Category: 2021 Favorites

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

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Book Genre Block - "General Fiction" Person holding book

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Well, I just absolutely loved this story! I am a sucker for some magical moments in a contemporary story, and this one definitely had that! It’s a journey of embracing grief and loss while finding who you are, and it was fantastic!

Katy and Carol with the best of friends, and also a mother and daughter. When Carol passes away, Katy is devastated. Rethinking everything about life, she tells her husband they need a break, and she takes off alone on an Italian vacation that was meant for her and her mother.

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The Next Ship Home by Heather Webb

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"Historical Fiction" genre card with glasses and book photo
Book Genre Block with image of group of children

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book was absolutely fantastic! Through the perspectives of two women one either side of the immigration line, I learned so much about Ellis Island in the early 1900s!

Francesca has been through a harrowing journey with her sister across the ocean to arrive at America’s doorstep. Excited and nervous, her expectations are quickly reduced to nothing as everything goes wrong. Then she meets Alma, and they form a bond that takes the reader through this fantastic story.

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Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

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"Mystery" Genre card with dark woods and light in the distance
"Mystery" Genre card with dark woods and light in the distance

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Well, it’s another great addition to the Finlay Donovan story! In this story, Finlay is trying to stop a hit on her husband. She has to juggle her parent’s, her cop-sister, her cop love interest, her lawyer love interest, her book agent, oh yeah…and the mob. It’s an awful lot for her, but she’s a kick-ass heroine, and she can do it!

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Curfew by Jayne Cowie

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"Mystery" Genre card with dark woods and light in the distance

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This was one of my favorite reads of 2021! I loved the dystopian setting, the murder mystery, and the character POVs!

We are transported to a country where laws have been passed to keep women safe. Men are required to wear tracking devices on their ankles, and they have curfews. Being tracked or caught outside comes with jailtime. This means men cannot have jobs that would require them to be out after curfew. They can’t have long commutes, and many end up being the homemaker while the wife or girlfriend works. This law is only in one country, and so some people have chosen to move while so many choose to stay. I thought it was an interesting dynamic for the story to have an option to not live under the rules and regulations.

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Do I Know You? by Sarah Strohmeyer

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Person peeking through hole titled "Thriller"
"Mystery" Genre card with dark woods and light in the distance

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Wow, I really enjoyed this book! It was twisty and turny, and kept me guessing constantly! It has a great plot that had some unique things for a thriller.

We have our main character, Jane, who has a unique ability to recognize faces. She’s the epitome of the “I never forget a face” kind of person. Her job places her in an airport watching for known terrorists when she recognizes the face of the woman she thinks killed her sister. From there we are off on a crazy race to get to the bottom of what happened to Jane’s sister.

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These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

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Book Genre Block - "General Fiction" Person holding book

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book was amazing! It was NOT what I was expecting, and to be honest, the first time I started it, I put it down. I was expecting a thriller, and that’s not what this story is. I picked it back up when I was in the mood for an emotional, character-driven story of family, and it was wonderful!

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The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

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"Historical Fiction" genre card with glasses and book photo
Book Genre Block - "Emotional" Person standing between bright earth and desolate earth

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This was just a haunting, sad, and yet beautiful story. Chamberlain is such an outstanding storyteller, and I have loved each book I have read by her.

The characters are so compelling and impossible to walk away from. Once you start this story, you will need to see it through because there will be so many answers you need!

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Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

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Book Genre Block - "General Fiction" Person holding book
Book Genre Block - "Emotional" Person standing between bright earth and desolate earth

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Wow, this book took me on a ride. I really don’t want to give any spoilers on this one, so I’m not going to give a synopsis. Read the back of the book if you want or go in blind, but it’s amazing.

I loved the story. I was in love with the location in some of the story. I found myself googling so I could see what the character was experiencing. I fell in the love with the characters and really connected to the MC. I was grieving the losses that she had, as well as celebrating the joys. This was a wonderful story that will stay with me for a long time!

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Blue Fire by John Gilstrap

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Person peeking through hole titled "Thriller"

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book was so freaking good!!! This is a post-apoc story with a strong female lead, but told through multiple views then weave together to tell a heart-racing story of desperation, danger, and survival.

I was sucked into this one from page one, and I couldn’t put it down! I did realize about halfway through that this is book 2 in a series, but honestly, I was able to read this as a standalone, however, I want to go back and read book 1 now!

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Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

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Book Genre Tag "Fantasy" with image of fantasy world of mountains and water
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Holy smokes, this book was AMAZING! I couldn’t stop reading this one!

When Sena was young, she lost her moms to the famous race that her planet is known for. That’s really all her planet has. It’s freezing cold all the time, constantly under some sort of storm, and filled with corporate gangsters. When Sena ends up in trouble with one of the gang boss’s she ends up unintentionally stealing a fighting wolf from him. On the run from the boss, she ends up doing the one thing she swore she would never do…help with the race.

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The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

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Book Genre Tag "Romance": A couple kissing

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Oh my goodness, I just loved this one!! Right from the start, I enjoyed the characters. I loved Ivy, our MC. She’s a fast-moving city girl that spontaneously buys a run-down farm house, sight unseen! What?? I loved this! I kept being like, I can’t believe you didn’t go see the house, and so many characters have the same response. Now, of course, that’s an important part of the story, as we get so many surprises…delightful and not so delightful…because of her choice.

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What Passes as Love book on bookshelf

What Passes as Love by Trisha R. Thomas

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"Historical Fiction" genre card with glasses and book photo
what passes as love cover with silhoette of woman
Book Genre Tag "Romance": A couple kissing

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book was a beautiful work of historical fiction that I hope so many people pick up! The characters are well-developed and provide the reader with someone to connect with and root for! The historical timeframe was created with wonderful details that really brought me into the 1800s. I was absolutely captivated with this one, and I think so many other readers will be as well!

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