Genre: Contemporary Romance

#BookReview The Air He Breathes by Brittainy Cherry @SourcebooksCasa #BrittainyCherry #TheAirHeBreathes #ElementsSeries #SourcebooksCasa

#BookReview The Air He Breathes by Brittainy Cherry @SourcebooksCasa #BrittainyCherry #TheAirHeBreathes #ElementsSeries #SourcebooksCasa Title: The Air He Breathes

Author: Brittainy Cherry

Series: Elements #1

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca on Mar. 19, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 9/10

I was warned about Tristan Cole.

“Stay away from him,” people said. “He’s cruel. He’s cold. He’s damaged.”

It’s easy to judge a man because of his past. To look at Tristan and see a monster. But I couldn’t do that. I had to accept the wreckage that lived inside of him because it also lived inside of me.

We were both empty. We were both looking for something else. Something more. We both wanted to put together the shattered pieces of our yesterdays.

Then perhaps we could finally remember how to breathe.


Review:

Hopeful, passionate, and heart-wrenching!

The Air He Breathes is an angsty, emotional tale that takes you into the lives of Tristan Cole, a young widower still struggling to find a reason to go on after losing his wife and son in a tragic accident, and Elizabeth, a newly widowed mother of a little girl who is still grappling herself with the sudden loss of her husband and with the all-consuming grief that is preventing her from moving on.

The writing is smooth and tender. The characters are multi-layered, scarred, and lonely. And the plot, including all the subplots, skillfully intertwines and unravels into a touching tale about life, love, guilt, grief, family, secrets, mistakes, friendship, happiness, self-discovery, obsession, deception, relationship dynamics, mental health, new beginnings, and the day-to-day struggles of dealing with extreme loss.

Overall, The Air He Breathes is a beautiful mix of hope, heart, tragedy, and healing that is not only a heartrending, emotive, lovely novel by Cherry but one which I don’t think anyone could possibly read and not be absorbed and thoroughly moved.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

     

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Brittainy Cherry

Brittainy Cherry is an acclaimed author known for her emotionally gripping novels that resonate with readers seeking profound, heartrending stories. With an impressive body of work and a dedicated fan base, she continues to captivate readers with her unique storytelling.

#BookReview Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle @RebeccaASerle @AtriaBooks @SimonSchusterCA #ExpirationDates #RebeccaSerle #SimonSchusterCA #Gifted

#BookReview Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle @RebeccaASerle @AtriaBooks @SimonSchusterCA #ExpirationDates #RebeccaSerle #SimonSchusterCA #Gifted Title: Expiration Dates

Author: Rebecca Serle

Published by: Atria Books on Mar. 19, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 272

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Being single is like playing the lottery. There’s always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all.

From the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer comes the romance that will define a generation.

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man , she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a Jake.

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.

Told with her signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart, Rebecca Serle has finally set her sights on romantic love. The result is a gripping, emotional, passionate, and (yes) heartbreaking novel about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. Expiration Dates is the one fans have been waiting for.


Review:

Pensive, fresh, and romantic!

Expiration Dates is a charged, tender tale that takes you into the life of Daphne Bell, a young woman with a big secret who, after so long believing in fate and the mysterious papers she always receives that tell her exactly how long her relationships will last, thinks she may have finally found the one when the latest slip of paper has no end date, only a name.

The prose is heartfelt and immersive. The characters are flawed, troubled, and genuine. And the plot is an absorbing tale about life, loss, love, grief, friendship, family, relationship dynamics, introspection, hope, happiness, and romance, all interwoven with a thread of the supernatural.

Overall, Expiration Dates is a compelling, heartwarming, optimistic tale by Serle that does a beautiful job of reminding us to always live life to the fullest and surround ourselves with those we love.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Rebecca Serle

Rebecca Serle is the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years, The Dinner List, and the young adult novels The Edge of Falling and When You Were Mine. Serle also developed the hit TV adaptation Famous in Love, based on her YA series of the same name. She is a graduate of USC and The New School and lives in Los Angeles.

Photo by Ann Molen.

#BookReview Just Another Epic Love Poem by Parisa Akhbari @angelamelamud #JustAnotherEpicLovePoem #ParisaAkhbari

#BookReview Just Another Epic Love Poem by Parisa Akhbari @angelamelamud #JustAnotherEpicLovePoem #ParisaAkhbari Title: Just Another Epic Love Poem

Author: Parisa Akhbari

Published by: Dial Books on Mar. 12, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Young Adult

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: Angela Melamud

Book Rating: 9/10

Best friendship blossoms into something more in this gorgeously written queer literary romance.

Over the past five years, Mitra Esfahani has known two her best friend Bea Ortega and The Book—a dogeared moleskin she and Bea have been filling with the stanzas of an epic, never-ending poem since they were 13.

For introverted Mitra, The Book is one of the few places she can open herself completely and where she gets to see all sides of brilliant and ebullient Bea. There, they can share everything—Mitra’s complicated feelings about her absent mother, Bea’s heartache over her most recent breakup—nothing too messy or complicated for The Book.

Nothing except the one thing with the power to change their entire the fact that Mitra is helplessly in love with Bea.

Told in lyrical, confessional prose and snippets of poetry Just Another Epic Love Poem takes readers on a journey that is equal parts joyful, heartbreaking, and funny as Mitra and Bea navigate the changing nature of I love you.


Review:

Sweet, tender, and uplifting!

Just Another Epic Love Poem is an absorbing, tender tale that takes you into the life of best friends Mitra Esfahani and Bea Ortega as they navigate a senior year that includes a strict Catholic environment, strained friendships, familial drama, and the transition from being friends to a whole lot more.

The writing is smooth and fluid. The characters are well-drawn, genuine, and vulnerable. And the plot is the perfect blend of heart, hope, healing, drama, and emotion.

Overall, Just Another Epic Love Poem is, ultimately, a story about coming-of-age, life, friendship, family, self-discovery, culture, responsibilities, patience, independence, and the joys of falling in love. It’s an empowering, charming, heart-tugging novel by Akhbari that is a true delight to read.

 

This novel is available now!

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

 

       

 

 

Thank you to Dial Books and Angela Melamud for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Parisa Akhbari

Parisa is a mental health therapist and writer from Seattle, Washington. Her favorite Catholic school memory is of playing a nun in her school’s production of The Sound of Music, and inadvertently developing crushes on several of the other nuns. When not writing or therapizing, she can be found trying to replicate her grandmother’s drool-worthy Persian recipes, riding ferries around the Puget Sound, and dancing around the kitchen with her wife and dogs. Parisa's writing is represented by Quressa Robinson of Folio Literary Management, and her debut YA novel will be released by Dial/Penguin on March 12, 2024.

Photo by Muqu Javad.

#BookReview The Neighbor Wager by Crystal Kaswell @entangledpub @angelamelamud #TheNeighborWager #CrystalKaswell

#BookReview The Neighbor Wager by Crystal Kaswell @entangledpub @angelamelamud #TheNeighborWager #CrystalKaswell Title: The Neighbor Wager

Author: Crystal Kaswell

Published by: Entangled Publishing on Feb. 20, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Angela Melamud, Entangled Publishing

Book Rating: 7.5/10

Meet River. He used to be the nerd next door…only now he’s all grown up, got a sleeve of tattoos, and women seem to like him. A lot.

Even Lexi, the girl of River’s teenaged dreams, all bubbly sweetness—never noticed him. Until now.

There’s only one problem. They’re not meant for each other.

Now it’s up to Deanna, the super pragmatic, algorithm-fueled brains behind the new dating app Meetcute to make sure they realize it.

River might be certain he knows true love when he sees it, but Deanna knows differently, and the future of her company is riding on it. All she has to do is prove to him that what he’s feeling for Lexi isn’t love. Not even close.

…even if it means making him fall for Deanna, instead.

Challenge accepted.


Review:

Spirited, enticing, and fun!

The Neighbor Wager is a lighthearted, engaging tale featuring the hardworking Deanna Huntington who, after working extremely hard to get her new dating app off the ground, is determined to do whatever it takes to prove her algorithms are correct, even if it means showing the boy next door who has always had a crush on her younger sister that she might actually be his better match after all.

The prose is amusing and sweet. The characters are intelligent, resolute, and confident. And the plot is a flirty, entertaining blend of life, love, friendship, chemistry, attraction, tricky situations, self-discovery, family, happiness, and romance.

Overall, The Neighbor Wager is a charming, humorous, sassy tale by Kaswell that is a contemporary twist on the classic “Sabrina” tale.

 

This novel is available now!

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

 

       

 

 

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Angela Melamud for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Crystal Kaswell

Crystal Kaswell writes fun, sexy new adult romances. She loves writing flawed, three-dimensional characters who deal with real problems.

Her weaknesses include dark chocolate, homemade chai lattes, TV marathons, and men with full-sleeves tattoos. She is a diehard defender of pop-punk music, the present tense, and Katniss Everdeen.

#BookReview Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday @HBGCanada @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #ReadForever2024 #JennyHoliday #CanadianBoyfriend #HBGCanada

#BookReview Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday @HBGCanada @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #ReadForever2024 #JennyHoliday #CanadianBoyfriend #HBGCanada Title: Canadian Boyfriend

Author: Jenny Holiday

Published by: Forever on Jan. 30, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: HBG Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Fate brings together a ballet teacher and a hockey player in this big-hearted novel about second chances and taking risks.

Once upon a time teenage Aurora Evans met a hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. And soon, he was the perfect fake boyfriend, a get-out-of-jail-free card for all kinds of sticky situations. I can’t go to prom. I’m going to be visiting my boyfriend in Canada. He was just what she needed to cover her social awkwardness. He never had to know. It wasn’t like she was ever going to see him again…

Years later, Aurora is teaching kids’ dance classes and battling panic and eating disorders—souvenirs from her failed ballet career—when pro hockey player Mike Martin walks in with his daughter. Mike’s honesty about his struggles with widowhood helps Aurora confront some of her own demons, and the two forge an unlikely friendship. There’s just one problem: Mike is the boy she spent years pretending was her “Canadian boyfriend.”

The longer she keeps her secret, the more she knows it will shatter the trust between them. But to have the life she wants, she needs to tackle the most important thing of all—believing in herself.


Review:

Winsome, warm, and uplifting!

Canadian Boyfriend is an absorbing, heartfelt tale that takes you into the lives of two main characters. Mike Martin, a professional hockey player and widower whose main focus is raising his daughter the best way he can, and Aurora Evans, a former ballerina turned dance teacher who, after pretending to date a Canadian hockey player for years as a teen, may have finally just stumbled across the man himself in real life.

The writing is light and tender. The characters are supportive, kind, and genuine. And the plot is an entertaining, amusing mix of life, love, family, friendship, grief, trust, compassion, happiness, healing, self-reflection, tricky moments, undeniable attraction, and romance.

Overall, Canadian Boyfriend is a cosy, sweet, heart-tugging tale by Holiday with characters I couldn’t help but fall in love with, a push-pull storyline that kept me engaged from start to finish, and a happy-ever-after ending that made me swoon.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to HBG Canada & Forever for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jenny Holiday

Jenny Holiday is a USA Today bestselling author who started writing at age nine when her awesome fourth-grade teacher gave her a notebook and told her to start writing some stories. That first batch featured mass murderers on the loose, alien invasions, and hauntings. (Looking back, she’s amazed no one sent her to a shrink.) She’s been writing ever since. After a detour to get a PhD in geography, she worked as a professional writer, producing everything from speeches to magazine articles. Later, her tastes having evolved from alien invasions to happily-ever-afters, she tried her hand at romance. She lives in London, Ontario, with her family.

#BookReview Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin @eraustinauthor @SimonSchusterCA #InterestingFactsAboutSpace #EmilyAustin #SimonSchusterCA

#BookReview Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin @eraustinauthor @SimonSchusterCA #InterestingFactsAboutSpace #EmilyAustin #SimonSchusterCA Title: Interesting Facts About Space

Author: Emily Austin

Published by: Atria Books on Jan. 30, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA

Pages: 320

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A fast-paced, hilarious, and ultimately hopeful novel for anyone who has ever worried they might be a terrible person—from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead .

Enid is obsessed with space. She can tell you all about black holes and their ability to spaghettify you without batting an eye in fear. Her one major phobia? Bald men. But she tries to keep that one under wraps. When she’s not listening to her favorite true crime podcasts on a loop, she’s serially dating a rotation of women from dating apps. At the same time, she’s trying to forge a new relationship with her estranged half-sisters after the death of her absent father. When she unwittingly plunges into her first serious romantic entanglement, Enid starts to believe that someone is following her.

As her paranoia spirals out of control, Enid must contend with her mounting suspicion that something is seriously wrong with her. Because at the end of the day there’s only one person she can’t outrun—herself.

Brimming with quirky humor, charm, and heart, Interesting Facts about Space effortlessly shows us the power of revealing our secret shames, the most beautifully human parts of us all.


Review:

Quirky, hopeful, and engaging!

Interesting Facts About Space is a sweet, intimate novel that immerses you into the life of Enid, a young woman who uses her love and knowledge of space to help cope with a mom whom she loves dearly but who randomly suffers from mood disorders, a love life that ebbs and flows but is always easier if it never involves too many emotions, two half-sisters who she is never quite sure how to behave around, and a strong, paralyzing phobia of man who are bald.

The prose is sincere and light. The characters are eccentric, multi-layered, and vulnerable. And the plot is a compelling tale of life, love, family, friendship, desires, needs, insecurities, childhood trauma, complex relationships, and mental health.

Overall, Interesting Facts About Space is a unique, tender, humorous tale by Austin that does a beautiful job of highlighting the struggles of being able to perform daily activities, forge true friendships, and experience an all-encompassing love, all while being neurodivergent.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Emily Austin

Emily R. Austin was born in Ontario, Canada, and received a writing grant from the Canadian Council for the Arts in 2020. She studied English literature and library science at Western University. She currently lives in Ottawa. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead is her first novel.

Photo by Bridget Forberg.

#BookReview The Getaway List by Emma Lord @dilemmalord @WednesdayBooks @StMartinsPress #EmmaLord #TheGetawayList #WednesdayBooks #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview The Getaway List by Emma Lord @dilemmalord @WednesdayBooks @StMartinsPress #EmmaLord #TheGetawayList #WednesdayBooks #SMPInfluencers Title: The Getaway List

Author: Emma Lord

Published by: Wednesday Books on Jan. 23, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 314

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

The day of her high school graduation, Riley realizes two things: One, that she has spent the last four years trying so hard to be a Good Kid for her mom that she has no idea who she really is anymore, and two, she has no idea what she wants because of it. The solution? Pack her bags and move to New York for the summer, where her childhood best friend Tom and co-creator of The Getaway List ― a list of all the adventures they’ve wanted to do together since he moved away ― will hopefully help her get in touch with her old adventurous self, and pave the road to a new future.

Riley isn’t sure what to expect from Tom, who has been distant since his famous mom’s scriptwriting career pulled him away. But when Riley arrives in the city, their reconnection is as effortless as it was when they were young―except with one, unexpected complication that will pull Riley’s feelings in a direction she didn’t know they could take. As she, Tom, and their newfound friends work their way through the delightfully chaotic items on The Getaway List, Riley learns that sometimes the biggest adventure is not one you take, but one you feel in your heart.

Inescapably romantic and brimming with Emma Lord’s signature cheer, The Getaway List is an uplifting and romantic read that will settle into your heart and never leave.


Review:

Cute, tender, and uplifting!

The Getaway List is a bighearted, charming tale that takes you into the lives of a handful of teenagers, including Riley, a young woman who, after graduation, decides to embark on a journey to Manhattan to visit her best friend Tom in order to complete a list of adventures they created as kids and perhaps finally discover who she truly is and what she really wants to do with her life.

The writing is smooth and fluid. The characters are well-drawn, genuine, and supportive. And the plot is a lovely blend of heart, hope, humour, and emotion.

The Getaway List is, ultimately, a story about life, friendship, family, coming-of-age, self-discovery, independence, and the joys of falling in love. It’s a sweet, heartwarming, entertaining novel by Lord that’s also a true love letter to the City of New York.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press – Wednesday Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Emma Lord

Emma Lord (she/her) is a digital media editor and writer living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn't writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, a whole lot of love, and copious amounts of grilled cheese. Her books include Tweet Cute, You Have a Match, and When You Get the Chance.

