Positively, Penelope: Book Review + Giveaway

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

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Positively, Penelope by Pepper Basham hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Positively, Penelope 

Series: Skymar #2 

Author: Pepper Basham 

Publisher: Thomas Nelson 

Release Date: August 1, 2023

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Told mostly through letters, texts, and email, this contemporary romance will charm its way into hearts as Penelope rescues a theater and discovers her true self in the process.

Penelope Edgewood is practically positive in every way, so when, fresh out of college, she is awarded a paid internship to help save a century-old theater on the island of Skymar, she jumps at the chance. After all, a crumbling theater needs the special touch of someone who reveres all things vintage and adores the stage. 

Unfortunately, not everything is as it seems at Darling House Theatre. Finances are in shambles, the local theater group is disenchanted, and the two brothers, Matt and Alec Gray, can’t seem to see eye-to-eye about how to run their theatrical business. So, of course, it’s the perfect place for Penelope to shine her own personal brand of sunshine. 

With a little help from GK, the person emailing her encouragement along the way, she puts all her heart into helping the Grays save Darling House. But between Matt’s ever-present skepticism, Alec’s tendency to treat Penelope a little too much like the “princess” she thinks she wants to be (until someone actually started treating her that way), a grandfather who is stuck in his grief, and a mysterious person stealing Penelope’s marketing ideas, she’s not sure her optimism is enough to make a happily-ever-after of her own story, let alone The Darling House’s. 

Between an adorable little girl, a matchmaker, a sea monster or two, and a copious amount of musical references, can Penelope draw enough confidence from her faith, her family, and her adoration of all things Julie Andrews, to find the thief and save the theater . . . without getting her heart broken in the process?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Christianbook | BookBub

More Books in this Series

Book Review

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! 

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About the Author

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. Pepper's novel, Hope Between the Pages, was a 2022 Christy award finalist. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC, where she is the wife of a fantastic pastor, mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.

Connect with Pepper by visiting pepperdbasham.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Authentically, Izzy, $20 Amazon gift card, and a Peter Pan mug!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight July 26, 2023 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on August 2, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!