Isn't It Romantic?

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Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on August 6, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

A tender, laugh-out-loud debut romance about a woman who ends up in over her head after a little white lie . . .

When thirty-year-old post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and reluctant thrill-seeker Alison Mullally arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral to find that no one knows he dumped her, she agrees to play the grieving girlfriend for the sake of the family and pack up Sam’s apartment with his prickly best friend, Adam Berg. After all, it’ll only take four weekends . . .

But Adam doesn’t want Alison anywhere near him. Forced to spend long hours with the grump, and his monosyllabic demeanor, Alison decides she must put her people-pleasing abilities to the test. She will make him like her. And after awkward family affairs and packing up dilemmas, the two form a tenuous friendship . . . if “friendship” means incredible chemistry and tension between them. Can Alison come clean and finally embrace the life and love she's always wanted? Or will her little white lie get in the way of her new, unexpected romance?

You can't see it but I am grinning from ear to ear. Why? Because this book was so fun and sweet and charming. I laughed, I smiled, I swooned, and I fell in love with Alison and Adam.

If I was checking off the boxes of what made a great book for me, this book would result in a glut of checkmarks. First of all, it was funny, like a real-deal rom-com. Not only was there witty and humor filled banter, but there were quite a few slap-sticky moments, too. I love to laugh, and this book really delivered on that front.

But I also like to cry a bit, and Four Weekends and a Funeral had plenty of emotional depth. Both Adam and Alison were struggling with some form of survivor's guilt. Adam was mourning his best friend's death and his actions before the accident while Alison still grappled with residual guilt related to being a BRCA 1 carrier and her double mastectomy. There were these moments where they bared their souls that moved me to tears and made me want to reach out and hug them. It was moments like that where I was so grateful they had each other. 

I really appreciate Palmer creating Alison and sharing something so personal with us. She opened this window and allowed me to understand a bit of what it is like for someone faced with the that diagnosis. As I am not BRCA 1 positive, I will never fully comprehend what it is like, but being inside Alison's head helped me gain a bit of understanding.

Laughed - check. Cried - check. And now, swoon. The romance was a good one. This was a slow fall into each other partially because of the situation. But once they were all in, it was a beautiful thing. Seriously, Adam may have been known for his grumpy ways but he was a total mushy doll. He was sweet to his sister, his nephew, and showed so much tenderness to Alison. It was all those little things that added up for me. I especially adored the way he wanted Alison just as she was. That was so vital for her given her dating history.

I would be remiss if I did not mention all the great supporting characters. First and foremost were Alison's ride-or-die friends. Both Maren and Chelsea were pretty fabulous in their own right, but my love for them was solidified by what amazing friends they were. They were an incredible source of support and strength for Alison. Both had pretty great families, too. Adam's nephew was darling and the way he and Adam interacted warmed my heart.

Overall, the humor, the characters, the romance, the pub quizzes -- it just all added up to a fantastic reading experience for me. As I mentioned, this book produced laughter and tears, but mostly it made me warm and fuzzy and left me brimming with happiness.

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Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza, Emily Harding
Published by Gallery Books on August 6, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

This fresh and whip-smart modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice transports you to summer in the Hamptons, where classes clash, rumors run wild, and love has a frustrating habit of popping up where you least expect it.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged—well, by Elizabeth Bennet anyway—that there’s nothing worse than summer in the Hamptons. She should she’s lived out there her whole life. Every June, her hometown on the edge of Long Island is inundated with rich Manhattanites who party until dawn and then disappear by September. And after twenty-five years, Lizzy wants to leave, too.

But after putting her own dreams on hold to help save her family’s failing bakery, she’s still surfing the same beach every morning and waiting for something, anything, to change. She’s not holding her breath though, not even when her sister starts flirting with the hot new bachelor in town, Charlie Pierce, and he introduces Lizzy to his even hotter friend.

Will Darcy is everything Lizzy Bennet is not. Aloof, arrogant…and rich. Of course, he’s never cared about money. In fact, it’s number one on his long list of things that irk him. Number two? His friend Charlie’s insistence on setting him up with his new girlfriend’s sharp-tongued sister. Lizzy Bennet is all wrong for him, from her money-hungry family to her uncanny ability to speak to him as bluntly as he does everyone else. But then maybe that’s why he can’t stop thinking about her.

Lizzy is sure Will hates everybody. He thinks she willfully misunderstands them. Yet, just as they strike an uneasy truce, mistakes threaten Charlie and Annabelle’s romance, with Will and Lizzy caught in the undertow. Between a hurricane and a hypocritical stepmother, a drunken voicemail and a deceptive property developer, the two must sift through the gossip and lies to protect the happiness of everyone they love—even if it means sacrificing their own. But when the truth also forces them to see each other in an entirely new light, they must swallow their pride to learn that love is a lot like sometimes the only way to survive is to let yourself fall.

I am not a reader or lover of Austen's work, but I truly appreciate how many wonderful retellings her stories have inspired. Elizabeth of East Hampton is a fresh take on Pride and Prejudice. Lovers of P&P will easily determine who's who since many of the names are unchanged, but I have to say, even with new names, I would recognize them all. Bellezza and Harding did an incredible job capturing the spirit of the originals characters while making them fresh and modern.

I was drawn to Lizzy. She was magnetic, strong, and fierce, but she also tended to sacrifice her own needs for those of her family. Will was very similar to her in this way. He felt very obligated to those in his circle, and like Lizzy, kept most others at arm's length. The dynamic between the two was fantastic! There were immediate sparks even if they didn't recognize them for what they were. They challenged each other, and their verbal sparring was top notch.

But it was the moment when I saw them fall that was really THE best. All those soft, tender, and ooey-gooey encounters. *swoon* It was that mush had my heart growing two sizes, I swear!

This book was the total package for me. I loved the setting, the surfing, the chaotic but loving family, the dive bar mash-up bands (hilarious!), the sisterly love, the cameos from Emma and George -- I just adored it all! The trifecta of laugh, smile, and swoon was fully activated by this story, and I will sit here, fingers crossed, hoping Harding and Bellezza have more tales to tell in this world.

*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

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