Book Review: Wasp's Nest by Kat Stoddard

 

Pages: 272

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pub. Date: June 23, 2026

Publisher: Celadon

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "Tess wants nothing more than for her upcoming society wedding to overshadow the failure of her first marriage. Her fiancé Warren, a steady soon-to-be state senator, is nothing like her first husband. Tess’s relationship with working-class artist Peter was a passionate crash-and-burn, and a chapter of her life that she's ready to forget.

Peter hasn’t seen Tess in five years, so he’s shocked to receive an invitation to her wedding. But he’s moved on too, and it wouldn’t hurt to prove it by showing up with a handsome younger man as his plus-one. Mitch, an aspiring writer, is intrigued by Peter and jumps at the chance to pry into the lives of his Waspy ex-in-laws. What he’s not bargained for is developing serious feelings for both Peter and Peter’s ex―Tess, the bride. But Peter and Tess have complex desires of their own, and Mitch is dangerously close to uncovering them.

Wasp's Nest is a fast-paced, humorous, and heartfelt exploration of the shape of our affections that proves real love triangles connect on all sides.

 

 

 

Tess Lowell is planning her second wedding on her family's gorgeous Cape Cod estate. Her society wedding will be quite an affair, especially since her future husband has senate plans. Except things aren't going quite as planned. Her mischievous brother, Sebastian, has invited her ex-husband, Peter, to the wedding. Tess divorced Peter years ago when he was dealing with his addiction issues and Peter hasn't heard from her since. Peter isn't as acceptable to her high-achieving family as he is merely an artist, but he wants to attend the wedding to get some closure. He decides to bring Mitch, an aspiring writer, whom he met at a dinner party; this should throw them all off! Mitch agrees to attend as he needs inspiration for his next writing project. What ensues over the next seven days on Cape Cod is anything but a simple family wedding. Kat Stoddard's debut, Wasp's Nest, is inspired by The Philadelphia Story and is a juicy, if somewhat, superficial beach read.
 
Much like The Philadelphia Story, Tess comes from a well-off family and her parents have high hopes for her second marriage. However, the sparks are still there between Tess and Peter and things get complicated when Mitch is thrown into the mix. This triangle (it's messy!), plus a wealthy Cape Cod wedding, is sure to keep readers flipping the pages as this is a juicy beach read. But that's where the sparkle ended for me. 
 
I am a huge fan of The Philadelphia Story, so I had high hopes for Wasp's Nest, but the characters weren't nearly as endearing as the original story, not to mention the lack of humor like the original tale. Wasp's Nest felt a little more serious at times. While I did appreciate the allusions to the original story, the new touches definitely modernize the story, as there is bisexuality, current politics, and more. Unfortunately, the Wasp's Nest characters were unlikable, and I didn't find myself caring what happened to them, which ultimately made the story never really take off.
 
I love the idea of a modern The Philadelphia Story, but unfortunately, Wasp's Nest didn't hit its mark or capture the magic of the original story, and it ended up being just an ok read. Have you read the debut novel, Wasp's Nest? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.  

 

Can't Wait Wednesday: Hollywood Ending

 

Hollywood Ending by John Green

Pub. Date: September 22, 2026

 

 

 

Goodreads says, "For rising young actors Kai Laramie and Juniper Castillo, being cast in the buzzy biopic Andy Warhol Never Gets Old is the opportunity they’ve both been waiting for. They’re on the verge of breaking out, and maybe even falling in love. Soon, the movie is blowing up, and so are their lives—in exciting, but also terrifying, ways.

John Green artfully blends a behind-the-scenes Hollywood love story with an unflinching examination of the insatiable attention economy. Told through dual points of view, the novel follows Kai and Juniper from the first days on location to the movie’s premiere, brilliantly juxtaposing their story with the on-screen study of Warhol’s life at the dawn of celebrity culture.

Hollywood, Ending is a deeply observed novel about the tension between a public and a private life, and finding your safe someone to hold onto. Tender, heartbreaking, and shrewdly funny, this is a story as only John Green can tell it."

 

 

John Green, author of some of my favorite YA novels, is back to writing fiction and I am ecstatic. This adult novel is a love story set in the entertainment industry. I'll read anything he writes, so I can't wait to dive into this one. Are you a fan of John Green? Let me know in the comments below.  

 

Book Review: When You Loved Me by Beatriz Williams

 

Pages: 464

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pub. Date: June 23, 2026

Publisher: Ballantine

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: A Hundred Summers, 

Husbands & Lovers,  The Secret Life of Violet Grant, 

The Summer Wives, The Beach at Summerly, and Under the Stars

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "Local history insists that a legendary pirate buried his treasure somewhere beneath Windward, the decayed Cooper estate on Winthrop Island, but Lucy Cooper never trusted the fable that broke her family apart. When a widowed Lucy returns with her young daughter to grieve her estranged father, she discovers the property’s buried under a mountain of debt, and Ben Ressler has just turned up on her doorstep.

Thirteen summers ago, a teenaged Lucy never meant to fall in love with Ben, a Dartmouth football star vacationing next door at the Peabody estate, and the object of an all-consuming crush by Laura Peabody, Lucy’s best friend. Those two weeks with Ben were the best and worst of Lucy’s life, dooming her friendship with Laura. Now Ben’s returned to live quietly in the Peabodys’ caretaker lodge, after a fatal accident ended his dazzling NFL career. He’s also the last person who saw Lucy’s father alive.

As Lucy reconstructs her father’s troubling final days, she uncovers his research on the frozen winter of 1717, when a desperately wounded pirate sought refuge on Winthrop Island with an enigmatic healer. To Lucy, this history points the way to a different kind of how to forgive yourself for the mistakes of the past and earn a second chance at love. But just as Lucy’s long-buried emotions sear to the surface, a shocking turn of events reveals that someone else on the island will do whatever it takes to claim the fabled plunder.

A timeless story of love and atonement, When You Loved Me maps both a centuries-old treasure hunt and the intimate territory of the human heart, weaving together past and present as only Beatriz Williams can."

 

 

Lucy Cooper returns home to Winthrop Island after her father's mysterious death. She hasn't seen him as much as she would have liked to in past years due to her relocation to Europe and her father's preoccupation with treasure hunting, which she thinks is a dead-end road. But when she returns home to her father's house along with her daughter, Elise, she starts to wonder if her father was right all along, as many clues are pointing to a possible treasure. Also on the island is her former boyfriend, Ben Ressler, whom she spent a summer dating. Once they reconnect, Lucy realizes that there still may be something there. However, Ben is dealing with his own issues as he is now divorced, and his stint in NFL football has come to an end due to some upsetting circumstances. Quickly, Lucy realizes someone is stalking her on the island, and she starts to realize that perhaps it's someone who wants the information her father had regarding the treasure. Williams also includes flashbacks to the summer Ben and Lucy first dated, as well as a flashback to 1717 on Winthrop Island. When You Loved Me by Beatriz Williams is an engaging tale that combines elements of a beach read + romance + historical fiction; her fans won't be disappointed.
 
I really enjoyed Lucy from the start of When You Loved Me. She has had a difficult time after her husband's death and now must sort out her father's death and his house on her own while raising her precocious daughter. She takes a teaching job on the island and falls into the everyday routine on Winthrop. Except things aren't going smoothly with trying to sell her dad's house; plus, there are the clues he has left behind that start her thinking about an actual treasure. Also, the slow-burn, second-chance romance between Ben and Lucy was so very well done. I really enjoyed it, and the flashbacks to their first summer together further illustrated their romance and backstory.
 
As always, Williams does a wonderful job developing Winthrop Island; it was very atmospheric, and the pirate treasure only added to that feeling. Fans of her previous novels might remember a few characters who show up in When You Loved Me, which I appreciated. 
 
