Krista

I bought this book on my Kobo, and the cover was very different, modern looking. In the preview, I really liked the scenario in the second chapter, which prompted me to buy it. As I kept reading, I thought the female main character was a little...odd. Then I added the book to my goodreads list and the old cover came up. THEN it started to make sense. Yikes, the characterizations are (thankfully) antiquated. I didn't connect with either of the main characters.

DNF A woman is propositioned, escapes from a hotel room because she's scared she's about to be raped, so distraught she pukes, then less than an hour later offers herself to the guy who helped hide her and screws him! Maybe I could have put up with that, but the fact she puked then didn't even brush her teeth before kissing him? Nah, THAT'S an unforgivable sin.

This book! Author Paige Cooper said ‘Bergen's power as a writer pulls like an undertow.' I could not say this more succinctly myself so I'll quote Cooper instead! I couldn't detect a single literary device in Out of Mind, yet rarely am I ever more engrossed in a novel as I was reading this one. The prose was straightforward, reminiscent of Hemingway, yet the narrative held such depth, I found myself enthralled. Bergen is now amongst my favourite authors, and I'm eager to read through his backlist.

If the main characters in your romance reads are starting to feel a little too plastic, I recommend Louder than Love. Katrina and Adrian had a refreshing depth, and I loved seeing Adrian's scars unfold through the story. Jessica Topper has a top-notch ear for a character's voice, cognizant of not just nationality but age and culture. She just NAILED a spunky four-year-old girl. Typically I don't like reading children, but Abbey was a delight. The story came to a heartwarming close. A great book if you're looking for a rock'n roll love story that's real.

My first time reading anything by Ian McEwan. This book reminded me what I love about fiction: the ability to see the rich inner lives of two characters on opposite sides of a conflict with clarity. If only we had the same capability in our everyday lives! I thought McEwan wrote a female character with realism and empathy. I loved the singularity of the conflict and the characters and the proficiency with which they were executed.

One of the best memoirs or biographies I've read. This story had excellent pacing. The subject matter is painful yet beautiful and the author never lingered too long on either side of the spectrum, making the events palatable and giving me room to reflect. This nonfiction is so well-written, it felt almost like fiction, but knowing it was a true story made it resonate deeply. Poignant and tastefully done.

A fresh take on a romance novel.

An intriguing look into the life of a grieving public relations executive. I love female protagonists that are strong yet human enough to feel and struggle, and Sandalwood delivered. Giuliana, stubborn yet a team player, is a dynamic, intelligent protagonist who defies convention as expressed through her hobbies and romantic pursuits. As a Canadian I loved getting the insight Campbell gave me into Italian-Australian culture. Campbell has a distinct voice and tells Giuliana's story with authority. If you enjoy a combination of contemporary fiction and romance, look to Sandalwood.

DNF although Lord knows I really tried to. Got about halfway through before I finally gave myself permission to give up on it. It's not a terrible story in itself, it's just not the story I thought I signed up for when I bought it. I found almost nothing to be admired in the main character. I couldn't root for her at all. I thought she'd be a woman of character I could look up to but instead found myself disgusted with her actions.

As a lover of literary fiction, upmarket fiction and smart romcoms, I was very excited to dig into this book. I enjoyed how Sittenfeld took us deep into Sally's career and world view as a comedy writer. Sally's character had a strong voice, but I didn't feel like I really got to know her until the second act of the book. I found the socio-economic circumstances keeping Sally and Noah apart legitimate, as well as their past romantic wounds. They were a well-matched couple and I was rooting for them. The last third of the book progressed at heart-pumping speed and came to a satisfying ending.
Did I love this book? Perhaps my expectations were high. It didn't deliver the emotion and dramatic moments I've come to expect in a romcom, ie., heart never fluttered, as the blurb promised. I didn't connect with Sittenfelds wry sarcasm and toilet humour and I found Sally's character wooden, especially in the first third of the book. I would agree, Sittenfeld dissected the social rituals of romance and gender relations, but in a way that wasn't quite as earth-shattering as the blurb inferred? I found the themes not all that different at all from other upmarket romcoms I've read.
So suffice to say I didn't love this book, but I did enjoy it. It was an easy but smart read that delivered came to a satisfying close.

As someone living in rural Ontario, I was excited to read a book set in the province I love. Snow Road Station gave me the atmosphere I craved with perfect pace, and celebrated our four seasons with an alluring narrative voice. I loved seeing a woman of late middle-age as the main character, a demographic given, I find, little attention in literature. Lulu's energy and internal struggle drew me in and I was quickly rooting for her. While I appreciate the book's resolution, I did feel it dwindled in intensity in the last quarter. Overall an enjoyable, immersive read.

