Another fun book with the email dialogue along with in person happenings. Penelope has taken an intern job in the Skymar Islands, but a different place than the last book. She’s totally in her element and spreading sunshine wherever she goes and to whomever she meets. We meet the Gray family, Alec, Matt, Gwynne and Grandpa, as well as a few others. Josephine still doesn’t understand how her siblings can just go so far away. Izzy is still in the US, and Penelope is only interning though. Izzy is her supportive self and Luke is his sarcastic self. Her first impression of Matt isn’t great, but she loves his daughter, Iris. Alec is gone a lot, but does try and spend some time with her when he’s home. She bonds well with Grandpa and learns a lot from him of the history of the theater she’s to bring back to life. Page turning story and a total delight. Looking forward to the 3rd book. I do wonder how Luke’s text messages will come across when it’s hit turn to write.
A complimentary copy was provided by Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. A review was not required and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This caught my eye when I was in the mood for a romantic read.

The last book that I read by this author was a historical romance, whereas this one was a contemporary romance. So it felt different, but I still found it very charming. It made me smile from the first few pages. I liked the protagonist and identified with her. The writing style was interesting, as part of the story is told through text messages and emails. It was a cheerful, pleasant romantic read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Penelope is a ray of sunshine. She takes puts the music in musical. But Penelope has just flown away from her home nest. And the adventures awaiting may not be quite what she was expecting. There's 2 brothers, an old theater, a job opportunity (or 2), a little girl who wants to be a princess, and grandpa. But Penelope is determined and makes the choice to be positive throughout.

I loved the musical and book references. I loved the letter writing. I loved how this all came together!

"She's not like anyone I've ever met before. She sort of attaches herself to people and then convinces them of things they don't realize they're going to agree to until it's too late."

"Has she bewitched you body and soul?"

"Story is the key to what we bring to the stage, how we present ourselves online, and even how we engage with one another. We all have stories, but in our hearts, we all LOVE stories..."

This is a delightful book! Familiar characters join some new ones in a story that is filled with love, romance and even a little mystery! I LOVE Matt! What a scrumptious man! The love story is so sweet! This is a book that I could read over and over!
I was provided a copy from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Pepper Basham has done it again! Positively, Penelope is the PERFECT sequel to Authentically Izzy! The only thing that might be better?…….when Luke gets his own story!!!!
Where do I begin? Pepper does a wonderful job of mixing in the Appalachian culture, Rambo movie quotes, and musical theater. Three things that normally wouldn’t go together, blend seamlessly.
I honestly didn’t think I would like Penelope as much as I did! I felt she was childish and lived in fairy tale dream land. But I was wrong! Penelope’s relationship with Matthias had me smiling from the beginning! As usual, the kissing moments were worth the wait!
I’m calling it now….this story has the BEST first kiss moment out of all of Pepper’s other stories!

If you loved Authentically Izzy, then you will absolutely adore Positively, Penelope! Even though it’s a sequel it can totally be read as a stand alone. But why would you?

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good contemporary romance!

I received an early copy of this book via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine and given freely!

I absolutely adored this book! Positively, Penelope is a sequel of sorts to Authentically, Izzy, following Izzy’s beloved cousin, Penelope. Now, I loved Izzy because I related to her as the person I am, but I love Penelope because she represents the person I’ve always wanted to be! She’s endlessly positive, sings and dances at random, picks her skirts based on twirl factor (something I’ve done myself in the past), and has a God given gift for loving and encouraging people. How can you not love her?

I’ll admit, I guessed the “mole” pretty early on, but I don’t think the mystery was as important as the other factors of the book.

I absolutely adored Penelope’s relationship to Matthias and Iris. So sweet. And her relationship to Grandpa Gray was heartwarming to say the least. And the romance was swoon worthy.

I also appreciated watching how Penelope came to figure out and accept what God had for her future, even if it wasn’t what she originally thought.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Just read it, Y’all!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing me with a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Love this book! Penelope is such a great role model of joy, energy, kindness, and fun all while being hardworking and business smart! Can’t wait for Luke’s book!

Reading an 'epistolary' novel is an interesting experience. This is a nice blend, the first half is heavier on the emails and text messages, and then the second half has more 'as it happens' narration and inside heads.

