I really liked the premise of this one and thought how the author took a typical small town romance story and flipped everything upside down was not only adorable but also clever. I adore both small town romance movies and books so many of the references made me giggle in appreciation. Small town life does not always mean cute little festivals, insta love and quirky neighbors and that’s more than apparent in Pleasant Hollow. It was a really unique take on the genre and I totally appreciated reading something fresh. I found Adi to be very relatable, she was fun and witty and said so many things that made me laugh. Finn as a sort of anti hero was still charming in his own right and I believed their relationship story as well as their chemistry. I think the narrator, Emily Lawrence was great too, she made listening an enjoyable experience. Overall a fun and light read that will be perfect this summer.

As of now that synopsis is short and sweet and I honestly assumed based off of that this one would be a thriller and I was wrong. Which is fine, this is waaaaayyyy deeper than a thriller and has huge triggers for sexual assault, so if you’re looking for a lighter domestic suspense this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for a deeper read that is emotionally charged this may be for you. 

There is a lot about this one that is uncomfortable and hard to read but it’s also incredibly powerful at the same time. It’s very much a slow burn and sometimes it was frustratingly so but I believe the payoff was worth it in the end. Each of the three women who narrates is very well developed and grappling with so many varying issues. I could empathize with each one at some point and can see this leading to some great discussions if chosen as a book club read. If you can handle difficult subject matter and know this is fiction with some suspense and disturbing themes this was a solid and thought provoking read. 

I love finding a debut author to fangirl over and this was such a solid first book! It’s a mash up of some of my favorite things too, you get romance, great character growth as Angie is really going through it for the majority of the book, strong female friendships, family and cultural traditions and expectations and a side of medical drama a la Grey’s Anatomy. Seriously so much to love here for me! Merging all of that together could be tricky but in the right authors hands it works and the author worked her magic. This was such a layered read and I loved seeing all aspects of Angie’s life, it gave me such a clear picture of who she is and I was rooting hard for her. Instead of just focusing on her romantic entanglement with Ricky she goes through friend drama, work drama and family drama. There are some powerful depictions of her immigrant experience and the pressures her family placed on her to succeed, and what success looks like to them was interesting. The whole thing was relatable, insightful and just a joy to read and narrator Mela Lee is absolutely fantastic!

This one was bananas! You can’t take it too seriously and you also can’t spend any time trying to decide if most of this could actually happen in real life, BUT if you can let all that go and just enjoy the ride it’s wild. There is so much action here, seriously never a dull moment and I was gripped. I listened to the audio and Mela Lee is great, she was engaging and her emotional portrayal was excellent! 

This one had so much potential for me, I loved the idea of an emotionally unavailable woman trying to figure out where she went wrong in past relationships. I really liked that she would be looking some of her exes up to get answers and thought it was a fun and interesting idea. Unfortunately as much as I wanted to enjoy this one it just didn’t work out that way for me in the end. Things started out ok but as it progressed I started to get bored and lost interest. There was a lot of introspection and inner monologues and not enough dialogue and conversations to keep me invested. I also didn’t love Alex which is always tough and the fact that by halfway I was forcing myself to pick it back up should’ve been a sign for me to just set it aside and move on. I think maybe this author just isn’t for me, something about her style just doesn’t end up working out for me but I know she has lots of fans and am sure many will enjoy this more than I did!

I always know before I start a book by the author that I’ll be getting an entertaining story about three different women and usually they’re all at some sort of crossroads in their lives. Her books are about friendships, romantic relationships, parenthood, marriage, divorce and more. So yes, predictable in some ways, but the path each woman takes is always interesting and I sometimes find comfort in knowing what I’m in for. I found this to be steamier than some of the authors more recent releases which was a pleasant surprise too. There is some definite heat, I can’t complain about that Add in a bookstore, a California beach setting and plenty of drama and love and this was a fun summer read. Tanya Eby narrates and I’ve gotten so used to listening to her tell the authors stories that it’s a fun experience.