Whitney Dineen

This is my first novel by Whitney Dineen and I can definitely see why her books are popular. She deftly combines laugh out loud humor with some pretty deep situations. Pity Party is a fun, grumpy/sunshine, small town romance with an endearing tween girl and her single dad.

Melissa co-owns a bridal shop with her mom and is beginning to resent the happy brides especially with her disastrous dating track record. When a cute, bright, bubbly twelve year old girl admires her shop and wants to help show more out, she’s found a kindred spirit in Sammy. Meeting her handsome dad though gives her major grump vibes. It seems he’s charming to everyone but her. But as she gets to know the man underneath the grumpy facade, she sees a caring, loving father who is still scarred from his past relationship. Melissa wants a home and family, but can she convince Jaime to be more than friends?

Jaime Riordan is committed to not dating while he’s raising his daughter. When Sammy’s mother Beth left them when Sammy was only 10 months old, he never got over it. He was hoping once she got treatment for her postpartum depression, she’d come back. But, it’s been over 11 years, and she’s had no contact with Sammy. Hoping for a new start with his daughter, they move to Elk Lake, Wisconsin.

When he meets Melissa, he’s startled by the attraction he feels towards her and the fact that she looks a little like his ex. He has to do everything in his power not to give in to his feelings for Sammy’s sake. But, when an accidental passionate kiss turns into one of the best kisses he’s had, he doesn’t want to stop kissing her. Is it possible for them to be friends with kissing benefits?

I loved the relationships between Melissa, Sammy, and Jaime. Melissa is so good with Sammy and gives her the motherly advice she’s always wanted. Sammy definitely steals the show and is adorable. Jaime is a fabulous, caring father who makes his daughter his priority. I enjoyed the slow build relationship between Jaime and Melissa. I liked that they were friends first. I was a little annoyed with Jaime because he wanted to have his cake and eat it too. I didn’t like that he wanted fiery kisses with Melissa, but then remain just friends. While their make-out sessions are pretty intense, the author does manage to keep things closed door.

There are some pretty deep subjects covered in this story including: forgiveness, parental abandonment, an overly controlling mother, and bullying. Each of these is handled adeptly and mixed with really funny humor and innuendo. Sammy also gets her period in this book and we see Melissa handling it well while Jaime has a hard time. I also liked how Melissa helped Jaime and Sammy reconcile their feelings towards Beth.

I’d consider this a closed door romance. There is some mild swearing including the “s” word and taking the Lord’s name in vain, innuendo, heavy make-out sessions, and alcohol use. It was a little more than I’m comfortable with, but I still found it enjoyable. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided. 3 1/2 stars raised to 4. show less

No doubt about it, Relatively Normal by Whitney Dineen is fantastic! I was still reading the disclaimer, “This is a work of fiction. . .” and I was already laughing. Even the chapter headings are funny. The dedication to those lucky enough to find the loves of their lives in high school spoke to me, because that’s just what I did! So I was ready for a good story and I was not disappointed.

The story gets off to a rollicking start: Catriona is successful, settled, engaged to be married show more – but whoa! What’s with the little white lies to Ethan? Meeting vs. massage? Ethan seems like a pretty good guy and a pretty good fit for her. Maybe a bit too orderly, too predictable, but Cat has been hurt and she’s playing it safe. By the time they board the plane, though, you’re already wondering how this Thanksgiving with Ethan and his parents meeting the Masterton clan for the first time is going to go.

It goes better than you would expect, at least for a while. Ethan and his parents are good sports, mostly. They survive the kitchen gadget fetish, taxidermied field mice, stoner brother who hides out in the basement, and the grandmother who seems to have Tourette’s. They even survive, mostly, the Shuck and Chuck demonstration with the nuts and spittoons and the instruction to yell FLUSH! It’s one laugh after another, at least for the reader if not so much for Ethan and his parents.

But when Sam, the ex-boyfriend who shattered Cat’s heart and who she never wanted to see again, shows up with his parents for Thanksgiving dinner I feel like I’ve been dropped into Outlander. Yes Jamie! No Frank! Yes Jamie! No Frank! Substitute Sam for Jamie and Ethan for Frank and there you have it. There’s nothing really wrong with Ethan (well, maybe not much, anyway), but Sam . . . sigh. Maybe it’s just the Scottish vibe or the Masterton plaid or the kilt thing, but when Cat thinks to herself that Sam is entwined in her DNA in such a way she’ll probably need an exorcism to get rid of him you know she’s in for some tough decisions.

The story changes tempo about halfway through, but your level of interest and need to keep turning pages does not change at all. Instead of laugh out loud the humor is more dry and subtle, and the story gets sweeter and sweeter. As I got to know the characters better they became (a little) less weird and more interesting. The second half of Relatively Normal is all about family and change and hopes and dreams. Are there twists and turns and a surprise ending? The answer to that would be YES!

So many books, so little time, right? But you need to bump something and make time to read Relatively Normal. This book had me scurrying to my e-readers and bookshelves to see what else I have by Whitney Dineen that needs to be at the top of my TBR stack so I can continue this very enjoyable fix of the perfect blend of humor and sweet sexiness.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review. show less

The Event is a fantastic start to a new series by Whitney Dineen. I swear I smiled through the entire book. And I read it straight through, because once I got involved with these characters I couldn’t stop reading or smiling. Emmie escapes narrow-minded, gossipy Creek Water for New York, but circumstances land her right back in it. From the minute she arrives home the action is non-stop. Nothing much has changed, same old gossip, country club, frenemies, family she missed. Nothing much show more except for Zach, just some guy from high school who she finds herself working with. He alternates between seeming to thoroughly disapprove of her role as single mother and being drawn to her, and as for Emmie, her mind tells her to be mad at Zach but her body tells her to step closer. Whitney Dineen does this kind of thing better than almost anybody. I figured out the big reveal pretty early, but that was fine, because this story isn’t about solving some big mystery but enjoying the southern locale, the quirky people, the ridiculous situations they find themselves in, and the love all around.

Most of the characters are likable; all of them are interesting. Emmie is brave and strong and a great mom, daughter, sister and friend. Zach – just sigh and picture Emmie thinking, “Drool pools in my mouth for a multitude of reasons.” and you’ll know all you need to about him. The Event is as hilarious as all of author Dineen’s books are, but also with her trademark focus on character and family, some sadness and serious life issues to deal with. At the end you are completely satisfied and want to read the next book immediately.

Thanks to the author for an advance copy of The Event. I recommend it without hesitation, and all opinions are my own.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. show less

Full review appeared at Reader's Edyn on 04/29/20

Amelia is finally in a good place with her life … well, as good as it is going to get for her anyway. The victim of a harrowing experience in childhood – though she is unaware of that little detail – she suffers from extreme anxiety. It’s been a long and debilitating road to get to some form of normalcy, but she’s done it. She may have to make sacrifices along the way and she might seem a bit odd to some, but she’s found happiness. show more Until her dream come true walks through the door of her bead store and sends every aspect of her life scattering about recklessly. So what if he’s a famous rock star? He’d never be interested in a small town nothing like her. He’s only around for a short amount of time. Plus, his daughter needs a level of companionship that only Amelia can provide. So what if he makes her shudder with desire every time he’s near? So what if he seems to have set his sights on breaching her carefully constructed walls of protection? So what if he’s everything she ever wanted for herself and everything she never dreamed of wanting? So what if she feels like she knows him after more than a decade of connecting to every word of his music? So what if he says he wants her? He’s only temporary and temporary can never work in her perfectly ordered, perfectly quiet, perfectly planned life.

Huck Wiley is a rock star God! But with fame comes sacrifice. He’s away from his daughter more than he gets to see her and everyone wants something he can provide because of who he is. It never has anything to do with who he really is after all the rock star persona is left on the stage. When he immediately senses something different about Amelia, he knows he has to get to know her. But he’s used to getting what he wants where women are concerned and Amelia continually rebuffs his advances. Nothing left to do but dig in and prove to her that he really wants a relationship with her. And given his past and the secrets he’s carefully guarding, that’s no small admission. He also knows, given Amelia’s insecurities and fear of change due to her severe anxiety, that he has a lot of work to do. But when you know you’ve found the person that was made for you alone, you have to take the good with the bad. Funny thing though … rather than see Amelia’s handicap as a hindrance, he sees her as the most fascinating woman he’s ever come across. He’s determined to break through her defenses and prove that they could be something wonderful together. He’s got to get Amelia out of her own head so that she can take a chance and listen to her heart instead of all of the reasons she keeps trying to stall him with. And little by little, he does exactly that.

