The Kindred Spirits Supper Club

“All those little things add up to big things. You make a difference here, and you make me want to make a difference, too. You don’t want anything from me, but I want to give you everything.” It Is understandable why Sabrina avoids staying in her hometown because of the family business. It had caused her lots of trouble and bullying in her teenage years, especially by Bobby and Erika. The business in question: help ghosts with theirs unfinished business. Being in your late twenties and have no job and money to pay her students' loans makes her story being so related. On the other hand, there is Jay. Jay who once was a guy from the city, but coming to visit his uncle made him felt at home. Although his parents aren't convinced that Dells is the right place for him, they made a proposition: host the Goodbye Gala, and if went well, all family properties in the city will be his. The problem is: he doesn't know how to start (planning issues, yeah, I have this one). My favorite thing in the book is how Amy constructed the couple in a way so natural, what leads us to notice how “fate pulling the strings” perfectly. Also, there is fake dating because Sabrina noticed the only way to avoid more drama with Erika, the stupid bully girl in her teenage, is pretending to have a boyfriend, and Ray would be the perfect person to help her. Together, they go on fake public dates, get to know each other better, and developing a true friendship, and plan the Goodbye Gala. He found kindness, love, and generous heart in Sabrina, and she found a thoughtful true friend in Ray. Those little things make them nurturing feelings for each other, which is something Sabrina is so afraid of. She doesn't want to be attached to something in the town. She is afraid of dragging Ray into her mess, and this is the very last thing she wants to do. These are my favorite thing in the book is how well written the character were. We can see their fragility, their fairs, their desires, their hopes for the future, and mostly how what matters to one is important to the other. Or can they can face the future together. I enjoyed reading all time. When I listen to Afterglow by Taylor Swift, I instantly related to them. They are so precious.

This was...not great. It had a cute premise and I thought the ghost element sounded fun, but it all fell flat. The characters were annoying, and the plot wasn't interesting at all. I could feel for Sabrina and her anxieties, but she was such a pushover. Every time she interacted with Erica, the grown woman who still acts like she's in high school bullying Sabrina at every opportunity, was so frustrating. I just wanted her to grow a backbone and stand her ground. I also didn't understand the relationship between her and Ray. It didn't make any sense to me. They meet pretty early on and Ray is so enamored with her for no reason. The chemistry wasn't there and stays non-existent the entire time. The writing was corny and juvenile at times. All the elements of a cute contemporary were there, but it tried too hard to be ~quirky~ and it was to its detriment.

trigger warning: death of a family member, severe anxiety, panic attacks, bullying “We need to surround ourselves with people who love us for everything we are. The rest doesn’t matter.” Sabrina Monroe has no choice but to come back home after losing her job as a journalist in Washington, DC. Now she lives with her parents, works as a duck tour guide, and needs to find ways to pay off her student loan debt. Aside from all of these, she also have ghosts following her. The women in her family can see spirits who have unfinished business. It’s their job to help them so they can move on and rest in peace. Sabrina sees this talent as a curse and it’s also one of the many reasons why she wants to leave their town in the first place. She has everything planned out until she meets Ray Jasper, the new local restaurant owner. Sabrina is a complex but an endearing character. Her love for sticky notes and color-coded notes/labels are very relatable (at least for me). She’s an introvert who loves planning and organizing. Ray, the love interest, is not only charming but also kind-hearted. I honestly didn’t like him at first because he seems quite pushy but he does so many sweet, and incredible things not only for Sabrina but for other people and animals too. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Sabrina and Ray right away but I liked how their relationship developed throughout the story. The secondary characters are amazing. The ghosts, especially Molly and Belle, were both hilarious. I really loved Molly’s storyline and I wished there were more about Belle. I enjoyed the magical realism (supernatural) aspect in this book. I love reading some good ghost stories so this was a plus for me. I thought the author did a great job portraying Sabrina’s severe anxiety and panic attacks. It took awhile for me to get use to the writing though. There were just too much unnecessary details/events for me and I often got confused with the timeline. Overall, I had fun (and got hungry) reading this book. I recommend it if you enjoy a quick, heartwarming, and feel good romcom. Check out my other reviews here. *Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing the free e-arc. This did not affect my overall opinion of the book.

Sabrina Monroe doesn't enjoy being part of a family living in the Wisconsin Dells in which the women can see ghosts who need help moving on after they die. She also lives with constant anxiety and feels like a failure due to her gift and many incidents that have happened in the past. Currently she is between jobs but wants to leave Wisconsin so she can escape the burden of her gift. Ray's family owns most of the town including the local supper club. He wants to break away from his family and take over their local real estate holdings rather than go back to his previous job in New York, but his family wants him to come back home. Sabrina and Ray have an instant connection and they find out that their lives may be more connected than either one of them might have imagined. The Kindred Spirits Supper Club is a sweet story that asks questions about what gives life meaning. Sabrina and Ray are very likable characters, each with their own baggage, but the ghosts of Molly, Harry, and Belle almost steal the show. Sabrina's anxiety creates an opportunity to show better ways of dealing with it. This book is not great literature, but it does make for an enjoyable read. Overall, The Kindred Spirits Supper Club is a fun story with a few poignant moments.

Sabrina struggles with a lot: working for her former bully, trying to pay off school debt, crippling anxiety and she sees spirits. She cannot wait to escape her hometown and supernatural responsibilities because frankly life isn’t really working out for her. That is, until she meets Ray. This book tackles a lot of heavy issues, yet remains reflectively light in tone. There were moments I was completely swooning over how sweet Ray was and other moments I was hurting for Sabrina over her past trauma. Overall I liked this book! I don’t want to give too much away so I’ll just say that this was the first book I’ve read in a while where it felt like the couple really was meant to be, on a soulmate level. Definitely would recommend! 4/5⭐️