contemporary

Review | Notes on Love by F.S. Yousaf

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Title: Notes on Love: Poems and Photography
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Andrews McMeel
Format: E-ARC
Pages: 192
Source: Digital ARC from Publisher

Description

Every heart longs to love and be loved. In Notes on Love , F.S. Yousaf pairs heartfelt poems with stunning street photography, celebrating the beauty and tenderness of everyday human connection.

In Notes on Love, celebrated and respected poet F.S. Yousaf—author of Serenity and Oaths— effortlessly intertwines two mediums he holds dear for the very first poetry and photography. With an eye for finding beauty in the ordinary, Yousaf’s poems and photographs explore the many shapes of love—romantic, platonic, familial, and self—creating a heartfelt journey through human connection and tenderness. This stunning hardcover collection features over 80 new poems and 100 never-before-seen photographs, offering a fresh, immersive experience for readers who cherish both poetry and visual art.Perfect for fans of F.S. Yousaf’s reflective writing, Notes on Love is a moving celebration of vulnerability, intimacy, and the quiet poetry of everyday life.

(Source: Goodreads)

Review

I went into this poetry collection excited to read poems about love and also see the photographs that would add depth to the poetry. I think that poetry is really subjective, and a few of the poems missed the mark for me. What I enjoyed the most about this collection was the photographs. In this book, there were many intimate photos that felt like they showed a variety of emotions that pertain to love, and they were tender and sweet. I also liked that some of the poems were written in handwriting, which made them feel more intimate. My favourite poems were towards the end of the book.

Content Warnings

This Book in Three Words

Quick, sweet read

Values/Themes

  • Love
  • Romance
  • Beauty

Favourite Part

The photos were very sweet.

Feelings

  • Emotional
  • Hopeful
  • Lighthearted

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 3 stars

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Andrews McMeel for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

QOTD: What’s your favourite poetry collection?

First Line Fridays #1

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Welcome to First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower!

Okay, here’s the quote!

“The horned Viking headdress I was wearing slipped as I pushed through the throng on the bluff overlooking the bay.”

What

…


could


…


it


…


be?


…


…


…


* * Voila! * *


Title: Dungeons and Danger, A Ravensea Castle Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Format: ARC
Pages: 288
Source: Physical copy from publisher.

Description
The second in Elizabeth Penney’s Ravensea Castle cozy mystery series, set in a haunted castle-turned-B&B in Yorkshire, UK.

As Halloween approaches, Ravensea Castle is bustling with excitement as Nora Asquith welcomes the fall season guests to her family’s newly converted bed and breakfast. A historian studying the movements of the Vikings has traced their exploits to Ravensea. A certain Viking woman, known as the Red Maiden, landed here and the historian believes she buried a treasure hoard before the castle was built. He is hopeful he can find the hoard now. Nora can’t help but wonder if the enigmatic castle ghost she’s always referred to as the woman in red could be this very Viking?

Meanwhile, a team of four ghost hunters is coming to stay at Ravensea for the filming of Britain’s Got Ghosts. Former students of the historian, the group arrives with their own rivalries and baggage. They try to see who can make the most paranormal contacts and end up getting more than they bargained for.

When the historian is murdered during a Viking festival on castle grounds and his notes go missing, Nora can’t help but wonder if the treasure was why he was killed . . . and could it be connected to the visiting ghost hunters? Additional “accidents” befalling the hunters raise the stakes as Nora races to find the killer—and the treasure—before another death occurs.

(Source: Goodreads)

Thoughts

I’m really excited to start this one! I just read the first book in the series, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I’ll be posting my review of Book One shortly. I love a good cozy mystery and I especially love the seaside setting. It’s always a good time when reading Elizabeth Penney’s books! I hope you’ll also check this one out too.

What do you think? Does it sound like something you’d be interested in reading?

QOTD: Do you enjoy cozy mysteries?

