For the twenty years Stella Davison has been with her husband, Simon, she's consistently put her dreams on hold in order to help him pursue his.  While his band has had some success over the years, Simon has never achieved the fame and fortune he craves.  Stella's done with the dying dream.  At 42, she's desperate to start the family she's put off having because of Simon's single-minded pursuit of celebrity.  Already at odds, Stella and Simon may not be able to survive as their rapidly diverging needs and wants slowly destroy their marriage.

On the night before Simon plans to board a plane for L.A. for what he's sure is going to be his big break, Stella accidentally overdoses, putting herself in a coma.  Staying by his wife's side means Simon misses out on a major opportunity.  He also becomes close to Stella's best friend, Libby.  When Stella awakens after two months, everything has changed.  Not only has she been betrayed by the two people she loves most, but she's also developed a surprising new talent for portraiture.  Can Stella figure out how to get along in her strange, new world?  Does she want to go back to her old life?  Or is it finally time to break out and forge her own path?

I'm not sure what to say about With Or Without You by Caroline Leavitt.  My feelings about the novel are about as ambivalent as its title.  Actually, I veer more toward without since I just didn't love this one.  The book has no real plot, so its focus is really on the characters.  I can't say I loved any of the three people at its center, although there were times in the novel when I both liked and loathed all of them.  They feel like real people, authentic in their weakness and vulnerability.  They do all experience growth in the novel, which adds to their humanness.  Because With Or Without You is basically plotless, it feels long and unfocused, even downright dull in places.  So, while I appreciated the story's insights on aging, forgiveness, letting go, selfishness, etc., overall, With Or Without You was just an average read for me.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing is coming to mind.  You?)

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of With Or Without You from the generous folks at Algonquin Books.  Thank you!

Bailey King is looking forward to a cozy Christmas in Amish country, celebrated simply with her devout  grandmother.  Peppermint is the dominant scent at Swissmen's Sweets as the chocolatier cheerfully bakes up a sleigh-full of goodies for her eager customers.  Bailey's enthusiastic ho ho ho's soon turn to bitter "bah humbugs" when her ex-boyfriend, celebrity pastry chef Eric Sharp, shows up in town to film a documentary on Amish Christmas practices.  His producer wants an "authentic" story greedy t.v. viewers will eat up, which Bailey fears will involve exploiting her friends, family, and business for ratings.  

When the documentary's executive producer, Rocky Rivers, is found dead in a Harvest gazebo, Eric becomes the primary suspect in her murder.  The town's sheriff's deputy, Aiden Brody, who has been sweet on Bailey ever since she came to town, seems only too eager to slap some cuffs on Eric's wrists.  Bailey's hardly Eric's biggest fan, but she doesn't want him to be wrongfully convicted.  Reluctantly, she agrees to play detective.  She believes in Eric's innocence (doesn't she?), but if he didn't kill Rocky, who did?  And why?  If she doesn't find the killer soon, no one in little Harvest is going to have a very merry Christmas ...

Premeditated Peppermint is the third book in Amanda Flower's delightful series revolving around the folks in Harvest, Ohio.  Although the quaint little town has a surprisingly high crime rate, it's still a fun place to visit.  The residents are appropriately quirky and there's plenty of Amish/English tension simmering under the surface to create lots of intriguing conflict.  Although the stories get far-fetched, I'm happy to suspend my disbelief in order to be entertained by the townfolks' antics.  Just like its predecessors, Premeditated Peppermint offers likable characters, a compelling mystery, and a unique setting.  Its vibe is Christmas-cozy, remaining warm and upbeat throughout.  I'm picky about which cozy mysteries I read; this series is one of my favorites.  The stories are fun, light, and entertaining.  Premeditated Peppermint is no exception.  I enjoyed it, just as I have all the previous installments.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other books in the Amish Candy Shop series, including Assaulted Caramel, Criminally Cocoa [novella], Lethal Licorice, Botched Butterscotch [novella], Toxic Toffee, Marshmallow Malice, Candy Cane Crime, and Lemon Drop Dead, as well as cozies by Kylie Logan, Ellie Alexander, and Vivien Chien)

Ever since her mother sought refuge in the remote religious community of Red Creek, 16-year-old Agnes and her siblings have lived within its protective bounds.  Agnes is careful to follow all the rules—she keeps her hair bound, her face unpainted, her eyes on the Lord, and her actions in line with the prophet's teachings.  She doesn't question the enigmatic leader, even as his preaching becomes increasingly frenetic.  Her one rebellion is going against the prophet's law prohibiting medical intervention.  Ezekiel, Agnes' 7-year-old brother, is a Type 1 diabetic.  Faith hasn't healed him—he needs frequent doses of insulin or he'll die.  Agnes won't let that happen.  She secretly barters for his medicine with a woman from the outside, even though it means risking punishment and excommunication.    

When Agnes' contact brings disturbing news from the outside about a viral pandemic that's sweeping the nation, Agnes is shocked.  The prophet is overjoyed that The End is near; his people will wait the apocalypse out in an underground bunker as planned.  Agnes refuses.  Desperate to save Ezekiel, she leaves behind everything she's ever known and flees with her brother in tow.  As they seek safety anywhere they can find it, Agnes realizes that she has a strange, otherworldly connection to the deadly virus.  Is it possible that she, an ordinary young woman with little knowledge of the world, has the power to stop it?

While Agnes at the End of the World, a debut novel by Kelly McWilliams, may sound like just another YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic story, it has a few elements that make it stand out.  Most cult stories are brutal in their depictions of religious faith, showing it as something that can only be espoused by the blind and the brainwashed.  As Agnes' eyes are opened and she begins to question what she's been taught, she grows into a faith that is meaningful in a more personal way.  She comes to understand what she, herself, really believes and knows.  To me, her journey feels authentic and I love that a YA book depicts that kind of faith as something that is not just acceptable but also healthy and sustaining.  Despite its ruminations on religious devotion, never fear—Agnes at the End of the World is not a Christian novel or even a preachy one.  Its religious themes are expertly woven into its larger plot.  As a Type 1 diabetic myself, I also appreciate the realistic representation of my disease in this story.  It's a condition that isn't addressed a lot in novels and definitely should be.  Beyond these unique features, Agnes at the End of the World also offers a cast of likable characters, a fast-paced plot, and a story well told in assured prose.  For all these reasons, I very much enjoyed this novel, which kept me burning through the pages eager to find out what was going to happen next.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Line Between and A Single Light, a duology by Tosca Lee, and The Outside and The Hallowed Ones, a duology by Laura Bickle)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

Family is complicated.  Especially if you're a Miller.  This becomes especially obvious when Helen Auerbach, the family's elderly matriarch, dies, bringing her three estranged grandchildren back together under one roof.  Birthed by Deborah, a mostly absent mother, Beck, Ashley, and Jake were raised by Helen, who "was more than a grandmother; Deborah was less than a mom" (24).  When Helen's will is read, the grandchildren are all shocked to discover their ancestral home has been given to their unstable mother.  Beck, the grandchild who has spent the most time doting on Helen over the years, is puzzled by her inheritance—a gaudy brooch.  Was Helen completely out of her mind when she drafted her will?

When a jeweler friend spies Beck's new bling, he's certain it's more valuable than it seems.  Like $10 million more.  Authentication shows one of the brooch's gems is actually the famous Florentine diamond, a 137-carat stone that went missing from the Austrian Empire over 100 years ago.  As much as Beck tries to contain the news, soon everyone knows about her stunning inheritance.  Not only are various government heads vying for possession of the diamond, but Beck's family members are wrangling to get their piece of the proverbial pie as well.  Looming above it all, though, is the very intriguing question—just how did Helen Auerbach acquire the Florentine diamond?  Did Helen's family even know her at all?  As Beck and her siblings search for answers, they uncover the shocking story their grandmother never wanted them to know.  In the process, they discover that money can never buy what's most important in life.

The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson brings together some of my favorite fictional (and real-life) themes—family, genealogy, mystery, and history.  I enjoyed learning about the real Florentine diamond (which is still missing), a subject I knew little about.  The characters in The Imperfects are complex and intriguing.  They're all flawed, with varying degrees of likability, which makes them feel authentic.  Their complicated relationships also seem true-to-life.  Plotwise, the novel remains compelling throughout, as Helen's past is slowly revealed.  As the Millers grapple with their everyday dramas, plus those of the past, and the tantalizing possibilities of a glimmering future, they learn some valuable lessons about family, forgiveness, and where true fortune really lies.  If you can't tell, I loved this wise, engrossing novel.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of the movie Knives Out and of The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper)