Synopsis (from Goodreads):

When Sara Foster runs away from home at sixteen, she leaves behind not only the losses that have shattered her world but the girl she once was, capable of trust and intimacy. Years later, in Los Angeles, she is a sought-after bartender, renowned as much for her brilliant cocktails as for the mystery that clings to her. Across the city, Emilie Dubois is in a holding pattern. In her seventh year and fifth major as an undergraduate, she yearns for the beauty and community her Creole grandparents cultivated but is unable to commit. On a whim, she takes a job arranging flowers at the glamorous restaurant Yerba Buena and embarks on an affair with the married owner.

When Sara catches sight of Emilie one morning at Yerba Buena, their connection is immediate. But the damage both women carry, and the choices they have made, pulls them apart again and again. When Sara's old life catches up to her, upending everything she thought she wanted just as Emilie has finally gained her own sense of purpose, they must decide if their love is more powerful than their pasts.

At once exquisite and expansive, astonishing in its humanity and heart, Yerba Buena is a love story for our time and a propulsive journey through the lives of two women finding their way in the world. 

Review:

I am a great fan of author Nina LaCour, having read several of her novels for young adults.  Her books have a dreamlike quality as they focus mainly on young, gay teens.  The fact that they are gay is secondary to other issues that they might have, such as depression, and wavering self-confidence.  But all of them are about how the characters move from children to adults.  Although her newest book, Yerba Buena, is a novel for (and about) adults, many of the same themes continue.  

I was initially put off by the beginning of the novel due to the harsh reality of one of the characters.  I found it all rather depressing to read.  However, I stuck with it.  This is a book about getting past family baggage.  The characters have learned coping mechanisms that may have helped them as kids, but are doing them no favors as adults.  So what was at first very depressing, comes out hopeful. I became very invested in the characters of Sara and Emilie, and rooted for them to find happiness.  This is a wonderful book.  

Trigger Warning:

Be aware of some really disturbing scenes of sexual exploitation at the beginning of the story. 

What I Liked:

Characters:

Both Sara and Emilie have significant challenges in their lives.  Sara comes from a family where her father is involved in something illegal.  Coming from a small town in Northern California, Sara falls apart when someone important to her dies.  She can't cope, so runs away.  Solo life is filled with promise, but also hard choices.  She is constantly running from her past so she never puts down roots.

Emilie is part of a family where her sister's problems take center stage.  Because of this, she is a people pleaser.  She feels like if she doesn't make constant compromises, the people she loves tend to leave.  She needs to figure out how to get past this, or she will always be disappointed.  No one ever really can make her happy but herself.

Romance:

Sara and Emilie meet and are instantly attracted to each other.  But their timing is always lousy.  Either Sara or Emilie have family problems to face, or they are dating other people.  Their romance happens in starts and stops.  There are a lot of miscommunications that carry over months.  When they see each other again, they need to start fresh.  But they both know that there is a connection there that they need to explore.

Story:

I loved seeing Sara and Emilie grow as people over the course of the story.  Sara's journey is accepting the past and realizing that she can't save other people.  She is so afraid of going back home, that she misses out on being a part of her brother's life.  She also needs to take a step back and understand how much she has been able to accomplish in her life. 

Emilie can't seem to finish what she starts.  A perpetual student, she keeps changing majors.  By not making a commitment, she doesn't have to take responsibility for her choices.  The same issues occur when she starts dating a married man.  Even though it's exciting, her affair is just another way to hold off on making any real connections with people who she might have a future with. 

I liked how both Sara and Emilie had to confront their choices (and non-choices), in order for them to let go of their issues.

What I Was Mixed About:

I found the beginning of the Sara's story very confusing and creepy.  It was unclear to me why Sara's father acted the way he did (which could be completely my fault as a reader).  And I thought it was kind of out of left field when Sara gets abused by one of her father's friends.  Later in the story, everything makes a lot more sense, and perhaps that was deliberate on the author's part.   But it creeped me out that Sara could be so easily be put in a situation where she could be sex trafficked.   I suppose the author was also making a deliberate choice to show how vulnerable young people are.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date: May 31, 2022

Author:  Nina LaCour

Publisher:  Flatiron Books

Genre:  Adult Contemporary

Page Length:  304 Pages

Source: NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  Despite its harsh beginning, this is a book of hope and of navigating adulthood.  I loved it and highly recommend it.

