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Hey pen friend!

If you've been following me on Instagram, you probably know that I am a reader. I was actually a bookseller for a few years while in university and before starting my career. I even kept a book blog in the 2010s.

So I've decided to bring my love of reading into my email newsletter. I hope you don't mind me sharing some of my reading highlights every couple of months or so.

In today's email newsletter, I'm sharing a book I loved this past month, a book I DNF, and a current read.

A Book I Loved:

Dear Rosie, by S.J. Tilly
​Series: Love Letters #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle ebook via Kindle Unlimited
More Info: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org​

It's been a while since I've read a book that made me cry. Dear Rosie, is a romance story about two childhood best friends that lost touch because of a wrong address. Nathan grew up to become a famous football star, and Rosie grew up having a less than ideal childhood but ended up making something of herself with her own catering business. A lot of the backstory is told through a series of unsent letters, and it was absolutely heartbreaking. Dear Rosie, had a predictable plot twist, but I was so invested in Rosie's story, the predictability of it all didn't matter. S.J. Tilly had me invested in these characters, which I think is the hallmark of a great romance novel.

A Book I Did Not Finish (DNF):

Disclaimer: Many thanks to William Morrow Paperbacks for gifting me copies of Don't Cross Mo Ellery by Birdie Horne. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Don't Cross Mo Ellery by Birdie Horne​
Genre: Mystery
Format: eARC
More Info: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Bookshop.org | Libro.fm ​

I wanted to enjoy Don't Cross Mo Ellery. I honestly thought it'd be right up my alley since I'm a fan of the Stephanie Plum series, the Finlay Donovan series, and the Vera Wong series. Humorous, amateur investigators are my jam; however, Don't Cross Mo Ellery didn't work for me. Ultimately, it boiled down to the lack of supportive side characters.

Don't Cross Mo Ellery gets its humor from the fact that Mo, the main character, is simply a train wreck. She keeps getting herself into bad situations and has little support from anyone. Humor because a character is simply a walking disaster isn't my thing. Instead of finding it funny, I just get second hand embarrassment. I'm more into the humorous banter with supporting characters, which all of the series I mention above have. So in the end I DNF this story at about 40%.

A Current Read:

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera​
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Format: Audiobook
Narrators: January LaVoy and Will Damron
More Info: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Bookshop.org | Libro.fm ​

I'm currently reading Listen for the Lie on audiobook. I'm only about 15% into the story, but thus far, I know it's very well produced. It's a story that has a fake true crime podcast aspect to it. So I knew reading it via audiobook would be a fantastic experience. I hope the story ends up being just as good as its production. I'll be honest, it hasn't gripped me as quickly as some other mystery/thrillers I've read, but I'm curious to see if the plot picks up once Lucy, the main character accused of murdering her best friend, meets Ben, the podcast host investigating the case.

What have you been reading lately? What was your favorite read so far this year? I'm always looking for book recommendations! Please respond to this email or send me a DM on Instagram if you'd like to share.

I'll catch you all in my next email. Happy reading!

<3, Amy

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