Tag: women’s fiction

This Chick Read: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist. She’s still searching for her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer Prize winning grump. They are both on Little Crescent Island on a one month trial to write the biography of the octogenarian who claims to be THE Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress from one of the most storied families in modern history. Despite the odds, Alice is keeping her head in the game, because Hayden is looking at her like she is the competition. The problem is that neither she nor Hayden are getting the whole story, only the pieces that Margaret chooses to share with them and they’ve signed NDA’s and despite their yearning for each other, they aren’t allowed to share any information they’ve learned. Margaret’s biography could be anything, a romance, a mystery, or a tragedy depending upon which one of them tells it.

I look forward to Emily Henry’s novels every year and this year I was lucky enough to have a vacation planned when it was released. A slight departure from her usual the more romantic genre, this novel told two sets of stories, the one that Margaret chose to share with Alice, and the relationship that was developing between Alice and Hayden. Each of them were interesting but I’ll be honest and say that I’m here for the romance and both stories had an abundance.

Alice was all bright colors, smiles, and charm and Hayden was serious, quiet and just slightly grumpy. He was charmed by Alice even though she was a talking whirlwind. Emily Henry did such a great job developing their friendship through the huge amount of chemistry they were feeling. The reader felt how much they liked each other, not just how much they wanted each other. For me, that’s the best kind of romance. I couldn’t forget that they were competing for the honor of writing this legend’s story. The reader only got the conversations between Margaret and Alice so I was definitely team Alice, but as the novel went on you could tell that they may not have been getting the same kind of information. It was intriguing and interesting and I wanted to learn more- so I kept reading and the tale just got more riveting.

I don’t want to give away even one bit of this story more than what I’ve already said but I do want to say that if you love old Hollywood glamour then you’ll also love Margaret’s story and won’t be bored with those flashbacks. She was a bit of a wild child and came from a family with a lot of loaded history so you never knew what you were going to get from one chapter to the next. Despite my love of romance and Alice and Hayden, I really wanted to learn the mystery that was Margaret too. The author did a great job of giving the reader just that little bit more in every chapter to keep them reading to find out the next tidbit.

Even though this was a different kind of Emily Henry novel, I wasn’t disappointed in the least. I know I’ll be grabbing the audiobook soon becauses the estimable Julia Whelan is the narrator and she will give these characters even more life than the author. I can’t wait! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Great Big Beautiful Life

Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Back After This by Linda Holmes

Cecily Foster loves making podcasts, but after a disastrous relationship with a colleague who broke her heart and stole her ideas she’s stayed out of the limelight, producing work instead of being the host. When her boss offers her the chance of a lifetime hosting a podcast with an influencer Cecily hesitates. She would have to put her personal life out in the ether, going on dates that Eliza deems appropriate. Cecily is not looking for love but if doing this podcast will save some of her co-workers jobs she’s willing to put her pride on the line.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this story. It seems like writing about podcasts is all the rage right now and I’ve read a couple of good romance novels similar to this story but once I started I realized how different this authors writing was from the other stories I’ve read about podcasters. Cecily’s life was kind of at a crossroads, but she’s stuck in a rut working behind the scenes instead of going after what she really wants. Despite not wanting to put her love life on-air and being a little skeptical about whether Eliza has a background to give advice on love, she gives in. Her conflicting feelings only grow when she meets someone on her own and likes him better than any of the men she’s set up with she gains insight into her own feelings.

Back After This isn’t a romance novel as much as it’s a novel about self exploration and I think it works. At first Cecily seemed kind of altruistic- if she does the podcast she saves her friends jobs. I get it, you love your team, but if her character didn’t have some growth through the novel I probably wouldn’t have stuck with continuing to the end. Although I really did love the hot waiter. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Back After This

Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Christa Comes Out of her Shell by Abbi Waxman

After a tumultuous childhood, Christa Liddle has hidden away, both figuratively and literally. Happily studying sea snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Christa finds her tranquil existence thrown into chaos when her once-famous father—long thought dead after a plane crash—turns out to be alive, well, and ready to make amends. The world goes wild, fascinated by this real-life saga, pinning Christa and her family under the spotlight. As if that weren’t enough, her reunion with an old childhood friend reveals an intense physical attraction neither was expecting and both want to act on . . . if they can just keep a lid on it. When her father’s story starts to develop cracks, Christa fears she will lose herself, her potential relationship, and—most importantly—any chance of making it back to her snails before they forget her completely.

