The Summer Club by Hannah McKinnon

 

Delighted to affirm that this book has met all the hype! Great beach read, but more, as the Birch and Creevy-Crenshaw families are unveiled, McKinnon treats us to the kind of family dynamics we don’t expect at the posh Mayhaven Country Club.

The story centers around Darcy and Flick, the teenage children of each family. Darcy has lived in their quiet suburban town all her life and learned to excel and love golf, until she doesn’t. Flick is a displaced teen from Queens, whose mother marries the Dry Cleaning King and hopes to provide him more opportunity and a better life in the country.

To say that there are personality clashes and teenage angst would be minimalizing this smartly plotted novel.

The Summer Club was released on July 23, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to read and review. Can’t wait to read more from Hannah McKinnon!

Buzz Books, 2023

Buzz Books is my go to resource for books I know I'm going to want to read, and authors to pay attention to, the 2023 Edition featured authors who were "don't miss" for me included Abraham Verghese's fabulous The Color of Water, my favorite book of 2023.  When I read the Buzz Books list, i feel like and insider! I'm not through the books for 2024, yet, but will get there!

Let's Pretend This Will Work: A Novel by Maddie Dawson

      Mimi believes in her psychic advisor and her lucky skirt, neither of which have failed her.  She is bright and creative and loves thrift shops, colorful clothing and the older Playwright who she’s almost engaged to.  Her NYC life is fun and interesting, and she feels like she’s on the right path.

Let’s Pretend This Will Work by Maddie Dawson

Then her fiancé has to leave NYC for Connecticut to care for his nearly grown daughters and his ex-wife. And since Mimi has lost her job at the posh school they both work at, she decides to be the supportive fiancé and move there too.

And then things get quirky.  She moves into an apartment above a co-op day care, and the fun really begins.

Maddie Dawson is one of the best quirky, upbeat and magical character writers out there, and her storytelling always brings a special light to them.  I fell for everyone one of them in this book, even the b*tchy ex-wife. 

Let’s Pretend This Will Work was published on June 1, 2024, by Lake Union Publishing.

Triple Sec by TJ Alexander

 

Having read and enjoyed TJ Alexander’s last novel, Second Chances in New Port Stephen, https://sunrisesandsuch.blogspot.com/2023/11/second-chances-in-new-port-stephen-5.html, I was eager to see what they were up to in Triple Sec. I found the same fascinating writing, great characters and a different kind of love story. I also found a great story, of Mel, a bartender extraordinaire, Kade, and artist, and Bebe, a lawyer, who find themselves drawn to each other. The development of the relationship, from single to couple to throuple was a fun ride, with Alexander’s sensitive humor and presentation. The settings were very well done as well and left me wanting to go order cocktails at both Terror & Virtue AND Collective Spirits.

This author excelled at staying true to her character’s pronoun choice, though as an older reader, I had trouble keeping it straight. That’s my weakness, not Alexander’s and it was good to see a full book carry it off.

Other readers have commented that the book was “spicy” or “steamy” which I know is a draw for many readers. There are explicit sex scenes (some I wasn’t sure were physically plausible) and if you like that, this book will make you happy. I might be a little too conservative for it, but I recognize the talent in the imagination and the writing.

Triple Sec was released June 4, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the review copy.

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier

 

Venice holds a special place in the mind and imagination of people all over the world. I visited for the first time in 2023 and was delighted to receive a set of beautiful blue patterned Murano, (Venice’s “attendant island”) glass at Christmas. Needless to say, I was delighted to read Tracy Chevalier’s new book, The Glassmaker, which traces the history of Venice and Murano through the eyes of a glassmaking family, over five hundred years. The narrator explains to the reader in the first line of the novel: “The City of Water runs by its own clock…” While centuries pass for the rest of the world, the Rosso family of the book ages much more slowly. By using the same characters of the span of five centuries, we witness the continuities and struggle for the well-drawn Rosso family, and Orsola Rosso particularly, who we meet at nine years of age. Her passions, both for family, glass, community, and all it means to be Venetian tells the brilliant story of five hundred years of history, made personal. It is historical fiction at its finest.

Thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley for the review copy. The Glassmaker was published on June 18, 2024.

One of my Murano glasses.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate

 

Lisa Wingate has a talent of making historical fiction urgent authentic.  As she did in Before We Were Yours, she champions heroic children who find themselves in situations not of their own making, but always at their peril. In Shelterwood, those children are orphans of the Choctaw Tribe in Oklahoma. Told from dual narratives, one from 1909, in the voice of eleven-year Olive Augusta Peele, whose family has “adopted” Choctaw sisters, and the other from 1990, from Valerie Boren-Odell, a young National Park Service officer.  Because of the way the resource rich land of Oklahoma was divided among tribe members, the children were prime targets for the exploitation of early developers.  The later narrative focuses on the sacred national park services and protection of the trees and natural condition of the parks.

As she has done before, Wingate teaches her readers the obscure facts that convince us to care about these children and characters and applaud the people who worked to solve the problems.  It is a fascinating book.  

Shelterwood releases on June 4, 2024. Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for providing this copy for review.

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, by Helen Simonson

 

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, by Helen Simonson, is the kind of historical fiction that makes learning history not just interesting, but delightful. Contrasting the strictures of social class in post WWII England, with the upper class holding on to tradition that no longer works for anyone, especially their daughters, with a generation of women who filled all jobs while men were away fighting the war makes for built in conflict generally, but Simonson brings that conflict home with the wonderful men and women she creates.

Our protagonist, Constance Haverhill, has been orphaned and cast out from her family’s farm for no reason of her own. The rules of primogeniture meant that her brother inherited everything, and she was left to figure out how to get along on her own. Sent to the seaside as nursemaid to the matriarch of the family where her mother was in service creates an opportunity for Constance to understand her own skills and talents, even as she battles proper conduct for a young lady. When she is befriended by Poppy, an heiress in her own right, but also a believer in the power and talent of women, Constance learns that there are many gray areas when considering what is right and proper for men and women alike.

This book was captivating, endearing, frustrating and a wonderful reminder of how far we’ve come. I didn’t actually think I could enjoy a “war” book so much! Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the review copy of this excellent book. The book was released May 7, 2024.

 

The Rom-Commers

 

The Rom-Commers

I fell for Katherine Center when she introduced another author (I don’t remember that author!) at a reading. Her vivacious personality and down to earth manner, coupled with her academic background made me curious. That led me to her books, and frankly, she can’t write fast enough for me.

Katherine has a philosophy that we should read for joy, and her books let us do just that. Rom-Commers, her 2024 novel, is no exception. She creates fabulous characters, sets them in places that ignite imagination and then weaves a story with them that is one that is hard to put down.

Rom-Commers is the tale of Emma, a talented romance screen writer whose career is derailed before it gets started by family tragedy. Charlie is her screen writing hero. Even though he doesn’t write Rom Coms, she’s seen every movie he’s written for. So, when she gets the chance to “help” Charlie fix his terrible attempt at a Rom Com, she jumps at the chance.

It's a classic Rom Com…you don’t need me to tell you the ending, but the journey is fun, interesting, and educational. It’s also a lot of fun. Thanks to Katherine, St Martins and NetGalley. The book will be released June 11, 2024

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle

 

Seth and Molly were high school sweethearts, until Molly, the child of divorced parents, bolts.  By all appearances, they were the perfect couple, but because of her father’s actions surrounding her parents’ divorce, Molly has major trust issues.

Fast forward to their fifteenth high school reunion. She’s a script writer for Rom-Coms and a consummate cynic. He’s a divorce lawyer who believes in soulmates.  Seated at the same table, Seth and Molly remember their friendship, and … no spoilers here.  The book goes on to document their adorable relationship and painful break ups.  They are delightful, funny, and so messed up we don’t have any idea how it’s going to end.  All I’ll tell you is that I hated to see the book end!.

Just Some Stupid Love Story is a great read for summer, and for everyone who’s ever rekindled an old love.  It’s available now, published on June 4, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the review copy. I’m looking forward to more from this author!

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

 

Elements for a great summer novel? A lush, oceanfront setting, glamorous characters with secrets, romance, mystery and great storytelling. Summers at the Saint has them all The pink wedding cake architecture of the St Cecilia Resort, The Saint, sits on its own island off the coast of Georgia. It is the resort of choice for southern families who treasure fine food, golf, a beautiful sunset and activities for their children. But the Saint isn’t immune to tragedy. First the son of a guest drowns, leaving one of the local lifeguards, one of the “Ain’t’s” fired. A dozen years later, death visits the glamorous hotel again.

            The Saint, though, is a family business, and the interaction between the jealous family members creates complications for them all. Figuring out who is responsible for the murder, and the survival of The Saint makes this page turning the perfect summer read. Bravo Mary Kay Andrews!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the review copy. Summers at the Saint was released on May 7, 2024.

Mind Games by Nora Roberts

 

Whenever I get in a reading slump, having trouble making progress on my TBR pile, I can count on Nora Roberts to put a page turner in my hands.  Mind Games is no exception. Thea Fox witnesses the unthinkable murder of her parents when she is twelve years old, but not because she was there.  She’s psychic, and for unexplainable reasons, her mind links with that of her parent’s killer.  They both have the gift of sight, only he uses his for evil and she for good.

Thea and her brother go to live with their also gifted Grammie in Redbud Hollow, in the Kentucky Appalachians. There she grows up, learns and continues to be haunted by the murderer. It’s a beautiful setting with enough magic, technology, and sizzling romance to remind us of what a wonderful storyteller Roberts has always been.  This was a wonderful breath of fresh air. The book was published May 21, 2024.  Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s press for the review copy.

Within Arm’s Reach by Ann Napolitano

 

Ann Napolitano has a way of creating characters both endearing and flawed. This story of the McLaughlin family of New Jersey, told from six points of view, examines the way the strict Irish Catholic upbringing clashes with the actual way lives are lived. The characters love fiercely but have trouble understanding their love. Assisted by ghosts of their ancestors and a tight knit community, both the older generation and the youngest one explore what it means to be part of a family, and how they fit in.

This was actually Napolitano’s debut novel, re-released after the success of Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random house for the review copy. The novel was re-released on April 30, 2024

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

 

I picked this one up because I needed something different than the heavy lit fic or not so heavy rom com’s that are my usual fare. To be fair, I do not read horror and am not big on thrillers because my imagination is so active, and I have trouble sleeping with all the horrible possibilities. But Darling Girls was highly recommended, so I dove in.

First, if you are triggered by child abuse, this is not the book for you. The characters are former foster kids who are placed with a woman who is not what she appears to be, a sweet, lovely woman. The story is told from three viewpoints (through most of the bool.) Three young girls are fostered by Miss Fairchild. The girls forge a sisterhood of protection when they must revisit all they suffered as children to help solve a crime.

As all good thrillers, this is a page turner. The characters are complex and damaged, and it will take until the last page to figure this one out.

Lucky by Jane Smiley

 

So great to have a new novel by Jane Smiley!  Her main character in Lucky, Jodie Rattler is so authentic I needed to check early in the book to see if this was an actual memoir, or in fact, fiction. Detail oriented and epic in the timeline, we learn about Jodie’s music, musical career (and many of her lover’s and walks at the various places she lived!) At times heartbreaking, at times filled with love and optimism, and always filled with the kind of existential angst those of us who grew up in the sixties experienced firsthand, Lucky is a snapshot of the age through one woman’s life.

The ending surprised me, and I struggled with it. I admit it simply may be a bit beyond me. Other than that, I enjoyed reading Lucky. Thanks to NetGalley and Alfred Knopf for the advance readers copy. The book was published April 23, 2024

 

The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald

 

  Lisa Grunwald has the unique skill of bringing historical periods to life as though they are the current events. The Evolution of Annabel Craig is no exception. Annabel is a happy, observant Methodist who prays on her knees every night. Born in 1910 and raised amid Prohibition and the infancy of the Women’s Movement, Annabel lives on a strawberry farm. While her family works the farm, her father runs it. As soon as the season is over, her mother travels the countryside teaching women how to preserver tomatoes. Annabel, her only child, goes along, and learns important lessons at her mother’s side. But Annabel’s parents succumb to the Spanish flu in 1918 and Annabel must leave her bucolic countryside. She moves to Dayton Tennessee, with the camera she inherited from her father. Along with a budding career in photography, she also meets and marries John Craig, a local lawyer who will go on to be part of the defense team, led by Clarence Darrow, of John Scopes. 

The “Scopes Monkey Trial” didn’t put on trial the details of evolution, but the battle of science and faith. As I read, the parallels to the struggles of America in 2024 echo the struggle of 100 years earlier. We have had our pandemic and now we have polarized belief again centralized around science and reality against constructionists who believe that veering away from the literal interpretation of the Bible will be our ruin.

As a lawyer, I felt the lows and highs of the defense team, but I don’t think I needed that background to appreciate the complexity and fear Grunwald was able to instill in her wonderfully drawn characters. I cheered for Annabel along the way, as she more closely resembles the “liberal” that is so often eschewed today. She wants to understand, and she wants to make room for her beliefs. I hope you read it to see how she does.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Random House, for this review copy. The Evolution of Annabel Craig publishes on April 16 ,2024.

 

Off the Air by Christina Estes

 

Off the Air by Christina Estes

Award winning journalist Christina Estes gives a detailed and frank view inside news organizations, both local and network. She knows her subject matter and shares the good, and the ugly, of this profession. Her protagonist, Jolene Garcia, is hot on a story concerning the death of a right-wing, radical, radio personality. The competition is palpable, and none of the characters are particularly likable. Estes paints a cutthroat business in a polarized world.

Yet the book has bright spots-- I was particularly amused by the protagonists relationship with her goldfish, Oscar.--and the mystery is complicated. There are plenty of misleading clues to keep the reader from figuring it out too soon. If who-dunnits are your jam, you’ll like this one. Estes is a skilled writer. Her style is journalistic, meaning you won’t get much depth with the characters and though the landscape is rich, the setting is minimal.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the review copy. The book was published on March 26, 2024.

 

Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh

Layla is a light skinned Londoner whose mother is Jamaican and whose father is black. Her best friend and grandfather are also black, but Layla’s boyfriends have almost exclusively been white. When she gets serious about Andy McKinnon, her best friend’s tolerance of the situation, especially in the year of the George Floyd’s death, disappears. Since Andy and Layla have the same last name, and since Andy’s ancestors are proud Scots, Sera, the best friend, posits that Andy’s ancestors actually owned Layla’s. That is enough for Sera to render Andy and Layla forbidden to marry. But Andy and Layla love each other.

 

Layla is not immune to the Sera’s concern. The book lets the reader follow both the research and logic that these characters must go through to determine what is right. Sera is consumed by anger, fueled by continued persecution and discrimination still prevalent against black people. Layla has the guilt of one who “passes” and yet, she doesn’t want to be angry. “’

“Action is more important than anger,” Layla discovers, but what action is right for her?

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this thought provoking and interesting read. Dominoes was released on March 12, 2024.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan 5*

 

 

I admit that I have read so many books set in World War II that I am a skeptic whenever a new one comes out. That said, I loved this book. The characters are well drawn and having finished the book, I find myself wishing I were still reading it, because I miss them.

The story gives color to the facts of war. Women join the workforce because the men are off fighting. Romances are condensed, rushed, and focused. The main character, Juliet, is an ambitious young woman from a well-off family who only wish for her to marry well, Juliet loves books though, and is thrilled to find a position at the Bethnal Green Library in London, at the beginning of the Blitz. She is full of ideas, which are not received well by the men in charge. Operating with some subterfuge, Juliet enlists the assistance of woman in the community…all wonderful characters themselves, to implement her ideas.

Then the library is bombed, and thus begins the underground library.

This is a wonderful story for anyone who loves books, libraries, and women with their own mind. While it is reminiscent of The Paris Library, by Janet Charles, (another good book!) this book is different in spirit and the setting of London is unique and endearing. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for the review copy. This book releases March 12, 2024.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle: 4 stars

 

 Daphne is a thirty-three-year-old Hollywood professional who has secrets. The one that frames this delightful novel is the one about the papers she receives periodically, containing only a name and a period of time. These are the relationships she experiences, with men she has recently met. The source of the papers is not revealed, and there are enough of them to convince Daphne that they are factual. Whether they are because that is fate, or because she goes into them focused on the expiration date, is for the reader to decide.

The other secret gives gravitas to why Daphne lives this way, and as a reader, I wish we’d been told about it earlier in the book…sorry, no spoilers here. Frankly, I was tired of reading about her romantic exploits by the time we find out why, despite Serle’s lovely writing.

It is well written and an easy read, with a premise I’ve not read before. A nice book that is more than fluff, but not so much more that it exhausts me, as some books have this year! Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the review copy!

Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningha

 

Great Expectations is the story of the author’s recruitment to the first Obama campaign, detailing the issues he faced as a fundraiser. It’s an authentic and readable work, and the author’s voice speaks with first-hand authority. He is young when the story begins, his early twenties. He tends to fill the gaps of what must have been a challenging time with diversions—religion, basketball, friends, and lovers. The story shines by giving us an inside look at what really goes on in a campaign, even one fueled by what was supposed to be a grass roots movement. It also shines as the authors considers his own place in the world. He stands for not only the young people who were such a force in the Obama campaign, but also for his black friends, neighbors, and family. There are some wonderful segments discussing historical issues, as well as this remarkable time in the USA. Cunningham is an excellent writer, and I look forward to reading more of his work. Thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth, and imprint of Random House, for the review copy. The book was released on March 12, 2024.