Love this book! Penelope is such a great role model of joy, energy, kindness, and fun all while being hardworking and business smart! Can’t wait for Luke’s book!

Reading an 'epistolary' novel is an interesting experience. This is a nice blend, the first half is heavier on the emails and text messages, and then the second half has more 'as it happens' narration and inside heads.

I found this style fascinating, and I read all 7 hours over the course of 2 days. I'd read the first book in the series already, so knew somewhat what to expect, and it was great getting to "see' familiar faces again, as well as getting to know Penelope better. There were several times my heart ached for the characters, and a couple of times I wanted to knock heads together.

But Penelope's determination to choose Joy, even when she's hurting, is beautiful. Pollyanna-esque, but deeper. and she's not afraid to tell it like she sees it, even when that's going to upset someone's apple cart. She does it with kindness, and it shows. I want to be Penelope when I grow up.

I love the interplay between Izzy, Luke and Penelope, (and Josephine). The Family connection is so nice to see.

I received a copy of this book from @Netgalley and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own.

I had to start this book as soon as I finished reading the first book in this series. I got done with Izzy and had to start Penelope. It was the best decision ever! These books are so fun and I can't wait until the next one comes out! I'm invested in this family now.

In this book, we follow Penelope as she goes to the islands that Izzy is relocating to with her Brodie. She's going to help revive a theatre. And maybe some of the people in the theatre as well.

I loved watching Penelope's positive attitude in action and her Mary Poppins bag. Add in the adorable little girl and it was a lovely book. But then you've also got romance. The problem is that someone is sabotaging all of the hard work Penelope is doing. She can stay one step ahead but it feels like for every two steps forward they take two steps back.

Can Penelope find out who is behind the sabotage? Is there anything she can do to stop it? Can she get the right brother in the bargain?

I loved this book so much and can't wait to find out the rest of the family's story! Also, can I mention I really wanted some pictures or illustrations thrown in to show the twins? They have such cute outfits that Penelope buys for them that they wear but we can only see it in our minds and I wanted to see it for real too!

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

Rating: 3,5 stars ⭐️

This was a cute story about Penelope that goes to the island of Skymar where she is gonna help a theater company as an intern. She was such a fun main character and I loved how positive she was.

Definitely a cute read! 💕

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Pepper Basham for providing me with this copy. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars
This was such a cute story. Penelope goes to the island of Skymar to help an old theater. With her contagious and positive personality, she easily makes sweet friends . Penelope was quite the character and had me laughing at so many moments. She has a personality that is sure to be loved by all. I loved all the Julie Andrew’s / Sound of Music references, along with all the other wonderful musicals and movies. Anyone who enjoys musicals or a good laugh would like this book.

This book was clean with some kisses.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher Thomas Nelson via Netgalley. These are my own honest opinions.

This book wouldn’t download I’m gutted but the cover and the plot has pulled me in so I will be buying when it’s released

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson Fiction and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.I really liked the previous book by Pepper D. Basham, Authentically Izzy. It was fun, sweet and clever. I wanted to then read the sequel, Positively, Penelope. I lived the sequel, just not quite as much as the first. Penelope is an over the top type of character- she bursts into song and dance, she laughs , cries, says what is on her mind. She is a great supporting character, but ,for me, a bit much as the lead. She fairly bursts from the pages, and it was hard to get involved in the rest of the characters stories. The other characters are actually quite compelling. The story is intriguing touching and engaging. Penelope is a theater major and is taking an internship on the island of Skymar.She is going to help the Gray Family, owners of the Darling Theater. The theater has fallen on hard times, due to , deaths of 2 members of the family. The patriarch, Lewis Gray, has become something of a recluse. The 2 sons, Alec and Matt are trying to run things , but they are having a tough time. They have recently lost both their mother and grandmother, who were pillars of the theater. Gwynn, their sister, is finishing up at school with plans to take over the theater when she graduates. Matt has also recently been divorced from his wife and has custody of their young daughter Iris. The entire family is depressed and unsure of how to turn things around. There is another theater company on town, with more money, who seem to have designs on the Darling Theater. Penelope dives right in, with her own brand of glitter, show tunes and baked goods. She makes progress with the theater, the family and the town. Only one glitch, the other Theater company, Emblem, seems to know her plans as soon a she makes them and does everything they can to undercut her.Is there a spy? There is also a romance between Penelope and Matt, which is fun if a bit predictable.There are some good twists and turns, and as in the previous book, much of the plot is shared in texts and emails. It is a fun book. I liked it,just liked the first better. I also wonder if we will get a third book with Luke's( Penelope's brother) story next.I am ready to read it!

Such a delightful book. Or shall I say Positively Penelope!! So cute and had a lot of parts that I laughed out loud. I love Penelope’s story. Such an easy read. Thank you NetGalley and Pepper Basham for the ARC!

I really love the character Penelope. She was just so positive and I felt really good reading about her. Also, can we talk about how lovely this cover us. It really captures the vibes of this book. It encapsulates the warm cute story that this book really is.

Another fabulous Edgewood family Skymarian tale!

Having been obsessed with musical theatre, “The Sound of Music”, Chris Pine and Gene Kelly at different points in my life, I LOVED this story (spoiler alert: I am the target audience!). Add in fun banter between siblings (please tell me the next book is about Luke? He needs a happily ever after despite his protestations!), some wonderful new characters with the surname Gray, and a nefarious situation with the competition, and I was hooked!

I love Ms Basham’s brain, especially the way her character voices are clear, never muddled. There was more “live action” in this book than in “Authentically, Izzy”, but still heaps of fun emails and text messages to read and enjoy.

Loved this story so much... the whimsy and the romance. I also appreciated Brodie popping in occasionally... cos we all love Brodie. And now we love Matt.

And Luke. *begs with hands steepled for the next book to be about Luke*

4.5 stars

There are two primary things I admire about Penelope: her positivity and her encouragement of others. I liked that she would seek the good and then try to help others see themselves the way she saw them. I am a generally optimistic person myself, but Penelope is a whole other level!

Once again, I LOVED the interactions between the siblings. Luke is the BEST!!!!! I'm so hoping he is getting his own book. I love how he teases and moans but when his sisters need him, he is there and has surprisingly good advice.

I'm still in love with Skymar and wish it was real so I could go visit! I adored Iris and every interaction between her and Penelope. I also loved Gwynn and Grandpa Gray.

"Grumpy guy" is not my favorite trope ever but this was a sweet story. I wished Penelope's sea monster story line had been fleshed out more (the "behind the scenes"). The GK mystery did not go quite how I was expecting (though I did get the initials right!) and I just kept yelling at Penelope, "WHAT ABOUT THE STT?!" when she needed something. But the resolution was equally satisfying.

I liked book one slightly better only because I connected more with Izzy but this was a cute book, especially for being epistolary (which I normally don't like reading). I enjoyed more time with these siblings and Skymar and now I wait to see if there is another book about Luke! (Please, please, please!!!!)

As I said on Instagram: @pepperbasham is some kind of terrifyingly, wonderfully, devious, and hopeful combination of love on the page all rolled up into one!

I loved this book and as always, #BlameItOneABashamBook and PEPPER BASHAM!

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Pepper Basham has done it again!

Positively, Penelope is a spectacularly sweet sequel to Authentically, Izzy. (If you haven’t read Izzy’s book yet, I recommend you read it first. There are a lot of references to it in Penelope’s book.)

With more wonderfully whimsical characters (Grandpa Gray, Matthias, Iris, and Gwynn…just to name a few), the same fantastic fictional foreign land of Skymar, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments combined with a slow-burn sweet romance, Penelope’s story is “practically perfect!”

I laughed.
I cried.
I loved it!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

And I can’t wait for Ms. Basham to write Luke’s story!

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

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced review copy.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. So let’s start with the positives:
-A charming main character
-A community coming together
-An underdog story
-Enchanted meets Legally Blonde meets 13 Going on 30.
If there were so many positives, why didn’t this work for me?
For starters, it was recommended for fans of The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society, so I had high expectations. The problem is that in WWII, long form letters were a primary way to communicate. In 2023, I do not know anyone who sends almost daily paragraph long emails to their siblings, as the brother and sisters did in this book. It came across as inauthentic and unbelievable.
Then, about halfway through the book, we are given narrative, which actually wasn’t bad, but kind of made me scratch my head as to why there wasn’t more narrative earlier on. Why not write a normal story with texts and emails mixed in? It would have worked so much better I think. As it was, it made the emails stick out that much more as poorly done.
Some of the dialogue was cheesy (“Aye,” and “Luv”).
Lastly, it was entirely too long. It felt like it dragged on for much longer than necessary.
I wish I could recommend this, but for these reasons, the overall product as a whole was underwhelming.

