Book Review: The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy E. Reichert

It’s release day for Amy E. Reichert’s latest novel, titled The Kindred Spirits Supper Club! One sign of a really good book is when you pick up the book to check a detail as you’re writing a full review and 45 minutes later you’re feet up on your desk, engrossed in the chapter you’ve found. This is just that kind of book!

Read on!

I received an advanced copy of the book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley; all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

SYNOPSIS

The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy E. Reichert
Published by Penguin on April 20, 2021
Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Magical Realism
Pages: 352
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Buy from your local independent bookstore via Bookshop.org
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Jobless and forced home to Wisconsin, journalist Sabrina Monroe can tolerate reunions with frenemies and kisses from old boyfriends, but not the literal ghosts that greet her in this heartwarming tale of the power of love and connection from acclaimed author Amy E. Reichert.

For Sabrina Monroe, moving back home to the Wisconsin Dells--the self-described Waterpark Capital of the World--means returning to the Monroe family curse: the women in her family can see spirits who come to them for help with unfinished business. But Sabrina's always redirected the needy spirits to her mom, who's much better suited for the job. The one exception has always been Molly, a bubbly rom-com loving ghost, who stuck by Sabrina's side all through her lonely childhood.

Her personal life starts looking up when Ray, the new local restaurateur, invites Sabrina to his supper club, where he flirts with her over his famous Brandy Old-Fashioneds. He's charming and handsome, but Sabrina tells herself she doesn't have time for romance--she needs to focus on finding a job. Except the longer she's in the Dells, the harder it is to resist her feelings for Ray. Who can turn down a cute guy with a fondness for rescue dogs and an obsession with perfecting his fried cheese curds recipe?

When the Dells starts to feel like home for the first time and with Ray in her corner, Sabrina begins to realize that she can make a difference and help others wherever she is.

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE KINDRED SPIRITS SUPPER CLUB

I’ve become a huge fan of Amy E Reichert, and this delightful book lived up to my expectations. It was quirky and adorable, and like all of her previous books I need to add a print copy to my personal collection. (As noted above, this is one that I would happily re-read for a quick escape.)

The Kindred Spirits Supper Club ticks all the boxes for me. First off, it’s a rom-com with a touch of the supernatural. (The women in her family can help ghosts resolve unfinished business – but not outside their part of Wisconsin, which is why Sabrina wants to get out.) The writing is delightful, and it offers complicated but relatable characters in a colorful setting. I loved everything about this book.

Sabrina is QUIRKY and adorable, frustrated and kind. She suffers from social anxiety, and Reichert really nailed her inner thought process – it was palpable. (My anxiety isn’t as bad as Sabrina’s, but oof, the awkwardness of her first interaction with Ray hit me in the gut.) Granted, if I had needy or confused ghosts popping up when you least need them to (a family “gift”), my stress levels would be through the through the roof. She’s also nerdy as hell and I totally adore her organizational bent and passion for sticky notes.

The secondary characters are crafted to perfection. Ray is such a fun love interest for Sabrina. He’s just dorky and quirky enough on his own, and he accepts her for herself. Erika is the perfect hometown high school enemy/queen bee that you love to hate.

And then there’s the ghosts who come to Sabrina! Molly? I fell in love with Molly, who changes outfits on a whim and is obsessed with videos and movies. This free-spirited ghost who had been Sabrina’s friend since childhood turns out to have her own mystery to solve. (I love a story within a story.) The rest of her ghostly entourage are sure to entertain.

This is a slow burn romance with all the tropes I need, including friends to lovers and forced proximity. It also has a really fun and yet painfully awkward meet cute at a Dells waterpark that I just loved. Did I mention recipes? I don’t know

Reichert’s books are set in Wisconsin, but of all of them, The Kindred Spirits Supper Club‘s Wisconsin Dells setting feels most like a love letter to Wisconsin. Her love for it shines through in her prose:

The Wisconsin River wound its way through the city, so a person was never that far from its dramatic shores, with its narrowing sandstone alleys and towering pines of the Upper Dells, the dam downtown where the river’s power thundered, or the meandering Lower Dells where The Otter Club overlooked the water.

Amy E Reichert, The Kindred Spirits Supper Club

I found this to be a wonderful escape, and I think this book would be a great pick for book clubs, too! If you aren’t a fan of stories with ghosts – I think you still need to give this a try.

I’m giving The Kindred Spirits Supper Club five old fashioneds 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃.

Now, don’t mind me, but I’m off to Culver’s to grab some cheese curds and kick back on the porch and re-read the rest of the book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Reichert earned her MA in Literature from Marquette University, and honed her writing and editing skills as a technical writer (which is exactly as exciting as it sounds). As a newly minted member of the local library board, she loves helping readers find new books to love. She’s a life-long Wisconsin resident with (allegedly) a very noticeable accent, a patient husband, and two too-smart-for-their-own-good kids. When time allows, she loves to read, collect more cookbooks than she could possibly use, and test the limits of her DVR.

If The Kindred Spirits Supper Club sounds like your cup of tea, you might enjoy these books by Amy E Reichert:

The Simplicity of Cider

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake