Huntington Public Library Adult Reading Challenge

  Ella, a single mother of twins, begins a long distance penpal relationship with her brother's friend and army buddy, Becket, while he is away fighting for our country. They develop a strong bond with their letters and then tragedy strikes and they are brought together. This was an emotional story, both heart-warming and heart-wrenching at times. Very well done and kept me captivated from page one until the very end.

 Easy beach read, simplistic plot, geared to a younger audience.

  Easy to read + a good love story! All about first impressions, actual handwritten letters. Story also addresses more serious topics like organ donation, anxiety + abounding love of family + friends. Quick to read in a couple of days!

  A super cute read and perfect for the summer time! January and Gus are both writers and are struggling on finding the right words to write on paper. They are also afraid of love but find love with in each other. January has been going through a rough time as both of her parents passed away and also finding out a devastating secret her Father was keeping from her. Gus helps her along the way and in the end they both finally realize where they belong, Gus was my favorite character as he always was a bit goofy and found ways to make January laugh, truly be happy and find herself again. If your looking for a cute summer read this is the perfect book for you!

  I really enjoyed this book. It is a departure from my normal biblio-diet of mystery/thrillers. This is a very cute love story about two writers who end up living next door to each other while going through a difficult time in their lives. One is a romance author, the other an author looking to write the next "great novel". They are both dealing with writer's block and more than a few personal issues, so naturally they decide to make a bet where they switch genres to push themselves. The result a heartfelt "romcom" of a book that had me both laughing and crying. It was a fun read- and no one got murdered.

This was a charming read that played well to the line between fantasy and reality. I really enjoyed the puzzle-solving aspect of this story, and the eccentric nature of one main character. This was an easy read, and lots of fun!

Romance with serial killers, cannibalism, and trigger warnings galore...yet surprisingly and refreshingly tame... Relatively.

A very cute romance novel. Perfect for the month of February. She pretends to date her professor but turns into something more as she tries to cure cancer along the way. If you love science, chemistry and love and pumpkin spice lattes then this book is for you!  

  When Sasha reels out of control at work, she takes a 3 week sabbatical and get herself together. Returning to the beachfront resort of her childhood, she finds it in disrepair. The only other guest is an unsufferable man who, as it turns out, is dealing with his own forced sabbatical. Read along to see how these two find their way back to better ways of life, and help the resort that they both loved throughout their lives.

  This book is about a tight knit friend group who takes annual trips to Maine together. The characters and their bonds are so believable, I wish I was part of this friend group! The two main characters were in a serious relationship for a decade and broke up a few months before their Maine trip. They didn't want to spoil the trip for their friends, so they pretended to still be together. The characters are around age 30 and are dealing with the fear of change and growing apart that comes naturally with new life stages, which I found relatable. The main couples' love story was so beautifully written, intense, and believable. I am a tough critic on romance stories but I commend this one. I loved the ending and all the lessons learned by all characters in the book.

  Sweet coming of age story between a boy and girl who met as young teens and loved each other in secret for years. When they finally do get together, things fall apart due to poor communication and immaturity. They've lost contact for about a decade, but reconnect in present day. Their long fallout and then swift rekindling wasn't realistic to me. They are now 30 years old still hung-up on their first teen love? I prefer to read about more mature characters. However, the book made me feel nostalgic with many pleasant, summery descriptions, and it's easy to follow, making it a decent beach read.

  A fun, fluffy, romantic read for summertime that touches on some deeper issues that affect people and their relationships. Hallie runs a gardening business in Napa Valley. Her longtime crush, Julian, returns to town to help run his family's vineyard after several years away. Fate brings them together, of course, and their personalities clash- Hallie is a whirling dervish of flowers, dirt, and dogs, while Julian is rigid and adheres strictly to a schedule. Opposites attract for this odd couple and despite Hallie's inability to be on time and Julian's need for timed and ordered structure, the two can't seem to keep away from each other. Tessa Bailey's characters are always fully realized and well developed, if somewhat larger than life (no one can be as handsome as the male protagonist/love interest, nobody). Secretly Yours is a rom-com read perfect for the beach or a mini brain-vacation.

  This book revolves around the friends with benefits relationship of Tate & Miles. Two 20-something single working professionals who can't help their mutual attraction for each other but yet don't want to be serious and move forward with their feelings. With their passionate love affair comes some very sad and emotional baggage, which the book reveals to be the catalyst for change in both of their lives. If you remember that 'butterflies in your stomach' feeling from young love, you'll love this story and be cheering on these two characters to make it, from the sidelines.

  Wild Things is a queer romantic comedy about El Evans, a 20 something manager of a publishing company who determines during New Year's Eve that she would do one wild thing every month. With the support of her community, Ray (who El has a secret crush on), Will (who has just broken up with his fiancée) and Jamie (who longs for a long term relationship), she embarks on doing things that she would not normally do - like get a tattoo. The 4 companions decide on commune living and this lighthearted (almost fluffy) tale chronicles their adventures during the year.

  The hero has been trying to write her opus while surviving in dead-end jobs as a barrista. In a series of strange mis-haps, she ends up in Venice trying to write her novel. Along the way, she meets a Venetian docent or ghost of history and architecture with much information about the Jewish ghetto.

Georgie returns to her hometown, seeking purpose after losing her job. She becomes entangled with Levi, the black sheep of his family, who is haunted by his past. Together, these two misfits find comfort in each other and finally find somewhere to belong with each other. Georgie finds her old diary, which helps her find herself again, and Levi reunites with his estranged brother Evan as they clear misunderstandings and forgive each other and themselves.

  Lily hasn’t always had it easy, But that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town where she grew up, went to college and moved to Boston, to start her own business. And when she gets the hot's for a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life seems too good to be true. Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place. As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her very first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatene...