Pages As Planes: California

Although I will always be an East Coast girl at heart, I do love a good story set on the West Coast. I think it’s a great reminder how vast the US is and different depending on where you are! I’m craving summer and warm weather, so I was reminiscing on some of my favorite reads set in California.

So in today’s Pages as Planes, we are flying off to California! If you have a favorite book set In the state, let me know!

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory—I really enjoyed this one and we had Jasmine Guillory on Read It Or List It to discuss it last year! It’s part of The Wedding Date universe but can be read out of order (that’s how I did it!). It follows a lawyer and senator on their journey to love between LA and San Francisco.

There There by Tommy Orange—This is high on my must read list! It’s one of my brother’s favorite books so I’ve seen it so many times on his shelf. It’s hugely popular as well so I need to read it and get over my FOMO.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon—SUCH a cute YA book about thinking you’re the perfect match for someone. It’s been made into a movie as well called Mismatched on Netflix!

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maureen Goo—I haven’t read this one but I think it sounds like a delight!

“Desi Lee believes anything is possible if you have a plan. That's how she became student body president. Varsity soccer star. And it's how she'll get into Stanford. But she's never had a boyfriend. In fact, she's a disaster at romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It's a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her "K Drama Steps to True Love," Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.” —From the publisher

Husband Material by Emily Belden—I remember absolutely loving this book when I read it and it’s not too long, so it’s a great weekend read or one to get you out of a slump. It’s about grief, finding love again, and finding yourself outside a relationship.

TW: Loss of a spouse, cancer, strained family relationship

Ana of California by Andi Teran—An Anne of Green Gables retelling! Probably a good time for me to read the original Anne of Green Gables….but you know I love a retelling!

Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub—While this was not the book for me, I know so many friends who loved it! It’s got a fun Old Hollywood vibe and takes you through one woman’s career in Hollywood throughout her lifetime.

The Mothers by Brit Bennett—Brit Bennett is one of my favorite authors and this is her first book!

“It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.” —From the publisher

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid—A book a totally slept on for years due to the hype and I CAN’T BELIEVE I WENT SO LONG WITHOUT READING IT! I love love love this book and read it in a day. If you haven’t yet, change that!

Another sweeping look at the life of one woman through her illustrious film career while taking a candid look at her life offscreen.

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave—This is one well loved book! I haven’t read it yet but a friend of mine raves about it.

“Georgia Ford, bride-to-be, hops in her car and drives through the night, from Los Angeles to Sonoma, to her safe haven: her family, and the acclaimed family winery. Georgia craves the company of those who know her best, and whom she truly knows. Better yet, it’s the eve of the last harvest—the best time of the growing season, and Georgia knows she’ll find solace—and distraction—in the familiar rituals. But when Georgia arrives home, nothing is at all familiar. Her parents, her brothers, the family business, are all unrecognizable. It seems her fiancé isn’t the only one who’s been keeping secrets…” —From the publisher

Where should fly off to next?