Johanna was hard to like at first because I did not grok her motivations. I bought in pretty quickly, though. I also really was moved by the realistic but caring portrayal of addiction. Well worth reading!

In Johanna Porter is Not Sorry, we follow Johanna Porter, a divorced art teacher and mother who lives a seemingly stable life. Her world is upended when she receives an invitation to an art exhibit showcasing the work of her former mentor and lover. This man, and his daughter, had a profound impact on Johanna's art career, effectively derailing it years ago. The crux of the story revolves around Johanna's reaction to seeing one particular piece of art, “La Rosa Blanca,” which has haunted her for years.

The novel isn't exactly a coming-of-age story, but it is a profound exploration of Johanna's journey towards self-discovery and empowerment. Her life, marked by past grievances and present struggles, sets the stage for a dramatic transformation. The narrative focuses on Johanna's struggle to reclaim her identity and her life’s direction against the backdrop of external pressures from her daughter, ex-husband, and personal insecurities.

Johanna’s decision to steal the painting, a bold act of reclaiming what she believes was wrongfully taken from her, becomes a pivotal moment in her journey. Her relationship with Mitchell, who also knows the painting's significance, adds an additional layer to her story. Their partnership, tinged with its own complexities, plays a crucial role in Johanna's growth. Mitchell's support and his own personal challenges contribute to the depth of their connection and Johanna’s evolving sense of self.

The novel’s raw and authentic portrayal of its characters and their struggles—including themes of addiction, infidelity, and personal redemption—provides a gripping read. Johanna’s evolution from a woman constrained by her past to one who embraces her strength and desires is compelling. While the story includes some harsh language and intense themes, it is Johanna’s transformation and resilience that truly shine.

I really enjoyed this one. The story of an art heist is a very interesting one and I liked how the story line was handled. The main characters was interesting and witty. I loved the way the story played out. Overall this was a great read!

Interesting story plot. A grown woman with low self-esteem spends time learning about herself. This trope is usually about younger women & it's refreshing to have a grown woman come to realize how much she's tryly worth.

I received an advance reader copy of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Slow to start, but it definitely grew on me. I enjoyed the flaws of Johanna Porter and while she could be whiney and a little ridiculous at times, as a whole the story had more than I expected. I loved seeing her find herself again and in the process healing and thriving in who she was.

A very solid debut novel! Johanna sets off with intentions of finding her way back to who she once was, but learns along the way that she can be someone so much better. It starts off a little slow, but once the story picks up... there is no turning back. So many original elements - art, sailing, motherhood - and yet still relatable. Read this book - You will not be sorry (I couldn't resist :)) Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A solid debut book. Johanna definitely is not sorry for her actions throughout the book, I loved the art piece, and the discussion around art. I didn't love how the fierce young Johanna seemed to give up so easily. That didn't fully align for me. I did like seeing her find herself again and the struggles behind that.

This was such a good read! I am a part of Sara Read’s #momswritersclub so I was super excited to see her book published, and I had to read it ASAP. That said, it surpassed my expectations times one hundred.

The characters are memorable and I laughed several times. I’ll be sharing this with everyone I know.

Johanna Porter was a rising star in the art world when she was younger, until she was screwed over by her older lover and his daughter. She left, married, had a child, and lived a quiet life teaching art. Until she got an invitation to an art show by said former lover...
She steals a painting at the show, a portrait of her when she was younger.
Then the adventure begins: what will she do? Where will she go? Can she get away with this?
Along the way she meets Mitchell, and starts a romance with him (she is divorced now). This relationship plays heavily in the story, parrallel to the story of her stealing the painting.
Part adventure, part romance, this is a cute "coming of age" story for a woman nearing her forties who wants to find her way back to her true self she used to be.
Entertaining and fun, I learned a little about art, a little about sailing, and a little bit about being true to yourself and standing up for yourself.
I give this book a 3.

I loved this book so much! I really didn’t know what it was about when I started reading it, but I quickly was obsessed! The characters are well developed, and I couldn’t help but love them all!

This novel starts out humorous and almost fantastical when Johanna Porter, a teen mom to rising soccer star Mel, visits an art gallery showing. In pride of place in the gallery is a painting of Johanna from her twenties known as La Rosa Blanca.

The more Johanna looks at that painting? The more she remembers how fierce she was as a young artist at the time, and how the painter, Nestor (and older artist and her former lover) ruined her career.

Before she has too much time to consider the consequences, Johanna realizes she needs that painting in her life— it represents everything she left behind — and she cuts it out of the frame and absconds with it!

