The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber

 

Amy    

Lynnie 

contemporary fiction, magical realism, romance

Juliette is on a summer road trip, following the path her grandfather took in his youth, in an effort to strengthen her mental health and allow her space (literally and figuratively) from her current life. She hits a major detour which takes her to Forget-Me-Not, Alabama, where her car dies. While she’s waiting for the parts and the repair, she grows to love the people she meets in this special town which seems to draw people in need. 

 

Amy's Review

Heather Webber’s novels all follow a formula and this one is no different. If you liked her other novels, you’ll like this one too. You know exactly how it will end but you read it anyway because the characters and settings are charming, the magical realism is creative and whimsical, and the love fills every corner.

Her stories always include:
- People who need help, guidance, clarity, love of others in order to move on
- Two women who forge a strong friendship with each other, each also finding their own special someone
- Someone who is new to town
- Children 
- Pets 
- Grandparents 
- Substitute parents 
- The setting in small-town southern USA

It was comforting to spend time in another of Webber’s worlds. The Pearls of Wisdom throughout the novel were wonderful too. I only wish the audiobook had let 2 seconds pass after each one, before jumping into the next chapter, so the wisdom could sink in.

The “conflict” at the end of the novel felt a bit unrealistic but it was short-lived. I  enjoyed this novel. I had read too many of Webber’s books too close together one year and it felt like they all ran together. Spaced apart from the others, I really liked this one. I recommend not reading too many of her novels in one year.

The audiobook narrators, Hallie Ricardo and Stephanie Willis, are the pair that narrate all of Webber’s audiobooks and they did a terrific job as usual. They both definitely earn As from me. 

Lynnie's Review

Amy and I haven't read a lot of books together this year, so it was nice to read one with her!  

The Forget-Me-Not Library is another lovely Heather Webber book filled with her usual assortment of cozy, small town characters who take in a woman who is new to town, looking to find herself in some way and the town and its people fill the holes in her life and her heart while also finding their own ways to happily ever after. It's all very predictable and satisfying, just like you want it to be.

Knowing that it's all going to be tied up with a big red bow doesn't make the journey any less enjoyable. In this story we got some fun southern "pearls of wisdom" to lead off each chapter that always made me smile. I loved getting to know Juliet and Callum, Tallulah and Jake, as well as the extended family members and townspeople. The town of Forget-Me-Not and its library were characters themselves, showcasing magical properties that propelled the story forward.

I can always count on Heather Webber books to put a smile on my face. They are palate cleansers for the brain, perfect for when you just want something easy to read whether on vacation or between other books.

I listened to the audiobook and Hallie Ricardo and Stephanie Willis, who narrated the other Heather Webber books I previously listened to, did a wonderful job as usual. They do a great job with a variety of voices and complement each other's voices well.  

The Queen’s Coronation by Jennifer Ryan

Amy        

historical fiction

It’s 1953 and Miranda is a young American widow looking for a way to keep her newspaper reporting job by going undercover in the castle preparations for The Queen’s Coronation.

Small-town Lucy is trying to escape her doomed life and become a famous singer in the city of London.

Caroline is living a life which feels forced upon her but she sees no other way to move forward. She had found herself pregnant after her boyfriend went to war and never corresponded with her. She is married to a man who was willing to say the baby was his so that her daughter wouldn’t be ridiculed. But he’s a cruel loser.

All three young women are working in Buckingham Palace as Princess Elizabeth is readying to become the Queen. None of them are in great situations. Some of them unknowingly make things worse for themselves. They are all desperate to prove themselves and to improve their lives.

The were all were in denial about their realistic prospects at the beginning of the story. They fell prey to their own bad decisions, their naïveté, and, sometimes, the ill will of others. It was often painful for me to read about them. Their stories were sad. They lacked the right sort of support and were living in a time when women were treated like property of power-hungry men. It was infuriating. Thankfully, there was one older woman with whom Miranda, Lucy, and Caroline were all close and she was able to provide an overarching level of moral support once the three women finally got fed up enough to take a proactive stance in their lives’ destinies. The ending was happy, of course, as all Jennifer Ryan novels are. This one definitely had a message to deliver and the three main characters were each given a platform to monologue a bit about their newfound girl power at the end. Ryan’s agenda was a bit heavy-handed but, of course, I’m in agreement with it.

