Julie's Review: The Rewind

Author: Allison Winn Scotch
Series: None
Publication Date:  November 1, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 366
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Not the classic romance
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Summary: When college sweethearts Frankie and Ezra broke up before graduation, they vowed to never speak to each other again. Ten years later, on the eve of the new millennium, they find themselves back on their snowy, picturesque New England campus together for the first time for the wedding of mutual friends. Frankie’s on the rise as a music manager for the hottest bands of the late ’90s, and Ezra’s ready to propose to his girlfriend after the wedding. Everything is going to plan—they just have to avoid the chasm of emotions brought up when they inevitably come face to face. But when they wake up in bed next to each other the following morning with Ezra’s grandmother’s diamond on Frankie’s finger, they have zero memory of how they got there—or about any of the events that transpired the night before. Now Frankie and Ezra have to put aside old grievances in order to figure out what happened, what didn’t happen...and to ask themselves the most troubling question of all: what if they both got it wrong the first time around? ~amazon.com

Review: If you are looking for a deeply complex story about discovering yourself, confronting the past and planning the future you will definitely want to pick up The Rewind. If you are looking for a classic fairy tale romance where the former lovers see each other and immediately fall back in love, then move on from The Rewind.

You get a bit of the background of Frankie and Ezra's college love story in the beginning of the novel through both of their eyes but it really starts to reveal itself as the novel goes on. Whenever anyone says there are two sides to the story, I believe in cases of relationships there are 3: his, hers and the truth. Our own memories skew how we view things that happened to us and how we want to color the past. It isn't until you are confronted with someone else's view that you might question yours. 

Frankie is a closed book, even with those closest to her there are parts of her she holds back. Ezra is more of an open book but there are still parts of him that he holds onto as well. This begs the question throughout the book, do we need to keep somethings to ourselves to protect ourselves or because we are scared? Do we need to share everything about ourselves with those we are closest too or do we save some of ourselves for ourself?

As the 24 hours unfolds, Ezra and Frankie both find out some truths about themselves in the past and today, some truths about their relationship and their current relationships with others. Neither one of them is the villain in their story but each of them play their part in the dissemination of it. It isn't until they connect again, albeit with both of them hating the other, that they realize some things. That's called growing up and being an adult. 

I will admit that this book is not what I thought it would be but it ended up being great. Now that I've been done with it for a few days, I can see how a more realistic love story is at times better than the fantasy. 

Sunday Skim

 

Week of 10/23/2022:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

Sunday Skim

 

Week of 10/16/2022:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

I typically don't do seasonal reads but The Ex Hex was sitting on my shelf for a year, so I grabbed it. I'm glad I did because it was a fun fall read. It's been a few years since I've read Emily Giffin and I listened to her latest, Meant to Be. A lot of people didn't like the parallel's to the Kennedy's but I didn't mind it since I'm not a Kennedy follower. Look for the review of Allison Winn Scotch's newest, The Rewind closer to pub date but I really enjoyed it. 

Julie's Review: The Ex Hex

Author: Erin Sterling
Series: Ex Hex #1
Publication Date:  September 28, 2021
Publisher: Avon Publishing
Pages: 320
Obtained: purchased by Book of the Month
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Fall witchy fun
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Summary: Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two. That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all. Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.

Review: This one sat on my shelf for a whole year; what a mistake that was because this was a delight. Usually I love to read Alice Hoffman this time of year but alas she has no new book out right now. I have never read Rachel Hawkins/Erin Sterling but I've already added The Kiss Curse to my add-ons for November through BOTM. 

What happens when two young witches put a curse on a young man due to a broken heart? Well 9 years later, it reeks havoc on their hometown of Graves Glen. Rhys is picked to be the one Penhallow to go home and charge their ancestorial lines. Of course, it's a small town and there is no way Vivi and Rhys won't see each other. Of course as much as Vivi has tried to get Rhys out of her system, it all comes rushing back to her. It's the same for Rhys when he sees her but he's had an easier time with letting it all go because his life was so far away from that pertinent summer. 

As Vivi and Rhys spend more and more time together to undo this curse, their attraction to each other heats up. Of course they are both 9 years older and know that their physical attraction can't be the only thing that will keep them together. 

The Ex Hex is a fun read with lots of heart, laughs and romps around town. I loved Aunt Elaine & Gwyn but not as much as I enjoyed Sir Purrcival. 😁I'm excited to read the next one in this series and hope we get a few more. 

Sunday Skim

 

Week of 10/9/2022:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

Code Name Sapphire isn't being published until 2/7/2023 but if you love WWII Historical Fiction, you won't want to miss out on this one. The ending will stay with me for a long time. I will always pre-order and read Jennifer Weiner's books but The Summer Place wasn't my favorite of hers but she did capture COVID perfectly. 

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Julie's Review: Win

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: Windsor Horne Lockwood III (#1)
Publication Date:  March 16, 2021
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 384
Obtained: Purchased
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A bit of everything for every reader
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Summary: Over twenty years ago, the heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors — and the items stolen from her family were never recovered.  Until now. On the Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead — not only on Patricia's kidnapping, but also on another FBI cold case — with the suitcase and painting both pointing them toward one man. Windsor Horne Lockwood III — or Win, as his few friends call him — doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up with a dead man. But his interest is piqued, especially when the FBI tells him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism — and that the conspirators may still be at large. The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades, but Win has three things the FBI doesn't: a personal connection to the case; an ungodly fortune; and his own unique brand of justice. ~amazon.com

Review: I never expected Mr. Coben to write a novel about Win but I am sure glad that he did. For most of us who have read the Myron Bolitar novels, Win has always been Myron's trusty counsel and there for him when he needs him. Throughout those novels we know a few things about Win but now we get to know him, in his own words and his own experiences. 

Win is loyal that is obvious but he also operates very much in gray areas, which of course is what makes him super interesting. He also can do things as he wants because he has money and as he likes to say it makes it easier to abide by your own rules. So when a painting that was stolen from his family decades before is found in the apartment of a recluse, Win goes on the hunt for how it ended up there. 

All families have secrets but when you have as much money as the Lockwood's do, you can bury for a long time until something digs it back up. Of course mayhem ensues. 

I love Harlan Coben novels and I'm hoping that he keeps writing Win novels but if not I'll be happy with his appearances with Myron. 

Julie's Review: The Most Likely Club

Author: Elyssa Friedland
Series: None
Publication Date:  September 6, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 328
Obtained: Book of the Month
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: It's never too late to realize your dreams
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Summary: In 1997, grunge is king, Titanic is a blockbuster (and Blockbuster still exists), and Thursday nights are for Friends. In Bellport, Connecticut, four best friends and high school seniors are ready to light the world on fire. Melissa Levin, Priya Chowdhury, Tara Taylor, and Suki Hammer are going places. Their yearbook superlatives confirm it: Most Likely to Win the White House, Cure Cancer, Open a Michelin-Starred Restaurant, and Join the Forbes 400. Fast forward twenty-five years and nothing has gone according to plan as the women regroup at their dreaded high school reunion. When a forgotten classmate emerges at the reunion with a surprising announcement, the friends dig out the yearbook and rethink their younger selves. Is it too late to make their dreams come true? Fueled by nostalgia and one too many drinks, they form a pact to push through their middle-aged angst to bring their teenage aspirations to fruition, dubbing themselves the “Most Likely Girls.” Through the ensuing highs and lows, they are reminded of the enduring bonds of friendship, the ways our childhood dreams both sustain and surprise us — and why it’s deeply uncool to peak in high school. ~amazon.com 

Review: High school, such a long time ago for me and Ms. Friedland has caught what it feels like to perhaps have your dreams change on you from when you were 18.  It doesn’t mean that you don’t love your life or what you’ve done; it’s just you thought you’d be elsewhere.

For friends Tara, Suki, Priya and Melissa they were all a part of senior superlatives aka Most Likely…the only one to achieve it was Suki. So the rest of the 3 make a pact to get back to their dreams even if they are 

Each friend brings something different to the table, which I think readers will be able to identify with each of them throughout the book. Each friend hides something from the other until the end when all their secrets come out but it makes their friendships much stronger. Women are told we can have it all: family, jobs and friends but the problem is no one tells us how to balance it all. What do we give up or ourselves to attain status, etc? 

I really liked that each one of them had their own chapters but I wish we had gotten Suki’s POV earlier in the book.

For those of us who were in high school or graduated in the 1990s, The Most Likely Club is one not to miss. 

Sunday Skim

 

Week of 10/2/2022:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

Harlan Coben is a go-to author for me but given all the reviews I need to do, I kept delaying it on my TBR. I'm so happy I read it because Win having his own book is excellent. Christina Lauren never disappoints and The Soulmate Equation is fantastic. 

Julie's Review: Bad Girl Reputation

Author: Elle Kennedy
Series: Avalon Bay #2
Publication Date:  October 4, 2022
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 320
Obtained: Get Red PR
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Saucy & Electric
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Summary: When former bad girl Genevieve West returns home for her mother’s funeral, she’s prepared to keep her distance from her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley. Their history is rife with turbulence. And passion. A heck of a lot of passion...which she’s trying desperately to forget. But it’s impossible not to run into Evan in the small coastal town where they once ran wild. And the moment she sees her gorgeous ex again, it’s clear to Gen that Evan is still as unruly, sexy, and irresistible as ever. This time around, however, she’s resolved to walk a new path. No more partying. No more foolish mistakes. Her plan is to temporarily remain in town to help her father run his business, but the second he finds somebody else, she’s out of there. Evan has other ideas. He knows they can be good together, but he just has to convince Genevieve of that, even if it means turning over a new leaf himself. But can a bad reputation ever truly be shed? Do second chances really work? Genevieve and Evan are about to find out. ~amazon.com

Review: Genevieve, Gen, left her hometown of Avalon Bay quickly before she could be talked out of it by her on again and off again, Evan. Evan and Gen are dynamite together but if it explodes look out. I mean what do you do as a teenager living in a small town but party and cause some havoc. Unfortunately, when you get past a certain age that behavior doesn't really get you anywhere. So when she comes back for her mother's funeral, she plans to get in and out but of course that's not how it's going to go for her. Within minutes of seeing her ex-boyfriend, Evan, they are back to their old familiar push and pull. See for Evan, they are still together since she pretty much just disappeared. Evan being a bit romantic and a bit obsessed can't just let her go. 

Gen wants to do her best to move on but they have always had a magnetic pull and that can be hard to break. She really wants to change and become someone different but how does she do that without losing who she is at her core? Can she still be carefree without the havoc? How does this affect her relationship with all of those around her? Can you start over in the place where you've always been? She's not so sure she can if Evan is in her life. Evan, on the other hand, is determined to show her they can and that he's not the same person either. 

I loved the growth that both Gen and Evan had throughout the book. Knowing that they still have a connection but it's matured helps them both focus on different goals. 

Plus if you are looking for saucy and heat they have that in spades. Ms. Kennedy knows how to write a sex scene. I liked all of the 2nd characters and how Gen finally opened up about what caused her to flee from Avalon Bay the year prior. 

While this is the 2nd in a series, the first book focuses on different characters, so you don't need to read it before this one. Bad Girl Reputation is an addictive, quick read that you won't want to put down. 

Monthly Rewind - September

 

* Denotes Audiobooks

Home Run (You should run and get this): 

Triple (You really don't want to miss it):

*

Double (You could get on the waiting list at the library and be ok):

*

*

Single (Wait it out): N/A

Strike Outs (Don't bother):  N/A

I truly read and listened to a lot of great books in September. I waited a long time to read/listen to Addie LaRue and it was a let down for me. The Matchmaker's Gift is really the book we all need right now. Seriously, go buy it because you won't regret it. Kristina McMorris is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and her latest, The Ways We Hide does not disappoint. It is clear she does her research.