A Slow Burn Dance into Contemporary Romance

 

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For the month of April I will be focusing on straight, contemporary romance reads. By that I mean these will be novels set in a realistic contemporary world with no elements of fantasy or the paranormal in them. My first pick for this month is Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell, which comes out this July. I would say Slow Dance is a steamy, contemporary adult romance. It is also a stand alone novel, not part of a series.

I have long been a fan of Rainbow Rowell. I loved Eleanor and Park and Fangirl.  I enjoyed the Simon Snow novels inspired by the fan fiction in Fangirl. I will also admit that Slow Dance is the first adult novel of Rowell's that I've read. This novel bears all the hallmarks of a Rainbow Rowell novel, complicated characters with difficult backstories and life situations. However, it is an interesting mix of adult and young adult novel. It revolves around Shiloh, a young, thirty-something divorcee with two kids and Cary, her former best friend. The two are brought together after fourteen years by the marriage of their mutual best friend Mikey.

Here are the things I love about this book. First, I love that Rowell seems to make it seem effortless to depict characters whose lives are messy, who don't have it all figured out, who had life goals only some of which they've achieved. I love that Shiloh is both protective of the life she has built for herself but also embarrassed by it. On the one hand, she is raising her two kids and sharing custody of them with her ex-husband, while also feeling she's taken a step backwards by moving in with her mom. Shiloh enjoys her job working at the local Children's Theatre, but also feels she has to apologize for it because it means she's traded living in her hometown for what could have been a bigger life pursuing a stage career for herself. It is so realistic of what life can be, a mix of pride at what you have carved out for yourself while still feeling you need to apologize to the wider world for not being what the world sees as a breakout hit or success. Yet, as Shiloh grows and changes throughout the story, her growing realization of what brings happiness makes her less apologetic and instead proud. Proud to admit her love for her best friend and proud to take a chance at building a life with him where they can be happy. 

I also loved that Cary is everything wonderful in a love interest, loyal, tender, willing to listen, but also complicated, sometimes surly, and often clueless about articulating his feelings. When he finally decides to risk giving his heart to Shiloh again, the results of that are messy, uncertain and unexpected. But Rowell still manages to make the moment tender and heartbreaking in the best way. Cary, unlike Shiloh, left home and never expected to look back. He's made a career for himself just as he set out to do in the Navy. However, he has still retained his ties to his mother, who is actually his grandmother, and has never stopped looking out for her and taking care of her. In spite of her mistakes, in spite of all the people she brought into his life, all the siblings, step-siblings, half-siblings, cousins she's always taking in and caring for, adding to the people, by extension, Cary has to care for or worry about. In this way, both Cary and Shiloh understand each other on a deep level as both come from broken homes with mother's who made questionable choices. I also like that each of the moms own up to their mistakes to some degree, but also don't apologize for living their life the way they wanted. Again, it is genuine and makes them fully fleshed secondary characters because they are messy, flawed and yet supportive and loving toward their children, though Shiloh's mom is much less maternal and nurturing than Cary's. 

What makes this book an interesting blend of adult and young adult is the fact that it is told through a mix of chapters set in the current timeline for the adult versions of the characters with flashback chapters of the teen versions of the characters. At least half of the novel is made up of chapters about the before versions of Shiloh and Cary. Some even give alternate points of view of the same parts of the story from the other character's viewpoint. So, for example, one set of chapters told from Cary's point of view after bootcamp is later retold from Shiloh's viewpoint. It was a surprise to me that the story was told this way. I will admit that while I think that Rowell was able to pull it off overall, at times, I was frustrated to have to read some of these before chapters. I felt that there were times when I could have done without some of them and would have preferred to see some of that information worked into the current timeline for the adults instead. I was most invested in the storyline for Cary and Shiloh as adults and while I do think some of the before chapters are important to understand the roadblocks that exist between Cary and Shiloh as grownups and to understand why they've not be in touch for so long after being so close as teens, I still wish there had been fewer before chapters. I felt that for me, they slowed the pacing down for the story and made it longer than it needed to be. That is the main reason I give this a 4 out of 5 stars. That may be a pet peeve for me though, and some will likely feel differently. 

