I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Sadly the marketing of this book let it down. It took me a couple of try's to get into this book as it was not at all what I expected which was rather sad. Well written nonetheless I think I would read another book from this author but maybe not read the blurb beforehand!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC for an exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange of an honest review. From the blurb, you would think that it’ll be another “Eat Pray Love” or “Under the Tuscan Sun” kind of book. Unfortunately, it only starts out that way. The Placeholder is NOT a romance nor a women’s fiction book. I don’t get why it’s marketed that way? Judging from other reviews, looks like I’m not the only one.

I try hard not to blame a book for not living up to the marketing copy; that’s written by the publisher, and the author often has little control over it. In the case of The Placeholder, the book I expected was “quirky forty-something woman figures out her life after divorce; hijinks ensue.” That, however, is only the first few chapters of the book I read. The story very quickly takes a turn, as main character Sera makes a series of increasingly illogical and dangerous decisions, often with the attitude that she knew she was choosing poorly but was somehow powerless to fight the inevitable. The first two-thirds of the book was all over the place as Sera spiraled down … and then, when something happened to halt that spiral, things really took a turn for the unexpected. I found Sera’s story more compelling at that point, though it still felt like the great romance she ultimately enjoyed came somewhat out of nowhere. Although I connected more with the book by the end, The Placeholder was too disjointed to really satisfy me.

Great, great, great - I am giving it a lot of love...read this one! An intense, emotional and utterly compelling narrative!

This book absolutely wrecked me. I'm pretty sure I wept through the last quarter of it, if not third. I think I was expecting more romance and less devastation; in spite of that, I was still so drawn into the drama that I couldn't put it down.

I feel crushed and sort of uplifted at the same time. This book was heartbreaking in so many ways. From the initial injustice of the divorce and Sera's terrible loss of her beloved stepdaughters, to her apparent inability to have children, to the loss of her father - and, essentially, her mother -, to the rape, to the lymphoma diagnosis, this was not an easy life. And yet, she didn't leave pain and negativity behind, she left love and a legacy.

My heart hurts for all the lost time and loving Zac and Sera could have had if not for Carolyn's interference. She could have been so happy, at least for a little longer. But, I suppose, since they forgave Carolyn, I should, too. It's all such a tragedy, Shakespeare couldn't have done it better.

I'm sure I'll be thinking about this one for weeks, if not longer, unlike many I've read and quickly forgotten.

* I received a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

This book was not what I was expecting based on the description. I was expecting a light, funny chick lit read. This was not that.

Overall, this wasn't a bad book, but it really felt like it had no direction in the first half, other than the MC banging EVERY guy she meets.

I have no issue with a woman being empowered in her sexuality, but it was almost as if she couldn't help herself, to the point of hoping on a plane to meet some stranger she started talking to online 3 hours beforehand.... this encounter did not end well, which, while predictable after meeting her 'date', was a very abrupt turn for the story to make. Our character also seems to ignore very obvious red flags in every man she hooks up with (while still being self aware enough to see said red flags, know that they're bad, and do it anyway, seemingly due to a crippling fear of not having a man in her life)

Because of the sheer amount of eye rolling I did at the MC in the first half of the book, it was hard to be sympathetic to her terminal cancer diagnosis that took up the second half. I will admit though, when she went into 'hospice' in Puerto Vallarta, this seemed to be the one time through the whole book where she seemed most at peace and comfortable with herself, no longer trying to make herself 'complete' by being someone's girlfriend. Finally.

The story of Serenade - Sera. Not the book I was expecting from reading the blurb. A very emotional read that should come with a warning!

The writing to this book was rough. I don’t know it it was intentional or not. But the plot was all over the place. Having said that, it kind of worked in the best ways. Sera life. Has been pulled out from under here. She’s grasping for anything I want to believe this was intentional. Because people tend spiral out of control when traumatic things happen in their life.. Then comes in Zac and Carolyn. And that’s a whole new level of drama. This book wasn’t a typical romance, It had me crying at the conclusion of the book.

Thank you to the author, Mascot Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review (coming late because COVID finally got me).

This is a difficult book to review. The blurb and the beginning were romance, then things went off the rails and the protagonist began making one bad choice after another - and then the sad came in, and things really went downhill from there. The book is well-written, but plot-wise all over the place. The protagonist's conflicted voice and emotions come through, but I do think there should be some trigger warnings in place, and the slut-shaming should definitely be toned down.

