Title: Authentically, Izzy
Author: Pepper Basham
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Authentically, Izzy" by Pepper Basham

My Assessment:

The author presented this novel, "Authentically," which was told in 'letters, emails, and tests,' in a beautiful, exciting romance that will keep one's interest till the end. What will happen when 'Izzy's matchmaking cousin Josephine signs her up for an online matchmaking service?' How will this turn out for Izzy as he gets to know Brodie as they get to know each other? Be ready for many laughers as the reader continues to turn the pages. I especially like the 'Lord of the Rings references because I am a Lord of the Rings fan.

'Authentically' will present a creative, heartfelt, romantic read with an intriguing premise. To get it all, pick up this good read to see how well this author brings it out to the reader.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Isabelle “Izzy” Edgewood is a homebody librarian with dreams of running her own bookstore. But her meddling cousin has other plans and creates an online dating profile for her. Izzy is none too pleased, but she’ll indulge her cousin and have some fun with it. When she starts corresponding with her seemingly perfect match things start getting real. Brodie Sutherland is a Lord of the Rings fan, has an adorably horrible Yoda impersonation, and can talk bookish with her. When she finally meets him in person he’s all she’s been dreaming of and more. He makes her better. Encourages her dreams and talents that she’s been too afraid to share. But no one is perfect and when she finds out why he initially started a correspondence with her she will question their whole relationship.

This was a fun premise for a book. And I enjoyed the characters. They had entertaining quips and voices. And I related to Izzy quite a bit. The romance was pretty cute, too. But I struggled a lot with the format. It’s epistolary and that made it hard for me to get into the story. I didn’t mind when Izzy and Brodie were emailing and corresponding, it was more the emails with the cousins that dragged the story down for me. I wanted to experience her conversations with them. And once her and Brodie started video chats, I would’ve loved reading those scenes and not just being told about them in a long email to her cousins. I think if there was more of a balance of epistolary and regular format I would’ve liked this book more. And it does become more balanced about 50% in, which was great, but also jarring. In the second half of the book we all of the sudden get Brodie’s POV and more regular format writing. This did redeem the book a bit for me. I wish the whole book had been like that.

I’ve loved Pepper’s other books, but this one wasn’t for me. But I liked the characters enough that if the other books in this series aren’t epistolary then I’d be interested in continuing the series.

If you enjoy an epistolary formatted book with lots of bookishness and sweet romance, then pick this book up.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Absolutely loved Pepper Basham's latest, a charming romance told in letters, emails and texts. Two bookish introverts, Izzy and Brodie who adore The Lord of the Rings, meet on a dating site with a sweet connection developing. Only he lives in another country, and Izzy's interfering cousin still tries to set her up with local men. Will Izzy and Brodie ever meet and fall in love in person? I won't tell so as not to spoil this engaging tale, a must-read for fans of creatively written, heart-tugging, laugh-out-loud romances. Highly recommended!

This is a wonderful, feel-good romance you will not want to put down!

Izzy is a shy but quirky, book loving gal with no romantic entanglements in sight. She has equally quirky yet meddlesome cousins that believe she should be out there looking for her Mr. Right. When one such cousin enrolls her onto a matchmaking service, Izzy reluctantly begins conversing with someone who seems to have the same book loving qualities as her. Except, she is not quite sure what to believe (is he real or is he old or is he her cousin!?).

Told in a series of emails and text messages, you, the reader, will find no shortage of laugh out loud moments. Pepper Basham is excellent at writing witty banter and swoon worthy romance. I love how Izzy and her online match are Lord of the Rings nerds...right up my alley! Book lovers rejoice at this sweet romantic tale. One of the best I've read in a long while!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

I was enticed to read this book by a fellow book blogger (thank you, Nicole) and I am so glad that I did! This is a book just made for book lovers like me. Written as an epistolary novel, this is a fairy tale type love story with characters that you just want to embrace. Izzy is looking for love and in a hilarious way seems to find the bottom of the barrel offerings first. When she starts communicating with a too-good-to-be real man from an island that no one has heard of before, then the real fun starts. The emails between Brodie and Izzy show a developing interest in each other and a lot that they have in common. I really enjoyed their quotations from great classics, especially their references to “The Lord of the Rings” and their use of the characters’ names to describe themselves and others. I especially enjoyed the unwelcome and unsolicited advice that Izzy’s well-meaning family members gave her. Levi’s advice was humorous, Penelope’s was wise and cautious, but Josephine’s advice was the best. Josephine was determined that Izzy should be with boring and one-note Eli, but Izzy knows that Eli is a passing fancy and her reaction to Josephine’s advice is priceless. This is a book that uses words well, with tongue-in-cheek humor and not a little bit of a Cinderella focus. I enjoyed seeing Izzy mature through her correspondence and become more like the person she was always meant to be. The pacing is moderately fast and entirely enjoyable. This is an engaging book, perfect for fans of stories with happy endings and a little drama to get there.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

When Izzy's matchmaking cousin Josephine, loving but overbearing, signs her up for an online matchmaking service, Izzy meets the expected weirdos but also, incredibly, someone who seems as bookish as herself. Unfortunately, past relationships have taught her that no one ever cares for her for herself - when they get to know her, they either use her or dump her. The more she gets to know Brodie, the more perfect - and therefore unreal - he seems. Besides, he lives overseas, and Izzy is terrified of flying. Can Izzy overcome her doubts and fears to seize the possibility of love?

