A short and sweet audio novella that’ll leave listeners wanting second helpings, You Can Thank Me Later follows an unforgettable family over the course of three Thanksgivings.
When the Dickenson clan sits down for Thanksgiving dinner in 2016, it is the last holiday when their tight-knit family will ever be the same. Oldest brother Pete and his wife are expecting their first child. Youngest sibling Sophie is too busy running her restaurant, The Little Plum, to bother with any kind of social life. And middle child Charlie’s happy, uncomplicated life as a Midwestern science professor is upended when his wife Annette is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Knowing this will be her last Thanksgiving, Annette asks Sophie to look after Charlie after she’s gone. Which would be a lot easier if Charlie didn’t show up with an insufferable new girlfriend at the next holiday meal.
From the best-selling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, this heartwarming novella embraces the spirit and gratitude of the holiday, and shows how a family’s love can endure anything.
You Can Thank Me Later by Kelly Harms is an Audible Original (only available there as of writing this). Sophie Dickenson is telling the story of several Thanksgiving dinners with her siblings – where is the chef and host (mostly). This is an interesting way to really capture how much can change over the course of a year. Each Thanksgiving there are changes, big and small and sometimes world-changing, that we get to glimpse as Sophie gets ready for and serves dinner.
At first I was a little hesitant about this whole concept of telling stories through Thanksgiving dinner – but Sophie won me over from the first minute when her voicemail greeting – it was a gem. And as I got to know a little about her siblings and their families through the messages they left, you could just her the love among them. But don’t worry, this isn’t a story told in voicemails, it was just enough to give me a small glimpse into who these people were before they all showed up to eat.
You Can Thank Me Later is a quick listen that really brings out all the feels. Be careful if you listen in the car, because you may tear up a few times – pull over if necessary.
Packed with superheroes, supervillains, and epic showdowns between good and evil, TheUnforgettable Logan Foster from debut author Shawn Peters shows that sometimes being a hero is just about being yourself.
Logan Foster has pretty much given up on the idea of ever being adopted. It could have something to with his awkward manner, his photographic memory, or his affection for reciting curious facts, but whatever the cause, Logan and his “PP’s” (prospective parents) have never clicked.
Then everything changes when Gil and Margie arrive. Although they aren’t exactly perfect themselves—Gil has the punniest sense of humor and Margie’s cooking would have anyone running for the hills—they genuinely seem to care.
But it doesn’t take Logan long to notice some very odd things about them. They are out at all hours, they never seem to eat, and there’s a part of the house that is protected by some pretty elaborate security.
No matter what Logan could have imagined, nothing prepared him for the truth: His PP’s are actually superheroes, and they’re being hunted down by dastardly forces. Logan’s found himself caught in the middle in a massive battle and the very fate of the world may hang in the balance. Will Logan be able to find a way to save the day and his new family?
My 10yo and I read The Unforgettable Logan Foster as part of the Owl Crate Jr book box. While he isn’t a reluctant reader – he is reluctant to try new authors or series. So we made a deal that he had to read one month’s book before he could open the next box. Once he started The Unforgettable Logan Foster, he had a hard time putting it down. Superheroes combined with a kid that is “different than the other kids, like I’m a little different, but in a different way than I’m different” really drew him into the story. Now he can’t wait for more in the series.
The other part of our deal was that I would read the book when he was done so we could talk about it. What I enjoyed most with the very untraditional family unit Logan found himself adopted into. Throw in a very untraditional neighborhood friend, and all the unusual types built a beautiful picture.
Throw in a fun adventure to defeat a super villain and his friends, and you have the makings for a great MG adventure. Some of the heroes reminded me a little of contemporary comic books with a fun and colorful twist. And with a few really great surprise reveals (I didn’t see them coming at all), I found the book hard to put down as well.
Having just broken up with her boyfriend, London Spark is not in the mood to be hit on. Especially not when she’s out celebrating her single status with her sisters. So when a very attractive man pays for their drinks and then slips her his number, she passes it right back to him with a ‘thanks, but no thanks’. As the business administrator for their family’s event hotel, the Spark House, London has more important things to worry about, like bringing in new clientele.
As luck would have it, a multi-million-dollar company calls a few months later asking for a meeting to discuss a potential partnership, and London is eager to prove to her sisters, and herself, that she can land this deal. Just when she thinks she has nailed her presentation, the company’s CEO, Jackson Holt, walks in and inserts himself into the meeting. Not only that, but he also happens to be the same guy she turned down at the bar a few months ago.
As they begin to spend more time together, their working relationship blossoms into something more. It isn’t until their professional entanglements are finally over, that London and Jackson are finally ready to take the next step in their relationship. But between Jackson’s secretive past and London’s struggle with her sisters, London must question where she really stands – not just with Jackson, but with the Spark House, too.
Starry-Eyed Love has one of my favorite couples so far this year. London and Jackson just fit so well together in an odd and unexpected way. London is an anxious woman, and the paper starts she’s known for making to keep her hands busy sound beautiful. I loved her creativity and crafty side, and I felt for her when she never seemed to have enough time to dedicate to it.
Jackson is a bit of the opposite. He’s down to business and very focused on his company. But he also never seems to take time for himself. When they first meet, it was super cute – the ultimate meet-cute – and their second meeting was delightfully awkward for London, while Jackson is business-line and completely unaware.
When they end up working together, their attraction is put on hold. But while they may think they’re doing a good job hiding it, everyone around them can see it whenever they are together. And while they seem perfect together, it would just be far too easy for them to just get their HEA without some struggle.
When London gets dragged through a social media nightmare because of their relationship, things start to fall apart, mistrust builds, and it’s only some really open and honest discussions that can save the day. But can they both put it all on the line when it really matters? Starry-Eyed Love took that dive into communication and nailed it. I can’t recommend this book enough.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
