Brynn Cornell is America’s sweetheart co-host of the popular morning news show Sunup. That is, until she is caught on air bad mouthing her small hometown of Adelaide Springs, Colorado. In a last-ditch effort to get viewers back on her side, Brynn travels back to her hometown of 314 people, seeking to apologize for her negative words and capture some feel-good footage. Sebastian Sudworth, a former journalist who left big media behind for small town living, is a city council member in Adelaide Springs, and is tasked with chauffeuring Brynn around town. Sebastian can see right through Brynn’s sunny exterior, but she is determined to not let him stop her from getting her career back on track. But it’s hard to play nice around someone you hate…even more so if you might be crazy about them. 

Thank you to @netgalley, @seebethanywrite, and @thomasnelson for the advance copy! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. First of all, there is a coffee shop in the book called the Bean Franklin and now I must go there. Brynn’s character developed a lot throughout the story. At first she came off as a bit entitled to me, but as we get to learn more about her and her past I really grew to like her. I liked Sebastian from the start, and I liked him even more once more of his backstory was revealed. The banter between Brynn and Sebastian was so good. And I really loved the cozy small town vibes and how many fun side characters there were. Brynn & Sebastian’s story hits shelves on September 5! 

Magazine writer Dylan wins an all expenses paid 6 week trip around the world from a local radio station. The only catch is that she will have to travel with someone the radio station randomly selects from her phone contacts. “Jack the Posho” is the lucky pick, and after initially forgetting who Jack is, Dylan remembers that he is an uptight, preppy guy that she met one night at a bar and accidentally ghosted. Dylan is able to leverage her time off for the trip into a chance at a permanent column at the magazine as she writes about her travels, and her editor urges her to push the second chance romance angle. Dylan is determined to make the trip and her time with Jack work so she can write some juicy stories to secure her dream, despite how unbearable she finds Jack. But as the two spend more time together—and find themselves while traveling—Dylan comes to realize that Jack isn’t all that bad, and she’ll have to decide if achieving what she really wanted is worth the price she has to pay to get it.

Thank you so much @netgalley, @putnambooks, and @elleeverhart for the advance copy! I read this while on vacation and it was the perfect summer travel read. I really enjoyed all of the different destinations that Jack and Dylan were able to travel to, and it made me super jealous that I didn’t win that trip! The banter between Dylan and Jack was fun and hilarious. The book also had a lot of really great and healthy discussions around women’s rights, fear of failure, respecting boundaries, consent, and sexuality. A great summer read for those who love travel, self-discovery, and romance! Wanderlust hits shelves on July 4!

PJack has lived the same day, over and over, for the last 146 days. But for Gemma, it’s just a normal Thursday. When a handsome stranger spills coffee on her, Gemma can’t shake the sense that she’s met him before. Their meeting, which was not by chance, sets in motion a series of events that spark Gemma and Jack to examine their own happiness and what they want from life. But how do they break the time loop? Jack has come up with a theory to bring his own personal Groundhog Day to an end—before the day is over, he has to get Gemma to fall in love with him. 

Thank you so much @netgalley, @duttonbooks, and @hellohollyjames for the advance copy! This was such a unique story and I really enjoyed it! It was kind of like 50 First Dates meets Groundhog Day. Gemma and Jack were really cute characters and I really liked how they were able to bring out the best in each other. I also really enjoyed Gemma’s relationship with her family and how she was able to overcome some of her insecurities and go for what she really wanted. The story is a little predictable, as you would expect with a time loop plot line, but that didn’t detract at all from how much I enjoyed it and it didn’t feel repetitive at all. Cute story, cute main characters, cute supporting characters, cute everything! The Déjà Glitch comes out August 1!

Emily Peters possibly has the most embarrassing mom of all time. Her mom is spotted on national TV with a sign advertising her daughter’s singleness, and when the clip goes viral Emily finds herself swept off to Hollywood to become the new lead of a popular dating show, The Love Match. But her quest to find love comes to a screeching halt when she meets her new producer Jake—who just so happens to be her ex-boyfriend who broke her heart years ago. Determined to get some revenge, Emily dives into the show and tries to decide who of the thirty contestants could be her perfect match. But the more time she is forced to spend with Jake, the more she remembers what she loved about him, and the two are forced to confront why their relationship ended.

Thank you so much @netgalley and @kaymariebooks for the advance copy! This book was so cute and I really enjoyed it! Emily’s character is so lovable. The plot was fast paced and really exciting—think The Bachelor but trying to make your ex jealous while also still unpacking feelings. This was such a sweet second chance romance and I loved the dual point of view. The dialogue was sharp and fun, and the characters were really well developed. I definitely recommend this book and am very exited for book 2! 

Julia Wild trades in her legal career for a job as a high society fundraiser at the Addison Performing Arts Center in glitzy Royal Coconut Beach. The deeper Julia dives into her job, the more she can’t resist the glamorous pull of the high society life style. But Julia had to be careful—her marriage is on shaky grounds, and someone at work seems to be sabotaging her. Good thing she has a close-knit group of friends to keep her grounded. 

Thank you so much @netgalley for the advance copy! The premise of this book was exciting, but I really wasn’t all that impressed by it. It felt like nothing happened, and the one exciting plot point lasted about five minutes and was resolved way too quickly. Julia’s character was super difficult to sympathize with for me; she spent so much time complaining about her husband’s lack of attention to her while not ever trying to truly talk to him about anything or stop working for five seconds to realize that she was also part of the problem. The women’s friendships were a nice touch, but overall this one just wasn’t it for me.

This Pulitzer Prize winner for nonfiction details the life of George Floyd, telling how one man’s experienced sparked a global movement for change. In May 2020, Floyd died while placed in a chokehold by a white police officer after being detained for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill to purchase food and supplies during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The video of his death lead to global outrage and as Americans protested for change in policing policies, George Floyd’s name became synonymous within civil rights. But behind his fame is a man whose life was shaped and ultimately stolen by systemic racism. This biography, written by two journalists from the Washington Post, details Floyd’s life in the context of America’s longstanding and troubled history of institutionalized racism.

Wow. What a compelling and well written biography. George Floyd was faced with many barriers in his life caused by systemic racism that thwarted his access to education, entrenched him and the generations of his family before him in poverty, and put boundaries in place that prevented him from receiving the help he needed to overcome addiction. The journalistic abilities of Samuels and Olorunnipa lend to a compelling and detailed collection of well researched and well written stories of George’s brief but impactful life, while also including a plethora of information on slavery, segregation, systemic racial issues in housing laws, mass incarceration, police brutality, and many, many more issues Black Americans are faced with on a daily basis. I really learned a lot from this biography and highly recommend it.

Other books I recommend for further education on the issues discussed in this book:

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

Clover is a death doula, working with people in New York City to help them peacefully transition through their end of life process. After her beloved grandfather passed away, she has poured her entire self into her work. But in caring so much for the dying, Clover has put living her own life on the back burner. The final wishes of a dying woman spark Clover to examine her own life as she chases a forgotten love story, navigates new friendships, and ultimately discovers what kind of life she wants to live—and whether she has the courage to live it.

I am speechless and I think this is my favorite book I have read so far this year. Who knew a book about dying could be so heartwarming? The writing was so beautiful and the story was so unique. Towards the end it started to have a little bit of a Letters to Juliet vibe. There were so many powerful messages about grief and love throughout this book. I loved Clover’s character and how she grew throughout the book. I highly recommend this book! 

This book made me think of the song True Blue by @xboygeniusx while I read it!

Macy Sorensen has a well established routine—work hard as a pediatrics resident and plan her wedding to her stable and tepid fiancé. When out for coffee with a friend one day, she runs into Elliot Petropoulos, her childhood best friend and first love, who she had not seen or talked to in the last eleven years, and her world is upended. The story alternates between the past and the present and we learn of the love and loss Elliot and Macy endured. Elliot and Macy are ultimately forced to confront their lingering feelings and why they became estranged for the last eleven years.

I really enjoyed this book! It was very emotional and well written. Even though it wasn’t a dual point of view, it really gave a good sense of both characters’ perspectives. I like the dual timeline aspect as well. My one complaint (without giving any spoilers) is that Elliot’s explanation that we get at the end for his actions that caused their falling out as teenagers was pretty stupid and a poor excuse. But overall I really like the couple’s relationship and loved how literature and words were incorporated into the plot. And also how cute is the cover?!

The Osage Nation were among richest people in the world in the 1920s, after oil was discovered on their land in Oklahoma. Then, one by one, Osage people began dying under mysterious circumstances. As the death toll amounted to twenty four, the newly formed FBI took over the investigation. Together with the Osage people, they uncovered one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history.

This book was fascinating. I learned so much about the Osage Nation and the multitude of injustices that were committed against them  after the oil was found on their land—many of their fortunes were placed in the hands of white people who acted as their guardians and restricted their access to their funds and committed other financial abuse. And at the end of the book, one of the investigators estimates that every Osage family lost at least one member to murder over the oil head rights, and many of these murders went unsolved. My husband is from Oklahoma and is a quarter Native American (though he is Creek and Quapaw, not Osage), so it was interesting to learn about this and discuss some of the details with him. This was a great true-crime and history book!