None of This is True by Lisa Jewell 5/5 Stars
Due to my being extremely picky with mysteries/thrillers, I don’t read many of them. This one surpassed my expectations; I absolutely loved it. It went in a direction I wasn’t expecting and kept me engrossed the whole read. A lot of ups and downs and corners and curves. Can’t say much more without giving things away. Highly recommended.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 5/5 Stars
This book was so great that I listened to the audiobook in two days and it was immediately added to my favorites list. Enthralling, captivating, moving, and extremely interesting. This is an extremely well-written and well thought out book. We get the story from the points of view of three very different characters: Tova, Marcellus the octopus, and Cameron. Cameron was my least favorite (seems to be a popular opinion) but he didn’t take away from me enjoying the story. If you love books that have non-human POVs you’ll probably love this.

Funny Story by Emily Henry 5/5 Stars
I love Emily Henry!!! After liking but not being totally in love with her last release, I was relieved to love this one so much. Daphne and Miles find themselves roommates after their respective significant others cheat with and leave them for each other. One of the smartest, funniest, most entertaining of romance books. Emily Henry is the romance bar for me that no other author has yet reached.

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl 4/5 Stars
I have been lazy about book reviews and did not sit down to write this one until almost a month after finishing it. I found that I did not remember what happened and when I spoke with others regarding a content warning I didn’t remember that at all. It took a few days of reflection for it to all come back to me, which is to say that this is an enjoyable but forgettable book. The sexual abuse content is, to me, the most revolting kind as it involves a minor, and it is not even necessary in the story. It felt gratuitous and would have been better left out. I didn’t love Stella as a character but there was enough Paris content that I still enjoyed reading it. I would recommend borrowing this from the library as it is not one that I plan on rereading.

The Love of my Life by Rosie Walsh 2/5 Stars
This being a thriller I can’t say too much because of spoilers, but this book was hugely disappointing for me. I loved the beginning of the book when everything was a mystery and the suspense was building but when things started to be revealed, and as more and more things were revealed, the characters got progressively worse and the story was a flop.

A Northern Light in Provence by Elizabeth Birkelund 5/5 Stars

The Memory of Lavender and Sage Aimie K. Runyan 5/5 Stars
This was such a dreamy book that had several of my favorite things: a France/Provençal setting, magical realism, involved cooking and writing, finding yourself, and love. A fantastic story written well that I highly recommend!

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle 3/5 Stars (really rounding up from a 2.5)
Early Review: The first three-quarters-or-so of this book was great. Witty, quick, interesting, engaging…
I feel like you could find a good argument for forgiving the first one or two times someone does something, but when it gets to be more than that it makes the person doing the forgiving/forgetting look like an idiot. And pathetic. And by the end of this book that I originally enjoyed very much, I felt that Molly (how many times was it necessary to say “Molls” in this book? Could that have just been her name??) was an inconsiderate, selfish child who was lucky to be forgiven so many times by Seth, the desperate guy who tries too hard, forgives unconditionally (this guy needs a back bone and some self-respect), and tries to jump into marriages because he doesn’t have the awareness to realize that he’s jumping into relationships just so he can have a family and not because the woman is a good fit for him. It was well-written though.
I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in Exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on June 4, 2024.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez 5/5 Stars
This book was recommended from multiple sources while on my quest to find romance books within the realm of Emily Henry. This one came amazingly close! I really enjoyed it and was sucked right in; I was pretty crabby when I couldn’t listen to the audiobook. The characters were developed well, especially Emma with her tumultuous upbringing. While trying not to give anything away, there is an aspect of “found family” that I can appreciate personally and thought it handled well and realistically. It’s an intense read, both on trauma and romance. There’s a long part about norovirus so heads up if that affects you.

If you’d like to follow along as I’m reading, you can follow me on Goodreads.