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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
3.5 stars | I wanted to love this a lot more. That said, it's still pretty good and Brayden went with something different.
4 stars. I’m thinking about my review.
Okay one day later. It was a good book and I love how Melissa writes the emotional feelings of in the MC’s. And her sexscenes were better and steamier than ever. But....it didn’t blow me away. It was a Melissa Brayden book...which are almost always good, but I want a second Kiss the girl or Strawberry Summer. There is something special for me in those books. Even after re-Reading them. I missed that in this one.
Okay one day later. It was a good book and I love how Melissa writes the emotional feelings of in the MC’s. And her sexscenes were better and steamier than ever. But....it didn’t blow me away. It was a Melissa Brayden book...which are almost always good, but I want a second Kiss the girl or Strawberry Summer. There is something special for me in those books. Even after re-Reading them. I missed that in this one.
This one drove me crazy. I thought for sure I was not going to rate it higher than 2 stars, at most, but it did redeem itself in the end.
To the problems/my issues!
So, the protagonist, Hannah, owns a bookstore, and has owned it for 8 years. At one point, she visits another town with another small bookstore, and she really likes their, wait for it, children's nook. I was just about to tear my hair out; this is NOT a novel idea! How can you possibly be in a business without using every competitive advantage you can?! It just seems so unrealistic.
To the author's credit, I myself have helped restaurant owners open and I've looked at their menu and thought to myself, "... really? That's it? Nothing interesting to help distinguish yourself from every other restaurant out there serving sandwiches and burgers?" So... yeah, complete shit-for-brains open small business all the time, it is their right to do so, and it is an author's right to write about those people... doesn't mean I won't find it frustrating as hell!
And then, the real kicker... the love interest abandons the protagonist due to flight issues - AFTER the protagonist has been attacked and has to be hospitalized! WTF!!!
It's a real testament to the chemistry between the two that they were able to come together in the end and I didn't hate it... but I didn't love it, either. This book needed to be a much longer epic to have it work, for me.
To the problems/my issues!
So, the protagonist, Hannah, owns a bookstore, and has owned it for 8 years. At one point, she visits another town with another small bookstore, and she really likes their, wait for it, children's nook. I was just about to tear my hair out; this is NOT a novel idea! How can you possibly be in a business without using every competitive advantage you can?! It just seems so unrealistic.
To the author's credit, I myself have helped restaurant owners open and I've looked at their menu and thought to myself, "... really? That's it? Nothing interesting to help distinguish yourself from every other restaurant out there serving sandwiches and burgers?" So... yeah, complete shit-for-brains open small business all the time, it is their right to do so, and it is an author's right to write about those people... doesn't mean I won't find it frustrating as hell!
And then, the real kicker... the love interest abandons the protagonist due to flight issues - AFTER the protagonist has been attacked and has to be hospitalized! WTF!!!
It's a real testament to the chemistry between the two that they were able to come together in the end and I didn't hate it... but I didn't love it, either. This book needed to be a much longer epic to have it work, for me.
There’s been a lot of internal screaming while I was reading this book. And ache. Because it’s so good. Melissa Brayden is an automatic read for me at this point, and I didn’t even glance at the blurb before opening her latest book. So it came as a very good surprise that, as a romance writer, she created a character who is some sort of a book snob and won’t showcase a book in her bookstore because it’s a romance novel. « I’d read a handful in my teens and enjoyed them well enough, that is, until I outgrew them. » Yeah, Hannah Shephard is one of those. Brilliant idea. And so of course she had to fall for the author of said book, Parker Bristow, because how could she not?
Then Brayden did something I definitely didn’t expect: she stopped everything right there.
I guess even smart people can be stupid sometimes. I mean, Parker and Hannah get along really well, the chemistry is out of this world and they go on to get other girlfriends? What are you thinking, people?! That’s me, screaming in my head. I want to be clear that I wasn’t screaming at the author (that has happened with others, never with Brayden) but at the characters. Their behaviour was believable, and they both had their reasons – and baggage – to act the way they did, I simply didn’t want them to.
