September 11, 2025 • 35 mins
Thanks for listening to another Reading Recap.
- Purchase A Flair for Trouble by Kristen Bahls
- Read on KU
- Add to your TBR on Goodreads
Come see me at Ink and Indie! October 3rd-5th in Chestertown, Maryland.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- Well Actually by Mazey Eddings
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
- The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
- Fighting Spirit by Anna Harrison
- Rookie Season by Katie Bailey and Leah Brunner
- Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady
- Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young
For links to the books discussed in this episode, click the link here to take you to the Google Doc to view the list.
For episode feedback, future reading and author recommendations, you can text the podcast by clicking the "Send us a message button" above.
For more, follow along on Instagram @whereileftoffpod.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome back.
I'm Kristen Balls and you'relistening to when I Left Off a
bookish podcast and today on thepodcast I am sharing what I've
been reading recently.
Yep, I had to come in and tellyou again what I have been
reading lately and I'm gonna behonest here.
I've kind of been in theworld's like biggest reading
(00:31):
slump.
But to be fair, I did publishmy book in the month of August,
so I've been doing a lot ofpromo for that and I've been
doing some in-person authorsignings and it has basically
just left me with absolutely notime to read.
And I think I've said thisbefore, but I've actually had a
(00:52):
couple more people tell me thatthey love listening when I talk
about romance.
So I have one thriller at thetop of this episode and then the
rest of what I've been recentlyreading is all romance.
So you're welcome.
I'm really leaning into my rootshere.
I'm going with what I know andyou know, at the end of the day,
(01:15):
when I'm tired and I've beendoing stuff for my own book, the
only thing I want to do is justread a romance novel, like I I
don't know, I don't have theattention span right now for
anything else and I can justlike dive headfirst and get
completely sucked into a romanceand I am for some reason I can
pay attention to that but giveme, like an intense fantasy or,
(01:39):
you know, a thriller and I don'tknow.
I've been struggling, whereasI'm way better with romance
right now.
So that's kind of what I'vebeen going to Before I get in to
all of that.
And I will tell you what I'mcurrently reading right now,
because it is an absoluteknockout and I feel that I
simply must recommend it to you.
But I'm not done with it yet,so I can't technically put it in
this episode, but of course I'mstill going to tell you anyway.
(02:05):
Anywho, before I get into that,I did want to talk about my book
for a second.
Basically, it is officially outnow and it will be linked in
the show notes.
I will only link my book in theshow notes of like reading recs
episodes or episodes where it'sjust like me and a friend
talking.
I will never link my book in anepisode with an author
(02:28):
interview.
That feels weird to me.
I don't want to do that.
It is about the author, it isnot about me.
So, with that being said, it iscalled A Flare for Trouble.
It is available on bookshoporg,barnes and Noble Online, amazon
, and it is on Kindle Unlimited,so you can get it at any of
(02:49):
those places if you want tocheck it out.
It is a cozy mystery withromance about two high school
teachers who become amateursleuths when a parent is
murdered at an after-schoolevent and I don't know that.
I've really said this before onthe podcast, but there is
actually a group of studentsthat ships them and they do this
(03:11):
via an anonymous Instagramaccount, but the killer may or
may not be also monitoring saidInstagram account.
So there, there you go.
That's my little pitch for myown book, and I do have some
events coming up.
I have Ink and Indie, which isin Maryland, and it's through
(03:34):
the Romancelandia bookstore, soI will link it down below, but
you can always get tickets fromRomancelandia.
But with that, on Friday October3rd, I am actually doing a live
podcast recording and that isgoing to be with authors Harriet
Ashford, molly Goines and aspecial guest that I cannot
(03:56):
reveal yet.
That will be on the panel withus.
So we will be doing a panelpodcast live interview and of
course, you will get to hear it,because once I record it there,
I'm going to come back and editit and post it, post it where I
normally do, so you'll be ableto listen to that episode as
well.
But if you want to see it live,that is October 3rd and then
(04:20):
October 4th.
On that Saturday I will be asigning author and it's from 10
to 12 or two to four.
You either get the morning slotor the afternoon slot and it's
a bunch of awesome, amazingauthors and I've started reading
some of their books and it isgoing to be the hardest thing
ever for me to go there and notbuy a bunch of books because I'm
(04:41):
going to have to bring stuffback in my suitcase, and not buy
a bunch of books because I'mgoing to have to bring stuff
back in my suitcase.
So that is going to be probablythe hardest part of this for me
to not buy something fromeveryone because there is
absolutely no way I can fit thatin my suitcase.
Anyway, I'm really excited aboutInk and Indie.
It's kind of funny because meand Stacey and Harriet we
(05:03):
actually have like a group chatwith our friend Sarah, who also
you've heard you've heard all ofthem They've been on the
podcast.
That's kind of how we met.
We connected kind of throughthat and we have this whole
group chat going and we actuallyget to meet each other for the
first time in person at Ink andIndie.
So we are pretty stoked forthat.
(05:24):
So, anyway, that will be supercool.
But that is what I'm doing inperson, so what I have been
reading lately.
Okay, I am so excited to tellyou about this book because it's
so good.
I'm only I'm only like onchapter seven, I think.
I'm only on chapter seven and Ican just already tell that this
is going to be a five-star read.
(05:45):
Oh man, it's so good.
I originally saw the blurb forthis on Instagram, I think, and
then I knew I wanted it.
It was kind of like one of theother books in this episode,
like you know how sometimes youjust you see a blurb on social
media and you're like I knowthat I must read this book when
it comes out.
That was definitely the waythat I was with Well, actually,
(06:09):
and I was dying to read it.
It sounded so unique and sodifferent.
And then some of my Bookstagramfriends that I really trust
their opinions.
They were loving it and so thatgave me like a lot of hope
going into it and myexpectations were kind of high,
but it is surpassing them.
It is so good and I haven't readMaisie Eddings before, I don't
(06:32):
know why.
Um, I just I haven't gottenthere.
Well, I mean, you know we can'tread like all the authors all
the time, so hopefully, also bydoing this podcast, I hope you
narrow it down to decide whoyou're gonna read next, because
there are just so many authorsLike it's, it's just so hard to
be able to read everything thatI wish I could read.
So I am listening on audiobookbecause Jessica Joyce said that
(06:57):
it was really good on audiobook,so I decided to try listening
there.
I do have a physical copy thatI got from a local independent
bookstore, so I do need to readthat, but I was just starting it
on audio because I knew that Icould start it quicker.
So Well, actually, by MaisieEddings is so, so good.
It's obviously inspired byChicken Shop Date and they have
(07:20):
this like show called SausageTalk, where the main character
she talks to like B and Ccelebrities and interviews them
over hot dogs, and so, anyway,what ends up happening is she
gets drunk one night, she makesthis video and she calls out her
ex-boyfriend for ghosting her,who just happens to be a famous
(07:44):
influencer, and her networkwants to do damage control, and
so they invite him on the showand then he makes the
proposition on the show that hewants to make it up to her and
wants them to like go on datesand they'll record them and all
that stuff and do recaps.
