Thirty Days to Home by Cathryn Rakich

 

Do you have any rescue pets?  Our dog Spot is a rescue dog originally from Texas.  His name was Spot the ranch dog and he was moved to Wisconsin to make way for dogs after Hurricane Harvey.  He still is not a fan of snow and ice but Spot the ranch dog is now a happy Wisconsin dog.

Marli May has faced the greatest heartbreak a mother can with the loss of her teenage son. Trying to reconnect with her husband after the loss, she goes with him on a work retreat to Escondido, Mexico.  While there, her world further falls apart when she discovers her husband is having an affair with a coworker.  On top of that, she receives a mysterious text stating that her son’s death may not have been an accident after all.  After finding a stray dog on the street who needs her help, will this be enough to bring Marli back from the brink of despair?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I liked the added mystery of what really happened to Marli’s son.

·       I love books the involve dogs and rescue dogs are even better!

·       I also loved Ben, the handsome widower vet that Marli meets in Mexico, but I also thought it was too soon for a new romance.

·       I liked that Marli’s friend Tammy came down to visit and support Marli in Mexico. On the other hand, something seemed off about her and she wanted to cheat on her husband while on vacation which gave me a weird vibe.

·       I also liked that Marli cared for her mother, Alice, who had Alzheimer’s.  It was a realistic description of how tough care can be in such a situation.  Caring for your parents at the end of their lives would be hard.

·       There was suspense near the end of the novel.

·       I thought I had the ending figured out – but I was surprised.  Great ending.

·       Marli and Ben were my favorite characters and were very well written.  I loved their compassion for dogs and people in need.

·       It was hard to believe that this was a debut novel.

·       This novel dealt with grief and was an emotional read.

·       I would classify this as contemporary, women’s fiction, family drama, dogs, second chance romance, mystery.

Overall, Thirty Days to Home by Cathryn Rakich was an entertaining and engaging novel featuring great characters and dogs.

Book Source:  Review copy from @booksparks. Thank-you!

One Leg on Earth by 'Pemi Aguda

 

Title:  One Leg on Earth

Author:  'Pemi Aguda

Narrated by:  Délé Ogundiran

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 39 minutes

Source: Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @w.w.norton for the review copy of the physical book.  Audiobook purchased from audible.

What country is your current book set in?

Yosoye is a lonely women, excited to be in Lagos for an architectural internship.  After a one-night stand, she finds herself pregnant.  As other pregnant women start being found drowned in the sea, Yosoye feel herself pressed by a fear that she will be next.  Does it have anything to do with the new development she is working on that is located on reclaimed land that is meant for the rich?

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       The title comes from a saying, one leg on earth and one leg in heaven.

·       This is a literary novel that is also a women’s contemporary fiction novel.

·       It was a slow paced, but short novel.

·       It was interesting on audiobook.

·       The story explores the loneliness of motherhood.

·       I thought it was an interesting look at the parallels of growing a city as a designer and growing a new life within you as a mother.

·       I really enjoyed the setting in Legos.

·       The story never does resolve why the women were drowning.

Overall, One Leg on Earth by 'Pemi Aguda was an interesting literary fiction novel with a riveting setting in Lagos.

Shopaholic Christmas by Sophie Kinsella

 

What is a favorite series that you have read?  I have always enjoyed the Shopaholic series for a light funny read that helped me out when I was sick with Hyperemesis gravidarum when I was pregnant.  I was very saddened to learn of Sophie Kinsella’s premature death from cancer.  I was looking through her works and realized I had missed the last Shopaholic book – Christmas Shopaholic.  I love this series and Christmas books, so I decided Christmas was the time to read it.

Becky Bloomwood is back in England with her husband Luke and daughter Minnie.  She is excited for her traditional family Christmas at her parents’ house.  Her life is thrown into a tailspin when she discovers that her parents are moving for a time to the trendy Shoreditch neighborhood in London so that her half sister Jess and husband can stay at their home for the holidays.  Becky is now hosting Christmas!  Everyone has a lot of demands and needs that need to be met that are pulling the joy out of Christmas.  Will Becky be able to have a Christmas that meets her family’s needs while also having a good Christmas for herself and her little family?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I could relate to this book as I have had many similar feelings while hosting family events.  I really liked how Luke kept advising Becky  to think - is it really needed for the true core and family or is it extra fluff?

