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Book Review: Finders Keepers

Thank you to The Author Agency and Nicole Lenz for my advanced reader copy of Finders Keepers. It’s out TODAY…so go get your hands on a copy, trust me!

First I would just like to say how refreshing it was to read this book. This was one of the most well written, well thought out books I have read in a long time. This book is real and relatable and as long as you check the trigger warnings first, one you should put in your hands ASAP.

Bailey has taken her young daughter and made a run from her husband. She ends up in a small town where a complete stranger takes her in and her life starts to begin again. She shares small bits and pieces of her life and we end up getting her entire backstory. I did appreciate the author doing flashbacks of things that happened with her and her husband, it really helped to put things into perspective.

This book also has it all…spice, romance, some mystery, and definitely some suspense. I was kept on my toes for most of it, just waiting to see what would happen. I don’t want to reveal too much, I want you to go out and read it! For what it’s worth, no character annoyed me in the slightest, I just wanted more and more!

5 stars. This debut novel from Nicole Lenz was just so absolutely refreshing, I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

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Title: Finders Keepers

Author: Nicole Lenz

Genre(s): Fiction, Romance, Small Town

Publisher: Independently Published

Release Date: May 8, 2025

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: Friends With Benefits

Thank you for Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance audiobook copy of Friends With Benefits by Marisa Kanter in exchange for my honest review!

I love a good friends to lovers romance so I was excited to snag an advance copy of Friends With Benefits. The story starts with Evie and Theo, childhood friends finding themselves at a turning point. Theo’s roommates are moving out and in California rent is expensive and his income doesn’t allow himself to qualify to take the lease over on his own. Evie has been living at her grandparent’s bungalow home until they come back from a vacation and say they’ve sold it and she now has to move out. Ut oh.

As friends, Evie and Theo still can’t move in together with income requirements and then…along comes an email which says that Evie has been accepted to a fellowship with a top Foley artist. As much as she would love to take it, she can’t afford to quit her job and lose her health insurance with her chronic illness. Yes…our guy Theo steps in.

Theo proposes they get married, she’ll get on his health insurance, AND because they are married they will meet the requirements to move in to Theo’s place. Has Evie had lingering feelings for Theo? Has Theo had lingering feelings for Evie? Oooh, this slow burn takes us through all of that.

What I really liked about this one was they both had some baggage, but they worked through it. In any other time in their lives, I don’t think they would have worked together. As stubborn and as frustrated that I got with both Evie and Theo at times, I am happy they took the paths they did and worked through what they had to, because then it made them available to love.

4 stars. Friends With Benefits is out this coming Tuesday, May 6th and should be one to look out for and read! This story was spicy (it’s a not a slow burn waiting for that, just waiting for them to realize what they want from each other) and definitely a read that will have you smiling!

Title: Friends With Benefits

Author: Marisa Kanter

Genre(s): Fiction, Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio

Release Date: May 6, 2025

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: Give Me A Sign

I chose this book as I participate in a monthly bingo in one of the many reading Facebook groups I’m in. One group had a square for a disability being represented and another had a square for flowers on the cover…I have been wanting to read this one for awhile so I decided it was time!

This was an absolutely FANTASTIC YA read which followed Lilah as she attended a camp for those who are blind and Deaf. Living as a Deaf girl with hearing parents, she has never really been exposed to Deaf culture and finds herself immersed in it. I’m so proud of Lilah in this book!!

I was very eager to read this as I work closely with a colleague who is Deaf. I’ve been picking up sign and challenge myself to learn at least 1 new sign a day. This book helped put some things into a different perspective for me as well. Side note: today I learned the sign for awkward!

I highly recommend this one, the author did FANTASTIC with how she wrote this and I strongly recommend you NOT listen to the audiobook for this, you’d miss a lot! When they’re signing she writes with italics and when people are speaking to Lilah she uses dashes to represent what Lilah doesn’t understand or misses. I thought that was brilliant! I couldn’t tell you how many times I would get frustrated and I thought, wow, great job really getting someone who is hearing to gain a different perspective! Great read!

4 stars. Lilah’s growth was incredible. I thought this book also portrayed everything in this book in a real manner. From how Lilah finds herself, to how Lilah and her friends get treated out in public, and just the overall feel to the book. I look forward to reading more by Sortino!

Title: Give Me A Sign

Author: Anna Sortino

Genre(s): Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Reads

Release Date: July 23, 2023

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: Courier

I love Kindle Unlimited (KU), to the point I usually have always maxed out my borrow amount because there’s soooooo much I want to read! I made myself start to actually read the books I borrowed through KU so I can have room to add more, this was one that was on there that I decided to dive into, and I am SO happy I did!

