I loved Penelope’s story! I also loved getting to dive back into the Edgewood family dynamics and the land of Skymar.. Penelope’s quirkiness and lovable character jumps from the pages of this book. If you’ve read Authentically, Izzy, you’ve got to read Positively, Penelope!

Synopsis: Penelope longs for adventure and romance. As a lover of all things theater plus a touch of glitter and girly, it’s the perfect fairy tale ending that she hopes for. When an internship on the island of Skymar opens up, Penelope finds herself in a dying theater—one that she becomes desperate to save. The family who owns the theater comes with their own struggles of grief and loss, including a grumpy single man and his daughter and his charmingly handsome brother. But family dynamics and mysterious business dealings threaten both Penelope’s fairytale and the the theater’s future. Is it possible there is a way to save both?

Analysis: It’s not often you find a sequel you love just as much as the original, but Pepper does it so well with her novel Positively, Penelope. The characters make this story. Both lovable and real, Penelope and the brothers work through their own struggles of how to navigate futures that are nothing like they planned. You’ll laugh, cry, and love alongside these characters as you journey through the magical land of Skymar.

As always, Pepper Basham delivers with wit and charm and great kissing scenes. I can not wait for Luke's story to round out this trilogy!

I had a hard time with the ARC, so I waited for it to drop on Hoopla. The audiobook is EXCELLENT. The accents and having the characters’ voices so clearly distinguishable made all the difference in the world. The production was excellent, and it really made Ms. Basham’s book shine!

I have a hard time with 100% epistolary, so I really appreciate the way she begins this one that way but then transitions to add narrative as well. It really clinches those feelings at all the best moments!

I always love her heroes, and Matthias is no exception. And Penelope! Can I just say, what a perfect sunshine heroine? I love that she’s been underestimated, written off, and faced grief, but she still manages not to be dimmed. It’s no wonder everyone loves her pixie magic. And now that we’ve gotten to read Izzy and Penelope, I am DYING to get to Luke!!

Very interesting read! The book pulled me in from the start and I wanted to see how it ended. Try it and see if this book is for you!

Such a fun story and premise. As a theatre geek myself I loved all of the theatre references in here and Julie Andrews is THE queen of musical theatre. Basham has created such a fun band of characters. I cannot wait for Luke's book!

This is a fun romcom by Pepper Basham. I really enjoy the characters and the banter between the family members. I love seeing the characters grow and being themselves. I like how these characters feel like friends who you want to know what is happening in their lives. This is a very fun series.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

Thank you Thomas Nelson for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
This story is about Penelope a very positive person in every way. After college she is given the opportunity to take an internship to help save a super old theater. She jumps at the chance to help out. However, the chance is not as perfect as it seems. The theater is in major financial troubles. Can Penelope stay positive and possibly find love in the process?

I liked the main character. I enjoyed the ideas behind the story. However, I had an extremely hard time getting into this story. It felt forced during some of the story. I wish that the story developed a bit differently. However I think the disinterest may have come from the theater portions. I think someone who LOVES theater will really like this one. I enjoy theater but it is just a little bit different.

Read if you enjoy:
Theater
Romance
Character development

Absolutely loved this book! After reading Authentically, Izzy I knew I was going to want stories for the cousins and I’m so excited to be getting them! I love the writing style and the characters so much and can’t wait for the next book!

I enjoyed the storyline this book--Penelope saving a once grand theater, but found it hard to follow as it was laid out in texts and emails between Penelope, her siblings and cousin. As soon as I'd get involved in the story about her ideas for the theater or her interactions with other characters, they'd be an email or text thread to pull me out of the story.

I could definitely see how Penelope's effervescent personality resembled Mary Poppins, but sometimes I found her a bit much. Like she'd had a couple too many energy drinks. I did enjoy Penelope teaching herself to ride a bike and her sweet interactions with young Iris.

This is my first book by this author and it won't be my last. As I said, I enjoyed the storyline but this type of format isn't for me. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

"Do you remember how Grandma Edgewood always said that I had a remarkable gift of making a first impression? (Now that I think about it, I'm not sure whether she meant that as a positive thing.")
Armed with optimism and her own version of a Mary Poppins bag, Penelope heads across the pond to work for a family owned theatre. She loves her position and the people she meets. But when some seemingly random events halt her progress in bringing the theater back to life, she wonders if they are being sabotaged. Can she discover the truth?
This novel, primarily told in epistolary style, is the sequel to "Authentically Izzy." I recommend reading that one first. The characters are rather wonderful and do need the introduction.
Like all books by Pepper Basham, there is plenty of humor, romance, and unexpected faith. At first, my reaction to Penelope's enthusiasm was similar to Matthias (the hero of the book.) I wasn't too sure about her over-the-top persona. But I came to appreciate her joy. I did really enjoy this book and do recommend it!
I read this book through NetGalley. I wanted to read and review it. All opinions are my own.

This book lived up to this title! I never found a literal sunshine filled with positivity that is very likeable like Penelope did, everytime I continue to read this book it somehow makes me feel cheered up. A small town romance, sunshine x grumpy, and save a little community's place/institution done right!

I love the email and text exchange format part on this book. It makes me feel closer with the characters. Oh, and what a loveable characters they are! The people of Skymar and their love/dedication towards their theatres and gray family are so adorable.

A true ray of sunshine. This contemporary romance, told mainly through texts and emails, follows Penelope as she travels from America to Europe to intern at a failing theater. Her unfailingly positive attitude could be just what the Darling House Theatre needs to get back its spark. She also may bring some light back into the lives of the theater's owners, the Gray family... and maybe find true love along the way? There's definitely some magic to be found in Skymar.

This novel was utterly delightful! Penelope is such a fun protagonist. You can't help but smile at everything she does. I loved reading the correspondence between her and her siblings. Epistolary novels always appeal to me. The theater setting in a beautiful European inspired country is also a big plus. The romance is clean and sweet. I loved watching Penelope heal Matt's broken heart. I have not read the first book in this series, which follows Penelope's sister Izzy, but after reading this one, I will definitely be picking it up, as well as the next entry which gives her brother, Luke, a chance at romance. The mystery in this one was a bit obvious, but other than that, it's a perfect 10 for me.

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

Thank you to Thomas Nelson--FICTION and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. It definitely works better if you have read the first book in the series but is still as sweet and adorable as the first. I do enjoy the epistolary nature of the book and the character of Penelope just being so positive and showing that is not a weakness. Some of the plot points are pretty clearly telegraphed but I am not reading this for something to be totally new. It is a comfy read when you just want to relax under a blanket in front of a fire and veg. 3.5 stars.

DNF

I received this as an eARC, which is why I attempted Authentically Izzy, but I could not force my way through it. Maybe if Positively, Penelope wasn’t another epistolary novel, or if Penelope had stood out more in Authentically Izzy, I’d be more inclined to give this more effort, but I’m bowing out from this series.

Very sweet story of a girl named Penelope who goes across the world to intern at a theater house that needs to be revitalized. Her positive energy and vibes aren’t meant for everyone. The Gray family, owner of the Darling house theater, is going through their own grief and loss. Penelope works her way into their hearts and works to bring the Darling house back to life.

I was excited to read a book about theater because that's not a subject I normally read about. Objectively, the book has a cute story, but I found it hard to get into the. story because it was told through mostly texts and letters. I feel that I was told what happened instead of actually getting to be in the moment with the characters.

DNFed @ 20%

I really tried to give this one a shot. I normally love epistolary formats but I just could not find myself getting into this one, sadly. The characters were cute but overall I just was not motivated to read this one. I gave myself a month or two in between and attempted to pick it up again, but it was not for me.

I'm sure plenty will love this book, so worth a shot.

This book was SO. FUN. These characters just grab ahold of your heart, and the story and setting are just so immersive. Once you dive in, it is hard to pull your head back out! Once again, I loved the epistolary format, but I also loved that there was more split between traditional storytelling format and the emails/texts. I feel like the author really hit a sweet spot with this book!

Thank you to Just Read Tours and HarperCollins for providing me with an advance copy of the book. All thoughts expressed in this review reflect my honest opinion.

In this cute romcom, musical enthusiast Penelope Edgewood accepts a marketing internship on the fictional island of Skymar, where she attempts to revitalize the theater where she's working. In the process, she gets to know the dashing Gray brothers, Matt and Alec - and might just fall in love with one of them 😉

I think that this novel's weak point is its format. It's *mostly* a modern epistolary novel, with the story conveyed primarily through emails and text messages. I think this is a super hard format to pull off, and, unfortunately, I don't think that Basham quite manages to do so. I found the banter between Penelope and her family back at home to be more awkward/forced than witty, and I particularly noticed that Penelope over-explains memories for the reader's benefit - it made the conversations feel fake because the other characters wouldn't need such explicit details. This really drew me out of the story.

However, while the majority of the novel is conveyed through correspondence, every so often, the mode would change to third person POV. I had really mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I very much preferred these sections because the story flowed so much more naturally and it made for a much more enjoyable reading experience. That said, the back-and-forth between letters/texts and third person POV was very choppy and created inconsistency. I wish that the whole novel had just been written in third person.

I did enjoy the story itself - this is a quintessential example of Grumpy meets Sunshine, if you like that trope, and if you're someone who appreciates musical references, you'll really enjoy Penelope! I do recommend that you read the previous book in the series prior to picking this one up - I did not, and I think I would've enjoyed this more if I had, particularly the correspondence with Penelope's siblings.

Overall, this is a cute book with a funky format. If you struggle with epistolary novels (I generally actually like them), I don't particularly recommend this one because I think it's harder than most to get into. If you love the Grumpy/Sunshine trope or are a sucker for musical references, you might be able to see past that and just enjoy the story. Thank you again to Just Read Tours and to HarperCollins for the opportunity to read Positively, Penelope!