The Second Chance Store - Lauren Bravo

It was the cover of Lauren Bravo's new novel - The Second Chance Store - that caught my eye. I can't ever walk past a second hand store...there are treasures just waiting for me! 

Thirty-eight old Gwen has just been made redundant at work. She's trying hard to convince herself that this is a positive thing - she can take this time to figure out what she really wants to do with her life. She also needs/wants people in her life - friends and maybe a special someone? After cleaning out some stuff in her closet, she finds herself in a second chance store. And finds herself filling out a volunteer application...

I love the characters Bravo has created, especially Gwen. She's believable, and I think many of us will identify with her inner dialogue, thoughts and actions. The supporting cast is a very mixed bag of quirky characters who all bring something to the table. Their stories and lives are just as compelling.

It was a joy to see Gwen move forward (with more than a few side steps). I'm going to leave it for you to discover how that happens. I don't think Gwen is unique in her situation. Covid has left many folks isolated and lonely.

Now, here's the fun bit. Alternating with Gwen's narrative are small stories. About many of the items found in the Second Chance Store! I've done this myself when in a used goods store. Who had this, why did they let it go?

The Second Chance Store is a lovely, slower paced tale. I found myself picking up and putting down the book over a few weeks but I did really enjoy it. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Second Chance Store.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? - Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? is Lizzie Damilola Blackburn's just released debut novel. I was going to love it from the first pages...

Huzband (pronounced auz*band)

" A nonexistent man in a nonexistent marriage whose whereabouts is often asked, usually by Nigerian mums and aunties, of single British-Nigerian women. e.g. "So, Yinka, where is your huzband? Ah, ah. You're thirty-one now!"

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? was an absolute joy to read. Even more so with the world today. Sometimes you just need an 'escape' read - one that will take you away, make you laugh, make you nod your head in agreement or disbelief (those aunties are intense!) And I believe every reader will connect with the book through a situation or a piece of dialogue. The depiction of family, friendship, culture and community was so very well done. It's not all perfect, but instead is believable and mirrors real life.

Blackburn also explores faith, social issues and the workplace. There's a myriad of supporting characters, each with a different outlook that adds greatly to the overall story. But the book belongs to Yinka as she tries to find what's next for her in life, in love and more. And it's most definitely not a straight path.

From Operation Wedding Date to the final revelation, the reader will be behind Yinka as she looks for love - and herself. From the author's dedication page...."And to all the women who question their worth. Remember, you're always deserving of self-love..."

A wonderful debut and I look forward to Blackburn's next book.  See for yourself - read an excerpt of Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?

The Wish - Nicholas Sparks

Get out your tissue box - Nicholas Sparks' new book, The Wish, has just released!

Do you remember your first love? Was it just a high school fling or the real thing? In 1995 for sixteen year old Maggie Dawes, Bryce Trickett was the real deal. 

It's now December 2019 and Maggie finds herself grounded in the gallery she runs. A sobering medical diagnosis has her reliving and recounting her past to the young man who is her assistant.

The past takes us to the North Carolina island of Okracoke - a real place I would love to visit. It is here that Maggie goes to live with her aunt and finish up her school year. She's fallen behind, so Bryce is hired as her tutor... Uh huh, they become friends and more. Sparks does a great job building the relationship in a thoughtful, caring manner. And it was easy to see how the two fell in love. The setting is absolutely wonderfully drawn as well. The supporting cast on the island are people you'd want to have in your own life - Aunt Linda especially. 

Sparks flips the narrative from past to present, with Maggie's story slowly coming to light. And just when you're totally caught up in either past or present, the time frame changes. A guaranteed way to keep me up late turning pages. Now, the present is not a static time. Christmas is around the corner and Maggie and Mark decorate and take in events and experiences, many of them based on Maggie's memories of Okracoke. Which made me want to start decorating already!

Now, you just know that Sparks is going to play on your emotions - and yes, I bawled my eyes out in the last few chapters. And I was pretty sure I knew what the final pages (and I was right.) But, I really enjoyed the journey there. Heartwarming and heartbreaking. 

Sparks is a consummate story teller and this newest only confirms that. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Wish.

This is How We Fly - Anna Meriano

My latest teen read is This is How We Fly by Anna Meriano. Young adult reads have changed a great deal over the years. While marketed as teen reads, there is much to be learned for all ages from this genre. That's definitely the case with This is How We Fly. 

This is the last summer before Ellen heads off to college. She and her two besties aren't headed to the same places, so she is looking forward to spending the summer with them. But, the best laid plans....

Instead, one friend wants to cut the ties now and Ellen herself is grounded - for the entire summer. Thanks to her stepmother Connie, Ellen will be doing a list of chores every day. And her dad backs Connie up. (A little bit of Cinderella there...) 

I loved Ellen and her passion for her own beliefs, whether it's feminism, veganism or climate control, she is determined to make the world a better place. Connie and Dad really irked me. Connie is well, mean, and her dialogue had me fuming. We get to know bestie Melissa much more than Xiumiao, but both are well drawn with their own issues instead of just being a foil for Ellen.

When Melissa joins a Quidditch team (yup, you read that right - the Harry Potter game), Ellen gets reluctant permission to join as well. The team, the players and the game are a big focus of the plot. I thought it was a unique premise and a great vehicle to introduce so many topics, themes and situations. Friendship, gender identity, romantic relationships, sex, belonging, blended families, coming of age and acceptance can all be found in these pages. There are so many personalities introduced though the team and tournaments. I thought they were really well done and inclusive.

I've of course read all the Potter books and had a pretty good mental image of a Quidditch match. But I had no idea of how this would be played in our reality. Meriano provides great descriptions. And the title of the book is from that question...." If it's Quidditch....how do you fly?" 

I thought the writing was great and I enjoyed This is How We Fly very much. I did think the 'resolution' at the end of the book was a bit quick, but it's the right ending. Read an excerpt of This is How We Fly.

Dear Emmie Blue - Lia Louis

It was the balloon that sold me on Lia Louis's new book, Dear Emmie Blue.

Emmie was sixteen when she tied her contact information to a balloon and let it fly. The balloon made it from England to France, where Lucas found it. The two connected and have been the best of friends for fourteen years. Although....Emmie has been hoping it might become something more....

I loved the idea of a friendship starting with a found message. Louis does a fantastic job detailing the friendship, the caring, the banter and the ease of these two together, along with Lucas's older brother Eliot and their parents.

Emmie was such a great lead - she suffered a traumatic experience years ago and it has marked her life in so many ways. Along with the somewhat slapdash parenting her single mom provided. Emmie is kind and giving, but somewhat hesitant because of that background. The listener can't help but wish the world for her.

And speaking of wishes...we don't always get what we want do we? Does Emmie get her wish for a deeper relationship with Lucas? I'm not going to spoil things for you, but the path to true love is not always a straight line. And again, kudos to Louis for the excellent romantic plotting - so well written, believable and well, wishable. There are a number of supporting players - some you will happily dislike and others you'll adore. And you will need tissues at a few points.

Louis tackles some harder topics with a gentle and understanding touch. Well done. I really enjoyed Dear Emmie Blue and for me it was a five star listen.

As I said, I chose to listen to Dear Emmie Blue and I am so glad I did. I've often said it - I truly feel more immersed in a story when I listen. The reader was Katy Sobey and she was excellent. Her voice completely suited the mental image I had created for Emmie. Her voice is pleasant to listen to, easy to understand and well paced. She has a lovely British accent. The voices she created for the male characters were good as well and differentiated enough that you knew who was speaking. I feel like she 'got' the book and the plot and it showed in her interpretation of Louis's story. And those really emotional bits of the story? Yep, she had me in tears. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of Dear Emmie Blue.