Oh it's a hard time trusting fate: FUNNY STORY.

Funny Story by Emily Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As Emily Henry stories go, this one captured my attention with its small but enjoyable cast and surprising romance. Daphne's life is rocked when her finance, Peter, breaks up with her right before the wedding. Even worse, he leaves her for his longtime best friend (and his best "man"), Petra. With no place to live, Daphne winds up rooming with Miles, Petra's own jilted ex.

As couples go, Daphne and Miles are just cute. She's dealing with a difficult absent father situation along with the breakup. Miles has his own family baggage, but he hides it better, behind a charming, happy go lucky exterior. Daphne is the quintessential librarian--a homebody who loves her books and her job, especially reading to kids and finding ways to connect them to books. Miles appears to be a wayward guy, but Daphne quickly realizes he has a vast network of connections and friends across their small Michigan town. Daphne just wants to get out of said town--it reminds her of nothing but Peter--but Miles asks to show her around for the summer. This works out well, since Daphne accidentally blurts out that she and Miles are dating to get everyone off their back.

The two aren't exactly fake dating, but they aren't exactly not, either. What follows is a delightful and engaging story that explores the Michigan setting, introduces us to our cast of fun and quirky characters, and sees the chemistry between Miles and Daphne quickly ratchet up. The two seem well-suited for one another and the librarian/books angle is fun.

This is a cute story--nothing crazy--but I enjoyed the cast and Miles and Daphne's relationship and journey of self-growth.

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But your want-me-back eyes, get-me-back smile: HAPPY PLACE.

Happy Place by Emily Henry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Harriet is headed back to her favorite place in the world, a Maine cottage belonging to her college friend Sabrina. She's spent over a decade returning to this beloved place with her college pals. But now she's back at the cottage with her fiance, Wyn. Sounds great, right? The only problem... Wyn and Harriet broke up six months ago--and haven't told their best friends yet.

I have loved many Emily Henry books and while I liked pieces of this one, it was not my favorite. Sacrilege, I know! I did not care for present-day Wyn or Harriet much at all. Honestly I did not like most of the characters. It seemed like Henry dropped in our token lesbians, Cleo and Kimmie, who were the only sane ones. How did these people last so long as friends? All they did was drink, fight, and not communicate with one another. Basically all the issues in the book could have been avoided if they just talked! And Harriet--all she did was whine, whine, whine. I wanted to shake some sense into her.

Our story is told in present-day sections and then flips to the past, as Harriet and Wyn meet and fall in love. I enjoyed those pieces and always felt annoyed when we came back to the bickering present. Sure, there were sexy moments and the lingering wanting between Harriet and Wyn was beautifully tense at times, but mostly they were frustrating.

I wanted Kimmie and Cleo to leave the rest of these folks in the dust and head back to their lovely farm. Still, there were sections of the book I liked, so 2.5 stars, rounded to 3 here.


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Yours was the kiss that counted: BOOK LOVERS.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Nora Stephens is a cutthroat literary agent who reluctantly agrees to spend the summer in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina at the request of her adored little sister, Libby. Libby has this dream that Nora will have some sort of rom-com small town transformation in Sunshine Falls, but the main male Nora keeps running into is Charlie Lastra. Unfortunately she already knows Charlie from New York and they've met, repeatedly. None of those meetings have been cute or romantic. But as the two keep running into each other over and over, they start wondering if maybe they don't hate each other after all.

I needed this book after reading a few disappointing books by some favorite authors. This was just what I craved: witty banter and a romance I could believe in. A really simple way of saying it: this book is really good. It plays on writing and literary tropes so well. With both Charlie and Nora being in the publishing business, this is truly a book for book lovers. (Imagine that?) It's filled with hilarious banter that made me laugh constantly - the sexiness between Charlie and Nora is amazing.

But this is also a sweet book in a lovely small town setting. There are so many good side characters and quirky small town folks. Nora's desire to take care of her sister was almost too much for me at times (she's a grown woman!), but I understand why she was so protective of her.

