on what she can gain from him. He’s not used to that. 

Juno feels the same way about Sandro. Initially, having him around has been a means to build up her confidence, yet she can see that there is a genuine vulnerability to him–a lot more than meets the eye. The plan was to not catch feelings and to take the skills Sandro has given her so she can utilize them in the future, but plans change and life can change in an instant. Maybe Sandro could see her as more than just his pupil. Given the confidence she’s gained through being with him, it could potentially happen, or so she begins to hope. 

But when Juno discovers that Sandro has some ulterior motives behind assisting her, she isn’t sure what to think or what (or who) to believe. Has Sandro been using her? And ultimately, wasn’t she doing the same thing? Or is there more between them? The spice was nice in Wild Italian Nights, but it was also nice to see some evolvement for both characters, while they try to figure out if there can be more beyond their arrangement, potentially turning into something real.

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US * Amazon UK * Apple

Christy McKellen is a best selling, award-nominated British writer of spicy, pacy, emotionally charged contemporary romances and rom-coms, featuring strong, determined heroines and irresistible alpha heroes. 

Best known for her enemies to lovers, opposites attract, holiday and workplace romances, Christy sets her books in the glamorous worlds of film, media, and the arts, where forced proximity and undeniable chemistry lead to steamy love stories full of passion, tension, and emotional depth.

Formerly a Video and Radio Producer, Christy now spends her time (when she’s not writing) walking for pleasure and researching other people's deepest secrets and desires.

Visit Christy online:

Website * Facebook * Instagram * TikTok

Visit all the stops on Christy's blog tour:

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Book Review: Beth is Dead

By Sara Steven

When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to uncover her murderer.

Suspects abound. There’s the neighbor who has feelings for not one but two of the girls. Meg’s manipulative best friend. Amy’s flirtatious mentor. And Beth’s lionhearted first love. But it doesn’t take the surviving sisters much digging to uncover motives each one of the March girls had for doing the unthinkable.

Jo, an aspiring author with a huge following on social media, would do anything to hook readers. Would she kill her sister for the story? Amy dreams of studying art in Europe, but she’ll need money from her aunt—money that’s always been earmarked for Beth. And Meg wouldn’t dream of hurting her sister…but her boyfriend might have, and she’ll protect him at all costs.

Despite the growing suspicion within the family, it’s hard to know for sure if the crime was committed by someone close to home. After all, the March sisters were dragged into the spotlight months ago when their father published a controversial bestseller about his own daughters. Beth could have been killed by anyone.

Beth’s perspective told in flashback unfolds next to Meg, Jo, and Amy’s increasingly fraught investigation as the tragedy threatens to rip the Marches apart. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

What a clever concept! Beth Is Dead takes the concept of Little Women and reimagines it as a modern day mystery thriller, and it worked so well. The characters we know and love from the original have similar backgrounds and characterizations, like Jo is still a tomboy aspiring writer, and Amy is a mischievous artist, but that’s where the similarities end. Beth doesn’t die from scarlet fever. She’s found dead, and no one knows what happened to her.

Everyone is considered a suspect–even family. The story is told from various perspectives and timelines, which helps to better solidify what really happened to Beth, and why. Making their father a published author who makes the March family a well-known notorious name only adds to the mystery and mayhem, because everyone wants a piece. It makes the list of suspects even longer. 

The writing style really kept me on my toes and I wanted to know what would happen next. Between the girls and their need to discover the truth, and the wild rush that had happened towards the end of the book, I was definitely hooked. My best friend and I absolutely loved the 90s Little Women movie adaptation when we were teens, quickly choosing who we identified with the most. For her, it was Beth. For me, Jo. This story only elevated everything for me and brought me back to a time when life was so much simpler, yet this go around, so modern and fresh. Beth Is Dead was a unique experience that was definitely a five-star read! 

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Spotlight and Giveaway: A Fortune of Sand

We're pleased to feature Ruta Sepetys's latest historical fiction novel, A Fortune of Sand. It's being described as The Great Gatsby meets The Royal Tenenbaums. And it addresses the role of women 100 years ago. This is Ruta's first foray into adult fiction, after writing several popular young adult historical fiction novels. Thanks to Ballantine, we have TWO copies to give away!

Detroit, 1927. A city of smoke and ambition, where glittering wealth conceals a graveyard of secrets.

Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a powerful automotive dynasty, a family known for money, not manners. Artistic, impulsive, and always slightly out of step, Marjorie has long been dismissed by her controlling father and self-absorbed siblings. But when she secretly applies to an exclusive arts program funded by an elusive benefactor, she sees a chance to redefine herself on her own terms.

The building is grand. The participants are gifted. But something…is off.

The program is uncomfortably restrictive. Doors lock at odd hours. Strange sounds echo through the halls amid whispers that women are disappearing. And the handsome benefactor’s presence—mostly absent, yet somehow everywhere—begins to unnerve her. As Marjorie’s sense of self begins to slip, so does her grip on the truth. What happens to women who don’t fit neatly into a gilded frame?

Set against the crumbling grandeur of 1920s Detroit and inspired by actual, long-buried historical events, A Fortune of Sand is a haunting mosaic of glamour and grift—a novel about those who vanish, and those who demand to be seen.

"Enthralling...while history is often molded by those in power, there are always those who can wrest control and write a new story of their own. A Fortune of Sand should be required reading." 
—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies

"A heady exploration of women’s agency, as well as a killer romance and a beguiling mystery. Wildly entertaining." 

—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

"For readers seeking the glamour of The Great Gatsby with the mystery of an Agatha Christie novel, A Fortune of Sand is for you.” 
—Sarah McCoy, New York Times bestselling author of Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?

Photo by Laura Smith

Ruta Sepetys is an internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Winner of the Carnegie Medal and honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Ruta is passionate about giving voice to underrepresented history and those who experienced it. She has been invited to present at NATO, European Parliament, the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, and embassies worldwide.  Ruta alternates her time between the hills of Tennessee and the flats of Florida.

Visit Ruta online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends June 2nd at midnight EST.

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Book Review: The Quitters Club

 

By Melissa Amster

When four ride-or-die friends reunite for a getaway, they’re desperate for a break, a chance to reconnect. But each is hiding a deeper reason why. Marie feels like an impostor teaching “How to Say No” seminars while her marriage has evolved into something she never said yes to. Brooke’s most heartfelt goal―motherhood―is proving out of reach. Lucy’s dream career has broken her spirit, possibly for good. And Collins feels trapped in grief by her late husband’s legacy.

All their lives, they’ve encouraged each other not to give up―but they can’t do this anymore. Now, at a breaking point, they make a pact: Quit. And help each other through the fallout.

At first, it’s positively liberating. A husband gets a much-needed wake-up call. A singles retreat is a widow’s perfect escape. A very public career exit becomes a never-too-late return to college. And a childless life becomes a bold new plan to travel the world. But letting go will be more complicated than they imagined. Confronting hard truths about love, loss, and starting over, these four women must discover what’s worth fighting for―and what’s truly best left behind. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I have been an avid reader of Jessica Strawser's novels for quite some time, so I am thankful for the early peek at The Quitters Club, which will be available next week. While this is different from her more suspenseful stories, it's still really well told and even empowering.

Each of the women had an interesting and compelling reason for wanting to quit something in their lives. Marie's husband takes her for granted and refuses to make compromises. Brooke is tired of her failed attempts at pregnancy forcing her to put her life on hold. Lucy has no motivation to write anymore. And Collins just wants to move past her grief. Quitting is their way of forging new paths for themselves and they support each other in the process. Little do they know how quickly things will go awry. 

The story kept me turning the pages, wondering what would happen next for each of the women. They all felt relatable, even if I had nothing in common with them. While I would have liked getting more of Collins' perspective from her own narrative, I still got to see what she was going through and she made her voice heard.

I felt like the characters got too introspective at times and it made my head spin. They made this committment to themselves and then they kept questioning it even though it was bringing other good things into their lives that they might not have experienced if they hadn't quit.

Overall, it was a thoughtful and engaging read. I think you will enjoy this new side of Jessica's writing! 

(Trigger warnings below. May contain some spoilers.)

Movie casting suggestions:

Marie: Margo Harshman

Lucy: Abby Elliott

Brooke: Alexandra Daddario

Collins: Sara Canning

Thanks to Jessica Strawser for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Jessica Strawser:

Catch You Later

The Next Thing You Know

Not That I Could Tell

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TW: Death of spouse, cancer, suicidal ideation, divorce, infertility, life-threatening injuries.