SHE’S UP TO NO GOOD
By Sara Goodman Confino


It was so nice to get to visit Grandma Evelyn again – a character from Confino’s debut novel, For the Love of Friends. Evelyn, along with her fun and feisty personality, and her grand-daughter Jenna, takes center stage in Confino’s sophomore novel, SHE’S UP TO NO GOOD. In this dual time line and point of view novel takes us a trip not just down the memory lane, but a road trip to the seaside town of Hereford, Massachusetts.

The story is about Jenna’s broken heart from a failed marriage when her husband asks for a divorce. As Jenna takes Evelyn on this road trip, Evelyn shares her story about her first love, Tony. At Hereford, Jenna meets Joe, Tony’s great-nephew.

Both women are healing from their heart aches and the way the story was told was so incredibly fun to read. I love how the story incorporates forbidden love, broken hearts, the Jewish faith, and that despite all that, to look through the future with an open heart to accept love again.

I loved this book!

Jenna thought she was happily married, that is until her husband informs her he met someone else and the life she had envisioned is ripped to shreds. Struggling to find her footing she moves back in with her parents while she figures out her next steps. When her almost eighty-nine year old grandmother Evelyn stubbornly insists on driving to Hereford, Massachusetts to attend to some business Jenna volunteers to drive her both to make sure she gets the safely but possibly also to get some space from her mother who is hinting not so subtly that she wants Jenna to start dating again.

I was delighted to realize Grandma Evelyn who we were briefly introduced to in Sara Goodman Confino debut novel For the Love of Friends would be one of the main characters in this book. Evelyn is such quirky, no-nonsense, tell it like it is type personality and I loved getting to know her back story.

This book is dual timeline switching between the ‘present’ and 1950s Hereford, MA where Evelyn grew up which I really loved. Present day Jenna is trying to come to terms with her marriage ending so a trip to Hereford away from it all seems like a perfect opportunity to clear her head. However, as it turns out this quiet oceanside town holds many memories and a few secrets from her grandmothers past. We learn about Tony, Evelyns first true love. Once they arrive in Hereford it seems tending to some personal business may not have been the only reason for the trip, rather Jenna gets the feeling it was a setup as her grandmother starts to play matchmaker when we are introduced to Tony’s relative Joe.

I throughly enjoyed this book by Sara Goodman Confino, her characters are so well written. I absolutely loved grandma Evelyn, the flashbacks to her youth were such an interesting way to not only get to know Evelyn better but to get a feel for the potential Jenna has within her to bounce back from her failed marriage. She’s Up To No Good is a fun and heart-warming story of two women and how the embrace some of the hard lessons life offers. It will tug at your heart but Evelyns spunky personality will make you laugh out loud.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Sara does it again with her newest book, She's Up to No Good. She's Up to No Good is a five star must read that will have you laughing and smiling along with Jenna and Evelyn. I am happy to report that Sara is an auto read/auto buy author. This book is in my top three favorite reads of 2022!

I literally read this whole book in one afternoon. I could not and would not stop reading. Jenna and Evelyn come from two different generations, but they bridge that gap on their road! trip. For me though, Evelyn is the star of this story. She kept me entertained with her stories and her sharp-witted tongue. I never knew what she would say next.

If you loved Sara's first book than you definitely have to pick up this one up.

After being blindsided by divorce, Jenna is in a rut. So when her grandmother tells her about her upcoming trip to Massachusetts, she decides that going with her may be the best way to get her life back on track. But what she thought was just a trip to the beach ends up being an eye-opening exploration into her grandmother’s past and a way to finally heal.

I loved Sara Goodman Confino’s debut last year, For the Love of Friends, so I was excited to pick up She’s Up to No Good. When I started reading, I didn’t know that the grandmother from For the Love of Friends would be one of the main characters, so realizing that was a nice surprise. Although I struggled to get into this at first, once I picked up the audiobook, I started to love this book. The narrator did a great job bringing this story to life, especially through the accents.

I loved the dual timelines and felt it really helped drive the story forward. While the two romances between Evelyn and Tony in the past and Jenna and Joe in the present were the main focus, I feel like the heart of this book was really about personal growth and family history. As Jenna learns about her grandmother’s past, she also learns about a family and a town she didn’t know nearly anything about, and the growth that comes out of that was probably my favorite part of this book.

My only problems were with how Evelyn and Tony’s relationship played out in the past. Evelyn was selfish, and I feel like Tony deserved better than he got. It seemed a little unfair that Evelyn got to live a life that moved past Tony, whereas Tony’s life seemed to still be stuck revolving around Evelyn. It’s possible that it was just Evelyn’s bias in her storytelling, but it still bothered me.

But overall, I enjoyed She’s Up to No Good, and I will definitely keep an eye out for Confino’s books in the future.

Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This dual timeline novel is a heartwarming love story to family and the choices we make in the name of love. The discovery of those choices and what they mean to generations following are at the heart of this character driven book and I loved the feeling of life coming full circle.

This was a fun feel good book. I really enjoyed the characters and their distinct personalities and the fun journey they were on. Super cute and I would recommend.

In this novel, Jenna is an adult woman back living in her parents’ house while still reeling from her husband unexpectedly asking for a divorce, when she ends up escorting her octogenarian grandmother Evelyn on a trip to the coastal Massachusetts town where her grandmother grew up. The book then alternates chapters between Jenna in the present and Evelyn when she was younger as she tells her story to Jenna.

This was a sweet book and I loved the Jewish representation. I will say that I thought this was going to be more of a contemporary novel but really in a way it’s kind of a dual time period historical novel. But I loved both stories and the romance in both. And it very much made me miss my grandmother and my husband’s grandmother, both of whom passed away in 2016.

Four years into their marriage, Jenna's husband Ben "suddenly" asks for a divorce. She thought they were happy, but he's met someone else.

Distraught, she moves back in with her parents, and spends six months wallowing in her childhood bedroom. When her grandmother Evelyn invites Jenna on a road trip to the small seaside town she [Evelyn] grew up, the younger woman agrees, and it is there, in the fictional town of Hereford, that Jenna begins to find herself...

And maybe, possibly finds love again too.

Flashing between the 'present' and 1950s Hereford, it took me a really long time to really get into Sara Goodman Confino's 'She's Up To No Good'. The tales of Evelyn's upbringing largely bored me, and I was very tempted to DNF several times.

Evelyn's character is hard to like, and the fact that she's seemingly constantly telling Jenna stories but never answering any of Jenna's (valid) questions was really frustrating.

But, ultimately, I'm glad I didn't DNF.

At around the 60% mark, the novel finds it stride, and I became really invested in Jenna's - and Joe's - character(s). It's the slowest of burns, though, and some readers might feel it's "too little, too late". Overall, I found the story cute and heartwarming in parts, but will it stay with me for a long time? Probably not.

Personally, I'm tired of reading about women who've been left by their husbands and have to pick up the pieces on their own, and the addition of the quirky, tongue-in-cheek grandmother felt formulaic. We've seen it done before (most recently, in 'The Last First Date' by Hayley Quinn), and while the flashbacks made Evelyn more than just a tool for Jenna's development, I'm still not sold on the subgenre.

A decent read that took a long time to get anywhere, 'She's Up To No Good' left me smiling at the end, but frustrated me too much throughout to get anything more than three stars.

This book was so much fun! Evelyn is such an amazing character, and I found myself missing her when I wasn’t reading her chapters. I loved how the story wasn’t only one thing. We got a bit of romantic comedy, a little drama, some heartbreak, all wrapped up with a sense of contentedness. My only small gripe is the sheer number of characters. I would have loved to see a family tree or even just a list of who everyone was. With Tony’s whole family plus Evelyn’s extended family, I had a lot of trouble remembering who was who. Other than that, I loved it! Can’t wait to read more by this author!

For two women generations apart, going home will change their lives in this funny, poignant, and life-affirming novel about family, secrets, and broken hearts by the author of For the Love of Friends.

Four years into her marriage, Jenna is blindsided when her husband asks for a divorce. With time on her hands and her life in flux, she agrees to accompany her eccentric grandmother Evelyn on a road trip to the seaside Massachusetts town where much of their family history was shaped.

When they hit the road, Evelyn spins the tale of the star-crossed teenage romance that captured her heart more than seventy years ago and changed the course of her life. She insists the return to her hometown isn’t about that at all—no matter how much she talks about Tony, her unforgettable and forbidden first love.

As the secrets and truths of Evelyn’s past unfold, Jenna discovers a new side of her grandmother, and of herself, that she never knew existed—and learns that the possibilities for healing can come at the most unexpected times in a woman’s life.

What a fun and heartwarming story! There is so much we can learn from the older generation, and Sara Goodman Confino displays that with wit, humor, and even a few tears.

Jenna’s husband has found someone new, so Jenna moves back in with her mom and dad. Not real fun at almost thirty-five, but it is what it is. When her grandma comes to say her goodbyes, they are all shocked. Not what you think - she’s going on a road trip back to her hometown and her first love.

Jenna offers to drive her nearly 90-year-old grandma, or rather, is kind of coerced. The road trip becomes a mix of a flashback of Evelyn’s life and hilarious moments between Jenna and her crafty grandma.

Once they arrive in Hereford, things get interesting as it appears that Grandma Evelyn may have been trying to play matchmaker.

I loved Evelyn’s character; the banter between Jenna and her really made me smile. I would have loved to have had that kind of relationship with my grandma. 𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭-𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭-𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺!


Thank you @getredprbooks #lakeunionauthors and @saraconfino for a gifted ebook.