Overall, this is a gorgeous, sexy, sweet romance! 4.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

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BLOG TOUR!! And once in a while, you feel close enough to touch: PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So excited to be part of the Blog Tour for this wonderful intense and emotional romance!!

Poppy has her dream job, working at one of the top travel magazines. She has a nice apartment and a good friend in New York. But she's not happy. She knows clearly when she last was: two years ago, on a trip with Alex Nilsen. Poppy and Alex have been best friends since college. This despite the fact that they are very different and spend most of the year apart. She works in New York City. He teaches in their small hometown. But every summer, they reunite for one amazing week-long vacation. Until two years ago, when they ruined everything and stopped speaking. Poppy knows she needs to get back to that happiness she shared with Alex. So she plans one more trip. She has one week to repair her friendship with Alex and to make everything right. No big deal, right?

"On vacation, you can be anyone you want. Like a good book or an incredible outfit, being on vacation transports you into another version of yourself."

Like most people, I adored Emily Henry's book BEACH READ and was quite excited to read PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION. She's back with another unique romance. I'm not sure I enjoyed this one quite as much as BEACH READ, but I still loved it. This book is intense and emotional yet hilarious at times. A section on Poppy helping Alex rework his Tinder profile had me actually laughing out loud.

"I know right away when when I was last truly happy. Two years ago, in Croatia, with Alex Nilsen. But there's no finding my way back to that, because we haven't spoken since."

VACATION has a small cast of characters, which means the spotlight is focused on Alex and Poppy throughout. It's incredibly easy to get swept up in their story. I flew through this book in a day (on vacation, ironically). It goes back and forth in time, with some chapters revolving around "this summer," which tells us about Poppy's trip and her attempt to save her friendship with Alex. Past chapters look at other summers and their other trips. We know something happened on their Croatia vacation, but don't find out until we get to that chapter. That melodrama was a bit much for the actual "big" reveal, but that was my only major issue with the book.

This is a slow burn, with Poppy and Alex's story unfurling in bits and pieces, thanks to the back-in time-format. However, it was incredibly effortless to become lost in the plot and become part of this book. Henry is an amazing storyteller, and I felt like I was a piece of Alex and Poppy's journey and their trips. I was invested in their friendship from the start. Henry's romances are different, but the lust, passion, and intensity just ooze from the pages nonetheless.

Overall, this is a different and intense story. Our main characters are complete opposites, and it's fun being a part of their journey. 4 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

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Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you: BEACH READ.

Beach Read by Emily Henry
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Heartfelt and beautiful romance

Author January Andrews is 29, miserable, broke, single, and semi-homeless. She's had her entire life view shattered. Now she's arriving at her late father's secret lakeside home. The one he just happened to share, secretly, with a second woman that wasn't her mother. There she finds herself living next door to her college rival--now a successful author--Augustus Everett. But soon the two discover they're both struggling with writer's block and strike a deal: Augustus will write something cheery and happy (January's style) and she'll attempt something serious (his style). To assist in this endeavor, they'll take each other on field trips: for instance, she'll bring him to theaters showing old romantic comedies, and he'll take her to interview cult members. And, under no circumstances, will they fall in love.

"Here’s the thing about writing Happily Ever Afters: it helps if you believe in them. Here’s the thing about me: I did until the day of my father’s funeral."

I adored this romance, which isn't a fun and easy love story, but instead a tale of two broken people trying to find their way again in the world. The book focuses almost solely on January and "Gus," as she knows him from college, and oh these characters are just so amazing, popping from the pages as you get to know them. There are great wonderful side characters as well, particularly Gus' aunt.

The banter in this book is unbelievable, as January and Gus first continue their college rivalry and then slowly get to know each other. In fact, I challenge you to find another romance with such wonderful gradual sexy chemistry. And January is simply hilarious and wonderful and inspiring despite the fact that's grieving--not just the loss of her father, but the loss of the idea of him, the person she'd known and idealized.

Overall, this is just an amazing book. Sad yet humorous and sexy and romantic. I can't recommend it enough. 4.5+ stars.

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