The Love Haters

 

A sweet, light, upbeat, happy-ending romance - everything you'd expect from Katherine Center! I just love this author's stance that books should be happy and romances can be fun and light. She goes into this in the author's note at the end, and I do wish they'd put it at the beginning (so I would reco reading it first!). 

I like how KC dives deep into a random topic, researches it, and writes about it in a way that afterwards I feel super knowledgeable about it too (why yes, I too am now an expert on the coast guards!). I loved the beautiful, tropical FL Keys beach setting of this book & mostly enjoyed all the characters (Rue was perfect, Hutch was generally good but maybe could have communicated a bit better). I like how KC moves her stories along pretty fast (I think that's part of keeping it a light/quick read). And I really enjoyed the major drama/disaster at the end!!!

The missing 5th star is due to two things: 1. there were a few parts that were just a little *too* slap-stick roll your eyes funny for me (ripped underwear and t-shirt like a diaper? no way! getting knocked into the water with her entire overnight bag? come on!)., 2. It was too overly focused on body-image for my taste (AND for what I expect from a KC book). A little bit as a sub-plot/character development/learning to "love yourself" kind of play with the title/theme of the book?...fine. But I was 40% into the book still wondering when Katie was going to gain a little self confidence and we were going to stop reading details about her body. Regardless, a KC book is always an immediate YES to read so I still full reco this one!!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Letter From Sicily

Last Letter From Sicily was a really sweet, beautifully written, very enjoyable historical fiction novel (with a dash of long-lost-lovers romance) set around WWII in Italy (specifically Sicily) & the US (specifically Milwaukee WI - I had no idea so many Italian immigrants went there in the 1900s!). Oh and the novel was based on the author's grandparents' story - how sweet is that!? 

The WWII time period is probably my top favorite historical fiction time period to read about, but this was the first one I've read from the Italian/Axis perspective, and I found it absolutely fascinating and I definitely learned new things (I know more about Mussolini now than I did before!) . Honestly I couldn't put the book down, it was a gripping story! I loved all the Italian phrases and the beautiful descriptions of Sicilian scenery and life. It was interesting to read about immigrants coming to the US from an Italian perspective too (not to mention heartbreaking; what a tough time so many people went through!). 

I do wish there had been character names at the top of each chapter, as occasionally we got the story from Concetta's dad (Enzo) or little sister's (Giuseppina) pov. I also wish that since we WERE getting multiple characters povs that we had been able to dive a little deeper into their characters. I think Enzo got a quick ending and resolution to all his character flaws, but we were left hanging a little bit with Giuseppina...what happened to her? Was the baseball guy a good thing? An epilogue might help tie up some of the lose ends! 

September Reads

 

Top favorites this month: 

Before Green Gables (the cutest prequel to one of my fav series - all 7 of which I reread at the end of last year! - the backstory of Anne, written in such a similar style.)

Queens of Crime (ARC. Love me some MB - this one was so fun about a group of female mystery writers in the 1930s who come together...and solve an actual mystery!). 

Anxious Generation (made me feel more than ever that we need to focus on a play-based-childhood & stay away from technology as long as we can!)

Pink Glass Houses (not fabulous, but hilarious! About the glamorous life and drama of wealthy PTA moms in Miami)

I also really enjoy's Kendra Adachi's newest - The Plan. So pumped to see her in person in a few weeks!

Evvie and I finished another Little House books...another one of my top FAV series!!