[79] The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, saw in “Available Now” on Libby, Audio

Synopsis: Drifter Adrienne Dealey arrives in Nantucket broke and desperate for work, and lands a job at the island’s hottest restaurant, The Blue Bistro, despite having no experience. She quickly falls for the owner, Thatcher Smith, but can’t ignore his mysterious bond with the restaurant’s brilliant chef, Fiona, or the fact that the beloved bistro is closing at the end of the season. As the summer goes on, Adrienne must decide whether to put down roots or move on once again.

Review: This is a book that will make you think “thank f*ck I am not an immature person in my late twenties* who doesn’t have their shit together.” Adrienne’s mom died when she was a teenager and she’s been lost and roaming ever since. Adrienne is in denial that her father is in love with his girlfriend, and refuses to tell people her mother passed. So it’s not surprising that Adrienne has major insecurity with Thatcher’s best friend being a woman. It also doesn’t help that Thatcher doesn’t open up about it much. So really, this book is about some hella emotionally immature people. I mean there is a stunt Thatcher pulls that I will NEVER forget.

All that said, I enjoyed the story on audio. It’s just a summer of drama at a restaurant. You get to know the staff and the regulars and all the chaos of restaurant life and culture. I’m not sure I would have liked this on Kindle. I probably would have skimmed the detailed descriptions of food. But at 1.4x speed on audio, it worked!

*You can be any age and not have your shit together. Adrienne just happens to be 28. Thatcher is 36.

Recommend? Yes

[80] King of Wrath (Kings of Sin #1) by Ana Huang
Fiction / Romance / Billionaires, heard about on Shelf Respect, Kindle

Synopsis: When ruthless billionaire Dante Russo is blackmailed into an engagement with Vivian Lau, the poised daughter of a powerful jewelry family, he plans to end it as soon as possible. But the more time he spends with her, the harder it becomes to let her go. For Vivian, agreeing to the match is a duty to her family, not a dream—but falling for her husband-to-be was never supposed to happen.

Review: This set-up sounded cheesy when I first picked up the book, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much it wasn’t—and by how much I enjoyed it. I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised, since this is enemies-to-lovers adjace, and that is one of my favorite tropes. I loved watching their relationship unfold, especially seeing how the characters grew (a little spoilery: Vivian gains confidence with her family, and Dante softens into someone more caring). The “dark moment” had me wondering how they’d ever get past it, so it was exciting to see how that played out. I am looking forward to reading the next one.

Recommend? Yes

[81] My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Fiction / Literary, green light from Knox on The Popcast, Audio

Synopsis: Louisa, a foster kid about to age out, has always loved the painting The One of the Sea. Determined to see it in person, she sneaks into an exclusive gallery, but getting too close leads to a scuffle with a guard. In her escape, she bumps into the artist himself, and the two share a meaningful encounter. The next day, the artist dies, leaving the painting to Louisa through a trusted friend. Guided by that friend, Louisa traces the painting’s origins, uncovering the story of the deep friendship between the figures immortalized on the canvas.

Review: This is a clever, touching, and heartwarming story about found family and the many ways we express love. It’s also heartbreaking, and at times a little too clever. The exaggerated humor (like how many times do we need to read someone sighed so loud that all the shingles on the roof shook or some other bs) started to feel overdone toward the middle. Still, I get that the playful, over-the-top style was part of the book’s charm, and beneath it all was a truly beautiful, if lengthy, story. And honestly, the fact that the characters themselves keep joking about how long the story is feels pretty fitting.

Recommend? Sure