Book Club October 2024- A Most Agreeable Murder

By: Julia Seales
Published Year: 2023
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 352

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Feisty, passionate Beatrice Steele has never fit the definition of a true lady, according to the strict code of conduct that reigns in Swampshire, her small English township--she is terrible at needlework, has absolutely no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Nevertheless, she lives a perfectly agreeable life with her marriage-scheming mother, prankster father, and two younger sisters-- beautiful Louisa and forgettable Mary. But she harbors a dark secret: She is obsessed with the true crime cases she reads about in the newspaper. If anyone in her etiquette-obsessed community found out, she'd be deemed a morbid creep and banished from respectable society forever.

For her family's sake, she's vowed to put her obsession behind her. Because eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth is set to attend the approaching autumnal ball, and the Steele family hopes that Louisa will steal his heart. If not, Martin Grub, their disgusting cousin, will inherit the family's estate, and they will be ruined or, even worse, forced to move to France. So Beatrice must be on her best behavior . . . which is made difficult when a disgraced yet alluring detective inexplicably shows up to the ball.

Beatrice is just holding things together when Croaksworth drops dead in the middle of a minuet. As a storm rages outside, the evening descends into a frenzy of panic, fear, and betrayal as it becomes clear they are trapped with a killer. Contending with competitive card games, tricky tonics, and Swampshire's infamous squelch holes, Beatrice must rise above decorum and decency to pursue justice and her own desires--before anyone else is murdered.

What I thought

For the month of October, Meghan wanted a cozy mystery and we stumbled across this one.  Mixture of Jane Austen and Agatha Christie? Count me in.

Beatrice is the eldest of 3 daughters living in a small town between London and Bath. At a dinner party, one of the guests drops dead. Beatrice has an interest in crime and murder, which is not allowed in the Lady’s Guide. But, since all the guests are stranded at this party due to a storm, it is up to her and Inspector Drake to solve this mystery.

This book was so much funnier than I thought it would be. It’s very tongue in cheek and pokes fun of itself for being a historical mystery. Beatrice was fun and I enjoyed her two younger sisters too. Especially her youngest sister, Mary. The band of characters is so much fun and I found myself enjoying all of them. They were also written in such a way that I felt like I knew them.

The mystery itself was fun because it is a closed door mystery. There is no gore and there is no DNA involved. It’s a good, old fashioned whodunit. Inspector Drake and Beatrice must interview all of the dinner guests and no one can leave. There were a bunch of twists as well. I wasn’t completely surprised by who the murderer was, but I was surprised by little things along the way.

I also loved the banter between Beatrice and Inspector Drake. I am looking forward to the next book in the series and seeing their relationship grow. I think it will be fun and funny to watch them solve mysteries together. If you are looking for a mystery that also feels light, this is definitely one to check out. I haven’t been as into mysteries lately because they can be so dark and depressing, but this one was a joy.

What Book Club Thought

Everyone really enjoyed this one. This was the first book in a while that every single one of us finished so that’s always a good sign! Meghan even made the recipes in the back of the book which were all delicious. It was a fun book to chat about. We enjoyed talking about all of the theories we had along the way and what parts we figured out versus what parts surprised us. We also enjoyed talking about the silly moments. I think we’re all looking forward to reading the next book in the series. It’s such a fun cast of characters and I can’t wait to see what shenanigans they get up to next!

Paradise Problem

By: Christina Lauren
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 352

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Christina Lauren, returns with a delicious new romance between the buttoned-up heir of a grocery chain and his free-spirited artist ex as they fake their relationship in order to receive a massive inheritance.

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.

First Impressions

You know I love a good Christina Lauren book. I do love the cover, the summary is maybe not my favorite. I don’t dislike fake dating but it’s not a trope that is a favorite of mine. Plus I don’t like rich people problems. But I trusted Christina Lauren and knew I’d love it anyway.

What I thought

This book was very fun. It helped to get me out of my reading rut.

Liam and Anna got married when Liam was in grad school and Anna was in college in order to qualify for adorable housing. Anna was friends with Liam’s younger brother but didn’t know him at all. For 2 years they lived together and completely ignored each other. Now, 3 years late, Liam’s sister is getting married and his family wants his wife there. Anna thought they got divorced, but when Liam found out that in order to get his 100 million dollar inheritance he needed to be married for 5 years, he never signed the paperwork.

