Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

From the publisher:

The New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners returns with a witty and effervescent novel about what happens when two people with everything on the line are thrown together by science—or is it fate? Perfect for fans of The Rosie Project and One Plus One.

Single mom Jessica Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents—who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno—Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father was never around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard…and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: one of GeneticAlly’s founders, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond Match” that could launch GeneticAlly’s valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

Funny, warm, and full of heart, The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.

First of all, yay that the main protagonist is a woman with a penchant for numbers, and a job as a statistician. That is not something you see every day and I loved it. This book is super nerdy, and I mean that in the best possible way. I didn’t always get all the statistical references and that’s okay because it lent some authenticity to these characters and who cares if I got it or not. I got the point, and I loved it.

The characters are believable and interesting. The idea of a dating app based on DNA? Why not. And the execution of the story was at times sweet, funny, sexy, but always compelling. Christina Lauren scores another hit – they are a couple of my favorite writers. Put this one in the “must read” pile.

5/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SOULMATE EQUATION by Christina Lauren. Gallery Books (May 18, 2021). ISBN: 978-1982123963. 368 pages.

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Sweet Home, Alaska: Book 1

From the publisher:

A woman struggling to raise her daughter alone in a small Alaskan town finds her simple existence upended when the father of her child returns. . . .

Sweet Home, Alaska, was once a thriving, idyllic town, where A Stone’s Throw Hardware and Haberdashery and the Sisterhood of the Quilt were the cornerstones of the community. Then, in one fatal moment, two young lives were cut short, and everything changed. Now the Stone family businesses have closed, the diner is in the red, and the population has dwindled to 573.

After the tragic accident that took her sister’s life, Hope McKnight discovered she was pregnant, and gave up her dreams of college to raise her daughter. When Donovan Stone returns to sell his family’s properties and to cut final ties with Sweet Home, he’s shocked to find Hope still there–and a single mother. The pull between Hope and Donovan is as powerful as ever. But so are the secrets and lies stemming from that long-ago tragedy. Will they be able to overcome the past, or will the heartbreak of bygone days destroy their love again?

Patience Griffin is a new-to-me author but I am obsessed with books set in Alaska, so this one made it to be to-be-read pile. Unfortunately, it got lost there for a little while, and then I read it and it got lost in my to-be-reviewed pile, but I finally made it!

Hope and Donovan have some shared history that is tough to overcome. His brother and her sister were in a fatal accident. He blames Hope, and they drift apart for good after he moves away. This is set in a small town in Alaska, with all the nosiness of the residents and the severe economic downturn that has hit many small towns. But when Donovan returns, he realizes his feelings for Hope never really went away, despite his anger.

This is a warm, wonderful romance and there isn’t any sex to speak of, so for those of you who prefer that, here’s your book. I loved the setting and these characters, and I’m happy to report that book 2, Once Upon a Cabin, comes out in November. I will try and be more prompt about reading and reviewing.

5/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ONE SNOWY NIGHT by Patience Griffin. Berkley (February 23, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593101476. 336 pages.

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From the publisher:

Matrimony meets mayhem in a modern British romcom about a young woman charged with pulling off the biggest aristocratic wedding of the year––and the misadventures that ensue.

Sophie Breeze is a brilliant bridesmaid. So brilliant, in fact, that she’s made it her full-time job.

As a professional bridesmaid, Sophie is hired by London brides to be their right-hand woman, posing as a friend but working behind the scenes to help plan the perfect wedding and ensure their big day goes off without a hitch. When she’s hired by Lady Victoria Swann––a former model and “It Girl” of 1970’s London; now the Marchioness of Meade––for the society wedding of the year, it should be a chance for Sophie to prove just how talented she is.

Of course, it’s not ideal that the bride, Lady Victoria’s daughter, Cordelia, is an absolute diva and determined to make Sophie’s life a nightmare. It’s also a bit inconvenient that Sophie finds herself drawn to Cordelia’s posh older brother, who is absolutely off limits. But when a rival society wedding is announced for the very same day, things start to get…well, complicated.

