Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
In this heartfelt, magical romcom, a down-and-out podcaster gets a second chance—at her career and love—when she’s cast in the audio drama adaptation of her favorite paranormal romance series . . . alongside the one who got away.
Juniper Green doesn’t believe in magic anymore. Not since her mom died, her dreams of a publishing career fizzled, and her podcast—the one bright spot in her life—was stolen out from under her. Now, at thirty-two, she’s living in her dad’s spare room and wondering if life peaked when she was a teenager with a stack of vampire books and an unhealthy obsession with enigmatic immortals.
Then comes the email: an invitation to audition for the lead role in the audio drama adaptation of The Meadow, the wildly popular vampire romance series that once defined her teenage years. It’s a dream opportunity—until she learns her co-star is James Neely, the brooding, talented actor who played Romeo to her Juliet in a one-night-only college show before breaking her heart and disappearing from the stage and her life . . . right along with the magic.
To save the project (and her career), Juniper and James must revive their on-stage chemistry, playing The Meadow’s star-crossed lovers for the microphones and social media alike. But as the lines between performance and reality blur, Juniper is left wondering: can you rewrite the ending of a story you thought was over? Because love, like magic, is a fragile thing to lose . . . and to find again.
Juniper's life had been full of magic until it disappeared following her mother's death. All of a sudden, things began going wrong for her. After losing her podcast, Juniper returned to her father's home where an opportunity to narrate a well-loved book series came her way. Juniper was excited about this new endeavor until she realized her co-star would be no one other than James Neely, the boy who left her with so many what-ifs.
As a big fan of Schumacher's young adult books, I was eager and excited to read her adult debut. It was no surprise that the book was packed with lots of humor and warmth, but what I loved most were those subtle magical touches.
It's a fact that I am a steadfast contemporary reader, but I cannot resist a touch of magic in my tales. In Say It Out Loud, there were these small nudges from the universe that were there to direct Juniper in a particular direction. I thought it was a fun little extra, but when it all came together, I absolutely loved it! The end result was something that was terribly sweet and tugged at my heartstrings.
All the Twi-hards will delight in the audiobook they made as The Meadows was clearly Twilight inspired. There are so many thinly veiled Twilight references in the story, and it was tons of fun finding them all. I also think the people will adore the quirky characters who inhabited this world. They all brought something special to this tale.
Say It Out Loud was a solid adult debut. This slow-burn romance featured characters who were easy to root for as they embarked on personal journeys rife with self-discovery, healing, and love.
Published by Dell on September 2, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Mystery
Rating:
Goodreads
A plucky medium, her fame-chasing ex, and an infuriatingly handsome skeptic reporter make for a complicated love triangle—and that's before the ghosts get involved. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December comes the first novel in a ghost-hunting series full of romance and humor.
In the leafy, charming town of Chapelwick, the Bittersweet family has been a fixture on High Street for as long as anyone can remember. Their rambling black-and-white building houses all three generations of ghost-sensitive Bittersweet women and their business, Blithe Spirits.
On her twenty-seventh birthday, Melody Bittersweet converts the disused back storeroom into her office and opens her own business. Unlike the rest of her family, she’s not taking down messages from ghosts—she’s taking them out.
Soon, the Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency takes on its first a grand old house that won’t sell because a trio of incumbent ghost brothers raise merry hell whenever prospective owners arrive to view it.
It soon becomes clear that there’s a whole heap of unfinished business between the Scarborough brothers—including murder—and Melody isn’t the only one trying to unravel the mystery. Leo Dark, her rakish ex and business rival, is also on the case, along with the TV crew that trails him.
To make matters worse, the sarcastic and skeptical (and annoyingly good-looking) local reporter Fletcher Gunn has his nose in the story as well. Sniffing out a way to publicly discredit the Bittersweets is his favorite assignment—and has absolutely nothing to do with his inability to resist Melody.
With her business on the line, it’s up to Melody to work out the brothers' issues, but can she protect her own very susceptible heart from Fletcher’s charm? Does she even want to?
Melody was part of the Bittersweet family, a family known for their gift of seeing and communicating with spirits. After celebrating another birthday, Melody decided to use her talents in a different way and opened the Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency. Her first mission was to rid the Scarborough house of its ghosts, but the ghosts would not able to leave until Melody solved the mystery that was keeping them earthbound.
This was quite a change of pace from previous Josie Silver books, but I have to admit, it was a lot of fun. If I had to sum up this story in a few words, I would definitely use madcap as one of my adjectives. This world was filled with characters that were quirky and even a bit over the top. Their personalities and antics adding a lot of humor to this tale which had me smiling and laughing out loud.
Along side the mystery element was a bit of romance. There was not one but TWO romantic interests for Melody. I suppose the love triangle was established in this book, but I have to say, there was a clear favorite for me, and I am eager to see how Melody's romantic relationships play out.
Overall, I enjoyed getting to know the zany characters that inhabit this world, and I am looking forward to more mystery and mayhem with the Girls' Ghostbusting Agency.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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