♡This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I only become an affiliate for products I TRULY believe in, love, and use religiously. Thank you so much for helping to support my little family!♡

Happy Tuesday, y’all! There are so many good books coming up this spring/ summer and I thought it would be fun to do a little round up here! Some I’ve read and fell in love with, some I just know I will love when I get my hands on them. There is SO MUCH good stuff coming out, it’s hard to keep up. So I thought I’d help!

If I’ve already read the book, I’m sharing my review. If I haven’t, I’ll tell you why I’m excited.

I’d love it if you’d leave a comment letting me know which title you are most excited about! Happy reading.

 

1. A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing- Pub Date 7/18/23-  I can always count on Samantha to give me a good WTF face when I’m listening to her books or reading them. She is unhinged in the best possible way so I simply cannot wait!

 

2. Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune- Pub Date 5/2/23  Every Summer After  was one of my favorite reads during the summer of 2022 and I just know I will love this one just as much. Fortune nails nostalgia in the best possible way.

 

3. The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth- Pub Date 4/14/23. The thing I love about Sally is that her books- and her characters- are never quite as they seem on the surface. She takes everyday, domestic households and situations and turns them on their heads. Her books NEVER end where you expect them to.

This is another great story that shows you …nothing is ever quite as it seems. It’s a slow burn. Hepworth removes layer after layer until you are left with the truth. And it’s stunning.

I enjoy reading a nice, solid story. No ridiculous twists and turns and no chaotic (and unbelievable) plot points. There are twists here, but they are REALISTIC. And surprising, but it a believable way. Sally Hepworth is an excellent and dependable story teller and I love her for it!

 

4. Happy Place by Emily Henry- Pub Date 4/25/23. I just love Emily Henry books, full stop. They make me happy and I fly right through them. I’m sure this will be a BOTM pick.

 

5. If Only You by Chloe Liese- Pub Date 4/11/23- The Bergman Brothers series has my heart and I have a son spot for Ziggy. I can’t wait to hear her story!

 

6. Hello Stranger by Katherine Center- Pub Date 7/11/23- I just l love Katherine Center books. They make me feel warm and happy inside, she makes the world a better place. She never ceases to bring me joy. Another thing I love about her is that all of her books have such unique and vastly different plots- and her characters are so easy to fall in love with. This story was wholesome and heartwarming and incredibly sweet!

 

7. Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon- Pub Date 7/4/23- Rachel is such a solid, dependable, must read author for me. The premise for this one sounds adorable.

 

8. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell- Pub Date 8/8/23 Lisa Jewell is ALWAYS a yes for me, period. I  don’t even need to know a synopsis- I’ll read this one. Probably will also be a BOTM pick.

 

9. Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons- Pub Date 7/11/23 – I’m not a huge historical fiction gal, but I’m a huge Annie Lyons gal. I love her and will read literally anything she writes.

 

10. The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren- Pub Date 5/11/23 These ladies are among my all time favorite romance writers and I read everything they write. Yes, please.

 

11. Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot- Pub Date TODAY- I’m almost done with this one and it’s just adorable. Sadie from Sadie on a Plate makes an appearance in this fun and compulsively readable novel. This one centers around two Seattle food critics and their rivalry. It’s fresh and chemistry-filled and beyond fun. Obsessed is an understatement – Elliot is becoming one of my favorite authors.

 

12. Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan- Pub Date 6/6/23. Nora Goes off Script is one of my favorite books and I’m so happy Annabel will be back with another novel this summer. Her books hit you right in the heart!

 

 

♡This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I only become an affiliate for products I TRULY believe in, love, and use religiously. Thank you so much for helping to support my little family!♡

Happy Tuesday, y’all! There are so many good books coming up this spring/ summer and I thought it would be fun to do a little round up here! Some I’ve read and fell in love with, some I just know I will love when I get my hands on them.

I’d love it if you’d leave a comment letting me know which title you are most excited about! Happy reading.

Rom Coms/Women’s Fiction:

 

Sadie On a Plate (Berkley) by  Amanda Elliot:  Pub Date- Today! 3/15

Synopsis:

Sadie on a Plate follows Sadie Rosen, an up-and-coming Seattle chef gaining attention for her unique and modern takes on traditional Jewish cuisine. After a messy—and very public—breakup with her chef boss, she becomes the laughingstock of the Seattle restaurant scene. Now jobless and blacklisted from every reputable restaurant in the city, Sadie is sure her career is over. That is, until she gains a coveted spot on her favorite TV show, Chef Supreme.

 On the plane to New York, Sadie has undeniable chemistry with her seatmate and fellow chef, Luke. Though she makes it clear that she and Luke won’t be able to meet for the next six weeks, she joins him for an unforgettable dinner before beginning her journey on Chef Supreme. They bond over their mutual love of cooking and their dreams of opening restaurants that honor their roots, and Sadie wants nothing more than to see him again after filming ends. But, to her shock, she turns up to set the next day realizes she’ll be seeing a lot more of Luke than she thought.

 In order to save her career, Sadie will have to use all the skills at her disposal to prove that she has what it takes to compete with some of the best chefs in the country while ignoring her growing feelings for Luke. With the stakes so high, will Sadie be able to keep her heart out of the kitchen long enough to secure her future? Featuring a young Jewish protagonist, mouthwateringly described cuisine, and a sizzling forbidden romance, Amanda Elliot delivers a delicious romantic comedy, perfect for fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon, Christina Lauren, and binge-worthy cooking competitions like Chopped and Master Chef.

 

My Rating and Review- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I LOVED this book but man it made me HUNGRY. My stomach growled the entire time I was reading it, haha!!
Everything about this book was just sweet. I loved the cast of characters, the mouth-watering food descriptions, the behind the scenes Top Chef-esque setting, and the chemistry between Sadie and Luke. But most of all I loved Sadie’s journey to believing in herself.

 

The League of Gentlewomen Witches (Berkley) by India Holton: Pub Date- Today! 3/15

Synopsis:

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the teahouse. . .

Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said—witchcraft. The League of Gentlewomen Witches strives to improve the world in small ways. Using magic, they tidy, correct, and manipulate according to their notions of what is proper, entirely unlike those reprobates in the Wisteria Society.

When the long lost amulet of Black Beryl is discovered, it is up to Charlotte, as the future leader of the League, to make sure the powerful talisman does not fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, it is most unfortunate when she crosses paths with Alex O’Riley, a pirate who is no Mr. Darcy. With all the world scrambling after the amulet, Alex and Charlotte join forces to steal it together. If only they could keep their pickpocketing hands to themselves! If Alex’s not careful, he might just steal something else—such as Charlotte’s heart.

My Review- I am reading this right now and it is excellent! It’s witty and smart and freaking hilarious. It makes me want to go back and read the first book!

 

 

Bet on It (St. Martin’s Griffin) by Jodie Slaughter: Pub Date- 7/12

Synopsis: The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson. From there, all it takes is one game for her to realize that he’s definitely going to be a problem. And if there’s anything she already has a surplus of, it’s problems.

In Walker Abbott’s mind, there are only two worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The peach cobbler at his old favorite diner and his ailing grandmother. Dragging himself back after more than a decade away, he’s counting down the days until Gram heals and he can get back to his real life. Far away from the trauma inside of those city limits. Just when he thinks his plan is solid, enter Aja to shake everything up.

A hastily made bingo-based sex pact is supposed to keep this…thing between them from getting out of hand. Especially when submitting to their feelings means disrupting their carefully balanced lives. But emotions are just like bingo callers—they refuse to be ignored.

Jodie Slaughter’s Bet on It is a heart-stoppingly fun, emotional romance that will have readers falling in love until long after the last page is turned.