Photo Credit: Clinton B. Photography

#BookReview Love, Naturally by Sophie Sullivan @smpromance @StMartinsPress #SophieSullivan #LoveNaturally #smpromance #smpinfluencers

#BookReview Love, Naturally by Sophie Sullivan @smpromance @StMartinsPress #SophieSullivan #LoveNaturally #smpromance #smpinfluencers Title: Love, Naturally

Author: Sophie Sullivan

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Jan. 16, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Presley Ayers is not the woman you bring on a camping trip. An accomplished concierge at an exclusive hotel in Great Falls, MI, she knows more about the top ten places for champagne and caviar than she does about the best hiking boots to go stomping around near Lake Michigan. But when she surprises her boyfriend of eight months with a vacation to the Get Lost Lodge and he dumps her instead, Presley decides to rough it solo and take the trip herself.

When Beckett Keller helps the gorgeous woman off the rickety boat and onto Lodge territory, it’s clear she’s made a mistake. She doesn’t like hiking, fishing, or nature in general, so why did she go on this trip?―but he’s got other things on his mind. A crumbling lodge, and his own plans and dreams that are forever deferred―so he doesn’t have time for Ms. Fish-Out-of-Water. But neither Beckett or Presley can help that inexplicable draw they feel towards each other. He’s all rough stubble and plaid shirts, while she’s all high heels and brand-name athleisurewear.

But you know what they say about opposites.

A charming opposites-attract romance, Love, Naturally is for anyone who ever stepped outside their comfort zone and found that all the best things can happen when you take a chance.


Review:

Sweet, heartfelt, and fun!

Love, Naturally is a lovely, character-driven rom-com that sweeps you away to Get Lost Lodge and into the lives of the easy-going, kind Presley and the hardworking, considerate Beckett as they discover that opposites do attract, and there may actually be more to their relationship than just fake dating, surface feelings, and a short-term fling.

The prose is fluid and smooth. The characters are helpful, attentive, and charismatic. And the plot is an engaging mix of friendship, family, light drama, tender moments, humorous situations, snappy dialogue, introspection, support, sizzling romance, and new beginnings.

Overall, Love, Naturally is an amusing, captivating, charming novel by Sullivan that was a delight to read with its irresistible characters and heartwarming storyline.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to SMP Romance – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sophie Sullivan

SOPHIE SULLIVAN is a Canadian author as well as a cookie-eating, Diet Pepsi-drinking, Disney enthusiast who loves reading and writing romance in almost equal measure. She writes around her day job as a teacher and spends her spare time with her sweet family watching reruns of Friends. TEN RULES FOR FAKING IT is her romcom debut novel, but she's had plenty of practice writing happily ever after as her alter ego, Jody Holford.

#BookReview All That We Are Together by Alice Kellen @AliceKellen_ @SourcebooksCasa #AliceKellen #AllThatWeAreTogether #LetItBeSeries #SourcebooksCasa

#BookReview All That We Are Together by Alice Kellen @AliceKellen_ @SourcebooksCasa #AliceKellen #AllThatWeAreTogether #LetItBeSeries #SourcebooksCasa Title: All That We Are Together

Author: Alice Kellen

Series: Let It Be #2

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca on Jan. 23, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 461

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 8/10

Three years without even seeing him. Three years without Axel.

How do you move on from a broken heart?

Three years have passed since Axel Nguyen shattered Leah Jones’ heart into a million pieces, and Leah has spent every moment of those three years distracting herself from the devastation. She tries to move on with Landon, a guy she meets in college, but she can only truly escape thoughts of Axel when she’s painting. At least one good thing has come out of all of it: her dream of exhibiting her work is finally coming true.

Axel is achingly aware every day of how much he misses Leah. The moment he learns about Leah’s exhibit, Axel can’t think about anything else but to go see her. Being in the same room with Leah, as beautiful and magnetic as he remembers, leaves Axel desperate and Leah breathless in his presence. He offers to be her agent; she accepts. One work trip to Paris later leaves Leah and Axel full of pent-up attraction and wondering if their whirlwind romance is a forever kind of love or if it’s better off left in the past.

International bestselling author Alice Kellen concludes her emotional new adult duology with an evocative and passionate love story for readers of Colleen Hoover, Anna Todd, and books to make you ugly cry.


Review:

Angsty, passionate, and hopeful!

All That We Are Together is an absorbing, heart-tugging tale that takes us back into the life of Leah Jones and Axel Nguyen three years after their breakup as Leah, now a university student with a new boyfriend and some recognition as a budding artist, has her life turned upside once again when Axel, an employee at a reputable gallery comes slamming back into her world to sweep her away to the City of Lights to showcase her work.

The writing is tender and fluid. The characters are vulnerable, scarred, and wary. And the plot is a push-pull tale of life, love, loss, family, expectations, forgiveness, introspection, acceptance, friendship, communication, and new beginnings.

Overall, All That We Are Together is the dramatic, romantic, satisfying conclusion to the Let It Be duology by Kellen that gave the characters I couldn’t help but root for the heartwarming, happy-ever-after ending I really hoped they get. 

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

       

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Alice Kellen

Alice Kellen is an international bestselling author of romantic fiction. She writes stories with universal, crossover themes such as love, friendship, insecurities, losses and longing for a brighter future, connecting with younger and older readers alike. She lives in Valencia, Spain with her family.

#BookReview How (Not) to Have an Arranged Marriage by Dr Amir Khan @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #DrAmirKhan #PGCBooks #HowNotToHaveAnArrangedMarriage

#BookReview How (Not) to Have an Arranged Marriage by Dr Amir Khan @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #DrAmirKhan #PGCBooks #HowNotToHaveAnArrangedMarriage Title: How (Not) to Have an Arranged Marriage

Author: Dr. Amir Khan

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jan. 9, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 480

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A debut novel following the adventures of a young Muslim student doctor torn between his traditional family and his heart.

He’s the perfect catch (according to his mother).

Yousef is the golden child to his strict, Pakistani parents, overshadowing his younger sister, Rehana. As he finishes his medical degree in London, Yousef’s life appears to be mapped out for him: become a doctor, marry a suitable girl of his parents’ choosing and, above all, make his family proud. Then Yosef meets Jess.

A fellow medical student, Jess presents a complication to the plan. Suddenly, Yousef finds himself torn between two worlds – keeping each a secret from the other.

And as graduation day looms, Yousef’s mother informs him that she’s started looking for his wife.

Amir Khan’s How (Not) to Have an Arranged Marriage is a timely, heartfelt novel which looks at all aspects of modern arranged marriages.


Review:

Astute, passionate, and compelling!

How (Not) to Have an Arranged Marriage is a fresh, heartwarming tale that takes you into the life of Yousef Ahmed, a hardworking Muslim young man, as he struggles to juggle a demanding career, a whole slew of familial expectations, and a deep, everlasting love for a woman his family will never approve of.

The prose is heartfelt and light. The characters are kind, independent, and intelligent. And the plot is a push-pull tale of familial responsibility, intrusive parents, witty banter, tender moments, goals, expectations, secrets, friendship, chemistry, introspection, honesty, and love.

Overall, How (Not) to Have an Arranged Marriage has everything you look for in a rom-com novel, as well as the added bonus of a touch of culture, traditions, parental pressures, and timely issues.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

  

 

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Dr. Amir Khan

Author Photo - Dr. Amir Khan

Dr Amir Khan is a full-time GP and best selling author working in inner city Bradford.

Amir is a resident doctor for ITV’s Lorraine and Good Morning Britain and has recently been seen hosting Dr Amir’s Sugar Crash (Channel 5) and You Are What You Eat (Channel 5) with Trisha Goddard.

Amir is president of the RSPB, vice president of The Wildlife Trusts and an ambassador for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and Butterfly Conservation, working closely with them to ensure access to green spaces for inner-city children and spreading the word on how being outside with nature is good for health. When he is not in surgery or on TV, Amir spends his time gardening, baking, running and supporting wildlife conservation.

He is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Doctor Will See You Now. How (Not) to Have an Arranged Marriage is his first novel.