Women’s Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

Spotlight Review: ELLIPSES by Vanessa Lawrence

March 5, 2024

From the publisher:

Set in the glossy world of New York City media, this sharp and witty debut novel follows a young woman caught in a toxic mentorship with an older, powerful executive as she grapples with career, belonging, and the complexity of modern relationships in the digital age.

When cosmetics mogul Billie rolls down her town car window and offers Lily a ride home from a glitzy Manhattan gala, Lily figures this could be a useful professional connection. She’s heard of Billie’s storied rise as a business titan, the product of white New England privilege and one of the few queer women in a corner suite. Billie could be just the jolt Lily needs to manifest her next step.

A magazine writer, Lily interviews influencers, actresses, and fashion designers for her publication’s stylish pages, all while navigating office microaggressions. Stalled at work, she worries that her dream print career will soon succumb to the rise of social media. She is at a standstill, too, in her relationship with her girlfriend Alison. And Lily feels unable to voice her authenticity when others’ sliding perceptions of her mixed race and bisexual identity repeatedly drown her out.

Charming and hyperconfident, Billie seems invested in mentoring Lily out of her slump, from the screen of her phone. But their text exchanges and Billie’s relentless worldview begin to consume Lily’s life. Eager to impress her powerful guide, Lily is perpetually suspended in an ellipsis, waiting for those three gray dots to bloom into a new message from Billie.

Ellipses explores one woman’s struggle for wholeness, in a world shaped by digital half-lives and aspirational fantasies. In the end, this stunning debut novel reveals the rewards and challenges of forging an uncharted path on one’s own terms.
https://amzn.to/47l5yuF

There is a lot to parse here, from microaggressions to racism, misogyny, and workplace power plays, all told through the lens of a young woman clashing with a changing culture. This debut novel revolves around Lily, a queer, mixed-race writer at a women’s print magazine in New York City, writing about social media influencers and not exactly loving it. Lily spends her life trying to blend in, whether it is at work or at the social gatherings she covers for the magazine. The industry is moving to digital, but there is a certain snobbism to print that Lily can’t seem to shake off. She meets Billie, a powerful lesbian running a beauty empire who seems to want to mentor Lily via text messages, but Lily isn’t always too fond of her advice. Nonetheless, Lily becomes somewhat obsessed with Billie, putting her own relationship with her long-term girlfriend at risk while her career feels like it is plunging downhill. This mentorship is quite toxic, but it takes Lily way too long to figure that out, leading to a somewhat surprising ending.

Verdict: Readalikes for this original literary debut may include The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer or We Are Water by Wally Lamb.

©Library Journal, 2024

3/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ELLIPSES by Vanessa Lawrence. Dutton (March 5, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-0593472774. 288p.

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Spotlight Review: THE FAIRYTALE LIFE OF DOROTHY GALE by Virginia Kantra

December 12, 2023

From the publisher:

A woman learns to follow her own road in this heartwarming novel inspired by The Wizard of Oz by New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.

Dorothy “Dee” Gale is searching for a place to belong. After their globe-trotting mother’s death, Dee and her sister Toni settled with Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in Kansas, where Dee attends graduate school. But when Dee’s relationship with a faculty member, a bestselling novelist, ends in heartbreak and humiliation, she’s caught in a tornado of negative publicity. Unable to face her colleagues—or her former lover—Dee applies to the writing program at Trinity College Dublin.

Dee’s journey to Ireland leads her to new companions: seemingly brainless Sam Clery—who dropped out of college and now runs a newsagent’s shop—is charming and hot, in a dissolute, Irish poet kind of way; allegedly heartless Tim Woodman—who stiffly refused to take back his ex-fiancée—seems stuck in his past; and fiercely loyal Reeti Kaur, who longs for the courage to tell her parents she wants to teach underprivileged girls rather than work in the family business.

In a year of opportunities and changes, love and loss, Dee is mentored by powerful women in the writing program, challenging her to see herself and her work with new eyes. With her friends, Dee finds the confidence to confront her biggest fears—including her intimidating graduate advisor, who may not be so wicked after all.

Faced with a choice with far-reaching consequences, Dee must apply the lessons she’s learned along the way about making a family, finding a home…and recognizing the power that’s been inside her all along.
https://amzn.to/3pGajiK

Kantra branches out from her reimaginings of Little Women (Meg and Jo, Beth and Amy) to this modernization of The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy “Dee” Gale was orphaned and taken in by her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in Kansas. She is in a graduate writing program, but when her boyfriend, a faculty member, publishes a bestselling novel with Dee thinly disguised as the heroine, she finds herself in a whirlwind of gossip and makes her escape to the Emerald Isle at Trinity College Dublin. There she makes new friends: Reeti, who is struggling to tell her traditional parents that she wants to be a teacher, not just a wife; Tim, their neighbor who had a bad breakup, causing him to retreat into himself and lock out the world; and Sam, a college dropout working in his family’s bodega, unable to commit to anyone or anything. Despite being intimidated by her grad school advisor, Dee grows as a writer and, in the process, realizes that she held the power to change all along.

Verdict: This charming update of a classic with a touch of romance should appeal to readers who enjoyed Curtis Sittenfeld’s Eligible or Cathleen Schine’s The Three Weissmanns of Westport.

©Library Journal, 2023

12/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE FAIRYTALE LIFE OF DOROTHY GALE by Virginia Kantra. Berkley (December 5, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-0593547717. 384p.

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MEET THE BENEDETTOS by Katie Cotugno

December 8, 2023

From the publisher:

The Kardashians meets Pride and Prejudice in this charming comical follow-up to Birds of California, in which an A-list movie star moves to Los Angeles—and next door to a family of five eligible sisters.

Every family is complicated, and the Benedettos are no exception. A few years after a reality show skyrocketed them to pop culture fame, the five twenty-something sisters are living together in their parent’s crumbling McMansion, almost broke and teetering towards rock bottom. Their fortunes brighten when Charlie Bingley, the dashing star of Captain Fantastic, moves into the neighborhood with Will Darcy, his best friend from Julliard, in tow.

Charlie immediately falls for warm and lovely June, the oldest Benedetto sister. While the Benedetto’s flighty matriarch, Cinta, brashly encourages the potential match, there are plenty of others determined to steer Charlie away from this ridiculous family of reality show has-beens.

Lilly Benedetto, the sensible second oldest sister, is all too aware that her family is viewed as a spectacle. She usually doesn’t care what the world thinks because she faces deeper sorrows. And she most certainly does not have the patience for the likes of Will Darcy, a man plagued by his own private demons. Lilly finds Will to be stuck-up, arrogant, and judgmental. Will thinks Lilly is loud, brash, and defensive. And while the two clash at every turn, they can’t seem to stay away from each other . . .

Katie Cotugno brings a big, boisterous cast of characters to life in this deliciously sprawling Los Angeles story—a thoroughly fresh and modern tale about a family that’s “famous for being famous,” the ways that preconceived notions make fools of us all, and how unexpected romance can bloom despite the odds.
https://amzn.to/45eyWT8

Katie Cotugno (Birds of California) brings us the latest modern-day retelling of Pride & Prejudice. The Benedetto family is at the heart of the story; think of them as a failed Kardashian clan with five sisters. They had a reality show for a couple of years and are now struggling to further their careers while the bills pile up. June, the eldest, falls for their new neighbor, action film star Charlie Bingley, while the next oldest, Lilly, keeps squabbling with Charlie’s best friend, Will Darcy. Then Lilly meets Nick, and he tells her an awful story about Will. Will tries to warn Lilly about Nick but doesn’t give her any details, so it’s just a matter of time before Nick shows his true colors and everything comes to a head. If you are familiar with any of the iterations of the Austen masterpiece, all the players will be recognizable. It is also a commentary on reality television programming and the Hollywood lifestyle, all wrapped up in a lighthearted read with a rather abrupt ending.

Verdict: Jane Austen fans will enjoy this new spin on what has become a franchise; think Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev, or Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding.