Review | The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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Title: The Bewitching
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Publisher: Del Ray
Format: E-ARC
Pages: 357
Source: Digital ARC from Publisher

Description
In this chilling multigenerational horror tale, three women across different eras grapple with danger and witchcraft. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic, weaves a tale where every secret uncovered brings creeping horror. Minerva, a graduate student, delves into the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure horror author, and uncovers a true story behind Tremblay’s famous novel, ‘The Vanishing’. As Minerva investigates, she feels a malevolent force that once haunted Tremblay and her roommate might still linger on campus. This force echoes the witch encounter Nana Alba, Minerva’s great-grandmother, experienced in 1900s Mexico. Minerva fears this shadow threatens her now. An academic pursuit can be challenging, but it could become deadly when witchcraft is involved.

(Source: Goodreads)

Review

It is always a pleasure for me to read Silvia Moreno-Garcias books! I was pulled into this one because of the witchy vibes, three eras of women on their own paths that converge, and of course … it’s an SMG book! What’s not to love?

In all honesty, I read this novel about a year ago but even then. Go into this not knowing too much. The key with this one is the sense of adventure and discovery as you go uncover the mysteries within. If you have enjoyed SMG’s previous novels, odds are you will love this one!

Content Warnings

This Book in Three Words

Historical Witchy Vibes

Values/Themes

  • Greed
  • Power
  • Femininity

Favourite Part

Trying to uncover the mysteries within – they are a plenty.

Feelings

  • Dark
  • Mysterious
  • Adventurous

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 4 stars

Acknowledgements

Thank you to LibroFM and Del Ray for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

QOTD: What’s your favourite summer read?

Review | The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

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Title: The Paradise Problem
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Gallery Books
Format: E-ARC
Pages: 352
Source: Digital ARC from Publisher

Description
Christina Lauren, returns with a delicious new romance between the buttoned-up heir of a grocery chain and his free-spirited artist ex as they fake their relationship in order to receive a massive inheritance.

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.

(Source: Goodreads)

Review

I started off really enjoying the book! I loved Anna’s sense of humour and enjoyed reading Liam’s back story. Anna was presented as being very quirky, creative, and fun. Liam’s character is pretty constant throughout the book, and much of his story is centred around his family dynamics and, of course, his predicament regarding his inheritance money.

While the book was a lot of fun, it started losing some of its charm somewhere in the middle, and I didn’t find myself wanting to pick it up as much. I’m unsure why that is, but I suspect I might have an idea. Anna had to act as Liam’s wife, and her personality changed to fit that role. But, with that change, I missed seeing her quirky side emerge as it became more dilute. The last 1/3 of the book was much better for me, though not quite as engaging as the first third, and I thought it wrapped up very well.

Who do I recommend this novel to? There is also quite a bit of spice! I typically enjoy less spice in my romance novels, so readers who enjoy medium+ spice levels would likely enjoy this. Tropes that may entice you are fake dating, paradise escape, one bed, and a wedding set on a private island. Fans of Christina Lauren will adore this book. You most likely will enjoy this if you’ve enjoyed The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren.

Content Warnings

This Book in Three Words

Summer Holiday Book!

Values/Themes

  • Family
  • Vacation Wedding
  • Fake dating (fake marriage)

Favourite Part

Some of Anna’s lines were just hilarious!

Feelings

  • Humorous
  • Fun
  • Tense

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 3.75 stars

Acknowledgements

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

QOTD: What’s your favourite summer read?

Review | One Long Weekend by Shari Low

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Title: One Long Weekend
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Format: E-book ARC
Pages: 326 pages
Source: NetGalley and Publisher

Description

When all seems lost, hope remains… Val Murray has mislaid her most precious mementoes of the people she’s loved and lost. Can her family, the wonders of technology and a little divine intervention somehow mend her shattered heart?

Sophie Smith had to take a rain check on a marriage proposal. Will her bid to turn back the clock lead her to her greatest love or yet another heartbreak?

Alice McLenn stood by her husband, Larry when a scandal cost them everything. When he hits the headlines again, Alice has an opportunity to leave – but can she find the strength to finally walk away?

