As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn’t anticipate inheriting her grandma’s bookstore, the Book Nook. She’s in way over her head even before the shop’s resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best—meddle.
Bestselling author Jasper Williams is a hopeless romantic. When he meets Drew at his Book Nook signing event, he becomes determined to show her the beauty of reading. He curates a book bucket list in exchange for her help exploring the local Denver scene for his current manuscript. From going river rafting to trying local restaurants, Drew begins to connect with Jasper in a way she only thought happened in fiction.
When messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place. She’s reminded that real life isn’t always big dreams and sweeping romance. But Jasper is the plot twist she never saw coming and he’s writing a happily ever after just for them.
Release Date: Nov 8, 2022
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $10.99
Martin’s first entry into standalone/borderline women’s fiction made me cry!
Yep, you heard it from me first Better Than Fiction rides the edge between romance and women’s fiction. This was equal parts both and told solely from the first-person perspective of our heroine, Drew Young.
Drew *sigh* tugged at my heartstrings from page one because Drew and I share a couple common truths, we both were encouraged to read and enjoy books by our grandmothers and we both have lost said grandmother. This book launches with Drew trying to keep the last connection she has to the woman who gave her everything, The Book Nook. The bookstore her grandmother ran is the legacy Drew wants to preserve.
Though Drew struggles to keep the books in the black and on the suggestion of her grandmother’s best friends and book club, the Dirty Birds, she hosts an author night for one of romance’s biggest authors, Jasper Williams. Call out the swoon committee because Jasper is the romance hero of all romance heroes. The man doesn’t have many flaws in the looks department… honestly, in any department.
Of course, attraction is immediate, and Jasper being the romance hero he is wants to date our cautious, work-driven Drew. She doesn’t just agree. No, that comes in the form of Jasper desperate for local guidance as he writes his next romance, set in the Colorado area. With Drew’s expertise in local sights and experiences, along with her photography skills, she’s the perfect person to help Jasper. The trade-off is he’ll help her learn to love reading again and take her out on excursions that pair with the books.
Doesn’t take much to see where this is headed. Along the way, Drew must deal with her hateful father, her eager-to-have-a-relationship half-sister, those meddlesome Dirty Birds, and a best friend who wants Drew to have good things. Not to mention the presence of grief in the face of loss, and how that grief can morph in the most unexpected ways. Did I mention some shocking secrets too?
This book really did have it all, and emotionally it touched me in a way that had me reach for the tissues. It reminded me of how I haven’t fully grieved a loss of my own in the last fifteen years, which speaks to Martin’s talent to drudge all that up for me again. What kept this from a five? The fact that Drew made me want to hit her a couple times. The conflict also rode a line for me that I wasn’t sure I agreed with. Again, I’m picky with my fives this year, but don’t doubt this book is a good one.
For those who enjoy Kate Clayborn or Kristin Higgins.
~ Landra
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