Review: The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

The New York Times bestselling YA author of the beloved Gallagher Girls series bursts onto the adult scene with a fast-paced, hilarious road trip rom-com about a woman with amnesia who discovers she’s the identical twin sister of a rogue spy… and must team up with a rugged, grumpy operative to stay alive.

THE BLONDE IDENTITY by ALLY CARTER

Series: Unknown

Publication date: August 8, 2023

Published by: Avon

Genre: rom-com, romantic suspense

 

SYNOPSIS

It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.

She only knows three things for certain:

1. She has a splitting headache.

2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.

And oh yeah…

3. People keep trying to kill her.

She doesn’t know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there’s only one explanation: obviously. . . she’s a spy!

Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister.

Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear. Which is easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught.

Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they’re lying their way across Europe—dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name.

But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget…

Purchase your copy now!

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Praise for The Blonde Identity:

“Ally Carter wrote a unique, delightful, hilarious, unputdownable romance! I didn’t know I needed an adventure romcom about grumpy/sunshine spies with amazing chemistry and a dash of amnesia, but it was exactly what was missing in my life. I’m wonderstruck by The Blonde Identity! (Also, this book needs to be a movie!)” 

— Ali Hazelwood, New York Times Bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis 

"Spies! Amnesia! And banter that’ll make you chant “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” No one writes an action rom-com quite like Ally Carter." — Rachel Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs

“A delightful, delicious joy ride of a romp!"  — Susan Elizabeth Phillips, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When Stars Collide

"The Blonde Identity was everything I wanted in rom-com and more! Full of brilliant banter, clever humor, and so many swoon worthy scenes, this was a perfect book. I hope Ally Carter writes more stories in this world, because every second of this unexpected adventure made me smile. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book.” — Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Curse for True Love 

“Completely captivating—funny, fresh and deliciously swoon-worthy, The Blonde Identity had me smiling over every action packed page. I loved it.” — Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script and Same Time Next Summer

"The Blonde Identity is hands-down the cutest, most fast-paced wild ride of a rom-com I’ve ever read. Utterly impossible to put down!" — Lynn Painter, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Wager

"The Blonde Identity is explosively funny and jam-packed with chemistry! I couldn’t have loved this hilarious romcom more. The story is full of humor, action, romance, and emotions that tug on your heartstrings. Ally is a romcom genius!"  — Sarah Adams, author of The Cheat Sheet

“I absolutely adored The Blonde Identity! I loved the humor, Zoe and Sawyer were perfection, and the chemistry… I couldn’t put it down.”   — Lorraine Heath, New York Times bestselling author

"I am a Gallagher Girls fan, and The Blonde Identity satisfied ALL of my GG cravings! Carter has that magic formula of the perfect amount of brilliance, fun, and sizzling banter down pat!"  — Jesse Q Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties and Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ally Carter writes books about sneaky people and movies about Christmas. She is the New York Times Best-selling author of the Gallagher Girls, Heist Society, and Embassy Row series for teens as well as WINTERBORNE HOME FOR VENGEANCE AND VALOR for younger readers. Her books have been published all over the world, in over twenty languages. 

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REVIEW

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


When I read the synopsis for the book, my interest was piqued immediately for several reasons. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut reading the same authors and genres over and over, and I need something new and refreshing. I have read romantic suspense in the past and enjoyed it, but it is not a genre I read very often. I usually do not read the grumpy-sunshine trope either, which Sawyer and Zoe represented perfectly. Another draw was that this seemed to be like a rom-com suspense which I have not experimented in reading before. Ally Carter is new-to-me, but she has an established fanbase for her popular Gallagher Girls YA books. All of these factors appealed to me and I hoped would satisfy my appetite for something outside my typical box.