Middle-aged Serenade Kincaid has lost everything, and her life is spiralling out of control. She has gone from the great life to living in a seedy motel, drinking boxed wine. Soon her supposed friend Carolyn is encouraging her to find friends with benefits, in the hope she could find the One. When Zac comes along, life for Serenade takes on a different pace.

This is an intense book, and at times I found myself a bit thrown by my thoughts on where it was going. I would say it elicited every emotion possible, with its take on friendship, depression all aided along by self-help books. I would say that this was not what I expected from a ‘romance’ novel, but instead was a more a reflection of one woman’s journey to find herself.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It took me weeks to read this book because I just couldn’t follow the storyline. I think the plot has so much potential, but did not necessarily play out well. I’m a sucker for a rebound love story, but this was not that. I feel like the first 60% of the book was a bunch of nonsense thrown together and it wasn’t a cohesive story and bordered on slut shaming in several sections. Additionally, there needs to be some trigger warnings at the beginning of the book for SA.

I do think the final 40% was a really moving storyline and once I got to that part, I finished the book the same day. The ending was sad and beautiful and I ugly-cried for at least an hour.

I’m also very disappointed in the formatting of the Kindle version of the book. The page numbers would just randomly appear in the middle of the screen as well as the author’s name; chapters would also start in the middle of the screen and words/paragraphs would have strange spacing issues. Hopefully this will be fixed by the release date.

I can’t write much of a review, as I didn’t finish! It’s very rare I don’t get to the end but this one wasn’t really for me.

This was neither romance, nor women’s fiction (two literary genres that are known for having good things happen to their female protagonists). Surprising because it was presented as both. The blurb doesn’t make it clear what to expect from this novel. Someone suggested a little too ambitious marketing practices but I don’t know if that’s the case.

The truth is, this is a sad book about a sad woman who goes through sad things. It also has a tragic ending that had no business worsening my already bad mood.

The writing was fine. And at the beginning it’s a really fun book but it gets darker as you continue along. This is probably related to the fact that the plot meanders a lot and the main story arc kicks off after the 60% mark. So, to pass time we have to witness the protagonist date lots of different men all of whom are absolutely disgusting people. I guess the main focus of the book is how the protagonist has to find herself before she finds love but she’s more or less an addict and she dates every man she comes into contact with. And then, she is severely punished for acting this way.

On that note, I want to add that this book flirts heavily with slutshaming and the concept of punishing sexually adventurous female characters by having them suffer extremely. Even the supposed best friend of the heroine calls her a trollop –ugh.

***

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Amplify Publishing Group and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Fun, light, quick, enjoyable read.

DNF 30%
What on earth was this?! I gave it an honest attempt but it just was not for me at all. How was this categorized as romance?! I’m stopping at 30% as the FMC feels as thrill of excitement at the guy flirting with her by speaking highly of his ex wife, “who just couldn’t get past his philandering ways”. FMC finds him indescribably sexy in that moment. Of note FMC already at this time has an ongoing f buddy and had previously slept with 2 other men in this book. The energy in this book is frenetic at best, in some sections each paragraph is a different “scene”. It’s just a lot. I don’t consider myself prude, and a woman can get it if she wants to get it, but also I don’t consider this to be representative of the romance genre.

I’ve never heard a book described quite like The Placeholder so I’m very curious to read what’s it all about, any book that references my favorite book of all time Me Before You has my full attention, I can relate to Seras stor , but I’m so curious to how Zacs character works into it and this supposed web of lies between, him, her, and her friend Carolyn. Will be sharing a full review soon.

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Thelma and Louise meets Eat, Pray, Love meets Me Before You in The Placeholder, an unconventional, unforgettable, unputdownable story of loss and love.

Serenade Kincaid has lost everything: her stepchildren, her house, half her earnings, her sports car, and her husband, all to a much younger–and more fertile–woman.

Sera now drinks boxed wine from a plastic cup, lives in a seedy motel, and spends her time scrolling dating apps searching for a semi-decent-not-a-mass-murderer-please-just-spend-time-with-me port in the storm.

As Sera leapfrogs through men, her snarky, meddling boss and sometimes-best friend Carolyn encourages Sera to invest in a friend with benefits. Just until Prince Charming comes along, of course.

Enter Zac, a self-proclaimed unsuitable boyfriend who looks to have jumped straight from the pages of a romance novel. He insists he’s only looking for some fun, which is perfect for Sera. Cue the booty calls. While avoiding her issues, Sera finds it challenging to stick to her boundaries regarding her too-consistent hookup. But when life takes a sharp left, all fun and games come to a screeching halt. Sera, Zac, and Carolyn must race against time to disentangle their web of lies and deceit before it’s too late.