Ever since I read Abbi Waxman’s Garden of Small Beginnings I have been a huge fan. Christa Comes Out of her Shell captures that same quirky real life effervescence that the first novel had. Right from the moment Christa is introduced while viewing her sea snails I fell in love and as the story moved along each moment had its own reveal about Christa’s character. She wasn’t perfect, but she was perfectly awkward and fun to read about. The story itself about a long lost father who appears out of nowhere after twenty-five years was a bit unrealistic but I’ve never let realism get in the way of great storytelling. This family who was angry but at the same time overjoyed to see their father had moments that rang true. Conflicting emotions, long held convictions, but overall a love for each other who saw and would see each other through difficult times. It was such an easy story to read.

When it comes to romance, I’m not sure it’s Abbi Waxman’s focus. She’s such a great storyteller that sometimes the romantic angle kind of feels like an add-on. I’ll admit that for me that was the case with the romance between Christa and Nate but I also loved how that romance was an escape from the press of responsibility for Christa. She didn’t know how to feel about her father but that instant connection with Nate was easy to figure out and explore. It made sense while at the same time felt like it wasn’t needed. See, I was conflicted too!

Needless to say, I’ve liked all of Abbi Waxman’s story’s and this one was no different. In fact, it’s my second favorite that she’s written. Cute, light, and an escape from reality.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Christa Comes Out of Her Shell

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn

Jess Greene has spent the last decade raising her sister Tegan, after her mother took off with her boyfriend. It was only when a popular podcast drew her attention that she realized the man who her mother left with was the subject of The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore. Keeping that secret to herself, Jess is one day surprised when the host of that podcast and her producer Adam Hawkins, show up on her doorstep. Tegan had found some correspondence Jess had hidden and contacted them. They were going on the road, using the postage dates of those post cards, to track down their mother and Lynton Baltimore.

Kate Clayborn has a style of writing that holds a readers attention. From the opening page, I knew that it would be a hard story to turn away from. Our heroine Jess was so strong and yet also very delicate. Adam saw that from the very start and the way that he quietly admired and protected her was very compelling. The dynamic between Jess and Tegan was also very complicated. Jess had hidden things from her sister, in part because of Tegan’s age, but also because she herself was so young when she took charge of raising Tegan. She was embarrassed by her mother, as well as insecure over why their mother would leave her children. This story made me feel so many different emotions, not all of them happy and good. Yet they felt true and believable, which kept me turning the pages.

The dynamic between Jess and Adam was truly spellbinding. Adam felt so much, right from the moment he met Jess. I found that really interesting because in this situation, Jess was not at her best. On the surface she was holding it together, but she was boiling with tension and feelings underneath. Despite all of that tension and turmoil, they were drawn to each other and gave strength to each other. The romance portion of this book was very well done and did not disappoint. So, why did I only give it a four rating? I’m not exactly sure, but maybe because Jess and Tegan’s story was so sad and frail? I’m still mulling over my response but I do know that I liked this book quite a bit.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Other Side of Disappearing

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchased this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Recipe For a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden

American Chef Georgia May Jackson is close to achieving her goal, running a restaurant in Paris. She’s on the cusp of success when it all falls apart during one very bad day. At the same time, she loses her sense of taste, everything tastes bitter. When her absentee mother reaches out from the West Coast and offers her a place to stay she jumps at the chance of getting to know her mom and somehow recover her sense of taste. When she arrives on the island she goes on a journey of discovery that just may help her regain her magical skills.

This story really surprised me because there was so many sub-plots. The most important that drove the story was of Georgia and her mother Star. They have been estranged since she was five years old and her absence left a big hole but when she left she had instilled a love of cooking in her daughter that drove her to leave home and explore the world. The second plot was her potential love interest Cole. They were drawn to each other but his past is filled with secrets and drama and Georgia is only on the island temporarily so their story is a slow burn. The third plot is Georgia’s need to achieve her dream of running a restaurant and getting her mojo back. That’s the plot that to me was the most interesting, although all three meshed really well and created a solid novel with a great story.

