Recent Reads

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (2022)

Percy and Sam fall in love as teenagers over the course of her summer visits to the lake, but one mistake causes Percy to stay away for a decade.  When Sam's mother passes away, Percy returns to Barry's Bay and is forced to confront her feelings for Sam.  Carley Fortune's books are so hyped that I've avoided reading them for years, but when I saw this book in a Little Free Library, I took the opportunity to finally read one of her stories!  For the most part, I enjoyed this book.  I liked the back and forth between present and past, seeing Percy and Sam grow up and realize their feelings for each other.  The ending really threw me, though - it was so abrupt and I honestly can't believe that Sam could get over the "mistake" that Percy made when they were younger.  The reveal of the mistake took so long and it seemed so monumental to me, yet it was resolved fairly quickly and painlessly.  4 stars

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood (2024)

Viola and Jesse are video game designers at rival firms, but they have a chance to work together on Viola's dream job.  Their firms participate in a snowy retreat, where Viola finally confronts Jesse over his apathy towards her over the years, and Jesse shocks her with his response.  This was a fun (and spicy) little novella!  I think Hazelwood did a great job succinctly creating a believable and well-rounded backstory for Viola and Jesse, and also for Viola's love for the book series-turned-video game.  The other co-workers on the retreat added some flavor, but in such a short story, it really was all about Viola and Jesse.  I appreciated that they were able to talk through their issues, but I did feel like they got serious so fast, and it always seems a little weird to me that people who have barely talked to each other hold such a torch for each other - is it just me?  3.5 stars

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Horror Novella Quick Reviews

Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker (2024)

Mara is just drifting along in life when she lands a job on the night shift of her cousin's reality show, which combines ghost hunting with home renovations.  While the gags she sets up may not be real, something weird is going on while on the set of their latest show.  Mara must confront her own beliefs while also questioning her journey in life.  I think a lot of people will relate to Mara - she's not a kid anymore, but she doesn't quite have it all figured out.  She has no real career path and moves from one idea to the next.  She joins the crew of a reality show, where she meets Jo and the two grow somewhat close, although their relationship struck me as a bit strange.  I wouldn't say this book is scary - it was pretty obvious to me from the start what was going on, and I think that did make for some unsettling moments.  But this novella is mostly about Mara and her trying to find herself.  4 stars

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir (originally published 2021, translated 2024)

Iðunn's constant fatigue is unsettling, especially since no doctor can pinpoint a reason for it.  One night, she falls asleep with her step counter on, and in the morning she is shocked to find out she supposedly walked several miles during the night - without having any knowledge of it.  Then, she starts waking up injured - what is going on?  Other than reading the blurb, I went into this novella totally blind, and that's definitely the way to go.  I was so engrossed in Iðunn's story - she is desperate for answers, and her restlessness really comes through.  As she comes up with new ways to stop her night walks and try to figure out where she goes and why, the reader is pulled into her plight, which feels creepier and more eerie as it goes along.  The writing is crisp and snappy, with a dry humor throughout.  This could definitely be read in one sitting, as the story moves quickly and some chapters are only one sentence long.  The book faltered for me a bit in the end - I get that the author doesn't need to totally spell everything out for the reader, but it was a little too nebulous for me.  4 stars

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Quick Reviews: The Improbable Meet-Cute Series (Amazon Original Stories)

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren (2024)

An accidental email sent on Valentine's Day leads to a decade-long "friendship" that might just turn into something more in the most unexpected of ways.  I listened to this short story as an audiobook, which might have been a bit of a mistake because the first half of it is email exchanges between the two main characters.  It wasn't really fun to listen to email addresses, dates, and subject lines being read aloud, but I did enjoy that there were two separate narrators.  When the story finally moves away from the emails that T and C exchange every year on Valentine's Day, I got way more into it, as we finally get to know them a little better.  I enjoyed the twists and turns that finally got these two together.  Fun, quick read/listen.  4 stars

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez (2024)

A mistakenly delivered Valentine's Day card brings together a hospice nurse and a handyman, but will their penpal notes lead to a real-life meeting?  OMG, how does Abby Jimenez do it?  This short story was just utter perfection.  Even though it was only 61 pages (and a quick listen), it felt much longer (but in the best way!).  I loved how John and Holly got to know each other through the notes they left on her car and was just itching for the moment they would finally meet in person.  There was so much character development, too - I feel like we got to know Holly and John so well, despite the shortness of the story.  They were both such fleshed-out characters, especially Holly, a hospice nurse taking care of her own grandmother at the end of her life, verging on burning out and healing from a breakup.  John, too, is starting over after a breakup, and both realize that they need to be better to themselves.  But this story wasn't just about romantic love, but also familial love, as Holly is facing a hard time with her grandmother's decline.  I loved the relationship she has with her family.  I laughed, I cried - I just loved this story!  5 stars 

 

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson (2024)

 

Princess Ilaria just wants one weekend where she can be a normal person, so she switches places with her assistant and heads out into Rome.  She meets a Scottish photographer and in their short time together, the two begin to fall for each other.  However, will it all come crashing down when he finds out who she really is?  I love a good royalty/commoner romance, but unfortunately this was a miss for me.  I didn't think Ilaria and Callum's meet-cute was particularly swoonworthy, and while it is romantic to feel that love/lust at first sight, the writing in this story was a bit of a letdown.  So overdone, so cringey, and the characters felt very immature.  As for the audiobook, I wish there had been two narrators, because a female voice trying to do a male Scottish accent was just.. not great.  There was a twist I didn't see coming, but overall I was just disappointed with this one.  3 stars

Blog Break + Quick Reviews: Amazon Short Stories

Just a quick note that I'll be taking a blog break next week and returning on August 29!  Now, onto quick reviews of two Amazon Original Stories, written by two very big names!

 

 

A Wild Rose (A Point in Time #5) by Fiona Davis (2022)

Gloria Banderas, a world-famous concert pianist, is supposed to be playing a huge show at Carnegie Hall, but she is experiencing some unsettling symptoms in her hand which force her to cancel.  She then meets the artists who live above Carnegie Hall and joins them as she heals, at the same time wondering if her life is what she really wants it to be.  I love Fiona Davis' writing, even if only in a short story like this.  She brings New York City to life through its buildings, teaching the reader about places and times.  Gloria was an incredible and well-drawn character, and I enjoyed seeing her journey, wondering if she would overcome the issues with her hand or be forced to give up the only life she's ever known - or would she be content to find a new way?  4 stars

Signal Moon by Kate Quinn (2022)

During WWII, Lily is one of the ladies trained to intercept foreign radio transmissions and then pass them along to the codebreakers at Bletchley Park.  One day, she hears an odd transmission of an American ship taking fire and ultimately sinking.  She thinks she heard the sailor Matt say the year was 2023 - can that even be right?  Can she help him?  I love time travel stories and this was a fantastic and unique take on the genre.  Lily finds a way to communicate with Matt, and I was eager to see how she would convince him that she was really speaking to him from 1943.  There's so much tension because time is of the essence, but the story is also emotional and hopeful.  Overall, just a perfect and captivating short story.  5 stars

Blog Tour + Review: Shapeshifting

Thank you to Lisa Munley at TLC Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour for Shapeshifting by Michelle Ross!  I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Shapeshifting

Michelle Ross

Published November 2, 2021

The fourteen spellbinding stories in Michelle Ross’s second collection invite readers into the shadows of social-media perfectionism and the relentless cult of motherhood. A recovering alcoholic navigates the social landscape of a toddler playdate; a mother of two camps out in a van to secure her son’s spot at a prestigious kindergarten; a young girl forces her friends to play an elaborate, unwinnable game. With unflinching honesty and vivid, lyrical prose, Ross explores the familial ties that bind us together—or, sometimes, tear us apart. - from Goodreads

