Books – May 2024

I read so many good books this month, let’s jump in…shall we?

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain

This is a debut novel from this author, and I cant wait to read more! Ellie is a ghost writer and is paired with a hot up and coming chef who won a reality cooking show. She is organized and he is chaos and they clash in the beginning. But, both of their pasts bubble up to the surface and a lot of depth comes out.

It was fun reading through the cookbook writing process, and the side characters made things interesting. I really liked Ellie’s relationship with her father in law. The book is called the slowest burn, and it is just that! The pace of the book was fine, but it was weird that we would go from one day to the next, then months had past. I am not sure the purpose of that time line? Also, a fake relationship was thrown in at one point, but it wasn’t expanded on. Overall, it was very enjoyable.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Releases September 24, 2024

**I received a copy of The Slowest Burn from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

So excited to get Sarah Adam’s newest from the library so quickly. I got hooked into this one immediately. This is mixing second chance/enemies to lovers/forced proximity/sports romance/fake marriage all into one fun story! I loved the banter and antics between these two in the beginning, you can definitely feel the past love in the tension. Nora was such a strong female lead, and Derek was great too. I also really enjoyed Nora’s mentor and Derek’s teammates, they made great side characters.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter

I think that Lynn Painter has become another must read for me. I just devoured this book in less than a day. Could not stop. I loved Blake and Izzy/Amy. The way that they became fast friends felt so natural. Both characters are so quirky and witty, the banter was on point. Loved!

Bottom Line: Read it!

Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven

This was a super quick, inspirational read. There isn’t anything too profound as far as the little things go that can change your life….but listening to how he applied these through stories from his service was so interesting and inspiring.

Bottom Line: This would make a great listen on a road trip.

The Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Love a good Sally Hepworth read, and this was no different. What a twisty, disturbing ride! I loved to watch as our three darling girls all became sisters and were there for each other through it all. That part was heartwarming and so redeeming, in an otherwise super messed up world. I saw some of the twists coming, but man, that last chapter! I love how the book weaves the perspectives from each of the girls, as well as flashbacks and scenes from the psychologists office. This one was hard to put down, and definitely kept my attention.

I switched between ebook and audio for this one. The audio book was done really well. I feel like the narrator added something to the telling of the story that made it very enjoyable for me.

Bottom Line: Read it.

**I received a copy of Darling Girls from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Love, Just In by Natalie Murray

This one was a fun read that I finished pretty fast. I will say though, I wanted to smack the leading lady a few times for her immature behavior and bad decisions. Her decisions were truly like a train wreck that I couldn’t help but watch. Maybe I am so far removed from my twenties dating life that I cant remember the blaringly obvious red flags, but I suppose that and miscommunication is what makes a story, right? I loved the sleepy beach town location of this one. Zac was a fun male lead, with his sweet little dog.

The health anxiety angle that Josie experienced was interesting, and something I don’t see represented in books very often. Couple that with Zac’s grief…and it went a little bit deeper than your average romcom. There was some fun banter, a few steamy scenes and this was a childhood friends to lovers situation that was fun.

Bottom Line: Read it.

**I received a copy of Love, Just In from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews

This is an older Mary Kay Andrews book, but the quirky characters and the beautiful small town scenery is why I come back to her books time after time. Bebe meets a guy who is perhaps a little too helpful when her life starts to fall apart. Even though she is thrice divorced, she welcomes him into her life with open arms and then realizes she has lost everything and he conned her. Enter a scorned woman on a mission to get her life back! I loved that even though Bebe was too trusting, she was strong and capable of trying to right the ship. The characters we meet along the way are stellar, so entertaining. I absolutely loved her grandparents! This was such a fun read.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Funny Story by Emily Henry

I am always looking forward to Emily Henry’s next book, and this one was no different. I absolutely loved Daphne and Miles. What a fun plot, Daphne’s fiancé realizes that he was in love with his best friend this whole time….and Daphne ends up staying with her ex fiancé’s new girlfriend’s ex boyfriend. Try to say that three times fast!

I loved the lakeside town, the fun cast of characters from the library, Mile’s sister, Daphne’s mom. There is a lot of character growth going on with Miles and Daphne as they pick their lives back up, work through their grief and their family issues.

Emily Henry’s book always ends up in my top favorites for the year, and I know this one is already there! I just could not stop devouring it and am sad that it is over. I smiled and LOL’d several times throughout the book, and just cant stop gushing.

Bottom Line: Read it!