So that is pretty much whereI've gotten, but it is so funny,
(08:07):
it's so hilariously funny, andI think that raunchy is not the
right word.
I would say it's a little bitmore crass, of like humor, but
it's very funny.
It's very funny.
It's very different.
If you like have barely read ordo not read romance novels
because you think that they aregoing to be cheesy, this is
(08:27):
perfect for you.
It is not cheesy.
Every single sentence, almost,is just dripping in sarcasm.
It is so funny, it is so welldone.
The pacing, the thought process, just the writing is fantastic
and I have been so thoroughlyentertained from reading this
book so I cannot wait to finish.
(08:49):
Well, actually, but I amabsolutely loving it so far and
I am anticipating to continueloving it along the way.
So that's yeah, that's where Ithink I'm at with it, but it is
so good and I had to talk aboutit for a second.
I had to give it a little bitof airtime because I feel like
(09:12):
by the time I do another readingrecap, it might've already been
like super popular and I'mreading it closer to it's pub
day.
So, yeah, it definitely caughtmy attention and I have a lot of
really good romance books on myTBR.
I have a lot of good books ingeneral on my TBR.
I haven't read the new RileySager yet, but of course I have
it.
I do have a lot to catch up on,but for now I'm going to give
(09:34):
you some recommendations just tokind of tell you a little bit
more about what I've recentlyread.
I do have my new rating scale,remember it's loved it, liked it
and not for me, so that insteadof stars because I was driving
myself crazy with the whole likestar numbering system thing I
just go with loved it, liked it,not for me, and even something
(09:55):
that's not for me I wouldrecommend to the right person.
So again, everything is sopersonal, especially reading, so
I do understand that.
So that's why I kind of like togo in depth about the books, so
that way you can see what youliked and did not like.
Okay, do not forget, I willhave all of the books as
chapters so you can skip aroundif you're only wanting to hear
(10:16):
me talk about a specific book,or you can be along for the ride
for the whole thing.
So the first book like I said,I'm starting with the thriller,
and then everything after thisis going to be romance, but
starting with the thriller.
So I actually read this for mybook club and it was the Silent
Patient by Alex Michaelettis Ihope I'm pronouncing his last
(10:38):
name right.
This is a thriller, a verypopular thriller, and I liked it
.
I liked it really well and,like I said, this was my book
club pick.
I'm actually in several bookclubs not surprising and this
was from a new one that I joinedat a local bookstore and it was
a thriller book club.
So here is kind of the generalplot synopsis.
(11:00):
So a woman's accused ofmurdering her husband and has
remained mute ever since.
She's currently in a psych wardwhere she meets our other main
character who wants to becomeher therapist and is convinced
that he can get through to her.
It's very much like I'm notlike other psychologists and I
think that I can get her to talk, even though, like everyone has
(11:25):
already tried, his boss warnshim that she can be more
vindictive than she seems.
But his ego gets in the way andhe's determined to get her to
make a breakthrough.
And that's really all I cantell you.
You're gonna have to read tofind out the rest, to see if he
(11:45):
can do it or not.
And okay, this seemed a littlebit at first, at first, like it
was a spin on the whole, likeFBI agent with a troubled past
is determined to get inside thehead of a serial killer, kind of
plot line, just like, with aslightly different flavor.
But the whole psychologist andpatient thing and this is not,
(12:06):
this is not a critique, this isjust me pointing it out.
Uh, whether that's good or badis up to you, I'm just simply
pointing it out.
But you can really tell thatthis book was written by a man,
and maybe that's because I havebeen reading some thrillers
written by women lately.
Um, I I don't know why, butwell, I do know why.
But this book, just you cantell that it was written by a
(12:28):
man, which, again, is not a dissor a compliment.
I'm just simply telling youwhether you like or do not like
that writing style, that it justhas a certain flair where you
can tell you can tell.
So I was very entertained and Ilistened to this on audiobook.
And being entertained like Ican't say that for all the
(12:49):
thrillers, because lately I feellike they've still been very
hit or miss for me I've kind ofgotten out of that reading
something kind of got back in itand I don't know.
It's just been like in and out,in and out on thrillers.
So this was a really compellingstory and I wanted to keep
listening, which is our definitebonus points in its category.
So overall I would say it was areally fun thriller and
(13:12):
definitely a wild ride.
And the characters to me theyseemed a little bit caricature-y
, but that could be accurate formental health institutions I'm
not sure I don't work in thatfield, so it may be completely
spot on.
I just don't have any experienceto be able to say yes or no,
but I was able to guess two, twoof the three major plot twists
(13:38):
and this podcast Is really oneof the only places I can brag
about that and you can actuallyunderstand the triumph that
comes with Guessing the plottwist.
I love to guess the plot twistTo things.
I am constantly trying tofigure something out Through a
thriller or mystery and that'swhy I need my full attention on
both of those to really focus,because I am always trying to
(13:59):
figure that out as I go.
But feel free to DM me onInstagram if you want to talk
about it further in actualspecifics of like how I guessed
and what I guessed and all thatkind of stuff.
But I don't want to spoil itfor anyone, so I will not give
you any clues.
Feel free to always DM me onInstagram to talk about books.
I chit chat with everyone aboutbooks, so feel free.
(14:23):
It's always linked in in theshow notes and we have fun.
I have a whole there are awhole group of us that just like
to chit chat about books andgive each other recommendations.
Bookstagram is really the bestand a lot of the people are very
nice.
Anyway, random aside, but allin all, like I said,
entertaining.
(14:43):
It was good and I wouldrecommend it if you want like a
twisty kind of thriller that'sgoing to keep you guessing, and
it was an enjoyable.
It was an enjoyable book, so Iwould say that I think you would
probably like it the next twomonths of thrillers from my book
club if you wanted to followalong.
Because why not this month?
September is the seven and ahalf deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
(15:05):
, and then October is the womanin suite 11, which I had
actually already checked outfrom the library before I even
knew what the book was.
So that was kind of funny.
And that one is a follow-up tothe Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth
Ware, and I absolutely loved theWoman in Cabin 10.
And it got me into Ruth Ware inthe first place.
(15:27):
So I am stoked to read thefollow-up.
I can't wait.
So anyway, that is where myThriller Book Club is going.
I need to get on the book forthis month because I haven't
even started it yet, but I needto.
I checked it out from thelibrary and I'll probably end up
listening to it on audiobookbecause I tend to listen to.
I tend to listen to any bookclub book on audiobook because I
(15:49):
can get through it so muchfaster on an audiobook book.
Next up is Fighting Spirit byAnna Harrison.
