Book Review: Class Reunion

By Sara Steven

A phone call from jail pulls attorney Lennon Gallagher back into a past she's spent years trying to escape. Complicated doesn't begin to describe the bond between Lennon and the caller, a former law school classmate. Now, Erin stands accused of the very violence Lennon has spent her career fighting against. It's a conflict of interest, but isn't everyone entitled to competent and effective legal defense?

What starts as a plea for help spirals into a murder trial that threatens to incinerate Lennon's professional reputation as well as her upcoming marriage. Guided by her best friend, seasoned lawyer Miranda Quinn, Lennon digs for the truth, only to find a mountain of evidence that points to Erin's guilt. The cost of loyalty is high, and the stakes are even higher as Lennon questions if Erin was ever truly her friend.

But does that make her guilty of murder? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both books that delved into Lennon Gallagher’s life; first with Class Action (reviewed here), and now with Class Reunion. Lennon has a very complicated relationship with Erin, someone who she had once thought of as a good friend, but there has been too much water under the bridge for Lennon to ever fully trust Erin again. Yet given Lennon’s familial past, not to mention the legal issues Erin faces, Lennon feels it is her duty to do whatever she can to help Erin, even if it might mean putting her own career in harm’s way.

The way Lennon’s story is written is easy to follow and kept me interested and focused on the situation at hand. What should be a straight shot into figuring out how to defend Erin, becomes extremely messy and chaotic. It gets to the point that Lennon really isn’t sure if Erin is innocent or not, particularly when Erin brings in a former classmate of theirs who is very antagonistic and a big threat to Lennon. And then when Lennon gets put on trial, the lines become severely blurred. The moments where Lennon had a choice in whether she wanted to engage more with Erin or not, I kept hoping she would make the right choice and back away, but she kept getting deeper and deeper into the mess.

I first learned about Lennon through Olmstead’s Miranda books, and it was really nice to see Miranda make appearances in Class Reunion, along with her husband, and Lennon’s mother, too. It’s my understanding that Miranda has a lot of legal experience and is a mentor for Lennon, so it made sense for Lennon to go to her for assistance and guidance, even if Lennon chooses not to always take Miranda’s advice. Maybe things would have gone differently if she had. But we might not have had as much suspense and intrigue leading up to whether Erin truly is innocent or not, and whether Lennon can climb herself out of the drama and get back to what sustains her the most: helping those who can’t help themselves.

I felt like Class Reunion was a great follow-up to Class Action, a worthy five-star experience!   

Thanks to Gail Ward Olmsted for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Gail Ward Olmsted:
Miranda Writes
Driving on the Left
Landscape of a Marriage

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Reviews at Amazon: July - September 2026

We're posting some reviews at our Amazon (or Goodreads) accounts, as either they've been sitting in our queue for a while and deserve their time in the sun, fall under our featuring policy, or they're new reads that we couldn't wait to post at the blog. You can check them out at the links below. Hope we can help you find your next favorite book!

Sara:
The Barbie Killer by Julia McDermott
Painting Over Cracks by Lee Bukowski
Gutted by Maida Korte
The Model Patient by Lucy Ashe
The Death Row Club by V.A. Vazquez

Melissa:
Love You More by Emily Giffin
Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
Isola by Allegra Goodman
Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood
Bump, Set, Sparks by Jennifer Moffatt
Summer Husband by Amy Lorowitz
Twenty Something Else by Stephanie Mack

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We're over the moon for Kate Robb...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Christina Dallimore

We're excited to have Kate Robb visiting today to talk about her upcoming rom-com, Solar Eclipse of the Heart, which will be available next week. The premise sounds fascinating and we enjoyed learning more about this novel, as well as other fun facts about Kate. Thanks to Random House, we have one copy to give away!

Kate Robb is the author of This Spells Love, Prime Time Romance, and Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance. She dated a lot of duds in her twenties (amongst a few gems) all providing excellent fodder to write weird and wild romantic comedies. She lives just outside of Toronto, Canada, where she spends her free time pretending she’s not a hockey mom while whispering “hustle” under her breath from the bleachers, a Pinot Grigio concealed in her YETI mug. She hates owls, the word “whilst,” and wearing shorts and aspires to one day be able to wear four-inch heels again. Visit Kate at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:

Annalise Harris lives by facts and figures. Raised by her uncle after her mother’s death, she’s always relied on logic to avoid the unexpected. So when her uncle passes away, Annalise is left reeling.

Luckily, she has an escape plan: a PhD program abroad to leave her grief behind. Unluckily, Mackenzie Smith, her new roommate, is not the woman she was expecting but a leather jacket–wearing, wannabe rock star, extremely attractive man. At least they’ll only be sharing space for a few months. Then she’ll be gone.

Except Mackenzie is more than he appears—and so is his jacket. When Annalise slips it on one afternoon, she’s struck by inexplicable visions that defy every law of logic. As Annalise scrambles to explain the impossible, she and Mackenzie grow closer.

There’s no rational reason a leather jacket should unlock visions—or for Annalise to fall in love just as she’s preparing to leave. But for the first time since losing her uncle, she feels something she thought was gone for good: happiness.

But can she trust it? And can she follow her heart—even if it means letting go of sense? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“As always, Kate Robb delivers a gorgeously written, wonderfully romantic, and deeply heartfelt exploration of two characters finding themselves and fighting for what they want and deserve from life.”

—Lily Chu, author of The Stand-In

“Solar Eclipse of the Heart is fun, lighthearted, and a reminder of the magic that can happen when we take a chance and step out of our comfort zone. This is a must-read for anyone who loves a sweet romance with a little bit of heat.”

—Nisha J. Tuli, New York Times bestselling author of Not Safe for Work

“Robb puts a gentle speculative spin on this cute . . . forced proximity romance. . . . Their dynamic shifts into something straight out of one of the Hallmark Christmas movies they bond over watching together. . . . Add in a backdrop of holiday cheer, and readers are sure to find this endearing.”

—Publishers Weekly

What is a favorite compliment you've received on your writing?
I think the compliment I love the most is when people tell me they read one of my books in a single night because I know that feeling of being so into a book that I don’t want to put it down, and for someone to feel that way about mine is such an honour. However, the most memorable email I ever got about one of my books was when THIS SPELLS LOVE first came out, a woman wrote me in the middle of the night telling me that her new baby was in the NICU and she had to wake up every few hours to pump, and that listening to my book on audiobook brought her joy in the middle of the night. I am a mom as well and I know how rough those nights can be and to know my stories helped someone get through those hard nights makes me so happy. I still think about them often. 
 
How is Annalise similar to or different from you?
Annalise is probably the character I’ve written that is the furthest from my own personality (I am much more of a Mackenzie.) I make wishes on stars and turkey bones and hold my breath when I pass a cemetery (unlike my very practical MC who has scientific reasons why I shouldn't care about those things.) Funny enough, the most whimsical thing about her (her deep love of Christmas Hallmark movies) is not something I’m into either. I actually love watching dark crime/mystery shows in December.
 
If Solar Eclipse of the Heart was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Anya Taylor Joy has the perfect personality (and face for bangs) to play Annalise. For Mackenzie, I could see Glenn Powell playing him perfectly (he’s got the golden retriever act down.)
 
Which book made you fall in love with reading?
I was in love with reading as a kid. I could take down an entire set of Baby-Sitters Club books in a week. My first “romance” was a  YA fantasy book called Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (I still love it to this day.) Sophie Kinsella, specifically The Undomestic Goddess, made me fall in love with rom-coms. 
 
If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
Comedian Kathryn Ryan. She is funny and a bit of an asshole (in the best way) and I think she could relate to my life. She inspired Kirsten (Gemma’s older sister in THIS SPELLS LOVE), who is the character who is probably the most like me. 
 
If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I would take you on a book tour! We could head downtown Toronto’s Queen St. and see Annalise & Mackenzie's apartment. Maybe grab some lunch at La Tambour (where they filmed Heated Rivalry.) Then we could drive to St. Jacob for the Christmas Market (another scene from Solar Eclipse.) Then maybe up to Muskoka/Baysville where we could see the lakeside setting of Hannah Bonam-Young’s People Watching/ People Pleasing. 

Thanks to Kate for chatting with us and to Random House 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 October 5th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: I Think We Should Kill Other People

By Jami Denison

Artificial Intelligence has been credited and blamed for many things: Revolutionizing medicine. Easing business communications. Hallucinating events. Destroying new author’s careers. The whole Skynet thing. Would you trust it to find your true love?

L.M. Chilton seems to have his fingers on the pulse of the zeitgeist in his writing, and his third book, I Think We Should Kill Other People, is no exception. Hazel and Marc met as part of a reality show that used AI to find a soulmate. But Hazel dumped Marc at the altar, and now she’s stranded with his obnoxious rich family at a small, deserted, snowed-in airport in Norway. When the show’s producer is murdered in the bathroom after threatening to use his footage to expose the family, Hazel realizes she’s locked in with a murderer. Can the AI help Hazel unmask the killer, or will she become the next victim?

I Think We Should Kill Other People is written in first-person, present tense, and goes back and forth between the fraught airport scenes and Hazel and Marc’s courtship. A bottle hostess with a convict father, Hazel seems an unlikely match for Marc, and their dates are a little awkward. Even worse, a person in a red coat seems to be stalking and threatening Hazel when she’s with Marc. 

Chilton does a great job describing the eerie, cold, deserted Norwegian airport, and I will never look at a baggage claim conveyer belt the same way again. The book is fast-paced and funny, delivering the goods that readers expect from sarcastic thrillers about serial murders. He sneaks in commentary about rich people getting away with everything while taking over the world, which is always appreciated. He holds a mirror to AI. There’s a fun twist at the end. However, I was disappointed by the reveal of the killer. While thematically the motive made sense, the degrees of separation made it emotionally unfulfilling. 

Since dating apps seem to have destroyed romance in the real world (more choices are not always better), and younger generations are uncoupled as never before, maybe AI is the answer. It can give Gen Z their soulmates while it steals our jobs, our homes, and our hopes for the future. In the meantime, we have authors like Chilton to keep us entertained. 

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

More by L.M. Chilton:
Don't Swipe Right
Everyone in the Group Chat Dies

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Book Review: Something About Julia

By Melissa Amster

One murder. Three women. And the therapist who knows all their secrets.

