Positively, Penelope was positively an absolute delight! I enjoyed getting to return to the world of Skymar and the Edgewood siblings. This book reads like a love letter to the Theater (and Julie Andrews) and I adored every reference and line. I liked all the tropes woven into this book: slow burn, gentle grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance, love triangle with brothers, traveler in a foreign land, single dad, grandpa matchmaker, etc. So many wonderful things to love about this book!

I was really intrigued at the idea of reading an epistolary novel, since I’ve enjoyed that format in lots of classics (and in the teen writing of the early 2000s!). Positively, Penelope, though, was a bit too cutesy and silly for my taste. I’m sure different readers will love it for exactly that reason, though.

Well this just about broke the Swoon Scale™️. Oh my word, did Ms. Basham just give everything here.

Will you check out this trope combo:
Jaded grumpy hero/Optimism avalanche sunshine heroine
Single dad (just the right amount of cute child presence)
Workplace forced proximity with lots of competence
Bit of an age gap
He falls first and a smidge of grovel
The only acceptable kind of quasi-love triangle: the Clear Winner love triangle
And of course, predominant presence of wonderful bantery written communications.

Much like with the first book, even as an epistolary fan, it took me a minute to settle in, and, especially in this story, I was wondering how the written communication format would work to keep us invested in this scenario (our grump meet-cute was told not shown *miffed*). But, never fear, a third person dual POV enters just when we need it, and it’s all systems go, so effective. Really applaud all the pacing/format choices and by that third act when Grumpy Gray is already all in and we have reveals, rescues, declarations, grand gestures and reunions, I repeat, optimum swoonage.

Because this is the kind of life-affirming swoony romance progression where you can see exactly where it’s going, love to see it coming and rejoice when it so-satisfyingly arrives. Isn’t that the heart-tinglingly steady predictability us romance readers yearn for? But then it also exceeds your expectations as you’re bombarded left and right with a very special brand of grump-goes-Gene-Kelly charm in a dreamy Northern European landscape. I’m serious, friends, we have a brokenhearted accountant/dance teacher hero with impressive eyebrows on our hands, ok?

And Penelope is all gotta-love-her, generally oblivious, charming chaos, with her often-rambling, incomplete narrative emails, her dreamy outlook, but with all the creativity and know-how to back it up. She literally barrels into this theater family and community’s life and learns you can have both what you dream and what you need, looking fabulous and quoting Audrey Hepburn as you achieve it.

The Edgewoods are everything and more. Luke’s up, I’m so ready.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Content notes: kissing only, unresolved grief, mention of infidelity and familial abandonment.

Positively Penelope by Pepper D. Basham is the sequel to Authentically Izzy. It is a charming story about Izzy's cousin Penelope. She has just graduated college and goes to Skymar to help restore an old theater. When she arrives she finds their finances in shambles as well as a lot of work needed on the theater. Penelope dives into the work with enthusiasm. She loves all things Julie Andrews such as Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. There are many references to songs and dances by Gene Kelly. She, meets Matt, a single dad with an adorable daughter, Iris. Although this is a fun and upbeat book, someone is trying to steal ideas that only Penelope and the members of The Darling House theater troup know about. This book has it all!! Comedy, romance, mystery and a surprise ending!! It's magically delicious!! It will be published August 1,2023 but it can be pre-ordered now!! I thank the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I loved the feel good vibes and give it 5 stars!! I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Penelope Edgewood is an eternal optimist. Matt Gray is a single dad recovering from heartbreak. When Penelope comes to work for Matt’s family as an intern at their failing small town historical theater, clashing is inevitable. As Penelope works to turn around the fortunes of the Gray family business, will her opinion of Matt turn around as well? Told in a clever email and texting format, this humorous, lighthearted tale of hope is a breath of fresh air and sunshine.

