Book Review: Nowhere but Here by Renee Carlino

 

Format: ebook

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

I absolutely loved Sweet Thing so this book had a high bar to meet. And it was definitely a good story, but it lacked some of the magic Sweet Thing had. The characters are likeable, but the romance is a little fast and fairly predictable.

Even though I said this lacks the magic of Sweet Thing it does have its own charm. Ms. Carlino creates a beautiful world at the winery in Napa. I was easily sucked into the world and can see how easy it would be to fall in love. And I normally don’t enjoy books set in California (Alice Clayton being the major exception). And in a lot of ways this reminded me of The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. I can’t really explain why, but maybe it’s because both have women who are kind of reborn in a new setting.

All of the characters are well-developed and Kate has a great group of friends. Hey, another found family book. Kate was enjoyable and easy to connect with. I like that she wasn’t highly negative about herself, but she also wasn’t obnoxiously confident. I wish I could have gotten to know Jamie better, but he is very charming and loveable.

My only real issue was how fast the romance progressed. I guess this is sort of a summer fling story, but it didn’t quite work for me. Ms. Carlino did do a good job of throwing in a conflict that slowed down their relationship which really saved it for me.

Even with my complaints I do plan on reading more of Renee Carlino’s books and I do recommend her stories.

Thanks for reading!

Sweet Little Thing by Renee Carlino

Series: Sweet Thing 1.5

Format: ebook

Pages: 109

Rating: 5 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

                This has got to be one of my favorite novellas. It was basically a hundred page epilogue. There was a little bit of conflict/drama, but was mostly awesome coupleness.

                I’m happy to see more of Will and Mia’s life as a couple. It’s always reassuring to see a couple still happy and working through conflict. Plus, I was a little apprehensive about the ending in Sweet Thing, but this appeased me.

                I guess the next thing I’m going to talk about is a spoiler, but the cover gives it away.

                Normally, I’m pretty opposed to pregnancy storylines, but this one was great. It forced Mia and Will to deal with some issues in their relationship. Mia is always worried about stability and Will is spontaneous. A baby makes them look at these personality traits and I think the overall story is better for it.

                I loved being able to spend more time with these characters. And I’m glad it was told by Will. I wanted in his head before and I’ll definitely take this. And the epilogue bit at the end was great. I just love seeing couples I care about happy, if you couldn’t tell.

Thanks for reading!

 ~Holly

Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino

Format: Ebook

Pages: 278

Rating: 4.5 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

                For a while now I’ve been hearing good things about this story. I’ve really been in a romance mood so I figured I would buy this one. It definitely didn’t disappoint, but I did have a few minor issues.

                First, I want to talk about how this book is classified. I’ve heard it described as new adult, but I personally feel it’s more of a standard contemporary romance.

                This story played with some tropes and storytelling techniques. It read like a friends to lovers, but isn’t quite. And Ms. Carlino incorporated music very well. I always think it’s courageous for authors to make music a huge part of their stories, because it can fall flat.

                I’m so glad the story took place over a long period of time. So many romances are rushed. Especially since Mia just lost her dad I didn’t want her to fall into a romance out of grief.

                Overall, I liked all of the characters. The side characters felt flushed out and real. Will is kind of an oddball, but he’s a sensitive soul that you quickly grow to love. Mia was interesting and likeable for the most part. There were a few times I wanted to shake her because she was being stupid.

                Along with Mia’s occasional craziness, I had an issue with the resolution. Like too many romances it ended quickly. And I thought some of their personal issues were fixed a bit too fast.

                There is a follow-up novella which I actually already read because I wanted/needed to spend more time with these characters. And I will be doing a review of that eventually. 

Thanks for reading!

~Holly