Catching Up on Novels I Missed

by Donna Huber

One of my "resolutions" for the year is always to make a dent in my backlog of review books. My library system purchased several audiobooks that I had on my list. So I've been steadily making my way through them and finding a few true gems that I want to make sure you haven't missed.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

May 2023; Berkley; 978-0593545720
audio, ebook, print (480 pages); romance

When I reviewed Love at First Book I noticed it was listed as book 2 in the Summer Reading series. I couldn't figure out how it was a sequel but I realized I had Summer Reading in my pile of books so I pulled it out. 

Love at First Book isn't really a sequel. The main character of that book appears in Summer Reading as Samantha's best friend. So it is totally fine to read the books out of order.

I actually liked Summer Reading better. 

On my bucket list is a visit to the New England coast. Nantucket is on top of the list and I prefer books set there, but I've enjoyed a few Cape Cod set stories so it was time to read a story set in Martha's Vineyard. I didn't fall in love with the place while reading this book, but if you like summers on the coast then this book is a pretty good one.

I really liked the characters. I struggled a little with Sam in the beginning because she seemed to find her identity in her dyslexia and very much let it define her and what she thought she could and could not do. I think that is partly because it took so long to diagnose and she didn't get professional help with devising strategies. I have a friend who is dyslexic and she earned a Ph.D. and was super organized - kind of the opposite of Sam. But once she stopped saying "I can't do that because I'm dyslexic" all the time I started to like her more.

Ben is great and very sweet. You will be rooting for him and Sam from the start. Surprisingly, one of my favorite characters was Sam's younger brother. I thought McKinlay did a great job creating this teenage character.

The storyline is predictable. There is the meet-cute, the shy, awkward getting-to-know-you phase, the obstacle that drives them apart, and then the reunion. But I don't mind predictability in a fluffy beach read - it's comforting in some ways knowing where the story is going. 

Whether you have a late winter vacation planned or are just tired of winter and ready to dive into beach reads, if you haven't picked up this book yet it should be on your list.

Buy Summer Reading at Amazon

The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers

October 2024; Sourcebooks Landmark; 978-1464219047
audio, ebook, print (400 pages); biographical fiction

I love biographical fiction and WWII fiction. I love it even more when I get to read about events and people I haven't read about before. This book ticked those boxes and more for me.

I remember watching Julia Child's cooking show on PBS when I was a little girl but I never thought about her life before that. I became intrigued when I read a cozy mystery series where she is a secondary character and I learned that she worked with the OSE during WWII.

Julia was stationed in India and China - two places I have read little about in all the WWII fiction I've read. So it was really interesting to get to see the Pacific Theater and learn about some of the views of Japan and China at the time. 

Then there is the things Julia was involved in - almost unbelievable and Chambers did take a few creative licenses as she had to fill in gaps in the historical record. 

Because of the cozy mystery series (and because her last name is Child), I knew that she would eventually marry Paul, but it was still fun to see their love story unfold. 

I didn't want to put this book down. Chambers writing is so engaging that I often felt like I was there with the characters.

If you haven't picked up this book yet, don't wait any longer.

Buy The Secret War of Julia Child at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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