Please Note:  I received an advance audiobook copy from Libro.fm in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

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Lahore, Pakistan. Then.
Misbah is a dreamer and storyteller, newly married to Toufiq in an arranged match. After their young life is shaken by tragedy, they come to the United States and open the Cloud’s Rest Inn Motel, hoping for a new start.

Juniper, California. Now.
Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until The Fight, which destroys their bond with the swift fury of a star exploding.

Now, Sal scrambles to run the family motel as his mother Misbah’s health fails and his grieving father loses himself to alcoholism. Noor, meanwhile, walks a harrowing tightrope: working at her wrathful uncle’s liquor store while hiding the fact that she’s applying to college so she can escape him—and Juniper—forever.

When Sal’s attempts to save the motel spiral out of control, he and Noor must ask themselves what friendship is worth—and what it takes to defeat the monsters in their pasts and the ones in their midst.

From one of today’s most cherished and bestselling young adult authors comes a breathtaking novel of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness—one that’s both tragic and poignant in its tender ferocity.

Review:  

Sabaa Tahir has got to be one of my favorite authors, having written the wonderful fantasy series, An Ember in the Ashes.  Even with magic, and fantasy settings like the afterlife, the author always made characters who were full of relatable emotions of longing, love, anger, and heartache.  When the series was over, I wondered what Tahir could possibly write next.

Well the wait is over.  And Sabaa Tahir goes in a completely different direction by creating a world so realistic, it's sometimes hard to want to delve into it.  But, All My Rage, her latest novel, has many of the same traits as her fantasy series, with characters full of the emotion.  This book was a tough read, with domestic violence, child abuse, rape and many other horrible things.  What makes it worth reading, though, is the hope we have for the characters, Sal and Noor, do have a better life.  With wonderful performances by the narrators, this was a beautiful book.  Expect to cry!

What I Liked:

Characters:

Sal's parents run a motel in the tiny, California desert town of Juniper, and it has seen better days.  This is mostly because Sal mother is very sick, and his father copes by being constantly drunk.  Even though Sal is a high school student, he does everything he can to help out at the motel.  But his anger at his father seeps into other parts of his life.  

Noor is also in high school, having come to the U.S. when she was a small child.  She was the lone survivor of a deadly earthquake in Pakistan.  Her uncle brought her back to America and put his dreams on hold to care for Noor.  Others might consider her fortunate.  But her uncle is a bitter, cruel man who constantly reminds her she should feel grateful for him rescuing her.  Sal and Noor used to be best friends until about a year ago when Noor confessed that she was in love with him, and he didn't return her feelings (awkard!).

Even though both of these young people have difficult lives, there are some caring adults who do try to be there for them.  I really liked that Sal's mom helped Noor understand her Muslim culture.  And Sal had other adults ready to listen when he could open up, including the young leader at the local Mosque.

Story:

Both Sal and Noor go though a lot in this book.  The author always is joking on social media that she loves to put her characters through Hell.  Well, she certainly did that. If you had a safe, stable childhood, it might seem unrealistic for these characters to have so many terrible things happen to them.  But people do have these types of childhoods, dealing with unstable family situations, racism, and hopelessness.  The shining light at the end of the tunnel is that both Sal and Noor do want to change their circumstances.  But, even with all the best of intentions, Sal and Noor are still just kids.  They make some terrible choices that just compound their problems.

Narration:

The story is structured with the alternating points of view of Sal and Noor.  And the narrators do a fantastic job with both the angst and the joy of being teenagers.  For most of the story, Sal is full of rage and Noor is rather beaten down by life.  But when some good things happen to them, they finally get to express their character's astonishment at the beauty in life, as well.  There is a brief section when the point of view is seen through Sal's mother which is really lovely.

Trigger Warnings for Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, Rape, and anything else you can think of.  This is a very heavy read!

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  March 1, 2022

Author:  Sabaa Tahir

Genre:  YA Contemporary Fiction

Audio Publisher:  Penguin Random House Audio

Narrators:  Deepti Gupta, Kamran R. Khan, & Kausar Mohammad

Audio Length: 10 Hours, 24 Minutes

Print Publisher:  Razorbill

Print Length:  384 Pages

Source: Libro.fm

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  This is a very moving, but hard to read book.  I loved the characters, and hating when bad things happened to them.  Ultimately, this was a book about survival and had a hopeful ending.  I highly recommend it.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

When Isabel Perez travels to Barcelona to save her sister Beatriz, she discovers a shocking family secret in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s new novel.

Barcelona, 1964. Exiled from Cuba after the revolution, Isabel Perez has learned to guard her heart and protect her family at all costs. After Isabel’s sister Beatriz disappears in Barcelona, Isabel goes to Spain in search of her. Joining forces with an unlikely ally thrusts Isabel into her sister’s dangerous world of espionage, but it’s an unearthed piece of family history that transforms Isabel’s life.

Barcelona, 1936. Alicia Perez arrives in Barcelona after a difficult voyage from Cuba, her marriage in jeopardy and her young daughter Isabel in tow. Violence brews in Spain, the country on the brink of civil war, the rise of fascism threatening the world. When Cubans journey to Spain to join the International Brigades, Alicia’s past comes back to haunt her as she is unexpectedly reunited with the man who once held her heart.

Alicia and Isabel’s lives intertwine, and the past and present collide, as a mother and daughter are forced to choose between their family’s expectations and following their hearts.

Review:

Whenever I think of my family history, I try to remember that everyone of the people who came before me had hopes, dreams, loves, or heartaches, just as people today do.  And the larger events of those times likely affected each of their lives in some way.  Whether it was from war, natural disaster, or a world-wide pandemic, one can't help but be shaped by the larger events of the world.

That is why I love reading historical fiction, as it brings the events of the past to life through the stories of everyday people.  Author Chanel Cleeton has created a family saga centering on the women of the fictional Perez family that spans the centuries from Spain to Cuba to the United States.  Her books are about the compromises women are willing to make, and what happens when they decide to break free of the expectations of others.  

Her latest book, Our Last Days in Barcelona, has two storylines.  In the nineteen thirties, Alicia (the prim mother of the Perez sisters in later books) has left her husband and flees to her family in Spain to decide what to do next.   There is fierce fighting between Franco's nationalists and the republicans who want more freedom.  In the nineteen sixties, it's Alicia's daughter, Isabel, who is in Spain looking for her sister Beatriz (and also trying to figure out what to do with her own marriage).  

I loved the parallel storylines, and the themes of family obligations versus what the heart actually wants.  As always, the author does a wonderful job of layering personal stories with historical events.  This was also a very romantic book.  I appreciated that the romance was realistic, and not insta-love.   And there are some truly harrowing historical events that add much tension to the novel.  This was a page-turner!  Although the author has now written five novels based on these fascinating women, I hope that she will continue to find more stories to tell us about this family.  I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

What I Liked:

Settings:

Spain and Cuba in the nineteen thirties were both exciting places to visit, and extremely dangerous places if you didn't agree with the leaders of those places!  At the time of this story, Spain would soon be led by the fascist Francisco Franco, and Cuba would have it's own dictator, Fulgencio Batista.  There were bombings, protests, and people disappearing if they said the wrong thing.  

In the nineteen sixties the story is set in Palm Beach, Florida, amid the emerging Cuban immigrants population, and in Spain (where Franco is still in power).  In Palm Beach, the Perez family is working hard to match the prestige and the lifestyle they once had in Cuba.  In Spain, there is still an aura of danger and people are on their guard.  Beatriz works at an embassy (and also possibly for the CIA) where she finds all sorts of diplomatic troubles. 

I also appreciated that the author took the time to show how social standards dictated the lives of women in both eras.  Avoid scandal was of the upmost importance.  And women were (as always) held to a higher standard than men in regards to love and relationships.  Since women were much more dependent on men, it is important for the author to emphasize this.  If women are involved in scandals that will impact their families, they will lose their support, and protection.  And in those times, that means a life-sentence of poverty.

Characters:

What struck me about all of the women in this novel is that they all are similar, even though the stories are decades apart.  Alicia and Isabel find their marriages to be untenable.  Rosa and Beatriz each realize they let the love of their life go.  All of them feel the burdens of living up to the expectations of either their families or society.  And none of them realize that they are not alone in their struggles.  I think we can all relate to that! 

Parallel Stories:

The story in nineteen thirty-seven and the one in nineteen sixty-four are very similar.  Alicia is having doubts about her marriage and leaves for Barcelona to think about if she wants to stay in her marriage.  In the later time period, it's Alicia's daughter, Isabel, who is wondering if she can remain in her own marriage.  Both mother and daughter face the same pressures and challenges.  But if they were to sit in the same room, neither would admit it to the other!  Oh how alike mothers and daughters can be. 