This is romance, it is opendoor and I loved it.
So this one.
Originally, actually, I thinkit was Allie Hazelwood that
posted about this book I saw thecover, I really liked the cover
and it intrigued me.
Then I went and looked up theblurb and I was sold on the
(16:13):
blurb and I'm so glad that Iread this book.
Ruth is the mascot at hercollege and she loves every
minute of it.
And a nearby rival team'srookies are told to kidnap the
frog as a prank.
Yes, she is a frog.
The seniors meant like theactual animal, but the rookies
(16:35):
grabbed the mascot, aka Ruth,instead thinking they meant frog
mascot, not frog the actualanimal.
So she's terrified and she'svery kidnapped and she becomes
Rowan's problem.
And Rowan recently graduatedand basically accepted a job as
a coach, and so that's how theymet.
(16:57):
Will they be able to get overtheir rocky start?
You are just going to have toread and find out.
I don't want to tell you morethan that because then I'm just
going to start getting intospoilers, but I will say that
this book is unlike anythingelse that I've ever read before.
I was thinking I was just goinginto like a football sports
romance, and that is so not whatI got.
It was very different.
(17:19):
So the blurb was superinventive.
Like I said, I thought I wasjust going into like sports
romance, but there was so muchangst and there was so much
emotional depth.
That really kept me in thestory and I absolutely tore
through this one.
Fyi, I read it so quick.
It was really, really uniqueand I appreciate that, because
(17:39):
sometimes, you know, you justkind of feel like you keep
reading the same plot over andover and over again, and that is
not the case with this one.
I think I already said it, butI don't think it's like anything
else I've ever read before.
I also don't know that I'veever felt so bad for a main
character before, but man, shewas going through it and there's
(18:01):
this plot twist that I reallydid not expect that it had me in
tears.
It was wild.
Again, I'm not going to likespoil it for you or give you any
hints, but it was a lot and itwas a really, really interesting
book.
So basically, if you need agood cry or you want something
(18:21):
different, but still in theromance genre, I really implore
you to read this book.
It is also on Kindle Unlimitedand it was really great, really
unique, and I appreciate authorslike Anna Harrison for not just
regurgitating the same sportsromance, but I I, of course,
love the same kind of sportsromance, but this one was really
(18:42):
different and inventive andunique and I loved it.
So I would highly recommend itand I will definitely be on the
lookout for her other books asshe releases them.
And I will definitely be on thelookout for her other books as
she releases them.
Okay, up next we have RookieSeason by Katie Bailey and Leah
Bruner.
This is romance and this is newadults, but it is closed
(19:04):
door-ish.
So when I say closed door-ish,I mean it is technically closed
door, 100% technically closeddoor, but I would put this at
more of like a practice makesperfect by Sarah Adams level of
closed door, where it isdefinitely closed door but it's
(19:25):
just maybe I don't know how todescribe it Like it's just a
little bit, like it's a littlebit more intense for closed door
.
So, but it is definitely stilltotally counts.
Like I said, I loved it.
If you've been listening to thispodcast for any length of time,
you know that I love LeahBruner.
(19:45):
I have talked about her booksso much and she has been on the
show, so you can go back andlisten to her episode as well.
But I can't remember if I'vereally talked about it that much
on the podcast, but I've alsotorn through almost all of Katie
Bailey's backlist.
I love her backlist as well andif you love Sarah Adams, she
has a very complimentary writingstyle to Sarah, so I would
(20:08):
highly recommend checking outher books.
They are awesome.
I loved them and, as funny asit is, my library actually
carries all of Leah and Katie'saudiobooks, so I've listened to
a majority of them on audio, butthey're all also on KU as well
and of course you could get aphysical copy.
(20:30):
Anyway, on to the actual book.
So Leah took Noah from Desireor Defense, which is my favorite
closed-door hockey series, andKatie took Allegra, aka Legs
that's her nickname from I Thinkhe Knows.
And now this is their story,now that they're all grown up,
(20:51):
they're kids in those originalnovels and now years have passed
, time jump and this is theirromance.
So kind of almost more of likean L Kennedy legacy moment is
happening here.
But you get cameos from severalof the DC Eagles players, of
course.
You're going to get Andy andMitch, of course, and you even
(21:14):
get a little bit of Slater fromKatie's season schemings.
So ultimate verdict is youdon't have to read any of those
books to be able to enjoy thisseries, but I had so much fun
running into all the charactersthat I already know and love
from all the other books, like Isaid, big fan of both of their
works.
So that's how I was like ohthat's Slater, oh that's Andy,
(21:37):
that's Mitch.
You know like I instantlyclocked whenever a character
would have a cameo in the book.
In this book, allegra drops outof college and she's in search
of a fresh start and she finds ajob at a dance studio.
And Noah is entering his rookieyear in the NHL, so he's got a
lot to prove.
He is determined to focus onthe team hockey and definitely
(22:02):
not get distracted by anythingor anyone.
You can totally see where I'mgoing with this here, right?
Yeah, well, allegra and catwhich I think his name is Harry
Styles III, if I remembercorrectly have other plans as
she fills the roommate slot, andby roommate slot there are four
(22:23):
of them.
Yeah, there are four of themliving together.
So three hockey players andAllegra, and both Noah and
Allegra are very closed off andthey really find each other when
they need someone most, andthat's really all I can tell you
without spoilers.
Like I said, closed-ish, closeddoor.
It is closed door, but kind ofmore on the closed-ish side.
There you go.
That's what I was trying to say, oh my gosh.
(22:45):
Anyway, as per usual, notshocking, having read their work
the found Family there's anamazing group chat that is
hilarious and it had me laughing99% of the time.
And the pacing, the overallpacing of the book is just
(23:06):
packed with all the usual Katieand Leah magic, but it's them
put together and I just loved it.
And for this I forgot to say Idid break my self-imposed ARC
ban.
I cannot be trusted with ARCsanymore because I just have too
many books to read.
But I decided to join the ARCteam for this one, so booked
(23:27):
with the Emilys and Katie andLeah.
They they did give me an ARCcopy for being on the ARC team
of this one, so I did read anadvanced reader's copy of this
book.
But you know, like I said, Ilove these books so much.
So this was not a hard.
This was not a hard book to beon the ARC team for.
But all I'm saying is that ifyou listen to any of my
(23:51):
recommendations, like at all I'msaying is that if you listen to
any of my recommendations, likeat all, I'm just begging you to
pick up one of their books.
It could literally be any oftheir books, not even Rookie
Season, but I really enjoyedRookie Season.
But you could honestly pick upany of their books and I call
them like a hug in a book.
That's what they are.
That's what they are and Ialways find myself like giggling
and enjoying just every minute.
(24:13):
And this is on audio and youknow that books don't always
translate to audio, but theseare great about translating both
to the physical book and toaudio and I feel like it should
be worth noting that when Ifinished Rookie Season, I was so
sad that I almost did animmediate reread directly after
finishing and I do not rereadbooks, but I just had so much
fun in this world and anyway,all clothes was saying you know,
(24:37):
I love the book and I'mdefinitely going to be following
the rest of this series Becausethis was book one in that new
spinoff series With the samefanfare.
I am here for anything thatKatie and Leah want to write.
I'm definitely going to read it.
They're both auto-bu,especially together.
They are a dream team for meand I'm loving their books.
(25:00):
Then we have Battle of theBookstores by Allie Brady.
Allie Brady is actually it'skind of like Katie Bailey and
Leah Bruder.
It's well, technically it'smore like a Christina Lauren,
like they have one pen name, butit's two different authors, um,
and so anyway, this is an opendoor and I, I liked it, I really
(25:21):
, really liked it.
I'm on the fence between likedit and loved it, um, but I
wanted to go ahead and say likedit for this one, but it's a
very strong liked it and anyway,this has been inspired by.
You've got mail.
This was another one kind oflike.
Well, actually that I saw theblurb, I read it ahead of time
and I was like I have got toread this book.
When it comes out like I simplymust read it.
(25:45):
And I did and it was great.
So Ryan and Josie, they arerival bookstore owners and he
has a romance bookstore and sheruns a serious like literature
store and the owner basically ofboth of their shops buys
everything and then makes themcompete until one remains,
(26:07):
because he basically plans onopening up like one big general
bookstore that can obviouslyonly have one manager, and so
one person's going to literallylose their job and then one is
going to be manager of this newlike general bookstore that will
have all the genres and not beso niched down.
Let me just tell you thoughWell, that's all I can tell you
(26:28):
about the plot, becauseotherwise, yeah, I'm going to
ruin it but Ryan is my like, oneof my favorite MMCs.
He was amazing.
He was absolutely amazing.
And one of the other things thatI liked about this book a lot
was how many book referencesthere were.
I mean, they're kind of likebook slash reader slash bookworm
(26:51):
references like in general, butthere are a lot, especially in
the romance genre.
So if you are a romance reader,you are going to really like
this and you're going to laugh.
You're going to laugh a lot ata lot of bookish terms that pop
up in this book.
So it was really fun.
(27:11):
I thought it was really welldone, because, you know, I feel
like sometimes writing a bookishbook is hard, but they did a
great job um on on this one andit was just overall.
It was such a fun element thatreally added to the story for me
.
So I will say the only reasonthat I didn't love it was
(27:31):
because this did the same thingfor me that First Time Caller
did, and I know that this is anunpopular opinion and I still
really enjoyed First Time Callerbut if we're on my scale of
loved it to liked it.
The only reason really on bothof those books that I didn't
just completely love it was theyspoke like.
This one started out so strongand I was in it.
(27:53):
I was so in it.
But lately I've been noticingthis trend with Berkeley
romances where they're makingthem longer, like they used to
be, kind of more in the 360 tolike 380 page range and I feel
like that is the sweet spot forlike pacing.
But lately they've extended ita little bit and now the romance
(28:14):
novels are like 400 pages orlike in the 400 to like 420
range and I don't know why.
But those few extra pages justreally kind of cuts into the
pacing for me and it had acouple lulls in the middle that
I feel like the books that were360 to 380-ish pages didn't have
and I think it's somethingchanging in their structure
(28:35):
because it's happened with a lotof new Berkeley releases.
So I really think it'ssomething that the publisher is
having the authors do.
But again, I don't know that forsure, I'm just speculating here
, but it just had a couple lullsin the middle.
That's the only reason that Ididn't put it at, loved it, but
I still really enjoyed the bookand I think it's so much fun.
(28:56):
And again, if you're lookingfor all of these okay, all of
the romance books in thisepisode just felt really
different for me.
It didn't feel like I was justreading the same plot over and
over again.
They had some kind of aspect orelement or banter characters or
something that just made itfeel really fresh, and I would
definitely say that was the casewith this one.
I was very entertained, exceptfor those couple lulls.
(29:19):
But again, I think that reallyultimately kind of has more to
do with the publisher than theactual authors.
And this book, battle of theBookstores, has 400 pages and
First Time Caller had 420.
So just throwing that out there, it's just a trend that I've
noticed.
I don't know why they're doingthat, I don't know the purpose
of it.
(29:39):
But also, you know, the priceof paperbacks has increased.
So I kind of wonder if it'smaybe I don't know a way to
increase the price of thepaperbacks from a business
standpoint.
I have no idea.
Again, not my area of expertiseat all, but I really enjoyed
this book.
I thought it was very differentand as soon as I saw that it
(30:01):
was inspired by You've Got Mail,which is literally one of my
favorite movies of all time.
I was sold, definitely sold, soI really enjoyed Battle of the
Bookstores.
It was great.
Would recommend it.
And, rounding out, our episodeis Out of the Woods by Hannah
Bottom Young, and this one.
(30:21):
So I am actually going to getto meet Hannah Bottom Young this
week, the week that I'mrecording this episode.
So I am absolutely stoked andin preparation.
I checked Out of the Woods outof my life from my library and I
was so happy that I did.
This was my first Hannah BonhamYoung, oh, and this book is
Open Door and I absolutely lovedit.
(30:43):
And yes, I know that I read theseries out of order.
I know I'm a monster.
I love to read things out oforder.
I've read Elsie Silver out oforder, I've read Lila Sage out
of order and now I'm readingHannah Bottom Young out of order
.
Let's just say like I don'treally care If it's an
interconnected standalone likeromance series.
I will read whatever booksounds most interesting to me,
(31:05):
regardless of what order it's in, I do not care.
So I started with Out of theWoods, having not read Out on a
Limb and I'm definitely going togo back and read Out on a Limb,
but I love this.
So Sarah and Caleb, they attenda marriage counseling retreat in
the middle of the woods, eventhough neither one of them is
(31:27):
outdoorsy, and they're doingthis obviously in an effort to
save their marriage, as Sarah'sjust been feeling a little bit
kind of stuck lately, um, asshe's grown, because you know,
they got married really youngand so now it's a little bit
later and she's just trying tokind of figure out her place in
life and if Caleb fits into thatand that, that again all I can
(31:53):
tell you without giving you somespoilers.
So I, I typically don't loveMarriage in Crisis as a trope.
I don't hate it or anything,but it's not like my first
favorite trope by any means, andso I don't know.
Know, I wasn't really sure, butI'd never read A Hand on Bottom
(32:14):
Young before and this wasavailable in my library so I
grabbed it and I was so glad Idid.
I, like I said, I absolutelyloved this one.
So kudos to A Hand on BottomYoung for taking a trope that I
was a little bit unsure aboutand doing it so well that I I
came away with it like this.
This was a great book,absolutely enjoyed.
