Julie's Review: Katwalk

Author: Maria Murnane
Series: None
Publication Date: August 12, 2014
Publisher: Lake Union
Pages: 284
Obtained: Amazon Vine
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Chick-Lit
Rating: 4.25/5
Bottom Line: An enchanting story about coming into your own
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Summary:Katrina Lynden has always walked a straight line in life, an approach that has resulted in a stable career and pleased her hard-nosed parents but that has also left her feeling unfulfilled—and miserable. When her best friend suggests they quit their Silicon Valley jobs and embark on two months of adventure in New York City, Katrina balks at the idea but ultimately agrees, terrified yet proud of herself for finally doing something interesting with her life. But when her friend has to back out at the last minute, Katrina finds herself with a tough decision to make. Much to her surprise, she summons the courage to go alone, and the resulting journey changes everything. Along the way she makes new friends, loses others, learns what is really important to her, and finds a way to grow up without leaving herself behind. ~amazon.com

Review: If you read this blog with any regularity (hopefully you do) then you probably already know that I'm a big fan of Maria Murnane. I've reviewed all her books here on the blog and just love her style. So when I read that she had a new book coming out in August, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I'm so happy I did.

Since we are starting beach/pool read season, Katwalk would be the perfect one to read while sipping on a nice cold drink by a body of water. Katrina is a bit of a stick in the mud. She's a bit vanilla. She's stuck in a rut. Her best friend, Deb convinces her to quit her job and move to NYC for a couple months as an adventure. There's just one problem, instead of quitting her job, Deb gets a promotion. Katrina decides to back away from her normal reaction and go to NYC by herself.

Once she gets to NYC, Katrina meets all kinds of people and bonds with two girls who live in her building, Grace and Shana. Katrina, now adapting Kat as her name, bonds with each of them uniquely and quickly. I loved how Kat started to come out of her shell. She started seeing herself as other people did and that opened her eyes to who she really could be. It wasn't a major overhaul into changing herself it was little things that made her gradually change and become a better her. It was the belief in herself that she could change, that caused her to change the most.

Now, are there parts of the novel that are predictable? Yes, but I didn't mind them because they were the direction I wanted the characters to go in. Plus, Ms. Murnane puts so much heart into Kat, that you want things to work out well for her.

If you haven't read Maria before then Katwalk is a great place to start but I am still partial to her Waverly Bryson series.



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Julie's Review: Your Perfect Life

Author: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Series: None
Publication Date: June 30, 2014
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Pages: 304
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  contemporary fiction, chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Fun summertime (or anytime) read to share with your friends
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Summary: Two childhood best friends wake up the morning after their twentieth high school reunion to discover that they’ve switched bodies in this hilarious and heartwarming debut by two childhood best friends.With “a delicious, page-turning premise, and sweet and surprising insights” (New York Times bestselling author Jen Lancaster), Your Perfect Life perfectly illustrates that old adage: Sometimes, you have to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to see what’s in her heart. Best friends since childhood, Casey and Rachel couldn’t lead more different lives. While workaholic Casey rubs elbows with celebrities daily as the host of Gossip TV and comes home nightly to an empty apartment, stay-at-home mom Rachel juggles an “oops” baby, two fiery teenagers, and a husband who barely seems the man she fell in love with two decades before. After an argument at their twentieth high school reunion, Casey and Rachel throw back shots to get the night back on track. Instead, they get a life-changing hangover. Waking up in each other’s bodies the next morning, they must figure out how to navigate their altered realities. Rachel is forced to face the broadcasting dreams she gave up when she got pregnant in college, and Casey finally steps out of the spotlight to face the real reason why she’s alone. And they soon discover that they don’t know themselves—or their best friend—nearly as well as they thought they did. ~powells.com

Review: Your Perfect Life is quintessential chick-lit and that's just fine. I thoroughly enjoyed the premise and even their reference to Freaky Friday within the novel. Gotta pay homage to those that have come before you. Each character has their flaws, which makes this an even better read because we all know no one is perfect.

Rachel and Casey have been BFFs since high school but their relationship has been a little rocky lately due to the pressures of their lives. Plus their lives couldn't be more different. Casey has a high powered job delivering the latest in celebrity news/gossip and Rachel is a frenzied mother of 3 who barely has time to shower let alone get a blow out done on her hair.

Things aren't always what they seem on the other side once each other is living the others life. What might seem glamorous is lonely and what might seem perfect is far from it. There is definitely some silliness in the novel but there are also some serious subject matters that are highlighted as well. While the authors don't dig deep into them, they don't skirt around them either.

I always say that things might look perfect from your point of view but that is rarely the case when the doors are shut. Plus as much as you might "want" someone else's life, someone else "wants" yours.


I enjoyed the fact that not only did switching bodies get them back on track in their lives but it got them back on track with their friendship. We all know life is busy but it's important to take the time to connect with the people we care about.

If you are looking for a fun read over the holiday day weekend, this is it. I also recommend passing it around to friends or purchasing it for them as a fun summer read.

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Julie's Review: The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating

Author: Carole Radziwell
Series: None
Publication Date: February 11, 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt
Pages: 320
Obtained: Publisher
Genre:  Contemporary, Womens Fiction
Rating: 3/5
Bottom Line: A wonderfully moving story about unexpected bonds.
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Summary: The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating is Carole Radziwill's deliciously smart comedy about a famously widowed young New Yorker hell-bent on recapturing a kind of passionate love she never really had. Claire Byrne is a quirky and glamorous 34-year-old Manhattanite and the wife of a famous, slightly older man. Her husband, Charlie, is a renowned sexologist and writer. Equal parts Alfred Kinsey and Warren Beatty, Charlie is pompous yet charming, supportive yet unfaithful; hes a firm believer that sex and love cant coexist for long, and he does little to hide his affairs. Claires life with Charlie is an always interesting if not deeply devoted one, until Charlie is struck dead one day on the sidewalk by a falling sculpture ... a Giacometti, no less! Once a promising young writer, Claire had buried her ambitions to make room for Charlies. After his death, she must reinvent herself. Over the course of a year, she sees a shrink (or two), visits an oracle, hires a "botanomanist," enjoys an erotic interlude (or ten), eats too little, drinks too much, dates a hockey player, dates a billionaire, dates an actor (not any actor either, but the handsome movie star every woman in the world fantasizes about dating). As she grieves for Charlie and searches for herself, she comes to realize that she has an opportunity to find something bigger than she had before—maybe even, possibly, love. ~powells.com

Review: So you know when you have high expectations that a book is going to be funny but it's not? That was my experience with The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating; I don't think I laughed once. While I really liked Claire as a character, I found both Sasha and Ethan to be stereotypical. Ethan was the stylish gay best friend who was also her husband's assistant. Sasha was the boozy, botox-addicted other best friend. I found them annoying and contrite. I'm not sure if they had had her best interest at heart. I think they just wanted to see her move on and deal with Charlie's death.

What this book was to me was about New York society and how the rich/elite work. Sure, Charlie was a well-known sexoligist (someone who writes and talks about sex all the time) who was a little less than faithful to Claire. He didn't even seem to truly love Claire. She felt like something to collect for him. I'm glad that Claire came out of her fog and found happiness but it was a little too predictable for me. Oh and I know that George Clooney is in many women's dreams but not every fictional movie star needs to favor him. Throw in Bradley Cooper look-a-like every now and then.

I was hoping for my laugh out loud moments during the book but they just didn't come for me. I would have even taken some chuckles too, but again it lacked that for me too. Until the end of the novel it didn't feel like there was one genuine character in the novel.

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Alice's Review: Vintage

Author: Susan Gloss
Series: None
Publication Date: March 25, 2014
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Pages: 320
Obtained: Publisher
Genre:  Contemporary, Womens Fiction
Rating: 4
Bottom Line: Quirky shop owner's coming of age.
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Summary:  At Hourglass Vintage in Madison, Wisconsin, every item in the boutique has a story to tell . . . and so do the women who are drawn there.  Violet Turner has always dreamed of owning a shop like Hourglass Vintage. When she is faced with the possibility of losing it, she realizes that, as much as she wants to, she cannot save it alone.  Eighteen-year-old April Morgan is nearly five months along in an unplanned pregnancy when her hasty engagement is broken. When she returns the perfect 1950s wedding dress, she discovers unexpected possibilities and friends who wont let her give up on her dreams.  Betrayed by her husband, Amithi Singh begins selling off her old clothes, remnants of her past life. After decades of housekeeping and parenting a daughter who rejects her traditional ways, she fears she has nothing more ahead for her.  An engaging story that beautifully captures the essence of womens friendship and love, Vintage is a charming tale of possibility, of finding renewal and hope when we least expect it. ~powells.com

Review:  Vintage is a great story about the owner of a vintage clothing and goods store in a Midwestern city and the wonderful people who cross her path.

I’ll start by saying that I loved the location. I never once thought I would enjoy a visit to Madison, Wisconsin until now. It’s the kind of novel where the city itself is a main character. Madison is as eccentric and charming as her inhabitants. It’s also a place pictured myself completely enjoying and one I have added to my Places To Visit list.

I loved the characters. Violet was quirky and entertaining. I enjoyed her journey, her great sense of style, and her overall way of life. She was always true to herself and never wavered on what was important to her. The downside was she was very set in her ways and as the saying goes, couldn’t see the forest from the trees. There were times when I had to roll my eyes at her and the choices she made. If she were my friend, I think I would have shaken some sense into her on more than one occasion.

April was insightful, mature beyond her 18 years. She was dealt with a lot and handled it with grace that is uncharacteristic for someone her age. Yet she felt the most authentic of all the three women.

My favorite was Amithi Singh. The way she dealt with her husband’s betrayal was sad and heart wrenching. My heart went out to her. As a first generation American myself, I appreciated how she had to balance the old country with her new world. She was everything you would expect her to not be. Bold, daring, and finally ready to start living the life she wanted.

I really enjoyed this novel. I could see myself at Hourglass Vintage, browsing the displays and chatting with Violet, hearing her tell the stories of the unique pieces in her shop. It was a fun time, however you know how authentic I like a story to feel. Novels, although works of fiction, need to be real in order for me to enjoy them. Mostly though, a novel needs to have life and a soul. Vintage started out with all that but somehow lost a bit of the soul in the end. I think it was because the ending was too perfect. There were a few things that happened at the end that didn’t make sense to me. As my boyfriend likes to say, things happened to “move the story along.” I think it did Vintage a real disservice because it didn’t feel organic and I questioned the authors choices.

That’s the only minor flaw I found. Overall, it has great characters, a great setting and a whole lot of happy endings all around.

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Jenn's Review: Spying in High Heels

Author: Gemma Halliday
Series: High Heels, #1
Publication Date: July 1, 2006
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pages: 250
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Rating: 3.5
Bottom Line: Farfetched but enjoyable
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 Blurb:  L.A. shoe designer, Maddie Springer, lives her life by three rules: Fashion. Fashion. Fashion. But when she stumbles upon the work of a brutal killer, her life takes an unexpected turn from Manolos to murder. And things only get worse when her boyfriend disappears - along with $20 million in embezzled funds - and her every move is suddenly under scrutiny by the LAPD's sexiest cop. With the help of her post-menopausal bridezilla of a mother, a 300 pound psychic and one seriously oversexed best friend, Maddie finds herself stepping out of her stilettos and onto the trail of a murderer. But can she catch a killer before the killer catches up to her...

Review:  Looking for something light to read, I settled on Spying in High Heels which has been on my Nook for a while now.  While the story was a little past plausible, it was cute and fun which is what I was looking for --imagine a toned down Stephanie Plum with Ranger and Morelli rolled into one cop.

I fell in easily with the characters, although Maddie did make me want to shake her on more than one occaision.  However I found her involvement in the case and with sexy LAPD officer Jack to be highly improbable.  Maddie's investigative skills leave a lot to be desired in the common sense area, but she seems to have good instincts for the truth. That put aside, the case was solid and kept me invested while the romantic intrigue between Jack and Maddie was enjoyable.   