We also see why Alicia, in particular, makes the choices she does.  Events happen in Spain that make Alicia see clearly what the best decision will be for her.  As I said in my introduction, historical events can influence our lives in many unforeseen ways.

What I Was Mixed About:

As much as I love this series, I really wish there was a glossary of people, or a short summary of the previous books included with each new novel.  It is a little hard to remember who everyone is in relation to everyone else.  This had me struggling to remember important details that would have made helped me understand the current story a little easier.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  May 24th, 2022

Author:  Chanel Cleeton

Publisher:  Berkley Books

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Page Length:  320 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This saga is worth starting from the beginning with the novel Next Year in Havana.  There are a lot of characters that the reader should know before reading this current novel.  But it is the story of an entire family that has so much depth and heart.  This series is a wonderful work of historical fiction and I highly recommend it.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society returns with a compelling and heartwarming story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore, and three women determined to find their way in a fast-changing world.

Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned new and rare book store that has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years, run by men and guided by the general manager's unbreakable fifty-one rules. But in 1950, the world is changing, especially the world of books and publishing, and at Bloomsbury Books, the girls in the shop have plans:

Vivien Lowry: Single since her aristocratic fiance was killed in action during World War II, the brilliant and stylish Vivien has a long list of grievances - most of them well justified and the biggest of which is Alec McDonough, the Head of Fiction.

Grace Perkins: Married with two sons, she's been working to support the family following her husband's breakdown in the aftermath of the war. Torn between duty to her family and dreams of her own.

Evie Stone: In the first class of female students from Cambridge permitted to earn a degree, Evie was denied an academic position in favor of her less accomplished male rival. Now she's working at Bloomsbury Books while she plans to remake her own future.

As they interact with various literary figures of the time - Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and others - these three women with their complex web of relationships, goals and dreams are all working to plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.

Review:

I really enjoyed Natalie Jenner's previous novel, The Jane Austin Society.  It was about the people in a small village in England, trying to save the home where the legendary author Jane Austin lived.  Now, Jenner's new novel, Bloomsbury Girls, focuses on some of the same characters, specifically young Evie Stone, living and trying for success in post-war London.  And even though Evie is in the big city, she still manages to surround herself with a group of fascinating people who all work at a struggling bookstore. 

The two other main female characters, Vivien and Grace are also struggling to find their place in the world.  They are both smart, capable and stifled by the societal norms of the times.  Women must always defer to the men in the shop (and in life), even though Vivien, Grace, and Evie, are much more capable than their male counterparts.  It's infuriating.  I loved that all three women work towards the same conclusion that they are worthy, and can take charge of their lives.

We also get to see other characters from The Jane Austin Society such as the famous American actress Mimi Henderson, and Sotheby's auctioneer Yardley Sinclair. There are also interactions with historical characters of the era such as Samuel Beckett.  This is really fun and add to the richness of the story.

With the London setting, themes of women emerging as a force in society, and the delightful characters Bloomsbury Girls is another winning historical novel from Natalie Jenner.  I highly recommend it.

What I Liked:

Setting:

In the years after WWII London was still a city trying to get back on it's feet.  There were food shortages, and people were under-employed.  As the novel begins, people are just starting to have extra money for items such as books.  So Bloomsbury Books should be doing well, but it isn't.  With dozens of rules created decades ago the business is still stuck in the past.  Many of the rules are good ones, such as the customer is always right, and the salespeople should give the customer space to browse without intrusion.  But other rules are ridiculous.  The rule for having events only be at night might seem fine.  But this leave housewives, who need to be home in the evenings to cook for their families, out of the mix.  There is an inherent bias towards discounting female novelists and customers that is really detrimental to book sales.  

Themes:

The storylines of the book all involve the theme of women being denied their due.  All three women are smart and capable.  But it's the insecurities of the men in the story that's the real issue.  These men are desperately trying to remain in control of day to day decisions at the business and (in the case of Grace's husband) in the home.  I felt that it was actually a manifestation of the trauma that they acquired during the war.  What is more emasculating than seeing people you love killed, and the cities you've known all your life destroyed by something you have no power to influence?  But the way they do this is by keeping females "in their place" rather than recognizing that women were the unsung heroes of the war.

