morganthebee's Reviews (489)

I came back to Annie on My Mind as part of a challenge where one of the prompts was to revisit a childhood favorite. I remember reading it when I was in High School, realizing my own sexuality, many years ago (I'm not going to say how many, but...it's a lot). It was one of the first books I read where I could really, truly see myself in it, and felt like I was seen by someone else in a way that very few had up until then. I was a little worried, coming back to it, that my memory had glorified it, that—like some other books I've revisited—what I remembered reading wouldn't have aged well, but no. It really was what I remembered.

It's a gorgeous, heart wrenching and heartwarming story about two girls falling in love at a time when it was still very much not okay to do so. I remember the feelings that this book evokes so well from my own life and coming out, the struggle with societal expectations and judgements, and the fear of rejection from people I loved. Nancy Garden captured all of this in a way that was so real it almost hurt, and yet there's so much joy here. Well worth the read.

I don't feel right writing a full review of this one, as I was reading a proof copy looking for errors so I couldn't give the story itself as much attention as I normally would, but I highly enjoyed it! I really liked the characters, particularly Daisy, and the plot was interesting with some twists and turns. Oh, and there's some nice spice, too. It's definitely worth a read.

Somehow, despite having copies of all the books in the Lighthouse Lovers series so far (there’s one more coming), I've only read the second and now the fourth: Inn Love. I’m not sure why because I’ve read plenty of Shannon O’Connor books and I’ve liked them all, so I’m making a note to myself to go back and read the first and third. The point of that (beyond the reminder to myself) is that these books don’t need to be read in order. They all take place over one summer in Lovers, Maine, but although the characters intertwine, they can be read as stand-alone stories. 

 

Inn Love is the story of Zara, a romance writer from New York City suffering from writer’s block, and Kim, a local who has returned to teach kindergarten. Kim has been told one too many times that she’s boring and predictable, so she’s decided to spend the summer taking risks and say yes to things she normally wouldn’t.  

 

The two have a lovely meet-cute on the beach by the local inn where Zara is staying, and Kim takes a risk, jumping headfirst into her first ever one-night stand. It’s steamy and neither one of them can get the other out of their head. I really loved how open both women were with each other, and there’s quite a bit of spice with lots of consent, which is always sexy. They seem really different, but they just click and obviously care for each other. I’m definitely looking forward to going back and reading the books I’ve missed, and can’t wait for Alana’s story next! 

 

I received a free ARC from the author, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily.