I loved the how the first two sections of the book were mostly written in email and text form. The letters between Brodie and Izzy were so much fun to read. I also adored the letters between the cousins and siblings. The relationships between all the characters were great. I loved that Brodie and Izzy talked about so many wonderful books and had several quotes from beloved books. I loved the growth of the characters throughout the book as well. As a book lover myself this was a fabulous read. I would highly recommend this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

4.5 STARS

This story was such a bookish delight! I don't typically go looking for epistolary novels, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the format. But it worked, even if I had to suspend belief a little bit that people actually email that much! I adored the emails between Izzy and Penelope and Luke. (Luke's sarcasm was my absolute favorite. I hope we get his story soon.)

All the book quotes and nods to famous pieces of literature were so fun! And I could relate to Izzy and her people-pleasing ways. Some parts seemed a little bit slower-paced, but all in all, this novel had me smiling, laughing out loud, highlighting, and wanting to go ahead and order a physical copy. This is the kind of story that just puts you in a good mood!

I'm excited for Penelope's story to come next!

*I received a copy of the novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own."

This was my first novel by Pepper Basham and the first thing I will say is that she is a good writer. Brodie is almost too good to be true but we can dream about such a caring and literature-literate man, can't we?

What stops me from giving this heartwarming and quirky romance a higher rating is the amount of time taken up at the start of the novel with the emails between literally every character. We needed to have those long passages between the main characters but not all of Izzy's cousins as well. When Basham finally breaks into prose I felt palpable relief.

This novel is worth the trouble as it is a beautiful story that unfolds in a slow-burn kind of way. Persist past all of those emails and get to know Brodie while you do so. I did think it had echoes of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society at times and it just needed more time with the characters actually living through parts of the plot rather than just telling each other about it.

As mentioned at the start I really like Basham's writing and will read more by her.

I was given a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely a great read! I loved this book so much! Thank you for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved every bit of it!

SWOON! Five stars. Hands down. Once I started, I could not put it down. I've always been a book lover, but Izzy is who I want to be when I grow up. Her passion for books is incredible and Brodie is her perfect match. Clearly a book boyfriend because having a great mother, sister, a chain of bookstores and a freaking manor/castle by the sea is not real life. Reading a story done in the epistolary style is always a crapshoot, but thankfully this was well done!

I absolutely loathed Josephine for her horrible attitude and always telling Izzy what to do as if she was a child and not a thirty-year-old grown-ass woman! I recognize that she had good intentions, but she was so insulting and rude! Calling her a wilted flower and that she looked like the Joker when she smiled?! UGH! Yes, Izzy held her own, but just ONCE I wanted Izzy to give dear ole Josie a punch to the nose that would stop the nonsense. Thank goodness for Penelope and Luke to behave much better.

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

Fritters, magnolia trees, and blue mountains!
Castles, lovely accents, and bookshops!

Authentically Izzy by Pepper Basham offers so many laughs, growing pains, and sweet moments! This read is much different from other stories by Pepper but don't let the format of emails and texts put you off. You'll miss out on a great story!

Izzy is a people pleaser who loves books, connecting people to the right book, and spending quality time with her dog Samwise. Did I mention she's a Lord of the Rings fan? No? Well she is and she refers to it often. I'm not a fan....haven't even watched one of the movies *gasp* but I was still able to follow along and enjoy her references! Her matchmaker cousin, Josephine, signs her up for a dating site and that's when we meet Brodie!!!

Brodie Sutherland......his accent alone will pull you in! Brodie lives thousands of miles and an ocean away from Izzy's world but they connect on a bookish level that only true bookworms can understand. Their relationship has so many sweet moments....and soooo many book quotes/references. This part was really fun for a fellow book lover and my TBR list has grown now!

As with any good Christian Fiction Rom-Com there are some bumps in the road and realizing God's greater plan. In the end, the ah-ha, leads to an oh so super sweet, ooy-gooey moment!
I can't wait for the next book in this series. It will be like catching up with old friends!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, light hearted Christian Fiction read. Anyone who needs a good laugh and loves to feel like the characters have become your own friends!

I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own and given freely.

Authentically Izzy is sure to captivate, reel in, and hold tight to every book lover ever as Ms. Pepper Basham has managed to yet again write a beautiful romance. With plenty of foot-popping, toe-curling kisses.
Pepper Basham wrote her in such a relatable and compleat way that she felt like a real person. Her hurt, her struggles, her dreams, and her desires are all out there on paper for the world to see.
Now, lets talk about the dashing hero, Brodie. He is quirky and wonderful all at once, and the way he showers Izzy with love is tender and heart warming. The fact that he has an equal love for the written word as Izzy is just icing on the cake for their transcontinental romance.
Now, just a little warning. This book does not start in a conventional way. I had to break my first five chapters rule for this one, and I was willing to do so because I know I can trust Pepper Basham to bring it together. So, push through, enjoy the change. The ending is worth it.

Like many reviewers who received an Ecopy of this book to read, I had a very difficult time sorting through HOW I was supposed to read this since it was a bit jumbled.
Most of the book was told through emails and texts and for some reason this did not come across as easily read in an ebook format.
HOWEVER…this has got to be the most I’ve ever read bookish and fandom references in one book. I want to be best friends with the main character and her love interest and the author please.
I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of this book when I can, so that I can update this review because I feel like I will love it so much more when I’m reading it in that format.
Keep tuned for a review update when I am able to reread!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Meet Izzy Edgewood a one of a kind book lover who lives in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. She spends her days working in her aunt’s bookstore and communicating with her three cousins through emails and texts.

Izzy’s life changes when her cousin Josie enters her info into an online dating site called Heart-to-Heart. From this point on, Izzy begins a wonderful and unique journey to find true love.

I really enjoy this story because Izzy is truly an authentic bookish personality that lights up peoples’ lives.

I must say that at first I had a hard time following the story due to all the emails sent back to back. But later when Eli and Brodie entered Izzy’s world I was hooked.

Pepper Basham gives us a happy feel good story about the importance of home and family when finding true love.

Authentically , Izzy delivers on every front : It has a relatable characters, lovely side characters and all the light hearted romance a reader's heart desire. Pepper Basham has created an ode to all of us . Authentically, Izzy is a perfect combination of swoon worthy male lead , sunshine female lead and romcom. I really loved the family dynamics.
Will publish a proper review after publishing of the book.
Can't wait to read more from Pepper Basham.

This book felt like a rom-com movie to me. It was delightful and cheesy.
I related to the main character on a spiritual level, her love for books was extraordinary and she was just lovely. also she’s a librarian.
The concept was very well executed and Brodie was very cute.
The side characters were phenomenal and I wish we got to know them a bit more, specially Luke!!!

Also so many book references for book enthusiasts like me:)

This book is a bit weird at first because it’s written mostly in the form of emails/texts between the characters but I got used to it.

4.3⭐️

I liked the story and the concept. I was excited to read it because I related to Izzy as a person. The only downside I have is the format it was a little tough to get through the story and understand the flow of events because of it. Otherwise, I immensely enjoyed it!

This book was told through a bunch of emails and since we didn’t get into too much details of each event it was quite frustrating for me at first. But despite this the writing of the author’s writing has to be praised because I did love some parts of the book very much and the way she made us get attached to the characters and even convey the plot to us.

I absolutely loved the fact that this book is for all the book nerds out there (including me). The plot can make you smile with the cuteness of it sometimes but still I did not prefer the writing style.

Thanks for letting me read this one it was a fun read and would definitely give it another go the characters were really fun also

I absolutely loved this book!! It just left me all happy and giddy and ahh! It was just so good. I enjoyed it so much!
I knew I was going to love it from the start and that’s not something I can say for a lot of books. But once I met these characters, I just knew this was going to be fun!