I'm not sure how it will work as a series because I can't imagine a reason for her to be involved in another case.  Will I continue the High Heel series?  I think so; it's always nice to have a amusing, easy read on hand, but it will probably be from the library... or when the next ebook goes on sale.

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Alice's Review: Girls in White Dresses

Summary:  Wry, hilarious, and utterly recognizable, Girls in White Dresses tells the story of three young women grappling with heartbreak and career change, family pressure and new love--all while suffering through an endless round of weddings and bridal showers.  Isabella, Mary, and Lauren are going to be bridesmaids in Kristi's wedding. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, eat tiny sandwiches, and drink mimosas. They're all happy for Kristi, but they do have the ups and downs of their own lives to cope with. Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, where she's extremely successful, and wildly unhappy. Mary is in love with a man who may never love any woman as much as he loves his mother. And Lauren, a waitress at a midtown bar, finds herself drawn to a man she's pretty sure she hates.  With blind dates and ski vacations, boozy lunches and family holidays, relationships lost to politics and relationships found in pet stores, Girls in White Dresses pulls us deep inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.

Review:  I’m not quite sure where to begin with this one… I’ll start with how difficult it was for me to keep track of all the characters.  I thought about making a list to figure out who was who and how they know each other.  In the end, I vetoed the idea because a book shouldn’t require that much effort.  Especially a chick lit novel of 300 pages.   It was a little frustrating.  The other thing is that with these new character introductions, it was difficult to get invested in their story lines.  Especially since one of the main characters had a major life change and there was hardly an explanation as to what happened.  I would much rather have read about what that than about another friend whose relationship is on the fritz because of a Presidential election.  It was annoying to say the least.

I know this seems unfair, especially since I love books written like this.  They are more factual than poetic.  You get to know the characters much in the same way you get to know people in real life, through conversations.  There aren’t many people who reveal everything about themselves when you first meet them.  You need to foster the relationship, talk, get to know them, and I felt that Ms. Close handled that beautifully.  I just wish she had focused more on Isabella, Lauren, and Mary and less on the gaggle of friends constantly thrown at us.

Of the three main characters, I like Lauren the best.    I liked  her attitude.  The scene at Kristi’s bridal shower made me laugh.  I loved her spunk.  She wasn’t the only comic relief in Girls inWhite Dresses.  The novel was pickled in humor.  I laughed a lot.  And I especially enjoyed Lauren and Isabella’s story arch. 

It’s difficult to say if I would recommend this novel or not. I’m happy I read it, but I’m also happy I didn’t buy it.  It’s been on my TBR pile for a while and it’s my introduction to Jennifer Close.  I would definitely read her novels again, but they would be library books and not purchases.  

Final Take:  3/5
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Alice's Review: The Bride Wore Size 12

Summary: With her upcoming nuptials to PI Cooper Cartwright only weeks away, Heather's already stressed. And when a pretty junior turns up dead, Heather's sure things can't get worse and every student in the dorm where she works is a possible suspect, and Heather's long-lost mother shows up.  Heather has no time for a tearful mother and bride reunion. She has a wedding to pull off and a murder to solve. Instead of wedding bells, she might be hearing wedding bullets, but she's determined to bring the bad guys to justice if it's the last thing she does . . . and this time, it just might be. ~ powells.com

Review:  The start of The Bride Wore Size 12 finds Heather happily engaged and soon to be married to her true love Cooper Cartwright.  It’s also the start of the new school year and of course that means a new set of challenges for Heather and her crew at Fisher Hall.

When I started reading this novel, I questioned whether I would keep reading this series.  How many people have to die in this dorm before they finally shut this thing down?  It felt a bit repetitive and done.  However, as I kept reading, I knew why I’ll read as many Heather Wells novels as Meg Cabot writes.   That reason is simple… I just adore Heather Wells.  Meg Cabot created a winner with her.  She’s quirky, funny, with a big heart and great friends, and the kind of life that constantly keeps her on her toes.  And I love, LOVE, her relationship with Cooper.  The more I read, the more I liked that this installment focused more on Heather and her friends and less on the actual mystery, which truth be told, was underwhelming.  By the end of the novel, I nearly forgot about Heather’s sleuthing skills and newest casualty at Death Dorm because the subplot was so good. 

I was glad to see the usual suspects back for this installment:   Magda is fantastic as usual, as is Gavin.  That kid genuinely cracks me up.  And it was nice to see a cameo by Canavan.  I love that he always tells it like it is and will forever have Heather’s back.  I also loved the introduction of Coop’s sisters, Jessica and Nicole. 

You don’t have to read the series to appreciate this novel but it does help.  The Size 12  novels (Size 12 Is Not Fat, Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, Big Boned, and Size 12 And Ready To Rock) are all quick reads.  They are perfect weekend books for winter when there isn’t a lot going on or you might be snowed in.   Although truth is unless you are a huge Meg Cabot fan, I would recommend picking them up at the library.   These are the kind of novels you read and share, rather than add to your personal library.  I can’t imagine picking them up to read again. 

I read that The Bride Wore Size 12 is the last installment of this series and if that is true, I am sad to see it go.  Life shouldn’t stop at happily ever after, especially if you’re Heather Wells.  Here’s hoping we see her again in the future.

Final Take:  4/5
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Alice's Review: Aloha Rose

Summary:  When Laney Carrigan sets out to find her birth family, her only clue is the Hawaiian quilt—a red rose snowflake appliquéd on a white background—in which she was found wrapped as an infant. Centering her search on the Big Island and battling fears of rejection, Laney begins a painstaking journey toward her true heritage. Kai Barnes, however, is determined to protect the people he’s come to regard as family. He thinks Laney is nothing more than a gold digger and blocks every move she makes toward her Hawaiian family. As their conflict escalates, it puts at risk the one thing that Kai and Laney both want most—a family. ~blurb

Review:  I picked this novel from NetGalley because I have a fascination (bordering on obsession) with Hawaii.  It is a place I have never visited yet know that in my heart of hearts I will one day live.  Everything I have seen or read about it cements that resolve.  It is paradise, and yes I know it is very expensive.  Aloha Rose is my first venture into Hawaiian fiction. I was looking forward to seeing if the sense of family or ohana translated on the pages.  One thing I did not anticipate was the darkness.  Aloha Rose touched on a lot of subjects that went beyond the typical boy meets girl romance novel fodder.  It deals with adoption, the death of a parent, Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease.  This is definitely not a light-hearted, feel-good story.

