Five Star Friday is my version of the monthly wrap-up. On the first Friday of each month, I will share my five-star reads from the previous month. Fingers crossed, I have lots of books to tell you about.
This month, I was able to read 29 books, and I had 4 five-star reads.
Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on October 15, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
In Erin Hahn's latest cozy, swoony romance, Maren Laughlin has been fishing her whole life, but she’s finally ready to be caught.
At thirty-three, Maren Laughlin's just turned down her boyfriend’s proposal, walked away from her decade-long position as a park ranger, and returned to her childhood playground in Northern Wisconsin to accept her inheritance: a decrepit waterfront bait shop. After a lifetime of letting things happen to her, she’s ready to start making her own moves, even if everyone else thinks she’s making the wrong ones. Well, not everyone—at least the local heartstopper and resort owner is on her side.
Josiah Cole has made some missteps in his life, but he’s proud of what he has: two awesome kids and the keys to the kind of getaway spot that has families coming back every summer– their up north home away from home. After his marriage dissolved, leaving him a single dad, he feels he’s the last person to judge Maren for her recent transformation (even if his best friend, her brother, wants him to feel otherwise). Besides, he genuinely likes having her around. She’s a breath of fresh air, his kids adore her (not to mention her dog, Rogers), and it doesn’t hurt that she’s beautiful.
Things between Maren and Joe are easy. So easy, they’re fully immersed in the middle before they even decide to begin. It’s not a question of should they, but rather can they make it last? Are things too easy, or is this just how real love works? In Erin Hahn’s heartwarmingly sexy Catch and Keep, Maren and Joe have to be brave enough to find out.
Erin Hahn is a favorite for a reason. She writes these amazing stories that are fun and warm and allow me to bask in the beauty of it all. I loved both Maren and Josiah, and the two together were *chef's kiss*, but it was the growth Maren experienced that took this to the next level for me. She finally found someone who *saw* her and loved her, as is. That is something that is really meaningful to me, and it was something that help Maren restore her self confidence and find her path. It was such a feel-good story, and I couldn't help by be bursting with happiness by the end.
[review]
The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel
Published by Gallery Books on December 30, 2014
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Goodreads
From the author of the international bestseller The Sweetness of Forgetting, named one of the Best Books of Summer 2012 by Marie Claire magazine, comes a captivating novel about the struggle to overcome the past when our memories refuse to be forgotten.
In this richly told story where Sliding Doors meets P.S. I Love You, Kristin Harmel weaves a heart-wrenching tale that asks: what does it take to move forward in life without forgetting the past?
After her husband's sudden death over ten years ago, Kate Waithman never expected to be lucky enough to find another love of her life. But now she's planning her second walk down the aisle to a perfectly nice man. So why isn't she more excited?
At first, Kate blames her lack of sleep on stress. But when she starts seeing Patrick, her late husband, in her dreams, she begins to wonder if she's really ready to move on. Is Patrick trying to tell her something? Attempting to navigate between dreams and reality, Kate must uncover her husband's hidden message. Her quest leads her to a sign language class and into the New York City foster system, where she finds rewards greater than she could have imagined.
I had never read anything by Harmel, but she won me over with this book. It was a really wonderful and emotion journey as Kate worked through her grief and found a way to move forward without forgetting. I loved seeing her grow and heal, and there were some great twists and surprises in this book too.
[review]
What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella
Published by The Dial Press on October 8, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Goodreads
From #1 bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an unforgettable story—by turns heartbreaking and life-affirming—of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew.
“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella
Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.
As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.
Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.
“Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”—Sophie Kinsella
This book touched me in so many ways. Kinsella is an author I always can rely on for warmth and humor. Though there was some of that included in this story, this is a tale of woman dealing with incurable cancer. It's about her battles and her worries, and it's very personal as it mirrors Kinsella's own experience. There were tears, for sure, but in the end, I was left feeling hopeful. Really beautifully done.
[review]
The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea
Published by Berkley on November 26, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Action/Adventure, Romance
Goodreads
Two very indoor people rough it on a remote island after getting swept up in an archaeologist’s hunt for a famed jewel in this dazzling new adventure rom-com by Kerry Rea, author of Lucy on the Wild Side.
If Emily Edwards knows one thing, it’s that you don’t go to a remote island by yourself. Ever the type A personality, Emily doesn’t want to hike around an unfamiliar island, but she’s determined to fulfill her late father’s national park bucket list, starting with Isle Royale National Park—home to wolves, bears, and hundred-year-old shipwrecks. She has no choice but to hire a tour guide, and there is only one that isn’t booked solid.
Ryder Fleet, co-owner of Fleet Outdoor Adventures, wouldn’t call himself a wilderness expert, and he definitely doesn’t know how to find true north. But when his dormant adventure guide business suddenly finds life again after a random inquiry, Ryder somehow finds himself on a ferry to Isle Royale with a very beautiful, no-nonsense woman. What this woman doesn’t know is that his brother Caleb, who died two years ago, was the outdoorsman of their business, while Ryder just did the marketing. But how hard could it be to hike up a few mountains?
Pretty difficult, actually, when murder is involved. Emily’s perfectly planned trek turns disastrous when she and Ryder witness a brutal crime and are suddenly forced to evade a group of archaeologists on the hunt for a jewel. As they spend nights together too close for comfort, they realize their shoddily built fire isn’t the only thing that’s kindling, and that they must trust each other if they want to escape the island with their lives—and hearts—intact.
Kerry Rea can do no wrong. Seriously, her books were all different from each other, yet they managed to be wonderful in many of the same ways. I loved the whole premise of this one. These two non-outdoorsy people out to conquer some difficult terrain, and then things got worse. But you know what? They dug in and never gave up. This book had action and adventure, great banter, a charming romance, and even a nefarious plot, and it swept me away.
Honorable Mention
October was packed with great reading. Here are my honorable mention books. All earned 4.5 stars.
- The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Not You Again by Ingrid Pierce
- Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins
- Boone by Sawyer Bennett
- Holiday Hideaway by Mary Kay Andrews
- Like Cats & Dogs by Lizzie Shane
- The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai
- The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
- Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson
- Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgans
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