Authentically Izzy by Pepper Basham is an epistolary romance story full of bookish charm. Told completely through emails and texts, Izzy’s story unfolds amid books, quotes, and bookish dreams 📚💫.
My Overview
Izzy Edgewood loves books and dreams of one day being the happy owner of a bookstore. She’s currently a librarian, and is happy enough being surrounded by books. Her cousin, figuring Izzy will never find a date while hiding behind books, takes it upon herself to set up an online dating profile for her. Soon enough, Izzy starts communicating online with someone who appears to be a perfect match for her. The more they communicate, the more she wonders about the authenticity of their “relationship”.
What I liked:
- The emails between Izzy and Brodie (her online match).
- The book references and book quotes throughout. Especially all the references to Anne of Green Gables.
- The close family dynamic between Izzy and her cousins. They all meddled in her life, but also deeply cared and were always there for her.
What I didn’t like:
- The storyline felt repetitive, and certain aspects such as the constant P.S and P.P.S at the end of every email from Izzy added to it.
- Considering the length of the story, the ending was more rushed than I’d expected.
- The emails and texts between Izzy and her cousins. They were meant to be humourous, but were instead just too much.
My Recommendation
This book was part of My Winter 2023 Reading List, and I expected to love it. The premise of the storyline and epistolary format really drew me to it. As it turns out, I liked the story overall but it was clearly a mixed bag for me. However, I’d still recommend it since it’s a cute story which has been loved by many. The bookish mentions throughout the story alone, will likely make you smile.
I listened to the audiobook and didn’t enjoy the narration. Would I have liked this story more if I’d read it on my Kindle instead of listening to the audiobook? Likely. So, although I recommend the story, I don’t recommend the audiobook.
Have you read this story or listened to the audiobook?
Lark
I just read this one last week and I thought it was a fun romance. But then I do love epistolary novels. 😀
Lucy
Glad you enjoyed it! I enjoy epistolary novels. The audiobook just didn’t work for me.
Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads
I do like the sound of this one, so I’m sorry to hear it was a mixed bag for you. Maybe it would indeed work better as ebook than audiobook, so that’s good to know before trying this one.
Lucy
Glad you found that helpful. I hope you’ll enjoy this story 🙂.
Wendy Williams
I enjoyed this book as well, and I can see the reasons you didn’t love it. It’s a cute story overall
Lucy
Glad you enjoyed it! It’s a cute story overall. I’ll probably try another book by this author.
Cindy Davis
I read this one and LOVED it. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much in audio. The P.S. and P.S.S.s were cute in the story but would get monotonous in audio. I hate that it diminishedh your enjoyment of it.
Lucy
So many have loved this story and I expected I would too 😏. I agree those repetitive features would’ve been easier on print than audio.
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
Yes, sometimes the audiobook can ruin or diminish enjoyment. I’ve had to switch to an e-copy in the past so I wouldn’t hate the story. I do like an epistolary format.
Lucy
It definitely makes a difference. I wish I’d had the Kindle edition to switch to 😏.