“Never Saw You Coming” Erin Hahn

 “The biggest mistake we make is trying to keep God tidy…. He doesn’t mind a mess. He finds messiness beautiful.”

As someone who was raised in the Catholic Church, I grew up learning the message. However, as I grew as an individual, the message from the church didn’t seem to make sense to me in the ways they were delivering it. Coming out as a teenager, the word of the church start to haunt you. You won’t go to heaven. You’re a sinner. You’re going to hell. You start to worry about your place in the world and second guess yourself. Your family is ashamed. Maybe not your immediate family, but your extended family. God made me, so if this is how I am, did He do it wrong or does He not exist? 

This is definitely a different kind of YA romance from Erin Hahn. This is the story of how Meg meets Micah, but it’s also the story of how Meg solidifies her relationship with Jesus and the Church, and how Micah works through trauma and personal growth. 

I loved this story. I think it has such poignant and quotable lines that will make me think and rethink over and over again for years to come. I don’t think you should ever take a message at face value. We were given these beautiful brains of ours to use, to think, puzzle, question, research, not just accept something told to us. We need to think for ourselves. I also like the idea of “take what you need, and leave the rest” mentality. If you need faith and a higher power, take it! Don’t want to worry about the dress code? Leave that behind. Ultimately your relationship with a higher power is yours and yours alone, and no one can take that from you. 

To Sir, With Love

One of my favorite romantic comedies is You’ve Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The movie has everything I want: big city vibes but with cozy neighborhood feels, book stores, and letters. It was an obviously choice for me to request To Sir, With Love by Lauren Layne when I found that it was pitched as Love Is Blind meets YGM. I hit the request button before reading the entire synopsis. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Gallery Books for granting my request. 

I was so happy to be approved for this novel. 

Gracie is an optimist and a romantic and finds beauty in the hustle and bustle of NYC but she has been unlucky in love.  She has been chatting with Sir, who she met on a blind dating app, but through a weird turn of events he’s actually NOT looking to meet anyone on this MysteryMate dating app.  However, while he’s not looking for love, they still find themselves drawn to each other and keep up conversation. 

Sebastian is the business man who owns the lease to Gracie’s building and is insistent on buying out the remainder of her lease so that he can build a high rise. He’s originally invested in retaining her property for himself, but as they get to know each other and have more personal interactions he becomes more and more intrigued by the owner than by just the building. But can he catch her interest while she’s lovesick over Sir?

My concerns about this novel is that it was pitched for fans of You’ve Got Mail, and as much as I love that movie/story, I didn’t want to read a carbon copy. This book felt a little too close for comfort in this first half. Additionally, I didn’t love that most of the letters between Lady and Sir were instigated by Lady. It made her seem slightly desperate, and having some addressed by him first would have made the flirtation more even. That being said, I really enjoyed it and was happy to fall into this love story.

I think this would have been a 3.5 star book but the end really had me engaged so I rounded up. If you’re looking for a NYC romance do yourselves a favor and get your hands on To Sir, With Love. It’s published on June 29th, 2021! 

Lost, Found, and Forever - Victoria Schade

 Lost, Found, and Forever

Chance, my rescue beagle, is my shadow. I love him more than I ever thought possible. I am a dog person, and if you own a dog you will understand when I say I would choose him over a person any day of the week and twice on Sundays. This dog is my coworker, my copilot, and my snuggle buddy. He’s the best, paws down, and I would do anything for him. 

I’ve followed Victoria Schade’s Instagram for a while and she, too, is a dog person. I really like her media persona, and her dogs Millie and Olive are absolute stars. So, after seeing the arc on Netgalley (and also feeling like a fraud because I hadn’t read anything else by VS) I requested to review “Lost, Found, and Forever”. I don’t really know what I was expecting - something like a hallmark-movie-in-a-book novel where the characters are pure and sweet, with the smallest amount of drama. This story seems so simple on the surface, but there is real depth and levels of tension that had me hooked from page one. I laughed at both dog and people antics, I was drawn to the chemistry, and the cracked-door romance. 

Justine adopted Spencer from a small shelter and they’ve been best buds for a year. She and Spence get the job of a lifetime working as a dog actor on a new tv show, but suddenly she’s thrown for a loop when someone claims that Spencer is their lost dog, Leo. This novel follows Justine and Griffin, who must navigate the custodial battle of their best friend, and Spencer’s break out role as a dog actor. I want to dive into this story and be friends with everyone. Please do yourselves a favor and pick this up when it's published on March 30th.