We spend a lot of time with Laney, who traveled to Hawaii in search of her birth mother to fulfill the dying wish of her adoptive mother.  This journey is one Laney does not want to take.  As someone accustomed to running and avoiding, she’s ill-equipped to handling this. 

I liked Laney.  At times she was stubborn to the point of frustration.  Kai was no prize either.  Would it have killed the man to be open about his feeling just once?  Sheesh.  I didn’t particularly feel a great love between them, but the lack of actual romance was okay with me because it was the depth of the subplots that really carried this story. 

Aloha Rose is Christian Fiction.  I have a confession.  If I had known that before hand, I know I would not have read it.  Ms. Carter did a wonderful job of encompassing faith into the novel without having Christianity being the first thing that jumps out at you.  There were parts in Aloha Rose that were a little bit hard from me to read, but that is strictly because of my (lack of) faith lately.  Her words struck a chord, my eyes welled with tears and I felt that burning in my chest.   It was a reminder of what I have been missing. 

Overall, I enjoyed this novel.  It teaches us that ohana, ho’oponopono (forgiveness) and love are everything.  Mahalo.

Final Take:  3/5
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Alice's Review: Seeing Me Naked

Summary:  Elisabeth Page is the daughter of Ben Page, yes, that's right, THE world famous novelist. And yes, she's also the sister of Rascal Page, world famous novelist in his own right. So what does Elisabeth do? Much to her family's disappointment, Elisabeth is a pastry chef. And a pretty damn good one, at Beverly, the hottest restaurant in LA.  The last relationship Elisabeth had was with Will, a man she grew up with and whose family ran in the same social circles as her family. But Will's constant jaunts around the world have left her lonely and brokenhearted in L.A.  That is until Daniel Sullivan bids on one of Elisabeth's pastry tutorials at a charity auction. Daniel is everything her family is not: a basketball coach, a non-intellectual, his family doesn't summer on Martha's Vineyard, and the only metaphors he uses are about passing the ball and being a team player. But somehow they fit.  Between her family, Will, and the new cooking show that Elisabeth is recruited to star in, Elisabeth's life is suddenly incredibly new and different--the question is, can she embrace being happy or has her family conditioned her to think she's just not good enough? ~powells.com

Review:  The more novels I read by Liza Palmer, the more I fall in love with her work.  She gives her readers well-rounded characters.  They could be your friends or neighbors or even members of your own family.  Seeing Me Naked is no different.  In this novel, the story focuses on Elisabeth Page, an up and coming pastry chef at one of Los Angeles’ hottest restaurants.  She’s lived a fairly anonymous life even though her father is a world famous novelist.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in this novel.  The characters are all unique and interesting.  There is a surprise on every page.  Seeing Me Naked feels a lot like a coming of age story.  It’s a journey of self discovery, risk, and acceptance.  I loved Elisabeth. I loved her humor, her family, her tenacity.   Overall, I really enjoyed this story.  There was one moment in particular I did not see coming at all.  Best part was neither did the characters.  There was a collective gasp heard by all.   

Seeing Me Naked is an unexpected foodie’s dream, complete with a few recipes at the end that I am anxious to try, especially the Yogi Tea.  Ms. Palmer wrote Elisabeth so well that I really felt her love for cooking.  There were so many times I wanted to dive into the pages and sample one of her pastries or that pumpkin flan. 

 I am saving the best for last in this review.  As much as I enjoyed the story, the romance, Elisabeth and her quirky family, my absolute favorite part was getting to see California through Elisabeth’s eyes.  From the farmer’s markets to her drives up the coast, she left me itching to take a trip to the west coast.  My only wish is that Elisabeth be my tour guide.

Final Take: 4/5
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Alice's Review: Shoe Addicts Anonymous

Summary: Four different women. One common shoe size. And a shared lust for fabulous footwear.  Helene Zahariss politician husband keeps her on a tight leash and cancels her credit cards as a way of controlling her. Lorna Rafferty is up to her eyeballs in debt and cant stop her addiction to eBay. Sandra Vanderslice, battling agoraphobia, pays her shoe bills by working as a phone-sex operator. And Jocelyn Bowen is a nanny for the family from hell (who barely knows a sole from a heel but who will do anything to get out of the house.)  On Tuesday nights, these women meet to trade shoes and, in the process, form friendships that will help them each triumph over their problems---from secret pasts to blackmail, bankruptcy, and dating. Funny, emotional, and powerful, Shoe Addicts Anonymous is a perfect read for any woman who has ever struggled to find the perfect fit.

Review:  Bonding among women is very easy to do, especially when the common denominator is shoes.  Shoe Addicts Anonymous shows us that four very different women can change each other’s lives one pair of shoes at a time.

There was something about the novel I really enjoyed.  The kinship between the women was familiar and natural.  Although they were so different, they fit together well.  Much like in real life, each woman had a burden she was struggling with.  Something she carried that was affecting her in ways only the friendship of other women can alleviate.  In some odd way, this novel made me happy to be a woman and happy for the friends I have.  I know that sounds corny, but it was the truth.

Shoe Addicts Anonymous was a perfect little escape for me too.  I read this novel rather quickly.  It was very easy to get wrapped up in 70 pages or so at a sitting.  Each woman had a quality that I related to:  In Helene, it was a desire to never return to her past.  In Jocelyn, it was a hope for the future.  In Sandra, it was her shyness and fear.  Of the four, the one I related to the most was Lorna.  With our parchment for shopping and disregard for budgeting, she could have easily been me.  I learned the most from her and her ability to change. 

