Tag: Contemporary Fiction

FEATURE – Catch Us When We Fall by Juliette Fay

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Equal parts dramatic, romantic and uplifting, Catch Us When We Fall (available Sept. 21, 2021) is ultimately a story about forgiveness and hope. Cass and Scott have a difficult history – Cass is the longtime girlfriend of Scott’s late brother, Ben. Cass and Ben spent the better part of a decade under the influence, while Scott worked to build a career as a professional baseball player. Is the plot a little predictable? Sure. But maybe reliable is the better word here. While this wasn’t personally a favorite for me, a lot of readers of contemporary fiction really love it, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming story about complicated (but lovable!) characters. A big thank you to Get Red PR for the free book!

SYNOPSIS: On her own since the age of eighteen, Cass Macklin dated brilliant, troubled Ben McGreavy, convinced he was the smartest person she’d ever known. They partied their way through their twenties, slowly descending into a bleak world of binge-drinking and broken promises, inebriated for most of a decade. Now Ben is dead, and Cass is broke, homeless, scared…and pregnant.

Determined to have a healthy pregnancy and raise Ben’s baby, Cass has to find a way to stop drinking and build a stable life for herself and her child. But with no money, skills, or sober friends or family, the task seems insurmountable. At wit’s end, Cass turns to the only person with the means to help her: Ben’s brother Scott, third basemen for the Boston Red Sox, a man with a temper and problems of his own.

The two make a deal that neither one of them is sure they can live up to. As Cass struggles to take control of her life and to ask for help when she needs it, Scott begins to realize there’s a life for him beyond the baseball diamond.

REVIEW – That Summer by Jennifer Weiner

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I’ve only read two Jennifer Weiner books so far (That Summer and Mrs. Everything), so I don’t know much about her backlist. However, I do know she’s able to turn 400-page books into incredibly fast reads.

That being said, the title and cover of this book are misleading. This is NOT a light, summer read. The main theme of the book is rape, and there’s a lot of “old boys club” nonsense going on. (I’ll be clear: Weiner does not condone the “old boys club” stuff and DOES in fact present it as dangerous.)

I’m not sure if anything here was meant to be a twist or a reveal, but I wasn’t really surprised by anything that happened throughout the course of the book. However, i’m not really sure what Diana was hoping to accomplish (i’m not sure she even knew, herself).

I would definitely recommend this book, as it was interesting and very timely (a lot of #MeToo chatter in this one) but I would urge readers to proceed with caution.

Content: rape, sexual assault, suicide

Thank you Atria for sending me a copy of That Summer!

REVIEW – A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings

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Reluctant romance readers (hi, yes, I am one of you). You have to give A Brush with Love a shot. Or at least remember the name Mazey Eddings – you’re going to be seeing her books all over the place soon.

A Brush with Love is smart and sweet and hilarious. The balance between each element in the story is flawless – Eddings will have you saying “awww” one moment and cracking up the next.

Harper is a dental student working towards a residency in oral surgery. She’s SMART. She’s DRIVEN. She’s…AWKWARD (sometimes). She’s dealing with some trauma and grief from her childhood and she tends to keep everyone at arm’s length. Dan is a first-year dental student, reluctantly trying to live up to a legacy left by his (complicated and not-so-nice) father.

After a meet-cute that’s more like a meet-funny or a meet-omg! Harper and Dan become fast friends and, although their story itself is something of a slow burn, they develop feelings for each other very quickly but it never feels insta-lovey or forced.

The good? A Brush with Love is heartfelt and emotional without being sappy. It’s sweet without being too sugary (come on, that would be bad for your teeth! …I’ll see myself out). Harper and Dan are lovable, Harper’s friends are a GODDAMN DELIGHT. Harper deals with some very real anxiety that is so accurately portrayed on the page, I sometimes forgot that I was reading fiction.

The bad? Most of you are going to have to wait until 2022 to read this. But I have a solution for you: preorder this delightful piece of romcom goodness. It’s basically like sending a gift to your future self.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the NetGalley ARC!

REVIEW – Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters

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I had SO MUCH FUN reading Satisfaction Guaranteed. Stetz-Waters pulls you right in from the first chapter – with countless laugh-out-loud moments packed into just a few pages. Not only is Satisfaction Guaranteed hilarious, but it’s also sweet (and spicy). What’s not to love about a sex-positive romance, filled with adorable, lovable characters and effortless humor? Even in the sweet moments, I found myself giggling at some of the subtle details and witty one-liners.

I don’t usually like to compare new books to other things, but I will say this: Fans of The Roommate, you’ll like this. Fans of huggable characters you want to be best friends with, you’ll like this. Fans of joy, you’ll like this.

Thank you Forever for sending me a copy of Satisfaction Guaranteed!

