Book #25:

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (Length: 317 pages).  I read this memoir, but I’ve heard that audio is really the way to go here. I’m not necessarily a big Ina Garten fan but I do appreciate memoirs written by successful businesswomen and this certainly meets the bill. Ina has such an interesting back story regarding how she started her empire. She’s clearly savvy when it comes to business, and I enjoyed her concrete examples of specific business decisions she made that affected the arc of her long career. Her stories about her husband Jeffrey are also fun to read. A solid 4 stars from me here. Would make a great Mother’s Day gift too.

Book #26:

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez (Length: 361 pages). This is yet another FANTASTIC Abby Jimenez romance. Here, veterinarian Xavier shares a fabulous first date with mustard company PR whiz Samantha, and then the next day Sam has to leave the state for good. Sam’s mom has early dementia (at age 54!) and needs full-time care, so Sam moves to CA from Minnesota to help the rest of the family take care of her mom. The chemistry and banter between Xavier and Sam are top-notch and the dementia storyline is treated with Abby’s trademark care and sensitivity. (She’s known for her in-depth research into these topics). I absolutely adored this book and hugged it when I was done. 5 stars.

Book #27:

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino (Length: 338 pages).  Adina is an alien from another planet who is born from a human (a single mother living in Philadelphia). This novel is told via Adina’s experiences as a human, with summaries and commentary sent to her alien “superiors” via an old-fashioned fax machine. This is so well-written (minus a few annoying misspelled words) and is so poignant and revelatory about the human experience. The “alien” portion is 1% of this novel, and the rest is truly a beautifully written coming of age novel that is so unique and therefore, memorable. Would make a great book club book. 4 stars.

Book #28:

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren (Length: 367 pages).  Another favorite rom-com author (a duo actually) has written yet another fantastic romance. This one has Pretty Woman vibes thanks to billionaire Liam Weston, heir to a grocery store dynasty, needs to show up at his sister’s wedding at a luxurious private island with a plus one, his fake wife to whom he’s been fake married for the past 5 years, in order to cash into his inheritance/trust fund. Enter Anna Green, a college friend of Liam’s younger brother who helped Anna “marry” Liam almost 5 years ago to get access to cheap family housing in college. Anna is desperate for money to help pay her father’s medical bills and says yes to the scheme. The island setting here is magical, the chemistry between Liam and Anna is believable from the jump (mostly due to Anna’s fun personality) and the family drama is angsty without being too fraught with tension. This is a memorable, fun read that would be PERFECT on vacation. 4.5 stars from me.