I’ve read four other novels by Ryan so I knew that the characters’ situations would all eventually improve. The women in her novels all face and overcome hurdles. Sadly, I didn’t really care about these three women as much as I normally care about Ryan’s characters. Typically, I find her characters delightful. However, it took me a while to warm up to these three. This isn’t my favorite novel by Ryan. But it was particularly fun to get a view inside the palace and of the young Queen Elizabeth at the time of her coronation. Ryan always introduces me to some facet of British history about which I previously knew nothing.

I’d like to thank Ryan, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for giving me early access to this novel. The Queen’s Coronation will be released on June 2, 2026.

Missed Connections by Aimie K. Runyan

Lynnie 

contemporary fiction, magical realism 

Wow, Missed Connections wildly exceeded my expectations. I was intrigued by the description of this book from the beginning as a former restaurant worker, lover of good food and sucker for time travel and multiverse shenanigans - Aimie K. Runyan delivered! This is the first book I've read by Runyan, but it won't be my last.

In Missed Connections, Sabrina is nearly 40 and has been working her way up through the ranks with fine dining restaurants, pursuing her childhood dream of being a Michelin Guide inspector. Having recently been dismissed from her latest job, with nowhere to go but back to her childhood home, she finds herself breaking down at the airport where a kind ticket agent offers her the opportunity to revisit some of the important moments of her life. Would she do things differently if she could? Would those changes make any difference in the current trajectory of her dream?

It's a pleasure to watch Sabrina's journey unfold. Runyan's descriptions of the inner working of a kitchen, the scrumptious food, meticulous preparation, the hours and dedication of fine dining staff was enchanting. I loved meeting the people who were instrumental to Sabrina's journey, those that helped and inspired her, as well as those who presented hurdles.

In a rare moment of serendipity - which is wonderfully defined in the book - I got the book and the audiobook of Missed Connections from NetGalley. The audiobook is narrated by Caroline Hewitt, who narrated The Library of Fates, which I listened to earlier this year. I really enjoyed her narration throughout as she has a wonderful variety of voices and accents for the characters who come from multiple countries and represent the diversity you find in many kitchens. I never wondered who was speaking. It was also never in question whether Sabrina was speaking to another character, or thinking to herself, something that is not always clear in audiobooks, so I appreciated Hewitt's ability to make the distinction.

The book also includes a couple of the recipes that are talked about within the story, which is a treat! I believe the final version of the audiobook will have a supplement that includes the recipes as well.

Thank you to Harper Focus, Harper Muse, NetGalley, and Aimie K. Runyan for the advanced copy of this book and audiobook. Both will be published on May 26, 2026.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.  

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Amy     

romance

Dolly, a single mom who works as a Kindergarten teacher, is visiting her dad for the summer with her son, Gus. They learn that the house needs a new roof which will cost about $50,000. She and her father don’t have that kind of money. Lucky for her, she comes upon Stewart, of the wealthiest family in town, who is on the side of the road with a flat tire. He, of course, doesn’t know how to change a tire since he has hired help to do everything for him. She offers to change it and, mid tire-change, a photographer for the newspaper snaps their photo. Concerned about his business image, Stewart asks her to pretend he was showing her how to change a tire and to pretend to be his girlfriend. She says she’ll do it for $60,000 and they have a deal.

I really loved reading this romance! Dolly has had to grow up too fast and help her dad raise her siblings. She’s never been able to put herself first. Stewart is a workaholic who has big goals and no time to enjoy himself. They make a terrific couple. She brings him the joy of taking breaks, having fun, and feeling calm. He shows Dolly how to allow herself to accept care and attention. He encourages her to put herself first and not accept whatever is thrown her way. These two people are from completely different worlds but almost instantly clicked. Stewart is not the snobby sort of rich person which helped. He is an appreciator and protector, not a power-hungry destroyer. He’s a genuinely nice guy whose battles are all internal. Dolly is able to ground him. He is able to spoil her.

And then, the darned conflict arrived which, inevitably, must occur in any novel. I will say that I was really glad the drama didn’t take up much of Dolly All the Time. The novel was mostly super fun! But I did feel that the problem lasted way too long for Dolly and Stewart. It was so sudden and long-lasting that it didn’t make total sense to me. Perhaps I’m being insensitive. But, I’m glad, as with all romance novels, there was never any doubt how the story was going to end.

The characters were terrific. The dialogue and settings were fun. Their courtship was adorable. Whether you’ve enjoyed Annabel Monaghan’s other novels or have never read her books, you’ll love this one!

Thank you so much to Putnam, Annabel Monaghan, and NetGalley for allowing me to have early access to this novel in exchange for my unbiased opinions. Dolly All the Time will be released on May 26, 2026.

Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe

Lynnie 

play

This is the second Duncan MacMillan play I read recently and I continue to be amazed by his brilliance and impressed by his fearlessness in tackling difficult subjects with skill and compassion. I will absolutely be hunting down more of his plays to add to my reading (and, hopefully, watching) list.

Every Brilliant Thing is unique in many ways, particularly in the need for the singular cast member - the Narrator - to be able to improvise and interact with the audience on a daily basis, while discussing what could be a very challenging topic, and still keep things entertaining and, dare I say, uplifting and hopeful.

The Narrator creates a list of brilliant things in order to help their mother cope with depression after a suicide attempt. The list's creation guides the Narrator and the one-act play through discussions of suicide, mental health and the importance of connection. It was incredibly powerful to read and I can only imaging how moving it is to see performed live. There is a lot of room in the script for the Narrator to be a man or a woman, for the freedom to make choices depending on how particular audience members react and interact with the Narrator, and yet the story arc is so clear and so wonderfully written, I imagine you could see the show many times and always find something new in it.

This is a truly beautiful play. I hope I'll get to see it performed sooner rather than later. It's currently playing on Broadway, and since writing this review I watched the brilliant Jonny Donahoe's version that is airing on HBO Max. It was as moving as I anticipated, but I'm so glad I read it first. 

The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline

Amy             

historical fiction

The Foursome is about the lives of Chang and Eng Bunker, the conjoined twins from Siam (now Thailand) for whom the term “Siamese Twins” was named. They were real people and this novel is about their real lives with their wives, Sallie and Addie, who were sisters from the North Carolina town where the Bunkers settled in the mid-1800s. However, in this novel, their story is made robust with fiction from the creative mind of Christina Baker Kline. 

The novel is told from Sallie’s point of view. The first quarter of the novel provides sufficient background to explain how she and her sister met the Bunkers and why they made the unusual decision to marry conjoined twins. This was an extremely necessary part of their story. I thought Kline handled the, undoubtedly, fraught decision for the girls realistically, including the unfavorable opinions of the their parents and their community.

The novel went on to describe how they managed to construct their married days and nights; how the personalities worked, and didn’t work, together; how they set up the house and farm; how their sex lives worked; and how their lives altered as a multitude of children arrived. These are the things that most people probably wonder about when they hear that Chang and Eng were married. Reading this section sometimes felt like intruding on a spectacle, reading between fingers spread across the eyes. 

In the back end of the novel, the tone changed as Sallie faced reality regarding troublesome situations about which she’d previously been compliant. She began to be the driver of her own life and began making small changes that were within her power. The twins ended up fathering 21 children with their wives and died on the same day. Sallie’s perspective on slavery was enlightening and the book acknowledged that her family, as slave-owners in North Carolina, had to make changes after the Civil War.

I had previously read three of Kline’s novels, one of which—Orphan Train—achieved a 5-star rating from me which is a rare achievement. So when NetGalley offered the chance to read this new novel from her before its release date, I jumped at the chance. In the Author’s Note at the end, I was surprised to learn that Kline is related to Sallie and Addie! They are her ancestral cousins. She did a great job with this story, making it not as much like a soap opera as it could’ve been in another author’s hands. 

Thank you to Kline, NetGalley, and Mariner Books for allowing me to read this galley ahead of The Foursome’s release date of May 12, 2026.

The Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy

With Elle Kennedy's books coming out as a series on Amazon Prime, I figured I should read them and find out what the fuss is about. - Lynnie 

The Deal  

The Deal was better than I expected, though I don’t know why. 

The basic premise seems to be this: hot college hockey players who can sleep with any girls they wish, and the girls who claim to want nothing to do with them. But then, suddenly, the players fall hard and fast for said girls and find that they really ARE guys who want to be in committed relationships. Repeat as needed for however many books are written.

I liked all the characters. There was fun banter and they generally acted appropriate for college-aged kids (even if I thought they had way too much disposable income); sometimes, they even acted more mature than college kids might have. But, I enjoyed the found family dynamic of the hockey team and I just thought Hannah and Garrett were delightful. I don’t love how obsessive Garrett’s attention was once he decided that Hannah was the one for him. I never think that’s a great way to model relationships for young folks, but at least they also had him give her some respectful space once in a while. I also thought it was weird how much all of the other characters sexualized Hannah. Was it realistic? Probably, but it was also bizarre and kind of gross.

