Rachel Reviews: Lunch Tales: Teagan by Lucille Guarino
This book was a breath of fresh air! It had a lot going on - romance, tragedy, families - beautifully packaged by excellent storytelling!
Well, I did enjoy this! Sometimes, all you need is just great storytelling and this is what Lucille Guarino delivers here.
There's no big message to this book; it's just about folks and families, living their lives and coping with everything that's being thrown at them and finding their way. But when it's done well, like it is here, then you have characters to whom you can relate, tension which leaves you rooting for a better outcome, attraction which has your heart racing and an urge, as a reader, to see the characters happy with the people with whom they belong.
The story is centred on Teagan, a woman in her thirties, happily married with a young son. She has everything she's ever wanted until her life is completely shattered by the death of her husband, Mike. Her vision of her future has been obliterated in one tragedy and now, she has to find her way through her grief, debilitating though it is.
Teagan has a supportive family and great friends but the real turning point comes for her when her first love, Luke, starts to offer renewed friendship. Reminiscing on their shared past and their shared hurt rekindles feelings between them but can Teagan let go of her guilt and start again with a new someone or will she always be tethered to the memory of Mike?
Guarino's writing style is smoothness itself. I was completely immersed in the action of this book and could fully visualise the characters from Guarino's descriptions and the cracking dialogue between them.
Teagan is likeable and as a reader, you want her to be happy especially in those moments where she holds herself back. Luke is a worthy partner and Guarino creates great chemistry between them and the "will-they won't-they" tension is a great driver of the book - I loved it!
There's not a lot more to say about this book other than, if you like your fictional reads to be undemanding with gentle undulations and mild drama and a good helping of romance which is steamy but not sordid, then this is an easy read that I can recommend thoroughly.
Great beach reading, great cosy chair reading, great bedtime reading - great reading!
Rachel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC:
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Comments (2)
I keep coming back to how you described the book as having “no big message,” just people coping and finding their way. That actually made me pause, because sometimes those are the stories that sit with me the longest — the ones that don’t try to teach, just observe. The way you talk about Teagan holding herself back, and that tension between guilt and the possibility of happiness, feels very human and messy in a quiet way. I’m curious — did the story leave you feeling hopeful by the end, or more reflective about how complicated moving on really is?
Another wonderful review. Did I tell you my Christmas tree this year had several books beneath it purchased based on your reviews? I'll have to remember this one for my daughter-in-law's gift next year. I don't typically read romance and that's her preferred genre. This one sounds like a promising choice.