The book starts out with the heroine waking up on the ground on a snowy night in Paris. She has no idea how she got there, but before she can even start to try to comprehend what's going on, a strange man shows up and starts yelling at her to run. Obviously, anyone would be scared out of their mind, but Zoe decides to worry about her apparent amnesia at a more convenient time. Getting shot at kind of puts things into perspective. It isn't until much later that she comes to the conclusion that she's in a very precarious situation, and the only person who seems to remotely be an ally is Jake Sawyer. A man who doesn't seem to like her very much, and may not be altogether trustworthy.

   Alex was looking at herself. But she was 

also looking at a stranger. And the tiny 

smidge of hope that she’d been carrying 

for the past two hours faded away, 

because her memory didn’t 

come back with her reflection.

Alex is Zoe's twin sister-the root of all of her current problems. She and Sawyer are both operatives, and she has gone "rogue", disappearing with a flash drive full of information that criminals and every alphabet agency in existence want to get their hands on. For a short time, Zoe believes she actually is Alex, but thankfully Sawyer puts it together that there has been a case of mistaken identity. Turns out, a mistaken identity and a forgotten identity is a very bad combination.

I honestly don't think I've read a book before where the protagonist has amnesia during the entire book, right from page one. For me, it created my biggest issue with the book: it created a barrier in getting to know and understand the character I was reading about. If the character doesn't know anything about her history or who she is as a person, how will the reader know? How do I, as the reader, connect to that person and understand them? Well, it was hard. I do give the author credit, because she added things to Zoe's dialogue that slipped out unconsciously that hinted at her profession. I guessed that pretty early. She seemed to be naive and didn't like swearing, and that was the extent of her personality.

   The good thing about being an amnesiac 

is that when your life flashes before 

your eyes it doesn’t take very long.

Although Zoe was completely unprepared for the danger she was thrown into, she managed to hold her own. She probably gave Sawyer an ulcer and a few grey hairs, but at least she didn't let an impossible situation defeat her. The two of them are complete opposites-a severe, blunt, curmudgeon and a flighty, wide-eyed innocent. He would bark orders and she'd correct his language and tease him to lighten the mood. Their differences played off of each other, and very quickly she started to melt his hardened heart.

Once Zoe and Sawyer got onto the boat, they had some down time where they could have some more personal interactions. I couldn't exactly say they got to know one another as one was an amnesiac and the other was filled with secrets and uncommunicative, but they did start to grow an attachment towards one another. Sawyer starts to yearn for a normal life where he isn't trading his self-respect and safety for the government. He's seen the trade-off that his father made, and he doesn't ever expect to have a happy and fulfilling life with a family of his own. The solitary existence he lives is a lonely one filled with regrets and trauma. There is no one he can lean on to help heal his battered heart. For the first time he begins to imagine what that might feel like the more time he spends with Zoe.

   I just . . . I just want you to know that in this business . . . 

in this life . . . people like Alex—and me—

we don’t get a happy ending.” 

She looked at him with more pity and compassion 

than he’d seen in decades. 

“Then what do you get?” 

Not you, he thought. I’ll never get you.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I did have a bit of difficulty getting into the story because of my lack of connection to Zoe, but she grew on me in the second half. The plot was powered by the action scenes rather than any romantic emotional development, so the feelings that came about between the protagonists did feel abrupt rather than organic. Having said that, I did think they were cute together and just based on the few scenes with Zoe's sister Alex, I would probably read her upcoming book as well. If you like the grumpy-sunshine trope, and rom-coms, this could be the right fit for you. Even though it wasn't a five star enthusiastic read, I'm glad I decided to try this author's new series out.

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Review: Angelika Frankenstein Makes her Match by Sally Thorne

From USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game Sally Thorne comes something a little unexpected... a historical rom-com that imagines Victor Frankenstein's sheltered younger sister, and her attempts to create the perfect man. 

