hannah orenstein

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: Upcoming/New Romance Releases

- Meg

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine (though it seems as though it’s been a while since she updated that particular blog, so if you know of the current host, if there is one, please let me know) that highlights upcoming releases that we’re impatiently waiting for. This week I’m featuring upcoming/newly released romance titles I’m excited to read!  As usual, pub dates change without warning, so keep that in mind!

Weather Girl, by Rachel Lynn Solomon – I loved Solomon’s The Ex-Talk. It was the perfect blend of workplace romance, and I liked seeing the hero/heroine navigate their professional relationship with their personal relationship.  I especially liked that it was a different workplace setting than what feels like the usual office setting, and I liked the insight into radio broadcasting. I’m hoping for a similar vibe with Weather Girl! I like that this one has a plus-sized hero (which I don’t know if I’ve ever seen but then again my contemporary romance “experience” is limited considering I tend to lean more toward historicals), and I’m hoping for some insights into weather reporting! (January 11, 2022)

To Marry and to Meddle, by Martha Waters – I really enjoyed Waters’s To Have and to Hoax, and this one is the third in her Regency Vows series, so I definitely need to catch up. I’m glad they updated the covers after the first was released because these newer illustrated covers are adorable. This one is about a seasoned debutante and a theater owner and a marriage of convenience with a promised murderous kitten, so I’m very hopeful I’ll enjoy this one. (April 5, 2022)

Meant to Be Mine, by Hannah Orenstein – I was introduced to Orenstein’s work with her debut Playing With Matches, and she’s become one of my favorite contemporary romance writers. I’ve loved every single one of her books, and I’ve loved following her writing process on Instagram for each of her books as well. Something about seeing her process, watching the book grow from ideas to a finish product, really cements the love I have for her work. Meant to Be Mine is about soulmates, so I can’t wait to see what she does with that concept! (June 7, 2022)

Go Hex Yourself, by Jessica Clare – modern day witches and warlocks? Grumpy/sunshine and enemies to lovers tropes? A meddling black cat? All things point to yes. The cover of this is also extremely adorable. (April 19, 2022)

Gentleman Seeks Bride, by Megan Frampton – I hadn’t realized this was part of a series I just started reading, but that just means I get to read more from this series before I get into this one. I’ve never read Frampton’s historicals before, and the first of the Hazards of Dukes series is already proving to be exactly what I needed to read at this time. The hero’s name, Thomas Sharpe, brings Tom Hiddleston vibes from Crimson Peak, so, yes please. Also, I love this cover!! (November 30, 2021)

Are any of these on your TBR? What romances are you excited to read?

BOOK REVIEW: Head Over Heels, by Hannah Orenstein

- Meg

BOOK REVIEW: Head Over Heels, by Hannah OrensteinTitle: Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein
Published by Atria Books
Published: June 23, 2020
Genres: Romance
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy: Bookshop(afflilate link)
Goodreads

The past seven years have been hard on Avery Abrams: After training her entire life to make the Olympic gymnastics team, a disastrous performance ended her athletic career for good. Her best friend and teammate, Jasmine, went on to become an Olympic champion, then committed the ultimate betrayal by marrying their emotionally abusive coach, Dimitri.
Now, reeling from a breakup with her football star boyfriend, Avery returns to her Massachusetts hometown, where new coach Ryan asks her to help him train a promising young gymnast with Olympic aspirations. Despite her misgivings and worries about the memories it will evoke, Avery agrees. Back in the gym, she’s surprised to find sparks flying with Ryan. But when a shocking scandal in the gymnastics world breaks, it has shattering effects not only for the sport but also for Avery and her old friend Jasmine.

I have loved every single one of Hannah Orenstein’s books since her debut Playing With Matches, and I have it on good authority that I will love every single book she’ll write, too. Head Over Heels follows the (now-alternate universe) trajectory of Avery, a former gymnast with the Olympics in view, becoming a coach to an up-and-coming gymnast when Avery moves back to her hometown after a breakup and a need to start fresh in some way. However, when Avery returns home, she feels like she’s living in the shadow of her former life. Reconnecting with her past and reconciling the future that never was, Avery has to confront everything she has tried to leave behind — her childhood friend who ended up going to the Olympics and doing everything she dreamed of doing, her parents, her former coach, her former crush, and all of the intricacies and difficulties associated with what she has tried to leave behind.

One thing that Orenstein does really well in each of her books is a balance between that perfect rom-com fluff and an engaging amount of emotional and thematic depth. To me, the characters and their reactions and responses to the world in which they live seem true and well-balanced. The settings in which these characters exist and the world created for them feels like something I could watch on a big, cinematic screen and in which I could get lost for a few hours. I don’t know the first thing about gymnastics aside from a casual viewing here and there whenever the Olympics are on television, but Orenstein makes you care and makes you want to know more, and it’s obvious this is a subject dear to her heart. She tackles the heavier subjects and the #metoo movement within the gymnastics sphere incredibly well and with a lot of grace, and that’s something I think is difficult to achieve.

This is a well-rounded contemporary romance that kept me hooked from the first page, so if you’re looking for a bright summer romance with a lot of heart, check out Head Over Heels, and then read the rest of Orenstein’s fiction if you haven’t yet!

Many thanks to Atria for sending me an advance reader’s copy; all opinions are my own!