romance novels

Unorthodox Love

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

When book mail arrived, containing Heidi Shertok’s recently-published novel, Match Me If You Can, I was super excited. (I think book mail is the second-best kind of mail to receive. What’s better than book mail? Mail from my pen pal, my dear friend, Aya!) 

Then I realized I had Ms. Shertok’s first novel, Unorthodox Love, waiting for me on one of my overflowing, want-to-read shelves.

What a delight! Unorthodox Love is a rom-com, featuring a main character who is an Orthodox Jewish woman. Not only was I a fan of Penina, I liked her spunk and her originality, I also learned quite a bit about traditions and rituals within the Orthodox Jewish community. 

Here are a few of my favorite passages:

“‘What’s so bad about helping people?’
“He stops moving and turns to face me. ‘You do realize that there are millions and millions of people in the world suffering right now, and there’s absolutely nothing you or I can do to stop it?’
“‘I’m three for three so far,’ I say, lifting my shoulders. ‘And the day is still young.’” 

“I close my eyes, breathing in the familiar newborn scent, and focus on the feel of the baby’s heart beating against mine. I wish I could suspend this moment in time, where I can pretend, even briefly, that this child belongs to me instead of someone else. Sometimes, the yearning to be a mother is so strong that it literally steals my breath away, and I have to remind myself to breathe.” (Just for context, Penina volunteers in the NICU of the local hospital.)

“‘And the dessert is from the kosher bakery,’ he adds with a crooked smile, ‘so you’re covered there too.’
“My stomach somersaults. Everyone says that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but apparently it works for me too — maybe because I can barely manage to feed myself, unless frozen microwave dinners count.
“For a moment, time seems to stand still as his eyes hover on my face, then run over my dress, as though it’s the sexiest thing he’s ever seen. His gaze is scorching hot, and I feel myself melting, but I force myself to tear my eyes off his. Everyone at the table has stopped talking and is glancing between the two of us with undisguised interest. Sam either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, made further evident when he bends down to whisper in my ear, ‘Green is my new favorite color.’” 

“Sam was right when he said that I’m more than just a woman who can’t have kids. I’m a daughter, a sister, aunt, and friend, and a very fine sales associate. Peoples’ lives are messy and complicated, and even though we don’t always see it, everyone has struggles. You can’t be human and go through life without some kind of trauma or pain, but those experiences don’t define who we are.”

“I can’t even begin to encapsulate how much this experience has meant to me. How do I explain that meeting him was a turning point in my life? That because of this fake engagement, I’ve learned to trust that my family will take care of their problems. That I’ve realized it’s okay — no, it’s essential to focus on my own needs.”

Friends, do you enjoy reading romance novels? What was the last romance novel you read and loved?

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.
 

Funny Story

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

Emily Henry has become one of my auto-buy authors. Meaning, when Emily Henry publishes a book, I’m going to buy it. Sometimes I wait a bit, for the paperback edition or for the hardcover to be on sale. Or I wait for a promotion or sale like those periodic free shipping days offered by Bookshop.org. 

But, even though I buy Emily Henry’s novels I don’t read them right away. It’s kind of like saving the best for last. (Am I the only one who eats the cake part of a cake first and then eats the frosting part last?) 

So although I know Funny Story was published last year, and I still have to buy Ms. Henry’s most recent novel (Great Big Beautiful Life), I just finished reading it. And this week, I wanted to share some of my favorite parts with you. 

“Still, a chorus of ridiculous little voices rises as I approach, cries of ‘Miss Daffy!’ and other adorable mispronunciations of my name. In my heart, it feels like little kernels are bursting into fluffy blossoms of popcorn.”

“It’s funny: As a kid, I had no idea how to interact with other kids. I felt most at home with Mom and her friends. But as an adult, I find kids so much easier to understand.
“They say how they feel, and they show it too. There are fewer ulterior motives and written rules. Silences aren’t unbearably awkward, and abrupt segues to different subjects are the norm. If you want to be friends with someone, you just ask, and if they don’t want, to, they’ll probably just tell you.”

“ ‘ How did it start?’ he asks. ‘The library thing.’
“ I cast my mind back, to before grad school, before undergrad even, all the way to the first moment I remember loving a story. Feeling like I was living it. Being, even as a child, bowled over by how something imaginary could become real, could wring every emotion from me or make me homesick for places I’d never been.”

“ ‘I have noticed you tend to do well with the over-seventy set,’ I allow. ‘Then again, you’re not so bad with the under-seventy set.’

“He rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. ‘I guess it’s nice being around people who’ve made it through shit, you know?’ He shrugs. ‘Like probably all their worst mistakes are behind them, and they know who they are now, and how to be who they want to be.” 

“’The library is, like, the single best cross section of humanity,’ I tell him. ‘You meet all kinds of interesting people.’”

“All those moments throughout the days, weeks, months that don’t get marked on calendars with hand-drawn stars or little stickers.
“Those are the moments that make a life.
“Not grand gestures, but mundane details that, over time, accumulate until you have a home, instead of a house.
“The things that matter.
“The things I can’t stop longing for.
“There’s only one place that feeling exists for me, only one person with whom I belong.” 

“ ‘You?’ she says. ‘You, my girl, are whoever you decide to be. But I hope you always keep some piece of that girl who sat by the window, hoping for the best. Life’s short enough without us talking ourselves out of hope and trying to dodge every bad feeling. Sometimes you have to push through the discomfort, instead of running.’”

“… I’d wanted so badly to escape myself, my life, that I forgot about all the beautiful little pieces of it I’ve been acquiring like sea glass these last few months.” 

“But if I’ve learned anything from parenting, it’s that it matters way more that you’re present than that you’re perfect. Just be here, really be here, and the kids will love it.” 

“… sometimes the unexpected is better than what you plan.
“The same universe that dispassionately takes things away can bring you things you weren’t imaginative enough to dream up.”

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.

By the Book

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

Earlier this week I finished reading Jasmine Guillory’s romance novel, By the Book. The novel is part of the “Meant to Be collection,” books “inspired by the classic fairy tale stories we all know and love, perfect for adult readers who crave contemporary, escapist rom-coms.” 

I’m not a big fairy tale, prince-saves-the-princess fan. 

However, I do have a soft spot for Beauty and the Beast, which serves as the inspiration for By the Book. 

Why, you may wonder, do I have a soft spot for Beauty and the Beast? 

I mean, besides the fantastic library that is such a big part of the story (or at least it was for me). 

Almost thirty years ago, my closest college friend and I went to see the live production of Beauty and the Beast here in Los Angeles. Specifically at the no-longer-there Shubert Theatre in Century City. In the front row. (Tom Bosley made eye contact with me!) On February 29, 1996. Leap Year. 

A souvenir from Beauty and the Beast

I have read, and enjoyed, a few other novels written by Jasmine Guillory. (You can read my post, The Need for Romance Novels, which features Ms. Guillory’s book, The Proposal. And this post featured Ms. Guillory’s book, Royal Holiday.)

By the Book was an absolute delight to read. And not just because it was a lovely escape-read. Or that the two main characters did finally express their love for each other. But because the book itself was also a love story of another kind — a love letter to books. 

Here are a few of my favorite passages:

“Something she barely wanted to admit to herself was that working at TAOAT had spoiled her previously uncomplicated love for books and reading. Reading used to be her greatest hobby, her source of relaxation, comfort, joy. Always reliable, always there for her.” (12)  (Note – TAOAT is the acronym for Tale as Old as Time, the New York publishing house where our female main character works as an editorial assistant.)

“I work hard at my job because I love books. I love everything about them. I love the way you can fall into another world while you’re reading, the way books can help you forget hard things in life, or help you deal with them. I love all the different shapes books come in, and the way they feel in your hand. I love seeing authors develop their idea from just a few sentences to a manuscript to an actual book that’s on the shelves, and I love the face they make when they see their name on a book cover for the first time. I love when readers discover books that felt like they were meant just for them, and they’re so happy and grateful and emotional that everyone in the room want to cry, and sometimes they all do. Those books do change lives.”

“When she found the bookstore, she walked inside, then stopped and took a long, happy breath. God, she loved that moment when she walked inside a bookstore. Books were stacked everywhere, with friendly little signs directing you to local authors or signed copies or bestsellers.” 

“At one point, she saw a book she was looking for, high up on a shelf, at least a foot or so out of her reach. But right next to it was a rolling ladder, one that could slide along the whole wall. She’d always wanted to climb up on one of those. She looked to the left and then to the right.
“ ‘I won’t tell,’ the woman behind her said.
“Izzy grinned at her and climbed up the ladder. She grabbed her book and then turned to look at the bookstore from above. It was fun up there. She should have done that years ago.
“When she finally left the bookstore, it was with two new books in her bag, a smile on her face, and warm happy feeling in her chest.” 

“She’d gone to the library with her parents, once a week, every week, when she was a little girl. It had felt like a magic place to her, full of books just waiting to be read — on shelves, in stacks, in every corner. She’d fantasized about having a place like that in her own imaginary future home, with sleeves and shelves of books, wherever you looked.” 

“Izzy slowly walked around the room, trailing her fingers over the spines and occasionally stopping to pick one up and flip through it. There was fiction, history, science, cookbooks, politics, and many shelves full of children’s books. And the best thing about them was that these books looked read. She could tell. These weren’t all brand-new books that some interior decorator had bought in bulk and arranged carefully on a shelf in some sort of order to make the room look good. As a matter of fact, many of them were in no order at all — she itched to organize them. But that also told her they were all books that had been reached for, and read, and maybe even reread. The spines were broken, the book jackets removed or a little torn, pages dog-eared. These books hadn’t just been read, they’d been loved.” 

Readers, have you read any of Jasmine Guillory’s novels? Any favorites? 

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.


The Love Simulation

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

When it came time for our family to start packing for our summer trip — a week in Oahu — there was one item in particular I had to give serious thought to: which book did I want to bring with me on vacation?

I had finished reading a novel two days before our trip. Which meant I had to make sure the book I packed, the book that would take up valuable carry-on space, would be a book that would grab my attention and not let go until the last page. A book that would distract me and keep me entertained while flying. A book that would keep me company as I looked up from the page every now and again, to gaze out at the endless Pacific Ocean, marveling at the many shades of blue. 

I couldn’t just randomly grab a book from my stack of not-yet-read books. Generally I alternate between fiction (lately rom-coms) and nonfiction (usually a memoir). I had just finished a novel; however, I broke my own rule and decided I needed a romantic comedy with me on the trip. A feel good story with a guaranteed happy ending. A book that wasn’t a question mark in any way. I didn’t want to take a chance and hope I would like this new book. I wanted a book I was certain to enjoy.

From the dozens of unread books I have at home, I chose The Love Simulation by Etta Easton. (You may remember I wrote about how much I enjoyed Ms. Easton’s debut novel, The Kiss Countdown. In case you missed it, you can click here to read that blog post.)

The Love Simulation was everything I hoped it would be. 

During our trip, we visited a spacious Barnes and Noble, and of course, I couldn’t leave without purchasing a book. While I roamed around the store and picked up several different titles, I decided to maintain the romance theme. I purchased Heidi Shertok’s Unorthodox Love. Though now that we’re home, I’m in the middle of reading a memoir, so Ms. Shertok’s rom-com will need to wait a bit. But I like knowing it’s here. As an added bonus, I felt quite proud to be supporting an African-American author and a Jewish author.  

Now my question for you, dear readers — what’s your decision-making process like when it comes time to pack a book for a trip? Do you bring physical books or e-books? Or, do you not read books at all and instead opt for magazines? I’d love to know. Feel free to share in the comments. 

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.

The Kiss Countdown

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

Has this ever happened to you? 

You find out about a new book. Maybe you saw it advertised in a magazine or included in an email from Bookshop.org. You do the thing we’re not “supposed” to do and make a judgment call based on the cover and/or title and/or author. You add the book to your ever-growing, want-to-read list on Goodreads. You’re on a a bookstore date with one of your closest friends, you see the book on the shelf, and decide to purchase it, because it seems wrong to go into an independent bookstore and not buy at least one book. But then the book sits on your shelf for a bit, because you have such high hopes for the book, you don’t want to be disappointed. You want the book to be everything you’re hoping for. 

Or is that just me?

That was the situation for me and The Kiss Countdown, a debut romance written by Etta Easton. 

The main reason I was so excited by this book? Because it features an astronaut. 

And friends, if you didn’t know, for most of my childhood (pretty much all the years between fourth grade and eleventh grade), I dreamed of becoming a United States astronaut. 

The Kiss Countdown was so enjoyable. So good, in fact, that after I finished reading it, I immediately went online to learn more about the author. And I was super excited to learn that Ms. Easton’s second contemporary romance, The Love Simulation, will be published on March 4th, 2025. 

The chemistry and the romance between Amerie and our astronaut, Vincent, was a delight to read. At the same time, this book is more than the romantic story of a woman and a man. The book also deals with the power of female friendships, of adult children worrying about their aging parents especially when one parent has a serious chronic illness, and it explores the struggles involved with entrepreneurship.  

As a result, for this week’s blog, I’m sharing some of my non-romance favorite parts:

“Gina runs her thumb over my forehead to smooth out the frown. ‘Nuh-uh, none of that. How can you say all those sweet things about me but then deny what’s plain to see about yourself? You are a diamond; you’ve just forgotten how bright you can shine. Don’t worry, we’ll get you there.’ ”  (This exchange is between our main character, Amerie, and her best friend, Gina.)

“Gina’s words pierce through me. Who is the old Amerie? It’s like I’ve been in survival mode for so long. I don’t remember what anything else feels like. Sure, I’m good at putting on a convincing genial face, but most days are still a struggle.”

“ ‘Amerie, I’d watch you sit across the room like you were in a trance, only to go to the restroom and come out with bloodshot eyes from crying behind closed doors. I realized that we never taught you it’s okay to be vulnerable. You don’t have to be strong for me. You don’t have to hold in the fear that you’ll lose me so tightly that it suffocates you.’ ” (This is Amerie’s mom speaking to her.) 

“ ‘How do you and Daddy do it?’ I ask.
“ ‘Do what?’
“ ‘Live and love so freely, knowing your time together may be limited.’ I hate to acknowledge out loud the reality of my mom’s health, but I have to know.
“ ‘When it comes down to it, your dad taught me that our love has to be bigger than our fears.’ She smiles like a woman waking up on her wedding day. ‘I never thought I’d get married and have a beautiful family, but your dad is stubborn. He wouldn’t let me push him away, and here we are thirty years later. And make no mistake, as hard as some of them have been, they’ve all been good. Tomorrow isn’t promised for any of us, Amerie. My health just serves as a daily reminder.’ “

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.


The Rom-Commers

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

I’m a Katherine Center fan.

From her bio, on the back flap of her most recent novel, The Rom-Commers:  “Katherine writes ‘deep rom-coms’ — laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down, and how we get back up.”

The Rom-Commers is certainly a “deep rom-com.” I would describe it as a romantic-comedy-plus; it’s a story that makes you smile and bite your lip and think tenderly of your parents and your favorite romantic comedy movies. And, it was a pure delight. 

And, as a bonus, the book is pretty, “featuring beautiful spray-painted edges with vibrant designed endpapers.” 

Here are a few of my favorite lines:

“You had to maximize joy when it fluttered into your life. You had to honor it. And savor it.”

“A rom-com should give you a swoony, hopeful, delicious, rising feeling of anticipation as you look forward to the moment when the two leads, who are clearly mad for each other, finally overcome all their obstacles, both internal and external, and get together.”

“ ‘A great rom-com,’ I said, ‘is just like sex. If you’re surprised by the ending, somebody wasn’t doing their job. We all know where it’s headed. The fun is how we get there.’ ”

“I had a theory that we gravitate toward the stories we need in life. Whatever we’re longing for — adventure, excitement, emotion, connection — we turn to stories that help us find it. Whatever questions we’re struggling with — sometimes questions so deep, we don’t even really know we’re asking them — we look for answers in stories.”

“Donna Cole, whose most famous wise quote — ‘The most vital thing you can learn to do is tell your own story’ — was the centerpiece of my vision board back home.”  (What a phenomenal quote!)

“There’s something about a kiss that brings all the opposites together. The wanting and the getting. The longing and the having. All those cacophonous emotions that usually collide against one another teaming up at last into a rare and exquisite harmony.”

“The kiss lit a warmth that spread though me like honey, softening everything tense, and soothing everything hurt, and enveloping everything lonely.”

“ ‘Whatever story you tell yourself about your life, that’s the one that’ll be true.’
“I lifted my head to give that idea my full attention.
“My dad went on, ‘So if I say, ‘This terrible thing happened, and it ruined my life’ — then that’s true. But if I say, ‘This terrible thing happened, but, as crazy as it sounds, it made me better,’ then that’s what’s true.’ “

“Humanity at its worst is an easy story to tell — but it’s not the only story. Because the more we can imagine our better selves, the more we can become them.”  

“ All I remember for certain was the feeling of my heart unfolding to its full wingspan in my chest, like a bird that had decided to stretch out wide at last and absolutely soar.
“Was this a happy ending?
“Of course. And also only a beginning. In the way that beginnings and endings are always kind of the same thing.
“I had no idea where we’d go from here, or how we’d manage it all, or where the future would take us. But it was okay. We don’t get to know the whole story all at once. And where we’re headed matters so much less than how we get there.”

“But what does okay even mean? Life is always full of worries and struggles, losses and disappointments, late-night googling of bizarre symptoms — all tumbling endlessly over one another like clothes in the dryer. It’s not like any of us ever gets to a place where we’ve solved everything forever and we never have another problem.
“That’s not how life works.
“But that’s not what a happily ever after is, anyway.
“Poor happy endings. They’re so aggressively misunderstood. We act like ‘and they lived happily ever after’ is trying to con us into thinking that nothing bad ever happened to anyone ever again.
“But that’s never the way I read those words. I read them as ‘and they built a life together, and looked after each other, and made the absolute best of their lives.’ 
“That’s possible, right?
“That’s not ridiculous.
“Tragedy is a given. There is no version of human life that doesn’t involve reams of it.
“The question is what we do in the face of it all.”

“ ‘Because love is something you can learn. Love is something you can practice. It’s something you can choose to get good at. And here’s how you do it.’ He let go of his walker to signal he meant business: ‘Appreciate your person.’ ”

“He went on: ‘Choose a good, imperfect person who leaves the cap off the toothpaste, and puts the toilet paper roll on upside down, and loads the dishwasher like a ferret on steroids — and then appreciate the hell out of that person. Train yourself to see their best, most delightful, most charming qualities. Focus on everything they’re getting right. Be grateful — all the time — and laugh the rest off.’ “

“Tragedy really is a given.
“There are endless human stories, but they all end the same way.
“So it can’t be where you’re going that matters. It has to be how you get there.
“That’s what I’ve decided.
“It’s all about the details you notice. And the joys you savor. And the hope you refuse to give up on.
“It’s all about writing the very best story of your life.
“Not just how you live it — but how you choose to tell it.”

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.

Booked On a Feeling

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

The last few weeks I have been so fortunate to share publication news with you. 

This week I am sharing a bit from my most recent read — Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee.

Booked on a Feeling is not just a delightful rom-com. It’s a delightful rom-com which also takes place in an independent bookshop. Our main character, Lizzy, is a book lover, with a special affinity for romance novels. 

