This was pretty interesting! I liked the love story and I loved the setting of Skymar Islands! ( )

I received an ARC of this book for free for promotional purposes.

This was such a cute story!

Since this is an epistolary novel, it is told almost entirely through emails and text exchanges. I am a huge fan of epistolary books, and the format worked so well for this story. The book is about two people who meet on an online dating website, so telling the story this way made perfect sense.

This book was made for bookworms. The main character, Izzy, is a librarian and her love interest, Brodie, works at a bookstore so there is a ton of bookish and literary references.

I loved Izzy’s character development. I enjoyed seeing her come into her own and become her own “authentic” self. I also enjoyed the supporting cast, particularly Izzy’s three cousins. Her cousins were so entertaining but also very loving towards Izzy.

I also loved the fictional country of Skymar. I wish it was a real place because it is to die for! It sounded so cozy, quaint, and charming, like something out of a fairy tale. Plus Brodie’s cliff side house also sounded like a dream come true. I’m so glad the author included a map of Skymar; it was so helpful.

This book is considered Christian fiction as there is talk of God and faith. However, it was done very subtly and did not detract from the romance element of the story.

Overall, if you love books and you love romance, you should definitely pick this book up! ( )

Yes, I am behind the times with some of my reading, so I have made it a goal in 2023 to read one book each month that is on my tbr from last year or longer. This issue is simple: there is not enough time in the day/week/month/year for me to get to all the books I want to read. Including Pepper Basham’s 2022 epistolary novel, Authentically, Izzy.

Let me start by saying there is one thing I found a little out of touch with today’s culture (and the age of her characters) in the book and that was how often Izzy and her cousins emailed each other. With apps, texts, and social media, I think the main source of communication (other than face-to-face interactions) take place through those over email. But, those types messages are short, and Izzy would never be able to communicate her heart and process through anything other than email. Also, my generation (Gen-X) does use email, so I enjoyed the exchanges.

This book had some laughable moments and some great exchanges between Izzy and her cousins as well as Izzy and Brodie. And I absolutely loved that Brodie and Izzy got to know each other as friends through their correspondence before they ever met each other. And when they do finally meet, it is worth the journey to get there because of the foundation they’ve built sharing themselves with each other.

I find it true that I am often willing to share more when writing to someone than I am in an in-person conversation. That’s partly due to the back and forth that happens naturally and the fact I don’t want to dominate the time, but also because sometimes it’s easier to open up when I am alone only facing a computer screen. Basham brought this out beautifully in Izzy’s story. And I am elated that Penelope and Luke (Izzy’s cousins) have their own stories coming.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive or negative review. All opinions are my own. ( )

I love the premise of this book: correspondence as a precursor to true love is always sure to win points from me. Bookish references are a plus. A setting that's vaguely Scottish is dreamy. And that cover is amazing!
It was very sweet, and there were plenty of moments I enjoyed, but it felt like it was just too long. The story takes place almost entirely in texts and emails, and I found it very difficult to sustain interest in hopping back and forth between messages from various people over that length of book. It could have been pared down to wonderful effect.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this digital review copy! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ( )

4 1/2 stars!

Book lovers will absolutely adore Authentically, Izzy! It’s a unique story mostly told in epistolary form through emails and texts. The characters are genuine, funny, endearing and completely drew me in. I loved the heartwarming romance, the themes of being your authentic self and worthy of love, the ups and downs of familial relationships, and the matchmaking meddling. I also loved the nerdy aspects with references to Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Andy Griffith Show, and classic books like Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, etc.

Izzy has terrible luck with men. Unbeknownst to her, her meddling, matchmaking cousin Josephine signs her up for an online dating service, Heart to Heart. Deciding to embrace the meddling, Izzy takes over her profile and communicates with several men before finally meeting Brodie, a handsome bookish, Lord of the Rings/Yoda loving resident of Skern (a small town on the fictional islands of Skymar with both Scottish and Scandinavian roots).

With both Izzy’s and Brodie’s love of books, there’s an instant connection. Though they live half a world away their friendship soon blossoms with email and video chat exchanges. There’s also another man in Izzy’s life who seems a perfect match for her too and is local. Who will she choose and who encourages her to be her most authentic self?

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version! All the male voices are narrated by a man and the female voices by a woman. It’s absolutely wonderful hearing Brodie’s lilting Scottish accent. And Luke! Luke is downright hilarious with his dry sense of humor and sassiness. I loved hearing the email exchanges between Izzy’s cousins Penelope, Luke, and Josie and found myself frequently laughing out loud. I got so used to listening to the email exchanges that when the author changes writing styles it was a little jarring at first, but I loved hearing the extra details that wouldn’t work in emails.

Izzy is such a sweet character and I wanted desperately for her to believe in Brodie’s love. I loved her ideas for the library where she works and later the bookshop. She’s creative and fun and I enjoyed hearing her point of view. Then there’s Brodie. He’s thoughtful, supportive, shy, and just the perfect guy. He believes in Izzy and gets her to really examine and believe in herself. I loved his quoting Yoda with a Mayberry Southern accent. Then there’s Brodie’s home on the cliff. Sigh. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

Highly recommend this heartwarming, quirky, sweet romance with a touch of faith and plenty of laughs. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley but also listened to the audiobook version. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. ( )