The emotional depth in this wasthere and it's dual timeline,
(32:38):
so it has one timeline is theirrelationship in high school
versus now, as they're at thislike marriage retreat and I
laughed a lot.
It was very funny.
I really enjoy her writingstyle, but I also teared up at
other moments too, because thereis so much emotional depth here
.
It's very raw.
There's a lot of grief.
(32:59):
The main character
Welcome back.
I'm Kristen Balls and you'relistening to when I Left Off a
bookish podcast and today on thepodcast I am sharing what I've
been reading recently.
Yep, I had to come in and tellyou again what I have been
reading lately and I'm gonna behonest here.
I've kind of been in theworld's like biggest reading
(00:31):
slump.
But to be fair, I did publishmy book in the month of August,
so I've been doing a lot ofpromo for that and I've been
doing some in-person authorsignings and it has basically
just left me with absolutely notime to read.
And I think I've said thisbefore, but I've actually had a
(00:52):
couple more people tell me thatthey love listening when I talk
about romance.
So I have one thriller at thetop of this episode and then the
rest of what I've been recentlyreading is all romance.
So you're welcome.
I'm really leaning into my rootshere.
I'm going with what I know andyou know, at the end of the day,
(01:15):
when I'm tired and I've beendoing stuff for my own book, the
only thing I want to do is justread a romance novel, like I I
don't know, I don't have theattention span right now for
anything else and I can justlike dive headfirst and get
completely sucked into a romanceand I am for some reason I can
pay attention to that but giveme, like an intense fantasy or,
(01:39):
you know, a thriller and I don'tknow.
I've been struggling, whereasI'm way better with romance
right now.
So that's kind of what I'vebeen going to Before I get in to
all of that.
And I will tell you what I'mcurrently reading right now,
because it is an absoluteknockout and I feel that I
simply must recommend it to you.
But I'm not done with it yet,so I can't technically put it in
this episode, but of course I'mstill going to tell you anyway.
(02:05):
Anywho, before I get into that,I did want to talk about my book
for a second.
Basically, it is officially outnow and it will be linked in
the show notes.
I will only link my book in theshow notes of like reading recs
episodes or episodes where it'sjust like me and a friend
talking.
I will never link my book in anepisode with an author
(02:28):
interview.
That feels weird to me.
I don't want to do that.
It is about the author, it isnot about me.
So, with that being said, it iscalled A Flare for Trouble.
It is available on bookshoporg,barnes and Noble Online, amazon
, and it is on Kindle Unlimited,so you can get it at any of
(02:49):
those places if you want tocheck it out.
It is a cozy mystery withromance about two high school
teachers who become amateursleuths when a parent is
murdered at an after-schoolevent and I don't know that.
I've really said this before onthe podcast, but there is
actually a group of studentsthat ships them and they do this
(03:11):
via an anonymous Instagramaccount, but the killer may or
may not be also monitoring saidInstagram account.
So there, there you go.
That's my little pitch for myown book, and I do have some
events coming up.
I have Ink and Indie, which isin Maryland, and it's through
(03:34):
the Romancelandia bookstore, soI will link it down below, but
you can always get tickets fromRomancelandia.
But with that, on Friday October3rd, I am actually doing a live
podcast recording and that isgoing to be with authors Harriet
Ashford, molly Goines and aspecial guest that I cannot
(03:56):
reveal yet.
That will be on the panel withus.
So we will be doing a panelpodcast live interview and of
course, you will get to hear it,because once I record it there,
I'm going to come back and editit and post it, post it where I
normally do, so you'll be ableto listen to that episode as
well.
But if you want to see it live,that is October 3rd and then
(04:20):
October 4th.
On that Saturday I will be asigning author and it's from 10
to 12 or two to four.
You either get the morning slotor the afternoon slot and it's
a bunch of awesome, amazingauthors and I've started reading
some of their books and it isgoing to be the hardest thing
ever for me to go there and notbuy a bunch of books because I'm
(04:41):
going to have to bring stuffback in my suitcase, and not buy
a bunch of books because I'mgoing to have to bring stuff
back in my suitcase.
So that is going to be probablythe hardest part of this for me
to not buy something fromeveryone because there is
absolutely no way I can fit thatin my suitcase.
Anyway, I'm really excited aboutInk and Indie.
It's kind of funny because meand Stacey and Harriet we
(05:03):
actually have like a group chatwith our friend Sarah, who also
you've heard you've heard all ofthem They've been on the
podcast.
That's kind of how we met.
We connected kind of throughthat and we have this whole
group chat going and we actuallyget to meet each other for the
first time in person at Ink andIndie.
So we are pretty stoked forthat.
(05:24):
So, anyway, that will be supercool.
But that is what I'm doing inperson, so what I have been
reading lately.
Okay, I am so excited to tellyou about this book because it's
so good.
I'm only I'm only like onchapter seven, I think.
I'm only on chapter seven and Ican just already tell that this
is going to be a five-star read.
(05:45):
Oh man, it's so good.
I originally saw the blurb forthis on Instagram, I think, and
then I knew I wanted it.
It was kind of like one of theother books in this episode,
like you know how sometimes youjust you see a blurb on social
media and you're like I knowthat I must read this book when
it comes out.
That was definitely the waythat I was with Well, actually,
(06:09):
and I was dying to read it.
It sounded so unique and sodifferent.
And then some of my Bookstagramfriends that I really trust
their opinions.
They were loving it and so thatgave me like a lot of hope
going into it and myexpectations were kind of high,
but it is surpassing them.
It is so good and I haven't readMaisie Eddings before, I don't
(06:32):
know why.
Um, I just I haven't gottenthere.
Well, I mean, you know we can'tread like all the authors all
the time, so hopefully, also bydoing this podcast, I hope you
narrow it down to decide whoyou're gonna read next, because
there are just so many authorsLike it's, it's just so hard to
be able to read everything thatI wish I could read.
So I am listening on audiobookbecause Jessica Joyce said that
(06:57):
it was really good on audiobook,so I decided to try listening
there.
I do have a physical copy thatI got from a local independent
bookstore, so I do need to readthat, but I was just starting it
on audio because I knew that Icould start it quicker.
So Well, actually, by MaisieEddings is so, so good.
It's obviously inspired byChicken Shop Date and they have
(07:20):
this like show called SausageTalk, where the main character
she talks to like B and Ccelebrities and interviews them
over hot dogs, and so, anyway,what ends up happening is she
gets drunk one night, she makesthis video and she calls out her
ex-boyfriend for ghosting her,who just happens to be a famous
(07:44):
influencer, and her networkwants to do damage control, and
so they invite him on the showand then he makes the
proposition on the show that hewants to make it up to her and
wants them to like go on datesand they'll record them and all
that stuff and do recaps.
So that is pretty much whereI've gotten, but it is so funny,
(08:07):
it's so hilariously funny, andI think that raunchy is not the
right word.
