The Princess and the Player ARC Review

 Lately I've been really into romance and The Princess and the Player is not an exception. This book is one that's part of a "series", but can be read as a standalone. Now, I haven't read the first one and that didn't affect my reading of this book at all. 

Francesca and Tuck have a Cinderella-ish night. The only rule is that this is a one time thing between strangers. The problem is that Francesca has figured out who Tuck is. She could ignore him and keep on as she always has if not for one little thing...She's pregnant. 

I loved this novel. Its got drama, sports, humor, romance. It's got it all. Not only that but I enjoyed the mix of romance tropes in this one. Since they can be read as standalones, I now want to circle back to the first book and see if it stands up as well. 

Overall, a fun and easy read. I would definitely recommend it to any romance reader. 

Everything Must Go - ARC Review

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Everything Must Go

by: Camille Pagan

My Rating: 3.75 Stars/Would Recommend

Released: April 26, 2022
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Everything Must Go follows Laine. She's unhappy in her marriage because one thing she wants more than anything is a child, but her husband, Josh, continually says he "isn't ready". Just after dropping the bomb that she wants a divorce, Laine gets a call from her sisters asking her to come back to New York because their mom isn't doing well.  While in New York, Laine runs into her old friend Ben, which brings up old trauma and feelings.

This story started super slow for me. Though, I will say that may be just me because contemporary fiction is not my genre of choice. However, once I got into it, I really did enjoy the storyline. Laine has to make many decisions and she doesn't always know the right one to make. She's flawed, just like each one of us. 

3.75/5 stars - would recommend

Matchmaking A Billionaire - ARC Review

Special shout out to the authors, A.R. Casella and Denise Grover Swank, for allowing me on their review team and giving me access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Matchmaking a Billionaire

by: A.R. Casella & Denise Grover Swank
(Angela Denise)

My Rating: 4.5 Stars/Would Recommend

Released: April 28, 2022
Genre: Romance

At this point, I will read literally anything A.R. Casella and Denise Grover Swank, now collectively known as Angela Denise, write together. They could continue writing stories for every little side character and I would still read them because they are wonderful!

In Matchmaking a Billionaire, we meet Bryn, Holly's sister (remember Holly?) She's still in Highland Hills trying to make her grandmother's matchmaking business work because let's face it, they are floundering.

When Rory hears about an idea that Bryn and Holly had for an app, he's intrigued and he's the kind of business guy who could help out. There's just one catch -- Nana Mayberry won't let him help unless they get to matchmake him. And it just so happens Bryn is single too. We can all see where this is going, but isn't it the perfect premise?!

I'm excited to see where this new series takes us. 

 

Blind Bake - ARC Review

Special shout out to the author, Denise Grover Swank, for allowing me on her review team and giving me access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Blind Bake

by: Denise Grover Swank

My Rating: 4.75 Stars/Would Recommend

Released: February 22, 2022
Genre: Mystery (some comedy and some romance)

I loved the beginning of this new series by Denise Grover Swank! If you've read any of her backlist, this series gives me some Rose Gardner/Summer Butler vibes, while also being its own story. There was a bit of romance, but the mystery was the main part. I was absolutely amazed by the way the author was able to take so many small details and weave them together so expertly so that the answer to the mystery makes perfect sense, even though the evidence is leading you in a million different directions the entire time. I'm very excited for the second book (and the rest of course)!

 

Food Triggers - ARC Review

Shout out to NetGalley for my free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions. All opinions belong to me.

Food Triggers

by: Amber Lia

My Rating: 3 Stars/Would Recommend to a small group of people

Released: January 4, 2022
Genre: Non-fiction, Christian, Self-Help

Food Triggers was a non-fiction, Christian, self-help type book for people who struggle with food. The author combines personal experience with stories from the Bible and prayer. It's meant to be read as a chapter a day, devotional type book. I did really like a lot of what the author was saying and I wish I had read this at a different time in my life (being pregnant, I couldn't really do much with some of the advice she was giving lol) because I do think that it could be helpful with my struggles that I've had with food. I would recommend this book, but only to a select group of people (those struggling with food/eating disorders and Christians). 

February Wrap-Up

Um...well, sorry it's been 6 months since our last wrap-up post! HAHA. Here's a look at books we loved, books we didn't love, and books we DNF'd during the month of February.

Jayme's Reads (9):

What I Rated Them:
This Close to Okay ☕☕☕☕
Queen of Babble ☕.5
Solutions and other Problems ☕☕☕☕.75
Party of Two ☕☕☕☕
Hello Girls ☕☕☕☕.75
Fix You ☕☕☕☕.75
Soulmate Equation ☕☕☕☕.5
While We Were Dating ☕☕☕☕.5
Malibu Rising ☕☕☕☕.75

Favorite Read:
Hello Girls

Least Favorite Read:
Queen of Babble

DNF?
You'll Be the Death of Me
Bridget Jones' Diary

Rolling into March:
Coronavirus & Christ
Food Triggers
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Redirect
Blind Bake

Reminders of Him - Five Star Review

 Reminders of Him

by: Colleen Hoover

FIVE STARS!!

Released: January 18, 2022
Genre: Romance +

If you didn't already know by now, now you know - Colleen Hoover is an absolute auto-buy author for me. The moment I hear about her releasing a book, it's pre-ordered. However, this may be one of my absolute favorites of hers.

This book was SO MUCH MORE than just a romance. I laughed. I cried! Heck, a couple times I had to just full on shut the book and take a deep breath. I literally loved every single piece of this book and I know I'll be hungover for a very long time! Colleen brought all of the real, raw personality traits to her characters in this book (which she's known for - don't get me wrong) and the way that it is tied together through her dual narrative was simply a work of art.

RUN, don't walk....to pick up this book. Seriously, it makes you look at so many things in a different way and it might just make you a better human being. (Also, isn't the cover art lovely?)

As Good As Dead - Five Star Review

 As Good as Dead

by: Holly Jackson

FIVE STARS!

Released: September 28, 2021
Genre: YA Mystery

I've read along to this entire trilogy (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder) as it came out and honestly had almost forgotten about it until I saw that As Good As Dead was coming out and it would be the final one. Again, we follow Pip as she continues on with her podcast, exactly where it left off. Only this time, the danger seems to be even closer. I absolutely loved this series and this finale did not disappoint in the slightest! This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, waiting to see what was going to happen next. Although most times, when I see an ending like the one this had, I roll my eyes and think about how cliche it is, for this book it 100% worked and I found it to be the perfect ending to a great series. 

Fix You - ARC Review

 Huge shout out to the author and Book Sirens for my free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions. All opinions belong to me.

Fix You

by: J.C. Doan

My Rating: 4.75 Stars/Would Recommend

Released: February 11, 2022
Genre: Unknown (It was way too hard to pinpoint this one!)

Fix You was my first introduction to this author and I was not disappointed! It took a few chapters to get invested in the story because, at least for me, it was hard to keep the people straight in the beginning. But once the characters were off on their own, I couldn't put the book down! It's so hard to categorize this book though. There's definitely some romantic type feelings going on, but it's definitely not a romance. Maybe just contemporary? It's for sure a good coming of age type story, though I won't lie I was a little shocked that it was being marketed towards teens. There's quite a few darker moments with a large variety of content warnings, so beware. What really god me is the ending. It was such a random cliffhanger, so I'm really hoping it ends how it does because it's leading us into a sequel. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

Content Warnings: drugs, self injury, suicidal attempts/ideation, sexual assault, domestic violence, homelessness, etc.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby - ARC Review

Shout out to NetGalley for my free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions. All opinions belong to me.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby

by: Sarah Ready

My Rating: 4.25 Stars/Would Recommend

Released: January 25, 2022
Genre: Romance (Trope: Friends to Lovers)

This was a super cute story about main character, Gemma, and her quest to have a baby - even if that means doing it alone! When he asks family friend, Josh, to be a donor to help her get pregnant, she is stunned when he actually says yes. Through her deepening friendship with Josh and her new friendships with other women in the support group she's joined, Gemma learns so much about having a baby, loving herself, and loving others. There was awesome character development throughout this novel. It was definitely relatable and it handled sensitive topics, such as infertility and child loss, very gently to try to avoid being triggering. Y'all, I don't know if it was my pregnancy hormones or not, but I for sure cried (happy tears) at this book!

Content Warnings: infertility, miscarriage, IVF, child loss

Matchmaking Mischief

Huge thank you to the authors and Laughing Heart Press for the free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Genre? Romance

Series or Standalone? #4 in the Bad Luck Club series

Backlist? No. Published Today! (January 6, 2022)

New to me Author? Absolutely not.

What did I think?

