Bookmarked for Love by Sarah Monzon is the third and final book in her Checking Out Love series, featuring a curvy librarian’s assistant who is willing to do anything to preserve the children’s programs from being slashed by budget cuts.
Main Themes
Martha has poured her heart and soul into designing programs for the children who need them most. From story times, homework help hours, and running clubs for young writers, she has seen the kids grow in their confidence, get better grades at school, and fall in love with reading. But when a storm damages the library’s roof, her children’s programs — and her — are the first things getting cut. While losing her job stings, seeing the children’s programs being discarded hurts even worse.
When Martha asks King Publishing for a donation large enough to cover the costs of repairing the roof so her programs can stay running, Julien sees an opportunity to benefit them both. He has to revive a failing children’s imprint but has no idea how. He asks Marth to go with him to a writer’s conference so they can hopefully find the next bestseller.
But things don’t go as planned. Julien is constantly stressed about his father’s poor health, while Martha wonders if it’s worth pitching her own middle grade series again, despite receiving numerous, scathing rejections. There are main themes of trying again, forgiveness, and doing the right thing, even when it hurts.
Favorite Scenes
I thought the scene where Martha is losing her mind and wants to smother Julien with a pillow when he won’t stop snoring was hilarious. I can’t stand snoring either, so I resonated with her despair on a very deep level.
Faith Elements
While there are biblical themes of second chances, courage, the importance of honesty, and being kind, faith is not overly overt in this novel.
Family Friendly Considerations
This novel is very clean, with true kissing-only romance. It’s a solid option for teens and adults looking for a cute, clean rom-com.
Interested in Similar Reads?
If you love the grumpy-sunshine trope, you might enjoy these romances as well:
- Autumn at the Cat Cafe by Kathleen Fuller
- The Neighbor Playbook by Kristine W. Joy
- Horseshoes and Honeymoons by Jody Hedlund
