ARC Review: Off the Record by Sara Goodman Confino

 

An aspiring newspaper reporter comes across a mystery that threatens to turn the Cold War hot in a funny, thrilling, and strictly undercover romantic comedy by the bestselling author of Don’t Forget to Write.

In 1962, opportunities are typically few for nice Jewish girls clacking away at ninety words per minute in a newspaper typing pool. Except Judy Greenberg isn’t typical. An aspiring reporter in DC, she’s aiming for journalistic greatness—not finding a husband. Just don’t tell her mother.

Then one day she answers her boss’s private line. The message is curiously cryptic. It’s also delivered in a Russian accent. Judy is certain she has stumbled upon a scoop. Charming reporter Jack Fields isn’t one to dismiss Judy’s instincts. Perfect. A seasoned ally she can trust, not to mention pass off as a pretend boyfriend around her relieved parents. Together, they’re following the leads—from a clandestine hotel bar to the dressing room of a slinky Cuban nightclub singer to an exhilarating underground of secrets and spies stretching from Moscow to Havana to Texas.

Now Judy must choose between the safe life expected of her or one hell of a dangerous story that could make her career. She might even fall in love for real. If her ambitions don’t get her killed.

Title: Off The Record
Author: Sara Goodman Confino

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Expected Publication Date: June 9, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is my first Confino book. I had heard good things about her writing from fellow bookish people and wanted to give her a try. Unfortunately, this book just didn't work well for me. I have a hard time connecting with many historical fiction books but I liked the idea of the timeline for this one plus it had a mystery attached to it so I thought why not. 

Judy Greenberg is an aspiring journalist. But in 1962 it's hard for women to break into that field. When she gets a job in the typing pool at a newspaper and ends up answering a call that ultimately puts her on the path to using her journalistic talents, she jumps at the chance. Even though it might put her in jeopardy. When a fellow journalist, Jake Fields, insists on helping her, she accepts it, only to find herself in a fake dating scheme. When she uncovers truths about Jake, and about the newspaper where she works, the safe life her family wants for her is put in danger and she and Jake must figure out the truth before people get hurt.

Judy was an ok character for me. I liked that she went against the norm of her time: not wanting to marry and have kids right away but wanting a career for herself. Her character was developed well in that way. She made me connect with the plight of women trying to find their equality during this time period. But she also just annoyed me. While she just graduated from university, it doesn't feel like she's only 22. She feels much older and that was confusing for me. And even though she vows not to fall for a man, it happens so easily and I feel like she let go of her true desires to do exactly what was expected of her.

Jake was an ok character though I didn't feel like I truly knew him since we only get to see him through Judy's eyes. He did seem fun and came up with some good banter that had me chuckling at times. But I didn't truly feel any chemistry between him and Judy. There was no build to their budding romance.

The side characters gave some good depth to the story. Though Judy's one friend, Patricia, seemed kind of off to me. Judy, who is definitely more on the naive side, gets thrown into situations that I don't think she can handle and much of that is due to Patricia who flaunts herself to a married man. It was just such a shock to see how this particular character acted. How blasé she was about what she was doing, like it was not big deal. And despite the fact that fraternization at the newspaper is forbidden, Patricia jumps right in from the start with offering up a doctor to Judy so she can get a diaphragm. While I see where the author was going with this, trying to show women becoming more independent and taking control over their lives, it just didn't work well for me. But Judy's grandmother, Sylvia? I loved her so much. She was funny and quirky and I loved that she supported Judy, even if it was in a round about way.

The pacing was ok, a little on the slow side at times. The mystery felt like a bit of a stretch as did the investigating of said mystery. I felt like the characters came to conclusions about things rather quickly and too easily figured out some of the bad guys in the story. There are a lot of historical references in the book including The Bay of Pigs Invasion, Communist Cuba, and things that happened with the President at that time (though they never name him directly, which is weird because they name Castro). I enjoyed seeing the Cold War elements because I grew up in the 80s and many of the fears were known to me at that time. It was easy to understand this particular aspect of the book for that reason.

The ending just seemed totally unrealistic to me. Granted, I have no idea how recruitment for the FBI works, but it just didn't seem like what happened would be true to how things work for that government agency.

Overall, the book was just ok for me. I liked the writing enough but honestly was more bored than not with the story line. It wasn't exciting and didn't move fast as I would have expected it to. Some areas dragged a lot and I had to push my way through. I seem to be in the minority with this though as far as ratings go. Perhaps I just didn't connect to the historical fiction aspect of the book as much as I could have I did like the writing and would be interested in maybe trying another title from this author in the future. If you're looking for a story that relies heavily on 1960s history and the women's movement with a bit of a mystery twist, you may just want to pick this one up!

Author:

Sara Goodman Confino is the bestselling author of five novels: Don’t Forget to Write, Behind Every Good Man, She’s Up to No Good, For the Love of Friends, and the upcoming Good Grief. After spending more years than she’s willing to publicly admit teaching high school English and journalism, she is currently writing full time and trying to make a living off of the crazy stories in her head. She lives in Montgomery County, Maryland with her husband, two sons, two miniature schnauzers, and a goldfish that seems to be vying for the world record of longest living fish. When she’s not writing or frantically parenting, she can be found on the Peloton, at the beach, or at a Bruce Springsteen concert, sometimes even dancing onstage.

ARC Review: Ralph's Party by Lisa Jewell

 

Meet the residents of the London brownstone on 31 Almanac Road who together weave a tangled web of romance. Ralph, a ne'er-do-well artist, suddenly realizes he's head over heels in love with his new flatmate Jem, the most fun and sensible girl he's ever encountered. Unfortunately, Ralph's best friend, Smith, has already won Jem's affections, although Smith has not entirely given up his passion for the femme fatale, Cheri, who lives upstairs. Across the hall, Karl and Siobhan have been happily unmarried for years, until Karl gets a smashing job as a London rush-hour DJ and momentarily gets tempted into Cheri's cozy lair.
These six star-crossed tenants become more enamored, and more confused, as the story progresses-until their true destinies are revealed on one crucial night-the evening of the extravaganza that is . . . Ralph's party. This wonderfully hip new novel was an instant popular success when it was first published in England, and American readers are sure to be captivated by the debut of a talented new writer.

Title: Ralph's Party

Author: Lisa Jewell

Publisher:

Expected (Prior) Publication Date: January 6, 2026 (May 6, 1999)

Review:

Thank you to Edelweiss and Atria for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I do love me some Lisa Jewell. And I have a certain standard I hold her titles to. She is known to me as a psychological thriller author. But it doesn't seem she started that way. This book is not that at all. This book follows 6 people and their interactions with each other. This book follows their lives and how they become intertwined and convoluted and all around crazy!

I know this title was originally published in in 1999 and I'm not sure if it's been edited and updated since then as this was my first time reading it. I really enjoyed the pacing of the book. I will say, the plot was unusual, just following these people along and watching their daily lives. It was a bit strange but totally intriguing all at the same time.

This a lot of humor in the book. It took a bit for me to see it. It's almost satyr the way the relationships unfold and proceed. Everything that happens just seems to go above and beyond. It doesn't seem feasible it would all even come together as it does but it does and then you're just left wondering how you didn't see it playing out the way it did. You should definitely expect the unexpected from what occurs.

I really enjoyed the varying points of view. It got me into the minds of all the characters. And it really helped them develop all their own personalities and quirks. The different points of view also moved the plot along at a good pace.

If you're going into this book thinking you know Jewell and her writing, prepare to meet something totally different. It definitely was not my favorite book by her but I enjoyed it being different than the other things I've read from her. There were a few times it was slower than I would have liked. And I found myself waiting for things to happen in many instances, but overall it was fun. I see a lot of low ratings on this one and I can see where people who have read her more recent stories may not love this one. Go into it pretending you know nothing of what she has written in the mystery genre and you'll be good.

Author:

LISA JEWELL was born in London in 1968.

Her first novel, Ralph's Party, was the best- selling debut novel of 1999. Since then she has written another twenty novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including The Girls, Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and The Night She Disappeared.

Lisa is a New York Times and Sunday Times number one bestselling author who has been published worldwide in over twenty-five languages. She lives in north London with her husband, two teenage daughters and the best dog in the world.

Lisa's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/LisaJewelloff...

ARC Review: Seeing Other People by Emily Wibberly & Austin Siegemund-Broka

 

Two people haunted by their exes find that love isn’t dead in this heartfelt romance from the beloved authors of The Roughest Draft.

Morgan is being ghosted by her ex. No, really. It’s sad Zach died and became a ghost. But Morgan and Zach only ever went on the one date, and now she’s being haunted by him. Zach has no desire to spend eternity with Morgan, but he can’t recall his past and doesn’t know how to move on.

At a support group for humans and their haunters, Morgan and Zach run into Sawyer, whose fiancée-turned-ghost has started to fade. Unlike Morgan, Sawyer isn’t ready to part ways with his ghost. Although they face opposite issues, Morgan and Sawyer decide to work together to solve their problems.

As Morgan and Sawyer try to solve their paranormal conundrums together, they find something even more surprising—a tender, growing affection between them that threatens any unfinished business they’re seeking to close. The ghosts of their past might be there in spirit, but the connection between Morgan and Sawyer is as alive as anything they’ve ever felt.

Title: Seeing Other People

Author: Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Expected Publication Date: December 9, 2025

Review:

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I've enjoyed the books I've read by this duo so far. I was excited to see they branched out into a bit of the paranormal/speculative fiction with this one. I love a good ghost story.

Morgan and Sawyer are both being haunted. She by a guy she dated once and him by his fiancee who tragically died. When they meet in a support group for humans and their haunters, they decide they could help each of their respective ghosts move on if they work together. Being forced into close proximity only brings them closer until they realize they might just be falling for each other.

Morgan is not only haunted, but she carries the baggage of being left behind. She doesn't like to open herself up to people and often cuts relationships short and runs when things may get too heavy. As the story progresses she slowly learns it's ok to settle down and plant roots. To grow and change and let others in. Sawyer is burdened by the love of his dead fiancee. He can't seem to move past what they had to live his life again. He focuses on making his ghost happy, or what he thinks will make her happy. I was annoyed with Sawyer throughout most of this book. He was so weighed down weigh grief and wasn't allowing himself to heal. It was driving me bonkers. It's been 5 years since his fiancee passed and he's still wallowing in his own self pity. It's never easy to get over the loss of a loved one but I truly don't think a loved one would want you to put your life on hold indefinitely.  It's obvious he doesn't listen to what his ghost is trying to tell him. What each of their haunters truly wants is to move on. But they, too, have baggage that needs to be settled before they can cross over.

I liked how the story involved just a bit of mystery to it. Morgan and Sawyer need to figure out why their ghosts are so attached to their world and what it is that needs to be solved before the haunters can pass over. 

I did have a few issues with the growth of the characters in this book and the romance that bloomed. The chemistry just seemed off to me with the romance. I didn't truly believe they were falling for each other. There were some scenes that definitely showed the potential for this but they were cut short or didn't delve deep enough into the relationship to truly demonstrate why these two were thrown together. It just didn't capture me as I would have liked it to.

I did enjoy the supernatural elements the authors infused into the book. They helped keep the pacing and moved the plot along to where it needed to go.

All together this was a fun and fast read for me. It pulled on my heart strings in many places and dealt with some heaviness I wasn't expecting. But it also dealt with the joy that comes after growth through grief, which is never linear and always different for different people, was a nice touch. I will continue to read stories from this author duo in the future as they dole out some pretty good life lessons for their readers!

Authors:

Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka met and fell in love in high school. Austin went on to graduate from Harvard, while Emily graduated from Princeton. Together, they are the authors of multiple novels including The Roughest Draft and Reese's YA Bookclub Pick Heiress Takes All. They are also two-thirds of USA Today bestselling author E.B. Asher. Now married, they live in Los Angeles, where they continue to take daily inspiration from their own love story.

ARC Review: Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello

 

HBO’s Hacks meets Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After in this hilarious and sweeping love story about a comedian forced to return to her Jersey Shore hometown and confront everything she left behind ten summers before—including the man who broke her heart.

Then. Delfina Silva-Miller wants one thing: to leave behind Evergreen, New Jersey and never look back. Despite her adoring grandmother’s best efforts, Del can’t bear to live another moment at the whims of her deadbeat dad (so cliché) and her ever-temperamental crush, Eddie Rodriguez (humiliating).

Now. If there’s one thing Del knows how to do, it’s spin her bad luck into a killer joke. After years of hard work, she’s finally landed a coveted spot at a huge comedy festival, molding the often tragic raw material of her life into comedic gold. But when Del loses her job, boyfriend, and apartment in the span of a few hours, she’s forced to pack her bags and return to the home she swore off at eighteen.

Del is determined not to let her history with Evergreen distract her. She has 45 days to perfect a new comedy set and march into her new life. Instead, she marches right into Eddie Rodriguez. But he’s nothing like the boy she left behind ten years ago.

As the festival draws closer, Del is faced with the terrifying possibility that everything she’s ever wanted isn’t as far away as it once seemed.

Vividly evoking the boardwalks and beaches of the Jersey Shore, Summertime Punchline is a hilarious, vulnerable, and sweeping love story celebrating the complicated relationships—romantic and not—that impact our lives, for better or worse.

Title: Summertime Punchline

Author: Betty Corrello

Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager

Publication Date: May 21, 2024

Review:

Thank you to Avon who sent me an advanced copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Delfina Silva-Miller is having some bad luck. She's out a boyfriend, a roommate, an apartment, and a job! She finds herself back in her hometown; a place she never thought she would return. And a place where she experienced heartache, lonliness, and abandonment. She finds herself interacting with her childhood nemesis, Edgardo. As she tries to get her life back together, she slowly realizes perhaps her hometown was not as bad as she thought it was and perhaps the one person she thought she hated might be the soul mate she never thought she'd have.

This was a fabulous debut for Betty Corrello. She did a wonderful job with her character development, her plot line, and her pacing.

I went into this book thinking there would be a bit more romance than there was. And I thought I would be disappointed. But I was, in fact, very pleased with how this story progressed. I was happy the story was not all romance and spice. The plot was focused on Del's growth and her experience as she comes to terms with who she is and where she wants her life to go. Throughout the book she learns to open her heart more and more. She learns forgiveness and love. 

Del is a great character. I love that she's almost thirty and is still struggling with being an adult. This is such a true representation of what we are seeing these days with people returning to home as they try to put their life in order. So many people struggle with being an adult at such an early age and then feeling they failed because they are not able to pull it off. She's vulnerable and definitely wears that on her sleeve, despite not wanting to do so.

Edgardo is so sweet and tender. I love that he's a hometown guy who truly enjoys where he lives. And I love how his experiences didn't make him an angry person but show that he was capable of great growth. And his relationship with his family is so fun. I loved watching the banter between them.

I really enjoyed the flashbacks Corrello incorporated into the story. They gave amazing background on the relationship between Del and Eddie and how they had this intrinsic push and pull toward and away from each other over the course of their teen years. Many of their moments were filled with what they termed hate but really was them fighting their attraction to one another. It totally reminded me of the relationships I had in high school.

There was lots of humor used in this book to form the relationship between the characters. We are told many times how funny Del is and you can feel this with her interactions with Eddie, her grandmother, her father, and a few of the other side characters in the book.

One thing that pulled me out of the story was not having much of a background from the last ten years Del has spent away from her hometown and Eddie. I need more of what she truly experienced during that time. We do get some of this for Eddie, but also not as much as I would have liked to truly shape him and show us why he is the way he is. Since the entire book is told from Del's point of view, we never truly know what's going on in Eddie's head. I feel like having his point of view would have really helped with being able to form a better opinion on his character.

This was a great summer or beach read. Something easy to move your mind into feel good stuff. A second chance romance that is sweet and slow to burn. An exploration of relationships, love, and friendships and how these all help shape a life. An impressive first foray for this author into writing.

Author:

Betty Corrello is an incredibly beautiful and normal woman. Despite her hardened exterior, she is biologically 95% marshmallow. She blames this on the abundance of water in her astrological chart. Her greatest passion is writing stories where opposites attract, but love is chosen. When she's not writing, she can be found fretting about niche historical events most have forgotten––or petting her very tiny dog. In addition to writing books, she previously performed stand-up and sit-down comedy all over the east coast. She calls herself a stand-up comedian to avoid bullying, but she is actually an improv nerd. She does not like The Harold. She is Italian and American and spent time growing up in both countries. She is a proud Philadelphian. Go Birds.

ARC Review: The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore

A.J. Fikry meets The Bookish Life of Nina Hill in this charming, hilarious, and moving novel about the way books bring lonely souls together.

Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She's just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book from the 1960s at the local flea market. Deciding it's a sign of her luck turning, she takes it home with her―only to be shocked when her cranky hermit of a neighbor swoops in and offers to buy it for an exorbitant price. Intrigued, Chloe takes a closer look at the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins between two young lovers back when the book was new…one of whom is almost definitely Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door.

And when she begins following the clues left behind, she discovers this isn't the only old book in town filled with their romantic marginalia. This kickstarts a literary scavenger hunt that Chloe is determined to see through to the end. What happened to the two tragic lovers who corresponded in the margins of so many different library books? And what does it have to do with the old, sad man next door―who only now has begun to open his home to Chloe and her siblings? In a romantic tale that spans the decades, Chloe discovers that there's much more to her neighbor than meets the eye. And in allowing herself to accept the unexpected friendship he offers, she learns that some love stories begin in the unlikeliest of places.

Title: The Library of Borrowed Hearts

Author: Lucy Gilmore

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Expected Publication Date: April 30., 2024

Review:

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Chloe Sampson is struggling to keep her family going. Caring for her three young siblings as their guardian has been tough since her mom stepped out of their lives. Her librarian job helps her to just make ends meat. When she finds a rare copy of a book in the library, riddled with notes in the margins from two lovers, she's surprised to have it suddenly linked to her curmudgeon of a neighbor, Jasper. As she investigates his past, she finds this book is not the only one the lovers communicated through and slowly unravels their tumultuous and short love affair. Determined to see the scavenger hunt through, she builds a relationship with Jasper, as well as a local man named Zach who is determined to help her. 

This is my first Lucy Gilmore book. I saw a ton of great reviews for her Lonely Hearts Book Club, which I now have to read! I really enjoyed her writing. It flowed easily and had great pacing. She easily built her characters and made me invested in them. And books written about books are always going to be on my radar. So it was not surprise for me to want to pick this one up and see what it was all about.

Chloe's character is tough but also somewhat broken. Having to care for your three young siblings when you are barely an adult yourself is difficult. And she's determined to ensure they are cared for even if it means she gives up everything she has always wanted to do. Her love of books is what really got me. It's what helped me connect with her and care about her. It's also what helps her connect more with Jasper, which I love. If I were to start my life over again, I would absolutely go for a degree as a librarian or do something in the publishing world. 

Speaking of Jasper, he's definitely my favorite character in this book and has the ARC that progresses the most. He goes from a recluse who wants nothing to do with anyone, to figuring out there's more to life than stewing in your own thoughts. He's also a book lover, which helped me connect with him. I loved his love story, even if it was a little more sad than I would have liked.

My least favorite character was Catherine. I found her to be super selfish and it really bothered me. I wanted her to be so much more. But I also knew there wasn't a HEA coming for her and Jasper (you see this throughout the story so it's not a spoiler for their story ARC). 

I do wish there was more about Zach. I loved him, and how he wanted to connect with Chloe, but I was also mad at him for how he went about it (no spoilers here, you'll have to read to find out why). Mostly I adored his connection with Noodle. And the fact that he took Chloe, siblings and all, even when many would run from a young girl who comes strapped with kids.

The story is told from five points of view, which I would normally be annoyed about but worked really well for this story. It wasn't hard to keep the points of view separate while reading as the chapters were titled. The author also chose to bounce between the present and the past to tell the love story of Catherine and Jasper and how it progresses and ultimately how it ends. There was no point in the book where this story bored me. I truly wanted to find out what happened between the lovers, and wanted Chloe to also get her HEA.

The idea of found family is very much at the forefront of this story and I really love that. Family is great but some don't always have one that is super supportive. So to be able to find the community Chloe did at the end, people who want to help her and watch her succeed, was heart warming.

If you are looking for a romance read, this one isn't it. It has romantic elements for sure because it does ultimately focus on the love affair between Catherine and Jasper. But it is not a romance as much as it is chick lit or contemporary fiction.

The story does just kind of end. I was hoping for an epilogue, something, anything to show me what happens down the line. Chloe is given a great opportunity, but does she take it? What happens with Zach? Does her mother ever come back? How do the children fair? What happens with Jasper? I just needed something to tie up all the loose ends and it wasn't there. This is why I didn't give it 5 stars.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely read more from this author in the future.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Lucy Gilmore is a celebrated novelist in a wide range of genres, including literary fiction, contemporary romance, and cozy mystery. She began her reading (and writing) career as an English literature major and ended as a book lover without all those pesky academic papers attached.

She lives in Spokane, WA with her family.