I enjoyed this debut novel from Laney Webber about Jannika and Lee who meet many years later at a book club meeting in the bookstore that Jannika runs. Jannika and Lee (Leslie) attended the same summer camp where Lee was a camp counselor and Jannika was a summer camp attendee. The story is generally good, but does get slow and angst ridden in a few places. The use of two names for Lee is also a little irritating at times. However, the writing is solid, the character development is good, and I would read future publications from this author.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is Webber’s debut novel, and while there is some potential here, this was pretty ordinary. I had to make myself finish it.

Jannika and Lee meet again after 18 years and are instantly attracted to each other. Lee is a park manager who lost her wife a few years back (but luckily has very little baggage), while Jannika manages a used book store (that honestly seemed to have an unbelievable amount of customers) and has a cheating ex, low self-esteem and baggage aplenty.

Much is made of the fact that they knew each other before, but given that their past amounts to little more than a one-sided, unrequited crush, it’s not that interesting. Unfortunately, neither is Jannika. She’s pretty boring, and more than a little ‘woe is me’. There’s a lot of back and forth and running away on her behalf (don’t even get me started on the Thanksgiving fiasco). Lee deserved better.

Neither character really appealed though, and the setting and secondary characters did little to elevate the book. The only interest I had was in Marcy and Amy, I’d much rather have been reading their story.

The writing is also a little stilted and there’s too much awkward dialogue and description about minutia that doesn’t matter. Like the author’s overuse of character names, especially within dialogue scenes.

I’m giving this 2.5 stars and rounding up to 3 only because it’s a debut and I’d feel bad giving it 2 stars.

This romance focuses on Jannika and Lee, who first met as a 17 year old camper and a 24 year old counselor at Girl Scout camp. They meet again 18 years later when Lee moves to the area where Jannika is managing a successful used bookstore and sparks ignite.

The best thing going for this novel is the chemistry between the two main characters. I also liked the supporting characters, but they weren't really fleshed out well. I wanted to know more about Jannika's friends from the bookstore, especially her best friend Marcy and girlfriend Amy, and her employee, Sarah.

It seemed as if arbitrary obstacles in the form of Jannika's issues were constantly being tossed into the story. The storyline with Jannika's cheating ex did not seem to have much of a point, other than to create another roadblock. The issue with Jannika's speeding while driving was a bit absurd, as well.

I don't think this novel stands out from the pack in any way, but it was a relatively benign romance read. Rounding up my 2.5 rating to a 3 based on the bookstore setting, honestly.

This was a pretty good debut novel.
Lots of angst, memories and troubled-childhood past trauma. There's plenty of dreams and hopes and promise to keep one reading. It was easy to see the characters surroundings, the author is quite good at setting the scene.
My only issue, and I hate to say this in response to a debut, is that the book is well populated with romance genre tropes. It would be great if the author can find a way to use less of those in her next book, which I look forward to reading. The cover was eye-catching for me. Ms. Webber certainly knows how to write the charm and interconnectedness of small towns. This book has a lot of strengths going for it.

It was refreshing that there weren't any games between Nick and Lee. It was mainly just two women meeting again, getting to know each other since they're older now, and dealing with some minor self esteem issues. I also was thankful that Lee was over the death of her wife. Not that I don't get and am not sympathetic toward losing a spouse, but most of the time books focus on having to let them go to start a new relationship. This wasn't like that at all.

There were a few things that annoyed me. It did seem very lesbian fast that Nick met Lee's whole family so quickly. Also, Nick's ex was pretty one dimensional as a "villain". She was pretty crazy and over the top, especially for someone who was the one who cheated. Why was Nick ever with her in the first place? She had to have some nice qualities, but instead the author just painted her as just plain crazy.

Overall it was an easy read, but not the greatest. I would give it 3 1/2 stars if I could, but I rounded up because there wasn't any huge issues.