First of all, these characters! They quickly felt like good friends, especially Izzy. I related to Izzy so, so much! She’s definitely a kindred spirit. I liked her from the start and got invested in her story almost immediately! I love how she grows in this book and learns to see herself as someone worth knowing. And of course I loved how much she loved books!
And then we have her quirky, hilarious, wonderful cousins. I LOVED them! Seriously, I want friends like them.
Penelope was so fun and I loved her personality!
And Luke? Well he was basically my favorite. He was literally the most sarcastic and funny guy ever.😂 He was the perfect mix of sarcastic and sweet. I loved him!
And I ended up really liking Josephine too! I mean, she did help Izzy meet Brodie. 😉
Speaking of Brodie, he was completely swoon-worthy. I loved him! He’s the most perfect, adorable bookish guy ever. He was impossible not to love. ❤️ He made my heart melt so many times.🥺 (He read to her and bought her books and took her to his amazing house straight out of a book world! How perfect is he??) Also he laughs like he means it and has curly hair and an accent. Okay, I’m done fangirling. 😂
Izzy and Brodie’s love story was the cutest! I just loved it. I adore love stories where the couple meet through letters and become friends that grows into more as they get to know more about each other without even seeing each other. It’s just beautiful. This one did it so well! I loved them together.

This is definitely a character-driven book and I loved getting to know these characters. I just loved the family dynamics and banter in this book! It was everything. I snickered/laughed several times and was basically smiling the whole time. I also just really enjoy books where family plays a big role in the story.

I absolutely loved all of the book love and book references in this book, especially the love for classic books. It was right up my alley! I also loved the references to Andy Griffith! I now want to visit Mt. Airy myself!

I really liked that although most of the book is told through emails and texts, there are parts that aren’t. It broke it up just a bit and gave a nice change!

The faith was subtle but still there and I really enjoyed that!

As for the content, this book is clean which I really appreciate! A few semi-detailed kisses but that’s all. No language.

In conclusion, I loved this story! It made me really happy. It was a fun, lighter read but still had depth. If you enjoy books with bookworm characters and a sweet, unconventional love story, this one was so good!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this book, its cute and sweet and all about discovering your passion. The first half is written as a series of emails/texts between various characters, which can be difficult to follow, but also gave the reader the view point from all of the characters involved. The scenery in the second half was beautifully described and makes me yearn to take a trip to somewhere similar. Highly recommend if you are looking for a sweet, clean romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Pub date 11/15/2022.

I love books about bookish dreams and happily-ever-afters... this is a delightful read and totally worth my time. Well done.

DNF

This books was just not for me :(

I really struggled to get through this one, the majority of the book is told throughout email/texts which quickly grew tiresome for me to read personally even if some of the conversation was enjoyable. I just really struggled to connect with anything due to the format and I just couldn’t find myself to feel anything for the characters either. There was also a lot of religious narrative that tended to end up just a bit to much in this book.

I’m sure this book will be amazing for someone else but for me it just wasn’t my usual taste so decided to stop reading it before I finished.

thanks net galley for this arc!

its written in emails! very witty, was kinda hard to get through because of it.

I am a fan of epistolary style writing and humor always hits the mark, so I really enjoyed Authentically Izzy. It's a delightful romantic comedy about dreams coming true if you have the courage to face your fears and live an authentic life.

The story is told in three parts with the first half of the book being something of an appetizer of things to come. Izzy is a bookworm of the highest order working at the public library. Her interactions with her cousins via email and text concerning her love life, or the lack thereof, sets the stage for a variety of funny situations including her bossy matchmaking cousin Josie making Izzy a profile page on a dating site and not telling her until she's done it. Hilarity ensues and some of the potential dates and Izzy's responses had me laughing out loud. But there' is one bookish guy name Brodie Sutherland who catches Izzy's attention, and the online dating is on, chock full of bookish characters and references.

The second part of the story has more third person point of view and was so satisfying with Brodie Sutherland finally traveling to Mt Airy, NC to meet Izzy face to face. However my hands down favorite part of the book is the third part with Izzy facing her fears and flying to the island of Skymar to meet Brodie's family and visit his bookstore. Izzy's experiences while visiting Sutherland's are the kinds of things book lovers dream about. It was so enchanting!

One of my favorite quotes that sums up Izzy's hopes, dreams and insecurities too,

"They fit together so well. Frighteningly well. It all seemed too good. Too beautiful. Like someone dipped their finger into her dreams and painted them into reality."

Authentically Izzy was pure reading pleasure and I recommend it to readers who enjoy a fresh witty story complete with all things bookish, including their heroes. I appreciate Thomas Nelson making a copy of Authentically Izzy available for review. All thoughts and opinions are my very own.