🌟 Blog Blitz Review 🌟

Some of It Was Real
by Nan Fischer
Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley
Pub Date: Jul 26

A truly unique tale about psychic Sylvie and L.A. journalist Thomas, who clash when he decides to expose her as the fraud who bankrupted his mother.

I've never read a story quite like this, and enjoyed the flawed characters, the unraveling of their secrets, and the deft development of their complicated relationship. Devoured in one sitting!

Thanks to author Nan Fischer, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

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Sylvie is finally on the verge of true stardom. She has been a psychic/medium for years and is about tog et her big break when Thomas tells her he is writing an article about her and a few others announcing that they are full blown scammers. After his last article landed him in hot water, he needs this one to go well in order to keep his job. The two are both keeping secrets from each other, but the secrets they don’t even know themselves could change everything.

This book took me by surprise. I was expecting a romance, but it was a little bit romance, mystery, and family drama. From the first line, I was so intrigued by what this story would deliver. I loved the psychic aspect of this story. I’m fascinated by mediums and psychics, though not sure if I truly believe of not. I really enjoyed the cat and mouse game between Sylvie and Thomas as they both tried to trick each other into the truth, but I really loved that they came together to work to find out the past. I loved that this book had some romance but there was so much more to the story and how the two came together. The story felt so unique which made it an absolute joy to read.

I received an electronic ARC from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley.
An interesting premise for this story. Readers meet Sylvie, a psychic-medium, who uses her gift at shows. She connects with members of her audience and shares what they want to hear. Readers also meet Thomas, a journalist doing an expose on fake psychics. He fakes a story to meet Sylvie in this opening chapter and the story launches.
Fischer reveals more layers to each of these two as the book unfolds. Chapters are told from the two POVs and readers see how each experiences events. Each are broken and flawed characters who are searching for somewhere to belong. One has no memories from childhood before their adoption and that haunts them; one knows exactly when their life fell apart. Both deal with strong emotions they don't know how to resolve.
I appreciate how these characters play off each other and work through their reactions together and alone. They nurture each other (especially Sylvie) as they face crises and grief of all sorts. Deliberately being vague so no spoilers come through. The ending is satisfying as readers can decide for themselves where these two will go with life, or it's a perfect set up for Fischer to revisit them in a sequel.

As a fan of contemporary romance, I found this book to be very different in a refreshing sort of way. The psychic-medium aspect and Sylvie's backstory were very interesting and really kept the pages turning. The emotions expressed felt very real and the characters had depth and realism. I really enjoyed this one.

I think I’m in the minority here as I didn’t flat out love the book. I do see the good things though.
I’ve read another one of this author’s books and it was very good. She is a talented writer and I really have liked her other work.
But this book didn’t sit well with me. 
I like Sylvie as a character. She is a loner and hard worker, she does what she has to do. Thomas is skeptical, angry at Sylvie’s line of work with a one track mind. I didn’t really feel the chemistry between them. I like how different they are and how they constantly battled their sides. I thought their relationship was well written and I liked their dynamic, but I just couldn’t get behind their attraction.
I really liked Thomas’s journey, his backstory and hopefully his direction back to his mother.
I had more problems with Sylvie’s story, for personal reasons. What started out in one direction, wildly changed by the end of the book and I think it went a little too far. I don’t want to get too much into it but it took me out of the story and felt like a wild tangent. Also, I didn’t get any trigger warnings. I know it’s an ARC but maybe there should have been a warning on that.
People obviously like the book and maybe I just wasn’t in the right headspace for it.

This was not a comfy romance. This isn’t a complaint but me telling you to manage your expectations.

Sylvie is a rising star in the psychic-medium world. Thomas is a reporter trying to write an expose on her. Together they investigate Sylvie’s past, something Sylvie doesn’t remember.

Sylvie has the gift of talking to the departed. The book and Thomas might make you question whether she is faking, but it’s evident that her gift’s real. However, Sylvie is full of self-doubt and worries that she’s hurting people when all she wants to do is help them. Watching her try to find the truth of her past makes the book hard to put down.

The romance isn’t fully developed, which is fine because Thomas would be a horrible romantic lead. He constantly questions whether she’s lying or not, and he doesn’t believe her and will snap at her. This is understandable because fake mediums are using his mother. However, he can be a jerk to Sylvie even later on in the book when he has seen enough of her to have some trust that she’s not a horrible person.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided by Penguin Random House for an honest review.

