Review: A Hobbit, A Wardrobe and a Great War

This book was put on my radar by Bookstagram and I am so happy it did! I absolutely loved this book. Obsessed. Listened on audio and immediately bought a copy knowing I would re-read many times in the future. The title of this book is slightly misleading as the book talks about but doesn't truly focus on the friendship between JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis but that didn't make me love it any less. It starts with a decent WWI history and moves into how the war affected them and how they viewed the world afterwards and a lot of this came from their faith. 

Review: One to Watch

I was absolutely ecstatic to read ONE TO WATCH because it had so many elements that I love. Body image issues, a plus-size/normal size woman, reality TV; my trash TV heart was just all over it. This book was freaking phenomenal. I loved every minute of it. Bea is a plus-sized fashion influencer and after a drunken online rant of their Bachelor equivalent show, she is asked to be it's star. Obviously anybody that knows the Bachelor franchise knows nobody is on this show that is over a size 2 so there was a lot to develop. 

I loved how the author handled the plus-sized heroine in the public eye. It broke my heart so many times but also lifted it up. I think that it was shown very realistically how brutal it can be. I love books dealing with body image and weight and self-love because I have had—and still struggle with—weight and body image issues, so when I get to read a book that handles this subject realistically I feel like I'm working through my own issues and it almost feels like therapy to me. I almost never wanted this book to end, I loved it so much! 

I was rooting for Bea the entire book; I laughed with her, I cried with her, I was angry with her, I cheered with her. I hated the men who judged her and the trolls who came for her but Bea was such a great blend of realistic human nature, part self-deprecating, part hopeful beyond, part fatalistic, which I think we all have within us depending on the circumstance. 

The reality TV component fed the petty dragon inside me. I am an only slightly ashamed lover of The Bachelor franchise because I just love trash TV. I loved the nods and parallels to the real-life Bachelor show--Reality Stefan, anyone?--and I'm always a fan of behind the scenes of how these shows actually run and how people are manipulated. 

And finally, I loved the clothes. I loved reading about the clothes. I loved imagining the clothes. I loved thinking about shopping for the clothes. ALL OF IT! The fashion, Bea, the trash TV show, the discussion of maturity and adulthood measured by romantic relationships is also another theme I loved and related to, the different men and relationships, EVERYTHING! If you've stayed with me, read this book!

Rating: 5 Stars | Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: Dial Press | Source; Format: Bought from BOTM subscription

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review: I was told it would get easier by abbi waxman

I absolutely love Abbi Waxman’s books and was so excited to get I WAS TOLD IT WOULD GET EASIER for review—thanks @berkleypub! This book focused on the mother-daughter relationship shop between Jessica and Emily while they are on a group tour of colleges on the East Coast.

review: why not me? by mindy kaling

I binged The Mindy Project a few years ago and adored Kaling and her comedic take on an OB/GYN practice. Hannah recommend her books and I enjoyed her first book and was excited to read the second. Kaling is my kind of funny. She’s that great amount of real, self-aware, and self-deprecating. I find her musings hilarious and I laugh out loud when she goes on with self-inflated fake comments about herself.

review: Head over Heels by Hannah Orenstein

I spent eight years of my naive young life convinced I was going to be an Olympic gymnast. The only two snags were 1. I was just not that good and 2. I had way too much of that dreaded 'F' word...Fear. I found my strength in dance and the rest of my adolescence was spent in that world competing. Reading HEAD OVER HEELS was nostalgia for me in both good ways and bad.

review: Always the last to know

I have read and loved every single one of Kristan Higgins’ books and that collection of work is not short. ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW started off rough for me. There are three main characters, Sadie, her sister Juliet, and their mom Barb. I reeeeeally struggled with empathizing with Juliet and Barb. They seemed harsh, not compassionate, and clueless to the blessing of their lives. If you know me, you’ll know one of my life pet peeves is people who have zero self-awareness. These two lacked it in spades.

Review: the boyfriend project

When I saw BOTM was going to have THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT as one of their picks I knew I had to get it. Three women figure out they’re dating the same scumbag and become friends? Yes, please. While the friendship, oddly, was the weakest part of the story for me, I still enjoyed how much they supported each other, lifted each other up, and hyped each other for their individual endeavors. Samiah is a tech genius who wants to start her own app and Daniel is a new employee at the company she works for...or is he? The added element of a mystery and why Daniel has this job elevated the story for me and gave it another layer of plot I wasn’t expecting but really enjoyed.

