Book Review: The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham (The Academy #2)

The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I read The Academy (the first book in this series) in January 2026. Here was my review at that time –

Tiffin Academy is a boarding school in rural Massachusetts, and the novel follows one year in the students' and faculty members' lives. With all the teenage drama, hook-ups, break-ups, slang, and cultural references, I felt that this book is targeting the YA audience rather than Elin Hilderbrand's typical readers. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, and the majority of them (faculty included!) are making bad decisions. Unfortunately, there are too many characters and not enough plot and character development for me.

Fast forward to September 2026, when I read the advanced reader’s copy of Thoroughbreds (the second and final book in this series). To be honest, the same review can be used for this book.

The book once again seems to be a YA book, and I’m definitely not that target audience. There is way too much product placement and name dropping, most of which goes right over my head. There are too many characters to keep track of, both faculty and students. And some of the names are so similar – Rhode, Royce, Roy. Predictably, the ending ties up everything in a neat little bow and everyone is a winner. And a note to the authors – when you are “dismissed” from a boarding school prior to graduating, you DO NOT apply to graduate school as your next step; you must first graduate from an undergraduate program!

I understand why the mother /daughter team wrote this book together. Shelby attended St. George’s boarding school in Rhode Island, and now is a student at the University of Miami, which figures prominently in this storyline. I wanted to give both books in this series a better score because typically I really enjoy Elin Hilderbrand’s writing, but that was just too much of a challenge.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advanced reader copy of this upcoming book, pubished September 15, 2026.

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Book Review: The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest (Heart Beach #1)

The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set primarily in the fictional New Jersey Heart Beach, Noelle and Jeremiah are 'fake dating.'  Noelle has been laid off from one of her jobs and needs to save money for her fall tuition.  Jeremiah is avoiding his family and their summer beach house by saying he's spending time with his new girlfriend.  Noelle and Jeremiah meet cute and he asks if she would stand in as a his girlfriend in exchange for tuition money.  It's no surprise that they start falling for each other throughout the summer.

This is the perfect summer beach read -- after all it's set at a beautiful summer beach house on the Jersey shore and involves three generations of Jeremiah's wonderful family.  There's the boardwalk, the beach, hang gliding, boating, pools, summer food, books, desserts, and more!  This was on the 2026 Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide under the category of Seaside Stories.  Take my advice and read it this summer; you won't regret immersing yourself in Noelle and Jeremiah's summer romance!

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Book Review: The Love Haters by Katherine Center

The Love Haters by Katherine Center
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(3 1/2 stars)  Katie is a video producer working at a commercial video company, and she gets the opportunity to film a promotional video for the Coast Guard in the Florida Keys.  The video focuses on rescue swimmer Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, who happens to be her boss's brother and they are not speaking to one another.  The bad news is that she doesn't know how to swim, and of course this assignment involves a lot of swimming.  

I usually really like Katherine Center's novels, but I almost gave up on this one.  The main character has a horrible self-image and just wallows in it.  The first 25% of the book was very difficult to read because of all of her self-hate.  A "Note from the Author" at the beginning of the book warns the reader about this.

I started reading this book on the flight for my vacation, and finished it the next day.  It was a perfect book to keep my mind occupied but not too deep that I would lose track of the story line.  The characters were all very interesting, and the light romance kept things moving along.  I'm glad I persisted in reading it because it ended up being a lot of fun, even if it was very predictable.  

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Book Review: The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden (The Housemaid #2)

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Millie, the housemaid, is back and working for a very wealthy family in an upper west side penthouse. She was hired by the husband and has never seen the wife, who is sick and spends her time in the guest bedroom. As you can imagine, Millie needs to find out more about this wife.

This is an incredibly fast-paced, page-turning thriller which I finished in two days. It has all the hallmarks of the first book in the series -- a rich employer, questionable situations, strange conversations, many bad decisions on Millie's part, plot surprises, and the story being told from two points of view. I think the first in the series - The Housemaid - was better but I thoroughly enjoyed the romp through Millie's life again with this book.

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Book Review: Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen (Her Royal Spyness #1)

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, also known as Georgie, is the cousin of King George V of England and 34th in line for the throne.  Without any marriage prospects after her coming out season, her brother has cut off her allowance.  She moves from Castle Raddoch in Scotland to Raddoch House in London in order to find a job and make some money.  

Georgie is without a maid to assist her with the day-to-day royal activities, but is resourceful and creates a job for herself.  She runs into her best friend from finishing school who helps her out, and meets several young eligible men in the process.  A mystery (and hilarity) ensues when she finds a man dead in her bathtub.  Multiple attempts are made on her life, but being Georgie, she just thinks that she is clumsy.  After several twists and turns, everything turns out fine in the end which is good because there are quite a few more books written in this series!

Georgie and friends are fun characters and bring a lot of humor to this book.  The reader really gets a feel for life in the early 1930s London, as well as what it's like to be a 'royal.'  There's high society, fashion, food, and fun in this quick and enjoyable read.  I will definitely be reading more in this series in the future. 

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Book Review - Update (Re-reading): Funny Story by Emily Henry

Funny Story by Emily Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full disclosure -- I love Emily Henry's books. She always manages to come up with very interesting and unique situations, to write believable characters, to have them encounter plausible obstacles, and most of all write incredible dialog! I just immerse myself into the world in each of her books, wanting to be friends with her characters.

Funny Story has everything in my personal reading wheelhouse: a children's librarian, set in Traverse City, Michigan, wine, books, and reading! Daphne is the children's librarian who moved to northern Michigan with her fiance, whose family lives there. At his bachelor party he realizes that he is in love with his childhood platonic friend and breaks up with Daphne. In a twist of fate, she moves in with Miles, the ex-boyfriend of said childhood friend who needs a new roommate. Daphne is an introvert trying to make her way in a relatively new town where all of her friends were actually her fiance's friends. Miles serves as an unofficial area tour guide, and you can predict what happens next.

I just need Emily Henry to write faster! It's difficult to wait for her next book. However, it's gratifying to know that three of her books are in the process of being made into movies! I can't wait!
https://www.today.com/popculture/book...

March 2026 Update -- I just re-read this book for one of my book clubs, and it's just as good the second time around!! The good news is that Netflix has picked this up for their streaming service (film or series...unknown at this time). Emily is writing the screenplay and casting has not yet begun. I can't wait...again!!
https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/m... 

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Book Review: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A charming, "meet-cute" story about two best friends (female/male) who take an annual vacation together. The book follows them over 12 years and 12 vacations. I'm usually not a fan of non-linear novels but I can see how it works in this case, interspersing the back story vacations with present day. Incredibly smart, witty dialogue. It should be made into a movie. Where is Nora Ephron when we need her?!? 

Re-read 2/2026 - I upgraded the rating to 5 stars this time!

This was the first book by Emily Henry that I read -- five years ago. I was absolutely charmed by her writing, the characters, the story, and her dialog. After reading all of her other books, I wanted to revisit it to see if it held up. It certainly did...and much more! I really appreciated it the second time through, especially the structure of the book with the non-linear timeline.

Because I read the hardcover book the first time, I wasn't aware of the Reader's Guide / Behind the Book, where Emily compares her book to a flipped version of the movie When Harry Met Sally... (which incidentally is one of my all-time favorite movies). And of course, I'm now looking forward to viewing the Netflix movie based on this book. Overall, a really wonderful reading experience!

In case anyone is interested, here's the list of vacations:

12 summers ago - University of Chicago orientation where Poppy meets Alex
11 - The drive together from U Chicago to Linfield, Ohio
10 - Victoria, Canada
9 - Nashville
8 - San Francisco
7 - New Orleans
6 - Vail, Colorado
5 - Sanibel Island, Florida
4 - Sweden / Norway
3 - Tuscany
2 - Croatia
1 - No Summer Trip
This summer - Palm Springs, California

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Book Review: The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tiffin Academy is a boarding school in rural Massachusetts, and the novel follows one year in the students' and faculty members' lives.

With all the teenage drama, hook-ups, break-ups, slang, and cultural references, I felt that this book is targeting the YA audience rather than Elin Hilderbrand's typical readers.  There are quite a few characters to keep track of, and the majority of them (faculty included!) are making bad decisions.  Unfortunately, there are too many characters and not enough plot and character development for me.

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Book Review: The View From Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani

The View From Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars.  Giuseppina Capodimonte Baratta (Jess) lives with her Italian American family in Lake Como, New Jersey.  All of her relatives live within a two-block area, and the family is incredibly close.  She currently works for her favorite uncle in the family business – Italian marble.  Through a series of unfortunate circumstances, she is a 30-something adult who has not achieved her goals or dreams, which prompts her to seek therapy through the online Thera-Me. 

All of this changes when she makes a life-changing decision to move to Cararra, Italy to pursue her dream of learning more about the marble business.  Jess learns the marble business from Italian artisans, travels to Milan and the Italian Lake Como, makes new friends, finds a family, encounters love and loss, and most of all discovers herself.

It’s fun to follow Jess on her adventures in self-discovery, and her Italian American family provides quite a bit humor.  The part of the book set in Italy is incredibly descriptive, and made me want to jump on a plane immediately!  As with all the Adriana Trigiani books that I have read, I absolutely loved it and fell in love immediately with the main character.  