There was a magical element to this story that made the book really fun to read and I looked forward to all of the little hidden four leaf clovers, the magical setting, and Georgia’s returning mojo. The pace was perfect and I was rooting for Georgia to reach her magical happy ending.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Recipe for a Charmed Life

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Rainy Day Friends (Wildstone #2) by Jill Shalvis

Six months a widow, Lanie Jacobs finds out that she wasn’t her husbands only wife. Destroyed by his infidelity, Lanie goes back home to Wildstone and takes a temporary job at the family owned Capriotti Vineyard. Being enveloped by this warm and welcoming family makes Lanie feel a little uncomfortable but she quickly settles in while maintaining boundaries. Deputy Sheriff Mark Capriotti and his two adorable twin girls get past her guard until River Green makes those walls come back up. River, young, pregnant and obviously out of money also gets embraced into this welcoming family and makes friends but is keeping a big secret.

This Wildstone series is a little different from Jill Shalvis’s contemporary romance novels. They read a little less romance and more drama, but the reader is still able to relax into a story filled with friendship. Something that Jill Shalvis is especially great at portraying. River and Lanie’s friendship is rocky because of secrets and lack of trust but as the novel goes on they become closer until that climax where the reader is clued into the big reveal. It’s not especially surprising due to the basis of the plot being about a philandering spouse, but I did like both of these characters and wanted to see them come through the drama with their friendship intact. The romance portion of this book was slow and steady. The two little girls breaching Lanie’s line of defense with humor, charm and giggles. I swear, you can’t beat cute kids in a romance novel for helping to break down barriers. Their Dad wasn’t too bad either.

The Capriotti family were in your face, kind, knowing, and warm. I loved their dynamics and had hoped that this series would follow a couple of these characters. They were so interesting! I’m still getting through the series so I haven’t lost hope yet. This fictional family is worth the read alone, but I liked the other sub-plots too. This was a well-rounded story! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Rainy Day Friends

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: My Top 5 Most Anticipated Book Releases for Jan’24

I have to say it. We are approaching 2024 already? Time has flown by so fast! I’ve just about hit my reading goal of 200 books this year, although I may fall short by a couple. When I was on Goodreads checking that out I thought I’d take a look at the January book releases to see how I would start off my year. Below are my top 5.

#5 BOOK RELEASE

Some people may have this one higher on the list but with a page count of 848 I’m kind of dreading the amount of time it will take to read. While not as good as some of her other novels, I’m still committed to this series so I know at some point in 2024 I will get started. I do want to see how these characters are going to recover from what happened in the second tome.

#4 BOOK RELEASE

Jill Shalvis is aways my go-to when I don’t want to take a chance that I’ll dislike the book I’m starting to read. Her sweet romances solid friendship stories satisfy my reader’s brain. This series is more women’s fiction than romance but I really like the community she’s built and can’t wait to read this one.

#3 BOOK RELEASE

While I am way beyond the demographic for the young adult genre, I’ll admit to keeping an eye out for a synopsis that peaks my interest. This opposites attract plot looks like fun!

#2 BOOK RELEASE

Yep! I’m a historical romance fan. Especially when it’s a new novel from Mimi Matthews. Her characters are always diverse, and she tells their story in a very realistic way that keeps me coming back to pick up her next novel.

MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE FOR JAN’24

This writing duo does not disappoint. A second chance romance with a rising star writing songs about each of her broken relationships. I can’t wait to read this second chance romance it looks so good!

That’s it! My top 5. Does it match yours? Happy reading everyone!

Deb

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This Chick Read: Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

Kenna Rowan returns to town after serving five years for a tragic mistake. Wanting the chance to be near her daughter she is shut out by everyone except bar owner, Ledger Ward. Ledger sees Kenna’s trying to start a life and wonders if the way she is being treated by everyone would hurt Scotty, who had loved her, but if he cracks that door open Ledger could lose the trust of those he loves, including her daughter.