Julia Teller’s perfect life shatters the day she finds her husband stabbed to death in their hilltop San Diego home. Blair Banks, a high-powered pharma exec and Julia’s neighbor, may know more than she lets on when detectives ask her what she saw. Sixteen-year-old Isabel Hartley remembers Julia acting strangely that morning when she ran into her at the library, but she doesn’t believe that her neighborhood friend could be so violent. Inconsistent stories leave detectives wondering if the three women are conspiring to hide the truth—especially when they learn that they share more than just an elite zip code. They also share a therapist.

Dr. Kate Cooper finds herself torn between acting in her patients’ interests and seeking justice for a brutal crime. Julia’s marital problems always surface during therapy sessions; obsessive Blair might be overly invested in her neighbor’s life; and lonely Isabel clings to anyone who shows her affection. Intimate knowledge of each woman’s life positions Dr. Cooper to help detectives unravel the crime, but pulling the thread puts her on a dark path to a truth she may not want to find. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I've enjoyed all the rom-coms I've read from Holly James and was interested in checking out her first thriller, Something About Julia. I'm pleased to share that Holly is as skilled at thriller writing as she is at rom-com writing!

This story kept me on my toes and had me turning the pages quickly. There were surprises around every corner. I was only able to guess at one aspect but nothing else was what it seemed. I liked how the story unfolded and was told from different perspectives. Something About Julia was so gripping and suspenseful! It was also easy to visualize everything, thanks to the attention to detail throughout. I don't want to say too much more to avoid spoiling the story. 

I hope Holly will write more thrillers in the future as she definitely has a knack for them. Check this one out on Kindle Unlimited!

(Trigger warnings below, aside from the obvious. May contain spoilers.)

Movie casting suggestions:

Julia: Maika Monroe

Dr. Kate Cooper: Lucy Hale

Detective Mercer: Alan Ritchson

Detective Ramirez: Lorenza Izzo

Chris (Kate's husband): Patrick Ball

Jacob: Colin Woodell

Blair: Elizabeth Gillies

Isabel: Juliet Donenfeld

More by Holly James:

The Alias Agenda

Nothing But the Truth

In Between Forever

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TW: Sexual assault, suicidal ideation, bullying, death of parents, loss of money, toxic relationship.

Tara Badstubner is making herself at home with us...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to introduce Tara Badstubner, whose debut, Every Room Remembers, will be available from Sibylline Press starting tomorrow. It's giving similar vibes to the eighties film Always. And a ghost story is perfect for this time of year. Thanks to Books Forward, we have one copy to give away!

Tara Badstubner lives in Pennsylvania and is busy creating her next novel surrounded by her husband, children, grandbabies, and several silly dogs. A former Artist-In-Residence for Bookgardan, Tara can be found at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:

After losing her husband Wyatt to a sudden accident, interior designer SJ Monroe believes she is alone with her crushing grief. But nothing is further from the truth. Wyatt, a ghost trapped in a liminal state, must watch in silence, unable to help, as the woman he loves rattles around their unfinished farmhouse in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He mourns all that remained unresolved in their marriage – the children they never had, the depression that stalked him, and the fractures in their relationship.

Over the following months, SJ survives, aided by the company of Wyatt’s dog, Hawk, and nightly drives to Wendy’s for her habitual fry and chocolate shake. She marshals the courage to take a restoration job for the historic Osprey House in her hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina. A vigilant Wyatt follows as she reconnects with family and finds new friends. Signs from the natural world urge her forward. But not everyone wishes her well. 

While trouble looms, an ever-watchful Wyatt resolves to find a way to speak to SJ from beyond the grave – to tell her to abandon the grief and guilt consuming her, and to claim her happiness. Will she hear him? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“Badstubner has created the most beautiful space: a novel we can sink into, that we don’t want to leave. This luminous debut is masterfully built and beautifully detailed, echoing with the fullness of life—the dark moments as well as the glorious light.”
—Stacey Swann, author of Olympus, Texas

“In prose as sure and subtle as a steadying hand on one’s shoulder, Badstubner’s characters find a way to walk into their unimagined futures, where love and memory, the author reminds us, have the power to outlast us all.”
—Kate Moses, author of Cakewalk: A Memoir

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
The road to publishing this book required a high degree of tenacity, patience and blind optimism.

How is SJ similar to or different from you?
SJ’s affinity for interior design is one point of similarity. I’ve always been intrigued by architecture and by what makes a home welcoming and beautiful. My own home has been a refuge for me many times over.

If Every Room Remembers was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I think Emily Blunt or Carey Mulligan would be interesting picks for the protagonist, SJ. As Wyatt, SJ’s husband, now a ghost, Michael Fassbender or Andrew Garfield would do a great job of capturing his reflective regret.

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
The very first book that completely captivated me as a child was Eloise. I have vivid memories of sitting on my bedroom floor with the book open in my lap, studying those detailed black-and-pink illustrations, especially the one of her bedroom. To me, Eloise was living the high life: a home at the Plaza, an elevator ready to take her anywhere and a pet turtle!

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
First, I’d be amazed that anyone was interested, but I suppose I’d go with Rachel Weisz. She has a fabulous husky voice.

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I would take you to a beautiful gem of a garden called Chanticleer. We’d ramble along the paths and take our sweet time, and then I’d take you to a nearby French café for lunch.

Thanks to Tara for chatting with us and to Books Forward 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 September 29th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Sugar Sand Land

By Sara Steven

Twenty-eight-year-old beauty Emerson Blue is the second most followed celebrity on social media. A self-proclaimed “living piece of art” who rose to fame as a reality star and then parlayed her celebrity into a megabucks career as an influencer, she seems to have everything.

Forty-eight-year-old Grammy winner Renn Walker is a fallen country music star. Years ago, he was canceled following allegations of sexual misconduct, and he has lived in seclusion ever since. Once a beloved figure, he seems to have lost it all.

When Emerson and Renn meet, sparks fly. Against all odds, a star obsessed with popularity and a recluse shunned by the world fall in love. Everyone in the public and media has an opinion and thinks they know Emerson and Renn. But in a world dominated by social media—a world that blurs the lines between what’s public and private, what’s real and what’s illusion—do we ever really know anyone? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Sugar Sand Land reminded me a little of the TV show Nashville, although maybe I’ve had Hayden Panettiere on my mind as of late, and Emerson Blue reminded me of Hayden. She is a bright light who draws people to her in all the best of ways, yet is an enigma and not easily understood. No one knows where Emerson comes from, or her past. The only thing they know is how much of a force she is in the social media realm.

Renn Walker has been living in seclusion for years after a public fallout he’d had over allegations of sexual misconduct, and he has no clue how to use social media, or who Emerson is. I think that was a big factor in the attraction Emerson has for Renn, because he’s not interested in her based on her platform, or what she can offer him. He genuinely falls for her based on who she is as a person, a rarity for Emerson. But socially, it doesn’t look great. Not for either of them. The rumors about Renn have far surpassed him, and no one trusts that their budding relationship will survive. 

There are also secrets that Emerson holds close, her hidden past buried so deep, not even the sleuthiest of the sleuths could ever figure it out. But events out of Renn’s control crop up, and he won’t let Emerson go, not without a fight. And not without discovering the real truth behind Emerson’s origins. I thought it was interesting to see how far both of them will go to do what they feel they need to do, in order to protect, and preserve, who they are as individuals and also as a couple. 

Sugar Sand Land was an interesting take on what goes on behind the scenes of what we see in our social media lives. How much of it is real, and how much of it is generated for the public, showcasing our best selves and graying out the other areas that we don’t want anyone to find out about. I’m not a big presence on social media and I’m not super into it myself, but I watch plenty of reality tv to really identify with what Emerson and Renn are dealing with, most likely finding themselves in similar situations that I’ve seen on tv but have no real idea of what’s beneath that surface. I was on the hook and invested in their story from page one, right up until the very end! 

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

More by Patricia Leavy:
Spark
Hollyland
Cowboy Eyes

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Spotlight: Well Versed

Today we are celebrating the publication of Jen DeLuca's latest Renaissance Faire rom-com, Well Versed! This is the fifth novel in the Well Met series, but can be read as a standalone. (It contains spoilers for the first four books though, and you definitely should read all of them anyway!) Melissa enjoyed reuniting with all the characters and getting to know Caitlin better this time around. Check out her review on Goodreads and Storygraph. Whether or not you've been to a Ren Faire before, this novel (and series) will definitely put you in the mood to visit!

Caitlin Parker was eighteen when she fell out of love with the magic of the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire—the site of her first real heartbreak. But now, twenty-four and unemployed, she finds herself in her childhood bedroom and her childhood lady-in-waiting costume, assisting a rotating cast of substitute queens for the season. The very last person she wants to see is Alexander Wright—the sword-fighting, Shakespeare-spouting young man who won and broke her teenage heart. Yet there he is, older, annoyingly hotter, and back on stage at her Faire.

When Alex broke things off with Caitlin the first time, he thought he was just ending a summer fling. He didn't realize how much he’d fallen for her until he let her go, and he certainly didn't know he’d tarnished her memories of her cherished Faire and worse, shattered her view on love and relationships. His need to right that wrong this summer brings them together again and again, and this time, it won’t be so easy to let go of this summer fling.

But as summer winds down, real life is catching up to both of them. Caitlin’s always thought that being an adult with adult responsibilities means leaving whimsy behind. Alex, with a life full of stage combat, songs, and sonnets, doesn’t know how to live any other way. Can they go after their dreams and find a future together where they can still say “huzzah”? (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

“An absolute delight that will have you rooting for second chances and wishing it was Ren-Faire season!”
—Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Jen Deluca writes with exceptional warmth.”
—USA Today bestselling author Rosie Danan

"Featuring an endearing small-town setting, an elaborate Ren Faire backdrop, second-chance and new adult storylines, and a vibrant cast of characters from previous books in the beloved “Well Met” series, this charming novel will delight fans and new readers alike."
—Library Journal

Credit: Morgan H. Lee (2023)

Jen DeLuca is the USA Today bestselling author of the Well Met series, inspired by her time volunteering as a pub wench with her local Renaissance Faire, as well as the Boneyard Key series, set in a haunted Florida tourist town. 

Jen loves Publix chicken tender subs, cold brew coffee, and the Oxford comma. She lives in the Arizona desert with her husband, their rescue dog, and almost too many cats. (Bio courtesy of Jen's website.)

Visit Jen online:

Website * Facebook * Instagram

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Book Review: Thank You for Remembering

By Jami Denison

Soap operas raised me, so I’ve always had a pull toward amnesia plots. They can be a catalyst for any genre: thriller, historical fiction, mystery, comedy, romance. When you can’t remember your past, how can you plan your future? 

The heroine of romance-author-and-Jane-Austen-devotee Emily Harding’s new book, Thank You For Remembering, isn’t suffering from complete amnesia. When Marnie Stephens wakes up in a hospital, she’s only lost the past year. But what a year it was. In it, she left her life in Los Angeles to follow her boyfriend to Boston, only to get dumped. Even worse, she cut eight inches off her blond hair and now has bangs! With a box of mementos and her cute but grumpy neighbor as her guide, Marnie tries to relearn her new neighborhood in order to jog her memory. Will it lead her back to her old boyfriend… or to a new love?

Thank You For Remembering is a quick, light read that delivers its promises. Plucky Marnie, in her first-person narration, never gets too glum about her situation. When she is sad, she bounces back quickly. Romantic comedy is a genre in which protagonists get what they need (not always what they want), happily-ever-after is implied, and gentle jokes and funny situations abound. There are several chapters exploring Boston, the Red Sox, bars full of drinkers who sing "Sweet Caroline" and demand that people kiss. The twist at the end is easily predicted. No heavy lifting by the reader is required.

And yet, underneath this happy gloss are questions that go unprobed. Marnie was raised by a grandmother who told her to trust fate, even though “fate” killed her parents in a car crash and later stole her grandmother with dementia. Does “what was meant to be will be” mean avoiding responsibility for your choices? What does it feel like to give up your entire life to move across the country for a relationship that doesn’t work? These aren’t questions that Marnie engages in, and perhaps they’re not necessary in a romantic comedy. But I was angry on Marnie’s behalf, and there was no place in the book to deal with that anger. 

Thank You For Remembering is really cute, and readers who love Boston will be especially enthralled. Thriller fans like me might want to stick to genres in which women come out of amnesia with both guns blazing.  

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

More by Emily Harding:

How Freaking Romantic

Emma of 83rd Street (with Audrey Bellezza)

Elizabeth of East Hampton (with Audrey Bellezza)

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Spotlight: Tabitha, Stay Up

 

After a shattering disappointment, Tabitha must find new ways to get up—and stay up. 

In this sequel to Tabitha, Get Up, she faces a determined antagonist and a possible new love, or the return of what appeared to be lost love. She must save the world’s best bar, contend with diabolical twins and a persistent mystical vision, survive a former cowboy campground, refuse to count her blessings, and at last walk down the aisle again, although not in the way she anticipated. 

Tabitha continues her forays into philosophy—how to survive disaster, defy humiliation, and build a life where optimism may be renewed, whenever it needs to be renewed, which is by the minute.

**Can be read as a standalone**

Praise for Tabitha, Get Up:

"Riding herd, Upton wrangles a novel that writes itself and rights itself."

—Michael Martone, author of Plain Air: Sketches from Winesburg, Indiana

"Smart, funny...and a total joy!"

—Iris Smyles, author of Droll Tales

"It's Lee Upton's best, funniest, and most ingenious work of fiction yet."

—Brock Clarke, author of Who Are You, Calvin Bledsoe? 

Lee Upton is a multi-genre author who was named a semi-finalist for the 2026 Thurber Prize in American Humor Writing for her comic novel Tabitha, Get Up. A sequel, Tabitha, Stay Up, is forthcoming in September 2026. She is also the author of the literary mystery Wrongful (2025) and the dystopian thriller, The Withers, which published in June 2026. Her poetry has appeared in the New Yorker, Poetry, Agni, and in many other magazines as well as three editions of Best American Poetry. A volume of her new and selected poems is forthcoming in 2027 from Saturnalia Books. www.leeupton.com.

Visit Lee at her website and on Instagram.

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Sara and Melissa Talk About...Getting Older

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are now getting toward the end of our seventh year!

Since we're fifty (or close enough to it), we're talking about aging today.

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. 😊 We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them.

Sara Steven:

Lately, I’ve been watching Little House on the Prairie. Not the reboot on Netflix, but the old school TV show from the late seventies/early eighties. It’s a show I loved when I was a kid, and it’s become a bit of a comfort show for me when I have some downtime or need some downtime. 

In season seven, episode twenty ("I Do, Again"), Caroline, the matriarch of the Ingalls family, discovers she’s going through menopause. She assumed she was pregnant, so the news that she isn’t pregnant and very well may never get pregnant again was devastating for her. She felt like her life was over and even said something comparable to that. She didn’t want to tell her husband the news. She didn’t want to face the reality of any of it. 

