REVIEW: She Wouldn't Change a Thing by Sarah Adlakha

Title: She Wouldn’t Change a Thing
Author: Sarah Adlakha
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: August 2021
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Sliding Doors meets Life After Life in Sarah Adlakha's story about a wife and mother who is given the chance to start over at the risk of losing everything she loves.

A second chance is the last thing she wants.

When thirty-nine-year-old Maria Forssmann wakes up in her seventeen-year-old body, she doesn’t know how she got there. All she does know is she has to get to her home in Bienville, Mississippi, to her job as a successful psychiatrist and, most importantly, to her husband, daughters, and unborn son.

But she also knows that, in only a few weeks, a devastating tragedy will strike her husband, a tragedy that will lead to their meeting each other.

Can she change time and still keep what it’s given her?

Exploring the responsibilities love lays on us, the complicated burdens of motherhood, and the rippling impact of our choices, She Wouldn't Change a Thing is a dazzling debut from a bright new voice.

My Thoughts: Holy Bookworm, Batman, what did I just read here? This story gives the reader a front-row seat to the opportunity to start one’s life over, so to speak. What would you do if you were given such a chance? When Maria suddenly finds herself in this situation, her primary objective is to get back to her husband, daughters, unborn son and her psychiatry practice. Learning her trip back to her seventeen-year-old self comes with a life-or-death purpose, what will she choose? Fulfill her purpose or go back to her family? She can only choose one. I did not envy Maria one little bit. The stress and anxiety she feels was so brilliantly written and narrated, I felt loads of empathy for her and her situation.

This story got me thinking about so many topics such as reincarnation, past life regression and death, just to name a few. I couldn’t imagine myself in Maria’s shoes, because she is carrying a heavy burden, especially when she wakes up no longer pregnant and back in her parent’s home and seventeen again. Not only does it freak her out and she thinks she’s dreaming, but the people around her think she’s lost her mind, demanding to know where her husband and children are.

This story has so much going on, not just with Maria, but with the numerous supporting characters as well. It’s a lot to unpack and it took me a few stops and starts with the audio to get plugged in, but once I did, I was riveted. The writing and the story are exceptional. The characters are very complex and well developed. Their behaviors, thoughts and dialogue are appropriate for the situations they find themselves in. The audio narration performed by Cassandra Campbell was superb. She conveys not just the emotions of the characters in her reading, but also their personalities. I got an excellent sense of knowing these characters, which is vital for the reader to have any empathy for them.

My Final Verdict: Sarah Adlakha has created an amazing story around the concept of time travel and I absolutely loved it. Readers who enjoy the same concept will enjoy this tale as well as fans of women’s fiction and readers who love strong familial relationships in their stories. This book was highly focused on family and the connections we have with the people we meet throughout our journey of life.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of She Wouldn’t Change a Thing from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Rome is Where the Heart Is by Tilly Tennant

Title: Rome is Where the Heart Is (From Italy with Love #1)
Author: Tilly Tennant
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: March 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Can a holiday romance ever have a happy ending? Escape with Kate to the sun-drenched city of Rome where a love affair is just about to begin…

When Kate’s husband Matt dumps her on Friday 13th she decides enough is enough – it’s time for her to have some fun and so she hops on a plane to Rome. A week of grappa and gelato in pavement cafes under azure blue skies will be just what the doctor ordered.

What she doesn’t count on is meeting and falling for sexy policeman Alessandro. But the course of true love doesn’t run smoothly – Alessandro has five meddling sisters, a fearsome mama and a beautiful ex Orazia. They’re all certain that Kate is not the girl for him.

Can Kate and Alessandro’s love last the distance? Or will she return home with the one souvenir she doesn’t want – a broken heart …

Fall in love with the colorful cafes and the cobbled piazzas of Rome and follow Kate’s dreams and her heart in this enchanting escapist read. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Carol Matthews.

My Thoughts: With Rome is Where the Heart Is, Tilly Tennant once again brings to life a story so rich in locale detail that I don’t know why I am sitting here writing this review when I should be on a plane bound for Rome! In addition to all of the food and drink delights that await one visiting Rome, the city has amazing history and architecture that really should be reason enough to put a visit on your bucket list. Instead, I was able to tag along with Kate on her holiday to Rome.