If you like contemporary romance with compelling, realistic characters, then I highly recommend reading Slow Dance. I did enjoy it and I found the love story between Cary and Shiloh to be touching, and heartbreakingly beautiful. I was very pleased to be given the chance to read an ARC of this book by NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers in exchange for this honest review.

Stay tuned for my next review in a couple of weeks of a young adult/new adult contemporary romance by Kristy Boyce entitled Hot Dutch Daydream which is a follow up novel to Hot British Boyfriend. Click on the titles for links to Goodreads for blurbs on either of these books.

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A Romp Into Regency Romance

 

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Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti is a fun and lighthearted Regency Romance. It chronicles the adventures of Peter Kent the Duke of Stanhope and his friend Lady Selina Ravenscroft. The pair find themselves in a bit of a dilemma when Peter requests Selina's aid in helping him gain custody of his two younger half-siblings. It seems that since inheriting his title he has developed quite the scandalous reputation. As his father did not recognize Peter's two siblings before his death, their guardianship is very much up in the air. To make matters worse, the man who will have to decide whether or not to bequeath them to Peter's custody does not care for the disreputable duke after he cheated the man out of his already stolen brandy--unwittingly, of course. Selina devises what she thinks is the perfect plan to make Peter respectable again. He must marry a noblewoman who is above reproach. The only problem is Selina secretly longs for Peter for herself and the more she tries to wed him off to another the harder it becomes for either of them to find Peter the perfect match among the worthiest candidates.

There were several refreshing aspects of this novel. One was the fact that Peter was not raised to become a duke. As such, he does not see himself as entitled to the privilege his nobility automatically bestows upon him. Peter was raised in impoverished circumstances in Louisiana. However, he is radically opposed to slavery, and Peter is determined to use his place in the House of Lords to abolish it. He is also determined to protect his younger siblings as their guardian at all costs, even though he has no idea how to raise two children. I found his character to be charming in his cluelessness at navigating the political and social waters of the ton. I also loved the fact that he is not a haughty and entitled nobleman as so many characters in these types of romances are portrayed as being. His unusual circumstances make this very plausible in the story. The other refreshing aspect of this novel is its heroine, Lady Selina Ravenscroft. After her debut in society, Selina is shocked and brokenhearted to learn how dire a lack of education can be for her counterparts if they are led astray by the wrong man. To prevent this from ever happening again, Selina takes it upon herself to help educate young women of the ton by supplying them with literature that explains the birds and the bees to them, sometimes in quite erotic detail. She does this by managing a lending library that she convinces her twin brother to procure for her. However, her feminine empowerment of her peers also leaves her with a scandalous secret that makes her a poor match for Peter as a wife. Therein lies the conflict of the story. 

Peter and Selina are unable to resist one another and they do ultimately wind up together. Along the way though, we meet some very charming secondary characters such as Selina's aunt and her long-term companion Thomasin, Peter's two young siblings, of course, Lu and Freddie, and some of Selina's close friends, Lydia and Iris, who she attempts to match with Peter. We also meet another young woman who becomes a friend to Peter and Selina, Georgiana. The elements of found family for Peter and Selina are lovely. Other things that Vasti handles well are the vulnerabilities and scars that both the primary characters and some of the secondary characters have and how these become an integral part of the story. Both Peter and Selina fear admitting to the other their true feelings. In the end though, they learn to lean on each other and realize they are stronger for it, which is a nice change of pace from most romances where the hero and heroine usually end up split apart after a misunderstanding before they can win their happily-ever-after. 

I would very much like to see Vasti make this a series where she develops romances for some of the other characters in the book such as Lydia, Iris, Georgiana, and possibly even Selina's brother, who is mentioned but never seen, Will. It might also be fun to read a romance for Lu and Freddie somewhere down the line as well once they're grown. If you love a good rom-com set in the regency period I highly recommend this novel. I was privileged to read an ARC of it through NetGalley. Thanks to both NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a free copy to read in exchange for this honest review.

