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One Year Since Olivia has Passed Away – The Sunday Post #25

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Update 🐾

Hi everyone,

I’ve taken a long break from the blog but am hoping to get back into it. I took about a year and a half or so off because a lot has happened.

It has been one year since Olivia passed away, on May 4th 2025. She was about 16.5 years old when she had a health scare and we realized we needed to take some time to help her as much as possible in her later years. At that time, I couldn’t really read and didn’t have much to contribute, she was my greatest focus. And I’m happy I did that because she very much needed the help and I was able to spend many, many amazing days with her showering her with love and care.

I don’t want to be too sad here, I know that many people have lost loved ones and it’s a difficult topic. But in all honesty, it still hurts very much. We were in each other’s lives for so many years that even a year later, I feel like a part of myself is missing. She was like an extension of myself, but she was just pure love and joy. She was the closest thing you could ever have to an angel on earth. And I’m so grateful for the time that I had with her.

In Olivia’s absence, we are not ready to have another cat. That will come in time. But we work with rescues and are fostering cats, one at a time, and that has been going very well.

We also lost our dear fish, Melanie, who was 12 years of age. She passed away on April 21st. She was Olivia’s best friend in the whole world. So, it makes me happy to think they are together again, fish and cat, best friend’s forever.

Here are some of my favourite videos featuring Olivia <3
She truly was an amazing cat and I know everyone loved her so much.

Reading/Watching Update

I am currently immersing myself in books in European Portuguese.

Currently Reading

Title: Alérgica A Pessoas
Author: Sara Andersen
Publisher: Desrotina
Release Date: September 18th, 2025

Title: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon – Livro 1
Author: Naoko Takeuchi; Translation: Arnaldo Massato Oka
Publisher: Distrito Manga
Release Date: October, 2025

Recently Read

Title: O Leão, A Feiticeira e o Guarda-Roupa
Author: C.S. Lewis
Published on: April 16th, 2024
Published by: Forever

New to my shelf

Title: Our Perfect Storm
Author: Carley Fortune
Published on: May 21st, 2024
Published by: Forever

Currently Watching

This Week on the blog

  • N/A

QOTD: How are you doing?

Where to find us: Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph | Pinterest

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?

The Sunday Post #24

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Update:

Brief post today! I have been less busy on my blog lately since I’ve dealt with some pretty tough migraines over the last week and a half. I’m feeling quite a lot better today, though. I hardly get them anymore, but when they come, they come in pretty aggressively. Meanwhile, it’s given me some time to rest. And I’ve been comforted with a bit of ice cream – there’s a great cashew, plant-based cashew chocolate fudge brownie I find hard to resist from a local vendor! Apologies. I have been on a bit of a pause in replying to comments since my migraines. I hope to get back on track soon.

Olivia Update 🐾

Olivia has been doing great! She’s helped make these migraines go by a lot smoother. I’m always amazed by how loving and caring she is. She’s such an amazing cat.

Reading/Watching Update

Currently Reading

Title: The Paradise Project
Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Simon and Schuster CA
Release Date: May 14th, 2024

Title: Great Expectations
Author: Charles Dickens
Published: December 1st, 1860 (Initial), audiobook published 10-18-2011
Published by: Blackstone Publishing

Title: The Warmth of Other Suns
Author: Isabel Wilkerson
Published: September 7th, 2010
Published by: Random House

Recently Read

Title: The Finders Keepers Library
Author: Annie Rains
Published on: April 16th, 2024
Published by: Forever

Title: Crooked Plow
Author: Itamar Vieira Junior, Johnny Lorenz (Translator)
Published on: June 27, 2023
Published by: Verso Fiction

New to my shelf

Title: The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
Author: Annie Rains
Published on: May 21st, 2024
Published by: Forever

Recently Watched

This Week on the blog

  • Reviews (hopefully) for The Paradise Problem and The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
  • TTT (possibly!)
  • WWW Wednesday
  • The Sunday Post

Last Week On The Blog

QOTD: What is your favourite flavour of ice cream?
Let us know!

Where to find us: Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph | Pinterest

The writing of this post was edited and enhanced with the help of Grammarly AI.

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!

Review | Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

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Title: Listen for the Lie
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Celadon Books
Format: e-ARC
Pages: 352
Source: Celadon Books and NetGalley

Description

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?

… Read full synopsis here at Goodreads.

Review

Wow, this was a fantastic read! And it was one that I couldn’t put down. Nope. Couldn’t! Those are my favourite types of thrillers. I don’t exactly want to give anything away here, but the synopsis does a great job of filling you in on the basic plot. If you want a thriller to keep you reading into the night, dark humour, pod-cast snippets, and whodunits, this is for you. I was hooked from the first page!

I enjoyed this book so much that I also purchased an audiobook to experience the podcast element, and it did a fantastic job! It worked for us purrfectly. This book is available now and is highly recommended as a must-read thriller for the spring/summer!

Content Warnings

This Book in Three Words

Can’t put down

Values/Themes

  • Podcast
  • Whodunnit
  • Friendship

Favourite Part

Honestly, the writing was fantastic the entire way through. Elements of the plots I wanted resolved were, and the whole thing was fantastic, not just the great ending. It was everything I wanted and more.

Feelings

  • Dark humour
  • Mysterious
  • Tense

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 5.0 stars

Acknowledgements

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

QOTD: What was your last five-star read?

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”!

The Sunday Post #22

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Update:

Hello everyone! It’s been another busy week for me, but I’ve managed to be fairly productive. Recently, I discovered that I can make lists on NetGalley, so I’ve created a list of widgets that I’ve been invited to read. This way, I won’t forget what I have available to me. Apart from that, I’m enjoying the warmer weather.

PS – Please don’t “furr-get.” The Catathon Readathon is coming up on April 20-21st!

Olivia Update 🐾

Olivia is doing well and enjoying watching the birds outside our balcony door. Here she is, being a gem.

Reading/Watching Update

Currently Reading

I am almost finished reading two books from NetGalley: One Long Weekend, published by Boldwood Books, and Bad Dreams in the Night, from Andrews McMeel Publishing. I am taking my time reading Great Expectations and thoroughly enjoying it! Additionally, I am slowly making my way through The Warmth of Other Suns, which has been an excellent read.

Added to My NetGalley Shelf

The publisher invited me to read this by Celadon Books, but I just remembered I hadn’t downloaded the ARC. I will get around to this one very soon!

Currently Watching

We only have the finale left! It has hits and misses, but Kate Winslet is so good.

Recently Finished

I found Ripley very interesting and liked it overall! I watched the whole series in two days. Although I haven’t read the books, I have watched parts of the adaptation starring Jude Law and Matt Damon — The Talented Mr. Ripley. If I get the chance, I’d like to watch three adaptations and compare and contrast them.

The Phantom of the Opera is a movie I’ve watched multiple times. I honestly don’t know how many times I’ve seen it, but it’s been quite a lot. There are parts that I like more in the Broadway version with Sierra and Ramin. Here, I’ll leave my favourite performance by Sierra. I cry every time I watch it! I hope you enjoy it too. I’ll also leave my favourite performance from the movie, which features Emmy Rossum and Patrick Wilson. They are a pleasure to listen to, and Patrick is my favourite Raoul, hands down!

And, of course, since I’m going through a classic film phase, I have to continue watching James Stewart.

This Week on the blog

  • Reviews
  • Top Ten Tuesdays
  • The Sunday Post
  • More … if possible!

Last Week On The Blog

QOTD: What Book are you reading right now? Let us know!

Where to find us: Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph | Pinterest

The writing of this post was edited and enhanced with the help of Grammarly AI.

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.