The Jetsetters

Author: Amanda Eyre Ward
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2021
Pages: 384
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: When seventy-year-old Charlotte Perkins submits a sexy essay to Become a Jetsetter contest, she dreams of reuniting her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a handsome Manhattan venture capitalist who can't seem to find a partner; and Regan, a harried mother who took it all wrong when Charlotte bought her a Weight Watchers gift certificate for her birthday. Charlotte yearns for the yeas when her children were young, when she was a single mother who meant everything to them.

When she wins the contest, the family packs their luggage - both literal and figurative - and spends ten days traveling from sun-drenched Athens through glorious Rome to tapas-laden Barcelona on an over-the-top cruise ship, the Splendido Marveloso. As lovers new and old join the adventure, long-buried secrets are revealed and old wounds are reopened, forcing the Perkins family to confront the forces that drove them apart and the defining choices of their lives.

Review: This book is everything this genre should be.

I have a rule to not read books that have less than a 4 star rating on Goodreads. Well, as they say, rules are made to be broken. I saw this book on a library shelf and loved the title and the cover. I brought it home and started reading. I loved it. Then I looked at Goodreads - 3.10 stars. Whaaa?

Maybe it's the right book at the right time. Maybe it's the right book based on my own life experiences. It doesn't matter. I couldn't put this book down.

Interestingly, it gets compared to The Nest, which I didn't like at all and for which I could find no redeeming qualities.

Looking for Leroy

Author: Melody Carlson
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2022
Pages: 304
Rating: Recommend

Review: It's official: Brynna Phillips is done with men. They only break your heart. But just when she makes this declaration, her friend Jan convinces Brynna to join her on a camping vacation in Sonoma Wine Country. As they wind their way toward their destination, spanking-new mini camper in tow, Brynna recalls her teenage camp romance with a boy named Leroy. How can it have been nearly 30 years ago? All she remembers is that Leroy was a genuinely good guy and that his family owned a vineyard - in Sonoma. She doesn't even remember his last name. Jan insists they look for him, and the search begins.

Beyond the slim chance they'd ever be able to find him are questions that have haunted Brynna for decades, including What's the point of digging up the past? and Can Leroy every forgive me for losing touch?

Synopsis: I love Melody Carson for light, fun reads. Looking for Leroy was both and it fit the genre, but I wanted just a little bit more from it. For whatever reason I felt a removed from their romance, and I missed the sweet moments of Brynna and Leroy falling in love.