Published by Dell on September 30, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
In this sweeping, second-chance romance, a twist of fate forces two former roommates to move back into their beloved New York City brownstone and face the events that led to their estrangement—and confront their unresolved feelings for each other.
Subject 74 Perry Street
So begins the email that turns June Wood’s entire world on its head. Five years ago, she lived on Perry Street with her former best friend Adam Harper. But why is the management company reaching out to her about it now?
Still smarting from the news of her hit TV show being canceled, June has nothing else to lose. She boards a plane from Los Angeles to New York City to find out more about the mysterious email and the promised opportunity it alludes to. It turns out that, thanks to an unbelievable legal loophole, if she and Adam can live together in the stunning West Village brownstone for a month, it’s theirs. Any true New Yorker knows you don’t pass up prime city real estate, and that fall in the city is magical—so what’s there to think about?
And yet, though most things have changed in the time since they last spoke, one thing hasn’ June and Adam have unfinished business. They didn’t exactly end on good terms when they each went off to chase their dreams. Now, confronted with the consequences of their choices, they must navigate the minefield of their past the best way they know together.
Every day they move closer to owning Perry Street reveals misunderstandings, long-term resentments, and long-buried feelings . . . which are suddenly feeling very, very not so buried. But they’ve already lost their friendship once before, devastating them both. Can they risk losing it again for something a little different this time?
Things were not going according to plan for June. She had left New York for a TV and screen career, but after years of struggling, she found her TV show canceled. With no real prospects on the horizon, she received notification of an inheritance. She traveled to New York and discovers that as the last resident of 74 Perry Street, she was going to inherit the home. However, June didn't live there alone. She shared the home with her former best friend, Adam, AND it will be a month before they assume ownership. Once again, Adam and June are sharing 74 Perry Street, but will things be different this time?
I have to admit, I didn't really have any expectations when it came to this book, so I was really caught off guard by how I was consumed by this tale. I was very moved several times by the events that took place over the course of June and Adams residency. My heart was truly invested in these two.
One thing Richard did that really ratcheted up my emotions was the way she made me wait to find out what happened between Adam and June. In the flashbacks, I saw how wonderful their friendship was, and it was clear that there was something simmering between them, but I had to keep wondering what happened. It didn't matter though because what I really wanted was for them to seize this second chance. They were back where it all began, and it was important that they FINALLY be 100% honest with each other.
All I know is that I flew through this book and loved every second of this emotional roller coaster.
Published by Atria on June 10, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Rating:
Goodreads
The “absolutely hilarious” (Real Simple) Amy Poeppel delights once again with a charming new novel about a house swap gone wonderfully awry.
Perfect strangers Lucy and Greta have agreed to a house swap—and boy, are they going to regret it.
Lucy’s hometown of Dallas has gone from home sweet home to vicious snake pit in the blink of an eye after her son makes a mistake he can’t undo. And Greta’s beloved flat in Berlin is suddenly up for grabs when her husband Otto takes a dream job in Texas without even telling her. In their rush to leave town, Lucy and Greta make a deal, pack their bags, and—thanks to martinis, desperation, and some very rusty German—have absolutely no idea what they’re getting themselves into.
Trading Southern charm and barbecue for European sophistication and schnitzel, the two women get a lot more than a change of scenery as they move into each other’s houses, neighborhoods, and lives. Greta and Lucy’s husbands are no help: Otto is winning over his colleagues, swimming laps in the backyard pool, and rooting for the Rangers, while Lucy’s husband is doing a six-month stretch out west, either in a NASA biosphere or in jail, depending on who you ask. Meanwhile, Greta’s daughter Emmi and Lucy’s son Jack get tossed into each other’s orbits, where they both discover secrets they can’t ignore.
When Greta’s biggest career achievement—the buzzworthy purchase of a Vermeer at auction—is thrown into question and Lucy’s past with a hot Viking named Bjørn invades her present, the two women need each other in ways they never could have imagined. Through jet lag, culture shock, suspiciously nice neighbors, and scandals that refuse to be left behind, Lucy and Greta will have to decide if they can ever go home again.
Two strangers agree to swap houses for the summer which leads to some big life changes for everyone involved.
I LOVED this book! This is not my first Poeppel book (I forget the name of the other one, but one of the characters disrespected Frikadellen), but it is now my favorite. Lucy went into mama bear mode when everyone was coming down hard on her son, Jack. He made a mistake (for which he was never allowed to tell his side of the story), and people were being quite unkind. His post high school future was uncertain, so she whisked her children off to Berlin after securing a home swap with a stranger. That stranger was Greta who was searching for housing after her husband was offered a temporary position in Dallas. Knowing Otto needed a break from his current job, she agreed to the home swap.
This story was chaotic and hilarious and filled with warmth and heart. There were a series of events that unfolded and led to some wonderful things for everyone involved. One of my favorite parts was when Greta and Lucy's worlds collided. A warm friendship developed which delighted me, but both women were also changed from the experience. The ending was perfection and what pushed me to go the full five-stars. It had me giddy and made the happy tears flow. There is nothing I wanted more than for everyone to get their HEA and Poeppel came through for all parties involved.
Overall - an utter delight!
Let us know in the comments!
There's no sleep like sleeping in your own bed, so I think I'd pass on a home swap.
ReplyDeleteI have slept in some wonderful beds that were not my own back when I used to go on some really nice vacations.
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