“Then she wandered to the romance section to read the back covers of all the new releases. There were at least three that she was dying to read, but she promised herself not to buy any more books until she put a dent in her to-be-read pile. She didn’t have much time to read for fun, but when she did, she always turned to her favorite genre — romance. Sure, it was a nice escape, but it was more than that. Those stories healed something inside her and made her feel less alone.” 

“Her mind flitted back to the bookshelves in her condo, overflowing with romance novels. It all made so much sense. The deep human connection inherent in all romance novels was the antithesis to the life she was living. How was this the first time she’d made this connection? ‘And who doesn’t love happily ever afters?’ ”
“The cold bitter people with shriveled raisins for hearts who disparage romance for being formulaic. That’s who.” 
“ ‘Yeah. They suck.’ Lizzy’s response was immediate and heartfelt.”
“Shannon burst out laughing. ‘There’s no bond stronger than the one forged over bashing romance haters.’ ”

“Lizzy loved independent bookstores. Each one had a distinct personality, showcasing the hopes and dreams of their owners. A bookstore was never just a business. They had souls filled with love, passion, and vulnerability. It broke her heart to hear that Sparrow wasn’t thriving.”

Now I should point out that Booked On a Feeling isn’t entirely about independent bookstores and romance novels. But I loved that Ms. Lee included these passages — lovely tributes to bookstores and romance novels. 

Readers, if you enjoy romantic comedies, what is the most recent rom-com you read? Feel free to leave it in the comments.

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert is what some readers would refer to as a rom-com. Some readers may use other terms such as “chick lit” or “women’s fiction,” but I’m not a fan of those terms. You should know that this particular rom-com has quite a high level of “spice,” meaning explicit “steamy” scenes.

But here’s the main thing you should know about Ms. Hibbert’s novel:  Chloe Brown, the main character, is a Black woman who lives with fibromyalgia, a chronic illness causing chronic pain. Plus, the book features an interracial relationship. I love this sentence taken from the author’s website:  “She writes spicy, diverse romance because she believes that people of marginalised identities need honest and positive representation.”

This week, I share with you just a few of the passages that really stood out to me: 

“Most people had trouble accepting the fact that Chloe was ill. Fibromyalgia and chronic pain were invisible afflictions, so they were easy to dismiss. Eve was healthy, so she would never feel Chloe’s bone-deep exhaustion, her agonizing headaches or the shooting pains in her joints, the fevers and confusion, the countless side effects that came from countless medications. But Eve didn’t need to feel all of that to have empathy. She didn’t need to see Chloe’s tears or pain to believe her sister struggled sometimes. Neither, for that matter, did Dani. They understood.”

“It had been a frustrating few days. She’d fallen into an infuriating cycle when she’d climbed that tree. Physical overload led to pain and a complete dearth of spoons, also known as mind-numbing exhaustion; which led to extra meds and insomnia; which led to sleeping pills and too much brain fog; which led to, in a word, misery.”

“…my body was different. The weight on my chest, and the cold — they faded, as I got better. But my bones still felt fragile. It never went away. Over the months, I noticed more and more problems. I was exhausted all the time. I got these awful headaches for no reason. And there was the pain — always, so much pain. I’d go for a walk and feel like I’d worked every muscle to the point of tearing. If I spent too long on my laptop, my hands would hurt so badly I cried. I started feeling afraid of my own body, like it was a torture chamber I’d been trapped inside.”

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.

Hello Stranger

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

If you have read my blog for a while and followed me on Instagram, you know I’m a fan of Katherine Center’s novels. I have heard Ms. Center describe her books as stories of people who get knocked down, and find a way to get back up. I have also heard Ms. Center speak of the benefits of love stories and romance novels and happy endings. In one interview, she said readers can relax, knowing the two love interests will somehow find a way to be together at the end. As the writer, she will not have one character suddenly get hit by a bus at the end of the book. At the beginning of the book, it’s a possibility, but by the end things will work out. (In fact, the book’s Author’s Note is an absolute must-read.)

All that is true in terms of Katherine Center’s newest novel Hello Stranger. 

I found myself immediately liking Sadie, which meant there were a few nights I stayed up later than I anticipated, because I had to read one more chapter.

Here are some of the passages that spoke to me:

“Back home after that night in the hospital, nothing about my shack, or my life, or myself had ever felt less fantastic. It’s a disorienting thing to know there’s something wrong with you. It made everything about my life seem different. Worse. False. Like I’d been misunderstanding everything all along.”

“You are also your whole life story. And your sense of humor. And your homemade doughnut recipe. And your love for ghost stories. And the way you savor ocean breezes. And the appreciation you have for how the colors pink and orange go together.
You’re not just your face, is what I mean.”

“ ‘I’m just going to take a fake-it-til-ya-make-it approach.’ That’s what I’d been doing my whole life. ‘If I can’t be okay, I’ll seem okay.’
“ ‘Seeming okay and being okay are not the same thing.’
“ ‘Close enough.’
“ ‘In fact,’ she said, leaning in a little, ‘they might cancel each other out.’
“ ‘Are you saying I should just walk around wailing and weeping?’
“ ‘I’m saying,’ she said, ‘that it’s better to be real than fake.’
“I could have argued with her. But I had a feeling I’d lose.
“Dr. Nicole went on. ‘It might help people to know what’s going on with you. It might help them help you.’ “

“Maybe the best way to keep her with me was to embrace her spirit. To emulate her courage. To bring the warmth and love to the world that she always — fearlessly — had.
“She had loved us without reservation. She adored us wildly. And laughed. And danced. And soaked it all up — every atom of her life — every moment of her time.
“She felt it all. She lived it all.”

“It’s so strange to me now, looking back on that upside-down time in my life, how many good things came out of it. If you’d asked me at the time, I’d have told you everything was ruined forever.
“But of course the fact it was all so hard is part of what made things better.
“It forced me into therapy for a while, for one.
“It forced me to rethink what making art meant in my life.
“It forced me to reevaluate some ideas that I’d never questioned about who we all are and what it all means. Because things were so overwhelming, I had no choice but to accept some help. And then I found out that letting people help you isn’t so bad.”

“But I find the antidote to that is just keeping a sense of humor. And staying humble. And laughing a lot. And doubling down on smiling. We’re all just muddling through, after all. We’re all just doing the best we can. We’re all struggling with our struggles. Nobody has the answers. And everybody, deep down, is a little bit lost.”

“The more good things you look for, the more you find.”

A side note:  my Katherine Center fandom includes purchases from the shop on her website. Highly recommend!

These framed Katherine Center prints hang on the wall above my desk.

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.

Nora Goes Off Script

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

It should come as no surprise that I am a reader who likes a book with a happy ending. (You did read my post last month titled, “The Need for Romance Novels,” didn’t you? If you missed it, click here to check it out.)

So it really should come as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed reading Annabel Monaghan’s novel Nora Goes Off Script. Yes, it’s a romance. But it’s also more than a romance. I just couldn’t help but root for Nora, and I couldn’t help but see bits of myself in her — she has a weekly meal plan (Tuesday Tacos, Friday Pasta) and so do I (Tostada Tuesday, Pasta Thursday). 

Here are just a few of my favorite bits:

“Pink ribbons, then orange creep up behind the wide-armed oak tree at the end of my lawn. The sun rises behind it differently every day. Some days it’s a solid bar of sherbet that rolls up like movie credits and fills the sky. Some days the light dapples through the leaves in a muted gray.”

“You live for your kids, and they live for you. There’s something almost sacred about what you have.”

“It’s possible that growing up watching the fantasy of this marriage is what makes writing romance movies so easy. My parents make me believe that some people really are made for each other and that a joyful, easy marriage is possible. Two people who love each other and are looking in the same direction can build a wonderful life.”

Also: this book was super popular last year. This year, the talk is about Ms. Monaghan’s most recent novel Same Time Next Summer. I have added it to my ever-growing want-to-read list.

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.