Kristin's Bookshelf

Two Truths And A Lie
By Annie Abel | @anniewithapennie
Narrated By Rebecca Brokaw-Sands | @rebeccabrokawsands & Jack Fields
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book… ughhh. I ugly cried on multiple occasions.

Nora is one of the most beautifully written and relatable characters I’ve encountered in a rom-com. Both she and John have enough baggage to fill an airplane cargo hold, but they’re somehow still incredibly lovable despite all their flaws. John feels more willing to lean into love while outside forces keep getting in the way, whereas Nora is constantly battling herself and sabotaging the possibility before it can fully bloom.

This book was originally released last November, but I was thrilled to have the opportunity to experience an advanced listener copy from @happilybookedpr before its release. It absolutely did not disappoint.

At its core, this story is about grief, legacy, healing, and allowing yourself to be loved. Nora is desperately trying to save her father’s beloved bookstore and enters a writing contest that throws her directly into the orbit of her literary nemesis, John Kater — an author she remembers as cruel from a past encounter years earlier.

What starts as tension and resentment slowly shifts into friendship, vulnerability, and eventually romance thanks to some truly top-tier forced proximity. And let me tell you… Somewhere around chapters 39/40 I was emotionally wrecked. Completely. I knew things were spiraling, and I still wasn’t prepared for the heartbreak.

Thankfully, Annie Abel gives us the HEA we desperately need after putting our hearts through the blender.

Also, I need to give major praise to Rebecca Brokaw-Sands and Jack Fields because the narration elevated every emotional moment. Rebecca especially captured Nora’s anxiety, grief, humor, and self-destruction in a way that felt painfully real.