Julie's Review: Love Your Life

Author: Sophie Kinsella
Series: None
Publication Date:  October 27, 2020
Publisher: Dial Press
Pages: 432
Obtained: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A quirky and yet endearing heroine who finds love with a non-quirky but endearing hero
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Summary: Call Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found in the real world, not on apps that filter men by height, job, or astrological sign. She believes in feelings, not algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app debacle, she decides to put love on hold and escapes to a remote writers’ retreat in coastal Italy. She’s determined to finish writing the novel she’s been fantasizing about, even though it means leaving her close-knit group of friends and her precious dog, Harold, behind. At the retreat, she’s not allowed to use her real name or reveal any personal information. When the neighboring martial arts retreat is canceled and a few of its attendees join their small writing community, Ava, now going by “Aria,” meets “Dutch,” a man who seems too good to be true. The two embark on a baggage-free, whirlwind love affair, cliff-jumping into gem-colored Mediterranean waters and exploring the splendor of the Italian coast. Things seem to be perfect for Aria and Dutch. But then their real identities—Ava and Matt—must return to London. As their fantasy starts to fade, they discover just how different their personal worlds are. From food choices to annoying habits to sauna etiquette . . . are they compatible in anything? And then there’s the prickly situation with Matt’s ex-girlfriend, who isn’t too eager to let him go. As one mishap follows another, it seems while they love each other, they just can’t love each other’s lives. Can they reconcile their differences to find one life together? ~amazon.com 

Review: I read Sophie Kinsella' new book every time they publish, minus the Shopaholic becuase well I got tired of Becky's antics and lack of awareness. I have my favorites of her stand alones and I really wish someone would snap a few of them up and do a movie but I digress. Love Your Life features a Ava, who you could all a Jill of all Trades but yet to master one. She's off to the Italian Coast to write her Victorian novel but even though the focus should be the book, she's suddenly found herself distracted by "Dutch", a good looking fellow who she doesn't even truly know but hey they fall in love. Of course that's where the comedy comes in because while Ava's fictional name for herself is "Aria", Dutch is no where close to his real name, Matt. Plus on vacation aren't we the best version of ourselves or perhaps whom we want to be?

It doesn't take long for their romantic bubble to take a bit of a deflation but Ava, an ever optimistic person, believes that they can push through it by approaching their differences as cultural, like if moved to a different country. While that might work for smaller issues, it's not going to resolve the bigger ones that make or break a relationship. So, maybe some things are supposed to stay in the vacation bubble and not return to the real world. 

I will admit that Ava might even be a bit too quirky for me. There were a couple of times where I found myself going "Come on, Ava." I don't mind perpetually happy people or optimistic but you have to understand that not everyone has the same outlook. Also, while I appreciate someone trying to find what they are good at, Ava literally likes to try anything that comes into her thought pattern and that would be tiresome. It might be a bit different if the skills needed for them were somehow related but they weren't. 

I do think that Matt was the version he wanted to be when he was playing Dutch in Italy. Sometimes we all get caught up in our lives they way they are and the expectations we have of ourselves and the expectations by others, that it is hard to break free of that as well. This is what I think Matt was tied into; he didn't want to let his family down. 

I really liked the ending of this book and Ava ended up growing on me because she grew up and learned something about herself. If you are a fan of Sophie Kinsella's novels, you won't want to miss this one. 

Sunday Skim

Week of 10/11/2020 and 10/18/2020:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

                                                                Looking Forward To:

It's been hard to focus on reading lately for me, even though I've finished some good books. I made the mistake of downloading Candy Crush (again) and well I might have to delete it again. 😁 Plus there's been baseball playoffs and now the World Series. I'm hoping to find my reading mojo again and I'm counting on Sophie Kinsella to do it. How's it going for you guys?

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Julie's Review: South of the Buttonwood Tree

Author: Heather Webber
Series: None
Publication Date:  July 21, 2020
Publisher: Forge Books
Pages: 330
Obtained: Publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Magical Realism
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Gorgeous novel about finding yourself and your family
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Summary: Blue Bishop has a knack for finding lost things. While growing up in charming small-town Buttonwood, Alabama, she’s happened across lost wallets, jewelry, pets, her wandering neighbor, and sometimes, trouble. No one is more surprised than Blue, however, when she comes across an abandoned newborn baby in the woods, just south of a very special buttonwood tree. Sarah Grace Landreneau Fulton is at a crossroads. She has always tried so hard to do the right thing, but her own mother would disown her if she ever learned half of Sarah Grace’s secrets. The unexpected discovery of the newborn baby girl will alter Blue’s and Sarah Grace’s lives forever. Both women must fight for what they truly want in life and for who they love. In doing so, they uncover long-held secrets that reveal exactly who they really are—and what they’re willing to sacrifice in the name of family. ~amazon.com

Review:  Blue Bishop has been "cursed" by her last name for her entire left. She's never felt that she belonged in Buttonwood because of this. She has a very close knit circle that she's let in over the years but other than that she keeps to herself. She also has a gift of finding lost things which on one day include finding a baby by the famous Buttonwood tree. The tree has a magical quality about it because it tells you what you need to hear not what you want to hear. The tree left a button saying to give the baby to Blue. What isn't known is how the appearance of this baby will turn lives upside down and all around.

On the other side of town, Sarah Grace is trying to figure out what do do about her marriage. Luckily she doesn't have to make that choice because he does it for her. Now all that she has to do is right her life and find what makes her happy. Like some of us, what makes her happy is right in front of her. Sarah Grace has a special gift as well, she can feel the past of the houses that she's living in or rehabbing. She's also trying to reconcile her past and trying to make sense of the decisions she made. 

This book had so much heart that it will stay with me for a long time. Everyone has secrets but perhaps none as interlinked as the residents of Buttonwood. I loved how Ms. Webber wove her magical realism into this novel. This was the perfect escape from what ails you right now.

Sunday Skim

Week of 10/4/2020:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

                                                                Looking Forward To:

Julie's Review: In a Holidaze

Author: Christina Lauren
Series: None
Publication Date:  October 6, 2020
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 336
Obtained: Publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Easy to get wrapped up in the story of unrequited love
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Summary: It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions. But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.  The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe. Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” (Helen Hoang, author of The Bride Test) hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays. ~amazon.com 

Review: You know how there are authors that you just love and never let you down? Well, Christina Lauren are a writing duo that do that for me. Granted I came to them late in the game but their books always give me a warm heart and I feel happier reading their stuff. It's no different with their latest In a Holidaze which is set during the holidays but not necessarily a holiday novel. Mae Jones has been in love with Andrew Hollis since the age of 13 but there's complications: they grew up together and he has no clue. 

They always spend the Christmas together at his family's cabin since she can remember and this year is no different, except it is because change is coming. Based on her wish she gets a do over but it doesn't go as smoothly as she expected he first 2 times, so when things are going pretty well the 3rd time, she starts to freak out a bit. She finally gets the courage to tell Andrew how she feels but isn't sure if he'll return her feelings. 

Ultimately, this story is about finding your way to happiness and the risk that comes along with it. What would you do if you asked the universe a question and it gave you an answer that maybe you weren't expecting. How would you handle it? Ultimately even with a redirect, your life is up to you. 

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Sunday Skim

Week of 9/27/2020:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

                                                                Looking Forward To:

It was a good reading week both the books I read were just what I needed right now. I'm hoping that my book(s) for next week kee up with that trend. We are officially done with baseball games for the time being and basketball starts at the end of the month so we'll be happy to have our son doing an activity again. I'm ready for fall weather but maybe not the rain that we've had lately.