It made me ponder over my own feelings of getting older, now that I’ve turned forty-eight this year. The changes I’m going through within my own body, new medications I never really thought about (or knew existed) in order to get through this phase in my life. It’s funny because I never knew what an estrogen patch was, but there are so many YouTube videos and articles out there about it. And the women who are applying the patches to their bodies are stunning, helpful, and seem to have no qualms about the patch. 

They certainly don’t seem to be lamenting over this next phase in life. And not that there’s anything wrong with that. I think a lot of us have mixed emotions about becoming middle-aged and feel like Caroline. In some ways I feel just like I did a decade ago, but in other ways, I know I’m not the same. I think there is a lot of deep processing, emotionally, mentally, and physically, to be had when you know you’ve got one foot in the past, and one in the future. It was only yesterday my children were little, and now they’re twenty-one and soon-to-be sixteen. It doesn’t feel like that much time has gone by. 

While I do miss them at those ages and stages, I also appreciate where they are now, and the relationship I have with my kids. They are stepping into their own special phases in life, just like I am. I think one of the reasons Caroline had a tough time was because she didn’t feel like she knew of anyone else going through it, like she was. But I have friends who are open and honest with me with what they’re experiencing. And I do the same for them. There is support. Camaraderie. And above all, I don’t feel like my life is ending. Some days are better than others. I can feel moody and sad. I know this is life-changing. But there can be good in having life changes, too. 

When I was in my thirties, I used to help out at a yoga studio in exchange for free yoga. The owner of the studio was in her late forties, and I remember thinking, “I could do this. I would love to do something like this when I’m older.” I recently realized that I’m there, now. Which prompted me to work on getting my yoga certification, so I can instruct. Who knows, maybe I’ll run my own studio someday. I’m also training for a duathlon in October. I work part-time. I adopted three guinea pigs who take up a lot of my time. I take care of my household, and spend time with my husband and kids. I’ve changed a lot, but I’m still the same. 

Towards the end of the Little House episode, after Caroline’s husband discovers the truth, she discovers that he loves her and supports her, so much so that they decide to re-marry one another and will re-marry every year moving forward. Which some might see as a little excessive, but I thought it was sweet. My plan is to continue to do the things I want to do in life, and find the joy in that, as best as I can, and lean on my support system when I need it, and be a support, too. So many of us are traversing through this period in our lives. It’s at times confusing, and difficult. I don’t have all the answers. But I know with support, we can all get through it. 

Melissa Amster:

I posted a couple months ago that I recently turned fifty. And this past weekend, my oldest child turned twenty-one. Time is just flying! Since Sara and I like talking about perimenopause symptoms and all that goes along with aging, this ended up becoming fair game for a topic. Don't worry, I'm not going to post about perimenopause. 

This past weekend, I was looking at some photos from my past and came across ones where my parents were in their forties or fifties. It was strange because they looked older than I look at the same age. I'm not even saying it to be mean. I know that there are celebrity pictures showing actors who were in their fifties back in the 1980s, but they look like they could be in their seventies. I was so shocked about Alice from The Brady Bunch being in her late forties on the show. 

Courtesy of Thunder Dungeon

Anyway, I feel young at heart, and also embrace being fifty. Yeah, there are physical things that go along with aging, such as aches and pains and the need to wear glasses more often than I used to. Sleeping is definitely a challenge. Even so, I feel like it's easy to stay connected with my kids vs. how challenging I made it for my parents as a teenager. My daughter still wants to spend time with me and doesn't mind being seen with me in public. She was also thrilled when I wore a shirt that said "Awesome Like My Daughter." I won't claim to know or understand their music and slang (especially when I thought "HELP" meant there was an urgent situation instead of not being able to stop laughing about something). However, we can have long conversations and it's really nice! 

I'm also doing things to make myself look and feel younger, like letting my hair grow instead of wearing it short like I used to, and focusing more on weight-loss and getting into better shape. I wear makeup more often than I used to, as well.

Overall, I can't complain about aging too much and every birthday is an affirmation of life. So instead, I'll leave you with some humorous images and memes and call it a day!

Courtesy of @the_80s_90s_guy

Courtesy of @nostalgiafreak

Courtesy of Happier Human

Courtesy of 9GAG

What are your thoughts on aging?

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Book Review: The Way We Are Now

By Sara Steven

First love, long-hidden secrets and second chances.

Anna Piasecki thought she had left her university heartbreak behind. After spending decades building a successful life, she arrives at sixty with everything as she wants it – a glittering career, a devoted partner and brightest star of all, her brilliant son Noah, the apple of her eye.

Theo Mandeville is trapped. Bound by aristocratic duty to his sprawling Yorkshire estate, he has spent decades living the life that was expected of him while regretting the star-crossed romance he walked away from.

When their children meet at college, Anna and Theo suddenly find their carefully constructed lives colliding. With a devastating forty-year-old secret hanging over them, can their families survive the truth and do they dare to trust that fate has other plans for them? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

The Way We Are Now is a timepiece gem. A lot of it takes place in the 1980s, and while the backdrop is set in the UK and I’m not familiar with that terrain, I could identify with a lot of what occurs for Anna and the other characters. There is a moment when Anna is using a payphone and it brought me right back to that period in my own life–the way it was described was dead on. The story begins in the eighties, with Anna trying hard to make a life for herself despite not having a lot of opportunities to do so. She is a miner’s daughter, and she is proud of that. But she wants to be more than a miner’s daughter.

