title: The Odds of Getting Even author: Amanda Sellet publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin publication date: July 15, 2025 pages: 320 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: none summary: Working her job at a Hawaiian resort, Jean brings extra towels to awkward Charlie, who’s staying at one of the private cabins. Though they spark an immediate…
Author: caritagardiner
340. Why I Ride (Guest Post)
When I recently got an email titled “Why I Ride” from a friend, I had the idea to ask her if I could post her missive as a Why Wednesday. Suzanne and I met at eighteen years old, thirty-eight years ago, when we were assigned to live in the same college dorm. In the fall…
NetGalley Review of These Summer Storms
title: These Summer Storms author: Sarah MacLean publisher: Random House publication date: July 8, 2025 pages: 640 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: parental death, manipulation, alcohol/drunkenness, bad parenting summary: Alice Storm managed to break away from her controlling, billionaire father and family (picture Succession) five years ago, but when her father dies and she heads…
NetGalley Review of Destination Weddings and Other Disasters
title: Destination Weddings and Other Disasters author: M. C. Vaughan publisher: Afterglow Books by Harlequin publication date: July 1, 2025 pages: 288 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: bullying, deceased parent (past) summary: After Julia earns her graduate degree in hospitality but before she finds a job, her flighty mother announces her plan to get…
339. Why Pan
As is often the case (since I discovered that many photos on the internet are copyright-protected), the photo above has nothing to do with my topic today. It’s a picture I took of a flower I saw in California. I’ve been thinking about sleep, something many people struggle with. Little kids fight going to sleep…
NetGalley Review of The Summer You Were Mine
title: The Summer You Were Mine author: Jill Francis publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin publication date: July 1, 2025 pages: 352 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: parental death in distant past summary: Just before Emmie will leave NYC for Italy to attend her grandmother’s wedding, she accidentally tells the brutal truth on the air at…
361. Why Life’s Going to Life
I bought a T-shirt with the image above many years ago as a baby present for a friend who named her kid Henry. Just kidding, she named him Tate. If you know a Tate and/or like potatoes, you can click on the photo above to get to where you can buy the shirt. I still…
338. Why Find Your People
I haven’t read the book pictured above, but it’s probably very helpful. It gets 3.96 stars on Goodreads and 4.6 on Amazon.com. Plus, it’s about an important goal that many of us in today’s world struggle to accomplish. Science shows that to lead happy, healthy lives, we need human interaction. If you want to read…
NetGalley Review of Look Before You Leap
title: Look Before You Leap author: Virginia Heath publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin publication date: June 24, 2025 pages: 320 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: none summary: Lottie, a farmer’s daughter from Kent, was raised by her father and four brothers. Rather than work as a farmer, she’s brought into London to train as a…
NetGalley Review of Sunny Side Up
title: Sunny Side Up author: Katie Sturino publisher: Celadon Books publication date: June 24, 2025 pages: 304 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: fat-phobia and misogyny summary: Sunny, six months after her divorce, is preparing for a beach vacation when her changing-room experience is so bad that it sets her on a mission to quiet…