Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West

Hi my fellow bookworms,

(c) Kasie West & St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2026

Today I am happy to share with you my review of Kasie West's Stranger Things Have Happened. Thank you to St. Martin's Press Group for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy ("ARC")!

I have long awaited this contemporary romance novel, as I have been a fan of Ms. West's Young Adult ("YA") fiction. I am very much a fan of her YA novels, such as The Fill-In Boyfriend, Love Life & the List, and Lucky in Love, to name a few. While Stranger Things Have Happened is technically her second adult novel, following We Met Like This, it is a standalone novel that will make you melt, laugh, and just feel good! 

The story starts with Sutton, a woman back in her hometown taking care of her mom, who just had a serious accident. Acting as her mom's caretaker, Sutton is away from her work -- running a new restaurant and struggling to keep it afloat. Unfortunately, just as she arrives in her old hometown, her boyfriend breaks up with her over the phone, her restaurant partner says the business is experiencing problems, and her mom says the other caretakers are better at taking care of her than she is. What a predicament! Lost in a stupor, Sutton bumps into her best friend from high school, Tara, Tara's fiancé, Michael, and Michael's brother, Elijah. Upon reuniting with her once-best friend, Sutton finds out that Tara wants to attend couples therapy with Michael before tying the knot. Michael, however, is against therapy. Tara enlists the help of Sutton, making a bet to attend for Sutton to attend couples therapy with Elijah. If the therapist realizes they are not a couple, Michael will attend therapy with Tara. If the therapist does not realize it, Sutton must sing karaoke live in front of a crowd (her worst nightmare). 

And so begins a fun rom-com full of spicy hi-jinks, real-life worries like parent-child expectations, and a brief mention of how therapy can actually help you navigate life. While the book used therapy as a premise for Sutton and Elijah to date, it was not discussed at length to distract from the plot. I actually wish that there was more of a mention (perhaps an afterword?) of how therapy can and does help both individuals and couples navigate life in a healthy way. But personal opinions of mental health aside, if you are in the mood for a fun romance (especially if you are at the beach this summer), I highly recommend Kasie West's Stranger Things Have Happened! Given the spicy content, I recommend this title for new adults and older. 

I also recommend her YA titles, but those are written more for a younger crowd. So, if you are looking for more a clean, contemporary romance with happy vibes and cute romance tropes? Look no further! Kasie West is your author!

About the Author: Kasie West

(c) Kasie West, 2026

Kasie West is the author of many YA novels, including Sunkissed, The Fill-In Boyfriend, P.S. I Like You, Better Than Revenge, and Pivot Point. Her books have been named ALA-YALSA Quick Picks, Junior Library Guild Selections, and ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults. We Met Like This is her debut adult novel. When she's not writing, she's binge-watching television, devouring books, or is on the Central Coast, burying her toes in the sand. Kasie lives in Fresno, California, with her family. 

From the author's website: How It All Started

Back in 2011, when I could still eat gluten and dairy, I sent a query letter to Michelle Wolfson for the fourth (or fifth, I can’t remember exactly) book I wrote, Pivot Point (we will never again refer to the three or four books I wrote previously, except to say, they were practice books and will stay in the depths of an old laptop that is now in a drawer somewhere in my house). Michelle offered me representation and not long after that, HarperTeen bought my book! Through a combination of lots of writing and lots of work and lots of luck, I’ve been able to publish many books since then. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity. And forever grateful to the readers who continue to read and share my books. Thank you!

Writing Stories and Celebrating Poetry

Hi my fellow bookworms,

Happy Spring!

This month I spent much time writing. It has been a while since I pushed myself to do so (with school over and whatnot), and though while the writing was instructive, it was the most creative writing I have accomplished in a while. I am prepping to host a memoir workshop this upcoming month, based upon the Story Circle Network's Older Women's Legacies initiative. I made a complete revision of the workbook that was used previously. It was hard, since I have a couple returning members, but I wanted this experience to be special and new for them. After much research, thinking, writing, and rewriting, I am happy with this new workbook. I hope this next month will be full of heartfelt writing and memories.

March honors many holidays and celebrations, but one I wanted to bring a focus to is Women's History Month. One of the blogs I read promoted this calendar featuring different books for each day in March, celebrating different women in history, written by women. I have not yet read these titles, but the one I want to is the book titled Let's Call Her Barbie by Renee Rosen. Find out more information about the books on Janis Robinson Daly's blog here. 

(c) Janis Robinson Daly, 2026

You can always use this opportunity to check off the squares on your bingo card (featured in my January blog post), or to check off your Read Harder list from Book Riot. :) 

Goodreads also has finally unveiled their DNF option, or "Did Not Finish" option. I just categorized a book on my Goodreads shelf as DNF and tagged it, so I will hopefully read it again when I have a moment! I feel like I started and stopped quite a few books this past winter, but haven't updated my public profile. I am aiming to read for fun for at least 20 minutes a day and will hopefully bring you some lovely new reviews soon! 

Speaking of books to read, there is a list of free fantasy novels for your Kindle! Check out the blog, Stuff With Fantasy, for your ecopies today. I believe you will have until the end of the day on Monday to download your chosen novels.

Continuing with my earlier conversation about celebrations...

(c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger) 2026

April honors many different celebrations, including Deaf History Month, Earth Day, April Fool's Day, Arab American Heritage Month, National Poetry Month, National Scrabble Day, International Dance Day, and of course, religious observances, such as Easter and Passover. One of my coworkers is creating a display for our library observing National Poetry Month. She will be displaying artwork titled "blackout poetry." Blackout poetry is a form of poetry in which you take a page from a printed book (we are using discarded books that are now going to be upcycled), black out most of the page using a permanent marker, and create a poem based on the text present. Some who are more artistically inclined can draw pictures to help further the poem's meaning, others create more profound messages, but it is aimed to help overcome writer's block and unleash your creative spirit. I created my own! :) ^ See here ^

Last year I did my own display for April and National Poetry Month using "Pocket Poems," or poems you can fit into your pocket for on-the-go reading and inspiration. I also had a section were visitors could submit their own poems for display. While I am not a great poet, I love the elegance and rhythmic language and the imagery each poem evokes. 

Would you write a blackout poem? If you do, or just want to write a regular one, or even share a poem already in existence, please do so here! 

Until next month...Happy Reading! :)