Member Reviews
Sabrina is a bit introverted with a huge amount of anxiety. Plus, she has a big old secret. She can see ghosts. She has recently moved home to help get out from under some debt and she is working for her arch enemy. Well, more like her high school nemesis. Enter Ray! Ray is new in town and he has taken a shine to Sabrina. As you can guess, well maybe not…better read the book!
I enjoyed Sabrina so very much! I guess because I can relate to her being an introvert. Some of her situations and her reactions hit very close to home. Then, there is Ray. He is just an all around “good guy”. And he definitely has Sabrina’s back! He stole my heart.
And finally…the ghosts…all of them added so much to the story. I laughed and cried at their antics.
I will be honest, I fluctuated between 4 and 5 stars on this one. Basically because I never give a RomCom a 5 star rating. Why? Because I am a bit of a book snob…there I said it! But, this one deserves 5 stars all the way! It has everything! This story will make you mad, smile and laugh then cringe…then you will start the process all over again.
Need a good story with fantastic characters and a hometown feel…Y’all THIS IS IT!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy Reichert is a quirky romantic comedy set in the Wisconsin Dells, aka the ‘Waterpark Capital of the World’. After being terminated from her job, Sabrina Monroe is forced to return home to for the summer where she awkwardly ‘meets cute’ Ray, a handsome and affable restauranteur who sees something special in Sabrina.
Confession: After I read the synopsis I was skeptical I would like this book when I learned the women in Sabrina’s family can see ghosts (insert eyeroll). Serendipity was on my side because Reichert integrates the ghost’s stories in such a delightful way that Molly, a ghost who is constantly meddling in Sabrina’s love life, became one of my favorite characters.
I loved how kind Sabrina was despite (or because) how others have treated her, and I was personally inspired by some of the simple ROAK things she does. I also appreciated how the author handled Sabrina’s anxiety with compassion.
If you enjoy light-hearted romances with lovable characters, the pursuit of the perfect cheese curd recipe and Wisconsin-style Brandy Old-Fashioneds, I recommend picking up this book, out tomorrow!
Thank you @aerichert @letstalkbookspromo @berkelypublishing and @NetGalley for the eARC of this book. Opinions are my own.
The Kindred Spirits Supper Club is an entertaining romantic comedy with spirits. After losing her job, Sabrina moves back home to the Wisconsin Dells. All the women in her family can see spirits and help spirits resolve unfinished business so they can pass on. Sabrina doesn’t want to live in the Wisconsin Dells because she can only see spirits there. She was bullied in school and her only friend growing up was Molly, a spirit. Ray loves the Wisconsin Dells and moves there to spend time with his uncle before he dies. He owns the local supper club. Sabrina and Ray have an entertaining first meeting that isn’t enjoyable for Sabrina. Ray wants to get to know Sabrina, but all she wants to do is find a job outside Wisconsin. Ray convinces Sabrina to help him with the Goodbye Gala. The Kindred Spirits Supper Club grabbed my attention for the whole book. I couldn’t wait to read what would happen to Sabrina and Ray next. Sabrina is afraid to get close to people but learns that the right people will accept you for who you are. Sabrina has spent a lot of time being lonely but is always nice to others. She has a great relationship with her family. She is even nice to her bullies. Ray will do anything to spend time with Sabrina. He has to prove to his family that he can make the supper club successful. I enjoyed the setting of Wisconsin Dells because it reminded me of weekend trips there as a child.
Thank you Berkley Romance for The Kindred Spirits Supper Club.
The Kindred Spirits Supper Club is a heartwarming, quirky, and feel good story with a touch of supernatural elements!
Sabrina recently lost her journalism job in DC and moved back home to the Wisconsin Dells. She suffers from anxiety and would prefer not to interact with anyone, but it’s difficult to keep to herself when she’s back in her small hometown and ghosts keep coming to her for help with their unfinished business. That’s right, Sabrina and the other women in her family can see ghosts and are tasked with helping them move on. She tries sending the ghosts to her mom for help, but they continue to pop up in her life at the most inconvenient times. Molly, a rom-com loving ghost, has been an important part of Sabrina’s life since childhood. She finds out Sabrina is fake dating Ray, the new owner of a local supper club, and tries to get Sabrina to realize Ray might be the one for her.
Even though their dating relationship is a ruse, Ray is clearly smitten by Sabrina. However, he doesn’t want to come on too strong, and Sabrina doesn’t want him to find out about her family’s ghost business and risk scaring him off. She also has a hard time opening up to people because she’s been bullied and taunted throughout her life. Despite this, Sabrina is the nicest person and spreads kindness like confetti. My heart broke for her as she endured cruelty from her former classmate turned boss, struggled with her inner turmoil, and tried to manage her anxiety.
