Screenwriter Emily Fischer is working on a script to change the direction of her career. The only catch, she must solve the disappearance of one of her best friends, Vanessa, from fifteen years ago in order to make her story work. She convinces the remaining women, Brittany, Paige, and Lydia to return to Brittany and Vanessa's family winery to honor the fifteenth anniversary of Vanessa's disappearance and find closure while also trying to figure out what was happened all those years ago. I thought that overall this thriller was fine. There weren't any twists that were truly shocking or unexpected. I also felt like the character development wasn't really done well. I think part of the problem for me was the slow pacing. This book is not super long, but it felt like it was longer because the plot drags with unnecessary slower paced writing. That being said though, I did like how the book included Emily's screenplay which showcased the past and the present weekend. I liked how that cast doubt on the story as the screenplay was obviously dramatized. I liked how the audiobook was done as well, truly was kept me engaged through the book! Overall, this was a fine thriller but I enjoyed the screenplay side of it and the unreliable narrators. The toxic friendships were also portrayed well and added to the plot of the book!

I love how Cara Bastone balances emotional depth and humor in her romances! After a traumatic accident, Roz and Vin's relationship has fractured. They can't look each other in the eye and have lost their way in the year since the accident. When Roz starts attending a figure drawing class and Vin volunteers to model for her at home for extra practice, things start to shift and maybe they can learn how to see all of each other again.

When I started the book, I'll admit I wasn't immediately drawn to either character. The beginning felt a little disjointed. As the book progressed though, I started to think that maybe that was done on purpose to reflect Roz's emotional state at the time. Between Vin and Roz there is a quite a bit of miscommunication, which I think in the context of the story makes sense, I just wish it was wrapped up a little earlier than it was. I think both Roz and Vin (and by extension Vin's brother/Roz's best friend Raff) are dealing with the accident in very different ways leading to them not being able to understand each other. I loved how the art class brought Roz and Vin slowly back together. I think it really helped them work through their feelings and open up to each other. I loved how they got back together and, spoiler, that there wasn't a third act breakup!!

I love Bastone's very emotional writing style and I felt like the marriage in crisis trope was done really well. Overall, I really liked the newest romance and cannot wait to read more! I would certainly recommend for fans of romances that balance grief and humor really well!

Ashley Winstead can write in any genre and I'll read it! Her contemporary fiction debut about a band called The Future Saints, led by front woman Hannah, and their new band manager Theo who has been tasked to get the band back on track in order to produce one more album for their studio. The band, struggling with the loss of their previous manager and Hannah's sister Ginny, is dealing with their grief in while burning out. I can see why this book has been compared to Daisy Jones and The Six, but I do feel like it's very different. I like Winstead's overall writing style and I really thought it worked for this genre. I feel like the characters, especially Hannah, have a lot of depth and are developed well. The pacing of the overall plot struggled a bit in the middle, but then the book picks back up and I kept reading to see how it ended.

Hannah is best described I think as a complicated person. She is grieving the loss of her sister and is expected to be back to normal after not a lot of time has passed. I think her grief was written well and I really felt for her throughout the book. Her character development is well done and the ups and downs of her feelings were portrayed well. I also really liked Theo. From the first page, he supports the band and tries to actually help them with their next album. The relationships he forms with the band felt earnest and I also liked the slow burn relationship between Hannah and Theo.

Overall, this was certainly an emotional read and I would definitely recommend it! I'm looking forward to reading Winstead's work in the future (and can't wait to see what genre she writes in next)!

I enjoy Rebecca Serle's magical realism fiction/romances! The women of the Novak family have been gifted one ticket each. That ticket allows them to turn back time, but only once. This is the story of three generations Lauren, her mother Marcella, and her grandmother Sylvia, and the choices they make and the impact of those choices. I thought the premise of this book was so interesting. What would you do if you had the chance to turn back the clock? How would you know when the right time to use that gift was? The book is short, under 300 pages, but I felt like it definitely packs a punch. The Malibu setting was really great for this book and since I read this book when it was cold out had me dreaming of warmer weather.

I feel like Lauren was an interesting character. She has been shaped by Marcella, who lives with anxiety and fear ever since she used her ticket, and Sylvia who is more of a free spirit and with seemingly no worries. Each woman's story is unique and I do wish there was there was more depth to it. I did really like how there were chapters from each POV and I felt like I was beginning to understand them. There is one plot line and I really didn't love (I won't put any spoilers) and I feel like the same end result could have been obtained without it. That being said, I do still enjoy Serle's writing style and I liked that it was a relatively quick and fast paced book!

Overall, I would recommend to fans of magical realism! I will definitely be picking up Serle's books in the future as well.