Jannika and Leslie met 18 years ago at a summer camp. Leslie was a camp counselor and Jannika was a 17 yo with a crush. 18 years later Jannika meets Lee during a book club meeting at the bookstore that Jannika manages. Lee realizes that it's the same Jannika from so many years ago and Janniker realizes that Leslie is standing in front of her but she knows goes by Lee. Of course sparks fly but both parties has some issues they need to deal with in order to be together.

This is a cute love story and the flow is good, but there was only one major problem for me. It was boring. It took me twice as long to get through this one. This had the potential to be really good, but it just lacked spark. Even with the characters being attracted to one another, there just wasn't something that moved it to the exciting category.

I rate this one 2.75,

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my review.

I enjoyed this book from the beginning. It was a nice light read. I believe that this is the authors debut novel and I think she has done well.

Jannika (I love this name) is a manager of a second hand book store and has the ability to find the correct book for the right person. Lee (Leslie) is a manager of the state park and used to be a camp counsellor many years ago when she first met Jannika.

The pair meet up again when Lee’s friend Hannah invites her to a book club meeting which is located in the bookstore. They are both surprised at seeing the other after all these years. I enjoyed the storyline, I thought the pace was just about right, it is a slow burn romance which I like and the bedroom scenes were good. It would have been nice to read more about Marcy & Amy but for a debut novel it was great read.

I look forward to reading more from this author in the near future.

This seems to be Webber's debut novel, aside from a short story in an anthology, so I want to lead by saying first off, that there's a lot to like about this novel. I don't want to be unduly harsh with my review, but unfortunately, there's a few things that needed a bit of work. Let me try to explain as best as I can...

Webber's writing voice is easy to follow, and the characters have great chemistry together. The sex scenes are incredibly steamy, and completely enjoyable and believable. The plot line is well formed and this book is a solid, lighter romance. I really liked how Webber took the time to flesh out MC Jannika and Lee's back stories, showing how both characters remembered their time fondly from when they had met years ago at camp. One thing that I would liked better though would have been if Webber had set a few scenes or memories actually back in the past instead of just telling us about it. She did it one time with a kayak scene, and it really added to the novel. I wish she had integrated more of those actual flashbacks. I think it would have set this book apart a bit more, and would have helped us as a reader to understand a bit better why the two MCs connected so deeply in their youth.

Another thing that I wish Webber would have done is shown us a bit more of Jannika's family life. For example, one of the main sticking points in their relationship is Jannika's family issues. I would have loved to have had a bit more explanation why it was such a problem for her, or a scene or remembrance showing us just a bit more about her family life. Webber explained it, but it just didn't feel like quite enough for me to really feel why she was so broken still in her adult life.

What bothered me the most though, and the main reason I can't rate this higher is the simple fact that Webber chose to repeat the characters names so frequently. Every other sentence that had dialogue in it contained the name of the person who was speaking, or being spoken to. As a reader, this drives me nuts. I'm smart enough to follow dialogue between two people, and no one actually says the other person's name multiple times during a real conversation. To me, this is a key difference that tells me whether an author is going to be just good, or whether they will become great. I hope Webber can cut this out of future novels, because she's got real potential.

Like I said at the beginning, I hope I'm not being unduly harsh here. The writing is solid, and it's a quick and decent romance. I will read future books by Webber. Unfortunately though, this was just another good romance with no real edge setting it apart.

3 stars.

**Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.**

All I heard was gay, camp, and bookstore and I was sold on reading A Chapter on Love. 🙈
I originally wanted to read this book because it has so many elements relatable to my own life. I see a lot of myself in Jannika. A Chapter on Love was a sweet f/f contemporary romance. I'm not a huge contemporary reader because their pacing tends to be slower but they're really good for rainy day reads. Jannika and Lee had moments of chemistry. This is definitely a character driven story. The cover gives the story that small town vibe. Overall, it's a good book. There aren't enough stories stemming from camp history out there so that's a whole extra star just for that.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review A Chapter on Love.

A Chapter on Love by Laney Webber is a lovely contemporary romance that was fun to read. It is what I like to call a feel-good romance, you know, the kind that makes you smile as you read. Both main characters met about eighteen years before the story begins when both were at summer camp. Jannika (Nick) Peterson was a young counselor-in-training and Leslie (Lee) Thompson was a summer camp counselor. Jannika had a major crush on Leslie, but the circumstances and age difference between the two meant nothing could happen then. Eighteen years, a lot of maturing, and a good deal of heartache later, they meet again and find the connection still exists and is even stronger. Now both have to find out if their bond is strong enough to overcome past heartaches and grow into love.

I really enjoyed this book. It is well-written, the pace of the story is good and the main characters are well developed. I felt the connection from the moment they met again. The story caught my interest and kept me reading all the way until the end. I really only have one criticism with the story. I wish I could have read a little more about Jannika’s early life. It seemed to have a big impact on her actions in the present, but we really only get glimpses of her childhood. Knowing more about what she went through in her early years might have made me understand a bit more about her actions in the book’s present. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

A Chapter on Love is a strong debut novel that I can easily recommend. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Webber in the future.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Rainbow Reflections:
https://rainbowreflections.home.blog/

This one has left us a little confused. The good is very good and the non-so-good is, well, just beige. There is unrealised promise and unexplored potential. But a fairly good read, nevertheless.

Jannika Peterson, a “tall Nordic goddess” has been ruthlessly dumped by her cheating girlfriend. She has now found her niche as the manager of a used bookstore. Her passion and talent is in matching people to books. Lee (Leslie) Thompson has lost her wife in an accident and is now the new park ranger in the same area. The two had met eighteen years ago when Lee was a summer camp counsellor and Jannika was a counsellor-in-training with the most massive crush on Leslie.

Though this book is positioned as a second chances tale, nothing really happened between the two in the summer camp. That was a plot line which should have been developed better to actually make their meeting again more edgy. Maybe being star crossed lovers would have worked. But no, their shared past, though often harked back on is actually a nothing.

The chemistry and attraction between Jannika and Lee when they are together is excellent. But the rest of the times, their relationship and romance is muted and tame. Jannika’s passion for books is more exciting. We really like the moments when the author adds playful colours to Jannika’s character.

There is a possible future book with Jannika’s best friend Marcey and Amy. That chemistry and story sounds really, really intense, fraught and interesting. We look forward to that book.

Don’t get thrown by our nit-picking…this book is a pleasant enough read.

3.5 stars

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pleasantly read.

Jannika runs a second hand book store because her ability to find the right book for the right person. Lee is the new manager of a state park .

Jannika and Lee meet up again when Lee friend Hannah invite her to a book club meeting. They both are surprise to see each other again since last time they saw each other was at camp when they were younger Lee was a counselor and Jannika was in training to become one.

As they get to know each other again they realize this could be their second chance at love. We met secondary characters like Jannika bestfriend Marcie who struggled to come out to her parents and she did find love with Amy I wish we got to read more of them.

This was a good written story I look forward to reading from this author again.

This is a sweet and pleasant story of getting a second chance at love. Lee is the new manager of a state park and lives near Grangeton, New Hampshire. Her friend invites her to a book club at the second hand bookstore in Grangeton which is run by Jannika. Lee knew a Jannika when she was a counsellor at Girl Scout camp 18-years-previously. Jannika runs a surprisingly successful second hand book store because her ability to find the right book for the right person is more of a passion than a job.

There is a lot of merit to this novel which seems to be Webber’s debut (she has had a short story in an anthology by Sandy Lowe). The characters have good chemistry and there are mentions of their history but no extended flashbacks. For the most part their backstories were nicely integrated into the story but there were times when I felt that Jannika’s esteem issues would have been more believable if based in her previous relationship rather than her childhood. There wasn’t quite enough expression of what her childhood was like to consolidate the present day effects.

The secondary characters are not as well-formed as I’d like and there were a few times that they were just left hanging. Perhaps there should have been fewer secondary characters with more attention paid to them. What this book definitely has in its favour is that the sex scenes are steamy and well-written.

The writing is solid, it’s a good romance and I would read more by this author. There wasn’t quite enough difference here to give it an edge though.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.