 

My Rating and Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This book was STEAMY. Like holy cow, made me squirm kinda steamy. 🤣🤣 Do not recommend reading in public bahahha.
My favorite trend in romances the past couple of years, one that is here to stay, is vulnerability. Vulnerability, honesty, consent, and equality. 🔥
I love that this book gave me insight into anxiety. I have a better understanding and more empathy for having read it.
Walker and Aja are so lovable. It was a true pleasure to watch them fall for each other. I also truly loved Aja’s girlfriends. Hoping for a book two?

 

 

Something Wilder (Gallery) by Christina Lauren : Pub Date- 5/17

Summary- Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession…or much money in the bank. But Lily is nothing if not resourceful, and now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn’t leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness—and leave him there.

Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.

But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.

From the author of the “heartfelt and funny” (Publishers Weekly) sensation The Unhoneymooners, this page-turning adventure full of second chances, complicated relationships, and the breathtaking beauty of the American Southwest will take fans on one wild ride.

Rating- Can’t wait!

 

 

The Homewreckers (St. Martin’s Press) by Mary Kay Andrews: Pub Date-5/3

Synopsis: Hattie Kavanaugh went to work restoring homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at eighteen, married the boss’s son at twenty, and became a widow at twenty-five. Now, she’s passionate about her work, but that’s the only passion in her life. “Never love something that can’t love you back,” is advice her father-in-law gives her, but Hattie doesn’t follow it and falls head-over-heels for a money pit of a house. She’s determined to make it work, but disaster after disaster occurs, and Hattie’s dream might cost Kavanaugh & Son their livelihood. Hattie needs money, and fast.

When a slick Hollywood producer shows up in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, she gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called “The Homewreckers,” cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. Soon, there’s more at stake than bad pipes and dry rot: during the demolition, evidence comes to light that points to the mysterious disappearance of a young wife and mother years before.

With a burned out detective investigating the case, an arsonist on the loose, two men playing with her emotions, and layers upon layers of vintage wallpaper causing havoc, it’s a question of who will flip, who will flop, and if Hattie will ever get her happily-ever-after.

 

My rating- I haven’t gotten my hands on this one yet, but we all know I’m a MKA fangirl. Can’t wait!

 

 

The Stand-In (Sourcebooks Casablanca) by Lily Chu: Pub Date- 5/3

Synopsis: Gracie Reed is doing just fine. Sure, she was fired by her overly “friendly” boss, and yes she still hasn’t gotten her mother into the nursing home of their dreams, but she’s healthy, she’s (somewhat) happy, and she’s (mostly) holding it all together.

But when a mysterious SUV pulls up beside her, revealing Chinese cinema’s golden couple Wei Fangli and Sam Yao, Gracie’s world is turned on its head. The famous actress has a proposition: due to their uncanny resemblance, Fangli wants Gracie to be her stand-in. The catch? Gracie will have to be escorted by Sam, the most attractive—and infuriating—man Gracie’s ever met.

If it means getting the money she needs for her mother, Gracie’s in. Soon Gracie moves into a world of luxury she never knew existed. But resisting Sam, and playing the role of an elegant movie star, proves more difficult than she ever imagined—especially when she learns the real reason Fangli so desperately needs her help. In the end all the lists in the world won’t be able to help Gracie keep up this elaborate ruse without losing herself…and her heart.

 

My Review- I CANNOT WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON THIS ONE.And the audiobook is narrated by Phillipa Soo? EEEEE!

 

 

The Younger Wife (St. Martin’s Press) by Sally Hepworth: Pub Date- 4/5

Summary- THE HUSBAND
A heart surgeon at the top of his field, Stephen Aston is getting married again. But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself.

THE DAUGHTERS
Tully and Rachel Aston look upon their father’s fiancée, Heather, as nothing but an interloper. Heather is younger than both of them. Clearly, she’s after their father’s money.

THE FORMER WIFE
With their mother in a precarious position, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the
truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is.

THE YOUNGER WIFE
Heather has secrets of her own. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses
in all of them?

Rating and Review– ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫The thing I love about Sally Hepworth’s books are that they are never EVER what they seem. They are always multilayered and surprising- every dang time!
My absolute favorite part of this book was the women. Hands down. Sally writes such beautifully flawed characters and I fell in love with Rachel, Tully, and Heather. It was a privilege to get to know them and see their inner struggles and triumphs. They were so very lovable and I rooted them on every page of the way.
The ending of this book will most likely be divisive, but I enjoyed it because it was so different than what I would have ever expected- I was so certain I had it all figured out until the very end!
Sally’s books just feel like home and this is no exception.

 

 

The Summer Place (Atria) by Jennifer Weiner: Pub Date- 5/10

Summary: When her twenty-two-year-old stepdaughter announces her engagement to her pandemic boyfriend, Sarah Danhauser is shocked. But the wheels are in motion. Headstrong Ruby has already set a date (just three months away!) and spoken to her beloved safta, Sarah’s mother Veronica, about having the wedding at the family’s beach house in Cape Cod. Sarah might be worried, but Veronica is thrilled to be bringing the family together one last time before putting the big house on the market.

But the road to a wedding day usually comes with a few bumps. Ruby has always known exactly what she wants, but as the wedding date approaches, she finds herself grappling with the wounds left by the mother who walked out when she was a baby. Veronica ends up facing unexpected news, thanks to her meddling sister, and must revisit the choices she made long ago, when she was a bestselling novelist with a different life. Sarah’s twin brother, Sam, is recovering from a terrible loss, and confronting big questions about who he is—questions he hopes to resolve during his stay on the Cape. Sarah’s husband, Eli, who’s been inexplicably distant during the pandemic, confronts the consequences of a long ago lapse from his typical good-guy behavior. And Sarah, frustrated by her husband, concerned about her stepdaughter, and worn out by challenges of life during quarantine, faces the alluring reappearance of someone from her past and a life that could have been.

When the wedding day arrives, lovers are revealed as their true selves, misunderstandings take on a life of their own, and secrets come to light. There are confrontations and revelations that will touch each member of the extended family, ensuring that nothing will ever be the same.

From “the undisputed boss of the beach read” (The New York Times), The Summer Place is a testament to family in all its messy glory; a story about what we sacrifice and how we forgive. Enthralling, witty, big-hearted, and sharply observed, this is Jennifer Weiner’s love letter to the Outer Cape and the power of home, the way our lives are enriched by the people we call family, and the endless ways love can surprise us.

 

Review- I’ll let you know when I read it!

 

 

The Oceanography of the Moon (Lake Union) by Glendy Vanderah: Pub Date- 3/22

Summary: After the untimely deaths of her aunt and mother, young Riley Mays moved from Chicago to her cousins’ Wisconsin farm. Here she found solace in caring for her extraordinary adoptive brother, exploring the surrounding wild nature, and gazing at the mystical moon―a private refuge in which she hides from her most painful memories. But ten years later, now twenty-one, Riley feels too confined by the protective walls she’s erected around herself. When a stranger enters her family’s remote world, Riley senses something he’s hiding, a desire to escape that she understands well.

Suffering from writer’s block, bestselling novelist Vaughn Orr has taken to the country roads when he happens upon the accommodating, if somewhat unusual, Mays family. He’s soon captivated by their eccentricities―and especially by Riley and her quiet tenacity. In her, he recognizes a shared need to keep heartbreaking secrets buried.

As the worst moments of their lives threaten to surface, Riley and Vaughn must find the courage to confront them if they’re to have any hope of a happy future. With the help of Riley’s supportive family, a dash of everyday magic, and the healing power of nature, can the pair let go of the troubled pasts they’ve clung to so tightly for so long?

 

Review- Immediate 5 stars to anything Glendy writes, and that’s an indisputable fact.

 

 

By The Book (Hyperion) by Jasmine Guillory: Pub Date- 5/3

Summary- A tale as old as time—for a new generation…

Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing right out of college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, living at home, still an editorial assistant, and the only Black employee at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves.

All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a quick pep talk or three. How hard could it be?

But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and—it turns out—just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn’t there before.

Best-selling author Jasmine Guillory’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is a romantic triumph of love and acceptance and learning that sometimes to truly know a person you have to read between the lines.

 

Review- So freaking excited for this one

 

 

Book Lovers (Berkley) by Emily Henry: Pub Date- 5/3

Summary- One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming…

Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

Review- Love Emily Henry, know I’ll love this.

 

 

♡This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I only become an affiliate for products I TRULY believe in, love, and use religiously. Thank you so much for helping to support my little family!♡

 

This year was a magical, beautiful year of reading. I read 131 books. 45,337 pages. It was an excellent year.

I went back through my Goodreads 2121 shelf  and I made a list of all of the books that stuck with me in some way. The books that were still etched on my heart. And that’s how I came up with my ” best of” lists!

If you are interested, here are my past lists:

2016

2017

2018

2019

I apparently skipped 2020 because it was a chaotic year haha!

 

Enjoy and happy reading!

In no particular order:

 

• Lovelight Farms by BK Borison – This is officially my favorite holiday read of all time. Yep. I said it. I had not heard anything about Lovelight Farms nor did I know anyone that had read it. I just happened to randomly stumble upon it on Amazon. I finished the last page last night and immediately recorded a series of Instagram stories telling everyone that they HAD TO READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY because I simply could not wait until today to share my thoughts, ha! And then I proceeded to encounter a painful book hangover because what could I possibly read next? Sobbbbb.

  This book has everything. A cozy, Hallmark-esque Christmas tree farm in a small town setting-check. A lovable supporting cast of larger than life characters- check. Two endearing and captivating main characters-check. Sweat inducing steam- holy check. Friends to lovers / fake dating tropes? Check. Humor? Check.

  I dare you not to fall in love with Luka + Stella. They are so good together. Respectful and loving and kind and SWOONWORTHINGLY hot. Yes I made that word up and I don’t care. I love these two humans and I refuse to admit they aren’t real.

  I can’t wait for the rest of the series!

 

• The 100 Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin – “Somewhere, out in the world, are the people who touched us, or loved us, or ran from us. In that way we will live on.”“Dying isn’t brave,” I said, “it’s accidental. I’m not brave, I’m just not dead yet.”

  This book is beautiful, magical, utter perfection. Read it as soon as possible. That is all. 🤍

   

 

• A Million Things by Emily Spurlock – This book absolutely blew me away. It is, in my opinion, proof of why Up Lit is the very best genre. This book is heartbreakingly and breathtakingly sad…but also so beautiful. I love that Lettie is not your typical sweet grandma. She is hurting and learning and struggling, yet she’s able to love and support Rae in spite of it all.Rae. Oh sweet Rae. I love her more than I’ve loved a main character in a long long time. Watching her fall apart in real time is unbearable. But she’s plucky and resourceful and precocious and even as she is avoiding the truth, she is strong and brave and I just want to hug her.

  Read this book if you love Ove, Ona (The One in a Million Boy), Eleanor, Rosemary (The Lido), or Arthur (Trulove OR Pepper). Read it if you love the notion that in spite of neglect, pain, and even death…love wins.

  This book is truly beautiful and magical and endearing.

 

• Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz– I absolutely fell.in. LOVE with Jo and Alex and Greyson and Kitty and Mia and Samson and Beth and Ollie and Nina (I can’t WAIT for their story). Warning- this is NOT a light, fluffy love story. It deals with loss and grief and guilt and does so in such a lovely way. As a mother of five girls- the two oldest 13 and 15- I cannot tell you how much Grunder Ruiz got it right. The banter, the anger, the sass, the sense of humor…she nailed it. Mia and Kitty reminded me so so much of my Harper and Sadie in so many ways.

  Her delicate exploration and descriptions of grief and the pain and shame and guilt that can survive it made my heart ache at times.

  Don’t get me wrong, this book is also super funny! There’s some great banter and I laughed out loud at Nina and her obsession with sassy mom culture.

  My only (semi) qualm, which doesn’t take away from my 5 star review, is that I wish I “knew” Jo a little bit more. I love her with Nina, I love her with Alex, I love her with her nieces and her nephew and as a sister and I love the little bit of insight that we got into her heart and her soul, but I’d love to know her even better.

  That said, the romance was so sweet. Alex is such a great lead. He’s funny and witty and tender and encouraging and patient and an excellent dad. All around swoon. I really loved learning about the yacht life, too. It made me want more more MORE- so good thing a second book is coming!

 

• The Bergman Brothers Series by Chloe Liese – this series is EVERYTHING. I appreciate that Chloe always shows us that EVERYONE deserves to be loved and cherished. The neurodiverse, those who are chronically ill, those who are disabled and those who struggle…every single one of us.And this love is so incredibly patient and kind and tender and warm and safe. It’s quiet and sacrificial and abiding. The kind of love you just want to burrow into and absorb. It’s delicious and respectful and it’s everything. 

 

• The Light Through the Leaves by Glendy Vanderah– Don’t mind me, quietly weeping as I finish the last paragraph and read the words aloud…because they are too beautiful to exist only on paper.My heart. Oh, my heart…this novel is so very special.

  Glendy pours her heart out on to the pages of her books and the end result is…magic. Her books have this steady and comforting beauty to them. She marries the magical/supernatural and the everyday so very effortlessly.

  Her words are soaked in magic and purity and a tender respect for nature . And love. Always love. A love story wrapped up in a botany/biology lesson. Trees, plants, flowers, animals, insects, the earth- these things are always well-loved secondary characters in Glendy’s books.

  This one was hard to read at times. The cruelty of mental illness cloaked in love — well, it’s complicated. The Light Through the Leaves contains an intricate recipe of healing, grief, guilt, trauma, addiction, despair, love, longing, and redemption. And all of it a little bit weird, in the most delightful way.

  This book is a treasure.

 

• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune– Every once in a while a book finds its way into my hands and… Magic happens.It’s hard to explain. It’s a combination of loud belly laughs, teary eyes, and goosebumps. It’s underlining and nodding and re-reading certain passages, even reading them out loud because they resonate so deeply

  It’s rare but it happens.

  That happened with this book. Big time. It’s brilliant. And timely. And lovely. So so very lovely.

  I listened to it on audio at the same time so I could get through it faster. But to be honest, I’m already ready to give it a second read. Because it’s that good. 

 

• All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle– Well goodness gracious. Don’t mind me as I sit here sobbing like a fool.This book is wonderful. Magical, precious, tender, special, and utterly beautiful. Up Lit is my most favorite genre and this book is a shining example of the very best of Up Lit. Intergenerational friendships, late in life love, loss, and beauty in broken things.

  Just exquisite.

 

• The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer – This book DEVASTATED me. I can tell you right now it will be one of my favorite books of all time. I wept for 30 minutes straight as I brushed snow off my car, folded laundry, and did dishes, all the while with earbuds in….listening to this beautiful and terrible story of loss and love and sacrifice and dedication.Duel-timeline stories are tricky for me. I usually find one of the stories tedious, but that was NOT the case here. I adored both stories and felt both deeply.

  There really aren’t proper words to explain my feelings, but my heart will remember this story forever. 

 

• The Guncle by Steven Rowley – This book took me by surprise. Big time.  The first half was laugh out loud snarky/witty.  Patrick is a MESS. A hilarious, somewhat narcissistic mess. And you don’t really know why. You don’t really know him. Or his heart. He’s got a wall up. The wall is funny as hell. But it’s tall. And then in the second half of the novel, his wall comes crashing down. And suddenly I found myself laugh snorting on one page and sobbing on the next.

  Steven Rowley is a magician and a poet and an astute observer of life and love and grief.

  This book is SO MUCH MORE than a snarky Palm Springs romp. It’s EVERYTHING.

  Towards the end I found myself rereading entire passages. Patrick’s letter to Joe is phenomenal. The way that the character manages to break down his grief and put it into words is truly rare and it was a privilege to read Rowley‘s beautiful words.

  This book is moving and special and hilarious. I’m a better human for having read it. 

 

• It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey – Swoon. This is my favorite Tessa Bailey romance, by far.

  Take Alexis from Schitt’s Creek and have her fall for Rip from Yellowstone (but a PNW fisherman version of Rip) and you have the perfect love story.

  Brendan might be officially replacing Braden Mack as my book boyfriend because he is EVERYTHING. He’s a sensitive, loving, patient, alpha male. My favorite kind of man. And Piper is hilarious and self-deprecating and so much more than I thought she could be when I first read her character description.

  Together they are magic.

  And I loved the sister story between Hannah and Piper. I couldn’t be happier that Hannah will have her own book soon.

  As is true for all Tessa Bailey books: this is freaking SPICY. Five alarm fire spicy. Try not to read it at your middle schooler’s soccer game like I did. Awkward.🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

• Float Plan by Trish Dollar – “It’s uncomplicated, really. Our mother expected us to be good and our father put the fear of the Lord in us if we failed to meet her expectations. That doesn’t mean we don’t act the maggot sometimes, but kind is one of the easiest things to be.”

  Tw: suicide , self harm

  I think this might win my favorite romance this year. Anna is grieving and learning to love herself and let go of guilt. Keane is kind. And patient. And Irish. Swoon.

  They have beautiful chemistry. They click. And this book clicks too. No slow spots, not a single passage or word I wanted to skip. Just good, good stuff. All the way through. 

 

• Say Everything Series by Roni Loren – Loren writes such beautifully fleshed out characters- they have beautiful souls and very real scars.

 

• God Spare the Girls by Kelsey McKinney – “The Bible promised a version of womanhood that was all sweetness and goodness. But Caroline wanted wet, sloppy kisses. She wanted to make quick retorts and harness the power of her body like the women she saw on TV. She didn’t want a prime-time sitcom life. She wanted cable. She wanted a parental advisory warning. Or at least she thought she did.”

  Man. This book just did something to me. It hurt my heart a little bit.

  I think it’s because I have so much in common with Kelsey McKinney – I also grew up in the Texas evangelical culture.

  I also left. And learned and grew and evolved. My heart kept loving the Lord but my eyes were opened.

  I struggled (struggle??) with so many of the things Caroline and Abigail did in this book.

  The Blue Bell and Whataburger descriptions (yeah, I know what an orange and white striped bag means🤣) and the descriptions of the community in the church and the Texas country with its’ bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush…well those passages made this former Texan terribly homesick.

  Part of me feels like Kelsey could have done even more to question the toxic, harmful parts of the church the girls grew up in. But that’s just me being selfish. The book is perfect as is.

  It’s a quiet but eviscerating contemplation on grief and betrayal and anger and shame. It’s a beautiful portrait of the strength of sisterhood. It’s a complicated query of faith and megachurches. It’s the idea that you can love something but also despise and resent it deeply.

  This is one that will stick with me for a long time. I’m sure of that. 

 

• 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard – This book is so smart and creative and unlike anything I’ve ever read. I don’t want to give anything away but I’m so incredibly glad I chose this one for my BOTM- it’s so much more than a run of the mill thriller. 

 

• All Together Now by Matthew Norman – “Take stock. Of everything. Make a list of the most important people in your life. The ones who *truly* matter. Then, spend as much time with them as you can.”

  This book made my Up Lit loving heart so incredibly happy. It was witty (like laugh out loud witty), touching, and basically just perfect.

  I loved it and I’ll remember it for a long time.