Beth Haribson has a lot to offer her reader.  With wit and humor, her stories are effortless.  My curiously was definitely peaked and I am looking forward to reading Secrets of a Shoe Addict and Chose theWrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger.  

Final Take:  3/5
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Alice's Review: All the Summer Girls

Summary:  In Philadelphia, good girl Kate is dumped by her finance the day she learns she is pregnant with his child. In New York City, beautiful stay-at-home mom Vanessa finds herself obsessively searching the Internet for news of an old flame. And in San Francisco, Dani, an aspiring writer who can't seem to put down a book or a cocktail long enough to open her laptop, has just been fired . . . again.  In an effort to regroup, Kate, Vanessa, and Dani retreat to the New Jersey beach town where they once spent their summers. Emboldened by the seductive cadences of the shore, the women begin to realize just how much their lives, and friendships, have been shaped by the choices they made one fateful night on the beach eight years earlier and the secrets that now threaten to surface. ~powells.com

Review:  I am from New Jersey and love all things NJ (except for the Real Housewives of New Jersey – yuck).  I get mad when Pennsylvanian’s call me a flat-lander because obviously they never left PA long enough to realize NJ is far from flat.  I roll my eyes when someone asks me “What exit?”  I know there is a world of difference between North Jersey and South Jersey and that line is divided cleanly by the Driscoll Bridge.  I watched the Sopranos and the Jersey Shore, not because those shows are an accurate depiction of my beloved state and the people who live here.  I watched because they were filmed here and it was awesome seeming local landmarks and our sandy beaches on TV each week.  When I read the description of All the Summer Girls, I knew this a novel for me with beautiful Avalon, New Jersey as the backdrop.

I enjoyed All the Summer Girls and felt a connection with each of the three characters.  The character that frustrated me the most was Vanessa.  I felt that she was the most hypocritical of the three.  Forgiveness didn’t come easily to her and her high-brow attitude was a real turn off.  She’s the friend that although you love her, you wish she would come down to earth to see how the other half lives. 

Dani was the character I liked the best and the one who had the most story to tell.  I loved how broken and vulnerable she was.  Of the three, she’s the one who will make me worry.  The one whose next adventure I would love to read.

Kate's resolution was too perfect.  I wish she had more of a Cannie is Good inBed type struggle.  Kate reminded me of Kelly from Beverly Hills, 90210.  She was a nice person, a good friend but everything bad happened to her and she always found a way to overcome and ALWAYS had a happy ending.  It’s annoying and I’m annoyed with myself that the spring of tears I experience came because of Kate.

Like most novels, things could have been resolved much sooner if the women had simply talked to each other. Although I enjoyed their friendship truth be told I could not figure out why or how they stayed friends all these years.  It was as if the foundation in which they built this great friendship on was made in sand and not rock or stone.  In real life, I think they wouldn’t have survived, there was nothing to bind them together.  Yet somehow, Ms. Donohue found a way to make it work.  I believed in their friendship and how it is possible to heal and move on together. 

All the Summer Girls is a solid novel with memorable characters, a beautiful setting, and a heartwarming ending. Although I wouldn’t read it again, I would recommend it especially to those who enjoy a novel about friendship set in a lovely seaside town.

Final Take: 3/5

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Alice's Review: All My Restless Life to Live

Summary:  All My Restless Life to Live Life is a soap opera, especially for Elle Miller, who writes for one. (Ellen dropped the "n" in her name in hopes of finding a better ending for herself.) When her laptop crashes, she borrows her recently deceased dad's computer and gets way more than she bargained for.  Elle unravels mysterious communications from his computer, while her mom decides to give Internet dating a try. As Elle tries to save her career at I'd Rather Be Loved with a storyline featuring a trip through Atlantis, she takes a trip to the Emmys, and finds herself in the middle of a romance between a real doctor and a hunk who just plays one on TV. Friends, family, and clues from "the other side" all help Elle figure out the difference between living the good life and living a good life. ~amazon.com  

Review:  One of the funniest authors I have ever read is Dee DeTarsio.  She has the uncanny ability to infuse her novels with such lightness and humor that even subjects as mourning the loss of a parent takes an amusing twist.  In All My Reckless Life to Live, Elle Miller is coping with the death of her father when through one mishap after another, he begins communicating with her through his old laptop.  Yes, you read that right.  Now, I’m not much for reading about the paranormal but I enjoyed this novel.  Besides humor, Ms. DeTarsio balances her characters out with heart and soul.  There was a real longing in Elle to accept her father is gone even though she was still holding onto every part of him that she could.

There is a good balance between the supporting characters and Elle.  I especially loved her mom and boss Liam.  Liam is disgustingly hilarious.  He’s the kind of person you want to punch in the nose all the while laughing hysterically on the inside.  The location is perfect too and upped San Diego on my list of places to go.  I also loved the shout out to my beloved Portugal by making Quez, one of Elle’s love interests, from the Azores (a Portuguese island). 

All My Reckless Life to Live is good, but I felt there were a few areas that could have been explored more or were a bit too farfetched.  Then again, one character in this novel is a possessed Mac laptop so there you go.  This novel is a fine summer read:  light and very funny.  

Final Take: 3/5


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Alice's Review: The Time of My Life

Summary:  Lucy Silchester keeps receiving this strange appointment card and sweeping its gold embossed envelope under the rug. Literally. She busies herself with a job she doesn't like, helping out friends, fixing her car, feeding her cat, and devoting her time to her familys dramas. But Lucy is about to find out that this is one appointment she cant miss, when Life shows up at her door, in the form of a sloppy but determined man.  Life follows her everywhere - from the office, to the bar, and to her bedroom - and Lucy learns that some of the choices she has made and the stories she has told arent what they seem. Now her half-truths are about to be revealed, unless Lucy tells the truth about what really matters to her. ~powells.com

Review:  I love Cecelia Ahern.  One of my greatest blog moments was a Q&A session I did with her two years ago after the release of her novel The Book of Tomorrow. (Read it here.)   As you can guess, I had high hopes and expectations for The Time of My Life.  I’m happy to say, Ms. Ahren delivered once again although it didn’t quite start out that way.

Oh, Lucy.  What a character!  When I started the novel, I felt like I was trapped inside someone’s mind that had ADD and was highly delusional.  I had a difficult time warming up to her or generating enough interest in how Lucy would go about changing her life.  Frankly, I had a difficult time liking her.  She was a pathological liar and with each page, my distaste for her grew.  Then something interesting happened.  Lucy began to reveal herself, her true self to me and my opinion of her changed. When she was avoiding life, I couldn’t help but dislike her.  As she began to be honest with herself, I started cheering for her and finally understood what made her tick.

Some things were predictable and typical of Chick Lit.  Ms. Ahern follows the recipe of successful novels:  A dilemma, unrequited love, friends that stick with our heroine though thick and thin, and of course, blooming love.  However, she does it with her own twist.  This twist is Life in the form of a man with an office and secretary who helps Lucy put herself back together.  And it’s a pretty fun journey.

The Time of My Life should be at the top of your summer poolside reading list. It’s entertaining, funny, and uplifting.  You’ll fall in love with Life too.  This novel won’t change your life, but it will allow you to escape it for a little while as you spend some time with these truly interesting characters.

Final Take: 3/5

Alice's Review: The Lost Husband

Summary:  Dear Libby,  It occurs to me that you and your two children have been living with your mother for—Dear Lord!—two whole years, and I’m writing to see if you'd like to be rescued.  The letter comes out of the blue, and just in time for Libby Moran, who—after the sudden death of her husband, Danny—went to stay with her hypercritical mother. Now her crazy Aunt Jean has offered Libby an escape: a job and a place to live on her farm in the Texas Hill Country. Before she can talk herself out of it, Libby is packing the minivan, grabbing the kids, and hitting the road.  Life on Aunt Jean’s goat farm is both more wonderful and more mysterious than Libby could have imagined. Beyond the animals and the strenuous work, there is quiet—deep, country quiet. But there is also a shaggy, gruff (though purportedly handsome, under all that hair) farm manager with a tragic home life, a formerly famous feed-store clerk who claims she can contact Danny “on the other side,” and the eccentric aunt Libby never really knew but who turns out to be exactly what she’s been looking for. And despite everything she’s lost, Libby soon realizes how much more she’s found. She hasn’t just traded one kind of crazy for another: She may actually have found the place to bring her little family—and herself—back to life. ~powell.com

 Review:  Libby is a recently widowed mother of two doing everything she can to hold it together when she gets an opportunity so odd she really has no choice but to take it. That opportunity is to move to a Podunk town in Texas and work for her estranged Aunt Jean on her goat farm. Throw in some excellent life lessons, a sexy farmhand and two funny and brave kids, and you have the perfect recipe for a light and fun summer read.

I can’t even being to tell you how much I enjoyed The Lost Husband. The root of it is characters that are likable and realistic. There was a strength in Libby I really respected. She made some tough choices, taking chances for the sake of her children. I loved that she selflessly put their needs first. Truth is I loved all the characters in the novel especially Libby’s Aunt Jean and her daughter Abby. There was enough drama to tug at my heartstrings and enough laugh out loud moments that lighten the load when things got to serious.

This novel was so visual for me. I felt Ms. Center really takes a hold of her reader and transports us to a place where things are simpler, life’s lessons are learned, and love rules the heart. In my mind’s eye, I was there on the farm with Libby.

The one (and only) complaint is that the title of the novel does nothing to convey how lovely The Lost Husband really is. It also says nothing about how this is an adventure of self. Maybe it’s the second chance at true love, maybe it’s the goat farm and cheese making, maybe it’s the loveable and sometimes wacky characters. Whatever it is, The Lost Husband is wonderful. I look forward to reading Ms. Center's other novels.

 Final Take: 5/5

Julie's Review: Wedding Night

Summary: Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose during lunch at one of London’s fanciest restaurants. But when his big question involves a trip abroad, not a trip down the aisle, she’s completely crushed. So when Ben, an old flame, calls her out of the blue and reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. No formal dates—just a quick march to the altar and a honeymoon on Ikonos, the sun-drenched Greek island where they first met years ago.  Their family and friends are horrified. Fliss, Lottie’s older sister, knows that Lottie can be impulsive—but surely this is her worst decision yet. And Ben’s colleague Lorcan fears that this hasty marriage will ruin his friend’s career. To keep Lottie and Ben from making a terrible mistake, Fliss concocts an elaborate scheme to sabotage their wedding night. As she and Lorcan jet off to Ikonos in pursuit, Lottie and Ben are in for a honeymoon to remember, for better . . . or worse. ~powells.com

Review: For this reader, I can almost never go wrong with a Sophie Kinsella novel. I've loved her since the first Shopaholic book came out. She makes me laugh and shake my head at the characters she writes.

In Wedding Night we are introduced to dreamy and romantic Lottie, who is sure her boyfriend of 3 years is about to propose to her. I think you know it doesn't go as planned. This launches her into a spiral of emotions and irrational behavior. Luckily for us the reader, we can get a few good laughs because of her antics.

Enter Fliss, Lottie's older sister and a bit bitter due to her impending divorce from a scoundrel of a husband. She's trying to balance work and a young son plus now she's got to manage Lottie. It's not easy and you can tell that she needs a release. Enter Lorcan.
As in all of Ms. Kinsella's novels hilarity ensues. I couldn't help but seriously laugh at some of the things that happen to Ben and Lottie. It would be enough to make anyone a little mad and a bit crazy.

What I loved about this novel was the sister aspect of it. How different Fliss and Lottie were but how they truly cared and loved each other. As an older sister I related to Fliss but admired Lottie's spontaneous personality.

If you've never read Ms. Kinsella's books( why?!), Wedding Night wouldn't be a bad place to start. Although I recommend having a chunk of time so you can read it cover to cover.

