I came up with the genre British Angst Lit to categorize books like Eva Carter’s long and underdeveloped How to Save a Life. In this genre, the story survives entirely on keeping apart its obviously meant-to-be protagonists until the last page, preferably through a variety of missed opportunities, poor communication, and, most importantly, a Third…
Melissa Scholes Young’s terrific southern coming of age tale is an interesting character portrait that manages to combine an emotional slice-of-life tale with a feminist mien that makes the entire experience a fascination. The Fehler Sisters – teenage Tammy and Kate, college-bound Jules, and recent high school graduate Maggie – are living in Missouri together…
Joshua and Lauren are the perfect couple. Newly married, they’re wildly in love, each on a successful and rewarding career path. Then Lauren is diagnosed with a terminal illness. As Lauren’s disease progresses, Joshua struggles to make the most of the time he has left with his wife and to come to terms with his…
Lizzie & Dante has all the elements of a great romance – a woman on vacation in Italy, a hot Italian chef with great moves in and out of the kitchen, days on the beach, and nights under the stars. But it also has one element of a great tragedy – Lizzie is sick with…
Virginia Kantra’s epic modern retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women continues with Beth & Amy, which follows the developing lives of the March family’s two youngest siblings. I actually liked this volume better than its predecessor, and quite enjoyed the way Kantra combines a very serious plotline with a very fluffy one. Picking up…
New Girl in Little Cove is a good old fashioned novel about trying to acclimate oneself to a new, tiny town and an entirely new situation. It’s one part Under the Tuscan Sun, another part To Sir, With Love. The population of Little Cove, Newfoundland, is exactly 389 people in 1985 – 390 when recent…
The Breakup Book Club is a women’s fiction novel told from the viewpoint of four different narrators. A tale about losing love but finding yourself in the process, it’s a female -centric exploration of how, even if life throws us curve balls, we can still hit home runs. On the surface, Judith’s life looks perfect….
It Had to Be You features an ensemble cast of characters connected to each other through the wedding business in New York City. Though the story has its heavier moments, it is a mostly optimistic tale of love and friendship blossoming despite adversity. Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn have been partners in life and business for…
The Secret Bridesmaid is a delightful romantic jaunt through the life of an enterprising young professional who takes on a huge project, and bites off a little more than she can chew. Sophie Breeze has an unusual job, but it’s also a secret. Since managing her cousin’s wedding freak-out, Sophie has become a professional bridesmaid,…
The publisher’s blurb for Just Last Night is extremely vague in describing the contents of what is a captivating and heartfelt tale about grief and how we deal with the inevitable secrets that are revealed when a loved one dies. As per AAR policy, I have given an overview of the first third of the…