Okay Fine Whatever is a funny, unflinchingly honest, and deeply relatable collection of essays by Courtenay Hameister about the year she decided to look her anxiety in the eye and basically tell it to fuck off, as she embarks on challenge after adventurous challenge.

Most of her challenges end up being in her romantic life, and linked to her body image issues. Hameister’s stories, about losing her virginity in her 30s, then making up for lost time by diving into online dating (meeting dozens of men and keeping track of them on a spreadsheet) and experimenting with a variety of sexual adventures all the way into her 40s, are a welcome addition to the bookshelf. Most books about romance and dating tend to feature only women in their 20s, or older women who’ve already been married and had kids, and very rarely are they plus-size. So I found Hameister’s adventures — and her courage in pursuing them — inspiring, and I love her candour in sharing her experiences.

Beyond the stories about dating and sex, Hameister also talks about her career, and the difficult decision she made to move on from being the host of her show. I love these chapters, because they’re an important alternative perspective on how to be successful in our careers. So often, we’re taught to go for the big promotion and go for whatever helps us make the biggest splash in our industry. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, there’s also nothing wrong with what Hameister realizes — that because of her anxiety, she was actually miserable being in the public eye, and would be much happier behind the scenes. And later, when she realizes she’s no longer quite the right fit for what the show has become, she makes what I consider a truly brave decision — to pursue a new career path. Again, I found her experience to be inspirational, and I’m glad she shared these with us.

More than the impact of her experiences is the fact that her essays are just plain entertaining and fun to read. Hameister has a clever writing style that somehow pokes fun at herself without ever being fully self-deprecating. I think I was expecting more about anxiety itself in the book, but perhaps that’s a sign of my own biases that, because I haven’t myself been diagnosed with anxiety, I didn’t expect the book to be so relatable. Yet it is.

The book isn’t perfect. Some parts dragged, and even the dating adventures felt a bit drawn out after a while, and I began to wish she’d move on to other topics. But overall, it was a good book, and I think Hameister’s experiences will likely resonate with a lot of readers.

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Thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the Curtain Falls is a cute and feel-good theatre-themed romance and ghost story. Olive Green and Oscar Bright are performing in the eponymous play, which was last performed in that theatre about 60 years ago. During that 1950s performance, the run was cut short when the lead actress, Fawn, was killed in a tragic accident involving a prop gun. Unbeknownst to Olive and Oscar, the actress’s ghost still haunts the theatre, and her lover, Walter, now a man in his 80s, still works there at the stage door.

Olive and Oscar’s romance is cute, if a bit repetitive. Because of his TV celebrity, Oscar prefers to keep their relationship on the down-low, and refuses to acknowledge the depth of his feelings for Olive. In contrast, Olive finds all the secrecy wearisome, and she is also feeling insecure about whether or not she’s even in Oscar’s league at all. Considering she’s the star of the show, and the cast members she’s jealous of as romantic rivals have much smaller roles, Olive’s insecurity is a bit hard to swallow. And when practically every other bit character tells both her and Oscar that they clearly love each other and that Oscar’s just being an idiot, the barriers keeping them apart feel flimsier than ever, and the will-they-won’t-they angle of their romance starts to feel a bit repetitive. Still, the pair is cute together, and it’s easy to wish them their happily ever after.

Somewhat more action-packed is the romance between Fawn and Walter in the 1950s when Fawn was the leading lady and Walter was the assistant stage door manager. The barrier to their romance was the play’s cruel and abusive producer, who was obsessed with making Fawn marry him. It’s a set-up straight out of a soap opera, or one of those old-fashioned movies — one can almost imagine the producer twirling a villainous moustache — and despite the tragic ending, it’s an absolutely entertaining tale.

The two love stories collide somewhat at the end, when ghosts manifest in the present-day reality. These ghostly scenes are too over-the-top to be frightening, and it’s just a fun, light-hearted read.

Overall, When the Curtain Falls is a cute, light-hearted theatrical read, and a fun way to spend a few quiet afternoons.

Kudos as well to the book designer. I love the cover design and the inside covers!

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Thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All That She Can See has a charming premise: Cherry is a baker who has the magical ability to see others’ negative emotions, and the power to create baked goods that can counteract those feelings. While her cakes and cookies don’t get rid of emotional baggage completely, they at least provide temporary relief, and even just spending time in Cherry’s bakery can make you feel good. Until she meets Chase, a man whose magical ability to see others’ positive emotions has made him bitter and cynical. When he and Cherry meet, Chase decides to sabotage her business, and things somewhat spiral out of control from there.

As I said, it’s a charming premise, and I was all set to enjoy this book like I did Chocolat and Like Water for Chocolate. Fletcher’s execution felt a bit stilted, and failed to pull me into a world of magical realism as the other two books did, but I still liked the characters in Cherry’s town and the stories they brought.

Unfortunately, partway through the book, the real villains appear, and what began as a charming small town tale of magic turned into a high-speed action thriller sequence. The shift in tone took me somewhat out of the story — the battle against these bad guys didn’t interest me as much as the gradual unfolding of the lives in the town. Worse, this part of the story led to a lot of heavy-handed pontificating about the importance of coming to terms with all your emotions, both good and bad. It’s a valid moral, and one the story was clearly moving towards even in the charming small town parts, and I only wish the book never got as heavy-handed as it did in driving it home.

The romance as well felt forced. While Fletcher does a good job in explaining the hero’s behaviour, I never quite bought into the appeal. It felt more like friendship borne out of some variant of PTSD than an actual attraction.

Still, overall, this is a light, easy read, with a likeable heroine.

Kudos as well to the book designer. I love the cover design and the inside covers!

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Thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.