I would say it's a little bitmore crass, of like humor, but
it's very funny.
It's very funny.
It's very different.
If you like have barely read ordo not read romance novels
because you think that they aregoing to be cheesy, this is
(08:27):
perfect for you.
It is not cheesy.
Every single sentence, almost,is just dripping in sarcasm.
It is so funny, it is so welldone.
The pacing, the thought process, just the writing is fantastic
and I have been so thoroughlyentertained from reading this
book so I cannot wait to finish.
(08:49):
Well, actually, but I amabsolutely loving it so far and
I am anticipating to continueloving it along the way.
So that's yeah, that's where Ithink I'm at with it, but it is
so good and I had to talk aboutit for a second.
I had to give it a little bitof airtime because I feel like
(09:12):
by the time I do another readingrecap, it might've already been
like super popular and I'mreading it closer to it's pub
day.
So, yeah, it definitely caughtmy attention and I have a lot of
really good romance books on myTBR.
I have a lot of good books ingeneral on my TBR.
I haven't read the new RileySager yet, but of course I have
it.
I do have a lot to catch up on,but for now I'm going to give
(09:34):
you some recommendations just tokind of tell you a little bit
more about what I've recentlyread.
I do have my new rating scale,remember it's loved it, liked it
and not for me, so that insteadof stars because I was driving
myself crazy with the whole likestar numbering system thing I
just go with loved it, liked it,not for me, and even something
(09:55):
that's not for me I wouldrecommend to the right person.
So again, everything is sopersonal, especially reading, so
I do understand that.
So that's why I kind of like togo in depth about the books, so
that way you can see what youliked and did not like.
Okay, do not forget, I willhave all of the books as
chapters so you can skip aroundif you're only wanting to hear
(10:16):
me talk about a specific book,or you can be along for the ride
for the whole thing.
So the first book like I said,I'm starting with the thriller,
and then everything after thisis going to be romance, but
starting with the thriller.
So I actually read this for mybook club and it was the Silent
Patient by Alex Michaelettis Ihope I'm pronouncing his last
(10:38):
name right.
This is a thriller, a verypopular thriller, and I liked it
.
I liked it really well and,like I said, this was my book
club pick.
I'm actually in several bookclubs not surprising and this
was from a new one that I joinedat a local bookstore and it was
a thriller book club.
So here is kind of the generalplot synopsis.
(11:00):
So a woman's accused ofmurdering her husband and has
remained mute ever since.
She's currently in a psych wardwhere she meets our other main
character who wants to becomeher therapist and is convinced
that he can get through to her.
It's very much like I'm notlike other psychologists and I
think that I can get her to talk, even though, like everyone has
(11:25):
already tried, his boss warnshim that she can be more
vindictive than she seems.
But his ego gets in the way andhe's determined to get her to
make a breakthrough.
And that's really all I cantell you.
You're gonna have to read tofind out the rest, to see if he
(11:45):
can do it or not.
And okay, this seemed a littlebit at first, at first, like it
was a spin on the whole, likeFBI agent with a troubled past
is determined to get inside thehead of a serial killer, kind of
plot line, just like, with aslightly different flavor.
But the whole psychologist andpatient thing and this is not,
(12:06):
this is not a critique, this isjust me pointing it out.
Uh, whether that's good or badis up to you, I'm just simply
pointing it out.
But you can really tell thatthis book was written by a man,
and maybe that's because I havebeen reading some thrillers
written by women lately.
Um, I I don't know why, butwell, I do know why.
But this book, just you cantell that it was written by a
(12:28):
man, which, again, is not a dissor a compliment.
I'm just simply telling youwhether you like or do not like
that writing style, that it justhas a certain flair where you
can tell you can tell.
So I was very entertained and Ilistened to this on audiobook.
And being entertained like Ican't say that for all the
(12:49):
thrillers, because lately I feellike they've still been very
hit or miss for me I've kind ofgotten out of that reading
something kind of got back in itand I don't know.
It's just been like in and out,in and out on thrillers.
So this was a really compellingstory and I wanted to keep
listening, which is our definitebonus points in its category.
So overall I would say it was areally fun thriller and
(13:12):
definitely a wild ride.
And the characters to me theyseemed a little bit caricature-y
, but that could be accurate formental health institutions I'm
not sure I don't work in thatfield, so it may be completely
spot on.
I just don't have any experienceto be able to say yes or no,
but I was able to guess two, twoof the three major plot twists
(13:38):
and this podcast Is really oneof the only places I can brag
about that and you can actuallyunderstand the triumph that
comes with Guessing the plottwist.
I love to guess the plot twistTo things.
I am constantly trying tofigure something out Through a
thriller or mystery and that'swhy I need my full attention on
both of those to really focus,because I am always trying to
(13:59):
figure that out as I go.
But feel free to DM me onInstagram if you want to talk
about it further in actualspecifics of like how I guessed
and what I guessed and all thatkind of stuff.
But I don't want to spoil itfor anyone, so I will not give
you any clues.
Feel free to always DM me onInstagram to talk about books.
I chit chat with everyone aboutbooks, so feel free.
(14:23):
It's always linked in in theshow notes and we have fun.
I have a whole there are awhole group of us that just like
to chit chat about books andgive each other recommendations.
Bookstagram is really the bestand a lot of the people are very
nice.
Anyway, random aside, but allin all, like I said,
entertaining.
(14:43):
It was good and I wouldrecommend it if you want like a
twisty kind of thriller that'sgoing to keep you guessing, and
it was an enjoyable.
It was an enjoyable book, so Iwould say that I think you would
probably like it the next twomonths of thrillers from my book
club if you wanted to followalong.
Because why not this month?
September is the seven and ahalf deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
(15:05):
, and then October is the womanin suite 11, which I had
actually already checked outfrom the library before I even
knew what the book was.
So that was kind of funny.
And that one is a follow-up tothe Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth
Ware, and I absolutely loved theWoman in Cabin 10.
And it got me into Ruth Ware inthe first place.
(15:27):
So I am stoked to read thefollow-up.
I can't wait.
So anyway, that is where myThriller Book Club is going.
I need to get on the book forthis month because I haven't
even started it yet, but I needto.
I checked it out from thelibrary and I'll probably end up
listening to it on audiobookbecause I tend to listen to.
I tend to listen to any bookclub book on audiobook because I
(15:49):
can get through it so muchfaster on an audiobook book.
Next up is Fighting Spirit byAnna Harrison.
This is romance, it is opendoor and I loved it.
So this one.
Originally, actually, I thinkit was Allie Hazelwood that
posted about this book I saw thecover, I really liked the cover
and it intrigued me.
Then I went and looked up theblurb and I was sold on the
(16:13):
blurb and I'm so glad that Iread this book.
Ruth is the mascot at hercollege and she loves every
minute of it.
And a nearby rival team'srookies are told to kidnap the
frog as a prank.
Yes, she is a frog.
The seniors meant like theactual animal, but the rookies
(16:35):
grabbed the mascot, aka Ruth,instead thinking they meant frog
mascot, not frog the actualanimal.
So she's terrified and she'svery kidnapped and she becomes
Rowan's problem.
And Rowan recently graduatedand basically accepted a job as
a coach, and so that's how theymet.
(16:57):
Will they be able to get overtheir rocky start?
You are just going to have toread and find out.
I don't want to tell you morethan that because then I'm just
going to start getting intospoilers, but I will say that
this book is unlike anythingelse that I've ever read before.
I was thinking I was just goinginto like a football sports
romance, and that is so not whatI got.
It was very different.
(17:19):
So the blurb was superinventive.
Like I said, I thought I wasjust going into like sports
romance, but there was so muchangst and there was so much
emotional depth.
That really kept me in thestory and I absolutely tore
through this one.
Fyi, I read it so quick.
It was really, really uniqueand I appreciate that, because
(17:39):
sometimes, you know, you justkind of feel like you keep
reading the same plot over andover and over again, and that is
not the case with this one.
I think I already said it, butI don't think it's like anything
else I've ever read before.
I also don't know that I'veever felt so bad for a main
character before, but man, shewas going through it and there's
(18:01):
this plot twist that I reallydid not expect that it had me in
tears.
It was wild.
Again, I'm not going to likespoil it for you or give you any
hints, but it was a lot and itwas a really, really interesting
book.
So basically, if you need agood cry or you want something
(18:21):
different, but still in theromance genre, I really implore
you to read this book.
It is also on Kindle Unlimitedand it was really great, really
unique, and I appreciate authorslike Anna Harrison for not just
regurgitating the same sportsromance, but I I, of course,
love the same kind of sportsromance, but this one was really
(18:42):
different and inventive andunique and I loved it.
So I would highly recommend itand I will definitely be on the
lookout for her other books asshe releases them.
And I will definitely be on thelookout for her other books as
she releases them.
Okay, up next we have RookieSeason by Katie Bailey and Leah
Bruner.
This is romance and this is newadults, but it is closed
(19:04):
door-ish.
So when I say closed door-ish,I mean it is technically closed
door, 100% technically closeddoor, but I would put this at
more of like a practice makesperfect by Sarah Adams level of
closed door, where it isdefinitely closed door but it's
(19:25):
just maybe I don't know how todescribe it Like it's just a
little bit, like it's a littlebit more intense for closed door
.
So, but it is definitely stilltotally counts.
Like I said, I loved it.
If you've been listening to thispodcast for any length of time,
you know that I love LeahBruner.
(19:45):
I have talked about her booksso much and she has been on the
show, so you can go back andlisten to her episode as well.
But I can't remember if I'vereally talked about it that much
on the podcast, but I've alsotorn through almost all of Katie
Bailey's backlist.
I love her backlist as well andif you love Sarah Adams, she
has a very complimentary writingstyle to Sarah, so I would
(20:08):
highly recommend checking outher books.
They are awesome.
I loved them and, as funny asit is, my library actually
carries all of Leah and Katie'saudiobooks, so I've listened to
a majority of them on audio, butthey're all also on KU as well
and of course you could get aphysical copy.
(20:30):
Anyway, on to the actual book.
So Leah took Noah from Desireor Defense, which is my favorite
closed-door hockey series, andKatie took Allegra, aka Legs
that's her nickname from I Thinkhe Knows.
And now this is their story,now that they're all grown up,
(20:51):
they're kids in those originalnovels and now years have passed
, time jump and this is theirromance.
So kind of almost more of likean L Kennedy legacy moment is
happening here.
But you get cameos from severalof the DC Eagles players, of
course.
You're going to get Andy andMitch, of course, and you even
(21:14):
get a little bit of Slater fromKatie's season schemings.
So ultimate verdict is youdon't have to read any of those
books to be able to enjoy thisseries, but I had so much fun
running into all the charactersthat I already know and love
from all the other books, like Isaid, big fan of both of their
works.
So that's how I was like ohthat's Slater, oh that's Andy,
(21:37):
that's Mitch.
You know like I instantlyclocked whenever a character
would have a cameo in the book.
In this book, allegra drops outof college and she's in search
of a fresh start and she finds ajob at a dance studio.
And Noah is entering his rookieyear in the NHL, so he's got a
lot to prove.
He is determined to focus onthe team hockey and definitely
(22:02):
not get distracted by anythingor anyone.
You can totally see where I'mgoing with this here, right?
Yeah, well, allegra and catwhich I think his name is Harry
Styles III, if I remembercorrectly have other plans as
she fills the roommate slot, andby roommate slot there are four
(22:23):
of them.
Yeah, there are four of themliving together.
So three hockey players andAllegra, and both Noah and
Allegra are very closed off andthey really find each other when
they need someone most, andthat's really all I can tell you
without spoilers.
Like I said, closed-ish, closeddoor.
It is closed door, but kind ofmore on the closed-ish side.
There you go.
That's what I was trying to say, oh my gosh.
(22:45):
Anyway, as per usual, notshocking, having read their work
the found Family there's anamazing group chat that is
hilarious and it had me laughing99% of the time.
And the pacing, the overallpacing of the book is just
(23:06):
packed with all the usual Katieand Leah magic, but it's them
put together and I just loved it.
And for this I forgot to say Idid break my self-imposed ARC
ban.
I cannot be trusted with ARCsanymore because I just have too
many books to read.
But I decided to join the ARCteam for this one, so booked
(23:27):
with the Emilys and Katie andLeah.
They they did give me an ARCcopy for being on the ARC team
of this one, so I did read anadvanced reader's copy of this
book.
But you know, like I said, Ilove these books so much.
So this was not a hard.
This was not a hard book to beon the ARC team for.
But all I'm saying is that ifyou listen to any of my
(23:51):
recommendations, like at all I'msaying is that if you listen to
any of my recommendations, likeat all, I'm just begging you to
pick up one of their books.
It could literally be any oftheir books, not even Rookie
Season, but I really enjoyedRookie Season.
But you could honestly pick upany of their books and I call
them like a hug in a book.
That's what they are.
That's what they are and Ialways find myself like giggling
and enjoying just every minute.
(24:13):
And this is on audio and youknow that books don't always
translate to audio, but theseare great about translating both
to the physical book and toaudio and I feel like it should
be worth noting that when Ifinished Rookie Season, I was so
sad that I almost did animmediate reread directly after
finishing and I do not rereadbooks, but I just had so much
fun in this world and anyway,all clothes was saying you know,
(24:37):
I love the book and I'mdefinitely going to be following
the rest of this series Becausethis was book one in that new
spinoff series With the samefanfare.
I am here for anything thatKatie and Leah want to write.