Celtic Fantasy in the Isle of Eire

 

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For the first review of this month, I'm going to take us back a bit to a book I read the end of last year. But as it is one that takes place in a reimagined ancient Ireland a generation of so after the Celts invade and take dominion over the island, I thought it fitting to discuss right before St. Patty's Day. Lesley Livingston's Queen Among the Dead is a wonderfully written fantasy about a rogue and a princess that incorporates elements of Celtic mythology and fairy tale retellings to weave together a tale of adventure, magic and some light romance. 

Neve is a princess of the Kingdom of Eire who some believe was cursed at birth and rumored to have been abandoned by her mother as a result. As the youngest daughter of the Dagda, she is the child overlooked by everyone. This works to her advantage though, because instead of being raised to embrace the traditional feminine role of a princess, she is allowed to train to be a fighter instead. Ronan, an orphan who was taken in to be a Druid apprentice was kicked out of the order for having too much curiosity, of all things, and has turned to a life of crime to survive. A rogue in every sense of the word, he accidentally saves Neve from an evil spirit in a graveyard and the two are inextricably linked from that moment on. 

One of the things I loved about this book was the way this Celtic society is depicted. So often in books about the Irish Celts they are depicted as the ones fighting for dominion of their lands as other invading elements slowly take over and stamp out their way of life, or they are depicted as being a civilization in tune with the natural world and its inherent magic. But in this world the Celts are the invaders. A war-like people who came to this green island from the steppes and plains of the distant east, taking over the magical peoples indigenous to the island and trying to stamp most of them out. I found this to be a clever take on Irish myths about the Foomori, the Fir Bolgs, who are the main denizens who lived in Eire before the Celts swept in, in this interpretation at least, as well as many other magical beings of Irish or Celtic legend. Often the very creatures who are depicted as the foes of all that is good and civilized, in this case are the ones who have been cast out, persecuted or colonized by these strange invaders. Not only that, but their Druids have slowly been syphoning away all the magic in the land and hoarding it for themselves. For what nefarious purpose you may wonder? Well, I can't really say without it being a spoiler. You'll have to read the book to figure it out.

Other elements I enjoyed about the story were magical qualities that both Neve and Ronan discover they've been cursed with. Notice I didn't say blessed here. Neither of the heroes in the story feel their magical abilities that they don't understand or feel they can control are good things. People with any modicum of magic are ruthlessly hunted down by the king's hounds. What happens after they are caught, usually isn't good. For Ronan, if he's discovered it is sure to be a death sentence. For Neve it could be proof that she's cursed as she was rumored to be at birth. This personal conflict for both characters sets them up as enemies at first who then have to learn to rely on each other just to stay alive. 

Staying alive means running away in Neve's case. Something is rotten in her kingdom and in order to get to the bottom of it she must flee to avoid getting married off to someone who definitely has an agenda of his own. One that would decidedly not be good for either Neve or her kingdom. The intricate mysteries, the air of something being really not right about this world and this kingdom mixed with the magic and danger make this a very entertaining read. However, it could be a bit slow for those not as knowledgeable about the ancient Celts or Irish folklore. The romantic elements are also lighter in tone than what you may be used to with most young adult based fantasies, at least, lately. I wouldn't say those are reasons not to give this book a try though. If you enjoy high fantasy then you will likely enjoy this novel, and for those who prefer stand alone titles, this book is one. Also, if you click on the title for the book you will be taken to the site of a wonderful independent bookstore in Kentucky, Joseph-Beth Booksellers. If you like supporting independent bookstores then I definitely recommend ordering a copy of your own from them to read. 

Tune in a couple of weeks from now for my next review of a regency romance by Alexandra Vasti called the Ne'er Duke Well. Also, feel free to share any recommendations of fantasies you've enjoyed inspired by Celtic myths or fairy tales in the comments below.

