Hello to all my faithful book lovelies! As April has fast come and gone (where has the time gone?!), so has another month of reading. So without a lengthy introduction, welcome back to Miranda’s Book Nook! Keep on scrolling for more book recommendations that I’ve been, literally, obsessed with thus far. Happy reading!
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
I was pleasantly surprised by The Husbands from the moment I started reading, from its plot, points of conflict and compelling language. Reading this book made me so curious to discover what would happen next, like, it was very easy to get sucked into the story.
The Husbands follows Lauren, who comes home one night to find her husband, Michael, waiting for her. The catch? She wasn’t married when she left home and has no memory of this man. Going with the story, she is surprised when Michael goes up to change a lightbulb in the attic. He never comes back down and a new husband appears in his place … along with a whole new life. It turns out that Lauren’s attic has a whole supply of husbands that she can *poof* exchange just by sending them up to the top floor. Which one is the right one?
It doesn’t feel like a straight romance novel or a women’s fiction fluffy beach read as the title might suggest, but I’d describe it as a piece of literary fiction. Also, it very much feels like a satire about the modern dating world with apps and whatnot, spoofing the endless stream of people you’d find swiping left and right. Plus, the open-ended conclusion was fascinating as it made yet another parallel to the real world with its lack of a known Happily Ever After. All in all, this was a good one. Surprised me, but, yeah, a good one.
Rating: Four Stars
Available: Now
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochran
I can honestly say that I’ve vibed with every one of Alison Cochrun’s romance novels. And while Here We Go Again fits right in, it also stands out. In a good way. In the best way that gets me to keep reading — page after page until the very end.
In Here We Go Again, Logan and Rosemary are high school frenemies still stuck in their conservative Pacific Northwest small town some 10-15 years later, working as teachers at the same school. They are also both coping with the near-death of their mentor, Joe, who is dying of cancer (trigger warning). With only a few months left to live, Joe entrusts the two of them to take him on a road trip across the country to his cabin in Maine. Told in dual points of view, Here We Go Again charts the journey east as Logan and Rosemary let their guards down while driving in what is described as the “gayest van west of the Mississippi.” (Logan, Rosemary and 60something-year-old Joe are all openly queer.)
This read was so heartfelt and vulnerable that literally had me in tears, I swear. And you know why? Because it was real and authentic and mirrored real life in all its imperfections. Emotional depth aside, as a romance, Here We Go Again was a fun forced proximity, opposites attract, second chance-ish romance. Plus, MCs of Logan and Rosemary had such banter together. Like, it was so fun and cute in those parts.
CW: Alcoholism, Anxiety, Grief/Death of a Parent
Rating: Four Stars
Available: Now
Funny Story by Emily Henry
This was not a NetGalley ARC but a physical galley borrowed from my colleagues, however, I was excited to dive into just the same!
Funny Story, a title that makes complete sense by the end of the book, follows children’s librarian Daphne Vincent after she moves to a small Michigan town with her fiancé, Peter. Months before their wedding, Peter brutally dumps Daphne for his childhood best friend, Petra (yes, those are their names). Needing a place to stay when Peter kicks her out, Daphne moves in with Petra’s now-ex Miles Nowak. Funny Story, told solely from Daphne’s point of view, begins post-move. Emily Henry’s latest features opposites attract, forced proximity and fake dating tropes to deliver an absolutely indulgent and sweeping slow-burn romance.
From the very beginning, I was swept up in this book because the characters were so richly developed, had authentic vulnerabilities that were grounded in reality and so much freaking banter. My reading notes from the first few chapters literally said, “Fun already, they cute.” Overall, Funny Story reads quite quickly as I finished all 400-something pages in, like, three days. Plus, true to form, Henry writes with such rich language that had me (literally) laughing out loud in parts … multiple times. That and her characters are so dynamic and vulnerable, who deal with real s–t. The emotions eventually just spiral and spiral until they come pouring out and you know what? That is as real as it can be.
Funny Story is way more than just a romance, and it’s a chance for Daphne to learn to stand on her own two feet and stand up for herself, which is even more of a treasure than just finding some guy. But, yeah, let’s also chat romance plot points. Miles, Miles, Miles: Ahhh what are we going to do with this full-blown cinnamon roll? Like, I swear I’ve audibly went “aww” multiple times while reading when he finally expressed his feelings about Daphne. He can see the real her, which makes him act like his most authentic self. I don’t know, guys, it feels so honest, raw and real and gimme gimme gimme. Haha I want that, damn. (Oh, back to reality that’s more like The Husbands above, sigh.) OK and then that HEA: whew, it feels so so so justified and earned by the time we get there. It feels like a happily ever after, yes, but one that is rooted in reality.
As someone who has read every previous book by Henry, I cannot say that Funny Story is No. 1 for me but it is up there. Like, I don’t think it can top Beach Read (the OG!) and Happy Place personally, but Funny Story is a close third nipping at their heels.
Rating: Four and a Half Stars
Available: April 23, 2024
Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau
Rating: Three and a Half Stars
Available: May 7, 2024
Swiped by L.M. Chilton
Rating: Four Stars
Available: May 21, 2024
I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers
Honestly, I picked up this book solely because the premise sounded cute and the title was the same as a Taylor Swift lyric, but I ended up finding a novel that was so much more.
I Wish You Would follows high school seniors (and childhood besties) Natalia and Ethan during their school-sanctioned Senior Sunrise campout, in which everyone secretly writes an “if I was braver, I would” letter. Natalia and Ethan both use theirs to confess their long-held crushes and how they would have handled their near-hookup at junior prom the year before. No one is supposed to read the letters, but the wind has other plans. After Natalia sees the wind scatter seven of the classes’ letters, she and Ethan race to find them before anyone’s secrets (including theirs) get out.
Sure, I Wish You Would does have romance elements but it is such a vulnerable coming-of-age YA novel that shines through way more than just some cutesy romantic scenes. That is precisely why I dug it so much; it wasn’t just, trope-after-trope, a way to get Natalia and Ethan to their HEA. It was the journey they took as individuals to be braver, be their authentic selves and follow their own hearts. That authenticity and vulnerability of the two main characters (and the author’s compelling writing and language) is what won me over wholeheartedly. And I’m serious when I say Eva Des Lauriers has a compelling writing style because, dang, was I HOOKED on this book — every single page along the way. Like, honestly I was so beyond curious to discover what would happen next. And for someone in a bit of a reading slump, this book BROKE it. Period.
CW: Panic Attacks/Anxiety, Children of Divorce
Rating: Four and a Half Stars
Available: May 21, 2024
Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio
Rating: Four and a Half Stars
Available: May 21, 2024
Advance reader copies of the books listed were provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.