Can't Wait Wednesday!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am combining CWW with Books From the Backlog hosted by Carole at Carole's Random Life in Books. This will allow me to feature some newly "rediscovered" books, which I plan on reading, alongside a new release.

This week I can't wait for

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Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Allison Rose Greenberg
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on October 3, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Goodreads

Filled with the romance and angst that defines the years you come to know yourself, with a shifting timeline covering two decades and ratcheting up the tension, Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is a novel of second chances and finding your own way.

You know that old saying, “if we are still single when we’re 35, we should get married?” Well, Maggie Vine made that vow with two different people, at two very different stages of her life.

And they both showed up.

Maggie Vine’s life is going extra-medium. At 35 she’s pursuing her dreams of being a singer and being a mother―though neither is successfully panning out. So when Garrett Scholl―stifled hedge fund manager by day but electrifying aspiring rock singer by night―comes to her 35th birthday party with the intention to kiss Maggie senseless, it feels like one piece might click into place. Except he’s engaged to someone else, and Maggie knows she won’t fit into the cookie-cutter life he’s building for himself.

Enter Asher Reyes. Her first boyfriend from summer camp, turned into heartthrob actor, he’s lived a successful yet private life ever since he got famous. When a career-changing opportunity is presented to Maggie after her reconnection with Asher, it feels like everything―music, love, family―will fall into place. But her past won’t let her move on without a fight.

Well, color me embarrassed. I had this listed on my spreadsheet as a November 21 release. For shame! *blogger fail* Anyhow, I had read Greenberg's previous book, Bad Luck Bridesmaid, which I feel gets a bum rap. Bridesmaid was NOT what I was expecting, but I did enjoy how the story worked out, and therefore, was eager to read more of Greenberg's work. This if-I'm-still-single vow is a fun starting point for romances in general, but here, the heroine made it twice, to two different people. Well, when that age arrives, both men show up. Awkward! I am really interested in finding out what happens while also being enticed by the idea what there are some second chances are play here. I cannot wait to find out what Maggie chooses to do. 

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The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allard
Published by Cerridwen Press on December 1, 2005
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Goodreads

Sweet tea, corn bread, and soup beans—everyday fare for eight-year-old Alix French, the precocious darling of a respected southern family. But nothing was ordinary about the day she met ten-year-old Nick Anderson, a boy from the wrong side of town. Armed with only a tin of bee balm and steely determination, Alix treats the raw evidence of a recent beating that mars his back, an act that changes both of their lives forever.

Through childhood disasters and teenage woes they cling together as friendship turns to love. The future looks rosy until the fateful night when Frank Anderson, Nick's abusive father, is shot to death in his filthy trailer.

Suddenly, Nick is gone—leaving Alix alone, confused and pregnant. For the next fifteen years she wrestles with the pain of Nick's abandonment, a bad marriage, her family and friends. But finally, she's starting to get her life back together. Her divorce is almost final, her business is booming, and she's content if not happy—until the day she looks up and sees Nick standing across the counter. He's back…and he's not alone.

Once again Alix is plunged into turmoil and pain as Nick tries to win her love, something she resists with all her strength. Only one thing might break the protective wall she's built around her emotions—the truth about Frank Anderson's death. But when that truth comes out and those walls crumble, neither Alix nor Nick is prepared for the emotional explosion that could destroy as well as heal.

When Deanna recommended this book for my reading challenge, I had no problem committing to it because it had been on my TBR for a long time. I finally got that push I needed to read it, and I knew it would be a great fit. This is a love story that spans 26 years. The characters were children when their story began, and many things kept getting in the way of the HEA. As much as stories like this drive me up the wall, I also love them. I am complicated like that. I adore all the history, and the opportunity to really get to know the characters. I know it will be a bumpy ride, but it will be one worth taking. 

What are you waiting on?
Let us know in the comments!