I loved this book. I thought the premise was so original and fun, yet deep and meaningful at the same time! This is a perfect book for someone who loves romance but is looking for something a little different - i think it's a great introduction into fantasy romance and magical realism. Both main characters were very well thought out and well rounded. Loved it!

Loved these characters - a psychic and a journalist - the two play a cat and mouse game - these two have a whole lot of secrets that threaten to bubble to the top - it’s a romance but with depth - I appreciated how it dealt with trauma and how to move pass ones past

Up and coming young psychic, Slyvie, is about to get her own show highlighting her connection with those who have crossed over. But, a reporter with a grudge against psychics (grief vampire con artists) is out to expose her. They make a bargain. She will cooperate and he will keep an open mind. But Sylivie's past holds secrets even she doesn't know. Where will this all lead?
This is a review of an eGalley provided by NetGalley.

I wasn’t sure when I started this book…about a young woman who’s a famous psychic-medium the the journalist’s working on a debunking article about “grief vampires”. I’m not a believer, so I thought the story would hokey and silly. I was very wrong. Some of It Was Real is a journey of self discovery and acceptance….of love, family and connections. It’s a love story with a hopeful but not a HEA ending. It’s a beautiful and captivating story that honestly left me breathless.

SOME OF IT WAS REAL is a top notch, hook, line and sinker plot. It stars a pretty psychic/medium, Sylvie Young, who is an orphan and can't remember her life before her adoptive parents. She is visited by a journalist, Thomas Holmes, who sets out to defraud her. Thomas is dealing with grief following a car crash that killed his dad and brother. His mom did her best raising him, but she spent her hard earned money on psychics. So, Thomas is skeptical of Sylvie's talents and is out to expose her. Thomas is on thin ice with his journalism job, so if he can get the scoop on Sylvie and expose her as a fraud, it will seal his career. From the research he's done already on Sylvie, he knows a lot more than she does. What do they find out about her past?

Sylvie struggles with confidence about her abilities. She knows things but is it a coincidence? Her career is taking off into stardom through a TV contract. Her agent believes in her but that's the kicker, is she for real? There are things she can't explain. Plus, there is a big gap in her memory about her past. Where did she come from? Who are her real parents?

Thomas learns to like Sylvie despite his initial misgivings. Sylvie doesn't want to lose her job but they are convinced that they need to learn what actually happened to her as a child. What scary secrets do they unsuspectingly uncover while investigating Sylvie's past?

Incredibly captivating plot filled with twists and turns as Thomas and Sylvie uncover the past in SOME OF IT WAS REAL. This is such a good story by Nan Fisher! I was reeled in from the start as Sylvie and Thomas both tell their stories and their dreams for their lives. There are many side plots that added to the overall suspense of the story with quite a few colorful characters. The story is emotional, deep, mysterious, traumatic and very dramatic! There is a little romance but there is so much depth, heart and more! SOME OF IT WAS REAL is incredibly unique and unputdownable!

This book was great! It had me hooked from the start!

I am a firm believer that some people have a true gift of being able to communicate with the "other side" and am actually fascinated by it.

I watch Tyler Henrys show and was SO excited to get an advanced copy of THIS book because it is the fictional version of his show.

This story had a little bit of everything: love, mystery, fantasy, murder. It was just great! I have no doubt it will be a great success.

I came for the psychic but stayed for the rom without the com wrapped up in a mystery. It’s about a psychic and the journalist out to prove she’s a fraud - romance drama courage family animals betrayal secrets sex - it’s got it all and a big mystery reveal you don’t see coming. Totally a great read.

It was really easy to get into this book, especially with the sort of mystery around whether Sylvie actually has powers as well as her enigmatic background. I thought the pacing was spot-on, so their conflicting feelings about one another felt believable despite the rather short timeframe that they spent together. I loved all of the layers to each of their pasts and how they entwined to bring Sylvie and Thomas together. There is a lot of heart in this book, and there's also a lot of pain, but the writing was deft and delicate, so the story didn't feel overly heavy despite that.

I try not to be too willy-nilly in handing out 5 star ratings. Part of my criteria is that I would re-read it, which isn’t something I really do and also that I am fully confident in recommending it. That being said, I would 100% read this book again and am so excited to recommend it!

