Simon & Schuster – andrea's galley

ARC — The Long Game — Elena Armas

“I’ll always give you more than what you ask, love. Even when you don’t know what you want.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Describes a stalker, infidelity, and toxic relationships. Contains explicit sexual content.

“The Long Game” follows Adalyn Reyes, an executive reporter for the Miami Flames Football Club, after she is sent to live in a small town and coach a girls soccer team pro bono after causing a scene back in Miami. The only reason she wasn’t fired was because her father is the owner of said soccer club. What she did bot expect was to find Cameron Caldoni, an acclaimed professional goalkeeper that retired out of the blue and escaped the public eye, also coaching this soccer team in this remote town. This was supposed to be her thing, and she isn’t willing to take it on as a team… until they have to.

I have never simped after a fictional man, but I will simp for Cameron Caldoni. Enemies to lovers, when done well, can be some of the funniest and most enjoyable tropes. Watching Adalyn and Cam be as stubborn as they come was downright comical, but also watching them care for one another was literally heartwarming.

I wouldn’t change a single thing about this book. “The Long Game” would work wonders for a romance book club, as some of the actions and stances both main characters take at different points of their story can be great sources for fruitful discussions. I would highly recommend this read, no questions asked.

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ARC provided by Simon & Schuster/Atria Books, through their S&S Book Club Favorites program, in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: September 5, 2023

ARC — The Clementine Complex — Bob Mortimer

“To describe me as anonymous would be unfair, but to notice me other than in passing would be a rarity.”

Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: N/A
Content Warnings: Touches on drugs and illegal dealings. Revolves around a disappearance.

“The Clementine Complex” follows Gary Thorn, a 30-year-old legal assistant, as he sets off to look for a virtual stranger, a beautiful woman whose name he never caught but is calling Clementine, because she was reading a book titled “The Clementine Complex.” Why, you may ask—well, perhaps because his coworker, who he met her with, is suddenly missing so she’ll probably make a good alibi. Or well, perhaps because he simply wants to reconnect with her. Either way, Gary’s journey will be unique throughout this book.

Call this what you want, either a wild imagination or magical realism, but either way this book was absolutely bewildering. Told through the first person, you really get into Gary Thorn’s peculiar mind. I mean, we’re talking to squirrels right up from the first chapter, it’s something for sure.

The only reason I didn’t give it a higher rating is because the narration and the main character in general wasn’t really for me. I enjoyed Gary’s curiousity but the way he described the world that surrounded him? Not so much.

Either way, grab this book if you’ve liked books with peculiar characters like “The Maid” by Nita Prose. And well, if you’re looking for a magical realism read written by a true English legend or just looking for a cozy mystery, then “The Clementine Complex” is for you.

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ARC provided by Simon & Schuster, through their S&S Book Club Favorites program, in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: September 5, 2023

The Last Thing He Told Me — Laura Dave

“Maybe we are all fools, one way or another, when it comes to seeing the totality of the people who love us—the people we try to love.”

Genre: Mysteries and Thrillers
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: N/A, it’s clean.
Content Warnings: Discusses mobs, fraud, parent death, fake identities, disappearances, and hit and runs.

“The Last Thing He Told Me” follows Hannah Hall as she sets to find her missing husband, Owen Michaels, who left her a single note that wrote “Protect her”. That ‘her’ is Bailey Michaels, Hannah’s husband’s daughter, who perhaps isn’t the fondest of Hannah. Pretty quickly, they both realize Owen perhaps isn’t who he said he is.

I really enjoyed this read. I’m actually a bit sad I rated it this low, but I’ve got my reasons. Hannah and Bailey are great, they’re complex and clever and honestly, just like two people you could truthfully run into in real life. They weren’t two-dimensional, it wasn’t all black and white, I loved that. But—and it’s a bit but—I did not like the ending. At all. After seeing them fight to find Owen they just…didn’t do what I expected them to do. The whole thing felt really out of character.

Nonetheless, I would highly recommend this read if you’re looking for a mystery novel. It reminded me of “The Guest List” by Lucy Foley and “The Maid” by Nita Prose, but not because of their plot, because of the way they made me feel—like I knew a lot, only to be blindsided by the truth.

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“This is the thing about good and evil. They aren’t so far apart—and they often start from the same valiant place of wanting something to be different.”