ANGELIKA FRANKENSTEIN MAKES HER MATCH

 by SALLY THORNE

Series: n/a

Publication date: September 6, 2022

Published by: Avon

Genre: gothic, historical romance

 

SYNOPSIS

For generations, every Frankenstein has found their true love and equal, unlocking lifetimes of blissful wedded adventure. Clever, pretty (and odd) Angelika Frankenstein has run out of suitors and fears she may become the exception to this family rule. When assisting in her brother Victor's ground-breaking experiment to bring a reassembled man back to life, she realizes that having an agreeable gentleman convalescing in the guest suite might be a chance to let a man get to know the real her. For the first time, Angelika embarks upon a project that is all her own.

When her handsome scientific miracle sits up on the lab table, her hopes for an instant romantic connection are thrown into disarray. Her resurrected beau (named Will for the moment) has total amnesia and is solely focused on uncovering his true identity. Trying to ignore their heart-pounding chemistry, Angelika reluctantly joins the investigation into his past, hoping it will bring them closer. But when a second suitor emerges to aid their quest, Angelika wonders if she was too hasty inventing a solution. Perhaps fate is not something that can be influenced in a laboratory? Or is Will (or whatever his name is!) her dream man, tailored for her in every way? And can he survive what was done to him in the name of science, and love?

Filled with carriages, candlesticks, and corpses, Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match is the spooky-season reimagining of the well-known classic that reminds us to never judge a man by his cadaver!

Purchase your copy now!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sally Thorne is the USA Today bestselling author of the office rom-com The Hating Game (2016). It is her debut novel that has sold in over twenty-five countries and is being made into a major motion picture, directed by Peter Hutchings and starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell. Filming wrapped in December 2020. It was named in the top 20 romance novels of 2016 by the Washington Post and was a top ten finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards romance category. The Hating Game has been cited as a book that has reinvigorated the romantic comedy genre.

Sally’s much anticipated second novel, 99 Percent Mine, was released on 29 January 2019 by William Morrow Books and debuted at #37 on the USA Today Bestseller List. 

Sally’s third novel Second First Impressions is released AU/NZ 31 March 2021, and US/CAN 13 April 2021. 

Sally lives in Canberra, Australia, with her husband- plus a pug called Delia and a horse called Louie. 

You can find her on:

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REVIEW

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I had high hopes for this book, though I knew going in that it was a quirky concept that may not hit the mark for me. I mean, a historical gothic rom-com retelling of Frankenstein from his sister's perspective? It sounds either genius or extremely bizarre. Or perhaps both? I'm sad to say it wasn't the success I had anticipated. Angelika and her brother Victor gave me a bad first impression in chapter one which they never really fully overcame. I'm all for flawed characters if they experience natural growth and improvement by the end-however their flaws made them pretty unlikeable for much of the book. I struggled with quitting at certain points, but I wanted to see it through to the end to see if they would win me over. They did evolve from their selfish, spoiled ways (Angelika much more so) but unfortunately I never truly liked Angelika or Victor enough to care what happened to them. Don't get me wrong, Angelika came a LONG way, but I still never felt what I should have for her character.

The book opens as Angelika and Victor are browsing a room of dead bodies for their personal science experiments. Victor wants to resurrect a body back to life for his own personal ego trip. He wants to "beat" his nemesis, Jürgen Schneider who has already gained fame in reanimating people. Victor wants to one-up him by using body parts of different people and bringing that patchwork person back to life. There is no thought about those people being actual human beings and the ramifications of what this act could be. Would they be in physical or emotional pain? What would his actions be doing to these people's souls in a spiritual sense? The only thing on his mind was fame and glory as he blithely cracked jokes with his sister about her own mission-building her dream man out of corpses.

Angelika has failed to meet her perfect match despite the fact that she is possession of the two things that draw men in like bees to honey. She is wealthy beyond imagining, and exceptionally beautiful. She has had plenty of suitors but once they get to know her eccentric personality she drives each and every one of them away.

   Whilst she could not find anything 

overly objectionable 

in her reflection, and she had indeed 

been described many times as a beauty, 

there was something about her personality 

that was untenable. Unnatural. Unlovable.

