Authentically, Izzy

4 1/2 stars!

Book lovers will absolutely adore Authentically, Izzy! It’s a unique story mostly told in epistolary form through emails and texts. The characters are genuine, funny, endearing and completely drew me in. I loved the heartwarming romance, the themes of being your authentic self and worthy of love, the ups and downs of familial relationships, and the matchmaking meddling. I also loved the nerdy aspects with references to Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Andy Griffith Show, and classic books like Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, etc.

Izzy has terrible luck with men. Unbeknownst to her, her meddling, matchmaking cousin Josephine signs her up for an online dating service, Heart to Heart. Deciding to embrace show more the meddling, Izzy takes over her profile and communicates with several men before finally meeting Brodie, a handsome bookish, Lord of the Rings/Yoda loving resident of Skern (a small town on the fictional islands of Skymar with both Scottish and Scandinavian roots).

With both Izzy’s and Brodie’s love of books, there’s an instant connection. Though they live half a world away their friendship soon blossoms with email and video chat exchanges. There’s also another man in Izzy’s life who seems a perfect match for her too and is local. Who will she choose and who encourages her to be her most authentic self?

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version! All the male voices are narrated by a man and the female voices by a woman. It’s absolutely wonderful hearing Brodie’s lilting Scottish accent. And Luke! Luke is downright hilarious with his dry sense of humor and sassiness. I loved hearing the email exchanges between Izzy’s cousins Penelope, Luke, and Josie and found myself frequently laughing out loud. I got so used to listening to the email exchanges that when the author changes writing styles it was a little jarring at first, but I loved hearing the extra details that wouldn’t work in emails.

Izzy is such a sweet character and I wanted desperately for her to believe in Brodie’s love. I loved her ideas for the library where she works and later the bookshop. She’s creative and fun and I enjoyed hearing her point of view. Then there’s Brodie. He’s thoughtful, supportive, shy, and just the perfect guy. He believes in Izzy and gets her to really examine and believe in herself. I loved his quoting Yoda with a Mayberry Southern accent. Then there’s Brodie’s home on the cliff. Sigh. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

Highly recommend this heartwarming, quirky, sweet romance with a touch of faith and plenty of laughs. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley but also listened to the audiobook version. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. show less

I wasn’t sure about the idea of a book consisting mostly of e-mails and texts, but boy was I wrong! I fell in love with Pepper Basham’s writing instantly; it’s delightfully witty and absolutely hilarious.

I don’t know if people still write love letters; we may have stopped doing it all together in favor of heart emojis and puppy eyes GIFs. But that would make a book that reminds us of the art of correspondence even more adorable and romantic, wouldn’t it?

I loved Izzy; she was strong and full of joy of life despite her difficult past. And Brodie… Heroes like him have a special place in my heart. I’ve always loved the quiet, bookish type with dry sense of humor. These two were such a perfect pair of book nerds

"Isn't loving someone being comfortable with who they are by being exactly who you are?"

Even if you aren't a fan of epistolary writing, you will absolutely love this book. Full of fantastic humor, laugh-out-loud moments, tender vulnerability, amazing characters, and real-life faith, the book will capture your heart. Throw in tons of book and movie references and delicious banter and you have a perfect romcom to curl up with on a cold afternoon. I love Pepper Basham's books and this one is her best romantic comedy yet (which is saying A LOT)!

It's amazing how the plot flows and we get to know the characters so well through written email and text exchanges. Izzy's relationship with her cousins is enviable but she does harbor deep show more insecurities and doubts that only surface towards the end. Her creativity, authenticity, and love for others are so refreshing and genuine. And Brodie.... he's a keeper! His awkwardness, bookish nerdiness, soul-deep passion and commitment to family and legacy and dreams, and tender and astute love for Izzy are endearing and make him the perfect hero. Izzy and Brodie's story had me grinning from ear to ear the whole time, with tears of sympathy and joy interspersed.

And we so desperately need Luke and Anders and Brynna's stories soon.....and I can't wait to read Penelope's own happily-ever-after.

