TESSA TALKS BOOKS

Romantic Comedy

❄️ Love, Naturally by Sophie Sullivan ❄️

• One-word review: Endearing
• Emojis: 😬😊🥰
• Rating: 5 🌟s

My review:

Love, Naturally by Sophie Sullivan is a story with one of those worlds I could bask in for a long time – an actual book vacation. The characters are so lovable, the setting is picturesque and described to a visceral level, and the romance is perfect. I loved every minute I spent in Smile, Michigan, and the Get Lost Lodge.

The main character is Presley Ayers – an only child who has spent a lifetime learning to be self-sufficient and independent. When she breaks up with her boyfriend, she takes a vacation she planned for both of them alone. While away, she falls in love with a man, a family, and a whole town, but her life is far away from this idyllic setting, and she is always the pragmatist, so she keeps that in mind.

I especially loved the pacing, which is fast due to the intelligent and witty dialogue and the lovely balance between exposition and dialogue. The family themes drew me in and made the characters – each one (except the ex-boyfriend!) endearing and relatable. Smile, Michigan, and the Get Lost Lodge is a world I readily and happily got lost in and the best book vacation I’ve taken in a long time.

Romantic Comedy

❄️ The Getaway List by Emma Lord ❄️

• One-word review: Touching
• Emojis: 🤨🥰🥹
• Rating: 5 🌟s

My review:

The Getaway List by Emma Lord is a touching contemporary story about transitioning into adulthood and finding one’s path in life. Such huge topics and something we all go through to varying degrees of emotional upheaval; I could easily relate and felt so much empathy for each character.

Riley is a fun main character, but I never doubted she would find her own way and barrel through life with her head held high. It is Tom who stole my heart. He has been Riley’s best friend since they were eight, and the story sees them back together again after Tom had to move away a few years ago. He is in a tumultuous head space. Tom feels abandoned by his mother and never entirely fits into his new home. He is going through so much in his head and feels he has no one to talk to about it. When Riley re-enters his life unexpectedly, it’s clear all he is missing in his life.

The romance is friends to lovers, though the pacing is much faster than in most of this trope. It felt inevitable, and I love that they took their time and it wasn’t angsty. I also loved the group of friends they brought together and the different romantic entanglements. The group of friends pulling together to complete the getaway list was a lot of fun and probably was responsible for the faster pace. Overall, this was a fun yet powerfully touching story that left a lasting impression.

Fantasy/Thriller

🩵 The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland 🩵

• One-word review: Mesmerizing
• Emojis: 😳🤢😥🥰
• Rating:  4.5🌟s

My review:

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland is a darkly mesmerizing contemporary urban fantasy about witches, witch hunters, and a serial killer on the loose.  

At first, I found the story a bit disjointed, which confused me and created a barrier between me and the story. But it was not long before the story began flowing, and I was pulled into this dark, dark world.  

The magic feels taboo like it plays up to the fears of people who think magic is evil. But I liked that in a way. It doesn’t make me want magical abilities like most fantasy stories, but it’s intriguing in a rebellious way.

The characters are brilliantly developed and truly make this story a mesmerizing tale. Jude is a rebellious, entitled teen who wants her father’s love. Emer is a talented curse-writer who was raised by demons when her family was slaughtered by witch hunters. Zara is a teen who lost her sister to a serial killer. This serial killer brings these three together as each has her reason for wanting to discover the killer’s identity. There’s a lot of moral grayness to spread around and a lot of fun individuality that brings each character to life on the page.

YA Contemporary

❄️ Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat ❄️

• One-word review: Disappointing
• Emojis: 😔🥱🫥
• Rating: 3 🌟s

My review:

I wanted to love Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment so much. It absolutely pains me that something about it kept me at arm’s length and wouldn’t allow me to immerse myself or even care about the characters or the story. But I enjoyed aspects of it, so all wasn’t lost as I continued to read.

I loved the family themes, drama, and gossipy aunties. All of these components added relatability to a story steeped in a culture I didn’t always understand. But, of which, I’m eager to learn more about it, hoping to gain a deeper understanding.

The romance is cute, fun, and balanced exceptionally well with the rest of the story. The technique used to organize the story felt unique and apparently was adapted from the format of a Bollywood film, including an intermission. I really enjoyed this aspect as it was fresh and new to me at a time when I don’t often get to experience things quite like that.

Overall, it is an excellent debut novel, and even though I could never wholly immerse myself in it, I still took a lot away about the cultural aspects that are different from my own.