REVIEW – Back in the Burbs by Tracy Wolff and Avery Flynn

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I had SO much fun reaching Back in the Burbs – it’s hilarious and heartfelt. Mallory’s life is a mess (no, really). She’s in the middle of dealing with a difficult divorce AND her favorite aunt has just passed away. However, when she learns that great-aunt Maggie left Mallory her house, she decides it’s time to take her life into her own hands and start fresh.

This is…easier said than done. Great-aunt Maggie’s house needs work. A LOT of work. And the cute guy across the street is a little bit rude.

This story ended up being more complex than I anticipated, and it was such a happy surprise. Back in the Burbs doesn’t get bogged down by the details – and while it covers a few heavier topics, it remains relatively lighthearted overall, with ample amounts of humor sprinkled throughout each chapter.

If you’re looking for a good summer or vacation read, this is it! Thank you Entangled Publishing and Valentine PR for sending me a copy of this book.

REVIEW – Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

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“And that’s what it comes down to. We find the families we were desperate for and learn different ways of going about things. Ways that sometimes land us in places/positions we don’t really wanna be in.”

Dear Justyce is the follow-up to Dear Martin and WOW does it pack a punch. I read Dear Justyce in pretty much one sitting – Stone’s writing is compelling and accessible and she makes some stylistic choices throughout that really push the story along and keep you wanting (needing) to know what’s going to happen next.

Quan (who we met in Dear Martin) is an incarcerated teen awaiting trial for the shooting death of a police officer. Quan is smart and caring and…misguided. He faced some tough times as a child and eventually fell in with a group who gave him the care and love he was missing, but not without consequences.

This book really examines what leads Quan (and kids like him) into making some not-so-great choices, and how they can still move forward into a positive future. If you’re not familiar with the school to prison pipeline, i’d recommend doing a little bit of research before diving in to this book. Stone also addresses some of the events in the book in a note at the end, and that’s very much worth reading (especially if these topics are new to you).

REVIEW – The Roommate by Rosie Danan

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Phew, okay. I had seen a lot of positive reviews for The Roommate, but I didn’t think i’d love it this much! It’s surprisingly sweet (but with no lack of spice…) Clara and Josh are fun a lovable, and i’m excited that Naomi is getting her own book later this year.

The Roommate features Josh who is a…uhh…”performer” with a heart of gold (no, really) and Clara, who is a seemingly uptight, prim and proper socialite from the East Coast. Be prepared to love these characters! Be prepared for some VERY open door scenes (if that’s not your cup of tea, steer clear). And be prepared for a feminist novel that will have you laughing and cheering and swooning all at once.

REVIEW – Always Only You by Chloe Liese

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Chloe Liese does it again! I enjoyed the first Bergman Brothers book (Always Only You) so I knew this would be a great choice. Frankie and Ren are delightful as separate characters and, of course, they’re amazing together. Frankie is a big softie under that guarded exterior, and Ren can get pretty fired up even though he seems like a big happy teddy bear.

Liese handles differently-abled and neurodiverse characters so well – and she’s right: everyone deserves a love story. And, as always, the Bergman family is delightful and I love spending time with them.

REVIEW – The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

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I figured I would like this book, but I didn’t expect to absolutely LOVE it. What a fun read! Gavin and Thea are adorable and you can’t help but root for them. Yes, they have a lot of issues (mostly due to poor communication, shocker) but their growth throughout the course of the story feels relatively realistic.

Every character is a delight – the guys in the book club are hilarious and sweet. Anything that can make me laugh out loud but also make me feel a lot of feelings is a winner for me. I am so grateful that this is a series – I can’t wait to spend more time with the Bromance Book Club!

REVIEW – Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

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This book is DARK. Full stop. It has a very strange and surreal vibe the entire time, like everything is smudged and dirty and unsettling. At the very least, Langan does a great job of putting you right into this suburban neighborhood (smack in the middle of summer, and there’s a heat wave…it’s just SO uncomfortable).

Good Neighbors is set in the near future in a seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood. I won’t give too much away, but there’s a sinkhole (complete with weird smells!) and a child dies and it turns into a modern-day (or future…) version of The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. There’s an uncanny valley element to this book – there’s nothing supernatural in the story but it doesn’t feel entirely realistic. All of the characters are exaggerated and irrational (however, maybe that’s not so far-fetched after all…) and the commentary about the “mob mentality” is jarring and scary.

One character, in particular, is absolutely psychotic and terrifying (and not even in a fun way). The entire book reminded me of The Regulators by Stephen King (although minus the gratuitious horror and violence).

This would be a great choice for a book club because there’s so much to discuss (although it’s a tough book to rate!)

Content warnings: child abuse, brief mention of rape, brief mention of drug use, brief mention of suicide, murder-suicide

Thank you Atria Books for the ARC!