Positively, Penelope: A Fun, Low-Spice Rom-Com Featuring a Grumpy/Sunshine Couple

Just when I thought I couldn’t love a book family more, along came Positively, Penelope. I absolutely loved Authentically, Izzy and this book is even better! Penelope’s character really stood out in the first book so I couldn’t wait to read her story. Penelope is a ray of sunshine that we all need in our lives. She does everything with joy, is prepared for anything, loves big, and enjoys making others happy. Oh and did I mention she carries a huge “Mary Poppins bag” and loves hats and shoes? This story is full of twist, hiccups, princesses, fairytales, tons of Julie Andrews and Gene Kelly references, family banter, friendship, and love. The first half of the story is told mostly through emails, texts, and occasional phone calls between the family members which are so fun. It really makes you feel like part of the family. This book also has quite the troupe combo that includes a jaded grumpy hero & sunshine heroine, single dad with an amazing little girl, workplace forced proximity, a bit of an age gap, he falls first, and of course a love triangle. Oh and that ending. Be still my heart! I would definitely recommend this series to everyone and I can’t wait for the next book so we can see how Luke’s story develops. I was provided a copy of the book from the author/publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

"(The right woman) is going to make you want to linger and cause you to smile when you think of her. Like that feeling you get when you walk out on an empty stage after an excellent performance and you still FEEL the magic of it all whispering through the air. And you can't wait to perform again. Or see the performance again. Just to be there. It's like that." Oh, the deliciousness of it all! Penelope the Sunshine and Matt the Grump are my favorite couple of 2023 so far. Told through a series of emails and texts with some interspersed third person narratives, this book will melt your heart, have you grinning from ear to ear, make you laugh out loud, and convince you to believe in fairy tales again. I felt like I was in Fiacla with Penelope and loved the breath of fresh air the beautiful island was. The banter amongst the cousins and siblings was hysterical and crazy but also unbelievably sweet and tender at times. I enjoyed learning about the business and marketing aspect of running a theater. The pop culture references were so much fun and I will never look at Julie Andrews, Audrey Hepburn, or Rambo the same way again. Penelope's fresh, candid, optimistic and enthralling voice was absolutely delightful. Her "spoonful of sugar" attitude was perfectly balanced by Matt's stoic and solemn outlook and I loved how they learned to embrace their differences to create something beautiful from ashes. Though Matt only had a small third person voice in the storyline, his steadfast, loyal, tender, and still healing heart that Penelope saw totally won me over. And Luke - I am almost salivating for his story (which will come next); his snark and wit had me crying with every email and text! If you are looking for an excellent clean romcom, look no further. You'll adore Penelope and Matt in Skymar. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Thomas Nelson and author; I was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

Positively, Penelope by Pepper Basham is the second novel featuring the Edgewood family and it is positively entertaining. I love the Edgewoods. As in Authentically, Izzy, a good portion of Positively, Penelope is relayed through emails and text messages. I enjoy the witty banter exchanged between the family members and you get a real feel for the personalities of the characters and how much they all love each other. Penelope is a modern-day Mary Poppins for sure. She’s vivacious, loving, and always sees the silver lining. Matt Gray lives up to his name at first. His life is gray except for his daughter Iris. Grumpy Gray as Penelope nicknames him blossoms as the story unfolds and it’s such a beautiful thing to see. There’s a bit of a mystery because someone is trying to sabotage the success of the Gray’s theater. There’s plenty of romance, always a little kissing, and a positive faith message. All the things you expect from Pepper Basham. I received an advance reader copy from Thomas Nelson through Netgalley. Of course, I will be adding this to my collection as soon as the paperback is available.