I've been in such a reading slump lately that I can't seem to break out of. I've only read 10 books this year...I cannot remember the last time I've read such a small amount 4 months into the year. I need to pick up the pace and find a reading groove again.
That being said, I have found a few good gems that reignited my love of reading and one of those is an older book, released in 2021, called "Talk Bookish to Me" by Kate Bromley.
I've had this book on my Barnes & Noble Nook for years and I have never even thought of 'cracking it open'. It's a bad habit that I need to stop doing but eventually, they all get read. I was looking through my library, saw this book and decided that it was time to read a good old fashioned romantic comedy. I had to remind myself what Talk Bookish to Me was about but the minute I read the summary I was sold.
This book sent me into outer space. I was kicking my feet, squealing, crying, and over the moon with joy and sadness reading this book. I inhaled it in two days and it was delightful in so many ways.
Publisher's Summary
But right now? Not only is Kara’s best friend getting married next week—which means big wedding stress—but the deadline for her next novel is looming, and she hasn’t written a single word. The last thing she needs is for her infuriating first love, Ryan Thompson, to suddenly appear in the wedding party. But Ryan’s unexpected arrival sparks a creative awakening in Kara that inspires the steamy historical romance she desperately needs to deliver.
With her wedding duties intensifying, her deadline getting closer by the second and her bills not paying themselves, Kara knows there’s only one way for her to finish her book and to give her characters the ever-after they deserve. But can she embrace the unlikely, ruggedly handsome muse—who pushes every one of her buttons—to save the wedding, her career and, just maybe, write her own happy ending?
My Thoughts
As I said, I loved every moment of this book. The characters were likable, sweet and flawed but those flaws were not overpowering to the story which sometimes can happen in rom-coms. Talk Bookish to Me was definitely not that.,
Kara and Ryan were college sweethearts and now, Ryan swooped back into her life on the week of her best friend's wedding which forces them into close proximity. The minute Ryan pops back up and we see their first interaction, you know that the feelings are still there and you know exactly where the book is going.
However, what I thought was going to be a normal, three act love story with miscommunication and cliche tropes didn't turn out to be that. Ryan is keeping a secret, but so is Kara...and when Ryan's secret is revealed, I was actually stunned silent. It was the last thing I was expecting (ok, maybe I saw it coming a little bit but not in the way it played out), and it just threw everything for a loop.
The way Kate Bromley let the story flow and kind of held her deck of cards close to the chest was inspiring, and reminiscent of thriller novels. There were moments where I didn't know how the book was going to end up, were Ryan and Kara going to actually end up together?
There were grand gestures, big moments, and happy reveals that really just brought everything together in an unexpected yet heartfelt way. Everything about this book made me happy; it was adorable, sweet, thoughtful and sometimes sad, because there is an anchor of death and despair woven through the words.
As much as I loved this book, part of it was hard to read at times because it felt so autobiographical. I saw so much of myself in Kara, and within her relationship with Ryan. It brought up so many old feelings, and also felt inspiring. Books about books and writers are always my favorite, and I can always find a little bit of myself in the characters.
If you need something sweet yet thoughtful to put you in a good mood, Talk Bookish to Me is just that.
xoxo
B
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