#women’sliterature&fiction – Rosepoint Publishing

June Baby: A Novel by Shannon Garvey #BookReview #ComingofAgeFiction #NetGalley

Part of: Thousand Voices

Book Blurb:

Some summers never leave you.

In this moving debut novel, set over the course of one transformative summer in the lush, beachy enclave of Block Island, a young woman reckons with love, loss, and the choices she must make to move forward.

At seventeen, Ruth lost her mother to cancer, and her father, unable to handle his grieving daughter, shipped her off to Block Island with nothing but a name scribbled on the back of a receipt: Diana Beckett. Diana, a renowned photographer, took Ruth in for the summer, and Block Island became Ruth’s refuge, a place of beauty and creativity, a place where she could nurture her dreams of being a writer, a place where she could fall in love for the first time—with Diana’s nephew, Charlie.

Now, at twenty-seven, Ruth has spent the last ten summers living and working among the lucky few who get to vacation in this wealthy beach town, and the rest of the year just scraping by, yearning to return to the place where she feels safe and unburdened. But then Ruth’s world is upended by tragedy again. Desperate for an anchor, she reaches for the person she’s been pining for since she met him—Charlie—who has his own startling revelation to share. And when another surprise comes in the form of a box left to Ruth by Diana, its contents raise questions about just how well she knew the two women who raised her. Torn between what to believe about her past, and what her future might hold, Ruth is faced with another choice: does she dare to rewrite her story entirely?

Both a heartfelt coming-of-age story and a tender exploration of love and grief, set against a backdrop of golden dunes and seaside sunsets, June Baby shows us what it might look like to embrace a life shaped not by loss, but by possibility.

My Review:

The pace begins rather slowly and sets the tone for the duration of the novel. I was not successful getting into Ruth’s head, didn’t really like her, and had I met her in real life would have run—not walked away.

Ruth returns to Block Island following the death of Diana Beckett. She had been sent to live with Diana following the death of her mother and her father, lacking the ability to deal with his own grief, falls far short of supporting his daughter in hers.

It’s on Block Island that first summer that she meets Charlie. Ten years later, now at the age of twenty-seven, she returns to clean up Diana’s home and studio but finds herself no better capable, adjusted to depression, loss, and unrequited love than where she left off. She learns that Charlie is engaged, which throws her into another tail spin. She exhibits obsession and intense longing, but receives little more than banal interest from Charlie. In the meantime, she fends off the suitor who loves her almost with the same intensity she exhibits for Charlie.

So the whole novel begs the question: Will she or won’t she? Is the remaining crush of loss over her mother still weighing her down to the extent she can’t, won’t ever, move forward? Can she finally get over the final loss of Charlie? Will she try to write again or continue waitressing the rest of her life?

Are you kidding me?

A waste of time? Hers and mine. I hate what she does with Charlie. Later she is actually presented with opportunities that she puzzles over. Puzzles over? Would you? Or jump with both feet immediately. Will she always be this damaged? ARGH!

The writer intentionally builds tension but unfortunately, not the kind that drives you with morbid curiosity, as it finally kills any feelings for the MC you harbored that might have remained.

I’m not sure I could recommend this book, unless you appreciate slow-moving, deeply angst ridden, novels of persons lost. Deeply lost in mind and spirit–can you see a way out for this person or might it damage you as well?

This was an Advanced Reader’s Copy from NetGalley and the publisher and I appreciate their providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Coming of Age Fiction, Women’s Literary Fiction, Mothers & Children Fiction
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Source: NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Shannon Garvey is the author of the debut novel June Baby. Born in Rhode Island, Shannon now lives on the New Hampshire coastline. She received her MFA from the University of New Hampshire where she taught undergraduate classes. Shorter work of hers has been published by The Saturday Evening Post.

The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O’Neal – #Audiobook Review – #Women’sFiction

Book Blurb:

In this sumptuous novel, Barbara O’Neal offers readers a celebration of food, family, and love as a woman searches for the elusive ingredient we’re all hoping to find…

It’s the opportunity Elena Alvarez has been waiting for—the challenge of running her own kitchen in a world-class restaurant. Haunted by an accident of which she was the lone survivor, Elena knows better than anyone how to survive the odds. With her faithful dog, Alvin, and her grandmother’s recipes, Elena arrives in Colorado to find a restaurant in as desperate need of a fresh start as she is—and a man whose passionate approach to food and life rivals her own. Owner Julian Liswood is a name many people know but a man few do. He’s come to Aspen with a troubled teenage daughter and a dream of the kind of stability and love only a family can provide. But for Elena, old ghosts don’t die quietly, yet a chance to find happiness at last is worth the risk.

My Review:

Damaged main character Elena Alvarez horribly down on her luck manages to land a coveted position of chef in a struggling upscale restaurant in Aspen, a posh ski area of Colorado. Okay, she does have some real cred, but recent history describes a horrific accident in which she alone is the survivor, losing both her boyfriend and sisters.

Her new boss is Julian Liswood, a divorced player with a young daughter who relocated to Aspen hoping to find a wholesome area for his daughter to grow up and himself yet another unique and singularly successful upper-class restaurant. (Yes, he’s filthy rich.) To this end, he pretty much hands over the restaurant, menu and all, to untried, untested, and physically limited Elena.

I must admit that once again I was suckered in by a cover with a dog on it, who does prove a fun character, btw. Elena was raised by her abuela and is therefore capable of speaking with much of the Mexican staff (many of whom might or might not be working legally in the US). She has replaced the chef apparent who exudes attitude.

I was intrigued by the blurb, and although I’m not a Foodie, do not watch cooking shows, and limit my time in the kitchen, thought it sounded like an interesting book.

The atmosphere of Aspen is detailed beautifully as a year-round mountain resort. Indeed, the recipes as recited with complete directions all sound pretty good. There were themes of ghosts, immigration politics, physical challenges, male-dominated service field, and romance both straight and gay.

It was the straight romance that went from romantic to pornographic that shut me down. Intimacy descriptions became graphic. Too bad, as the storyline was an interesting one and tackled some serious issues. The conclusion didn’t provide anything not already expected.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Women’s Literature & Fiction
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
ASIN: B0CL12HM6P
Listening Length: 12 hrs 43 mins
Narrator: Moniqua Plante, Jacob York
Publication Date: November 28, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Lost Recipe for Happiness [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Rosepoint Publishing: Three stars

The Author: Barbara O’Neal is the author of more than a dozen award-winning, bestselling novels, including the runaway bestseller, When We Believed in Mermaids, which has been published in more than 20 countries and spent many months on the Amazon Charts, as well as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller lists. Barbara lives on the beach in rugged Oregon with her husband, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent and their zoo of cats and dogs. You can find more information on her newsletter and where to find her on social media at barbaraoneal.com.