BOOK REVIEW + GIVEAWAY featuring... The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

It's not often that I'm surprised by a book I'm reading.  Okay, wait...that's not right...I AM surprised by books that I read, the story they contain, and the skill of the writer, but what I mean is that I was unexpected surprised by this one.  I shouldn't have been...not expecting it, that is...because I read the author's previous release and really enjoyed that one, but I guess it had been long enough that my mind wasn't prepared...nor my heart.  Ladies and gents, I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the  Rockstar Book Tour promotion featuring the latest release by author Lynn Painter! Check out my review, visit the other sites on the tour, and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

THE DO-OVER
by Lynn Painter

Release Date: November 15, 2022
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

In this riotous young adult romp for fans of Recommended for You and A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, a teen girl has the worst Valentine’s Day ever—only to relive it over and over again.

After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another nightmare V-Day.

Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. In addition to Josh’s recurring infidelity, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into—sometimes literally—in unfortunate ways.

How many days can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames? And when something good starts to come out of these terrible days, what happens when the universe stops doling out do-overs?

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Reviews:

"Painter plucks readers’ every heartstring, from writing a sweet love story between two teens with very different views on romance to honestly depicting how Emilie’s parents’ messy divorce has impacted her feelings of self-worth. Italicized confessions at the beginnings of various chapters prove there is a playful side to Emilie that is further brought out by Nick, whose constant teasing leads to flirty banter...unequivocally hilarious and delightful." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Throughout, Emilie struggles to navigate her parents’ acrimonious divorce, and the resulting financial precarity and blow to her self-worth. By combining these personal trials with a lighthearted love story, Painter delivers a thoughtfully elevated romantic jaunt." -- Publishers Weekly

 

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I'd describe this story as a Young Adult Contemporary Romance that centers on Valentine's Day with a Groundhog Day twist!  That's the movie not the holiday, in case you weren't sure of the reference.  Basically, our girl Emilie, through rather unusual circumstances, gets sucked into repeating Valentine's Day over, and over, and over, and...well, you get the picture.  WHY this happened to her is a mystery.  HOW does she break the cycle is the unanswerable question...until it's suddenly not in the most SPECTACULAR way possible.  I won't spoil it with a big reveal, but I promise, you'll see it coming when it's about to be the final repeat, even if Emilie can't see it coming.  Let's just say that she really gets the chance to LIVE OUT LOUD, and truthfully, isn't that something that all of us should strive for?  To be our authentic selves?

I loved the story from start to finish, even if I wasn't thrilled with how her initial Valentine's Day went down.  My word!  It's hard enough for those of us that are single, let alone those in relationships that harbor doubts!  Poor Emilie had way more than her share of bad news on that day, and so when the weirdness that was occurred, it was strange, but smile inducing because she had another shot.  The thing was, initially, she was so worried about why it was happening that she was missing the opportunities surrounding her.  Once she got her bearings, it was was delightful to see her progression through each day.  The chances she took, the statements she made, the way she took hold of her life and said YOU ARE MINE, I AM NOT YOURS and went with it!  Now, I'm not saying that going off the proverbial deep end is the answer...but being yourself is ALWAYS the answer.  there is not better version of you than the you that is true.  You can make improvements if YOU choose to.  You can change your hair, clothes, life path, mind, opinion, etcetera etcetera, but it's all in your hands.  

A great story filled with life, love, and lessons you weren't expecting, as you join a fascinating young lady on the most adventurous day of her life...as of yet.

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About the author...

Lynn Painter is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author who writes romantic comedies for both teens and adults. She lives in Nebraska with her husband and pack of wild children, and when she isn't reading or writing, odds are good she’s guzzling energy drinks and watching rom-coms. 

Subscribe to Lynn’s Newsletter!

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

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YOUR CHANCE TO WIN...

...a finished copy of THE DO-OVER!

(US ONLY)

Ends December 6th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Special thanks to the Rockstar Book Tours team for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the publisher for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer or visit your local brick and mortar to grab your copy today! Catch the rest of the tour for more!

