Love You More by Emily Giffin

 

A lovely and touching story of love, of change, and of a second chance. The characters of Billie, Mick, Phoebe, and Dean are carefully crafted to relay their emotions and personalities, struggles and acceptance. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel.

Strange Bedfellows by Amanda Mortlock

 

Strange Bedfellows is a very strange and weird novel. There is a cat who changes to a girl and back as the familiar for a guy who is clueless but ardent. Then, there is a witch and her dog familiar (a guy) that shows up and everything goes haywire. A lot of spicy stuff and it feels really weird when it is the dog as a man and the cat woman. The story was a little too strange for me.

Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen

 

Stories that enchant you and bring you into a place where magic abounds are so fun to read. This is Ms. Allen’s specialty and Paper Ghosts does not disappoint. Occurrences of ghosts, deep disappointments, hidden secrets, and backstabbing friends unite to create a tale of love and loss, of the chance to rectify errors. Another terrific novel to enjoy.

Across the Street by Christian Hakiza

 

This novel-oh my goodness. It is so emotional and heart hitting. The relationships are well defined and very deep. The mistakes of a father, long grieving his wife, unable to be a relatable father-loving his son but not knowing how. Nori and Sophie-friends since young, understanding each other yet not. I cried most of the way through the novel because of the heartache of the story and of the many missing chances. It was a good cry from feeling the story. Excellent novel.

Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki

 

A very moving and delightful novel. The gentle ways lives and outcomes are changed at a mysterious cat coffee shop are touching. The planets described as beings with their own personalities, Neptune in particular, engage with two persons with a past both of whom are given the chance to change the trajectory of their lives and choices. It all happens at a mysterious cat cafe that appears when needed. I loved the writing and will be looking at more of the author’s novels to also read.

Sweet Pea by Kit De Waal

 

I found this novel to be very sad and borderline depressing. The life of Paulette is fraught with bad decisions and heartache. She carries grief for years from the accidental death of her married lover, has a baby with his best friend, and lives her life moving from one mistake to another. Her treatment as a Black woman in 1970’s England is reflective of the racism of the age and the hardness of life in a predominantly white area. The last chapter was a tearjerker.

Return to Sender by Stephanie Parente

 

An undelivered and returned to sender letter draws three grieving persons together on a journey across the country to deliver the letter to the intended. The story is a heartfelt and tender look at grief which has impacted two sisters (one fourteen years old) and a stranger on this quest. Along the way, feelings are evident as healing begins. Add in an unexpected romance and it is a very touching and often uplifting novel.

Just as a side comment, if you have ever experienced the type of grief that steals your Joy and strikes at any moment months or years later, the emotions of the characters will ring very true, as they did for me.