Oh, I really loved this book, I don’t care that I have the ebook from NetGalley, I’m buying the paperback when it releases because it was amazing!

This was a book that I wanted to race through because I had to know what happened but also a book that I wanted to read slowly because I did not want it to end! And it broke my reading slump!

I loved hearing Evelyn’s tale, she’s just amazing in general, I want to be like her when I’m that age.

Jenna’s POV did take more building, but she captured my heart eventually and I was laughing and crying my way through this.

The pacing of this book was amazing, the split between Evelyn’s tale of her 1950’s childhood and Jenna’s tale of the present day was done really well with snippets from Evelyn’s POV working their way into Jenna’s story and had me devouring this book to find out what happened next.

I just want to live in this world forever, can I have ten sequels full of moments like the epilogue please?

I previously read Sara Goodman Confino’s For The Love of Friends and absolutely loved it. When this book was available, I had to request it because I knew I loved the author’s writing style and she did not disappoint! This novel (which had some tie in characters from her previous book!) was so cute and I loved the timeline going between present day and the past. This story is about Jenna whose marriage ends and she takes her grandmother on a road trip with her. It’s a cute story with great characters. It’s a quick, fun read that I’d recommend to anyone looking for something to read!

She’s Up To No Good was just okay for me. It certainly wasn’t a bad book, but I didn’t love it either. It felt a bit too long for me and some parts seemed to drag.

This novel is beautifully written and is the perfect heart warming story we all need in these times. It's full of humour, second chances and family. I loved the clever dual narrative timelines, and really fell in love with Evelyn. I have since recommended this novel to a few book blogger/author friends and they have also adored this book. I highly recommend book for a fun uplifting comforting read. Five stars.

I love books where older people take younger people on a trip because I know the trip will be entertaining and wisdom will be shared. This book did not disappoint in either area.

For two women generations apart, going home will change their lives in this funny, poignant, and life-affirming novel about family, secrets, and broken hearts. Wow this novel will reel you in and hold you enthralled as the layers of story are revealed.

I was very lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I LOVED THIS BOOK! This was such a great (funny at times), feel good story. I can honestly say this was one of the first books I've read this year that I didn't want to end. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy as soon as it is published - you will be so happy you did!

A story about two women dealing with love, heartbreak and healing.
Jenna is still in pain after her husband has suddenly left her and her idea of an ideal life just collapsed. While she drives her grandmother Evelyn to the family’s old seaside beach houses, the story of Evelyn’s first big love, Tony unfolds with all its tragedy. While Jenny slowly gains confidence in getting to know and trust Tony’s great-nephew Joe. In the end, both women get to know and understand each other and heal along the way.

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley.com and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for my honest feedback.

One of the best things to come from websites like NetGalley.com is you get to read books you might never have other wise. To be frank, this cover and description would not have caught my eye if I was browsing through a bookstore. However, I am happy I stumbled upon it!

She’s Up To No Good by Sara Goodman Confino is a beautiful story that uses dual timelines of a grandmother and granddaughter navigating the most important times of their lives. The way Goodman Confino writes about love, loss, and heartbreak throughout the generations of one family is stunning. It goes to show the choices one person makes, can and will have a dramatic impact on not only them, but those around them.

I could not put this book down. I devoured it in one day! It is the perfect read for those we loved The Notebook and The Last Letter From My My Lover. I hope it follows in the steps of those two books and gets adapted onto the big screen. It would make for a great movie!

Genre: women's fiction
Pub date: 8/1/22
In one sentence: Jenna's husband blindsides her by asking for a divorce, and the surprises keep adding up as she takes a trip with her grandmother and uncovers family secrets.

For the Love of Friends was such a fun read, so I had to grab the latest book by Goodman Confino! I love road trips in books, and Jenna's grandmother Evelyn was a hoot! Her comedy/free-spiritedness contrasted perfectly with Jenna's more straight-laced nature. The story takes place in two timelines - one in Evelyn's teenage years and one in present day. I enjoyed the past timeline more, but both were fun. This ended up being closer to a 3 star than a 4 star read for me because it felt ~50 pages too long in the middle. But I think readers who love family dramas will still enjoy this one!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jenna thinks she lives the perfect life. That's until her husband informs her that he met somebody else and he wants to get divorce. humiliated and in shock, Jenna jones back to her childhood home and stays cocooned inside for six months.
Her life takes a turn for the better once her grandmother, Evelyn, comes to dinner and announce that she is planning on going on a road trip to her childhood hometown. Jenna suggests she'll drive her and by the next day she gets to see her grandmother in a whole new light.
Hereford, 1950. Evelyn Bergman is only sixteen when Tony Delgado catches her eye. What was supposed to be only a fling became a great and forbidden, Romeo and Juliet style, love story.
This trip is going to change Jenna's life and perspective.
This is a story of love, one that holds our heart for years. 'she's up to no good' teaches us that life does not always go as planned, but sometimes it goes just the way it should.

Most of the story, Evelyn is really secretive and mysterious. To be honest, after finishing the book, I really don't understand why. But maybe, this is part of the lesson she wants to teach us, the readers.

As jewish myself, I found myself cracking up at Evelyn's antics. I could picture my grandma saying the things she says. Jenna starts as boring and unconfident, but as the story goes on we get to know her and understand her.


I really liked the book and made me smile, laugh, and tear up. Read it!

I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I reached after this title because I needed something light and easy but I didn’t expect it to be such a valuable read.