I didn't think I'd like this book at first. I just don't feel like a story can be told well entirely through letters/emails/texts. So I was happy when partway through the book, Basham switched to traditional storytelling. There were still plenty of emails and texts interspersed throughout, but we got to see Basham's excellent character building and, of course, kissing scenes. It was a fun story, lighter on the faith elements than some of Basham's previous works, but still a good read.

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

Positively, Penelope is such a fun book to read. I positively enjoyed it. Penelope is a delight with so much love and happiness to share. The Grumpy/Sunshine trope is one of my favorites. The author uses email and text messages in an "epistolary" style to convey the story through much of the book. Penelope is tasked as an intern to turn around an old theater on a fictional island near England. She meets the grumpy but handsome Matt. I won't go into detail, but Penelope does a fantastic job of earning everyone's respect and admiration in her job. There is mystery and romance with fun loving characters. As well as a precious little girl who claims Penelope's heart. I recommend to anyone who is looking for an easy, light and fun read to escape into.
*I was given a copy of this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers and this is my honest opinion.

To Pepper Basham - BRAVA!! What a wonderfully entertaining story. Penelope is so delightful and full of all the things we love about princesses and fairy tales. I really enjoyed this story so much. It was great to reconnect with the characters we met in Authentically, Izzy (with all their good-natured sibling banter) and to meet new ones. I especially loved Matthias and Iris and Grandpa Gray.

On the surface, Penelope might come across as carefree, but I love how Pepper allows us to see the depth of character and wisdom she possesses. Penelope knows people often don’t take her seriously because of her cheery nature and this quote sums up her perspective: “I’ve chosen joy, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have to fight for it. And sometimes, that fight starts as soon as I wake up in the morning.”

Pepper has penned the perfect rom-com, theatrical story for Penelope. We had humor, romance, a little mystery, with a touch of royalty and I enjoyed every minute! I received an early copy for review. The opinions expressed are my own.

a perfect combination of early 2000s whimsical romcoms and strong leading ladies!

i truly had so much fun reading this and there were laugh out louds aplenty, such a delight to read and i highly recommend checking it out

Positively Penelope by Pepper Basham is set to come out on August 1, 2023.
Positively Penelope follows bright, hopeful, and fun Penelope to Skymar, where she uses her amazing talent, spunk, and creativity to turn a struggling theater around. In the process, she sparks new life into a grieving family. Penelope also uncovers a plot of deception determined to close the theater and thwart all her attempts to save it.
As readers dive deeper into the story, they will be swept into a story of heartache, overcoming obstacles, and realizing love will always find a way. They will watch as Matthias opens his heart up again while working with Penelope to save his family’s theater.
The book's first quarter took me much longer to read than I am used to, as the format is very different. The first portion was a series of emails and text messages between different characters, and it slowed me down. If you struggle with letters in books, persevere through because the story that unfolds is worth it!

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

Such a delightful read, one you won't be able to put down. Pepper D. Basham brought a smile to my face, along with several chuckles.

Penelope lands a dream job and turns on her magic, capturing quickly the love of a little girl, and even her dad, Grumpy Matt.

She spreads her love and faith and baked goods around and brings back to life Grandpa, and gets him excited, but life cannot run smoothly, and there is a mole doing their damage. Yes, I guessed whom the mole was but loved how the whole situation was handled!

A story that begins with a lot of texts and emails, and pulls you in, and who doesn't love Peter Pan?

Now I can't wait for the next book in this series!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

Positively Penelope is
A real life fairy tale romance with all the feels! Pepper Basham has the perfect knack for nailing swoony real-life romances.
Penelope gets her own dream come true fairy tale in this rom-com set in the perfect back drop of Skymar. Penelope brings joy and positivity everywhere she goes. Even the old, aging Darling theatre where she’s hired on as a marketing intern. Matt, a grumpy, single dad is doing everything to keep his family’s legacy from dying out. Penelope bursts into his world with song, dance, and princesses. His daughter, Iris, loves all the princesses and fairytales. Matt is captivated by her creativity and genuineness to bring life back to the theatre. In fact, the entire Gray family is charmed by her ability to round up the masses and inspire excitement. There are some slips, trips, and bumps along the way, but life has a way of settling out just as it needs to.
The delightful emails and texts from Authentically Izzy continue in this second novel of the series (you can enjoy without reading that one first, but it does add to the humor and appreciation of the siblings bantering back and forth).
Now we just need Luke’s HEA!!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

This book was a delight in so many ways! We had some You've Got Mail vibes with the secret email friend, some family drama, a little grumpy/sunshine, age gap, single dad romance.

I have to admit though, that Penelope made me crazy at first! She was all sunshine and rainbows for the first 1/3 of the book, and I was highly annoyed. She definitely began to seem more realistic as you delve further into the story though.

What I liked: in so many books there is this angsty, "but she's leaving, we can never be together" sort of drivel that makes me crazy. In this book, it was more realistic to me. It was more of a, "This is going to be hard, so I don't want to jump in too quickly." So I loved that!

The constant references to plays and musicals was super fun, as was the relationship/character building that happens between Penelope, Izzy, Luke, and Josephina! I really loved reading their email and text messages, and loved how the story moved forward that way! HOWEVER, it took me a LONG time to get used to and begin to enjoy that format. And for the record, a huge portion of this book is epistolatory, of the email/text variety!

All in all, a light hearted and fun book!

This is a great book for women who like Hallmark movies: it is sweet, fun, trope-filled, and predictable. You will also like this book if you want to smile, laugh, feel inspired, and read a bunch of allusions to movies & plays (mostly relating to Julie Andrews).

The main character, Penelope, and her love interest are both enjoyable. Reading this story made me feel inspired to be more like Penelope. I also enjoyed the colorful cast of characters, including the close bond between Penelope and her siblings. There is a lot of humor in the book.

I'd like to note a few things, since they might not appeal to all readers. The book is written mostly in a non-traditional format (mostly emails and texts); I did not like that at first, but it grew on me. There were also a few moments and comments that were not totally G-rated, in my opinion, to which more conservative Christian readers might take umbrage.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I appreciated that the heroine was able to choose joy in spite of a difficult circumstance in her past, and that she encouraged others to do the same.

I would consider reading something else by Pepper Basham in the future. If you're looking for a mostly-clean and mostly-lighthearted read with colorful characters, this could be the book for you.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I will also post this review on Goodreads 30 days prior to publication, and will update this review then to include the link.

Oh, My Sweet Goodness!
This second book in this new series by Pepper Basham is so delightful!
I felt so connected to these characters because of the way the author has written it.
This book is mostly written as an Epistolary novel. If you’re not familiar with what that is, it’s where the story unfolds mostly through texts, emails, and phone calls by the characters.
It’s not as much as the first book in this series, but it’s still a significant part and I’ve found that I LOVE it!
The banter and dialogue flow so smoothly and it brings life to each character. I could just hear their wit and relate to many of their struggles and joys.
In this book, Penelope (who is the youngest of all the relatives) is away in the charming town of Skymar. From the minute she steps off the plane, she encounters crazy people and experiences many things. Her life in the dramatic theater world takes center stage and she’s loving it.
I truly enjoyed reading this book because I could relate to many of the things. I LOVE the world of theater and enjoyed picturing all the many parts that go into keeping a theater alive.
Pepper Basham presented a charming tale that actually had depth and humor all wrapped up in the conversations these characters had. There were also bits of wonderful life lessons that deeply touched my soul.
I highly recommend you pick this book up for a delightful read. You just might find yourself dreaming of taking a trip across the ocean to see rolling hills and white cliffs. Or maybe take a trip into a theater to watch a musical.
I was given this book by the publisher which did not influence my review in any way, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

PERFECTLY MAGICAL IN EVERY WAY. 5 STARS. LOVE THIS SERIES - SUCH GREAT COMFORT READS! I have to say, these characters make these stories. Authentically, Izzy is one of my favorites books of all time and this sequel did NOT disappoint ya'll! This series is just a good time all around and an ultimate comfort to me. Bonus points here for the movie and theater lovers -as this has all the PERFECT classic movie vibes with Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music, Grease, Cinderella, Rambo and so much more! Perfect princess vibes - yes please! THANK YOU PEPPER for the most magical stories.

