This is the second time in the last few months that I’ve read a second chance romance that I’ve really enjoyed. I’ve always said that it’s not my favorite trope, but after two standouts I may need to quit saying and thinking that. Maybe I just need them to be really well executed to adore them and I think the author did a great job here. Dee and Ben are the real stars of the show here, I mean duh they’re the main characters, but what I mean is that the majority of the book is filled with scenes of just the two of them. This gave the book a really intimate feeling as they reconnect after ten years of total silence and have to really hash out some old issues if they want to move forward together. The road trip aspect was fun and summery and there was a real sense of nostalgia as well as they spend some time reminiscing about their high school days. Ben was the cutest most lovable hero and Dee was as well, but in a neurotic but wholly endearing way. I really enjoyed my time with these two, their connection was heavily apparent and the way they bantered back and forth showed just how true their friendship was and maybe still is. 

When I first heard about this book the premise immediately fascinated me, it’s like you cannot even imagine such a thing happening but also you kind of can. Unsettling for sure. So going into it I assumed it would be deep and maybe even heavy at times and it was, but it was also super thought provoking and insightful. The amount of questions it raises is staggering, it explores a plethora of issues and I can see this being a fantastic pick for a book club. There is SO much to be discussed here, I actually wish I had a group of people to chat with when u finished myself. I don’t wanna get too deep into the plot but you get multiple perspectives from several characters and I enjoyed hearing from each of them. You may think this one would be pretty depressing and it’s really not, yes there were sad moments but also moments of hope. It was poignant and as usual Julia Whelan gives a fantastic performance in the audio version. Definitely check it out if you want something a little meatier this summer.

Reading a new Katherine Center book is always such a delight, her books are like a ray of sunshine that always leave me feeling warm and cozy. This was just so good y’all, it had everything I needed and more. It was heartfelt and full of emotion but it was also light and super funny too. The characters were so so lovable, I adored both Hannah and Jack and thought their pairing was perfection. Fake dating is my fave so I was happy to see the trope here and the author nailed it. This is begging to be made into a rom com movie, the writing was so vivid it already played out like a movie in my head, clearly I just adored it and can highly recommend it as an addition to your summer TBR! The audio version was fantastic and narrator Patti Murin was great.

This is my second book by the author and there is something really captivating about her writing style that really appeals to me. I love starting a book and realizing it’s both fast paced and on the shorter side too and that’s what this one had, and then the first couple of chapters were so interesting I just knew I would read it in a couple of sittings. I totally did by the way, it was addictive. 

I think the strongest aspect of this one was the really tricky and fun guessing game the author created. I had several theories that changed repeatedly throughout the book and not one of them were right in the end. I was definitely surprised when all was revealed and even though it was a little bit out there and sorta wacky I still enjoyed it. Overall I found this one to be creepy and unsettling but also really entertaining in a bat shit crazy kind of way. 

If you’re anything like me when you read the synopsis for this you probably thought it sounded familiar. You would be wrong though and I was too, the author took a basic idea and put her own unique spin on it. I love thinking I have everything figured out in a book only to have the author knock me on my ass with a series of twists and turns and that’s exactly what happened here. This was super fast paced with short chapters that just beg you to keep reading and that’s exactly what I did. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next with these messy lives and I was hooked, there was definitely some juicy material here making this an ideal summer thriller. Definitely recommended as a weekend binge read, this was really addictive!

I knew having read the authors previous book that she writes character driven novels about family so while my expectations were set accordingly, there was still something off about this one for me. Usually when I’m engrossed in an audiobook I have no problem following along but here my mind was wandering at different points along the way and I had to really try to focus and pay attention. I think part of my issue was that I didn’t really care for any of the Geller sisters so it was difficult to be invested in their story. The whole thing just felt kinda messy and pointless but I will say between the good writing and the wonderful audio narration I did finish it so it definitely wasn’t all bad. I just think I wanted an overall better connection to the story and characters.

I went into this one knowing a few of my most trusted review sources loved so my expectations were fairly high. Probably unrealistically high actually, but thankfully this one lived up to my expectations and then some. I really think this will be THE big beach read of summer 2022, and deservedly so, here’s a few things I loved about that I hope will convince you to add it to your own beach bag. 

🏝All the summer beachy vibes 

💞Not only do you get romance, you get TWO, one for each sister

👯‍♀️BFFs turned enemies, turned forced partners in house ownership. Basically some fun romance tropes twisted for Kat and Blake

☀️A modern take on The Parent Trap

🥵Two romances means two swoon worthy heroes 

💕Relatability in both Kat and Blake, I’m sure you’ll have a favorite sister because they’re both so endearing. Mine is Blake 🥰

🐶A super cute dog with even cuter nicknames 

🏡 An HGTV home renovation project that made me wish I had inherited my own dilapidated beach house 

🎭Messy and complicated family drama that’ll make you both sad and sometimes hopeful 

I’ll stop my gushing here, but clearly I adored this one and highly recommend it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️