Tag: Book Of The Month

Darling Girls By Sally Hepworth

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

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Ready for a wild ride? Because Sally Hepworth is about to take you on one with Darling Girls. This is one twisty thriller, my bookworm friends. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were all told how lucky they were to end up at Wild Meadows with the lovely Miss Fairchild. Turns out that lady was bananas with a capital B. At first, it’s just Jessica, but she’s joined shortly after by Norah and Alicia, and the three form an unbreakable bond. It grows stronger when Amy arrives, as does Miss Fairchild’s crazy factor. The girls manage to engineer a breakout, but there are consequences to crossing a crazy lady. Like suddenly, poof, no Amy.

Years later, Jessica owns her own house-cleaning business where she steals pills from her clients, Alicia is a social worker trying to help foster kids like herself, and Norah is still always in trouble. The girls are called when a body is discovered buried in the basement of Wild Meadows, forcing them to rehash memories they thought were long buried.

The book is told from multiple POVs, from Jessica, Norah, Alicia, and an unnamed narrator, and bounces between the past and the present.

It’s really hard to write spoiler-free reviews of thrillers because I don’t want to inadvertently give anything away. But I’ll say this: that last chapter came out of LEFT FIELD for me. Not because I didn’t suspect who the unnamed narrator was (I did), but because I totally bought the original story. Not that it made me feel any better about it, but holy cow, Miss Fairchild is a psycho.

On sale now, you can grab your copy here. It’s available in KU and also as BOTM.

As always, I encourage you to read this book and form your own opinions, just as I have. Thank you to the author Sally Hepworth, the publisher St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

🫑/5

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💖Closed Door Romance

💖Forced Proximity

💖Grumpy vs Sunshine

💖Strangers to Lovers

💖 Workplace Romance

🏠 Hollywood Setting

🚫No spice (hence the bell pepper 😂)

Just finished The Rom-Commers and wow, what a ride. Seriously, the ups and down in this book. I can’t even. Even though I usually read romance books with a lot of spice, I adore Katherine Center’s books. The characters she creates jump off the page and come to life. This was no exception.

Emma is so strong and selfless. I instantly wanted to give her a hug. And I also kind of want to shake her. The poor girl has put her whole life on hold to take care of her dad, blaming herself for his accident and the loss of her mom. I really hate that she was manipulated into working with Charlie. Logan sucks. He’s sneaky and tells half-truths and keeps secrets. Thank goodness he somewhat redeemed himself. But he was a pretty awful friend for a while.

It took me a little bit longer to warm up to Charlie. He’s kind of a jerk for the first half of the book. I have to admit I was pretty nervous about his cough, though. As someone who is familiar with sarcoma and its recurrence, as soon as he started coughing I had to stop myself from skipping ahead to make sure he was okay. It’s sweet how he takes care of his guinea pig. By the end of the book, I had heart eyes for him. 😍

I love this ode to romance and rom-coms and the joy they bring. Hands down one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. I would have liked it to be dual POV, but if you check out the audio, you get a little sneak peek into Charlie in one of my favorite scenes (the diving board!!!).

As always, I encourage you to read for yourself and see how you like it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

A huge thank you to the author, the publisher St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for sending me this amazing book for my review. It’s on sale now and you can pick up your copy by clicking here

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

🌶/5

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One of the joys of reading is stumbling upon a story that surprises you, takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions, and leaves you with a lingering sense of satisfaction. ‘Hello Stranger’ by Katherine Center does exactly that, weaving a tale rich with humour, character development, and a unique take on romance.

Center takes us on a journey with Sadie Montgomery, an aspiring artist who quite literally does not see what’s coming. After a monumental achievement of making it to the finals in the North American Portrait Society competition, life throws her a curveball in the form of face blindness. Every face Sadie encounters is a jumbled puzzle, a foreign language that she struggles to comprehend.

However, Center doesn’t let this situation define Sadie. Our protagonist battles not only her newfound condition but also familial tensions and the demands of her artistic career. And of course, let’s not forget her loyal canine companion, Peanut, adding another layer of heart to this story.

At the heart of ‘Hello Stranger’ is a comedy of errors fueled by mistaken identities. It’s a testament to Center’s writing prowess that she weaves these plot elements together seamlessly, producing a story that keeps the reader intrigued.

One of the key strengths of ‘Hello Stranger’ is its colorful cast of characters. Sadie is undeniably engaging, and her duality of being sunshiney and stubborn makes her relatable. The men in her life are equally compelling and nuanced, further enhancing the narrative.

The secondary characters too, like the best friend Sue, although a tad insensitive at times, brings in her own share of humor and conflict. Sadie’s parents and her step-sister Piper are portrayed as caricatures, yet they serve the purpose of furthering Sadie’s journey and personal growth. Notably, the transformation of Sadie’s father and stepmother is satisfying, while Piper’s fate provides a sense of poetic justice. Even if we a glimpse of why she’s such an asshat, I hope her cat eats her.

I do love how Joe calls Sadie on her preconceived notions. Like with “Busty McGee”, who ends up being the exact opposite of Sadie’s made up persona for her. Joe ends up challenging Sadie (and us, the readers) to reevaluate our quick judgments.

Now, I won’t pretend that ‘Hello Stranger’ is perfect. For a romance novel, it does fall a little short on the spice scale. Readers expecting steamy romance might find themselves yearning for more. Yet, Center’s focus on character development and plot progression gives the novel its own unique charm.

Despite the occasional stumble, ‘Hello Stranger’ is a triumph of character-focused storytelling. Katherine Center has created a heartwarming, hilarious tale that embraces the complexity of human relationships and the myriad ways of seeing the world. As Sadie learns, sometimes what we find when we’re not looking can be the most surprising thing of all.

As always, I encourage you to read for yourself and see how you like it for yourself!

As always thank you to the author, the publisher St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for sending me this amazing book for my review. It’s on sale now and you can pick up your copy by clicking here

Potential spoiler- stop now if you haven’t read the book yet….

Still here? I am not unconvinced that this chick has not had some kind of face blindness or issue recognizing people her whole life. I don’t know how you can think that there are two different barista‘s a.k.a. Hazel one and Hazel two based on someone putting their hair up. End of rant.

Tropes hit: Enemies to Lovers, Slow burn, sweet romance, strangers, mistaken identity

The Golden Couple: By Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

Oh wow. I needed a minute after finishing this audiobook to process. It’s a roller coaster my friends. Holy cow. This is another one of those books where everyone is lying, and behind every truth there is another slew of lies. Who can you trust? Who’s intentions are good and who’s are nefarious? There are red herrings abound here, reminiscent of classic whodunnit’s.

Avery gives me major Kinsey Millhone vibes. I just love her and I am going to hold out hope for another book featuring her. Or better yet, a series. This was a binge worthy listen, I started it this morning and basically couldn’t put it down.

I was excited to read this book when I heard it was a BOTM pick, and was even more excited to receive an ALC copy. Thank you so much to the authors @greerhendricks & @sarahpekkanen @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for the advanced copy of this book.