Welcome back, bookworms!
I’m writing this newsletter from sunny Los Angeles, and I could not be happier to be in the sun. Southern Ontario, per usual, is cold and dreary lately, but at least it makes for some good reading weather. April was the first month that seemed to drag on longer than the first quarter of the year. I say that because it feels like a lot happened and yet nothing at all. I genuinely forgot half the books I read this month because I assumed they were from March. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some dann GOOD books.
But nevertheless, here’s my reading wrap-up for April:
A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner (BROKE ME)
Love Overboard by Kandi Steiner (LOVED SO MUCH)
Just Remember by Joey Kidney
Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune
Good Girl by Mary Kubica
Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally
The Names by Florence Knapp (A NEW FAVOURITE)
Romance Revival by Christina Lauren
Across the Vanishing Sky by Catherine Cowles
This was a step into a new subgenre for me, and it feels like the start of something new. I’ve never been a romantic suspense kind of reader, but theoretically I should… I love romance, and I love thrillers. The thing is, though, I don’t like it when there’s romance in a thriller, so I always assumed it would be the same in the other direction. But as it turns out, I quite enjoy some suspense in my romance books.
What I liked about this book
The consistent tone of suspense
Brae <3
The found family elements
‼️ Spoiler: Nova was alive
What I didn’t LOVE about this book
Her son and the constant “bruh”
The epilogue
Telling the reader things instead of showing
Overall, I really enjoyed these two characters and their romance. It felt like the perfect slow burn where I genuinely believed these two were falling in love. Having Owen there also helped with the burn because Brae is cautious about letting anyone near her son. Initially, I was cautious because I didn’t want a classic damsel-in-distress relationship where he saved her every time. The scene where Vincent shows up and she pepper-sprays him is a perfect example of this. I don’t mind a protective MMC, but I like a narrative in which a woman can and will save herself.
While I loved Brae and everything she stood for, I can’t seem to find that same love for Dex. He didn’t stand out to me as an MMC. He would fit so much better in a romantasy novel, but his brutish personality simply didn’t fit in my brain. If anything, it took away his emotional depth.
Finally, let’s chat about the spice. It was a chef’s kiss for almost the entire book. There is one scene that I absolutely hate to see in romance novels, and that’s the “let’s have sex because I need to feel something.” After a traumatic event, it never makes sense for the characters to have sex. I get that Dex protested and everything in this scene, but it just felt weird and unnatural.
Maybe I’m just the kind of reader who doesn’t like to solve the plot twist early, but I had no idea how this book was going to end. When I first picked up this book, I was convinced that Nova was going to be alive. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m just used to happy endings in my romance books or straight intuition. With that in mind, the suspense wasn’t overly high in the first half of the book. I didn’t mind it because I knew something else was probably coming, but at the same time, I wasn’t bored. Slowly but surely, that suspense started to build up, and I was hooked and read the second half of this book in one sitting. From the missing young girl to the necklace being dropped on the front porch, I was even beginning to feel a bit freaked out. Maybe I’m just a scardy cat, but I’m glad I was reading this on a plane full of people and not home alone.
But as I got close to the 75% of this book, I was convinced that Nova was not alive. I found myself even being happy that she wasn’t alive because whatever she went through to stay alive would not have been pretty. I tend to stay away from any darker torture themes in books, and I was worried we might end up there. Catherine Cowles had me 100% sure that Nova had unfortunately passed until the very last few chapters. I love being surprised.
Here’s what I don’t love, though: The epilogue. Somehow it wasn’t enough, and more than I wanted to know. The last line reads,
“No.” Another harsh breath. “Her. She’s alive. Barely. Medics are on the way. Brae, she’s alive.”
This might be a VERY unpopular opinion, but how the story followed after this should’ve gone two ways:
The story ended right then and there
We got to experience finding Nova and Brae, seeing each other for the first time.
It’s not a huge secret that I don’t love an epilogue, and this one was no different, unfortunately. I would’ve been okay with the story ending after that line, letting the reader interpret what happens next and how it would feel. Instead, we got half of that. Fast-forwarding three months feels like I’m missing so much. I so badly craved experiencing the girls' first interaction after so much time had passed. I needed it. Talking about it in the past tense removes a lot of the emotional impact that scene should’ve had.
Despite these minor critiques of the book, I truly enjoyed this story. Some elements, like Owen saying “bruh” all the time, might have been annoying, but they didn’t take anything away from the core of this story. I felt everything Brae felt until the very end, and that’s the power of a great book. Maybe small-town men in romantic suspense just have that brutishness that I’m not used to yet. The found family carried this story, and I cannot WAIT for the next book in this series <3
“She wasn’t just the sun. She was the sunrise. Even though darkness had claimed her for a time”
“Pass on the beer but wouldn’t mind a Coke.”
“Fuck it,” he growled. And then he was on me, closing the distance in four long strides. There was no hesitation, no worry about what it might mean.
Overall: 4/5 ☆
Romance: 3.75/5 ☆
Storyline & Pacing: 4.25/5 ☆
Suspense: 3.5/5 ☆
Cowles is known for writing stories that, in her own words, “wreck you a little and stitch you back together.” Did Across the Vanishing Sky deliver that emotional experience for you?
At what point did you form a theory about Nova’s fate, and what was your reaction when the truth was revealed?
Did the thriller elements feel grounded to you, or did anything feel over the top?
Found family is a recurring theme across Cowles’ catalogue. How did the found family dynamic play out in this book, and did it land emotionally for you?
Did Across the Vanishing Sky leave you invested enough to follow the series? Are there other characters you’d want a book for?
If you want more small-town suspense stories
Anything Catherine Cowles writes!
Indigo Ridge by Devney Perry
Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
If you want more single-mom romances
Confessions of the Heart series by A.L. Jackson
On the Wild Side by Kristen Proby
Fearless by Elsie Silver
Reading: Since I absolutely loved Love Overboard by Kandi Steiner this month, I'm going to start reading some of her previous books! I have Blindside marked as “to be read” on Goodreads from years ago, so maybe I will start there?! Also… Still listening to 11/22/63.
Eating: While I’m currently in the states, I am drinking a Chobani Protein Yogurt drink every single day. We don’t have Chobani in Canada so I really stock up while I’m travelling.
Playing: Noah Kahan’s new album.
Obsessing Over: Curling my hair! Growing up, my hair was ALWAYS in a ponytail and in the last few years, it’s always been down, and I love it. Last year, I told myself I would figure out how to curl my hair with a clamp curler, and I have now finally perfected it. Now I’m on a mission to find the best heat protectant so I don’t fry my hair off.
Recommending: Rewatching old shows! Once upon a time, I heard this was an anxiety trait, but who knows. I’m rewatching old episodes of The Pitt and Parks and Recreation and having a grand old time <3
Synopsis: When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly because Joe died five months ago… The gift is simple – twelve carefully-chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
This book is FOR the readers <3 I’ve read it, and absolutely fell in love with it so much that all of you deserve to live in this world too!!!
I’ve linked the group chat below so you can join & chat with us in May! We talk about the book pick + everything else happening in the book world :)
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