It was fate at first sight when Anna met Theo. The way he lives his life is the complete opposite from Anna, with an aristocratic background that has already been mapped out for him, despite his best intentions. The two seem destined to be together in a much more tame Romeo and Juliet meets Pretty in Pink way, two star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of the tracks. Their fate has also been sealed by tragedy, and when relationships start in such a startling way, it can be tough to see it through. Through the decades moving forward, there are a lot of changes and stages for Anna and Theo, some for the better, some for the worse, that eventually tear them apart.

I didn’t know anything about the miners' strike in the UK, and I felt like the author really did her research and made the history of it interesting by incorporating the event with personal experiences had by the characters in the book. It added a depth and a perspective to it that really stuck with me. It also gave Anna more of the fire she needed to discover who she truly is and what she is capable of, even if it means going against the grain. She was my favorite, most likeable character. 

It was enjoyable to see where Anna and Theo are as they age, and even more enjoyable when their worlds collide in the most unexpected of ways, proving that sometimes things really do happen for a reason–but should it be pursued, and can you really go back, and continue forward? I’ve heard that time can heal a lot of things, which could be great for Anna and Theo. The Way We Are Now was a gentle nod to second-chance love, and I was there for it! 

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

Purchase Links:
Amazon US * Amazon UK * Barnes & Noble * Kobo

Julie Houston is the author of seventeen best-selling Women’s contemporary/Romantic Comedy novels. Represented by Anne Williams at KHLA Literary Agency, she was previously published by Aria/Head of Zeus but now writes for Boldwood. She has had UK top 100 selling books and Looking for Lucy hit the number 1 spot in Australia. Sing me a Secret was shortlisted for, and won, the Popular Romantic Fiction Award in 2021. 

Julie is Yorkshire born and bred and lives in Huddersfield where her novels are set. After University, where she studied Education and English Literature, she taught for many years as a junior schoolteacher. After teaching for a few years, she decided to go to New Zealand to work and taught in Auckland for a year before coming back to this country. She now teaches when the phone rings to cover absent colleagues and still loves the buzz of teaching junior-aged children.

Julie is married with a son and daughter, both in their twenties and now living in London. She has been a magistrate on the West Yorkshire bench for the last twenty-four years. 

Visit Julie online:
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Excerpt and Giveaway: If Not You

We're celebrating the publication of Ellen O'Clover's latest novel, If Not You, today with an excerpt for you to check out. This, along with an amazing cover and sizzling enemies-to-lovers premise, is sure to draw you in right away. Thanks to Berkley, we have one copy to give away!

Synopsis:
Mattie French has always known how to tell a good story. It’s why she stopped at nothing to land her dream career as a copywriter at a scrappy independent advertising agency. In fact, if it weren’t for one person, Mattie would probably be the most-talked-about rising star in town.

Campbell Porter is a senior copywriter at Chicago’s slickest agency. Absurdly talented, incredibly aware of it, and the bane of Mattie’s existence since they were interns together, Campbell is always just…there, with his golden-boy smirk and the familiar gaze that never fails to taunt her across a crowded room.

Mattie would love nothing more than to avoid Campbell forever. But when their agencies are pitted against each other to compete for a luxury resort account, it’s her chance to prove she can beat him—and earn the promotion she covets. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“This is my favorite read of the year. If Not You shows the beautifully devastating reality of yearning and life’s inevitable failures. Ellen O’Clover’s writing is stunning, smart, and never lets go of your heart for a single second. I will never stop recommending this book.”

—Julie Olivia, USA Today bestselling author of If It Makes You Happy

"The settings are enchanting, the writing is sublime, and readers should expect to fall deeply in love with both Mattie and Campbell. I certainly did. The saddest part of this book was turning the final page because I never wanted it to end."
—Lauren Connolly, author of PS: I Hate You and Love in Plane Sight

Excerpt:

It wasn’t until we left for college and then, eventually, moved to our own place in Chicago that I knew what it felt like to belong somewhere without the constant pressure of needing to earn my place. To be the quietest, or the politest, or the most talented, just so no one would look at me too hard and think: Is it time for her to go? “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you for a whole month,” Ava says, now. “Who will bang the water pipe for me? Who will tell me when the outfit I’ve put together is an embarrassment to all of womankind?”

Who will be there for me, I think, when you’re gone? But I don’t say this, because it isn’t fair.

“I only go if we win next week,” I tell her, instead. “Very high probability I’m not going anywhere at all.”

“Please.” Ava’s done with her nails and leans backward into the couch, careful not to disturb Pancake. Lev’s fish tank burbles from across the room. “You and Dexter are the best there is.”

“Well,” I say. My voice is even, but I can’t quite look at her. “Campbell Porter’s also going to be there.”

Ava gasps, closemouthed, like a lawn mower wheezing to life.

Her eyes are wide. “You didn’t tell me.” 

“I didn’t want it to be real.”

“Why is that man haunting you?” Ava demands. She sits forward, fingers splayed wide to dry. Behind her, warm light glows from beneath our ancient microwave. “Of all the agencies in Chicago.”

“Well, Wicksteed wants the best.” 

“Which is you.”

“And Campbell.”

Ava rolls her eyes. “Says who?”

“Cannes,” I say, flatly. “Adweek. Should I go on?”

“Well, I think he’s nothing but a washed-up prep school jock who gets off on putting others down.” She lifts one hand, pointer finger extended. “And, he’s too handsome for his own good.”

I let out a great gust of a sigh. “That’s not exactly an insult.” “It’s the truth,” she says. “You can’t trust anyone who’s that smart and that good-looking. Except us, of course.”

“So you think he’s smart,” I say, and Ava rolls her eyes again. “I think you think he’s smart.”

It’s the worst thing about Campbell. That he’s always accosting me with how exceptional he is.

When I don’t respond, Ava pins me with a look. “You need to ignore him, Mattie.”

“That’s the plan,” I say, though even now I’m picturing Camp-bell’s face. Haunting me, indeed.

“I know how you get around him.” 

I scoff. “How do I get around him?”

Ava hesitates, trying to spin up the word. Finally, she lands on, “Attack-y.”

“Attack‑y?”

“You know what I mean!” Pancake stirs at the rise in her voice, looking up. The crocheted blanket on the back of the couch, a housewarming gift from Mrs. Zimmerman, slips onto her back and she bolts out of the room. “He distracts you, Mattie. Don’t let this become about him.”

I’m insulted she would suggest it, and I feel my face going hot. “He doesn’t distract me.”

“You don’t need to prove anything to him,” Ava says, gentler. “That’s all I meant.”

But I do need to prove something to Campbell Porter. That I can do the one thing I’ve never done: beat him.

Credit: Noah Berg

Ellen O’Clover writes stories about love, identity, and belonging for both teens and adults. She grew up in Ohio and studied creative writing at the Johns Hopkins University before moving west to Colorado, where she lives in a little green house under a giant aspen tree with her rocket scientist husband and two perfect bulldogs.

Visit Ellen online:

Website * Instagram * TikTok

Thanks to Berkley for sharing the excerpt and 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 September 21st at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Love Felt Like This

By Sara Steven

Griffin Harvey lives his life in the spotlight. Reluctantly. The brooding famous singer-songwriter is on the cusp of composing his sophomore album . . . if only he could find the notes. But after gaining custody of his two-year-old daughter, the only music he’s writing is about shapes and counting to ten.

Enter Beverly, who lives her life in the background producing children’s television and laughter. Except joy is hard to find when her nonprofit loses funding. She sinks all of her savings to revive the children’s show by herself, but when her variety show appearance collides with Griffin’s, their banter and chemistry is caught on live television.

Suddenly, Griffin is singing a new tune. He needs a muse, and Beverly needs all the help she can get. With his secret daughter in tow, they hide out in her cozy mountain hometown, attempting to script, compose, and revive television magic. Their dynamic shouldn’t work. He’s all harsh tattoos and rough hands while she’s bright colors and gentle touches. Once their three months of work are done, they’ll return to their separate worlds. But what happens when it seems the true magic might be found in each other? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

Love Felt Like This is such a quirky, feel-good experience! I loved the dynamic between Griffin and Beverly, or “B” as she’s known by him and his daughter. Griffin is this larger-than-life contemplative man who fills a room, while B is a spritely ball of light who tends to stick to the wallflower lifestyle, completely by choice. Where she comes alive is when she can engage with children, a master of puppetry. Everyone knows the children’s television show she’s been part of for years, in many ways a family business that she takes great pride in. It reminded me of Sesame Street. Even Griffin knows of B’s alter ego. It felt so true to life when the children’s television show lost its funding, very reminiscent of the types of experiences witnessed by society today. When a moment between Griffin and B goes viral, potentially bringing back her beloved show, it sets the stage for possible romance between two unlikely characters.

I loved that Griffin did everything he could to get out of the celebrity lifestyle, in an effort to work with B and to give his daughter a different life. As time slowly progresses forward, the two learn more about the other, discovering that there is depth behind Griffin’s gruff exterior, and B is a lot more than the puppet she controls. I thought his take on the influences he wants to have around his daughter was very realistic, too. What isn’t realistic had been Griffin’s idea of total seclusion in B’s hometown. Even in the smallest of places, opportunists exist, which he discovers too late. There is a lot of fallout when Griffin and B are seen together, exploding the social media universe. 

They both come from completely different worlds. As much as B appreciates what reviving her beloved show could mean for her, not to mention the children whose lives she’s touched, she doesn’t want to live in a world where she can’t drive to the local grocery store without a camera shoved in her face. Griffin is used to it all, but he doesn’t want to drag B or his daughter through it. The question ultimately focuses on whether this unlikely couple can make anything work, when they both want ultimate success within their respective careers, knowing it might mean having to let love go. 

It was all portrayed in a realistic light. I can imagine plenty of real-life celebrity couples have had to deal with similar situations and circumstances. I appreciated the direction the story went in and how compromises needed to be made on both sides, making the experience I had while reading Love Felt Like This enjoyable and sweet. It was a definite five-star read!  

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

More by Julie Olivia:
If It Makes You Happy
Off the Hook
Thick as Thieves

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