[62] The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction / Women, saw in “Available Now” on Libby/wanted to read an author I like, Kindle

TW: Child loss

Synopsis: Harper and Tabitha are identical twins that only live miles apart from one another on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, but they haven’t seen each other in years and don’t speak. When their parents divorced and made the sisters live separately the divide started, and only worsened as adults. But now their father has died and their mother is injured and they need to reunite and help one another out.

Review: I knew Hilderbrand would not let me down, and this book totally got me out of a reading slump. Hilderbrand has a talent for writing complicated messy drama in a format I can actually follow. It’s basically a soap on paper. I despised Tabitha and was rooting for Harper, and that made me even more invested in the story. I was supper annoyed that the sisters kept mentioning something that happened years ago to drive them apart and wouldn’t explain what until near the end, but when it was explained, it made me dislike Tabitha even more. Ha. This was a fun read.

Recommend? Yes!

[63] Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Fiction / Romance / Workplace, saw on Stephany’s blog, Kindle

Synopsis: Chandler Cohen is feeling low – she finally hooked up with her crush of years but then he told her he didn’t want a relationship, and the woman she just spent months communicating with to ghostwrite her memoir didn’t even recognize her at a book signing. Things seem to be taking a turn when Chandler meets a charming stranger she instantly connects with… but then she has the worse sex of her life with him and escapes before he wakes up the next morning. When her agent contacts her the next day with a new ghostwriting gig the last person she expects to see is the man from the night before, yet, there he is. He’s Finn Walsh, a has-been actor known for a werewolf show from a decade ago. Chandler agrees to ghostwrite his memoir, and after she tells him how horrible the sex was, offers to give him some help there too.

Review: I really thought I’d love this book, but it was just so so for me. There was definitely some spice, and the behind the scenes acting world and ghostwriting world stuff was interesting, but I think I didn’t buy these two as a legit couple? Didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it.

Recommend? Nah

[64] The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, saw in “Available Now” on Libby, audiobook

Synopsis: It’s Olive’s identical twin sister Ami’s wedding day, and Olive is just hoping to make it through the day without killing the groom’s brother and best man, Ethan. She absolutely cannot stand him. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning except for Olive and Ethan, Ami insists the two of them go on her nonrefundable honeymoon in Hawaii. And as much as they can’t stand each other, the idea of a free vacation is irresistible, so they go, and find out they don’t hate each other as much as they thought.

Review: My synopsis is crap but I absolutely adored this book and had several laugh out loud moments and smirking moments while listening to it. Enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and there was a lot more going on that just that – running into Olive’s new boss and (separately) Ethan’s ex at the resort and the lies that unfolded, Olive finding out a lot more about her sister’s new husband from Ethan (scandal!), Olive’s large and invasive but very loving family, and Olive figuring out what she actually wants to do for a career. It made me want to read a part 2, or a follow-up book on Amy!

Recommend? Yes!