This is a really excellent round up of three books that I enjoyed quite a bit and each and every one is already out because of course they are. First up, we have One & Only by Maurene Goo, which is her first adult novel and it was just as captivatingly written as her YA books. Then we have Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan, which delivers sapphic yearning and angst and is really spectacular. And then finally, we have No Place Like You by Jillian Meadows, which is just as charming as the first book in this series, but also made me sob in my bed when I was up reading past my bedtime for reasons I truly cannot articulate. I received each of these as e-ARCs from Netgalley, but I also got an advanced listening copy from Netgalley of Anderson in Bloom. So let’s dive in, shall we?
One & Only by Maruene Goo
I absolutely flew through One & Only because it drew me in immediately. The premise of the book is that Cassia’s family have been matchmakers for generations and Cassia knows the name of her soulmate, Daniel Nam. What she doesn’t expect is to meet Daniel Nam through the man who immediately charmed her and who she went out with and has a great connection with, Ellis. If you liked Kate Canterbary’s The Magnolia Chronicles, I think you should pick this up. This book truly does feel like it balances screen time with Ellis and Daniel and Cassia solo in a way that makes it feel a little more tilted towards women’s fiction than romance, and yet, at the end of the day, it’s deeply romantic. The writing is so charming and fun and the emotions feel so real. You can genuinely feel Cassia’s heart being torn between what her head thinks based on her heritage and understanding of soulmates and what her heart wants. I think it’s a remarkable book and perfect for what it is, but as per usual, I found myself struggling with the more mystical part of this book.
Anderson in Bloom
by Jennifer Dugan
This book is truly fantastic. It’s probably arguably my favorite sapphic romance I’ve ever read?? That feels bold, but honestly, this is so angsty, so full of yearning. It’s giving Ava Wilder brand of emotions paired with Taylor Swift’s “Elizabeth Taylor,” which probably doesn’t make the most sense to everyone, but makes perfect sense to me. This book is about two child stars who fell in love while becoming famous and broke, shattered really, while being famous and now haven’t spoken in years. And yet, the two of them are it for one another. Andy is hiding out in this small town where she and Nikki had once vacationed as a florist, pretending to be the cousin to her famous self if people recognize her. Then Nikki announces that she’s writing a memoir and Andy comes a little unglued. Things happen and then Nikki and Andy are back in one another’s orbit and wow, the push and pull of their love and hurt toward one another is absolutely marvelous.
I listened to this book via the audiobook, which I was lucky enough to receive from the publisher via Netgalley and the narrator did a phenomenal job. I absolutely loved this one. I would recommend it to everyone, but especially if you’re in the mood to have your heart strings pulled on.
No Place Like You
by Jillian Meadows
The first 75% of this book sent me to the stratosphere, I loved it so much. I was sobbing in my bed for reasons I really don’t understand while reading it past my bedtime and I kept trying to sneak pages in at work, but couldn’t manage to do so. The last quarter of the book didn’t land perfectly for me, but I am 99.9% sure that’s a personal problem. The first 75% has a lot of unresolved sexual tension and it just didn’t work for me quite as well once it started resolving. The angst component of the end worked for me though. Anyway, I haven’t even told you what this book is about.
Basically, Fable and Theo used to be best friends, but then in high school, they started being rivals instead and then Theo embarrassed Fable and now they haven’t talked in ages, despite the fact that Fable’s best friend is Theo’s sister. Theo left town after high school, but now he’s back and needs to prove that he’s there to stay. Meanwhile, Fable and the Oaks family are stalwart pillars of the community, despite the fact that Fable feels like she has no idea what she’s doing with her life, or even what she wants to be doing. There’s so much to this book and the emotional journey for both Fable and Theo. It’s really, really wonderful, but involves grief and healing from childhood trauma related to domestic violence. Theo and Fable find their way back to being friends while faking a relationship to help it seem like Theo is committed to staying in town. I absolutely adored the way this book handled the fake dating, because it felt like it was a good twist on the trope that involved a little less lying. All in all, I am obsessed with Meadows writing and would like her to continue publishing for years and years and years so I can keep reading her books forever.
Closing Thoughts
I told y’all I really loved these books! They’re not all perfect, but they are all magnificent and I would definitely recommend! And I didn’t mention it, but I read each of these in less than 48 hours and these days that is saying a lot. My attention span has been questionable at best for months. I didn’t even have an audiobook to help me through No Place Like You so genuinely, be impressed. Anyway, have you read any of these? Do you want to? Let me know!
xx
firewhiskeyreader 