Also, I don’t do conflict. I hate it. It makes me want to throw punches and that’s not me. That weekend at the resort? Argh.
So it’s fair to say I had a lot of feelings. Which, in truth, couldn’t make me happier. I loved this book. If I didn’t have so many yet-unread books on my list, I’d probably read it again, like right now. I love Melissa Brayden’s books, I love the way she writes, I love the characters she creates (I think I’ll always be a little bit in love with Jessica Lennox), I love that some are lesbians and some – like Hannah – are bisexual and it doesn’t feel artificial, I love the wit and the quirkiness, and, most of all, I love the dialogue. I’ve rated every Brayden book I’ve read (I still have a few to discover) 5*, which I’m willing to admit is, in some cases, probably a tad overrated, but it’s all because of all these feelings and the dialogue. I’m a sucker for playful banter and heartfelt declarations of love, and Melissa Brayden writes both (and more) splendidly. Hence the 5*, once more.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Then Brayden did something I definitely didn’t expect: she stopped everything right there.
I guess even smart people can be stupid sometimes. I mean, Parker and Hannah get along really well, the chemistry is out of this world and they go on to get other girlfriends? What are you thinking, people?! That’s me, screaming in my head. I want to be clear that I wasn’t screaming at the author (that has happened with others, never with Brayden) but at the characters. Their behaviour was believable, and they both had their reasons – and baggage – to act the way they did, I simply didn’t want them to.
Also, I don’t do conflict. I hate it. It makes me want to throw punches and that’s not me. That weekend at the resort? Argh.
So it’s fair to say I had a lot of feelings. Which, in truth, couldn’t make me happier. I loved this book. If I didn’t have so many yet-unread books on my list, I’d probably read it again, like right now. I love Melissa Brayden’s books, I love the way she writes, I love the characters she creates (I think I’ll always be a little bit in love with Jessica Lennox), I love that some are lesbians and some – like Hannah – are bisexual and it doesn’t feel artificial, I love the wit and the quirkiness, and, most of all, I love the dialogue. I’ve rated every Brayden book I’ve read (I still have a few to discover) 5*, which I’m willing to admit is, in some cases, probably a tad overrated, but it’s all because of all these feelings and the dialogue. I’m a sucker for playful banter and heartfelt declarations of love, and Melissa Brayden writes both (and more) splendidly. Hence the 5*, once more.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
4 1/2 stars
Full review: http://noescapelikeabook.com/?p=192
Full review: http://noescapelikeabook.com/?p=192
Let's just start off with TL;DR of this whole review before getting into the nitty-gritty (I know, reverse and all, but bear with me):
[b:Back to September|43800722|Back to September|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550280825l/43800722._SY75_.jpg|68151748] is my new favorite by Melissa Brayden, hands down.
2019 was a bit of an interesting reading year for me. I made a New Year's resolution to read 52 books in 52 weeks. With two kids under the age of 10, working a job where my commute is 1.5 hours one way, and a loving family to devote to as much as possible - this actually turned out to be harder than I thought. But thanks to Audible and those long commutes, I still made it. With that being said though, I didn't read many that really hit me like a ton of bricks GOOD.
