Dream On,Ramona Riley(Clover Lake,#1)

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 4.5★ 

 Thank you to publisher, Berkley for providing me with ARC Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own. 

 

 

 RELEASE DATE: MAY 13,2025

Once upon a time, Ramona Riley was a student at a prestigious art school, with dreams of landing in Hollywood as a costume designer to the stars. But after her father’s car accident, she had to quit and return to her small New Hampshire town, Clover Lake, to help take care of her younger sister. Twelve years later, Ramona is still working at the town’s café, all but given up on her dream. But when a big-budget romantic comedy comes to Clover Lake to film, she wonders if this could be her chance. There’s only one problem—Dylan Monroe, her first kiss and Hollywood’s favorite wild child—is the star. 

Dylan Monroe has always lived an unconventional life, having famous rock icons for parents. But she wants to prove that she’s not some chaotic, talentless nepo baby, that she has actual skills, that she’s just a normal person. To do that, Dylan takes on a project at a charming lake town—she even works at the town’s café (very quaint), shadowing a local waitress there (very cute), and asks her to take Dylan around to do Normal People Things. 

But Dylan soon realizes it’s not just some small-town waitress she’s getting to know—Ramona Riley is someone she’s met before, someone who remembers her even more vividly. Before long, however, reality hits them, and both women must decide if the spark between them can fan the flames of their individual dreams, or if it will extinguish their light. 

 

 🌷

 
Heartwarming. A story that you won’t be able to put down. 

This is the book where I'm not sure where to start. There were so many things I loved about this book. Dream On, Ramona Riley is the type of story that I like about romance books, and it wasn't just a romance book, but it was so much more. Dream On, Ramona Riley is a story of friendship, second chances, and dreams. I love second chance romance, especially given Ramona and Dylan's history. Even before Dylan learned who Ramona was, he could tell there was something special between them. I felt like the relationship moved a little too quickly. There were moments when I questioned Dylan's feelings for Ramona. There was something about it that initially made me hesitant. However, as the book proceeded, I saw how much Dylan cared about Ramona, but I was also concerned about what would happen once the movie finished. 

I've read Ashley Herring Blake's young adult novels: Suffer Love & How To Make A Wish , but it's been years, but I recall loving those two books. Dream On, Ramona Riley was my first adult novel, and now that I've read it, I'm eager to read more of her books. I enjoyed how much character development occurred in the novel, particularly with Ramona, and how Dylan and Ramona's relationship developed, although I wish they were not hiding things from each other. I only hoped that if those secrets were exposed, the two of them could work things out. Those two belonged together. Of course, I enjoyed that it was set in a small town, which is my favorite part of romance novels. 

I enjoyed how well-developed each of the minor characters were, particularly April. Aside from Ramona and Dylan, she was one of my favorite characters in the novel. I adored how April was always there for Ramona, no matter what, cheering her on and offering advice. I'm excited to read April's story in the next book in the series. I'm so glad I got the chance to read this book, and I suggest it to any romance fan!

Summer In Bottle.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to publisher, Kensington for providing me with ARC Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Dumped by her fiancé, opinion columnist Lyla Dune returns to small-town Echo Cove to heal, and to help her parents prep their house for sale. When she decides to open a time capsule she buried in high school, she finds a diary filled with memorable moments from the last summer she spent at home, right before college. Some of the events feel like they happened yesterday. That’s normal. Not so normal is that they actually start happening all over again . 

 
Lyla gets a flat tire in the same spot and is saved by the same person. The same movie is playing at the theater. Her house has the same leak it once had. As her current summer increasingly mirrors that last one, Lyla worries it will end just as with a category 3 hurricane—and with losing Travis, the best friend she was always secretly in love with. If only she hadn’t been too scared to admit it. 

She revisits other fears too, like the fear of rejection that led her to abandon her passion for fiction writing. And when she reconnects with Travis, Lyla becomes certain that unless she does what her younger self was unable to do, she’ll suffer the same regrets. But if this time around she can gather her courage, maybe the life that was falling apart when she arrived will fall back together—even better than before. 

 

 🌷

 

 
Heartwarming. 

There's something about Annie Rains' books. I've read several of her works, and not one of them has failed to captivate me. When I saw Summer In The Bottle, I knew I wanted to check it out. The author and title were what drew me in, and I was eager to read it. As I began reading Summer In The Bottle I knew I was in trouble since I couldn't put down the book. If I weren't on a trip to Disney with my grandma, I would probably spend the entire day reading the book. I had a sense I'd adore this novel, but I wasn't expecting to fall in love. There was so much to enjoy about this book, including the plot, the characters, and everything the characters had to go through, particularly Lyla. Every page drew me into the story more, making me wonder what would happen next. I should know how much this story would affect me. 

I adored the friendship that she developed with Allison. I know that she was hesitant at first, but I’m glad that she gave her a chance. At first, just like Lyla, I wasn’t sure about Allison but it didn’t take me long to change my mind about her. She ended up becoming one of my favorite characters. Allison, I believe, was the type of friend Lyla needed. I enjoyed reading the opinions from Lyla at the beginning of each chapter. Each one had me wondering which opinion would come next. Lyla, of all the characters in the book, had the most character growth by the end. I admired how confident she grew and how clear her goals were. I do believe that both Allison and Travis helped her with that. 

I love the idea of a time capsule. I have read about those before, and they always fascinated me. I loved Travis and Lyla, and the way that the two of them seemed to connect. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen with them next. There wasn’t a single dull moment in this book. Each page had me craving for more. I would highly recommend picking this book up! I’m eager to see what Annie Rains has in store for us next!

Great Big Beautiful Life.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5★

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century. 

 
When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game
One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over. 

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication 

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.
But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room. 

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.

                       🌷

 
I love Emily Henry. I have fallen in love with her writing ever since I read Book Lovers in 2022. She writes the kind of books that keeps you reading late into the night, and when you’re not reading, you’re thinking about it and wondering what happens next. I have been excited about Big Beautiful Life ever since Emily Henry announced it on her social media. I was lucky that one of my best friends decided to get the book for me. I like the fact that the story was about two writers; I enjoy books about books. I was immediately engrossed in Hayden and Alice’s story, and was eager to find out which one of them would get the job. I was little suspicious of Margaret, and fact that she was giving both Hayden and Alice a ‘trial’, and it could been just me but I felt that there was a reason that she wasn’t informing them about it. I was eager to find out if I was right about her. 

I've read a few of Emily Henry's works over the years. I've heard that Great Big Beautiful Life was different from her other books. I wasn't sure what to anticipate when I started this book, but I was eager to find out. Not shortly after starting the book, I realized what everyone was talking about. Her past works were more romance centered, but Big Beautiful Life were so much more than that, it felt like it was more women's fiction than romance, and that was one of the things I liked about this book. I liked that Henry took a different approach for this novel, and it worked for her. I felt that the book started slowly, and it took me a while to become immersed in Margaret's story, but once it did, I wanted to know more. I liked how Margaret's story included both their perspective and the real version. However, I was skeptical about what Margaret was telling Hayden and Alice, I felt as if she wasn’t being honest. It was mostly the way she would tell the story. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was hiding, and why. 

I adored both Hayden and Alice, but it took me some time to warm to Hayden. Alice was my favorite of the two characters, and I felt more connected to her. I believed that Hayden and Alice's relationship progressed too quickly at start, as if they hardly got to know one another. It didn't take me long to realize how much the two of them cared for each other. However, I couldn't help but wonder how this would influence their future employment. Great Big Beautiful Life is the type of books that has you thinking at times, and reflect on your life and the choices that you had made. Even if you haven’t read an Emily Henry book, I would highly recommend checking this book out.

Broken Country.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 4.5★

 

 

“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident. 

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

 

 🌷

 
Beautifully written. Heartbreaking Mysterious. 

I'm so glad I finally had the chance to read this book. I was fortunate to come across Broken Country under new materials at my library, given how popular the book was. I adored the characters, the plot and the setting. This book evoked every emotion in me, including heartbreak, despair, happiness, love, and hope. I felt myself going through the same emotions as Beth and the rest of the characters. The writing was so beautifully written, almost poetic. It drew me deeply into the lives of the characters, and I felt as if I knew each one personally. I couldn't put the book down because I needed to know how the story would end. 

I loved the rural atmosphere of this book, and it made me imagine myself in the English countryside. I loved that the story was told in dual timeframes, with each part focusing on a different character who was an essential part of Beth's life. Even though the novel was given from Beth's point of view, the author's descriptions let me feel the feelings of the other characters. However, I believe that telling the narrative from the perspectives of Beth, Gabriel, and Frank would be even more interesting, as it would provide each of their perspectives on what happened. Sometimes I couldn't help but wonder what Frank and Gabriel were feeling. 

This was one of those books where I adored most of the characters. I couldn't help but love Frank and Gabriel. Broken Country was one of those books where I wasn't sure who the main character should end up with. I'm not sure why, but the cover reminded me of The Wizard of Oz, one of my favorite childhood books. I was curious by the title, Broken Country , when I first heard about the book. Now that I read the book, it first the story perfectly. This is not a story you'll forget. I am still thinking about it. A part of me wants to pick up the book and read it again. I would highly recommend checking this book out.

The Homewreckers.

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hattie Kavanaugh went to work helping clean up restored homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at 18; married the boss’s son at 20; and was only 25 when her husband, Hank, was killed in a motorcycle accident. 

Broken hearted, but determined to continue the business of their dreams, she takes the life insurance money, buys a small house in a gentrifying neighborhood, flips it, then puts the money into her next project. But that house is a disaster and a money-loser, which rocks her confidence for years to come. Then, Hattie gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called The Homewreckers, cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. It's a question of who will flip, and who will flop, and will Hattie ever get her happily-ever-after.

 

 🌷

 
Heartwarming, mysterious. 

The Homewreckers is my third novel by Mary Kay Andrews, and I'm already in love with her writing. I couldn't get enough of this story, and I stayed up reading way later than I should have. Mary Kay Andrews has a way of keeping you turning pages. When I wasn't reading, I was talking about the book with my friends. I fell in love with the plot and the characters after only a few pages. Every page left me wondering what would happen next, and if Hattie would be able to finish renovating on time, and if she stays with the show until the end. I could not help but worry who Hattie would end up with. 

Hattie was my favorite character. I admired how enthusiastic she was about her job. Hattie didn't do it because she wanted to be a TV star, but she was passionate about repairing the house, even if others warned her, it wasn't a smart idea. I liked the notion that it was a reality TV show; I used to watch restoring houses reality shows with my mom, so that was one of the things that drew me to this book. All the explanations during the makeover had me imagining each step of the process, and I couldn't wait to see the finished outcome. I fell in love with the house just as much as Hattie did. I was impressed of what Hattie accomplished, especially given the challenges that she faced during the renovations. 

My favorite part of the novel was mystery. Like Hattie, I wanted to know what happened to Lanier and who was responsible. Just as I thought I had figured out what had happened, another clue had me questioning everything. I liked how most of the characters came together to figure out what happened to Lanier. I liked how The Homewreckers combined romance, mystery, and humor. In my perspective, there was not a single dull moment throughout this novel. So far, this is my favorite Mary Kay Andrews book. I can't wait to see what other adventures she'll take us on.