The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy

 

Kim and Grant are educated, midwestern professionals who are quintessential empty nesters. When given the opportunity to winter in Palm Springs, they have a chance to make different choices, and The Snowbirds is the story of how they make the decisions that will carry them into their third act.

Sounds simple? Not when you learn that Kim and Grant never actually married, that they have lived in separate cities for thirty years, and that they both have exes with whom there are complicating relationships. And then Grant gets lost on the mountain…no spoiler here because the book is framed by this mishap. The book is primarily told in first person from Kim’s point of view until later in the book when we are given Grant’s journal in pieces. The characters are well drawn and fun, and the story moves in a back-and-forth manner, juxtaposing the current crisis to past ones. Some of those flashbacks get tedious (you will get tired of hearing (or not hearing) about the ex-wife,) and there are so many characters, past and present, that at times it is hard to keep track of them. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read that addresses the issues of long-term relationships in an honest and humorous way.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the advance copy. The Snowbirds will be released on February 4, 2025.

Cleavage: Men, Women and the Space Between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan

            Jennifer Boylan is an expert on the effects of gender on all parts of life. She spent her first forty years as male, and the past 25 as her authentic self, female. Having written four other books dealing with her transgender journey, Cleavage addresses the frightening situations people who’d begun to relax into their authentic selves, that 2025 and the politics of the USA present.

 

            I first encountered Jennifer Boylan’s writing with the book she co-authored with Jodi Picoult, Mad Honey, so wasn’t surprised at the warmth, compassion and humor exhibited in Cleavage. Her intelligence and positive experiences lend authenticity when she speaks with a kindness that isn’t often represented in connection with what is presented about trans people. We don’t suffer through militance, violence or even voyeurism that so often dominates the discussion of transgender rights in the news is present here. Instead, a fact based, friendly accounting of the difficulties and benefits Jennifer has faced is presented.

Jennifer was granted that basic human right of having people who love her support her along her journey, and this book presents that love and acceptance to anyone reading it. It is the kind of book that makes you want to sit down with the author and tell stories. Cleavage does one thing very well… normalizing this segment of our population in a way that is not threatening and allowing the positive contributions of people who are different than we are, to be recognized, valued, and appreciated.

As a bonus, the book had some great writing advice! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Celadon Books, for the opportunity to read Cleavage in advance. The release date is February 4, 2025.

Three Days In June by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler is a beloved author, consistent in the quality and readability of her work. Somehow her characters always touch a spot in the reader that we can relate to, even if we are vastly different. I think of this as Tyler’s great talent at finding universal emotion.

 

The story isn’t complicated. Gail Baines’ daughter is getting married in three days. Gail struggles with her career, her relationship with her daughter and her ex-husband. While the relationships are amiable, but Gail’s feelings are on edge. Her boss finds Gail’s people skills lacking, despite having depended on her for many years. Her daughter, trying hard to impress her soon to be in-laws, fails to include Gail in her pre-wedding activities. And then her ex-husband, Max shows up to attend the wedding, needing a place to stay. Gail reluctantly agrees, and then Max produces a cat!

The book is simultaneously heartwarming and awkward, endearing and full of suspense. It is, delightfully, another Anne Tyler achievement of excellence.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, for the review copy. Three Days in June will be released February 11, 2025

How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? By Anna Montague

As Magda approaches her seventieth birthday, she finds she has a lot left to figure out about who she is. Her lifelong best friend, Sara, the charming, creative art curator, who has brought many of Magda’s happiest moments to her life, including planning her birthday parties, has died. Sara’s husband, eager to move on with a new relationship, seeks Magda’s help sorting her possessions, and ultimately, taking possession of the urn containing Sara’s ashes. When Magda decides to take the road trip Sara had planned for Magda’s 70^th, she takes the urn along, which anthropomorphs into Sara in Magda’s mind.

Magda has grieving to do, not only for the person Sara was to her, but what she represented. Discovering that Magda can continue to live, in more open and fulfilling ways, is the journey she takes us on.

Montagues writing is clean and many times lovely, but the telling of this story, primarily through Magda’s mental musings, drags. I struggled to finish, but was glad I did, as I really wanted to know that, as Magda insists at the opening of the book, she is fine.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Ecco/HarperCollins for the review copy. How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund was published October 22, 2024.

A Forty Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler

 

We first meet Charlie in the place he is most comfortable, a bar. He has been in contact through text messages and phone calls with his first wife, Vivian. Vivian is nearly broken down by life, and is delighted to reconnect with Charlie, though she doesn't trust him.  They divorced after a few years of marriage, primarily because Charlie couldn’t get his drinking under control.

Forty years have gone by. They’ve both lived lives, married other people, and struggled. Now they meet again.

A Forty Year Kiss is the love story that unfolds when two people who loved each other once reconnect. Charlie’s life has been full of material goods, and wealth, while Vivian is devoted to helping her daughter, who is a single mother, and with whom she shares her impoverished life. The story is beautifully told, through eyes that have learned to appreciate the beauty still present when two people can get out of their own way. The book is filled with emotion and great mid-western characters. It feels like going home. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the review copy. A Forty Year Kiss will be released on February 4, 2025.

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

 

All families have characteristics that manifest repetitively in generations. For the Blue family, that characteristic is addiction. While each of the four sisters this novel revolves around, the addiction is obsession with their chosen field with an unhealthy dose if substances. Until one of them dies and they have to face the self-destruction that they each practice alone and realize how much they need each other.

This novel tells the four different stories of the sisters, twining them together to a finish that was not predictable. The sisters are unique and frustrating, but we cheer them on anyway. It is a love letter to family, home and New York City. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the review copy.

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst

 

Aspen is a writer who had the unbelievable luck of writing a bestselling novel right out of the gate. Her readers flock to her signings…but all they are interested in is that first novel. Even though Aspen knows her next one is technically better, it doesn’t have the power of the first one, and no one is buying it.

The trouble is, that first novel came from her own heart… her own agony and he own breakup. She created a character that so many related to, that’s what they want to read. But Aspen got over that heartbreak, and now her writing has lost its spark. And the deadline for her next book, the one she has to succeed with, looms.

Convinced by her agent to get out of the city, Aspen heads to the Outer Banks to spend time with her sister and let the beauty of the beach nurture her muse. Along the way, she determines that the only way to get her mojo back is to fall in love and get her heart broken … again. Then she meets breathtaking Brick Babel, the local bad boy.

This was a different kind of romance, with the pitfalls of novel writing, the fragile environment of the Outer Banks and dealing with emotional fallout of both past heartbreak and reputations. Anyone interested in writing will find it fascinating and may want to take notes!  But the writing is great, and I was thrilled to learn that there is another book following this one. Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the introduction to Jennifer Probst’s work. Book of the Month was released October 22, 2024.

 

The Christmas Inn by Pamela M. Kelley

   

Riley is an up-and-coming wizard at digital content creation and loves her work. When she’s called into a meeting after a successful campaign, she expects a promotion. Instead, she learns that she, and the entire department, are being replaced by AI.

It’s barely December when she gets a call from her sister that her mother has broken her leg and needs help running the struggling Cape Cod B-n-B she owns, at least through the holidays.

Reluctant to leave her hot shot …and hot… lawyer boyfriend, but he’s too busy to spend much time with her anyway, so she decides to take the time off to regroup. She can look for jobs from the Cape as easy as NYC. She drives to the Cape and the magic of the location and lifestyle swallows her up.

This is an ideal Christmas romance, with warm and interesting characters from three different generations. Also, a cat and charming little boy, plenty of hot chocolate and enough lovely décor, beaches and ocean and even songs to delight anyone who loves a good romance and idyllic Christmas book.

My only problem with the book as that it was deep in details that I wanted to skip over: cookie ingredients, wine brands, every meal and the cost of everything. Still, it was an easy, comforting read and perfect for busy season!

The book was published by St. Martins on September 24, 2024. Thanks to them and NetGalley for giving me the chance to review.

 

A Reason to See You Again

 

“Family secrets are such a waste of time,” Shelly tells her niece as they search through their mother’s hidden treasures for the good wine. And this family has secrets and trauma that they desperately need to resolve. Beginning with the patriarch, a holocaust survivor’s death, their mother’s alcoholism and the subsequent distance, physical, philosophical and emotional, that grows between Shelly and her sister Nancy, I Came All This Way to See You is a complex novel told in Jami Attenberg’s fascinating, if sometimes difficult to follow style. This family makes misery itself seem like company.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for the review copy. A Reason to See You Again was released September 24, 2024.

A Winter Wish by Emily Stone

 

Emily Stone has established herself as a dependable and creative author of the Christmas rom com, and A winter wish doesn’t disappoint. When Lexie’s estranged father dies and leaves her half of his successful travel agency, with, of course strings attached, she is confused. To benefit from the value of the company, she must attempt to participate in the business for one year. The catch is, her father left the other half of the company to Theo, a young man who has worked in the company shoulder to shoulder to Lexie’s father. He’s smug and angry and grieving in ways Lexie can’t imagine. In fact, she’s grieving the father she knew before he divorced her mother, and those memories complicate both her ability to accept the gift, and Theo, as she learns more of who her father, Theo—and herself—really are.

There are great settings in lovely cities that will not only make you swoon with romance but want to book tickets with the agency! A Winter Wish was released on October 16, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Random House/Ballantine for the review copy.

Holiday Books! Christmas is All Around

 

As the holidays approach, I like to get in the mood with many of the holiday books, mostly romances, that show up in the late fall. It’s still in the 90s with no hint of “snow” in Houston, so I needed these books!

The first one, Christmas is All Around by Martha Waters is the story of Charlotte Lane, and accomplished artist, who happened to have appeared in a beloved Christmas rom com as a child, and as an adult, hates Christmas. So much so that she runs away from NYC, which she loves, to spend the holidays with her understanding sister in London. Unlike past years, her sister has given birth, and now wants to experience everything Christmas with her infant. And by default, Charlotte.

Graham Calloway, a serious young man trying to save his family’s ancestral home by capitalizing on every possible occasion he can think of to get guests pay for tickets to see it. It happens that the estate was the set for the very same film in which Charlotte appeared. When her sister takes her, unknowingly, to the tree lighting at Graham’s family’s house, the scene is set for a lovely rom com with all the elements. It’s a fun book, sure to be beloved by fans of Christmas and rom coms. The book will be released October 22, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

 

Meg Shaffer has an ability to create magic and adventure with characters who are fully drawn and charming. She won me over with The Wishing Game and kept the promise of her talent and skill in The Lost Story. Told as a fairy tale, including the insertion of explanatory chapters by The Storyteller, Shaffer tells the story of two boys who are lost as teenagers in the West Virginia wilderness. Jeremy and Rafe are sensitive and talented and when they suddenly return home after being missing for six months, things have changed in their lives. Then Emilie comes along, seeking Jeremy’s special gift of finding lost girls, as she’s just discovered that she had a sister who was lost in the same wilderness where the boys were lost. She wants to find her sister’s remains.

The story unfolds from there, with travel back to the woods and the creation of a glorious, fantastic world. But is it fantasy?

The book reads at times like a middle grade novel, but it is immensely readable. It is hard to put down. As with all good fairy tales, there are moral issues to deal with, and the treatment of that subject matter is not juvenile. I appreciate the way this author breaks down complex issues to our level and that is both hopeful and infinite.

The Lost Story was released July 16, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for this delightful ARC.