I was drawn into the story from the very first chapter and quickly fell in love with not only our main character’s, Sylvie and Thomas’s, clever and sharp personalities, but also the adventure that was weaved throughout the pages. Sylvie’s character arc, especially, was magnificent to witness unfolding. I never expected where her story would end up, but I loved it every moment of it and adored her. Also worth mentioning? Moose and Chris, the adorable four-legged characters that add so much love into the mix.

I understand that everyone has their own beliefs of the afterlife and the validity of psychic-mediumship so, at first glance this one may not appear to be for everyone. But, Thomas’s perspective gave us the doubt-filled and questioning perspective that provided balance to the story, like a good sweet and salty mix. There’s something to be found on the pages for each reader.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkeley Pub and Nan Fischer for the eARC, I absolutely loved it!

5 stars
Holy wow—this is a page-turner!
Mysterious, deep, moving, and with soo much substance. This book was entertaining but real, in the aspects of many relatable subjects touching on different types of trauma and growth. This is definitely not just a romance—it gives much more!

Sylvie Young is a 24-year-old, up-and-coming psychic medium about to blast into stardom through a TV contract. However, she isn't completely transparent with her connections during her sold-out shows, as she struggles with knowing whether she is the real deal or a fraud. Yet—there are things she just can't explain.

Thomas Holmes is an LA Times reporter determined to precede his past reporting failures by writing an article exposing psychic mediums for the con artists they are. He doesn't believe in them and always finds a way to explain the circumstances away. Sylvie is one of those people he is after. Setting her up and giving her an ultimatum—dig up her sealed and locked away past and prove herself the real deal, or the article gets published with his evidence from the setup and her shot at fame and ultimately her career, smothered.

We follow the two on a road trip to uncover the past, face head-on uncomfortable situations, and emotion-inducing scenarios along with both of their animal companions. But don't be fooled, many things are swept under the rug that neither Sylvie nor Thomas know about but they are firm in figuring out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Sylvie is a psychic who has found a solid fan base doing live shows which fill auditoriums. Her agent, who believes in her, is making a deal to bring her show to the screen. Is Sylvie’s ability to talk with the departed real? Or just carefully crafted dialog meant to lead someone on? Could it be the result of prior research? Or maybe some of it is real!

Sylvie’s problem is she doesn’t always believe in herself. When she runs into Thomas, a discredited journalist seeking to save his floundering career by exposing her as a grief vampire, Sylvie makes a deal. She will perform her next show cold, without any notes. This means Thomas isn’t going to leave her side until the show. While Sylvie shares with Thomas her past, Thomas hides his from Sylvie. As romance between the two grows, together they dive into their secrets of their past.

Overall, this was a bit of romance (which isn’t my genre at all), a tiny bit of supernatural, a bit of mystery. It’s an easy read, entertaining and mostly predictable. Sylvie secret past was a bit unexpected, but otherwise not much mystery.

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I liked this book. It had a unique hook and it ended up having a lot more substance to it than I thought it would based on the summary of it. I really liked the dueling points of views chapters and I liked the mystery of what happened to Sylvia. I’d didn’t like the animals in peril parts.

This is not a romance novel. It is more a coming of age for two young adults, both with a traumatic past. It is also something of a family saga along with some very poignant moments with animal companions. I cried a bit at one point.
It took me a little while to get into this book but I finished most of it in one reading. It is a compelling and ultimately satisfying read.

A decent read. Keeps the reader wanting to know what will happen next. I find the whole clairvoyance, psychic, mentalist thing fascinating. I am not a 100% true believer but I have definitely had my fun with it.; palm readings, tarot cards, writing analysis, straight forward sitting down with someone who tries to do a cold reading. So much of it is generalized but I freely admit that at times something was said that raised the hairs on my body. I do believe in the possibility this ability exists. This story is about a psychic-mentalist who has a true ability but she also cheats for her shows. A journalist plants decoys in the audience to prove it. He is writing an expose about fake mediums that only prey upon people who truly think they’re being helped. He can’t find anything about her background so he tells her if she goes with him to solve her background he may exclude her from his expose, especially if she does her next show cold-no cheating. What follows is a whirlwind ride to discover what the big mystery surrounding her is and the outcome. Some stupid stuff occurs but all in all I was held hostage by this book!