©Library Journal, 2023

12/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MEET THE BENEDETTOS by Katie Cotugno. Harper Perennial (December 5, 2023). ISBN: 978-0063324145. 256p.

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WRECK THE HALLS by Tessa Bailey

October 13, 2023

From the publisher:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey delivers a sexy, hilarious standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert…

Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.

Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.

While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.

“Bailey writes banter and rom-com scenarios with aplomb, but for those who like their romance on the spicier side, she’s also the Michelangelo of dirty talk. She wields filth like Da Vinci does a paintbrush, and there’s a lot to be said for an author who can fill such exchanges with all the requisite heat, enthusiastic consent, and yes, even humor, of such a scenario without veering into corny territory.” — Entertainment Weekly
https://amzn.to/46BuFcw

Not sure why, but I kept thinking about Fleetwood Mac while reading this story about a band that broke up, and no one really knows why. All anyone knows is that the two leads, both women, have been hating on each other ever since.

They were both pregnant when they split, so their kids never met until they were teenagers. Both have long been in the public eye due to their famous parents. Beat has always been the golden boy who can do no wrong, while Melody came under the scrutiny of the media, with devastating results to her self esteem. When they meet on the set of a TV morning show, there is an instant rapport that they both feel. They exchange phone numbers, but neither one ever reaches out. Until several years later when Beat agrees to a live streaming show, with him trying to get the band back together. When Melody is told that Beat is on board, she also agrees and the couple gets to meet again.

Their feelings for one another are even stronger as adults, and as they spend time together, they fall in love. But their mothers are none too happy about it. Much to their surprise, Beat’s mother agrees to a reunion when Melody lies and tells her that her mother is already on board – which turns out to be just as difficult as they suspected it would. Beat is being blackmailed; he needs the money from the show to pay off his blackmailer, and while he never told his parents about it, he tells Melody, although withholds the blackmailer’s identity.

With the world watching, Beat and Melody fall in love, and despite the almost insurmountable obstacles to their futures, a happy ending is reached.

I usually love Tessa Bailey’s books, but the emphasis on sex here was a bit over the top for me, so if that is a concern for you, this is your forewarning. Ultimately, I did enjoy this book, but it was not my favorite, maybe because it is a holiday book? I think I like my Christmas romances more on the tame side.

10/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WRECK THE HALLS by Tessa Bailey. Avon (October 3, 2023). ISBN: 978-0063308305. 368p.

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FAKING CHRISTMAS by Kerry Winfrey

October 6, 2023

A Christmas Novel

From the publisher:

Laurel Grant is playing house for the holidays—complete with a fake husband and kids—in this delightful, charming rom-com by Kerry Winfrey.

Laurel Grant works as the social media manager for Buckeye State of Mind, an Ohio tourism magazine and website. She most definitely does not run a farm . . . but one tiny misunderstanding leads her boss, Gilbert, to think she owns her twin sister Holly’s farm just outside of Columbus. Laurel only handles the social media for the farm, but she’s happy to keep her little white lie going if it means not getting fired—she cannot be jobless again.

And keep it going she must when Gilbert, recently dumped by his wife, invites himself over for the farm’s big Christmas Eve Eve dinner (as advertised on Meadow Rise Farm’s Instagram, thanks to Laurel herself). Laurel immediately goes into panic mode to figure out how she can trick Gilbert into thinking she’s basically the Martha Stewart of rural Ohio and keep her job in the process.

Laurel and Holly come up with the perfect plan—all Laurel has to do is pretend to own the farm for one dinner. But Laurel shows up at the farm to find an unwelcome guest is waiting: Max Beckett, her nemesis since Holly’s wedding. The annoyingly attractive man she hates will be posing as Laurel’s husband just for the evening, but when a snowstorm traps them all for the entire weekend, Laurel is going to have to figure out how to survive with her job and dignity intact. Whatever the case, this promises to be the most eventful Christmas in ages. . . .