Short story collections are not something I normally gravitate towards, but as a new mom, this collection of stories about motherhood intrigued me.  In Shapeshifting, Michelle Ross brings readers 14 stories that explore different aspects of motherhood and how it changes women.  The stories were all quite different, and I appreciated that.  Each focused on a different type of mother or different stage of motherhood.  I wasn't expecting the stories to feel so realistic or relatable, but some of them really were.  The tone of the stories was a bit more negative and bleak than I was hoping for, but it all did feel very honest.  Some of the stories missed the mark for me - either I felt like I wasn't totally "getting" the intention of the story or they ended too abruptly.  However, there were a couple standouts:

"After Pangaea" - This is the first story in the collection and was a great way to start off.  A woman is compelled to camp out in her car to make sure she's first on the list to get her son into a good kindergarten.  This story touched on how competitive parenting can be, but it also explored how as a mother, she is somewhat expected to do such things, however uncomfortable, for her children, while her husband is praised for doing what seems like the bare minimum at times.  She seems completely unappreciated, and I really felt for the character.

"Lifecycle of an Ungrateful Daughter" - This story is told in vignettes at different stages of the mother/daughter relationship.  The mother has certain hopes of what their relationship will be like, but inevitably she seems to be disappointed.  Motherhood is not what she thought it would be (at least in regards to this child), and although she tries her best, the gap between her and her daughter continues to grow over the years.  

"Three-Week Checkup" - I related to this story about a new mother, Deena, and her struggles to make it through each day.  I could feel her exhaustion and chuckled a bit at how she responded to the pediatrician's questions about the baby's habits.  Thankfully, my husband is way more helpful and involved than Deena's husband, but I still sympathized with her desire to test him and try to get him to help more with the baby.

3.5 stars

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Quick Reviews: Amazon Short Stories

I came across these Amazon original holiday short stories, free for Prime and Kindle Unlimited, and thought they sounded so fun!  And even though the holidays are behind us, I wanted to review them anyway!

 

Model Home by J. Courtney Sullivan (2021)

 

Katie and her husband Damian host a popular home makeover show, but Damian wants to leave the world of reality tv.  Katie, however, is not ready to give up fame and fortune.  Can she convince him to stay?  At only 39 pages, this was definitely a quick read, but also a really fun behind-the-scenes look at the makings of reality tv shows and personas.  While their life appears perfect on the outside, Katie and Damian are struggling.  Katie loves the material things their success has gotten them, while Damian thinks his wife has changed too much.  I liked that Sullivan was able to incorporate a lot of backstory of how Katie and Damian got to this point, but the ending was lacking, at least for me.  It felt so abrupt and I was left wanting more.  3.5 stars

 

Oh. What. Fun. by Chandler Baker (2021)

 

Claire's three adult children are home for the holidays, and she is going above and beyond to make it perfect.  But when Claire disappears during the festivities, the kids are left wondering what's really going on in her mind.  This short story was so relatable.  I loved how the narrator was the collective voice of Claire's kids.  They don't seem to really appreciate or acknowledge all the work that Claire puts into making the holidays special.  They assume she does it because she enjoys it, and so they never offer to help.  Claire, though, has reached her breaking point, and I really felt for her.  I liked that we were able to get a bit of her perspective, too.  The writing is really snappy and fun, and the story moves along at a great pace.  Anyone who has stayed up late to perfectly wrap gifts or cook that special holiday meal, only to watch everything get demolished in 2 minutes flat, will definitely enjoy this story!  4 stars

Holiday Quick Reviews: Short Stories

Booked for Christmas by Lily Menon (2020)

An author and her worst critic are trapped together in a cabin during a snowstorm in this adorable holiday short story.  Sophie is hosting a holiday party at her cabin when Evan shows up as one of the guest's plus ones; he's unable to leave before a snowstorm hits.  I enjoyed watching these two get to know each other, since they only really know each other's writing.  They both start to understand the other's point of view, and sparks fly.  The writing was super readable and flowed nicely.  Perfectly light and cheery for the holidays!  I thought the ending was a bit abrupt, but I think it's good that I wanted more!  4 stars

Snowed In (Christmas With A Billionaire) by Lila Monroe (2015)

 

If you enjoy your holiday stories with lots of heat, then this is the short story duo for you!  In Snowed in With The Billionaire, party planner Paige is setting up an event at music executive Ace's home when a snowstorm leaves them stranded alone.  Both characters are well-rounded despite the length of the story.  In Christmas with The Billionaire, Broadway actress hopeful Jill plays fake girlfriend for producer Oliver.  There's an interesting angle in this story when Jill gets the role of a lifetime and wonders if it was only because of Oliver.  Although both of these stories were a bit unrealistic (insta-love!), I still enjoyed them.  Monroe is great at creating witty, realistic dialogue, and the mix of humor and steamy scenes was just right.  Both stories are entertaining from start to finish!  4 stars

Once Upon a Christmas by Andrea Boyd, Toni Shiloh, Mikal Dawn, Angela Ruth Strong, and Jaycee Weaver (2019)

 

This collection of five short stories takes your favorite classic fairy tales, modernizes them, and gives them a Christmas twist. I thought these stories incorporated clever modernizations that still kept the essence of the timeless tales.  Sleeping Beauty is updated to tell the story of Talia, who loves being onstage in her family theater but is felled by a strange sleeping disorder; Mulan is a lawyer fighting to save a small business; Snow White is an heiress who flees her conniving fiance and stepmother; Cinderella is a reality TV producer who falls for one of her show's stars; and The Little Mermaid is a college student/hotel worker who longs to open her own art gallery someday.  The stories are easy to read, with little in the way of true conflict - yes, there are dark moments, but you know there will be a happily ever after.  The anthology would fall under Christian fiction, although some stories had more religious themes than others.  If you're looking for sweet, pure romances set during the holiday season, this might be the collection for you.  3.5 stars

Try It, You Might Like It #7: Short Stories

"Try it, you might like it" - it's what someone says when they present you with some food you've never had before or your mom wants you to try on some clothes she picked out for you.  I'm using it here on the blog as inspiration to choose books in genres I don't normally read; to branch out from my reading comfort zones; and to maybe find some new favorites!

For this installment, I've chosen short stories - or rather, short stories chose me.  I was browsing the new release shelves at my library and Jojo Moyes' distinctive font caught my eye.  At first I was a little reluctant to check out Paris for One and Other Stories (2016), but since I loved Me Before You so much, I decided to give it a try.

From the #1 "New York Times" bestselling author of "Me Before You" and "After You," a sensational collection featuring the title novella and eight other stories. Quintessential Jojo Moyes, "Paris for One and Other Stories" is an irresistibly romantic collection filled with humor and heart. 

Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She's never even been on a romantic weekend away to anywhere before. Everyone knows travelling abroad isn't really her thing. But when Nell's boyfriend fails to show up for their romantic mini-vacation, she has the opportunity to prove everyone including herself wrong. Alone and in Paris, Nell uncovers a version of herself she never knew existed: independent and intrepid. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life? Funny, charming, and irresistible, "Paris for One"is vintage Moyes as are the other stories that round out the collection. - from Goodreads

I think there must be a real art to writing short stories - being able to create characters and a story arc in just a few pages, adding just enough detail so the reader understands what's going on without inundating them.  I think Moyes was successful here in that each short story (and one novella) felt mostly complete; I was able to get a clear sense of the characters and what was happening in each story, without the benefit of many pages and chapters of background.  Some of them had twist endings, which helped.

The novella is a cute story about a woman stood up by her boyfriend who makes the most of a weekend in Paris; it's quite romantic and hopeful, but almost a bit too sweet.  However, some of the stories were just strange - particularly the ones about a robbery at a jewelry store and a woman finding someone else's cell phone.  There wasn't anything particularly special about most of them.  They are all told from a female point of view, and many feature an unhappy woman who is taking control of her life.  The writing was good, but not great. 

My issue with short stories is that I just want more - I know I said the stories here felt mostly complete, but in a lot of the cases, I wanted more detail.  The stories could be fleshed out, particularly the stories about long marriages.  I wanted to know how the characters got to these places in their lives instead of being dropped in, in the middle of the story.  It's hard to feel connected or invested when you only get a few pages.