When it comes to authors who write "domestic drama," Lombardo is one of the best. This captivating novel follows 57-year-old Julia Ames who's juggling family issues and secrets from her past. Told through various timelines, we learn about Julia's fraught relationship with her mother Anita, her friendship with an older woman named Helen Russo (who helped fill some of those motherly gaps), and her feelings about her oldest son Ben getting married.

When Ben was three, Julia was overwhelmed by motherhood. After she meets a sophisticated older woman named Helen Russo at the Botanical Gardens, she's immediately charmed. Helen and Julia form a strong friendship that's challenged when Julia gets involved with Helen's young son. Although Julia and her sometimes too-good-to-be-true husband Mark survive the infidelity, it reverberates through their relationship for years to come.

Throughout the various timelines looms a big secret: Something happened to cause Julia and Anita's tenuous connection to further deteriorate. We don't learn what it is until near the end. I was genuinely surprised by the reveal, and thought it was a compelling plot point.

From the plentiful details of everyday life to big plot points that keep the long narrative flowing, this book engages as it entertains. I do have one quibble, and that is that it seemed about 50 to 100 pages too long. I love complicated family sagas as much as the next bookworm, but this one topped out at 500 pages.

Aside from length, I really enjoyed this book. I got an eARC from @doubleday and also listened to the audio (terrific!). And, of course, I invested in a hard copy from @bookofthemonth for my keeper shelf.

If you're a fan of complex family dramas that make intriguing comments about motherhood, marriage, and family, this one is a great choice.

Tessa's books are hit or miss for me, and, unfortunately, this was a miss.

Introduced in Fan Girl Down (which I loved), Tallulah & Burgess are reintroduced here. Burgess, the aging goalie of Boston's hockey team, is having trouble keeping track of his tween daughter and needs help. He recruits Talullah, a marine biologist student, to help. At first she's very hesitant to even meet him. We find out she'd been abused in the past. Talullah's hesitance with having a relationship with big, bulking Burgess is understandable. That said, I didn't think there was enough about how she really worked through it--with or without Burgess. I love how Tessa includes real issues in her romances (diabetes in Fan GIrl Down) but here it wasn't explored beyond surface level.

The connection between T and B didn't ring true to me. Plus, we only get a few scenes of Tallulah interacting with Burgess's daughter & when there is a big issue, it's resolved off-the-page. I loved the super steam (a Tessa trademark I love), but this seemed to put the steam over emotional connection between the 2 main characters. I need to believe that my romance couples will go the distance, and these two didn't give me that vibe.

I'm still on the Bailey bus, because when she's good, she's really good. This one, unfortunately, didn't hit for me.

I really enjoyed this novel about a young woman's rise to pop-music stardom in the late 1900s, early 2000s.

Amber Young doesn't have much going for her as a kid: Her dad left when she was a baby and started a new family, her mother has a drinking problem, and her grades aren't great. But, she can sing.

We go along for the ride as she experiences the hallmarks we've read about in real life: the sexual exploitation of young girls, competition with fellow young singers, first love with the member of the boy band she tours with, how she's portrayed in the media vs. her real personality, etc. It's interesting, emotional, and juicy. Amber deals with a roller coaster of issues which can, at times, weigh the narrative down. But her true friendship with her main singing competition and her connection to a producer do bring moments of joy and profundity.

While I did read parts of the eARC, I’d suggest listening to the audio because you get different narrators giving you entertainment “reports” throughout Amber’s narration. It's a neat feature. Banta's done a great job with this debut!

If you love the Britney, Justin, Christina, Jessica of it all, check this one out!

NBC political reporter Hixenbaugh shares his investigation into how conservative-right candidates won control of the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, TX. After a series of racist incidents in 2021, the school district attempted to create an inclusiveness policy. A conservative backlash to this ignited & control of the board shifted to a conservative-right majority that prioritizes Christian nationalist beliefs. And, he shows how this did what we’ve seen happen to so many schools across the nation: LGBTQ+ & Black students were harassed & dehumanized, good teachers quit, curricula was rewritten & conservatives remain in power.

Mike's book is well-researched and informative. I appreciated the deep dive into how the usurping of school boards and increase in book challenges by conservatives are well-funded & coordinated efforts that include help from the Texas GOP and GOP legislators across the nation. This entire issue, Mike shares, is a concerted effort by conservatives and Republicans to denigrate and destroy public schools and give public money to private schools where marginalized people can be denied access and the curricula can "teach" whatever Christian nationalist nonsense it wants, truth be damned.

This is a sobering & disheartening BUT important read. I highly recommend it to those who not only want to bring awareness to the machinations behind the surge in book bans, but also shine light on the ultimate goal of this increased effort: to eradicate public schools.

Amanda is pissed (& she has every right to be). As a school librarian in Louisiana, she spoke up at a public library board meeting against censorship. Almost immediately a vocal right-wing group began harassing her online. They barraged her with hate--calling her a pedophile & groomer (it continues to this day). She was distraught--even so-called friends abandoned her. She decided to fight back & sued the men who began the harassment. If this can happen to Amanda--a lifelong conservative--it can happen to anyone.

Although it could be a bit repetitive in parts, this memoir allows Amanda to speak her truth, with the anger she is owed. I was so incensed on her behalf. How her so-called friends kowtowed to the mob of hate and didn't stand up for her. How two men--and their minions of hate and lies--were supported by the Louisiana justice system to--so far--defame her with lies and vitriol. Nationally several drag performers have won settlements for being labeled as Amanda has been labeled. I hold out hope she gets the same justice they have. Falsely and viciously calling opponents of book-banning these things dilutes the likelihood that the real perpetrators of this in our society will be held accountable.

Amanda's memoir offers good advice, especially about how educators/librarians can fight back. She rightly claims (again and again) that NO trained and educarted librarians or educators are putting inappropriate books in front of kids. These are professionals who are trained to know what books are appropriate for kids because they serve ALL not just a few.

Amanda shows how one innocuous speech (it's included in the book) can open the door for heinous harassment by vicious people who lie in the pursuit of power & control. This is a must-read for anyone who is interested or involved in efforts to speak up and out against book-banning.