In a Nutshell Reviews

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

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Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler
Published by St. Martin's Press on April 18, 2023
Age/Genres: Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

For twenty-six-year-old Adelaide Williams, an American living in dreamy London, meeting Rory Hughes was like a lightning bolt out of the blue: this charming Englishman was The One she wasn’t even looking for.

Is it enough?

Does he respond to texts? Honor his commitments? Make advance plans? Sometimes, rarely, and no, not at all. But when he shines his light on her, the world makes sense, and Adelaide is convinced that, in his heart, he’s fallen just as deeply as she has. Then, when Rory is rocked by an unexpected tragedy, Adelaide does everything in her power to hold him together—even if it means losing herself in the process.

When love asks too much of us, how do we find the strength to put ourselves first?

With unflinching honesty and heart, this relatable debut from a fresh new voice explores grief and mental health while capturing the timeless nature of what it’s like to be young and in love—with your friends, with your city, and with a person who cannot, will not, love you back.

Should you read this book, I can promise is that you will feel a LOT. Learning about this woman’s past and watching this man abuse her love was heartbreaking and frustrating. To be honest, I didn’t really feel the love story part of this. I did, however, find Adelaide’s personal journey worth exploring.

It was scary at times, as I know I saw parts of my younger self in this book. There’s that famous line about how we accept the love we think we deserve. Adelaide’s first love was so traumatic and terrible, it left her settling for less than she deserved. She was also conditioned to sacrifice her own needs for those of others which I think is commonplace for women and wholly unacceptable.

So much heartbreak and pain. I was happy that Wheeler surrounded Adelaide with such steadfast friends and allowed her to finally recognize her true “prince”. This was an extremely emotional and tumultuous journey, but Wheeler topped it off with a beautiful epilogue that left my heart filled with joy.

*ARC PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

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Ten Years by Pernille Hughes
Published by One More Chapter on August 18, 2022
Age/Genres: Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

They’re perfect for each other
They just don’t know it yet

Becca and Charlie have known each other for years – ever since they met at university.

And for every one of those years, they've bickered, argued, offended, mocked and generally rubbed each other up the wrong way.

Until now. Until Ally’s bucket list. The death of their loved one should mean Becca and Charlie can go their separate ways and not look back. But completing the list is something neither Charlie nor Becca can walk away from.
And sometimes, those who bring out the worst in you, also bring out the very best…

Over the course of ten years, Becca and Charlie’s paths collide as they deal with grief, love and life after Ally.

The prologue had me sobbing, so the book was off to a great start as far as I am concerned. I have to give Hughes so much credit for the choice made there. It was the perfect way to start this story as it was Ally’s last wish that her two favorite people, Becca and Charlie, complete her bucket list.

Watching Becca and Charlie move through their lives as they tried to live without Ally was heartbreaking at times. She was kind of a great love for both of them, though in different ways. They also grieved her in different ways, and I appreciated that the grief was not presented as one-size-fits-all.

The bucket list items were a wonderful way to keep these two in each other’s orbit. The tasks were entertaining, but the beauty was seeing Charlie and Becca’s relationship evolve. They went from hardly tolerating each other to cooperating for the bucket list task to being each other’s biggest supporters.

It’s always special to get to spend long periods of time with characters. Not only did I get to see Charlie and Becca warm to one another, I got to see them grow as people in many aspects of their lives.

This story WAS an emotional roller coaster, but it was so satisfying. There was laughter and tears, and most importantly, lots of hope.

Have you even ridden in a double decker bus?
Let us know in the comments!