Pam

A touching and romantic story! I found myself cheering Briana and Jacob on throughout the book.

Steamiest book in the series. It starts in chapter one, and barely let's up.

Interesting story, but the last two chapters killed it for me. Was such a cliffhanger necessary?

3.75 rounded up to 4

I added The Summer of Yes to my TBR because I’ve enjoyed other Courtney Walsh books. While I enjoyed reading this, it wasn’t as good as the others in my opinion. But let me explain!

The cast of characters is interesting. I especially enjoyed the interactions between Georgina and Kelsey throughout the book. As for the men in Georgina’s past, they were okay. The ex-husband felt a bit flat, and Hayden felt too perfect. Does that make sense? It will if you read the book. The character I wanted more of is JP, Georgina’s overworked assistant. Though Belinda, the nurse, was a great character too. And I would have loved for her to reappear in the story.

There were times in the book when Kelsey’s attitude felt fake or maybe forced. I understand that she was trying to reexamine her life and say yes more often. But there were times when she didn’t seem to be feeling it. And only said yes to make whoever she was with happy. Maybe it was the narrator's parts that gave me that feeling?

What did I enjoy about the book? I loved the growth Kelsey and Georgina have, especially Georgina! By saying yes, or at least okay, Georgina was able to see where she went wrong in the past and had a chance to make things better. In the end, Kelsey had her ephinany as well.

Overall, though, I’m glad I said yes to The Summer of Yes. And I look forward to reading more by Courtney Walsh.

I want to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Arctic Cruise. However, all opinions expressed here are solely mine.

4.5 stars rounded to 5

Adding The Arctic Cruise to my TBR was a pure impulse move, and I am so happy that I did. What’s not to love about a widow trying to find herself, a confirmed bachelor finding himself in a new situation, and a cast of quirky characters? Oh, and all of this on a week-long cruise from England up to the Arctic Circle around Christmas? Sign me up!

James is best known for writing novels that feature a more mature cast of characters, and this novel was chock-full of them. But there weren’t so many that you couldn’t keep them straight. On a cruise ship with over 1,000 people, the cast list is relatively small, with fewer than 20 named characters. The side characters, like Nora, Sid, Judy, and James, are just as entertaining as the main characters. Honestly, I want to be like almost all of them when I get older. No one should aim to be like Barbara or Kenneth.

Reading The Arctic Cruise made me want to reach out to the nearest travel agent to book it. Though I’m not sure I want to go there in the winter, I wouldn’t mind a nice, relaxing summer cruise to the area.

Do you enjoy reading books with a quirky cast of mature characters? Or ones that feature travel to unexpected locations? What about a romance that is beautiful to see unfold? Do you enjoy Christmas books that don’t scream Christmas? Or friends that become found family? Then you should read The Arctic Cruise.

Is This a Cry for Help? is being marketed as a humor book. I’m sorry, but I didn’t see any humor in the book. We join Darcy on part of her journey of healing and forgiveness. There is nothing humorous about that. This is a contemporary novel, through and through. Other topics discussed in the book are about libraries and what they provide for their communities. As a reader and lover of libraries, I was already familiar with much of the information shared here. But I did not know it all. And of course, the services provided by libraries vary from community to community.

Darcy is a flawed character, but that makes her more realistic. Who among us hasn’t wondered if we’ve taken the right path in life? Or look back with regret at relationships? Joy is an excellent counterbalance to Darcy. Don’t get me wrong, she’s flawed too. Who is ever 100% perfect? But Joy knows she has flaws, and she embraces them. Along the way, she cares for those important to her.

The chapters contained page breaks when there were changes of scene, and often when there were changes in time. Darcy would often go back in time and examine her relationship with Ben. Many times, there were page breaks to give readers a heads-up that this was happening. Other times, you may not realize it until you are in the middle of the story.

I found myself wondering if Sophie and January were needed in the story. Sophie is Joy’s sister, and at the beginning of the story, she was pregnant. Before the first chapter is over, Joy is off to spend time with her sister and baby January. Maybe their purpose is that Darcy has to spend time without her anchor nearby?

Overall, Is This a Cry for Help? is an interesting read. Be prepared to examine your mental health and relationship with the world around you.

Is This a Cry for Help? is being marketed as a humor book. I’m sorry, but I didn’t see any humor in the book. We join Darcy on part of her journey of healing and forgiveness. There is nothing humorous about that. This is a contemporary novel, through and through. Other topics discussed in the book are about libraries and what they provide for their communities. As a reader and lover of libraries, I was already familiar with much of the information shared here. But I did not know it all. And of course, the services provided by libraries vary from community to community.

Darcy is a flawed character, but that makes her more realistic. Who among us hasn’t wondered if we’ve taken the right path in life? Or look back with regret at relationships? Joy is an excellent counterbalance to Darcy. Don’t get me wrong, she’s flawed too. Who is ever 100% perfect? But Joy knows she has flaws, and she embraces them. Along the way, she cares for those important to her.

The chapters contained page breaks when there were changes of scene, and often when there were changes in time. Darcy would often go back in time and examine her relationship with Ben. Many times, there were page breaks to give readers a heads-up that this was happening. Other times, you may not realize it until you are in the middle of the story.

I found myself wondering if Sophie and January were needed in the story. Sophie is Joy’s sister, and at the beginning of the story, she was pregnant. Before the first chapter is over, Joy is off to spend time with her sister and baby January. Maybe their purpose is that Darcy has to spend time without her anchor nearby?

Overall, Is This a Cry for Help? is an interesting read. Be prepared to examine your mental health and relationship with the world around you.