Merritt and Her Childhood Crush

Merritt and Her Childhood Crush (Oakley Island, #2) by Emma St. Clair & Jenny Proctor Emma: Website | Twitter | Instagram Jenny: Website | Twitter | Instagram Publication Date: January 31, 2023 Publisher: Independently Published Pages: 324 ISBN: 9798374821864 Genre: Contemporary | Romance Source: ARC (ebook) Add to Goodreads Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

Synopsis: Merritt hasn't been back to Oakley island since she was a teenager, well technically not since That One Night but she doesn't talk about that. Merritt was perfectly happy in New York, being a strong no-nonsense woman with a nice apartment, work friends, and her boyfriend. But when her life suddenly implodes, she finds herself heading back to Oakley Island to oversee the renovations of her late grandmother's house.

Hunter hasn't seen Merritt since he was a teenager and she dropped a bombshell on him, broke his heart, and then never came back or looked back. 

Review: This story is so incredibly sweet and charismatic. It's a closed-door romance, with no swearing, and very little steam/heat (though the interest is there - they just keep it PG), and it's told with a dual POV. I really enjoyed getting to see both Merritt's and Hunter's sides of the story. 

Also, how adorable is this cover? I mean, it's pink! Of course, it's adorable! I love pink covers so much and then add in cartoon characters and I'm here for it. This is also a second-chance romance, who doesn't love a second-chance romance with a HEA? 

As for the characters, Merritt is such an interesting character. I really felt like I could relate to her, and I saw so much of myself in her. That fierce drive and determination while also hiding away vulnerable parts of yourself. There was one part at the beginning of the book when Merritt is picturing (hearing) her late grandmother's words and her grandmother describes Merritt as a turtle, a hard exterior shell to protect her vulnerable insides. That part of the story was so relatable to me.

"I would rather risk everything for a chance than live another moment without you in my arms."

        - Emma St. Clair & Jenny Proctor, Merritt and Her Childhood Crush

This was my first Emma St. Clair book but not my first Jenny Proctor Book. I really enjoy Jenny's (and Emma's) writing style and found this book to be really sweet with well-developed characters and idyllic scenery. 

Overall I give this book 4 stars because I loved the plot, I enjoyed the characters, and the storyline was very engaging. I can't wait to see what happens next in this series, I am going to go back and read Eloise's story and I am excited to read about Sadie's story when book three comes out next year. 

I received this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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The Fate She Sees

      

The Replacement Wife

by Allie Davies

Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: Mar 9, 2022
Publisher: Alison Glossop
Pages: 315
ISBN: 9781739727918
Genre: Thriller | Suspense | Psychological
Source: ARC (ebook)

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Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

Synopsis: Emily is struggling. She has been dealing with something traumatic while also trying to salvage her fractured marriage. She knows her husband is withdrawing more and more so she hires a private investigator to follow him and uncover his secrets. But then strange things start to happen to her. Late one night on the Tube, Emily encounters a man who claims to be psychic and asks to read her palm. At first, Emily is reluctant but then at the last minute, she changes her mind. The psychic predicts that within a month three people will betray her and that he mentions that he sees a gun pointed at her head. Emily originally doubts the man and his predictions, that is until they start coming true.

Emily starts trying to put the pieces together to figure out what her husband is really up to, who is the mysterious person that seems to be following her and hanging outside her house, and who is this psychic really?

Review: I'm shocked that this is Allie's debut novel. The writing is really good, what a fantastic debut novel. I ended up plowing through this book because every time I got to the end of one chapter, I had to keep going to see what the next chapter would bring.

I love when the narrator is unreliable. Especially when other factors come into play such as alcohol or in this case, going off anti-depressants cold-turkey. It makes it incredibly hard to trust the character and as a reader, you spend a lot of time wondering what is real and what isn't. I spent the entire time trying to figure out and guess what was happening, trying to put all the pieces of this puzzle back together to see the full picture. This is one of those books where you think you understand the connections and bigger picture, but when you get to the end you realize you had it very wrong. 

“They whisper in hard tones, probably hoping they cannot be heard over the thunderous rumble of the Tube. It's obvious they are in the midst of a heated discussion. He's staring into her eyes. I recognise the forced expression that appears on his face when he says, 'There's no one else.' Yes, I know that look.”
― Allie Davies, The Fate She Sees

I really enjoyed Emily's character. She was very relatable and it was easy to get sucked into her mind and experience her feelings. 

Overall I give this book 3.5 stars because I loved the plot, I enjoyed the character development, and the storyline was very engaging. I can't wait to see what Allie writes next.

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