From there, she runs to Chesapeake Bay, where she works to rediscover her artist vision and dedication. And deal with now being an unintended high-value art thief! As the novel progresses, it evolves into a thoughtful and enjoyable story about the value of an artistic career, how only you can determine that value, and living your purpose.

Add in some fun romantic elements with the handsome surgeon hiding out next door, and it makes for a very fun and relatable read.

Johanna Porter is Not Sorry ultimately has a serious message about motherhood and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love including those around our own dreams, ambitions, and identity.

Thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated!

This book was written very well! I loved the premise as it was something I haven't really read before and it kept me intrigued! There were some slow parts in the beginning, but once it picked up... IT PICKED UP!

The character development is one of my favorite things about this book. After reading and finishing, I felt like every person in this book had closure and had grown in some way. They were all well described and each had their own story.

Lastly, there is a scene in this book that is very soul crushing and it was written extremely well. I am someone who struggles with reading about addiction as I have seen and dealt with too much of it in my life, but Sara Read... commend you on the writing of this. It was very realistic and how things really go. I felt like I was totally immersed in this story.

An amazing debut & I will definitely give Sara Read more attention when more novels get published!!

I really enjoyed this read and it was a fun one for me to read! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels! I enjoyed the characters and enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

I did not expect much from Johanna Porter is Not Sorry, the premise and cover had me interested but I expected it to be a super lighthearted and quick read, what I got was so much more that that. I love the premise and honestly there's so much you can take away - lessons on determination and healing are very positive and while the story is still fun it leaves you with a lot to think about at the end. I know several people who will adore this book!

Johanna Porter IS Not Sorry...she is also not bashful, nor is she mild mannered. Author Sara Read's noel is a moving story about coming into your own.

Made to feel less than talented by a former lover who was jealous of her talent, Johanna gives up her aspirations and eventually falls into a quiet suburban life where she can be smaller and insignificant. However, that is interrupted with an invitation to that ex-lover's latest exhibit. The events of that evening are a spring board for wild, careless (or carefree) changes in Johanna's life.

Through the story, Johanna finds romantic love and loss. She battles the demons from her past and vanquishes them from her heart and mind. Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry is a beautifully written story of a woman becoming who she was meant to be.

In Sara Read's new novel Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry, Johanna Porter, divorced soccer mom and part-time high school art teacher, receives an invitation to a gallery showing of her former lover and mentor Nestor Pinedo's works, which she promptly tosses in the trash. She wants nothing to do with Nestor or his business manager/daughter Pilar, who ruined her reputation as an artist years ago. We know things ended badly, but we don't yet know why.

Mel, Johanna's 17 year-old superstar soccer playing daughter, convinces her that she should get all dressed up and go, to show them she is doing great. Reluctantly Johanna goes to the gallery and sees a painting Nestor did of her years ago- and she steals it.

La Rosa Blanca is the famous painting and we later learn why Johanna is so upset to see it hanging in the gallery. She feels like that is a part of her hanging on the wall, when she was "fearless and fierce", and that part belongs to only her, not to Nestor or the world.

The theft becomes national news, and Johanna leaves town with the painting to hide out in her father's remote cabin. Seeing the painting and Nestor makes her realize everything she gave up twenty years ago, and she decides to stay at the cabin and rededicate herself to her art.

Pilar is hot on the trail of the stolen painting, and Johanna fears she will be discovered as the thief. Johanna's new neighbor is a handsome surgeon who is recovering from a severe hand injury that has left him unable to work. They slowly circle around each other, working towards a romantic relationship with some steamy scenes.

Johanna throws herself into her work, feeling alive again. Mel helps her mother by posting her works on Instagram and Johanna begins to build a following. But what will happen if she is outed as the thief?

This is the second book I have read that featured addiction as a storyline (the other is Susan Mallery's excellent The Sister Effect) and I found that part interesting. Johanna's story is one that may resonate with many women, and I liked her relationship with her daughter. Mel is a character that I recognize and admire in many young women today- strong, confident and independent. Pilar also turned out to be an intriguing character as well.

Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry is a good book for someone who is looking for a story about following your dreams, no matter how long ago you first had them.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on Sara Read's blog tour.

I love Johanna Porter. She's been stuck in the mom lane for a long time, but an invite to an art installation reminds her of who she used to be, and why she changed so much.

Luckily, all the forces that tried to take her down only suppressed her creativity for a couple decades. She's still in there, if she's willing to finally take a chance and try again.

I found the characters to be realistically flawed and still very likable. It felt like they all recognized what may be their less-than-positive qualities, and the main characters were working on developing their weaknesses into possible strengths.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I'd recommend it for those who enjoy family dramas and strong female characters.