This was such a simple story, but Colleen Hoover’s ability to create complex characters and draw readers into the intricacies behind their actions, made this simple story simply spellbinding. The reader is kept dark about why Kenna went to jail and given only glimpses. Her regret and love for Scotty kept alive by the journal entries she writes to him daily, revealing small pieces of their story. At the same time we see her everyday life, interactions with Ledger, the folks around her in the apartment complex where she lives and we draw our own conclusions that this is a young woman who may have done wrong but was also wronged and deserves forgiveness and trust. The moment when Ledger finally realizes that their perception of what happened was actually incorrect and he finds forgiveness for her, is absolutely gripping. I realized at that moment the talent in this author’s writing.

There’s something to be said for an author who can make the reader love not only a current love interest but a past one too. Through everyone’s eyes, we see what a great guy Scotty was, the cruelty in the fact that he died too young, and also how Ledger has tried to stand in for him with Scotty’s parents and daughter. Ledger too showed qualities that made me feel like it was ok that Kenna moves on from her lost love to this new one. It’s only because the author made that connection that allowed the reader to move forward with Kenna. I think a lesser author would’ve left the reader going, what? She’s moving on already? After all those feelings? Somehow I was ok with it all, and then of course Ledger’s relationship with Diem, Kenna and Scotty’s daughter, was the final piece that made the puzzle whole.

This story was angst filled, but had an honest and real feel. Life can change in a moment and one mistake should not identify who that person is for the rest of their life. I loved the message of love and forgiveness that this book told. That was the real story.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Reminders of Him

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (10/30/23)

I picked up an older novel by a favorite author that I hadn’t yet read. I wondered how I missed this one in a series where I read the majority. I was in the mood for something comfortable, where I knew the author would deliver a good novel. I was absolutely correct and enjoyed it tremendously. Isn’t the the best thing when you know you’ll like a book because the author is so danged consistent? Here’s a peek into what I’ve been reading…

JUST FINISHED

Yes it was Jill Shalvis that I was talking about above. Her novels have the best friendships and the romance makes you feel good. I actually love that I missed a few of the books in this series and have those to look forward to reading, now that they’re back on my radar.

JUST STARTED

Speaking of dependable, Nora Roberts’ romantic suspense novels are always fun to read. I just started this novel, but I already like the strong heroine, her ghost filled manor house, and the prospect of romance with an attractive hero. Plus the cover is just gorgeous, isn’t it?

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

When Iris and her best friend Bobby walk the streets of and find an Italian street fair, Iris spots a little gelateria that looks to be the same as the one in a photo of her mother’s. The next day, Iris goes back to that shop and meets the owner, Gio Belotti, and sample’s a taste of their vanilla gelato and realizes it’s the exact same one her mother used to make her. Gio shares that his uncle, who owns the shop, is in the hospital and that formula may be lost if he never regains his memory. Iris offers her services as a chef to help “recreate” the recipe and get’s to know Gio and his family and falls in love with them both.

Iris came to New York to escape from a bad relationship but to also see the places in New York that meant the most to her now deceased mother. When she finds work and starts to build her small family of friends in Bobby and his partner Robin, it seems natural that she is living near the places that her mother loved. As the book goes on she learns more about her mother, the struggles she went through and through that process gains strength in herself. Iris particularly went through a lot of self discovery and came out stronger. When she meets Gio, she is immediately attracted to him and is drawn to his family. Their warmth and generosity fills up that lonely place inside.

A Winter In New York is a novel that feels nostalgic, and there certainly is quite a bit of looking back in the form of learning the story of Iris’s mother, but it is also a story about moving forward. Iris finds her inner strength and finally finds a place where she feels like she belongs. Even if it takes her a while to believe in that place and in herself. I liked this story a lot, and especially loved the Belotti family, Gio, and his daughter Bella. That family is the one that we all want to belong to and it was easy to root for Iris to untangle her life and believe that she deserves this happiness she has found. The satisfying conclusion was everything I wanted to read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* A Winter in New York

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads