Arthur and Teddy are Coming Out

 Book 43 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from May 13 - 27

Arthur and Teddy are Coming Out by Ryan Love

published 2024

Summary (via the book jacket)

No one in the family is prepared when 79-year-old Arthur Edwards drops a bombshell: he's gay, and after a lifetime in the closet, he's finally ready to come out.

Arthur's 21-year-old grandson, Teddy, has the same secret. But Teddy doesn't feel ready to come out yet - especially when Arthur's announcement causes shockwaves in the family.

Can Arthur and Teddy navigate first loves, heartbreak, and finding their place in their community?

More importantly, can they - and their family - learn to accept who they truly are?

My Opinion

3 stars

I'm rating this neutrally because I've been very physically and emotionally drained caring for an ill family member for a few weeks now so I really didn't process this book.  On one hand, I found there to be a few too many plot lines, especially when they all wrapped up so neatly.  On the other hand, out of the 3 books I was reading before everything happened, this is the only one I've even picked up during this time so I guess that's worth something.

If I Stopped Haunting You

 Book 42 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from May 12 - 13

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens

published 2024

Summary (via the book jacket)

Penelope Skinner made herself a publishing pariah when she literally threw a book at Neil Storm, a bestselling author with a superiority complex. Even worse, she's had writer's block since the incident. So when her friend invites her on a writer's retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. But of course, some things really are too good to be true.

Neil wants nothing to do with the frustratingly adorable woman who unleashed a serious case of self-doubt when she flung a book at him and called his bestseller "a book without a soul." Now all Neil wants is fresh inspiration and to completely avoid her.

As the retreat begins, Pen and Neil find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, a truly shocking (and extremely hot) almost kiss could force them to rethink everything. But if they can't stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to figure out their feelings for each other.

My Opinion

2 stars

I checked this book out from the library on a whim after seeing it on display.  Unfortunately, this was a low 2 stars for me.  

*slight plot spoilers ahead*

I enjoy a good romance trope but there needs to be substance beyond the trope to keep me interested.  Of course they're both going to be on the retreat but also...how were there only 4 people total (meaning it was originally 3 since Pen was a last minute add)?  Did their mutual friend set this whole retreat up to get them together?  And did the 4th person have to be someone she had a one-time hookup with when it wasn't mentioned again at all (it wasn't used for a love triangle or any jealousy)?

The ghost aspect was fine for the plot but again, an unsatisfactory conclusion.  That was some concerning aggression leading to actual injuries which felt out of place in a light book like this.  And I didn't understand what they actually did to make the ghosts happy.

The conversations about publishing and representing your culture were good but again, felt jammed in in this setting.  Very legitimate concerns spanning years of fighting were resolved so quickly.  And apparently people didn't hate her like she thought but she didn't know because she never checked the Internet again?

Last thing, I need a description other than "slick" or "her slickness" to show her desire.  It was way overused.

Now that I'm writing this all out, was this actually a 1 star read for me?  No, it didn't make me angry so I'll keep it at 2.

Old Crimes

 Book 41 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from May 5 - 11

Old Crimes: and Other Stories by Jill McCorkle

published 2024

Summary (excerpt from the book jacket)

Old Crimes delves into the lives of characters who hold their secrets and misdeeds close, even as the past continues to reverberate across generations. And despite the characters' yearnings for connection, they can't seem to tell the whole truth: A woman uses her hearing impairment as a way to guard herself from her husband's commentary. A telephone lineman strains to communicate with his family even as he feels pushed aside in a digital world. A young couple buys a confession booth for fun, only to discover the cost of honesty. A family reunion, ripe with treasured memories and long-held resentments, takes place amid a secret that will alter all of their futures. Throughout, McCorkle takes us deep into these conflicted and sympathetic characters, puzzling to figure out the meaning of their own lives. 

My Opinion

2 stars

I picked this up from the library after seeing it in Bookpage.

The book jacket says the author delivers short stories "as complex as small novels" and that's a good way to describe them.  There was depth and storytelling in each story.

Unfortunately for me, this just didn't hit.  Most of the stories felt too wordy and complex for me and then ones that I did enjoy felt too short.  Either way, jamming so much narrative into short stories doesn't appear to work for me.