Rory Brookes was forced to turn his back on his parents to save his career and marriage. Now, he’s lost his job and wife on the same day. Is it too late to make amends with the one person who never let him down?

Three days. Four broken hearts. Just one weekend to make them whole again.

(Source: Goodreads)

Review

Well, I had a great time reading this one! This is my first time reading a novel by Shari Low, and it was a pleasure. I fell in love with the characters, enjoyed the plot, and was propelled forward at every chapter cliffhanger. The book is told from the perspective of several main characters. This is an element I love to see in a book! They intertwine beautifully and make for an engaging read. I enjoyed the protagonists; they each have their personality and backstory. It’s a great way to add depth to the characters. The book is sometimes predictable – with that said, it’s still very intriguing and fun to follow.

I recommend this read to those interested in a lighthearted, multi-perspective, and uplifting novel.

Content Warnings
(None listed on The Storygraph. There is alcoholism, toxic relationship, illness, MVA.)

This Book in Three Words

Uplifting, engaging read

Values/Themes

  • Family
  • Love and loss
  • Multi-generational

Favourite Part

I liked that the chapters were fairly short and digestible. The pacing was excellent.

Feelings

  • Uplifting
  • Emotional
  • Hopeful

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 4.25 stars

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

QOTD: Do you enjoy reading contemporaries? Let us know!

Review | The Finders Keepers Library by Annie Rains

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Title: The Finders Keepers Library
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Forever
Format: e-Galley
Pages: 345 pages
Source: e-ARC provided by publisher

Description

This heart-warming second chance love story about hope and healing from USA Today bestselling author Annie Rains is perfect for fans of Raeanne Thayne and Jenny Hale!

For a gardener blessed with a green thumb, Savannah Collins’s life sure seems like it’s all thorns, zero roses. She has no job, no relationship, and no place to live. With nothing but a car full of plants and her new rescue kitten, Savannah heads to Bloom, North Carolina, to spend the summer with her beloved Aunt Eleanor, a retired librarian.

Her aunt shares her love of literature with the Finders Keepers Library, located in her beautiful garden, where anyone can stop by to pick a book or leave a book. When a sudden summer storm destroys the library and many of the roses, it will take a village to get everything ready for the garden wedding that is planned there in just three weeks.

As the entire town joins in to make the necessary repairs, Savannah bonds with their neighbor Evan Sanders over the books that Eleanor has handpicked for each of them, helping them both find healing and self-discovery. Savannah only intends to stay through the summer, but when an unexpected job offer, a sudden health crisis, and a wayward pre-teen push her future in new directions, she has to wonder whether this is the place that she is meant to be—and the family she’s meant to be with.

Review

Olivia and I read The Finders Keepers Library by Annie Rains and enjoyed it! It’s a very heartwarming story about a woman who has recently experienced heartbreak, a medical diagnosis, and a job loss. During the summer, she heads to North Carolina to live with her Aunt Eleanor and brings along her rescue kitten and plants.

I very much enjoyed how cute this romance was! And, of course I enjoyed every time her cat was on the page. Like her previous books, Annie Rains highlights the importance of community in small towns. While I enjoyed the book overall, the romance and the main male character were sometimes flat and sometimes I wanted more. But overall, very good read!

I recommend this if you enjoy cute, small-town romances!

Content Warnings

This Book in Three Words

Very cute book

Values/Themes

  • Family
  • Community libraries
  • Small town romance

Favourite Part

I actually really enjoyed the storyline with Evan’s daughter and thought that her friendship with Aunt Eleanor and Savannah was very sweet.

Feelings

  • Heartwarming
  • Light but with depth
  • Medium-paced

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 3.5 stars

Acknowledgements

Thank you to @NetGalley and @ReadForeverPub for the advanced digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

QOTD: Do you enjoy small-town romances? Let us know!

WWW Wednesdays #4

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme formerly hosted by MizB at Daily Rhythm and now hosted on Taking on a World of Words.