In It Starts with Us, Lily and Ryle have entered into a civil but tenuous co-parenting relationship after their divorce. Ryle wants Lily back, but Lily wants Atlas, her first love, but pursuing him might provoke Ryle's wrath, endangering Lily and her daughter.
Full disclosure—I may not be Colleen Hoover's target audience. There's been debate, is New Adult legitimately a genre, but I think the style, language and characterizations land It Starts with Us firmly in New Adult. But I do love romance, especially one with a gritty conflict, and thus I had to read this—and because you just have to admire Colleen Hoover's success! She writes open sensitive characters with great intimacy, and I love that about her writing.
But I didn't love this book. I never once believed Ryle would keep Lily and Atlas apart. Ryle was really gray in It Ends with Us, and here he was quite black. He didn't feel like a formidable antagonist for Lily, who seemed firmly entrenched on a path of moving on and stayed squarely on it. While I found Atlas's plotline with his mother interesting, I didn't find it dramatic. Atlas was and remained, a perfect human being. No character had an arc I got invested in. While I felt the book lacked narrative drive, the writing was good and the characters had some really adorable moments. I'm sure some people will hate this book, but lots will love it.

When starting this book I'd hoped to be transported to the English countryside, and I was. I walked under the honeysuckle arbors with Lucy, through the cloisters, felt my hands in the soil, completely immersed. I've always been a passionate vegetable gardeners, but The Walled Garden gave me a deeper appreciation for flower gardens. Lucy was a spunky character, easy to cheer for. A sweet, heartfelt read in a magnificent setting.

I hate to leave a two star rating, but I feel it's necessary in this case. This is the first book by Riley Sager I've read, and this could be the reason I found myself blindsided. I don't like paranormal books. If I'm reading one, I want to know early on, and a campfire ghost story, IMO, isn't enough to tell a reader the answer to the story question is a ghost.

There were other issues I felt, repetitive prose, plot, blatant withholding, pacing which all added up to two stars. Sorry but I just didn't like it.

A unique premise that I enjoyed. I felt this book was divided equally between the historical plot line and Isabelle's internal journey.
There were certain sections I found difficult to read, but because they held so much truth that's often difficult to face—and for that reason I simultaneously loved those passages.
The story moved at a quick pace and I never found myself tempted to skim. There were times where I felt Isabelle's moral compass was spinning so fast I couldn't keep up. I felt like her romantic relationships could've had maybe a bit more development, but overall a thoroughly entertaining book.

I loved Katherine Center's books Things You Save in a Fire and What You Wish For, which I would call a blend of women's fiction and romance, so when I saw she was coming out with a romcom, I was super-excited. I subscribe to Katherine's socials, and I kept hearing her say this book was going to be fun—which hey, I love fun—but I worried a romcom meant she'd drop some of her deeper life questions/life is beautiful/goodness matters stuff that laced her women's fiction themes. Good news! She didn't! Why can't more romcom's be like The Bodyguard? I did not want this book to end. Waiting for her next book to come out will be torturous!
I loved the distinct voice Katherine formed in this novel. It was sharp, pithy and FUNNY! I felt like it took bravery for her to write this book, because it's quite distinct from other romcoms I've read, but it worked. It totally fits the genre. While fake dating tropes are quite fun, I thought the premise of The Bodyguard was one of the cleverest I've come across. The rest of the book didn't disappoint. My favourite romcom of the year, if not ever!

Emily Henry did it again. I must admit, I was unsure I'd like this book going in, because I'm getting a little tired of reading main characters in the writing world. But I wouldn't call this a rom-com, I'd call it upmarket romcom, because Emily Henry kind of turned the romance archetypes on their heads, and I for one—loved it. Nora is a sharp, workaholic, seemingly cold ‘unloveable' girlfriend who always gets dumped. Charlie's the bookish, sharp intellect who's no macho Adonis. Witty though! The banter between Nora and Charlie is razor-sharp. And they're backgrounds are crucial to understanding their psychology, and Emily Henry paced it just right, so I was cheering for Nora and Charlie from very early on. They're chemistry is spot on and specific. They're no archetype.
Throw in an intriguing subplot with an enigmatic pregnant sister, and unpredictable small town hijinks, and you've got the makings of a five-star book.

I misjudged this book based on it's cover. I thought it was a romcom. It's not. I'd say it's more of a romantic drama or women's fiction than genre romance. Because of false expectations, I didn't like the beginning, based on where I presumed it was heading. But it's really good. My recommendation—read it.