Now at twenty-four, she feels close to spinsterhood. Her brother is on the verge of marriage and his fiancé Lizzie will be in charge of the Frankenstein family estate. If feels as if she is being left behind all alone, with no partner to share her privileged life with. All she wants is a man whom she can spoil and who will spoil her in return. As a last resort, she has decided that if she can't find Mr. Right, she will create him from scratch. Like her brother, her only thought is her own needs, never seeing the face she instantly "falls in love with" as someone who should be afforded dignity and respect for their humanity. She even debated the right sized penis to use on her dream man with her brother which seemed in very bad taste rather than funny.

Angelika names her creation Will and is absolutely smitten from the moment he first opens his eyes. She commences swooning, calling him "my love", and treating him like a pampered pet. Her feelings came off as completely shallow and manufactured as there was absolutely no true romance leading up to her feelings. The reader misses out on anticipation, tension, chemistry, and the actual organic growth of deep feelings. All I felt for Will was pity that he woke up to such an outlandish environment, surrounded by strangers, with no memory of his true identity. Everyone just kind of expected him to fall on his knees in rapture at the sight of her, which is an unrealistic expectation to say the least. Angelika was actually annoyed and frustrated quite frequently at how he repeatedly resisted her charms because he was focused on finding out where he came from. Even the possibility that Will could have been engaged before he died only caused a tiny sliver of guilt as she continued to pursue his affections.

   He paused, wincing, trying to choose his words. 

“I am very proud of you, 

for starting to think this way, 

and I shall do the same. 

I think we lost our parents before we could 

learn the importance of economy.” 

“And charity. And community.

Another big issue I had was that this was supposed to be a historical book, and these characters came off as completely modern, progressive people who were transplanted in the past just for atmosphere's sake. Their mannerisms, speech, and attitudes about sexuality and social norms were not those of characters from a historical novel. When I read from this genre, I'm not looking for characters who act and sound like modern people. I not only want, but need to feel as if I'm swept away into another time and that was not the case here. Other than mentions of them riding in a carriage or a description of Angelika's old-fashioned undergarments, it was lacking the multitude of small details that come together to form a true, authentic atmosphere. Yes, the gothic mansion was interesting, but you don't really get a dark or foreboding feeling from it. Making the story a rom-com sort of cancels any potential of that out. It never really reached funny or foreboding but somewhere in an odd, murky in-between.

In summary, as much as I wanted to love this book, it failed to win me over. I gave it two stars because the mystery drew me in enough to want to get the answers, so it did pique some of my interest. However, I was quite disappointed with the romance aspect, and the characters did not endear me to them which left me wanting a lot more. Sally Thorne is an incredible author that I have enjoyed in the past, but you can't love them all and this happened to be one of the misses.

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Review: Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters

In this charming, feel-good debut novel, a cynical assistant at a screenwriting agency must reenact the meet-cute scenes from classic romantic comedy movies in order to help her #1 client get his scriptwriting mojo back--but can a real-life meet-cute be in store for someone who doesn't believe in happily ever after?

WOULD LIKE TO MEET by RACHEL WINTERS

Series: Standalone

Genre: romantic comedy

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Publication Date: December 3, 2019

Synopsis:

After seven years as an assistant, 29-year-old Evie Summers is ready to finally get the promotion she deserves. But now the TV and film agency she's been running behind the scenes is in trouble, and Evie will lose her job unless she can convince the agency's biggest and most arrogant client, Ezra Chester, to finish writing the script for a Hollywood romantic comedy.

The catch? Ezra is suffering from writer's block--and he'll only put pen to paper if singleton Evie can prove to him that you can fall in love like they do in the movies. With the future of the agency in jeopardy, Evie embarks on a mission to meet a man the way Sally met Harry or Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts.

But in the course of testing out the meet-cute scenes from classic romantic comedies IRL, not only will Evie encounter one humiliating situation after another, but she'll have to confront the romantic past that soured her on love. In a novel as hilarious as it is heartwarming, debut author Rachel Winters proves that sometimes real life is better than the movies--and that the best kind of meet-cutes happen when you least expect them.