Check & Mate a Review

 

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Going along with this month's theme, today we will be focusing more on romance than mystery. Though I was surprised to find that Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood does include a bit of mystery about the main character and her reasons for vowing never to play or enjoy chess again. Don't worry, I won't spoil that mystery for you. I will only say that you have to keep reading until almost the end to figure out the full story about what happened with Mallory, the main character, and her chess Grand Master father, to make her want to stop playing. That being said, the heart of the story beyond the sport itself, is the romance between Mallory and bad boy of chess Nolan Sawyer. I will admit that this is the first book of Ali Hazelwood's I've read and it also happens to be her debut young adult novel. All of her other books have been geared toward an adult audience. I picked this as a read because one of my book clubs voted on this for our February book discussion and I am very glad we did. I loved reading about Mallory as she struggles to help out her family and in the process falls in love again with chess and lands herself a sweet and very hot boyfriend in the process.

There are so many things I loved about this book. First, I love Mallory as a character. She is brave, smart and loyal. As a recent college grad at the start of the book, we learn that she has chosen to stick close to home rather than go off to college like most of her friends and fellow classmates. Mallory even gives up scholarships that could have paid her way in college to help her mom and two younger sisters. Instead, she continues to work full-time as an auto mechanic. Here again is a plot point that I love. Not only do we have a character who is willing to self-sacrifice to help out her family, but she is able to do it in a field that is a male-dominated one. I learned after picking up this book that all of Ali Hazelwood's novels feature heroines involved in STEM oriented endeavors. Mallory is no exception. All of this info is covered in the first chapter, as well as her family setup. Her mom has rheumatoid arthritis, which makes it hard for her to work, and Mallory's dad is out of the picture completely, though we don't really know why. Added to that pressure, Mallory's two younger sisters are both too young to really be of much help, Sabrina is only fifteen and youngest sister Darcy is twelve. Things, of course, all change when Mallory's best friend Easton, who is set to leave for college across the country in Colorado in a couple of weeks, convinces Mallory to help her out in a charity chess match as a last hurrah style favor to her. Though reluctant, Mallory is unable to pass up a chance to spend some time with Easton, and despite her promise to herself not to play chess again, she secretly can't resist a good reason to do just that for her friend. Enter Nolan Sawyer, heartthrob and World Chess Champion. As luck, or as this is fiction, fate would have it, Nolan ends up being a part of the charity event too and is the person Mallory is matched against. Now here is where some readers may have to suspend their disbelief. After four years of not playing at all, Mallory not only challenges Nolan in their match, she also beats him. Something that she immediately regrets as Mallory remembers what a sore loser Nolan has been known to be in the past. Not even bothering to shake his hand after winning, Mallory immediately flees instead. 

I know, I know, it doesn't seem like a plausible scenario. But as the story develops and we learn more about Mallory, a former chess prodigy, we discover that not only is she good at fixing cars, she is a natural strategist and player when it comes to dominating a chess board. This coupled with the fact that Nolan was doing this for charity and probably not expecting to play against anyone that challenging, made this meet-cute moment plausible for me. At least enough for me to laugh at the outcome and enjoy what happens next. But those were just a few of the many positives I loved about this novel. Others that I will try to sum up for you are the interplay between Mallory and her family and how it juxtaposes so nicely with Nolan and his background. Up until Mallory was a freshman in high school, she had a close family with both parents in the home and her two sisters. Nolan by contrast is an only child who grew up with his grandfather being the only person he was ever close to or felt loved by. Later, this becomes another reason for him to fall for Mallory, as he enjoys being welcomed into her home by her mom and sisters when he makes a surprise visit. Speaking of Mallory's family, Hazelwood does not sugarcoat their dynamics either. She makes Mallory's interplay with her sisters very believable. Both Sabrina and Darcy know how to push Mallory's buttons and enjoy doing so, and as she mentions in the book, the two of them are only united when it involves ganging up on Mallory. Other things I appreciated about the book was the fact that Mallory is unapologetically smart. When she eventually agrees to accept a fellowship that allows her to play as a pro in the chess world, she is surprised to find that it is a very male-dominated field, maybe as much so as being a woman auto mechanic was. That doesn't keep her intimidated for long, though, and despite how hard she has to work to catch up in order to be a true threat against long-standing pros, Mallory has enough belief in her abilities to take them on. My other great love in the story is the romantic lead, Nolan. When he meets Mallory for the first time he is intrigued and thrilled to meet someone who makes playing chess fun again. This appreciation for her as a player soon turns into more as he looks into who she is and gets to know her more and more. What begins as a desire to finagle a rematch with her soon turns into a slow-burn romance with a payoff at the end that is super sweet.