“With a keen eye for both the wacky and the wonderful, Winfrey (Just Another Love Song) rings in the holidays with a clever comedy of errors…The sweet romance blooms organically amid the chaos and Winfrey uses it as a vehicle to touch on deeper themes of loneliness and self-esteem. The results are utterly adorable.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“In Winfrey’s latest rom-com, opposites attract amid festive holiday fun. Winfrey mixes up a tale of tenderness, mischief, and friendship as inviting as your favorite Hallmark movie. Holiday hijinks and fake dating make Winfrey’s romantic comedy a cozy classic.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Anyone who’s ever enjoyed a quirky heroine, a Hallmark Channel movie, or the classic Christmas in Connecticut should rush to pick this one up.”—Library Journal
https://amzn.to/46jZgvB

Winfrey delivers another fun romcom, this time for the holidays! Some of my favorite tropes are included here; enemies to lovers, and fake dating. Plus twins!

Holly and Laurel are identical-ish twins; their differences are slight, but the truly observant can tell them apart. But their lives, and their personalities, are completely different. Holly lives on a picture perfect farm, has a doting husband, twin sons, crafts like Martha Stewart, uses power tools like a pro, and cooks like Ina Garten. Laurel, on the other hand, is perpetually single, one slip away from unemployment, burns toast, and has some serious self esteem issues, especially when comparing herself to her twin.

Their family always celebrates Christmas Eve Eve with a big dinner at the farm. In her job as social media maven for an Ohio magazine, Laurel has posted many, many pictures of her sister’s farm, meals, crafts, etc. There is only one tiny, little problem – her boss has the mistaken impression that it is Laurel’s farm and family, and fearing for her job, Laurel is afraid to tell him. The bigger problem is that Gilbert is the best boss she’s ever had.

It all comes to a head when Gilbert’s wife leaves him for their accountant. He is devastated, and invites himself to the farm for the famous Christmas Eve Eve dinner. The twins parents have decided to go on vacation to somewhere warm this Christmas, so it’s just the girls and their brother, if he shows up. And Laurel’s brother-in-law’s best friend, Max.

Laurel has hated Max since Holly’s wedding, when she overheard him say something horrible about her sister. No one knows she heard it, and she never told Holly – she didn’t want to hurt her. But it turns out Max has become part of the family, and has graciously agreed to play Laurel’s husband for this farce for Gilbert.

It takes a while for Laurel and Max to realize their attraction to one another, and to get past their history, but it’s such a fun ride to get there. This was a fast paced story with laugh out loud moments sprinkled throughout, and a terrific, unputdownable holiday story. Don’t miss it!

10/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

FAKING CHRISTMAS by Kerry Winfrey. Berkley (September 26, 2023). ISBN: 978-0593638361. 288p.

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THE BOOK CLUB HOTEL by Sarah Morgan

September 29, 2023

A Christmas Novel

From the publisher:

This Christmas, USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan returns with another heartfelt exploration of change, the power of books to heal, and the enduring strength of female friendship. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Jennifer Weiner.

With its historic charm and picture-perfect library, the Maple Sugar Inn is considered the winter destination. As the holidays approach, the inn is fully booked with guests looking for their dream vacation. But widowed far too young, and exhausted from juggling the hotel with being a dedicated single mom, Hattie Coleman dreams only of making it through the festive season.

But when Erica, Claudia and Anna—lifelong friends who seem to have it all—check in for a girlfriends’ book club holiday, it changes everything. Their close friendship and shared love of books have carried them through life’s ups and downs. But Hattie can see they’re also packing some major emotional baggage, and nothing prepares her for how deeply her own story is about to become entwined in theirs.

In the span of a week over the most enchanting time of the year, can these four women come together to improve each other’s lives and make this the start of a whole new chapter?

Get lost in more holiday reads by Sarah Morgan:

Snowed In for Christmas

The Christmas Escape

One More for Christmas

A Wedding in December

The Christmas Sisters

https://amzn.to/3RE9O4b

Ericka, Anna, and Claudia met as college roommates, and now that they are pushing 40 – or just past it – and they are still the best of friends, even though they don’t see one another except for their annual hotel book club vacations. Claudia became a chef and lives in California, where her boyfriend of ten years has dumped her. While struggling through the breakup, she also loses her job. It’s just as well; the kitchen was a toxic environment, so bad that Claudia isn’t sure she even wants to cook anymore. Because of the breakup, the women postponed their summer book club meetup and pushed it to mid-December, right before the holidays.

Anna married her college sweetheart and they are still together, and very much in love. But Anna is in panic mode; her twins are graduating high school in the spring, and will be leaving for college. Empty nest syndrome has hit her hard, to the point where her husband asks if she wants another baby – it is possible, but is that what she really wants?

Erika is the uber-successful business woman in their group. She travels the world, and hasn’t had a serious relationship in, well, ever. She has a friend with benefits situation going on for many years, but is starting to wonder if he wants more…or if she does.

Instead of meeting up in a luxurious hotel in a city, Erika has booked them into a B&B in a picturesque small town in New England. The owner, Hattie, is a young widow with a precocious daughter. The B&B was her husband’s dream, and for the two years that he’s been gone, she has struggled to keep the place running. The head housekeeper is a terror, but she is mild in comparison to the award-winning chef running the kitchen. When the three friends check-in, everything changes – or soon will.

This is a story about friendship, family, and love. These characters came to life on the page and I loved how they fit into one another’s lives. Set in this beautiful inn in a small town that felt like a Hallmark Christmas movie come to life, only slightly more believable! This was my first Christmas book of the year, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Let the holiday reading begin!

9/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE BOOK CLUB HOTEL by Sarah Morgan. Canary Street Press; Original edition (September 19, 2023). ISBN: 978-1335005120. 368p.

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Spotlight Review: TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett

September 26, 2023

From the publisher:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK

In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America’s finest writers.

“Patchett leads us to a truth that feels like life rather than literature.” —The Guardian

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.

“A tender, absorbing tale about becoming who we are.” — People

“A searching reflection on the relationships between theater and life, romance and realism, Tom Lake is perhaps Patchett’s finest novel yet.” — Boston Globe

“Tom Lake is about romantic love, marital love and maternal love, but also the love of animals, the love of stories, love of the land and trees and the tiny, red, cordiform object that is a cherry. . . . This generous writer hits the mark again with her ninth novel.” — Washington Post

“A quiet and reassuring book…highly conscious of…[the] human failure to appreciate the little things.” — New York Times
https://amzn.to/3ERVBcj

I thought there would be a lot of books set during the pandemic, but if there are, I haven’t run across them. This book is about a family isolating together on their cherry farm. The adult children come home to help out since there are no farm hands available to help harvest the fruit.

Lara and Joe are the parents, and they pass their time together by telling their daughters the story of how they met, but that story is intertwined with another more interesting story. Lara used to be an actor. She played the role of Emily in her high school production of Our Town, where she was discovered by a Hollywood producer. She made one movie, did some commercials, then auditioned for the same role on Broadway. She ended up doing summer stock in northern Michigan. Joe was the director of the play, and Peter Duke was the star. Lara fell in love with Duke that tumultuous summer, and her eldest daughter has become convinced that Duke is her real father.

The book moves back and forth between the early pandemic and that summer as Lara tells her daughters the story of her life. In anyone else’s hands this might not work, but Patchett draws us in and keeps us enraptured until all the secrets are revealed. If you haven’t read her, you are in for a treat. If you have, you will appreciate this beautiful tale from a gifted storyteller. Don’t miss it.

9/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett. Harper; First Ed edition (August 1, 2023). ISBN: 978-0063327528. 320p.

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Spotlight Review: AMAZING GRACE ADAMS by Fran Littlewood

September 5, 2023

From the publisher:

Bernadette, Eleanor Oliphant, Rosie, Ove . . . meet Amazing Grace Adams, the funny, touching, unforgettable story of an invisible everywoman pushed to the brink―who finally pushes back.

