literaryhaunt's Reviews (647)

Writing a historical fiction from the point of view of the woman who inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is no small feat, yet Lauren Lico Albanese did it fantastically.

Hester is a story about Isobel Gamble, a talented seamstress who uses what we now know as synesthesia (but would have been viewed during this time as witch craft) to create pieces wholly unique from others practicing the art. A young woman, Isobel travels to Salem, Oregon from Scotland in hopes to find a new life in America with her husband, Edward. Shortly after arriving in Salem, Edward goes to work at sea- taking all of Isobel's money with him.

As Isobel starts trying to make her own way as best as a woman could in early 1800's Salem, she happens to meet a man named Nat Hawthorne. Hester takes us through Isobel's budding relationship with Nat, one fraught with obstacles from the start, and how two artists can create both magic and misery together.

I absolutely loved this book. It was lauded to be a "vivid reimagining" and that holds absolutely true. Isobel was a strong female lead and I felt she really propelled the story and added gorgeous context to the point of reference, The Scarlet Letter. The stark contrast between the flashbacks to the 1600's, the story being told in the 1800's and my knowledge of experiencing the world as a woman today made the story all the more real to me, and all the more interesting.

I thought the reader of the audiobook did a fantastic job, especially switching between accents to make each character stand out. Her cadence was perfect and her ability to convey emotions was brilliant.

Thanks so much to Macmillian Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to an ALC of Hester in exchange for my honest thoughts!

This book started off so promising, which didn't surprise me as the premise was also very promising. The meet-cute stemming from a misdialed number reeled me in. I didn't love Hannah from the beginning, but the way she and Davey interacted was so sweet that it made up for my disconnect with her. I read through the first third of the book very quickly before it stopped working for me personally.

The twist is not what put me off of this book, but the aftermath of the twist. I had already found Hannah rather dull and rude if I'm being honest, but then the story takes a turn into this weird and awkward new relationship of hers with someone who lacked character consistency. I pushed on because then, out of nowhere but blessedly, the book becomes dual POV. I enjoyed those portions of the book, but it took up surprisingly little space. It felt to me as if the important parts were rushed and the rest of the book was a bit stale and slow. I never ended up warming up to Hannah.

I think this book had a lot of potential at the start and it seems to be garnering a lot of great reviews so perhaps I was just not the right reader for this story. I don't think this was a bad book at all, but I didn't think it was a good book.

Thanks so much to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine as well as NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts

If this isn't the top holiday romcom this season, I will riot. Okay, maybe not, but I do think that this is my favorite Christmas romance I've ever read.

Last Christmas, Ellie had a once in a lifetime type of connection with a woman she'd just met. Spoiler alert: that lasted a single day. This year, not only is she still heartbroken, but Ellie is broke. Not "character in a book broke", but realistically flat broke. After losing her dream job, she's working as a barista and trying but failing to make ends meet. Enter Andrew Kim-Prescott, who owns the building Ellie works in and needs a fake bride in order to receive his inheritance. In exchange for a temporary blessed union and her presence at the Kim-Prescott family cabin for Christmas, Ellie stands to receive a remarkable amount of cash.

What Ellie wasn't expecting was to arrive at the cabin with her "fiance" to find that his sister is the baker who broke her heart just last Christmas, Jack. Add on that Jack's best friend Dylan has had an entanglement with Andrew, and you've got yourself one heck of a love trapezoid.

I have too many good things to say. The fact that Jack (oh how I loved Jack!) was a pretty great communicator really set the book apart for me. Kiss Her Once For Me has impeccable Hallmark movie level cozy little Christmas vibes and has the added bonus of adding in realistic and well done queer/demisexual representation. I will be re-reading this by the Christmas tree this year for sure.

Thanks so much to Atria books as well as NetGalley for an advanced galley in exchange for my honest thoughts.