Constance Sparks had a rough childhood with events that tended to drive a wedge in relationships and causes her to sacrifice her own hopes and dreams to try to win the approval and affection of others. Her dreams and passions continually take a back seat to the dreams and passions of others. When faced with a mystery regarding her recent engagement and the antique ring, she is drawn into the story of the original owners, James and Anna, and their love story. It is through the tale of their love that she begins to discover the importance of her own happiness. The journey she takes, the relationships that end, and the relationships that blossom help make this book hard to put down. There were some elements that felt a bit like a forced agenda, but overall - I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Cindy Burnett at Thoughts from a Page podcast for the advanced e-copy of this book.

This was a light, entertaining read set in San Francisco. The characters were all kind of two-dimensional, and the protagonist herself was fairly vanilla, but the storyline was interesting enough to keep me reading to the end.

I honestly can't say that it was great, but I also cannot say that there was anything wrong with it. Most likely it just wasn't the book for me at this point in time, which happens.

Recommended for:
- light romance and HEA fans (sometimes my jam)
- people who love San Francisco (not me)
- rescue dog lovers (this is the category I fall into)
- research in library archives (eh, I'd rather read romance novels...)

A love story about a woman who wants to find her “one” when she really doesn’t know herself completely. She loves animals and her best friend but acquiesces too easily to other peoples wants and demands.

I really enjoyed Nan Fisher's The Book of Silver Linings! It is a great summer read and can easily be enjoyed in a couple of days. There was some romance, some friendship, and some magical realism, as well as family drama and some "adulting" decisions that the main character, Constance, has to make about the rest of her life, namely, regarding her grandpa's health and her upcoming wedding. Constance was a very real character. Flawed, yes, but willing to change and grow and trust those around her. I ADORED her friendship with Mars...reminded me of my college friends and made me wish we lived nearby as adults.

The magical realism that Constance experiences as she corresponds, via letters in a rare book, to a dead man who has some connection to her antique engagement ring was a little odd at first but grew on me over time. The library has always been a magical place to me, and in this case, it truly was to Constance!

The ending was absolutely perfect for this gem of a book. I do anticipate that some readers will find it predictable, but hopefully more in a charming sort of way (not an annoying sort of way). I'd definitely like to read more of this author! :)

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

The story read both as far-fetched (the letter exchanges between Constance and J in the special collections book) and predictable (the neatly tied-up ending). I found the dialog contrived, and I didn't really care about the characters.

I think this is a case of wrong reader, totally fine book. The Book of Silver Linings has a lot of themes I enjoy, a little magical realism perhaps, romance, friendship/loyalty, and some self growth. I just struggled a lot with the main characters and their basic idea of deception, even well intentioned or reasonable... , when planning to marry someone, etc. The characters read as a lot younger and more lost/still exploring adulthood and figuring things out then I would have expected for characters in their early 30s and I had trouble connecting with the style of the book and the way the characters interacted with each other/their stories.

That being said, the story is still light hearted, filled indeed with themes many love, and is a recommended light read, for me the kind of book that is great for a summer evening on the deck or rainy weekend afternoon. A little iced tea, a sweet snack, and this is the right read for many this summer.

With tremendous appreciation as always to Berkley for the review copy. This is a 3.25/3.5 star read for me but 4 because I think overall the story goals were achieved and most readers will find this a quick light summer escape, which is the goal.

This book blew me away! While it certainly describes two beautiful love stories (1 past and 1 present), there is also a level of depth to the characters and their journey self-discovery that isn’t typically present on romance books.
Constance is a 30-something paralegal with a college degree and a lost dream of veterinary school. She believes she’s found “the one”, Hayden with whom she has a safe, uncomplicated relationship but his needs and dreams always come first. The best part of her life is volunteering at a private animal shelter run by Trudy who become a sot or surrogate Mother. Constance also has a fiercely devoted friend named Mars (aka Martha), a Grandpa who raised her and is sinking into dementia and a Dad who was never around when she was growing up and is currently in prison for manslaughter. Constance is a caring, optimistic person but she buries her own needs and dream to accommodate everyone else. She’s afraid to assert herself out of fear and abandonment issues…..abandoned just like the cats and dogs at Trudy’s shelter.
After Hayden proposes with a large and very valuable antique engagement ring, Constance battles her marriage misgivings by trying to find out about the ring and who it was made for. She discovers posthumously published book of letters from a young man who died in WWI and who originally designed the ring for his French bride, Constance begins to pour her heart out in letters that she tucks into the book each time she comes to the library. Shockingly, the long dead young man begins to respond to her letters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Wow! I just feel so warm and fuzzy inside after that one. I got so engrossed in Constance’s story and I didn’t want it to end. Loved the ending, Loved the beautiful story within the story. 5 stars

A fun and playful read. A great mix of characters, interesting and unusual storyline that I went along with,

"The Book of Silver Linings" was just what I was looking for - a chick-lit, rom com with a touch of history and "magic" , as the MC researches her antique ring and ends up corresponding with a man from another time! A quick & enjoyable read - recommend. My thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for the complimentary DRC widget - my pleasure to review it.

