Book Review- Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation

Best friends Poppy and Alex are complete opposites. She is a free spirit and he is a rule follower. She’s a bit messy and unfiltered, while he is restrained and proper. She likes to go with the flow and he always has a plan. The biggest thing they have in common is an undeniable chemistry than neither wants to confess, keeping both Poppy and Alex in each other’s “friend zone.”

Keeping with a tradition that they have had since college, Poppy and Alex take an annual vacation together. It doesn’t matter where they are living or who they may be dating, this annual vacation is non-negotiable. Years into this tradition, they have a disastrous trip that threatens to end both their friendship and any possibility of a romantic connection. Told in a non-linear fashion, the story unfolds in chapters that reveal their history, the details of the disaster, and the aftermath.

This was my second Emily Henry novel, the first being Beach Read, and I am hooked. Henry has a gift for writing snappy and humorous dialogue, plus simmering tension with clear subtext. I love her characters and developed a pretty deep book-crush on Alex! I think People We Meet on Vacation might have had an edge over Beach Read, because I loved the vacations, especially the last part being in Palms Springs. As a frequent visitor to Palm Springs, Henry has the sights and flavor of the city down to a T, from the colorful, yet dumpy motels to the more fabulous spots.

People We Meet on Vacation is fun and romantic. I like to compare Henry’s books to an episode of Gilmore Girls, which in my world is high praise. The similarities include the rapid dialogue, brand of humor, and quirky characters. However, another similarity is that both have a huge heart and the problems that the characters encounter can be quite heavy. The sweetness present in Henry’s novels is never saccharine, but it is also the type of sweetness that leaves my heart happy.

I read that People We Meet on Vacation is being turned into a movie, which I feel would work very well. I can’t wait to see who gets cast as Alex and Poppy.

Book Review - Natasha Sizlo's All Signs Point to Paris

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of Natasha Sizlo’s memoir, All Signs Point to Paris.

Natasha Sizlo wants to find love. The forty-something divorced mother has recently disengaged from a steamy, yet tortured, off-again/on-again romance with a man who was not ready to commit, leaving Sizlo heart-broken. Two events align to send her to Paris. The first is the death of her beloved father, whom on his death bed, told his two daughters that his spirit would meet them in Paris. The second, is a psychic, who tells Sizlo that her soul mate is a man who was born in Paris on November 2, 1968.

Sizlo decides to take a chance both on love and on a psychic’s correct prediction, by not only planning a trip to Paris, but also putting herself on social media and dating sites, seeking men with those specific attributes. In Paris, with the help of her sister and a few friends, she dates several men and makes connections throughout the city. Sizlo discovers that although she may have trouble finding a romantic partner, her life does not lack for love and that it takes a community of people to fulfill ones needs.

I loved All Signs Point to Paris. At first, I was skeptical. I don’t believe in psychics, but the Sizlo does not force that belief on her readers. In fact, I think she is taking it with a grain of salt too. She is serious about the endeavor, but more with a “what do I have to lose, let’s take a chance,” type of attitude. The memoir is about the discoveries she makes regarding her relationship with her sister and friends and learning to love her life that already exists. At the end of the book, she has a lovely and very adult conversation with her former boyfriend, that I think everyone wishes they could have when finding closure with a relationship. A conversation to tie-up loose ends, but also honor that there was once love and something good, even if it is time to more forward.

The book is filled with all things Paris: the foods, the sights, the smells…a sensory delight. I’ve never been to Paris, but I felt like I was on the trip with Sizlo. I loved how so many locals took up her cause and engaged with her, especially an evening when women who were following her on social media met for drinks. Sizlo shares her experience in such a warm and open way, that she connects with strangers at every turn.

The flip side to this is in her efforts to connect with the French, she disengages with her sister and friends. Towards the end of the trip, Sizlo’s sister, who has been supportive, expresses her sadness at missing out on bonding time. As you might expect from a good story arc, even in non-fiction, Sizlo has a wake-up call and turns her attention to her sibling.

Sizlo is fabulous and I loved following her search for love in Paris. She has a fantastic Instagram page with pictures from the trip. I still don’t believe in psychics, but I do believe in following your heart and taking chances for love.

One final note, there is some fun bits for fans of Emily in Paris!

Book Review - Michael Cecchi- Azzolina's Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D'

Thank you to NetGalley and Libro FM for providing me with both digital and audio copies of Michael Cecchi-Azzolina’s memoir, Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D’.

I appreciate having access to both the digital and audio arcs, but decided to go with the audio, as it was narrated by the author. Authors are not always the ideal person to narrate their books, but Cecchi-Azzolina is a larger-than-life type of person and a riot. His memoir is filled with outrageous stories, but hearing them in his heavy New York accent with the thrill in his voice, lended to the overall experience.

Your Table is Ready is a great pick for anyone who would like a behind-the- scenes look at the restaurant industry. It has shades of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, but instead of a chef’s perspective, Cecchi-Azzolina gives us a glimpse of the chaos happening in the front of house. The chaos that professionals in high-end dining manage to conceal from patrons, usually giving us a calm restaurant experience. Primarily set in the 1980’s, Cecchi-Azzolina’s career in the restaurant industry was drug-fueled and rife with sexism among other aspects of the era that would be considered taboo now. He also speaks of the many friends and colleagues that he lost to the AIDS epidemic, ending the memoir with a very touching tribute. As much as his memoir is a look at the restaurant industry, it is also a peek into the norms of a different era.

Cecchi-Azzolina has plenty of wild stories, including getting entangled with the mob. I’m not going to give the story away, but it’s intense and will have you worried as it unfolds.

Towards the end of the book, I had the surreal experience of realizing that I have friends in common with the author. Cecchi-Azzolina is also an actor and my friends were producers of one of his films. However, the story is better than that, as one of Cecchi-Azzolina’s customers helped fund the film. I immediately paused the audio and called my friend, who had only nice things to say about Cecchi-Azzolina, mentioning that he was the kind of guy, who “always knows a guy.” This confirms my impression of him from his book- he’s a character in the best possible sense!

Your Table is Ready is a fun, fast-paced, engaging read. I’ve never worked in the restaurant industry, but I find the behind-the-scenes of it to be fascinating. It has made me more aware and appreciative of the complexities of running a successful restaurant.