Grace Adams gave birth, blinked, and now suddenly she is forty-five, perimenopausal and stalled―the unhappiest age you can be, according to the Guardian. And today she’s really losing it. Stuck in traffic, she finally has had enough. To the astonishment of everyone, Grace gets out of her car and simply walks away.
Grace sets off across London, armed with a £200 cake, to win back her estranged teenage daughter on her sixteenth birthday. Because today is the day she’ll remind her daughter that no matter how far we fall, we can always get back up again. Because Grace Adams used to be amazing. Her husband thought so. Her daughter thought so. Even Grace thought so. But everyone seems to have forgotten. Grace is about to remind them . . . and, most important, remind herself.
https://amzn.to/3NKW4lU

Tales of extraordinary women abound, but the title character of Littlewood’s debut novel is a seemingly relatable everywoman. The timeline bounces around between the Grace of her 20s, 30s, and 40s, and the story begins as Grace spends the day trying to deliver a birthday cake to Lotte, her estranged 16-year-old daughter. She abandons her car in gridlock and starts hoofing it, taking off on a deeply personal pilgrimage of sorts. Her journey takes her to the bakery where she ordered the overpriced cake to an incident with the police and other assorted encounters. Grace is obviously troubled, and her journey to her daughter is also one of insight into her own life. Perimenopause rears its ugly head, divorce seems imminent, and unemployment all contribute to what appears to be Grace’s break with reality, but it is all underscored by the worst tragedy a parent can face. Although the story seems inconsistent at times, it only enhances the surreality that is Grace’s life. Despite this, we can’t help but root for her.

Verdict: An utterly charming debut, sure to appeal to readers who loved Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.

9/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

AMAZING GRACE ADAMS by Fran Littlewood. Henry Holt and Co.; International Edition (September 5, 2023). ISBN: 978-1250857019. 272p.

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Spotlight Review: THE BREAKAWAY by Jennifer Weiner

August 29, 2023

From the publisher:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a warmhearted and empowering new novel about love, family, friendship, secrets, and a life-changing journey.

Thirty-three-year-old Abby Stern has made it to a happy place. True, she still has gig jobs instead of a career, and the apartment where she’s lived since college still looks like she’s just moved in. But she’s got good friends, her bike, and her bicycling club in Philadelphia. She’s at peace with her plus-size body—at least, most of the time—and she’s on track to marry Mark Medoff, her childhood summer sweetheart, a man she met at the weight-loss camp that her perpetually dieting mother forced her to attend. Fifteen years after her final summer at Camp Golden Hills, when Abby reconnects with a half-his-size Mark, it feels like the happy ending she’s always wanted.

Yet Abby can’t escape the feeling that something isn’t right…or the memories of one thrilling night she spent with a man named Sebastian two years previously. When Abby gets a last-minute invitation to lead a cycling trip from NYC to Niagara Falls, she’s happy to have time away from Mark, a chance to reflect and make up her mind.

But things get complicated fast. First, Abby spots a familiar face in the group—Sebastian, the one-night stand she thought she’d never see again. Sebastian is a serial dater who lives a hundred miles away. In spite of their undeniable chemistry, Abby is determined to keep her distance. Then there’s a surprise last-minute addition to the trip: her mother, Eileen, the woman Abby blames for a lifetime of body shaming and insecurities she’s still trying to undo.

Over two weeks and more than seven hundred miles, strangers become friends, hidden truths come to light, a teenage girl with a secret unites the riders in unexpected ways…and Abby is forced to reconsider everything she believes about herself, her mother, and the nature of love.

Incredibly fun . . . A lovely, compulsively readable story about finding your path and believing in your own worth.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This is a winning combination of a light read with serious emotional depth, the very mix Weiner’s many fans have come to expect from her. Weiner’s annual summer release is a welcome (and highly anticipated) treat for readers of relatable relationship fiction.” —Booklist, starred review

“Charming…lively banter reels the reader in…this breezy outing goes down easy.” —Publishers Weekly

“What do women get to do with their bodies? may be the central question of “The Breakaway,” and Weiner answers it brilliantly…sexy and suspenseful and so much fun”—New York Times
https://amzn.to/3LmFKq3

I was working for Borders Books & Music when Weiner’s first book, Good in Bed, came out and I was smitten. That has turned into a deeper love for her writing over 20+ books, and I’m happy to say that I absolutely loved The Breakaway! I even loved the movie based on In Her Shoes, and let’s face it, it’s rare when a movie does justice to a book.

Abby is in her early thirties but still trying to find herself. She’s walking dogs to pay the rent and has been in a two-year relationship with Mark, a Jewish doctor, and now he wants her to move in with him. They met at fat camp, and he was her first love, so everything should be great, right? It kind of is, but Abby feels a little overwhelmed about moving in with him. He’s a good man, he’s kind, he’s crazy about her, all the good things, but Abby feels like maybe there should be more. And then she feels guilty for thinking that.

Mark had surgery to get the weight off, and now he’s half the size he used to be. He’s determined to stay thin, too, by eating all lean protein and running six miles a day, no matter what. On the other hand, Abby is fairly comfortable in her body, which her doctor calls obese, and she just calls fat. She loves to ride her bike and belongs to a bicycle club in Philadelphia. When one of her friends begs her to lead a two-week bike trip through New York State on the Empire State Trail, she decides it’s the perfect way to get out of her head and think about her future.

Two years earlier, before she was in a committed relationship with Mark, she went barhopping for a friend’s bachelorette party. She met Sebastian at a club and spent the most memorable, fulfilling night of her life with him. But he lives in NY, she lives in Phillie, and she snuck out at dawn before either of them could exchange any info. So, it is no great surprise that one of the two single men on the bike ride is Sebastian.

Weiner never takes the easy way in any of her books. Relationships are complicated, people are complicated, and such is the case here. I loved Abby and wanted her to be happy – one of Weiner’s gifts is getting us so involved with her characters that you just can’t put down the book, and you can’t stop thinking about it when you finally do. This was a book that tempted me to call in sick to work just so I could finish it! But, ugh, I am way too responsible to do that. Unfortunately, it did keep me up half the night, and I was very happy when I finally turned that last page. That’s the best possible outcome from reading a book, don’t you think?

8/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE BREAKAWAY by Jennifer Weiner. Atria Books (August 29, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-1668033425. 400p.

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Spotlight Review: REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt

August 15, 2023

From the publisher:

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today

“Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut. . . . Memorable and tender.” — Washington Post

“A debut novel about a woman who befriends an octopus is a charming, warmhearted read.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A unique and luminous book.” — Booklist (starred review)
https://amzn.to/3O7wmqB

What an incredible read! My friend Nora recommended this book to me while we were on a *mini-vacay, and I’m so happy she did! There are two main characters, Tova, an elderly woman who cleans the small town aquarium, and Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus.

Tova has had a hard life. She’s lost everyone she loves, including her husband and her son, but she keeps putting one foot in front of the other and keeps moving on. Marcellus has come to terms with his captivity, but he enjoys sneaking out of his tank after hours. Tova knows this but figures live and let live, and she doesn’t rat him out. In fact, she saves him one night after he becomes ensnarled in a bunch of cords beneath a table. Marcellus is quite bright, and his observations of the humans who enter his world are often thoughtful, snarky, and just delightful as the book meanders back and forth from his viewpoint to Tova’s.

When Tova’s son was lost at sea, it was assumed a suicide, but Tova never accepts that. Turns out Marcellus may have information that will help Tova only he has to figure out how to communicate this to her. When Tova has a nasty fall, she is put on bed rest and the aquarium hires a young man new to town to help fill in while she’s out. But she can’t stay away; as soon as she is somewhat mobile, she starts sneaking into the aquarium, helping out her replacement but keeping it all on the down low.

This was such a charming book, and I’m sure it will stay with me for a very long time. It is an incredible debut filled with memorable characters and an unusual yet believable storyline; Remarkably Bright Creatures is bound for my best books of 2023 list. Don’t miss it!

*mini-vacay: only visited two bookstores and no libraries (other than a Little Free Library)!

8/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt. Ecco (May 3, 2022). ISBN: 978-0063204157. 368p.

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