Positively, Penelope by Pepper Basham is the second book in the Skymar series. I did not know this before reading it but I do not feel like I missed anything. I will definitely have to read the first book since I truly enjoyed this one. The characters were so likable and I absolutely adored Penelope and Matt/Matthias. I cannot wait for the third book following Penelope's brother, Luke.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

An utterly delightful romantic comedy, with a determinedly optimistic heroine ready to tackle any challenge with faith, love, and pixie dust!


Penelope comes to Skymar to help a struggling local theater, and the burst of creativity and light that she brought to every situation. She is indefatigably positive, and I loved how she brings out the best in people inspiring them to hope again. Iris is so adorable! I loved the relationship between her and her siblings, as they communicate through text, email, and phone calls throughout the story. Luke is definitely still a favorite, and I'm interested to see how his story will play out as he is a man of few words.

This was such a fun read, filled with heart, a grumpy-sunshine romance, and great musical theater references. I loved Penelope's zest for life, and how she shares it with others. Matt is a man who has gone through a lot in the past few years, but he has a heart of gold and is an excellent father.

Overall, a completely enjoyable addition to the series with heartwarming new characters, and engaging plot, written by an author who knows her audience well. I loved the humor, excellent chemistry between Penelope and Matt. Highly recommend, and can't wait for Luke's story!

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

I like the idea of the story. There's some funny humour and cute moments. But I skipped so much....I really didn't like the way the book read, because of the many emails and text messages. I think I would've really liked the story if it had been written like a normal story. The email elements prevented me of connecting with the characters and I couldn't get in the story. It's probably just me, but for me it wasn't a succes. I'm sorry! But thank you for the opportunity to read it!!

This book feels like a continuation of the first book, Authentically Izzy, and was a four star for me until the last part of the story when suspense kicks up a notch and ends on such a sweet note that I decided on five stars. It is told in the same format as the first one with of lots of emails and texts, in the epistolary form. We see the same humor and wit between siblings/cousins, Penelope, Izzy, Luke, and sometimes Josie. What fun they have with banter and teasing, all interspersed with love! Penelope is doing an internship in Skymar, home of Izzy's boyfriend, Brodie, following her college completion. Sunny personality Penelope meets grumpy Matt Gray at the airport, but things get better the more that the two are together. She makes a special bond with Matt's sweet little daughter, Iris. She is working with the Gray family to revitalize their theatre, The Darling House and finds such history and special love in the artifacts and memories. She does a wonderful job and wins the hearts of the family and community. Filled with movie quotes and references, this is another fun and uplifting read. I am looking forward to reading Luke's story.
I received a copy for the purpose of an honest review. These are my thoughts.

Be prepared to dive into a world that radiates positivity, love, joy, and happiness, and is full of twists and turns with laugh-out-loud vibes and so many amazing references to movies and music.
It's sweet and fun such as our beloved Penelope.
It's a grumpy X sunshine
Single dad
An epistolary novel with a lot of banter and zero spice.
Penelope travels to Skymar for 3 months to become an intern at a historical theater on the island which is in desperate need of savings. There she meets Matt Gray the theater manager a grumpy single dad who had lost his belief in love and magic.
Together they will save the theater and Penelope might just be the key to his happiness again.

I loved the Skymar books. The 1st one was pure joy and now Penelope's story did not disappoint.
Everything was perfect from A to Z and I highly recommend you pre-order this book
You Will LOVE IT 😉

Thanks to @NetGalley and the Publisher for granting me an ARC of #PositivelyPenelope in exchange for my honest review.
Xoxo

Positively Penelope is a second in a series but could be enjoyed stand alone or out of order. I know many readers will adore the characters and their banter, presented in email and text messages though I found some of the messaging confusing, especially posts traded on a group where the people had agreed to remain anonymous. There are also sections of narration and dialogue but the segue way between the writing styles felt awkward to me. I enjoyed the story but found it just as predictable as I suspected in the opening chapters as when I reached the end. But this is a cute story where the main character is so likeable that the reader will be charmed as well. Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an early copy to read and review. This book will release on August 1, 2023.