Please don't misunderstand. I still read some amazing books over 2019. Some notable ones being [b:The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue|29283884|The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings, #1)|Mackenzi Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492601464l/29283884._SY75_.jpg|49527118] by [a:Mackenzi Lee|7327341|Mackenzi Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1512266703p2/7327341.jpg], [b:These Witches Don't Burn|36484081|These Witches Don't Burn (These Witches Don't Burn, #1)|Isabel Sterling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541163363l/36484081._SX50_.jpg|58195438] by [a:Isabel Sterling|8123982|Isabel Sterling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1577484556p2/8123982.jpg], and even [b:Beautiful Dreamer|42612975|Beautiful Dreamer|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553118043l/42612975._SY75_.jpg|66325016] by [a:Melissa Brayden|4789680|Melissa Brayden|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332018247p2/4789680.jpg] as well. But I wasn't able to find a book that threw me back against my seat by G-forces so strong I didn't know how to recover from it ending. I've had moments like these only a few times in my life with books such as the [b:Harry Potter Series Box Set|862041|Harry Potter Series Box Set (Harry Potter, #1-7)|J.K. Rowling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534298934l/862041._SX50_.jpg|2962492] by [a:J.K. Rowling|1077326|J.K. Rowling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1510435123p2/1077326.jpg], [b:Scrappy Little Nobody|29868610|Scrappy Little Nobody|Anna Kendrick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469410391l/29868610._SY75_.jpg|45352758] by [a:Anna Kendrick|7041930|Anna Kendrick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1470103514p2/7041930.jpg], [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741] by [a:Ernest Cline|31712|Ernest Cline|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1310753539p2/31712.jpg], and the first book by Brayden that made me a devoted member of her fan club - [b:Kiss the Girl|18406404|Kiss the Girl (Soho Loft, #1)|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1384260344l/18406404._SY75_.jpg|26041514] by [a:Melissa Brayden|4789680|Melissa Brayden|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332018247p2/4789680.jpg].
But I had not had this experience with a book recently and - frankly - I was desperate for one. I missed that feeling of wanting to race home to read, curl up for hours, and push myself through exhaustion to finish it. Then have the conflicting feeling of trying so desperately to slow down in order to enjoy each and every savory minute of reading its pages.
But here comes Melissa Brayden in all of her glory and SHE GAVE ME MY READING JOY BACK.
[b:Back to September|43800722|Back to September|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550280825l/43800722._SY75_.jpg|68151748] brings back Brayden in all her beautiful brilliance. I was always a huge fan of the Soho Series, but the Seven Shores series didn't quite grab me the same way. Her standalones have been solid in the last few years, but not what I remember when reading [b:Heart Block|13587052|Heart Block|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344719896l/13587052._SY75_.jpg|19174404] or [b:How Sweet It Is|17290894|How Sweet It Is|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1363658184l/17290894._SY75_.jpg|23913152]. Brayden is a remarkable writer, and I can always count on her for amazing reads without question. But I will admit I was missing the exact feelings I spoke of above that I used to - very often - get from reading her books.
But she came blazing back with [b:Back to September|43800722|Back to September|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550280825l/43800722._SY75_.jpg|68151748].
I finished [b:Back to September|43800722|Back to September|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550280825l/43800722._SY75_.jpg|68151748] after a binge reading session, something of which I hadn't done in - quite honestly - years. I couldn’t put it down. I loved it, cover to cover. I do believe I can announce that she's written a novel that is likely going to have to share the number one spot on my Brayden Favorites, sharing the pedestal with [b:Kiss the Girl|18406404|Kiss the Girl (Soho Loft, #1)|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1384260344l/18406404._SY75_.jpg|26041514].
I am in awe. This new novel was full of all of the usual pieces of Brayden's novels that I adore and look forward to each time a new one is released, but it was filled with so much more. New things even. Some very real topics with very real outcomes; some very real ways to work through very real problems. Characters that made mistakes - real mistakes - and acted like real people, not fictionalized “perfect” people (though those aren’t necessarily bad!). It was so refreshing to see that kind of representation seen within these pages, within a novel by an author I trust implicitly. A novel that still had the same wit, dialogue, and descriptors that always make me fly to Brayden's novels the moment they’re released.
Now that I have had a proper chance to ruminate in its aftermath and proper time to recover from having to put it down, I only wish I had the chance to go back to the beginning and read it all over again with new eyes.
Melissa - I loved it. It was amazing. Please never stop doing what you’re doing. My literary world is always a happy place to come back to over and over again because of exceptional authors like you. Thank you for another fantastic and beautiful reading experience.
View my full review on my Book Blog website - The FarNerdy Blog.
[b:Back to September|43800722|Back to September|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550280825l/43800722._SY75_.jpg|68151748] is my new favorite by Melissa Brayden, hands down.
2019 was a bit of an interesting reading year for me. I made a New Year's resolution to read 52 books in 52 weeks. With two kids under the age of 10, working a job where my commute is 1.5 hours one way, and a loving family to devote to as much as possible - this actually turned out to be harder than I thought. But thanks to Audible and those long commutes, I still made it. With that being said though, I didn't read many that really hit me like a ton of bricks GOOD.
Please don't misunderstand. I still read some amazing books over 2019. Some notable ones being [b:The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue|29283884|The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings, #1)|Mackenzi Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492601464l/29283884._SY75_.jpg|49527118] by [a:Mackenzi Lee|7327341|Mackenzi Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1512266703p2/7327341.jpg], [b:These Witches Don't Burn|36484081|These Witches Don't Burn (These Witches Don't Burn, #1)|Isabel Sterling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541163363l/36484081._SX50_.jpg|58195438] by [a:Isabel Sterling|8123982|Isabel Sterling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1577484556p2/8123982.jpg], and even [b:Beautiful Dreamer|42612975|Beautiful Dreamer|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553118043l/42612975._SY75_.jpg|66325016] by [a:Melissa Brayden|4789680|Melissa Brayden|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332018247p2/4789680.jpg] as well. But I wasn't able to find a book that threw me back against my seat by G-forces so strong I didn't know how to recover from it ending. I've had moments like these only a few times in my life with books such as the [b:Harry Potter Series Box Set|862041|Harry Potter Series Box Set (Harry Potter, #1-7)|J.K. Rowling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534298934l/862041._SX50_.jpg|2962492] by [a:J.K. Rowling|1077326|J.K. Rowling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1510435123p2/1077326.jpg], [b:Scrappy Little Nobody|29868610|Scrappy Little Nobody|Anna Kendrick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469410391l/29868610._SY75_.jpg|45352758] by [a:Anna Kendrick|7041930|Anna Kendrick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1470103514p2/7041930.jpg], [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741] by [a:Ernest Cline|31712|Ernest Cline|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1310753539p2/31712.jpg], and the first book by Brayden that made me a devoted member of her fan club - [b:Kiss the Girl|18406404|Kiss the Girl (Soho Loft, #1)|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1384260344l/18406404._SY75_.jpg|26041514] by [a:Melissa Brayden|4789680|Melissa Brayden|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332018247p2/4789680.jpg].
But I had not had this experience with a book recently and - frankly - I was desperate for one. I missed that feeling of wanting to race home to read, curl up for hours, and push myself through exhaustion to finish it. Then have the conflicting feeling of trying so desperately to slow down in order to enjoy each and every savory minute of reading its pages.
But here comes Melissa Brayden in all of her glory and SHE GAVE ME MY READING JOY BACK.
[b:Back to September|43800722|Back to September|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550280825l/43800722._SY75_.jpg|68151748] brings back Brayden in all her beautiful brilliance. I was always a huge fan of the Soho Series, but the Seven Shores series didn't quite grab me the same way. Her standalones have been solid in the last few years, but not what I remember when reading [b:Heart Block|13587052|Heart Block|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344719896l/13587052._SY75_.jpg|19174404] or [b:How Sweet It Is|17290894|How Sweet It Is|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1363658184l/17290894._SY75_.jpg|23913152]. Brayden is a remarkable writer, and I can always count on her for amazing reads without question. But I will admit I was missing the exact feelings I spoke of above that I used to - very often - get from reading her books.
But she came blazing back with [b:Back to September|43800722|Back to September|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550280825l/43800722._SY75_.jpg|68151748].
I finished [b:Back to September|43800722|Back to September|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550280825l/43800722._SY75_.jpg|68151748] after a binge reading session, something of which I hadn't done in - quite honestly - years. I couldn’t put it down. I loved it, cover to cover. I do believe I can announce that she's written a novel that is likely going to have to share the number one spot on my Brayden Favorites, sharing the pedestal with [b:Kiss the Girl|18406404|Kiss the Girl (Soho Loft, #1)|Melissa Brayden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1384260344l/18406404._SY75_.jpg|26041514].
I am in awe. This new novel was full of all of the usual pieces of Brayden's novels that I adore and look forward to each time a new one is released, but it was filled with so much more. New things even. Some very real topics with very real outcomes; some very real ways to work through very real problems. Characters that made mistakes - real mistakes - and acted like real people, not fictionalized “perfect” people (though those aren’t necessarily bad!). It was so refreshing to see that kind of representation seen within these pages, within a novel by an author I trust implicitly. A novel that still had the same wit, dialogue, and descriptors that always make me fly to Brayden's novels the moment they’re released.
Now that I have had a proper chance to ruminate in its aftermath and proper time to recover from having to put it down, I only wish I had the chance to go back to the beginning and read it all over again with new eyes.
Melissa - I loved it. It was amazing. Please never stop doing what you’re doing. My literary world is always a happy place to come back to over and over again because of exceptional authors like you. Thank you for another fantastic and beautiful reading experience.
View my full review on my Book Blog website - The FarNerdy Blog.
First off, I loved the opening chapters featuring the struggles of our erstwhile bookseller Hannah Shepherd. How can you not love a book which opens with “Good morning, books,” when she opens A Likely Story each morning. Brayden touches on the reality of bookstores and their lack of sales and as an ebook reader I am sorry to see the small stores closing down. I do feel guilty, I do.
I also liked her characters discussion on Hannah being a book snob, assuming romance novels are shallow and read by your aunties, the ones without college degrees. Parker Bristow, as famous as Nora Roberts and much, much, much sexier changes Hannah’s attitude and wow, I was in full agreement with her fanbase. It’s a credit to this author’s writing skills that her characters can convey so much heat and attraction simply in a glance or a clever remark.
I found this to be a quick and delicious read. Hannah deserves a medal for all she puts up with after their initial amazing getaway in Mystic. First person point of view adds drama as we readers try to figure out what is going on inside Parker’s brain to behave the way she does. Once again kudos to Brayden for allowing their relationship to develop the way it does despite the road blocks thrown up on their path to happiness.
Nicely done
ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.
I also liked her characters discussion on Hannah being a book snob, assuming romance novels are shallow and read by your aunties, the ones without college degrees. Parker Bristow, as famous as Nora Roberts and much, much, much sexier changes Hannah’s attitude and wow, I was in full agreement with her fanbase. It’s a credit to this author’s writing skills that her characters can convey so much heat and attraction simply in a glance or a clever remark.
I found this to be a quick and delicious read. Hannah deserves a medal for all she puts up with after their initial amazing getaway in Mystic. First person point of view adds drama as we readers try to figure out what is going on inside Parker’s brain to behave the way she does. Once again kudos to Brayden for allowing their relationship to develop the way it does despite the road blocks thrown up on their path to happiness.
Nicely done
ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.
Fun, quick read. I know I can trust Brayden to deliver when it comes to lesbian romances, plus the plot is centered around books!
This novel was comfort food for my anxious soul. I enjoyed these characters and would love to see them again (even if it is as secondary characters) in a future book by Brayden.
This novel was comfort food for my anxious soul. I enjoyed these characters and would love to see them again (even if it is as secondary characters) in a future book by Brayden.
Bookstore owner Hannah Shephard greets her books every morning. It is tearing her up inside that her store has been so slow lately. But she'll do anything to try and ensure that it stays open, even trying to get Parker Bristow, famous romance author, on her book tour. And when that actually happens, Hannah is not only elated, she's shocked to discover how very much she's attracted to Parker. And they spend some magical time together before Parker ghosts Hannah. But then they figure it out and become friends while each is dating someone else. But the attraction is still there. And that isn't the last roadblock the two will have to work through. Which was my biggest problem with this book. I get that this happens in real life, all the sturm and drang but it was Just. So. Much for this book. I liked Brayden's writing overall though and would definitely try another one of her books.
I literally screamed at this book several times. Walked away. Immediately came back. I hated that the characters' actions made complete sense but were also so gut wrenchingly self sabotaging that my heart ached. This was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions MB.