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: What I Like About You

This book had Kelly's heart written all over it, book blogging, Instagram'ing, and baking. There were other elements that really resonated with me as well but I'll get to those. Halle is living with her grandfather for her senior year and has a very successful blog and Instagram called One True Pastry where she pairs books with cupcakes--hello, amazing!--but she uses an alias for her online persona for many reasons. Anxiety, her grandmother's infamous name in the book world, privacy; but when she comes face to face with her online bestie Nash, she freezes and doesn't tell him his online BFF is Halle is real life...eep!

 

I don't mind a good miscommunication in a storyline...if it isn't dragged out unnecessarily. I have so many things I loved about this book but I like to start with the negative and end with the positive. Two things really bothered me with this book and held it back from being almost 5 stars for me. One of those things is a moderate spoiler--stop reading now if you don't want to know--and that is how long she keeps her identity a secret. Oh. My Lanta. WAY too freaking long! It got to the point of ridiculous and I was not happy about it, this could have been a much tighter and shorter book and honestly, should have been. 

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: 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: If I'm being honest

Because Hannah and I are freaks of nature and essentially tied in our Bookish March Madness bracket this year, we both chose a book the other person had to read. Her choice for me was IF I’M BEING HONEST by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka because YA Contemporary and I don’t usually vibe. But when Hannah recs a book in this lesser read genre by me, I know it’s gonna be good…and it was! She pitched it to as a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew with 10 Things I Hate About You vibes—she had me at hello, that’s one of my favorite movies ever. Plus as somebody who is sometimes described as too blunt and honest, I feel for this type of character.

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.

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.

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!

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.

UK Recap Fit For a Queen // Books Abroad

If you've been following on the blog or Instagram, you know that Hannah and I were traveling in the UK--but kind of don't bring it up or I'll cry all the tears of sadness that 1. I'm no longer with her 2. I'm not in the UK anymore and 3. I'm no longer with Hannah. I didn't think it was possible to love her more but it was! I am mourning the loss of this trip still today but I digress. While we were there, we did a UK Recs series for books, TV/Movies, and places we love; we thought we would do a parallel 3 day recap talking about books, what we did, and a back home mug life!

While I didn't read that much while I was away, I did manage to get a few books read via planes, trains, and late nights. I'm also very happy to report, with the exception of one, all the books I read were freaking great! When I travel, I tend to load my kindle with fun romances or adult contemporary or review books from fav authors I've been saving which did not changed for this trip. My first choice books for this trip were STILL ME by Jojo Moyes, HOW TO WALK AWAY by Katherine Center, MARRY IN SCANDAL by Anne Gracie, FATAL THRONES by an assorted array of authors, and some Julie Garwood rereads!  Hope you enjoy!

Keeping It Interesting

My Thoughts

The Belle
Sophie Kinsella has slowly but surely become one of my go-to authors for fun and light-hearted but not superficial read. Her stories have lovely themes, fantastic heroines, and more than enough humor to go around. Her newest book Surprise Me fit this bill.

Rising Above

My Thoughts
The Belle
While I haven't reviewed every Kristan Higgins book I've read, I have a good reason. I binge read her entire backlist of SIXTEEN BOOKS within about 5 weeks...closer to 4 if I'm being honest with an outlier or two as I was waiting to read them because towards the end I needed to cherish them. When I saw her newest book was coming out soon, I requested it and was blessed with it's presence on my doorstep a few weeks later. Spoiler Alert: It did not disappoint.

The Past is Never Forgotten

"I'm stronger by myself. I'm stronger than you know."

--Victoria Fox, The Silent Foutain

Genre: Adult Contemporary and Historical Ficiton

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Pages: 400

Publication Date: October 31st, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Silent Fountain was pitched to me because of my love for Susanna Kearsley, so of course I was all over it. Dual timeline. Mystery. Foreign setting. I was sold.

Welcome to Gideon's Cove

You might have seen on my Mug Life recently that I fell into a Kristan Higgins rabbit hole and it was everything I didn't know I needed and more. I decided to do a fun and different kind of series review. What I loved about this series--and there was a lot--was that each book felt distinctly different. A lot of times when I read a series in a binge the details become blurry or I confuse the heroines or heroes because they're so similar but this is not the case with Gideon's Cove--or Blue Heron but stay tuned for that. SO. Here's a fun breakdown on which book to start with if you're feeling sassy and don't want to start with the first or if you're just looking for a quick breakdown of what makes each book unique.

Do You Believe in Fairies?

"You don't need anybody's permission to live the life you desire, Olivia.
You need only the permission of your heart."

--Hazel Gaynor

Genre: Adult Contemporary & Historical Fiction

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Pages: 364168

Publication Date: August 1st, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
This being my first Hazel Gaynor novel, I didn't know what to expect. But when I started reading the prologue I knew I was in for a captivating story of fairies, magic, and growing up. This story is a dual timeline with the past component taking place from 1917-1920 and is about an actual historical event known as the Cottingley Fairies when two young girls seemed to capture real fairies while playing in the beck behind their house. The present day story is about a woman who inherits her grandfather's bookshop after his death and finds one of the little girl's from 1917 story about those events.

A Deal With the Devil

"The devil doesn’t smile...The devil smirks."

--Tiffany Reisz, The Red

Genre: Adult Contemporary Fantasy Erotica

Publisher: 8th Circle Press

Pages: 249

Publication Date: July 11th, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle 

When I heard Tiffany Reisz was writing an erotica I immediately added it to my TBR. Her Original Sinners series changed my life in so many ways that I'll be here all day if I had to list them. The Red is an erotic fantasy which is something I had never read before. I don't even know if there are any books in this sub-sub genre (heh, sub, get it?) but I digress. This Erotic Fantasy is about a woman whose art gallery is way in the red...that is named The Red. A man comes to her and offers to save the gallery by paying her in expensive paintings and in return she will give him one night a month with her in the biblical sense. She agrees.