Book Review: Happy Place

By Becky Gulc

‘Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?’ (Synopsis courtesy of Emily Henry's website.)

Every December/January I love seeing everyone’s top books of the year on social media. Emily Henry’s book Happy Place certainly made many ‘top’ lists last year so it quickly became one of many books I added to my TBR list for this year. I wasn’t familiar with Emily’s novels at the time but they certainly all looked like my cup of tea!

This is a thoroughly enjoyable novel that sucks you completely into not only Harriet and Wyn’s (now complex) relationship, but also the relationships between this group of long standing friends. The narrative works really well, switching between the ‘now’ whilst the group are enjoying this last getaway to Maine cottage, a place which means so much to everyone, and the ‘then’, Harriet and Wyn’s back story. 

The love and connection Harriet and Wyn have leaps off the page throughout, both in the then and now, which keeps the reader questioning why on earth these two ever broke up in the first place. I definitely got frustrated at some points as I just wanted to know what had happened between them and I was eager for them to reconcile! 

I enjoyed the bond between Harriet, Sabrina and Cleo and how their relationships evolve over the novel. The novel is great at exploring how long standing friendships can shift over time; as people grow and get busy with their own lives; yet still remaining fundamentally important to one another. The novel seems realistic of how relationships evolve as we go through life and at some point serious discussions about the workings of these relationships need to be had!  

Overall this was a very enjoyable read and I’ll certainly be reading more of Emily Henry’s work.

More by Emily Henry:
Funny Story
Book Lovers
People We Meet on Vacation

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Sidney Karger takes us on the trip of a lifetime...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Josh Towvim

We're pleased to welcome Sidney Karger to CLC. His sophomore novel, The Bump, released this week. It sounds like a whole lot of fun, and we are loving the cover. Thanks to Berkley, we have one copy to give away!

Sidney Karger is an award-winning screenwriter for film and television. He is a former writer/director with Comedy Central, MTV and AMC, among other networks, and contributing writer for Saturday Night Live, Billy On The Street, and McSweeney's. He currently lives in New York City with his partner and their Australian Labradoodle, Zelda. Visit Sidney at his website, and on Twitter and Instagram.

Synopsis:

Wyatt Wallace is a practical, super organized director of TV commercials. Biz Petterelli is a child-actor-turned-magazine-writer who thrives on spontaneity. Though polar opposites, they are fully committed to their relationship and their life in Brooklyn with their dog, Matilda. They’re also about to have a baby together.

And they’re freaking out.

They’ve both dreamed of becoming parents, but now that it’s happening, they’re doubting everything. Their baby is due in a few weeks and instead of flying to California just before the birth as planned, Biz has a better idea. They could use one last hurrah, along with some serious “us-time” to mend the issues they’ve been having lately—before they get tied down by fatherhood and its impending responsibilities. So the daddies-to-be load up their 1992 Volkswagen Cabriolet and embark on an epic cross-country babymoon. They attempt to recharge at the beach in Provincetown, stumble through their impromptu baby shower in Chicago, and endure a Star Wars-themed wedding in Colorado before heading west for the baby.

 

But when they take several unexpected detours, old wounds are reopened and secrets spill out that could change their relationship for better or for worse, forcing the couple to reexamine the meaning of family while building their own. After all, what’s a road trip without a few bumps along the way? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"With a fresh mix of Little Miss Sunshine and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Bump takes us on a laugh-out-loud and moving adventure. Wyatt and Biz are such vivid, relatable characters to root for as they navigate love and family with tears and hilarity. It's another sweet book from Sid and I didn't want this fun ride to end!"

—Molly Shannon, New York Times bestselling author, comedian, and actress

"The Bump is a journey. And like the best road trip novels it's an exploration of destinations beyond its characters' itinerary. Karger gives us a tender and humorous look at the evolving nature of gay relationships in an era of marriage equality and family. Fans of Best Men will welcome this follow-up."

—New York Times bestselling author Steven Rowley

“Filled with laughter and love, the hysterical Sidney Karger does it again, giving us Wyatt and Biz on their bumpy cross country adventure to start the family they have always wanted. A gem! Perfect for fans of Steven Rowley!”

