Take a photo of a barcode or cover
anabel_unker's Reviews (1.16k)
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
Lucy knows she can do it all (not that she has much of a choice anyway). While her husband is away on Mars (well... he's participating in a Mars simulation in the middle of nowhere with an alarmingly fast growing TikTok fanbase), she has singlehandedly juggled her twins' various classes and sports, coordinated a party to celebrate her eldest's upcoming graduation and admission to MIT, her own job heading the refurbishment of several west coast hotels (while trying not to irritate her bosses any more than she normally does), taking care of six animals, and preparing for a normal Texas summer. However, when her son, Jack, makes a major mistake that seems to turn the whole town of Dallas against them, Lucy does what any good mom would do: she removes her family from the equation.
Greta, on the other hand, has only her husband Otto. Their beloved daughter, Emmi, is preparing to start a prestigious law internship in New York City, and the two are facing a summer with Otto hating his job, and Greta gearing up for her next job as an art dealer. But when Otto decides, singlehandedly, to take a fellowship in Texas for six months, all the work falls on Greta to organize where they're living, what they're doing, and how they're going to get there.
Thus, the house swap.
The two families' lives continue to get more and more intertwined, with hilarious mix-up and miscommunications, shocking secrets, and complex relationships (not to mention quite a bit of international travel!), prepare for the summer where everything goes wrong (but then, eventually, goes right).
FAR AND AWAY is the perfect uplifting summer read, and while I've never read any of Amy Poeppel's work, I'm excited to see what else she's written based on this book!
Lucy knows she can do it all (not that she has much of a choice anyway). While her husband is away on Mars (well... he's participating in a Mars simulation in the middle of nowhere with an alarmingly fast growing TikTok fanbase), she has singlehandedly juggled her twins' various classes and sports, coordinated a party to celebrate her eldest's upcoming graduation and admission to MIT, her own job heading the refurbishment of several west coast hotels (while trying not to irritate her bosses any more than she normally does), taking care of six animals, and preparing for a normal Texas summer. However, when her son, Jack, makes a major mistake that seems to turn the whole town of Dallas against them, Lucy does what any good mom would do: she removes her family from the equation.
Greta, on the other hand, has only her husband Otto. Their beloved daughter, Emmi, is preparing to start a prestigious law internship in New York City, and the two are facing a summer with Otto hating his job, and Greta gearing up for her next job as an art dealer. But when Otto decides, singlehandedly, to take a fellowship in Texas for six months, all the work falls on Greta to organize where they're living, what they're doing, and how they're going to get there.
Thus, the house swap.
The two families' lives continue to get more and more intertwined, with hilarious mix-up and miscommunications, shocking secrets, and complex relationships (not to mention quite a bit of international travel!), prepare for the summer where everything goes wrong (but then, eventually, goes right).
FAR AND AWAY is the perfect uplifting summer read, and while I've never read any of Amy Poeppel's work, I'm excited to see what else she's written based on this book!
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
Kate Elliot's life has totally and completely fallen apart. After catching her husband having an affair with his much-younger secretary (and finding out just how iron-clad the pre-nup she'd signed as a blindly-in-love twenty year old actually was), sending her only and much beloved daughter off to college, and starting over in the apartment above her sister's fancy dress shop... it's fair to say life took a wild turn she hadn't been expecting.
So, in part desperation and part hope, when she sent in a letter to her old talent agent, she'd never expected to have a meeting with his son, Charlie Francisco. Back in town after leaving his marriage and career in L.A., Charlie never expected to be taking over his father's agency so soon-- his death was swift and devastating. However, he's determined to keep his legacy alive... even if it is on life support.
When a contract for an unknown actress lands on his desk just as Kate's letter does, it can't help but seem like fate. The job? Acting as a stand-in for the author of a romance novel; the publishing company has decided it wants a face along with the name for promotional reasons, and Kate (with her charming and down-to-earth vibe) fits the bill perfectly. However, the lines between professional and personal begin to blur for Charlie and Kate, and soon things spiral out of control in a way no one expected...
.
I loved the premise of this novel. It felt fresh and teeming with possibility; and I really enjoyed the first half. However,once Kate's identity as a ghost writer is publicly revealed the book fell flat for me. It felt redundant and predictable, and I kept waiting for some sort of twist to enliven the plot. All in all, SLOW BURN SUMMER was a fine read, and definitely won't put me off picking up more Josie Silver, but I can't say this will be my favorite book of the summer.
Kate Elliot's life has totally and completely fallen apart. After catching her husband having an affair with his much-younger secretary (and finding out just how iron-clad the pre-nup she'd signed as a blindly-in-love twenty year old actually was), sending her only and much beloved daughter off to college, and starting over in the apartment above her sister's fancy dress shop... it's fair to say life took a wild turn she hadn't been expecting.
So, in part desperation and part hope, when she sent in a letter to her old talent agent, she'd never expected to have a meeting with his son, Charlie Francisco. Back in town after leaving his marriage and career in L.A., Charlie never expected to be taking over his father's agency so soon-- his death was swift and devastating. However, he's determined to keep his legacy alive... even if it is on life support.
When a contract for an unknown actress lands on his desk just as Kate's letter does, it can't help but seem like fate. The job? Acting as a stand-in for the author of a romance novel; the publishing company has decided it wants a face along with the name for promotional reasons, and Kate (with her charming and down-to-earth vibe) fits the bill perfectly. However, the lines between professional and personal begin to blur for Charlie and Kate, and soon things spiral out of control in a way no one expected...
.
I loved the premise of this novel. It felt fresh and teeming with possibility; and I really enjoyed the first half. However,
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
A LANGUAGE OF LIMBS is a lyrical love story to the queer and indigenous peoples of 1970s and 80s Australia. It is weighed down with symbolism and sentimentality, the chapters often more poetry than prose, but within those verses is a story about two queer women trying to find their path.
I, like some others it seems, didn't realize it was two different narrators, the voices are incredibly similar-- but I enjoyed the book as a parallel lives story, and was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I think read either way, this is a powerful story of what-ifs and the teeming possibility of decision; the intersectionality of all our lives and the unknown impact we have on the people within our circle.
A LANGUAGE OF LIMBS is a lyrical love story to the queer and indigenous peoples of 1970s and 80s Australia. It is weighed down with symbolism and sentimentality, the chapters often more poetry than prose, but within those verses is a story about two queer women trying to find their path.
I, like some others it seems, didn't realize it was two different narrators, the voices are incredibly similar-- but I enjoyed the book as a parallel lives story, and was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I think read either way, this is a powerful story of what-ifs and the teeming possibility of decision; the intersectionality of all our lives and the unknown impact we have on the people within our circle.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
Cassie Brooks feels like she has it all: the high powered attorney job, the beautiful apartment in Manhattan, an adoring boyfriend (soon to be fiancé?) James... so why does she feel like she can never catch her breath? Constantly torn between climbing the corporate ladder and missing out on the moments that make life worth living, everything changes when James is devastatingly killed in a car accident. Now set adrift in her grief, Cassie discovers James lived a second life as @NewYorkSecretDiner-- an anonymous New York foodie account known for reviewing some of the most beautiful food in the city.
Searching for something new and exciting, and desperate for anything that makes her feel closer to James, Cassie begins posting as @NewYorkSecretDiner. However, things begin to snowball out of her control when she accepts a three-week review trip filled with unbelievable food and surprising connections on James' behalf-- someone is threatening to out her newfound identity, and Cassie isn't sure she's even qualified enough to be on the trip.
This was a fun book! I've recently been eating up (pun intended) travel/food books, and this fit the bill perfectly for me. I personally loved the descriptions of all Cassie's meals-- they were descriptive without being overwhelming, and I loved the creativity behind each dish.
A couple of things I wish were different though: Cassie's friendship with Ruby was a bit confusing. Ruby was initially described as a somewhat work friend-- but Cassie quickly trusted her with deep secrets and was her only consistent friend throughout the book. For me, it would have just made more sense to have their friendship well established from the get-go (even though, at the end of the day, it didn't really impact the story all that much).
I also wish the pacing of the ending was different. There was such a beautiful build up, great character development... and then it all falls apart and is fixed within four chapters. It felt rushed and so out of sync for the rest of the book to me.
However, all that said, I had a good time with this story and look forward to reading more by Wells!
Cassie Brooks feels like she has it all: the high powered attorney job, the beautiful apartment in Manhattan, an adoring boyfriend (soon to be fiancé?) James... so why does she feel like she can never catch her breath? Constantly torn between climbing the corporate ladder and missing out on the moments that make life worth living, everything changes when James is devastatingly killed in a car accident. Now set adrift in her grief, Cassie discovers James lived a second life as @NewYorkSecretDiner-- an anonymous New York foodie account known for reviewing some of the most beautiful food in the city.
Searching for something new and exciting, and desperate for anything that makes her feel closer to James, Cassie begins posting as @NewYorkSecretDiner. However, things begin to snowball out of her control when she accepts a three-week review trip filled with unbelievable food and surprising connections on James' behalf-- someone is threatening to out her newfound identity, and Cassie isn't sure she's even qualified enough to be on the trip.
This was a fun book! I've recently been eating up (pun intended) travel/food books, and this fit the bill perfectly for me. I personally loved the descriptions of all Cassie's meals-- they were descriptive without being overwhelming, and I loved the creativity behind each dish.
A couple of things I wish were different though: Cassie's friendship with Ruby was a bit confusing. Ruby was initially described as a somewhat work friend-- but Cassie quickly trusted her with deep secrets and was her only consistent friend throughout the book. For me, it would have just made more sense to have their friendship well established from the get-go (even though, at the end of the day, it didn't really impact the story all that much).
I also wish the pacing of the ending was different. There was such a beautiful build up, great character development... and then it all falls apart and is fixed within four chapters. It felt rushed and so out of sync for the rest of the book to me.
However, all that said, I had a good time with this story and look forward to reading more by Wells!