Characters:

Vivien knows what books are worth stocking, but every time she suggest a female author she is shot down.  She also is in competition with her male co-worker Alex.  Both are aspiring authors and share an attraction to each other.  But Alex only sees her as an angry woman, not as a whole person.

Grace has a family at home, but is working at a job because her husband has injuries from serving in the War.  He resents this and cuts her down at every opportunity.  Grace feels tremendous guilt for this.  She has a hard time seeing how terrible her marriage is until she starts to spend time with the shop's owner, an Earl.  She never dreams that one of the aristocracy can see her as anything other than an employee.  But through their friendship, she can see that she and her children are being treated terribly by her husband.

Evie Stone, the young servant from the first book, is gifted intellectually, but doesn't understand the social cues that prevent her from getting more prominent jobs in academia.  Although she is one of the most qualified people in her field, she doesn't figure out (until it's too late) that a woman will not have the same opportunities as a man.  But she is determined to create her own opportunities.

Story:

The story follows the Vivien, Grace, and Evie as they find ways to break out of the mens control.  Vivien starts to find female mentors for her writing.  Grace begins to see her self-worth.  But it's Evie who has the long plan in the works.  She finds something while researching at Cambridge that could be of vast historical significance.  The book she's looking for may be at the bookstore. But there are others looking for the book, as well.  For someone like Evie, who is a rule follower, it's might be morally challenging to bend such rules to get what she wants.  

I loved Bloomsbury Girls.  The story was so satisfying and entertaining.  I truly hope it finds as much success as The Jane Austin Society.  If you want to pick up a copy, consider doing so at your favorite independent bookstore, please.  They always need and appreciate the support.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  May 17th, 2022

Author:  Natalie Jenner

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Genre: Historical Fiction

Page Length:  370 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This is everything I love about historical fiction!  I love that it carried on from the author's previous book, The Jane Austin Society, with some of the same characters that I cheered on in that book.  This was a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

he search for a missing girl sends Inspector Lu Fei undercover into the wild corners of Myanmar, and the compound of the deadly and mysterious woman warlord responsible for the illegal trafficking of exotic animals and possibly more, in the next book from Brian Klingborg, Wild Prey.

Police Inspector Lu Fei has an unfortunate talent for getting himself into hot water with powerful and well-connected people. Which is why he’s been assigned to a backwater town in a rural area of Northern China and quietly warned to keep his head down. But while running a sting operation on the sale and consumption of rare and endangered animals, Lu comes across the curious case of a waitress who has gone missing. Her last known whereabouts: a restaurant frequented by local elites, owned by smooth-talking gangster, and known for its exotic -- and highly illegal -- delicacies.

As usual, Lu's investigation ruffles some feathers, resulting in his suspension from the police force. Lu figures he's reached a dead-end. Then he's contacted by a mysterious government official in Beijing who wants him to go undercover to track down the mastermind behind an illegal animal trafficking network -- and hopefully, the answer to the fate of the missing waitress. The mission will require Lu to travel deep into the lawless wilds of Myanmar, where he will risk his life to infiltrate the hidden compound of a mysterious and ruthless female warlord in a bloody and nearly hopeless quest for justice.

Review:

I really enjoy a good detective series, and have gotten to be a fan of several Mystery book series such as the Inspector Gamache series by author Louise Penny, and the Two Rivers series by author Anne Cleeves.  Both of those series feature a troubled police detective who's integrity gets him into trouble.  The same can be said for Inspector Lu Fei.  This series, written by author Brian Klingborg has a main character who drinks too much, has a long-standing crush on the local bar owner, and has a sense of justice that gets him into lots of trouble.  This series takes place in China in a small city where not much happens, and yet...  Inspector Lu Fei seems to find himself in the center of grizzly crimes in every book. 

While investigating cases, we get a glimpse of life in China and life in a Communist country.  Much of Lu's daily life is like anyone else's.  He goes to work at the police station, where most of the time, the most exciting thing happening is getting a paper cut.  But he and his co-workers are also watched by the local Party representative, so one has to be careful not to criticize the wrong people.  After work, Lu likes to go to the local bar and moon over the proprietress, while drinking too many beers.  But when crimes are to be investigated, Lu is relentless in finding out the truth.

This was a page-turner with a mystery that takes Lu from his small city to the jungles of Myanmar.  With lots of danger, betrayals, and twists, this was a great read.

What I Liked:

Setting:

This story could really take place anywhere, in any country.  What makes this story so compelling is finding out about what life is like for Inspector Lu.  From the food, to the nosy neighbors, to the complex social structures, the details made this world come alive to me.   I liked learning about the way this society worked.

Characters:

Inspector Lu is a man who has been thrown away.  His once promising career has been derailed by his pesky sense of Right and Wrong.  If Lu sees a double standard between how the law is applied between Party big-wigs and everyday people, he feels compelled to point this out.  This isn't winning him lots of friends.  But he does have the respect of others.

Lu is in love with the owner of his local bar, a widow who is having trouble letting go of the past.  I felt for this character, as I think it's hard for any woman to move on from widowhood.  Can you find love again and not be judged by your neighbors?  I think this happens to many woman.  But there are traditions in China which make this even more of an issue.

Story: 

The story begins as a young teenager says that her sister is missing.  She makes her report, and then won't leave the police station until her sister's disappearance is investigated.  She even sleeps in the lobby of the police station, making herself a nuisance until the police finally does something.

And then the hunt begins!  Lu finds that the missing young woman works in a restaurant where exotic meat is served purporting to increase a man's virility.  Everything you can think of is on the menu, including sex workers.  But where is the restaurant getting their supply of Tiger penises and endangered animals?  And how is the young woman involved?  Lu must go undercover to get his answers.

There were a lot of scary situations that made this a book I could not put down.  And this made the book a whole lot of fun!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  May 17th, 2022

Author:  Brian Klingborg

Publisher:  Minotaur Books

Genre:  Detective Thriller

Page Length:  304 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This book is exciting, with characters that you'll want to follow into other stories.  Inspector Lu is a complex main character.  And the story is full of twists and turns.  I highly recommend this book.  

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Twenty-eight-year-old Hannah Spencer wants nothing more than to change everything about her life.

After ten years of living in cities, Nathan Wild has just moved back home to Vermont and doesn’t want to change anything about his.

Recently laid off from her depressing job in Boston and ready for a challenge, Hannah heads to Vermont for the summer to take care of her sister’s kids and do some serious soul searching. There, against the stunning landscape of the Green Mountains, she embarks on an ambitious project: building a treehouse for her niece and nephew. As she hammers away, she formulates a plan to jump-start her life with a new job out West. But will Nathan-next-door complicate her desire to change course? A witty, romantic, and inspiring story of a young woman taking control and making tough choices about love and work to build the life she wants, The Treehouse on Dog River Road will have you rooting for Hannah every step of the way. 

Review:

The wonderful new novel, The Treehouse on Dog River Road, by Catherine Drake finds two attractive people in their late twenties who start a summer fling.  Hannah and Nathan can keep things light, no problem.  But as the summer progresses, and they get to learn more about each other, each finds that, perhaps, they've met "The One".  Sounds great, right?  Well, not exactly.  Hannah is trying to find a career that has more meaning than just a paycheck.  She wants to relocate to a new city and make a fresh start.  But Nathan just bought a house and is looking to establish roots in the small town where he has lots of family.  That's the main (really the only) conflict in this book.   

I liked that both Nathan and Hannah's extended families were a daily part of their lives, and that Nathan had a strong bond with his dog.  These are details that are often missing in books.  The ending, which I will not give away, really elevated the book.  Powerful events take place that change everyone's lives, and cement Hannah's feelings for Nathan.  

If I had any criticism of this novel, it's that everyone is a little too perfect.  It's as though the author couldn't bear to give Hannah or Nathan (or their families) any flaws.  But these are great characters who I think people will enjoy reading about.

What I Liked:

"Clean" Romance:

As much as I love romance books, I am usually conflicted because the emphasis in these novels are mostly on detailed descriptions of sex (always the best of their lives!), and less on how well the two people actually get along.   While there is quite a lot of sex in this book, it's without the play by play that I often see in other novels in this genre.  I would say that this is a "clean" romance, which I really appreciated.  But for some people, sex scenes are a big reason to read romance novels.  Hey, whatever floats your boat.  If your looking for graphic sex scenes, you will be disappointed with this book.

Story:

I liked that Hannah's experience babysitting her niece and nephew wasn't all puppies and rainbows.  Hannah doesn't have any familiarity with children, so the first few days are rough.  Sometimes books go from one extreme to another with this kind of storyline.  Either the main character is naturally great with kids, or they are bumbling idiots.   While Hannah is on a learning curve dealing with kids all day, she is not incompetent. 

Using her skills building homes with Habitat for Humanity, Hannah is determined to build the ultimate treehouse for the kids.  While there is the usual sexist comments from some men questioning her knowledge of building, there was a nice balance between that and Hannah actually asking for help on some of the tasks.  

Hannah and Nathan take their time getting to know each other, which I liked.  Of course, they both felt an instant attraction, but their attempts to move things along are often interrupted by the kids, or just regular things like having to do their jobs.  This was a much more natural flow than the insta-romance, that these sort of books usually go for.

The final quarter of the book takes a dramatic turn as the region is hit with a hurricane.  Both Hannah and Nathan find out how easily life can change based on events that are beyond their power.  Learning to make the most of what then can control is a life lesson for us all.

What I Was Mixed About:

Story:

It might have made for a more interesting story if Hannah and Nathan's roles had been reversed.  What if Hannah had been the one to have just bought a house, and Nathan had to consider finding a job to stay near Hannah?  I would have loved for the guy to be the one who might need to compromise, rather than (always) the woman.

Lack of Conflict:

The only problem for Hannah and Nathan is where Hannah might be moving to.  Everything else was a little too perfect.  No one has problematic relatives, or bad habits, or hidden issues.  Now, I don't necessarily need people to have dark secrets.  But everything is a bit sugary-sweet in this book.  For instance, there are hints that the people in Nathan's family drink excessively, but no one has a drinking problem.  Nathan's home is messy, but the author emphasizes that he is not a hoarder.  Why couldn't he be?  I wouldn't have liked him less for this.  It would have made him more human.  

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  May 10th, 2022

Author:  Catherine Drake

Publisher:  She Writes Press

Genre:  Romance

Page Length:  356 Pages

Format:  E-Book

Source:  NetGalley

Recommendation:  A "clean" romance that is sometimes a little too perfect.  The ending elevated this to a stronger recommendation for me.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A new collection of hard-hitting and intimate stories by award-winning Mexican Canadian author Martha Bátiz.

The nineteen stories in No Stars in the Sky feature strong but damaged female characters in crisis. Tormented by personal conflicts and oppressive regimes that treat the female body like a trophy of war, the women in No Stars in the Sky face life-altering circumstances that either shatter or make them stronger, albeit at a very high price. True to her Latin American roots, Bátiz shines a light on the crises that concern her most: the plight of migrant children along the Mexico–U.S. border, the tragedy of the disappeared in Mexico and Argentina, and the generalized racial and domestic violence that has turned life into a constant struggle for survival. With an unflinching hand, Bátiz explores the breadth of the human condition to expose silent tragedies too often ignored.

Review:

This is a collection of short stories featuring women who are facing terrible realities.  The author, Martha Batiz, is able to set the scene quickly, letting the reader understand the main character's situation and dilemma.  I found these stories hard to read, at times, but very moving.  Sadly, as harrowing as these vignettes are, I can see nearly all of these stories as actually happening.  

What I Liked:

Themes:

Most of the stories show conflicts between mothers and daughters.  No matter how the state of their relationships are, there are undeniable bonds between women and their mothers.  And there are plenty of messed up relationships in these stories.  I think women and girls (and those identifying as women) are easily influenced by their mothers.  Sometimes the message a mother sends to her daughter is that she isn't valued.  Other times, mothers let their daughters know that, since the mom is in a bad situation, the daughter needs to put up, and shut up.  I hated those messages, but found them to be true to life.

But other stories show how fiercely protective mothers and daughters are of each other.  Even if their relationships are strained, mothers never stop being worried for their daughters.  And daughters will always be tied to the person who gave birth to them.

Characters:

There are a variety of characters in these stories, and the author did a wonderful job of making them whole people in a short time.  Even in a short story, these characters face challenges and are changed by them through the course of the story.  Some characters are hopeful, and then lose their optimism, but others become stronger as a result of what happens to them.  I enjoyed those characters the most.  

Trigger Warning for rape and domestic violence:

This is not an idle warning.  These stories are sometimes difficult to consume.  I had to stop several times and process the harshness of the storylines.  But these stories are so moving that I was glad I stuck with it.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  May 3rd, 2022

Author:  Martha Batiz

Publisher:  Astoria

Genre:  Short Stories Fiction

Page Length:  300 pages

Format:  E-Book

Source:  Edelweiss

Recommendation:   Beautifully written but a tough read.