READ:
Source: Kindle Unlimited
"From Emma Barry comes a clever romance about a hot veterinarian and a chicken-loving influencer who can’t help but ruffle each other’s feathers."
Review: This was a delightful romance! I think it's hard to write a *present day, post COVID* romance and not head into divisive or non romantic mode but Barry nails it.
Chicken influencer (yup it's a thing lol) Nicole Jones' YouTube channel takes off during the lockdown but it also shined a light on her toxic relationship. She heads back to the small town where her grandmother had once lived, hoping for a fresh start.
Next door, lives the hot grumpy veterinarian, Will Lund, who hates the hobby chicken raising trend and, what he sees as, Nicole's making light of something that is a big responsibility. Add in the the pandemic and closures have not been so kind to him and his practice and things get off to a rocky start for the pair.
As I said, I think Barry uses COVID as a framework - she is writing contemporary romance after all and this is what's happening in real life - but moves on and shows how to move forward and heal. Will with his business and Nicole from her gaslighting ex.
They are both broken in different ways but so openly, and honestly call each other out when needed but offer support as well. They start with a friendship, then more.
Chick magnet is also funny! Lots of chicken (& kitten) mayhem ensues. But Barry masterfully balances trauma recovery, struggles with anxiety, healing and growth with humor and a whole town full of support and love. 👍👍
READING:
"Welcome to Charon's Crossing. The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through."
So far: I'm 30% into the audiobook. This lacks the all out whimsy of The House in the Cerulean Sea with it's cast of young ghosts, goblins - not to mention it's lead character is dead and needs to accept that so he can move on.
Even so, it still has that charm of lovely, eccentric people, helping each other, a tipsy, turvy tea house that shouldn't be standing but is and themes of acceptance.
Loving it so far!
UPCOMING READS:
"They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller."
This is a library hold that came in - I'm not ready, so I bumped it for 7 days lol I'm excited to read it though. It sounds fun!
"A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love."
I guess I requested this on Netgalley?? I don't remember doing it or why I would lol but I was approved so apparently I'm reading this soon.
Great selection of books - I loved Under The Whispering Door, though I didn't cry at it quite as much as I did at Cerulean Sea!
ReplyDeleteThe tone is a little different. I'm curious how I feel by the end. I'm not as...enthralled?? I guess but I'm still charmed and hopeful for a sweet outcome.
DeleteI LOVED Cerulean Sea though.
There are chicken influencers for real!?!? Speechless
ReplyDeleteI think there's an influencer for everything now. I guess she more of a YouTuber technically speaking...
DeleteNothing like reading a book you don't remember requesting. I have to say, it sounds kind of fun. I hope it delights you
ReplyDeleteIt does sound cute so I hope so too.
DeleteIt does seem tricky to write romance set in the present that includes Covid, glad the author made this one work so well! The chicken mayhem sounds fun!
ReplyDeleteI think it's a difficult balance. A lot of people want to escape and not read about it at all. Then it's not over so how do you write "post COVID" And the politics of it all...yikes lol
DeleteI think she zeroed in on the effects of the lockdowns. One persons career took off (although it made an abusive relationship worse for her) and the other floundered - and then went on to show about how you recover/adapt and heal from all of it.
While still being funny, sexy and romantic. Not easy!
...Chicken influencer???!!!???
ReplyDelete"so apparently I'm reading this soon"
🤣
I think there's an influencer for every topic now lol
DeleteThose sound good. I hope the one you're reading and the next one will be good.
ReplyDeleteThe one in listening to right now is fantastic!
DeleteI've heard good things about Killers of a Certain Age. I'm almost finished with a supernatural romance called Until the End of Our Forever, and I'm about five chapters into Legends and Lattes.
ReplyDeleteLauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net
Killers sounds really fun! It came in while I was reading something else so I pushed it backa week.
DeleteChick Magnet lol.
ReplyDeleteIt is a funny, catchy title lol And I don't love that cover - although it does have a chicken on it! Ha
DeleteI want to read both Under the Whispering Door and Killers of a Certain Age. I've heard such great things about both of them. I'm glad you're enjoying Whispering Door so far and I hope you enjoy the other one as well.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm reading Under the Whispering Door at just the right time. It's having a profound effect on me. Killers looks like a lot of fun!
DeleteI am so happy you liked Chick Magnet. It really is such a great story. I also loved Killers of a Certain Age - different and good.
ReplyDeleteok, so now MY comments are going to spam. I had responded lol Chick Magnet was fun but sweet. I think my hold for Killers will be up any day now.
DeleteThe House in the Cerulean Sea was a bit too simplistic for me, but I did think it did what it set out to do really well, and I liked that it had some great messages in the story. I was going to try Under the Whispering Door, just so I could review it, because I think it's important to support easier reads that have good messages in them. 📚
ReplyDeleteI can see that. It almost felt mid-grade. I'm very different when it comes to audiobooks. I like that sort of book or really deep. I can't do my regular reads on audio lol
DeleteWhispering Door has less whimsy and a deeper message (IMO) but it's still on the lighter side.
Chick Magnet is the cutest title! I didn't realise chicken influencer was a thing at all -- I am so off to google now!
ReplyDeleteHa! I didn't know either but I guess there's an influencer for everything these days lol
DeleteI enjoyed Under the Whispering Door but it definitely took a little longer for me to truly get drawn into the book. Especially with the MC being dead, I couldn't figure out how it was all going to work. But it ended up being such a great book in the end.
ReplyDelete