I was rooting for Sabrina and Ray right along with Molly! They were both so sweet and nerdy! I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop and loved that they accepted each other’s flaws. I loved how Molly’s back story and the mystery behind her unfinished business tied into the overall story. I also loved Sabrina’s random acts of kindness, Ray’s thoughtfulness and good nature, Molly and Sabrina’s endearing relationship, and the descriptions of the delectable food and drinks. I’ll have the fried cheese curds and a Brandy Old-Fashioned, please!
Sabrina’s plan when she moves back to the Dells is to work lots of hours, save up enough money to pay her bills up to date, and move back to the city and away from her quaint hometown and her hereditary "gift."
Sabrina and Ray were such a perfect couple! Starting with their great meet-cute at the waterpark, the universe just kept throwing him into her path until she got more comfortable. Helping a girl feel more comfortable with a person when even her best friend is a ghost is truly the way to her heart. But it was her ghostly best friend who was both the one trying so hard to get them together, and the reason Sabrina was convinced it would never work out.
Sabrina’s evolution into someone who knew she deserved happiness and love regardless of her family quirks made this book so heartwarming and relatable. Those closest to Sabrina and her gentle and kind way of moving through the world already knew how special she was, but she was the last one to believe it.
I really enjoyed the unique characters and stories revealed between the humans and the ghosts. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The paranormal twist made it feel more like a cozy mystery than a supernatural book. I’d recommend it for most readers who enjoy contemporary romance, or those who especially like stories taking place in the Midwest.
This is a fun and heartwarming read, I loved it a lot.I have read others books by this author and this is by far the best.
It was easy to read, with a great slow burn romance and characters that make me swoon.I loved the supernatural element and I find it unique and refreshing in rom coms.
I absolutely loved Sabrina, I could easily relate to her .Ray is so sweet and swoon worthy.
Such a great read!
I really enjoyed this charming, quirky novel full of finding oneself and humorous spirit. I look forward to reading more by this author.
The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy E. Reichert is a fun rom-com with a supernatural twist. The main heroine Sabrina sees ghosts who come to her if they have an unfinished business. She doesn't embrace her supernatural gift as she was bullied at school because of it. After losing her job, Sabrina reluctantly returns to her childhood home in Wisconsin. At home, she meets Ray, the new attractive owner of the local supper club. Ray is very interested in Sabrina, but Sabrina is too afraid to open up to a romantic relationship with Ray because that would mean revealing her secret to him.
There were a lot of things that I really liked about this book. I loved the premise of the book, and I loved Molly, Sabrina's friendly ghost. I liked Ray and Sabrina's meet-cute and how their relationship developed! Unfortunately, there was one thing that prevented me from loving the book. It has the "mean girls" trope that I found very juvenile. Sabrina is 30-years old and she is still tormented by her former classmate, another 30-years old woman, who bullied her when they were in school. Every time I was reading a scene where this happened, I wanted to put the book down. At this point, I am really over books with the "mean girls" trope. I want to read books with supportive female friendships, where women uplift each other, instead of tearing each other down. Therefore this book is only getting three stars from me.
Oh my goodness, this book is a delight! Sabrina is down on her luck- she's lost her job, is drowning in student loans, and back living with her parents (in the hometown she never wanted to live in again). She meets Ray, who has just opened a new supper club (The Otter Club) and loves living in the Wisconsin Dells. I loved the supernatural twist- Sabrina and her mother help the recently deceased complete their unfinished business. Sabrina's best friend is Molly, a ghost from the 1930s who is so much fun. I've loved all of Amy E. Reichert's books and this one is no exception. She makes Wisconsin a place I really want to visit and sample all of the foods she mentions in her books. Highly recommend this one!
Sabrina Monroe finds herself back at home in the Dells after losing yet another job and her boyfriend. She loves to write and ventured into the world of journalism…the only problem being that she doesn’t like talking to people. This can make researching a story or the next big scoop ‘kinda hard. Another problem is that she’s also not comfortable being part of the ‘family business’ either, which happens to be talking to people too, except they’re dead! Add to the mix a sleazy ex-boyfriend, the boss from Hell, a dead best friend, lot’s of family secrets and a potential love interest and The Kindred Spirits Supper Club comes together. The culmination of Sabrina helping the dead complete their unfinished business so they can move on to the afterlife while she tries to navigate your own messed up existence makes for a fun and heart-warming tale. Will there be a happy conclusion?
I enjoyed this book a lot, the characters were believable even though they were set in a slightly unique setting. The supporting cast were excellent, my personal favourite being Belle, and they each bought a very necessary dynamic to the whole tale. Ultimately, this was a story about family, love and embracing who you are in the pursuit of happiness, a message we can all relate to. Sabrina, as a leading lady was highly likable and made me laugh out loud more than once. Ray as a leading man was the perfect blend of funny/sexy that we all love to read about. . Also, like all good books there are some deeper layers to the story, particularly the storyline of Sabrina’s disastrous young love experience and how that affected her whole life. Get this book now and settle in for a great read.
The reason I picked up this book was because it was set in the Wisconsin Dells. I grew up about 20 minutes from the Dells and have never read a book set there. I loved that I could picture the downtown, I know about the entire town of water parks, I know what a Duck (not a bird) is, my dad use to make a comment about the dam every time we drove over it, and the supper club is such a staple of Wisconsin. The setting is what made me pick up the book but the story itself is what kept me reading.
The characters were fun, quirky, and entertaining. I love Sabrina and felt sorry that she had been bullied so much that it was keeping her from being happy, ever, in her hometown. Ray is the person I knew would help her overcome her past and find a happiness in a town where many people love her. Molly, the ghost, is my favorite character. Even though she is dead and a ghost, she is Sabrina’s best friend.
The romance was fun, the paranormal twists were entertaining, and the family dynamics real.
Sabrina and Ray meet in an incredibly unique meet-cute situation, but when he discovers she can see and talk to ghosts, will it be a deal breaker?
This rom-com was incredibly sweet, and the paranormal twist was definitely different. My heart ached for Sabrina as she fought to overcome being bullied as a child/teenager as well as lasting anxiety in social situations. The love story was cute but, overall, I didn't feel a deep connection to the story or characters.
Location: Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
✦Review: THE KINDRED SPIRITS SUPPER CLUB by Amy E. Reicher https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-bMb
Publication Date: April 20, 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated: 4.5 Stars
I chose this book on a whim because it takes place near where I grew up. I am glad I did. It was a delightfully fun book with quirky characters. I liked Sabrina but had a problem with her refusing to help some ghosts, and how she sometimes treated Ray. She suffered anxiety due to lifelong bullying and resenting her gift. Family sure dropped the ball in getting her help earlier in life. Ray was a dream guy. A handsome business owner who loves to cook and is sweet on so many levels. I liked his nerdy side too. His personality and patience were perfect for Sabrina, making them a lovely couple.
The base of the story is Ray trying to make his supper club a success while wooing Sabrina. Meanwhile Sabrina is trying to get her life in order and deal with ghosts needing something solved before they can pass on. All this adds a hint of mystery and fun to a tender romance. I’m still smiling from this feel-good romance.
*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Kindle https://amzn.to/3glPBgR
#TheKindredSpiritsSupperClub
Thank you Berkley Romane & Netgalley for a EARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I felt this story was adorable. The romance between Sabrina and Ray was all the ooy gooey love I needed to get thru this book quickly. I appreciated the fast romance development between the characters. This story was fast paced which made this a quick read.
The biggest thing that fell flat for me is the ghost aspect to the story. I think I am just learning that ghosts are not for me...... I have a hard time buying into the concept and it just takes away from the stories I read. When reading the back I always feel it could be interesting but then as reading it falls flat for me.
Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy E. Reichert
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Jobless Sabrina Monroe is forced home back to Wisconsin. She's ready for her past to come and haunt her, but actual ghosts? The women in her family are cursed to see spirits coming to them for unfinished business. When an attractive and charming local restauranteur comes knocking, her resolve of focusing on her professional life are hard to keep. What happens when home starts to feel like forever?
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This book was such a great read. It was both a light fluffy read and a touching heartfelt story that contained more heavy topics. I loved how natural those topics felt in the book. I loved how caring both the character were, not only for each other but for the world around them. I especially loved how Sabrina's panic attack were written, It felt both raw and honest, no unnecessary added drama to make us feel like she was a victim. I loved the small switch in narratives, sometimes we got to be in Molly (a permanent ghost who can't move on) head and I really loved the different perspective. There was some jump in times sometimes that I found a little difficult to follow, I feel like a simple change in formatting for those passages would have helped. I absolutely loved that ending. It was sweet intimate, and so romantic. But it was also a little bitter sweet and it felt just right.
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Steam Rating: Closed door, with some heavy make out session.