Modern Love Series Review

After Hannah raved about this audiobook from Hoopla and seeing it everywhere on Instagram, I was SO excited to read it! A woman who creates a dating app and the foibles of online dating? Sign me up! From the start, I was enchanted. I fell right into the story and loved Rhiannon's thoughts and way of thinking. I thought Sampson was charming and definitely a diamond in the rough in regards to single men in this world, fictional or non. Their banter and snark had me laughing out loud while listening.

Review: Marry in Scarlet

I have read and adored all of Anne Gracie's series and I was ecstatic to receive George's book MARRY IN SCARLET--the latest in the Marriage in Convenience series--for review! I’ve loved all of Anne Gracie’s books and thinks she is Historical Romance’s most underrated author. Everyone who loves HR should be reading Anne Gracie!

Beware the Outback

I'm always on the lookout for a great page-turning mystery/thriller and it's not a genre I read often enough. I rarely blind read this type of book so it's great when a trusted friend recommends a book or series to me. Hannah read Force of Nature earlier this year and told me it was so interesting to read and the premise was creepy so I gave it a try. I read the first book of Jane Harper's Aaron Falk series, The Dry, first and then moved on to Force of Nature. I had such a fun time reading these books, they were so easy to get into, the right amount of eerie/creepy to me without being scary, and I loved following the same detective! Here are my thoughts!

I'm Fine, You're Fine, We're All Fine...Right?

"These days, loneliness is the new cancer – a shameful, embarrassing thing, brought upon yourself in some obscure way. A fearful, incurable thing, so horrifying that you dare not mention it; other people don’t want to hear the word spoken aloud for fear that they might too be afflicted, or that it might tempt fate into visiting a similar horror upon them."

--Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

My Thoughts

The Belle

Wow. This book. This book is one of those magical books that makes me remember why I love reading. It made me feel to the deepest part of my heart how characters and their stories can change you. This book is about Eleanor who is quite different than the average bear. She lives alone, has zero friends, is awkward in her social interactions, and the only people she talks to her coworkers who aren’t very kind to her and her mother who calls once a week. Her voice sounds very traditional in it’s viewpoint, stuffy, if you will which makes it sound like it would be difficult to connect to her as a reader but I found the exact opposite to be true.

Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {7}

I know it's been quiet on the blog recently but I'm trying to get some motivation to cross post my mini-reviews from Instagram and write longer reviews for the books I have more to say about. I've got a few reviews and ideas in the wings so stay tuned if you're still here! I've been reading so many incredible books lately so here's a roundup of mini-reviews of the books I've been reading and loving lately!

DEAR MRS BIRD by AJ Pearce | A few weeks ago I read DEAR MRS BIRD because Hannah had read and loved. She definitely nailed it with a historical Bridget Jones vibe and I had such a great time reading this book. A woman with goals to be a Female War Correspondent accidentally finds herself instead being an assistant to a crotchety, set-in-her-archaic-views advice columnist. I loved this book! It was so fun to read, I loved the heroine Emmy and her ambitions and her relationship with her best friend. While there are many moments of humor, there also was a surprising level of emotional depth that I wasn’t expecting. War time does not come without its costs and how Emmy navigated her own choices and the advice she gave was fantastic to read about. READ THIS IF...you love historical fiction, WWII London, and females with Ambition.

True Love Starts With You

My Thoughts

The Belle
I have read and loved every Kristan Higgins book I have read before this and Good Luck With That is no exception. This book as part of the pseudo series that takes place in Cambry-on-Hudson has a different feel from her other romance books. They are definitely more women's fiction that romance, although romance does play a part, they are also much deeper and more emotional in my opinion. And wow, was this particular book emotional and hard to read at times. I know there’s been a lot of criticism of this book and it’s topic, I have to say in my opinion and POV it’s unfounded. But this is my opinion. Not to say it won't be hurtful for some readers but it's also not a story that shouldn't be told.

Consumed: The Wedding from Hell Blog Tour by JR Ward

Anybody that knows me knows how deep my love for all things JR Ward goes. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is lifeblood. The Fallen Angels series was inspiring. The Bourbon Kings was scandalous and exciting. I AM SO EXCITED for her next series about firefighters! Oh, my word who doesn't love a man in uniform, especially a firefighter?!

To prep for this new series, JR Ward is writing a free--yes, you heard right FREE--three part novella to help give you some background about this setting and world and characters. I am personally ridiculously here for anything and everything she writes and you should be, too! Today on this blog tour, the publisher and JR Ward are sharing an exclusive look at the series with a summary, excerpt, AND a video from JR Ward herself! All the info and good stuff is below, so pull a Dory and just keep reading! 

