If I Never Met You

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Quality premise and an overall smart, engaging romantic comedy-- The ending can be seen from a mile away, but somehow that made it all the better for what type of book I was craving. I really hope this gets made into a movie.

Happy reading and happy falling in love--

ps. Just in case it matters to you: True to many other British writers, Ms. McFarlane likes to pepper her characters' dialogue with a lot of profanity.

pps. Yay for characters in their late 30s. 

A Trick of the Light - Round Two

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not quite as captivating as her other books, but still really good. Peter Morrow really does drive me crazy. Can't get enough of Three Pines. Wish it was real, so we could plan a summer holiday there.

Happy reading--

Well-Read Black Girl

Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves by Glory Edim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't think we can fully quantify what it means to see ourselves in the characters of the books we read. Those characters and those books often become the foundations of who we become. Jo March, Annie Shirley, and Laura Ingalls Wilder profoundly shaped the course of my life. Well-Read Black Girl is a collection of Black women sharing the Black characters and authors who impacted their reading and their lives. I always enjoy books about books and now my to-be-read list is even longer.

Powerful and important collection. Happy reading--

Dear Emmie Blue

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ummm - a little underwhelming. Some good characters and mini twists, but other plot details were so clear early on that I couldn't decide if I was invested or not. I liked the way the main characters met and started their friendship, but I felt like I had to finish more than wanting to finish.

In short - cute but forgettable, so unless you're a high volume reader, I'd pick up something else.

Happy reading-- 

ps. Some random inappropriate and language that pops up in this book, so it may not be for all readers. Also, there is reference to a sexual assault that might be triggering for some readers. 

Bury Your Dead - Round Two

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Two Louise Penny's finished in a week is the sign that I am hooked on this series. I'm even more impressed with the various storylines running in this installment of the Gamache series.

Happy reading--

The Kew Gardens Girls

The Kew Gardens Girls by Posy Lovell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Kew Gardens is a real place in England, and the Kew Gardens girls are real people. Lovell sets out to tell their story through a few fictional women meant to represent those girls and the work they did in the gardens during WWI. The book is just okay - some good moments, but the pacing is clunky and some of the dialogue overwrought.

I appreciated the insight into a historical detail I don't know much about, and I think someone who loves gardening might like this book more than I did.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Happy reading and enjoy all the spring flowers--

The Brutal Telling - Round Two

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You'd think that rereading a murder mystery would be boring, but Penny layers her stories so well that there are new details to pick up on in a reread. I also am surprised that even when I know what is going to happen, I'm still "on the edge of my seat" reading. Definitely worth a read if you haven't tried any of Penny's books!

ps. You could start here in here in the series and be totally fine. Penny gives enough back story that you'd know enough to follow anything that happens.