Book Review: Come What Maybe

I cannot believe this is the last full week of January. I've been working hard at trying to set up systems and reliable notes to really keep me on track this year. Well, at least a little better and last year. You know the biggest hurdle right now? My medication list/basket. I am losing track of what I'm taking when and why. I have like 13 medications split up over three times a day and it's just a nightmare.  

ANYWAYS. 

Come What Maybe - Kerri Carpenter

Social media strategist Lauren Wallace plans everything. But when she returns to the charming—if not too small for comfort—town of Seaside Cove, it’s only about a second before her tough-love Grams is already on her case. So when Grams tells her not to go to that bar, Lauren decides it’s time for a temporary rebellion. Which is exactly when the trouble starts.

Grams was right. The bar was not a good plan. Because suddenly super-cute bar owner Ethan McAllister has gone from being Lauren’s (kind of) high school nemesis to a very unexpected one-night stand. And worse, Lauren’s attempts to resume her ultra-responsible life keep getting thwarted by more unwelcome spontaneity. And a pregnancy.

Now there’s a baby on the way, Lauren’s the talk of the entire town, and all her planning has gone right out the window. All that’s missing is childbirth to make her pain complete. But it’ll be nothing compared to Grams’s reaction when she finds out that Lauren broke the biggest rule of all…falling for the wrong guy.

I'm going to tell you right off the bat I am giving this one 3⭐'s, but not because it's a meh story, that isn't the case at all. When I look at the Goodreads rating, a 3 is "I liked it" and that's exactly how I feel about Come What Maybe. It is an absolutely promising beginning to the Seaside Cove series and I am all in for it. I will absolutely be reading the rest of them as they come out. Kerri Carpenter has masterfully set this series up for success. 

My biggest issues with this one is Lauren. I really didn't like Lauren and for all the times she speaks poorly of others/the town because of gossiping and judgement but she really took the take, in my opinion. I didn't like how she made assumptions of her sisters, and her Grams' reaction, and Ethan in general. I liked Ethan a lot, and I really could understand his thought process and the poor guy. He's clueless in the psyche of women and it shows! Overall Lauren was so childish that I really started rooting for Ethan to find literally anyone else. (I have to put in a plug from Grams because she is the Grams we all need.)

Alas, we do have a happy ending, it's a clean romance, the book is very fitting given the coastal Maine setting, and I really love her sisters and look forward to their stories. 

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review! 

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Book Review: Aunt Ivy's Cottage

Happy Thursday! This feels like it has been such a long week and it isn't even done yet. Ugh. I have so many things to do but I'm so overwhelmed I have no idea where to even start. If you're in the same boat, I suggest you drop all of your tasks and curl up with this one. 

Aunt Ivy's Cottage - Kristin Harper

Clearing out the attic, Zoey opens the carved trunk and smiles as she picks up the small, leather-bound diary hiding inside. Curious, she leafs through the pages, and realises this will change everything…

All Zoey’s happiest childhood memories are of her great-aunt Ivy’s rickety cottage on Dune Island, snuggling up with hot chocolate and hearing Ivy’s stories about being married to a sea captain. Now, heartbroken from a breakup, Zoey escapes back to the island, but is shocked to find her elderly aunt’s spark fading. Worse, her cousin—next in line to inherit the house—is pushing Ivy to move into a nursing home.

With the family clashing over what’s best for Ivy, Zoey is surprised when Nick, a local carpenter and Ivy’s neighbor, takes her side. As Zoey finds comfort in his sea-blue eyes and warm laugh, the two grow close. Together, they make a discovery in the attic that links the family to the mysterious and reclusive local lighthouse keeper…

Now Zoey has a heartbreaking choice to make. Nick’s urging her to share the discovery, which could keep Ivy in the house she’s loved her whole life… but when Zoey learns that Nick and her cousin go way back, she questions if the man she‘s starting to have feelings for really has Ivy’s best interests at heart. Will dredging up this old secret destroy the peace and happiness of Ivy’s final years—and tear this family apart for good?

