Series: Skymar #2
Publication Date: 01st August 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance
4 Stars
One Liner: Sweet and heartwarming (with some OTT elements)
Penelope Edgewood is more than a ray of sunshine. She’s the entire summer sun minus the sweaty heat. Positively keeps her going, though Penelope is no stranger to pain and heartbreak. Penelope has work cut out for her when she joins The Darling House, an old theatre on the island of Skymar. She is supposed to revive the theatre’s presence as a marketing intern.
Of course, Penelope being who she is, takes up more than her job. She decides the Grays (owners of the theatre) could do with some help; at least, grumpy Matt Gray and his dotty Iris need her sunshine. Someone is trying to cause trouble, so it’s up to her to sort everything out and maybe choose the right man to love in the process.
The story comes in emails and chat messages between different characters and third-person POV.
What I Like:
Though it is the second book in the series, it works as a standalone. I haven’t read the first book and had no issues understanding the character arcs or backstory. I could be missing some extra, but it doesn’t directly impact the plot. I got a clear picture of Izzy, Luke (easily my favorite), Penelope, and Josephine from their conversations.
Iris (7yo) is an absolute darling. This little girl with two dimples has a good presence in the book (though she doesn’t get many dialogues due to the chosen format). Still, I enjoyed the scenes with her.
The theatre’s scenes are cool. Despite not having much description, it’s easy to visualize the interiors and the characters’ love for the place. The fictional location is just as beautiful, with lakes, hills, flower valleys, waterfalls, and cute shops.
There’s a lot of baking in this one. Muffins, cookies, chocolate éclairs, strawberry tarts… you name it, we’ll probably find it here. Penelope is a great baker, which does work in her favor.
Despite the excess glitter, Penelope is a sweet FMC. She has many good traits and shows decent growth throughout the book. Given her age (23-24), she does act like a teen sometimes but displays emotional maturity when necessary. Her professional skills are noteworthy (maybe even better).
Matt is grumpy but not rude or excessively annoying. I was rooting for him from the beginning, and the gradual change in his character is well done. Even the dynamics between Penelope and Matt are enjoyable. There’s steady progress, which makes their relationship grow from being employee-employer to friends and something more, seem realistic and unhurried.
The book deals with grief in different forms. While Penelope celebrates her loved ones to express her grief, Matt goes into a shell, Grandpa Gray becomes a recluse, and Alec… you’ll have to read to find out. The themes are handled sensitively without feeling excessive or bland. ‘Faith’ is also just right (minimum, which is how I like it).
What Could Have Been Better for Me:
The first quarter or more of the book is in an epistolary form with lengthy emails and messages between Penelope, Izzy, Luke, Josephine, and a few other characters. Then we suddenly have a third-person narration. Soon, the emails are fewer, and there’s an increase in direct narration. The count further reduces towards the end. In short, we have an uneven narrative device throughout the book. I wish it was streamlined.
The first quarter is super slow because of the various emails (with PS, PPS, PPS, and goPPPPS) that talk about everything and nothing at once. Let’s say it was interesting for a while and then got annoying. I liked it better once the third-person POV became a regular feature.
I’m not a fan of movies or musicals. Fortunately, I knew quite many references in the book, but it still feels a little too much (this won’t be an issue for most readers). I understand that’s Penelope’s character, but she is so much more than silly OTT antics. Her actual depth comes out in regular scenes.
Too much of anything is bad, and so is excess sunshine. This has a triple sunshine vs. grumpy trope, which does feel irritating at times. More so, if you, like me, are not going to be categorized as ‘sunshine’ in real life. (NGL, Genelia did this better in the Bommarillu movie)
The book is just too long. It could have been 80 pages shorter and still delivered the same story with the same impact.
To summarize, Positively, Penelope is a sweet and Hallmarkish romance with loads of positivity, musical references, and happy vibes. I did enjoy this book, though I have high hopes for Luke’s story (loved him in this one). Can’t wait to read it!
This is a clean romance with some kissing in the last quarter.
Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas Nelson, for the eARC.
#NetGalley # PositivelyPenelope
***
P.S: What on earth is baby yoga? Just give your little ones a good oil bath for an hour every day. That’s all the ‘yoga’ a three-month baby needs.
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