Summer is just around the corner and that means it’s time to start planning summer reading lists!
My recommendations for the best books to read summer 2024 include recently published contemporary fiction, historical fiction, romance, and mysteries that I have read and can personally recommend.
Whether you’re looking for a book to read on vacation or while relaxing at home, there should be something to suit your reading mood. Happy summer reading!!
You Might Also Enjoy Reading:
35 of the Best Books To Read Summer 2023
35 of the Best Summer Beach Reads for 2022
29 of the Best Summer Beach Reads in 2021
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
1. The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
Setting: Washington, DC
Kate Quinn’s latest novel is a story about female friendship wrapped up in a murder mystery and set against the backdrop of the Red Scare paranoia in the US in the 1950s. The Briar Club opens at the scene of a violent murder that has taken place at a Washington, DC boarding house for women known as Briarwood House on Thanksgiving Day in 1954 although it’s not apparent what happened or who the murder victim is.
The narrative then goes back to provide the details of what happened at the house from 1950-54 from the perspective of each of the women boarders at Briarwood House as well as Pete Nilsson, the teenage son of the stern landlady. There are also short intervening chapters from the scene of the crime in 1954 written from the perspective of the house itself.
It all begins in 1950 when a mysterious widow named Grace March moves into the attic room at the boardinghouse. Prior to her arrival, the women of Briarwood House mostly kept to themselves but Grace slowly draws them together sharing brewed sun tea as well as weekly meals in her attic room (recipes included) and brightening the neglected house by painting vines and flowers on her walls then out into the corridor and down the staircase.
The rich ensemble cast of characters includes Nora who works at the National Archives and is dating a gangster; Reka, a 70 year-old refugee from Hungary; Fliss, a young English woman with a small baby whose husband is with the US Army in Korea; Bea, a former women’s professional baseball player; Claire, a typist working for a woman senator; and Arleen, a secretary working for HUAC and trying to find a husband. The chapter for each woman advances the plot and also provides insight into the secrets she’s keeping.
Kate Quinn is a masterful storyteller and I loved The Briar Club even though it’s a bit different from her past novels. This is more slow burn, character-driven historical fiction yet she still delivers a suspenseful mystery plot that builds to a very satisfying (and twisty) conclusion. The novel is clearly well-researched and she does a brilliant job of capturing the McCarthy political era to create intriguing historical fiction.
At its heart, this is a story of female friendship with richly-drawn characters but Quinn also illustrates the changing roles of women in post-war America by connecting the stories of each of the Briarwood House women to important highlights of the historical time period. Another captivating read from one of my favourite authors!
2. A Wedding in Lake Como by Jennifer Probst
Setting: New York City and Lake Como, Italy
Three young women (Ava, Madison and Chelsea) meet during their first year of college in New York City and become the best of friends. The trio are inseparable until a betrayal tears their friend group apart a few years after college and they haven’t been in contact with each other for five years.
Madison, now a successful social media influencer, is in the midst of an online scandal that threatens her career when she receives an invitation to Ava’s wedding which is taking place in Lake Como and, against her better judgement, agrees to attend and be reunited with her two former best friends in Italy.
This is a story of friendship and betrayal which also includes a romance storyline. There is a present day timeline as well as one in the past that follows the friendship of the three young women from meeting until the incident that tears them apart and more than half of the book takes place in New York City. None of the characters are particularly likeable but it’s still an entertaining, easy summer read – perfect for the beach bag!
I was a bit disappointed that so little of the book took place in Lake Como as I loved the Italian setting in the author’s previous two books (Our Italian Summer and The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti) and think I would have enjoyed this one even more if they had spent more time in Italy.
A Wedding in Lake Como is the third in the Meet Me in Italy series but the only connection between the three books is that they all take place in Italy so it can absolutely be read as a standalone.
3. Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
Setting: England, Hawaii, Marrakesh, Los Angeles, Venice and other locations
Hong Kong-born Arabella, former supermodel and current Countess of Greshamsbury, intends to create a dynasty by developing a luxury brand of international resorts and arranging strategic marriages for her three British/Chinese children. Eldest daughter, Augusta, is set to marry a Scandinavian prince at Arabella’s newest resort on the Big Island of Hawaii and she has plans in place for her son Rufus Gresham, the Viscount St. Ives and future Earl of Greshamsbury, to marry a French hotel heiress. Rufus, however, is caught on a hot mic during the reception declaring his love for someone else and moments later the lavish wedding is disrupted by an active volcano.
In the aftermath of the wedding disaster, the Greshams learn that their fortune has been depleted by reckless spending and the mountain of debt accrued means that they are in danger of losing the family estate in England as well. Arabella is now more determined than ever for Rufus to seduce a wealthy woman and sets her sights on a billionaire Chinese venture capitalist. Rufus, however, is in love with the girl next door – his best friend Dr. Eden Tong who grew up in a cottage on the estate. Will Rufus be forced to choose between duty and desire or is there some way to follow his heart and still save his family from financial ruin?
Lies and Weddings takes place on the grand English estate in Greshamsbury with much globetrotting on private jets to Los Angeles, Marrakesh, Venice and other locations with occasional flashbacks to a tragic accident and the aftermath in 1995.
Kevin Kwan is back with another fairy tale love story/sharp social satire set in the world of the obscenely rich and it’s such a fun read! Kwan weaves a juicy tale featuring memorable characters with rich people problems, fabulous international settings, lies, secrets, scandals, true love, family drama, and hilarious footnotes that break the fourth wall. Lies and Weddings is a light and frothy escape from reality that’s perfect for the summer reading season!
4. The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
Setting: London, Paris, Salzburg, Venice and Lake Como, Italy
This charming sequel to The Guncle takes place five years after Maisie and Grant spent the summer in Palm Springs with their Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP) following their mother’s death and their father’s stint in rehab. After that summer, Patrick relocated to New York to be closer to his brother’s family and returned to his acting career.
Staring down 50, Patrick recently broke up with his younger partner, Emory, and is in London filming a movie when he gets a call from his brother asking for help. Greg is getting re-married to a wealthy Italian woman at a hotel in Lake Como in a few weeks and the kids are not happy about it. Patrick proposes that the kids meet him in London and he’ll take them on a grand European trip before the wedding and hopefully help them to better understand their dad and his new relationship.
Patrick, Maisie and Grant start their adventure in London and travel around Europe by train exploring Paris, Salzburg, and Venice before arriving in Lake Como a few days before the wedding. Along the way, Patrick tries to teach the kids a few lessons about love (adding to his Guncle rules) while he also grapples with his own failed relationship and why he ended it. The kids, however, aren’t buying it and Maisie is adamant that he must talk to their dad and stop this wedding from happening. Patrick promises that he will talk to Greg but puts it off until the last possible minute as he’s distracted by both his sister and the kids soon-to-be-launt (lesbian aunt).
This was a slow start for me compared to The Guncle which I loved from the first chapter but once the trio arrived in Lake Como everything clicked. Patrick helps his niece and nephew navigate dealing with loss and how to move forward while not forgetting their mom and at the same time comes to term with the losses he has suffered as well. Heartwarming, funny and poignant with a great setting (the Salzburg The Sound of Music tour was my favourite) – hopefully there will be a third book because I’m not ready to say goodbye to Patrick (and Emory), Maisie and Grant just yet!
5. This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Setting: Prince Edward Island
Before Lucy visits Prince Edward Island for the first time, her best friend, Bridget, gives her three rules. (1) Eat your weight in oysters, (2) Leave the city behind and (3) Don’t fall in love with my brother. Bridget is delayed leaving Toronto though so Lucy arrives on the island by herself and meets a local named Felix not realizing until after she gets out of his bed the following morning that he is Bridget’s younger brother. Lucy is determined to stay away from Felix for many reasons despite their obvious chemistry but each year she escapes to PEI and each time she finds him impossible to resist.
Now five years later, Bridget flees to the island the week before her wedding and Lucy drops everything in Toronto to follow her but that means that she can’t avoid seeing Felix again. The story alternates between the past timeline showing the development of Lucy and Felix’s relationship and the present day when Lucy is trying to come to terms with her feelings for Felix, support her best friend and figure out if she’s satisfied with her career running the florist shop she took over from her beloved aunt.
This Summer Will Be Different is a fun summer read with a forbidden love/best friend’s brother romance but the friendship between Lucy and Bridget is equally important to the plot. I think I might have even enjoyed that aspect of the story more than the romantic. Lucy and Bridget’s changing friendship as they grow older and settle into adult lives is very relatable as is Lucy’s struggle to figure out who she is and what she wants most out of life.
The best part of the book is the Prince Edward Island setting. PEI is one of my favourite places in the world – I have visited 10 times and I loved reading about many of my favourite places to visit on the island plus all of the Anne of Green Gables references. If you haven’t been then you need to add it to your bucket list now!!
Read 25 Fun Things To Do in Prince Edward Island on Your Summer Vacation
6. Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner
Setting: Rome, Italy
In 1955, Vivien Lowry’s latest play opens in London’s West End to an enthusiastic audience but is forced to close early when panned by the critics. With her career in turmoil, Vivien accepts an offer to work as a script doctor with an American movie company filming at Cinecittà Studios in Rome and is quickly drawn into the world of film makers, celebrities and expats connected to Italy’s movie industry. Vivien becomes romantically entangled with an older American man but at the same time she is finally coming to terms with her past and the mystery of what happened to her fiancé who died during the war.
Most of the book takes place in 1955-56 but there are a few chapters that take place during the war from the point-of-view of “La Scolaretta” (the school girl assasin) of the Italian resistance movement who is the subject of one of the scripts that Vivien is working on at Cinecittà.
This is a well-researched and interesting story relating to post-World War II Italy which uses a blend of fictional and real characters including Daphne DuMaurier, Peggy Guggenheim, Ava Gardner, Sophia Loren, and Gina Lollobrigida. The post-war plot revolves around the glamour of the movie industry that was developing in Italy with directors like Federico Fellini as well as American directors and actors who had moved abroad to avoid investigations of alleged “un-American activities” during the era of McCarthyism.
The novel also includes themes relating to the control and censorship of the church in Italy, movies as an art form to share stories and reflect on the past, coming to terms with losses suffered and lessons learned during the war and facing the future with hope after devastating loss. Vivien’s thoughts on the war and the poignant themes are also relevant to issues and challenges we face today.
This is the third book in the Jane Austen Society series but the previous books do not necessarily have to be read first to enjoy this one. Vivien was a shop girl in Bloomsbury Girls and there are other recurring characters but the storyline in this novel stands on its own.
I loved the first two books (The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls) but Every Time We Say Goodbye seemed slower paced and it took much longer for me to get into the story. There’s a lot packed in and the story switches plot lines often which is why I think I had trouble engaging, however, Jenner is a very good writer so I still enjoyed the story, the message and the setting of the book and learned a great deal about the movie industry and post-war politics in Italy.
7. The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord
Setting: Beach town in the Northeastern U.S.
June and Levi, now in their late ’20s, are former best friends who haven’t been part of each other’s lives for 10 years. After spending most of the past decade travelling with her boyfriend, June is back in the small town of Benson Beach where they grew up running a tea shop on the beach that she’s struggling to keep afloat while Levi is taking a break from his high-paying finance job in New York City to try and finish the novel he has been working on for years.
After they both experience humiliating public break-ups that go viral across social media, Levi and June bump into each other on the beach and a photo of the two of them sets the internet afire with rumours that they are now dating. Recognizing the possible upside to minor social media celebrity, the two make a pact pretending to date in hopes that the attention will help June’s shop financially and convince Levi’s ex that she made a mistake. They have a swell of public support and the break-up pact appears to be having the desired result but can Levi and June pull this off without developing real feelings for each other?
Emma Lord’s first romance for adults, The Break-Up Pact is a good summer read – a friends-to-lovers/fake dating romance with likeable characters and a fun beach town setting. I was expecting a light and fluffy rom-com but there’s a bit more to it than that as both of the main characters are dealing with grief and other serious adult issues so the plot is as much about them working out who they are and what they want in life as it is about their romance. Fans of Emma Lord’s are sure to enjoy!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
8. Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams
Setting: Cairo, Egypt, New England and briefly in Ireland
An enjoyable multiple timeline story that transports the reader from the beaches of New England to the streets of post-war Cairo.
New England 2022 – single mother Mallory Dunne’s 13 year-old son, Sam, is on dialysis and in need of a kidney transplant after surviving an acute poisoning at summer camp three years earlier. Searching for a donor, Mallory must confront two secrets from the past – her summer romance 14 years earlier with childhood friend Monk Adams who is now one of the world’s most famous singer-songwriters and the recent discovery of her mother’s adoption from an Irish orphanage in 1952 – and determine the significance of the mysterious family heirloom her late mother left to her.
Cairo 1951, Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth who was scarred from traumatic World War II experiences has married a wealthy British diplomat with a posting in Cairo. While adjusting to their lives as expats in Egypt, she finds herself drawn to a charismatic hotel manager but when political tensions start to simmer and revolution seems inevitable, Hannah finds herself pregnant and is forced to make a decision.
New England 2008 – Mallory falls in love with Monk while spending the summer on Winthrop Island working as a nanny for his father and stepmother.
Husbands & Lovers is a captivating summer read set partially on the fictional Winthrop Island where a couple of the author’s previous books take place as well as glamorous post-war Egypt. The book is a blend of historical fiction, romance, and mystery with family secrets, intrigue, love, heartbreak and all the twists and summer vibes needed for a satisfying beach read!
9. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson
Setting: A small seaside village in Sussex, England
A delightful new historical fiction novel from the author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand that explores what life was like for women in England in the years just after World War I.
During the war, Constance Haverhill was employed managing a large estate but now that the men have returned from the front she has been asked to give up her job and the cottage that went with it. Biding time until she can find a paid position, Constance travels to Hazelbourne-by-the-Sea as the companion to an elderly family friend recently recovered from influenza who plans to spend the summer convalescing at a luxury hotel in the seaside village.
Shortly after arriving in Hazelbourne, Constance is befriended by Poppy Wirrall, the local baronet’s daughter, who heads up a social club for women who ride motorcycles, operates a motorcycle taxi service employing women and aspires to expand into offering flying lessons. The story is narrated by Constance as well as Poppy’s brother, Harris, who was a fighter pilot wounded in battle, and Klaus, a German waiter who was interned during the war and is still treated with suspicion by the villagers.
Over the course of the summer, Constance’s life is turned upside down as she is drawn into the world of Poppy, Harris and their friends but as the plans for a peace celebration at the end of summer move forward, the women are faced with the loss of the freedoms and independence they enjoyed during the war years.
A well-written story of love, friendship and of a group of hopeful young women who are struggling to maintain their independence after the war. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcyle and Flying Club tells a captivating tale of a society that is changing during the post World War I period with a plot that touches on many of the issues that existed at the time relating to racism, classism and the disparity between sexes. An enjoyable, light historical read!
10. Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
Setting: Coastal Georgia
Traci Eddings is the widowed owner of the St. Cecelia, a posh resort on the coast of Georgia known as The Saint. Locals refer to people who vacation there as ‘Saints” and anyone who can’t afford to stay there as “Ain’ts‘. Traci grew up locally and was an Ain’t working at the resort with her best friend, Shannon, until she married the younger son of the owner but his death in a helicopter crash four years earlier left her in charge of running the Saint.
The hotel is struggling financially but Traci is determined to get the Saint back on track as the summer season gets underway. Traci hires staff including her niece and her estranged best friend’s daughter and is hopeful that the summer will be successful but problems keep popping up around the resort, a stranger shows up in town asking about a drowning that happened 20 years earlier and then the death of someone at the resort threatens to destroy everything Traci has been working to save.
Mary Kay Andrews can always be relied on to craft a good story! Summer at the Saint is a page-turner with family drama, a twisty whodunnit murder mystery and a bit of romance. It takes several chapters to introduce the cast of characters but once they’re set up then the plot starts rolling.
The book has a great cast of characters, the story flows well, the whodunnit will keep you guessing and there’s a happy ever after ending. The story also has a great sense of place and summer vibes – The Saint sounds like the perfect vacation destination (minus the murder of course!). Summers at the Saint is a fun and engaging read – perfect for the beach bag this summer!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
11. Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand
Setting: Nantucket
In Elin Hilderbrand’s final Nantucket book, a recently purchased 22-million-dollar beach house burns down and a young woman goes missing three days before the island’s Chief of Police, Ed Kapenash, is set to retire and he’s determined to see the investigation through – a “swan song” of sorts. The flashy couple who owned the house, the Richardsons, arrived on Nantucket at the beginning of summer and immediately became the talk of the island by throwing elaborate parties and taking over the island’s social scene.
The Richardsons employ a Personal Concierge named Coco who was befriended on her ferry ride to the island by Chief Kapenash’s daughter, Kacy, who had come home to Nantucket for the summer. As summer draws to a close, the Richardsons are throwing a lavish party on their yacht when they receive word that their home is on fire and when they return to shore it’s discovered that Coco has gone missing from the boat. The narrative moves back and forward in time from the investigation to the events that took place over the course of the summer leading up to the tragedy.
The “Queen of the Beach Read” has wrapped up her Nantucket series with an entertaining summer novel that includes a mystery, some romance and plenty of sun-soaked drama around beautiful Nantucket. There are a number of recurring characters from some of the earlier novels (Blonde Sharon plays a big role) but it’s not necessary to read any of the previous books in order to enjoy Swan Song. This isn’t my favourite book of hers but it is, of course, still quite enjoyable – perfect for beach or poolside reading this summer!
12. Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Setting: Cape Cod
Sandwich takes place over the course of a week at the beach house that 54 year-old Rachel (known as Rocky) and her family have been renting on Cape Cod each summer for the past 20 years. Rocky, her husband, Nick, and their young adult children, Jamie and Willa, and Jamie’s girlfriend, Maya, arrive at the cozy beach house for their weeklong escape and later in the week they are joined by Rocky’s elderly parents.
The story is told via Rocky’s inner monologue in a chatty style that includes flashbacks to particular incidents in Rocky’s past. Rocky is going through menopause and it’s rough – she’s on a hormone fueled roller coaster of emotions, she’s suffering from anticipatory anxiety, her body is changing and her life is changing too. Over the course of the week, the family enjoys their vacation traditions including trips to the beach and great food (lots of sandwiches!) but there are also serious conversations and secrets and losses that are revealed.
A quick read of just over 200 pages, Sandwich perfectly captures this stage in a woman’s life and the feeling of being caught in the middle worrying about both kids and aging parents. Women who are in Rocky’s age range will find the emotions particularly relatable.
This is a moving story about motherhood, family, love, loss and change set within the context of a vacation on beautiful Cape Cod. The writing is exquisite – witty, laugh-out-loud funny and also touching with many poignant moments. I laughed, I cried and I savoured the beautiful lines including this favourite: “And this may be the only reason we were put on this earth. To say to each other, I know how you feel. To say, Same.”
13. And So I Roar by Abi Daré
Setting: Nigeria
In this heartwrenching sequel to The Girl With the Louding Voice, Adunni is forced to leave Lagos and return to her village of Ikati the night before she is supposed to start school. At the same time, Tia’s mother is on her deathbed in hospital in Port Harcourt and Tia is meant to be flying there in a last minute attempt to repair their relationship and convince her mother to reveal the secret she has been keeping for years. Tia is torn but leaves with Adunni hoping that she can protect the young girl and bring her safely home to Lagos.
Heartbreaking yet hopeful, And So I Roar is an unforgettable story that illustrates the importance of education and empowerment of girls through Adunni’s determination to obtain the education she wants and her courage in using her voice to stand up for herself and the other girls in her village. The stories told by a group of girls in Ikati also highlight some of the additional serious issues faced by young girls and women in Nigeria including child marriage, rape and female genital mutilation.
I suppose it’s possible to read And So I Roar as a standalone but I wouldn’t recommend it. Read The Girl With the Louding Voice first to fully understand Adunni’s dreams, the events that drove her to run away from her village in the first place and her experience working as a housemaid in Lagos before meeting Tia.
14. Long Island by Colm Toibin
Setting: Long Island, New York and Enniscorthy, Ireland
In this sequel to Brooklyn that takes place some twenty years later, Eilis Lacey, now in her ’40s, is married to Tony Fiorello and living with him and their two teenage children in a suburban cul-de-sac in Long Island along with Tony’s parents and his brothers and their families. Her life is turned upside down when she answers the door one afternoon to find an Irish man on her stoop claiming that his wife is pregnant with Tony’s baby. He informs Eilis that he has no intention of raising the child and will instead deposit it on her doorstep.
Conflicted over her feelings for Tony and with her future no longer clear, Eilis decides to return to her Irish hometown for the first time in over 20 years to celebrate her mother’s 80th birthday. Eilis finds much the same in Enniscorthy but much has changed as well and she can’t help but reflect on how her life might have been different if she had stayed. Her good friend, Nancy, has been widowed and is now running a chip shop with a daughter about to be married while Jim Farrell, who Eilis left behind when she returned to Brooklyn, has never married and is still running his family pub. While Brooklyn was told entirely from Eilis’s perspective, Long Island alternates close third person narrative between Eilis, Jim and Nancy.
This is an exquisitely written, moving novel about ordinary people and complex human emotions. A heartbreaking story of home and loss and secrets. Slow moving but with a tension throughout as it heads toward a conclusion that can’t possibly include a happy ending for all three characters. The novel doesn’t have a clear ending but leaves the reader to wonder what will happen next for Eilis, Nancy and Jim and with a lingering hope that Colm Tobin will decide to revisit the lives of these characters one more time.
15. Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen
Setting: Beijing, China
Tiananmen Square tells a story of growing up in a working class neighbourhood in the heart of Beijing in the ’70s and ’80s. Living in a small apartment with her parents who were deeply impacted by the Cultural Revolution, her younger brother and her elderly grandmother, Lai is a gifted student whose childhood and teen years are haunted by a violent encounter with police that she experienced at a young age. Lai’s beloved grandmother has a profound impact on her life as does an elderly bookseller who introduces her to great works of literature.
When Lai is awarded a scholarship to study at Peking University her world view expands as she is exposed to new people and new ideas including idealistic young students who are advocating for a more democratic Chinese state. Lai’s new friendships lead to her involvement in the student protest movement that rises that spring. More than half of the book is Lai’s life from about the age of 10/11 through her teenage years and the rest of the book is her first year at university in 1988/89 that culminates with the Tiananmen Square student protests and the violent military crackdown.
This debut is a moving coming of age novel about friendships, family, first love and self-discovery set against the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square tragedy. Lai experiences many of the same things as young people anywhere but her story also shows the realities of life in Communist China during that time period.
The slow-paced and character driven narrative is a poignant testament to the incredible courage of the students who dared to stand against the Communist regime and make their demands for greater democracy. I was moved to tears as Lai related her experience of the military crackdown as I remember the protests very well since they took place during the months between my university graduation and starting law school and I later met students who had been in Tiananmen Square and then moved from China to Canada. This is a heavier novel than most summer recommendations but if you’re looking for a more serious read then it’s a good choice.
Tiananmen Square will be published on June 4, 2024 – the 35th anniversary of the tragedy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
16. A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi
Setting: Basque Country/France
A Good Life is the story of two adult sisters, Emma (42) and Agathe (37), who haven’t seen each other in five years but reunite to spend a week together in Basque Country after the death of their adored grandmother. The narrative alternates between the perspective of both women today and also from the past beginning when they were young children through all the stages of their lives thus far.
A Good Life is the North American debut by bestselling French author, Virginie Grimaldi (translated by Hildegarde Serle). This is a story about the deep love between two sisters who are as different as can be who had a difficult childhood scarred by tragedy and who carried pain from their dysfunctional family into their adult lives. A touching, feel good story about healing from the past that requires a few kleenexes toward the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Europa Editions for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
17. Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Setting: California
After a brief relationship with her married English professor during her first year in college, Margo Millet gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby despite the warnings that doing so will ruin her life. Now, at age 20, single mom Margo has lost her waitressing job because she can’t afford childcare for her infant son, Bodhi, and two of her three roommates move out leaving her strapped for cash and facing eviction.
Margo can’t depend on her mother for support and her baby’s father wants nothing to do with her (going so far as to have his mother pay Margo a visit and offer her a small sum of cash if she signs an NDA). There’s a glimmer of hope when her absentee father, Jinx (an ex-pro wrestler with a drug problem), turns up out of the blue and moves in to help with rent and childcare but Margo still needs a source of income. Out of desperation to find a way to support her son while caring for him at home, Margo starts an OnlyFans account which she hopes will provide the financial lifeline she needs.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a wonderfully written delight of a book – a quirky, original coming of age story about a resilient young woman doing her best as she grapples with new motherhood. Margo is someone that you will root for even when her choices are questionable. Laugh-out-loud dark humour, a budding romance, a journey of personal growth and sharp observations on the world of social media celebrity and societal judgement about sex work but mostly a heartwarming story with a slate of wonderful complex characters that you can’t help but love.
18. How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley
Setting: Hammersmith (West London), England
Lydia, feeling at loose ends as she enters middle age, is hired to run a social group for senior citizens three afternoons a week at a local community centre in Hammersmith, West London. She anticipates afternoons of quiet activities like knitting, drinking tea and playing cards but the seniors that turn up don’t quite fit that mold. There’s Ruby – a Banksy-style knitter, Anna – an ex-trucker with brightly dyed hair and a list of dead husbands to her credit, Art – an out of work actor and kleptomaniac, Art’s best friend William – a former paparazzi photographer, and Daphne – an ornery and reclusive woman with a mysterious past.
When the council threatens to close the doors for good, Lydia and her group of seniors band together to save the centre from demolition with help from a few preschoolers from next door in the centre’s daycare, a teenage dad and a geriatric dog named Maggie Thatcher.
Like Clare Pooley’s previous novel, Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting (which I loved), How to Age Disgracefully is the feel-good story of an eclectic group of people coming together to form a community. This was such a fun read – heartfelt and laugh-out-loud funny with memorable characters and I enjoyed reading about a group of seniors who defy all the stereotypes and prove that aging disgracefully is far more fun!
19. The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr
Setting: Warsaw, Poland; Los Angeles
The Goddess of Warsaw is a three-timeline historical novel about a courageous Jewish woman fighting fascism. After her wealthy family is destroyed by Nazis during World War II, Bina Blonski, a young actress and Polish Jew, is forced to live in the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw with her husband, Jakub, and his brother, Aleksander, who she is secretly in love with. Bina joins the resistance as a spy and an assassin taking full advantage of her ability to move outside the ghetto perimeter without raising suspicion due to her blond Aryan beauty. The resistance efforts culminate in the April 1943 Warsaw ghetto uprising where Jewish insurgents resisted the efforts of German troops and police to deport all remaining inhabitants of the ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp.
Bina survives the uprising and by 1956 has transformed herself into a glamorous Hollywood actress named Lena Browning. Lena, who is known for her femme fatale roles, keeps her background secret but is never able to forget what the Nazis did to her, her family, and the Jewish population of Warsaw. This is at a time when many Nazi scientists had gained US citizenship in exchange for their knowledge as part of Operation Paperclip and antisemitism in Hollywood isn’t unheard of. In 2005, Lena, now in her ’80s, is approached by a young Hollywood starlet who wants to make a movie about her life and Bina/Lena decides to finally tell her story and reveal her past.
The Goddess of Warsaw is an interesting and informative historical novel with a unique WWII perspective with its focus on the Jewish ghetto uprising in Warsaw – an event that I hadn’t been familiar with before reading this book. In the Author’s Note, Lisa Barr explains that her goal with this novel was to “examine the fine line between the pursuit of justice and the hunt for revenge”. She has done this very well by creating a gripping pageturner that is also a moving and thought-provoking story.
20. The Murder After the Night Before by Katie Brent
Setting: London, England
Molly wakes up in her London flat with a horrible hangover, no memory of the night before and a stranger in her bed. She manages to haul herself to work only to be sent home again after learning that she is trending on social media for the worst possible reason. Later that same day, she discovers her best friend, Posey, is dead. The police think it’s an accident but Molly is sure that it was murder. Molly has no choice but to deal with her shame and pull herself together so she can find out what actually happened to Posey.
The Murder After the Night Before is a well-written, fast-paced page-turner that I could not put down! I assumed from the cover that this would be a lighter read similar to the Finlay Donovan series but it covered some serious issues including grief, sexual assault, and social media toxicity narrated by Molly who has a dark sense of humour.
Molly is an unforgettable character and the mystery is gripping – everyone is a suspect, nobody can be trusted and just when you think you have it figured out, there’s a twist. This is Katy Brent’s second novel and I have not yet read her debut but definitely will now!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada for sending a digital copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
21. Just One Taste by Lizzy Dent
Setting: Italy
Food journalist and restaurant critic Olive Stone has had minimal contact with her father in the past fourteen years so she’s surprised to learn that she has inherited his (failing) London restaurant after his sudden death. Even more surprising is the fact that his dying wish was for her to finish his cookbook on Italian cuisine with the help of his sous-chef/surrogate son Leo Ricci. Olive is determined to sell the restaurant and Leo hopes to change her mind but as the two travel to Sicily, Tuscany and Liguria working on the cookbook and eating all of the delicious regional foods, the attraction between them grows and Olive starts to second guess her decision to sell the restaurant.
Another fun rom-com from Lizzy Dent that is also a love letter to Italy and the country’s delicious food. The descriptions of the beautiful setting and the meals they enjoyed are so well done that you’re going to simultaneously feel like you’re there and wish you were there. A quick read, slow burn romance that is mostly lighthearted although it does also tackle the grief of suddenly losing a parent – if you’re looking for a romance with a heavy dose of armchair travel then Just One Taste should satisfy your craving!
22. You Are Here by David Nicholls
Setting: English countryside
A charming and relatable romance about a mid-life couple set against the backdrop of a 10 day hike across the English countryside!
Michael Bradshaw is a 42 year-old geography teacher in York who is going through a divorce and dealing with his unhappiness by taking long solitary walks in the countryside. Marnie Walsh is a divorced 38 year-old copy editor living in London but increasingly isolated from friends and family as she works from home and prefers staying in her flat reading a book to going out.
A concerned mutual friend organizes a small group to accompany Michael on a 10 day walk across England’s Lake District travelling 200 miles from the North Sea to the Irish Sea but the bad weather causes the others to quickly drop off leaving only Michael and Marnie. While walking across the countryside up hills, across moors and often through pouring rain, Michael and Marnie slowly get to know each other and open up to the possibility of loving someone again.
You Are Here is a lovely story of second chances featuring two likable and quite ordinary main characters, flawless dialogue and witty British humour. Told in alternating perspectives, it’s a slow burn love story that credibly captures the loneliness of two midlife protaganists whose marriages have failed and who are finding it difficult to move on from their hearbreak. The description of the beautiful landscape on Michael and Marnie’s coast to coast walk across the English countryside made me want to plan a similar adventure – but perhaps with a little less mud!
This was an enjoyable read and the first David Nicholls novel for me (although I have had a copy of One Day on my TBR shelf at home for many years and really must read it this summer!).
23. The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle
Setting: Paris, France and Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Malta
Stella and her husband of four years, Adam, have spent the past few days in Paris at the tail end of a three week long dream vacation visiting multiple European countries. Mere hours before their flight home to the U.S., an explosion rocks a city square and Adam goes missing. In the aftermath of the explosion, a panicked Stella desperately searches for her husband until she’s contacted by the police who inform her that Adam was dealing in rare and stolen antiquities on the black market. Even more shocking – the police believe that Adam was the target of the explosion.
Wanting to prove her husband’s innocence, Stella refuses to leave Paris until she finds out what happened to him but if the police are right about Adam’s business dealings then she might be the next target.
Narrared by Stella in the present timeline in Paris and Adam in flashbacks to the previous stops on their vacation, The Paris Widow is a fast-paced, suspenseful story about secrets as well as the black market for art and antiquities. An added bonus was the beautiful settings around Europe (Paris in the present with flashbacks to Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Malta). It’s a twisty read that I couldn’t put down and it left me guessing until the final few pages. This was my first time reading this author and I’ll definitely read more from her. The perfect thriller for summer reading!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
24. By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Setting: New York City and England
In modern day New York City, Melina Green, a young playwright struggling to get her plays staged in a male-dominated industry, has written a new play inspired by her ancestor Emilia Bassano who was England’s first female published poet. Melina is discouraged about the likelihood of seeing it staged but, without her knowledge, her best friend submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.
In Elizabethan England, young Emilia Bassano, a well-educated ward of aristocrats, is forced to become mistress to the Lord Chamberlain who oversees all theatre productions in England on behalf of the Queen. As she becomes exposed to the world of theatre, Emilia turns her sharp wit and gift of storytelling to the writing of plays and enlists the help of her friend Christopher ‘Kit’ Marlowe to make an arrangement with William Shakespeare to pass off her work as his own.
This is only the second book that I have read by Jodi Picoult – the first was Wish You Were Here and I wasn’t crazy about the subject matter. I decided to give her books another chance and I’m glad I did because I loved this book. I love theatre and all things Shakespeare so it was a perfect fit!
I loved all of the references to Shakespeare’s plays sprinkled throughout the story and enjoyed Picoult’s persuasive argument for why Emilia Bassano could have written some of his plays. I was familiar with the theories that William Shakespeare didn’t write the plays attributed to him but had not heard of Bassano before – I will definitely read more about her now!
This is a long book – close to 500 pages. I found it riveting but I’m not surprised that some readers who don’t care as much about Shakespeare as I do found it a bit tedious. By Any Other Name is well-written, imaginative and the research Picoult has done is thorough. I enjoyed both timelines but Emilia’s timeline was so rich in details that it was my favourite. A great sual timeline story about two women who were determined to do whatever necessary to see their stories on stage!
25. The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall
Setting: Berlin, Alnwick in northern England
A gripping dual timeline historical novel about a young British/German pianist living in Berlin on the cusp of World War II who risks everything to help a friend.
The earlier timeline begins in Berlin in 1938 when Audrey James is living with her best friend Ilse Kaplan’s family while she completes her studies at a prestigious music school. Audrey’s father insists that she return to England as he’s convinced that war will soon break out but Audrey is reluctant to leave before graduation and dreads leaving Ilse behind as her family has already been targeted by Nazis.
After Kristallnacht, the elegant Kaplan home is confiscated by Nazi officers and a desperate Audrey agrees to work as their housekeeper while Ilse hides upstairs in the attic. Another shocking turn of events leads to Audrey joining a cell of anti-Hitler resistance putting herself at great risk as they attempt to stop Hitler and his relentless march toward war in Europe.
In the second 2010 timeline, Kate Mercer leaves London after a tragic accident to take a position at an inn in Alnwick in the north of England where she hopes to heal from her loss. As the two women grow closer, the inn’s elderly proprietor shares long-held secrets and Kate also begins to unravel her own past.
This well-written, thoroughly researched story and inspired by real life events and people – I love how this author is committed to sharing the untold stories of women throughout history. I wasn’t sure that it was possible to cover any untouched ground in World War II historical fiction, however, in this novel, the main character becomes involved with a cell of the Anti-Nazi resistance group in Germany known as the Red Orchestra. Among the plethora of books that I have read set during World War II, I can only remember one other that explored the resistance movement that existed in Germany.
I loved the author’s previous book, Looking for Jane, and this one was even better! I hadn’t heard of the Red Orchestra prior to reading this novel and didn’t know much about resistance efforts within Germany so enjoyed reading about an unfamiliar aspect of World War II.
The Secret History of Audrey James is a captivating and suspenseful pageturner that shines a light on the actions of courageous women who risked everything for those they loved during World War II. It’s an emotional (and action-packed) story of friendship, love, hardship, loss and healing that is heartbreaking yet also heartwarming – this is historical fiction at it’s best and I couldn’t put it down!
Be sure to read the excellent author’s note at the end of the book for further information on her research for this novel and how her own family history ties into the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Shuster Canada for sending an ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
26. Best, First, and Last by Amy T. Matthews
Setting: Peru
Best, First and Last is the story of three generations of women in one family who are all struggling for different reasons. Bonnie (Bon) is grieving the death of her third husband and worried about the rift between her daughter, Sandy, and her granddaughter, Heather. Sandy is an emotional wreck about the impending divorce from her philandering husband and Heather, who moved across the country to escape the difficult relationship she has with both parents, has recently broken up with a guy who is a bit of a stalker.
After a conversation with her Arizona neighbour’s photojournalist grandson, Bonnie decides to book a trip to Peru for herself, Sandy and Heather to hike the Incan Trail to Machu Picchu as a celebration of her 70th birthday. Most of the narrative takes place in the lead up to and during the trip to Peru but there are also a few flashback chapters that provide the background relating to Sandy and Bonnie’s relationships.
I had enjoyed the author’s previous book, Someone Else’s Bucket List, and was drawn to this one because this Machu Picchu trip is something I would love to do. As the three women embark on this adventure to visit one of the wonders of the world, there is a lot of fighting and tears but as they hike there is also a shedding of the past and the three begin to look forward to the future. There is also a romance storyline for Heather who meets her “Romeo” shortly after arriving in Peru.
Bon, who is carrying around her dead husband’s urn, was my favourite character – she is a riot and you never know what’s going to come out of her mouth but she loves her daughter and granddaughter deeply and will do anything for them.
Best, First and Last is an uplifting, joyful story of family and healing and an enjoyable read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
27. The Year of What If by Phaedra Patrick
Setting: Various European countries
A heart-felt novel about a bride-to-be, a family curse and a whirlwind European adventure!
42 year-old Carla Carter is about to get married for the second time and she’s certain that she’s found the one as she met her fiancé, Tom, through the dating agency she owns which uses an algorithm to match couples based on their answers to practical questions. And unlike the other members of her family, she doesn’t believe that the women in her family are doomed at love thanks to a 100 year-old curse.
But Carla starts to question everything when a tarot card reading mere weeks before her wedding implies that one of the men she met on her gap year trip across Europe 21 years earlier is the love of her life. Carla tries to brush it aside but when Tom goes off to the US for several weeks for a gaming conference, she decides to retrace her gap year travels from Manchester to Spain, Portugal, Amsterdam, Sardinia, Italy and Paris and reconnect with the men who were important to her in each place.
An easy-to-read, enjoyable story of family, love, secrets and a bit of mystery relating to the curse. The characters are likeable and I quite enjoyed Carla’s travels around Europe as she pondered the question “what if?” This is the second book that I have enjoyed by this author (having read The Little Italian Hotel last summer) – her books seem to be perfect for when you’re looking for a feel-good summer read with some armchair travel!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
28. The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson
Setting: North Carolina
Mae Townsend has always felt like an outsider with her mother’s white relatives but has been estranged from her late father’s Black family and has no idea why. Now as Mae is about to be married and contemplating a future with her white in-laws, she finds herself wondering more about her Black family in the South. When Mae discovers that her paternal grandmother has died, she decides to travel from Baltimore to North Carolina for the funeral.
Once she meets her Townsend relatives, Mae realizes that they are holding a grudge of some sort but she is determined to get to know the family better and make them like her. Mae puts work and planning for her fast-approaching wedding on hold when she convinces the Townsends to let her stay at her grandmother’s house to help get it ready for sale, organize the family’s Fourth of July picnic and figure out her grandmother’s beloved mac n cheese recipe (hopefully with help from her cousin Sierra).
The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster is a heartfelt, easy to read story of family with a wonderful cast of characters. Mae is an endearing and very relatable character. She’s determined to connect with her dad’s family but also struggling to stand up for herself with members of her mother’s family and her fiancé’s family who have made overtly racist or hurtful comments. Mae is flawed and she messes up but with the best of intentions and it’s impossible not to feel for her.
The book addresses some serious issues including racism/microaggressions, race and how it feels to be biracial but in the context of a lighthearted story. An emphasis on the importance of food and family traditions, long-held family secrets and some unexpected twists – overall a feel-good family story that’s perfect for summer reading – all it’s missing is the mac n’ cheese recipe!
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
29. Jenny James Is Not a Disaster by Debbie Johnson
Setting: Norfolk and a road trip across England
A heartwarming story about a struggling single mom and a life-changing journey. Jenny James is a 36 year-old single mom who has been estranged from her family since she left home as a teenager. Her boyfriend left her and their toddler son, Charlie, a couple of years later and they have been managing on their own ever since. Jenny and Charlie, now 18, live in Norfolk in a cozy rental cottage along the cliffs and Jenny works a boring and unfulfilling job as an office manager to support her small family.
On the same day that Jenny learns she might lose her job, her car breaks down and she and Charlie return home on foot just in time to see the cliff collapsing and taking their home and all their belongings with it. A nomadic man named Luke who has his motorhome parked nearby comes to their rescue providing them shelter and emotional support. A few days later when Jenny learns that she has indeed lost her job, Luke invites her and Charlie to travel with him and his adorable daschund, Betty, exploring England for a few weeks. Jenny and Charlie decide to take him up on the offer finding joy and a new sense of freedom along the way.
Jenny James Is Not a Disaster is an uplifting story that deals with serious issues but with a light touch. A story of healing, parent and child relationships, self-discovery/finding joy and a slow burn romance with a reminder that sometimes what seems to be a disaster can lead to the best adventures. Both humourous and heartfelt with engaging writing and well-developed characters – this is a book that made me laugh, cry and root for the characters to have a happy ending plus I loved travelling along to the various sites in England that they visit!
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
30. Tomorrow is for the Brave by Kelly Bowen
Setting: France, North Africa
I have read a great deal of World War II historical fiction and a lot of it is starting to blur together but Tomorrow Is For the Brave by Kelly Bowen stands out from the rest for its originality as it tells a fascinating story set primarily in the Middle East and North Africa.
Young socialite Violet St. Croix lives a seemingly charmed life in the south of France where she is engaged to be married to a man chosen for her by her wealthy parents. Violet tries to meet the expectations of her parents and fiancé but she doesn’t fit in well with the other young women in her social circles because she loves cars and driving and feels restrained by the limitations placed on her.
When war breaks out and France falls to Germany, Violet defies her parents and trains as a nurse but it soon becomes apparent that her skills at driving under pressure far exceed her nursing abilities. Violet is recruited to drive officers of the French Foreign Legion through dangerous territory in Syria and North Africa where she becomes convinced after a number of setbacks and a brazen murder that there is a dangerous spy operating in their midst to sabotage operations.
Tommorow Is For the Brave is historical fiction inspired by the life of Susan Travers who was the only woman to have officially served in the French Foreign Legion. The novel is well-written and well-researched and I loved Violet – a strong female protagonist who is willing to stand up for what she believes is the right thing to do and comes into her own through her work during the war.
This is also a tale of espionage with occasional chapters from the perspective of “the spy” who is sabotaging the efforts of the Allies in North Africa. It’s not clear who the spy is until the book nears its conclusion and it kept me up well into the night as I had to finish and find out. There’s a romance thread woven throughout the storyline as well but it takes a backseat to the overall plot.
A fast-paced, gripping pageturner about a courageous young woman who defied her family to serve her country – highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
31. Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
Setting: Suburb of Chicago
Same As It Ever Was is a family drama exploring love, friendship, marriage, and motherhood from the point-of-view of Julia, a 57 year-old married mother of two living in suburban Chicago. The novel opens with Julia’s preparations for her husband’s 60th birthday party and a chance encounter with an older woman named Helen who Julia hasn’t seen since their friendship ended 18 years earlier.
The story moves back and forth between timelines from present day when Julia seems settled until seeing Helen again coupled with a surprise announcement from her graduate student son prompt her to revisit her past, to the period of time 20 years ago when Julia was struggling with loneliness and isolation as a stay-at-home mom and was befriended by Helen, and also to Julia’s childhood and her strained relationship with her own mother.
Same As It Ever Was is a finely-crafted and engaging work of literary fiction – a thoughtful exploration of relationships including marriage and motherhood. The characters are well-developed and flawed – Julia is not always likable but, over the course of the novel, the reader slowly gets to know her as she grapples with who she is as a person, as a mom, and as a daughter and she becomes more relatable as it becomes apparent that her insecurity and her bad decisions are rooted in a turbulent childhood.
This is a long (500 pages) and slow-paced novel but it’s well-written, enjoyable and easy to read – perfect if you’re looking for a more substantial summer beach read!
32. The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier
Setting: The island of Murano, Venice, Italy
Tracy Chevalier’s latest novel transports readers to Murano just off the coast of Venice, Italy where artisans have been creating beautiful glassware for generations. The story begins late in the 15th century (1486) and introduces young Orsola Rosso who is 9 years old at the time and the eldest daughter in a family of glassmakers. Women were not allowed to blow glass but when Orsola’s father dies a few years later, she secretly starts making glass beads which help support the family through difficult times.
The Glassmaker follows Orsula and the Rosso family from Renaissance-era Italy through plagues, the Napoleonic era, two world wars and into the 21st century and Covid-19. The family experience also provides a window into the transformation of Venice over time from a city of trade to a city of tourists. This is done using an interesting construct related to the passage of time. Time is described as skipping like a stone – it passes like molten glass in Venice as compared to terra firma so that more than 500 years passes over the course of the novel but the characters in Venice have aged slowly – Orsula born late in the 15th century is only in her ’60s in 2019.
Well-researched, imaginative and creative, this is the story of a woman, of a city and of the art of glassblowing. It’s interesting historical fiction but with elements of magical realism blended in to allow the slow aging of characters over hundreds of years. I don’t generally enjoy magical realism but found The Glassmaker to be beautifully written and a compelling read. The novel reads like historical fiction and I found myself forgetting that hundreds of years were slipping by as Orsola grew older and just enjoying the story.
33. Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
Setting: Arizona, California
Such a Bad Influence is the story of a missing young influencer told from the point of view of her older sister.
Hazel has always been protective of her sister, Evie, who is 10 years younger. When Hazel was 15, their mom posted a video of Evie that went viral and from that point they lived their lives online although Hazel refused to be part of it. Now recently turned 18, Evie is one of the most successful lifestyle influencers in the country with millions of followers, lucrative brand campaigns and a career still managed by their mom. Amid much online speculation, Evie goes missing after abruptly stopping a live video and Hazel rushes home to Phoenix to try and untangle the truth about what happened to her baby sister.
Such a Bad Influence is a strong debut novel by Olivia Muenter, co-host of the Bad on Paper podcast. This is a slow-burn mystery/suspense novel but it’s still a pageturner that I could not put down. The commentary on issues relating to social media and influencer culture as well as privacy issues for children who have grown up with their lives on display for the world to see is thought-provoking – this is an entertaining story that will also make you think! Well-written, complex characters, excellent pacing, a twisty plot and an unexpected ending – a great choice for summer reading!
This is described as a thriller but it’s not particularly scary. I enjoy suspense but don’t like anything too scary or that has graphic violence and it was perfect for me. I saw it referred to as “thriller adjacent” and that’s a great description.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
34. Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
Setting: A town in New York state north of Manhattan
Ali Morris is a former accountant turned professional organizer but her home and her life are a mess. She’s still grieving her mother who died two years ago, her husband left her a year ago, she’s caring for three young children and a dog and she can’t remember when she last wore pants with a zipper.
Then one morning, Ali takes off her wedding ring and puts on hard pants before heading to the local dog park where her dog, Ferris, initiates a meet cute by peeing on the foot of a handsome man named Ethan who is in town visiting family. There’s no room in Ali’s life for any more mess but perhaps an uncomplicated summer romance is just what she needs.
This was such a sweet story about a woman in her late ’30s starting over and finding herself as well as a new love. It might be called “Summer Romance” but the story is as much about Ali’s journey of self-discovery as she begins to move through her grief over the loss of her mother and of her marriage and realizing that she doesn’t have to sacrifice her own happiness to be a good mother. A feel-good summer read with relatable characters and a charming small town setting!
35. Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
Setting: Small town in Georgia
A well-written satire about a small Southern town and a book banning campaign. Beverly Underwood and her arch enemy Lula Dean both have lived in the small town of Troy, Georgia all of their lives. Beverly serves on the school board and is furious when Lula initiates a public campaign to remove all books that she deems inappropriate from public libraries – none of which she has read.
Once the books have been removed from the library, Lula then sets up a little lending library of “wholesome” books outside her home but unbeknownst to her someone has swapped out those books and placed the dust jackets on banned books – literary classics, gay romances, Black history, witchy spell books, Judy Blume novels, and more – setting in motion a series of events that will change the town of Troy forever.
It’s done in a mostly lighthearted, funny way but this novel takes on some serious issues including book banning/censorship, racism, homophobia, the role of media in spreading hate, and repercussions from slavery – and, as the author points out in her Author’s Note at the end of the book, these aren’t just problems in the American South. This is an enjoyable, timely and thought-provoking read with an uplifting/hopeful message at the core of the story about the importance of books and openmindedness. I only wish that people who are in favour of book banning could read this novel and absorb the message.
Related Articles
21 Travel Inspired Books for Your Summer 2020 Reading List
21 Books To Read This Summer: A Travel Inspired List (2019)
36 Books Set in Paris: A Literary Escape to the City of Light
50 Books Set in London: A Literary Escape
21 Festive New Christmas Books to Enjoy This Holiday Season (2023)
Pin This For Later
Leave a Reply