·       Becky still hasn’t gotten over her shopping addiction, but she is a caring person that always thinks of others.  She is just really lucky she married a rich husband!

·       I laughed out loud several times.  It reminded me why I love this series.  I need to reread the entire series.

·       This is number nine in the series.  It has been quite some time since I’ve read the previous book, and it was pretty easy for me to jump back in and remember the characters.  I think you could read this as a standalone, but it is really fun to experience all of the books.

·       This book was very engaging, and I read it very quickly.

·       I love all the characters.  They are like old friends.

·       The book had a great ending that is also now the ending for the series.

·       I was continually amazed at all the scraps that Becky is able to get herself into.  I wonder how Kinsella thought it all up – it was hilarious!

·       This was a fun read that made me happy

·       In between the chapters there were text messages, emails, Google searches and the like that related to the action and moved the story along.  They were pretty funny.

Overall, Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella was a light, engaging, and hilarious read that was perfect to read during the holiday season.

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates

 

Title:  Cruel Summer

Author:  Maisey Yates

Narrated by:  Nancy Peterson

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 38 minutes

Source: Thank you @netgalley for the review copy. 

What is your favorite song of the summer?  I do love the song “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama so this title caught my eye.  I finished this book up at the start of last week, which is perfect with summer coming to an official end today.  Our weather in Northeast Wisconsin also warmed back up this week so we have more summer weather.

Samantha Parker has a comfortable life with marriage to her high school sweetheart, Will, and three kids. They are ready to start on their empty nest phase when Samantha is blindsided by Will stating that he wants an open marriage.   She proposes that they have a summer apart with no contact to determine how they want to move forward.  Samantha wants to spend summer finding herself.  Will’s best friend, Logan, asks her to go with him to deliver restored class cars across the country as a part time summer job.  Will Samantha find herself?  Will she and Will reunite?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The audiobook was good.  The Narrator was pleasant to listen to and the story was engaging.  I just had a hard time listening to it at the end when it took a turn into steamy romance.

·       This was not a breezy summer book as it tackled many hard topics.

·       I can’t imagine my husband coming home one day and asking for an open marriage.  What a shock – especially are they are just coming empty nesters with more time to spend together.

·       It was really Will wanting cake and to eat it too.  He didn’t want a divorce, but wanted to screw around since they married so young and never had another relationship.

·       I had a hard time with the romance.  On her adventures with Logan, it comes out that Logan has loved her since high school and she was attracted to him too.  How does this work?

·       Overall, in the book, Samantha is working on finding herself and what she wants in life instead of trying to please everyone else.

·       I love vintage cars so the descriptions of the cars and taking them cross country was fun for me.

·       This book had spicy scenes, forced proximity, 2^nd chance romance, and opposites attract.

Overall, Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates was an interesting summer read that tackled a lot of hard topics.

Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey

 

Title:  Beach House Rules

Author:  Kristy Woodson Harvey

Narrated by:  Cassandra Campbell, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Suehyla El-Attar Young

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 4 minutes

Source: Thank-you to @simonaudio for the review copy.

Do you like to visit the beach?  I love the beach, but I live on Lake Michigan so the beach to me is the Great Lakes rather than the ocean.  I am trying to finish up my summer beach reads this week.

Charlotte’s husband has been arrested for a white-collar crime.  She and her daughter Iris are locked out of their home during the investigation.  A kind woman from church, Alice, invites them to stay with her.  She lives in a B&B on the beach and has a community of mothers living with her.  Will Charlotte and Iris be able to move on?  What links all the mothers living in the “momune” together?  Is Charlotte’s husband guilty?

My thoughts on this book:

·       I liked the mystery woven throughout the story.  It was tied up perfectly at the end.

·       The story is told through the viewpoints of Charlotte, Iris, and Alice, which was interesting.

·       I liked the two different generational viewpoints of a mother and a teenage daughter.

·       @JuniperShoresSocialite has a snarky Instagram account which details all of the goings on of both the moms and the teenagers in the Juniper Shores community.  Who is running the account?

·       I enjoyed all the characters.

·       Alice is a widow with three husband who died in accidents.  Is she a black widow or can she move on with handsome Elliot?