Final Take: 4.25/5


 

Alice's Review: What A Mother Knows

Summary:  An unsettling, emotional and suspenseful novel of the unshakable bonds of motherhood, in which Michelle Mason not only loses her memory after a deadly car crash, but can't find her 16-year-old daughter, the one person who may know what happened that day. But the deeper Michelle digs, the more she questions the innocence of everyone, even herself. A dramatic portrayal of the fragile skin of memory, What a Mother Knows is about finding the truth that can set love free. ~blurb

Review: What A Mother Knows is a compelling new novel by Leslie Lehr.  Imagine having a car accident so severe your road to recovery includes a medically induced coma and memory loss.   That’s exactly what happens to Michelle Mason.  She doesn’t remember the past few years of her life, let alone the accident or that she had a passenger in the car.  Her traveling companion was 19-year-old Noah, an up and coming musician who was tragically killed.  As Michelle tries to piece together what happened, she is further plagued with a desperation to find her missing daughter Nikki.

This novel has a lot to offer.  Ms. Lehr provides her readers with many revelations and plot twists that keep us interested and turning the pages.  There are wonderful support characters, like her son Tyler and her mother Elyse. 

One thing I found is that I didn’t like Michelle.  Considered she just came back from a near death experience, she could have used a little humility.  I can’t imagine what it must be like to not know where your child is, but her efforts to find her were appalling.  She put blinders on and forgot everything else including her son.  I think that is what did it for me.  She was willing to chance sacrificing her relationship with her son to find her daughter.  The only time I truly felt compassion for Michelle was when she was interacting with her mother Elyse.  Elyse was wonderful and all kinds of messed up crazy.  I love that.

Overall, I didn’t quite know how I felt about What A Mother Knows until the very end.  Something happened in that last chapter that made me solidify my stance.  It was a wonderful ending to a good novel.  

Final Take: 3/5

Alice's Review: And Then I Found You

Summary:  Katie Vaughan is no stranger to tough choices.  Shes made them before. Now its time to do it again. Kate has a secret, something tucked away in her past. And shes getting on with her life. Her business is thriving. She has a strong relationship with her family, and a devoted boyfriend whom she wants to love with all her heart. If Kate had ever made a list, Rowan would fill the imagined boxes of a perfect mate. She wants the facts to move from her head toward her heart and settle in with deep love, something past admiration and comfort. But when Kate discovers the small velvet box hidden in Rowans drawer, she panics. It always happens this way. Just when Kate thinks she can love, just when she believes she can conquer the fear, shes filled with dread. And she wants more than anything to make this feeling go away. But how? When the mistakes have been made and the running is over, its time to face the truth. Kate knows this. She understands that a woman can never undo what can never be undone. Yet, for the first time in her life she also knows that she wont fully love until she confronts those from her past. Its time to act. Can she do it? Can she travel to the place where it all began, to the one who shares her secret? Can the lost ever become found? And Then I Found You gives new life to the phrase “inspired by a true story.” By travelling back to a painful time in her own familys history, the author explores the limits of courage, and the price of a selfless act. ~ powells.com

Review: And Then I Found You is a deeply moving novel by Patti Callahan Henry.  This is the first time I am reading a novel by this author and I enjoyed it.  Overall, the novel is quite wonderful.  It is deeply moving with memorable characters.  It tugged at my heart.  It is well written and beautifully told.  Invest in some tissues, you will need them.

I do have one little quirk I can’t quite get over.  It’s that I never warmed up to woman formerly known as Katie.  I know everyone’s reasons for placing a child up for adoption are personal and won’t always make sense to others.  However when the main character in a novel is the one facing this life altering decision, I think it’s fair to expect those reasons be understood by the reader.  I still don’t get it.  I truly believe it takes a tremendous amount of courage and selflessness to do what she did, yet I never felt it was a great sacrifice on her part.  It seemed more like an excuse not to move on with her life and pine for her first love Jack.  She was 21 years old when she made the decision.  She was old enough to think it through and be selfless and courageous in other ways, like letting go of a failed relationship with a high school sweetheart.  Now that would have made sense.

I realize I am being overly judgmental of Kate.  What really surprised me is that in spite of my dislike for her, I really enjoyed this novel.  I openly cried more than once.  It is very heartwarming and touching.  I really warmed up to the supporting characters and loved the southern feel of And Then I Found You. I also like Jack a lot.  Although his story is secondary, I understood him. 

Ms. Callahan Henry wrote this novel in a way that I see a road trip in my future to the South.  And while I’m there, I’m going to look for Mimsy’s and LUNA and hope to see Jack or Nicole at the corner coffee shop.  That’s how real this novel feels and that’s how good this novel is.

Final Take: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher and SheReads.org for a copy of the book.

Julie's Review: Chocolate for Two

Summary: Waverly Bryson’s life is officially perfect: She’s engaged to her gorgeous boyfriend, Jake; her Honey on Your Mind TV segment is more popular than ever; and Waverly’s Honey Shop is growing by leaps and bounds. What could possibly go wrong? For starters…everything. This is Waverly, after all, and drama follows her wherever she goes. Why should her trip down the aisle be any different? Now, before she can marry the man of her dreams, she’ll have to go head-to-head with his high-society mother, whose vision for their wedding isn’t exactly meshing with Waverly’s. Adding to the chaos is the impending departure of Paige, Waverly’s very pregnant retail partner; the arrival of her suddenly secretive best friend, Andie; and the meddling of a new TV producer who’s promising to “shake things up.” Suddenly Waverly’s perfect life feels like it’s about to come crashing down…unless the irrepressible Miss Bryson can prove to the world—and to herself—that she really can have it all. ~amazon.com

Review: Chocolate for Two is the fourth book in the Waverly Bryson series and it doesn't disappoint. If you've followed this blog then you know I'm a huge Waverly fan. She's funny, smart, sensitive and a little scatter-brained. In other words, she could be you, your best friend or your sister on any given day.

In Chocolate for Two, we join Waverly on her journey as she realizes she is engaged and as she goes about planning her wedding. Not only that but having to deal with a potential mother-in-law that is at best, frosty towards her.

Not only does she have a wedding to plan but she's getting asked to do a daily segment on the Love, Wendy show and her Honey notes line of products is really taking off. Unfortunately, she also has to find a replacement for Paige, her business partner who's leaving for Nashville.

If you haven't read the series (Perfect on Paper: The (Mis)Adventures of Waverly Bryson, It's a Waverly Life, Honey on Your Mind), I can't recommend it enough. What I love about Ms. Murnane's writing is that she is succinct. It doesn't take her 100 extra pages to get to the point.

Final Take: 5/5


Thanks to the Maria and her publisher for my ARC copy of the novel.

Alice's Review: Heart Like Mine

Summary: Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?  At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again. But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover that there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.  Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant, hopeful portrait of womanhood, love, and the challenges and joys of family life. ~amazon.com

Review:  It was very prophetic to have heart in the title, this novel has a lot of heart.  Heart Like Mine is the remarkable new novel by Amy Hatvany about the aftermath of the sudden death of a divorced mother.  It is told in alternating chapters from the three very different points of view.  Kelli, divorced with two kids and a past she is constantly hiding from.  Ava, Kelli’s 13 year old daughter going through a time when she needs her mother the most.  Lastly, Grace, engaged to Ava’s dad and Kelli’s ex-husband Victor, living her ideal life with a man who isn’t pressuring her for kids.

 

I want to praise Ms. Hatvany for writing such a tremendous novel.  She excels at writing full characters and getting their points across without using a million words.  This novel is on the shorter side.  It’s a quick read but has a lot of substance.  Her words are chosen thoughtfully.  I would read her again in a second and will recommend Heart Like Mine to anyone who asks. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the three main characters in Heart LikeMine.  Each was very different, each brought something new to the story. Of the three, I related to Grace the most.  Her apprehensions were real.  I connected to her in that I am also a thirty plus year old with no children of my own and no desire for them either.  I am presently dating a man who is the father of a teenage girl.  I totally understood Grace and knew where she was coming from. 

When I first began the novel, I thought I wouldn’t like Kelli. I was wrong. I thought Ms. Hatvany did an exceptional job of writing her in such a way that I felt empathy for her. Kelli was nothing like I expected. Ms. Hatvany skillfully revealed Kelli’s truth and I was thankful for her part in the novel, she was the tie that held the story together.This is the first time I am dipping my toe in the Amy Hatvany novel pool. I really enjoyed her writing style. It was well rounded and well written. She writes from the heart for the heart. I look forward to reading more of her work. 

Look for Heart Like Mine on sale March 19, 2013.

Final Take: 4/5

Alice's Review: The Ninth Wife

Summary: In The Ninth Wife by Amy Stolls, Bess Gray has just learned that the man she loves, the man who asked for her hand in marriage, has been married eight times before. This funny, touching, and surprising novel follows Bess on her cross-country odyssey to learn about her oft-wed fiancé from the eight ex-spouses who came before. Stolls, an acclaimed author of Young Adult novels and winner of the Parents’ Choice Gold Award brilliantly explores the very grown-up world of male-female relationships and family dynamics in the delightful, unforgettable new masterwork of contemporary women’s fiction. ~amazon.com

Review:  Single 35-year-old Bess who has been unlucky in love finally meets the man of her dreams in charismatic Irish ex-pat Rory.  Rory is just about perfect except for one thing, he as eight ex-wives.  Yes, eight.   Deciding if she wants to be Wife No. 9 is the premise of Amy Stolls’ novel The Ninth Wife.

I enjoyed the alternating chapters in the first part of the book.  The chapters alternated between Bess and Rory.  Rory’s chapters gave us a play by play of his failed eight marriages.  It was a smart way to do this because we learn about Rory’s past from his point of view.  However, it gave Rory an unfair advantage because we only knew what Rory wanted to tell us.  Everyone knows there are always three sides to a story:  His side, her side, and the truth.  During Bess’s hunt for the other wives, we really didn’t find out anything we didn’t already know about them. 

As charming as Rory was and as someone who believed in the sanctity of marriage, he sure did make a mockery of it.  Of the eight marriages, I felt that only three were based on love and had a good foundation.  The rest made no sense whatsoever.  I think the other thing that troubled me about Rory was he came across as a bit insincere, especially towards the end of the novel.  I can’t help but wonder what I would have done in Bess’s  place.  I probably would have run for the hills.  Although I liked Rory, I thought he was a player hidden behind a charming façade.  He seemed too good to be true. 

The shining stars in the novel were Bess’s grandparents, Irving and Millie.  60 plus years of marriage was told beautifully on the pages.  Their story was very interesting.  They made me want to turn the pages and find out more about their history.  Millie especially was such a fascinating character.  I was thankful Ms. Stolls fully explored her.  I also enjoy Irving.  He made me wish I still had a grandfather like him.  Their story carried this novel.  On the same token, Bess’s friend Cricket did nothing to advance The Ninth Wife.  He served more as a distraction than anything else.  In my opinion, he could have been written out completely.  He was a filler character, the token gay best friend. 

I really believe this novel could have benefited from a 100-page cut back. As much as I enjoyed it, there was only so much I could take of Bess waxing nostalgia about her life.  It was very drawn out, but then again that’s how life is.  Sometimes we may think we dealt with something but our issues pop up when we least expect it, rearing their ugly heads and making us face them once again. 

Looking back on this review, I accept that it is a bit all over the place.  I liked the novel but didn’t love it.  I liked Bess but thought she was making a huge mistake in considering becoming the ninth wife.  That alone is probably why my review is unfavorable.  I loved her grandparents, but couldn’t figure out why Ms. Stolls included Cricket in the mix.   It was an interesting premise but lacked focus.  I can’t really say if you should read it or not.  Irving and Millie were great but is it enough?  Perhaps.  On the other hand, since each novel is a personal experience, maybe you will get something from this that I didn’t.  

Final Take: 3/5