Kate Robb

Brynn's life is not going how she expected it would. On the eve of her 30th birthday, Brynn - recently divorced and forced to live with a roommate so she can make her mortgage payment - would rather spend her time at home on the couch watching old episodes of her favorite show Carson's Cove. Despite an abrupt cancellation after the fifth season finale (leaving many fans distraught), at least Brynn knows what to expect with Carson's Cove. Things always have a way of working out how they show more should. That is, until a birthday wish finds Brynn waking up in Carson's Cove. And not only Brynn, but her roommate Josh too. Not only waking up in Carson's Cove, but they've each been inserted into the storyline as town sweetheart Sloane and badboy Fletcher respectively.

Turns out, someone wants the series, and characters, to get the ending they deserve before it was cancelled. Namely, the show ended before the aforementioned town sweetheart Sloan could make her feelings known for equally revered town golden boy Spencer. Brynn and Josh decide to play along hoping a quick resolution will mean a quick return home. However, even the most idyllic fictional town must weather a few storms that tend to throw everything off script. Do Brynn and Josh risk flipping the script or their hearts?

This has been one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I was really surprised by this one. I feel like I was clearly the target audience because it literally hearkened back to ALL the teen shows I loved to watch in the late 90's / early 2000's. I loved picking up all the little Easter eggs sprinkled throughout. Some more blatant than others, but all delightful to find.

Also, the book doesn't shy away from the fact that many of the things we swooned over as teens are completely cringe looking back on them with adult eyes. This is done in such a way that doesn't completely drag what was, but instead kind of honors where you are as a young adult as well as growing up to maybe know better. It's an interesting rumination on how we often tend to look back on the past with rose-colored glasses. But if we look at things from a older, wiser perspective oftentimes you find that things weren't so perfect.

Any particular fan of Dawson's Creek will completely understand how things play out between Brynn and Josh (aka Sloan and Fletcher). I had it pegged from the moment they learned their respective roles to play in Carson's Cove, so I just enjoyed seeing how things played out.

I did like the fact that, while they each have their own storylines, those stories are very near a mirror to one another. They're each unhappy with how their lives have gotten so off track from where they believe they "should" be. For Brynn that's her marriage that didn't work out, and for Josh it's losing the family business. They have this innate understanding of one another, whether they acknowledge it or not, and I think it makes them a wonderful team in trying to solve the predicament in which they've now found themselves. This is helped by the fact that we get both Brynn and Josh's points of view, which is something I always enjoy.

This was just the book I needed at just the right time. I think I enjoyed this one more than Kate Robb's previous book. There was something so familiar yet also completely unexpected about it. show less

Of all the books I have stacked up to read, I was feeling this one and when I started reading I got why. The book is set in cottage country and I was up in Orillia a few weeks ago, so that world felt very fresh in my mind. Like Jules, I have been afraid to dream, worried about money, and feeling restricted in what I can do. So much of what she goes through I could so relate to. Reeve is a lovely match to her, another person who gave up on his dream, partly because of finances but mostly show more family pressure. He studied arts administration, so yet another parallel to my life.

And speaking of parallels, the magical element of this book that allows Jules to go back in time to learn about the life of the woman who out of the blue gifted her an old dancehall and to learn from that experience to take the risks that will take her to the person she wants to be.

It's beautifully written and I just loved it. show less

Second Chance / "Glimpse" Type Tale Done Right. This is one of those second chance/ "glimpse" type tales ala the late 90s/ early 2000s movie The Family Man with Nic Cage and Tea Leoni done *right*, complete with wildly alternate lives for the male and female leads in this particular tale. And done by a debut author, and set in a suburb of Toronto to boot. So hey, a lot going on here to make it its own - yes, including brief discussions of a multiverse scenario. So if you like your romances show more with a tinge of magical realism/ scifi-ish ideas... this one is for you. That noted, if you're among the "clean"/ "sweet" romance crowd... eh, this probably has a lot more thinking and acting on sex than you'd like, including some rather graphic terms... at least according to those types of sensibilities. Again, the actual spice level here is probably more akin to a chipotle - not actually all *that* spicy, but far more spicy than some stomachs can handle and perhaps far more spicy than some minds *want* to handle. Still, as long as you're aware of that up front (thanks to reading this review), you can make up your own mind. Ultimately, I thought this was a particularly strong effort from a debut author, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Ms. Robb is capable of in her sophomore effort. Very much recommended. show less

No cleansing spell needed for this book. I regret nothing.

The Plot:
Gemma was recently dumped by her long-term boyfriend and she is floundering to figure out what is next. Along with her sister, her aunt, her best guy friend, and a lot of alcohol, they decide the best way forward is a love-cleansing spell.
In the morning, Gemma wakes up in a new reality where she never met her ex. One big problem: now her history with her best friend, Dax, has been erased.
In this new reality, Gemma has the show more storefront she always wanted and she can explore a new life with Dax, maybe as more than just a friend. Will she go back to her reality or stay in the new one?

My Thoughts:
This book was great. I've only read a few alternate reality books and this one finally did it right. I loved watching a new type of friendship grow between Gemma and Dax. I also liked that we got to see Gemma caring about the people around her a bit more and learning that she isn't the main character in everybody's world. This story did a great job building relationships and I would recommend it to anyone. show less