June Book Review

It's Book Review Day!!

I was able to read a bunch in June - thanks to audiobooks and thanks to summer break. I had a good mix of rom-coms and thrillers. Some new authors and some favorites!

First up, another memoir. I have really grown to love the genre!

Live Wire ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - You never know what kind of book you're going to get with a memoir or autobiography.  Some are serious, some are funny, and some are just story telling. Kelly Ripa's book was just a bunch of stories told with her witty banter, and I love her even more after reading her book.  She makes fun of herself on all the levels, and is kind of open and honest about her life. I think this one book you have to listen to in order to get her humor.  Actually, I think all memoirs or autobiographies should be listened to because it's the author reading them, and you really get a sense for their humor or inflection that you don't get when you READ the book.  I was giggling a few times. 

The Perfect Son ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -  (free on Kindle Unlimited) This is the same author as The Housemaid series. And she does not disappoint again. I really like this authors style of writing, and the twists that comeat the end! I did NOT see this one coming. It was a good book from the start, but halfway through, I couldn't put it down.  

My Summer Darlings ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - so this one is a little spicy. I didn't read the synopsis (per my usual going into a book blindly), so I didn't know what to expect. Ha! This is a story about three ladies who are all being seduced by the same man that moved into the neighborhood. There's a big plot twist at the end though, that I didn't see coming! 

Too Late ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - (free on Kindle Unlimited) I'm a HUGE CoHo fan.  I will read any of her books and I get sucked into them, even Verity (which is WAY out of her norm). Guys, I think maybe she's changing her style. While I still get sucked in and can't put it down, this was another darker (and spicier) book of hers. I really liked it though. I loved Sloan and Carter. I didn't like Asa, but that was her point to make us not like him.  This book is dramatic,  intense, thrilling. And the Epilogue started when I was 69% through the book. And then there's an epilogue to the epilogue 😳

The Match ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (free on Kindle Unlimited) - oh. My. Goodness. This book was so good.  I'm a Sarah Adams fan anyway, but this book I couldn't put down. I even got teary eyed a few times. This book was about a girl who had epilepsy and not only had a service dog, but became a trainer/owner of a business that matched service dogs to those in need (hence the title). One of her clients is a single dad whose daughter also has epilepsy.  It was such a good book.

Beach Read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Emily Henry is one of my favorite authors.  I'd you're in the mood for a might hearted rom-com, feel good book, then she's you're go-to girl. This was about a girl, whose works fell apartand was having writers block, so she ends up going to her dad's house in a quaint little town.  Turns out, Emily Henry was having writers block, so she decided to write about it ha!

Vacation Wars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - (free on Kindle Unlimited) This one was really cute. It made me want to go to Greece though. So maybe that's one for the con column haha! It was about a girl going to Greece with her sister and friends before her sister's wedding. They've been together since childhood and they have this contract that comes into play during their trip. It's not just a happy, sappy book, there are a lot of real life feelings in there too.

I'll Never Tell ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5- (free on Kindle Unlimited) It took me a bit to understand what the point was. It was about a family who owned a camp (like sleep away camp up in Canada). The parents died and left the camp to their kids...kind of. There's a little stipulation in the whole deal. One that is the main point to the book. There were a lot of characters (most of them siblings), but once I figured out what was going on, I wanted to keep reading to get to the end to see who did it! I will say that I didn't see that coming. BUT I also didn't like how it ended. 

So that's what I have for this month. Happy Reading!

Make sure to check out my other Book Review Posts HERE

You can take a look at some of my favorite books on my Amazon List HERE

May Book Review

I'm back for my monthly book reviews! 

Some good ones this month, and one I wasn't really into

1. Spare

I know there's three sides to every story, but it was really interesting hearing it from his point of view, especially since he never asked to be famous- he was just born into it. V hearing about his time in the military was interesting too

2. The Last Housewife

eh, wasn't my favorite book, but I finished it. It was a little weird to listen to, but I really do think these kinds is things happen to girls at college now than we think.

3. One True Loves

TJR is one of my favorite authors. I was engrossed from the beginning.

4. For the Love of Friends

(free on kindle unlimited) this was such a cute one about a girl who is in 5 weddings in one summer and starts a blog about it. I didn't want to put it down

5. The Housemaid's Secret

(free on kindle unlimited) I liked the first one (The Housemaid - also free on kindle unlimited!) better, but this one was still really good!

So, those were my May Books. I do a mixture of audiobooks and reading on my Kindle. I usually have two books going at once.

I seriously love my Kindle. I take it everywhere with me and read it where ever.

My youngest is even starting to read on it, so it might be time to get myself a new one and give her my old one. That's one purchase I won't be complaining about.

August 2022 Book Review

First off, I have to tell you - SO many of my books I get from KindleUnlimited! I pay a small monthly fee and get a lot of my books from there. And a lot of them I can actually use the audio version of them, too! You don't even need to have a Kindle - It can go to whatever device you like to read on. Your phone, your ipad/tablet. I happen to have a Kindle Paperwhite, which I LOVE, but you can deliver these books to whatever device you want to read on. I'll even get children's books with my KindleUnlimited and read them to my children or students using the ipad at school. It's perfect, actually. 

This month's books - 3 of them were free and 2 were deeply discounted with my KindleUnlimited. Definitely give it a shot! 

Ok - so here's this month's books. I think I did really well with FIVE books and it was back to school month! lol Thank goodness for audiobooks. 

She's Up To No Good

Such a cute story. It toggles between 2 timelines, a feisty Grandmother and her granddaughter. The granddaughter is in the middle of a divorce and the grandmother is going back to her hometown for some "business" and convinces the granddaughter to take her. I really enjoyed the grandmother. I really enjoyed this one.

I Owe You One

This was a cute one taking place in England (I love British stories!) and a girl and her siblings and mother own a store. The mother goes on vacation and leaves the store to her children to tend, and all the trouble begins. 

Finley Donovan Is Killing It

Another Free one from Kindle Unlimited! A writer, going through personal issues, has writers block and has a meeting with her manager (or someone like that) and while she's there, her life takes a huge turn.

The Love Hypothesis

I really liked this one! It was a little slow to start, but it got really good. I love the quirky banter of Olive and Adam. I knew how it was going to end, but I liked the story getting there.

The Candid Live of Meena Dave

his one was really good, too. It's about a girl who inherits an apartment from a woman she doesn't even know. But as she lives her life in the apartment, she starts to find her connections. I also love learning about other cultures when it's woven into the storyline.

So there's this month's review. It was a great month of books!!

July 2022 Book Review

Oh. My. Goodness. Guys.

I read TEN books this month!! 

Thank you road trips. Remember, I do a mix of audiobooks and actual reading. (Make sure you speed up the audio so it's not so slow and painful to listen to lol), so I "read" books when I take the dog for a walk, when I'm doing my makeup and hair in the mornings, and when I'm on long car rides alone. I'll read my Kindle when Ron's in the car with me for road trips. 

Don't expect this next month - ha! With back to school and how tired the first weeks of school are, I'm sure I'll barely make it to 3 or 4 books in August.

I read some really good ones this month!! There were 1 or 2 that I didn't really like all too much, but for the most part, this month was a win!

Let's take a look.

1. The Giver of Stars

Ok. This one, I started a LONG time ago, but only got halfway through it. And then I just picked it back up. It took me a while to get into this one, but I'm glad I stuck with it, because I ended up liking it. It's another historical fiction book, based on actual events from the 1930s when some brave women started a mobile library to help education the local country people. There were some personal drama with the main character, which I'm sure actually happened a lot back then. 

2.  The Golden Couple 

Marissa and Matthew appear to be The Golden Couple—until Marissa cheats. In an attempt to heal her marriage, Marissa seeks out the help of a therapist who claims she can fix you in just 10 sessions, or she won’t take you on. As the three begin to work together and secrets are revealed, it becomes clear that it’s not only a marriage that’s in danger.

I was drawn into this story right from the start and I didn’t want to put it down. There are so many layers to this book and plenty of twists and turns! I honestly didn't see the end coming, and had to go back and read a little to see if I missed anything that would have given me clues to the end. I really liked this book!

3. All the Light We Cannot See

ok - normally, I'm a big fan of WWII historical fiction books. But for some reason, I just couldn't get into this one. According to my Goodreads feed, I'm in the minority, since a lot of people gave this one a 5 star review. I gave it a 3, but don't just go by me review! I think it was the way it was written and how it toggled back and forth between two different times, but with characters I couldn't really connect with. I felt like I was waiting for something important to happen...and waiting and waiting, but nothing really happened. But again, give it a try for yourself!

4. Fixer Upper

Ok. This one I really liked. A young girl who lived in DC and worked for a big to-do Firm owner suddenly found herself in the midst of a scandal and fired from her job. Without anywhere to go or a job, she ended up at her father's house he inherited down in Georgia and "hires" her to fix it up to sell. As the house begins to take shape, so does Dempsey - she starts to find herself and make a "home" for herself down there. It was such a cute book! I do love Mary Kay Andrews this summer, it seems. 

5.  The Forest of Vanishing Stars

This one I really liked - another WWII historical fiction. This seems to be one of my favorite topics. It's about an old lady who steals a baby from a German and lives in the woods. 20 years later, the old lady dies, but she has taught the girl how to survive and live off the land and has educated her with stolen books. She comes across a group of Jewish runaways that are trying to hide from the Germans. She ends up helping a bigger group and ends up at the German town and learns about her past. I really loved how this book ended. 

6. The Newcomer

Oh Mary Kay Andrews. You are all over my summer reading list! I will say it wasn't my favorite book of hers, but I still thought it was a cute book. I just felt like the two different plots almost didn't go together. It was a mix of vacation (right here in Florida!), love, domestic thriller plot, and just fun characters. A cute beach read, for sure!

7.  What Alice Forgot

Gosh I really liked this one -  Alice falls and hits her head and forgets EVERYTHING from the last 10 years of her life. Well THIS Alice is totally different from THAT Alice and the monologues she has with herself on the situations just made me giggle. lol. I think this was one that I read in two days and could have totally read it in one, if  I had the time. I really liked how it ended too. 

8.  Heart Bone 

Oh, CoHo. It's been a while since I have read one of her books, and this one did not disappoint. (If you have only read Verity from her, that is NOT the norm for her stories). This one had me hooked from the beginning and tears at the end.

It's free if you have kindle unlimited, too!

https://amzn.to/3c8S9ii

9.  Maybe in Another Life

Such an interesting concept. This story is told from 2 different storylines. It starts off with the same story, but then 1 decision Hannah makes turns into 2 different stories. I know we've all asked the question, "what if I had done (blank)? How would have my life turned out?"

Good read!
And right now the kindle version is only 1.99!

https://amzn.to/3REAakd

10.  The Younger Wife

And last but not least... The Younger Wife. 
THIS one... I really had NO idea how this was going to end. It's about an older, wealthy doctor whose wife is in a nursing home suffering from dementia, and he's about to marry another woman who is the age of his two daughters. You hear the story from the point of view from the new woman, and the two daughters, and all of their own storylines. It was such a good book! 

Ok, that's a wrap on my July books!! Have you read any of them? What'd you think? Do you have any good book recommendations??