Elise Bryant

I felt sad for Lenore with her love troubles, being in her siblings' shadow, and always having to be "on," but she had NO chemistry with Alex. She came off unreasonably rude in the beginning. And Alex was boring. Their banter was strained with Alex walking on eggshells not to detonate Lenore who had a lot going on. I just never felt it for those two.

But I really love this normalization of gentle boys, therapy, and not having it all together before college. I, like so many others, didn’t show more know what I wanted to major in college. And the system is set up to drain you of all your money and time if you don’t already have an idea. So, you got people sticking it out in a major that makes them unhappy or afraid to try something else in case it’s worse. Stop punishing people for not having their whole life planned out. Mini rant over. show less

Mavis is a single mom with way too much on her plate and the last thing she needs is yet another task. Which is why she's less than thrilled when the head of the PTA corners her at drop-off and asks Mavis to head the DEI committee for the PTA at the elementary school. It's an offer she can't refuse and while Mavis isn't excited, she's hopeful that she can make some positive changes. After a PTA meeting includes an ugly showdown between the head of the PTA and the principal, Mavis sees the show more head of PTA lugging heavy bags out of the school. It can't be what Mavis thinks but she'll do just a little investigating (with the help of the ridiculously attractive school psychologist) to make sure.

This was a really fun cozy mystery. Mavis is a great character to spend time with, whether she's digging into a possible murder, flirting (ineptly) with the school psychologist, parenting her seven year old daughter, or dealing with a workplace that takes her for granted. Bryant crafts an excellent cozy mystery while also delving into more serious issues. Although I figured out the mystery well in advance of Mavis, I still had a good time. Highly recommended to any fans of cozy mysteries as the writing is really top notch. show less

Enjoyed the structure of this one, checking in with Reggie and Delilah on holidays was a fun conceit, featuring a mix of traditional holidays alongside more unexpected ones like Free Comic Book Day. Also having this take place over the course of an entire year allowed for the sort of slower burn pacing to the romance that tends to be my preference.

Reggie and Delilah shared sweet chemistry and I liked that they both have endearing moments of awkwardness and insecurity in their interactions, show more and how that insecurity on both sides believably plays into the ups and downs of their relationship.

Lately I’ve liked it better when books have something more going on than just the romance so I really appreciated that both these characters have passions outside of their attraction to one another. Reggie’s into Dungeons and Dragons, and Delilah’s into punk music and Taylor Swift, and that those pursuits are judged or seen as outside of the norm for two black teens just made it that much more compelling and a joy to cheer them on in their interests. I did especially love any moment when Delilah’s coming into her own on stage or learning to play guitar or shariing her writing skills, there’s just something about artistic processes/evolutions that really appeals to me in books, I wouldn’t have minded even more of those scenes here but as it is this was still really great and probably my favorite of the three I’ve read by this author so far. show less

Single mom Mavis Miller does not have the time, or the inclination, to head the DEI committee for the PTA. Somehow, though, she just can't say no to Trisha, the terrifyingly organized PTA president. But then, the new school principal disappears -- and Mavis, on a late-night dog walk, spots Trisha doing something furtive with cleaning supplies and black garbage bags. Could it be...?

This was just the light and fun read that I didn't know I needed until I buzzed through it in a couple days. The show more characters are great, there's a cute romance, a cute dog, and a cute (but believable) kid, and the PTA shenanigans are over the top hilarious. I figured out the mystery pretty quickly, but the whole reading experience was such fun that I didn't mind. Recommended for readers who enjoy a romance with a side of mystery. show less