This is a multi-generation saga of Jenna and Evelyn (Jenna's grandmother). The two take a road trip to Evelyn's hometown in Massachusetts. During the trip Jenna discovers more about her grandmother's upbringing. We get a non linear timeline of both women.

As the reader fills some of the gaps in their understanding of one another we learn to love both immensely.

This is a beautiful book of discovery, second chances, and familial love. Also, there were tears rolling down my face funny at times!

Thank you so much @lakeunion and @letstalkbookspromo for this arc. All thoughts are my own.

This book was moving, emotionally brilliant, and entertaining throughout. I loved the dual timelines and how Jenna's current situation is explored as well as how her grandmother's story is laid out for the reader (and Jenna) to discover at the same time.

It's funny how we think our lives are going to be, and then they turn out to be something entirely. Just because we fail or we don't end up with who will believe we will, doesn't make our journey less valid or important. And that's not to say that things won't be better, or work out in the future.

Plus, Jenna's grandma is a wonderful, strong-willed, plucky lady that I ABSOLUTELY adore.

TW: brief mention of suicide, depression, and racial/religious prejudice.

I loved this follow up novel to For The Love of Friends.

The author re-introduces us to Evelyn, the quirky grandmother. But in this novel, we get to head back to her coming-of-age and first falling in love story. It's done in a really fun way when Evelyn goes on a roadtrip back to the town where she grew up to take care of some finished business. Her recently single, but not quite divorced, granddaughter Jenna goes along to drive Evelyn. Along the way through Evelyn's storytelling and the journey, Jenna finds the closure she was looking for and the possibility of new love.

Both funny and heartwarming. This book was such a delight to read.

I liked this more than I thought I would! Some of it is completely predictable, but the story is engaging and well-written. I like seeing Jenna's growth and her relationship with her grandmother. Evelyn had me laughing out loud for real, so I'm rounding my 4.5 stars up to 5.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. At the outset of this book, we meet Jenna whose life is crumbling around her and her grandmother, Evelyn, whom everyone thinks is losing her marbles. Evelyn’s insistence on returning to Massachusetts for an unknown reason opens up one of the funniest family dynamics I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

Evelyn is, by far, such a star as a character. She is fiercely determined to accomplish something but also completely refuses to let anyone know what she is doing. The dual-perspective of dipping into her background set in Hereford, Massachusetts allows readers to see both how Evelyn grew up but also the potential Jenna has within her.

This novel has an excellent balance of heartwarming, funny, and serious aspects. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I highly suggest it.

Fans of Sara Goodman Confino’s For The Love Of Friends will be thrilled that She’s Up To No Good features the hilarious grandma, Evelyn!⁣ When Jenna’s husband checks out of their marriage, she moves back in with her parents. And when her grandma suggests she plans to drive herself back to her home town on mysterious personal business, Jenna offers to take her. We, along with Jenna, learn about Evelyn’s life in the coastal town of Hereford, growing up in a Jewish family in the 1950s. In the present, Evelyn introduces Jenna to Joe, who shows her around the area. With these dual timelines, we come to know both of these wonderful women.

Jenna's life has been completely turned upside down when her husband blind sides her, asking for a divorce because he's in love with someone else. At the lowest of lows, she finds herself living with her parents in her mid 30s. She's about ready to be kicked out by her mom, when her grandma, Eleanor, decides to embark on a road trip to her hometown several hours away. With nothing better to do, Jenna offers to go with.

What follows is an amazing story of love, family and friendship. I absolutely loved this book for so many reasons:

❤️ The grandma. Eleanor is a fun, feisty, and fearless character. I definitely wish I had her in my life.

❤️Alternate timelines. I absolutely loved the flashbacks to the 1950s and Eleanor's youth.

❤️The humor. This book is laugh out loud funny

❤️Eleanor's big family

❤️And of course 💞LOVE💞
So much love in this book

Sara Goodman Confino absolutely knocked it out of park with this fun and heart-warming story. She's Up To No Good really tugged at my heart, sometimes breaking it but mostly making it smile.

Sara Goodman Confino is a brilliant writer. This is the second book I’ve read from this author and this is every bit, if not better, than her first. The details in her writing really make you feel like you’re in the town she is writing about. A split book which worked amazingly.

You're Gonna Miss This. When I think about this book and everything that happens in it, the thing that keeps coming to my mind is the old Trace Adkins song "You're Gonna Miss This". You've got all kinds of things going on here - a 3os-ish woman who has just been dumped by her husband for a younger woman and then spends the next six months isolated in her parents' home, the feisty octogenarian grandmother with lifelong secrets of her own, and a charming small beach town where everyone knows everything and all will be revealed. While the song is all about children growing up too quickly, it is equally applicable to grandparents passing too quickly, and both themes are used superbly here. A very fun book with a lot of heart and a few gut punches, this book has pretty much everything anyone could want in a women's fiction novel bordering on the romance. Very much recommended.