I’m Baaaaaaack and a BOOK GIVEAWAY!

I’m Baaaaaaack and a BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Long time no post! Hiiiiiii!

I must start by saying that although I haven’t been posting on my blog over these past 2 months, I most definately have been posting on Instagram….almost daily! If you don’t already follow Book Coffee Happy on Instagram, please do. I’m significantly more active over there than I am on here (especially in my Instastories…I love making them and talking about my reading life in real time)!

I posted my last blog post on February 2nd. 3 days later I was called downtown for jury duty and ended up spending 2 weeks sitting on a jury for a criminal case in a federal trial. I will not discuss the specifics of the case on here (feels weird to do so) but I will say that it was one of the most fascinating and interesting experiences of my life! I LOVED sitting on a jury. I learned a ridiculous amount of information during those 2 weeks and soaked it all in like a sponge…I took 35 pages of notes during the trial! I found the entire process FASCINATING. It also helped that the people who sat on the jury with me were lovely which was great considering we all spent Valentine’s Day together, lol.

**And yes, I have watched the tv series “Jury Duty” and yes I thought it was amazing. If you have ever sat on a jury, this show is a must see! Hilarious!**

I had to leave my house before sunrise every morning. I drank LOTS of coffee.

Valentine’s Day 2024. In front of the entire courtroom of people, the judge commented that she liked my sweater!
I can’t wait to get summoned again!!

What else have I been up to…

My son got to participate in a basketball clinic held in the Chicago Bulls practice facility and he was coached by Will Perdue. Turns out Will is just a smiiiiidge taller than I am.

I got to be an extra in a Mario Lopez Christmas movie! It will be called “My Grown Up Christmas Wish” and will air throughout this holiday season on the Great American Family channel starting around Thanksgiving!

I LOVE MARIO LOPEZ (always have) and you already know how I much I love all things Christmas so this was literally a dream come true. My entire family got to do it! My son filmed over the course of 2 seperate days, my husband filmed for about 5 hours, and my daughter and I filmed together on set for 12 HOURS STRAIGHT with Mario and his wife, Courtney! So, so, so much fun. We were in so many different scenes!

The props lady handed me this fake cup of apple cider to hold while filming some of the scenes. It matched my lipstick! I wanted it to be filled with real coffee, lol.

Ok what else have I been up for over these past 2 months….

I’ve gone to 8 plays (4 of which my kids were both in!!), 3 school concerts, a road trip with my daughter, worked alongside some amazing moms and planned/ran a successful PTO silent auction/event, spent so much time with my family and friends, and lots more. It’s been a busy and wonderful 2 months 🙂

I may not have been blogging but I most definitely have been READING! 8 books in total since I have last written a blog post. I am working on posting reviews for all of them ASAP! Some have been amazing and some….not so much ;). Stay tuned!

From Book Coffee Happy’s Insta:

On Wednesday night, I went to a delightful book event at The Book Stall in Wilmette, IL. My girl Rochelle Weinstein was there discussing her AMAZING book, What You Do To Me. I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED that book! You can read the book synopsis and my (glowing obvi) review of it HERE.

Love you 🙂

Book Giveaway

To celebrate my return to blogging after what might be the longest I have gone in 5.5 years without writing a blog post, I thought it would be fun to host a giveaway! Rochelle Weinstein signed this copy especially for a blog reader…I can’t wait to see who will get it (details below on how to enter)!

I’ve missed you all! Feels so nice to be back.

Happy Passover to all who celebrate! Keeping Israel in my thoughts always…

***GIVEAWAY DETAILS***

If you are local, we can arrange pickup for you to get your book directly from me. If you aren’t local, I will mail it all to you! Open to US residents only for this giveaway, please.

To be entered, just leave a comment below (on this blog post)!  Your comment can be about anything!

**You must comment below to be eligible for the giveaway and you must comment here on this blog post (not on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)**

Giveaway will close on Sunday (4/28/24) at 6:00 pm CDT and the winner will be randomly chosen and announced here on my blog on Monday (4/29/24).