I received the book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own. show less

《 three and a half stars 》

⭒˚.⋆ ❝ life is too precious to hesitate when God offers the opportunity for something even better than what we imagine ❞ ⋆.˚⭒

Literary references and matchmaking schemes and family group chat shenanigans abound within the pages of this book! Not to mention the culture of Skymar and its fun blend of Celtic and Scandinavian elements, which, if you know me, you know happen to be some of my favorite cultures to explore. The family dynamic is fun, the romance a rather cute one full of introverted awkwardness and connection over the nerdiest little things, and the locations ones that quite appeal to me.

All in all, it's a fun, cutesy little bookish rom-com sort of thing, and I liked it alright, but I show more found it to be missing something... and that's the magic of a book that begs to be read over and over again, and never grows old. At least, it's missing that for me personally.

Perhaps it's because, at the end of the day, I prefer the books I read to be more than just a rom-com in book form. Those types of books never do satisfy me completely, I've found, even if they do give me a day's worth of enjoyment. And that's perfectly fine. What doesn't suit me just right is probably exactly the thing another reader is looking for. And if that reader is you, then... go for it and give it a try! I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a fun, clean, and bookish romance. show less

Goodness, I loved this book so much. I really wish I had read it sooner--but many things have a way of working themselves out, as in other ways, it ended up being perfect timing for the read!

I entirely adored all of the Tolkien references. Entirely. Basham has obviously read the books and watched the movies extensively (and I heartily applaud). And wrapping up the book with one of my favorite Return of the King quotes ever?! I mean!!! I legit have not found someone that appreciates Faramir/Eowyn as much as myself in a long time and just want to say I found a kindred spirit here. :D Happiness is mine.

Most of the book is epistolary, which I can't say is my favorite--but it works here. (Though wonky eARC formatting didn't help, but so it show more goes. :D And it took a bit to really keep all of the characters straight.) Thankfully I've had enough exposure to the format with other excellent books (such as The Lines Between Us) to know it could be done well, and this successfully won me over. It was interesting to switch back and forth between epistolary and prose, but on the same token, there are some things that just don't translate well to letters--whether to further the story, or because who would really write such details, the way a reader optimally needs them, in a letter? LOL!)

Izzy was a fantastic MC, and I related to her both as a character (with all her quirks; sometimes it felt like reading myself in book form!) and with several aspects of her story arc. And Brodie ... oh, Brodie. :) :) That is all.

An excellent read. 5/5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. show less

Filled with her signature wit and humor, Pepper Basham’s newest book, Authentically, Izzy, is a delightful romantic comedy told mostly through emails and texts. Populated with realistic, endearing characters this story stars two bookish introverts who meet on an online dating site. With Isabelle Edgewood in the heart of small-town Appalachia and Brodie Sutherland living on an island across the Atlantic Ocean, it seems an insurmountable problem when they find they’d like to be more than friends. I enjoyed seeing how Basham brought out the different personalities of the main characters and their family members through their emails.

The characters are well-drawn and fun, the writing is engaging, and the humor tickled my funny bone. show more Sprinkled with lots of bookish quotes and references, book lovers will find much to enjoy. Themes of overcoming insecurity, taking chances, and love of family add depth to the tale. Basham shows once again that she can tackle many different genres with aplomb.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. show less

look at that, an epistolary novel i didn't like. it had to happen at some point. here's what i did like - the bookish setting and book quotes, the references to julie andrews and the sound of music, the island setting, the narrators, the accent. everything else didn't work for me. the writing, how everything came back to being god-given or gifts from god, how from the beginning it made no sense that the family was emailing instead of texting, it's a good twice as long as it needs to be, did i say the writing ("oh my heavens"), how someone could revitalize an entire store in 1 day (but maybe that's personal grievance from my own bookshop owning days). i was hate-listening to this from pretty early on but the narrators were really good, show more and the scottish accent and book quotes kept me listening. but generally this was a big ugh from me. (would be .5 stars if i hadn't listened to it, i'm sure.) show less