I really liked Kate and admired her courage to not only travel to another country by herself, but her determination to not let fear or apprehension keep her from enjoying all the city of Rome has to offer. I really enjoy stories that shake the characters out of the rut they are in and do something exciting and unexpected. Deciding to move to Italy and start a new life is definitely something very unexpected and not something I recommend but it definitely worked for Kate. I thought Kate’s sister advising that Kate take more time before jumping into this plan also made sense, and I understand she was only trying to look out for her. Kate’s frustration and sense of guilt for doing something for herself for a change was keenly felt and understood too. I very much enjoyed Kate’s family meeting Alessandro and seeing them connect with him made the impossible seem possible.

I also enjoyed the side story of Kate’s new friendship with American businessman Jamie and thought he filled the role of big brother, tour guide and new best friend perfectly. This is the first book in the series and ended with Kate returning to Rome to start her new life. I am looking forward to the next book to see how she fares and hopefully get to reconnect with these characters again.

My Final Verdict: Overall, if you can ignore the voice of reason in your head pointing out why moving to another country, a country whose primary language is not one you speak or understand is a bad idea, then you will enjoy seeing Rome through Kate’s eyes and will likely fall in love with it as she did. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy romances and the excitement of visiting exotic destinations. Readers who enjoy seeing the characters take chances, not worrying about the future and living in the moment will also enjoy this story.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Rome is Where the Heart Is from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Bookworm by Robin Yeatman

Title: Bookworm
Author: Robin Yeatman
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Publisher: Harper Perennial and Paperbacks
Publication Date: February 2023
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: A wickedly funny debut novel—a black comedy with a generous heart that explores the power of imagination and reading—about a woman who tries to use fiction to find her way to happiness.

Victoria is unhappily married to an ambitious and controlling lawyer consumed with his career. Burdened with overbearing in-laws, a boring dead-end job she can’t seem to leave, and a best friend who doesn’t seem to understand her, Victoria finds solace from the daily grind in her beloved books and the stories she makes up in her head. One day, in a favorite café, she notices an attractive man reading the same talked-about bestselling novel that she is reading. A woman yearning for her own happy ending, Victoria is sure it’s fate. The handsome book lover must be her soul mate.

There’s only one small problem. Victoria is already married. Frustrated, and desperate to change her life, Victoria retreats to the dark places in her mind and thinks back to all the stories she’s ever read in hopes of finding a solution. She begins to fantasize about nocturnal trysts with café man, and imaginative ways (poisoned pickles were an inspired choice in Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres) of getting rid of the dread husband.

It’s all just harmless fantasy born of Victoria’s fevered imagination and her books—until, one night, fiction and reality blur and suddenly it seems Victoria is about to get everything she’s wished for . . . .

My Thoughts: With Bookworm written by new to me Robin Yeatman, we are introduced to Victoria, an avid bookworm stuck in a dead-end job and a dead-end marriage to Eric, a lawyer who sneers at her book reading. She lives a very dreary existence. I wouldn’t even go so far as to characterize what she is living as a life. There is no joy in Victoria’s world, except between the pages of the book is reading and the imaginary stories she makes up in her mind about the people around her.

One day while sitting in her favorite coffee shop, reading a book she absolutely detests, she notices a man who is reading the same book she is! It has to be fate, right? This man is her soul mate and she can’t stop thinking about him. That is, when she isn’t thinking about ways her husband should suddenly and tragically meet his doom. She even goes so far as to tamper with his vehicle. There isn’t a whole lot about Victoria that I found likeable and she is seriously several sandwiches short of a picnic. However, I also felt a lot of pity for her. Her parents adore her husband. He’s the model example of the child they wish they had, instead of Victoria. They even maneuvered the two of them together, so I guess you could say theirs is an arranged marriage. A very solid pre-nup agreement would leave Victoria with nothing more than the clothes on her back if she should ever leave, so here she is drifting through life, making chicken dinners of various varieties and imagining her husband dead, in quite creative ways.

I don’t want to say too much without giving away the plot, but I will say I was dreading just how far Victoria would go with her fantasy life, not just with her husband, but also with her café crush, Luke. None of these characters are likeable or relatable, but I couldn’t look away. What is Victoria going to do? For most of the book, I wanted to shake her and slap some sense into her.

I enjoyed this book and I was highly anticipating what would happen. There were some unexpected surprises, some laugh out loud moments and some great twists. Bookworm is Robin Yeatman’s debut book and I will be on the lookout for her next book.

My Final Verdict: This book does not end with the happily ever after Victoria was yearning for, but that’s life, isn’t it? The takeaway for me after reading this book is we have a choice every day to be happy or to be unhappy and we have the power to change or fix what’s lacking. I don’t think Victoria would know how to choose happiness even if it showed up with a gold embossed invitation. I recommend this book to readers who like to be surprised and entertained and don’t mind if the characters have no moral compass.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Bookworm from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.