Guilt and Ginataan

By: Mia P Manansala
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 304

Amazon Barnes & Noble

I was sent 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): Autumn is in full swing for the town of Shady Palms—the perfect time for warm drinks, cozy cardigans, and…dead bodies?

The annual Shady Palms Corn Festival is one of the town’s biggest moneymakers, drawing crowds from all over the Midwest looking to partake in delicious treats, local crafts, and of course, the second largest corn maze in Illinois. Lila Macapagal and her Brew-ha Cafe crew, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres, are all too happy to participate in the event and even make a little wager on who can make it through the corn maze the fastest—but their fun is suddenly cut short when a dead body is found in the middle of the maze…and an unconscious Adeena lies next to it, clutching a bloody knife.

The body is discovered to be a local politician’s wife, and all signs—murder weapon included—point to Adeena as the culprit. But Lila knows her best friend couldn’t have done this, so she and her crew put on their sleuthing caps yet again to find the killer who framed Adeena and show them what happens when they mess with a Brew-ha…

First Impressions

This is the 5th book in this series. I have read 2 of the other ones, so I was excited to get the opportunity to read another one. Admittedly, it’s probably my least favorite cover of the series. I definitely would pick up the other books before I would pick this one up.

What I thought

This series is just so much fun. It’s exactly what I want in a lighter mystery.

Lila and her friends/business partners are attending the annual Corn Festival when Adeena, Lila’s best friend, comes across a dead body in the corn maze. Unfortunately, she passes out and when everyone finds Adeena, she is on the ground with the murder weapon in her hands.

First of all, I need a Corn Festival to be a real thing. All of the different corn themed foods and activities they described sounded amazing. Maybe it’s the Midwesterner in me, but it sounded like so much fun. Lila is her usual charming self in this book. I always appreciate that she puts effort into her investigating and it isn’t like she just stumbles into things and solving mysteries. I also love the cast of characters. Adeena, Elena (Adeena’s girlfriend) and Jae (Lila’s boyfriend) are fun and sweet. The one thing I did get annoyed with in this story was the Elena/Adeena dynamic.

When Adeena is accused of murder, you would think that Lila and Elena would work together. Instead, Elena gets weird and starts to do things without telling Lila and I don’t feel like we ever god a good enough reason as to why. Lila on the other hand gets super possessive of Adeena, frequently telling Elena how she knows Adeena best because she’s her best friend and she doesn’t know her at all. I mean, if someone had said that to me about my partner I would be ticked.

I did sort of figure out the mystery, but it was fun to see how Lila would figure it out and the true motive. The only complaint I have about the mystery itself is that it felt like it resolved very quickly. I would’ve preferred a slower reveal/wrap up, but I understand not wanting to drag it out.

This is another solid book in this series. Lila is up to her usual shenanigans and baking creations. Her aunties aren’t in this book as much, so it’s a little less goofy than the last one was which I appreciate. I always enjoy these mysteries and can’t wait for the next one!

Book Club November 2024- The Third Gilmore Girl

By: Kelly Bishop
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 256

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Kelly Bishop’s long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey’s mother in Dirty Dancing. But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy.

Now, Bishop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl. She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she’s learned on her journey. From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced—among them marching for women’s rights and losing her second husband to cancer—Bishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life.

Full of witty insights, The Third Gilmore Girl is a warm, unapologetic, and spirited memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences for decades and has no plans on slowing down.

This book was my pick this month. My friends and I are all big Gilmore Girls fans as well as big Broadway/musical fans so this was a very easy choice.

This memoir was fabulous. Bishop started her career as a ballerina, moved to Broadway, and finally to television. I knew that she originated a role in A Chorus Line before she came into our hearts as Emily Gilmore, but didn’t know much else about her life.

As much as I loved reading about her experience on Gilmore Girls, I think I might’ve enjoyed reading about her childhood and her life as a dancer even more. It was so interesting and unbelievable in the way that Old Hollywood is.

I don’t really have much to say because I don’t want to give away all of her secrets. This book is short and sweet and well written. If you are a Kelly Bishop fan, you won’t be disappointed. I think she has the perfect balance of dirt and insight with nostalgia. It was a fun and quick read and I can’t wait to listen to it on audiobook one day!

What Book Club Thought

We actually had a lot of good discussion about this book! I was a little worried that since it was a memoir, and a short one at that, that we wouldn’t have much to talk about. However, we ended up having a fun discussion about the title of he book and whether that would’ve been what we chose as well as different parts of her life we would’ve like to have heard more about. We also talked a lot about things that surprised us in her life and career. If your book club is a fan of Gilmore Girls, I would highly recommend picking this one.

Lying in the Deep

By: Diana Urban
Published Year: 2023
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 384

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): After being jilted by her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jade couldn't be more ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime—11 countries in 4 months, all from the luxurious Campus on Board ship—and to wedge an entire globe between her and the people who broke her heart.

But when Jade discovers the backstabbing couple are also setting sail, her obsession with them grows and festers, leading to a shocking murder. And as their friends begin to drop like flies, Jade and her new crush must race to clear her name and find the killer they’re trapped at sea with….before anyone else winds up in body bags.

First Impressions

I’m pretty sure I first heard about this book on TikTok. The cover probably isn’t one that I would have randomly picked up, but I do love it for the story it is. What intrigued me was the summary. The concept of a locked room murder mystery with college students on a cruise? I am all in.

What I thought

This book was so enjoyable. I want to say fun, but also a murder mystery is not fun.

Jade is looking forward to a semester of Campus On Board (COB) after being betrayed by her boyfriend and ex-best friend. But when she is boarding, she sees that they have both decided to embark on COB as well. She tries to make friends on board as well as find out what happened with her ex-boyfriend, Silas and her ex-best friend Lainey. Until Lainey shows up murdered. Jade and her new friend Felix try to investigate what happened since Jade becomes prime suspect number 1. The cruise ship is in the middle of the ocean on its way to Gibraltar, so they try to figure out what happened before the ship docks and all suspects get off the ship.

I listened to this as an audiobook and I think that helped it to feel more cinematic. I feel like Jade is a bit immature, but also I was able to forgive her since she is in her early 20s. Her entire life has been turned upside down when her boyfriend breaks up with her via text and starts dating her best friend. It was interesting to unravel that mystery along with the murder mystery as the book went on.

I was only sort of able to figure out the murderer, so this book gets some props from me for that. The ending had a whole lot of twists that I didn’t expect. It could probably have been paired down a little bit, but I still enjoyed it.

The only storyline I didn’t quite get was Jade’s background. There is a lot of talk about her mom and how they lived in a tiny home and her dad abandoned them, yet it never ends up coming into play for anything within the story. I thought for a while her dad was going to show up somehow, but in reality it didn’t matter.

If you want a mystery that’s not too heavy, I recommend picking this one up. The fact that they’re all locked in on a cruise adds a very interesting element too. I look forward to other mysteries if Urban decides to write them. If you’re looking for a fun read for the spooky Halloween month, I recommend checking this one out.

Just for the Summer

By: Abby Jimenez
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Forever
Pages: 432

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.

Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

First Impressions

I love Jimenez’s novels and was so excited to read her newest one. I do love the cover and the title though, so even if I wasn’t already a fan this one would’ve caught my eye.

What I thought

Loved it! I also think that Jimenez may have predicted my life?

Emma is a traveling nurse. Ever 3 months, she and her best friend Maddy move somewhere new. She also has a curse. Every person she dates finds their soulmate after she has broken up with them. Emma and Maddy are just about to head on their next job to Hawaii when Emma finds a guy with the same curse she has. They start talking and decide they need to fake date each other to find their soulmate. Only problem is that he lives in Minnesota. Emma decides to take a chance and head to Minnesota just for the summer, to see if they can fake date and she can find her true love.

So, a few funny things. My husband’s name is Justin, and the love interest in this book is named Justin. They have an experience with meeting kitten that almost has a word for word match for what we experienced when we met our future kitten. He refuses to kiss Emma until date number 4, which also happened with me. And finally, in July I got really sick and my Justin took care of me. Emma has an experience very similar to mine, even with the kind of illness she gets. It’s wild. Suffice to say, I had a very good connection with this book. I loved the chemistry between Emma and Justin too.

This was the first book in a long time that I found myself wanting to come home and read instead of watching TV or scrolling on my iPad. I loved Justin’s silliness but that he was also so caring. However, the book does hit on some more serious storylines involving childhood neglect and abandonment. When that started to become more of the focus than the romance and the curse breaking, I found my interest wane a little bit. It just felt a little slow at that point to me.

Not to say that it wasn’t well done. I think Jimenez handled Emma’s trauma truthfully. It never felt over the top or dramatic just for the sake of the story. I think my minor issue is it almost feels like I read to different stories. I adored the romance and the fake dating that’s real dating for curse breaking. I liked the story of Emma dealing with her traumas and Justin being there to support her.

If you love romance or love Abby Jimenez, this book is not one to miss. Her stories are always super enjoyable and the setting of Minnesota in the summer is fun. She does give some trigger warnings at the beginning of the story, so definitely check that out.

Book Club October 2024- A Most Agreeable Murder

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

Amazon Barnes & Noble

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

Amazon Barnes & Noble

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

Amazon Barnes & Noble

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

Amazon Barnes & Noble

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.