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emmas_bookshelf's reviews
669 reviews
Elizabeth of East Hampton by Emily Harding, Audrey Bellezza
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
In this modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice, the Bennet family are reimagined as native Long Islanders who run a bakery in the Hamptons. When Darcy and the Bingleys (plus the perfidious Tristan) blow in for the summer, it upends their lives. This is the second in these authors’ Austen series (after Emma of 83rd Street, which I loved) set in New York, and I love how creative they are with the reimagining of an Austen cast of characters in present day New York. No spoilers but Mary is an environmental activist who gets arrested! Very well done and worth a read!
Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I don’t mean this in a bad way, but basically the entire book is about the MC’s BRCA1 gene mutation and its effects in her life - specifically her relationship with her mom and her body. I really wasn’t expecting it and it just wasn’t working for me, although for others it may be a great read! The romance seemed almost like a side plot to me but I did find it enjoyable. It was also very funny in parts!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, and Medical trauma
The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a very fun romance in which a woman is dating the baseball player she went viral for heckling (she made him cry!) after she gets tricked into being the team’s sideline reporter. They are so perfect for each other, but only if they can deal with a big secret she’s kept from him (lol, bad move Daphne) and their own emotional baggage (her divorce; his brother’s suicice). It was very fun to read, and like Daphne in the opening scene, I took a book to the ballpark, as one does. I love Alicia’s books and this one miiiiiight be my new favorite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Gaslighting
The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A sequel of sorts to The Long Game, I love this new book by Elena Armas. Josie is a small town North Carolina girl who’s been engaged four times but never married. Matthew is her best friend’s brother who happens to walk into her life at just the right time - to pretend to be her fifth fiancé as a PR stunt. Fake dating is my favoriteeeeee trope and this one was excellent and very, very hot. It’s funny, poignant, and an easy read. Highly recommend!
Ladykiller by Katherine Wood
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is told in alternating points of view. One is the POV of a woman searching for her complex, impulsive best friend, who has gone missing. The other is the POV of the best friend in a manuscript she left behind. What is truth and what is fiction becomes a critical question the main character grapples with as she searches for her best friend. It’s a little bit of a thriller featuring rich people behaving very very badly. Thanks to Random House & Ballantine for the copy via NetGalley. I listened to the audiobook and really liked it.
The Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This lit fic novel is heavily featured the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in 2020, and how New Yorkers from different walks of life were effected. Major themes include racism and class privilege. All of this is set against a group of characters - some with strong ties, some with loose ties - searching for a missing woman. It was really interesting and I enjoyed reading it.
Errands & Espionage by Sam Tschida
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I love a book that involves spies, regular people pretending to be spies, and/or anything to do with being a spy! And this delivered!! Gabby Greene is a divorced housewife who gets swept up into working for the CIA because a facial recognition program matched her to an agent who was taken out, but the CIA needed to replace seamlessly. And yet somehow despite the odds she has a knack for espionage and shenanigans. With a Russian grandma, a little bit of office romance CIA-style, and kickass takedowns, this book was very fun!
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really really enjoyed reading this book and I have a feeling it will stay with me for a while. I will say - in case any of you have begun or do begin reading it - the beginning really threw me and wasn’t what I expected. But eventually it shifts, the tone changes, and things come into focus and I was turning the pages to see how exactly we would get to where I could see it was going. On the surface it’s about a 40 year old divorcee in crisis; more deeply it’s about love, friendship, what it is to know someone and what it is to know yourself. A smart book in a beautiful setting, slow at times but with an ending that in my opinion is worth it. I’ll leave you with this quote I loved: “She is so good at predicting what will happen in books, so bad at predicting what will happen in life. That is why she has always preferred books - because to be alive is much harder.” Check CWs!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A comedy of errors ensues when a writer decides to use a male pen name to sell her book, but then is caught in a web of lies when the book is a bestseller and she pays an accountant pretending to be an actor to pretend to be the author. Chris and Daphne were hilarious together. I listened to the book on audio and that format worked well. I love a romcom like this full of relatively low stakes (but feel high stakes) hijinks. Would recommend!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is such a fun romantic comedy of a book. Imagine You’ve Got Mail but in 2024, it’s a family deli instead of a bookstore, and there’s my favorite trope - fake dating. Ellie Greco runs her big Italian family’s deli in the suburbs outside Boston. Theo Taylor is the heir to their town’s wealthiest family, but he rarely agrees with his dad or his ruthless business decisions. The two of them team up to stop his dad from bringing in an Eataly-esque enterprise, which would surely put Ellie’s family deli out of business. There are hijinks, steamy moments, and plenty of family drama - good and bad. I really enjoyed reading it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Alcohol