Constance Sparks always says yes. While planning her wedding and wondering if she is making the right decision, she decides to do some research on her antique wedding ring. As she reads a manuscript of man who has long since passed, she leaves a note in the book. A note of her worries and struggles and hopes for the future. The next time she comes back she finds a response to her letter. The more letters she finds the more she realizes that maybe some things in her personal life need to change. What happens? You’ll have to one-click to find out. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

I really liked the flow of this book and watching the journey Constance takes in her self-discovery. She learns to embrace and let go of her past and become a stronger person able to voice her own needs and wants. Add in a touch of romance and acceptance and you have a fantastic book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the chance to read and review this book.

Whenever I get in a reading slump I grab a romance and this one didn’t disappoint! Lots of life lessons here including whether to stay in an ok relationship or hold out for something better. Constance is a lovely character who deserves happiness in her life. Her love of animals is sweet and her story is charming.

THE BOOK OF SILVER LININGS is an absolute delight, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to read and review it.

At first Constance annoyed me because of her immaturity. However, I'm really glad I stuck with it. Following along her journey became an entertaining and heartwarming privilege. I especially enjoyed how Constance made mistakes and picked herself back up. It's rewarding to see her learn to set appropriate boundaries versus saying "yes" all the time. Her friendship with Mars is realistic and uplifting. The animal shelter storyline tugs at the heartstrings. Constance's backstory with her family troubles is woven beautifully into the narrative and helps us understand why she is the way she is. And of course, the love story is captivating and suspenseful in a cozy way.

This turned out to be an uplifting pageturner that I didn't want to put down. Highly recommended.

*Complimentary copy received from publisher; all opinions are my own.

The Book of Silver Linings is s heartwarming adventure that is most certainly lined on silver. The experiences, expectations, and disappointments of the past as well as the present that are relayed in depth among the secrets that are gradually revealed, make the novel intense and a superb read. Thanks so much for the advanced reader copy.

After reading and enjoying Nan Fischer's book Some of It Was Real last year, I had to read The Book of Silver Linings, which had one of the coolest sounding synopsis I've read for women's fiction in a long time. Sadly, this book just didn't work for me. While I liked Ellis (the main male love interest), Constance and her best friend, Mars felt very immature to me and acted more like women in their early 20s rather than ones who are 32. Additionally, the conversations in the novel felt very stilted and unnatural, coming across more as something that was written rather than the way it would actually be spoken in real life. Lastly, every issue in the book resolves too easily. For every conflict that arise, there is a very convenient solution that the MC has to do little or no work to achieve. I understand that this is the norm for a lot of novels but it made the stakes feel so low that I wasn't invested in the book as I knew every conflict that was introduced would be worked out within 10 pages. Unfortunately, all of these issues combined made the novel feel a little too unrealistic and immature for my personal tastes. I will however continue to pick up Nan's next novel as I really did enjoy Some of It Was Real.

2.5/5

Everything Nan Fischer writes is phenomenal and The Book of Silver Linings was another stellar novel. Part ghost story, part mystery, part love story - readers are going to devour The Book of Silver Linings and also fall in love with a rescue dog named Growler. Most highly recommended.

This was a sweet story but with a totally infuriating Main character. I really wanted Constance to wake up but then again I guess that i just need to develop patience and that is the point of the story. In the end, Me crying at the end of the book i the middle of the plane, made me take this up a notch in my appreciation as I give mayor props to books and art that make me feel. And here I was feeling all of it. The biggest mystery of them all, what was up with the first chapter. Did i miss something? I was waiting for the book to circle back to that Yoga speed dating 8 months earlier to make a total aha moment, but i never got it. so either i missed it, or i was trying to find deeper relevance in something that was just an example of many of the attempts done at finding love.

side note 1: I read this in a plane where i was sitting next to Ray Lewis. My ugly crying in my sleeve was not my best look and I think he thought i was a bit crazy.

Side note 2 : I understand where the title came from, as one character mentions this line, but it made no sense to my in the concept of the story.