Who Dunnit?

With minimal encouragement from Hannah while I was looking for books to pad my TBR with, she suggested a change of pace with the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling. I have always been hesitant to pick up her pseudonym books because Harry Potter has a Horcrux on my soul and I didn't want anything to taint my love for this author in case it didn't jive with me. Fortunately for me, I had nothing to worry about. 

Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {6}

Back for another edition of Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews! I fell into a huge blogging slump with less than zero motivation so here's a few highlights of some of my favorite reads over the past few months...and longer...Enjoy!

The Opposite of Love is one of Hannah's all-time favorite books and I knew at one point I had to give it a try...and I was SO happy I did! I loved this book. There are so many quiet elements to this book that had me thinking about it long after I shut the final page. At it's core, it truly is the making of a family. I loved reading about Emily's journey to the family she's always wanted and felt like she'd been missing. I adored her relationship with her grandfather. I loved that she was imperfect and had flaws and struggled to figure out what she wanted in life. I loved that it was about family. This book was a slow delve in Emily's life and being in her head and living her story was a fantastic journey. It's one of those beautiful books that doesn't shout at you to listen, it sits back and lets you absorb it's message slowly and long after the final page is turned. I was thinking about this book and certain moments from it for days after reading it. If you're looking for a story about family that takes a roundabout way to get there but is beautiful in its quiet moments...this book is for you. 

Not Your Typical Rockstar

I'm not gonna lie. For the longest time I really had no interest in this series. I am very anti-celebrity, royalty, anything having to do with being famous. I don't like reading about. I don't care. I don't like the theme of 'he's a prince or he's a famous actor what's he doing with me' because it's all bullshit to me. Nobody is better than anybody else and because of my opinion on that, I stay away from royalty and celebrity-based romances. HOWEVER. If something comes highly recommended enough by a very trusted friend, I'll usually at least give it a college try. When I saw these on my library's Overdrive for audio, I thought I'd give it a try...and I am so glad I did!

Mug Life {6}

While I've got my blog motivation going, might as well do an updated yet throwback Mug Life! I took this picture in Seattle and ironically it has all--mostly--of the elements I needed for it so why not! Let's do a travel version of Mug Life, switch it up a bit AND combine it with a review of the book pictured...you can kind of see it...sorry *shrugs*

My Current Read // Not the best picture but what I WAS reading IN BED WITH THE BEAST by Tara Sivec and LOVING IT!! It's the second book in the Naughty Princess Club series. I was so excited for this book because--duh--Beauty and the Beast, pease note my book sleeve. I thought this book was clever and smart and I loved Belle and the 'beast.' I loved that she was shy and unsure of herself and really came into her own. Beast was patient and kind and so thoughtful. I loved the twists and nods to the original fairy tale in the first book and this book also was SO clever in it's delivery. Her bad dates and parallels to the inanimate objects from the story were just too, too good. The friendship between Belle, Cindy, and Ariel was incredible. They are so honest and real yet supportive of each other in the perfect balance. I CANNOT WAIT for Ariel's book because she is so crass and in your face, I cannot wait to see her vulnerable and fall in love *sigh*.

Underneath the Mug // I took this in the moment while at a cafe recommended by Wendy! So it's not a mug per say but I was really enjoying my morning coffee at an adorable cafe in Seattle!

Get Nailed // Essie's Mint Apple Candy was perfect for Spring! I'm not a huge fan of spring colors but I've been definitely vibe'ing with some pastels lately!

Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // Travel By Page to the West End

"I wouldn't have to lose my temper if people weren't such morons."
--Lucy Parker, Act Like It

My Thoughts
The Belle
When Hannah started telling me about a book she read on the plane home and how great it was, I was intrigued. Then she mentioned it 1. takes place in London 2. is low on drama and high on hilarity and 3. focuses on people in the West End theater scene, I was sold! And I am so incredibly happy with my decision to impulse buy these books and read them immediately. They were the perfect balm to my soul after leaving the UK (and battling a bout of the stomach flu).

The Castle Always Knows

Genre: Adult Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Gothic Mystery

Publisher: Random House

Pages: 368

Publication Date: April 17th, 2018

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads

My Thoughts
If you've been here before or know me you'll know that I love Laura Andersen's alternate history Tudor novels. When I saw that she was writing a Gothic mystery taking place in Ireland I was like, SIGN ME UP! And while it's always exciting to start a new book by one of your favorite authors, it's also a littler nerve-wracking not knowing if you'll enjoy this departure in genre as much as the other. I can safely say I had nothing to worry about.