Can Sophie pull off the biggest challenge of her career––execute a high-profile gala for four hundred and fifty guests in record time, win over a reluctant bride, and catch the eye of handsome Lord Swann––all while keeping her true identity a secret, and her dignity intact?

Heartwarming and hilarious, Katy Birchall’s The Secret Bridesmaid celebrates the joys (and foibles) of weddings, the nuances of female friendship, and the redeeming power of love in its many unexpected forms.

If you are looking to escape for a few hours and you like to laugh out loud while you’re reading, this is your book! It certainly was mine.

So a professional bridesmaid is basically a laid back wedding planner, perfect for brides who want to keep control of the wedding but may need some help along the way. I don’t know if this is a real thing, but Birchall had me believing. It was a little harder to believe that a British aristocrat planning a fairly large wedding wouldn’t just go ahead with a wedding planner, but the bridezilla at the center of the wedding makes that call. Her mother, on the other hand, hires Sophie despite her daughter’s resistance (to put it mildly.)

Cordelia is the bridezilla, or as Sophie’s friend refers to her at Miranda Priestly. (You know who that is, yes?) Cordelia is determined to force her hired bridesmaid to quit, and goes to great lengths to make her point. But Sophie considers herself a professional, and with her mother’s occasional encouragement, she is bound to make Cordelia see the light, if she doesn’t get fired first.

There are other brides in the roster and they add some additional comic relief – the bride who wants all her bridesmaids to be redheads so her brunette hair will stand out, the bride who wants a Star Wars themed wedding, replete with her hired bridesmaid dressed as Chewbacca, and so forth. But Cordelia – she is the master of mean which makes for a very fun read. Her good looking brother is Sophie’s romantic interest, but he takes a back seat to everything else going on in her life.

This book was pure escapism, funny as hell with a sweet romance. I loved it!

5/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SECRET BRIDESMAID by Katy Birchall. St. Martin’s Griffin (May 4, 2021). ISBN: 978-1250795793. 400 pages.

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From the publisher:

The cozy comforts of an English village bookstore open up a world of new possibilities for Evie Starling in this charming new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young.

At thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling’s life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she’s passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Some time away to regain perspective might be just the thing. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There’s no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover.

Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she’s drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day with his friendly flirtations. Evie is determined to keep him at bay because a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak, right? But Evie can’t deny their connection and longs to trust in her handsome farmer that their whirlwind romance could turn in to the forever kind of love.

Is this really a thing? You can go on vacation and run a bookstore? By yourself? And it’s fun and not work? In a charming village where everyone is completely welcoming? You get a work visa in the snap of a finger? Call me a cynical New Yorker, but I seriously have doubts about all this. But you know what? I don’t care because this was a terrific read. Push past your common sense and embrace the fantasy because it’s worth it.

Most of my readers know that I am a librarian, but you may not know I was a bookseller before that. I worked for Borders Books & Music, a Barnes and Noble competitor that bit the dust for a myriad of reasons. But when I worked there, it was the most fun I ever had at a job. It wasn’t because I was running the bookstore by myself though, it was because of the people I worked with, an eclectic bunch of smarty pants with an occasional pill thrown in just because. I am still friends with many of the people I worked with (and we are talking the last century people!) and remember most of them fondly. So I can totally understand the appeal of working in a bookstore, albeit one without other employees would be a bit lonely for me.

Evie is fine with it though. The owner of the shop is around at first, but then leaves it in Evie’s hands. Meanwhile, Evie has sworn off men because, well, it doesn’t matter what the weak reason is. But when the local farmer gets a massive crush on her, she fights it every step of the way. Until she realizes she is in love with him.

I love British, I love bookstores, and I love love, so this book hit on all cylinders for me.

5/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU by Samantha Young. Berkley (February 2, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593099483. 384 pages.

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