I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

I Heart New York: A Novel by Lindsey Kelk

The blurb:
Fleeing London and her cheating boyfriend, Angela Clarke hops on a plane to New York and rediscovers her sexy, stylish, confident self while building a new life in the greatest city in the world.

It's official.  Angela Clarke is in love -- with the most fabulous city in the world.  When Angela catches her boyfriend with another woman at her best friend's wedding, she's heartbroken and desperate to run away.  (Especially once she's confronted the bride and inadvertently broken the groom's hand, in front of the entire reception!)  Fleeing the messy situation and clutching little more than a crumpled bridesmaid's dress, a pair of Louboutins, and her passport, Angela jumps on a plane, destination -- NYC.

Holed up in a cute hotel room, Angela makes friends with a benevolent concierge, Jenny, a chatterbox Oprah-wannabe with room for a new best friend.  After a New York makeover, some serious retail therapy, and a whirlwind tour of the city, before she knows it, Angela is dating two sexy guys.  And best of all, she's gotten her big break as a writer -- blogging about her New York escapades for a real fashion magazine.  But while it's one thing telling readers about your romantic dilemmas, it's another figuring them out for yourself!  Angela has fallen head over heels for the Big Apple, but does she heart New York more than home?

Review:
Looking for a fun, light read that celebrates NYC?  I Heart New York fills the bill perfectly.  Suspend disbelief and join Angela Clarke as she leaves her boyfriend of 10 years after discovering him with someone else.  Angela comes to NYC with no hotel reservations, friends or plan, but she has amazing luck.  As she tells Jenny, the concierge, her story,  she makes a friend.  And Jenny helps Angela find her bearings in the city.  A New York City makeover and thousands of dollars later, Angela draws the attention of a generous and charming Wall Street banker and a hot musician.   As Angela juggles the two men, she snags a writing job. 

It's fun to imagine a life like Angela's where everything somehow comes together.  Reading the book makes me want visit Angela's New York, to explore the New York outside my doorstep. 

ISBN-10: 0062004352 - Paperback $13.99
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Original edition (September 7, 2010), 320 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author:
Lindsey Kelk is a writer and children's book editor in New York City.  When she isn't writing, reading, or watching more TV than is healthy, Lindsey likes to wear shoes, shop for shoes, and judge the shoes of others.  I Heart New York is her first novel.  It has been folllowed by I Heart Los Angeles and I Heart Paris.

In Search of the Rose Notes by Emily Arsenault

In Search of the Rose Notes by Emily Arsenault

The blurb:
Eleven-year-olds Nora and Charlotte were best friends.  When their teenage babysitter, Rose, disappeared under mysterious circumstances, the girls decide to "investigate."  But their search -- aided by paranormal theories and techniques gleaned from old Time-Life books -- went nowhere.

Years later, Nora, now in her late twenties, is drawn back to her old neighborhood -- and to her estranged friend -- when Rose's remains are finally discovered.  Upset over their earlier failure to solve the possible murder, Charlotte is adamant that they join forces and try again.  But Nora was the last known person to see Rose alive, and she's not ready to revisit her troubled adolescence and the events surrounding the disappearance -- or face the disturbing secrets that are already beginning to reemerge.

Review:
In Search of the Rose Notes   is a engrossing read. The uneven childhood friendship between Nora and Charlotte provides drama and moves the story forward as they each try in their own way to solve the mystery of their babysitter's disappearance.  Nora is a much more sympathetic character than her privileged friend.  As Nora reaches out to and meets with people that she knew back then, when she was "the last person to see Rose alive" we can picture her high school experience - not fun - and clues to Rose's mysterious disappearance.

Full of emotion, mystery, and unexpected twists, In Search of the Rose Notes is a complicated an unexpected read.

ISBN-10: 0062012320 - Paperback $14.99
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (July 26, 2011).
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author:
Emily Arsenault is the critically acclaimed author of The Broken Teaglass, a New York Times 2009 Notable Mystery.  She lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.