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I want to thank @netgalley , @berkleypub and @aereichert for the advanced readers copy! As always all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
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Sabrina Monroe has moved home to Wisconsin, and back in with her parents after she was fired from yet another journalism job. You see, she loves the writing part, it’s the part of the job where she has to speak to other humans that she doesn’t enjoy. (I can relate, I would rather do just about anything else other than get on the phone with someone).
Oh, and that’s not all—Sabrina can talk to dead people. In fact, the women in her family have a long history of being ‘fixers’ for the recently departed. So if there’s a ghost with unfinished business, they’re drawn to Sabrina’s family, and unfortunately, this often happens at the most inconvenient times.
Being stuck in her hometown starts to look up when Sabrina meets Ray, who recently took over The Otter Club, a swanky supper club down by the river. He’s handsome, charming, kind, and seems to have a thing for Sabrina and all her quirks. As they work together to organize a big annual event, it becomes apparent that their lives have been intertwined for much longer than they realized.
The characters were super loveable in this story, and it’s about more than just the romance. It’s also about family and finding your sense of place and belonging. I loved watching Sabrina’s confidence grow and how she learned more about herself throughout the book. The only slight criticism I have is that I wanted more. More of the ghosts, more of Sabrina’s family history, more of everything. Of course, that would have made for an extremely long book, so I guess we can’t have everything.
This is a wonderful summer read, with low steam, so grab yourself a copy!
See this review and more at my blog, The Scribe Owl!
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
4/5 stars
The Kindred Spirits Supper Club was an adorable magical realism book about a small town in Wisconsin, ghosts, and love.
The Kindred Spirits Supper Club was absolutely adorable! With most rom-com contemporary books like this, they're cute and forgettable. This one was less forgettable for its elements of magical realism, making for a more memorable read.
In a rom-com like this, one of the main selling points is always the characters. As expected, the characters in this book were amazing! Our female lead, Sabrina, wasn't like the normal rom-com MC. Dare I say...she was not like other girls? She had severe anxiety and it made her feel more realistic. The love interest, Ray, was adorable as well.
This book was pretty low-drama. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing for you, but I enjoyed it. I'm sick of the 30 50 80 rule (kiss at 30%, more-than-kiss-if-you-get-my-drift at 50%, drama at 80%) so I was more than happy to skip all the meaningless relationship drama.
I loved the addiction of ghosts! Like I said, it made the book much more memorable. Molly was a fantastic character and I loved her little subplot.
All in all, this was an enjoyable and creative contemporary. I'd highly recommend it if you want a fun feel-good novel!
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.
*Huge thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing the free e-arc. This did not affect my overall opinion of the book.
This story was everything! Rom-Com at its best! A delightful story that made me not want it to end. I laughed and chuckled, I got annoyed- Thanks to Erika! I also cried. Okay, I cried a few times! The characters are amazing and so distinct!
Five stars!
Sabrina has a special gift -- the women in her family can see and hear the dead. Thankfully, the men in the family are understanding and have accepted this, but the one time Sabrina put her trust in another man outside of the family she was ridiculed and ostracized. Needless to say, this has left her a bit shy, anxious, and reserved. The dating scene can be hard enough but throw in ghosts who are constantly talking to you? Stressful doesn't begin to cover it. When Ray moves back to town and meets Sabrina, he is instantly intrigued. He finds her adorably quirky and wants to get to know her better, despite all of her objections. Trying to make a success out of his family-inherited business, he definitely doesn't need a distraction, but he can't resist Sabrina's charm even when she's trying to drive him away. Pair these two with a few interesting ghosts (especially one who is set on finding Sabrina love) and you have an eccentric romantic comedy with a whole lot of heart.
Thoughts: This was definitely one of the more unique rom-coms I think I've ever read! Sabrina is a quirky but likable character, and Ray is adorable (as most rom-com leading men are). Rom-com fans will love how Ray sees passed Sabrina's anxiety and social inadequacies to see how smart, caring, hardworking, and kind she really is. And while Sabrina isn't exactly a relatable character in some regards -- not everyone has experience seeing and conversing with ghosts, right?? -- she has some really relatable aspects to her and she's a complex character readers will enjoy getting to know as the story unfolds. And the cast of secondary characters were a lot of fun! Ghosts out for revenge and a mystery to solve both work well to keep this plot moving along.
So why not five stars??? Well, to be honest, the first third of the book was incredibly confusing and I really struggled to get into it. The author was trying so hard to not give away too much information that could spoil the plot and the mystery that I found myself scratching my head at all of the plot holes. A lot of these holes are filled in by the middle of the book, though. Overall, the second half of the book definitely made it worth it, and I really enjoyed the love story between Ray and Sabrina.