I'm definitely going to read it.
They're both auto-bu,especially together.
They are a dream team for meand I'm loving their books.
(25:00):
Then we have Battle of theBookstores by Allie Brady.
Allie Brady is actually it'skind of like Katie Bailey and
Leah Bruder.
It's well, technically it'smore like a Christina Lauren,
like they have one pen name, butit's two different authors, um,
and so anyway, this is an opendoor and I, I liked it, I really
(25:21):
, really liked it.
I'm on the fence between likedit and loved it, um, but I
wanted to go ahead and say likedit for this one, but it's a
very strong liked it and anyway,this has been inspired by.
You've got mail.
This was another one kind oflike.
Well, actually that I saw theblurb, I read it ahead of time
and I was like I have got toread this book.
When it comes out like I simplymust read it.
(25:45):
And I did and it was great.
So Ryan and Josie, they arerival bookstore owners and he
has a romance bookstore and sheruns a serious like literature
store and the owner basically ofboth of their shops buys
everything and then makes themcompete until one remains,
(26:07):
because he basically plans onopening up like one big general
bookstore that can obviouslyonly have one manager, and so
one person's going to literallylose their job and then one is
going to be manager of this newlike general bookstore that will
have all the genres and not beso niched down.
Let me just tell you thoughWell, that's all I can tell you
(26:28):
about the plot, becauseotherwise, yeah, I'm going to
ruin it but Ryan is my like, oneof my favorite MMCs.
He was amazing.
He was absolutely amazing.
And one of the other things thatI liked about this book a lot
was how many book referencesthere were.
I mean, they're kind of likebook slash reader slash bookworm
(26:51):
references like in general, butthere are a lot, especially in
the romance genre.
So if you are a romance reader,you are going to really like
this and you're going to laugh.
You're going to laugh a lot ata lot of bookish terms that pop
up in this book.
So it was really fun.
(27:11):
I thought it was really welldone, because, you know, I feel
like sometimes writing a bookishbook is hard, but they did a
great job um on on this one andit was just overall.
It was such a fun element thatreally added to the story for me
.
So I will say the only reasonthat I didn't love it was
(27:31):
because this did the same thingfor me that First Time Caller
did, and I know that this is anunpopular opinion and I still
really enjoyed First Time Callerbut if we're on my scale of
loved it to liked it.
The only reason really on bothof those books that I didn't
just completely love it was theyspoke like.
This one started out so strongand I was in it.
(27:53):
I was so in it.
But lately I've been noticingthis trend with Berkeley
romances where they're makingthem longer, like they used to
be, kind of more in the 360 tolike 380 page range and I feel
like that is the sweet spot forlike pacing.
But lately they've extended ita little bit and now the romance
(28:14):
novels are like 400 pages orlike in the 400 to like 420
range and I don't know why.
But those few extra pages justreally kind of cuts into the
pacing for me and it had acouple lulls in the middle that
I feel like the books that were360 to 380-ish pages didn't have
and I think it's somethingchanging in their structure
(28:35):
because it's happened with a lotof new Berkeley releases.
So I really think it'ssomething that the publisher is
having the authors do.
But again, I don't know that forsure, I'm just speculating here
, but it just had a couple lullsin the middle.
That's the only reason that Ididn't put it at, loved it, but
I still really enjoyed the bookand I think it's so much fun.
(28:56):
And again, if you're lookingfor all of these okay, all of
the romance books in thisepisode just felt really
different for me.
It didn't feel like I was justreading the same plot over and
over again.
They had some kind of aspect orelement or banter characters or
something that just made itfeel really fresh, and I would
definitely say that was the casewith this one.
I was very entertained, exceptfor those couple lulls.
(29:19):
But again, I think that reallyultimately kind of has more to
do with the publisher than theactual authors.
And this book, battle of theBookstores, has 400 pages and
First Time Caller had 420.
So just throwing that out there, it's just a trend that I've
noticed.
I don't know why they're doingthat, I don't know the purpose
of it.
(29:39):
But also, you know, the priceof paperbacks has increased.
So I kind of wonder if it'smaybe I don't know a way to
increase the price of thepaperbacks from a business
standpoint.
I have no idea.
Again, not my area of expertiseat all, but I really enjoyed
this book.
I thought it was very differentand as soon as I saw that it
(30:01):
was inspired by You've Got Mail,which is literally one of my
favorite movies of all time.
I was sold, definitely sold, soI really enjoyed Battle of the
Bookstores.
It was great.
Would recommend it.
And, rounding out, our episodeis Out of the Woods by Hannah
Bottom Young, and this one.
(30:21):
So I am actually going to getto meet Hannah Bottom Young this
week, the week that I'mrecording this episode.
So I am absolutely stoked andin preparation.
I checked Out of the Woods outof my life from my library and I
was so happy that I did.
This was my first Hannah BonhamYoung, oh, and this book is
Open Door and I absolutely lovedit.
(30:43):
And yes, I know that I read theseries out of order.
I know I'm a monster.
I love to read things out oforder.
I've read Elsie Silver out oforder, I've read Lila Sage out
of order and now I'm readingHannah Bottom Young out of order
.
Let's just say like I don'treally care If it's an
interconnected standalone likeromance series.
I will read whatever booksounds most interesting to me,
(31:05):
regardless of what order it's in, I do not care.
So I started with Out of theWoods, having not read Out on a
Limb and I'm definitely going togo back and read Out on a Limb,
but I love this.
So Sarah and Caleb, they attenda marriage counseling retreat in
the middle of the woods, eventhough neither one of them is
(31:27):
outdoorsy, and they're doingthis obviously in an effort to
save their marriage, as Sarah'sjust been feeling a little bit
kind of stuck lately, um, asshe's grown, because you know,
they got married really youngand so now it's a little bit
later and she's just trying tokind of figure out her place in
life and if Caleb fits into thatand that, that again all I can
(31:53):
tell you without giving you somespoilers.
So I, I typically don't loveMarriage in Crisis as a trope.
I don't hate it or anything,but it's not like my first
favorite trope by any means, andso I don't know.
Know, I wasn't really sure, butI'd never read A Hand on Bottom
(32:14):
Young before and this wasavailable in my library so I
grabbed it and I was so glad Idid.
I, like I said, I absolutelyloved this one.
So kudos to A Hand on BottomYoung for taking a trope that I
was a little bit unsure aboutand doing it so well that I I
came away with it like this.
This was a great book,absolutely enjoyed.
The emotional depth in this wasthere and it's dual timeline,
(32:38):
so it has one timeline is theirrelationship in high school
versus now, as they're at thislike marriage retreat and I
laughed a lot.
It was very funny.
I really enjoy her writingstyle, but I also teared up at
other moments too, because thereis so much emotional depth here
.
It's very raw.
There's a lot of grief.
(32:59):
The main character
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