The three Ws are:

Currently Reading

Title: Listen for the Lie
Author: Amy Tintera
Published: March 5th, 2024
Thoughts: I will wait to finish to give my overall feedback, but I am currently enjoying this one!

Title: Great Expectations
Author: Charles Dickens
Published: December 1st, 1860
Thoughts: This is a classic and my favourite novel. I’m listening to a little bit of this each night and savouring it!

Title: The Warmth of Other Suns
Author: Isabel Wilkerson
Published: September 7th, 2010
Thoughts: This is a challenging but very important and well-researched novel. I’ve put it down for a moment but will pick it up again soon.

Recently Finished Reading

I recently finished reading a few books! To see my thoughts on Funny Story, please check out the review. I’m going to discuss Bad Dreams in the Night during my monthly wrap-up, but I thought the contents on the cover and blurb were not what I was expecting. I’ll share reviews for One Long Weekend and The Spell of a Story in May and June; I enjoyed both titles.

Title: Funny Story
Author: Emily Henry
Release Date: April 23rd, 2024

Title: Bad Dreams in the Night
Author: Adam Ellis
Published: April 16th, 2024

Title: One Long Weekend
Author: Shari Low
Release Date: May 1st, 2024

Title: The Spell of a Story
Author: Mariajo Ilustrajo
Release Date: June 4th, 2024

Reading Next

Title: The Ghost Cat
Author: Alex Howard
Release Date: August 27th, 2024
Thoughts: I was so happy to be approved for this ARC! I am making a last-minute change and will be reading this as my comfort read for the Catathon Readathon (April 20-21st) since the book I initially wanted to read won’t be available, and I think this might fit the prompt very well. Also, I would like to focus on NetGalley reviews, hoping to complete 100 reviews (in total) within the year.

Title: The Wildings
Author: Nilanjana Roy
Published: August 17th, 2012
Thoughts: This is my “book about cats” for the Catathon Readathon. I just got it from the library – yahoo!

Title: Et Cetera
Author: Maia Lee-Chin, Marta Bertello (Illustrator)
Release Date: August 27th, 2024
Thoughts: I’m so excited to read this! It’s an illustrated guide to latin phrases and includes lots of famous latin quotes. I’m hoping the illustrations will be a great companion since otherwise it might be a bit dense. But I am up for it!

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for ARCs received for the following: Listen to the Lie (Celadon books), Funny Story (Libro.fm and Penguin Random House Audio), Bad Dreams in the Night (Andrews McMeel Publishing), One Long Weekend (Boldwood Books), The Spell of a Story (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books), The Ghost Cat (Harlequin Trade Publishing), and Et Cetera (Andrews McMeel Publishing). All opinions are my own.

QOTD: Which of the covers from the books above
is the most appealing to you? I’m curious to know!
My favourites are “The Wildings” and “The Spell of a Story”!

Review | Funny Story by Emily Henry

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Title: Funny Story
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Format: Audiobook
Length: 11 hours 22 minutes
Source: ALC via Libro.fm

Description

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

(Source: Goodreads)

Review

Okay! So, the plot of this book is a bit complex, but it sounds great, doesn’t it? The story revolves around Daphne, whose fiancé tells her he is in love with Petra, his childhood best friend. Daphne needs a place to stay, so she ends up staying with Petra’s ex, Miles, and they ultimately decide to fake date.

This story has many tropes, including fake dating, friends-to-lovers, opposites attract, and forced proximity. This sometimes makes it feel very rom-com, but a lot of substance is also thrown into the mix.

Honestly, substance is what I enjoyed the most in “Funny Story.” The character development of both Daphne and Miles was quite good, and there was a lot of focus on family dynamics. I listened intently during these moments and related to certain aspects of their histories. Honestly, I also loved the readathon planning portions because I was planning my readathon at the time. So, I think book lovers will enjoy the book-loving aspects! Unfortunately, I admit that the book dragged for me at times, particularly in the middle portion, and I felt like the tone of the narration was sometimes a bit flat. Perhaps it’s just my preference, but I was hoping for more vibrancy in the narrative tone of voice.

While it’s not my favourite EH novel (that goes to “People We Meet on Vacation!”), it’s still a great read, and the ending was pretty satisfying. Overall, I enjoyed this book by Emily Henry! Many romance readers will be happy to have another EH book, and if you’ve enjoyed her previous books, this is a great one to add to your library.

Content Warnings

This Book in Three Words

Very. Cute. Story.

Values/Themes

  • opening oneself to love
  • family
  • finding oneself

Favourite Part

I enjoyed listening to their backstories. Also, being Portuguese-Canadian, I enjoyed the pastéis de nata reference! And yes, Daphne, is correct — Portugal does have beautiful beaches!

Feelings

  • emotional
  • hopeful
  • reflective

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 3.5 stars

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Libro.fm and the publisher for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

QOTD: Have you read Emily Henry’s novels? What’s your favourite? Let us know!

The writing of this review was edited/enhanced using Grammarly AI.

Review | What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

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Title: What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Source: Physical Copy (Gifted)

Description

For fans of The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this charming Japanese novel shows how the perfect book recommendation can change a reader’s life.

What are you looking for?

This is the famous question routinely asked by Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi. Like most librarians, Komachi has read every book lining her shelves—but she also has the unique ability to read the souls of her library guests. For anyone who walks through her door, Komachi can sense exactly what they’re looking for in life and provide just the book recommendation they never knew they needed to help them find it.

Each visitor comes to her library from a different juncture in their careers and dreams, from the restless sales attendant who feels stuck at her job to the struggling working mother who longs to be a magazine editor. The conversation that they have with Sayuri Komachi—and the surprise book she lends each of them—will have life-altering consequences.

With heartwarming charm and wisdom, What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is a paean to the magic of libraries, friendship and community, perfect for anyone who has ever found themselves at an impasse in their life and in need of a little inspiration.

(Source: Goodreads)

Review

I received this book as a Christmas present and was pleasantly surprised by it. The cover featured a cat and books, making it seem like a perfect quick read for 2024. Naturally, I was excited to read it and knew it wouldn’t take long for me to take it from my bookshelves.

The book is divided into five chapters that tell the story of people at different stages of life who eventually visit a librarian in Tokyo named Sayuri Komachi. She can quickly determine and recommend books that the patrons want, but the real magic is when she recommends books she thinks the patrons need to enrich their lives. This is a beautiful concept, especially for those of us who see the library and books as magical in their own right.

While I like this idea, the formula in this book is pretty repetitive. Each character’s backstory is unique, but there is a lot of overlap when the patrons visit the library and meet the librarian. I felt the redundancy was a bit of a barrier to enjoying chapters 2-5 to their full potential. The backstories, though, were all interesting to read and were one of my favourite parts of reading this novel. I learned quite a lot, especially regarding work culture in Japan and how it relates to these five individuals.

The book overall has a very cozy and warm atmosphere. Readers will especially enjoy this if they enjoy slice-of-life literature or television/film. However, although the book feels very cozy, I noticed that some of the physical descriptions contrast with this tone and are unnecessary/unkind, and I felt uncomfortable reading those sections of this novel. (Content warnings below.)

If you’re a cat lover like me, you might be disappointed by the small amount of cat content despite there being a feline on the cover. Hopefully, the author will include more cat-related content in their future novels!

I enjoyed reading this novel, but there were a few things that I needed to consider before writing my review. It’s a good choice for those who want to spend time with five different individuals and learn how visiting the library can enrich their lives.

Content Warnings

This Book in Three Words

Cozy, Enlightening, Reflective

Values/Themes

  • slice-of-life
  • work and careers
  • life stages
  • finding one’s place in the world

Favourite Part

Learning about each patron.

Feelings

  • cozy
  • warm
  • hopeful

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 3.25 stars

Acknowledgements

A: Thank you for the Christmas present!

QOTD: do you often visit the library?