Positively, Penelope follows Penelope Edgewood - you would have seen her and her siblings, Luke and Josephine in Authentically, Izzy and they're just a GREAT time! Told in e-mails and text messages, plus the traditional narrative story, we follow Penelope as she travels to Skymar for 3 months to be an intern at one of the most historical theaters on the island. She works with Matt Gray, the business manager of the theater, plus we see his daughter, Iris, Grandfather Gray, brother, Alec and sister, Gwynn. Together they make up this century old theater group that is in desperate need of saving. That's where Penelope comes in! Her marketing skills and experience are going to be put to the test as they work to save this theater.

We get to see messages from primarily Izzy and Luke, with some from Josephine as well. Loved all of these great conversations. I can't wait to listen to the audiobook because the narrators will be the same as Authentically, Izzy and they are WONDERFUL! They truly bring these conversations to life!

Like I said, what makes this story is our wonderful cast of characters! Penelope is so wonderful! She is positive, kind, generous, full of sunshine and a genuine heart! Then we have this grumpy-sunshine guy - Matt - who I LOVED! He has been through such hardship with his divorce and the loss of his mother and grandmother - he doesn't know how to begin again....until he meets Penelope. :) I LOVED the relationship between them and Iris too - Iris was so precious! I loved a good story with a single Dad trying to make his way who can find love again - SIGN ME UP!

I hope you all will pick this book up - as if I haven't sold you enough :) - it truly made me happy and feel like a princess would. :) What a magical place - to be in Skymar. I am so ready for Luke's story! If you love theater, movies, fairytales and just feel good stories - this is for YOU!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for a copy to honestly read and review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

'Positively, Penelope' is practically perfect in every way! I just loved this book. It is funny, and heartfelt and charming, with villains and misunderstandings and joy. Please read 'Authentically, Izzy' (the first book of these two) to find more joy and happiness. Pepper Basham provides a reading experience that is inventive, uplifting and inspiring. If I could give it 10 stars I would. Now all I can say is bring on Luke!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

What did I love…So much!

All the names are perfect! Like seriously Matt surprised me! Iris, Penelope, Alec….

I love all the play (and some book) references and then to turn it into a theater rescue just tired it together beautifully.

Pepper always puts such a sweet touch to her romance stories. They are clean and lovely and you want to keep reading them.

This book ends too soon and makes you laugh all the way through!

This book is even better than the first-and I LOVED the first one! Again, this book is told mostly using e-mail and texting, although it does have more traditional story telling than the previous book.

I absolutely love Penelope. Her zest and positively absolutely shines in this story. Not only does she change the people she comes into contact with, but she encourages the reader to look on the bright side of life in the process. The Gray brothers play an important role in her story, and it’s fun to see how Penelope figured out her true self as the story progresses. The enchanting island the author created in the first book is just as wonderful and whimsical. The writing is amazing and fun and this is a book you will enjoy!

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

Positively, Penelope can be a stand alone read, but I highly recommend reading the delicious Authentically, Izzy first. Readers will not regret that solid decision. Here's a clever tale of a unique set of close siblings and family. Surrounding witty dialogue and mystery, emails and texts among the quartet provide witty commentary to Penelope's adventures and misadventures.

What a joyful read and absolute delight to revisit the island of Skymar and its residents. Strong themes of faith, hope, grief, loss and above all, hope, pervade the text and create a fullness to the story.

I can hardly wait for the arrival of Loyally, Luke in 2024!

I received a copy of the book without obligation. This review is my opinion.