“Dogs are some of my favorite people.” YEP!

THE BOOK OF SILVER LININGS follows Constance, a young woman who pens a note to a long-dead author and leaves it in a book—only to find that the author has written her back from beyond the grave.

“The thing about putting off your dreams is that they recede each year until the distance to reach them becomes too far.” 👏🏻 #FollowYourDreams

Ok guys, we NEED to make letter writing a thing again. It’s just so romantic and you can almost live another life by reading another couples love letters, much as Constance did in this book. Her love of books and the library just spoke to my soul. We need to bring back old school romance!

I loved the themes from this one. A love and desire for the compassion and proper treatment of animals. Holding out for what feels right. Honesty. Passion. The prioritization of honor and happiness over money. Being strong. Saying you’re sorry. Not apologizing for the mistakes of others. And accepting who people truly are, even if it breaks your heart. The writing is great and seamlessly touches on quite a few issues that tie together so well and make an unforgettable story.

The audiobook has a single narrator and she did a great job of capturing Constance’s essence. I could really feel her passion and romanticism through her spoken words. A great book that you should definitely add to your tbr!

Thanks for the free #audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and Netgalley, Berkley Publishing and the author for the ARC.

Constance has finally said yes to her boyfriend Hayden. He has given her a stunning ring. But Constance is still having second thoughts. She has not met Hayden’s friends or family yet. Plus, she has not really been truly honest with him about her past. So, as a distraction from her doubts, she starts to research her ring. What she discovers is a timeless, historical romance.

This was very close to a five star read for me. The only reason it is not…is because I felt like the author could have ended it about 50 or so pages sooner. The tying up of all the lose ends just took too long. And this is just my opinion.

That being said…you really do not want to miss this book. It captures all your emotions. And you just can’t help but fall for Constance and her insecurities. And when she finally comes into her own, she becomes a force! She no longer thinks of herself as second best.

I also enjoyed how the author wove into the story about Constance’s engagement ring. The mystery and the history surrounding this ring is very creative and so dang intriguing!

Need a story with a little bit of everything…romance, historical fiction, mystery…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I absolutely loved this author's last book so couldn't wait to read this one.

I thought this was a great story about love, with the right amount of conflict. The characters were all fantastic, pacing was perfect as well.

I loved that there was a bit of "magic" as I love the lightness and hope it brings.

Lastly dogs. I loved all the furbaby love in this book.

I loved this quote "Sometimes people do the wrong things for the right reasons"

Sweet, romantic story with a touch of magic about a young woman coming to know herself and deciding the quit hiding her family secrets regardless the ramifications, which of course turns out to vastly improve her life.

If you enjoy the found family trope this one I for you.

This was a charming book about Constance. Constance is selfless – she gave up her dreams of becoming a veterinarian after her father was sent to prison for second-degree murder and spends all her free time as a volunteer at an animal shelter. She thinks she finally found happiness when her boyfriend proposes, but she hasn’t met his family and she doesn’t understand how he could afford the expensive engagement ring. Constance researches the history of the ring and finds a tragic love story and letters written during WWI in the library. She’s touched by the words and leaves her own letter about her doubts and uncertainties and when she returns, there is a response…

It’s a unique story of discovering your self-worth, freeing yourself from the past and finding love. The stars of the book were the people in Constance’s life…her best friend (Mar), the owner of the animal shelter (Trudy), the son of the animal (Ellis) and even the animals at the shelter. They all made an impact on Constance and the growth of her character. It was such a delightful read! If you’re looking for a feel-good book then this is it!

📖𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
✍️𝗡𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿
🗓️𝟴.𝟭𝟱.𝟮𝟯
👩𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
★★★★★

💭𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
Reading Nan Fischer’s first book, 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘖𝘧 𝘐𝘵 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭 last year was such a delight. From the romance, the mystery, and the magical elements, I fell in love with her storytelling and writing, and have been anticipating her new release.

I’m happy to say I loved this one too! I related so much to Constance, as a people pleaser, and loved seeing her character growth to self-discovery and having a voice. I also loved the inclusion of Growler the rescue dog, who completely stole my heart.

🎧I paired the book with the audiobook, and thought it was fantastic! Narrated by Eileen Stevens, I felt so connected to the story and characters, and could feel each emotion they went through.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
🐶rescue animals
📝magical elements through letters
🕰️WWII stories
🤝themes of friendship
❤️found family

*Thank you Netgalley, PRH Audio and Berkley for the gifted copy for review

4.5⭐

After almost giving up on hopes of finding that special someone thirty-two-year-old paralegal Constance Sparks finds a wonderful partner in high school teacher Hayden and is happy to be planning her upcoming nuptials. Constance had a difficult childhood and her father is serving his sentence for murder – facts that she does not disclose to Hayden, whose behavior often strikes as inconsistent with the image he projects. Constance spends her free time volunteering at the local animal shelter and her love for animals is a driving force in her life. Constance wants more from life but she is too busy keeping everyone around her happy, suppressing her own ambitions and desires. She has a lot on her plate – she feels her career has stagnated, she fears how the truth about her family history would impact her relationship with Hayden, her father is up for his next parole hearing and is pressurizing Constance to put in a god word and the shelter might be facing closure.

Her antique engagement ring is a stunning piece that Constance was surprised that Hayden could afford. She is intrigued by an inscription on the ring that inspires her to research the history of the ring – a quest that leads her to an old book documenting the relationship between a young couple in love during WWI through a series of letters. Reading these letters and the correspondence she exchanges with a mystery person through letters left in the pages of said book motivate Constance to take stock of her own life, relationships and priorities.

Revolving around themes of self-acceptance, friendship and found family, growth and self-discovery, The Book of Silver Linings by Nan Fischer is a beautiful story that will strike a chord in your heart. The characters are well drawn out, even the unlikable ones. I absolutely adored Constance and was completely invested in her journey. The author’s strength lies in portraying the complexities and the simplicities of human emotions and I enjoyed the real and relatable take on the different relationships depicted throughout this novel – the friendship between Mars and Constance and the deeply empathetic relationship between Trudy and Constance, the strained relationship between Constance and her father and Constance’s slowly developing relationship with Ellis and of course her love for animals. The letters were exquisitely penned and I went back and reread them multiple times. It was sad to read about the abandoned and abused animals who found refuge in Trudy’s shelter. I found the tender moments between Constance and her furry friends incredibly moving. This is my first Nan Fischer novel and I'm eager to explore more of her work.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy of The Book of Silver Linings.

Book Review: Book of Silver Linings ✨

⁉️: Have you ever been drawn to people from history?

When I read the synopsis of the novel, I knew I had to read it. Now, I am not into the romance genre without it being part of a socio-political or cultural context (then it’s okay), but otherwise I am so picky with the genre. As a young teen I was a romantic, and got my heart broken 💔 and that left a bad taste in Hollywood romances.

And, what I loved about this book was that not only was set in San Francisco - a city I visited over the summer for my first research trip, but I also love that the main character, Constance Sparks finds an antique engagement ring while planning her wedding with her boy friend, Hayden. Through the ring, she comes across a tragic love story and becomes attached to the writer of the letters and a manuscript to whom the manuscript, letters, and rings belonged to. She begins to become obsessed and falling in love with what the man and his story represents. She leaves a note in response expressing her own doubts, and to her surprise, she is greeted with a note that is recognizing her.

As the notes continue to arrive, Constance finds herself quickly falling in love with a ghost and putting her real-life relationship in jeopardy. Will a bond based on letters impossibly sent from the past derail her future? Or will Constance discover her voice and risk everything for the chance to somehow connect with her true soul mate?

Thank you @letstalksbookspromo, @nanfischerauthor, and @berkleypub for the gifted copy of the novel!

#BerkleyPub #BerkleyWritesStrongWomen #BerkleyBuddyReads #PenguinRandomHouse

I’ll admit, Constance is not my favorite type of heroine- the people pleaser. I like sassy and self reliant ladies who stick up for themselves and I did think at the beginning of this book that Constance let people walk all over her. As the book went on, she changed and started to stand up for herself. Seeing that journey I grew to like her a lot. She really underwent a drastic personality change from page 1 to the end of the book. Thank goodness!

One of the things I did really like about her was her love for dogs who needed homes. Going through an illness with my own dog, this side-plot really struck a chord. Her fight to save this small business who found homes for dogs was one of my favorite things about this book. The fact that she also found happiness through her relationship with the owner and her son was the frosting on the cake!

I thought this novel was more about Constance finding her self confidence and courage rather than finding love although there is a love story in her journey. It’s sweet and satisfying but you have to wait a bit to feel like she found what she deserved- and boy she worked hard for it! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

The Book of Silver Linings by Nan Fischer, a story about a woman who has trouble saying no, will absolutely appeal to animal lovers everywhere.

When Constance Sparks’ boyfriend proposes, of course she says yes. Even though she isn’t 100 percent sure. And even though she hasn’t been honest with him about her past. And even though her best friend doesn’t seem to like him very much. And even though he’s allergic to animals and Constance spends all her free time volunteering at a no-kill shelter she loves. But he’s a great guy. And Constance always says yes. When Constance finds out her engagement ring has a history, she goes on a hunt to find out where it came from. The hunt leads her to a book of letters in the archives of her library written by a man who may be connected to her ring depicting his love story. Constance is so touched by the letters, she leaves one of her own in the book, and is delighted when replies start showing up in its pages addressed to her.

There’s a lot going on in this book. Constance is trying to save the shelter where she works and there are lovely relationships between Constance and the animals. There’s some drama with her best friend. There’s a story thread with Constance’s father and another with her grandfather. Constance also meets people at the library and creates a sort of found family. Overall, there are a lot of lovely moments, but I went in thinking there might be a magical element to the story, and there wasn’t. Constance didn’t even seem very surprised when the letters started showing up which struck me as strange. I think people looking for a story about a woman learning how to set boundaries will find a lot to love about this one, even if it wasn’t quite for me.

The narrator was great, and I definitely enjoyed listening even if I never quite gelled with the main character. But I’d definitely recommend listening if you pick this one up.

Happy publishing week to THE BOOK OF SILVER LININGS by Nan Fischer!! Thank you so much to @berkleypublishing and @prhaudio for my gifted e- and audio copies, and to Berit @berittalksbooks and Deb @dgreads for leading this incredible buddy read!

Paralegal and animal advocate Constance Sparks has a problem: She doesn't know how to say no. A people-pleaser since early childhood, Constance fears that if she makes her own needs known and chooses to prioritize those over other people's wants, she will be abandoned by those she loves; thus, she endeavors to bend over backwards for her friends, family, fiancé, and even her boss, abandoning pieces of herself so she can better please and accommodate those around her, to her own detriment.

After accepting her now-fiancé Hayden's proposal, complete with a gorgeous antique engagement ring, Constance has a lot of questions about the ring's previous owners. The more she digs and learns about the ring's past, the more questions she has, and when she stumbles upon a book of old letters written by James Edwards, a long-dead WWI ambulance driver who is tied to Constance's ring, she's left with more questions than answers. How did her fiancé afford this ring? Is her fiancé truly the person he claims to be? Is he the right person for her, or is she forcing herself to overlook his flaws because she's so desperate for love and a happily ever after?

Oh my goodness, I couldn't put this book down/stop listening to it!! I adored this perfect combination of historical fiction, mystery, and romance, and Nan's writing style, plus the plethora of shelter animals, ensured this one was a 5-star read for me! Talk about a riveting, heartwarming, feel-good story of self-growth, found family, hard truths, and the reality that "to live without love is not to live."

Both Constance and her best friend Mars had me rooting for them from the very beginning, and even secondary characters like the Special Collections group, Trudy, and Ellis made an impact on my heart. And the animals!!! It made me want to go out and adopt a dog, even though I'm allergic to them.

As always, I also would be remiss if I didn't mention that audiobook narrator Eileen Stevens did an incredible job bringing all of Nan's characters to life!! I loved listening to this one in the car, as well as reading it on my Kindle at night before bed. You truly can't go wrong with this book in any format!

This book came out Monday, so if you love historical fiction, mystery, romance, and animals, pick this one up ASAP!