I will post a video here on Monday of me choosing the winner!

Good luck!  Can’t wait to read your comments!

Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is filled with love and BOOKS!

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2023 can be found HERE

What I’m Currently Reading (Good), What I Recently Finished Reading (Not So Good), What I Think I’ll Read Next (SOUNDS AMAZING and Now I’m Pissed)

What I’m Currently Reading (Good), What I Recently Finished Reading (Not So Good), What I Think I’ll Read Next (SOUNDS AMAZING and Now I’m Pissed)

I love when Book Coffee Happy can participate in WWW! The Three Ws: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

Thanks so much to Sam from Taking on a World of Words for hosting this fun weekly post!

What Are You Currently Reading?

I received this book recommendation from a friend of mine who KNOWS what I love to read so obviously I had to immediately put it on hold at my library! So far its…good. Not great, but definitely good. I’m not very far in (70ish pages maybe?) so I’m hopeful it will pick up speed soon!

Goodreads Synopsis of Hold My Girl {Charlene Carr}:

Two women. Two eggs. One life-changing switch.

Katherine finally has it all. She’s spent her entire life striving for perfection―obsessing over her spotless home, maintaining her pristine reputation, building her perfect family―and her hard work has finally paid off. After seven difficult years of trying (and failing) to conceive, Katherine gives birth to Rose, her IVF miracle child, and at last has the one thing she’s wanted most of all. But one thing isn’t quite perfect. Rose’s pale skin doesn’t match Katherine’s complexion, and an irritating doubt begins to grow in Katherine’s mind.

Tess never got the happy ending she wanted. She underwent IVF at the same clinic as Katherine, but after finally conceiving, Tess’s daughter was stillborn. Now, nearly two years later, she’s approaching rock bottom. Consumed by her grief and without hope for the future, Tess is divorced, broke, and stuck in a dead-end job beneath her skillset. But shortly before Rose’s first birthday, Katherine and Tess get a call from the fertility clinic. Their eggs were switched.

As Katherine’s carefully planned life begins to crumble around her, Tess finally sees the glimmer of hope she needed to get her life back on track. Motherhood has always been their dream, and neither woman is prepared to share that claim over Rose. It will take a tense custody battle to decide who deserves to be Rose’s mother, but it will also push them to the brink.

With themes of racial identity, loss, and betrayal, Hold My Girl is an emotional novel that will leave you What makes a mother?

What Did You Recently Finish Reading?

Ok so I really didn’t give this book a fair shot before calling it quits. I think because it starts with a crime and I don’t love reading about crimes? I enjoy reading the buildup but starting with the crime and then leading into a “who did it” mystery…eh. I DO think this book has the possibility of being great (the synopsis sounds great) but I was honestly just too bored to stick around to find out.

This is actually the 2nd Katherine Faulkner book that I’ve returned to the library without reading it! The first one I had checked out was was when I had Covid in 2022. You can read all about that here: 4 Books I’m NOT Reading and a Covid Update!

Goodreads Synopsis of The Other Mothers {Katherine Faulkner}:

When a young nanny is found dead in mysterious circumstances, new mom, Tash, is intrigued. She has been searching for a story to launch her career as a freelance journalist. But she has also been searching for something else—new friends to help her navigate motherhood.

She sees them at her son’s new playgroup. The other mothers. A group of sleek, sophisticated women who live in a neighborhood of tree-lined avenues and stunning houses. The sort of mothers Tash herself would like to be. When the mothers welcome her into their circle, Tash discovers the kind of life she has always dreamt of—their elegant London townhouses a far cry from her cramped basement flat and endless bills. She is quickly swept up into their wealthy world via coffees, cocktails, and playdates.

But when another young woman is found dead, it’s clear there’s much more to the community than meets the eye. The more Tash investigates, the more she’s led uncomfortably close to the other mothers. Are these women really her friends? Or is there another, more dangerous reason why she has been so quickly accepted into their exclusive world? Who, exactly, is investigating who?

Omg.

I’m so pissed. This book has been on TBR for MONTHS and I finally got my hands on a copy. The synopsis sounds great (SPIIIICY) and I’ve so been looking forward to starting it! 

As I sat down to write this blog post and searched Goodreads for a synopsis to include here for you, I am only NOW realizing that this book is actually BOOK 3 IN A SERIES??? Well crap.

So I am NOT in fact going to include this synopsis because I have no clue if it includes spoilers! Maybe this can be read as a stand alone? Have any of you read this series? The synopsis for Book #1 sounds…well…DIRTY. Sooooo maybe I’ll read it afterall, lol 😉

Oh I’m so mad. 

Have you read any of these books? What did you think (no spoilers)? What are you currently reading? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

Hold My Girl

The Other Mothers

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

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*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2023 can be found HERE

Book Review: None of This Is True {Lisa Jewell}

Book Review: None of This is True {Lisa Jewell}

GORGEOUS book cover!

Goodreads Synopsis of None of This is True {Lisa Jewell}:

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

My Review of None of This is True {Lisa Jewell}:

LOVED IT.

It’s very, very dark but so incredibly well written. I read it over the course of 1 week but this is one of those books that could easily be devoured in a single day.

Let’s start with Lucy Foley’s blurb on the cover. That alone made me super excited to read this one! I LOVED The Guest List (you can read my review including the book synopsis of The Guest List HERE).

As for None of This is True, I had about 100 predictions as I was reading and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them was wrong! Love, love, love when that happens.

The actual format of this book was the most fascinating part of this book. The story toggles between a narrative, podcast episodes, a television show, and interviews. All from different different characters with their own perspectives. When these elements are all put together, it tells an incredible story.

Did I find the main character naive and stupid as hell? I did. Did I enjoy the insane amount of run on sentences throughout the book? I did not. However, just the absolute ART of this book, the incredible way the story was told though so many different points of view and though so many different channels…amazing. Loved it.

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

One of the most creative ways to tell a story of any book I’ve read.

Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

**Click HERE to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo**

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

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*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2023 can be found HERE

Disney, Covid, and The Book I’m Not Reading

Disney, Covid, and The Book I’m Not Reading

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you all had a lovely end to your holiday season and a wonderful start to 2024! 

When I last left you, it was the final day of Blogmas! I absolutely loved participating in Blogmas again and I’ve already started working on Blogmas 2024 🙂

Disney

Disney World was amazing!! We saw it all, we did it all, we ate it all. All 4 parks, all the best rides, fireworks, parade, Disney Springs…all of it. So much fun! I learned a RIDICULOUS amount on this trip and at some point I want to make another video of all of my tips and tricks. Hopefully I can film that soon before Disney goes and makes changes as they always seem to be doing!

Disney was awesome and then Daytona Beach was beautiful. We took a dinner boat cruise, played in the ocean, took an airboat tour through the swamp, held an alligator (!), swam in the pool, relaxed in the hot tub, and so much more.

And then the night before our flight back home…

I got Covid.

Fucking Covid

Well shit.

I found this random blurry picture on my camera roll as I was looking through finding pictures for this post! Longest drive home ever.

I spent New Year’s Eve quarantined in our bedroom while my family celebrated together downstairs. It was lonely and I fell asleep somewhere around 10:00…but when the fireworks woke me at midnight, I was able to yell Happy New Year to my family from my bed. No midnight kisses for me!

Thankfully I’m now feeling 100 percent back to normal and can finally find some time to sit down to work on my little blog. I have some fun things planned for Book Coffee Happy in 2024 and I’m ready to GOOOOO!

What I’m Reading

I started listening to this audiobook last week! Aaaaaaand about an hour and a half in, I stopped listening to it. Just not for me. No real thoughts other than the story just didn’t grab me and I HATED the audiobook narrators voices so much. Combine those reasons aaaaaand….moving on. I had actually checked out the book from the library but then started listening to the audiobook version of it before I sat down to read it!

Goodreads Synopsis of The List {Yomi Adegoke}:

Ola Olajide, a celebrated journalist at Womxxxn magazine, is set to marry the love of her life in one month’s time. Young, beautiful, and successful—she and her fiancé Michael are considered the “couple goals” of their social network and seem to have it all. That is, until one morning when they both wake up to the same message: “Oh my god, have you seen The List?”

It began as a crowdsourced collection of names and somehow morphed into an anonymous account posting allegations on social media. Ola would usually be the first to support such a list—she’d retweet it, call for the men to be fired, write article after article. Except this time, Michael’s name is on it.

Compulsively readable, wildly entertaining, and filled with sharp social insight, The List is a piercing and dazzlingly clear-sighted debut about secrets, lies, and the internet. Perfect for fans of Such a Fun Age, Luster, and My Dark Vanessa, this is a searing portrait of these modern times and our morally complicated online culture.

***SIDE NOTE: This synopsis compares this book to My Dark Vanessa…ummmm no. My Dark Vanessa is AWESOME. Read my review (including the book synopsis HERE).***

Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

**Click HERE to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo**

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

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*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2023 can be found HERE

Blogmas 2023 Wrap Up!

Blogmas 2023 Wrap Up!

Packing, packing, packing over here!

Hell YEAH!

21 days in a row of blog posting…COMPLETE!

I’ve had such fun doing this (although it was quite the undertaking while trying to research, plan, and pack for a big vacation) but I’m super proud that I did it. I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride!

I’m signing off now until after the new year. I won’t be posting on my blog until then but I WILL be posting over on Instagram! Follow my Instastories as my family heads to DISNEY!

Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, Happy EVERYTHING :) 

I hope the end of your 2023 is filled with love and BOOKS!

Blogmas 2023 Posts:

12/1 Blogmas 2023: Welcome to Blogmas {VIDEO}!

12/2 Blogmas 2023: Happy Birthday to ME {Sephora Gift Card Giveaway}!

12/3 Blogmas 2023: Book Review: All I Want for Christmas {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Christmas Bet {Meg Easton}

12/5 Blogmas 2023: The Winter Series {Joanne Demaio} Check In

12/6 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Coworker {Freida McFadden}

12/7 Blogmas 2023: Random Bookish Things

12/8 Blogmas 2023: The Holiday Sign in the Form of a Post It

12/9 Blogmas 2023: READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK

12/10 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: A Lake House Holiday {Megan Squires}

12/11 Blogmas 2023: Disney World Trumps Blogmas!

12/12 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Book Club Hotel {Sarah Morgan}

12/13 Blogmas 2023: Book Coffee Happy’s 13 Most Viewed Posts of 2023

12/14 Blogmas 2023: A {Non Holiday} Middle School Book Series That I LOVE

12/15 Blogmas 2023: I LOVED This Gorgeous Holiday Book…About BOOKS!

12/16 The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

12/17 Blogmas 2023: 2 Non Holiday Audiobooks {Same Author} I Started Listening To and Hated!

12/18 Blogmas 2023: Screw It…Moving On, My Beautiful Present, and a Holiday Book Review

12/19 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}

12/20 Blogmas 2023: Books I’m Taking To DISNEY WORLD!

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

Blogmas 2023: Books I’m Taking To DISNEY WORLD!

Blogmas 2023: Books I’m Taking to DISNEY WORLD!

Remember back in 2019 when I wrote this exact post?

And then remember when I came home from my trip and made a super long video where I declared that reading in Disney is virtually impossible and I never even cracked open ANY of the books that I brought??

Fast forward 4 years later and clearly I have learned absolutely nothing…I’m bringing 4 books to Disney, lol! BUUUUT this trip is different because we are spending a relaxing few days in Daytona after we leave Disney World so maybe I’ll have time to read then? Maybe? If not, the plane rides might be the only time I read over the next week and I’ll be lugging these books to and from Florida just to look pretty in my suitcase. Eh…worth it.

So what am I bringing?

Books I’m Taking to DISNEY WORLD!

Ok obviously the next 2 books in my beloved Winter Novels. I can’t WAIT to read these! Not posting the synopsis for either book since they are books #6 and #7 in the series and you all know how I feel about spoilers 😉

This picture I took bothers me because the books are reversed…Winter House is #6 and Winter Road is #7! My type A self is struggling that they aren’t flipped.

If you follow Book Coffee Happy on Instagram, you might remember when I found this one sitting in a Little Free Library a few weeks ago….the first book in an adorable sounding new to me holiday series? Ummm YES PLEASE.

Goodreads Synopsis of The Clause in Christmas {Rachel Bloome}:

Sometimes home is where you least expect it…

Cassie Hayward hates Christmas. Especially this year.

No job. Flat broke. And an ex most definitely on the naughty list.

But the unexpected inheritance of a Victorian cottage in the idyllic town of Poppy Creek may be the miracle Cassie needs. Except for one problem: a clause in the will. Cassie must complete a series of festive tasks for each day in December leading up to Christmas. Overseen by the disarmingly handsome, Christmas-loving lawyer, Luke Davis.

Luke is as strong and steady as the bespoke furniture he crafts as a hobby. He has to be. Stepping into his late father’s shoes as the town lawyer comes with a sleigh full of responsibilities. Which means the alluring stranger collecting her inheritance is a distraction he can’t afford.

As the unlikely pair works together to complete the daily tasks, fighting their attraction becomes more futile than putting good ol’ St. Nick on a diet. But when Cassie’s ex reappears with the offer of a lifetime, she’ll have to choose between love and the life she always wanted.

Curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and visit a town that feels like home. This endearing, sweet romance will warm your heart and fill you will hope. A “must-read” year after year.

Sounds so good, right? You had me at “town that feels like home”…

Aaaaand then this book which I checked out of the library at the very beginning of this holiday season, have talked about on my blog over and over, and yet STILL haven’t read!

Click HERE for a synopsis of Blame it on the Mistletoe from a previous blog post that I wrote! 

***Fun fact: when I was searching “Blame it on the Mistletoe” to add a link to my Amazon Affiliate account, I discovered that “Blame the Mistletoe” is also an OPI nail color:

Love it! So pretty!

Soooo those are the books coming with me to Disney. Will I read them? Maybe. Will I be prepared with reading entertainment in case my family gets stranded and has to extend our vacay like that one time we were stranded on top of a mountain? Absolutely!

Blogmas 2023 Posts:

12/1 Blogmas 2023: Welcome to Blogmas {VIDEO}!

12/2 Blogmas 2023: Happy Birthday to ME {Sephora Gift Card Giveaway}!

12/3 Blogmas 2023: Book Review: All I Want for Christmas {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Christmas Bet {Meg Easton}

12/5 Blogmas 2023: The Winter Series {Joanne Demaio} Check In

12/6 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Coworker {Freida McFadden}

12/7 Blogmas 2023: Random Bookish Things

12/8 Blogmas 2023: The Holiday Sign in the Form of a Post It

12/9 Blogmas 2023: READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK

12/10 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: A Lake House Holiday {Megan Squires}

12/11 Blogmas 2023: Disney World Trumps Blogmas!

12/12 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Book Club Hotel {Sarah Morgan}

12/13 Blogmas 2023: Book Coffee Happy’s 13 Most Viewed Posts of 2023

12/14 Blogmas 2023: A {Non Holiday} Middle School Book Series That I LOVE

12/15 Blogmas 2023: I LOVED This Gorgeous Holiday Book…About BOOKS!

12/16 The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

12/17 Blogmas 2023: 2 Non Holiday Audiobooks {Same Author} I Started Listening To and Hated!

12/18 Blogmas 2023: Screw It…Moving On, My Beautiful Present, and a Holiday Book Review

12/19 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}

Xo,

Jenny

Click HERE to order book #1 in the Winter Novels

Click HERE to order The Clause in Christmas

Click HERE to order Blame it on the Mistletoe

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}

Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}

New candle holder. Obsessed.
Photo Credit: Amazon

This is the 2nd Natasha Boydell book I’ve listened to as an audiobook. You can read my (scathing) review of The Woman Next Door HERE (or maybe don’t….).

Goodreads Synopsis of The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}:

Kate and Pete have been the perfect couple ever since they were teenagers. Fifteen years later they have two young daughters, live in a beautiful London townhouse and seem like they have it all. But one day, Pete leaves for work and never comes home.

In a note Kate discovers, he confesses that he’s been unhappy for a long time and that he’s met someone else.

Distraught, Kate later learns that he has left everything, including his mobile phone, behind and sets out to learn the truth about her husband’s disappearance.

But is she prepared for what she will learn?

When nothing is as it seems, who can you trust?

Non Holiday Audiobook Review of The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}:

Well I liked this one much more than The Woman Next Door so I’ll give it that.

The Woman Next Door was boring…aaaaand so was The Missing Husband. In fact, 95 % of this book is NOT a psychological thriller. The twists came right at the end but until then, it was just…a story. Not twisty, not deep, just…a story. Does that make sense?

I had lots of predictions and none of them ended up being correct which I love BUT what I DON’T love is that I think my predictions would have made a better story 😉

I HATED, HATED, HATED the voices of the children. Audiobooks are weird, the narrator often has to do many different voices. I didn’t mind the voices that she gave the other adults but the voices that she used for the kids? It was like listening to the most annoying children’s’ cartoon voices over and over (think Calliou…IYKYK)

Overall this book was fine, eh. I never really cared about any of the characters, so I never really cared about what happened to any of them.

Side Note: Three main female characters all with similar sounding names. Claire, Kate, Karen. How stupid is that??? Like, there are millions and millions of names in this world…why pick similar sounding ones to confuse your readers?

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Forgettable characters, forgettable storylines…moving on.

Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Blogmas 2023 Posts:

12/1 Blogmas 2023: Welcome to Blogmas {VIDEO}!

12/2 Blogmas 2023: Happy Birthday to ME {Sephora Gift Card Giveaway}!

12/3 Blogmas 2023: Book Review: All I Want for Christmas {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Christmas Bet {Meg Easton}

12/5 Blogmas 2023: The Winter Series {Joanne Demaio} Check In

12/6 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Coworker {Freida McFadden}

12/7 Blogmas 2023: Random Bookish Things

12/8 Blogmas 2023: The Holiday Sign in the Form of a Post It

12/9 Blogmas 2023: READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK

12/10 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: A Lake House Holiday {Megan Squires}

12/11 Blogmas 2023: Disney World Trumps Blogmas!

12/12 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Book Club Hotel {Sarah Morgan}

12/13 Blogmas 2023: Book Coffee Happy’s 13 Most Viewed Posts of 2023

12/14 Blogmas 2023: A {Non Holiday} Middle School Book Series That I LOVE

12/15 Blogmas 2023: I LOVED This Gorgeous Holiday Book…About BOOKS!

12/16 The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

12/17 Blogmas 2023: 2 Non Holiday Audiobooks {Same Author} I Started Listening To and Hated!

12/18 Blogmas 2023: Screw It…Moving On, My Beautiful Present, and a Holiday Book Review

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

Blogmas 2023: Screw It…Moving On, My Beautiful Present, and a Holiday Book Review

Blogmas 2023: Screw It…Moving On, My Beautiful Present, and a Holiday Book Review

Juuuuuuust in case it rains while we are at Disney…we’re prepared! 

Oh man, I was really hoping to love The Twelve Dates of Christmas! I have been waiting for 2 years to read it!

I read 150 pages aaaaaand…I’m out.

K, whoever you are…thank you for the recommendation. I respectfully disagree 🙂

I just couldn’t connect to any of these characters! Like…at all. And if this book is going in the direction that I’m assuming it’s going to go, this is all waaaaay too predictable. The writing was ok, I just couldn’t get into it and never really wanted to pick it up. Eh.

For my birthday, my daughter bought me this STUNNING light up Christmas tree for my nightstand! At night, I’ve been turning it on while reading with my book light and it’s been DREAMY.

I WILL say that the fact that I couldn’t get into this book miiiiight have a bit to do with the fact that I am beyond distracted trying to get everything ready for our Disney trip! I also feel pretty strongly that part of this distraction is knowing that I have Joanne Demaio’s 2 most recent additions to the Winter Series just sitting on my shelf and waiting for me to read them! When I first learned of our Disney trip, I shifted my plans of reading the 2 Winter Series throughout the month of December and saving them for the plane. Yeah, I’m done waiting. I don’t want to bring The Twelve Dates of Christmas with me on vacay. Screw the plan…I’M GOING IN. The NEW plan is to start reading book #6 (Winter House) asap and bring it on the plane with me along with book #7 (Winter Road). I’ll throw a few other books in there as well 🙂

Happily moving ON!

Have you read The Twelve Dates of Christmas? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Blogmas 2023 Posts:

12/1 Blogmas 2023: Welcome to Blogmas {VIDEO}!

12/2 Blogmas 2023: Happy Birthday to ME {Sephora Gift Card Giveaway}!

12/3 Blogmas 2023: Book Review: All I Want for Christmas {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Christmas Bet {Meg Easton}

12/5 Blogmas 2023: The Winter Series {Joanne Demaio} Check In

12/6 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Coworker {Freida McFadden}

12/7 Blogmas 2023: Random Bookish Things

12/8 Blogmas 2023: The Holiday Sign in the Form of a Post It

12/9 Blogmas 2023: READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK

12/10 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: A Lake House Holiday {Megan Squires}

12/11 Blogmas 2023: Disney World Trumps Blogmas!

12/12 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Book Club Hotel {Sarah Morgan}

12/13 Blogmas 2023: Book Coffee Happy’s 13 Most Viewed Posts of 2023

12/14 Blogmas 2023: A {Non Holiday} Middle School Book Series That I LOVE

12/15 Blogmas 2023: I LOVED This Gorgeous Holiday Book…About BOOKS!

12/16 The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

12/17 Blogmas 2023: 2 Non Holiday Audiobooks {Same Author} I Started Listening To and Hated!

Xo,

Jenny

Click HERE to order The Twelve Dates of Christmas

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

Blogmas 2023: 2 Non Holiday Audiobooks {Same Author} I Started Listening To and Hated!

Blogmas 2023: 2 Audiobooks (Same Author) I Started Listening To and Hated!

Hanukkah is over but I felt my awesome sweater and headband needed to make 1 final 2023 appearance on the blog.

Ok first of all HOLY CRAP did you guys apparently enjoy yesterday’s post…it had an insane amount of views! If you missed it, here’s the link: The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

So yesterday’s post was all about books that I LOVED and today’s post…isn’t, lol.

Eh so I really can’t say too much about either of these books other than I just couldn’t get into either one of them. Lisa Unger’s writing style is clearly just not for me. Here are 2 of her books that I tried to listen to…and stopped listening before I ever came close to the endings. Ugh.

Audiobook #1 I Started Listening To and Hated:

Secluded Cabin Sleeps 6 {Lisa Unger}

Photo Credit: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis of Secluded Cabin Sleeps 6 {Lisa Unger}:

Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller.

What could be more restful than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s generous brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’ll be three couples on this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R.

But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare.

A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep.

How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?

Audiobook #2 I Started Listening To and Hated:

Confessions on the 7:45 {Lisa Unger}

Photo Credit: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis of Confessions on the 7:45 {Lisa Unger}:

Selena Murphy is commuting home on the train when she strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat. The woman introduces herself as Martha and soon confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again.

Then the nanny disappears.

As Selena is pulled into the mystery of what happened, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, she begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover…

Have you read either of these books? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Blogmas 2023 Posts:

12/1 Blogmas 2023: Welcome to Blogmas {VIDEO}!

12/2 Blogmas 2023: Happy Birthday to ME {Sephora Gift Card Giveaway}!

12/3 Blogmas 2023: Book Review: All I Want for Christmas {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Christmas Bet {Meg Easton}

12/5 Blogmas 2023: The Winter Series {Joanne Demaio} Check In

12/6 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Coworker {Freida McFadden}

12/7 Blogmas 2023: Random Bookish Things

12/8 Blogmas 2023: The Holiday Sign in the Form of a Post It

12/9 Blogmas 2023: READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK

12/10 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: A Lake House Holiday {Megan Squires}

12/11 Blogmas 2023: Disney World Trumps Blogmas!

12/12 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Book Club Hotel {Sarah Morgan}

12/13 Blogmas 2023: Book Coffee Happy’s 13 Most Viewed Posts of 2023

12/14 Blogmas 2023: A {Non Holiday} Middle School Book Series That I LOVE

12/15 Blogmas 2023: I LOVED This Gorgeous Holiday Book…About BOOKS!

12/16 The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

My perfect birthday present from my son!

I cannot believe that I only have 9 books on this list this year! I usually have more than that amount! I read A LOT of books this year and many were great…just not great ENOUGH to be considered the BEST books I read in 2023. I take this list very seriously and it’s always more important to me to truly include my absolute favorites, even if that number is lower than I would like for it to be. Quality over quantity always!

Here are (significantly longer) lists from previous years:

The 12 Best Books I Read in 2019

The 12 Best Books I Read in 2020

BLOGMAS: The 13 Best Books I Read in 2021

Blogmas 2022: The 13 Best Books I Read in 2022

The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

As always, I’m continuing with the tradition of presenting this year’s selection not by title, but by the Book Coffee Happy epilogue that I always include at the very end of all my book reviews. These epilogues are my “final thoughts”, a quick 1 sentence(ish) recap of my feelings about the book. When you click on each “epilogue” below, it will take you to my original blog post which includes the book’s synopsis and well as my full review!

So without further adu, I present to you the 9 absolute BEST books that I read in 2023 in no particular order:

Book #1’s Epilogue:

Let go of how weird this book sounds and just READ IT. It’s perfection.

Book #2’s Epilogue:

Read this series. Start with this book. Order a “Vagode” cake.

Book #3’s Epilogue:

Loved every single word…and song lyric.

Book #4’s Epilogue:

Read these books. If you have middle schoolers, encourage them to read these books. Better yet, read them at the same time and have meaningful and important life discussions 🙂

Book #5’s Epilogue:

This book is pure holiday magic and joy.

Book #6’s Epilogue:

It was great!

Book #7’s Epilogue:

A perfect holiday book for a book lover.

Book #8’s Epilogue:

Every teenager (and adult!) should read this book. I truly can’t recommend it enough. You will smile, you will cry, you will LEARN. This is such an important book and absolutely one of the very best I’ve read in a very long time.

Book #9’s Epilogue:

READ. THIS. BOOK. Just not while you are on an airplane or have plans to be on one anytime soon 😉

What are the best books YOU have read in 2023?? Have you read any of these? Plan to? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Blogmas 2023 Posts

12/1 Blogmas 2023: Welcome to Blogmas {VIDEO}!

12/2 Blogmas 2023: Happy Birthday to ME {Sephora Gift Card Giveaway}!

12/3 Blogmas 2023: Book Review: All I Want for Christmas {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Christmas Bet {Meg Easton}

12/5 Blogmas 2023: The Winter Series {Joanne Demaio} Check In

12/6 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Coworker {Freida McFadden}

12/7 Blogmas 2023: Random Bookish Things

12/8 Blogmas 2023: The Holiday Sign in the Form of a Post It

12/9 Blogmas 2023: READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK

12/10 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: A Lake House Holiday {Megan Squires}

12/11 Blogmas 2023: Disney World Trumps Blogmas!

12/12 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Book Club Hotel {Sarah Morgan}

12/13 Blogmas 2023: Book Coffee Happy’s 13 Most Viewed Posts of 2023

12/14 Blogmas 2023: A {Non Holiday} Middle School Book Series That I LOVE

12/15 Blogmas 2023: I LOVED This Gorgeous Holiday Book…About BOOKS!

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE