Laugh-out-loud End of Summer Read

 

Image copied from Goodreads

I picked this one because it incorporated one of my favorite romance tropes, the blocked writer who finds love and is inspired to write her next great novel. In this case, the author is a popular romance writer who has been recently dumped. Yep, her fiancé left her for their wedding planner after knocking said wedding planner up. Ouch! The story opens with Gracie Landing paging through her old high school yearbook in a drunken stupor. Her friends sent her home from their night out to cheer her up after Gracie sees pictures of her ex's new baby. Gracie is a hot mess and shouldn't have been left to her own devices because she ends up sending an email to her old high school crush right before passing out.

From there the comedy begins in this cute romance. Her former crush, Colin Yarmouth is now a successful lawyer who has suffered his own breakup, recently. Even sadder, he'd only been married for six months, so barely enough time to even be out of the newlywed phase. I won't spoil what his ex did to him, but it's a doozy. Needless to say, he finds Gracie's accusatory drunk email, to his work email no less, intriguing. And yes, he does realize after reading it a second time that it was probably sent to him while Gracie was wasted. Colin surprises Gracie by replying, setting off a series of funny emails that move on from there to texts, then phone calls and eventually a meet up in person. The story is also told in dual points of view between Gracie and Colin. 

I found Gracie to be a real, delightfully imperfect character right from the first. I did get a little tired of all of her stomach issues she seems to develop. I did find those to be overdone. But overlooking some of that, the rest of her personality was wry, honest, and hilariously spot on in terms of her observations of the world. Some reviews I read complained that she seemed immature. I suppose you could say that. But I don't necessarily see not having your life together or all figured out after a devastating breakup like hers a sign of immaturity. Instead, I thought is was refreshing to read about a character who is unapologetically grieving and a hot mess. Colin in contrast is much more together on the surface. But inside he is just as hurt and depressed as Gracie. Its their shared relationship woes that help draw them together. I also liked the fact that Colin remembers Gracie as someone he thought was pretty in high school but never connected with because he had no real idea how to talk to girls. Being one of the youngest varsity players on the high school soccer team though meant that he never had to really learn, as girls were more than happy to flirt with him first. I liked this glimpse into Colin as it made his interest in Gracie after her initial email more plausible as to why he'd be so willing to respond and reconnect with her all these years later. 

The two decide that to help Gracie overcome her writer's block, she should use the details of Colin's breakup with his ex-wife in her next romance. This not only gives Gracie plenty of fodder for her plot, but also makes Colin feel he's helping someone again, which helps boost his confidence. Their plan ends up having some very unexpected consequences that aren't good for either of them. Again, I won't spoil it for you. But in trying to iron out the fallout, things go from really bad to awful. However, I did enjoy the eventual character growth for each. The relationship between Gracie and Colin ends up helping each of them face down their fears, and in Colin's case his overbearing parent. The two are able to come out the other side of their latest troubles stronger and more resilient and of course, because it's a romance, find their happily-ever-after. 

I have not read any books by K.J. Micciche before. But after enjoying The Book Proposal, I plan on reading more by this author! If you'd like to grab a copy of this laugh-out-loud romance for yourself, click on the link. It will take you to the page for a small local indie bookstore in my hometown, Next Chapter Bookstore, to order from. The Book Proposal is also available wherever books are sold.

Next month, I'm looking forward to reading a fun urban fantasy, with a unique back-to-school premise called The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Associaton by Caitlin Rozakis. Check out the book cover and the blurb for it below, both copied from Goodreads.

Two parents and their recently-bitten-werewolf daughter try to fit into a privileged New England society of magic aristocracy. But deadly terrors await them – ancient prophecies, remorseless magical trials, hidden conspiracies and the PTA bake sale.

When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of magical schools. Reeling from their sudden move, Vivian finds herself having to pick the right sacrificial dagger for Aria, keep stocked up on chew toys and play PTA politics with sirens and chthonic nymphs and people who literally can set her hair on fire.

As Vivian careens from hellhounds in the school corridors and demons at the talent show, she races to keep up with all the arcane secrets of her new society – shops only accessible by magic portal, the brutal Trials to enter high school, and the eternal inferno that is the parents’ WhatsApp group.

And looming over everything is a prophecy of doom that sounds suspiciously like it’s about Aria. Vivian might be facing the end of days, just as soon as she can get her daughter dressed and out of the door…