Welcome to Litsy!

I loved EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER, so I had some high hopes diving into this one! And while I certainly found myself listening at every chance, I just didn‘t find it to be quite as enjoyable as I‘d hoped… Laurie, in the wake of breaking off her engagement, takes time off to return to her ME hometown to sort through her beloved great-aunt‘s belongings. The quest for the story surrounding a wood duck decoy provides the highlight of the book for sure!

I'm really excited about all these picks! @CBee #readyourkindle

'woman returns to her small Maine hometown, uncovering family secrets that take her on a journey of self-discovery and new love‘ easy beach reading 😎🦆

Second book of the day! Wish I had more days like this 😉

What a gem!! I enjoyed this sweet story. The character development, story telling, and fun mystery made for a great tale. Laurie drove me a little nuts, but I love that she knows what she wants and it‘s not wrapped around what society says she has to want. Book #26 in 2023

Laurie has returned home to Maine for a few weeks to pack up her late great-aunt‘s home. In the process, she reconnects with her first love (now the town‘s hot librarian) and finds a mysterious duck carving that leads to new understandings about her aunt‘s life.

Really enjoying this so far. Love the pop culture references and feel like she is describing parts of my life. We too own a food dehydrator that has never been used.

Really, really good. I also loved this author‘s first book, so I hope she writes more! I‘m a fan of her writing style and characters. This had lots of great intergenerational friendships and was about different ways to have a fulfilling life, and a lot about independence versus relationships and how they‘re not mutually exclusive. It‘s also a lot about a decoy duck. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Basically you should read it and find out how it all fits together! 💗

One of my goals this year is to do better reading my #Bookspin books. January‘s list, and once again, I wish I could read them ALL this month.

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Liked this a lot. A non traditional romance with a bit of a mystery thrown in. Lighthearted easy read. And Julia Whelan‘s audio narration is perfect.

I used to love reading Linda‘s reviews on Television Without Pity, and I‘m happy to say I enjoy her books just as much. I really liked the storyline here. There was a whole decoy duck subplot I just got a kick out of.

August reading recap: Last month, 7 of 15 books read rated high enough to make the recommended list. https://debbybrauer.org/#august-2022-recap

In the acknowledgements, Holmes talks about getting over “second book blues” but there was no need to be nervous! I know folks ADORED Evvie Drake Starts Over, & I certainly enjoyed it…but it didn‘t capture my whole heart in the same way this sophomore effort did. And I‘m not just saying that because the love interest was a hunky librarian, either! 👇🏻

An art account I follow just posted this drawing. I saw it in between reading pages of Holmes‘ newest, which features a mysterious wooden duck.

What timing! 🦆

This was delightful. When Laurie's great aunt dies she comes home to take care of the estate. Laurie finds a wooden duck hidden away and this is the story of her search for the importance of the decoy to her aunt. 3rd book finished for #AwesomeAugust @Andrew65

This makes me happy. I like stories IRL and in fiction when someone discovers that an elderly family member was actually quite bad ass in their day and lived an enviable life.

There‘s a little something here—mystery, romance, and humor—for a lot of people. Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#flying-solo

Books 87 and 88 of the year.

This was a charming story of a woman who travels across the country to her favorite aunt‘s house to take care of her estate after she passes away. During the process she meets up with an old flame, discovers a mysterious duck and that there were things about aunt‘s life she never knew about. FYI, this is not a romance, more contemporary fiction/women‘s fiction, though there are several love stories. 4⭐️ A solid summer read.

One can live a fabulous life and still be single as evidenced by Aunt Dot, who adventured around the world solo. When Dot dies, her great-niece Laurie comes to clean out her house after breaking her own engagement. Laurie finds a possibly valuable wooden duck and reconnects with her childhood best friend and her first love, who is recently divorced.

I enjoyed Laurie and Nick connecting over their past. This was a fun summer #audiobook!

I read this in one day Not something I ever do. Loved Holmes‘ first novel and this is even better- snappy real dialogue, nice people, cute plot and Maine and how to figure out “together” and “apart” that works in a relationship. Right book for me right now! Thank you!

Linda Holmes famously from NPR‘s Pop Culture Happy Hour is out with her second novel, and is quickly becoming one of my go to authors. Her books are so delightful, but she is so good at adding a complexity to her characters that just gives these stores so much substance.

I really enjoyed this! Charming setting and characters and a fun caper element, and I liked how it got at the complexities of singlehood, relationships (romantic, family, and friend), and identity. A traditional romance in some ways and not one in others, and that suited me just fine. I felt like the voice of the Linda Holmes I know and love from NPR really came through in this.
(Thanks to the #librofm #ALC program for early access!)

This author‘s debut, Evvie Drake Starts Over (set in the same small Maine town), was a winner for me. Unfortunately this second effort, not so much. Laurie, a single Seattle journalist on the cusp of 40, is tasked with returning to her hometown to clean out her beloved late aunt‘s house. She reconnects with her bf June and first love Nick who is now a librarian. She discovers a hidden wooden duck decoy, and they set out to solve the mystery 🔻

I am looking towards June and I think it's frankly wild how many books that are coming out that I'm interested in?? I have 8 pre-ordered and at least 1 more I'm thinking of picking up.