Book Review: The Beach Trap by Ali Brady

Hello everyone,

Today’s review is on The Beach Trap by Ali Brady.

About the Book

Two best friends torn apart by a life-altering secret. They have one summer to set the record straight.

When twelve-year-olds Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill meet at Camp Chickawah, they have an instant connection. But everything falls apart when they learn they’re not just best friends—they’re also half-sisters. Confused and betrayed, their friendship instantly crumbles.

Fifteen years later when their father dies suddenly, Kat and Blake discover he’s left them a joint inheritance: the family beach house in Destin, Florida. The two sisters are instantly at odds. Blake, who has recently been demoted from regular nanny to dog nanny, wants to sell the house, while social media influencer Kat is desperate to keep the place where she had so many happy childhood memories.

Kat and Blake reluctantly join forces to renovate the dilapidated house with the understanding that Kat will try to buy Blake out at the end of the summer. The women clash as Blake’s renovation plans conflict with Kat’s creative vision, and each sister finds herself drawn into a summer romance. As the weeks pass, the two women realize the most difficult project they face this summer will be coming to grips with their shared past, and learning how to become sisters.

My Thoughts

I need to start by saying that I did not realize that Ali Brady was actually the pen name of a writing duo until about 2/3 of the way through when I happened to glance at the About the Author blurb. They do a fantastic job and unless I’d discovered that I would have just assumed it was one writer. They do a great job of giving Blake and Kat their own voices, however the writing style is seamless.

I really liked this take on The Parent Trap, and how instead of twins, our main characters are half-sisters. I liked how we saw how different their lives were because of the decisions their father chose to make.

I found Kat to be unfairly angry at Blake, but it also makes sense that she would be, especially when her family is big on keeping up appearances. It was also interesting to see how both women processed their grief and anger towards their father, and learn that the other wasn’t to blame for his poor life choices. I loved seeing both of these characters grow, and also find love in the midst of a difficult time.

I also really liked how the novel briefly touches on how lonely and empty influencer culture can be and how it affects our standard of beauty. Here is a quote regarding beauty that I really liked:

“Happiness matters more than what someone else – influencer or not – decides is beautiful. Besides, there’s more to life than looking good on the outside. Especially if you’re just using make up and clothes to cover up how broken you are on the inside.” (p.219).

I also liked the banter between Blake and Noah when they first met, they both had some great lines that I ended up writing down.

I really enjoyed The Beach Trap and I plan on picking up more Ali Brady’s work in the future. 4/5 Stars.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

Book Review: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Hello everyone,

Today’s review is on People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry.

About the Book

Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

From the New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read, a sparkling new novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations.

My Thoughts

So, I feel like my rating is slightly not fair because I started to get into a reading slump while reading it and it is not the book’s fault!

I really enjoyed People We Meet on the Vacation and the different ways Emily Henry pays homage to When Harry Met Sally…. She did a great job of capturing the essence of the movie, but yet making it a unique story.

I loved getting to know both Poppy and Alex and seeing their relationship dynamic over time. There were times I wished, especially in the present day sections, that they had communicated a bit more. I also found Alex to be frustrating sometimes and his lack of taking action.

I loved that while this was a romance, we also see both characters grow, especially Poppy as she tries to figure out what she wants from her life. I also really liked how both Poppy and Alex get to make their own speeches similar to Harry’s speech near the end of the movie. I definitely shed a tear when I read Alex’s speech.

My only complaint is that, while the book starts out with some great banter between the two characters, it kind of fizzles out and I missed it. I also felt like the book dragged on a little, but that could be due to me starting to get into a slump.

I still think this was a great read from Emily Henry and I am sure I will reread it in the future. And she has definitely solidified her place as an auto-read author in the future. 4/5 Stars.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

First Line Fridays #115 – The Story Girl by L. M. Montgomery

Hello everyone,

Welcome to another installment of First Line Fridays hosted by Reading Is My Superpower.

“”I do like a road, because you can be always wondering what is at the end of it.” The Story Girl said that once upon a time.” – The Story Girl by L. M. Montgomery.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

Book Review: A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

Hello everyone,

Today’s review is on A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair.

About the Book

Persephone is the Goddess of Spring by title only. The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist.

Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible.

After a chance encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead and the terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever.

The bet does more than expose Persephone’s failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows—and it’s forbidden.

My Thoughts

I was little hesitant going into this because it has mixed reviews from several people I follow. However, I loved this reimagining of Greek mythology, more specifically Hades and Persephone. I loved getting to know both of them, as well as the other characters.

I think if you are a fan of Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe, you will love A Touch of Darkness, it was the perfect read while I waited for Volume 3 to come out. I also really liked the steamy scenes, I though they were well done, and I loved the tension between Hades and Persephone as they get to know each other.

I am looking forward to seeing what happens to them in the next book. 3.75/5 Stars.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

Book Review: Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Hello everyone,

Today’s review is on Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala.

About the Book

The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer….

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

My Thoughts

I liked Arsenic and Adobo and learning more about Filipino culture and food against the backdrop of a cozy mystery. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters, especially the aunties. I also appreciate that the author didn’t shy away from the prejudice that minorities face every day, especially when it comes to the justice system.

I found the plot to be slow at times, and I’ll be honest, I did not like how everyone dogpiles on Lila because she moved away and came back. I also found Adeena (Lila’s best friend) to be kind of childish towards the end when she gives Lila the silent treatment.

I did like the several possible love interest, and I am looking forward to seeing how that unfolds over the rest of the series. 3.5/5 Stars.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

First Line Fridays #114 – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Hello everyone,

Welcome to another installment of First Line Fridays hosted by Reading Is My Superpower.

“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.” – To Kill the Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

Book Review: Call Me Athena by Colby Cedar Smith

Hello everyone,

Today’s review is on Call Me Athena by Colby Cedar Smith.

About the Book

This enchanting novel in verse captures one young woman’s struggle for independence, equality, and identity as the daughter of Greek and French immigrants in tumultuous 1930s Detroit.

Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit is a beautifully written novel in verse loosely based on author Colby Cedar Smith’s paternal grandmother. The story follows Mary as the American-born daughter of Greek and French immigrants living in Detroit in the 1930s, creating a historically accurate portrayal of life as an immigrant during the Great Depression, hunger strikes, and violent riots.

Mary lives in a tiny apartment with her immigrant parents, her brothers, and her twin sister, and she questions why her parents ever came to America. She yearns for true love, to own her own business, and to be an independent, modern American woman—much to the chagrin of her parents, who want her to be a “good Greek girl.”

Mary’s story is peppered with flashbacks to her parents’ childhoods in Greece and northern France; their stories connect with Mary as they address issues of arranged marriage, learning about independence, and yearning to grow beyond one’s own culture. Though Call Me Athena is written from the perspective of three profoundly different narrators, it has a wide-reaching message: It takes courage to fight for tradition and heritage, as well as freedom, love, and equality.

My Thoughts

I didn’t know about this book until I was going through the poetry finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2021. I came across Call Me Athena and was intrigued to pick it up.

This was a great novel-in-verse in which we follow 16-year-old Mary growing up in 1930s Detroit and her fight against her parents expectations of being a “good Greek girl>” The novel then flashes back to World War I following a young Greek man, Grigos, and a young French woman, Jeanne and how their lives intersect.

I loved this novel and the characters, as well as learning various historical facts. It was also interesting to learn that the novel was based on the life of the author’s grandmother.

Overall, I really enjoyed Call Me Athena. I don’t know what else to say because it is a novel that I really want others to experience. I really hope to read whatever Colby Cedar Smith puts out next. 4.5/5 Stars.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

Book Review: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

Hello everyone,

Today’s review is on Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan.

About the Book

A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting, romantic duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.

My Thoughts

First Line Fridays #113 – Grown-Up Pose by Sonya Lalli

Hello everyone,

Welcome to another installment of First Line Fridays hosted by Reading Is My Superpower.

“Anu Desi tied her hair back with the elastic around her wrist and broke into a jog as she turned into the back alley.” – Grown-Up Pose by Sonya Lalli.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.

Book Haul #4

Hello everyone,

Welcome to another book haul! Here are the books I got in the first half of October (oops!).

The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery

I came across this at Half-Priced Books for about $4 and decided to get it because it’s considered L. M. Montgomery’s more popular adult novels.

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was another one I came across at Half-Priced Books, and I almost never see any of her backlist books so I knew I had to snatch it up. It follows a couple who have a whirlwind romance, but the husband is killed in an accident and the wife, along with the mother-in-law who didn’t know she existed, learn to work through their grief.

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

I chose this from the picks for October’s Book of the Month. It sounds really good, I’m personally trying to go in without knowing to much, except it is set during the Syrian fight for freedom (Arab Spring?), and it is probably going to break me.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

I decided to do an add-on for my October Book of the Month box, and I went with The Love Hypothesis because I loved it so much when I read it in September. It also matches my copy of Love on the Brain!

The next three books are ones that I picked up at my previous job when we did an event where several YA authors came and did panels and workshops. There were copies of the books for sale, and we were able to get them signed by the authors at the end of the day. Here are three I bought and got personalized.

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle

A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson

Full Flight by Ashley Shumacher

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.