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

11/7/2022	YA Books Central	Excerpt
11/8/2022	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt
11/9/2022	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
11/10/2022	Mindyourshelf	IG Review
11/11/2022	Fire and Ice	Review
11/12/2022	@booksrn_rashi	IG Review

Week Two:

11/13/2022	My.Bookish.Mind	IG Review/TikTok Post
11/14/2022	travelersguidetobooks	IG Review
11/15/2022	@jennareadstuff	TikTok Review/IG Post
11/16/2022	A Court of Coffee and Books	Review/IG Post
11/17/2022	The Page Ladies @jacleomik33	IG Review
11/18/2022	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post
11/19/2022	onemused	IG Review

Week Three:

11/20/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
11/21/2022	Books With A Chance of Traveling	Review/IG Post
11/22/2022	@planwithemm	IG Review
11/23/2022	@just_another_mother_with_books	IG Review
11/24/2022	The Book View	Review/IG Post
11/25/2022	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic
11/26/2022	Lisa Loves Literature	Review/IG Post

Week Four:

11/27/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review
11/28/2022	The Real World According To Sam	Review/IG Post
11/29/2022	@thechattybookworm	TikTok Review/IG Post
11/30/2022	Confessions of a YA Reader	Review
12/1/2022	@lexijava	Review/IG Post
12/2/2022	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

RABT presents... A Valentine's Day Blast! - SPOTLIGHT +GIVEAWAY!

WELCOME TO THE VALENTINE'S DAY BLAST! 

Click on any of the below book covers to be taken to the page that has more information on the novel as well as the Buy Links!

Before you leave, don't forget to enter the Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RABT presents... a bookish Valentine's Day Blast + GIVEAWAY!

CHECK OUT RABT Book Tours & PR's Featured Romance Novels this Valentine's Day!

Click on any of the below book covers to be taken to the page that has more information on the novel as well as the Buy Links...

...and before you leave, don't forget to enter the Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special thanks to RABT Book Tours for the chance to bring this promotion to you!  (THANKS!)  For more information on these titles or to pick up a copy to call your own, feel free to click through the links provided above.


Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

TLC Book Tours presents... Valentine's Day Q&A with Falguni Kothari!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're joining TLC Book Tours for a Valentine's Day (ish) spotlight on a great selection of titles from Harlequin Books.  From sweet to spicy, heartwarming to heart racing, there's a little something for every reading taste.  Now, this tour is a little different.  This time, it's not JUST about the reviews, though there are plenty.  This time around, we're getting one on one with the author's as they share about themselves, their works, and their journeys to publication.  Sound good?  Great!  My stop along this tour stars a title from a newer branch of Harlequin...Graydon House...and it just so happened to hit bookstore shelves the end of last month  (Happy belated BOOK BIRTHDAY!).  Ready to read all about it?  Here...we...go...

My Last Love Story

by

Falguni Kothari

9781525811395

Graydon House

About the book...

"At once heartbreaking, delightful, and completely unexpected. A must-read!" —Sonali Dev, award-winning author of The Bollywood Bride

“Promise me you’ll learn to cuss, learn to love again. Live again. Promise me you won’t give up on each other.”

Simi Desai is thirty years old and her husband is dying of cancer. He has two last wishes in his final months: first, that she’ll have his baby so that a piece of him lives on, and second, that she’ll reconcile with her old flame, who just happens to be their mutual best friend. And so over the course of their last summer together, Simi’s husband plans a series of big and small adventures for this unlikely trio, designed to help them say goodbye to each other and prove to Simi that it’s okay to move on without him—and even find love again.

Beautiful and poignant, Falguni Kothari’s My Last Love Story will pull your heartstrings as only unforgettable love stories can.

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

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💗 💗   Valentine's Day Q&A with   💗 💗

Author Falguni Kothari

1.  What has your journey been like to becoming a published author? 

If I had to use one word to describe my publishing journey, I’d say it has been topsy-turvy. My first two books—romances—sold to publishers in India (Rupa and Harlequin India) before I even knew what being a published author entailed. Back then I thought all I had to do was write a book. Imagine my shock once I realized the truth.

Then, I changed genres. I wrote a fantasy novel based in Indian mythology, the first in a series. That one was hard to place even in India, much less elsewhere. So, I self-published it and soon after, my agent in India sold the South Asian rights for the series to OM Books in India. While all of that was going on, I wrote My Last Love Story, changing genres yet again. Now, this hopping between genres isn’t exactly advisable, especially while an author is trying to build a brand, but that is how I write and how the stories come to me. And while I was writing all of these stories, I was learning about the publishing industry and about where my own strengths and passions shone.

At a conference, I pitched My Last Love Story to an editor who was taking pitches for the imprints MIRA and HQN. I thought it would fit those imprints as My last Love Story wasn’t exactly a romance, but was definitely romantic women’s fiction. She was intrigued by the book and the characters, but regrettably she didn’t offer for it because, again, it didn’t quite fit into any known genre or imprint—at the time.

By then, having already self-published my fantasy, and loving the concept of being the master of my publishing fate, I decided to self-publish My Last Love Story too. I devoted the next several months to that purpose and in the summer of 2016 released it into the world. Fatefully, a month or so later, Allison Carroll, the editor from HQN that I’d pitched to the year before, emailed me to first congratulate me on my recent release, and then to ask if I was inclined to taking it off the market and re-querying Harlequin because (it’s a secret) a new Graydon House Books imprint was in the works. And I did so gladly.

So, that’s my publishing journey. As I said, topsy-turvy.

2.  In your own words, describe how you are changing the typical perception of the 'love triangle' in MY LAST LOVE STORY. 

In a typical love triangle, one person of the three people involved gets a raw deal or has their heart trampled upon. S/he’s left behind or alone or has to settle for his/her second choice, while the other two people—the romantic couple—separate into this fated entity.

In My Last Love Story, that happens too, but in rotation. The heartache or the feeling of being the third wheel isn’t fated to only one person. When they first meet, my lead characters Simi, Zayaan and Nirvaan are all equally attracted to each other, and the three form a friendship—a bond—that is unique and rare. Then Simi and Zayaan become a couple until external forces break them up. As adults, Simi and Nirvaan are married while Zayaan is the one standing to the side. And then, because the men are such good friends too, there are times when Simi feels isolated from them and left out.

In My Last Love Story, the onus of being heartbroken or deliriously happy doesn’t fall only on one person or a couple, but all three, and I think that makes it a unique love triangle.

3.  When you first started writing MY LAST LOVE STORY, did you set out to write a romance from the beginning? 

Yes, I started writing it as a romance, though it didn’t strictly end up as one. My original plot had a different ending, one that perhaps would have brought closure to the romantic story by defining the couple who survived. But somehow, while writing this story and getting to know the characters, especially Nirvaan and his zest for life, I realized—somewhere in the middle—that I couldn’t write the original ending. I couldn’t write this story like a typical romance. I couldn’t tie a neat little romantic bow around the end. And yet, there is a beautiful Valentine’s rainbow at the end—just not one that readers expect to see.

4.  Would you mind sharing, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, a true love story from your own life?

My husband and I were formally introduced through mutual acquaintances in a very arranged-marriage-style set-up. Within a couple of weeks of meeting each other, we were engaged and preparations for the wedding, which was planned for the following year, were underway. Obviously, we didn’t know each other well at all and we were working on getting to know each other day by day and week by week. I wasn’t expecting any romantic lightning strikes and was quite prepared to slowly come to love him in the course of our life together. I’d been disappointed in love before and thought this was better. More stable an undertaking.

Then, two months before our wedding, I got chicken pox. Oh, I cannot describe the horrified and crazy state of my mind then. I didn’t know how I’d get married, looking like an escapee from a horror show. I didn’t know if I would be pockmarked for life. And what about my fiancé? Would he be able to even look at me if I were? I mean, it wasn’t as if we were in love! What if he took one look at me and ran for the hills? Then I thought that what if he didn’t? I knew this was the opportunity to test him like I’d never been able to in the several months since our engagement. And I’m the sort of person who values empirical knowledge to ambiguity. This was the way to know what kind of a man I was marrying in less than two months. Or, if I’d be marrying him at all. I thought that if he can look at me with pox on my face—literally—then he was exactly the kind of man who would keep my heart safe.

And he was. ☺

5.  Any love or romance advice for anyone out there still looking for love? 

I’m a practical romantic. This is what I tell my daughter—whose 18 years old now—and continues to be horrified that her father and I got engaged after meeting each other only twice and that too in the span of one day. So I tell her: It doesn’t take long to know a person or grand gestures to declare love, it takes a single pockmarked moment. Look for that pockmarked moment and you will find love.

But if you don’t, isn’t that okay too? To have a love affair with life instead?



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About the author...

Falguni Kothari is a hybrid author of unconventional love stories and kick-ass fantasy tales flavored by her South Asian heritage and expat experiences. An award-winning Indian Classical, Latin and Ballroom dancer, she currently elevates her endorphin levels with Zumba.

She resides in New York with her family and pooch.

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Special thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for the chance to participate in this promotion and to author Falguni Kothari for sharing about her life and work with all of us.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Graydon House, an imprint of Harlequin Books, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.  Be sure to catch the rest of the tour as it makes its way through the blogosphere for more great titles, features, and bookish fun!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!