Anyway, I can see why they are making this into a tv series- I’m sure it will be super popular 

 

The Mistake 

These are easy books to read - like cotton candy for the brain; you just take it in and it dissolves into nothing, before you know it, it's gone.

I liked Logan and Grace a lot in The Mistake, but again this relationship was a bit obsessive and over the top. I did like that, once Logan decided to pursue Grace for real, he put the breaks on and started to take things slowly and be respectful of her and himself and just enjoy their time together so they could really get to know each other.

I also continued to enjoy the friendships between the hockey players themselves and how they support one another. At a time when we bemoan the lack of male friendships, it's nice to see it in a fictionalized world, even if it's written by a woman.

I would have LOVED these books when I was younger. As an (ahem) older reader, I’m less tolerant of all the manufactured drama. Every single character has some sort of trauma or situation that is supposed to tug at your heartstrings or make us feel sorry for them, which is exhausting in its own way.  

  

The Score 

I’m surprised how much I liked Dean and Allie’s story in The Score. Before this book I didn’t really like either of them very much, but I really did like Dean in this book, particularly how enamored he was with Allie. For someone whose life has just always been easy, I just found him delightful; maybe because he’s the only character in these books who doesn’t come from a tragic background or have a potentially tragic future.

This series is just fluff- easy to read, not particularly challenging and grossly unrealistic, but fun. Beautiful people doing sexy things surrounded by best friends. What’s not to like? I totally see the appeal and why they are turning this into a tv series. This will be this generation's 90210 and Melrose Place all wrapped into one, but sexier.

 

The Goal 

The Goal is not my favorite book of the series, but it was fine. I liked Tucker a lot and Sabrina was fine, but again, more sad backgrounds and potentially tragic futures. But no! They will learn to trust one another & make their futures brighter! Rinse and repeat. 

I might have liked it better if I hadn’t read it right after the others in the series, but I did. This is a fun series, but it really is the same story over and over. It makes me laugh that even the person who designed the book cover might feel the same way; poor Tucker doesn't even get to kiss Sabrina on his book cover, he just has to hold her hand and stare longingly at her!

Seriously though, all the guys in this series are weirdly obsessive and I didn't like that at all. Ladies, that is not what you should be looking for in a relationship. It's cute in fiction, but in real life, it's called stalking.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

Amy    

historical fiction, women’s fiction

Four neighbors start a book club in the early 1960s. They are housewives living in a strictly-planned, new community outside of Washington, DC. Through the friendships forged and the information they absorbed in their first book, the groundbreaking The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, they support one another under the oppressive conditions that exist for women of their time. 

The characters in The Book Club for Troublesome Women were fun to get to know and the story was a good reminder of how recently women gained the right to do things that younger generations currently take for granted, like having their own bank account. The story felt very authentic to the time period. The last 20% was the best part as the women began to take more control of their own lives.

Unfortunately, this is the third book about women’s book clubs that I’ve read this year (and it’s only mid-April) so it’s a lot of the same thing, just set in a different time period than the other two novels. While I enjoyed it, this one was the least interesting overall to me, compared to the other two. But I think Marie Bostwick’s book is especially good for women under age 50 to read if they aren’t already familiar with the struggle of women in the mid-20th century.

The audiobook narrator, Lisa Flanagan, was by turns awful and magnificent. As with many narrators, she’s guilty of sounding like a robot during the omniscient narrator sections. In fact, she’s so robotic that, at first, I wondered if she was AI and not a real human. But her voice acting and vocal repertoire was terrific when she was voicing actual characters. So, since her overall performance was so polarizing, I think I’ll give her a B. Looking back at other audiobooks she’s narrated that I’ve listened to, the robot narrator is a very common complaint of mine about her.

Go Gentle by Maria Semple

Lynnie 

contemporary fiction

I was a big fan of Maria Semple's Where'd You Go Bernadette so I was very exciting to read Go Gentle when I saw it was coming out. Make no mistake, Go Gentle is nothing like Bernadette - which is not a bad thing by any stretch. Sure, both are about incredibly bright, independent women with precocious daughters, but that's about it.

