PositiveLibrary JournalRay tells Amy’s story in alternating past and present timelines, which makes for successful exposition and draws readers into the mystery ... The novel unfortunately drifts into TV movie territory, but readers will root for Amy, who’s winningly drawn as a kind soul undeserving of heartbreak. For fans of sensitive, uplifting women’s fiction, with a little mystery.
Freya Sampson
RaveLibrary JournalSampson’s winning debut adorably illustrates how a library can be much more than a place where people borrow books. Readers will have all the feels as they root for June, learn what the library means to the village’s residents, and see how crucial libraries are to communities ... Fans of libraries and heartfelt, humorous women’s fiction with a powerful message and a hint of romance won’t want to miss this one! It’s so good that readers may very well devour it in one sitting.
Sofia Lundberg tr. by Nicola Smalley
RaveLibrary JournalLundberg’s sophomore work (after The Red Address Book) deftly and sensitively tells Elin’s past and present life stories in the ever-popular alternating chapter format. She builds Elin’s story slowly, but once the OMG moment hits, readers will turn the pages as if they are burning. For fans of narratives about conflicted and tormented heroines trying to make peace with their pasts.
Madeleine Henry
RaveLibrary JournalHenry uses deep characterizations and poetic descriptions to deliver a mesmerizing love story that contains a lot of serious science talk but luckily doesn’t require prior knowledge of physics. Fans of stories about the power of first love and the struggle to listen to one’s head or heart should not pass this one up.
Leesa Cross-Smith
PositiveLibrary Journal... [Cross-Smith] display[s] skill and a knack for detailed descriptions ... Though uneven, several entertaining stories make this collection best for voracious short story fans.
Emily Gould
MixedLibrary JournalGould\'s second novel...is essentially about how parenting can be rewarding but also challenging; the music angle alluded to in the title is secondary. The character development is uneven, and the parenting angle is often tedious, but fans of women\'s fiction about young mothers, daughters, and life dreams might enjoy it.
Karma Brown
RaveLibrary Journal... chapters alternate between Alice and Nellie, though more chapters are dedicated to modern-day Alice and her escalating power struggle with Nate; Nellie’s chapters transport readers to a time that was much different yet in some ways the same ... Brown kills it; her latest is a winner so captivating that fans of modern and old-fashioned stories about women could easily read it in one day.
