#AmReading

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Emergency Contact by Lauren Layne, Anthony Ledonne
Published by Blackstone Publishing on October 24, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne--and her real life husband and high school sweetheart, Anthony LeDonne--comes a new holiday romcom that is sure to warm even the coldest heart.

Katherine, an ambitious NYC attorney, gets diagnosed with a concussion and must be monitored for 48 hours to make sure it doesn't get worse. Unfortunately, she forgot to update her emergency contact so the person they call is her ex-husband, Tom. Unable to be left alone, Katherine reluctantly agrees to travel to Chicago with Tom for the holidays. But thanks to a blizzard, what should have been a quick plane ride turns into an antagonistic overnight misadventure that stirs up old feelings even as Tom prepares to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve.

A delightful meet-cute between The Proposal and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Emergency Contact is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne.

Look, I am absolute trash for second chance romances, and this one was spectacular. I had a really good feeling when I read the premise. I anticipated lots of rom-com-ish hijinks and holiday shenanigans, but there were also so many warm, tender, and touching moments.

Four years after their divorce, Katherine and Tom were reunited following Katherine's accident. It seemed she never updated her emergency contact. The surprising part was that Tom came when called. He had big plans for this holiday, but there was something in his heart that compelled him to show up from Katherine. And in the words of big-hearted-trucker Gorby, I instantly felt that energy that crackled between them.

It was so much fun, a joy, and a treat to take this ridiculous Planes, Trains, and Automobiles journey with these two as they found their way back to each other. It seemed like there was a LOT left unsaid towards the end of their marriage, and this was their opportunity to dig deep and get it all out. I felt their pain as they reflected on their loss, their joy and regrets from their past, and the love that still endured.

The last few chapters were THE BEST! It was something special to spend the holidays with Tom's family, and I was very touched that their affection for Katherine had never faded. It was sweet and heartwarming, and some other things transpired that had me shedding all the happy tears.

Overall, it came as no surprise to me that I adored this book. Lauren Layne is one of my go-to authors for a reason. Emergency Contact was the perfect blend of all my favorite elements. It made me laugh, cry, and smile while filling my heart with so much mirth. Rom-com perfection!

*ARC PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

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Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on September 5, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

Bernadette , Eleanor Oliphant, Rosie, Ove . . . meet Amazing Grace Adams , the funny, touching, unforgettable story of an invisible everywoman pushed to the brink―who finally pushes back.

Grace Adams gave birth, blinked, and now suddenly she is forty-five, perimenopausal and stalled―the unhappiest age you can be, according to the Guardian . And today she’s really losing it. Stuck in traffic, she finally has had enough. To the astonishment of everyone, Grace gets out of her car and simply walks away.

Grace sets off across London, armed with a £200 cake, to win back her estranged teenage daughter on her sixteenth birthday. Because today is the day she’ll remind her daughter that no matter how far we fall, we can always get back up again. Because Grace Adams used to be amazing. Her husband thought so. Her daughter thought so. Even Grace thought so. But everyone seems to have forgotten. Grace is about to remind them . . . and, most important, remind herself.

As I was reading reviews for this book, it struck me as how wonderful it is that a book can come across in so many different ways to so many different readers. For me, this story was about how a very traumatic event affected Grace's life and her relationship with the two most important people in her life - her husband and her daughter. This was her journey back to them.

Littlewood let this story unfurl in three timelines, two starting in the past and moving forward, one reflecting the present. One timeline began with Grace meeting her husband at a polyglot convention, the second began a few months prior to the present timeline. The events depicted in both these past timelines helped illustrate the full picture of what happened to bring Grace to her breaking point. Littlewood teaseed as to what happened in both past timelines, slowly doling out parts of the story. One incident was more obvious than the other, and I did figure both out before all was revealed, but I have to say, there was still a big emotional impact.

I have to be honest, Grace in the present timeline came across as quite unhinged. Lots of questionable and over the top behavior, yet I still could not help rooting for her. I could relate to her as a mother, as a middle aged woman, as a person who had lost part of herself and was trying to reclaim it. In a way, Grace had bottomed out, and this was her attempting her comeback. And you know what? There is nothing I love more than a comeback.

Although I did wish I got a bit more at the end, I had an amazing journey with Grace, and I was left with lots of hope for her and her family.

Do you have a travel nightmare story?
Let us know in the comments!