Review: Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins

Good Luck With That

by Kristan Higgins

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 480

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp as teens. When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults.

For each of them, that means something different. For Marley, it's coming to terms with the survivor's guilt she's carried around since her twin sister's death, which has left her blind to the real chance for romance in her life. For Georgia, it's about learning to stop trying to live up to her mother's and brother's ridiculous standards, and learning to accept the love her ex-husband has tried to give her.

But as Marley and Georgia grow stronger, the real meaning of Emerson's dying wish becomes truly clear: more than anything, she wanted her friends to love themselves.

Kritters Thoughts:  I love Kristan Higgins stand alone books - they are usually filled with fantastic women having real experiences and trying to do life to their best.  In this story two friends are impacted by the sudden by another friend's death.  And on her death bed she has left them with a list they created as kids that she challenged them to actually complete.  Georgia and Marley find her death to be a kick in the butt to the lives they have been putting off for the future.

I love a book with two narrators so each character gets the chance to move the story along.  Georgia and Marley were similar and different at the same time and I appreciated their real friendship.  Marley had childhood trauma that impacted her relationship with food and really set her on an unhealthy path.  Georgia had more present drama in her life and I really loved watching her confront feelings of her past and really grow in this book.  I loved how they had completely different mothers and how each mother had flaws and neither had the "perfect" mom.  The supporting cast in this book was so full, but not overwhelming.    

One may call this a "fat" book, but I would challenge that and say this is more a human book about women in regular bodies and trying to be self confident and happy in the bodies they have in the here and now.  This book struck a few chords with me and I had to have a few gut checks while reading this one.  

This book came at a weird time where life was a little up and down, it was a nice escape from the real drama of my real life!


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 69 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin Random House.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Throwaway Girl by Kristine Scarrow

Throwaway Girl

by Kristine Scarrow

Publisher: Dundurn

Pages: 184

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Andy Burton knows a thing or two about survival. Since she was removed from her mother's home and placed in foster care when she was nine, she's had to deal with abuse, hunger, and homelessness. But now that she's eighteen, she's about to leave Haywood House, the group home for girls where she's lived for the past four years, and the closest thing to a real home she's ever known.

Will Andy be able to carve out a better life for herself and find the happiness she is searching for?

Kritters Thoughts:  What an interesting look at the foster care system and how it may not work for the best for everyone.  Andy Burton is about to age out of the system and will get a little assistance but will basically be on her own.  To go from house to house and bad situation to bad situation and then to be on your own must be completely difficult.  This short little book gives the full back story as to why this girl is in the spot she is in and what she does after she is out of the foster care system.

I loved this little story.  It felt real and honest and a true glimpse of what life is like for these kids.  I enjoyed having fully developed secondary characters around her that showed other foster care outcomes.  There was one of the girls I won't spoil a story but I really felt for her and her situation and was really rooting for her.

After reading the books, I read some reviews and have to disagree with a few that said they thought it was too short.  I liked the length.  I thought that it was just the right amount of story with such deep topics covered.  I wouldn't have wanted page after page and much more story with such tragedy on the page.  

I am definitely interested in reading more by this author, I will have to look at her two other books and pick them up and read them soon.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Review: After Nightfall by AJ Banner

After Nightfall

by AJ Banner

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 251

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Beware of friends with secrets…

Imagine your closest friend utterly betraying you. Years later, when she seeks forgiveness, you invite her to your engagement party as a gesture of reconciliation. But seething hostilities rise to the surface, ruining everyone’s evening. After an awful night, your friend’s battered, lifeless body is found at the bottom of a rocky cliff.

Newly engaged Marissa Parlette is living this nightmare. She should be celebrating her upcoming wedding, but she can’t shake the image of her friend lying dead on the beach. Did she fall? Was she pushed? Or did she take a purposeful step into darkness? Desperate for answers, Marissa digs deep into the events of the party. But what she remembers happening after nightfall now carries sinister implications: the ugly sniping, the clandestine meetings, the drunken flirtations. The more she investigates, the more she questions everything she thought she knew about her friends, the man she once trusted, and even herself.

Kritters Thoughts:  From the synopsis, I was ready for a page turner that would be hard to put it down, so I specifically picked it to take on a beach weekend.  There was a bit of drama, but for me this one wasn't the page turner I was hoping for and there was just too much drama that was separate from the main story.  

So the main focus is a woman who is found dead at the bottom of a cliff and trying to find out how she ended up down there after a dinner party.  This is definitely a big chunk of the book - the search to find out if anyone is responsible for her death and I was satisfied with the final culprit.  BUT there was so much extra drama that just didn't feel like it fit with the rest of the story.  

All of this being said, I liked her writing and her characters.  I was definitely interested in finding out which character had the biggest reason to be involved in the possible murder.  I would read another book by AJ Banner, but I would want to be completely in love with the synopsis before I did so.  

I have read The Good Neighbor, but haven't read The Twilight Wife, should I pick that one up?


Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Tiffany Blues by MJ Rose

Tiffany Blues

by MJ Rose

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 336

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  New York, 1924. Twenty‑four‑year‑old Jenny Bell is one of a dozen burgeoning artists invited to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s prestigious artists’ colony. Gifted and determined, Jenny vows to avoid distractions and romantic entanglements and take full advantage of the many wonders to be found at Laurelton Hall.

But Jenny’s past has followed her to Long Island. Images of her beloved mother, her hard-hearted stepfather, waterfalls, and murder, and the dank hallways of Canada’s notorious Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women overwhelm Jenny’s thoughts, even as she is inextricably drawn to Oliver, Tiffany’s charismatic grandson.

As the summer shimmers on, and the competition between the artists grows fierce as they vie for a spot at Tiffany’s New York gallery, a series of suspicious and disturbing occurrences suggest someone knows enough about Jenny’s childhood trauma to expose her.

Supported by her closest friend Minx Deering, a seemingly carefree socialite yet dedicated sculptor, and Oliver, Jenny pushes her demons aside. Between stolen kisses and stolen jewels, the champagne flows and the jazz plays on until one moonless night when Jenny’s past and present are thrown together in a desperate moment, that will threaten her promising future, her love, her friendships, and her very life.

Kritters Thoughts:  I love a historical fiction book, but I love one even more when there is some truth that backs up the fiction.  Louis Comfort Tiffany known for his jewelry company built a beautiful home on Long Island and the truth is that it burned down mysteriously.  MJ Rose took this small interesting fact and created a whole story with fantastic characters and kept the biggest part of the truth within a fantastic fiction story.  

Jenny Bell was the best character to follow into this crazy art world in the 1920s.  To see her enter the world from the outside and then really go deep when she enters into Tiffany's home was so fun to watch.  She was the best set of eyes to view this world through with innocence and intrigue.  

I loved the small hints of a mystery/thriller throughout the book.  These bits really helped with the pacing and the want for me to keep reading and reading!  I read this in two sittings and wanted a sequel to curl up with after I finished!

I would say this is my favorite type of book when it is historical fiction and there is a small bit of truth at the center of the whole thing.  It makes me do research and learn while also enjoying a riveting story from beginning to end.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey

Not Her Daughter

by Rea Frey

Publisher: St Martin's Griffin

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Emma Grace Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes. Brown hair. Missing since June.

Emma Townsend is lonely. Living with her cruel mother and clueless father, Emma retreats into her own world of quiet and solitude.

Sarah Walker. Successful entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Abandoned by her mother. Kidnapper.

Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal—and when a second-chance encounter with Emma presents itself, Sarah takes her, far away from home. But if it’s to rescue a little girl from her damaging mother, is kidnapping wrong?

Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure she wants her daughter back.

Amy’s life is a string of disappointments, but her biggest issue is her inability to connect with her daughter. And now she’s gone without a trace.

As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But her real mother is at home, waiting for her to return—and the longer the search for Emma continues, Amy is forced to question if she really wants her back.

Kritters Thoughts:  Two women and a young girl are at the center of this story.  Sarah Walker and Amy Townsend.  Amy Townsend is a wife, mother and full time employee.  She is not exceeding at all of these things as most people can't do it all.  Sarah Walker owns a company, but hasn't become a wife or mother.  At a chance encounter she meets Amy, her husband and child and has immediate feelings about her and the family.  When she acts on those feelings, the story begins . . . 

The story is divided into Sarah's parts and Amy parts and then subdivided into before, during and after.  I love how this story was presented.  It was all easily labeled, so the reader knows when and where we are and who is talking.  I like when the set up is elaborate but spelled out!

I love when I read a book and it makes me question everything in my being.  This book straddles so many ethical lines and it is so hard to make a decision and decide what side of the street you live on.  Even after a few days of finishing it I can't put into words how I feel about the story AND the ending.  I was so glad that my mom had read the book recently so I could talk to her about it, but we just kept saying WOW and REALLY!  I love when I have a hard time putting into words my feelings and thoughts about a book.  

I will definitely be on the look out for Rea Frey's next book.  I can't wait to see where she goes from here.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 68 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza

Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win

by Jo Piazza

Publisher: Simon Schuster

Pages: 320

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Charlotte Walsh is running for Senate in the most important race in the country during a midterm election that will decide the balance of power in Congress. Still reeling from a presidential election that shocked and divided the country and inspired by the chance to make a difference, she’s left behind her high-powered job in Silicon Valley and returned, with her husband Max and their three young daughters, to her downtrodden Pennsylvania hometown to run in the Rust Belt state.

Once the campaign gets underway, Charlotte is blindsided by just how dirty her opponent is willing to fight, how harshly she is judged by the press and her peers, and how exhausting it becomes to navigate a marriage with an increasingly ambivalent and often resentful husband. When the opposition uncovers a secret that could threaten not just her campaign but everything Charlotte holds dear, she has to decide just how badly she wants to win and at what cost.


Kritters Thoughts:  There are quite a few books that take a reader behind the scenes of Hollywood, but I think there are less that take a reader behind the scenes of politics.  I know there are some out there, but I think there are less.  This book really felt like a real peek behind the curtain and I loved it.

Charlotte Walsh is heading not only back to her home state but small hometown and is going to run for state Senate in Pennsylvania.  In this book and in real life there had been no females elected into the Senate for Pennsylvania and I did an extensive google search homing to prove the book wrong and sadly it was true until this last election.  So back to the book, Charlotte is running and she is heading back to her small hometown to center her campaign there.  She left a small town in Pennsylvania and not in the best circumstances and has become a COO of a Silicon Valley corporation and published a book, she made me think of Cheryl Sandberg.  I loved following her through the ups and downs of returning home and then the crazy battle of politics.

My favorite moment is when there was a shoe fiasco and she point blank calls out the media on the gender bias and asks them to ask her male counterpoint to ask him what shoes he is wearing and if he is wearing heels!  It was most interesting that there was media both female and male involved in shoe gate and it really made me think about how we evaluate candidates. 

I won't spoil a thing, but OH THE ENDING!  If there is no sequel after this, I at least want a novella or something to wrap up some of the loose ends!

I really hope Jo Piazza writes more like this.  I loved how she really examined a "woman's place" and would love to see more from her.  


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 63 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Simon Schuster.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

With a beach vacation, I was away from my computer and took a break from everything!  So this is two weeks worth of reading and with all of the activity going on in my personal life, there have been fewer moments for reading.

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

After Nightfall by AJ Banner
A Little Bird Told Me by Marianne Holmes
Tiffany Blues by MJ Rose
Throwaway Girl by Kristine Scarrow

Currently Reading:

Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins

Next on the TBR pile:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Bout of Books 23 TBR pile

Bout of Books starts on Monday, August 20th and goes through Sunday, August 26th. 

My goal, as it always is, for the Bout of Books 23 TBR pile is to read 250 pages per day, which amounts to 1,750 pages for the whole week.  
 

