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 September 7th 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.

Sara and Melissa Talk About...Our Favorite Songs

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are now into our seventh year!

Since we've shared about our favorite movies, TV shows, and books, we thought it was only fair to talk about our favorite songs today! Maybe you'll want to add some of these to your playlist?

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.

Melissa Amster:

I can't imagine life without music in it and love so many songs. It was hard to narrow it down, since I'm just sharing ten of them today and also split them between rock/pop music and show tunes. This is just a sampling of songs I love, but they definitely rank high on my favorites list!

Rock/pop:

"If You Leave" by O.M.D.: I don't like Pretty in Pink, but I've always loved this song. It's just so melodic and has a great tune and lyrics. It totally brings back the eighties for me.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen: Ever since I heard this song in Wayne's World, I had to go out and get the soundtrack right away to hear it again and also had to memorize it, of course. I still love it 34 years later and will turn up the volume and sing along whenever I hear it.

Courtesy of YouTube

"My Favorite Mistake" by Sheryl Crow: I love the guitar riff and tune, and Sheryl's singing is so good in this one. 

"Right Back Where We Started From" by Maxine Nightingale: It was my theme song a while back. I love the instrumentals, which makes it sound fun and carefree. Like with "Bohemian Rhapsody," this song is also from the year I was born. 

"Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia: No matter how often I hear this one, I never get sick of it. It's just so nineties for me. I know it's a one hit wonder for Natalie, but I love the album this came from too.

Back in 2012, I was challenged to come up with a playlist at my personal blog. Three of the above songs were on it at the time.

Show tunes:

"What Baking Can Do" from Waitress: I can't get enough of this song. It's so enjoyable to listen to and sing along with. Of course, I love baking, so there's that!

"Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors: My favorite song from this musical. It's so sweet and genuine. Especially because Audrey's not feeling like she deserves Seymour and he's totally crushing on her and now is his chance to make a move. It was especially fun hearing my son sing it when he played Seymour this past summer. (I'm sharing the movie version in the link because Ellen Greene is the ultimate Audrey.)

Courtesy of SoundCloud

"It Takes Two" from Into the Woods: Even though I'm burnt out on Into the Woods for the time being, I still love this song. It just speaks so well to marriage and partnership.

"Take Me or Leave Me" from Rent: What, you think I wouldn't include a song from my all-time favorite musical? It's the best song to sing along with. I even used it for my answering machine in college. ("Take me baby, or leave me...a message, thanks.")

"If I Were a Bell" from Guys and Dolls: Such a fun and melodic number about realizing you like someone. I love the rhyme scheme from it too. The lyrics just work together so nicely. 

Sara Steven:

Trying to determine my favorite songs of all time has been an extremely difficult task. I love and appreciate so many songs, so trying to narrow it down was tough. I decided to make a list of twenty songs that have gotten me through the years; the ones that even now when I listen to them, it takes me right back to the place and time when the lyrics resonated with me the most. In no particular order: 

Sia: "Breathe Me" (This one still brings me to tears whenever I hear it. Anyone who is familiar with HBO’s Six Feet Under and saw the series finale will understand.) The link is to the closing of the finale.

Eddie Money: "Take Me Home Tonight" (The first song I ever loved when I was six years old. I’m not sure why.)

Note from Melissa: I used to always think he said "I don't want to let you go till you're civilized." 

Crosby Stills & Nash: "Southern Cross"

Fiona Apple: "Sleep to Dream"

Courtesy of IMDb

Radiohead: "Karma Police"

Yelle: "Que Veux Tu (Madeon Remix)" (My kids used to dance to this song a lot when they were little.)

Massive Attack: "Teardrop"

Duran Duran: "The Chauffeur"

Garbage: "Supervixen"

Fleetwood Mac: "The Chain" (Anything by Fleetwood Mac is usually a go.)

Prince: "Erotic City"

Alanis Morissette: "Perfect"

Billy Joel: "She’s Always a Woman" (My first boyfriend had said that this song reminded him of me when we were teenagers. It’s beautiful.)

Courtesy of Medium

Metric: "Gold Guns Girls"

Mazzy Star: "Fade Into You"

Nirvana: "About A Girl"

Van Morrison: "Into the Mystic"

Pearl Jam: "Black"

Taylor Swift: "The Fate of Ophelia" (I only like a few songs by Taylor, but this one really sticks with me after I hear it.)

Phil Collins: "We Said Hello, Goodbye" (Another song that makes me feel emotional when I hear it. It hits home even more the older I get.) 

What are your favorite songs?

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Spotlight and Giveaway: The Last Pirouette

We're excited to share Janette DeFelice's debut novel, The Last Pirouette. Both the premise and the cover look really interesting. Thanks to Wildbound PR, we have THREE copies to give away!

A haunting, emotionally charged novel about the burden of being a woman, the grip of childhood trauma, and a mother’s fight to reclaim her life before losing her daughter—and herself—forever.

When Delia lands a coveted spot with a prestigious New York ballet company, she steps into a world of beauty, betrayal, and brutal ambition—while her mother, Victoria, is left behind to confront the wreckage of her own unrealized dreams and long-buried trauma. A cryptic prophecy shadows their lives and as Delia’s path toward womanhood is marred by injury and manipulation, Victoria embarks on a tender, midlife metamorphosis—rekindling her own desire and learning, too late, that letting go is not the same as giving up.

Told with lyrical grace and unflinching honesty, this haunting, feminist portrait of art, sacrifice, and rebirth reminds us: life dances on, a tragic ballet. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

“The Last Pirouette by Janette DeFelice is filled with striking imagery and emotional intelligence; it's a novel that understands how women carry the weight of other women's lives, and the liberating journey towards finding their own.”
—IndieReader

"DeFelice has a true gift for storytelling, and a gentle and graceful voice to carry us through the many twists and turns of a novel that reads like nonfiction. Heart-breaking. Crushing. Beautiful."
—Sondra R. Brooks, author of Not Good Enough Girl

Courtesy of Janette's Facebook page

Janette DeFelice is a health sciences professor, author, essayist, former professional dancer, and physician who chose motherhood over medicine. Her work explores performance, motherhood, ambition, trauma, and the female experience. She lives outside Chicago with her husband, twin teenagers, and an orange cat.  Visit Janette at her website and on Facebook.

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 25th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: The Mountains We Call Home

By Melissa Amster

When Cussy Lovett, a Packhorse Librarian famed for bringing books to the people of Appalachia, is unjustly incarcerated, she finds a new calling as a prison librarian, bringing hope to downtrodden women and voiceless city residents alike, finding a home even while separated from those she loves. A vivid portrait of mid-century Kentucky, from the hills and hollers of Appalachia to a vibrant city neighborhood on the cusp of urban renewal, The Mountains We Call Home explores the effects of criminalization and incarceration on the poor and powerless, while tracing the societal consequences of fractured family bonds.

Gritty, heartbreaking, yet infused with hope, The Mountains We Call Home is an authentic American tale and a powerful testament of strength, survival, and the magic of the written word. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I was excited to read The Mountains We Call Home because I enjoyed the first two novels in the Book Woman series. 

I loved this novel and was recommending it while only halfway through! It was great to reunite with Cussy and learn more about what happened while we were getting Honey's story in the second novel. The Mountains speaks to the transformative power of books and how important it is to be kind and not judge others by their appearance or background. I love how Cussy connects with people through her love of books. It was really beautiful and heartfelt. Especially since so many people had been mistrusting of her because her skin is blue.

I don't want to say too much as to not spoil what happens because I want you to be as surprised as I was. I felt like the ending was rushed a bit with a huge time jump, but it's mainly because I wanted the story to go on even longer. I also felt like there were some things left unanswered based on a decision made later in the novel. Neither of these concerns took away from how much I loved this novel!

Be sure to read the first two novels and then dig into this one! While it reads well as a standalone, it's so worthwhile to check out the first two novels so you can really get a feel for the characters and what led up to the events of this novel. I hope you will enjoy this series as much as I did. And if you only have time to read one of the novels, definitely make it this one as there's still a lot of context to make it easily understandable.

Reviews of the first two novels:

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: Goodreads and Storygraph

The Book Woman's Daughter: Goodreads and Storygraph

Movie casting ideas: 

Cussy: Brie Larson

Jackson: Tim Rozon 

Honey: Oona Laurence 

Mrs. Claxton: Lynn Whitfield

Warden: Frances McDormand

(Trigger warnings below. May contain spoilers.)

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

More by Kim Michele Richardson:

The Sisters of Glass Ferry

Liar's Bench

Godpretty in the Tobacco Field
 

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TW: Incarceration, bullying, racism, mistreatment of prisoners, sterilization/eugenics, lobotomies, medical emergency, death penalty, domestic violence

Spotlight and Giveaway: The Best I Never Had

We're excited to celebrate the publication of Amy Buchanan's latest rom-com, The Best I Never Had. If you like the fake-dating and/or forced proximity tropes, this one is definitely for you! Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have THREE copies up for grabs!

They staged a romance, faked a breakup, and this time around, anything can happen—even something real.

Thea Pappas has always been the storm in her own life—fiery and unpredictable—traits that led her and her younger sister, Addy, through a series of foster homes. But with Addy's whirlwind engagement, Thea is determined to be the perfect maid of honor, even if she finds it odd that she hadn't heard of the fiancé until the ring was on Addy's finger. She believes she can survive a week in the Blue Ridge Mountains with a group of strangers without causing any trouble.

But upon arrival, Thea realizes these aren't strangers. Among the familiar faces is Owen Hayes—the man who, three years ago, paid her to pretend to be his girlfriend at a family wedding. Now, he's looking at her with the same panicked expression.

Owen's life has always been about control—managing his mother's matchmaking schemes, his family's expectations, and the career path he never truly chose. Thea was his one rebellion, a beautiful lie that ended with a "heart-destroying" fake breakup. Now, with his younger brother's wedding underway and his mother on the prowl, Owen begs Thea to reprise their roles. One week. Same fake breakup. No feelings.

But as old sparks reignite and the lines between pretense and reality blur, Thea and Owen will have to choose: carry on their greatest performance yet or admit the truth—that it was never fake at all.

"THE BEST I NEVER HAD is a fun twist on two of my favorite tropes, fake dating and second chance romance. With a hilarious cast of secondary characters, a dreamy forced proximity setting, and some serious steam, this is a must read for any rom com fan." 
—Falon Ballard, USA Today Bestselling author of Change of Heart

"Deliciously hot, poignant, and brimming with tenderness, Amy Buchanan is at her best in this smart, sexy romp that paints a deeply romantic portrait of love, identity, and the family we choose for ourselves."
—Heather McBreen, author of Wedding Dashers

"The Best I Never Had is brimming with irresistible charm, sharp humor, and poignant moments that will tug at your heartstrings. It has the perfect ingredients for a five-star romance: a seemingly prickly female main character who's a softie at heart; a cinnamon roll leading man who's sexy as hell; lovable side characters that will keep you in stitches; and yearning for days. For. Days. This was a joy to read!" 

—Mia Sosa, USA Today Bestselling Author of When Javi Dumped Mari

Credit: Erinn Brown
Photography

Amy Buchanan’s affair with romance and books started at three, when she watched Beauty and the Beast and couldn’t decide if she was more obsessed with the prince or the library (The library. Definitely the library). After decades of devouring love stories written by others, she decided to share the ones pinging around in her brain. She writes fun and spicy contemporary romances with relatable heroines, swoonworthy heroes, and loving found families.

She lives in Central Florida with her three littles, two pups, and one husband. On top of writing, she uses her Masters in Higher Education Administration to run a scholarship foundation for first-generation college students. When not working, she trolls travel sites for luxury rentals outside of her travel budget and–poorly–trains for half-marathons.

Visit Amy online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram * TikTok

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 23rd at midnight EST.

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Book Review: You Know Why

By Jami Denison

Travel features frequently in domestic suspense novels. Husbands are always disappearing from flights, not on flights they were supposed to take, or dying in plane crashes, then showing up years later. Ladies, keep a close eye on your men when you’re traveling together!

In J.T. Ellison’s latest thriller, You Know Why, photographer Brooklyn Locke doesn’t lose her husband Trey until he misses their connecting flight in Atlanta, leaving her stranded with their two kids and no money. (The Atlanta airport is a nightmare. It’s easy to see how this could innocently happen.) On the flight is Eden Barrow, who claims that she and Trey went to high school together in Georgia. But that doesn’t make sense. Trey is from Connecticut, and why is she calling him Andrew? Does Eden have something to do with Trey’s disappearance?

When Eden tells Brooklyn that Trey was married to her sister Chloe and then murdered her, Brooklyn doesn’t believe it. But airport footage shows Trey leaving in an Uber, and now Brooklyn’s credit cards have been canceled and her bank accounts drained. Eden is the only person she knows in Atlanta, and the only person she can trust. But can she?  

You Know Why begins like typical domestic suspense, establishing Chloe’s murder and going between Brooklyn and Eden’s first-person points of view. I dug in expecting a book similar to Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me. Instead, it’s closer to a police procedural—police officer Theresa Lee has her own (third person) point-of-view that dominates the investigative part of the narrative—and Trey’s POV pops up early on, revealing that he did not kill Chloe. For much of the book, Brooklyn is unable to investigate what’s going on, and the other points-of-view center around scary Russian hit men, cyber crime, drugs, embezzlement, and other elements not generally found in domestic suspense. Brooklyn’s own past comes into play, and she might not be as innocent as she initially seemed. 

As a huge fan of domestic suspense, I was disappointed that You Know Why didn’t deliver the payoffs I wanted from the genre—an everyday woman protagonist who investigates the mystery and twists that come from relationships. But if you’re a reader who wants more thrills, chases, exotic bad guys, gun shots, and three letter agencies, you should find You Know Why appealing. 

No matter what kind of fan you are, You Know Why delivers a powerful message: Never board your plane without your entire party. 

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

More by J.T. Ellison:
Last Seen
A Very Bad Thing
Tear Me Apart

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Book Review: You'll Be the Death of Me

By Melissa Amster

Verdella “Dell” Rodgers is at the top of her game. As the chef de cuisine at San Francisco’s hottest new restaurant and on the cusp of marrying the mayor’s son in the social event of the season, her life is perfect. That is until the week before her wedding when she wakes up and finds herself very much dead.

Enter Cole, a charming but bumbling entry-level clerk in the Afterlife Administration who accidentally confuses Dell for a 95-year-old woman in Kansas with the same name, claiming the wrong soul. When Cole tries to fix his mistake, their worlds collide in life- and death-changing ways.

Now walking the city as a ghost only visible to Cole, Dell is frantic to get back to her perfect life but soon learns that it wasn’t what it appeared to be, particularly when it came to the man she was about to marry and his high-profile family.

Meanwhile, Cole has no memory of who he was before working for the Afterlife Administration. As they try to uncover Cole’s past and remedy Dell’s future, they realize the mistake that brought them together might just be a twist of fate. With time running out to bring Dell back to the land of the living, she’ll have to decide if the life she left behind is truly what she wants, or if Cole’s untimely appearance could lead to an unexpected change that she didn’t know she needed. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I had such a great time reading You'll Be the Death of Me! I feel like I breezed through it because it was so captivating and also because I wanted to find out where Dell went wrong in her life.

You'll Be the Death of Me has a lot of elements that made me think of Ghosts, including possession, ghost outfits, hauntings, ghost rules, and even romance. It's entertaining and a nice "snack" while waiting for the next season of the series (or at least the Halloween episode). It also involves cooking/restaurant ownership and there's even a living character named Jay (although that's a nickname).

The novel is mainly about a successful woman in her thirties who shares a name with a much older woman and gets mistakenly deceased by someone who works in the Afterlife Administration. He has to help her figure out where she went wrong in life in order to fix the mistake. 

I just really enjoyed everything about this story. I was worried that they got to the climax too quick, but then there was more happening, so it made sense to get that part out of the way. Holly handles the topic of death in a sensitive and thoughtful way whenever it is approached, while keeping the charm of the story alive. There's a lot of humor that balances the melancholy parts out nicely. You definitely need a suspension of disbelief though! Surreal gets taken to a whole new level.

I also love how San Francisco plays into this novel. I've never been there, but Holly painted such a great picture with her descriptions that I felt like I was visiting every time I opened it.

You'll Be the Death of Me is a charming novel that I think rom-com lovers will enjoy thoroughly! 

Movie casting suggestions:

Dell: Sofia Carson

Cole: Marc Herrmann

Jay: Brandon Flynn

Robbie: Emjay Anthony

Tommy: Pierson Fode

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

Also by Holly Michelle: Last Night Was Fun

Holly Michelle also writes rom-coms as Holly James, including The Big Fix and Name Your Price.

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Lisa Roe makes family baggage worth carrying...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Jordan M. Roe

We're excited to have Lisa Roe here today to talk about her latest novel, Big & Lily. It sounds like such an interesting story and it is getting rave reviews from authors we love. We hope you will check out our interview with Lisa, as it was a lot of fun. There's even a tie to our interview from earlier this week, so see if you can find that. Thanks to Harper Perennial, we have THREE copies to give away!

Lisa Roe graduated from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and spent many years as an advertising creative director and copywriter in New York City before she accepted the tougher job of stay-at-home mom and turned to writing fiction—mostly to entertain her kids, but then to tell her own stories. A classic first born, reluctant empty nester, and Dr. Doolittle wannabe, Lisa lives in New Jersey with her husband, David and three incorrigible dogs. Big & Lily is her second novel.

Visit Lisa online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:
The Ackerman sisters couldn’t be more different. Big is the glue to her family – the person everyone depends on – but she’s struggling to keep it all together with her retired husband, senior mother, and adult children all under one roof. Her younger sister Lily seems to have it all – a charming and successful business owner with a loving husband.

But when Lily finds out her husband cheated on her with one of their employees, her “perfect” life falls apart. Shocked and overwhelmed, Lily does the only thing that makes sense to her – she runs away from it all. She signs up for an Alaskan adventure and gives Big no choice but to join her.

Arriving in Alaska alongside a group of strangers, Big and Lily quickly realize they are unprepared for a week in the wilderness as they navigate freezing rivers, unmarked trails, and more than one near-death experience.

A trip that was supposed to be a comforting escape from their lives back home in suburban New Jersey quickly becomes a far more meaningful experience. The defenses they’ve used to protect themselves begin to crumble, and they’re forced to face everything they’ve spent decades avoiding: resentment, regret, envy, and the terrifying possibility that the other one’s life might not be as easy as it looks.

"You will devour this delicious novel like you might a bag of trail mix in the outback. It's sweet. It's salty. It's everything you need as a reader to keep you nourished." 

— Steven Rowley, New York Times bestselling author of The Guncle

"A heartwarming, fast-paced story, Big & Lily follows two sisters whose thrilling—and at times perilous—adventure in the wilds of Alaska teaches them everything they need to know about what really matters in life." 

— Amy Poeppel, bestselling author of Far And Away

“Big & Lily is a hilarious thrill ride that had me doubling over in stitches. Wildly entertaining, heartfelt, and powerful—this story grabs hold of you and hangs with you well after the last page.”  

— Annie Cathryn, multi-award-winning author of The Friendship Breakup

What is a favorite compliment you've received on your writing?
I’ve been so grateful to have received some lovely comments from readers. It means the world to me when someone says they relate to a specific character in one of my books, because not only are my characters like family to me, but there is a little piece of me in each of them. 

I must say though, I just received the compliment of a lifetime when a reader, who recently discovered my debut novel, Welcome to the Neighborhood wrote, “If Tina Fey doesn’t option this, I’ll be shocked!” It doesn’t get much better than that! 

Which character is more similar to you, Big or Lily?
Let’s just say that Bridget and I have a lot in common. As the eldest of four, I’m the stereotypical Big Sister with all the classic traits: in-charge, organized, goal-oriented, and reliable, with a skosh of perfectionism and a dash of anxiety. While my two younger sisters are nothing like Lily, I do take the responsibility of mother henning them very seriously, whether they like it or not. 

If Big & Lily was made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Speaking of Tina Fey… 

I always cast my books before I start them. And nine times out of ten, the lead is Tina Fey! (Now you can understand the pure delight I felt in hearing that reader’s comment!) Tina would make the perfect Bridget aka Big (are you listening, Tina?) She could easily handle the Big Sister who wants to kill her younger sib but is still willing to die for her any day of the week (and almost does in the book!) For Lily, I picture Jennifer Lawerence. She’s beautiful, sharp witted and smart—the perfect baby sister. 

What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
I recently read and blurbed Maddie Dawson’s upcoming novel, Set Your Life on Fire. It’s the story of two strangers who take an unplanned trip across the country, with different reasons to reach their destination quickly, and how their lives change during their travels. I’m a huge Maddie fan, always delighted with her engaging voice, her irrepressible characters, and her quirky take on love and romance. Unfortunately, readers are going to have to wait until November 10th—although it is up for preorder now. 

What is a question you would want someone to ask you?
So far, with all the questions I’ve been asked about Big & Lily, surprisingly no one has brought up the fox in the book. I’d love to talk about not only my obsession with woodland creatures, foxes in particular, but about the lore of crossing paths with a fox who can, and I paraphrase, help you make decisions and changes and find your path when you are lost, all important themes in Big & Lily. 

What is something you had a good laugh about recently?

I’m afraid to admit that I’m someone who cracks up at stupid Instagram reels and memes of dogs being weird and people falling down and mom stand-up comics and My Therapist says jokes. I forward them to my bestie and wait for her to respond with a hahahahhaha or LOL or ROFL and then send one back. And so forth, and so on, ad infinitum…

Thanks to Lisa for chatting with us and Harper Perennial 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 18th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Two Lives with You

By Melissa Amster

When Dana and Nigel got married, they had such promise. After sixteen years, the cracks are showing.

Dana is a burned-out ER nurse, and Nigel is a recently unemployed stay-at-home dad whose professional identity is disappearing. Questioning the directions their lives have taken, Dana and Nigel are each granted a wish from a mysterious stranger. For one week they can escape the pressure of their lives in favor of ones in which they never married.

Waking up in an alternate reality where their youthful, individual dreams have come true is, at first, a marvel. When they meet by chance in Bali, Dana recognizes Nigel instantly, but he feels only an inexplicable connection to this stranger. And they discover there’s a catch to their wishes.

Returning to normal—and to the long-haul love they vowed would be forever—won’t be as easy as they thought. As the clock ticks down, Dana and Nigel face an impossible choice that will test the very foundation of their relationship and alter their lives forever. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I enjoyed Lauren Ho's first two rom-coms, so I was excited to read Two Lives with You, especially because of the surreal aspect. 

I read this whole novel in one day! It was just so absorbing and I had to see how everything would play out. The dual narrative worked well for this story too. Even though it's about a marriage that is on the rocks, there is a lot of romance involved and I know you'll be rooting for Dana and Nigel to work things out, just as I was.

While I loved the surreal aspect, some parts of it got complex and confusing after a while. I was trying to figure out how things could actually work a certain way. 

There was nothing predictable about this novel and I was surprised by how some things played out. Overall, everything felt really genuine, especially the dialogue. Dana was so relatable but I also felt a kinship with Nigel.

If you want a rom-com that's something different from the usual tropes, definitely give this one a try!

(Trigger warnings below. May contain spoilers.)

Movie casting suggestions:

Dana: Olivia Thirlby

Nigel: Henry Golding

Pia: Nichole Sakura

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

More by Lauren Ho:

Last Tang Standing

Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic

Sharpen Your Knives (coming in 2027)

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TW: Job loss. Serious car accident. Possibility of death. Potential for infidelity. PTSD. Talking about bad things happening to children. Depression.

Amanda Sellet gives us something to say “oui” about...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to welcome Amanda Sellet to CLC today to celebrate the publication of her latest rom-com, My Best French Wedding. We've featured some of her books in the past and are glad we got a chance to chat with her this time. Her answers to our questions were enjoyable to read and we hope you will like them too. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have FIVE copies to give away!

Amanda Sellet is a former journalist and the author of rom-coms for teens and adults, including By the Book, which Booklist described in a starred review as, “impossible to read without laughing out loud.” She loves old movies, baked goods, and embarrassing her teen daughter. Visit Amanda at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:

Will it be l’amour the merrier or too haute to handle when rival reporters with a tangled history compete to tell the story of the year at a ritzy destination wedding?

Once upon a time, Walter was Hildy’s favorite person—until he crushed her teenage dreams. A decade later, she has a new beloved: the magazine she built from the ground up. Unfortunately, getting rid of Walter isn’t as easy as shedding her romantic illusions. He’s always around, vying for the juiciest scoops on the elite wedding circuit and provoking her into public displays that don’t scream “mature and sophisticated media maven.”

When Hildy scores exclusive access to the wedding of the season—a week-long parade of luxury in southern France—it’s a chance for her magazine to finally make its mark. Except Walter isn’t sitting at home crying; he’s right there in France, trying to steal Hildy’s story. Again.

Now it’s a head-to-head battle to see whose coverage will make it to print. The problem? Between the champagne and the chateaux, it’s easy to lose sight of the prize. Hildy knows better than to believe in fairy tales, but Walter is doing his best to convince her they could have a part deux.

In this gender-flipped twist on His Girl Friday, Hildy has seven days to prove she is totally over it, living her best life, and definitely not hung up on the past . . . or Walter.

“Sellet is one of the wittiest writers out there.”

―Dahlia Adler, author of Soon by You

“A joyful escape, a loving tribute to a fabulous film, and a perfect fit for armchair travellers who enjoy a lot of push in their push-and-pull love stories, and a lot of “com” in their rom-coms.”

―Jacqueline Firkins, author of The Goode Girls of Maple Lane

“Amanda Sellet is a comic genius.”

―Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

What is a favorite compliment you've received on your writing?
When I was still working for a newspaper full-time, I wrote a story about one of the top restaurants in Chicago. A few days after it ran, I got a call from the very famous chef’s personal assistant, asking me to hold, and then the chef himself got on the line to thank me. He told me that no one had ever written about his food so well, and since he and his restaurants had been featured in media outlets all over the world, that was thrilling to my early career self. Plus I care deeply about food, so I loved the idea that my words might have been able to bring that sublime meal to life for readers. 

How is Hildy similar to or different from you?

On the surface, Hildy is a bold and confident extrovert who acts first, whereas I am much more likely to lurk in the background making snarky comments and second-guessing myself—though I did give her some of my insecurities to balance the bravado. Nor do I share her economic privilege, to put it mildly; my background is closer to Walter’s in that respect. 

Where Hildy and I align most closely is probably our career ambitions. Writing books is a quieter lifestyle than running a magazine, but both pursuits demand a level of persistence that can appear borderline delusional from the outside. You gotta want it, as my middle brother likes to say. 

If My Best French Wedding was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
For Hildy, I’d go with someone curly-haired who has enough of an edge to handle the rapid-fire dialogue, so maybe Zendaya or Odessa A’zion. And for Walter, I think Andrew Garfield has the right slightly shy vibe, and his hair is also on point. 

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
As a very early reader, I couldn’t get enough of Greek mythology and fairy tales and the Arabian Nights, but if we’re talking books in the strictest sense rather than collections of stories it was probably somewhere between The Light Princess by George MacDonald, The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley, whichever Madeleine L’Engle I read first, and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series. The years between second and fifth grade may have been my peak reading era!  

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

Emma Thompson would be my first choice, though Tina Fey might be more fitting. 

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
The first stop would be my local indie, The Raven Book Store, to meet the majestic resident cats, Sammy and Dean, and do a little shopping. Assuming you aren’t gluten-averse, we would follow that up with a Tour de Beurre, as I have dubbed my self-guided downtown bakery crawl. Bougie donuts, a twice-baked croissant, homemade pie—there are so many options, depending on your tastes (and your tolerance for buttery pastries). Plus we might run into a few local author friends and join them for a beverage and a chat, which is one of my other favorite treats.  

Thanks to Amanda for visiting with us and to St. Martin's Press 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 17th at midnight EST.

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