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Praise for Would Like to Meet:

“Would Like to Meet is a fun, lighthearted — and at times laugh-out-loud — debut novel that seeks to highlight the power and purpose of a rom-com…It’s a reminder that the best meet-cutes happen when they’re least expected.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Kept me turning pages way past my bedtime.”—NPR

“Evie is a scrappy, winning heroine….The references to classic films of the genre will delight rom-com fans, as will the sweet romance. The best scenes, though, are with Evie and her three best friends, who have the warmly mocking dynamic of friends in a Richard Curtis film. A lovely, humorous ode to romantic comedies.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Winters’s charming debut combines tropes from classic romantic comedy films to hilarious effect….Winters employs self-aware, genre-savvy characters to expertly balance humor and heart. This adorable romance is a love letter to cinephiles.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Utterly charming…[A] winning tale”—Booklist

“Winters offers a relatable take on modern dating, writing, and working. Movie aficionados, in particular, will enjoy references to iconic rom-com moments as lovable, overworked Evie navigates her own series of meet-cute mishaps.”—Library Journal

“A lively, laugh-out-loud story…Debut author Rachel Winters hits all the right notes in Would Like to Meet, a fun and lively millennial rom-com with a heartfelt message that cleverly plays off tropes from a host of contemporary romance movies.”—Shelf Awareness

REVIEW

Dangerous Alliance by Jennieke Cohen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was such a fun, quirky book! When I read in the synopsis that the heroine is a book lover, more specifically that she is obsessed with Jane Austen, I knew she was a girl after my own heart. Not only did each chapter head have a relatable Austen quote, there were references sprinkled throughout the story. I was also attracted to the unusual cover which isn't typical in the romance genre. I'm always on the lookout for fresh, new reading experiences, and this debut author has really delivered the goods.

Victoria is the youngest of two daughters, and her parents have given her a level of freedom that you don't usually see for the period. She helps the family on the estate, and has already been through one season without any pressure to marry. She has no plans to change that in the near future, but circumstances soon force the Astons to take desperate measures. Victoria's sister Althea is newly married to a man who was thought to be her love match. Until she showed up on their doorstep seeking refuge from the abusive husband who has hidden his sins and control over her well. Much of the book revolves around the family's plot to permanently separate her from him so he no longer has any legal rights to her or the family fortune. The author put a lot of research into the details of divorce in that time period, which was not completely unheard of, despite popular belief. It was rare and of course, easier for a man to achieve, but not out of the realm of possibility.

It was decided that Victoria must find a trustworthy husband so she and her spouse will be eligible to inherit from her father. The search quickly narrows down to one main candidate, Mr. Carmichael. He's certainly charming and quick with pretty compliments, but how is she to know he isn't another monster with his own agenda? During their courtship several "accidents" befall Victoria and her family and there is an added urgency in discovering his true nature. This mystery takes up a large portion of the story, I would say it's more in the forefront than the romance I was expecting. Victoria's love interest Tom is introduced almost immediately as her ex-best friend who grew up in the estate neighboring Oakbridge.

There is some question as to why Tom suddenly left and cut off communication between them. Tom is quite stoic, holding his painful past inside as he shoulders the huge debt he inherited from his despicable father. He puts on a affable front as he fights for the welfare of his struggling family. Inside however, he's suppressing panic that his business plan isn't enough to rescue them as his brother's spending spirals out of control. His brother is such a piece of work. There were points I wanted to strangle him within an inch of his life for adding to poor Tom's stress. He acted very selfishly out of a childish, misplaced resentment.

For the majority of the book, the relationship between Tom and Victoria was that of tentative friends. They didn't communicate about the past, but rather tried to start fresh as they got to know one another again. It was a friends to lovers trope with an emphasis on friends, probably up until the last 30% of the book. Until then there wasn't really much angst between the two of them or a slow burn feeling. This is my reasoning for my rating because I would've liked to have seen their romance more equally balanced with the mystery of who was behind the attacks. This is my personal preference though, and I really appreciated the originality of the storyline.

