Book Review: The Wedding People

By Melissa Amster

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. 

Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I don't know what took me so long to finally check out The Wedding People, but I'm really glad I did. 

The story is charming and genuine in so many ways. The dialogue is witty throughout. I just really liked the premise and had no idea how things would end up. There were lots of interesting surprises and moments. The descriptions brought Newport to life for me; even though I've never been there I could easily visualize it. Some parts were funny, in a really amusing way.

Even though Alison jumps back and forth in time, she doesn't make it confusing and gives a lot of insight as to what led Phoebe to the Cornwall at the same time as Lila's wedding week was kicking off. It felt like kismet in some ways. There were times in the flashbacks where things felt a bit confusing and I wasn't always sure how much time had passed. Especially since the present events take place four years ago (although it would have been two years ago when the novel was published). It helped when she included the years. 

As I have now proven, it's never too late to give this one a try. It's just a really enjoyable read that I couldn't get enough of. I'd love for there to be a sequel, as long as it's done in the same amazing way and perhaps through Lila's perspective. I definitely recommend The Wedding People!

Movie casting suggestions:
Phoebe: Mary Holland
Lila: Kristine Froseth
Gary: Ryan Eggold
Patricia: Kate Vernon
Marla: Meghan Ory
Jim: John Mulaney

Matt: Clive Standen

(Trigger warnings below. May contain spoilers.)

More by Alison Espach:

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance

The Adults

Someone's Uncle

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TW: Suicide attempt, divorce, infidelity, death of parents, death of spouse/mother, death of pet.

Book Review: Before You Were Anne

By Jami Denison

Author Emiko Jean has followed up her first thriller The Return of Ellie Black (reviewed here) with another book featuring police detective Chelsea Calhoun and horrific, female-centered crimes. Before You Were Anne takes readers from Japan to Idaho to Seattle, tracing one woman’s experiences with men who betray her and the detective who tries to solve the mystery before another woman dies. 

When a Japanese woman is found murdered and her sixteen-year-old daughter kidnapped, Chelsea feels a special connection to the case. Of Japanese ancestry herself, Chelsea was adopted by a white family after being left at a fire station as a baby. Now pregnant, Chelsea is determined to find who killed Anne—who was called Rika in Japan—and took Naomi. At the same time, new questions arise about her own background. Is Chelsea too distracted to save Naomi and find Anne’s killer?

Before You Were Anne is told from three perspectives—Chelsea and Naomi’s in third person, and Anne’s in second person. The choice of second person for Anne ties in nicely with the structure of the title, and perhaps Jean thought it would make the reader identify with Anne more easily. I found the choice to be off-putting: Every time Jean used the word “you,” I thought to myself, “No, I would never do that.” These sections narrate Anne’s life and illustrate the many bad decisions that led to her murder. From her teenage years to her death, Anne is naïve and trusting and never learns from her mistakes. But her vulnerability makes her easy to root for, and her death is tragic. 

Naomi’s questioning of her past is the catalyst that leads to her mother’s death, and while Chelsea doesn’t know this, the reader does, and their similarities make the book feel thematically consistent. By the end, Chelsea learns about Naomi’s investigations, and she wonders how much to delve into her own background. It’s a nice segue for the next book.

More broadly, though, Jean’s world view as expressed by the Chelsea Calhoun books is seriously dark. She’s not a graphic writer, which I appreciate, and the reader is spared gory scenes that her setups imply. The first book dealt with a misogynistic cult and this one also features systemic abuse. Calhoun lives in a scary world where no one can be trusted. It’s troubling to think that it’s also ours. 

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

More by Emiko Jean:
Tokyo Ever After
Mika in Real Life
We'll Never Be Apart

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Spotlight: A Murder Uncorked

We're pleased to announce that the Nikki Sands Wine Lover's Mystery series by Michele Scott is currently being adapted for film. A Murder Uncorked is set to star Emma Roberts and Lucas Bravo, with Legally Blonde screenwriter Karen McCullah adapting the screenplay! We're sharing more about it here.

When an entitled customer with a bad attitude gets Nikki fired from her job as a waitress, Nikki Sands finds herself caught in the sights of the wealthy and incredibly sexy Derek Malveaux.

Impressed by her knowledge of wines – and embarrassed by his date – he offers her a job as a winery manager at his vineyard and she accepts because – well, a girl’s gotta eat.

Where else would her wine expertise come in handy anyway? The eye candy was a nice bonus too.

On her first night at Malveaux Estate, Nikki finds something wrong with the fertilizer around the bushes by her cottage: there’s a dead body in it.

Smack in the middle of the investigation, new girl Nikki is questioned as the prime suspect and told to stay put in Napa Valley. Nikki puts her sleuthing skills to work as she navigates the dramatic dynamic of Malveaux Estate’s residents. As she gets closer to the truth, Nikki realizes she will have more than just a new job to worry about.

A Murder Uncorked is the first book in the seven book Wine Lover’s Mystery series. The series is full of romance, murder, mystery, and there are excellent recipes for you to try between each chapter! (Synopsis courtesy of Michele's website.)

Michele Scott is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels, including cozy mysteries, thrillers, young adult fiction, and women's fiction. She is best known to cozy mystery readers for the Nikki Sands Mystery series. 

Writing as A.K. Alexander, Michele has sold more than one million thrillers, including the #1 UK Amazon bestseller Daddy's Home. A lifelong horsewoman, Michele is also CEO of Professional's Choice, Inc. She lives in San Francisco. 

Visit Michele online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram * TikTok

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Book Review: The Second Chance Cinema

By Melissa Amster

At the end of a dark alley, a magical cinema glitters with The Story of You on the marquee. When Ellie and her fiancé, Drake, stumble upon it during a late-night walk, they’re shocked to discover what’s playing inside the red-velvet auditorium: their formative memories.

Uneasy about what the theater might reveal, Drake hesitates, but Ellie, haunted by a fractured night from her past she can’t fully remember, insists they return. As their memories projected on the screen inch closer to the present, they realize they’re both keeping secrets from each other.

With their wedding on the horizon, Ellie and Drake must decide if revisiting their pasts will alter their vision of a future together. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I was initially interested in The Second Chance Cinema because I loved the cover and the premise sounded fascinating, as I'm into surreal novels. I'm so glad I finally got a chance to read it, as it was really thoughtful and engaging.

The Second Chance Cinema is about an engaged couple who stumble upon this gorgeous old-style movie theater that shows just one film, and it's only for them to watch because it contains their memories. Over the course of watching the progression of memories, they learn new things about themselves and each other...stuff that could end their marriage before they even say "I do."

The premise of this novel was really cool with how it included magical realism, but that was only one aspect since everything else was genuine. The surreal part made me think of The Night Circus in some ways. A lot of information unfolds while they are watching their memories and it makes them question their relationship. The revelations kept me turning the pages, wanting to see what would happen next. There was a lot that felt relatable. Even the parts that weren't relatable felt emotionally accessible. The dialogue and descriptions really made the story come to life.

I liked Ellie and Drake as a couple and was hoping they would reach their wedding day unscathed. However, the way they learned more about each other and their secrets made that difficult, to say the least. 

If you missed out on reading this novel last year, it's never too late to pick it up. Be sure to have some good-tasting popcorn nearby though! (You'll see what I mean soon enough!)

Movie casting suggestions:

Ellie: Sophie Cookson

Drake: Tom Brittney

Melinda: Meghann Fahy

(Trigger warnings below. May contain spoilers.)

Thanks to Atria for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This made me think of the novel

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TW: Death of sibling. Divorce (parents).

Kat Mackenzie’s latest experiment has chemistry...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to have Kat Mackenzie here to celebrate the publication of her latest novel, Experiments in Offline Dating. This virtual vacation romance sounds absolutely delightful. Thanks to HarperCollins, we have THREE copies for some lucky readers!

Kat Mackenzie is an American who just happened to find herself living abroad for ten years and accidentally traveling to over forty countries in an attempt to taste all the food. She holds degrees from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Oxford but has discovered that they serve her best collecting dust on the shelf while she pens comedy-forward stories about women who travel.

Visit Kat online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:
A sharp-witted enemies-to-lovers romcom about a podcaster who embarks on a matchmaking tour of Ireland and gets trapped with a grump who pushes all of her buttons.

Maya Davis is chronically terrible at dating. So much so that she's turned her catastrophic dating experiments into a full-time job. Hellbent on dating "offline" for her second podcast season, Maya travels to Ireland to meet the world-renowned local matchmaker, and gets set up on a slew of horribly funny meet-ups that are exactly the type of comedy gold she was looking for.

At the town’s annual Matchmaking Festival, Maya wins a blind date with a surly local sheep farmer. But while she's had every bad date in the book, nothing could have prepared her for the apocalyptic, full-body-cringe that is the worst date of her life!

All she wants to do is forget it ever happened, but when the mischievous matchmaker talks her into a whirlwind dating adventure, he fails to mention that it's with the one person in Ireland that she just can't stand - her blind date catastrophe!

Trapped together, Maya and Tadhg journey across picturesque landscapes and green countryside until their constant verbal sparring feels increasingly like chemistry. And the more time they spend together, the more Maya begins to wonder if perhaps she’s not so catastrophic at love after all.

Brimming with humor and delicious tension, this heartfelt travel romance is the perfect escape!

What is a favorite compliment you received on your writing?

Hmmm. It always touches me to hear that I gave someone hope about rising from the ashes of their current situation. I absolutely love when people go traveling and visit the sites, pubs, and restaurants that I recommend in my books. I have also been told that my writing is a masterclass on insults, and I find that particularly delectable!

How is Maya similar to or different from you?

Actually, Maya is more similar to me than my last FMC Alice. I’m pretty calm and I tend to just go with the flow. I use humor as a competitive sport. Dates don’t stress me out the way they do Maya, and unlike her, the scientific part of my brain has long since atrophied. But I do have six foster-fail rescue pets!

If Experiments in Offline Dating was made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Oh my goodness - this one is so difficult. I think I’d like Aiden Turner for Tadhg with his gorgeous Irish accent, or a messy, bearded Henry Cavill. But Maya is impossible. I actually had a line in my book about which actress she looked like (since Jackie is always comparing people to actors), but I had to take it out because I just couldn’t decide! We would need someone with a wry, comic deadpan, and a mess of curly hair! 

Note from Melissa: Glad to throw my hat into the ring. 😉

Which book made you fall in love with reading?

So so so many. But perhaps one of the first that truly made me laugh was Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. More than anything, I want my books to make people laugh. It is my only goal.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 

Ha! I love this question. I’m going to say David Attenborough, because I am a scientific anomaly which should be studied.  

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see? 

Right now? I travel a lot, but at the moment I’m at my family home in Louisiana, so I’d take you kayaking in the swamps and then for a Cajun foodie tour, and then off to New Orleans for a pub crawl and music… and probably more food, let’s be honest. 

Thanks to Kat for chatting with us and HarperCollins for sharing her book with our readers.

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 August 30th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: The Getaway

By Jami Denison

There are still two weekends before summer is unofficially over. If you’re feeling sorry for yourself because you’re not spending it at a mansion in the Hamptons with your closest friends, take Kiernan Scott’s latest thriller, The Getaway, to the pool. It’s an excellent reminder that Hampton billionaires are jerks and your best friends can kill you. 

Every year, Marshall and Marley and their closest couple friends go to Marshall’s brother Lincoln’s enormous estate in the Hamptons. But this year, it’s going to be different. Lincoln divorced Marley’s best friend Lily (who’s drying out in rehab) and replaced her with Hazel, who just had his baby. Sean and Suzy (and her little dog Winston) along with Josh and Juliet (who are always having the worst fights) don’t know what to expect this year. Who are Grant and Gemma, and why are their obnoxious teen daughters always filming everything? And what’s this about a hurricane?

When the couples arrive, they’re stunned to find envelopes left for each of them, just like Lily used to leave. But instead of Lily’s gentle words of encouragement, the anonymous writer has revealed their biggest secrets and greatest fears. It’s no surprise that the friends start turning on each other. And then the bodies start to fall. 

The premise reminded me a bit of the Netflix series The Four Seasons. I love the show, but I never understood why Anne didn’t just kill Ginny. She could have made it look like an accident. But she was too nice a person.  

There’s no one in The Getaway that’s too nice, except maybe Marley, so I had some trouble getting into the book. I expected most of the drama to be centered around the friends trying to deal with Hazel while still feeling loyal to Lily, and that’s not really a factor. Lincoln is a jerk; everyone screams at each other; there’s a rapper and a wild party on the grounds for some reason; the teens are obsessed with their internet followers and Suzy’s dog. 

Still, the book is a very well-structured locked-room mystery, and Scott pulls a rabbit out of hat at the midway point, revealing a tie that had previously been concealed. It’s tough to keep track of so many different characters, but the location is lushly portrayed, and the storm is realistic and terrifying. The ending is emotionally satisfying. 

Setting a locked-room mystery during a storm is becoming an increasingly popular choice, and fans of the genre have many of these books to choose from. Summer may be almost over, but hurricane season lasts until the end of November. Choose your friends carefully before sharing a house with them.  

Thanks to Over the River PR for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Kieran Scott:

Wish You Were Gone

Regrets Only

People Will Talk

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Book Review: I Love You, Charlie Tanner

By Melissa Amster

It’s never too late to become your best self…

After twenty years in an isolated Cape Breton commune, Charlie Tanner loses the man she thought was her soulmate—and her voice. Fleeing to a quiet Vermont cottage, she’s determined to heal, tend her garden, and start over.

When a widowed rabbi awakens feelings she thought were gone forever, Charlie must confront the truth of her choices—and chart a more confident future. Still, reverberations and rumors from her old life ripple back to her in her new home and hard as she tries, she just can’t escape the sinister truth of her last two decades. She tries to shut it out and build a new life, but Charlie’s past continues to haunt her, even to the point of threatening her life.

Finally, Charlie sees that no one will save her but herself. She must summon the courage to face the truth and speak up—be the strong woman she once wanted to be, long before she fell for lies and charismatic personalities. It’s not only her life on the line, now. If she doesn’t stand tall, she risks being silenced by the past and losing those she loves forever. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I had been hearing some good buzz about I Love You, Charlie Tanner, and recently got the chance to check it out for myself. I'm so glad for that because it was so easy to fall in love with. 

The story was both comforting and unsettling at the same time. I just couldn't get enough of it! Lynne really explored the emotions that come with someone shutting out their family for a long period of time. There's just so much to unpack. We see flashbacks from Charlie's life on the commune, while she's currently trying to learn more about herself in her new life. 

I really just loved so much about this book. Lots of Jewish joy, great steamy scenes, genuine emotion and dialogue, descriptions that brought the story to life even more, and an interesting premise. The characters worked so well and had a variety of layers. 

I wish we had an update on something but I can't say what it is as to not spoil the story. I just felt like a certain aspect got left up in the air even after part of it was resolved. I also wish there had been a conversation between Charlie and her parents about how they treated her when she was a kid. None of these concerns were deterrents to the greatness of this novel, however.

I Love You, Charlie Tanner is currently available on Kindle Unlimited. Definitely check it out and bask in the warmth and generosity of this novel!

Movie casting suggestions:

Charlie: Milana Vayntrub

James: Ryan Hurst

Parker: Either Michiel Huisman or Max Greenfield

Charlie's mom: Stepfanie Kramer

Mary: Marguerite Moreau

Boden: Xavier Dolan

Indira: Matilda De Angelis

(Trigger warnings below. May contain spoilers.)

More by Lynne Golodner:

Woman of Valor

Cave of Secrets

Forest Walk on a Friday

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TW: Death of significant other/spouse, death of friend, parental neglect, being in a cult, being threatened, domestic abuse, PTSD.