We hear you. We know. There is too much good stuff out there to be as fully obsessed with it as we want to be. Thankfully, when it comes to good books, we are not going to waste your time. You are going to read. It’s just a given. Whether it’s on vacation this summer with a drink in your hand, or in the half hour you get before you fall asleep, you are going to want to read the best books.
What you may not have time for … are lengthy reviews of said books. So here. This is for you. Sit at your desk and skim our thoughts on the latest releases. Catch this post on your commute, download the books before you get home. We got you.
And if you want more books, check out our highly organized books section.
Twist
Written by: Kylie Scott
Reviewed by: Heidi*
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 04/11/2017
Rating: 4 Swipes Right
Recommended for: People who get turned on by bearded men who are good with a hammer
In Twist, a counterfeit dating profile leads to a Catfish-worthy shocking first meeting of the main characters. Despite their rough start, quiet man-bun wearing, good-with-his-hands, Joe and uptight Alex’s unlikely connection continues as one would expect (which is to say it’s crazy hot), but there’s one big twist** that I didn’t seem coming.
This is the second book in Kylie Scott’s Dive Bar series about a close knit group of friends who work in and around a bar in Northern Idaho. It is loosely tied to her Stage Dive series, but let’s be honest I adore Kylie and would write anything she wrote. Even if it were written on the walls of the infamous Dive Bar bathroom.
**I won’t apologize for the pun. Buy it.
*arc provided by publisher in exchange for honest review
One True Loves
Written by: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Reviewed by: Carrie-Jo
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Release Date: 6/7/2016
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Recommended for: Anyone who loves to read People magazine
Emma marries her high school sweetheart, but just after their first anniversary, he dies in a plane crash. Years later, she’s grieved, moved on, and is engaged to be married again. That’s when she gets the phone call that her husband has been found–and is coming home. In a lot of author’s hands, this book would have been a train wreck, but Reid pulled it off really well. She took a media frenzy type of situation and humanized it well. If the concept interests you, it’s definitely worth reading. Buy it.
From Sand and Ash
Written by: Amy Harmon
Reviewed by: Heidi*
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: 12/1/2016
Rating: 4 Star Crossed Lovers
Recommended for: Historical Fiction Afficionados
From Sand and Ash was a beautiful, haunting and timely novel about love, faith and acceptance. In it, Angelo and Eva are childhood friends who become star-crossed lovers as a Catholic priest and a beautiful Jewish violinist in WWII era Italy. Their story was equal parts lovely and heartbreaking. While there are moments of contrived historical convenience (they really seem to be in the right -wrong?- place at the right time pretty often) it’s easy to ignore them because the story is just so great. Most importantly, this book feels timely in the current political atmosphere. It was terrifyingly familiar to see how insidious the rhetoric that began simply became. We are never as far from this kind of tragedy as we like to think. May we all be as brave as Angelo and Eva if we ever find ourselves in their horrifying circumstances. Buy it.
*arc provided by publisher in exchange for honest review
Pretty Face
Written by: Lucy Parker
Reviewed by: Beth
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: 2/20/2017
Rating: 4 Backstage Make-outs
Recommended for: Former Theatre Kids
She did it again. Lucy Parker wrote a really smart, really sexy, really sensational romance about London theatre folk. Lily and Luc’s relationship simmers from believable chemistry to utterly unforgettable wit and realistic drama. Lily is a young television star with a reputation for man-eating roles and not much going on between the ears. She desperately wants to be taken seriously as an actress and looks to the new revival of a West End theatre with infamously dictatorial director, Luc Savage, to be the vehicle that gets her there. He doesn’t want her … until he does. It’s a great mix of humor, heart and happily ever after. Buy it.
There you have it! Real quick reviews for books we loved … real quick because we lazy. Hope you find something new to read. But in the meantime, tell us what you are reading in the comments or on twitter using #TNReads.
