This was just the right book for my Christmas weekend to end with. It’s cozy and sweet and perfectly festive. I’d even go so far as to say it is my favorite of the holiday rom-coms I’ve read this season. It had just the right amount of family, tradition, and Yuletide spirit paired with a burgeoning new relationship. This is an easy, fun read.

A cozy fire, an exquisite collection of Nutcrackers, a slice of plum pudding with hard sauce.... and an inn FULL of family drama. Sounds like Christmas. I enjoyed the picturesque holiday setting, and meeting the Quinns was entertaining. I can’t say this will be a favorite by any means. But I’m also not opposed to reading the next book in the series 

Maniacal, psychotic, maddening! My exact thoughts upon finishing this book: Why did I just read this book??? 

ALL.THE.EMOTIONS. 

Do I love this book? Do I hate this book? Does that even have any bearing on this book being a good, twisty, infuriating thriller? No, no it doesn’t. 

If you enjoy a good thriller.... if you love to hate the characters.... if you enjoy an enraging ending... THIS is the book for you! 

As a last note- the book does get a bit bogged down in sailing minutiae, and I did get a little bored by that. It takes some stick-with-it-ness to get to all the bad decisions and sinister behavior. 

This isn’t a feel good book. This book is a journey through the pain and destruction found at the bottom of the bottle. Addiction takes no prisoners, and Agnes Bain is no exception.

The Bains live a dour and gloomy life, not unlike the blustery and oppressive Glasgow weather.  Agnes’ destructive behavior and poor decisions compiled with the hard hitting poverty of Thatcher’s policies, create a hopeless situation. Agnes only finds escape in drunkenness. Her children, particularly the youngest, Shuggie, are left to flounder with no freedom from the weariness. 

Much of the focus of this novel is on Agnes and her addiction. Shuggie definitely takes on a caretaker role with his mom. But his struggles don’t stop there. He is often called “no right.” This quiet, overly polite, well dressed gay child is overtly bullied by family, peers, neighbors, and teachers. Shuggie is desperate for approval but just can’t seem to find it. 

While hard to read, the author paints a clear, albeit bleak, picture of life tainted by alcoholism and poverty. Stuart’s writing leaves no gloomy, desolate detail of Shuggie’s life unfelt by the reader. This is likely because this novel is not entirely a work of fiction. Rather, Agnes is based upon Douglas Stuart’s own mother.

In the end, we see a glimpse of possibility for Shuggie. It’s only a glimpse. But I chose to see it as a glimmer of hope. Hope that Shuggie never seemed to let go of, even in the worst of circumstances. 

Good books often make you take stock, reflect, and learn. That’s exactly what Shuggie Bain did for me. My life looks very different from that of Agnes and Shuggie. But Stuart has allowed us readers the gift of reflection through this novel and the rawness of his own experience. 

I needed to counter my previous dark read with something light, easy, and fun. This intensely cute rom-com (with a side of HGTV thrown in) was just the right escape for me! If you’re looking for something compelling or thoughtful, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for pure life escaping entertainment, this will definitely make you smile! 

The appeal of a Christmas rom-com is its quintessentially cute nature and endearing characters. I found this one to fall short in both areas. The quaint English countryside at Christmas drew me in enough to see this story through. But even in the end, the author just didn’t convince me of this lifelong unrequited love. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy the banter between Kate and Drew, her new, gay BFF. This isn’t a bad book. It just didn’t spark my fancy. 

To say this book is a masterpiece is an understatement of epic proportions. It is beautifully crafted with exquisite prose and rich characters. Even after 450 pages, I wasn’t ready for this tale to end. 

Early on, it was evident that this book would become one of my very favorites. And after finishing it, I’d go so far as to say it should absolutely be in contention as one of the great American novels. It captivated every part of my heart and soul in a way few authors have the talent to do, and it transported me on a beautiful journey through brokenness and hope. 

I am not normally one for overly flowery praise, especially without some measure of constructive feedback. But this profound and poignant book cannot be praised highly enough in my opinion. My heart has been forever changed by this tale of these wounded yet courageous vagabonds. 

This book is much like the high quality whisky Maurice drinks in his 5 toasts...bold, complex, a tad bitter, and makes you catch your breath a bit. 

Many reviews summarize this book as a crotchety old man reminiscing (and sometimes rambling) over his 84 years. Instead I found it to be a beautiful, albeit bittersweet, love letter to a deceased wife and a reverent goodbye to an only son. 

Maurice is flawed and real and also utterly charming. As I got to know him, I felt deeply for him and came to be wholly endeared to him. 

I challenge anyone to read this book and not take stock of your own life. Like Maurice, I’m sure we all find bits of regret, intense love, and ultimately, the complexity of bygone days. 

Based on the history of the Chelsea Hotel in New York, an avant garde for artists and bohemians, I expected this book to be lively and eccentric. But I went into the book blind, something I often prefer, which made my assumption completely inaccurate. This book is a dark tale about a dark and troubling period of our history- McCarthyism. Hazel and Maxine are friends and creatives, drawn to the Chelsea, it’s mystic and inspiration. Hazel has just written the next big Broadway hit, and Maxine shows exceptional talent as the leading lady in a remarkably different role than she normally plays. Just as their hard work begins to pay off and allow them to enjoy success, the paranoia of communism dulls their accomplishments. 

Hazel’s story is an ode to the many who suffered at the hands of this nations worst tendencies. It exposes how a society was corrupted from the inside out during the decade that the House Un-American Activities Committee waged war on the entertainment industry blacklisting individuals and derailing careers. 

The Chelsea Hotel was an intriguing backdrop for this story. It gave a charm to the story which counterbalanced the dark time period. I found myself wanting to meander through its halls and be amongst the brilliance of its inhabitants. Oh to have been there in it’s heyday! 

While the hotel itself brought charisma to the tale, the characters themselves fell flat and one dimensional to me. The storyline itself appeared to be the author’s primary focus, leaving her to tell us about the characters rather than showing us their multidimensional nature. We never truly got to know them intimately. Hazel experiences much devastation. I knew that about her, but I wanted to feel it for her. 

I read historical fiction extensively, but this is my very first book from the McCarthy era. Bravo to Davis for bringing it to the forefront! 

Many thanks to Fiona Davis, Penguin Group Dutton, Dutton Books, and NetGalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

A sweet story about friendship and love. Laurie (implausibly) falls hopelessly in love with a stranger she sees at a bus stop. Even more implausible, she finally meets her dream man when her best friend introduces him as her new boyfriend. As unrealistic as the whole story is, it held my attention and kept me hooked to see how it would all (predictably) unravel. I liked Laurie, Sarah, and Jack. But I also felt equally irritated by their bad decisions and lack of ability to properly communicate! Ultimately, that’s life though, right? I struggled with the rating for this book. I did enjoy it a lot, even in its flaws. (It’s a nice escape.) But the main reason I couldn’t give it a full 4+⭐️ is because after ALL the waiting we did, we only got about 5-10 pages of bliss at the end. Not even an epilogue. In a 400 page book, that just isn’t enough satisfaction for me.