2 Book Lovers Reviews
My Favorite Books of 2018!
The Violent Season
By Sara Walters
Week of September 13th, 2021
Book Review:
The Kiss Quotient
By Helen Hoang
I’m so glad that I finally got around to reading this novel. The Kiss Quotient had been sitting on my TBR list for far too long.
I love novels that portray characters with realistic traits. I’m never on the hunt for that ideal character or couple who epitomizes
perfection. I want to connect with the characters, feel for them,
cheer them on, and adore them. I adored Stella and Michael.
*Read my full review...
Week of August 30th, 2021
Book Review:
About Us
By Sinéad Moriarty
*Top Recommendation!*
About Us is a character-driven novel about three women: Ann, Alice, and Orla. While they are of different ages and points in their lives and relationships, they are each going through their own trying
times, and share one thing in common: their therapist.
I am always intrigued by novels about relationships. I’ve been married for a number of years, and I know that relationships
are hard work. No relationship is perfect, and Sinéad Moriarty explored the many issues that couples face. She kept it normal, raw, and honest. She didn’t try to make it glossy and ideal. The emotions and feelings felt real, dealing with the nitty gritty that isn’t always easy to be open about, even with the ones that you love.
*Read my full review...
Week of August 23rd, 2021
Book Review:
Final Serenade
By N.N. Britt
I do enjoy a good rock star romance, and with all of the wonderful reviews singing this book’s praises, I felt the need to jump on the bandwagon and experience this novel for myself.
I love a book written from the female protagonist’s perspective. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed many books that have offered up
a dual perspective, but I love only getting the one side. I love feeling everything that the female lead is feeling. I want the butterflies, the build-up, the anticipation, the apprehension, and the thrill of the unknown. For me, it makes the experience more personal. N.N. Britt delivered Cassy’s perspective just the way I like it.
*Read my full review...
Week of August 16th, 2021
Book Review:
The Last Goodbye
By Fiona Lucas
The Last Goodbye is a poignant story of loss, grief, and moving on. The author has created an authentic, heartfelt portrayal of the
grief experienced after the loss of a loved one. There really wasn’t one moment where it felt overdone. It was honest and heartbreaking and hopeful.
Spencer was Anna’s soulmate, the man that she wanted to start a family with, build a life with, but three years ago a tragic
accident had stolen that life from them. Naturally, Anna struggled to move on. She knew in her heart that Spencer would want her to be happy and not spend her life wallowing, however, knowing it and actually doing it are very different.
*Read my full review...
Week of August 9th, 2021
New Release & Review:
No Such Thing As Perfect
By Emma Hughes
No Such Thing As Perfect has an intriguing premise that
immediately grabbed my attention. This is a clever, modern-day dating story, but also so much more.
Laura Morrison’s life was not going as well as she had hoped. At twenty-nine, she was living in her sister and brother-in-law’s house
and sleeping on an air mattress, her journalism job was hanging on by a thread, and her romantic life was pretty much non-existent. When Cupid, a new dating service, offered her the opportunity to be one of the first clients in their pilot project in exchange for her documenting her experience at the newspaper she worked at, she figured that this story could not only save her job, but also find her soulmate.
*Read my full review...
Week of August 2nd, 2021
New Release & Review:
The People We Keep
By Allison Larkin
*Top Recommendation!*
The People We Keep is a breathtaking, heartfelt, beautiful novel about the people we meet along the way and the impact that they
have on our lives, and our impact on theirs. With every turn of the page, this book pulled me deeper and deeper into April’s story and kept my emotions at an all-time high.
April Sawicki didn’t live a charmed life. Barely getting the necessities to survive, she grew up lonely, impoverished, and craving the simple things that most people take for granted. If any character deserved a hug, it was April. My heart broke for the young girl who was left to fend for herself. Her mother had left her and her father when she was quite young, but even though she still had her father, he was more absent than present.
Right from the very beginning of this book I was invested in April’s life and wellbeing. It was a heart-wrenching story, but I couldn’t tear myself away. I needed to know what was going to become of this girl.
*Read my full review...
Summer Vacation - 2021
Book Review:
People We Meet on Vacation
By Emily Henry
*Top Recommendation!*
I loved everything about this book. Everything. This is the ultimate friends-to-lovers romance that had me feeling a whole gamut of emotions. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
I adored Poppy and Alex. From their first introduction during orientation week at university to their shared car ride back to their hometown, this duo was an unlikely pairing, but they were simply magic together. Poppy is a colorful character who craves adventure. She is spontaneous, lively, and outspoken. Alex is strait-laced, responsible, and feels tethered to his hometown. They may have been opposites, but they complemented each other. I loved them right from the start.
*Read my full review...
Week of July 12th, 2021
New Release & Review:
How Sweet It Is
By Dylan Newton
From the cover, synopsis, and title, How Sweet It Is is simply brimming with cuteness. As soon as I saw this novel, I was sure that
it was the book for me.
Kate Sweet runs an event planning business that specializes in happily ever afters. When her best friend asks her to organize a book launch for a famous horror author, she’s a bit uncertain that she’s the right person for the job, but Kate is nothing if not dedicated to her job as a planning, creating, scheduling maven. This could be the opportunity of a lifetime for her to branch out and get noticed in her industry.
*Read my full review...
Week of July 5th, 2021
New Release & Review:
Where It All Lands
By Jennie Wexler
You don’t have to be in the young adult age range to appreciate and enjoy this book. Where It All Lands is a thought-provoking debut that packs an emotional punch.
I am always drawn to novels that have the characters contemplating the what ifs in life. What if we had chosen a different path in life, how would our lives be different? How much do our choices and the choices of others influence/determine the outcome in our own lives? With the mere flip of a coin, Drew and Shane wanted to decide which one of them would get to ask Stevie out. If the penny landed on heads, Drew would get to ask her. If it landed on tails, it would be Shane’s chance. The story is told in dual timelines, and we get to see how each of these scenarios would have unfolded.
Week of June 28th, 2021
Book Review:
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island
By Colleen Oakley
This book had me at the intriguing title. It’s also written by an author who has become a must-read for me, so it was a given that I
was going to have it high on my to-be-read list.
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is an interesting, charming story with plenty of endearing characters. Frick Island was a wonderful setting. It was like stepping back in time, back to a simpler but hard-working lifestyle that didn’t include a lot of the technology or gadgets that we enjoy on a daily basis.
July is all about chilling out by the pool or at the beach and enjoying a book or two…or three…maybe four. Seriously, who’s counting! You’ve probably already got a few books set aside for your vacation or staycation (my list is getting quite long), but here are a few upcoming releases that have caught my eye.
*Read my list...
Week of June 21st, 2021
New Release & Review:
Songs in Ursa Major
By Emma Brodie
*Top Recommendation!*
Songs in Ursa Major is a beautiful, atmospheric, nostalgic story that transported me to the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. I love novels about music, and this book only solidified this love.
I felt every emotion and every lyric. I could visualize everything that was transpiring as if I were right there, swaying back and forth to the soothing, mesmerizing sounds that were playing. I adored the whole vibe that this novel possessed.
*Read my full review...
Week of May 31st, 2021
June is the ideal time to sit back, relax, and read (I say that about every month, though). If you haven’t already made your summer reading list, you’re probably thinking about it. With the start of every month, I enjoy looking through the upcoming releases and adding a few to my own TBR list.
Week of May 24th, 2021
Book Review:
Just Last Night
By Mhairi McFarlane
*Top Recommendation!*
I finished reading this book a couple of days ago, but I find myself struggling to find the adequate words to review it. This book is the whole package. There, I said it. I knew very early on that it was going to be special. It gave me that familiar feeling that I get when a book just checks off every mark. In all honesty, I always find it difficult to express how I feel about a book that I fall in I love with; I never believe that I can do it the justice that it deserves. Just Last Night is a book that I want everyone to read. I can’t recommend it enough.
*Read my full review...