Now you might be wondering with all of these positives about this book were there any negatives. Well, to be honest there were a few. For starters, the intrigue about what caused Mallory's family to implode and her dad to leave was a bit anticlimactic for me. While the resolution for that plot point was believable, I felt it was a bit more cliched than I'd hoped it would be. Another gripe I've seen mentioned about this book was that there were too many pop culture references that some younger readers feel have been overdone by too many writers. As an adult reader, I didn't think of this as a problem at first, as I knew most of these references were geared towards people my kids' ages. However, looking at other contemporary books I've recently read geared toward the same audience and reflecting on the ways they developed their character voice, I can see how relying on pop culture references could come across as too heavily done with this book. I also noted some people not liking Mallory's promiscuity early on in the book. While I can see how some might not agree with that for her character development, I thought the author wove that in with Mallory's misbelief about herself very well. Mallory does not see herself as being worthy of someone else's love or admiration. I could also readily believe that Mallory would only be interested in sex for physical pleasure and shy away from any committed relationships after being traumatized by her parents' breakup. Someone as young as Mallory could very well turn to sex as a release from all the adult pressures and stresses she's had to face at such a young age while still believing she isn't worthy of more. It made her seem more human to me as a character. That being said, all of that makes this book more suitable for an older young adult audience.

All in all, I plan on keeping this book as a to-read-again. I found it to be fun, heartfelt, and very romantic. Plus, Ali Hazelwood's depictions of the chess matches throughout the book are exciting to read about even if you don't know that much about the game. I look forward to reading more books by this author. If you enjoy contemporary romances involving female characters that are in some way involved in STEM oriented fields, or in this case, STEM oriented sports, (and yes, I looked it up and chess is recognized by the Olympic committee as a sport), you will enjoy this book and likely many of Ali Hazelwood's other adult romances.

Next month, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I will be reading and reviewing some anglophile inspired fiction. Stay tuned!!

Want to Cozy Up With a Mystery This February?

 

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As promised, this month's theme in terms of book reviews will be mystery and romance. For my first pick, I've chosen this cute cozy mystery by Sarah Fox. Murder Most Owl is the first in a new series set in the fictitious town of Twilight Cove, Oregon. Georgie Johansen is a successful screenwriter for TV who lives in Los Angeles. Her expertise is in writing thrillers and mysteries. When she returns to Twilight Cove to help her aunt at her animal sanctuary after she’s broken her ankle, Georgie finds herself embroiled in a real-life murder mystery.

I really enjoyed this book. Olivia is a very likable and believable character. She is someone who suffered loss at a young age with the death of her mother. Afterwards, Georgie and her dad never really have a home base as her father moves them around a lot throughout much of her childhood. Her happiest memories growing up were the few years she spent in Twilight Cove living with her aunt as a teen. But Georgie hasn’t been back since her dad moved her away. It was too hard to leave the first time around. Once back, however, she falls in love with the animals at the sanctuary and is intrigued by her aunt’s new farm manager, Callum, who seems to have some secrets of his own. When Aunt Olivia’s reclusive neighbor Dorothy is killed, Georgie volunteers to take in Dorothy’s two dogs Flossy and Fancy. Though Georgie learns from a town gossip that Dorothy was a witch, it’s her two dogs who actually have special talents.