There was a lot to love about this book. A fantastic heroine that was easy to root for, an interesting plot that taught me about divorce in the Regency period, and plenty of Jane Austen references delicately woven in. Tom and Vicki really worked well together and I loved the fact that they were childhood best friends. Once Tom opened himself up to the idea that he could deserve her and revealed his heart, the two of them fit like two peas in a pod. I really enjoyed this author's writing style, and look forward to reading more from her in the future.

    “You’re not like Mr. Darcy. And I wouldn’t have you be. You’re you. And I wouldn’t trade you for a dozen perfect gentlemen. The reality of you is far better than any fiction.”

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Review: Well Met by Jen DeLuca

All's faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.

WELL MET by JEN DELUCA

Publisher: Berkley

Publication date: September 3, 2019

Genre: romance, rom-com

 

SYNOPSIS

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

Purchase Here: 
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Praise for Well Met:

“What a delight! This is enemies to lovers at its absolute finest, folks. DeLuca proves to be a master of creating characters you believe in and a storyline to keep you totally engrossed. Well Met is a hilarious, swoony, and captivating romance—hands down our new favorite feel-good novel of the year.”—New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren  

“Jen DeLuca had me laughing out loud from the opening line. Well Met is fresh, fun, and the story I never knew I needed. I so wish I could grab a corset and live the wench life with Emily!”—Alexa Martin, author of Fumbled  

“I dare you not to want to travel to your nearest Renaissance Faire after reading the sweet, sexy, and smart Well Met…the kind of book that you want to live inside. Jen DeLuca is poised to become one of the freshest voices writing contemporary romance today.”–Kate Clayborn, author of Best of Luck

“Well Met will transport you with its perfect pacing, wit, charm, love, deep relationships, and fully developed characters that will remain your friends long after the last page. “
–Goodreads Reviewer  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jen DeLuca was born and raised near Richmond, Virginia, but now lives in Central Florida with her husband and a houseful of rescue pets. She loves latte-flavored lattes, Hokies football, and the Oxford comma. Well Met is her first novel, inspired by her time volunteering as a pub wench with her local Renaissance Faire.

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REVIEW

Well Met by Jen DeLuca
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I've never been to a Renaissance Faire, but after reading Well Met I feel like I have. I think it was the cutest setting for a rom-com and I very much enjoyed the detail that was put into bringing the reader inside of one. Volunteers at the Faire learned period appropriate culture, language, wore costumes and put on shows for entertainment. And of course, we can't forget the food. What's a Faire without turkey legs and funnel cakes? A very sad a-faire indeed.

Emily Parker wasn't planning on volunteering for the summer, but reluctantly agrees in order for her teenage niece to be able to take part. After her fiancée selfishly used her and then dumped her like the heartless jerk he is, her life was in shambles. Running to Willow Creek with her tail between her legs, she had two primary goals. Figuring out what in the world she was going to do next, and helping her sister out while she's recovering from a serious accident.

    Willow Creek, Maryland, was as good a place as any to lick my wounds while I took care of April and hers.

My first impression of Emily was pretty good. I liked her sense of humor and her voice was an entertaining narrative. She's a nurturer, organizer, and fixer which all lead her to be a take charge kind of woman by nature. She can pretty well step into a leadership role without even thinking about it and find ways to make improvements. It's only in her personal life that she feels lost. And though she loves her sister April very much, their relationship is somewhat distant because of their age gap. They'd never been what you'd call close friends and confidants, but perhaps this summer would help bridge the gap while she's living with her.