Picking up a debut novel can be a little bit of a mystery and as a reader you can never be sure whether you will gel with it. As I started Johanna Porter is Not Sorry I noted the story is told in the first person which isn’t my favorite, but truthfully after awhile I didn’t notice.

I liked Johanna Porter despite of her strong use of language at times. She has had some very challenging experiences and it has brought her to a place where she is beginning to recognise how its all affected her and that making a choice is key. And yes committing a felony just might seem really beyond what you’d condone. However I can see where Johanna was coming from, and I thought she was daring and gutsy. And what she does a little later into the book really had me gasping.

She takes up her painting and allows her creativity to grow again. I think she was able to remain a good mother to her daughter Mel and I really liked her relationship with Mitchell, the guy next door to her retreat. In this relationship she is gutsy too.

The story is engaging, it had me turning the pages, and the ending was very satisfying.

4.5 stars rounded up: Johanna Porter is a divorced woman with one daughter who lives with her father during the week. She teaches art at a local private school and appears to have a good life. When she receives an invitation to an exhibit opening, she is shocked. It is the work of her former mentor and lover from years ago, when she was an up and coming artist, the man and his daughter ruined her art career. She decides to go and while there sees the one piece of art that has called to her, as well as stifled her all her life since it was painted, "La Rosa Blanca". Pineda had painted her when she was angry, yet couldn't walk out on a modeling session. Without thinking, or realizing what she was doing, she cuts it out of its frame, rolls it up and walks out, Johanna is only taking back what was stolen from her.

I can't call this a coming of age story, but it is a story where the main character, Joanna, finally comes into her own. She decides what she really wants out of life, what she has grieved for years and goes for it. She is troubled at the beginning and it takes strength to stick to her decision with others (her daughter Mel and ex-husband) trying to pull her back, tell her to wait, convince her not to give up her job etc. I wasn't sure if she was going to make a go of it as she had a lot against her, especially her own insecurities. She finally uses her anger to push her and she begins a metamorphosis. There is a bit of a romance storyline, but if is part of her growth and Mitchell has his own demons. They are an interesting fit together and he pushes her to move forward as much as he can. They are partners in crime as he also knows about the painting. The characters are all realistic and well described, so I felt I knew them all. Each played an important part of the story. As other reviewers have mentioned this story is raw, it has some vulgarity which almost had me closing the book with all the "F bombs" dropped in the first page, deals with some heavy topics such as addiction to pain medication, accidental overdose, infidelity, but overall this is Joanna's story. I wasn't sure if I liked her at the beginning but I sure respected her at the end. She is strong, loyal, loving, a great mother and a woman who fought to become what she knew she was meant to be. A debut from Sara Read, which will have me watching for more books by this talented author.

When Johanna Porter was in her early twenties, she was a rising star in the art world. Extremely talented, her fame only rose when she became involved with a man who would become her mentor. His name was Nestor, and he was truly a misogynist. Although 30 years, her senior, the pair became a couple, and Nester acted as her mentor. However, things took a tragic turn for Johanna and her career was wiped away right in front of her eyes.

Now twenty years later, mother to teenaged Mel, an invitation to an art exhibit changes the entire trajectory of Johanna’s life. She makes a decision that could cost her everything, and this leads her to take life in a completely different direction. She leaves home, including a steady job, with her daughter in the care of her ex-husband, all with the desire to explore her talent. While Mel is in good hands, and this includes constant communication between the two, Johanna finally decides to take a look at what she really wants in life.

It doesn’t take her long, but she meets a surgeon who is on medical leave and his name is Mitchell. Mitchell will have a huge impact on Johanna’s life. Meanwhile, she has to deal with the repercussions of that dreadful decision that she made the night of the art exhibit. In fact, Johanna will be forced to look over her shoulder for a long time to come. Johanna in no way regrets her actions. In fact, what she did only fuels her desire to become the artist she knows she can be, despite the great loss she suffered two decades ago.

While this book is mostly focused on Johanna’s courage and growth, it hits on a very heavy topic that involves one of the characters. In fact, this may be the very first book where I have read about addiction in the way that it was handled in this stellar book. About halfway through this story, I wondered how in the world the author, Sara Read, would resolve the two major issues that demanded resolution in a way that me as a reader would be convinced, and indeed satisfied. I must say, that the job was well done. Very well done. The discussion questions at the end of this book will no doubt lead to some very good conversations. Although it has been a few days since I completed this book, I continue to think about what the characters experienced in this book. No doubt this will stay high on top of one of my favorite reads for 2023.

Many thanks to Graydon House and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/TwtuI_Sadl0