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Contemporary Fiction

  • Book ReviewsContemporary FictionRomance

    Emily Henry: Beach Read

    by Jefferz December 7, 2023
    December 7, 2023

    Beach Read by Emily Henry Genres: Adult, Chick Lit, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Fiction Published by Berkley on May 19, 2020 Format: Paperback Pages: 400 A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.   Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.   They’re polar opposites.   In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.   Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really. This book …

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  • Book ReviewsContemporary FictionMagical Realism

    Sarah Addison Allen: Other Birds

    by Jefferz November 17, 2023
    November 17, 2023

    Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen Genres: Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Magical Realism Published by St. Martin’s Publishing Group on August 30, 2022 Format: eBook Pages: 304 The New York Times Bestseller From the acclaimed author of Garden Spells comes an enchanting tale of lost souls, lonely strangers, secrets that shape us, and how the right flock can guide you home. Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments. It’s called The Dellawisp and it is named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. When Zoey Hennessey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment at The Dellawisp, she meets her quirky, enigmatic neighbors including a girl on the run, a grieving chef whose comfort food does not comfort him, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn’t yet written. When one of her new neighbors dies under odd circumstances the night Zoey arrives, she is thrust into the mystery of The Dellawisp, which involves missing pages from a legendary writer whose work might …

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  • Book ReviewsContemporary FictionRomance

    Emily Henry: Book Lovers

    by Jefferz November 11, 2023
    November 11, 2023

    Book Lovers by Emily Henry Genres: Adult, Chick Lit, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Romance Published by Berkley on May 3, 2022 Format: Hardcover Pages: 377 “One of my favorite authors.”—Colleen Hoover An insightful, delightful, instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Oprah Daily ∙ Today ∙ Parade ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Bustle ∙ PopSugar ∙ Katie Couric Media ∙ Book Bub ∙ SheReads ∙ Medium ∙ The Washington Post ∙ and more! One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming… Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby. Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become …

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  • Book ReviewsContemporary FictionLiterary FictionMystery

    Emily St. John Mandel: The Glass Hotel

    by Jefferz October 27, 2023
    October 27, 2023

    The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel Genres: Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Mystery Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on March 24, 2020 Format: Hardcover Pages: 307 From the award-winning author of Station Eleven, an exhilarating novel set at the glittering intersection of two seemingly disparate events–a massive Ponzi scheme collapse and the mysterious disappearance of a woman from a ship at sea. Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star lodging on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island. On the night she meets Jonathan Alkaitis, a hooded figure scrawls a message on the lobby’s glass wall: Why don’t you swallow broken glass. High above Manhattan, a greater crime is committed: Alkaitis is running an international Ponzi scheme, moving imaginary sums of money through clients’ accounts. When the financial empire collapses, it obliterates countless fortunes and devastates lives. Vincent, who had been posing as Jonathan’s wife, walks away into the night. Years later, a victim of the fraud is hired to investigate a strange occurrence: a woman has seemingly vanished from the deck of a container ship between ports of call. In this captivating story of crisis and survival, Emily St. John Mandel takes readers through often …

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  • Book ReviewsContemporary FictionLGBTQ+Romance

    Casey McQuiston: One Last Stop

    by Jefferz October 19, 2023
    October 19, 2023

    One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston Genres: Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Magical Realism, Romance Published by St. Martin’s Press on June 1, 2021 Format: eBook Pages: 377 From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks… For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train. Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like …

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About Me

Reader & Coffee Connoisseur

I am a reading enthusiast and book reviewer who enjoys reading with a warm latte in-hand, breaking down what I read in detail. Although my favorite genres are sci-fi, high/epic fantasy, mystery noir, and a sprinkle of contemporary romance, I consider myself a variety reader.


With a coffee (or favorite beverage) of choice, join me on The Book Grind as we read and sip our way through some great novels.

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The Book Grind
  • Home
  • Book Reviews
    • By Title
    • By Author
    • By Year Read
    • By Series
    • Advanced Reader Copy Reviews
    • Indie Book Reviews
    • Archive (sortable)
  • Blog
  • Book Store
  • Contact Me
    • Review Policy