Simon...well let's just say that he's an acquired taste. From their very first conversation he seems to size her up and immediately find her wanting. And he certainly isn't afraid to show it. His scowls and disapproving looks were plentiful, not to mention his cutting comments when her attitude seemed too lackadaisical to him. As the organizer of the faire, he doesn't take much pride or joy in putting it together. In fact, it seems to be the last place he would like to be during the organization stages. He acted pretty stuck up, but at the same time, there were hints that he was going through some personal emotional turmoil that could be contributing to his actions. So I withheld judgement in the beginning stages.

    I knew which of these two guys I was looking forward to getting to know better this summer, and it wasn’t the Ren Faire Killjoy.

Simon doesn't have a lot of conversation with Emily in the first half of the book and that became somewhat of a problem for me. The thing is, when they did talk to each other it was to bicker most of the time. Then came the hot and cold attitude. Emily wasn't sure from one minute to the next if she would be getting vulnerable Simon or aloof Simon. The lack of communication between the two of them led to some hurt feelings and misunderstandings. They both played a part while they were there: she was a tavern wench and he was a roguish pirate. Her role wasn't that much of a stretch from real life, but in his case he was able to let go of his worries and sense of responsibility and have fun with it. Something that he sorely needed in my opinion.

    How could he turn on a dime like that? Be fun and flirty with me all weekend, and then, as soon as the day is over—bam—back to his old critical self? I was getting emotional whiplash from dealing with him.

As the summer wore on, Emily was starting to feel more at home in this small town. And I think that's what she was looking for just as much as finding a new direction in life. She wanted to plant roots and belong somewhere. To find someone whom she could share it with who would love and accept her just as she was. Mistakes and all.

The plot really took off in the last 30% of the book when they shed the "enemies" part of the enemies-to-lovers trope. They were really sweet together and he grew on me quite a bit. Surprisingly so, once they really started opening up to each other. He had to work through some lingering grief and unresolved issues with his self-image but when he does, he goes out of his way to make her feel special. In summary, This wasn't a bad book by any means. I connected to the author's style very easily, and think many others will as well. This could very well be the light and entertaining read you've been looking for.

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Review: Waiting For Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey

Can a rom-com obsessed romantic finally experience the meet-cute she always dreamed of or will reality never compare to fiction, in this charming debut adult novel from Kerry Winfrey.

WAITING FOR TOM HANKS by KERRY WINFREY

Publication date: June 11, 2019

Published by: Berkley

Genre: romance, rom-com

SYNOPSIS

Annie is twenty-seven years old, single, and obsessed with romantic comedies (she and her mother watched them religiously, before her mom died). Her dating life is limited by the expectations she’s

formed from these movies. She is not as open to new experiences as she might be, because she’s waiting for her Tom Hanks–i.e., a guy she’ll find in the perfect, meet-cute romantic comedy way. When Annie does finally meet her perfect match, it’s not quite in the way she expected, and she’s forced to reckon with the walls she’s built around herself over the years.

Purchase your copy now!

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Praise for Kerry Winfrey:

“An endearing, klutzy heroine elevates this utterly charming romance [and] the plot’s many moving pieces add complexity. Chloe, lovable Uncle Don, and the local coffee shop’s colorful characters provide humor and heart in just the right places.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“What a total delight it was to read this book! A compelling, heartwarming, hilarious rom-com. I couldn’t stop turning the pages!”—New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster   


“This sweet story is a warm, favorite-sweater-wearing hug for anyone who believes that true love doesn’t only happen in the movies.”—kc dyer, author of Finding Fraser

“The perfect blend of humor and romance…Waiting for Tom Hanks is a romantic comedy full of heart, humor, and a delicious dose of reality.”—Wandereader

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kerry Winfrey is the author of LOVE AND OTHER ALIEN EXPERIENCES and THINGS JOLIE NEEDS TO DO BEFORE SHE BITES IT. She’s written for many websites, including HelloGiggles. When she’s not writing, she’s most likely baking yet another batch of cookies or watching far, far too many romantic comedies. She lives with her husband, baby, and dog in the middle of Ohio.

