This is a short one because I only finished two books last month.
Slump City, population: me.
The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey
Format: ebook (arc)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: I really enjoyed this book! It wasn't as "binge-able" as Fangirl Down, but had a similar giddy feeling!
This is top-shelf Tessa Bailey! I swear her men are deeper in therapy with each book!
The final act is when it really fell apart for me, but as it was an unedited arc, maybe that was all tidied up before publishing.
Would recommend it if you're looking for a 0-100 steamy hockey/nanny/age gap/forced proximity/opposites attract/boy obsessed/he falls first romance set in Boston!!!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.
Check out my last piece for all my Tessa Bailey thoughts; below is my quick review.
The Right Move by Liz Tomforde
Format: ebook & physical copy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: It took me OVER A YEAR to read it, but I did it!!! I got like 80% there for book club last year and then lost momentum after discussing the book (and ending) in depth. But now I was motivated to force through so I can get to Play Along (I just have to read Caught Up first).
This really is a book about two PERFECT characters.
Indy is perfectly relatable and I'm obsessed. I remember reading Mile High and falling for Stevie, thinking
But then Indy came along and BAM!
Ryan is the perfect book boyfriend. I totally understand why he's everyone's favorite, but the suspension of disbelief went just a little too far for me that it pulled me out of the book. He was amazing, what fantasies are made of, and low key boring. WHOOPS!
But I love the couple, I love Liz's writing, and even though it took me more than a year to read it, I loved the pacing and ups and downs. It felt indie in that it felt like a year in the life and not just one set plot arc that cookie cutter wrapped up. Like a real relationship.
I started this book over a year ago, but was not able to finish it by the time our book club met. Then after discussing the story, characters, and ending in depth I lost steam. I tried to pick it up several times but could never power through. Now, Play Along (the fourth book in this series) is out and I am dying to get my hands on it. A friend in my Atlanta book club (shoutout Harshila) said I must finish The Right Move and read Caught Up before reading Play Along, but that it’ll be so worth it. Interestingly enough, I was struggling with the ebook. Since I’m in Atlanta (where my physical copies of these books are) I picked it up off the shelf and DEVOURED IT! RIP my sleep schedule, but I was shook. I forgot how much I love the characters in this universe and now I can’t stop thinking of them again. (Mile High, the first in the series is to this day one of my favorite romance novels and top tier book boyfriends.)
The last thing our little Brooklyn apartment needs is more books, but I might have to take my copies of Caught Up and Play Along with me to binge. (I had hoped it’d be my Atlanta binge, but alas, Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen was calling my name, and I am abandoning plans in my hope to leave Slump City and am leaning into MOOD READING!!!)
HYPER-FIXATION DU JOUR: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
This time last year, (literally August 2023) I hosted the Atlanta book club’s meeting for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. It’s actually remembered as one of our most boring discussions because everyone agreed that it was a good book. (Some sassy dissent always keeps the discussions lively and entertaining.)
This past weekend my parents were out of town so naturally “I threw a rager.” We drank wine, grilled out, there was artichoke spinach dip, and we opened one of my mom’s packages to play with her new toy.
One thing lead to another, and we channeled the “wild nights of yore” (aka high school) and made some of my mom’s famous popcorn (with a phone-a-friend from Alexander) then we headed down to the movie theater to watch a few episodes of the adaptation, individual popcorn bags and all! It was really fun to watch the series with 6 other friends who’d read it so we could discuss, remember, and mock together. We all agreed it’s a great adaptation with STELLAR CASTING! Holy cow!
I wound up binge-ing the episodes we didn’t get to the next day while working on my cross-stitch (another current hyper-fixation).
It’s interesting because the original text is set in the UK, but for the American publication they moved the story to Connecticut. So we speculated a lot on what may have changed in that adaptation, and then in the show. The show takes place in England and is very clearly based on the original version of the book. [For more details on the adaptation choices, check out this article on Deadline.]
I highly recommend this book (tbd on the series). If you are going to read it, please consider the audiobook. No cap, it is the best produced audiobook I have ever listened to, and I’ve listened to hundreds.
Last binge: Hacks season 3 (on Max)
Current binges: The Rookie and My Lady Jane
Crafts Completed this week: bedazzling, cross-stitching, acrylic resin, slime, finger-paint ornaments
If you want to purchase any of the books mentioned in this article, please consider using my affiliate link with my favorite independent book store, The Ripped Bodice!