One thing to note about this novel, if you are expecting heavy fantasy elements with purported witch Dorothy in the vane of a Madelyn Alt or a Shea MacLeod cozy mystery, this is not that type of book. Likewise, if you are expecting the animal characters to have conversations about their human counterparts as they might in a Rita Mae Brown novel, you will not find that here, either. That being said, I really appreciated the clever way this author handled the light fantasy elements that are present in the story. Fox doesn’t have Fancy or Flossy act outside the realm of a normal intelligent dog, and manages to incorporate their abilities into their characters in a way that compliments their normal behavior. Their special qualities aren’t revealed right away either, which adds another element of intrigue to figure out as the story unfolds. I also enjoyed the owl Euclid, who was Dorothy’s friend, and who soon becomes Georgie’s friend and protector. Though for a nocturnal animal, he does seem to be awake in the daytime an awful lot, something even Georgie comments on. Still, it doesn’t stretch the suspension of disbelief too far.

In terms of Georgie as amateur sleuth, I appreciated the way Fox handles how Georgie becomes caught up in solving Dorothy’s murder. At first, it is her normal curiosity that causes her to become unwittingly involved. Unlike other stories, she doesn’t automatically assume she is more qualified to solve the case than the police. But as clues and even deaths begin to mount up, she can’t let the puzzle go and becomes more invested. She even motivates others like her aunt and her old high school friend, Tessa, to help. The clues add a fun element to the puzzle as I could tell when some were important to the plot, and had a suspicion of who the murderer might be. But I couldn’t figure out the connections for all of the pieces provided until near the very end. Another thing I liked about the story was the building attraction between Georgie and Callum. It added a fun touch of romance to the novel, even though, like Georgie, you aren’t sure he’s trustworthy. It is however, a slow burn romance. So, if you like steamier romantic elements in your mysteries, again that is not this type of novel. Other secondary characters like Tessa, Aunt Olivia and her knitting circle, and other less likeable ones such as local journalist Byron Szabo and Shanifa and Mo, local food truck owners, fill out this cast and make Twilight Cove feel like a real place full of real, if sometimes offbeat, people. Something that I can relate to living in a small close-knit community myself. All in all, the only detractor I had for the story was the obvious antagonist at the beginning, the developer Ed Grimshaw. Fox made him a bit too bombastic and two-dimensional for me as a character. Also, the pacing of the story is slower than what you might expect. But this is the first in a series, so the worldbuilding and development of the cast of characters does take as much precedence in this book as the mystery itself.

However, if you like cozy mysteries with a dash of fantasy and a touch of romance mixed in, then I highly recommend you check out Murder Most Owl. It is a fun and easy read and I look forward to reading more in this series.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Severn House for providing me with this ebook ARC to read in exchange for this honest review.

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Check back in the next couple of weeks for my next review, which will be of this young adult romance by Ali Hazelwood. Here is a blurb, courtesy of Amazon, to help wet your appetite.

In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.

Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)

Breathing Underwater a Review

 

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This contemporary young adult novel by Abbey Nash revolves around Tess, a competitive swimmer who is set to go to Nationals with her high school team when tragedy strikes. At a party with friends, Tess experiences a seizure and nearly drowns. Afterwards, she finds out that it was more than a fluke. In fact, she is diagnosed with epilepsy, something that could put an end, not only to competing with her team, but to her swimming career entirely. Even worse, her seizure costs Tess her summer job lifeguarding, to new guy Charlie, and puts a strain on her relationship with her best friend Mackenzie (Mac). A wedge that only continues to grow as Mac seems more interested in hanging out with teammate and popular mean girl, Rachel, than with Tess. 

Breathing Underwater was a slow read for me, at first. Even though the inciting incident that changes everything in the story happens early on, Tess's singular focus on swimming and nothing else made it hard for me to immediately empathize with her. I did feel bad that she and Mac seem to be having some trouble even before Tess has her seizure. However, as she faces one hurdle after another and gets to know Charlie, her new neighbor, I felt myself being pulled into this story. 

I found the characters to all be well drawn and Tess's reaction, to what she sees as her body's betrayal, very believable and genuine. I appreciated that Nash does this with sensitivity and heart. A story like this one could easily become an angst ridden one with a main character that either lashes out at everyone in anger or wallows in self-pity. But Nash creates a realistic three-dimensional character in Tess, who fluctuates between fear, uncertainty, anger and the pain of disappointment, feeling like she won't ever live up to her full potential or achieve her dreams. Likewise, Tess's interactions with Mac, her family and with Charlie all add layers to the story making it a compelling read. The more I got to know her and the other characters the more I found myself unable to put it down. I especially loved the banter and flirting that goes on between Tess and Charlie as their romance develops. Not only does he become a good friend to her, but the attraction between them has a slow sweet build as their first love blossoms. Charlie also carries some secret pain and disappointments of his own that add intrigue to the story. In the midst of all of this, Nash gives us a nice time clock that intensifies the pace as the Nationals approach and we are left wondering if Tess will still be able to achieve her dream of competing and securing a scholarship at the college she has always hoped to attend. All in all, I would give this 4 out of 5 stars since it did take me a bit longer to be drawn into the story. However, that could also be because I am reading it from an adult perspective. 

Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy contemporary young adult fiction that has a slow burn style element of romance. It is a stand alone book as well, which may appeal to some readers who prefer that to series fiction. Breathing Underwater also has a premise I haven't seen a lot in YA fiction since it involves a character who is struggling to adapt to having a serious disorder that could throw all of her aspirations completely off course. Added to that this cover design is gorgeous. If any or all of these things appeal to you as a reader then definitely put this one on your want to read list. Its publication date is March 5, 2024. I was fortunate to receive a free, digital advanced reader copy (ARC) from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Stayed tuned for my reviews for next month's reads. February's theme will be romance and mystery. My first book on my list to review will be Murder Most Owl a cozy mystery by Sarah Fox. It will be another NetGalley read. Below is a short blurb to wet your appetite. As always, please feel free to leave a comment with book reading recommendations.

The first in the enchanting new Magical Menagerie Mystery series where things are not always what they seem. Georgie Johansen returns to the charming, coastal town of Twilight Cove and quickly finds herself in a whirlwind of romance, magic and murder!

It's been years since screenwriter Georgie Johansen last visited her aunt Olivia's farm in the coastal town of Twilight Cove and things have certainly changed. First of all it's now an animal sanctuary, and then there's the new farmhand who's as mysterious as he is handsome. Her first day on the farm, Georgie encounters the eccentric Dorothy Shale, an older woman who lives in a cabin in the woods. There are rumours that Dorothy's a witch, but Georgie doesn't believe that. Although, Dorothy does have an unusual magical presence around her . . .

When Dorothy ends up murdered, suspicion falls on Georgie - she was the one who found the poor woman's body, and being new in town doesn't help with the suspicion. Things only get worse when it turns out that Dorothy left her valuable plot of land to Auntie O!

Georgie must act fast to clear her and her aunt's names by finding the real killer. But as bodies start to mount up, the pressure rises. With the help of the unusual powers of Dorothy's two dogs and great-horned owl, can Georgie uncover the truth before she becomes the killer's next target?

Image and description for this novel copied from NetGalley.com

A first book review of the year...

 

Image copied from Goodreads

So, for my first book review of the year, I'd like to talk about 2023's National Book Award winner for Young People's Literature, the graphic memoir, A first time for everything by Dan Santat. This memoir for middle grade readers, which are readers aged 8-13 years, is a story about Dan's summer adventures in Europe. After enduring a very embarrassing and painful experience at a middle school assembly the end of his eighth grade year, Dan is left dreading high school, or having to ever go back to school at all really. His mother, however, signs him up to go on a trip to Europe with the very teacher who set him up to give that terrifying speech in front of the entire junior high. As you can imagine, he is not optimistic this trip abroad is going to go well. But what unfolds is a story not just of self-discovery but of first love. Santat, in his author's note, even credits the kernel of the idea for this graphic memoir coming from questions one of his daughters asked him about who his first love was. 