I would highly recommend not reading this book. (It’s terribly addictive)
Or…at least…. waiting until the sequel is also available.
The characters. I want them as my new friends, I think they already are…(oh wait, sigh! they’re only fiction…!)
Penelope does seem to be a bit over the top in all her positivity. But then, as you get to read the book, and see and understand her more, it's obvious that is really just who she is, and you can't help but love her.
This is such a fun setting, and an intriguing story line. I loved reading about Penelope's efforts to save a struggling theatre.
Pepper Basham has been one of my favorite authors for some time now, and this just plants her more firmly than ever in that spot. I definitely recommend this book if you are needing a fun read! (I do, however, recommend that Authentically Izzy be read first!!)

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Although the books are not marked as part of the same series, this is book 2 (book 1 is Authentically Izzy), with another Edgewood sibling.

I really liked the world and the characters. I wish it had less emails/texts and more narrative/dialogue, but I think this one has more than the first book and I hope the next follows the trend.

The theater setting and its history/importance in the island also made for a great story, along with the themes of family and found family. Penelope and her family and Matt with his daughter and family were all great characters.

Super cute!

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I have reached out to the publisher asking for a corrected copy of the eArc because there are white boxes without text where the text should be. Essentially, there is no book for me to read and review. It appears, I won't be able to read Positively, Penelope until it is published. I'm truly looking forward to reading this book. Once read, I will resubmit a full, detailed review. I am rating it a 3-star because a star rating is required.

“Stop with the Rambo quotes or l'll start quoting Legally Blonde.”
Sweet, funny and entreating. Those would be the words I’d use to describe this romance book.
Mostly written in a letter or text or email form, the story of how Penelope brought her joy and love in a little town while asp getting into the center of a love triangle was quite original !!!
Add to that the fact that one of the man was a single dad and terribly handsome and kind (and that his little girl was amazing) and you made it !!!
I also especially appreciated all the movie references!!!
But most of all I loved the relationship between Izzy, Luke and Penelope. As siblings they are so closely knitted and I loved that !!! I love how supportive there are of each other !!!!
I am very glad I had the chance to read a copy of it !!
“Just like Mary Poppins, Penny-girl, you thrive off of helping people. You've been doing it your whole life. It's a God-given part of you.”
“She couldn't fall in love with Matthias Gray, could she? He was six years older than her. There was no war. And she was returning home in less than two months.”

Ahhhh, one of my favourite trios is back!! I didn’t think it was possible after loving Izzy’s story so much, but I loved Penelope’s story even more!

From the prologue alone, I was grinning like crazy. In fact, the entire book had me laughing so hard that a couple family members checked in to make sure I was okay. Just peachy & reading top-notch humour. Seriously, if you need a spoonful of sugar & laughter — read this book!

A few of my favourite highlights being…

✨ The humour
✨ The classic movie references
✨ “Did you just turn Chris Pine into an adjective?”
✨ Alllll the Julie Andrews’ references
✨ Luke in protective big brother mode & showing up for Penelope. (And just Luke in general, haha!)
✨ Grumpy-Sunshine
✨ Iris!
✨ Penelope’s “Mary Poppins” bag… this is so me 😂
✨ Matt calling Penelope, “the pixie”
✨ No love triangles, miscommunications, or third act breakups!


But for all the laughs, it wasn’t fluffy or mindless. It was heartfelt with a giggle — amusing and yet woven together with deep, thoughtful themes. It’s a story about friendship, community, family & belonging, dealing with grief, and the meaning of true love (being that you shouldn’t have to change yourself to make yourself acceptable to others). And of course, the power of a little “magic.” 😉

All I can say is that I loved every minute of this book, it gave me a dose of laughter & sunshine just when I needed it, and I cannot wait for Luke’s story next! 😍


*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.