Cover Image: Positively, Penelope

Positively, Penelope

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Member Reviews

Sometimes books that only communicate via email/text get annoying. It's hard to keep track on who's sending the emails.

Just not for me.

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Positively Penelope is positively delicious, positively delightful. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this book!! Pepper Basham is a consummate storyteller and this book is on the top of my list!

When I “met” Penelope in the first book, I found her rather slow on the uptake. I thought perhaps she was a little ditzy. I wasn’t sure where Basham was going to go with her character, but I knew it would be an adventure. Well, I absolutely love Penelope. She is kind and sweet, feminine, and lovely. When Basham refers to her as a pixie, it is perfection. Add in the two very different Gray brothers who vie for her affection, a precious young girl, a cast of interesting secondary characters, and an old theater and you have a novel that will keep you from whatever else you need to be doing!

Basham deals with some difficult subjects in this book such as grief and deception, but she is so gentle in her treatment that I was uplifted reading even the hard parts. I let with a feeling of encouragement and hope.

Told both in epistolary and narrative form, this story is charming! I highly recommend this wonderful book.

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I had a hard time reading this one because the file was formatted weird BUT I finally got through it and I’m so glad I did. The book was cute! Penelope is a great FMC; she’s definitely the friend that’s “a lot”, but she’s still someone you wanna root for.

My biggest gripe was that the writing style is all over the place. Sometimes it’s straight forward writing others it’s in email form. It was a little tough to get through considering this is a long book but I still enjoyed it.

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Penelope is a fun character. You can’t help but love her. I also really like her family. The romance is fun and sweet. I really like Penelope and Matt together. The story is well crafted and takes the reader on a great journey. I highly recommend this book.

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Positively, Penelope follows Authentically, Izzy. This novel tells us Izzy's sister-cousin Penelope's story as she moves to Skymar for an internship and tries her (enthusiastic) best to save a failing family theatre from a dismal ending . Of course, this story wouldn't be complete without the grumpy in the grumpy-sunshine trope. Enter the broody Matthias Gray and his precocious daughter, Iris.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, and eagerly awaited Positively, Penelope. Like Authentically, Izzy, this one was written largely in the epistolary style with sections of in-real-time towards the end. I'll admit I struggled to connect with Penelope's character for much of the book, but appreciated her sunny disposition, work ethic, and ever optimistic attitude despite the challenges she faced. I loved seeing her gently coax Matthias out of his shell and help him find joy in life once again. Her commitment to helping the family theatre and re-involving Grandpa Gray in the daily production was beautiful. Grandpa Gray and Iris were definitely some of my favourite characters and really added to the book.

Although this wasn't a 5 star read for me, I did enjoy it and I'm looking forward to reading Luke's story. If you enjoy epistolary novels and sweet romance with epic kisses and rom-com moments, you won't want to miss this one!

*I received a complimentary copy of Positively Penelope through the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My positive review is not required.

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This book hangs on the reader connecting with Penelope. She's definitely one of a kind and honestly a little over the top. She has her loves and tends to speak in caps and exclamation points. Although I wasn't sure if I'd love her, the grumpy/sunshine relationship with Matt really worked for me. Sometimes the grumpy male stuff comes off as eye-rolling, but I loved that the author gave Matt a back story that made his mood make sense. Very cute clean read.

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I loved this story so much! Penelope travels to Skymar to help save a family theater and looking for an epic adventure. While there, she discovers a lot about herself while she navigates a family that has gotten lost in their grief, faces big decisions, and finds herself thwarted by a potential spy within her midst! I enjoyed getting to revisit Skymar, as well as, Penelope and her siblings. Penelope's character absolutely delighted me with her joy and caring heart that sought to better the lives of those around her. I enjoyed getting to revisit favorite plays and musicals through her love for the theater. I thought her journey was so well written, and could definitely identify with her battling dreams for her life that I feel like we all tend to face as we grow up and decide where we feel like the Lord is leading us with careers and life decisions. The romance sparkled and the family she found overseas was so heart warming. This is one of my favorite reads this year! I hope you love it as much as I did!
"I'm a living example of the unexpected becoming the best decision of my life."
"And I want someone for the ever-after part, when the audience is gone and the stage is empty, and the only crowd we're in front of is each other."
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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I loved Penelope’s story! I also loved getting to dive back into the Edgewood family dynamics and the land of Skymar.. Penelope’s quirkiness and lovable character jumps from the pages of this book. If you’ve read Authentically, Izzy, you’ve got to read Positively, Penelope!

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Synopsis: Penelope longs for adventure and romance. As a lover of all things theater plus a touch of glitter and girly, it’s the perfect fairy tale ending that she hopes for. When an internship on the island of Skymar opens up, Penelope finds herself in a dying theater—one that she becomes desperate to save. The family who owns the theater comes with their own struggles of grief and loss, including a grumpy single man and his daughter and his charmingly handsome brother. But family dynamics and mysterious business dealings threaten both Penelope’s fairytale and the the theater’s future. Is it possible there is a way to save both?

Analysis: It’s not often you find a sequel you love just as much as the original, but Pepper does it so well with her novel Positively, Penelope. The characters make this story. Both lovable and real, Penelope and the brothers work through their own struggles of how to navigate futures that are nothing like they planned. You’ll laugh, cry, and love alongside these characters as you journey through the magical land of Skymar.

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As always, Pepper Basham delivers with wit and charm and great kissing scenes. I can not wait for Luke's story to round out this trilogy!

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I had a hard time with the ARC, so I waited for it to drop on Hoopla. The audiobook is EXCELLENT. The accents and having the characters’ voices so clearly distinguishable made all the difference in the world. The production was excellent, and it really made Ms. Basham’s book shine!

I have a hard time with 100% epistolary, so I really appreciate the way she begins this one that way but then transitions to add narrative as well. It really clinches those feelings at all the best moments!

I always love her heroes, and Matthias is no exception. And Penelope! Can I just say, what a perfect sunshine heroine? I love that she’s been underestimated, written off, and faced grief, but she still manages not to be dimmed. It’s no wonder everyone loves her pixie magic. And now that we’ve gotten to read Izzy and Penelope, I am DYING to get to Luke!!

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Very interesting read! The book pulled me in from the start and I wanted to see how it ended. Try it and see if this book is for you!

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Such a fun story and premise. As a theatre geek myself I loved all of the theatre references in here and Julie Andrews is THE queen of musical theatre. Basham has created such a fun band of characters. I cannot wait for Luke's book!

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This is a fun romcom by Pepper Basham. I really enjoy the characters and the banter between the family members. I love seeing the characters grow and being themselves. I like how these characters feel like friends who you want to know what is happening in their lives. This is a very fun series.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

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Thank you Thomas Nelson for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
This story is about Penelope a very positive person in every way. After college she is given the opportunity to take an internship to help save a super old theater. She jumps at the chance to help out. However, the chance is not as perfect as it seems. The theater is in major financial troubles. Can Penelope stay positive and possibly find love in the process?

I liked the main character. I enjoyed the ideas behind the story. However, I had an extremely hard time getting into this story. It felt forced during some of the story. I wish that the story developed a bit differently. However I think the disinterest may have come from the theater portions. I think someone who LOVES theater will really like this one. I enjoy theater but it is just a little bit different.

Read if you enjoy:
Theater
Romance
Character development

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Absolutely loved this book! After reading Authentically, Izzy I knew I was going to want stories for the cousins and I’m so excited to be getting them! I love the writing style and the characters so much and can’t wait for the next book!

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I enjoyed the storyline this book--Penelope saving a once grand theater, but found it hard to follow as it was laid out in texts and emails between Penelope, her siblings and cousin. As soon as I'd get involved in the story about her ideas for the theater or her interactions with other characters, they'd be an email or text thread to pull me out of the story.

I could definitely see how Penelope's effervescent personality resembled Mary Poppins, but sometimes I found her a bit much. Like she'd had a couple too many energy drinks. I did enjoy Penelope teaching herself to ride a bike and her sweet interactions with young Iris.

This is my first book by this author and it won't be my last. As I said, I enjoyed the storyline but this type of format isn't for me. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

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"Do you remember how Grandma Edgewood always said that I had a remarkable gift of making a first impression? (Now that I think about it, I'm not sure whether she meant that as a positive thing.")
Armed with optimism and her own version of a Mary Poppins bag, Penelope heads across the pond to work for a family owned theatre. She loves her position and the people she meets. But when some seemingly random events halt her progress in bringing the theater back to life, she wonders if they are being sabotaged. Can she discover the truth?
This novel, primarily told in epistolary style, is the sequel to "Authentically Izzy." I recommend reading that one first. The characters are rather wonderful and do need the introduction.
Like all books by Pepper Basham, there is plenty of humor, romance, and unexpected faith. At first, my reaction to Penelope's enthusiasm was similar to Matthias (the hero of the book.) I wasn't too sure about her over-the-top persona. But I came to appreciate her joy. I did really enjoy this book and do recommend it!
I read this book through NetGalley. I wanted to read and review it. All opinions are my own.

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This book lived up to this title! I never found a literal sunshine filled with positivity that is very likeable like Penelope did, everytime I continue to read this book it somehow makes me feel cheered up. A small town romance, sunshine x grumpy, and save a little community's place/institution done right!

I love the email and text exchange format part on this book. It makes me feel closer with the characters. Oh, and what a loveable characters they are! The people of Skymar and their love/dedication towards their theatres and gray family are so adorable.

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A true ray of sunshine. This contemporary romance, told mainly through texts and emails, follows Penelope as she travels from America to Europe to intern at a failing theater. Her unfailingly positive attitude could be just what the Darling House Theatre needs to get back its spark. She also may bring some light back into the lives of the theater's owners, the Gray family... and maybe find true love along the way? There's definitely some magic to be found in Skymar.

This novel was utterly delightful! Penelope is such a fun protagonist. You can't help but smile at everything she does. I loved reading the correspondence between her and her siblings. Epistolary novels always appeal to me. The theater setting in a beautiful European inspired country is also a big plus. The romance is clean and sweet. I loved watching Penelope heal Matt's broken heart. I have not read the first book in this series, which follows Penelope's sister Izzy, but after reading this one, I will definitely be picking it up, as well as the next entry which gives her brother, Luke, a chance at romance. The mystery in this one was a bit obvious, but other than that, it's a perfect 10 for me.

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

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