What do you think?
Rate this book


384 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2021
Teddy is an interesting heroine in the sense that she is not at all interesting. She changed her entire personality for her boyfriend, and now that he’s broken up with her, she has to figure out who she is and what she wants to do with the rest of her life. The novel follows Teddy as she gradually becomes the woman she's meant to be. Her best friends Kirsten and Eleanor take her in and help her on this journey. They insist that she does one thing a day that terrifies her. This is to get her out of her shell and hopefully shed the fears that keep her from truly living her life. Of course, one of the things she does that scares her is write to a certain handsome host of a children’s TV show.
Everett St. James is an incredibly sweet character. He's good-looking, thoughtful, funny, smart, and he’s always known what he wanted to do with his life. But he isn't quite perfect. His friends and family are constantly telling him that he spends too much of his life engrossed in his work. There’s more to life than puppets, Everett.
I loved how Everett and Teddy complemented each other in their personal character arcs. Teddy is just now trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Everett has known his career trajectory since he was a child, but he’s being forced to take a step back and reassess what truly matters.
This is a delightful book that can be enjoyed on both a superficial and a deeper level. There is a “readers guide” at the end of the book that provides discussion prompts. I can definitely see this book being a fun and inspirational read--perfect for a book club to discuss over wine and bagel bites.
The interactions between side characters and the protagonists are also extremely well developed. Teddy’s best friends are hilarious and witty. They have a dynamic and clever banter that seems to leap off the pages. Despite this book not being characterized as a "rom com", it had me in stitches laughing on more than one occasion.
This book is chock full of pop culture references. They added another element to the reading experience that I personally loved so, so much. Winfrey casually mentions the millions of Old Navy emails that you get if you’re a subscriber (I died laughing--so true!), the joys of the McDonald's quarter pounder (LOVE them), and Bath and Body Works’ pumpkin pecan waffle scented candle (which I just so happen to have lit on my shelf as I write this review). While these references might end up eventually dating this book, I appreciated them so much and they helped me to dive even deeper into this realistic world that Winfrey has created.
One thing that did bother me a bit about the book was just how long it took Teddy and Everett to start writing to each other. As is expected with pen pal romances, they don’t meet right away, and I was relieved that the author didn’t use the pen pal ruse (my FAVOURITE trope) for only a few chapters. However, I was surprised by just how much of the book took place before Teddy finally put pen to paper (figuratively speaking--she sent an email!). That’s generally a “no no” in romance books. While I did find the early parts of the book slow paced primarily for this reason, the book eventually picks up speed. I couldn’t put the book down once I got into the meat of the story.
I recommend this whimsical and light book to those who want a humorous pen pal romance with substance.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ebook to review*
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
Instagram | Blog | Website | Twitter
My 2021 Reading Challenge


“I know your work matters. No one's suggesting that it doesn't. But the people who love you matter, too. And if you keep blowing everyone off to give one hundred percent of yourself to work, someday you're gonna wake up and no one will be there anymore.”
“This isn’t a sob story, sweetie. That’s just what life is. Even if you’re happy with the path you went down, part of you always wonders what was on that other road you passed a few miles back. That doesn’t mean it’s some grand tragedy. But it’s a loss all the same.”