Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham
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Web ID: 16835865Loved it!
Have you ever read an epistolary novel? Do you know what that is? I confess that I didn't know what it was until I looked it up but I have read a couple of them before this book. Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham is primarily told through a series of emails, text messages and the like. Isabelle Louisa Edgewood (Izzy for short) came to live with her Aunt and cousins as a young girl after her parents died in a plane crash. Izzy and her family live in a small town where she works at the library and spends spare time reading and dreaming of owning her own bookstore. Brodie Sutherland is part of a family that owns bookstores in the faraway land of Skymar. He is a quiet man who also enjoys reading in his free time. Josephine, Penelope and Luke are Izzy's cousins that are more like siblings. The oldest is Josephine and she has taken it upon herself to sign Izzy up for an on-line dating service. Brodie also signs up for the service and the two begin corresponding. I don't want to give to much of the plot away so that is all I will say about Authentically, Izzy's storyline. I absolutely loved the main characters Brodie and Izzy. I also grew to love her cousin/siblings and some of Brodie's family members. . .Can't say I like Anders yet. . .I absolutely loved this book. I laughed and in one place I cried a little as I could relate to Izzy's pain in one situation. . .I loved the many references to books and movies and feel I must go back and take note of a few that I want to read. I have just one complaint about this book--it languished on my TBR shelf for too long, which was my bad for sure! I am so looking forward to the rest of the series. I received a copy of this book from the publisher through JustRead book tours. All opinions within this review are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Enjoyable read
Pepper Basham showed an incredible sense of humor in this book. I was laughing out loud while reading the first part of this book to the point that my husband looked at me and was wondering what was wrong with me. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but if you don't like the epistolary style of writing this book is not for you. I really loved Izzy's character development and the genuine faith element that is interwoven. At times the book seemed overly wordy/descriptive which made it run a little long, but I loved getting to see the relationship develop between Izzy and Brodie plus the relationship between Izzy and her cousins. I plan on reading the next book in the series and am hoping to laugh my way through it!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Enchanting Story!
This story was enchanting! Now, I have to start off by saying that I own both print and audio book copies of this title and I ended up listening to the story, which was beautifully narrated! That being said, I actually started listening to this book two separate times before this third try. Those other two times, I didn't have the focus I needed to follow along with the back and forth emails between the characters and had to stop listening after a chapter or two. However, this time I was a passenger on a long road trip and was able to sit back and truly enjoy the story. I ended up loving this book and find myself wanting to know how the two main characters are getting on in their lives now that the story has ended! That, to me, is a good indicator of how real the characters feel to the reader. If I am thinking of them long after the story finishes and imagining how they are living their lives, then I feel as if I really got to know them in the book. This tale was full of fun and humor, but also dived into the subjects of self worth, grief, and the need to feel as if one truly belongs, too. It had plenty of swoon worthy moments between the two main characters and lots of wonderful bookish references. I am looking forward to reading the next novel in the series.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Another Pepper Basham story to love!
If you like all things bookish coupled with sweater vests and swoony accents, then you will love this email/text, slow build, worth waiting for love story. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy a modern spun epistolary novel written in emails and texts instead of letters. I should have known that Pepper Basham would slay this project too. I also tend to gravitate toward historical settings over contemporary ones but who can stay away from a fun-loving story with a playful cover and quirky, book-loving MCs? Better yet, this story also grips your heart with familial themes and complicated relationships. So, I am done for! The Edgewood progeny have moved into my reading circle and set up camp on my bookshelves! I simply must know more! Penelope and Luke must strike out toward their own love matches and introduce them to me before I am fully satisfied. I have a strong suspicion that Penelope will be “singing” toward her love for a leading man while Luke will aptly and without any nonsense “build” a relationship with an unexpected lady. I can’t wait to read more! This book is suitable for teens and older with no inappropriate intimate scenes and no bad language. I received this book from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Sweet Romance told in emails and texts
Authentically Izzy by Pepper Basham. I loved this romantic comedy between two bookish people on different continents. Izzy works in a library in the Blue Ridge mountains, while Brodie’s family owns a bookstore in Scotland. Their story is told almost entirely in emails and texts with many clever book references throughout the stories. I highly recommend listening to the audio version since Brodie’s Scottish accent adds charm to the story.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
I Want A Brodie!
Okay, so this book has been at the top of my TBR pile for months. I never meant to wait this long to read this bookish story from one of my favorite authors but life(insert shoulder shrug here). I finally read it yesterday and let me just say I DEVOURED it. It was such a charming story that immediately captured my heart and attention. I lost count early on at the laugh out loud moments or the smiles it brought to my face. I WANT A BRODIE!! I have a new book boyfriend after this story(with apologies to my husband :D ). He is charming, a bookstore owner, and from a fabulous island that I really wish was real-I'd be planning a trip to visit! Izzy is adorable and her conversations with her cousins are a hoot! I can't wait for Penelope and Luke to get their own stories!! P.S. I love all the bookish mentions in this story-especially two personal favorite books that got shoutouts. "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. P. P. S. These will make sense if/when you read the book! :D
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun story!
This was a fun book by Pepper Basham. I liked that the story was told mostly through text and emails. I thought it was funny and gave a nice insight into each of the characters. I liked the romance in this book. I also really liked the characters and thought they were lovable and ones that I would like to be friends with. I also liked that Brody helped Izzy realize what she wanted to do and then supported her as she did it. I look forward to the next book in this series. I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors. A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Authentically funny! I loved every minute
"It is delightful when your imaginations come true, isn’t it?” Anne of Green Gables. How in the world does Pepper do it? How does she make me fall head over heels in love with her writing when I'm already in love with her writing?? Oh my word, this book is just all that! Another one to add to my top favorite reads of 2023. I just can't even form words good enough to describe this story. It's as if the pages absorbed me completely, making the world of make believe into a world that was so real & vivid. Izzy is the sister of my heart; she's one that I immediately wanted to hug & hang out with at the local coffee shop (if she even wanted to leave her house or books, that is!). She's the kind of person I wanted to draw out of her shell because there's so much personality just waiting to be discovered. Oh! Her back-story is heart-wrenching and explains why she's so closed off. My heart bled for all she's been through! I love her character growth the most; it's as if her real self was bursting at the seams to be made known. She just needed the right person to bring it out. Definitely my favorite character. Brodie....our near perfect hero of this story. He's an avid book nerd like Izzy; he's the kind of hero I picture in my mind. Basham made him real to me; he's quirky without being dorky (make sense?), has a killer accent to make any woman swoon, and is an all around good guy. He is just the right kind of guy for Izzy. I love him for how he draws Izzy out of her shell & makes her see her worth and the potential she's hidden within her. Yeah, I admit I hate "perfect" heroes in stories, but Basham made him SO much more; he readily admits his failures & mistakes and makes no excuse for them. And to me, that makes him all the more human--flaws and all. I'd hug him if he was real! He & Izzy are magical together. Izzy's cousin Josie (Josephine as she wishes to be called) was an irritant....loving, yes, but one I wanted to smack more times than not...lol! I felt she held Izzy back on so many levels, yet at the same time, was the voice of reason & caution. I'm not sure how to feel about her really, but she did grow on me a bit by the end. I also love the humor, wit and hilarious banter between characters. Basham is one of those kind of writers that induce belly laughs & guffaws galore! I love everything (even irritating Josie) about this book. Basham needs to write more Rom-com in my opinion because she's so, so good at it. Throw in faith & you got yourself a doozy of a story! Highly (and I DO mean highly) recommend this to anyone who loves books as much as I do!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com