Woah…Courier by Zoe Rosi is a creepy stalker novella that is a true, absolute must read. What makes this even creepier is the stalking…because it’s nothing out of the ordinary and is absolutely something anyone could do to any random person 😮. I may have peeked outside my blinds when I finished this one…

By the way I finished this in ONE day. ONE DAY. It’s only 173 pages and with each page turn the story escalates just a little more. Short chapters written in a manner that have you craving for what Bob (our stalker) does next…

So Bob was a delivery man and drops off an order to a house and decides that the husband is a bad guy and needs to save the wife. He stalks her and makes it his mission to save her. It’s unbelievable the information he can find and how he keeps an eye on her.

I don’t want to give too much away, but the ending 🤯🤯🤯, oh my. My jaw was on the floor! This is what made this get 5 stars from me!! If you enjoy darker reads, you MUST pick this one up!

Title: Courier

Author: Zoe Rosi

Genre(s): Fiction, Thriller, Horror, Short Story

Publisher: Lighthouse Books

Release Date: January 30, 2024

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: One Desperate Life

If you haven’t checked out Chirp for audiobooks, you need to. They have GREAT sales and offer GREAT prices for audiobooks. It’s worth a look into, this is one I found on Chirp and I’m so glad I did!

One Desperate Life by D.J. Maughan is a short, quick paced what I’d call historical thriller that will have you wanting to finish this in one sitting.

The story takes place in the early 1900s, in the time of train travel & horse and buggies, and is told using past & present timelines. Louise finds herself attracted the man set to marry her sister and ends up in a whirlwind romance with him.

Eventually finding herself pregnant from a night with him, she runs away to seek him out, but things aren’t what they seem. Will she be able to survive him?

It was a little confusing on audio at first with the timelines and names, I don’t want to give away too much, but once I figured out who was who and how the past & present connected it was an easy listen!

4 stars. Great, quick read! Truly a gripping thriller!

Title: One Desperate Life

Author: D.J. Maughan

Genre(s): Fiction, Thriller, Historical Thriller

Publisher: Hulyeseg Inc

Release Date: April 26, 2024

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: True Life in Uncanny Valley

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Children’s, and Labyrinth Road for this advance reader copy of True Life in Uncanny Valley in exchange for my honest review! This book came out last week and is an absolutely fantastic YA read!

Eleanor is your typical teenager being raised by a single mother. She has a sister, also know as mom’s favorite, and almost lives in both their shadows. Eleanor is also obsessed with celebrity Hugo Harrison, but not for the reason you may think…you see, Eleanor’s mom had an affair with him and he’s her dad. In her spare time she enjoys spying on him and his family and wonders what could have been.

Fast forward to Eleanor running into his new wife and small child and landing a nannying job for the summer. She’s finally going to see what he’s like, but can she keep her true identity under wraps? How will she keep this from her mom?

I think any pre-teen/teen will absolutely devour this book. It has the perfect amount of teenage angst and I never found Eleanor or her friends to be annoying. It was overdone, it was just the right amount. I think at any point in time as teens we can feel lost and ignored and the author did a beautiful job at writing this story just so. I think a lot of teens will be able to directly relate to this story. There’s even a smidge of clean romance!

4 stars. Even adults will find this story unputdownable as what will the outcome possibly be? I really enjoyed this one and this should be at the top of your list if you love reading YA!

Title: True Life in Uncanny Valley

Author: Deb Caletti

Genre(s): Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Publisher: Labyrinth Road

Release Date: March 18, 2025

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: Lighthouse Beach @ShelleyNoble3 @WmMorrowBooks @Goodreads #SummerReading #SummerReads #Book #BookWorm

Thank you to Goodreads for a copy of this book! Yes, I won this copy in a giveaway! Woo hoo! Keep entering, I’ve won a few now, you never know when it will be your turn!

Lighthouse Beach: Life Will Never Be The Same. This is on the sign when you come in to this little coastal beach town and it rings a sentiment so true for a newly formed group of friends. Lillo Gray winds up at the wedding of an old camp friend that she has not seen in years. The fact that she even went blows her mind…and she ends up leaving the wedding with the bride and her 2 college friends, never seeing the bride to her wedding vows.

Each girl carries baggage with her. Not in the literal sense. Lillo takes them away to her house and regrets it with every fiber in her body. She isn’t set up for house guests and does not want to entertain them in the least. This ends up being so good for her, and for each of the girls.

They form a tight bond you would think they have been friends for years. It was amazing that this book takes place only over the course of a weeks’ time. Each girl grows exponentially throughout this time. They all needed a little Lighthouse Beach and it makes you feel so good at the end.

We all get by with a little help from our friends. This is what I enjoyed most in this book. Self-realization is important and sometimes you need a little nudge or two from your friends. If you’re looking for a book where the characters grow and learn, this is the one for you. It makes it more enjoyable with a beautiful Maine beach setting! I just wish this was a real place so I could go visit!!! I don’t think *I* would ever leave!

4 star read. It is a bit of a stretch with the growth considering it all takes place within a week; however, remember this is a work of fiction and darn it, they can all grow this much because that’s how fiction works. It was a little bit of a slow start for me, but once little hints started to be dropped about what everyone’s baggage was, I had to find out what background everyone had and what everyone was afraid of/hiding from/etc etc. This is a perfect summer read!

Title: Lighthouse Beach

Author: Shelley Noble

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance

Publisher: William Morrow Books

Release Date: May 28, 2018

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

Sunday Funday: Goodreads Challenge Update @Goodreads #Goodreads #Reading #BookWorm

July 2nd is the official middle date of the calendar year…so pardon me that I’m 5 days late with my middle of the year update for my Goodreads Challenge ;).

I set a goal for myself of 52 books, or 1 book a week. Sometimes life gets busy and it takes me a few weeks to read a book and other times I’m 3 books down a week if I have time off work. I wanted to give myself a challenge and a book a week is a solid one I think I’ll be able to hit…so how have I done so far?

Now, I won’t change my goal even if I hit it. I will be ecstatic and will think about upping my goal for next year; however, if I can accomplish what I set out to do early, then woo hoo! I won’t pressure myself into trying to hit a secondary goal.

Did you set any reading goals for the year? How are you doing with them??

Book Review: The Perfect Girlfriend @Netgalley @Goodreads @KJHAuthor @HarlequinBooks #ThePerfectGirlfriend #4stars

I have a few people to thank for my copies of The Perfect Girlfriend…Netgally, Goodreads, and Harlequin Books! I didn’t realize I had this on Netgalley so I tried to win it on Goodreads…and won. Whoops! However, it did provide for a fun buddy read with my co-worker! I shared the love! Here’s my honest review in exchange for the free copies!

If you were to look up the definition of a crazy psycho ex-girlfriend a picture of Juliette would be what you would find! WOAH. Just when you think she couldn’t be more of a stalker, there she goes, doing something else batshat crazy!

She adores her ex-boyfriend. She will do ANYTHING to make him hers again. The ironic thing is that Juliette thinks she is completely normal and is doing nothing wrong. Put it this way…Nate, the ex-boyfriend, is a pilot so when they break up she decides to become a flight attendant for the same company he flies for.

She keeps track of him through his work schedule. She somehow has an extra key to his house and freely roams about when he’s flying. She also manages to get a spying app on his phone so she can see what he is always doing!!!

I won’t say too much more about the book because I don’t want to give anything away, but I think I read this book with my jaw open the entire time. It was absolutely crazy! Since I was doing this as a buddy read every day the two of us would be, “CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!?!”

I have to give a lot of credit to Karen Hamilton for what her imagination conjured up…although I have to wonder if she was once a crazy ex-girlfriend herself, haha, just kidding!! I would like to note she is happily married with children (yes, I looked it up) so we can all rest easy!

Juliette is everything a devastated ex-girlfriend is; jealous, envious, and revengeful. The things she does will leave you speechless.

Here’s where it gets tricky…rating. I love a solid ending. The Perfect Girlfriend doesn’t have it. I was left a little miffed with how it ended. On the other side, I know people (one of my good friends included) who would LOVE how it ends. I don’t want to say how it ends, but just know if you read it you’ll understand. Would I say not to read it because of the ending? No, what Juliette does is well worth a read because it’s unimaginable. I think I’m just miffed because what I think should have happened to Juliette didn’t. Looking at it from my friend’s perspective, I get it. It was still a very well written suspenseful, thrilling novel. Well, I guess that settles it then. 4 stars. You will just have to read this one and then come back so we can discuss that ending!

Title: The Perfect Girlfriend

Author: Karen Hamilton

Publisher: Harlequin Books

Release Date: March 26, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

Busy, busy, busy!

WOW! The classes I was taking ended up sucking me in and taking me away from the fun things I like to…like read and then write about it! With this school year wrapping up and winding down I am looking forward to endless days of reading….haha, I have kids, that won’t happen either! In all seriousness, my classes are OVER and I’m ready to take back some me time!! WOO HOO!!

Since we last spoke I have read 6 more books…yikes…that’s 6 books I need to review!

My Goodreads Challenge is currently at 17 out of 52 books. According to them I am only 1 book behind schedule!

Here’s a preview at the books to come reviewed shortly…

There are some pretty good books in that mix!!! Make sure you come back on Monday, May 20th to catch The Scent Keeper blog tour HERE!

What have you all been up to lately?