ARC — The Last Chairlift — John Irving

“Screenplays are written in the present tense, as if what you see is happening for the first time. That’s why what happened to me in Aspen is a movie; it’s always happening, again and again, for the first time. I will always see it as a movie.”

Genre: Fiction
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: Very disturbing
Content Warnings: Describes (sort of) incest, infidelity, death, sickness, mental deterioration, dysfunctional families, having children out of wedlock in conservative families, and hiding your sexuality and gender identity. This is overall a very troubling and dark read, these content warnings don’t encompass that too well.

“The Last Chairlift” is a 889-paged novel, so it’s understandable that the blurb doesn’t really describe what it’s all about. But, essentially, throughout this book, we live the life of Adam Brewster, the bastard child of a prominent skier known as Little Ray, as he is, honestly, heavily traumatized by his mother and somewhat rescued by his stepfather.

It is also fair to note that when they talk about ghosts on the blurb, they’re literally talking about ghosts as in dead people, not as in people Adam hasn’t seen in a long time. Maybe keep that in mind when grabbing this book—it is a bit surrealistic and odd.

I am still not sure how I feel about this read, other than heavy, weighted down. Not necessarily in a bad way, just in a very real way. This book not only touched on a fictional or fantastical world, it takes from our history and inserts a group of characters that are living through it too.

Something very unique about “The Last Chairlift” is how some parts are told through screenplay. When Adam goes to Aspen in search of answers about his origins, this is all told through a script, which was hard to adjust to, but also kind of welcomed, as it broke the narrative for a while—gave you a break through a very long novel.

I found some of the things about this book to be extremely disturbing. Things like Adam’s fascination for his cousin Nora, how Little Ray kissed Adam, how the sweet angel of Adam’s step father (Elliot, the little snowshoer) was treated at times, and then bring in how some people are pointing out how some things are practically autobiographical. It makes me wonder where fiction and reality become one.

This book reminded me of one of my favorite reads last year, “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara, but I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, because I will never be reading that book again. It was just too heavy (and perhaps this book is too).

Overall, if you’ve read other John Irving books and you’re up to reading this chunk of a novel, then might as well grab it. It’s not bad, it just maybe didn’t have to be almost 900 pages long.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: October 18, 2022

Better Than The Movies — Lynn Painter

“Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have.”

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Young Adult
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1.5 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Underage drinking and smoking, other than that can’t really think of anything else.

“Better Than The Movies” is a rom-com style novel all about rom-coms. Liz Buxbaum and Wes Bennet have been next door neighbors their whole lives, sounds cute, right? Well, it doesn’t help that Wes has been trying to be a pain in Liz’s butt for as long as she can remember. But then in comes Michael, her childhood crush that moved away to Texas when they were younger, and she can’t help but fantasize about dating him. But Michael thinks Wes is into Liz… So, in an attempt to convince Michael that Liz isn’t into Wes, they start… fake dating? But only so they can fake break up later on and Michael can be assured Liz is completely available. But as said break up date comes closer and closer, Liz feels unsettled. She’s liked this new friendship that’s grown between herself and Wes—who’s making it a whole lot harder to hate him.

In this fake-dating, enemies-to-lovers tribute to all young adult rom-com movies, you will ultimately fall in love with some of the most infuriating characters ever. Liz, with her blinding stubbornness; Wes, with his trust issues; Michael, with his insecurities—and misguided decisions. I could not get enough of this book.

I think it’ll be amongst my favorite reads this 2022. Where is Netflix when you need it most? This book needs to be made into a movie. Like now.

In this mostly-clean read, you’ll get all the teenager lessons you’ll need: how all lies are discovered in the end, how your family can support you—even if you’re not related by blood, how it’s okay to mess up and forgive and be forgiven, but mostly how high school and first loves and first crushes aren’t the end of the world.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a cute, rom-com-movie-inspired read. If you enjoy fake-dating and enemies-to-lovers this book is also for you. But specifically, if you’re looking for a book to gift to a teenager in their junior or senior years, THIS IS IT. Don’t look any further. This book has the perfect mix of romance and deception and friendship and family and high school and prom and love.

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“Enemies-to-lovers—it’s our trope, Buxbaum.”

