(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Just when it seems nothing else can go wrong for Zoe O'Connell—a single mom struggling to keep up with her expensive, stressful life in London—something does.  A "reappraisal" on her crummy flat is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back.  Knowing she'll get no help from her absent mum nor her charming, but always penniless ex, Zoe's at her wit's end.  She wants something better for her non-verbal 4-year-old, Hari, but how can she improve their situation when she has no money, no support system, and no hope that things will ever get better?

Enter Surinder, Hari's aunt.  A friend of Nina Redmond (heroine of The Bookshop on the Corner), who's looking for help with her bookmobile business, Surinder sets Zoe up with two jobs in a tiny town in the Scottish Highlands.  Zoe will help Nina out while also working as a nanny at the local "big house."  Desperate, Zoe has little choice but to accept.  Soon, she's doing her best to keep her three rowdy charges in line, help their father engage with his children, and keep a pregnant Nina from overworking herself.  Hari seems content in Kirrinfief, so Zoe's determined to make it work despite all the challenges she's facing.  Can she make a home for herself and her son out of a backward Scottish village?  When push comes to shove, will she stay or go?

Jenny Colgan is a new find for me.  I read The Bookshop on the Corner in 2017 and loved it, so I was eager to pick up its companion novel, The Bookshop on the Shore.  While the latter is not a sequel per se, it does feature the same town as well as some of the same characters from the former.  I loved dropping in on these old friends and being introduced to new ones.  Like its predecessor, The Bookshop on the Shore is warm, sweet, and funny.  I adored everything about it, from the setting to the writing to the characters, both new and familiar.  As much as I enjoyed The Bookshop on the Corner, I liked this one even better as it has more depth to it.  Colgan writes such fun books.  I definitely plan to keep exploring her backlist while eagerly awaiting her newest offerings.

(Readalikes:  The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a half dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives) and innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Bookshop on the Corner with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Neither Nora Holliday nor Josh Landon is happy in their long-term marriages, but that doesn't mean either one of them is the type to start an illicit affair.  But that's just what happens when they run into each other at a hotel in a different city.  A one-time mistake blossoms into something more as they continue to see each other secretly after returning to their small hometown.  Despite the risks to their reputations, their marriages, and their families, Nora and Josh find that their relationship provides the affection and fulfillment they haven't felt with their spouses in years.

When Abby Landon—a college junior who's home recovering from a shattering breakup—sees her father kissing a woman who's not her mother, she vows to get revenge on the pretty homewrecker.  As she plots against her father and his lover, Abby unknowingly sets into motion a plan that will end in the brutal murder of her mother.  Gwen Landon had plenty of enemies, but who actually killed her?

The Last Affair by Margot Hunt is another compelling, but depressing psychological thriller.  It's engrossing, even though it's populated with a cast of selfish, immature people with whom it's very hard to sympathize.  I felt sorry for the kids caught in the middle of their parents' drama, but that's about it.  The Last Affair is enough of a page-turner that I kept reading to the end; overall, though, I didn't find it a very enjoyable or satisfying read.  Mostly, it's just a big downer.  It convinced me that it's time to give this genre a break for a while ...

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, sexual content, violence, and blood/gore

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Last Affair from the generous folks at Harlequin.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

After years of struggling with infertility, both 38-year-old Lana Stone and her boyfriend, Tyler Jones, are at their wit's end.  The difference is Lana's willing to continue, while her faithful partner is done—with Lana's baby obsession, with all the stress and financial burden it places on them, and with their whole relationship, which has become tense and angry.  When Tyler moves out, Lana's stung.  Then, she gets miraculous news—she's finally pregnant.  Tyler might be out of the picture, but Lana's determined to have their baby anyway.  

A chance encounter on a New York City subway brings Lana face-to-face with a woman she's never met, but with whom she shares an intimate connection.  Katya Dimitrova is the 21-year-old college student whose donated eggs are making Lana's dreams of motherhood a reality.  Lana knows she should not, under any circumstances, follow Katya off the subway, but she does it anyway, an impulsive action that leads to an unlikely friendship between the two women.  It's not long, however, before fun-loving Katya disappears under suspicious circumstances.  Suddenly, Lana finds herself the prime suspect in a missing persons investigation.  In a desperate attempt to exonerate herself, she digs into Katya's past, which brings some very disturbing information to light ...

Her Daughter's Mother, a debut novel by Daniela Petrova, is a compelling psychological thriller built on an intriguing premise.  The characters are complex and authentic, although not very likable.  Still, the propulsive plot kept me reading, needing to know what was going to happen next.  Although the novel is depressing and I didn't end up loving it, it definitely kept me turning pages.  I liked it enough that I'll keep an eye out for Petrova's sophomore attempt.   

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing's coming to mind.  Help!)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

All over the U.S., families will be gathering this week to celebrate Thanksgiving.  This underrated holiday is one of my favorites—not because I love to pig out on turkey and pie, but because it's not really about gluttony at all.  Thanksgiving revolves around gratitude, being thankful for the blessings in our lives.  Even when life is dark and gloomy, if we just look around a little bit, we can always find something to be grateful for.  Like the quote says, it's a choice.  We can actively decide to cultivate an attitude of gratitude, which will make us happier, healthier, and more pleasant to be around!  This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for so many things—family, friends, a nice house, food on the table, the miracle of modern medicine, cool weather (a REAL blessing in hot, dry Arizona), and so much more.  To all my U.S. readers, Happy Thanksgiving!  A belated one to all you Canadians as well.  

Not surprisingly, today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is a gratitude freebie.  Before I jump into the spin I decided to take, I want to encourage you to join in the TTT fun.  It's easy.  Simply click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few instructions, make your own list, then spend some happy hours surfing the book blogosphere checking out everyone's lists.  Easy as ... pie!  See what I did there?? 

Today, I decided to celebrate my favorite aspect of blogging—interacting with you, my readers.  To be quite honest, I would probably blog even if no one ever saw my reviews, just because I find it enjoyable, but the fact that people actually want to read what I write is both surprising and wonderful.  I love reading your comments, crafting responses, and just interacting with so many good, like-minded folks.  I appreciate you coming by, even if you're a shy lurker, but I'm especially thankful for those who comment regularly here at BBB.  You make this hobby so much fun!  So, I'm going to publicly thank my most frequent visitors with a TTT list titled Top Ten Twelve Commenters On BBB Who Deserve My Eternal Gratitude.  I hope you will show these good people some love by visiting their blogs, commenting, and taking their always on-point reading recommendations to heart.  Thank you, my friends, for all you do for me and my little blog :)

Top Ten Twelve Commenters on BBB Who Deserve My Eternal Gratitude

1.  Annette @Annette's Book Spot

2.  Carla @Carla Loves to Read

3.  Cath @Read_Warbler

4.  Helen @Helen's Book Blog 

5.  Joy @Joyous Reads  

6.  Katherine @I Wish I Lived in a Library

7.  Kay @Kay's Reading Life

8.  Lark @Lark Writes ... On Books and Life

9.  Mystica @Musings From Sri Lanka

10.  Sam @Book Chase

11.  Sam @We Live and Breathe Books