My only issue with When You Loved Me was the flashback to 1717 and the story involving Hephzibah and pirate Ramsay. At first, it was really jarring as I didn't feel it meshed very well with the story in both style and pacing. I almost wanted to skim it to get back to Lucy and Ben's story, but I knew that Williams would bring it all together. And she did! So be forewarned, the 1717 subplot is a slow start, but keep with it.
 
I love a good second-chance romance, and Williams delivers with When You Loved Me. Let me know in the comments if you plan to read When You Loved Me this summer and if you are a fan of Beatriz Williams. 

 

Can't Wait Wednesday: Falling for Peachtree Bluff

Falling for Peachtree Bluff by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Pub. Date: September 15, 2026

 

 

 

Goodreads says, "The air is crisper, the water is calmer, but, when it comes to the Murphy family, nothing is ever quite as simple as it seems.

Youngest sister Emerson is busy planning her dream wedding to Kyle. But her difficulty expanding her family is overshadowing her joy. Pregnant middle sister Sloane and her husband Adam’s dream house has turned into a nightmare. Everything is over time, over budget, and Sloane is over it. Eldest sister Caroline, as always, is there to swoop in and get her sisters’ lives under control. Until her focus is more than a little shifted by Emerson’s hunky costar who manages to sweep her right off her feet—just as her not-quite-ex-husband decides it’s high time he begged Caroline for a second chance.

Matriarch Ansley and her new husband Jack have finally hit their stride. But when a scandal that would affect every single Peachtree Bluff citizen comes to light—and it seems like Jack just might be at the center of it—Ansley questions whether he is actually the man she thought he was.

Through it all, these women must rely on their powerful family bonds, and the quirky characters and small-town charm of the place that, no matter what, always calls them home."

 

I don't want to think about fall yet, but it will be here before we know it. Thankfully, there are some great autumn reads coming out including this one from Kristy Woodson Harvey. Her Peachtree Bluff series is my favorite of her novels, so I am excited to return back to the cozy town and the Murphy family. Are you a fan of this series? Let me know in the comments below.  

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Mrs. Gourd

If you're like me and feel flustered by the bedtime routine, you will find Jody Bucher's new picture book, Mrs. Gourd, incredibly relatable. Mrs. Gourd comes to chat with kids, help bedtime go smoothly, and leave children with smiles on their faces. What more could a parent ask for? This picture book is perfect to share with little ones when the bedtime routine has become anything but routine! 

 

Learn More About the Book:

 

 

Mrs. Gourd

 

Written by Jody Bucher

 

Illustrated by Monica Violet Joy & Asha Butler

 

Ages: 4+ | 40 Pages

 

Publisher: Ingram Spark (2026) | ISBN: Hardcover: 979-8-9894987-1-0 | Paperback: 979-8-9894987-0-3

 

Publisher’s Book Summary: "Anyone who’s had to put children to bed knows how unpredictable the routine of bedtime can be. Enter—Mrs. Gourd. When Mom finds herself at her wits’ end, Mrs. Gourd’s unexpected arrival changes the course of bedtime—in a good way. Taking charge in her persnickety, silly way, Mrs. Gourd wrangles in bedtime, leaving the reader amused, and best of all, those little ones drifting off into dreamland. When all else fails, it’s Mrs. Gourd to the rescue!"

 

You can purchase your own copy of Mrs. Gourd at Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon. To learn more about Jody Bucher, you can visit her website and connect with her on Instagram.   

 

Enter the Giveaway: 

 

 

I've partnered with Jody Bucher to host a giveaway to celebrate the publication of Mrs. Gourd. Readers who follow along on this virtual book tour will have the chance to win one of five signed paperback copies of Mrs. Gourd. One lucky grand prize winner will receive a signed hardcover copy with a personal note from the author, two pairs of Mrs. Gourd dress-up glasses, a gingham check picnic blanket, and a Jellycat Bashful Toffee Puppy stuffed animal. Good luck!