This grabbed me from the very first page. I'm not always a fan of epistolary-style novels, but I figured I couldn't go wrong with this author - and I was right. The emails and texts had me laughing frequently, but also sympathising with the characters and cheering them on. I particularly appreciated the way that the author moved to a mix of epistolary and narrative text once they met in person - it really worked perfectly. Most of the characters made me care about them from the word go, and the descriptions of the setting were beautiful. While I spent most of the book thoroughly disliking Josephine (love does NOT mean trying to mould others into your own shape!), I loved the way the author developed her and had her gradually coming to accept the fallacy of her ideas. All in all, an amazing story - heart-warming, inspiring, and utterly delightful. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A delightful, quirky romance with a Christian worldview.

I’ve heard other readers bubble over about how brilliant a writer Ms Basham is, but this is the first book of hers I’ve read (finally!), and I’m glad I took the plunge.

“Authentically Izzy” is not your typical contemporary romance. It’s epistolary, so a huge portion of the novel is as written communication between characters, mainly emails and text messages. 55% of the book passed before any dialogue graced the page and grabbed my attention. And I mean grabbed! The contrast between letters vs “a live scene” was like a cold shower in the middle of summer, re-energising me for the next part of the story.

Izzy’s a lovable leading lady, revealing her true, quirky self through entertaining exchanges with her cousins and her bold letters to Brodie. I mean, how can we not love someone who chats with her loved ones about a myriad of things, including P&P, LOTR, Star Wars, and classic literature? They discussed Chris Pine in a few emails, so she gains bonus points for that!

Speaking of Izzy’s cousins, I loved Penelope and Luke (possibly Luke more than I should!). Josephine annoyed me most of the time, which I expect was her role in this story. 😉 And on the note of annoying, Eli failed to impress me (I expect that was his role too!) but did a great job of helping Izzy make wiser decisions.

Brodie was... near perfection. *swoon* A true match to Izzy’s uniqueness, I held tight as they pulled me along their story, with many questions bouncing around my head including, “Who will stay and who will go?”, “How will they get over these huge hurdles?” and “Is everything going to blow up in their faces?”

I’ll let you enjoy learning these outcomes without spoilers. 😉

In short, this book was fun, engaging, highly emotive and moving. Oh, and there are some lovely romantic moments and kisses. Yum.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The perfect book. This book is told with letters. I never laughed so hard in my love. Fans of Lord of the Rings and quirky charecters would love this

Authentically, Izzy is a witty, clever and entertaining read, but there are a few things readers should know before diving in:

1) The book is written entirely in emails.
2) There are a lot of Lord of the Rings references.

The writing style was creative, but it got old after a little while. I think I would've enjoyed it much more if it was written as a typical novel while still including emails. It felt unrealistic at times and took away from my enjoyment.

Lord of the Rings fans will love all of the references because there were a lot! I'm not familiar with the books/movies so there were quite a few parts where I had to do some inferring and while I appreciate the author's creativity, it was challenging for me as a reader who is clueless when it comes to Lord of the Rings.

Izzy and Brodie are both sweet characters, their relationship is charming and this book is creatively written. It didn't work for me, but I'm interested in reading more from this author because I can tell she's talented! Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

11/16 Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham started out just a bit slow, but I was soon eagerly turning pages to get to their HEA.

I have come to love epistolary novels and Pepper Basham is at her charming amusing best in this book. I fell in love with Izzy immediately! I loved how Izzy was talking about her ridiculous cousin, Josephine, who signed her up on a dating site, with her brother and her cousin's sister via texts and emails. I was literally rolling!!

All of the Lord of the Rings references had me wanting to watch the movies again.

These are some of the best quotes!

"There's not really a job description for a 'book pusher,' and even if there was, it sounds like a profession where one might get arrested."

"If any animal should have the power to resurrect, I think it should be a faithful dog. They're such wonderful companions and the very best listeners in the world."

"Of course, I talk to myself. Sometimes I need an expert opinion."

These are just a few of my highlights. I have so many more! You have to read this book! If not for all the fun comedic parts, which is nearly the entire book, but the sweet romance between Brodie and Izzy. The secondary characters, mainly Luke, are just as fun! I hope there is a sequel with Luke!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via the publisher. I wasn't required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I did preorder a copy.

dnf at 27%, turns out that this one isn't for me. first of all, i did not like the fact that this book was made up of letters although it is a different concept if i must add. second, i was expecting this book to be like you've got mail and had really high expectations which might have also caused me to not like it i guess.

Heartwarming charming romance novel.

If you're looking for an uplifting, clean romance, then look no further. Basham's latest is a lovely epistolary novel bringing together two kindred spirits who develop a friendship and more communicating via email.

Izzy is a self-described book nerd who works at a library. She has lived with her aunt and three cousins since the death of her parents. Her cousin Josephine, who is married and expecting twins, decides that it is about time for Izzy, who has been burned in relationships in the past, to step out of her shell and start dating again. She signs Izzy up on a dating website, and after a few hilarious missteps, she connects with a man who signs his messages "Brodie the Hobbit"--much to the joy of her Lord of the Rings loving heart. As Izzy and Brodie forge a friendship based on books, Josephine thinks that Izzy needs to find a match "in real life" and continues to fix her up with available friends. What is Izzy to do?

I adored the back-and-forth camaraderie in the e-mail messages and text messages between Izzy and her cousins (Josephine, Penelope, and Luke) as well as her messages with Brodie and others she dates. The first 50% of this book is entirely epistolary, and then we shift between narrative action and epistolary for the rest of the book. I actually liked it better when there were both types of narrative were used because I could connect better with the story that way. After a while the epistolary got a bit tedious with the "telling" and I was longing for action.

This book is one of the best uses of the epistolary style that I've read in a long time. The communications between the characters feel completely authentic, like actual, real e-mails and text messages rather than cute info dumps like many of the novels that employ this method. I feel like Basham does an amazing job capturing each of the character's voices, which isn't always the easiest thing to do in an e-mail or text message.

The faith message in this novel is also lovely and an integral part of the story, which is what I have come to expect from this writer. She makes the characters authentically Christian and it feels natural rather than tacked on for effect.

While this isn't a perfect book--some of the interaction was just overly flowery and wordy and I didn't love the conflict with the stipend and hiding that information--it is a very enjoyable read. If you like a romance novel that will bring a smile to your book-loving face, this is an excellent choice.

Told mainly through emails/letters/texts, this was such a heartwarming, feel good romance between two strangers who meet online and discover a shared love of reading and books. From completely different worlds Izzy is a small town librarian who dreams of opening her own bookstore and slowly falls for the man she meets on a dating app her family/friends set her up on.

Perfect for fans of books like the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (which is even referenced in the book). I loved Izzy's journey of self-discovery, her close family/friend relationships and the way she takes a leap falling in love with both a man and his remote British island home and the struggling bookstore she knows she can help revive. Much thanks to NetGalley for an early digital copy and Librofm for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Steam level: kissing only

DNF

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into the epistolary style story. I was really interested by the concept but couldn't connect with it. The characters spoke very formally and I didn't feel like I got to authentically get to know them

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Isabelle Edgewood is stuck in her world and her cousin Josephine is ready to play matchmaker. Josephine signs her up for an online dating service. Either Izzy can update it or delete it. With the help of her other cousins, Luke and Penelope, she updated profile. The emails between Luke and Penelope are funny. Throughout the process, I was smiling. Until she meets Brodie through the app. She doesn't believe it is possible to meet someone who loves book as much as she does. Through the emails and video calls, the introverts have found themselves. When he comes to visit, everything is even better than online. When it comes to going to visit Brodie, she would need to get on a plane. She is terrified of flying but it was all worth it. She falls more in love with him and where he lives. A misunderstanding drives her back home but her cousin Josephine goes into labor. Upon the birth, she realizes she has found her home. Now to go back and get her HEA.

Epistolary romance filled with nerds and book lovers? SIGN ME UP! Actual book filled with way too much prose and Christian romance. No thank you.

There is absolute an audience for Christian romance, and this should be marketed to them. Not the general romance reader.

This is a creative book with an interesting premise, it’s just a shame that it’s not reaching the right readers.

What a delightfully fun novel! I've loved everything I've read by Pepper Basham, but this one takes the cake. It's an epistolary novel, told in the form of emails and text messages, and I loved that! It's such a fun way to tell a story, and it's done perfectly here.

Izzy and Brodie were the perfect bookish duo. They were so relatable. I loved all their quotes and references, especially the Lord of the Rings ones. I enjoyed seeing them open up and share their authentic selves with each other. It was neat seeing them discover new things about themselves along the way, too.

Not gonna lie, Josephine got on my nerves quite a bit. I know she was only trying to be helpful and that she only wanted the very best for Izzy, but, my goodness, her delivery was lacking, to say the least. But I think we all know someone like Josephine, so that was very relatable. I really liked Luke and Penelope, though. I'd love them to get their own stories.

I highly recommend this feel-good, heartfelt, and romantic read. It had me laughing and put a big smile on my face. Even now, thinking about it, I can't stop smiling. It was so, so good!

I received an early copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

Authentically, Izzy just was not the book for this reader. I just couldn’t get interested in the plot. I feel the book is well written and has a good concept . I give it the four star rating because I am sure other readers will enjoy it. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance book.

A great book that is written mostly through texts and emails which is such a fun way to read a book! Izzy's cousin Josephine creates her an account on a dating site. Izzy updates the account just to get her cousin off her back and makes her profile picture that of a LOTR character. She surprisingly gets a message from Brodie whose banter is refreshing. Josephine still continues her matchmaking antics as Izzy continues to message and video chat with Brodie. Only 0ne major problem, they live an ocean apart. Their families are a mixed bag of hesitant and supportive. I don't want to give away any more, but Authenically, Izzy is a must read! Pepper Basham created such lovable, real characters. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.