Bogormen

Title: Delilah Green Doesn't Care
Author: Ashley Herring Blake
Genre: Chick-lit, LGBTQ+
Rating: 4.5/4
# pages: Audiobook ~10hrs
Date read: June 2025

Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.

When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.

Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they’ve known each other for years, they don’t really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms. Even worse, she’s starting to think she doesn’t want to...


I'd read a couple of lukewarm reviews about this book, so wasn't really sure what to expect, but honestly? It was really, really cute! Had all the hallmarks of a great romcom and very few of my pet peeves.

Friends in unlikely places? Check.
A cute / precocious kid? Check.
An antagonist who turned out to be more three-dimensional than the main character gave them credit for? Check.

And while I loved seeing the romance develop, what really made me squee was seeing Delilah actually make friends! I loved her chemistry with Iris and Ruby.

Best of all, while the book did have a third-act conflict (because of course it did), I wouldn't actually go so far as to call it a third-act breakup. It wasn't a contrived plot-twist, and was actually resolved in a believable manner.

Title: Recipe for Love
Author: Katie Fforde
Genre: Chick-lit, foodie
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 400
Date read: March 2025

Take one aspiring cook, one judge, and a spoonful of romance...

When Zoe Harper wins a coveted place in a televised cookery competition she's thrilled. It's a chance to cook her way to fame and fortune and the little delicatessen she's set her heart on.

The first task has hardly begun when she finds herself with rather too much on her plate. Not only has she got to contend with the fiercely competitive and downright devious Cher, but she's fast developing an inconvenient crush on one of the judges - the truly delicious Gideon Irving.

All too soon there's more than canapés, cupcakes and cordon bleu at stake. Will Zoe win the competition or is Gideon one temptation too far? And is Zoe really prepared to risk it all for love?


There was a lot to love in this book.
And there was a lot to roll my eyes at.

I LOVED all the descriptions of the competition. I wish there had been more of that. I'm a wanna-be foodie, and reading about the different challenges, and how the contestants completed them? Yes, please!

For much the same reason, I enjoyed reading about Zoe helping out in the kitchen as well and loved Fen and Rupert.

Cher was cartoon-like in her cattiness. Her narcissistic tendencies seemed realistic at first, but quickly went overboard, and Zoe was far too much of a doormat.

The relationship with Gideon was equal parts sweet and eye-roll worthy. Part of that was due to awkward writing, and part was due to it being shoved down the reader's throat, rather than letting it evolve organically.

At the end of the day, I found more to like than to dislike, and I'd definitely recommend it thanks to the contest ... but with a huge disclaimer.

Title: Heartbreak Houseshare
Author: Emily Merrill
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~11hrs
Date read: January, 2025

Surely there should be a rule book to guide you through the tumultuous twenties, or a ‘to do list’ at the very least? Fresh out of university in Manchester and struggling to climb the career ladder in London, Flick’s devastated when her boyfriend dumps her with no warning and leaves her looking for a new place to live.

Being forced into a houseshare with three complete strangers isn’t exactly how Flick saw things going. But the residents of Carlisle Avenue are quickly on hand to help her navigate the ups and downs of the life she’s currently winging. With their help, along with her big sister, Flick manages to focus her energy on ticking off items that she’s added to her ‘twenties list’ – the perfect bucket list for any twenty-something reclaiming their life post-break up. And all is going well, that is until her boss catches wind of it and asks her to create a new magazine column documenting her progress.

Enter Teddy, a sweet guy who becomes Flick’s friend after a tennis meet-cute.

As the column finds its feet Flick’s in way over her head, somehow managing to fake-date Teddy to please her boss and her readers. But the further Flick gets into twenties life, the more she realizes: maybe she’s not the only one following the ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ mantra.


Sweet NA chick-lit. Nothing special, and fairly standard fake-dating / friends-to-lovers trope, but all the characters were just genuinely nice, which made for pleasant reading. The boss wasn't overbearing and demanding, the roommates were friendly, and the family stood up for each other - it was just nice!

I liked the focus on mental health. They did perhaps skirt over it a bit quickly, but it was there, it was introduced as a genuine health issue, and they didn't shy away from showing some of the tough parts as well.

The miscommunication made me groan out loud. It came this close to not falling into that trap. I had literally just commented on how awesome it was that Flick and Teddy actually talked through their issues and listened to one another ... and then next I knew, Teddy ran off in a huff. Gah! Fortunately it was quickly (and decently) resolved, and it was clear that even Flick knew it was a temporary set-back and not a permanent break. But still - it was so pointless, and really didn't do anything for the story.

Ah well. I loved the 20s list and the column, and I especially loved that Flick tried to make it a realistic 20s list, and not just add all sorts of crazy things. I would have loved more focus to have been on that list - introducing a "happiness project" element I guess - but I guess that would have made for a very different book.