I have to say first that I have not read the previous books in the series. I feel that this was a huge mistake for one reason only. Initially, there were so many dang people introduced that I was overwhelmed. I looked into the series and because a lot of the characters that are mentioned in the previous books are once again brought to life within this book, I feel that my confusion would have been non-existent had I started the series from the beginning. Honestly, that is my only complaint and more than likely one I created myself. Other than that, once I started to get a handle on the characters and this wonderful family, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Initially, I thought the premise sounded fun, but internally, I expected much of the same kind of storyline. Small town girl falls for a crazy famous rock star, he whisks her away and sweeps her off her feet, they get down and dirty and all of a sudden rock star has a new wife and no more groupies. I mean that’s the gist, yes? I was so wrong. This book was nothing like that! Not even a little. For starters, Amelia suffers from severe anxiety. The anxiety was brought on by a rather terrifying event that occurred when she was a child, yet no one thought to enlighten her. They just went along like nothing happened. Recipe for anxiety. That might be a bit of a spoiler, but I left quite a lot out surrounding the reveal. Suffice it to say that once the anxiety set in, it just became worse until Amelia had to create her own coping mechanisms so that she could lead a relatively normal life. One of her mechanisms involves Huck’s music. Another involves counting specific numbers. Another means no traveling far from home. Much of this is explained in detail within the book, but that gives a bit of an idea as to how impacted Amelia’s life has been as a result of the anxiety. But the best thing about Amelia’s anxiety is that it never magically disappeared when she fell for Huck. Through it all, she still continued to cope and while it did lessen in some cases, the anxiety remains. This is great because it kept the character true to who she was created to be. Amelia is who she is because of this aspect of her life and magically curing it or finding a way to stop it would have cheapened her value and lessened her impact in connecting with the reader. I also enjoyed the added twist of Huck’s daughter having severe anxiety as well. She has different triggers and different mechanisms for coping than Amelia, but together they help each other shatter their own glass ceilings and take huge steps they would never have been brave enough to conquer individually. I was completely touched by their ability to challenge one another as well as learn from each other. Through it all, Huck is this perfectly gentle, patient man who happens to be a huge success. I was thrown by the path this book took and completely enchanted by the time I finished it.

Not only is it tons of fun getting to know Huck and Amelia, but all of the secondary characters were nearly as lovable. The family dynamic is fantastic and a hoot in many cases. Maggie, Huck’s daughter, very nearly steals the whole book. Between the Southern charm peppered throughout the story and Maggie’s charm alone, I was completely engaged. She may be a child, but she speaks with wisdom – an old soul – while maintaining some level of innocence despite her unconventional life and the struggles she has endured for one so young. Besides being one heck of a romance, this book is also a story of strength in overcoming personal challenges and always pushing toward that next step; demonstrating that having the right support system in place can help motivate anyone to break out of the confines of their comfort zone and take a risk on the possibility of gaining over losing. Additionally, quite a bit of back story was provided, allowing the reader a glimpse into the premise of the previous stories in the series. It wasn’t over much, but it helped to fill in some blanks while simultaneously piquing my interest in the rest of the series. More than likely I will be starting at the beginning at some point and when I get to this book, I will gladly read it all over again. For those of you who tend to enjoy a tamer version of romance, this is the perfect book for you! Absolutely no sex occurs within these pages. But do not let that detail fool you into thinking there was no passion to enjoy. Both Huck and Amelia exude attraction to the point that you could almost envision it as a tangible thing. This romance is all about sweet and clean. I do not even recall a single cuss word. If there was, there may have been one, but I have forgotten it.

Overall, this book was adorable and took me completely by surprise. There is a ton of humor to offset the seriousness of the toll anxiety has taken within the lives of Amelia and Maggie. When Gizzy, Huck’s rocker friend appears the sparks fly with a family member. I expect to see a book for them appear in the future. I can only imagine what fun that could shape up to be. There were a ton of scenes that had me snickering or completely laughing out loud. Too many scenes to list, in fact. I wish I could, but you’ll have to experience the humor for yourself. For those of you looking for a sexy, clean romance, this is the place to be. And for those who gravitate toward the grittier side of the sexual spectrum, who cares? This book is fantastic enough on its own that is doesn’t need all of that graphic sex to punch up the passion factor. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a series either. Those of you who enjoy it, like myself, will take comfort knowing there is more both before and after this installment. A story about how love and trust with the right person can overcome anything and that when you love someone, you love all of them whether part of the plan or not.

Kindle version provided by Xpresso Book Tours/Author in exchange for an honest review. show less