#thebookofsilverlinings #nanfisher #Berkley #berkleypub #happypubday #contemporaryfiction #historicalromance #contemporaryromance #mysterybooks #magicalbooks #antiques #relationships #bookish #bookpic #bookphoto #booksandflowers #flowers #bookstagrammers #booksta #readallday #readnosleep #romancenovel #antiquebooks #outtoday #getyourcopytoday #summerreads #summerbooks #warmandfuzzy #goodreads

𝗣𝗨𝗕 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪

Thank you #partners @berkleypub @prhaudio for the #gifted copies! #penguinrandomhousepartner #berkleyIG #berkleypartner

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
𝗕𝘆 𝗡𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟴/𝟭𝟱/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: Constance has a tragic, painful past - and she carries it around like a bag of rocks. Abandoned by her mother, with a father in prison for murder, she keeps her past closely guarded and has difficulty saying no and standing up for herself. Even with her fiancé, Hayden. But after Hayden proposes with an antique ring that seems WAY outside his meager budget, Constance discovers that Hayden is keeping secrets of his own. This discovery leads Constance to explore the origins of the ring, which sets her on a transformative journey of self-discovery.

💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: I loved this! I was hooked from the literal first page and knew immediately that I meshed with Fischer's writing. There is so much to love about The Book of Silver Linings: the heartfelt writing, the authenticity of the flawed-but-loveable characters, the incredibly high stakes, the love stories, the immense character growth, the amazing friendships, the historical component, the tender relationship between Constance and her grandfather 🥺... and of course, the animal shelter! Did you write this book just for me, Nan?

This is one of those books that doesn't fit neatly in a box - and I LOVE THAT. It's part contemporary women's fiction and part romance, with a dash of mystery and history.

Highly recommend!!!☺️

This is a delightful story!

Living in San Francisco, Constance is a young woman who catches herself living her life for others, and begins to learn the hard way that she is losing herself in the process.

The Book of Silver Linings has lovely writing and there are many quotes to write down. Sometimes the choices Constance makes are difficult to read about as her self-discovery made the story seem a little immature at times. However, Constance had an unconventional and traumatic childhood, and I could see how that would contribute. I liked how there was a little mystery about an antique ring that Constance was researching. But all in all, it’s a good story about living one’s truth and the importance of honesty no matter how difficult it may be.

I really liked The Book of Silver Linings and would recommend this sweet story.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing, Cindy from Thoughts From A Page, and Netgalley for the electronic ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars rounded up

This is a sweet tale of learning how to embrace your dreams and extending grace and forgiveness to others when they fall short of expectations.

Constance has a troubled family past but has never given up hope that she can find her soul mate, the one who she can share her life with. She believes she has finally found that with Hayden, but she still hasn't told him about her father in prison. When Constance begins to research the origins of her engagement ring, she learns of a couple named James and Anna who fell in love in the midst of World War I in France. As Constance reads letters between James and his sister, she longs to have the same certainty with her life that James seems to have with his.

Although there were times in this story that Constance really grated on me and rubbed me totally the wrong way, by the end I grew to adore her character. I liked that her best friend Mars didn't shy away from calling Constance out on her nonsense (and Constance did the same for Mars) because we all need someone to tell us when we're rewriting history or trying to make our lives fit where they obviously don't.

This lovely book has themes of found family, the love of animals, and believing in yourself and your dreams. This is the second book I've read by this author and it won't be the last. She has a beautiful way of creating realistic, flawed relationships that make the reader want to root for the characters' success.

This is the sweetest romance. I adored the dogs Constance cares for, the idea of leaving notes in an old book in the library, a mysterious pen pal, the cheerfulness and playfulness of her boss's son, and the growth Constance experiences throughout the novel. Nan is a favorite author of mine and she wrote another captivating love story that I will read again and again. I listened to the audiobook and Eileen Stevens does a fabulous job narrating this special book.

“I wasn’t ready to talk about it over the weekend, but the shelter lease is up, and the property is going to be auctioned. All our rescues will be scattered—some to kill shelters. And it’s going to happen on our wedding day.”

The premise of an antique book and an unsolved mystery had me quite intrigued. I do love a contemporary fiction novel with a likable and relatable main character, but this one was just not for me. The quick problems/solutions seemed very unrealistic and I would have appreciated some of the more long term conflicts to be drawn out a bit.

As Constance attempts to work on her voice and her independence, her reaction to life as it continues to spin around her seemed immature and tiresome. There were a few too many subjects interspersed (dementia, incarceration, family secrets, old feet dilemma, animal rescue, etc.) which diluted what I hoped would be an interesting plot.

I feel that this novel will appeal to younger readers looking for a coming of age story with all the loose ends tied up, but this did not work for me.

