Review: The Love Hypothesis

by Leann Pettit, posted in Book Reviews

This was definitely a Bookstagram made me do it book. I had read so many glowing reviews about The Love Hypothesis that I couldn’t resist making this my Book of the Month back in September. And when @beautys.library chose this as the December book club pick, I jumped in.

Granted, I didn’t read this book until January.

Olive was so relatable – so awkwardly relatable. Even though I work in communications, I could absolutely relate to the issues Olive encountered in her lab.

Fake dating might be my favorite trope. And The Love Hypothesis did not disappoint. There were the perfect awkward moments, soft and tender moments, and moments that made me laugh out loud.

I absolutely loved Adam and Olive together. I couldn’t get enough of them! And Olive’s friends made everything more awkward (if that’s possible) and ridiculous.

Honestly, I loved this book so much I read the whole thing in a day and already miss being with these characters. I can’t wait until the next book comes out in this series.

Review: Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane

by Leann Pettit, posted in Book Reviews

The Little Christmas Shop n Nutcracker Lane was such a cute read during the holidays. Nia is such a relatable character – someone who is working jobs she hates to be bale to pursue her dream.

I loved Nutcracker Lane and wish there was a place like that near me. Whenever I travel during the holidays, I always hope to find a Christmas market because I LOVE those!

This story absolutely reminded me the importance of shopping local all year round and how important our local shopkeepers are to our community.

I did guess the surprise pretty early on while reading this one, but I still enjoyed getting to the twist itself.

Review: Christmas on 4th Street

by Leann Pettit, posted in Book Reviews

Susan Mallery’s Christmas on 4th Street was a cute read, but not my favorite holiday romance I read this holiday season. 

Noelle has recently moved to Fool’s Gold and has made a number of friends. Whereas Gabriel has just returned for the holidays from the Army to visit his brother Gideon.

While both Noelle and Gabriel have a lot of personal history to overcome, they find solace and peace with each other. There are undertones of learning to love yourself again in this story.

However, I did feel like the relationship and the romance was a little too fast for me.

This was a mostly clean romance, with kissing and a fade to black scene.

Review: Dropkick Romance

by Leann Pettit, posted in Book Reviews

Dropkick Romance by Parker Lee (nee Cyrus Parker) was the perfect book read at the end 2021.

I truly love the poetry by Parker Lee, and find that it touches my soul so deeply. I wind up taking photos of different poems and sending them to friends and family or just storing them in my phone for later. And Dropkick Romance was no different.

This book dealt with finding love again, both within yourself and with others. Learning to love and to trust another. And working on yourself, loving the person you put forward in the world.

Review: I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas

by Leann Pettit, posted in Book Reviews

I’m a sucker for Christmas romances this time of year. But when I saw Lewis Black had a Christmas book, I was sold.

I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas is definitely not your typical Christmas book. There’s a lot of honesty about the holiday from Black – a Jew looking at the holiday from the outside.

I’ve actually never laughed so hard while reading a Christmas book. There were times I had to stop and reread a section because I was laughing and trying to read through tears, or I wanted to read the section aloud to The Boyfriend.

I also really like Black’s writing style. There were a number of times I could hear his voice in my head speaking the words on the page. He has such a distinct diction when he speaks that it also translates to the page.

While I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas was a humorous, feel-good book, the last chapter was so heart warming and brought actual tears to my eyes. Black writes about the couple of years he did Christmas USO tours with Robin Williams overseas. That last sentence wrapped up the book and the holiday season so perfectly.

Review: A Wedding in December

by Leann Pettit, posted in Book Reviews

Oh. My. Goodness. Sarah Morgan’s A Wedding in December was the ultimate holiday romance to put my in the holiday spirits and welcome winter.

Rosie announces she is engaged and getting married on Christmas Eve to a man she hasn’t dated very long. And who she met while at university in the US. Her family has to fly from England to Aspen, Colorado for the wedding, but also will experience a white Christmas!

With so many moving pieces of the family dynamic – parents who are temporarily separated, a sister who is burnt out at work, Rosie having a few doubts about the wedding, and the future mother-in-law trying to make the experience in Aspen and the wedding perfect, you know something is bound to go wrong.

I absolutely loved this story – the family struggles felt so real, the situations could have come from personal experiences. The author also captured the magic of snow and made me – who loves snow from indoors, but hates the slush and muck outside –  want to experience winter in Colorado.

I did find myself at the end wishing there was more on this family, though! I want to know where Katie and Jordan and Maggie and Nick all end up after the happily ever after is over.

Review: Gobbledy

by Leann Pettit, posted in Book Reviews

Gobbledy was such a cute middle grade read. Dexter and Fi find a glowing rock in the woods behind their homes, which turns into a small extraterrestrial. Who grows and grows.

While this is a holiday story, Christmas plays a very small role in the story.

Gobbledy was such a heartwarming little critter – and reading this book was the perfect way to ease into the holidays for me.A little adventure, a little mischief, a little holiday spirit, all rolled into one fun read!

Review: The One She Needs

by Leann Pettit, posted in Book Reviews

Marissa J Gramoll’s A Game Like Ours was one of my favorite books I have read this year. When Marissa announced she was writing a prequel that focuses on Cody’s story, I was in.

This was a short novella with multiple points of view, bouncing between Cody, Lexie and Bobby, and definitely feeds right into A Game Like Ours.

I once again fell in love with Bobby and Lexie, but I didn’t feel the same connection to Cody. I wanted to fall in love with Cody the same way I did with Bobby and Lexie but I couldn’t understand Lexie’s connection to him. That said, I did feel for Cody’s family situation.

This was a lovely, short read that I really enjoyed. If you haven’t already read A Game Like Ours, this is the perfect opportunity to start reading the Suncastle Knights series!

Review: All Cats are Introverts

by Leann Pettit, posted in Book Reviews

All Cats are Introverts would be the perfect stocking stuffer for that person on your shopping list who: loves cats, is not a fan of people and appreciates likes some light poetry.

I read this with The Boyfriend and we enjoyed laughing at how true some of these poems were to our kitty – who does not like people who aren’t here own humans – and to The Boyfriend himself who is definitely not a people person.

This is short, fun read with lots of super cute photos of kitties. Definitely a winner for the holidays!

Also good for the holidays – these candles from Birthdate Candles. This one for February Ninth has such a light delicate scent that it isn’t overwhelming and I love to burn. It’s a combination just for this birthdate of lavender, sage, and neroli. Go check out your birthday’s scent at Birthdate Candle Co and save when you use LEANNREADS10!