Matchmaking Mischief is the 4th book of the Bad Luck series by these amazing authors. To begin, I absolutely loved the meet-cute that led to Willow and Alex. I can just imagine how annoying they each thought the other was! Though of course, I knew where the two of them were headed and I was completely ready for the journey we would have to take to get there.

This book was one of those where, as much as you love the main characters, the minor background characters are almost just as amazing. I could not stop laughing at all of the poor choices some of them were making!

One thing I really love about this series is that you know there's going to be a Happily Ever After, but it never feels forced or cheesy. The entire time we went from strangers to enemies to friends to lovers, I just got warm feelings as we watched our characters fall more and more in love.

This series is completely worth trying out and they're all quick reads so start at the beginning and go catch up!

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones

 Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

In the vein of The Other Woman, Sandie Jones’s explosive new novel The Guilt Trip will have readers gripped to the very last page.

Six friends.

Rachel and Noah have been friends since they met at university. While they once thought that they might be something more, now, twenty years later, they are each happily married to other people, Jack and Paige respectively. Jack’s brother Will is getting married, to the dazzling, impulsive Ali, and the group of six travel to Portugal for their destination weekend.

Three couples.

As they arrive at a gorgeous villa perched on a cliff-edge, overlooking towering waves that crash on the famous surfing beaches below at Nazaré, they try to settle into a weekend of fun. While Rachel is looking forward to getting to know her future sister-in-law Ali better, Ali can’t help but rub many of the group up the wrong way: Rachel’s best friend Paige thinks Ali is attention-seeking and childish, and while Jack is trying to support his brother Will’s choice of wife, he is also finding plenty to disagree with Noah about.

One fatal misunderstanding . . .

But when Rachel discovers something about Ali that she can hardly believe, everything changes. As the wedding weekend unfolds, the secrets each of them hold begin to spill, and friendships and marriages threaten to unravel. Soon, jumping to conclusions becomes the difference between life and death.

Genre? Thriller

Backlist? No. Published August 3, 2021

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

This book had me all over the place...but in a good way. It's hard to write a review without including spoilers on this one because honestly, almost every little detail, no matter how insignificant they may seem, eventually ties in to something else. 

I thought this book was unique in the fact that all the characters were essentially stuck with each other. Sandie Jones does an amazing job of describing the characters so you like some and can't stand others. Much like "The Other Woman", you think you have everyone all figured out. 

This novel is filled with drama, drinking, love, sex, and so much more. I really did NOT see the ending coming, though once it happened, it really did make sense. Kind of like a "Big Little Lies" type of novel, so I would recommend, but only for older audiences.

Love At First Hate by A.R. Casella and Denise Grover Swank

 Huge thank you to the authors for the free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

The first book in a new series by Denise Grover Swank and A.R. Casella, authors of the USA Today bestselling Asheville Brewing series.

She wants his story. He wants his secrecy. Too bad he can’t stay away from her.

Molly

Blogging about bad dates used to be fun, but a girl can only take so much foolishness. So I broke up with my job.

Okay, full disclosure, I was fired. It’s a long, sordid tale, involving my sourdough starter—RIP, Fred!—and my ex-boss’s serious lack of humor.

Newly funemployed and in need of a break, I go to Asheville to dogsit for my sister…and stumble onto a scoop big enough to put my fake-dating days behind me forever.

Augusta Glower, local success story, wrote a bestseller about the self-help group she started. People think her system works, and copycat Bad Luck Clubs have sprung up nationwide. Something feels off, though, and a little poking around by yours truly suggests she stole the idea.

There’s one problem. I have to prove it, and the guy she ripped off—super-hot house flipper Caleb Reynolds—seems to…well, hate me. Which is too bad since his secrets aren’t the only thing I’d like to peel away.

* * *

Cal

Molly O’Shea is my worst nightmare.

Is she sexy as sin? Well…yeah. Does she smell like honeysuckle and trouble? No doubt. Is she determined to dig up my secrets with a backhoe? I’m pretty sure she got a two-week rental. But I’ll never talk. If the reason I started the club gets out, my whole life will implode.

So why is she so damn irresistible?

Genre? Romance

Backlist? No. Publishes tomorrow - August 12, 2021

New to me Author? Nope. Absolute favorites.

What did I think?

You know that feeling you get when you see that your favorite movie franchise is adding yet another sequel or spin-off and you're like "Okay, I get it. I love this. But we can stop now."? Yeah, that's not what happened here AT ALL. Love At First Hate had the potential to be just a weird flop of a spin-off but, as always, A.R. Casella and Denise Grover Swank just full on hit it out of the park.

Cal (co-founder of the Bad Luck Club from the original series - Asheville Brewery) has had credit stolen from him for founding the club and he has no intention of setting the record straight in case anyone found out his secret. Molly is in town dog-sitting for her sister Maisie and out of boredom, starts investigating the Bad Luck Club to try to break into official investigative journaling. As you can probably guess, man-who-doesn't-want-his-secrets-spilled and investigative-journalist-set-on-finding-the-whole-truth don't really mesh. But *spoiler* (only not really, because look at the title and the fact that this is a romance book) this definitely fits the enemies-to-lovers trope in the best way.

Enemies-to-lovers isn't necessarily a trope I go looking for, so I don't have a ton of history with them, but I really did love reading about Cal and Molly. This book, like many of the others, is written through dual-perspective between our two main characters. It was so frustrating reading both of their thoughts when if they would just talk to each other, things would have been solved faster! And when I say frustrating, I mean I was like "Just tell her!" and kept reading to see if he did. I will absolutely read more of this series. I fell in love with all the quirky characters that were only just mentioned in the Asheville Brewery series. Definite 4.5 stars. These two are incredible co-authors.

The Peace Project by Kay Wills Wyma

Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Does life have you feeling unsettled, overlooked, anxious, exhausted? Good news! There's a better way.

Enter The Peace Project with its short, digestible chapters full of practical application. This thirty-day experiment invites you to experience lasting personal peace through the outward practices of thankfulness, kindness, and mercy. In these hopeful pages, Kay Wills Wyma takes us along on a journey to see others--as well as ourselves--not as objects or obstacles but as people of great worth. People who matter.

The result? Transformation--for you and those around you. Experiencing the endless depths of God's peace where you can actually, finally, somehow breathe. Welcome to the less-than-perfect, sometimes hilarious, consistently magical journey of practicing thankfulness, kindness, and mercy with Kay, her kids, and some brave friends.

Genre? Memoir

Backlist? No. Published May 18, 2021.

New to me Author? Yes.

What did I think?

The Peace Project is the memoir of author Kay Wills Wyma, who spent 30 days practicing thankfulness, kindness, and mercy. She goes through the process such as taking time to be quiet and mindful, keeping a gratitude journal, and finding the good in everyone. I really liked the idea behind the book and found myself wanting to try many of the things that are mentioned. I do believe that this could have been a shorter story or article, rather than a full book. I found that many of the concepts were repeated throughout. It was good to hear the stories of how peace showed itself, but there were just too many. It would have also been better as a book that you could work through yourself, with practical applications for our own lives. Overall, it just fell flat for me.

Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens

  Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

The acclaimed and beloved author of Still Missing is back with her most breathtaking thriller yet.

The Cold Creek Highway stretches close to five hundred miles through British Columbia’s rugged wilderness to the west coast. Isolated and vast, it has become a prime hunting ground for predators. For decades, young women traveling the road have gone missing. Motorists and hitchhikers, those passing through or living in one of the small towns scattered along the region, have fallen prey time and again. And no killer or abductor who has stalked the highway has ever been brought to justice.

Hailey McBride calls Cold Creek home. Her father taught her to respect nature, how to live and survive off the land, and to never travel the highway alone. Now he’s gone, leaving her a teenage orphan in the care of her aunt whose police officer husband uses his badge as a means to bully and control Hailey. Overwhelmed by grief and forbidden to work, socialize, or date, Hailey vanishes into the mountainous terrain, hoping everyone will believe she’s left town. Rumors spread that she was taken by the highway killer—who’s claimed another victim over the summer.

One year later, Beth Chevalier arrives in Cold Creek, where her sister Amber lived—and where she was murdered. Estranged from her parents and seeking closure, Beth takes a waitressing job at the local diner, just as Amber did, desperate to understand what happened to her and why. But Beth’s search for answers puts a target on her back—and threatens to reveal the truth behind Hailey’s disappearance… 

Genre? Mystery/Thriller

Backlist? No. Published August 3, 2021.

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

A friend of mine introduced me to Chevy Stevens earlier this year with Never Let You Go. I immediately followed up with Still Missing. So when I saw that she was back with Dark Roads, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Dark Roads did NOT disappoint. Main character Hailey lives in Cold Creek with her aunt and uncle, after her parents have died. Her uncle is one of those police officers who REALLY doesn't like teenagers and uses his badge to control every little thing. Hailey tries running away from town, but instead of assuming a runaway, the town assumes that she became another victim of the highway killer. The way Chevy Stevens tied all of this together was great. I definitely thought I had things all figured out, until about 3/4 of the way through when BAM, everything was completely changed. It was such an unexpected change, yet still a realistic one, which is what I look for in my thrillers. Of the three Chevy Stevens books I've read, this would be my least favorite. However, it was still a solid 4 star read and I will still 100% pick up whatever she puts out next..

July Wrap-Up

July is over and it's almost back to school for some of us! Here's a look at books we loved, books we didn't love, and books we DNF'd during the month of July. 

 Jayme's Reads (14):

What I Rated Them:

The Arrangement ☕☕☕

In A Book Club Far Away ☕☕☕☕.5

With the Fire on High ☕☕☕☕.5

Honey Girl ☕☕☕☕.75

Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids ☕☕☕☕.25

Atheists Who Kneel and Pray ☕☕☕☕.5

Act Your Age, Eve Brown ☕☕☕☕

A Court of Silver Flames ☕☕☕.25

Us Against You ☕☕

Life's Too Short ☕☕☕☕☕

Dark Roads ☕☕☕☕

Red, White, and Royal Blue ☕☕☕☕.5

Where is God When I Need Him? ☕☕☕☕

The Peace Project ☕☕.5

Favorite Read: 

Life's Too Short!

Least Favorite Read:
Us Against You - I enjoyed Beartown, but was this sequel really necessary?

DNF?:
None. :)

Rolling over to next month: 

Forget Me Not (currently holding onto this to return to later)

All Girls (currently holding onto this to return to later)

The Bridesmaid (will be finishing in the next couple days)

Love at First Hate (will be finishing in the next couple days)

Unicorn Untamed (will be finishing soon)

Mud Vein

The Push

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

 Huge thank you to the publisher for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

From the author of the “full-throttle thriller” (A. J. Finn) No Exit—a riveting new psychological page-turner featuring a fierce and unforgettable heroine.

Three months ago, Lena Nguyen’s estranged twin sister, Cambry, drove to a remote bridge sixty miles outside of Missoula, Montana, and jumped two hundred feet to her death. At least, that is the official police version.

But Lena isn’t buying it.

Now she’s come to that very bridge, driving her dead twin’s car and armed with a cassette recorder, determined to find out what really happened by interviewing the highway patrolman who allegedly discovered her sister’s body.

Corporal Raymond Raycevic has agreed to meet Lena at the scene. He is sympathetic, forthright, and professional. But his story doesn’t seem to add up. For one thing, he stopped Cambry for speeding a full hour before she supposedly leapt to her death. Then there are the sixteen attempted 911 calls from her cell phone, made in what was unfortunately a dead zone.

But perhaps most troubling of all, the state trooper is referred to by name in Cambry’s final enigmatic text to her sister: Please Forgive Me. I couldn’t live with it. Hopefully you can, Officer Raycevic.

Lena will do anything to uncover the truth. But as her twin’s final hours come into focus, Lena’s search turns into a harrowing, tooth-and-nail fight for her own survival—one that will test everything she thought she knew about her sister and herself...

Genre? Thriller

Backlist? No. Published June 15, 2021.

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

I'm not even sure I could put my thoughts about this book into words, but I will certainly try. Starting with "WOW!". I think Taylor Adams is becoming one of my favorite authors. I really need to dig into their backlist a little more. I fell in love with the high energy thriller No Exit and then Hairpin Bridge kept that same energy up. One thing I really enjoy about this author is that although he's a male, he writes a very convincing female perspective. A lot of times writing through the lens of the opposite gender doesn't seem to work out so well, but Taylor is great at it. In fact, I really thought Taylor Adams was a girl until I looked into their biography! 

In Hairpin Bridge, Lena takes a trip to meet with the officer who found her sister's body after her "suicide". Lena is unconvinced that her sister would ever kill herself, so she's there to find the truth. Officer Raycevic's story doesn't add up with what Lena knows about her sister. She's set out to confront him about it, even if she's a bit worried about her own life in the process.

The twists and turns in this novel were incredible. I never saw them coming, but they weren't completely ridiculous either! I will definitely be picking up any future Taylor Adams novels and will start looking into the backlist. 

The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks by Julie Valerie

  Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

A wife, mother, and aspiring filmmaker clings to the pursuit of perfection only to have fate play with every plan she’s made in this quirky, contemplative, and empowering novel.

Holly Banks is on a desperate mission to have it all, but nothing in life goes according to plan. She’s quickly learning that keeping up with the Joneses is a full-time job, especially when the women of Primm, her new neighborhood, seem to have it together all the time.

With her husband’s job in flux, her daughter’s difficulty with learning to read, and her mother’s new zest for dating, Holly’s life is already anything but picture perfect. Then her dog digs up an old artifact in the village center, and the mishap draws the attention of local media. Because of course it would.

Holly finds herself at the center of a mystery between two rival towns that, if solved, could change the Village of Primm forever. Attention is the last thing she needs as she’s launching a new business, the village-wide “Parade of Homes” is approaching—though she’s hardly unpacked—and she needs to submit her entry for an upcoming film festival. Can Holly still create her perfect (looking) life? Or is fate about to go off script and give her a story she never could have imagined?

Genre? Contemporary Fiction

Backlist? Unfortunately, yes. I fell pretty far behind on my ARCs last year.

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

I remember reading the first in this series, Holly Banks Full of Angst, and simply falling in love with Holly. She's quirky, she's fun, and she doesn't quite fit in when she moves to her new neighborhood. She kind of sticks out like a sore thumb and it's just fun to read about. 

This sequel did not disappoint. Holly is still dealing with some passive-aggressiveness from her neighbors. She's still trying to figure herself out. So when her dog is found in the middle of town after having dug up an old artifact, she has no idea what to do. Holly tries to stay out of the media attention surrounding this, but finds herself in an old mystery. 

This book definitely took a turn and had some elements that I didn't expect, but Julie Valerie was able to keep it fun and interesting. I can't wait to find out what happens in Primm next!

The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

  Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free audioARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Ainsley Greenburg is a fixer.
It’s what she prides herself on.

So, when she realizes her marriage is at its breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband to propose the arrangement is supposed to be the hard part, but Peter agrees to the salacious plan almost immediately.

The rules are simple:
They will each date someone new once a week.
They will never discuss what happens on the dates.

Soon, though, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.

When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits surface. Can they truly trust the person they share a life with, or will the vicious lies that have mounted over the years destroy everything they’ve built?

Once, Peter and Ainsley vowed to stand together forever, but as they push boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder if ’til death do us part may come sooner than they’d intended.

Genre? Psychological Thriller

Backlist? No. This was published earlier in January, with the audiobook publishing July 1, 2021.

New to me Author? Yes.

What did I think?

The Arrangement is about Ainsley and Peter, a couple who have been together for quite a long time and are feeling the romance fizzle out. From the beginning, they sit down and discuss trying an open marriage. Once a week, they would get to go out with other people. No falling for someone. Purely just a hook up, which they will never discuss with their spouse. From here, I was expecting your typical story of one of them falling for the person they go out with, leading to divorce, etc. etc. NOPE!

Ainsley has promised herself she would never get divorced and she plans to stick to that no matter what. When she felt her marriage cooling off, she cooked up a plan to essentially force Peter to stay with her. I can't say much more without major spoilers, but just know that nothing is as it seems in their arrangement. 

June Wrap-Up

We are halfway through 2021! Here's a look at books we loved, books we didn't love, and books we DNF'd during the month of June. 

 Jayme's Reads (15):

What I Rated Them:

Into the Drowning Deep ☕☕.5

Ties That Tether ☕☕☕☕.5

Luck of the Draw ☕☕☕☕.5

Couple Found Slain ☕☕☕.25

28 Summers ☕☕☕☕.5

Th1rt3en ☕☕☕.5

The Book of Two Ways ☕☕☕.5

Beartown ☕☕☕☕.25

In Five Years ☕☕☕.75

The Lies She Told ☕☕☕☕.75

Hairpin Bridge ☕☕☕☕☕

Pretty Little Wife ☕☕☕☕

White Fragility ☕☕☕.5

The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks ☕☕☕☕.25

Dear Sweet Pea ☕☕☕☕

Favorite Read: 

Hairpin Bridge

Least Favorite Read:
Into the Drowning Deep

DNF?:
None. :)

Rolling over to next month: 

Forget Me Not (currently holding onto this to return to later)

All Girls (just got my hold back - will read in July)

In a Book Club Far Away

The Peace Project

The Bridesmaid

Where is God When I Need Him?

Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids