Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Call Me When You're Dead is a darkly comic novel about payback gone wild, gone sour, maybe even sweet. "If anything bad happens to me, I want you to get him." That's what Eleanor Birch's glamorous friend Sasha Cole requests of her during a New York City dinner one hot August night. Something bad does happen, and Eleanor is forced to become another person altogether in the wilds of Manhattan, acting as her own little Pygmalion in the harsh world of advertising and its remorseless denizens. How she triumphs, and how her prey becomes first her ally and then her lover, makes her journey a tragic romp, a hilarious disaster, and even an all-out farce--but one with very serious consequences.

Review:

I didn't quite know what to expect when I requested Call Me When You're Dead, by A.R. Taylor.  Was this a serious revenge thriller?  A rom-com?  A story about life and death?  This novel had some elements of each.  But also, it was a screwball comedy that I think would make a terrific movie.  This is a comedic, modern-day look at thirty-somethings in Manhattan, friendships, and the world of advertising.  The main character, Eleanor, in her quest to seek revenge on her dead friend's ex-boyfriend, transforms from a quiet, librarian, into a woman at ease in the New York social scene. I found her journey to be a reminder to live life to the fullest now, because one never knows when life will be cut short.  There were also many other wonderful characters, especially the ex-boyfriend, Jon, and his brother Walter, along with a cadre of Jon's colorful advertising colleagues.  While the antics sometimes were over the top, the behind the scenes look at making commercials was hilarious.  This was a fun, engaging book.  I highly recommend it.

What I Liked:

Characters:

Eleanor lives in Buffalo, New York and has a job that she loves as a research librarian.  But her social life is pretty stagnant.  The antics of her high school friend Sasha provides lots of exciting stories whenever they get together for dinner.  But, when Sasha suddenly dies, Eleanor feels obliged to grant Sasha a last request: get even with the man who broke Sasha's heart.  But what is Eleanor supposed to do?  She doesn't even know the guy's last name!  Well, Eleanor does what a librarian does best; she does her research.  Also, luckily, she teams up with another of Sasha's friend, a New York actor who knows everything about New York.  While figuring out what she needs to do, Eleanor undergoes a transformation, inspired by Sasha.  What I loved about this change was it was driven by Eleanor finding out what she really liked.  She didn't change into a fake version of a Manhattanite, but into her authentic self.  

Jon, is a career-driven advertising executive.  Far from trying to hurt Sasha, he is just so busy, and under so much pressure, he can't focus on anything but his job.  And (probably unknown to Sasha) Jon has a very complicated family that includes overbearing parents, and his brother, Walter, who has some challenges of his own.  When Eleanor finally meets him to inform him of Sasha's death, it hardly registers, at first.  But, as the story progresses, Jon begins to see how he let Sasha down.  And he is intrigued by that friend of Sasha's (is it Eleanor?) who he keeps running into. 

Romance:

As all good rom-com's go, there is an unusual meet-cute, hidden intentions, and then heartfelt connection.  Eleanor first meets Jon on one of the worst days of his life.  The commercial he has just created, gets stuck on a loop on CBS, making it one of the most instantly annoying commercials in history!  Jon is so caught up in his now imploding career, he barely hears Eleanor's news about Sasha.  His seeming indifference is infuriating to Eleanor, who doubles down on her commitment to ruin Jon on Sasha's behalf.

But, eventually, Eleanor sees Jon for the stressed out person that he is, who cares deeply for his parents and brother.  And Jon begins to notice how genuine Eleanor is with everyone.  They are actually a perfect match.  But can Eleanor fall in love with the man she has vowed to avenge on behalf of her friend?

Advertising:

I really loved this aspect of the book.  The people at Jon's advertising company are as cutthroat as they come.  One of his colleagues is a brilliant art director, with a heavy addiction to drugs, alcohol, and affairs with his co-workers.  With all the chemicals in his body, it's a wonder he's still alive.  His other co-workers all seem to be scheming to get ahead. And if that mean sabotaging another's work, then so be it.  But who messed with Jon's commercial?  Jon leaves no stone unturned to find out.  And if he has to break into other peoples computers?  Well, they shouldn't have left them turned on.

Things come to a head as Jon and his rival both have to shoot commercials in the desert with wives, girlfriends, a herd of buffalo, and the world's most obnoxious director in tow.  These scenes were really funny and would make for a terrific movie.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date: September 6th, 2022

Author:  A.R Taylor

Publisher:  She Writes Press

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Page Length:  368 Pages

Format: E-Book

Source:  NetGalley

Recommendation:  This was a really entertaining read with plenty of great characters and romance.  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):

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 in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Earth, 2050. Pregnant, unemployed, and living back home with her father, climate scientist Quinn Buyers wonders how she got to this point in her life. Her famous scientist mother is mysteriously missing, the planet is at risk from a massive solar storm, the Transhumans want to take a colony to Titan, and her assisted living companion, a robotic meerkat, is showing clear signs of anxiety and depression. But her biggest challenge is her partner. How can she reconcile her long-distance relationship with this reserved, enigmatic cyborg?

The sequel to Sarah Lahey's debut novel and the second book in the Heartless Series, Nostalgia is Heartless delves into the world of the near future, exploring a society on the brink of climate catastrophe. This time, Quinn's adventures take her across the globe to Antarctica . . . where it rains all day, every day. Readers will delight in following Quinn's journey as she races to save her family, her planet, and — hopefully — her love life.

Review:

I was fortunate enough to read the first book in this series, Gravity is Heartless, last year.  I highly recommend that you read that book first.  Nostalgia is Heartless starts out several months after the first book ends.  Set about thirty years in the future, the world is in disarray.   The polar ice caps have mostly melted.  As a result, the atmosphere has changed, and there are food shortages, wars and environmental refugees.  In other words, the world is in chaos.

And the characters are also in chaos.  Quinn is facing lots of change.  Pregnant by a man she barely knows, she is suddenly unemployed and living with her father, a survivalist who Quinn finds to be super annoying.  Mori the AI meerkat is having an existential crisis.  Tig, the transhuman who impregnated Quinn, is hiding a big secret, and Quinn's mother is still missing.  Oh, and several Terminator-types are trying to kidnap Quinn and the meerkat.  

This book was so much fun to read.  The characters are written with much humor and humanity.  And the adventure and excitement kept me reading well beyond bedtime!  I highly recommend this book.

What I Liked:

Setting:

Although this is a science fiction novel, the setting shows a very realistic scenario for what Earth would look like if climate change remains unchecked.  The Earth is getting hotter and hotter.  The wealth inequities are stark.  There are cities for the wealthy where people live in climate-controlled comfort.  And other places where people are scraping by.  Food sources have changed.  Instead of eating potato chips, Quinn nibbles on dried insects, and other food grown in labs.  Humans have adapted by integrating technology into their bodies.  When they have more tech in them then flesh, they are known as transhumans.  It's a really stark picture of our future.

Characters:

Quinn is now heavily pregnant with Tig's baby.  And while the baby is well on its way, their relationship is still sputtering.  They barely know each other.  It doesn't help that Tig is so mysterious.  He is a transhuman who is hiding some significant secrets. And, strangely, he seems to know a lot of small things about Quinn (like what her favorite meal is) even though they are still new to the relationship...

I loved Matt, Quinn's hippy dad.  He is a former musician who has amassed a fortune over his career.  And what did he do with his money? He used it to build a glass house in a forest, complete with a doomsday bunker.  He has been prepping for Armageddon, which comes in handy when a bunch of transhumans decide to go after Quinn.

There are also some amazing side characters with a sister and brother named Anvil and Stratus.  They have certain abilities which come in handy in the story.  But they are also just wonderful people.  Anvil tries to look after her little brother, but he keeps getting kidnapped!  Stratus seems to have a very special blood type that others want to harvest.  But he still maintains a sense of wonder with all the gadgets he can find.  And Anvil has the ability to harness electricity and zap people.  But both of them are exhausted from the struggle of survival.  Quinn finds them and takes them under her wing (a little maternal practice, perhaps?).

Story:

As Quinn's due date nears, she has to cut back on how active she wants to be.  She is used to being independent, and it's hard for her to acknowledge that she might need help to stay safe.  Her need to be self-sufficient is put to the test when several transhumans affiliated with a shadowy organization try to abduct Quinn and Mori the meerkat.  What follows is a rollicking adventure as Quinn, Matt, and her friends have to navigate an underground labyrinth to get to a secure bunker.  This takes a large portion of the book.  But I loved it

Even when this part of the book is over, there are more adventures to come.  Tig and Quinn start to unravel the mystery of the Shun Mantra organization.  And Quinn is still looking for her mom.  Could she have time-travelled?  

Sarah Lahey has created a dystopian world that still has people with an intense desire to affect positive change.  This hope in the future is what makes this series so compelling.  There will be a final book in the series.  And I can't wait! 

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  October 26th, 2021

Author:  Sarah Lahey

Publisher:  She Writes Press

Genre:  Science Fiction

Page Length:  314 pages

Source:  Publisher

Format:  E-book

Recommendation:  With a Science Fiction backdrop, this book is all about relationships.  It's fun, and full of adventure!  I loved it.