I got an early copy of Hotel Laguna and I couldn’t put it down!

Nicola Harrison, one of my very favorite authors, always nails the balance of historical detail and page-turning plot, and this book is no exception. The characters are so well-developed and you can’t help but root for them.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, or just a good story.

Norah and Skyler were best friends, but they drifted apart when Skyler’s family moved away. Four years later, their moms surprise them with a road trip across the western United States. Norah is excited to reconnect with Skyler, but he seems distant and unfriendly. It turns out that Skyler is dealing with some personal issues, but with the help of Norah and his family, he starts to open up. Along the way, Norah and Skyler also rekindle their friendship and maybe even something more.

Places We’ve Never Been is a sweet and heartwarming story about friendship, family, and first love. It’s the perfect book for fans of Kasie West and anyone who loves a good summer road trip. I really enjoy Kasie West’s writing!

I just finished Ann Jacobus’s second book, The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent, and I’d give it more than five stars if I could.

The topic matter is tough – suicide, alcoholism, cancer, death – but I truly love the way Ann writes and that kept me going until I was well and truly hooked.

Del is 18 and lives with her Aunt Fran in San Francisco. I’m glad I’ve been to San Francisco because I could picture every scene so easily. If you haven’t visited, it won’t matter because you will be able to see it clearly with your mind’s eye as you read.

As a recovering alcoholic who has attempted suicide, Del is trying to get her life on track, volunteering at the suicide prevention hotline, and preparing to enter college. Del’s mom has completed suicide and her dad has been moving around the world with his work. Del lived with him for awhile in London but it’s gloomy weather didn’t help her mental health challenges which is how she came to live with her aunt.

There’s a boy she likes who doesn’t appear to feel the same and then her aunt has a recurrence of cancer. Del tries to hold it together and it’s a struggle. You will love how she keeps trying even though it doesn’t go perfectly. You will be rooting for her. The poems in the book that were written by Aunt Fran add to how talented this author is.

I sat with my own mom in her finally month and I have never really been able to verbalize how incredibly hard but amazing the experience was. You will find that explained well in this book.

This book is really great and I can’t recommend it more. I’m super excited to see what this author writes next.

This was a good book with unexpected twists and turns! I couldn’t put it down.

The story takes place in a small village in Ireland. Ciara is the perfect Instagram influencer and she wears her crown proudly among their social circle. She rules it. Her best friend is Mishti, a meek Indian woman who is more of a sounding board for Ciara than anything. Lauren is the next door neighbor who has lived in the village her whole life and been ridiculed by the girls. As an adult she still encounters this but wraps her life around her family.

When Ciara winds up dead, you will think someone else did it. I loved that part because I couldn’t have guessed. Good book!

I have no idea why it took me so long to read this book because I absolutely loved it. It was such a good story, I guess I didn’t want it to end.

Marnie is a gift buyer. She offers this service for wealthy people who are too busy or who don’t know what to gift the people in her life. For years she has been trying to buy the building that once housed her grandfather’s shoe store. It has been burned by a fire and, even though she is family, her uncle will not sell it to her and it goes up for auction.

In the process of being so busy trying to figure out how she can come up with enough money to purchase the building, gifts for a wealthy client’s wife and mistress are accidentally given to the wrong person. Marnie also falls in love with the client’s son which presents another whole problem.

I loved this story, how the problems were solved, and how the book ended. I highly recommend!

Since living in West Africa, I have found some of my favorite reads to be by authors from the region. This was a tough but good book to read.

The story of two very different sisters. The older sister, Cheta, is tough and outspoken, while Zam, the younger sister, is more meek and preferred by her mother. Their mother is very domineering and abusive. Zam tries to stay under the radar where her mom and sister are involved. Dad is just there. He stays uninvolved and is probably beaten down by the mother. Ultimately, Zam has the good fortune to move in with her wealthy aunt and her family. Of course this causes further conflict between the girls.

The story is rough but good and I look forward to being able to read this author’s next book.

I think the cover of the book is kind of scary. The story, though, was good.

I liked Georgina a lot. I wanted her to end up happy. The way she got there? The “lifestyle”, not so much. Seems an odd way to solve a marriage problem.

But, this was a good book and I liked it.

I enjoyed this debut novel about a former street child, Rakhi, who has grown up. While she holds a job in the office of a social justice law firm, her boss takes every moment to let her know how “less than” she is. But Rahki, who still lives in a large slum, is strong and never gives up. She has hopes of a better life in the hotel industry.

Rakhi is underestimated and despite having to jump through all kinds of hoops, she never gives up. This was a good book and I look forward to reading another from this author.