I read this early 2000s mainstream contemporary romance/women's lit for Reasons and will likely be unable to recall most of the details within a couple of weeks so I'm leaving this note here as a reminder. It's not really a review. This is a pretty amusing enemies-to-lovers with good banter that is fairly unique and complex in how it incorporates alternative viewpoints on love and relationships. It's definitely not my scene — with socioeconomically advantaged bros, investors, and actuaries picking each other up at bars — and it's way too long, somewhat repetitive, and has some seriously toxic parents and minor characters in it. There are two decent sets of friend groups that merge, a 30-something main character who is successful and smart and plus sized (and parent/society damaged), and a prince charming love interest who is successful and smart (and parent damaged ... and unfairly slut shamed). Definitely some problematic thoughts and scenes involving food, bodies, and boundaries. And I definitely rooted for these two worthy idiots to get together (even as I was annoyed at the short timeframe: two couples engaged within a month. yikes).

¡Muy caliente!

Love that cover and always love spending time with these characters and being back in Three Pines. I also like the story here, but I did think the execution of the plot was a little weaker in this one. The scenes where Gamache and company are hashing out theories and deciding which ones to pursue are usually some of my favorite parts (along with any scenes that highlight our quirky village friends), but there seemed to be quite a bit more circular, repetitive theorizing and less clever conclusions and careful investigations that lead to revelations. Still a fast, pleasurable read with great depth of character and plenty of Big Ideas, food for thought, and literary catnip.

This book is an act of generosity — generosity of spirit and scholarship — and it deserves a spot on the shelf of every library, every social science and humanities classroom, every armchair historian's end table, and every American citizen committed to listening to Black voices.

"Four Hundred Souls" is a "choral work," a "communal history." Those phrases may not be familiar but they mean exactly what they say — it's a chronological, historical account from a chorus of community voices. Four hundred years of African American history, from 1619 to 2019, is covered by ninety of America's leading Black writers (scholars, journalists, poets, and more), with each writer taking a five-year period and exploring a relevant topic (person, story, idea, etc.). These essays are elegantly grouped into ten sections that each cover forty years and are each closed with a poem. Because of this communal spirit, this choral organization, what seems like a hefty tome doesn't have to be a heavy lift at all when you're reading it. Dip in for as much or as little as you're able to digest at a time. The audiobook is also excellent, providing another dimension to these voices.

Can't recommend highly enough.

Julie Murphy (Dumplin') makes her adult (with YA crossover appeal) debut with a sweet romance that's a Cinderella retelling with the first plus-size contestant on a Bachelor-esque reality TV show. Now, I gotta tell you up front: I love a clever retelling, but I hate The Bachelor, and I'm not much of a Disney, princess, or Disney Princess fan. So. Three stars is a pretty respectable showing for this.

I'd say the strong points are the fat rep and body positivity (with a call-out on the fashion industry and their still woefully inadequate expanded sizes), the depiction of the manipulative reality behind the "reality" show, the friends and family vibes (the step-family is not Disney evil here), and the parts of the romance that took place outside the reality TV setting. Predictably, I hated the Bachelor-esque parts, thought there was a lot of repetitiveness to all that awfulness, and wasn't feeling some of the transitions and concluding scenes.

I am interested enough to keep watching this series, though. It's supposed to be a multi-author 4-book series of reimagined Disney Princesses. And the next one is a Belle/Beauty and the Beast retelling by Jasmine Guillory.

Topics, tropes and themes: step-family, Hollywood, design, accessible fashion, Cinderella retelling, body positivity, reality TV, truth, appearances, family obligation, quarter-life crisis, secret dating trope, the Bachelor, shoes
Content notes: death of a parent, terminal illness, car accidents, fatphobia, manipulation, Reality TV style mean girls

A charming younger YA mystery that's rather short on the mystery and long on the vocabulary — but filled with plucky fun and endearing interactions between Enola and her older brother Sherlock.


Topics and tropes: women's rights (or lack thereof), women's friendships, sibling relationships, coded language, Victorian era fashion and food, socioeconomic status; twins imitating each other, secret messages hidden in plain sight, sleuthing in disguise, men behaving badly, horses behaving badly, narcissistic art, different paths to the same goal
Content notes: death (off page, backstory), Victorian area sexism (espoused by both our hero Sherlock, various servants and villagers, and to the worse degree, our villain), detainment, wrongful commitment to a mental institution,

Probably a 4.5. THIS is the reality TV dating story I didn't know I was looking for. An unexpected story of affirming love — from both self and others — emerges from the toxic trash heap that is reality TV dating shows.

Dev Deshpande is a helpless romantic who also happens to be a producer and behind-the-scenes scripter of the "unscripted" Bachelor-esque show "Ever After." He coaches women contestants into charming the show's Prince Charmings. But this season's outrageously handsome tech millionaire prince is having technical difficulty charming or being charmed, so Dev is suddenly switched to team prince — where he tries to calm, coax, and coach the most attractive person his heart has ever met into a happily ever after with someone else.

Charles Winshaw only agreed to be on "Ever After" in a desperate attempt to repair his professional image and get back to "before" — before he was kicked out of the world of tech work, the only world that makes sense to him. He's been assured that no one else on the show really believes in the love connections that "Ever After" is producing and peddling. But then he meets a kind, unexpectedly patient producer who seems to truly believe — and Charlie is suddenly less desperate for a return to "before" and more desperate to see what might come "ever after."

With lovely complex main characters, broad representation and inclusivity, support for mental health in general and therapy in particular, and an unshakeable theme about loving and deserving love — "The Charm Offensive" is a refreshing, #OwnVoices contemporary romance that doesn't sacrifice personal health and development for the sake of a tidy, shoe-horned romance plot. And yet! You'll absolutely find the romance tropes you adore here.

I thought the middle could use a good trim, but that didn't detract from the overall positive reading experience. It isn't as laugh-out-loud funny as "Boyfriend Material" but if you were a fan of Luc and Oliver (and their friends and co-workers) then you'll want to pick this one up too.

Topics: reality TV, faking, image, mental health, therapy, neurodiversity, OCD, anxiety, depression, friendship, inclusivity, storytelling, discrimination, representation, affirming love, LGBTQ+ (including ace, aro, demisexual, and discussions of spectrum sexuality), self love, seeing and being seen, sexual awareness/awakening, coming out
Tropes: practice dating, secret dating, forced proximity, sexual awakening, opposites attract, talent-handler couple,
Content notes: vomiting, alcohol dependency, panic attacks, anti-LGBTQ bigotry, gaslighting, manipulation, exploitation of mental health issues, kissing for ratings, intimate but not explicit sex scenes

My thanks to #NetGalley and Atria for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rounded up from 3-point-something stars. Not my favorite in the series, but still a swoon-worthy feminist romance in a superbly researched Victorian setting (with bonus underrepresented history).

Aspiring artist, banking heiress, and plucky suffragette Hattie finds herself in a bit of a predicament in book three of the League of Extraordinary Women — she's spotted in a compromising position with the powerful and unscrupulous financier Lucien Blackstone (her father's rival) and is quickly married off to secure the social standings and interests of all involved parties. Well, not Hattie's interests. Although... the more she gets to know the mysterious Lucian, the more she thinks their interests may align after all. But it's complicated and she's not willing to comprise her ideals to easily uncomplicate it.