I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to, but it's not a sore disappointment either. I was enraptured with the beginning since it was penned so beautifully in a way that really speaks to the young teenager in my heart. I immediately felt for Noelle and her loss of a friendship that holds such an important place in her life. Not a fun experience. All of this was a strong motivator to push me to keep reading.

However, their reunion felt lackluster and then the fake dating following that leading up to the reality TV show. I'll acknowledge that maybe this is an issue on my part since I've never read a book with a reality TV premise that I loved, since there always seems to be a misbalance between the focus on the MCs' actual relationships and the one's onscreen. Despite this, I think I still enjoyed the reality TV parts of it more than the romance (or even friendship) between Noelle and Yomi. Specifically for Good Luck, Babe, the pacing started faltering very early on which put me off of reading it.

Putting all that aside, I still liked this book (side characters galore, I loved Noelle's dad) and it's got re-read potential. I don't think it's a read that I'm forgetting anytime soon. Likely something that would have resonated better with me when I was younger, and I do think age can be a factor with this lovely YA book.

I'm very fond of Courtney Walsh's books and this book only extends the streak of books I've liked. Claire came alive from the pages as a very authentic character, giving me all the feels of sorrow, grief, anger, giddiness, and unfortunately the occasional second-hand embarrassment (had me wanting to melt away). Her story of divorce, motherhood, and her lost dreams felt all too real, and instantly believable. And then there's the introduction of so many lively side characters and the illusion of a "small town" environment in the setting of Chicago.

With Walsh's books, I always feel that romance takes a back seat and the main character is always the true focus of her own story. This is something that I love and makes me all the more excited to read the author's writing. This story is filled with hope and laughter, truly so much humor in the wild experiences of online dating as a forty something divorced woman. I'll be the first to say that the plot of this book is based on something very simple and rather realistic, but something about the way the characters are written and especially Claire's character arc makes this magical.

The perfect cherry on top is Patti Murin's narration! A narrator I've adored ever since my first encounter with her voice and actively seek out any new works she's narrated. She makes this such a fun listen, nailing every part of the book! Perfect pairing of author and narrator in my opinion.

As must be obvious by now, I have to recommend this book. For when you're looking for something lighthearted with emotional depth that will still entertain you and linger in your thoughts long after you put the book (or audiobook) away. And YES this is something that is re-read worthy for the pure enjoyment and joy it bought me. Grab this if you want to feel like you're having a long conversation with a beloved friend.

This book turns a rather simple life event into a full length story that beautifully portrays something so realistic and real. Fortunately or unfortunately, the plot of this book is something I've never experienced, yet the book was easy to read in a short but lovely depiction of the Black community. This was my first time reading a book with a verse writing style, and it was an experience I'd love to have again. The themes of young love, friendship, family, and of course skating make it a very memorable read.

I highly recommend a tandem reading with the audiobook seeing that the narrator has a gorgeous voice that makes the experience all the more real, especially for a reader like myself who isn't surrounded by Black culture and being able to hear the melodic accents was great!

Having watched quite a few of the author's videos on social media, I can say that reading this book feels quite a lot like you're having a chat with Scott and he's giving you his well earned advice. It's fair to expect a similar tone and vibe as his short form videos, because it is what he replicates in his writing. The writing is brimming with earnest advice from him alongside short, beautiful stories from his experiences.

Scott is vulnerable in the way he openly dscusess his failures and shortcomings over his career spanning decades, and he paints a picture of instances from his life that taught him these tips he now presents through this book.

I am not an artist myself yet his advice always resonated with me. Anything that sounds remotely off the bat at first, he easily makes it make sense. And some of what he speaks of, I think can be made applicable to other things in life and other arts like writing or cooking that don't pertain solely fine arts.

What I'd recommend for this book is having a tandem experience. Grab the audiobook and the book both, because I loved hearing Schott himself narrate his book and as expected, the artwork he uses to illustrate the book is undeniable gorgeous and deserves a place in your bookshelf.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for the most part. Though the basic plotline is something simple that has been done before, the uniqueness of the characters on this one is what made it fun. Jess and Oliver constantly maintained a fun dynamic and very happening banter that kept me hooked onto the audiobook. And it only helped that "Violet" felt so relatable as a character and was so real in her motivations and desperation to grow, though things comically go messy as the author intended.

While being very lighthearted and lowkey on the surface, the book does speak volumes about the underlying sexism and tough competition in such fields that is determined to work against those who are newcomers, especially when they are women. And the family dynamics felt painfully authentic as a representation of what is reality in many households. All of this still keeping the story at a beautiful pacing that was perfectly entertaining. It only helped that that Spencer and Jess share a sibling bond that came off so naturally at every point.

As for the narration I have no complaints for the most part seeing it was pretty okay. But with the exception of Jess' best friend Cecily who was for some reason given a too high pitched voice that kept getting on my nerves.

This was so much more fun than I expected! Cabin 5 dives right into the setting of Cranberry Ridge with its amazing characters and their small town nature. Raelynn and Reid make for such a cute duo and every single interaction leap off the page. There is plenty of spice in this book so that's a bonus if you're looking for that, but if not, skimming or completely skipping over those parts doesn't make too big a difference.

The plot is packed with friendship, character growth, mystery, and adventure, which makes it a pretty quick read despite the long length. I haven't read the first book of the series yet (featuring Miles and Kinsley), yet I could quite easily immerse myself into this book and thoroughly enjoy what the new pairing had to offer. I can't wait to read more in the series!

Many thanks to the author and Hidden Gems Books for this complimentary e-ARC. All opinions in this review are solely mine.