A Pho Love Story — Loan Le

“There’s so much in your life that you can’t control.… So maybe you can use this chance to do something for yourself.”

Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: N/A, it’s clean
Content Warnings: Discusses racial discrimination and xenophobia. Mentions war and death.

“A Pho Love Story” follows Linh Mai and Bao Nguyen, the children of two immigrant Vietnamese families who own rivaling pho restaurants. They’re on their last years of high school and are just trying to find themselves—Linh loves art and Bao loves writing, but those don’t sound like acceptable careers in their culture. Will they follow their dreams, and perhaps forget their family’s rivalry for a moment? Might they even become friends? Or more?

“A Pho Love Story” is a multicultural, sweet, high school romance story that lives up to all of its potential. Just reading the premise I knew I would be moved, and oh was my heart warmed. But here’s the thing: I knew exactly how it was going to pan out. Hence the low-ish rating.

Ignoring its predictability, this was an very entertaining read. Loan Le is an amazing writer and I can’t believe this is her debut novel. Well, she’s also an editor at Atria Books, so perhaps her love and devotion to books made her an amazing rookie.

I would recommend “A Pho Love Story” to readers who enjoy multicultural books and clean love stories. Also, if you’re just looking for a somewhat predictable, feel-good read, this book is for you.

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“But in anything you love, isn’t there always some bit of sadness, some essence of suffering? That, to me, is what makes art worth it.”

See You Yesterday — Rachel Lynn Solomon

“I’ve wanted you for weeks. But I don’t just want you in September. It’s not enough. I want you in winter, too. I want you in spring and in summer. I want you the whole fucking year, and then I want you in September all over again.”

Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses bullying and sexual harassment, and describes panic attacks.

“See You Yesterday” follows Barrett and Miles, two freshmen university students who are inexplicably stuck in a time loop. Barrett is passionate about journalism, and suffered through high school due to just that, while Miles is a Physics major who’s the son of two professors. With a bit of a bumpy start, will this pair find a way out of reliving their first day in university over and over again, or will they find a way into each other’s hearts instead?

I loved this book right up until the end. The conflict and rising actions were pristine, but the turning point and the resolution weren’t worth it, at least not for me. Yes, we get a happy ending, but really? Like that? I don’t know. This book went from a 4-star to a 2.5-star read real quick.

I really like the characters tho. Especially Barrett. It isn’t often that we see a mid-size main character, one that isn’t extremely overweight or has the perfect body. Just a curvy, regular, young adult. Much like myself. Much like a good chunk of the population. Apart from weight representation, we also got to see mixed-race, double-identity crises, a character with same-sex paternal figures, and characters living through a religion that isn’t highlighted ofter enough in YA book, Judaism. It wasn’t the characters or even the concept of the plot that let me down, it was more about how the ending was executed.

I would recommend this book to any reader looking for a “Groundhog Day”-style book, with a time loop where two strangers are stuck reliving the same day and they have no clue why.

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Today Tonight Tomorrow — Rachel Lynn Solomon

“Maybe that’s the definition of nostalgia: getting sappy about things that are supposed to be insignificant.”

Genre: Young Adult, Romantic Comedy
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings: Deals with racism, discrimination, and antisemitism.

“Today Tonight Tomorrow” follows Rowan Roth and Neil McNair, two rivals and overachievers—hence why they end up being valedictorian and salutatorian—through their last day of high school. Set in Seattle, we accompany them through Howl, a sort of Senior sent-off that takes them all through the city. When Rowan and Neil realize they have more in common than they originally thought, and they realize the only way they’ll win Howl is by working together, will they overcome their past rivalry or will their stubbornness damn them?

I loved this book so much. Seattle felt like the Vancouver of the United States to me, and Vancouver is one of my absolute favorite cities. My biggest regret is that I lived relatively close to Vancity and I didn’t visit it half as much as I should’ve. This book gave me the opportunity to explore a city I’ve never been to and I loved every second of it.

The romance was childish, just like it should be in every YA book. Rowan’s and Neil’s banter was fun and funny and light. This book served as an escape from my everyday, adult life, and I am so grateful for it.

I would recommend this book to readers who like the enemies-to-lovers trope and to those who like exploring new cities, through all their quirkiness and glory.

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“I’ve given this boy the messiest parts of me, and he’s done nothing but convince me he’ll be careful with them.”

ARC — Sari, Not Sari — Sonya Singh

“But sometimes you are lucky, (…) if you find love and it finds you.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: Discusses racial discrimination.

“Sari, Not Sari” follows Manny Dogra, the CEO of a company called Breakup that aids its clients in just that—breaking up through emails, with dignity and tact. Her business is extremely successful, she’s engaged, and she thinks she’s finally overcoming the grief that came with losing her parents. Then in comes Sammy Patel, a handsome businessman who is looking to take a break from his non-Indian girlfriend so he can attend his brother’s extravagant Indian wedding without ruining it all. But here’s the thing: Breakup only works with permanent break ups, not taking breaks. Sammy tries to convince Manny to take the case, persuading her with her supposed understanding of the Indian culture. But here’s the thing, Manny is Indian but she didn’t *grow up* Indian, she really is as americanized as can be. When Sammy agrees to give Manny a crash course in all things Indian as she attends Sammy’s brother’s wedding as a business partner—not a date—, she takes the case and reconnects with the roots she didn’t even know she had, as she slowly starts to understand what it means to be a Patel, to be Indian.

This was the slowest of slow burn romances, but as this was also a book about personal growth I’ve decided not to write it off because of that. With the sweetest of plot twists, “Sari, Not Sari” deserves its full 5 stars and maybe even a bit more.

This book perfectly illustrates imposter syndrome with regards to culture, which was impressive considering that imposter syndrome is usually related to profesional development and not to more personal matters. Manny was dealt a hard hand, but she’s trying to do the best with what she’s got. Sammy had the best intentions, although perhaps not the best execution. The Patels were both welcoming and cruel? At the end of the book I had fluctuates from loving them to hating them to loving them again.

And I have to point it out: THIS IS SONYA SINGH’S DEBUT NOVEL? Excuse me, what? Sonya, I can’t wait to see what’s to come for you. This book was so sweet and the love in it so tender and the friendships in it so solid. Character development was on point, they weren’t just copy/pasted slates of the same 3 character traits; the characters in “Sari, Not Sari” were complex and had so many layers and character flaws. I loved them and I loved the story you told.

I would recommend this book to people interested in a romance book that’s more than just a romance book. “Sari, Not Sari” will teach you about self worth, honesty, lost love, grief, and family, all in the midsts of two different cultures colliding.

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ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: April 05, 2022

ARC — She Gets the Girl — Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, LGBTQIA
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Content Warnings: Discusses alcoholism.

“She Gets the Girl” follows Molly and Alex, two university freshman who are trying their best to get their girls. Molly, being close to home and having a deep relationship with her family, is looking to grow more independent and have her high school crush fall for her. Alex, running half way through her state to attend university as far away from her alcoholic mother, is trying to win her ex girlfriend back and looking to become a better person. After meeting in a party, Alex takes on the mission of helping Molly break out of her shell and get the girl, all the while Alex is trying to show her ex she’s changed, that she can have friends and do selfless things for them.

First things first, it’s SO cute that this book was written by a couple. Rachael Lippincott is an author I hold close and dear to my heart ever since I read “The Lucky List”. Alyson Derrick is Rachael’s wife and “She Gets the Girl” is her debut novel—even though she’s already set to publish another book next year, that’s how promising she is. They both built an interesting world through alternating points of view.

Now on to my review of the book: The self-pity and the “uh I’m too damaged to love or be loved” isn’t a trope I necessarily like, but this book delivers a nice feel-good story and I’m trying to focus on that instead. I don’t know who was more stubborn and annoying, Alex or Molly, but they were definitely exasperating.

I see books as, yes, works of fiction—but fiction in a way that they try to imitate real life at the best of their abilities. Even when reading dystopian or fantasy novels, those works of fiction carry real-life emotions and situations that seem possible in other realities. Sadly, this work of fiction did not hold this to be true. I felt like the characters and all the situation they lived through were so farfetched for the sake of being unique that they somewhat lost their magic.

I would recommend this book to high schoolers and young adults that enjoy LGBTQIA+ books. It’s a nice, light read, and could be a great book to give as a gift.

And yes, even though this wouldn’t be the first Rachael Lippincott book I would recommend, I still wouldn’t dismiss it.

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ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.