As a Gen Xer, I could very much relate to Santat's memories of life in 1989 when the story takes place. Like him, I was at that awkward stage of life between junior high and high school. I still remember some of the horrors I endured as a shy teen trying to stay small, invisible to avoid social catastrophe. Unfortunately, I wasn't always successful. Sometimes because kids are just mean, sometimes from the actions of well-intentioned but clueless adults. However, this is simply my perception of the story as an adult looking back. For a kid in this age range today, I can only imagine that despite the large gap in years between then and now, the experiences and friendships that Dan narrates in the book are still very universal. In fact, going through some of the reviews on Amazon, it was nice to read that the boys who asked for their parents to buy this book devoured it in a few days time, giving up time playing video games to instead read. 

But one of the joys of reading this book is the fact that it appeals to boys as well as girls. That it is a memoir not only of words but of amazing artwork that visually takes its reader on this journey with Dan. As you read it, you often forget when it is taking place and instead are immersed in what is taking place. It is a very talented artist indeed who can engage their audience so thoroughly that they forget everything else in the pages of a book. Another thing I loved about its execution, was the fact that not only were there pictures of Dan and the real friends he traveled with in the back of the book, but there was also a picture of a mixed tape with a QR code that readers could scan to listen to the music from the tape as they read. I did this as I read the last half of the book. It allowed for a more fun and immersive experience as well as even more of a trip down memory lane as I listened to hits from Madonna, Michael Jackson, Talking Heads, and the Cure to name a few.

The honor of winning the National Book Award is well deserved, even though this past year's shortlist of finalists was impressive and diverse. This memoir holds its own among the other contenders for the prize because it speaks to the heart of anyone who reads it about the universal experiences of growing up, finding one's place, and discovering who we are and who we want to be as we move into adulthood. It spans the gaps between generations both young and old and, I think, will be a graphic memoir that will stand the test of time. I look forward to reading and seeing more stories and artwork from this remarkable talent and I encourage anyone who has a young person, maybe even one who is a reluctant reader, to check out this book. It will be well worth your time.

For those interested below is a link of Dan Santat reading a excerpt of his book at the National Book Awards ceremony as well as a link for his acceptance speech when he was announced as the 2023 winner. 

Dan Santat Reading His Work 

Dan Santat National Book Award Acceptance Speech

My next review will be of a contemporary young adult novel set to come out in March 2024 called Breathing Underwater by Abbey Lee Nash. 

 

Description

In this slice-of-life, sensitively written novel, a teen girl grapples with a sudden epilepsy diagnosis, all while figuring out a new crush and an uncertain future.

Tess lives for swimming. In the water, she’s truly alive. It’s the rest of her life—one of demanding grades, anxious parents, and a newly distant best friend—where she’s holding her breath.

Until tragedy strikes. Suddenly, Tess’s health and her future are full of uncertainty. Her summer before senior year is now one of doctor visits, missed swim practices, and a job stuck behind a counter—not sitting high in the lifeguard chair like every summer before. Instead, her spot goes to new guy Charlie. Although his messy hair and laid-back demeanor catch Tess’s attention, this isn’t really the time. She’s in danger of losing the very college swim scholarship she’s worked so hard to secure. She’s got to focus on getting back in the pool—and on getting back to herself.

Lyrically and sensitively written, Breathing Underwater is a slice-of-life story with depth, exploring topics like epilepsy, inclusivity in student athletics, changing friendships, and the power of love and community. With warmth and wit, Abbey Lee Nash has crafted a moving portrait of a teen girl’s journey to self-acceptance and life on her own terms. 

This description and cover image was copied from NetGalley where I was generously provided an advanced reader copy in return for an honest review.