Read if you like:
❤️ Romances
📖 Reading about a love story
💍 Antique Rings
🚔 Difficult Family Dynamics

Constance is that character you want to wrap in a hug because she had a rough childhood that led her to becoming a yes man and rarely if ever standing up for herself. You see this in her past relationships, her current one, her friendships, her work, truly all aspects of life because saying yes is easier than dealing with conflict.

When Constance’s boyfriend proposes she says yes, but you don’t feel the rush of joy that moment should come with. As a result of her engagement, she becomes hyper-fixated on the history of her ring.

I loved the letters passed between Constance and J as she works through whether she wants to get married or not.

I loved that in the end, Constance stood up for herself and used her voice and getting to see her growth throughout the book.

I was a little disappointed in the reveal of J as I was hoping the answer of J was a bit more ✨magical✨ but all in all I loved the way the story wrapped up and was an enjoyable romance!

Thank you so much Berkley for my ARC of this one in exchange for my honest review!

Constance Sparks is a “yes” woman. Yes, I’ll change my college major to help my dad try to get out of jail for murder. Yes, I’ll take on more work with no raise. Yes, I’ll marry Hayden even though there are no sparks and he is very evasive about his past. She realizes her fiancé proposed with a very expensive antique ring that he shouldn’t be able to afford and she sets out to research the history of it. She finds it linked to a man, James, who died at war and reads the letters he sent to his sister Olivia in the library archives. She leaves a letter for J and is surprised when he writes her back.

Constant Constance never stands up for herself in the beginning but during the book she shows a lot growth and discovers what she really wants for her life. I liked the animals at the shelter she volunteers at, especially Growler, the previously abused, aggressive dog that she never gives up on.

I enjoyed seeing her decide to choose herself and stand up for what she wants. I liked most of the side characters and loved the found family theme. This was a lovely book about knowing you deserve love.

I wasn’t surprised at the identity of J. I actually like the idea of falling in love with a ghost and communicating through letters:) Very romantic somehow❤️

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy for review.

I read Some of It Was Real last summer and immediately fell in love with Nan Fischer’s writing. It is thoughtful, enthralling, and helped me to reflect on my own life in a very meaningful way. Not only is her writing deeply touching but Nan is an amazing human. I reached out via instagram to gush to her about her story and was met with such genuine kindness. Nan has given me book recommendations and is so approachable, which is not always the case with authors on social media.

After Some of It Was Real, I couldn’t WAIT to get my hands on The Book Of Silver Linings. It has been one of my most anticipated books of the year! The story follows Constance, a woman that is always saying yes to everyone no matter the imposition and always putting others first, the ultimate people pleaser. Constance gets engaged to Hayden, who gives her the most beautiful engagement ring, one that he definitely shouldn’t be able to afford, and Constance finds out has some pretty significant history. She goes on a journey of discovery not just about the background of the ring but also about herself.

This story is the perfect blend of women’s fiction, historical fiction, and romance with a dash of magic that was incredibly heartwarming and engaging. I fell in love with Constance and her best friend Mars. I love that Constance volunteers at an animal shelter and all of the other story lines that emerge and make this such a layered and fun read! This is a little under 400 pages but I needed to know what happened to Constance and found myself reading late into the night to find out!

There are beautiful themes of resilience, loving yourself, and believing in yourself, that so many people can relate to. I have struggled many times in my life with not knowing my own self worth and being afraid to really take a chance and Constance really reflected back to me what a tough process that can be to navigate but also so very rewarding. I also really loved the exploration of what it means to really know what is your raison d'être. How many of us lose sight of that and forget what our passions are?

This story is one that you will love if you’re an animal lover, you HAVE to meet Growler; sweet grandfathers, best friends that are always rooting for you, and you're a kind person that perhaps needs that little push to go for what you want!

“I believe that life, at its essence, is about the people we have touched with acts of service and kindness.”

Thank you Nan, for writing another beautiful story that will mean so much to so many!

This was an interesting spin on a romance story. I liked that it had a hint a magic to it through the letters in the library. I did not however like the miscommunication and hiding vital past information from each other. I don’t like that trope at all. It was struggle to stay with the story and connect with the characters because of that. However I loved that Constance was an animal lover and also into history.