Sunday Skim

 

Week of 4/10/2022 and 4/17/2022:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

For those of you that are already finished with Bridgerton Season 2, you should definitely pick up Martha Waters' Regency Vow series. They have a lot of the sass and smolder that everyone enjoys in Bridgerton.  I enjoyed the family drama of We Are the Brennans and it was a great one to listen to as well.  

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Julie's Review: Year on Fire

Author: Julie Buxbaum
Series: None
Publication Date:  August 1, 2020
Publisher: Delacourte Press
Pages: 329
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Young Adult
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Learning how to navigate feelings of love while being true to yourself 
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Summary: It was a year on fire. They fell in love. Someone was bound to get burned. 

The Spark: Just days before the start of junior year for twins Arch and Immie and their best friend, Paige, a spontaneous kiss shakes the very foundation of their friendship. But some loyalties run too deep to be broken by accidental betrayal. 
The Fuel: Enter Rohan, new to Wood Valley High by way of London, who walks into school on the first day completely overwhelmed by his sudden move halfway around the world. When Paige calls dibs on him—he’s too cute to ignore—Immie is in no position to argue, certainly not after taking the fall for the disloyal kiss. Too bad for Immie that Ro feels like the best kind of familiar.
The Kindling: Former lab partners Arch and Jackson, Paige’s ex-boyfriend, have never considered themselves more than friends. But sometimes feelings can grow like wildfire. 
The Flames: When the girls’ bathroom at Wood Valley is set ablaze, no one doubts it’s arson. But in this bastion of privilege, who’d be angry enough to want to burn down the school? Answer: pretty much everyone.
Year on Fire explores the blinding power of the lies we tell others and those we tell ourselves, the tight grip of family secrets, the magic of first love, and the grounding beauty of friendship. ~amazon.com 

Review: I don't read a lot of Young Adult labeled novels, but I know that Julie Buxbaum is well loved plus the summary sounded really intriguing. Twins, Arch and Immie are linked to their best friend, Paige since they were little kids, even if their home lives are very different. They have always had this connection but as they start their junior year of high school, their bond is coming a bit frayed. It's nothing that can't be worked through but as a teenager, it's hard to ask for help or understand how to give help. 

Enter teenage hormones which is what causes the initial rift between the twins and Paige. Then enter the new guy, Ro and Paige calling dibs on him. Of course, when Immie starts to spend time with Ro she feels like she's betraying Paige with her feelings. 

And while Paige was a bit much for me in the beginning of the novel, type A, she begins to unravel as she loses control of things. With parents that are never home, she's often left by herself, which is why she's so reliant on Immie and Arch. Except things aren't always what they seem at their house either. 

I admired the friendship of the three because even though it was tested a few different ways, they are truly there for each other when it matters. 

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Jenn's Review: The Wife Upstairs

Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: 
Publication Date: January 5th 2021
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 290
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Suspense
Rating: 3.5/5
Bottom Line:What wild you do for security? For Love?
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Just borrow it

Blurb: Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates—a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name. 

 But her luck changes when she meets Eddie­ Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie—not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for. 

 Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past—or his—catches up to her?strained to the breaking point, Gurney must throw himself into a deadly battle of wits with the most frightening opponent he has ever faced. 

Review:  I’ve read Rachel Hawkins YA books so I thought I’d give this one a try. As I started this book I remembered that I found her writing a little… shallow. Her stories are great, but I feel there isn’t the depth in characters, settings, or details. It makes for a great light read but I always find myself wanting more. This is fine if you love the characters, but I didn't.  I don't mind flawed characters, but there wasn't a single character that was likable for me. I was never able to fully invest in the story.

It is billed as a modern day retelling of Jane Eyre but it has been lightened to the point where I  found it neither thrilling or suspenseful.  While I enjoyed the story, there are some great twists, I found the ending a little too open for my taste and perhaps a little unrealistic. It just feels unfinished.

I have Hawkin's latest Reckless Girls in my TBR pile but I think I will be relegating it to a “beach read.”

Sunday Skim

 

Week of 4/3/2022:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

I really didn't get much reading done like I thought. I did get caught up on all the episodes of "This Is Us" that have aired since January. I'm pretty much caught up on a lot of shows I had been hoarding on DVR.  I start my new job tomorrow and of course I'm super excited/nervous but it helps that I know my direct boss.  Also my son's baseball season starts to really ramp up which means I get to spend a lot of time with some of my favorite people. I know I'll fit reading in but it might be a little slower and audiobooks definitely will take longer because I'm sure I'll be in meetings a lot more. 

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Monthly Rewind: March 2022

* Denotes Audiobooks

Home Run (You should run and get this): 

Triple (You really don't want to miss it):

*

*

*

Double (You could get on the waiting list at the library and be ok):

Single (Wait it out): N/A

StrikeOuts (Don't bother):  N/A

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Sunday Skim

 

Week of 3/20/2022 & 3/27/2022:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

I have 2 weeks off between my old job and a new job I start on 4/11. This last week was my kids' spring break so a lot of that was taking my 14 year old here and there while my 16 year old was out and about. I did manage to get some reading in but really did catch up on a bunch of tv. I'm hoping this next week I get some more good reading in. 

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