Author : Amy E. Reichert
Published on : April 20, 2021
Publisher : Berkley
Genre : Fiction, Romance, Magical Realism
„Jobless and forced home to Wisconsin, journalist Sabrina Monroe can tolerate reunions with frenemies and kisses from old boyfriends, but not the literal ghosts that greet her in this heartwarming tale of the power of love and connection from acclaimed author Amy E. Reichert.
For Sabrina Monroe, moving back home to the Wisconsin Dells–the self-described Waterpark Capital of the World–means returning to the Monroe family curse: the women in her family can see spirits who come to them for help with unfinished business. But Sabrina’s always redirected the needy spirits to her mom, who’s much better suited for the job. The one exception has always been Molly, a bubbly rom-com loving ghost, who stuck by Sabrina’s side all through her lonely childhood.
Her personal life starts looking up when Ray, the new local restaurateur, invites Sabrina to his supper club, where he flirts with her over his famous Brandy Old-Fashioneds. He’s charming and handsome, but Sabrina tells herself she doesn’t have time for romance–she needs to focus on finding a job. Except the longer she’s in the Dells, the harder it is to resist her feelings for Ray. It doesn’t hurt that he shows his affection through good old-fashioned home-cooked suppers. And who can resist a guy obsessed with perfecting a Fried Cheese Curds recipe?
When the Dells starts to feel like home for the first time, Sabrina begins to realize that she can make a difference and help others wherever she is.“
trigger warning: death of a family member, severe anxiety, panic attacks, bullying
„We need to surround ourselves with people who love us for everything we are. The rest doesn’t matter.“
Sabrina Monroe has no choice but to come back home after losing her job as a journalist in Washington, DC. Now she lives with her parents, works as a duck tour guide, and needs to find ways to pay off her student loan debt. Aside from all of these, she also have ghosts following her. The women in her family can see spirits who have unfinished business. It’s their job to help them so they can move on and rest in peace. Sabrina sees this talent as a curse and it’s also one of the many reasons why she wants to leave their town in the first place. She has everything planned out until she meets Ray Jasper, the new local restaurant owner.
Sabrina is a complex but an endearing character. Her love for sticky notes and color-coded notes/labels are very relatable (at least for me). She’s an introvert who loves planning and organizing. Ray, the love interest, is not only charming but also kind-hearted. I honestly didn’t like him at first because he seems quite pushy but he does so many sweet, and incredible things not only for Sabrina but for other people and animals too. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Sabrina and Ray right away but I liked how their relationship developed throughout the story. The secondary characters are amazing. The ghosts, especially Molly and Belle, were both hilarious. I really loved Molly’s storyline and I wished there were more about Belle.
I enjoyed the magical realism (supernatural) aspect in this book. I love reading some good ghost stories so this was a plus for me. I thought the author did a great job portraying Sabrina’s severe anxiety and panic attacks. It took awhile for me to get use to the writing though. There were just too much unnecessary details/events for me and I often got confused with the timeline. Overall, I had fun (and got hungry) reading this book. I recommend it if you enjoy a quick, heartwarming, and feel good romcom.
My Rating : ★★★☆☆
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Disclaimer: Huge thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing the free e-arc. This did not affect my overall opinion of the book.