Doing another round of Bout of Books, we shall see how it goes.  I love participating because there are really no rules, you are just challenge yourself to read more than you typically do.  So I am hoping for a great week in books!  Even though we are more than half way through the year, I love doing this one because it is a great push to keep the reading going and to hopefully hit some goals before the end of the year hits.

Let's see how this goes!

1.  Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins (480 pages)
2.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (279 pages)
3.  Mary B by Katherine Chen (336 pages)
4.  Vox by Christina Dalcher (336 pages)
5.  The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl (424 pages)

This is a total of pages!

For those that don't know what Bout of Books is... here you go:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 8th and runs through Sunday, January 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 21 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Review: Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone

Jane Doe

by Victoria Helen Stone

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 267

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  A double life with a single purpose: revenge.

Jane’s days at a Midwest insurance company are perfectly ordinary. She blends in well, unremarkably pretty in her floral-print dresses and extra efficient at her low-level job. She’s just the kind of woman middle manager Steven Hepsworth likes—meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man. No one has any idea who Jane really is. Least of all Steven.

But plain Jane is hiding something. And Steven’s bringing out the worst in her.

Nothing can distract Jane from going straight for his heart: allowing herself to be seduced into Steven’s bed, to insinuate herself into his career and his family, and to expose all his dirty secrets. It’s time for Jane to dig out everything that matters to Steven. So she can take it all away.

Just as he did to her. 


Kritters Thoughts:  Do you like a good revenge book?  Do you like to root for a "bad girl?"  If so then this book is just the right thing for you.  Jane Doe returns to Minneapolis to work at an insurance company and that company she chose for a reason, so she can run into and become involved with Steven Hepsworth.  There is one big reason why she wants to become a part of his life and it is revenge.  

I personally loved Jane Doe.  She was a character I could root for.  She felt honest about herself from the beginning and I didn't have to wonder if she was telling me the truth from page to page like you can sometimes get when you have a crazy girl as a main character.  I could get behind her reasoning for doing to Steven what she does and I loved her internal battle trying to decide how exactly she was going to get what she wanted.  I am trying to share my full thoughts without giving any hint of a spoiler.  

I will say that I had gotten a little bored with psychological thrillers.  It felt as though I was reading the same thing again and again.  This one is so different from all the crazy girl books!  

This book isn't for the faint of heart, so be warned.  I loved cheering on this bad girl and hoping for the worst for the guy, but I know this book isn't for everyone!


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Can't Help Myself by Meredith Goldstein

Can't Help Myself

by Meredith Goldstein

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Pages: 272

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Every day, Boston Globe advice columnist Meredith Goldstein takes on the relationship problems of thousands of dedicated readers. They look to her for wisdom on all matters of the heart- how to cope with dating fatigue and infidelity, work romances, tired marriages, true love, and true loss. In her column, she has it all figured out, but in her real life she is a lot less certain. Whether it's her own reservations about the traditional path of marriage and family, her difficulty finding someone she truly connects with, or the evolution of her friendships as her friends start to have their own families, Meredith finds herself looking for insight, just like her readers. As she searches for responses to their concerns, she's surprised to discover answers to her own. But it's after her mother is diagnosed with cancer that she truly realizes how special her Love Letters community is, how this column has enriched her life as much, if not more than, it has for its readers.


Kritters Thoughts:  An interesting combo of a memoir combined with excerpts from her advice column.  Meredith Goldstein gives us a glimpse of her life and then at the end of each chapter inserts one or more dear abby letters she received and responded to with a few of the online comments.  I completely adored this book.  

I loved how the reader was given insight to her life and what she was personally dealing with and how that influenced her response to each letter and reader.  I have never written a letter into a dear abby, but this book made me want to, just to see what kind of response I would receive both from the author of the column and to the readers of the column.

I also don't read comments on newspaper articles online and I may just have to after this book!  How interesting that she thought of her repeat commenters as a community and to invite them to a happy hour was probably the best thing I read!  I never thought about this group as being a possible cohesive group, makes me think.  

I would love to read another one of these from Meredith Goldstein and from someone else who writes newspaper columns.  I enjoyed her personal context made things make so much more sense. 


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Grand Central Publishing.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Jeremiah's Revenge by Sandra Brannan

Jeremiah's Revenge

by Sandra Brannan

Publisher: River Grove Books

Pages: 350

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Liv has recently returned to work at the FBI from a forced leave of absence after witnessing the brutal murder of her boyfriend, Jack Linwood. As she painfully emerges from her grief, Liv comes face-to-face with two facts: She did not truly love Jack, and she does love her long-time colleague and mentor Streeter Pierce. But she wonders if she can find the courage to let him know or just how much longer she can hide her feelings. As Streeter and Liv are drawn together and a tender relationship begins, a gritty and often shocking set of events is unraveling around them. And while fans of the series have long waited to know the truth about his past, Streeter’s honest revelations lead to nothing but fear and his worst nightmare—where Liv is put within inches of losing her life. The title of the book, an evil twist referencing admonitions from the Bible’s Book of Jeremiah, sends a warning to the steadfast agent’s fans they won’t soon forget.


Kritters Thoughts:  It was perfect to go straight from book 6 to this book as this book begins on the same evening as that one ends on.  It was seamless to go from one to the other.  And to remind readers this is a series where the mystery is self contained in each book, but I suggest starting at the beginning with this as there are major character developments that go from book to book.  

There were two storylines going on at the same time and it seemed pretty easy to keep all the things straight in each one.  I loved in this book the major focus on the character development and the mystery was there but the relationship and change in Liv was the big focus and I enjoyed really focusing on her.  

I think this one has become my favorite in the series.  The pacing was incredible.  I read this book almost completely in one sitting and I love when a mystery/thriller is one that makes you stay up late or wake up early to read it.  

I wonder how many more Liv Bergen books there will be.  I would love to see Sandra Brannan start a new series with a new main character and maybe in a new setting and see where should could go!


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 66 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Jacob's Descent by Sandra Brannan

Jacob's Descent

by Sandra Brannan

Publisher: River Grove Books

Pages: 264

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Liv has been forced to take a leave of absence from her job at the FBI following the tragic death of her love, Jack Linwood. She finds herself back home in Rapid City, South Dakota, far from her closest friend and colleague, Streeter Pierce, and her trusted dog, Beulah. Struggling with the risks and pressures of her career and the nostalgia of home, a heartbroken Liv questions whether or not she has made the right choices in life. As if that weren’t enough, she finds herself sitting in a bar, staring up into the faces of the bizarre wax heads of the infamous citizens of Deadwood—where her bullheaded sister Agatha has dragged her to drink off her pain. 

When it seems Liv will at last be left alone to mourn in peace, a beloved friend of the Bergen family is beaten beyond recognition and left for dead. Liv is suddenly catapulted into the middle of an investigation of a hundred-year-old murder case and a dark and twisted, century-old family feud. Aided—and sometimes derailed—by her comical sisters, a police officer who doesn’t trust her, a cryptic research paper, and a frightening and formidable motorcycle gang member, Liv must discover who beat her friend nearly to death before the perpetrator returns to finish the job and time runs out.

Kritters Thoughts:  I have read this series and have loved each book individually and as it keeps the story of the main characters moving.  I love how each book's mystery is basically self contained, but you don't want to start in the middle of this series because there are major character arcs that start in book one and are still going on.

In this book, Liv has returned home and is taking a leave of absence as she has had some major life happenings and needs to step back and regroup.  Of course, trouble always follows her and something happens while she is home and she gets/puts herself in the middle of it all.  

I love that although you know that she is the main character of the series and the main character can't die, she gets close enough that you wonder if maybe!  I read this book knowing that there was another after, so I had some safety knowing there was going to be another book, but you never know!

This book seamlessly led into the next book, so I was glad that I held off reading it until I had the next book in hand.  I don't always love reading a series of books back to back, but I was glad to read these two in a row.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel  
     (come back tomorrow for a review of the next in this series)

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 65 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.