Go Gentle is, at times, captivating. Adora Hazzard (what a wonderful name!) is a stoic philosopher, living the life I imagine that every philosopher dreams of — she has a fellowship at a museum and library in NYC, where she researches and writes her books in the library and "provides moral training" for the twin tween sons of the museum's wealthy benefactors. She also has assembled her own "coven" of women, a Golden Girls-esque group who are buying up the apartments in her building to share expenses and grow old supporting one another, in what I believe is every woman's not-so-secret dream. She's a hero!

Then of course, things take a turn for the weird. Suddenly, there is intrigue, potential international espionage and the events of her past (which she has put behind her so thoroughly that most people around her know little to nothing about them) come back and blow of up her life in ways she couldn't imagine.

I really liked Adora, her daughter, Viv, and the members of her coven. I could've read an entire book focused only on that aspect of her life. Frankly, I found the intrigue and mystery parts of the book a bit convoluted at times. The book is split into four sections and there is one section that I felt was almost entirely unnecessary. If we never had the section with her ex-husband, I think the book would have flowed more smoothly and he wouldn't have been missed. I understood why it was there, moving forward and all that, but I also felt like it slowed down an otherwise fast-moving story.

Still, time with Adora Hazzard is time well spent. I loved her life philosophies and enjoyed watching her try to share the teachings of stoicism with young people, because that always goes over well, doesn't it? Still, it's fun to watch everything come together in the end and I'll look forward to Semple's next adventure just as much!

Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons, NetGalley and Maria Semple for the advanced reader copy. 

The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Lynnie 

contemporary fantasy, magical realism

This is the second book I've read by Samantha Sotto Yambao, and her writing is absolutely gorgeous. I loved the first book of hers I read, Water Moon, so I was really looking forward to this one.

The Elsewhere Express is a unique train that finds people who are adrift. You can't find the Elsewhere Express, it finds you after you've "drifted away from your own life." Once aboard you can find your purpose, peace and belonging. All you have to do is agree to cast away your excess baggage - all the guilt, shame and the memories of your earthly life. 

Raya, was born to save her sick brother. When he died, she gave up all her dreams to live the life he was supposed to live. Q is an artist who has lost his own place in the world. When they meet aboard the train, they rely on each other to find their place among the fascinating world of the train and to solve the mystery of the stowaway that seems to have boarded the train with them, endangering the Elsewhere Express and everyone on board. 

Yambao has created a truly fascinating universe. I was captivated by the train and the people who lived there. In some ways, the people were secondary to the train itself, which was the most fascinating character. I was eager to find out what would happen to Raya and Q. There is some mystery and tension with the stowaway and another aspect of the story that I can't share without giving too much away. There is also some time loop shenanigans that Yambao never really explains well which is unfortunate, because it leaves the ending a little muddled after what was really a fascinating and beautiful story.  

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon

Lynnie

science fiction

Harold and Edie have lived in their home for 40 years. Once, their daughter Kate lived there. But she left after an incident in her youth and hasn't been back for many years. Harold collects and repairs first edition books and reads aloud to his dying wife, surrounded by the sentient appliances in their smart home who quietly tend to the many needs of their humans. The appliances, Harold, Kate and a young neighbor, Adrian, must come together to save themselves from the all-controlling Grid, or lose everything they've ever know.

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances was an interesting story, but I couldn't shake the feeling that this would have benefited from some serious editing. I loved the appliances -- their earnestness, their interactions and their faithfulness to each other and their humans. It was the humans who I had a tough time caring about. With the exception of young Adrian, I didn't really find much to grab onto with Glenn Dixon's human characters. I never really understood who Harold or Kate were or why I should care about either of them other than, you know, people good / Grid bad. 

I also felt that the Grid was never well defined as the bad guy. I understood what Dixon was trying to accomplish, and what the message was with the Grid, but it was never quite as menacing as it could have been. Lots of telling, very little showing. So overall, I felt like this story had loads of potential, but I was left unsatisfied in the end.

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances will publish on April 7, 2026.

Thanks to Atria Books, NetGalley and Glenn Dixon for the advanced copy.

The Name Game by Beth O’Leary

Amy    

Lynnie  

romance, contemporary fiction

Charlie Jones (she goes by “Charlie”) and Charlie Jones (he goes by “Jones”) end up meeting each other when they both show up to start the same new job on a small island in the English Channel. Obviously, there was some sort of mix-up since they have the same name. But how were two acceptance letters inexplicably mailed to two different people? Despite the fact that something very fishy is going on, the two Charlie Joneses agree to live in the same farmhouse (there’s no other open space on the island) and work together for two months so that the farm store owners can get to know them before deciding which Charlie Jones they’ll officially hire. Both need this job because they need fresh starts, leaving behind all their former troubles.

Amy’s Review

While not as good as Beth O’Leary’s other novels, it was cute watching two people who have vowed to not deal with other people discover each other. The story unfolded through Charlie’s and Jones’ journaling. While the premise of two Charlies getting the same job offer was an unlikely stretch, the real problem for me was that the reader was not given sufficient information about Charlie’s prior troubles. Very slowly, her experiences emerge through flashbacks but I couldn’t really figure out why she was so delicate and I had trouble caring about someone who I didn’t know well. It was frustrating to me. I guess all the unexplained anxiety wasn’t what I was in the mood for over winter break.

And THEN, near the end, the entire novel went topsy turvy with a giant plot twist I hadn’t seen coming. I can’t say anything at all or I’ll ruin it. But it took effort getting reoriented to the new reality which was presented. 

I really feel badly when I get a galley from an author I love but don’t end up loving it as much as the author’s other books. I fear NetGalley, the author, or the publisher won’t grant me any more galleys. But I want to be honest. The Name Game lacked the level of fun I’ve come to expect from O’Leary’s novels. I also didn’t love the characters as much as I normally do.

I do genuinely appreciate being given the opportunity to read an early copy of this novel! 

Lynnie’s Review

On the remote Isle of Ormer, two people named Charlie Jones get off the ferry and present themselves as the new manager of the island farm shop. Has there been a mix-up? Is one of them an imposter? Will the real Charlie Jones please stand up?

I absolutely loved the Isle of Ormer and its residents. As O'Leary does, she created characters that you not only want to spend time with, but that you feel you already know. While the Charlie Joneses are a mystery, the other Ormer inhabitants and the setting itself are delightful and I found myself completely charmed by them. It was them, more than the Charlies, who made me want to keep reading at first, though the Charlies certainly grew on me as the book progressed and, in the end, I found myself cheering for them and their love story, as I always do in any O'Leary novel.

But the mystery of the Charlies is the meat of the book, isn't it? Sadly, like any mystery, I had it figured out by about halfway through the book; Checkov's gun strikes again. At least, I had the who figured out, if not exactly the how. And like any mystery, that made the book much less interesting for me, which is why I generally don't read mysteries. It's not O'Leary's fault, I actually think she obfuscated really well, particularly for someone who doesn't write mysteries most of the time. At the end of the book though, I found myself wondering if I would have enjoyed the book any less (or even more) if it had been written without that bit of storytelling, and the truth is, I don't know.

As I was looking back, I realized that Amy and I have read every single book Beth O'Leary has written; we generally love her writing. There's a lot of O'Leary's signature wit and charm in the pages of The Name Game and overall, I really enjoyed the story and her characters, but if you've read my reviews before, you know that I do NOT enjoy a mystery and in the end, that's the part of the book that brought this novel down for me.

So, four stars for the lovely settings and characters and typical O'Leary wit, 2 for the mystery that bored me, rounds out to 3 overall. I think most readers will be much more tolerant of the mystery than I was and will love the entire package.


Thank you to NetGalley, Beth O’Leary, and Berkley Publishing Group! The Name Game will be released on April 7, 2026.

Just for the Summer (Part of Your World #3) by Abby Jimenez

Amy       

romance

Justin claims to be a “good luck charm”—every time he and a woman split up, the very next guy she meets turns out to be her forever partner. It stinks for him and he explains this in a viral public post which Emma sees. She writes to him because she’s also that sort of good luck charm. They decide that, if they date each other Just for the Summer, then their curses will be broken and they’ll each move on to their forever partners after they break up. 

Of course, they turn out to be a perfect match because they are the stars of this romance novel! Their courtship is adorable and very fun. Unfortunately, they both have serious problems with their mothers which have affected their lives in negative ways. And, sadly, I had real trouble swallowing the situations with the mothers. It felt forced and unrealistic.

BUT THEN about 80% of the way through the novel, I couldn’t put the book down! This one started out barely qualifying as a sequel in the Part of Your World series but ended up circling back to the series in the best way! It was a pleasant surprise and a juicy one too. And I do feel that Abby Jimenez did a good job addressing mental health issues. So, in the end, while this is my least favorite of the three Jimenez novels I’ve read, I did enjoy it and will certainly read more of her novels.