You can find her on:

Twitter | Instagram | Website | Goodreads

REVIEW

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

As a huge fan of rom-com movies, and someone who has probably seen almost all of Tom Hanks' classics, I didn't hesitate when I saw this book. I knew I wanted to read it. Of course the bright and adorable cover didn't hurt either. Having never read this author before, I had no idea what to expect when opening this up. This probably sounds strange to say considering my rating, but I actually do think that she's a talented writer. But there's a difference between being a good writer and storytelling effectively and that's where my problem lies. I had several big issues with the book:

1) How the enemies to lovers trope was created/developed

2) The heroine's childish and illogical behavior towards the hero got very, very annoying. (one and two are connected)

3) How her rom-com obsession is in actuality more of an unhealthy fixation. It ruled her entire life and affected every thought process and decision throughout her day.

I knew from the synopsis that Annie would be obsessed with rom-coms. I just had no idea that it would be presented in the way that it was. I was so down for being served a heaping smorgasbord of movie references. However I knew within the first couple of chapters that I didn't like Annie's thought pattern on them at all. She thinks and behaves as if she is living inside of a movie and everything she does has to be like a movie she saw. Every potential boyfriend she meets has to be just like a hero in a movie she saw. Her living situation, her job...everything revolves around creating a scenario that will lead to the perfect meet-cute with the perfect man. I'm sorry but life doesn't work out that way and her constant weird thoughts made her sound like she'd lost touch with reality. This goes beyond her loving rom-coms because of her fond memories tied to her mother. Or her parents' once in a lifetime romance that has erected impossibly high standards. She's created a fantasy world because of it.

Annie finds out that there will be a big budget romantic movie filmed in her town, and her friends urge her to get a job on set. Drew Danforth is the male lead, and when she hears he's the star she immediately starts a judgmental tirade about his character. He's the complete opposite of Tom Hanks, he's "too good for hollywood," he's ridiculous, a slob, and his worst sin: he's a prankster. He's a privileged jerk who doesn't take life seriously or appreciate his success. All this based on gossip sites and times she saw him on TV. She doesn't know the man! You can imagine how grating this would get when she insults someone she's never met before, and it only got worse from there.

Through her uncle's highly coincidental connection, she's able to land a position as assistant to the director. (She's an aspiring screenwriter. Wouldn't he have mentioned this to her before?) Far from her imagined meet-cute, her first meeting with Drew is uncomfortably awkward and every interaction thereafter goes downhill. She snaps at him and misinterprets every word out of his mouth making her appear like a shrew. Bluntly put, this guy is FAR from a jerk and does not deserve her attitude. She got so bad that I had to skim over a couple of their conversations because she wouldn't stop insulting him. Even when he tried to open her car door she makes a ridiculous claim about his reason.

     “Oh, my God,” I mutter, and I’m about to swing my door open when he opens it for me. “You don’t have to do that,” I snap, about to tell him not to make fun of me by opening the door as if I’m the famous person and he’s my driver.

I believe this was all in order to create an enemies to lovers trope, but there was no sexy banter, no logical explanation for how she felt. There was no antagonism on his part, not even when he was unfairly insulted. They weren't enemies, it was one person making assumptions about another and getting angry all the time. In other words, it all felt manufactured and fell flat. As for Drew, he didn't seem to be affected at all by her behavior and somehow developed a crush on her through all of it. I really couldn't understand why. Because of all of these things I had a hard time getting through the first half of the book. She finally did realize that she was wrong about him, but once their flirting kicked in, I didn't have any investment in their HEA. The ending was very over the top and the conflict at the end that was caused by an accidental text made me cringe so hard.

To sum things up, I do like the author's humor and there were sporadic moments in there where I was entertained by her friends' relationship with each other. But unfortunately the heroine was unlikable for too long, the movie theme was set up too strangely, and I didn't feel the chemistry I should have. Many will disagree with me, maybe some will relate to how I felt. I was really disappointed and wish I could have loved it more, but I think I can safely say that this particular story wasn't the right fit for me.

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