·       The narration of this audiobook was great with three narrators.  It was enjoyable to listen to.

·       I also liked the second chances in this book for life and love.

·       This book was light and entertaining.

·       It was not spicy.

·       I loved the beautiful setting on the coast of North Carolina.

·       I loved the “momune” and women helping each other and their kids working through difficult times.  I always enjoy stories of found families.

Overall, Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey was a great story of second chances and found family.  It was a great summer beach read but is also a great read for any time of the year.

A Summer for the Books by Michelle Lindo-Rice

 

Do you like to read summer themed books?

Jewel Stone is a best-selling author, but she has been experiencing writer’s block.  Her husband has also recently lost his job and finances are tight.  When her estranged best friend, Shelby, is in an accident and has amnesia, Jewell is her emergency contact.  She drops everything to help Shelby and is inspired by her life to write again.  As secrets from the past threaten to overtake them, will Shelby and Jewell be able to repair their friendship and confront their past?  Will Shelby’s adoptive daughter Lacey be able to find her birth mom?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       A Summer for the Books was the August pick for the Brenda Novak Book Group.  I just finished it this month and listened to the Facebook Book Group meeting when I was done.  I enjoyed the meeting and the interview with the author.  She was delightful!

·       This novel does have romance, but it is closed door.

·       I liked hearing how the author based the characters on herself and family members.

·       I loved that the book explored friendships of both mothers and daughters, as well as mother / daughter relationships.

·       The book is narrated through Lacey, Jewel, Shelby, journals form the past, and a book within the book.  It is a dual timeline book.

·       The story overall was good, and the characters were interesting, but I found it confusing at times especially as the characters were referred to by different names in the past.  It was also repetitive at times and could have been trimmed down to make the storyline move quicker.

·       I liked the bookstore and beach settings.

·       The book had a good ending.

Overall, A Summer for the Books by Michelle Lindo Rice was a good story with great characters, friendships, and setting, but it did move slowly at times.

Book Source: Thank-you to NetGalley for a review copy of this novel.

The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth by Barbara O’Neal (TLC Book Tours)

 

Title:  The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth

Author:  Barbara O’Neal

Narrated by:  Andi Arndt

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Length: Approximately 11 hours and 59 minutes

Source: Thank-you to Lake Union Publishing for a review copy of the paperback book as part of the TLC Book Tour and thank-you to @netgalley for audiobook review copy.

How do you communicate with friends?  Emails, texts, social media, or old-fashioned letters?  I would say all the above for myself.

Victoria is going through a divorce.  She and her husband had seemed closer than ever until he ended it all for a much younger woman.  Fifty and suddenly alone, Victoria must get a job fast to survive. She gets a job as a companion to Mariah, a young woman with an injury who is going to travel the world tracing the footsteps of her mother’s last unfinished project in London, Paris, Morocco, and India.  Her mother, Rachel, was a good writer, and she also left behind letters she had written her sister.  As Victoria and Mariah make their journey, they learn more about Rachel and themselves.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The audiobook had a good narrator and was interesting to listen to.

·       I liked Victoria’s character growth throughout the novel.

·       I really disliked Victoria’s ex-husband.  He seemed to want his cake (new younger wife) and eat it too (keep his ex-wife on string.).  I kept wondering why he didn’t get in trouble for not paying his alimony.

·       Why can’t Victoria’s family change their tradition of skiing every year as a family so that Victoria gets to have a family Christmas at least every other year?  It’s strange to me that this is a family tradition since Victoria doesn’t ski or snowboard.

·       Rachel was killed in a mas shooting while grocery shopping with her daughter.  Mariah survived but can no longer snowboard (she was an Olympian) with her handicap.  The PTSD from this tragic even still impacts Mariah.

·       A handsome middle-aged photographer, Henry, accompanies them on the trip.  He is a father figure for Mariah (one of Rachel’s ex-boyfriends), and a love interest for Victoria.

·       I liked how both Victoria and Mariah had a coming-of-age storyline as they came to terms with their new realities and worked towards moving forward with new dreams.

·       I loved the descriptions of all the different countries, foods, and cafes.

·       I didn’t see how the cafes, countries, and Rachel’s story were all linked until the very end.

·       I am close to Victoria’s age of fifty and she gets picked on by her kids for being old and treated as an old lady a lot on their trip.  I suddenly felt very old!!

Overall, The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth by Barbara O’Neal was a great story with unforgettable characters, growth, and travel.  I enjoyed it!

The Page Turner by Viola Shipman

 

Title:  The Page Turner

Author:  Viola Shipman

Narrated by:  Katharine Chin

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 49 minutes

Source: Audiobook and ebook review Copy from NetGalley.  Thank-you!

 

Where is your favorite setting for a book?  The Page Turner by Viola Shipman is set in South Haven Michigan with action also taking place in the Hamptons and New York City.  I loved the South Haven, Michigan, setting as I grew up in southwest Michigan.  Our family loved to visit South Haven and swim at the beach.  My Great Uncle and Aunt lived in a beautiful historic home in South Haven.  It’s a beautiful community.  I now live in a Lake Michigan Community in Wisconsin.  The lake vibes in this novel were very relatable.

 

Emma Page has just graduated from the University of Michigan and is trying to figure out what to do with her life.  Her parents own The Mighty Pages publishing house, which prints literary fiction.  Emma has secretly written a romance novel and loves romance just as her grandmother did.  When Emma discovers a family secret, how will it affect them and the man who is trying to take their family down?

 

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Viola Shipman is the pen name of Wade Rouse in honor of his beloved Grandma.  He writes the best female characters that really speak to me.  His Grandma taught him well!

·       I read this novel in May as part of the Brenda Novak Book Group.  I loved Wade Rouse’s interview as part of the Brenda Novak Book Group.  He is delightful and his interview was so interesting.

·       GiGi, Emma’s Grandmother, was a wonderful character.  She is the type of loving and sassy Grandma everyone should have.  I was blessed to have one myself.  I loved how she loved to foster the love of reading in her kids and grandkids.

·       There were interesting literary discussions and allusions throughout the novel.  Who gets to decide what is the great American novel?  Why is romance always looked down upon as a genre?

·       The novel was a love letter to Michigan with blueberries, the state flag, roadside farms, lighthouses, Lake Michigan beaches, etc.

·       Jonathan Livingston Seagull is mentioned a lot.  I have never read it, but it has been on my TBR forever.  Have you read this novel?  If so, what do you think?

·       This novel also highlighted family dysfunction and pulling together to protect your family overall.

·       I am looking forward to his next book that will be set in Palm Springs.  It is called Thank-you for Being a Friend and seems to be Golden Girls inspired.

·       I enjoyed listening to this book on audiobook.  It was entertaining and captured my interest on long drives.

Overall, The Page Turner by Viola Shipman was a perfect summer read with great characters, a love of literature, beaches, and a sinister villain.

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

 

Title: The Life Impossible

Author:  Matt Haig

Narrated by:  Joanna Lumley and Jordan Stephens

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 43 minutes

Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible 

If you could inherit your dream house, where would your dream house be located?  

Grace Winters is surprised to learn that an old acquaintance she was once kind to has left her a house on a Mediterranean Island. Grace is a retired math teacher who deals in the world of facts, on the island though, Grace learns there is so much more to life than hard facts.

My thoughts on this novel:

• The Life Impossible by Matt Haig was the January Pick for the Rogue (FLICKS) Book Club.  Only one other person read it, but we both enjoyed it.

• I enjoyed this unique novel and the thoughts about living life to its fullest.

• I enjoyed that Grace is a math teacher.  One of my favorite quotes is one she talks about a music teacher and says they are prone to eccentricities.  Ha! 

• Grace has a great love for Sherlock Holmes and Alexandre Dumas.  I also love when classic literature if referred to in fiction.

• Grace has great guilt over her son Daniel’s death.  Having my own son Daniel, this really gave me the feels when reading this novel.

• I liked the humor in this novel.

• I liked how the book looked at how we view our bodies.  As we get older, we look back at when we were younger and wish we could look like that again.  Grace wishes you could live in the moment knowing about your future self.

• This was an enjoyable audiobook with good narrators that held my interest.

• I enjoyed how this story went into different realms than expected and was speculative fiction.

Overall, The Life Impossible by Matt Haig was an enjoyable unique novel that made me think about life, loss, and love.

