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
Lucky Break by Jaclyn Westlake
Published by Avon on July 15, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Goodreads
When a spate of bad luck upends her meticulously planned life, Eliza moves to a charming—and mysterious—Midwestern lake town, where she just might find herself while trying to find the truth. Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary, Kate Clayborn, and Sophie Kinsella.
Eliza has always had a plan…until her seamlessly plotted life implodes, and her engagement falls apart. At thirty-two, she suddenly finds herself second-guessing the picture-perfect future she had always envisioned—one that included raising 2.5 children nearby her tight-knit Italian family in San Francisco.
Then Eliza is offered the chance to start in Juneberry Lake, a small Midwestern town eager to lure remote workers to their picturesque community. Shocking her family and friends (and herself), Eliza packs up her apartment and buys a lake house sight unseen.
Juneberry Lake is as delightful as it looked in the pictures. And the pictures didn’t even include Joel, a fellow new arrival who works alongside her every day in an adorable coffee shop. But if Eliza is hoping to spy her uncertain future in the shimmering waters of Juneberry Lake, she’ll find herself out of luck. Because her friendly Midwestern neighbors are keeping a marvelous secret—one that will help Eliza see that her recent spate of bad luck was never her fault…and that the tide can turn when you least expect it. With the help of her friends and family, new and old, Eliza is finally ready to build a new future that’s entirely her own.
I was reading this synopsis and nodding along, all good, and then I got near the end, and I was hooked! What secret? Did they create this situation to get her to the lake? If so, why? I am definitely intrigued, and I think this bit of mystery along with a lovely setting and what could possibly be a comeback story is promising for me.
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
Published by Berkley on January 5, 2010
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
From the author of Reese Witherspoon's Book Club pick The Scent Keeper comes a “heartbreakingly delicious” national bestseller about a chef, her students, and the evocative lessons that food teaches about life.
Once a month on a Monday night, eight students gather in Lillian's restaurant for a cooking class. Among them is Claire, a young woman coming to terms with her new identity as a mother; Tom, a lawyer whose life has been overturned by loss; Antonia, an Italian kitchen designer adapting to life in America; and Carl and Helen, a long-married couple whose union contains surprises the rest of the class would never suspect.
The students have come to learn the art behind Lillian's soulful dishes, but it soon becomes clear that each seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen. And soon they are transformed by the aromas, flavors, and textures of what they create....
I have been loving Bauermeister's backlist, and so I continue to dig into it. I love the idea of a cooking class where you can find some answers to what ails you. I am eager to see how that plays out in this story.
Let us know in the comments!
I knew from the look of The School of Essential Ingredients that the book was older Sam!
ReplyDeleteIt's the author's debut, and it was wonderful!
DeleteI can see why you'd be intrigued by Lucky Break it does sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteVery curious what the story is there.
DeleteWait, what?? Now I'm super intrigued by Juneberry Lake.
ReplyDeleteRight? What are they up to?
Delete