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Book Review: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maggie and Ethan are both mystery / thriller authors working for the same publisher.  They have to accept an invitation from an elderly reclusive fan to join the family for Christmas.  

This book has a little bit of everything -- a Christmas house party at a remote English manor, a locked room mystery, a romance between co-workers, secret passageways, a huge snowstorm, a series of related clues, and more!  It was just the book that I needed to read this time of year, and I have been recommending it to all my bookish friends!  I am definitely looking forward to reading more of her books.

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Book Review: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Book Lovers by Emily Henry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A page-turner romance set in the publishing industry.  Nora Stephens, a NYC book agent, is convinced by her sister to spend a month of her summer vacation in a rural North Carolina town.  Almost immediately she runs into a NYC book editor, with whom she has not has not gotten along with in the past.  You can predict what happens next.  The relationship with the two sisters very special and makes the book worth reading.  You'll laugh, you'll cry, you will turn the pages quickly to reach the end.  Of course, since it was dealing with the book industry, it had my name written all over it.  I loved every minute of it!

Update from May 2025 - I re-read this book for book club and elevated it to 5 stars.  Once I loved the bookish themes throughout, especially how she incorporates real-life authors and NYC bookstores!  And the things that can happen in the study room of a public library!

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Book Review: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alice Scott is a journalist, aspiring to write memoirs.  Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer prize winning journalist who has written one of the most inspiring and well-known memoirs in recent years.  They are both on Little Crescent Island off Georgia in order to interview Margaret Grace Ives, the tabloid princess and media empire heiress who has at last decided to tell her story since she is in her 80s.  They each get to spend a month interviewing her and at the end she will decide who will write the book.

In typical Emily Henry fashion, the work enemies/friends/lovers trope is the strong point of this book.  She is known for her witty dialog and romance scenes, and she doesn't disappoint.  Alice is the eternal optimist while Hayden is brooding and aloof.  They keep running into each other on the small island, a friendship develops which soon turns to romance.  Although I think that the pacing of their romance seemed rather rushed, probably because she focused so much on the memoir writing story line.  

The larger part of the story revolves around Margaret's telling of her family story, starting in 1830, overshadowing the delightful Alice / Hayden story.  Margaret's messy family drama was too far-reaching and had too many characters to keep track of.  At some point, I just lost interest in this story line.  A family tree at the beginning of the book would have been helpful.  

Based on the overall book, I would have given it only 3 stars.  However, because it's Emily Henry and the Alice / Hayden story is so wonderful and full of her incredibly witty dialog and romance, I'm elevating it to 4 stars.  Don't call it a mystery, Emily.  The only mystery is why you chose to take a left turn with this book when you should have stuck with what has worked for you in the past five books!

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Book Review: The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emma experiences a family trauma right after high school graduation which forever alters her career plans.  Ten years later, she is a work-from-home romantic comedy screenwriter and has the chance of a lifetime to go to LA and work with her idol.  Charlie is an incredibly talented and famous screenwriter of blockbusters, but doesn't know she's coming, doesn't want to work with a partner, and doesn't think his screenplay needs re-writing.  In spite of everything, they start writing together.  They experience roadblocks and left turns along the way, until romance finally blossoms and love wins out.

This was a quick and fun read, and came just in time for Valentine's Day.  I had to wait for MONTHS to get it on Kindle from my library, but it was worth the wait.  This is the second book I've read by Katherine Center, and really enjoy her writing.  Sure, there's romance, comedy, the 'will-they-or-won't-they?' moments, some bumps along the way, and the moment they finally realize they are destined to be together.  But she also provides depth of character and moments of drama as well.  I'm looking forward to reading more of her books, and hopefully also seeing this book make it to streaming service near me.

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Book Review: The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose (Molly the Maid #2.5)

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another book in the Molly the Maid series by Nita Prose.  This is a charming novella just in time for Christmas reading.  It revolves around Molly Gray and her boyfriend Juan Manuel, who both work at the Regency Grand Hotel and are busy preparing for the holiday season and the employee Secret Santa Party.  Several events cause Molly to doubt some of the people in her life, but of course everything works out well in the end.

If you are looking for a quick read before the holidays (about 100 pages), this one is for you.  You don't need to have read either of the previous books in the series, but you'll fall in love with Molly and her world.

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Book Review: The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand (Nantucket Series #3)

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summer in Nantucket.  The setting is a glamorous ocean front mansion and the occasion is the wedding of Benji and Celeste.  Friends and family are gathered for the event, but tragedy strikes the morning of the wedding and the local police are called in to investigate.

Everyone is harboring their own dark secret and as the story unfolds, we slowly discover the secrets and how they affect the other wedding guests.  

In true Elin Hilderbrand fashion, each short chapter is devoted to a different character in the saga.  In addition, the timeline is not linear, jumping from present day to several points in the past to fill in the backstory.  However, each section is clearly identified with the character's name along with the date and time, so it's easy to keep on track.  

This was an incredible book, both a romance and a mystery.  Hilderbrand always immerses the reader in such a sense of place with all of her books.  I'm very anxious to watch the Netflix streaming version of this book!

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Book Review: How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An absolutely charming book which includes everything I love -- books, reading, a bookshop, tea, food, classical music, several romances, the English Cotswold countryside, and much more!

Emilia Nightingale has inherited Nightingale Books, located in a small town outside Oxford, England, after her father passed away.  We slowly learn the backstory of both Emilia and her father, Julius, and how the bookstore was started.  Through little vignettes we meet many of the townspeople and discover how each of them have such a fondness for Julius and the bookshop.

It's an easy read, and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face along with a tear to your eye.  I'd recommend making a cuppa tea, curling up in a favorite chair and enjoying this lovely book.  Highly recommended, and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!  

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Book Review: How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Helen and Grant are brought together in a Los Angeles writers' room -- she is the author of a novel which is being turned into a TV show and he is a script writer.  However, a tragic event tied their lives together 13 years ago on the other side of the country.  This is a classic enemies to lovers trope, which is handled very adeptly by the author in her debut novel.  We are cheering for Helen and Grant, and wishing for their happily-ever-after.

Yulin Kuang has been getting a lot of buzz recently because she is currently writing the scripts for two of Emily Henry's book-to-movie adaptations.  She provides us with a peek inside the writers' room of a TV show -- the personalities, long hours, friendships, fun and more.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book -- Helen's career intense career goals, her romance with Grant, her relationship with her family, and the event that tied their lives together.

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Book Review: You Are Here by David Nicholls

You Are Here by David Nicholls
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Immerse yourself in this wonderful fiction book about a trek across northern England through Cumbria and Yorkshire.  A mutual friend sets up a 3-day hike in northern England for seven people.  Two people drop out before departure, and then three more leave on the rainy second day.  Only Michael and Marnie remain and decide to extend the hike longer.  Both are recently divorced and finding it difficult to embark on new lives in the post-marriage and post-pandemic world.  The extended hike gives them more than enough time to get to know each other and slowly form a bond between them.  I thoroughly enjoyed their very intelligent, witty dialog.

We are immediately transported to rural England, which is at the same time rugged and beautiful.  We really get a sense of place in Nicholls' writing - feeling the heavy rain, viewing the spectacular scenery, and experiencing the excruciating fatigue after a long day's hike.  Maps of each section are included which is very helpful.  

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Book Review: Meet Me In London by Georgia Toffolo (Advance Reader Copy)

Meet Me In London by Georgia Toffolo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Christmas in July!  I have been reading a lot of intense books for various book clubs, and decided that I needed something light and fluffy to read as a palate cleanser.  This book really fit the bill!

Oliver is the heir apparent to a department store chain and is busy getting a new store ready to open in the Chelsea district of London.  Victoria is a clothing designer who also works in a bar next to the department store.  They meet cute and Oliver asks her to pose as his fiance during the opening of the store in order to placate his meddling and inquisitive parents.  There is quite a bit of chemistry between the two and you can predict what happens next.  

It's a quick read and a wonderful story.  I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I read it in December.  However, it did provide a break from the 95 degree weather we've been having lately!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

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Book Review: Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book for my summer book club, and it turned out to be very different from the typical selections from this group. Katherine Center is a new author for me, and I started the book not knowing what to expect.

Strong female characters are a favorite of this book club, and Cassie is no exception -- a 26-year old female firefighter on a totally male crew in Austin, Texas. However, her mother calls her from Massachusetts and asks her to move there to help her out for a year due to blindness in one eye. Reluctantly Cassie agrees, uproots her life, and takes a firefighter position with a very chauvinistic crew.

Cassie is excellent at her job, gives it at least 110%, and is proud at being an overachiever. She wants to prove herself with her new crew and consistently goes above and beyond, as well as accepting the frequent pranks with a smile. Things are a little rocky with the new crew, but she instantly bonds (a little too much) with the rookie, who started the same day. She is very wary of developing a friendship or relationship because of the warnings from her previous (female) captain. We slowly find out more about Cassie's background -- her relationship with her mother (who left the family on Cassie's 16th birthday) and an assault she experienced in high school.

This book was a real surprise. It's the story of an incredibly resilient woman in a male-dominated field. It's also a book about friendship and romance. In addition, I learned a lot about firefighters! All in all, I highly recommend this book and will definitely be reading more by this author!

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