My head was spinning as I read this book, and I never was able to get into the rhythm of the story told through messages, all in a snappy narrative. The sibling relationship between Izzy, Penelope and Luke is fun, but their random commentary sidebars were distracting from my attempts to visualize Penelope's setting. Hopping between texts and emails (often without the story finished- a habit of Penelope's) was jarring and made it difficult to keep everything straight. I enjoyed Penelope's effervescent personality, which bubbled off the pages. She compares herself to Mary Poppins and Maria VonTrapp, and I would concur, with the addition of about twenty Red Bulls. She has plenty of witty opinions on the world and people around her, but I had difficulty connecting to her or any of the characters because of the reading whiplash I experienced from the format. I would recommend this book to fans of Gilmore Girls, it definitely reminds me of Lorelei's fast-talking quirky conversations.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

What a delightfully fun read! I loved it so much! It was just as good as the first book, Authentically, Izzy. This could be read as a standalone, but I'd still recommend starting with Izzy just because it's so good.

I literally laughed out loud numerous times and had a smile on my face for the majority of the book. It's such a feel-good romance, but it has a lot of depth and heart, too. It wasn't just fluff, and I loved that.

This was full of wonderful and likable characters. I loved Penelope's positivity and joyfulness. It was contagious! I also loved her tenacity and determination to help The Darling House. I instantly fell for Matthias. Yeah, he was a grump, but he was such an endearing one! And despite that grumpiness, he was such a stand-up guy. A gentleman with a surprisingly great sense of humor. I also loved the secondary characters too. Grandpa Gray, Iris, and Gwynn—the list could go on and on.

If you're looking for a laugh-out-loud, heartwarming, and sweet romance, grab a copy of this book. You won't be disappointed.

I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

This was a fun story and I enjoyed the characters and the island / theatre settings. I'm a huge fan of musical theatre and could see some of myself in Penelope as I'm always singing too! I'll admit that I really struggled to stay engaged whilst reading the book in the email and text format. I acknowledge that this may well be great for some people but for people, especially when reading on the Kindle, it felt quite chop and change and I couldn't settle into the book how I wanted to. Overlooking that, a good read!

Positively, Penelope is the second book in the Skymar series, but I believe it could read just fine as a standalone.

I have to be completely honest... it took me a WHILE to get into this story. Seriously. I would start, read a bit, find myself unable to get into it, put it down and come back later to try again. That's pretty unusual for me in general, but particularly when I've really enjoyed Pepper Basham's books in the past. But honestly, there were points where I really wasn't sure I wanted to continue this one... For me, this definitely had little to do with the writing and the story and everything to do with the epistolary form it was written in. While some of my books as a child were written in that same style, I've found as I've gotten older, it's just not one I love as much as I personally find it harder to get into what is happening in the story. And so, it wasn't until around 30% or so into the story when it broke into more of a typical narrative (with emails and text still mixed in as well) that I really found myself drawn into and enjoying the story at last. Once that happened though, I found myself really glad I hadn't given up on it too soon! There were so many moments that had me laughing out loud and I really found myself finally enjoying these characters so much! I loved the text banter and the chemistry between Matt and Penelope was so good. Theater fans will also appreciate all the musical references throughout too. (There was a lot of Julie Andrews love, which was GREAT!)

If you're like me and you aren't sure about this story in the beginning because of the email format, I would highly encourage you to read on... in the end it was definitely worth it to do so! It was certainly a unique story, and one that I really enjoyed in the end!

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All opinions are my own.

Penelope travels to work at a theater in need of revitalizing and finds her very own grumpy boss.

Okay, here's the thing. This book didn't wok for me. It was slow and I wasn't a fan of how a majority of it was written (in the form of emails and texts). The story itself wasn't bad. It had a feel of Pride and Prejudice for me. The MMC was a single father who is the definition of grumpy. This classes immediately with Penelope who is a life-long sunshine. The two of them together had such cute interactions. She worked hard to thaw him! The setting was also cute. BUT, like I said, the way it was put together wasn't my thing. It will have a big audience though, especially for those that love a good grumpy/sunshine.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All of my reviews are honest.

Positively Penelope did not disappoint! I was so afraid that it would not be as good as the first book but it was. I laughed outloud and often found myself wishing I could be in Skymar with Penelope & Matt! Sweet friendships, theater, family and love all wrapped together in one amazing story. Pepper Basham, you did it again.

I found this book to be a mixed bag. Some moments I was swooning, others I was confused.

I struggled to get into this book. The first chunk only being in email and text form made it hard to get into a good flow. I had not read the first book so I felt very disconnected to the characters. I was tempted to stop. But I hate to do that so I continued reading. It wasn't until it went into story mode that I enjoyed it.

Penelope and Matt are very cute. The way they fall in love slowly while always being cognisant of past trauma and the realities of the challenges that face them was a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed how important forgiveness and understanding were throughout the book.

But then the end awkwardly hit. We had the beautiful reunion of Penelope, Matt and Iris followed immediately by emails between the siblings. While on topic, these emails took me out of the previous moment. And then it just ended! I thought maybe I'd missed a few pages but I hadn't.

Overall, I *mostly* enjoyed this book but would recommend reading the first book first or a lot of conversations feel unnecessary

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for allowing me to read the book early! I was not asked to give a positive review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own..

I started reading Positively, Penelope when I was offered the copy. I did not want to read it so far from the expected publication date, but I could not stop thinking about the characters. The Edgewood family enchants me, and I smile when reading these books.

Penelope Edgewood is in love with the theater. She has Cinderella, Princess, and Mary Poppins vibes down to her very being. When Penelope is offered a chance to work with the Skymarian Theater, she jumps in with both feet. She works closely with Mattias or Matt, the theater manager, along with his sister, Gwynn, brother Alec, his Grandfather, and his daughter Iris, who is precious in every way. Penelope soon finds that the theater is failing financially, and she gets to help the others save this theater.

Positively, Penelope is written in an epistolary style for most of the book, making the story so much fuller. I smiled so much at the conversations between Penelope, Izzy, and Luke. I urge you to snatch up this book immediately, as Penelope will surely bring you joy.

"Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I fell headlong into this fine fun laugh-out-loud epistolary romance, one I did not want to end. I adored it as much as book one in the series, Authentically, Izzy: It helps to read it first but Positively, Penelope can be thoroughly enjoyed solo.

The author writes such fully fleshed characters, whose flaws just make them more endearing, and this time Penelope, Luke, Izzy, and Josephine -- along with the country of Skymar -- return again to the compelling pages. A must-read destined to become another fav from a versatile author who writes with such verve and wit that all her books will make it to your TBR list. Highly recommended!

Penelope is POSITIVELY charming. She’s a character who is full to overflowing with joy and zest for life and reads as a charming and effusive lead. If Authentically Izzy (1st book in the series) is for book-lovers, this is a story for classic-movie-lovers, as Penelope is a true admirer of icons like Audrey Hepburn and Julie Andrews. An admirer such to the point that it is a chief element of her personality.

I really enjoyed the balanced structure of epistolatory style emails and texts alongside narrative story in this sequel. And this book is a true sequel: the reader is thrust right back into the lives of the Edgewood family and the enchanting islands of Skymar that we were introduced to in Authentically Izzy. I loved the continued character building of the brother Luke and the fact that he called his sister “Penny-girl”.

This book focuses a little more on Penelope’s relationship and interaction with her family and seemed to skate over some of the romantic relationship building with her male lead. I found myself looking for a little more to the “happily ever after” of the story as the ending felt a bit condensed and rushed.

A truly enjoyable read! I found myself giggling and smiling to myself throughout the chapters. It would be the perfect book to mix it up if you’re looking for something that’s different in format.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishers and NetGalley for the complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Penelope Edgewood is very positive, seemingly always looking on the bright side of life. She earns the opportunity to work at a dying theater in Scotland, specifically on the island of Skymar, to help restore it and hopefully get the finances back up to where they used to be. She works with the Gray family, the owners of the theater that has been in their family for generations, and an anonymous person, "GK", to help revitalize the theater and add her unique touch to it.

