No Ordinary Life Review

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I rushed through Suzanne’s first novel, Hush Little Baby, when it came out.  Impossible to put down, I was recommending it to everybody.  So as soon as I found out she had a new book, I knew I had to read it.

No Ordinary Life does not disappoint.  Once again, Suzanne captures motherhood in a new and enlightening way, all with a pace that has you quickly flipping the pages.

She tells the story of Faye, a single mother, down on her luck and money, struggling to keep her kids fed and happy after her truck driver husband takes off for the millionth time.  She knows she can’t afford to stay where she is, so she packs the kids up from the one place they know to move in with her mom in Los Angeles.  When her youngest daughter, Molly, is discovered when a video of hers goes viral, Faye has to determine whether the sacrifices she’s making in order to earn money are worth it to keep her family together.

While not a single mother, with a husband working two jobs, I can certainly relate to Faye’s feelings about trying to keep it all together.  It’s a feeling I struggle with on a daily basis because there is barely any time for yourself.  And no matter how many kids a mother has, it’s almost impossible not to feel guilty that you’re paying more attention to one than any other.

I loved the short chapters in this novel because I was able to just tell myself “One more chapter” just to get back to it.  And with a Hollywood curiosity, I was fascinated reading about it from the perspective of a star’s mother, a unique approach to what we see in the magazines and tabloids.  So while most people cannot relate to the storyline, they absolutely can relate to being a sibling or a mother.

As usual, I cannot wait to get my hands on Suzanne’s next novel.  She has a loyal reader in me.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Suzanne’s publicist for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

image About the Author

Suzanne Redfearn is the author of No Ordinary Life, a Target Emerging Author selection, and Hush Little Baby, a Target Recommends selection and a Target Emerging Author selection.

She graduated summa cum laude from California Polytechnic University and, prior to becoming an author, was an architect. She is an avid surfer, golfer, skier, and Angels fan. She lives with her husband and children in Southern California. No Ordinary Life is her second novel.

Connect with her on Facebook, Goodreads, and her website.

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard Review

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When an iconic hat worn by Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind ends up in Christine McAllister’s vintage clothing boutique by mistake, her efforts to return it to its owner take the reader on a journey to the past.

It’s 1938 and Violet Mayfield sets out to reinvent herself in Los Angeles after her dream of becoming a wife and mother falls apart, landing a job on the film-set of Gone With the Wind. There, she meets enigmatic Audrey Duvall, a once-rising film star who is now a fellow secretary. Audrey’s zest for life and their adventures together among Hollywood’s glitterati enthrall Violet…until each woman’s deepest desires collide.

What Audrey and Violet are willing to risk, for themselves and for each other, to ensure their own happy endings will shape their friendship, and their lives, far into the future.

(Above synopsis courtesy of the publisher.)

As a pop culture junkie, to get the inside track to Hollywood, especially during the 1930s, was fascinating.  Meissner writes as if you are actually on set with the cast and crew experiencing it just as they are.  I loved the references to the secretaries dutifully following everyone around to take notes and dictation, something completely different from our world today.  My favorite part was all the behind-the-scenes details that went in to make this classic movie.

This was so much more than just a Hollywood story.  At the base of this novel is a friendship between two women and the lengths they go to get what they want.  As unusual as this was back before World War II, it proves to be a battle women are still fighting today.  If you didn’t know the time period of this book before you opened it, you’d realize that Audrey and Violet’s ambitions would make sense even now.

For those who love historical fiction with ties to the present (books like Orphan Train and The Mapmaker’s Children), be sure to add this to your reading list.  Anybody who likes a story with female friendship at its core should pick this one up.

This would make a perfect choice for book clubs to discuss if these ladies made the right decisions and how their lives would be different if others were made.  The paperback copy even provides a reading guide along with an interview with Susan so you can learn more about her writing process.

Thank you to Berkeley/NAL and Susan’s publicist for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

image ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan Meissner is a multi-published author, speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism. Her novels include A Fall of Marigolds, named by Booklist’s Top Ten women’s fiction titles for 2014, and The Shape of Mercy, named by Publishers Weekly as one of the 100 Best Novels of 2008. She is also a RITA finalist, and Christy Award winner.

A California native, she attended Point Loma Nazarene University. Susan is a pastor’s wife and a mother of four young adults. When she’s not working on a novel, she writes small group curriculum for her San Diego church. She is also a writing workshop volunteer for Words Alive, a San Diego non-profit dedicated to helping at-risk youth foster a love for reading and writing.

Connect with Susan via her website, Facebook, and Goodreads.

The Goodbye Year Review

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When I was ready to graduate from high school, I couldn’t believe the amount of stress there was.  College visits, college applications, keeping grades up for potential colleges, getting fitted for graduation clothes.  That was on top of trying to relish the fact that it was my last year with my group of friends and we would all be going our separate ways the next year.  I barely had time to give a thought to everyone else’s stresses, let alone my parents’.

Thank goodness for Kaira Rouda.  She has crafted a novel that focuses on the last year of high school for not just the students but their parents as well.  And if you thought it was tough on the students, well, just you wait…

We have renowned plastic surgeon Jud, his wife Sarah, and their daughter Ashley.  Sarah dreams of traveling as soon as Ashley graduates but has a sinking feeling of something mysterious going on with Jud.

Melanie, mom to Seth and Dane, and her husband Keith.  Melanie is terrified Dane doesn’t have the desire or grades to get into college, which is a requirement in their household.

Will is just plain sick and tired of his wife Carol’s color-coded scheduling of his life.  All he wants is a little freedom which he finds in married Lauren.

And among the students, we have the typical high school issues of drugs, trying to fit in, and how  a picture perfect looking life on the outside is not always what it seems.

I loved how Rouda delved deep into the lives of the parents because it is an issue that rarely comes up when dealing with leaving the nest and finishing school.  Anyone who knows not to judge a book by its cover will appreciate the storylines in this novel.  A lot of it reminded me of a favorite from last year, The Admissions by Meg Mitchell Moore.  I guarantee you’ll get lost in the pages of this novel as soon as you pick it up, eager to see how it all plays out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the #It’sRainingBooks campaign from BookSparks in exchange for an honest review.

Best Beach Reads of 2016

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The weather is getting warmer.  The sun is showing up.  Now is the time to choose your summer vacation reads.  Here are my recommendations for 2016.

image The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke

This dynamic duo makes the writing flow seamlessly that you would never guess it was written by two women together.  This is the story of Kate who is dumped the night before her wedding by her fiancé.  When she discovers she can alter the course of her life via Facebook statuses, she has to decide whether changing history will make her happy.

image The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes & Jo Piazza

One reviewer described this novel as making “The Devil Wears Prada look like My Little Pony.”  I couldn’t agree more.  When Imogen Tate returns to work at her magazine after a leave, she finds her former assistant angling for her job.  If you’ve ever rooted for the underdog, or know the feeling of being the underdog, you will be a big fan of this book.

image The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

If you have any interest in the Royal Family, this is a must read book.  It is such a fun and joyous read that had me completely sucked in to the love story of Nick and Bex and the scandal that ensued.  As soon as I finished, I was demanding a sequel.  A movie is in the works so be sure to read the book first.

image The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand 

No summer would be complete without an Elin Hilderbrand novel in your beach bag.  This is an oldie but goodie that had me longing to spend a summer on Nantucket to explore the beaches and restaurants.  I was enthralled in this love story that takes place in a busy restaurant.  And it will make you very hungry.

image What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan

When Rachel’s son goes missing after a walk in the park, her world is turned upside down.  Told in alternating viewpoints between her and the detective in charge of the case, you’ll be as eager to find out what happened as she is.  All psychological fiction fans will be flipping the pages and should add Macmillan as a writer to watch.

image Summer at Hideaway Key by Barbara Davis

This was my first novel by Barbara Davis but certainly won’t be my last.  When Lily’s father passes away and leaves her a cottage on the beach, she is determined to find out the story behind it.  If you enjoy historical fiction, Davis incorporates some back story in this novel as well.  A little romance thrown in makes this a perfect book for all readers.  See my full review here.

image Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

There was so much to love about Buxbaum’s first venture into contemporary YA.  This is the story of Jessie whose father relocates her across the country to California and how she has to start fresh at a brand-new high school.  When a student anonymously emails her, a friendship develops.  The reader and Jessie try to figure out who the mysterious sender is in this sweet book.

image A Drop in the Ocean by Jenni Ogden 

Ever wish you could just drop everything and travel to an exotic location to get away from it all?  That is the premise of Ogden’s debut novel.  When she suddenly finds herself out of a job, Anna jumps at the chance to head to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for a new beginning in a place that she soon learns will become home.  See my full review here.

If you get a chance to read any of these books, I’d love to hear your review too!  Have a great summer!

*This post contains affiliate links

 

Sister Dear Review

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So many people had recommended Laura McNeill’s first release, Center of Gravity, to me last year.  Unfortunately, I never grabbed an opportunity to read it because at the time I had too many other books I my pile.  As soon as I was offered the chance to review her next book, Sister Dear, I jumped at the chance.

Sister Dear tells the story of Allie Marshall, just paroled from prison after 10 years for a crime she insists she didn’t commit, the killing of the town’s beloved football coach, Boyd Thomas.  Her sister, Emma, currently has custody of Allie’s teenage daughter, Caroline.  Her parents have just sold their vet practice to a new family in town.

Caroline seems to be the most affected by Allie’s return, as her mother was gone for a huge portion of her life and she’s worried about he social repercussions for her as news spreads.  To keep herself busy, she chooses to volunteer at the local nursing home after school.

Once this story gets going, readers will have a pretty good idea of who is ultimately responsible for the crime.  But what I love about this book is how Laura dropped little surprising nuggets of information throughout.  Little puzzle pieces were found every few chapters that started forming the ultimate picture of what really happened.  Just when you think you cannot be surprised anymore, you get a new twisty tidbit to keep you reading.

Now I cannot wait to go back and read Center of Gravity and whatever new novels Laura has coming our way.  She has an amazing ability to hook you early without a ton of extraneous information.  My thanks to TNZFiction, Litfuse, and Laura McNeill for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Follow the blog tour for more reviews: http://litfusegroup.com/author/lmcneill/

image
Laura McNeill is a writer, web geek, travel enthusiast, and coffee drinker. In her former life, she was a television news anchor for CBS News affiliates in New York and Alabama. Laura holds a master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and is completing a graduate program in interactive technology at the University of Alabama. When she’s not writing and doing homework, she enjoys running, yoga, and spending time at the beach. She lives in Mobile, AL with her family.

Center Ring Review

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If you are a mother, have a mother, or want to be a mother.  If you have a job, had a job, or want a job.  If you are married, used to be married, or want to be married.  If you relate to any of those categories, you will find a relatable character in this debut read.  Grab your girlfriends and your wine because this is a book you’ll want to read with company.

Center Ring is the first in The Circus of Women trilogy by Nicole Waggoner.  It features five best friends:

Norah, an ob-gyn struggling with her own infertility and marriage

Camille, a photojournalist at a crossroads in her career

Leila, mother of two and former professor

Ellison, a publicist for Hollywood’s elite and unlucky in love

Kate, brand-new mother struggling with trying to be perfect

As the girls get together for a night out, Norah lets out a secret and the book follows each woman share her story as they rally around her.  The book continuously changes point of view from woman to woman, but the chapters are short so it’s easy to read large portions at a time.

As a working married mother, I completely related to multiple stories in this book, especially those when the characters were trying to balance it all, just like the “circus” theme suggests.  Nicole does a fabulous job of bringing readers back to that concept throughout.  You’ll be rooting for each woman as she experiences her highs, and sympathizing with them as they experience their lows.

This book would make a great addition to your beach bag, but I guarantee you’ll want to share the story with your friends.  It will be hard having time pass by as you immerse yourself in the lives of these women.  What will be harder is waiting for Book 2 in the trilogy to find out what happens next.

Thanks so much to Nicole Waggoner for the copy in exchange for an honest review.  Be sure to follow her on Facebook and Twitter!

Somewhere Out There Review

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  Amy Hatvany could publish her grocery list and I’d read it.  She has this ability to hook a reader from the first page without her book being a thriller and make you feel every emotion.

Somewhere Out There starts off with a glimpse of Jennifer, a young mom to two girls, living out of her car and trying to get them taken care of and fed.  Not being careful enough, she is caught shoplifting and even after an explanation, the store doesn’t want to cut her any slack.  Her social worker suggests that giving up her girls will be the best thing she can do for them moving forward.

Fast forward 30 years where we meet mother and caterer Natalie and cocktail waitress Brooke, the two girls Jennifer gave up.  The reader is introduced to their current lives and how each grew up in very different circumstances.  The book flashes back to what happened to Jennifer once she was arrested for shoplifting and, subsequently, what happened in the past as the girls grew up and how that shaped them in the present.

I love how everything Hatvany does is so realistic.  She doesn’t have Natalie living a picture perfect life with a lawyer husband and two kids.  She struggles between work and motherhood and even has spats with her husband, just like real life.  What may look more perfect on the outside is anything but.

As I read this, I kept going back to the fact that I couldn’t put this book down starting on page 2.  It’s rare that a women’s fiction story hooks me so quickly.

This is one you’ll want to discuss with all your friends and will make you want to complete your Amy Hatvany library.   As usual, I cannot wait for another new release from her.

Thanks to BookSparks as part of their #mywinterisbooked campaign for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Release Day for SUMMERLOST by Ally Condie

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Dear Readers,

I think most of us have had our hearts broken. Sometimes we can see it coming, and sometimes it comes down with the unexpected force of a sudden gale of wind or a rising of waters that we thought were still and safe. Loss is universal to human experience, but the way we each feel and recover is one of the most personal things we do.

In Summerlost, Cedar is dealing with the loss of her father and younger brother. And my intent was to show how hard their deaths are for her. But this is also a book about the healing power of friendship. Most of us have been broken-hearted; I hope that most of us have also discovered the miracle of friendships that were just what we needed. Cedar and Leo’s friendship is based on someone I met when I was twelve. Like Leo, my friend was fun and liked to enlist me in crazy adventures (although we never gave a secret guided tour of our town the way they do in Summerlost). And, like Leo, he thought I was wonderful and of worth at a time when I needed it most.

SUMMERLOST is my attempt to pay tribute both to the pain we feel and the friendships that save us. Thank you so much for supporting this book, and for your willingness to give Cedar’s story a try. I hope it makes you think of a wonderful friend of your own, whether that is someone you met in the pages of a favorite book or outside, in the world where it is often hard and beautiful to live.

Best wishes and happy reading always,
Ally Condie

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Praise:

A Spring 2016 Kids’ Indie Next List Top 10 Pick!

Named one of Publishers Weekly’s Most Anticipated Children’s and YA Books of Spring 2016

● “Condie (Matched) strikes a deep emotional chord with this coming-of-age story.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review

● “Multiple, seemingly random details, including a family of turkey vultures that now roost outside Cedar’s window, an absurd soap opera narrative of a woman buried alive, and Leo’s quest for a trip with his father, coalesce into metaphors that help Cedar make sense of her grief and the life she now has to look forward to. Thoughtful, poetic chapter endings guide readers new to psychological depth toward meaningful connections between plot events and thematic reflections.” – BCCB

“A moving tale of friendship and loss. I loved these characters—I wish we could have been friends when I was a kid.” –Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fablehaven and Five Kingdoms series

“Ally Condie’s first middle grade book might also be my favorite out of ALL her books to date. Summerlost is a story packed with nostalgia, heart, and gorgeous prose.” – The Novel Novice

“A nuanced portrait of grief deeply grounded in the middle-school mind-set.” – Booklist

“Honest, lovely, and sad.” – Kirkus Reviews

“A sweet, heartfelt story.” – School Library Journal

“Achingly good.” – Summer Laurie, Books Inc

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Read an excerpt and BUY your copy from any of these retailers:

Penguin Random House
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Indiebound

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Thanks to Word Spelunking and Penguin Kids for sponsoring this release day blitz!

Come Away with Me Review & Giveaway

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This emotional book made my top reads of 2015 list because months and months after finishing it, I still am thinking about it.  It blew me away with the the storyline, especially considering it is a debut by a new author.  I cannot wait to read her newest release this summer.

If you liked the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, think of this as a fictional version.  Here is the Amazon synopsis:

An unexpected journey leads one woman to discover that life after loss is possible, if only you can find the courage to let go…

One minute, Tegan Lawson has everything she could hope for: an adoring husband, Gabe, and a baby on the way. The next, a patch of black ice causes a devastating accident that will change her life in ways she never could have imagined.

Tegan is consumed by grief—not to mention her anger toward Gabe, who was driving on the night of the crash. But just when she thinks she’s hit rock bottom, Gabe reminds her of their Jar of Spontaneity, a collection of their dream destinations and experiences, and so begins an adventure of a lifetime.

From the bustling markets of Thailand to the flavors of Italy to the ocean waves in Hawaii, Tegan and Gabe embark on a journey to escape the tragedy and search for forgiveness. But they soon learn that grief follows you no matter how far away you run, and that acceptance comes when you least expect it. Heartbreaking, hopeful and utterly transporting, Come Away with Me is an unforgettable debut and a luminous celebration of the strength of the human spirit.

If you do not experience complete wanderlust after finishing this book, you didn’t read it correctly.  It’s obvious Karma writes from experience as she describes these amazing cities.

And because I don’t want to give away any spoilers, I don’t want to say much else.  Just keep tissues handy and message me on my Facebook page when you finish because I can’t wait to hear what you think!  Read it with a friend so you can chat about it together.  Thanks to Book Sparks, I have one print copy to give away to one lucky winner.  Click the link below to enter to win.  Giveaway ends 3/28/16 at 12:00 am CST.  Good luck!

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Losing the Light Review

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A book about a wine-filled excursion to France?  Sign me up.  What I loved about this novel was that it doesn’t take place in the part of France we hear about so often, Paris, but rather the coastal town of Nantes with escapes to the glamorous Cap Ferrat.  It was a completely new setting for me, one which satisfied my wanderlust every time I picked it up.

Losing the Light tells the story of two college students, Brooke and Sophie, who study abroad for a year.  Brooke is sent away after an affair with a college professor her school needs to pretend didn’t happen, and Sophie is longing for a place where she isn’t just known as just the pretty girl.  At a mixer when they arrive, Brooke meets Veronique, who soon introduces both girls to her handsome cousin Alex.  And that’s where the trouble starts.

Dunlop easily portrays Brooke as an insecure and jealous woman who falls for Alex quickly and is seduced by his good looks and charm.  Several get-togethers have the girls alone with Alex and while Brooke is pining for him, her friendship with Sophie is tested when her paranoia seems to take over.  I just had a wish for more tension throughout, all to set the stage for what we learn in the opening chapter about how everything ends.

This book would be perfect to throw in your beach bag or grab for a quick read over spring break where you can get lost in a world countries away and think back on your 20s as a time you thoght the whole world was at your feet.

You can read more about Andrea here.  Thank you to BookSparks for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.