I found this style fascinating, and I read all 7 hours over the course of 2 days. I'd read the first book in the series already, so knew somewhat what to expect, and it was great getting to "see' familiar faces again, as well as getting to know Penelope better. There were several times my heart ached for the characters, and a couple of times I wanted to knock heads together.

But Penelope's determination to choose Joy, even when she's hurting, is beautiful. Pollyanna-esque, but deeper. and she's not afraid to tell it like she sees it, even when that's going to upset someone's apple cart. She does it with kindness, and it shows. I want to be Penelope when I grow up.

I love the interplay between Izzy, Luke and Penelope, (and Josephine). The Family connection is so nice to see.

I received a copy of this book from @Netgalley and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own.

I had to start this book as soon as I finished reading the first book in this series. I got done with Izzy and had to start Penelope. It was the best decision ever! These books are so fun and I can't wait until the next one comes out! I'm invested in this family now.

In this book, we follow Penelope as she goes to the islands that Izzy is relocating to with her Brodie. She's going to help revive a theatre. And maybe some of the people in the theatre as well.

I loved watching Penelope's positive attitude in action and her Mary Poppins bag. Add in the adorable little girl and it was a lovely book. But then you've also got romance. The problem is that someone is sabotaging all of the hard work Penelope is doing. She can stay one step ahead but it feels like for every two steps forward they take two steps back.

Can Penelope find out who is behind the sabotage? Is there anything she can do to stop it? Can she get the right brother in the bargain?

I loved this book so much and can't wait to find out the rest of the family's story! Also, can I mention I really wanted some pictures or illustrations thrown in to show the twins? They have such cute outfits that Penelope buys for them that they wear but we can only see it in our minds and I wanted to see it for real too!

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

Rating: 3,5 stars ⭐️

This was a cute story about Penelope that goes to the island of Skymar where she is gonna help a theater company as an intern. She was such a fun main character and I loved how positive she was.

Definitely a cute read! 💕

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Pepper Basham for providing me with this copy. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars
This was such a cute story. Penelope goes to the island of Skymar to help an old theater. With her contagious and positive personality, she easily makes sweet friends . Penelope was quite the character and had me laughing at so many moments. She has a personality that is sure to be loved by all. I loved all the Julie Andrew’s / Sound of Music references, along with all the other wonderful musicals and movies. Anyone who enjoys musicals or a good laugh would like this book.

This book was clean with some kisses.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher Thomas Nelson via Netgalley. These are my own honest opinions.

This book wouldn’t download I’m gutted but the cover and the plot has pulled me in so I will be buying when it’s released

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson Fiction and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.I really liked the previous book by Pepper D. Basham, Authentically Izzy. It was fun, sweet and clever. I wanted to then read the sequel, Positively, Penelope. I lived the sequel, just not quite as much as the first. Penelope is an over the top type of character- she bursts into song and dance, she laughs , cries, says what is on her mind. She is a great supporting character, but ,for me, a bit much as the lead. She fairly bursts from the pages, and it was hard to get involved in the rest of the characters stories. The other characters are actually quite compelling. The story is intriguing touching and engaging. Penelope is a theater major and is taking an internship on the island of Skymar.She is going to help the Gray Family, owners of the Darling Theater. The theater has fallen on hard times, due to , deaths of 2 members of the family. The patriarch, Lewis Gray, has become something of a recluse. The 2 sons, Alec and Matt are trying to run things , but they are having a tough time. They have recently lost both their mother and grandmother, who were pillars of the theater. Gwynn, their sister, is finishing up at school with plans to take over the theater when she graduates. Matt has also recently been divorced from his wife and has custody of their young daughter Iris. The entire family is depressed and unsure of how to turn things around. There is another theater company on town, with more money, who seem to have designs on the Darling Theater. Penelope dives right in, with her own brand of glitter, show tunes and baked goods. She makes progress with the theater, the family and the town. Only one glitch, the other Theater company, Emblem, seems to know her plans as soon a she makes them and does everything they can to undercut her.Is there a spy? There is also a romance between Penelope and Matt, which is fun if a bit predictable.There are some good twists and turns, and as in the previous book, much of the plot is shared in texts and emails. It is a fun book. I liked it,just liked the first better. I also wonder if we will get a third book with Luke's( Penelope's brother) story next.I am ready to read it!

Such a delightful book. Or shall I say Positively Penelope!! So cute and had a lot of parts that I laughed out loud. I love Penelope’s story. Such an easy read. Thank you NetGalley and Pepper Basham for the ARC!

I really love the character Penelope. She was just so positive and I felt really good reading about her. Also, can we talk about how lovely this cover us. It really captures the vibes of this book. It encapsulates the warm cute story that this book really is.

Another fabulous Edgewood family Skymarian tale!

Having been obsessed with musical theatre, “The Sound of Music”, Chris Pine and Gene Kelly at different points in my life, I LOVED this story (spoiler alert: I am the target audience!). Add in fun banter between siblings (please tell me the next book is about Luke? He needs a happily ever after despite his protestations!), some wonderful new characters with the surname Gray, and a nefarious situation with the competition, and I was hooked!

I love Ms Basham’s brain, especially the way her character voices are clear, never muddled. There was more “live action” in this book than in “Authentically, Izzy”, but still heaps of fun emails and text messages to read and enjoy.

Loved this story so much... the whimsy and the romance. I also appreciated Brodie popping in occasionally... cos we all love Brodie. And now we love Matt.

And Luke. *begs with hands steepled for the next book to be about Luke*

4.5 stars

There are two primary things I admire about Penelope: her positivity and her encouragement of others. I liked that she would seek the good and then try to help others see themselves the way she saw them. I am a generally optimistic person myself, but Penelope is a whole other level!

Once again, I LOVED the interactions between the siblings. Luke is the BEST!!!!! I'm so hoping he is getting his own book. I love how he teases and moans but when his sisters need him, he is there and has surprisingly good advice.

I'm still in love with Skymar and wish it was real so I could go visit! I adored Iris and every interaction between her and Penelope. I also loved Gwynn and Grandpa Gray.

"Grumpy guy" is not my favorite trope ever but this was a sweet story. I wished Penelope's sea monster story line had been fleshed out more (the "behind the scenes"). The GK mystery did not go quite how I was expecting (though I did get the initials right!) and I just kept yelling at Penelope, "WHAT ABOUT THE STT?!" when she needed something. But the resolution was equally satisfying.

I liked book one slightly better only because I connected more with Izzy but this was a cute book, especially for being epistolary (which I normally don't like reading). I enjoyed more time with these siblings and Skymar and now I wait to see if there is another book about Luke! (Please, please, please!!!!)

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Pepper Basham has done it again!

Positively, Penelope is a spectacularly sweet sequel to Authentically, Izzy. (If you haven’t read Izzy’s book yet, I recommend you read it first. There are a lot of references to it in Penelope’s book.)

With more wonderfully whimsical characters (Grandpa Gray, Matthias, Iris, and Gwynn…just to name a few), the same fantastic fictional foreign land of Skymar, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments combined with a slow-burn sweet romance, Penelope’s story is “practically perfect!”

I laughed.
I cried.
I loved it!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

And I can’t wait for Ms. Basham to write Luke’s story!

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

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced review copy.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. So let’s start with the positives:
-A charming main character
-A community coming together
-An underdog story
-Enchanted meets Legally Blonde meets 13 Going on 30.
If there were so many positives, why didn’t this work for me?
For starters, it was recommended for fans of The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society, so I had high expectations. The problem is that in WWII, long form letters were a primary way to communicate. In 2023, I do not know anyone who sends almost daily paragraph long emails to their siblings, as the brother and sisters did in this book. It came across as inauthentic and unbelievable.
Then, about halfway through the book, we are given narrative, which actually wasn’t bad, but kind of made me scratch my head as to why there wasn’t more narrative earlier on. Why not write a normal story with texts and emails mixed in? It would have worked so much better I think. As it was, it made the emails stick out that much more as poorly done.
Some of the dialogue was cheesy (“Aye,” and “Luv”).
Lastly, it was entirely too long. It felt like it dragged on for much longer than necessary.
I wish I could recommend this, but for these reasons, the overall product as a whole was underwhelming.