Five books in a month is pretty good! It’s outdoor reading season so that always helps me turn a few extra pages.
Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Better Luck Next Time introduced me to the concept of “divorce ranches.” These locales were essentially resorts where women in the ’30s-’70s would relax, gain residency in Nevada and bid their time until their divorces were finalized. I’d never heard of this before and was fascinated by the idea.
And Better Luck Next Time painted a really interesting, entertaining and compassionate picture of the women who temporarily called these places home and the men who worked these ranches—though in this case they were fictional.
Definitely pick this one up this summer. It was a solid four-star book, bordering on five.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert • ⭐️⭐️⭐️
After reading the first two books in this series, I was really excited to finish with Act Your Age, Eve Brown. After all, this was the title that initially attracted me to these books. With a plotline about a girl taking over the kitchen of a quaint B&B, how could I resist?
But I didn’t enjoy the last installment as much as the other Brown Sisters books. I just never came around to the characters in this one. I found the other sisters (Chloe and Dani) much more interesting than Eve. That being said, if you’ve read the others in the series, don’t stop short. It was still light, fluffy and enjoyable.
The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister • ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Reading a book set in the arctic in the middle of May when it’s 70º outside? Yep, I did it.
The gist here: Virginia Reeve and a team of women are hired by a wealthy woman to search for the members of a lost arctic expedition. This expedition (Franklin’s Lost Expedition) was a real thing—which I did not know going into this book. All along the way, the women have to deal with difficult personalities and even more difficult terrain.
So I learned something with this book and I got to try a new type of historical fiction. It was good (but not a standout).
Still Lives by Maria Hummel • ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am a sucker for things that are labeled as Target Club Picks or Reese’s Book Club selections. These books are reliably satisfying. Need proof? Here are a few that I’ve read and really enjoyed: The Woman in the Window, The Sanatorium and The Guest List.
This was a satisfying read (though not the best thriller I’ve picked up in the past year). The night of her opening, artist Kim Lord goes missing. At first, gallerists think this may be a stunt to promote the show (a show depicts famous murders), but as time goes on, things become less clear.
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan • ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve been reading a lot of lighter fare recently, including this fluffy read from Jenny Colgan. It was sweet: A girl laid off from her job as a librarian moves to Scotland and opens up a mobile bookstore (so not a bookshop on the corner, despite what the title may indicate). She makes friends, learns to love her new home and finds her purpose in life.
Could I see the ending a mile away? Sure. But it was a nice easy-breezy listen.
As always, you can follow along with my progress and see what I’ve read over on Goodreads!
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