Book Review: A Groovy Kind of Love by Karen Wojcik Berner

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A Groovy Kind of Love

Title: A Groovy Kind of Love (The Bibliophiles #3) by Karen Wojcik Berner
Published January 12, 2015 by Karen Berner Books
Genre: women's fiction, contemporary fiction
Objective rating: 5/5

First chapter:

We all have a first memory, one dug deepest in that part of the brain that commemorates the dawn of our cognizance. For some, maybe it's their first plush toy. Others might recall bouncing on their fathers' knees. Thaddeus had none of these. His awakening began the first day his mother brought him to the library. (from galley; final copy may differ)

Book teaser:

"....Can I ask you something? You and this Thaddeus guy. Is it serious?" He searched her eyes for a response. (ch. 23, final copy may differ).

My comments: This novel took me right back to memories of the 1960s and the hippie generation - the lighter memories of flower paper dresses (in my case) and antiwar protests. It's also a novel for book lovers and romance lovers, as the main setting is a classics book club in the picturesque village of Naperville, Illinois, where two very different people meet, their major similarities being their love of reading.

Spring is a flower child, a product of her hippie generation parents. Thaddeus comes from a traditional family with more reserved parents. How they meet and complement each other is the heart of this story. And how they face tragedy while expecting a normal life is also part of this exquisite romance and contemporary novel. 

I heartily recommend it for those who love books, the British classics, and those who want to reminisce or learn more about the history of the 1960s in the U.S.

Book description: Uptight British lit lover meets a free spirit at a book club, and his world is turned upside down! 

After placating to his father’s demands that he play Little League baseball and major in computer programming in college rather than his beloved English literature, Thaddeus assumed that several years into his career, he would finally get some peace and quiet. 

Then he met Spring Pearson, the younger, free-spirited daughter of Hippie parents, at a book club meeting. Instantly smitten, Thaddeus finally worked up the courage to ask Spring out. But will an old college pinkie-swear promise Spring made fifteen years ago get in the way of this bibliophilic romance? 

 "A Groovy Kind of Love" is the third and final installment of Karen Wojcik Berner’s Bibliophiles series. Written as stand-alone novels, each book focuses on one or two members of a fictional suburban classics book club, revealing their personal stories while the group explores tales spun by the masters.

About this author

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Karen Wojcik Berner writes contemporary women’s fiction, including the Bibliophiles series. An award-winning journalist, her work has appeared in several magazines, newspapers, and blogs, such as The Chicago Tribune, Writer Unboxed, Women's Fiction Writers, and Fresh Fiction. She is a member of the Chicago Writers’ Association.

When not writing, she can be found on the sidelines of her youngest’s football or lacrosse games, discussing the Celts with the oldest, or snuggling into a favorite reading chair with a good book and some tea.

Visit her on facebook or at her webpage

Thanks to the author for a review galley of this novel.