Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

From the publisher:

A young woman crashes the wedding of the summer on Fire Island in search of her birth mother—and gets a whole lot more than she bargained for—in this warm, heart-stopping getaway from Jane L. Rosen

Maggie May Wheeler is living her best life—at thirty, she has big plans for her vintage record shop and is about to be engaged to her childhood best friend. But when she stumbles across a letter she wrote to her future self when she was thirteen, she realizes it may not be enough. The letter ignites a desire to find her birth mother and discover where she really belongs.

Her search takes her to dreamy Fire Island, where her birth mother is a guest at a wedding. As Maggie spies on her biological family, she’s caught between diving into their chaotic lives and returning to her comfortable world. Things heat up when a charming local makes her an offer to crash the wedding as his date.

Is it the island’s magic, the whirlwind of the weekend, or the thrill of a fake beau that has her rethinking everything? Swept away by every love song she hears, Maggie must figure out where her heart truly lies.

https://amzn.to/3Wue7Rf

Rosen (Seven Summer Weekends) returns to Fire Island, weaving a compelling narrative centered on an adoptee’s quest for her birth mother. Maggie May Wheeler has known she was adopted since she was nine years old. Now an adult and orphaned by her adoptive parents, Maggie inherits their record shop but finds herself at a crossroads when her best friend, Jason, proposes marriage. Driven by a desire to uncover her past before committing to her future, a DNA search leads her to Fire Island. There, she unexpectedly witnesses her birth mother engaged in a heated altercation, prompting her to reconsider her decision. Fortuitously, she meets Matt, a Rolling Stone reporter who is her mother’s neighbor, and he offers to help keep her secret while she discreetly observes her mother, and also discovers an extended family network. Matt invites Maggie as his date to a family wedding where her birth mother is the maid of honor, serving both her covert mission and his need to deflect familial matchmaking attempts. Their burgeoning connection challenges Maggie’s existing relationship with Jason, adding a layer of complexity to her emotional journey. The novel employs multiple perspectives to narrate the story, infusing a sense of lightness into Maggie’s profound familial exploration. A unique feature of the book is its chapter titles, each named after a song, complemented by an accompanying Spotify playlist that enhances the reader’s experience.

Verdict: Rosen skillfully balances elements of romance with a nuanced exploration of family dynamics and self-discovery. Recommend to readers who enjoy Elizabeth Berg, Adriana Trigiani, or Nancy Thayer.

©Library Journal, 2025

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SONGS OF SUMMER by Jane L. Rosen. Berkley (May 20, 2025). ISBN: 978-0593818794. 336p.

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Cape May, Book 1

From the publisher:

An emotional neighbors-to-lovers romance about a woman determined to heal from heartbreak in Cape May, who kindles an unlikely attraction for her grumpy neighbor with his own tragic past.

“I think about how a person can be like a Cape May diamond. A dull piece of quartz but when the tide changes, as it always does, they can become shiny and new again.”

Sometimes the tide that sweeps you away can bring you home…

After thirteen years of marriage and seven years of infertility with her supposed soulmate, Sophie Bennett’s life is turned upside down. Not only does she discover her husband is having a sordid affair, on her birthday, but his mistress is also pregnant with his baby. Seeking solace, Sophie flees to Cape May, New Jersey, a quiet coastal town where she spent many summers as a child. There she encounters Liam Harper, a brooding carpenter who seems intent to keep everyone at a distance. Despite his best efforts, Sophie recognizes the vulnerability under his prickly exterior, sparking a curiosity about him that she can’t ignore.

Liam Harper is walking around with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Haunted by a tragedy from his past that changed him forever, Liam doesn’t believe he deserves love or happiness. After being unexpectedly awarded permanent custody of his one-year-old niece, Liam’s script flips yet again. He doesn’t know the first thing about parenthood, and his gruff exterior makes it hard for him to ask for help. When the beautiful and heartbroken Sophie becomes his new neighbor, Liam never expects her to be the one to chip away his defenses.

As the two navigate their attraction and work to heal old wounds, emotions run high. If they want to change the tides of their futures, they must decide whether love is worth the risk. Will they walk away forever, or will fate step in and see them through?

https://amzn.to/3GuoPSK

This debut novel is the first book of a series set on the Jersey shore, and is a terrific slow burn romance. Sophie is 38 years old, and on her birthday she walks in on her husband in their bed with another woman. After being married for 13 years and struggling with infertility for most of their marriage, she never expected this kind of betrayal, which only gets worse when it turns out the new girlfriend is pregnant. Sophie feels like her life has been stolen from her, and there is a scene where she confronts the other woman that was memorable and inspiring.

Sophie flees to Cape May on the Jersey shore, where spent some of her happiest childhood summers. Because season hasn’t started yet, she gets a good deal on a small cottage behind a lovely Victorian home. The owner, Ellie, is an older widow who immediately takes Sophie under her wing. Ellie babysits for the man next door, Liam, who recently became guardian to his infant niece when his sister passed away. There’s no baby daddy in the picture, or on the birth certificate for that matter, and Liam’s parents can’t deal with it, leaving him as de facto guardian to Lucy. Sophie is thrilled to help out with the sweet baby girl, and she and Liam start spending some time together. They both have a lot of baggage, and do not rush into anything.

Sophie is a family and marriage counselor and never thought she’d be in this position. There is a psychiatrist in town, and she starts seeing him to help her get through the divorce. Turns out Liam is a long-time patient of the doctor as well, and has had some real trauma in his life that he is still trying to work through. I found it so inspiring that therapy is so well represented here. Sophie’s best friend is devastated that she’s moved away, but they stay in constant contact which helps with everything she is going through. She also makes some new friends in the small beach town.

