Book Smart Kate

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by Abbi Waxman (April 16, 2024) – Huge thanks to @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the free digital and audiobook copies of this adorable, zany, heartfelt and emotional book.

Almost twenty-five years ago, Christa’s father, a world-famous nature-exploration TV show host, died in a plane crash. Although Christa has no memories of him, his legacy has shaped Christa’s life and that of her mother and two older sisters. Now, news has broken that her father has been found alive, prompting Christa, now a research scientist, to return from her Indian Ocean-based snail study to the place she likes the least – her family home in Los Angeles. This time, she has to deal with her mother and sisters, a back-from-the-dead father, the media spotlight, and a new electric connection to Nate, an old family friend. But as questions about her father’s two-decade-long disappearance emerge, all hell is going to break loose.

Christa is one of my new favorite main characters. She is delightfully nerdy, and Nate is delightfully nerdy right back. Waxman wove this smoldering romance through an emotional story of family chaos and frustration. Christa feels a lot of righteous indignation about being let down by her family when she needed them most. There are positive messages about individual and group therapy. What may sound like a hefty book is incredibly light-hearted and funny, focusing on letting go of hate, keeping people you trust, and knowing that those you love will be there for you no matter where you are. There is also an adorably ferocious Weiner dog named Marcel.