Liam and Anna had some good chemistry, even it was a bit instant for my tastes. Their physical attraction to each other made it a little hard to believe that they completely ignored each other the two years they lived together, but it did help make the romance move quickly over one week on a private island. I did appreciate that Anna wasn’t made to be “unlike other girls”. Since she doesn’t come from a rich background, it could’ve been easy for Liam to state multiple times how different she was from the rich girls he had dated, but it never went that route which was really nice.

Liam’s family is the worst. The only one who is redeemable is his teenage niece. I did enjoy the bit of mystery regarding why Liam had not talked to his family for 5 years. It ended up being a little bit worse than I expected but that also helped to justify the length of time he cut himself off from his family. I do wish that we could’ve gotten a little more of a friendship interaction with Anna and Jake considering they had been friends in college, but he’s basically nonexistent in the book.

It might not be my number one Christina Lauren book, but if you like fake dating you can’t go wrong with this one. The setting is fun and there is definitely a band of characters. Anna and Liam have great chemistry and I was rooting for them the whole time. If you’ve been reading my blog and I haven’t yet convinced you to read Christina Lauren, what are you doing?

Love You a Latke

By: Amanda Elliot
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Snow is falling, holiday lights are twinkling, and Abby Cohen is pissed. For one thing, her most annoying customer, Seth, has been coming into her café every morning with his sunshiny attitude, determined to break down her carefully constructed emotional walls. And, as the only Jew on the tourism board of her Vermont town, Abby's been charged with planning their fledgling Hanukkah festival. Unfortunately, the local vendors don’t understand that the story of Hanukkah cannot be told with light-up plastic figures from the Nativity scene, even if the Three Wise Men wear yarmulkes.

Desperate for support, Abby puts out a call for help online and discovers she was wrong about being the only Jew within a hundred miles. There's one Seth.

As it turns out, Seth’s parents have been badgering him to bring a Nice Jewish Girlfriend home to New York City for Hanukkah, and if Abby can survive his incessant, irritatingly handsome smiles, he’ll introduce her to all the vendors she needs to make the festival a success. But over latkes, doughnuts, and winter adventures in Manhattan, Abby begins to realize that her fake boyfriend and his family might just be igniting a flame in her own guarded heart.

First Impressions

I loved Elliot’s debut novel Sadie on a Plate and found her quickly added to my favorite author list. When I saw that she was writing a Hanukkah I was so excited. I am a huge Christmas movie fan, so seeing a book that was written about my culture and holiday was so excited.

What I thought

I LOVED this book. Elliot has such a great way of sharing Jewish culture in such a relatable way and it was so cool to see myself in a holiday novel.

Abby lives in a small town in Vermont where she is the only Jew. She is a café owner and every morning there is an over the top sunshiney man who comes in for coffee. When the town volunteers her to put together a Hanukkah festival, Abby realizes she needs the help of another Jew. Turns out, Mr. Sunshine is Seth, the only other Jew in town. He’s willing to help her, but only if she spends the 8 nights of Hanukkah in New York with his parents, convincing them that she is his girlfriend.

Sometimes fake dating can be very annoying, but this one is done right. They don’t fall in love too quickly, and build a nice friendship base. As someone who isn’t highly involved with the Jewish community, but grew up Jewish, it was cool to see Abby go through similar things. She hasn’t taken part in her Jewish faith in years, but slowly realizes how much it means to her. I also appreciated how Elliot pointed out the way gentile culture views Hanukah and Judaism.

I also adored all of the relationships. I liked Seth immediately and his friends were so fun. I was worried that his ex-girlfriend was going to be a bitch, but instead, Elliot makes her and Abby unlikely friends which I loved. There is a good balance of Christmas and Hanukkah and I honestly don’t think I could’ve imagined a better Hanukkah novel. I would love to see this as a Hallmark movie.

You don’t have to be Jewish to love this novel. Abby and Seth had great chemistry and Elliot’s writing is fun and relatable. Elliot hits it out of the park again, and I continue to look forward to her next novels.

Prime Time Romance

By: Katie Robb
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: 336
Pages: Dial Press Trade Paperback

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Newly divorced on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Brynn is sick of heartbreak. She thought she had found her happy ending, but now she’s living with a roommate, Josh, to afford her mortgage, and she’s trying to adjust to her new single life. At least she’s got Carson’s Cove to binge, her beloved 2000s teenage soap. The show ended unexpectantly on a cliffhanger after five seasons, and the two main characters, Sloan and Spencer, never got to declare their love for each other. The show is still perfect in Brynn’s eyes; despite all the drama that goes down, things always have a way of working out in Carson’s Cove . . . unlike her own life.

So when a birthday cake surprisingly shows up on her and Josh’s doorstep, Brynn makes a wish for the one thing she’s always wanted (but has failed to achieve herself): a happily-ever-after.

The next morning, she doesn’t wake up in her apartment. She’s in Carson’s Cove . . . and Josh is there too. Everyone seems to know them, except they’re not Brynn and Josh; they’re Sloan, the sweetheart of Carson’s Cove, and Fletch, the town’s bad boy. And to get home, they have to make Brynn’s wish come true by ensuring Sloan and Spencer, the hometown heartthrob, end up together at last. But as they spend more time together, Brynn and Josh realize that Carson’s Cove might not be as perfect as seen on television . . . especially when they start developing feelings for each other in a plot twist no one has expected. Will they stick to the script, or will real love change the story forever?

First Impressions

This cover is so cute. Add in the fact that the summary says she gets trapped in her favorite 2000s soap opera and I was in. This book made a very strong first impression.

What I thought

This book was really cute, but I did end up having some issues with the magic element.

Brynn makes a wish on her birthday after being given a mysterious cake from an Uber Eats driver. When she wakes up the next morning, she and her hot bartender roommate Josh are in the fictitious town of Carson’s Cove.  Brynn watched Carson’s Cover as a teenager and then comfort binged it in her adulthood multiple times. When the show ended, the main character, Sloan, wasn’t given the ending she deserved since the show didn’t get renewed. Sheldon has brought Brynn and Josh back and told them they can’t leave until she gives Sloan the proper ending.

This book felt very much like what would happen if you ended up in Gilmore Girls. Small town, lots of festivals, girl the town sees as picture perfect. It was cute and I enjoyed that part of it a lot. What I didn’t love was that there wasn’t any explanation for the magic. I didn’t understand if this town was real and the show had been filmed in this real town or if this town was created with magic? I was also confused by the other people in the town. How did they not realize Sloan had been replaced? And if they were able to be magiked into not recognizing Sloan, why wouldn’t they be able to be manipulated into making the ending Sheldon wants?

On top of that, Sheldon is seemingly a real person/actor and it is never explained how he finds the magic to make this Carson’s Cove and what he thinks will happen once Brynn acts out the ending as Sloan.

Regardless of the magical plot holes, I loved the romance. Josh and Brynn had really good chemistry and I thought tthey were very cute. I also liked how Josh had his own storyline and issues, but that they never got in the way of him and Brynn being together. This book doesn’t have the miscommunication that makes you want to throw the book against the wall which I appreciated.

If you are a fan of the 2000s teen dramas, you will enjoy this book. I read a review that said this book feels a bit YA, and I wouldn’t fully agree, but I can see that and I enjoyed it. If you can put aside not getting the magic explanation, I would recommend checking this one out.

The Black Bird Oracle

By: Deborah Harkness
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 464

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Deborah Harkness first introduced the world to Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and witch, and vampire geneticist Matthew de Clairmont in A Discovery of Witches. Drawn to each other despite long-standing taboos, these two otherworldly beings found themselves at the center of a battle for a lost, enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782. Since then, they have fallen in love, traveled to Elizabethan England, dissolved the Covenant between the three species, and awoken the dark powers within Diana’s family line.

Now, Diana and Matthew receive a formal demand from the Congregation: They must test the magic of their seven-year-old twins, Pip and Rebecca. Concerned with their safety and desperate to avoid the same fate that led her parents to spellbind her, Diana decides to forge a different path for her family’s future and answers a message from a great-aunt she never knew existed, Gwyneth Proctor, whose invitation simply reads: It’s time you came home, Diana.

On the hallowed ground of Ravenswood, the Proctor family home, and under the tutelage of Gwyneth, a talented witch grounded in higher magic, a new era begins for Diana: a confrontation with her family’s dark past, and a reckoning for her own desire for even greater power—if she can let go, finally, of her fear of wielding it.

First Impressions

I was so excited to see that there was a 5th book coming out in the Book of Life Series. Once I found out, I re-read the first 3 and read the 4th one for the first time. Re-reading the books got me hyped for this one and I love the cover.

What I thought

This book was definitely different than the first 3, which were also different than the 4th. I think it held the magic the original 3 books do (no pun intended) but a different vibe. I will warn, if you haven’t read the original trilogy and you intend to, don’t read this review.

Diana freaks out when she learns that her and Matthew’s twin, Pip and Becca are to be tested by the Congregation. Shortly after she receives the letter, she also receives a letter inviting her to come home from an aunt she didn’t know existed. She goes to meet her aunt who turns out to be her dad’s aunt and learns about her father’s side of the family as well as a new side of magic.

While this book did move slowly, I found myself invested the entire time. I loved getting to see Diana come into her own with magic. In books 1 and 3 she denies a lot of her magic and only uses it when necessary. In book 2 and now in book 5, she learns from her elders and it’s a fascinating thing to read and learn about.

I also really liked getting to know Becca and Pip. I do wish they had been in the book more since the beginning of the story made it seem like they were going to be a larger part. I sort of felt the same way about Matthew as well. While this has always been Diana’s story, he felt like more of a side character in this book than in the others. Conveniently brought into a scene just for Diana’s usage.

This was a great addition to the series. It does seem like it ends in a way that implies Harkness is going to be writing ore in these characters. I’m intrigued to see where it goes! I will say, you can just read the original 3 books and be good, but if you are a fan of these characters and don’t want to let them go, I would recommend continuing the series with book 5.

The Christmas Tree Farm

By: Melody Carlson
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Revell
Pages: 176

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When Madison McDowell returns from several years teaching overseas, she has high hopes of picking up where she left off at her family's Christmas tree farm in Oregon. But between damage from a recent wildfire and the neglect due to her sister Addie's unwillingness to invest, the farm is in sad shape. In fact, Addie is intent on selling the property. And to top it off, her former high school flame, the now-widowed Gavin Thompson, has plans to break Madison's heart again by turning his neighboring property into a dusty, noisy dirt bike track for his daughter.With the odds stacked against her, Madison decides there's only one thing to double down on her dreams. It will take a ton of hard work--and some help from an unlikely ally--to save the farm she so dearly loves. But it may take a miracle to restore her relationship with her sister.Bestselling and award-winning author Melody Carlson charms and delights with this uplifting Christmas story full of old memories and new beginnings.

First Impressions

I saw this book on Netgalley and was immediately taken in by the cover. I’m a sucker for a good Christmas romance so I requested it and was excited when I got approved. I haven’t read any of Carlson’s other books but she writes a lot of Christmas novels.

What I thought

I didn’t like this book at all.

Maddie has moved back to her grandparents’ Christmas Tree Farm after years in Mongolia. She has been teaching abroad while her sister Addie has been taking care of the farm as well as her grandparents when they were sick and dying. When Maddie moves back, she’s surprised to not be welcomed back by her sister and is also surprised her childhood crush is back at the farm next door. She decides that it’s her job to save the Christmas tree farm even if she has to do it herself.

I hated all of these characters. I also disliked the writing. I found it cliché and lazy. At one point Gavin, the neighbor, even pulls out the “the fact you don’t know you’re beautiful makes you even more beautiful” line. Gross. Maddie and Gavin had zero chemistry. She had more chemistry with his 11 year old daughter Lily, who essentially becomes her best friend and laborer. Weird.

Addie is also a major bitch. These women are in their mid to late 20s and she claims dibs on Gavin on the basis that she had a crush on him when she was like 13? And then she starts being territorial towards him. Like legit starts throwing a fit when Maddie even talks to Gavin even though Maddie isn’t flirting. Then when his older daughter comes home for break, she starts harassing Maddie about potentially like Gavin too. It all makes zero sense.

In terms of the romance, not only do they have zero chemistry, but they don’ get together until the novel is almost over. Then after one date, he proposes to her at Christmas. This made zero sense.

I will not be adding Carlson to my list of authors. I found this book to be poorly written and not entertaining at all. I didn’t feel any of the Christmas spirit. In fact, most of this book took place before Thanksgiving. A lot of people seemingly enjoy this book, unfortunately I am just not one of them.

Book Club September 2024- My Brilliant Friend

By: Elena Ferrante
Published Year: 2012
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Pages: 331

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante’s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.

What I thought

This book was chosen this month because it was recently names as New York Times’ number one book best book of the 21st century. The cover honestly didn’t appeal to me at all though the summary was interesting.

Lila and Lenu/Elena grew up in the same neighborhood in Naples, Italy. Lenu decides to tell the story of her and Lila’s friendship as they grew up in elementary school up until they were 16.

This story takes place in the 1960s. I sort of understand why this book was named as number one, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. The writing is strong and makes you feel like you’re really living in Italy in the 50s and 60s. However, the characters are horrible. Every single one of them. And I couldn’t understand or relate to Lila and Lenu’s friendship at all.

Elena is a smart girl and is more privileged than Lila. They both live in a poor neighborhood where violence is rampant. In my opinion, this book was too long and it moved very slowly. I never felt like Elena was likable because she was only motivated in life by Lila and Lila was mean and manipulative. Elena hated her mom because she had a bad leg and a lazy eye. She was worried she would turn into her but took everything her parents gave her for granted.

I kind of can’t believe that there are 3 more books about these two. I also hated the ending. I get that it ended to make you want to read the next books and learn about these two so called friends as they grow into adulthood, but it was so weird and so abrupt. I think this book is fine overall. It’s not one I’m going to remember and not one I would pick off of my list to recommend. I wouldn’t discourage people from reading it, but not my favorite.

What Book Club Thought

Well, it seems like we all felt about the same. This book was boring with extremely annoying main characters and we don’t quite understand how it made it to best book of the 20th century. We did have a lot to discuss though, so it did make a good book club book. And not just because we were ranting about the characters, but it was interesting to talk about why we thought other people enjoyed this book so much, what we thought would happen to the characters, and the dimension of Lenu and Lila’s relationship. As we were about to take our monthly picture, I did realize that I have no clue who the people on the cover are supposed to be as there is never 3 young girls running after a couple getting married. Weird.

Past, Present< Future

By: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Published Year: 2004
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 382

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): They fell for each other in just twenty-four hours. Now Rowan and Neil embark on a long-distance relationship during their first year of college in this romantic, dual points of view sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow .

When longtime rivals Rowan Roth and Neil McNair confessed their feelings on the last day of senior year, they knew they’d only have a couple months together before they left for college. Now summer is over, and they’re determined to make their relationship work as they begin school in different states.

In Boston, Rowan is eager to be among other aspiring novelists, learning from a creative writing professor she adores. She’s just not sure why she suddenly can’t seem to find her voice.

In New York, Neil embraces the chaos of the city, clicking with a new friend group more easily than he anticipated. But when his past refuses to leave him alone, he doesn’t know how to handle his rapidly changing mental health—or how to talk about it with the girl he loves.

Over a year of late-night phone calls, weekend visits, and East Coast adventures, Rowan and Neil fall for each other again and again as they grapple with the uncertainty of their new lives. They’ve spent so many years at odds with each other—now that they’re finally on the same team, what does the future hold for them?

First Impressions

I read Today, Tonight, Tomorrow when it first came out in 2020 and fell in love with Solomon and the characters in this story. I was excited to see she wrote a sequel so we could see where Rowan and Neil were now.

What I thought

This book was so unique. I really enjoyed it and wish that it had existed when I was in college.

Rowan and Neil fell in love at the end of Senior Year during their school’s scavenger hunt. They’ve now spent the whole summer together continuing to fall in love but it’s time for them to go off to college. They will be going to school a couple of hours apart with Rowan in Boston and Neil in New York City. Can their romance live up to all the romance novels that Rowan has known and loved?

Years ago the book world attempted to create a genre called New Adult what was focused more on college age. It never fully took off, but this book is exactly why that genre was needed. I’ve never read a romance that followed a couple navigating their first year of college as well as a long distance romance. Freshman year of college is hard, especially when you’re far away from your family. I feel like Solomon did a fantastic job writing about those feelings and comparing yourself to your friends who are having different college experiences.

Of course, I loved Rowan and Neil. They are a dynamic couple who you can tell truly love and care for each other. I appreciated how Solomon made their difficulties not cliché long distance misunderstandings. The way that Solomon wrote about mental health was fantastic and I wish I could’ve read this in college. Reading about someone dealing with depression and anxiety would’ve been eye opening and I think it’s something every 18-22 year old should read about.

Honestly, I don’t have any criticism of this book. I enjoyed it all and I find it to be rare to find a book that’s so unique. Even though it’s romancey there was so much of it with settings and additional characters that I have not read before. I highly enjoyed this and it continues to cement Solomon as one of my favorite authors.