Jenna after receiving bad news from her husband moves back to her parents’ house into her childhood bedroom. She gets stuck in her sadnesses until her grandmother starts to meddle in her love life. The author shows us two timelines - the present, with Jenna, and the past from the 50s when Evelyn - her grandmother was young.

The main character was quite annoying at first, but you can warm up to her with time. On the other hand, I liked Evelyn from the very first appearance. She’s brave, confident and quite funny. We can observe how dating changed over the years, especially in the Jewish community. There are a lot of cultural and religious references.

Overall I really liked the book, it was easy to read, full of emotions. Gives hope to single/ divorced women. I admire that the main character had strong morals, despite being it a romance novel, she knew that she doesn’t need someone to be happy and doesn’t need a rebound guy to get over her husband. Would love to know what happened more with Jenna and her grandmother.

The plot of the book revolves around Jenna and her grandmother, Evelyn, who go on a trip to Massachusetts together.

This book switches between two different timelines, the present timeline and the timeline set in the 1950s. The present timeline, and the past timeline intertwined so well with the story.

Jenna's husband tells her that he's in love with another woman and wants a divorce. Jenna was shocked even though she knew none of them was happy with their marriage. Uncertain about her future and wanting to get her life together, she decided to go on a trip with her grandmother Evelyn.

I liked Jenna, and her character developed throughout the book. But to be honest, Evelyn was the one who stole the spotlight for me. I loved her story more than Jenna's. Evelyn's love story, her heartbreak, her sacrifices and her family bond were well written. I love the bond between Jenna and Evelyn, their continued banter. They both were hilarious.

The plot is fast-paced. I love the settings in the book. Loved the way the author shifted from one timeline to another. Overall, it was a fun read.

I would highly recommend this book!

Review in a sentence: Two women, generations apart makes for a funny poignant book.

My thoughts: This was a great read. Told from two perspectives: Jenna in the present day is going through a divorce as her husband has just left her for another woman. Evelyn, her grandmother who has a tragic past but is a mischievous woman.

The story has the right pace, drama and emotions to pull you into the story. I really enjoyed the dual timelines, and it was an easy book to get lost in.

She's Up to No Good is everything I needed! It's a poignant, heartwarming read, and the dual timelines truly added to my overall reading experience. I'm so excited to read more from the author in the future because if her other books are anything like this one then I'll be a fan for life!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
I loved the author's first novel and this one did not disappoint. I love a good multigenerational story and the characters were so well written. I enjoyed the dual storylines between grandmother and granddaughter. I do wish the current timelined story was not so rushed. I get it, but I wanted that relationship to develop a little bit slower to make is a little more realistic. I really enjoyed reading about the family dynamic of a large Jewish family in the 1950's and how all the 7 siblings interacted with one another.

Jenna was looking for a new house when her husband tells her he's met somebody else.
Suddenly she finds herself living again with her parents, with no projects and nothing to lure her out. One evening, her 89-year-old grandma, Evelyn, says she's going to drive for about 9 hours to get her home town becasue she has "to take care of personal business" there. To avoid a confrontation between her mother and her grandmother.
During this trip, Jenna is going to learn about her grandmother's youth, her early years of marriage, and the most important people and events in her life.

I really liked this book, I read it in one go. All I can say is I now wish I had someone like Evelyn in my life.

Thanks NetGalley and the author for giving me the possibility of reading this book.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

4/5

The main plot of the novel is Jenna, a 34 years old soon-to-be-divorced and her grandma, Evelyn, goes on a trip to Evelyn's hometown of Hereford in Massachusetts.
From there we have two storylines, Jenna trying to navigate her life now that suddenly changed and Evelyns, who takes us back to her past and the decisions she made as a teenager.
What I enjoyed the most was that the author connected her books, having Evelyn and Lily from ‘For the Love of Friends’ and you feel a deep relation with the characters, in this case Evelyn as you already know her.
Evelyn is my favourite character, her cheeky self and how everyone thinks she's not capable of many things, when in reality she is playing everyone around her to, in her way, help them.
I enjoyed Jenna's storyline and how she tries to come to terms with sudden change in her life.

I became a fan of Confinos work while reading ‘For the Love of Friends’ and she ended up winning me with ‘She's Up to No Good’. I'm looking forward to reading more of her works.

this was a delightful read. the basic plot of the novel is that the protagonist, jenna, goes on a trip to her grandmother’s, evelyn’s, hometown of hereford, massachusetts.

she’s up to no good is told in two perspectives: the first by jenna in the present day, whose husband has just left her for another woman & is in the process of getting her life together. she goes on the trip with evelyn for a change of scenery (she had just moved back into her parent’s house after the separation) and to accompany her grandmother. here, jenna finds out a lot about her grandmother's past – especially the decisions made that determined the current course of events. the second perspective is evelyn’s, starting in 1950’s when she meets her forbidden love, tony.

the highlight of the book by far was evelyn’s character. in both perspectives i enjoyed her smartass comments but also the intense love she had for her family. she has dealt with much grief & sacrifice, about which she can be annoyingly cryptic about. she is just overall a little heathen and it’s very fun to read.

this being said, i definitely enjoyed evelyn’s storyline more than jenna’s. jenna came off very childlike to me, which could be due to the rut she was in. if this book was only told in jenna’s POV, i don’t i think i would’ve enjoyed the book as much as i did. it felt like her POV existed mostly to show the outcome of the decisions made in evelyn’s POV. she and her love interest have a bit of insta-love going on, but i think they developed a lot of chemistry towards the end of the book.

overall, i really enjoyed this book. i’m definitely going to be purchasing a physical copy when it is released in august!