A stunning and emotional read about old secrets, new love and never forgetting the importance of family. Perfect for fans of Mary Ellen Taylor, Robyn Carr and Mary Alice Monroe.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy book while I snuggled kittens under a fuzzy blanket. No shame in that! It has everything you'd expect out of a chick lit: a little home a bit run-down, a niece coming back to family after life events, aging, a greedy cousin, and of course, a good looking neighbor who we just aren't sure of. I didn't get originality out of this book, it's a standard trope we've seen done in a variety of ways, but the predictability of it was soothing and I've got a thing for older adults finishing out their lives. I'm a sucker for grandmas and old aunts, I can't help it. 

Issues for me were Nick and Zoey for sure, they were so... up and down. Falling in love, or ulterior motive? It was kind of all over the place between that and I had a hard time deciding how I wanted them to even end up. The aunts were maybe my favorite, but I kind of love old people, so... yeah. I wish there was more mystery, that was a bit misleading on the blurb, so that was a bummer. 

Things I liked though? I loved the setting, it made me want to vacation in Rhode Island, I loved the predictability of the story, and I loved that it comes together at the end and it feels like came together like a puzzle. It was a Hallmark movie waiting to happen. It really makes you appreciate older relatives more and maybe more now that we can't readily visit them. Maybe pick the phone up or go old fashion and write a letter to family. Overall? I'd give this one a solid 3 star, some of the characters weren't quite developed enough for me, but the story was heartwarming and really what I needed. This year is just so much and sometimes we just need this kind of story to give us a reset. If that's what you need, pick this one up. 

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy for review! Kristin Harper is one of those solid authors that always gives us a story that makes you want to curl up and ignore our to-do list. I am always down for that. 

Book Review: Barefoot on the Beach

I know it isn't summer yet but because I'm home all of the time, and surely wishing it were summer, I'm all about beach reads at this point. I feel like if you read summer books early it gets you into a summer mindset!

Barefoot on the Beach - Katlyn Duncan

Renee may be thrilled to be planning her sister’s wedding, but after witnessing her mother’s two failed marriages, she has always vowed that she is better off on her own.

But when Renee discovers that Luc Hardy has moved next door, her world is knocked off kilter. Luc was her whirlwind summer romance as a teen and, more importantly, her first love. Now he’s back in West Cove, looking more handsome than ever.

There is no escaping the romance in the air this summer. With the wedding planning in full swing, Renee begins to believe that she might be able to put her childhood reservations about marriage aside.

Yet when her mother arrives, she stirs a torrent of emotions in Renee’s heart. She’s up to her old tricks again – boasting about her latest conquests – reaffirming Renee’s lack of faith in love.

As Renee’s happily-ever-after hangs in the balance, will Luc be able to convince her that true love can last forever?

It's always nice to find a new to me author, and Katlyn Duncan is certainly that! In this book we have Renee, who has decided that love and marriage wasn't for her after watching her mother cycle through husbands her entire childhood. Over summer though, she finds herself becoming a last minute wedding planner for her sister who is getting married in a month. One morning her dog runs into the neighbor's house which is when she realized that the guy next door this summer?

Her first crush and definitely the guy she lost her virginity to. Their summer fling ended abruptly and she never heard or seen him again.

They end up hanging out over that month and she finds herself reluctantly rekindling things with him though she has no idea what she's doing. Between that and planning her sister's wedding (who doesn't seem to have a care in the world), having to deal with her mess of a mother, and trying to keep her freelance work afloat, this is an incredibly stressful time for Renee.

Overall? I liked this one, I'd give it a solid 3.5 star for sure. Renee wasn't really someone I would want to hang out with, she wasn't warm or approachable, and it seemed like using her mother's failures as her reason to not even try was just an easy excuse. What she really was feeling was scared to fail herself and she wasn't very nice to Luc. I really liked him a lot and he seemed like a genuinely good guy, he definitely didn't deserve the attitude Renee through his way.

Also, Renee's sister is the worst. I get it she has anxiety and stress but she is incredibly selfish and self-entitled and I really wanted Renee to tell her exactly where to go and how to get there. Don't even get me started on the mother.

If you are looking for a light read, something to enjoy while your kids run around screaming during quarantine, this should be your next pick. It's a fast read, you won't be swinging by the last thread of your emotions, and that's what we all need at this point!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing a copy for review!  All thoughts are my own, of course. Happy reading, friends!

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