Title: Christmas Carols and a Cornish Cream Tea
Author: Cressida McLaughlin
Genre: Christmas, chick-lit
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~10hrs
Date read: December, 2024

All Meredith Verren has ever wanted is to escape the holiday season without having to wear a Christmas jumper. Her new job at the cosy gift shop in a picturesque Cornish tourist spot is making it impossible for her to maintain her scrooge-like manner.

With their seasonal hampers on everyone’s wish list, Meredith must paste on a smile and fake some holiday cheer. Then she meets handsome new arrival, Finn, who wishes it could be Christmas every day and wants her to feel the same way too.

Can she embrace the holly and the ivy before the decorations are packed away for another year?


Despite apparently being the 5th book in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone novel - I certainly didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, so I think it's more a case of them being companion novels than an actual series.

It ended up being a very enjoyable Christmas romance - and for once pretty 50/50 on the "Christmas" and the "romance" part. The romance was believable, and the conflict not as much of a nuisance as it could have been. Meredith and Finn actually communicated most of the time, which made for a refreshing change!

Title: The Paradise Problem
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 3/5
# pages: ~12hrs
Date read: November 2024

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.


I mostly liked it. I loved the setting. I liked Reagan and the crazy sister-in-law (Beatrice? I listened to the audiobook version, and can't remember her name, other than that it started with B). I appreciated that the third act breakup was decently handled (even if I hated the fact that they decided to include it at all - the external conflict would have been more than enough to add suspense to the book. Chick-lit authors, this is a plea to JUST STOP ADDING THAT ALREADY!!! *Cough* Anyways ... I digress ...).

However - and this is a rather big deal - I did not buy the romance at all. Sure, there was lust - but love? No, I just didn't see it. Liam and Anna acted like friends who decided to have sex - not as two people falling in love with each other.

The lack of communication between Liam and his siblings frustrated me. I kinda get Alex as they were at odds, but Jack? Charlie? It seemed pointless.

And finally, it annoyed me that Ray had no redeeming features. He was just cartoonishly evil.

Unfortunately not Christina Lauren's best work. I still enjoyed reading it - but I didn't love it, the way had expected to.

Title: The Summer Seekers
Author: Sarah Morgan
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~11 hrs
Date read: September 2024

Kathleen is eighty years old. After she has a run-in with an intruder, her daughter wants her to move in to a residential home. But she’s not having any of it. What she craves—what she needs—is adventure.

Liza is drowning under the daily stress of family life. The last thing she needs is her mother jetting off on a wild holiday, making Liza long for a solo summer of her own.

Martha is having a quarter-life crisis. Unemployed, unloved and uninspired, she just can’t get her life together. But she knows something has to change.

When Martha sees Kathleen’s advertisement for a driver and companion to share an epic road trip across America with, she decides this job might be the answer to her prayers. She’s not the world’s best driver, but anything has to be better than living with her parents. And traveling with a stranger? No problem. Anyway, how much trouble can one eighty-year-old woman be?

As these women embark on the journey of a lifetime, they all discover it’s never too late to start over.


This immediately became a new favourite. It hits so many of my favourite tropes.
* Roadtrip? Check.
* Intergenerational friendships? Check.
* Personal growth? Check.
* Fraught relationships that are fixed by - wonder of wonders - communication? Check!

I loved seen Kathleen and Martha's friendship grow. I loved that Kathleen and Liza actually talked about their issues. I LOVED that Sean took the bull by the horns and realized he and Liza needed to talk. I was so, so, so grateful that Finn was a non-issue.

No third-act breakup, no annoying misunderstandings caused by lack of communication. Just a sweet and poignant story about very realistic relationships.

Loved it!

Title: Maybe This Time
Author: Cara Bastone
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~6hrs
Date read: June, 2024

Romance can be a little complicated when you get sucked into a wormhole. Just ask high school English teacher June Flint. One little solar flare happens and suddenly you find yourself 85 years in the future. Eighty-five years from your dream job. Your ailing mother whose only companion in this world is you. Your favorite stuffed-crust pizza from DeLucia’s on Sunday nights.

But when June’s cell phone inexplicably picks up a signal, she’s able to call back to the present—more specifically, four weeks before she accidentally time traveled. Problem is, the phone can only call one number: her work nemesis, gym teacher Mikey Shannon.

Now future June must help Mikey befriend present-day June to keep her from disappearing. But present-day June doesn't even want to be in the same room as Mikey, let alone become besties. And Mikey isn’t exactly...talkie. Yet he’s spending hours a day with future June on the phone, and even more time trying to befriend present-day June. Volunteering with June at school, check. Facing his fear of roller coasters to make June smile, check. Adopting a puppy and letting her name it. Check.

But what does succeeding in the present mean for future June, and for the serious feelings she and Mikey are starting to catch for one another? Stopping time travel is one thing—but can they stop themselves from falling in love?


Really sweet book, with an unusual use of time-travel that I found very fascinating. I loved reading how Mikey and June got to know each other - in two time-lines even! - and seeing their friendship grow.

I'm not entirely sure what I thought of the ending, but on the other hand, I have a very hard time figuring out how else it could have ended - so I'll take it.

Title: Love & Other Scams
Author: P.J. Ellis
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~9hours
Date read: March 2024

Cat has a dangerously dwindling bank balance. She also has:
· a month before her landlord kicks her out.
· a surprise wedding invitation from rich mean girl, Louisa.
· a secret talent for con artistry.

A priceless jewel the size of a cocktail olive is glinting on Louisa’s finger. And when Cat meets her ideal plus one, Jake – who’s gifted at hustling and posing as the perfect boyfriend – this wedding becomes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After all, How hard can a diamond heist be?


I love heist movies, so I was eager to see if a heist book could live up to my expectations. In the end (and as the rating reflects), I'd say it came close, but couldn't quite deliver. It's a chick-lit that just happens to include a heist, rather than a heist novel that just happened to include a fake romance, meaning that more page time was spent on the fake romance than on the heist.

Fortunately I liked the fake romance, and thought they had great chemistry, and I quite liked reading all about the wedding preparations as well - even if I WISH just for ONCE the "poor friend" would have enough backbone to just come out and say, "Sorry, I can't afford that" - but I guess there wouldn't have been much of a plotline if she had :-P Anyways, I loved Harper and was thrilled to see just one person who didn't give 2 *cough* cents about all the posh nonsense.

I got very tired of the third-act breakup and wish authors would just stop thinking such a thing was necessary! The plot didn't need it, and could easily have worked without it. I guess it did help Cat grow up a bit, but I'm sure that could have been handled in other ways as well. So that brought it down from 4 stars to 3.5.

Title: Instamom
Author: Chantel Guertin
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 336
Date read: February 2024

It’s the influencer’s golden rule: know your niche. Kit Kidding has found hers on Instagram, where she gets paid to promote brands and share expertly curated posts about her fun, fabulous, child-free life. Kit likes kids just fine, but she passionately believes that women who choose not to become mothers shouldn’t have to face guilt. Or judgement. Or really hot chefs who turn out to be single dads.

Will MacGregor is aggravating, sexy, persistent, averse to social media, and definitely a bad idea. As soon as Kit learns his parenting status, she vows to put their scorching one-night stand behind her and move on. But Will and Kit are thrown together on an Instagram campaign, and the more time she spends with him—and his whip-smart, eight-year-old daughter, Addie—the more difficult it is to stay away, much less sustain what Will so cleverly calls her “Resting Beach Face.” Kit’s picture-perfect career path is suddenly clashing with the possibility of a different future—messy, complicated, and real. Which life does she truly want? Will she have to re-invent herself? And will love still be waiting by the time she figures it out?


Sweet story, and a very easy read. It was fun to read about what an IG influencer is up to, even if I have NO clue how realistic it actually is.

I was quite amused to discover - by page 90 or something like that - that the book took place in Toronto. I don't know if there had been no mentions of the specific city before then, or if I'd just completely missed all of them, but suddenly Kit and Will were making plans to go on a picnic on Centre Island, and I did a double take! It was fun to be able to picture exactly where they were :-D

My main issue with the book was the way Will and Kit communicated - or rather did NOT communicate when times got tough. I put down the book in disgust at around page 220, but was SO close to the end that I decided to push through. I'm glad I did, as they redeemed themselves in the end, but they could have gotten there sooner.

Although - to be fair - I think it was a very realistic way of failing to communicate, and having to take some time & space to figure out what should come next. The time Kit spend with her father did ring very true to me. So in the end, I appreciated the way it was handled. In any case - well worth the $3 I spent on it :P

(I now kinda want to look at other editions of this book, because on page 281 Kit was paged to come to stall 281 -- that CANNOT be a coincidence!!! X-D )

Title: The Naughty, the Nice and the Nanny
Author: Willa Nash
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~4hrs
Date read: January 2024

One week with one little girl—an angel, according to my staffing agency. Acting as the short-term nanny for a single dad should have been an easy way to make some extra cash. Until I show up for my first day and face off with a demon disguised as a seven-year-old girl wearing a red tutu and matching glitter slippers.

Oh, and her father? My temporary boss? Maddox Holiday. The same Maddox Holiday I crushed on in high school. The same Maddox Holiday who didn’t even know I existed. And the same Maddox Holiday who hasn’t set foot in Montana for years because he’s been too busy running his billionaire empire.

Enduring seven days is going to feel like scaling the Himalayas in six-inch heels. Toss in the Holiday family’s annual soiree, and Christmas Eve nightmares really do come true. But I can do anything for a week, especially for this paycheck, even if it means wrangling the naughty, impressing the nice, and playing the nanny.


A short listen - only around 4 hours - but very sweet even if very predictable. Despite the title and cover, it's not actually a Christmas story at all, so can easily be read at any time of year.

I enjoyed it a lot. It was fun, charming and, probably due to its length, wonderfully lacking in the miscommunication trope that is otherwise so prevalent in the chick-lit genre.