Two of the brothers, Matt and Alec Gray, seem to have different ideas on how to revive the theater. Alec is a little more welcoming to Penelope while Matt needs a little more time to warm up to Penelope's positivity. Penelope has three months to figure out how to improve this theater. Is her positivity and hope enough to fulfill her goal?

I wanted to like this book. However, it could only garner 2.5 out of 5 stars (again, Goodreads does not allow its users to give half stars; I will keep addressing this until they fix it). I was hoping for an endearing story and looked forward to reading something similar to what was described as an "Elle Woods-like" character. Needless to say, I would watch "Legally Blonde" for the hundredth time rather than read this book.

I could forgive the awkward formatting considering this was an ARC and I was reading this on my Kindle. That being said, the details in the book were scattered, which is understandable considering Penelope's character (hopefully, the author intended to show this as a character flaw). Penelope's character bothered me too. She had her moments where her intelligence and theater acumen shined through, but in other cases, she was what I would describe as ignorantly positive or just positively ignorant. There were so many moments throughout the story that were painfully predictable too.

I also didn't like the formatting and sudden switching from e-mail and text messages to third-person narration. It happened abruptly and it was just a little awkward. I thought that the email exchanges and text messages took away from the understanding of each character. Some of the characters didn't seem fully fleshed out as a result.

I will be positive though and say that I enjoyed the banter between Penelope and Matt and wanted to find out when they finally get together. The romance aspect of this story between these two was pretty much the only thing that I enjoyed from this book.

While some of the parts were cute, most of it was just a little bit of a miss for me.

With many laugh-out-loud moments, readers will find Positively, Penelope is practically perfect in every way. This was just what I needed. A book that is filled with so many wonderfully delectable musical references and a heroine that couldn't help but worm her way into this reader's heart. Penelope has all of the positivity of Anne Shirley, yet a passion for musical theater instead of literature.

Ms. Basham has written another sweet romance with a delightful cast of characters, and an interesting plot that will keep readers entertained from the first to the last page. (I made sure I mentioned romance first, because Ms. Basham definitely writes what she personally calls 'kissing' books. Yet she definitely focuses on the sweetness of the romance that goes before the kiss, the courting and winning of hearts.)

Told partially as an epistolary, reader's will hear Penelope's and the whole Edgewood families' voice through texts and emails.This was a wonderful window into the Edgewood family dynamics. Yet I also enjoyed the story as it digressed from this format as well, allowing us to follow the plot or see another character's POV. Within the pages lurks a fantastic story of family and forgiveness, a story of finding joy and looking to the future with hope.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher through Netgalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

** “The biggest dreams are the ones that take the most risk, but they’re worth it, Iris. You may just have to make it through the hard things first.” **

Pepper Basham delivers a delightfully lovely epistolary story with “Positively, Penelope,” billed as a standalone but companion novel to “Authentically, Izzy.”

Izzy’s cousin is set to travel to the captivating island of Skymar, where Izzy recently found love and purpose, to intern at an old family theater in desperate need of some marketing help. Penelope joins forces with the Gray brothers — hunky Alec and the enigmatic yet kind Matt — to incorporate new ideas to save The Darling House. But when a rival theater seems to keep stealing her ideas, she’s concerned her plans will be severely thwarted. Will she be able to save the theater, and sort out her feelings for two very different brothers?

Written mostly in letter form — emails and texts — “Positively, Penelope” is filled with both funny and romantic moments, as well as moments that will allow the reader to pause and evaluate their own dreams and desires.

Basham creates delightfully quirky characters readers will fall in love with, as well as filling “Positively, Penelope” with some great themes, like following one’s dreams; encouraging others; getting people to believe in themselves; rediscovering your joy, and we have to choose and even fight for joy; the magic and joy of creativity; the past and present can live in harmony; seeking love (“Love has a way of being much bigger than we imagine”); and the importance of home.

Fans of epistolary novels like “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” as well as authors like Katherine Reay will love this story, which is due out Aug. 1.

Five stars out of five.

Thomas Nelson provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Thank you for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a contemporary read that I just couldn't get into. Maybe another time.