—Jane L. Rosen, author of Nine Women, One Dress

What is something you learned from writing Best Men that you applied to The Bump?
I kind of knew this before writing both books but it really hit home when writing The Bump and that lesson is don’t be precious with your writing. No matter what draft I’m on, I’m never afraid to throw things out and start over. Having this rule under my belt is liberating and always allows me to keep my writing fresh and crisp. While writing The Bump, I went through several drafts experimenting with different ways into the characters and story until I felt like it was working. Starting over is your friend!
 
What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
My favorite compliment is when I hear my writing has made someone laugh out loud or cry. To make someone openly emotional with words feels like such an accomplishment. One reader said they were annoying their partner in bed at night while they were reading Best Men because they were laughing out loud so much. That’s the highest compliment. It also makes me so happy when readers thank me for writing a book they so deeply connect to with characters that make them feel seen.
 
If The Bump were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Jake Gyllenhaal as Wyatt and Ryan Gosling as Biz. Is that asking too much?
 
What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
I keep recommending Yellowface by R.F. Kuang to everyone who will listen. After writing two rom-coms back to back, I wanted to read something dramatic, a little darker and thrilling and this book really delivers on every level. It’s a wickedly satirical story about the book world and what lengths people go to in order to become an author. I couldn’t put it down.
 
If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
I love this question. Maybe someone like Brian Cox who could really give the story of my life some much needed gravitas and the occasional witty wink. Or someone surprising like Meryl Streep could narrate. Mrs. Streep could do various accents depending on her mood and then win all of the audiobook awards.
 
What is your favorite summertime activity?
Swimming! My parents taught me how to swim at a very early age so I turn into a fish whenever I hit the water and I never want to leave. Also, summer never feels complete unless we make s’mores over an open fire at least once. Swimming and s’mores is the perfect summer day.

Thanks to Sidney for chatting with us and Berkley for sharing his book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends May 28th at midnight EST.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to these books on Speechify!

Book Review: The Return of Ellie Black

By Jami Denison

“Why did no one ever tell her that the most dangerous thing in the world isn’t natural disasters or wars or weapons? It is unremarkable men with beautiful smiles and even bigger promises.”

Most missing girls stories end when the girl (or her body) is found and her attacker is captured. But in The Return of Ellie Black, prolific author Emiko Jean’s first thriller, the book begins when Ellie is found. But the mystery, instead of being solved, becomes even deeper. 

It’s been two years since teenaged Ellie disappeared, and Detective Chelsey Calhoun is overjoyed when Ellie reappears from the woods in Washington state. But her elation soon turns to frustration—Ellie doesn’t want to talk about what happened or help track down her abductor. What is Ellie hiding, and why? Chelsey, the daughter of a police captain, whose sister was killed in a murder-suicide when she was a teenager, can’t stop worrying about the other girls that Ellie’s captor could hurt. But with no cooperation from her police colleagues and stymied by Ellie’s stalling, Chelsey flails, putting her own marriage in danger. And then Ellie disappears again, and everything Chelsey thought she knew turns out to be wrong.

The Return of Ellie Black starts like a police procedural, but it unfolds in surprising, and sometimes completely unpredictable ways. While Chelsey, with her cliched backstory, is a pretty stereotypical character, Ellie is a completely original creation. The point-of-view is mostly Chelsey and Ellie’s, although sometimes Jean slips into omniscient narration. Several chapters in Ellie’s point-of-view are told in first person, and Ellie directly addresses the reader: “Here is a tip for all the girls out there: Never let an abductor take you to a second location.” She’s sharp, achingly regretful of her teenage mistakes, and sympathetic. Her description of her initial abduction and the techniques her captor uses to make her compliant almost require a trigger warning. The scenes describing her life in the compound where he keeps her are gritty, heartbreaking, and terrifying. Ellie is also an unreliable narrator, which makes the twists in the last third of the book completely unforeseeable. 

Jean has garnered some incredible reviews for this book that specifically cite the twists—and there are many!—of its ending. Personally, I thought Jean worked too hard to tie every plot element together. Rather than being impressed with her thoroughness, I felt disbelief at all of the connections. And although her reviews credit Jean with a feminist social commentary, I felt there was an element of women being blamed for turning men into psychopaths.

Despite my personal issues with the ending, The Return of Ellie Black is a refreshing entry in the police procedural genre. Kudos to author Emiko Jean for writing outside her typical genre. Her men may be unremarkable, but her women are a force to be reckoned with. 

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

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

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Spotlight and Giveaway: A House Like an Accordion

We're excited to celebrate the publication of Audrey Burges's sophomore novel, A House Like an Accordion. Melissa loved her debut, The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone (reviewed here), and has this new one in her five-book pile. Thanks to Berkley, we have one copy for a lucky reader!

A woman searches for her missing father in order to reconcile the many strange and fantastical secrets of her past before she loses herself completely in this deeply profound and magical novel by Audrey Burges.

Keryth Miller is disappearing.

Between the growing distance between herself and her husband, the demands of two teenage daughters, and an all-encompassing burnout, she sometimes feels herself fading away. Actual translucence, though—that’s new. When Keryth wakes up one morning with her hand completely gone, she is frantic. But she quickly realizes two things: If she is disappearing, it’s because her father, an artist with the otherworldly ability to literally capture life in his art, is drawing her. And if he’s drawing her, that means he’s still alive.

But where has he been for the past twenty-five years, and why is he doing the one thing he always warned her not to? Never draw from life, Keryth. Every line exacts a cost. As Keryth continues to slowly fade away, she retraces what she believes to be her father's last steps through the many homes of her past, determined to find him before it’s too late and she disappears entirely.

“Burges's A House Like an Accordion is a beautiful exploration of family and the threads that tie them together, whether magical or blood. Through Keryth's eyes, we see a poignant raw portrait of love and faith.”
—Roselle Lim, author of Night for Day

“A poignant look at the ties of family, A House Like an Accordion captivated me with its magic. I felt like I’d stepped into a contemporary fairytale I did not want to leave. Audrey Burges' words absolutely sparkle.”
—Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Roots and Ruin

Credit: Christy Davis -
From the Heart Images

Audrey Burges writes novels, humor, satire, and essays in Richmond, Virginia. She has stories published or forthcoming in McSweeney's, Cease, Cows, Into the Void, Human Parts, Empty Mirror, The Belladonna, Slackjaw, and Points in Case. When Audrey isn't writing, she's being tolerated by her two rambunctious children and very patient husband.

Visit Audrey online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends May 27th at midnight EST.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to these books on Speechify!

Book Review: Her Husband's Lie

By Sara Steven

She thought she trusted her husband with her life; but a lot can happen in a week…

Handsome doctor Matthew Delaney and his wife Nicole have a perfect life. So when Matthew suddenly vanishes, Nicole is in shock.

As Nicole searches for answers, she uncovers a trail of deceit leading straight to the mysterious Glasshouse – a staggering palatial home constructed out of cut glass and icy granite, clinging to the hillside in a gravity defying show of power and wealth.

But the more Nicole learns about the Glasshouse and all its secrets, the more she begins to doubt her husband. Matthew’s words before he disappeared were so reassuring, but now they are simply chilling…

‘Trust me, Nic, I’ll fix this.’ (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

This is the second book I’ve read by Amanda Reynolds, and it won’t be my last. She’s the master of suspense, right until the bitter end. At first, it’s obvious to the reader that there is definitely something that Matt is hiding from his wife, Nic. And even though he pleads his innocence and swears that there is nothing more going on than what she is aware of, when he disappears, it only further shows what lengths Matt would go to in order to protect himself. I couldn’t help but really feel for Nic. As chapters go by, we learn more and more about how imperfect this seemingly perfect marriage has been for years. 

It wasn’t until the last few chapters that I discovered just how deep the darkness goes. Since it’s mostly told from Nic’s perspective, there are a few things that go on behind the scenes that aren't brought forward until the end, and at first I questioned it. Is the truth that is revealed the actual real truth? Or will there be another twist? It’s a pretty big reveal. Through it all I felt sidetracked by other characters who took my focus away from the bigger picture, which made it a nice distraction and even more of a shock because I wouldn’t have expected things to end the way they did. 

The interaction between the characters could at times be tough to read. Lily, Nic and Matt’s daughter, has a lot of contention towards her mother, later explained but still not easier to digest. Matt’s sister Grace appears to always be meddling in their family affairs, as much as Nic hates it, because both women have a difficult time understanding one another and don’t appear to really know the truth of what’s really going on. Matt has bamboozled them both, and even after Grace becomes aware of that fact, she still lives in denial. Nic has dealt with a lot of tragedy in her life, a fact that no one seems to take into account, and this lack of care only adds to the layers of deception from all corners. 

The ending is chilling. It flips the narrative on its head, keeping me engaged from start to finish. The perfect main character is the one who is errantly flawed, and Nic fits that description to a T. I really enjoyed Her Husband’s Lie, a definite five-star experience!

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

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

Amanda Reynolds is a best selling author of psychological thrillers. Her debut novel, Close To Me, published in 2017 by Headline, was adapted by NENT Studios UK as a major six-part TV series starring Connie Nielsen and Christopher Eccleston. The series aired in 2021, on Channel 4 in the UK and on Sundance AMC in the US, as well as many other countries worldwide.

She is the author of four further psychological suspense novels, Lying To You and The Hidden Wife with Headline, and The Assistant and The Screenwriter with Boldwood Books. Her sixth book, Her Husband's Lie, published in May 2024.

Amanda Reynolds lives in the Cotswolds with her husband and their dog.

Visit Amanda online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Sign up for Amanda's newsletter.

Visit all the stops on Amanda's blog tour:

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Book Review: A Friend Indeed

By Melissa Smoot

When single mom Jo Dykstra was at her lowest—jobless and penniless—her childhood friend Dana McFarlane helped her out bigtime by securing her a teaching job and thus an opportunity for a new life in the affluent Pacific Northwest town of Glebes Bay. So, when Jo gets a frantic late-night call from Dana, sobbing and desperate for help, it feels like a chance to help her friend in return.

The last thing Jo expects to see when she arrives at Dana’s oceanfront mansion? Her friend’s handsome and wealthy husband, Stan, dead, sprawled face down on the floor. Dana admits to killing her husband following years of secret abuse and begs Jo not to call the police. For nearly two decades, Dana’s marriage and family had looked picture perfect. Who’d ever believe that pillar-of-the-community Stan was a monster? Determined to cover up her husband’s killing and shield her kids from scandal, Dana convinces Jo to help her dispose of the body.

But the cover-up starts to crumble when a blackmailer threatens to expose their crime. Hounded by gossipy neighbors, ill-fated lovers, and zealous cops, truth and lies are laid bare between Jo and Dana, putting their families in danger and threatening to shatter a thirty-year friendship. Shocking and fast-paced, A Friend Indeed is a riveting tale about the power of friendship and the deadly weight of lies.

A Friend Indeed was amazing. Ray’s writing flowed easily from scene to scene and kept me engaged from the very first page. The story was full of suspense, mystery, and drama. As I read, I was trying to find the context clues that would tell me where the story was heading, but it kept me guessing and frantically reading to find out how it would end!

I loved the dichotomy of Jo and Dana’s friendship, and how one was extremely wealthy and the other was down on her luck, financially. Each time a new truth was revealed, it led me down a different path and it was not until the very end that we learned what really happened that fateful night that Dana’s husband was murdered. This was a fast-moving story with so many twists and turns. There was the perfect element of creepiness, from Dana’s enormous old home to the notes being left by a blackmailer. Someone was watching Dana and Jo, but who? 

You will stay up all night, desperate to get answers and find out the truth. This book was riveting, and I highly recommend adding it to your summer reading list!

Thanks to Kaye Publicity for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Elka Ray:

Hanoi Jane

Divorce is Murder

What You Don't Know

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Book Review: The Mother Act

By Jami Denison

The average cost to raise a child to 18 in the United States has reached nearly $250,000. Add in college, maybe grad school, and that number can nearly double. The COVID pandemic highlighted the lousy daycare system in the U.S.; the pandemic may be over but the daycare teachers never returned. Women in heteronormative marriages report doing the vast majority of house and childcare, even when they work full time.  Republicans’ response to this crisis is to outlaw abortion, and now they’re coming for birth control. 

No wonder that birth rates have dropped to record lows, that 25 percent of Gen Zers have ruled out parenthood entirely. If having a baby means sucking up every spare dollar and extra minute, why would anyone agree to it?

In The Mother Act, novelist Heidi Reimer’s provocative debut, a woman who became famous for her show on the horrors of motherhood must confront the demons she gave her daughter.  This dual POV, time-hopping story is a masterpiece of character and theme, resonating with anyone who has been a parent or had one.

Sadie Jones always knew she never wanted to be a mother. Growing up in a rural, religious household, she witnessed her mother popping out baby after baby; as the oldest daughter, Sadie was expected to take care of them. Running away from home as a teenager, she found herself in New York City and became a guerilla actress, performing plays in open spaces and always questioning the patriarchy. 

The book doesn’t start with Sadie, however—her 24-year-old daughter Jude, also an actress, opens the action as she waits for Sadie before the opening of her mother’s latest show. Like The Mother Act, the one-woman show that made Sadie famous, Sadie’s current play is also based on Jude.  Will mother and daughter be able to reconcile, or will this play be the final nail in the coffin of their relationship?

Under a lesser-skilled hand, the character of Sadie could have been one note and shrill, a man-hating Feminazi. But Sadie loves Jude’s father, Damien, and her conflict between her art and her love is concrete and thoroughly explored. True, Sadie is a bit of a narcissist who has trouble understanding other people’s points-of-view. But as the book progresses and readers get to know Sadie at different ages, her choices become more understandable. It helps that she’s larger than life—passionate, expressive, the type of person who throws her entire being into her projects and performances. Who wouldn’t want to be around Sadie, have some of her light shining on them?

In contrast, Jude is a born introvert, only comfortable with her father and a few people from his traveling Shakespearean acting troop where she was raised. After briefly meeting the 24-year-old Jude, readers get to know her as a 13-year-old desperate to connect with the mother who abandoned her at two years old and has been an infrequent participant in her life since she was eight. Longing for her mother’s love, but rejecting Sadie’s self-absorbed attempts at parenting, Jude only feels confident when she’s performing a role in someone else’s play. 

The acting world is the spine of the book—Damien is a British Shakespeare actor who grew up in a family of acting royalty, and the novel is divided into acts, some of which are named for Shakespeare plays. An early chapter shows Sadie disgusted by Damien’s portrayal of Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew; that she is drawn to him anyway foreshadows the couple’s later issues. Acting is the thread that connects Sadie to Jude; as much as she wants to deny their similarity, Sadie’s fame makes it easier for Jude to book roles and harder for her to disavow her mother. 

The specificity of the characters’ challenges—Sadie trying to find funding for her movie; Jude trying to befriend actors who see her as daddy’s princess—at times work against the universal themes of the book. But they work in creating Sadie and Jude as real people, not just stereotypes. As the book progresses and Sadie weighs her love for Damian and his desire for a child against her lifelong opposition to motherhood, she faces a dilemma more typical to men: Should I become a parent only because my spouse wants a child? 

While the daycare challenges of COVID made it more acceptable to admit that mothering is tough, and parenting isn’t for everyone, these types of raw stories are few and far between. Movies like The Lost Daughter and The Babadook show the work but also imply the kids’ neediness is unique to the specific child and justifies maternal disengagement. By the end of The Mother Act, I felt that Reimer was falling into the same trap. 

Motherhood is hard, and even the most selfless woman with the easiest baby in the world would chafe under its demands. There are no bathroom breaks, no sick days, and most importantly, no pay. The most important job in the world is the most thankless. While Sadie Jones is a fictional character, and a particularly opinionated one at that, her dilemma has become more common as childrearing becomes less and less affordable. Authors like Heidi Reimer perform an important service by shining a light on the soul-sucking challenges of motherhood. But writers alone can’t change anything. Only voters who prioritize the needs of women over the religious values of certain men can do that. Hopefully, in November, they will. 

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

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!