found family – The Saucy Mama

Started: June 2nd
Finished: June 11th
TSM Rating: 4/5

Love at First was such a sweet book about family, life, death, and learning how to allow yourself grace and love. Nora and Will are as charming as enemies as they are alluring as a couple. Their neighbors and friends — their found family — provide levity and perspective that helps elevate this from just another “enemies to lovers” story.

Both our protagonist are suffering from their own form of grief. Nora has taken on her Nonna’s apartment and responsibilities as the HOA president. While Ben has hardens himself to the long ago loss of his parents and the recent loss of his uncle, which is what brings him back into Nora’s world.

They are both hesitant, too, about love and loving each other. Nora, out of tightly-held loyalty to her grandmother, Will out of fear of dangerously losing himself in someone like his parents did.

Love at First is a great lesson in what different kinds of love look like and what love could be, of you give it a chance.

“Not every love you have is the kind like you had with your nonna. Or like the kind you have with me or Emily, or Jonah. Or anyone in this whole place, with the exception of that new man downstairs, I guess. Love can’t always be a sure thing from the start.”
Marian, page 237 (Kindle)

Reading as they navigate the rocky terrain of falling in love was quite beautiful. Unlike most enemies-to-lovers books, you never got the feeling that they actually didn’t like each and you knew if they just got out of their own way, it would be spectacular. And in the universe where this relationship continues, I like to think that it is.

“Nora Clarke, I loved you from the first time I didn’t see you, but I don’t think that matters half as much as the fact that I love you now. I don’t think it matters as much as the way I know I’m going to love you forever.”
Will, page 292 (Kindle)

Started: May 6th
Finished: May 21st
TSM Rating 4/5

This was my first time reading a book on Kindle. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s convenient to have a book at the tip of my fingers and the highlighting on demands clutch. On the other hand, it’s more time on my phone, and the page numbering is a little weird.

That being said, I really enjoyed this book. It was a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers story about two imperfect people — Walker Hartrick and Talia Cohen — doing their best to survive after their worlds are flipped upside down. Walker has just lost his brother and sister-in-law in a drunk driving accident. This leaves him as the guardian of his five nieces and nephews.

For Talia, she is dealing with the one-two punch of finding out that she is infertile and her engagement ending. On top of that, her estranged father was responsible for Walker’s loss.

The beauty of this story is how believable and relatable both their journeys are. In some ways, Walker is the poster child of toxic masculinity’s belief that seeking help is a sign of weakness and the only way he can be any good to his family is to be “strong.” Even as his body is physically breaking down with panic attacks, he continues pushing to be there for his family.

In her own way, Talia is white-knuckling life as well. She comes to town to take over her father’s grocery store and throws herself into work. She also leans into being good to everyone else, including Walker and his family. Leaning into it helped her rediscover her self-worth and slowly heal from all that was ailing her.

When Talia and Walker come together, magic happens. They learn from each other. Give each other support and lift each other up. They help each other through, and both come out stronger on the other side.

I like that Golightly takes her time with the story and doesn’t rush through their progression, notably Walker’s. There are a lot of conclusions that he has to come to on his own. He wasn’t going to take specific steps until he was ready.

This book is filled with lots of little nuggets of wisdom. My favorite is this one:

Her mother always said “time is the wisest counselor of all.”
The Ones We Fight For, Chapter 23, page 198 (Kindle)

It’s a nice story, but be warned, it covers many heavy topics, including death, alcoholism, and infertility, all of which can be triggering for some.

Tag: found family

TSM Book Club Book #23: Love at First by Kate Clayborn

TSM Book Club Book #20: The Ones We Fight For by Katie Golightly