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From the publisher:

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes a friends-to-frenemies-to-lovers story… Add in a few secrets. Shake. Stir. Then read on a lazy summer day at the beach…

Brynn Turner desperately wishes she had it together, but her personal life is like a ping-pong match that’s left her scared and hurt after so many attempts to get it right. In search of a place to lick her wounds and get a fresh start, she heads back home to Wildstone.

And then there’s Kinsey Davis, who after battling serious health issues her entire twenty-nine years of life, is tired of hoping for . . . well, anything. She’s fierce, tough, and she’s keeping more than one bombshell of a secret from Brynn — her long-time frenemy.

But then Brynn runs into Kinsey’s best friend, Eli, renewing her childhood crush. The good news: he’s still easy-going and funny and sexy as hell. The bad news: when he gets her to agree to a summer-time deal to trust him to do right by her, no matter what, she never dreams it’ll result in finding a piece of herself she didn’t even know was missing. She could have real connections, possibly love, and a future—if she can only learn to let go of the past.

As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that’s right in front of them.

Jill Shalvis is one of my go-to authors; she is prolific, creates interesting, well-defined, realistic characters, and just tells a good story, whether it’s a romance or women’s fiction. I have enjoyed every one of her books that I’ve read, and there have been a lot. This one is no exception.

Brynn, Eli, and Kasey go back a long way, to summer camp. Kasey was the mean girl, Eli was a sweet boy, and Brynn, well, Brynn always felt like the odd man out. When Brynn and Eli run into each other, it seems like it was meant to be. He has a room to rent, and she needs to move out from her family home and exert a little independence. But her income is sketchy, so Eli’s offer works. Until she finds out that one of her other roommates is Kasey.

These three dance around their history and try to resolve some major issues, but it takes most of the book to get there, but it’s such a fun journey. Eli and Kasey have a brother/sister type relationship, but what Eli feels for Brynn is not brotherly in the least. They have a lot of hurdles to get through before they can reach their happy ending.

This was a terrific read, perfect for summer. Enjoy!

7/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

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From the publisher:

Named a best beach/summer read by O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Parade, PopSugar, Marie Claire, Bustle, and more!

From the author of the Love at First Like and Playing with Matches, an electrifying rom-com set in the high stakes world of competitive gymnastics, full of Hannah Orenstein’s signature “charm, whimsy, and giddy romantic tension” (BuzzFeed).

The past seven years have been hard on Avery Abrams: After training her entire life to make the Olympic gymnastics team, a disastrous performance ended her athletic career for good. Her best friend and teammate, Jasmine, went on to become an Olympic champion, then committed the ultimate betrayal by marrying their emotionally abusive coach, Dimitri.

Now, reeling from a breakup with her football star boyfriend, Avery returns to her Massachusetts hometown, where new coach Ryan asks her to help him train a promising young gymnast with Olympic aspirations. Despite her misgivings and worries about the memories it will evoke, Avery agrees. Back in the gym, she’s surprised to find sparks flying with Ryan. But when a shocking scandal in the gymnastics world breaks, it has shattering effects not only for the sport but also for Avery and her old friend Jasmine.

Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jasmine Guillory, Head Over Heels proves that no one “writes about modern relationships with more humor or insight than Hannah Orenstein” (Dana Schwartz, author of Choose Your Own Disaster).

I read Orenstein’s Love at First Like last year, and I wasn’t a fan, mostly because I didn’t like her main character. But I received this new one, it looked interesting, her publicist raved, so I gave it a try. I am happy to report I liked this book a lot.

It might have something to do with the Olympics being postponed; I feel like that gave me even more empathy for these characters, even though they are living in a parallel universe. In their world, there is no Covid-19, the Olympics are in Tokyo this summer, and all the events leading up to it are right on schedule. That may have been the thing I liked most about it – seeing characters living a normal life!

I really liked Avery; she has had a hard life, even though it was from her own choosing. I really enjoyed learning about how an Olympic athlete trains, the way they live, and the work they put into it. I loved how this summed it up: “That’s the gold standard in gymnastics: making the impossible look not just possible, but easy.”

Avery and her best friend Jasmine trained under the abusive, old school, trainer, Dimitri. But Avery had a career-ending injury during Olympic trials, and found herself depressed and at a loss as to how to live her life. Meanwhile, Jasmine ended up with gold medals, the television career, and married to Dimitri. All of that caused a bit of a rift in the friendship, and they haven’t spoken in years.

The Olympic gymnast that both girls had a crush on, Ryan, is training an Olympic hopeful, Hallie, in Avery’s home town. When the professional football star she is living with dumps her, she goes home to her parents and the shrine they have built to Avery’s past glory. That doesn’t help with her depression. So when Ryan calls and offers her a job coaching his prodigy on the floor exercise, where Avery excelled, she is unsure but gives it a try. That first day she realizes this is what she wants to do.

This book addresses some important problems; there is a scandal involving the top doctor in gymnastics when several girls come forward, stating he sexually abused them. The emotional abuse that some trainers heap upon their gymnasts is also addressed. The tension and pressure that an Olympic-level gymnast is under is excruciatingly portrayed, adding yet another layer to this story.

To be honest, the romance between Ryan and Avery feels like more of a subplot, but that works here. This was a really interesting story, especially now that there are no Olympics to look forward to this summer. I read this in one night, and it was a really good read. I highly recommend it.

6/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

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Kathryn Freeman Romcom Collection Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

Sam Huxton doesn’t do one-night stands, especially not with men she’s just met! But the hot guy at the bar was hard to resist and one night is all they share – no names, no numbers, just some much needed fun…

Until the same guy walks into Sam’s life the next day as her new employee.  Sam never mixes business with pleasure and makes it clear an office fling with Ryan is off-limits.  But after-hours…one thing can lead to another. Can Sam trust her heart and her business with the new guy?

This book starts off with a one night stand but turns it on its head. They don’t even exchange names so the next morning when Sam gets to work, she is shocked to find her new software developer is none other than her one night stand. Ryan, too, is shocked, having assumed Sam was a man. Sam quickly decides that one and done will work for her, and she’s a total professional.

Ryan has a lot of baggage and quickly becomes the office curmudgeon. He is not big on the we-are-all-one-family, kumbaya kind of workplace and takes himself off to work alone in the meeting room. Sam’s ex has taken off and started his own company that is directly competing with hers, and she is in a panic as are her investors.

Can Ryan save her company? Can they get past the sexual chemistry between them and keep it work only? None of these premises are new, but these sorts of tropes work for a reason. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

6/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™