As Liam and Sophie get to know one another, feelings start to grow. Liam has real issues with feeling like he is not deserving of love, and Sophie is skittish about getting into another relationship while the ink on her divorce is barely dry. But eventually, they both give in to their feelings and find their way to a happy ending. One of the standout aspects of the book is its realistic portrayal of emotional healing and the positive emphasis on therapy. The narrative underscores that recovery is a deeply personal journey, one that unfolds at its own pace.

Overall, Changing Tides is a thoughtful and emotionally resonant read that blends romance with themes of resilience, self-discovery, and second chances. It’s a charming and heartfelt story that explores love and personal growth between two characters in their late 30s—a refreshing change from the typical twenty-something protagonists. I especially appreciated the message that it’s never too late to start over or pursue happiness in whatever form it takes. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series, Chasing Stars, which comes out in September. This feels like my first beach read of the summer, and I loved it.

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

CHANGING TIDES by Linny Mack. Page & Vine (May 6, 2025). ISBN: 978-1964264103. 387p.

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From the publisher:

Falling in love with your husband is anything but convenient in this steamy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Business or Pleasure.

Dani Dorfman has somehow made it to her thirties without knowing what she wants to do with her life. So when an office romance ends poorly and gets her fired, she applies for a job in Amsterdam, idly dreaming of escaping the mess she’s created, but never imagining she’ll actually get it.

Except she does. By the end of her first week in Amsterdam, she’s never felt more adrift or alone. Then she crashes her bike into her high school ex-boyfriend—and suddenly life is blooming with new opportunities.

Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted, a forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup. Years later, there’s still sizzling chemistry between them, and okay, maybe a little animosity. More importantly, Wouter needs to be married to inherit a gorgeous family home on a canal—and when Dani’s job falls apart, she needs a visa. As the marriage of convenience pushes them together in unexpected ways, Dani must decide whether her new life is yet another mistake—or if it’s worth taking a risk on a second chance.

“Solomon showcases her talent for creating flawed by appealing characters, and it’s gratifying to see Dani and Wouter’s relationship mature.”—Publishers Weekly

https://amzn.to/3GuoPSK

Dani Dorfman met Wouter van Leeuwen in high school, when he lived with her family as an exchange student from Amsterdam. They spent a year falling in love—until he dumped her via text after returning home, leaving Dani heartbroken.

Now thirty, Dani’s life has hit rock bottom. Her boyfriend cheated, their breakup went public when she accidentally forwarded his explicit emails to their entire office, and she lost her job—while he got promoted. So when a job opportunity with a tech startup in Amsterdam appears, Dani jumps at the chance for a fresh start, despite her overprotective parents’ objections.

Born a micro-preemie with asthma and a cosmetic port-wine stain, Dani’s been coddled her whole life. Determined to prove she can thrive on her own, she moves across the world—only to find her new job is drudgery, her basement apartment has no flooring (a quirky Amsterdam rental reality), and then it floods. To top it off, the startup goes under.

Things start looking up after she literally crashes her bike into Wouter. It’s their first encounter in over a decade, and it leads to an unexpected offer: move into his lovely ground-floor apartment, and he’ll charge her the same reduced rate she’s been paying. Reluctantly, Dani agrees—she has nowhere else to go.

Unless she finds another job, Dani is on the brink of losing her visa. Wouter proposes a solution: a green card marriage. He needs to be married to inherit his family home, and Dani needs to stay in the country. What starts as a pragmatic arrangement soon stirs up old feelings neither of them are ready to face.

This trope-packed romance—complete with fake marriage, forced proximity, and second chances—is full of heart and humor. Dani and Wouter’s story is not just about rekindled love, but personal growth, healing, and the messy beauty of imperfect people finding connection.

Solomon also refreshingly breaks romance norms: Wouter has thinning hair (yes, a balding romantic lead!), a rare and welcome touch of realism in a genre that often prizes superficial perfection. With the thousands of romances that I have read, I can’t think of another with a balding protagonist. There may have been a few shaved heads, but that’s about it (given that my memory isn’t what it used to be!)

Consider this, from a study entitled, “Prevalence of male pattern hair loss in 18-49 year old men” in PubMed: “The proportion of men with moderate to extensive hair loss was 42%. The proportion of men with moderate to extensive hair loss increased with increasing age, ranging from 16% for men 18-29 years of age to 53% of men 40-49.”

Yet balding men are severely underrepresented in romance novels, so I loved that – my hero/husband included! When my husband and I were getting married – I was 23, he was 25 – I convinced him to go to my hair stylist instead of his usual barber. But the stylist pointed out that his hair was thinning in the back, and my husband never forgave him. If women only want men with full heads of hair, they need a lot of luck or to marry rich – Exhibit A, Elon Musk was balding when he was in the U.S. on a student visa, (although he never actually attended any classes.)

If you haven’t read Solomon, this is as good a place as any to start – but truth be told, I’ve loved all of her books with their flawed protagonists. Yes, there is still the fantasy, but touches of reality too, and I think that is a good thing. With its rich Amsterdam atmosphere and relatable characters, this is a smart, funny, and emotional love story. Don’t miss it.

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WHAT HAPPENS IN AMSTERDAM by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Berkley (May 6, 2025). ISBN: 978-0593548554. 384p.

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