Before We Were Us by Denise Hunter (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

Title: Before We Were Us

Author:  Denise Hunter

Narrated by:  Kim Churchill

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 9 minutes

Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible. Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @tnzfiction for the review copy of the paperback version of Before We Were Us by Denise Hunter.

Do you prefer rustic cabins, fancy villas, or high-end resorts? 

Lauren Wentworth is a new graduate with a hospitality degree.  She takes a temporary job at Pinehaven Lodges in New Hampshire to gain experience before she starts her dream job I the big city.  While there, she falls in love with Jonah, the owner’s son.  Jonah is ready to propose one night, but Lauren falls from a ladder and loses her memories of the last four months.  Is their love gone forever?

My thoughts on this book:

·       This novel was what if in an enemies to lovers storyline, one of the lovers loses their memories from the last few months and still thinks you are enemies?

·       It was heartbreaking to Jonah that the love of his life Lauren, no longer remembers him after the fall.  That would be terrible.

·       The story is told in two timelines – the present and the past (four months ago) as Lauren and Jonah fall in love.

·       Lauren and Jonah have interesting bonding between the two as Lauren was abandoned at age five by her mother and grew up being shuffled between foster families.  Jonah’s mother died when he as young, but his aunt and uncle raised him.  Neither had a biological father in their lives.

·       The romance was very sweet.  I love that Jonah loves Lauren enough to let her follow her dreams

·       I loved the setting at the rustic resort in New Hampshire.

·       This novel was a clean read.

·       It has a beautiful fall cover.

·       My attention was captured by this novel as it had such a happy first chapter, and then it all came crashing down.

·       Kim Churchill was a great audiobook narrator.  It was a charming storyline that kept me interested during long drives for work this week.

Before We Were Us by Denise Hunter was engaging amnesia and enemies to lovers romance.  I enjoyed it!

 

Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein

 

How do you remember people you’ve lost in your life?  I like to reread old letters from my grandmothers that I received in the past.  It’s fun to “hear” their voices again.  I also love looking at old pictures. 

In Dear Eliza, Eliza Levinger receives a letter ten years after her mother died of cancer that rocks her world.  Her mother, Laura, had given the letter to her sister, Claude, to give to Eliza after her father’s death.  In it, she discovers a shocking revelation.  It rocks Eliza’s world, and she has to deal with the fallout.  How will she move forward with this new knowledge?  What is holding her back in life?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I greatly enjoyed this book and all the characters.  I loved Eliza, her brother Scott, sister-in-law Maren, best friend Mo, and her brother Scott’s life long best friend Josh.  I enjoyed their friendships, relationships, and wanted to read more about them. I was sad when this book ended as I wanted to spend more time in their world.

·       I loved the friends to lovers, slow burn, and kind of second chance romance between Eliza and Josh.  I loved how supportive Josh was to Eliza, but wondered why he wasn’t there during her time of need after Eliza’s mother’s death.  Josh and Eliza had wonderful interactions.

·       This novel deals with grief in many ways.  After Laura’s death when Eliza was 16, Eliza was floundering with no help.  Her father married not long afterwards, and Eliza did not have a good relationship with her stepmother Carol.  Eliza never was able to properly grieve.  Her relationship with her father never was the same and was distant.  When he dies, Eliza feels terrible for what was and what could have been.

·       Although Laura was not alive in this novel, she made me angry.  I didn’t like the bombshell that she had her sister give to Eliza right after her father’s death.  It was a time of intense grief and not a time for Eliza to have to deal with a whole new set of problems.  I wish she would have left positive messages that Eliza could have gotten after her death.  I guess if I were Eliza, I would have liked to know what Laura had to say, but there could have been a better time for it.

·       I liked the New York City setting.

·       I like how Eliza was able to reset her life after the news.  She realized that her relationships were not the best with her family or in her love life.  I like how she was able to make a change for the better.

·       I want to talk about this book more, but I don’t want to give away the details and ruin it for anyone else.  I think this would be a great book club selection. I would also like to watch a movie based on this novel.

Overall, Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein is a beautifully written novel of self-discovery, grief, love, forgiveness, family and starting over again.  I enjoyed this novel, and I can’t wait to see what Stein writes next!

Book Source:  Review copy from author Andrea J. Stein. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.