Kristin's Bookshelf

📖 Unexpectedly Bookish
✍️ Elise Kennedy
📚 Love in Fairwick Falls, Book 4
🎙️ Rachel Dane & Grayson Owens
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I sort of loved this one. ❤️

“Unexpectedly Bookish” is such a sweet story about two people falling for each other virtually AND in person… completely unbeknownst to them.

What really stood out to me was Reed’s autism representation, particularly the acceptance and willingness of the people around him to accommodate his challenges without making a big deal out of it. As a mom of a son with profound autism, that kind of representation is incredibly important to me. I loved seeing people simply recognize what Reed needed and be willing to meet him there.

Both Reed and Pearl are flawed in ways that made them feel real. They’re each struggling with where they are in life, how they see themselves, and how much of their true selves they’re willing to let other people see. Watching those walls slowly come down was probably my favorite part of their relationship.

And yes, there’s plenty of open-door romance if that’s your vibe 🔥, but this book offers so much more than the spice. There’s friendship, vulnerability, acceptance, and two people figuring out how to show someone else who they really are.

Rachel Dane and Grayson Owens were both new-to-me narrators, and I really enjoyed their performances. They each brought something different to Reed and Pearl while also giving the supporting characters distinct voices. I’d happily listen to either of them again.

Sweet, spicy, bookish, and unexpectedly heartfelt. ❤️