Constance Sparks hasn’t had the best luck in love and has a hard time saying no — very relatable! When she finally meets “the one” and he proposes, things should be easy sailing from there. But with doubts from her loved ones, the mysterious past of her now-fiancé, and even more questions about the antique engagement ring, she falls into a whirlwind that jeopardizes that future. The ring has a history of its own in a tragic love story dating back generations, and when she starts reading the letters by the man who originally proposed with the ring 100+ years before during WWI, and writes a letter of her own to him, she never expected to receive a reply…

This story was a wild ride! Every time I thought I knew where the story was going — from the letters, to the fiancé, to the other elements like her job and work in a shelter — the story would then take a new twist. There was a lot going on, but quickly found myself unable to put this down. Nan’s storytelling is refreshing and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Thank you to Berkley and Nan, herself, for this ARC!

Constance Sparks has made sacrifices in her life. In college, she wanted to specialize in veterinary medicine, and she still volunteers weekly at a no-kill pet shelter in San Francisco. But due to family circumstances—a father in jail, a mother long dead, and the need to care for the aging grandfather who raised her—Constance has shifted to working as a paralegal while searching for a stable, committed man to become her life partner. If that means giving in to the pleas of Mars, her best friend since college, to attend a yoga speed dating event, then yoga speed dating is what Constance will do.

When she meets Hayden—a public-school teacher who shares her passion for Scrabble, has an apartment to rent, and tolerates the “long-hauler” shelter animals she brings home despite his allergy to dog and cat hair—Constance is sure she’s found her forever man. Did their first Scrabble competition not include the words LOVE, RING, and RENT? So what if LIAR also came up?

But Mars, for reasons Constance can’t understand, doesn’t trust Hayden. And when he gives Constance a pricey engagement ring, she too starts to wonder where his money is coming from. She begins researching the history of the ring, which introduces her to James and Anna, a World War I soldier and nurse whose love story reveals possibilities Constance has never dared imagine for herself. She writes a letter and leaves it in James’s book, intending to go back and retrieve it on her next visit to the library. But instead she gets a reply—from the past?—and her life really takes a new turn.

I plan to interview this author on my blog (link below) around the time of the book’s release in August 2023.

This is an extremely sentimental, angsty self-growth, and self-explanatory story of Constance Sparks, who finally finds the sparkling magic of love in the least expected place. It's a compelling, inspirational women's fiction that teaches one to love oneself and stop weightlifting the tragic burdens of the past. However, I honestly didn't find it as magical as the author's first novel, even though there's a hint that Constance corresponds with a war hero's spirit, which helps her confront her predicaments, but you can sense the identity of the person who's writing back to her from the beginning.

Constance gave up pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian after her father's conviction for second-degree murder. To help her father's case, she becomes a paralegal, just like her best friend Mars, who also comes from a tragic family background and procrastinates her own dreams to get rooted in an office job.

To compensate, Constance spends her spare time at an animal shelter supporting devoted animal lover Trudy while listening to snarky comments from Trudy's handsome doctor son, Ellis. She seems to have found happiness with her boyfriend, Hayden, whom she's been dating for eight months. He asks her to marry him, but there are red flags since Constance hasn't met his family yet, and Hayden refuses to talk about the death of his sister. Constance decides not to push further because she also hides that her father is alive and in jail.

But when she learns more about the value of the engagement ring, and Mars uncovers more secrets about Hayden, she weighs the pros and cons and confronts him. She's also intrigued by the history of her engagement ring, which leads her to the library to research the ring's first owner, World War I hero James V. Edwards, and his letters written to his sister, Olivia. Constance is deeply touched by his words and decides to write a note containing her doubts about her relationship with Hayden and the burdens of her past. The second time she returns to the library to continue her reading, she realizes there's a letter written to her, answering her questions and advising her on a path she can follow. Did the spirit of James already hear her and write back to her? Their vivid, emotional correspondences help Constance be brave, fight against her insecurities, and open her heart to true love.

Overall, in the beginning, I wanted to scream at Constance's face to stop thinking very little of herself! She kept doing what she was told, forgetting the meaning of the word "no," and always putting others first. In the second half of the book, she finally learns to stand up for herself, but it took me some time to connect with her. I found her love story too angsty for my taste, and her trust issues turned into a repetitive cycle, which irritated me a lot. Nevertheless, I took a deep breath after reading the satisfying conclusion.

I'm rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4 stars! It's a poignant, inspiring, self-exploratory, and honest romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this heartfelt book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.