NOVEMBER 2021
SPARK
12
Book Reviews Book Reviews by the Portage District Library staff
Life’s Too Short Abby Jimenez Life’s Too Short follows Vanessa Price, a famous YouTuber, who lives her days as if it’s her last, and Adrian Copeland, a hotshot workaholic lawyer bent on productivity as a means to escape his gaping hole of a personal life. Vanessa is suddenly thrust into child fostering, meets Adrian due to a couple of hilarious circumstances, and the two form a friendship that turns into so much more. This book is friends-tolovers in the most decadent of ways. The connection between Vanessa and Adrian felt organic, and the romance was believable. Vanessa’s voice was an inspiring one. With a family history of ALS, it was refreshing to see she took matters into her own hands and refused to be knocked down. Vanessa’s character was inspired by Claire Wineland, an American activist and an advocate for people affected by chronic illness. Abby Jimenez’s books are consistently grounded in reality, hard truths, and weathering setbacks are as much a part of life as the bliss and euphoria that romance brings.
How Lucky Will Leitch Daniel is a 26-yearold who works from home, answering complaints from airline customers, when one morning he sees out of his window a young girl getting into a tan car that
pulls up next to her. The next day he finds out she is missing. The obvious thing to do is alert the police, but that is made more complicated by the fact that Daniel has SMA, a degenerative disease that keeps him in a wheelchair and unable to speak.Daniel begins to interact online with someone who might be the kidnapper, while the community begins an all-out hunt for the missing girl. Despite his disability, Daniel is determined to to help this girl. However, will the police believe someone like Daniel? This story is suspenseful and poignant, and it is a pleasure following Daniel as he inches toward the truth.
Come Back to Me Jody Hedlund Inspirational fiction author Jody Hedlund dives into timetravel romance with Come Back to Me, the first installment of a new series. Marian gets the news that her father has fallen into an unexplained coma and travels to Canterbury to try and save him. When Marian tests her father’s outlandish theories about special vials of holy water containing the Tree of Life, she finds herself transported back to the Middle Ages. Only the brave actions of knight Will Durham save her from being swept up into the violent unrest of a peasant uprising. Although the beginning of the novel feels somewhat contrived, you will enjoy the sparks that fly between Will and Marian.
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All these titles are available at the Portage District Library. For more information about programs and services available at PDL, go to www.portagelibrary.info
