I Got A Job (!!) and a Book Review: The Husbands {Holly Gramazio}

I Got A Job (!!) and a Book Review: The Husbands {Holly Gramazio}

I got a job!! Starting this fall, I will be a school secretary at a middle school :). I’m so excited about this for so many reasons! My commute will be approximately 4 minutes long, my best friend is a teacher there (!!), I already know many of the families and staff because they live in my community, etc. Best of all, the hours/days off so wonderfully align with my own kids’ schedules. Love.

Selfie right after I officially signed and returned all of the paperwork to my new school district office!

Being that I was a teacher for such a long time, I already am more than familiar with the school environment and how important having an amazing secretary truly is. I honestly think this new role is a perfect fit for me and I can’t wait to get started 🙂

I’m going in for a few days of training next week and then will officially start full time in August! Nothing should change with the blog but as always, know that I am WAY more active on Instagram than I am on my actual blog. I post an Instastory pretty much every single day! If you don’t already follow Book Coffee Happy on Instagram, HERE is the link to do so!

Book Review: The Husbands {Holly Gramazio}:

Ok so the first thing I noticed when I picked up this book (other than the weird cover art) was that 2 of my ABSOLUTE favorite authors blurbed this book.

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry (Gabrielle Zevin}, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow {Gabrielle Zevin}, and The Most Fun We Ever Had {Claire Lombardo} are 3 of my ALL TIME favorite books! Click the titles to read the book synopsis and my thoughts on each 🙂

Goodreads Synopsis of The Husbands {Holly Gramazio}:

When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.

As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?

My Thoughts on The Husbands {Holly Gramizo}:

Eh.

I wasn’t even aware that it was possible for a story to go on for 338 pages without anything actually progressing but turns out…it’s possible! Like, how does that even happen???

Everytime I was staaaaarting to become invested in a storyline…BAM…storyline gone.

The one and ONLY thing that I liked about this book was the fact that this entire book is basically just a series of metaphors for other things. I love that.

Zero character development because the characters came and left too quickly. About 100 characters too many. Storylines were introduced and then just dropped.

All of the reviews that I have read have mentioned the amazing ending…I didn’t like the ending?

Not sure why this book is as popular as it is but so many people are loving it right now. Eh.

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Can someone please explain why everyone loves this book so much?

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

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

Xo,

Jenny

**Clearly I didn’t love this one but you just might! 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…

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

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2 Author Events and What I’m Currently Reading

2 Author Events and What I’m Currently Reading

Last weekend, I attended the most gorgeous release party for Lisa Barr’s newest (and in my opinion BEST) book, The Goddess of Warsaw. If you missed my review of this amazing book, you can read all of my thoughts HERE (spoiler: loved it).

Candles! I can’t wait to light mine, it smells divine.
Love you, Lisa 🙂
These gorgeous light boxes were placed all around the room. So beautiful!
My name in the Author’s Note at the end of the book. No words for how touched I feel to be included!

I also went to an event at Barnes and Noble which occurred ON this awesome book’s publishing day! The Good Book Fairy was in conversation with Lisa Barr and it was an amazing discussion. It was interesting to hear them discussing the book without giving ANYTHING away as the book was just released that day! I was only 1 of a handful of people there who had already read an advanced copy so I really enjoyed hearing this discussion from that perspective.

Love.
Lauren (AKA The Good Book Fairy) brought me a copy of her daughter’s new release, Drive Me Crazy! Thank you so much, Lauren…so sweet! I can’t wait to read it, Carly Robyn :). It looks super cute!

What I’m Currently Reading

I recently received an advanced copy of Emily Giffin’s newest book, The Summer Pact! I’m currently about 100 pages in. I’ll share my thoughts when I finish! This one releases in July.

Goodreads Synopsis of The Summer Pact {Emily Giffin}:

Four freshmen arrive at college from completely different worlds: Lainey, a California party girl with a flair for drama; Tyson, a brilliant scholar and law school hopeful from D.C.; Summer, a recruited athlete and perfectionist from the Midwest; and Hannah, a mild-mannered southerner who is content to quietly round out the circle of big personalities. Soon after moving into their shared dorm, they strike up a conversation in a study lounge, and the seeds of friendship are planted.

As their college years fly by, their bond intensifies and the four become inseparable. But as graduation nears, their lives are forever changed after a desperate act leads to tragic consequences. Stunned and heartbroken, a pact is made to be there for each other in their time of need, no matter how separated they are by circumstances or distance.

Ten years later, Hannah is anticipating what should be one of the happiest moments of her life when everything is suddenly turned upside down. Calling on her closest friends, it soon becomes clear that they are facing their own crossroads. True to their promise, they agree to take a time out from lives headed in wrong directions and embark on a journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance.

In this tender portrayal of grief, love, and hope, Emily Giffin asks: When things fall apart, who will be at our sides to help pick up the pieces?

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

Xo,

Jenny

**Click HERE to order The Goddess of Warsaw, and click HERE to preorder The Summer Pact (both through my Amazon affiliate links). When you order through these links, 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…

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Book Review: The Goddess of Warsaw {Lisa Barr}

Book Review: The Goddess of Warsaw {Lisa Barr}

I first was introduced to Lisa Barr’s books in 2018 when I first started writing Book Coffee Happy. I had received an advanced copy of The Unbreakables and as soon as I started reading, I was HOOKED. I absolutely loved her writing style and her captivating way of storytelling. You can read the book synopsis and all of my thoughts HERE.

Fast forward to 2021 when I received an advanced copy of Woman on Fire and I absolutely LOVED IT. Like…heart pounding, couldn’t put it down. Amazing. You can read the book synopsis and all of my thoughts HERE.

And now here we are in 2024 and I have received an advanced copy of Lisa’s newest book, The Goddess of Warsaw. My thoughts? I’ll go into detail below but I’ll start by saying…HER BEST BOOK YET.

This woman is the PERFECT Bina Blonski. Stunning.

Goodreads Synopsis of The Goddess of Warsaw {Lisa Barr}:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Woman on Fire, the harrowing and ultimately triumphant tale of a Jewish WWII assassin turned Hollywood star …


The Goddess Of Warsaw is an enthralling story of a legendary Hollywood screen goddess with a dark secret. When the famous actress Lena Browning is threatened by someone from her war-time past, she must put her skills into play to protect herself, her illustrious career, and those she loves, then and now.

Before she was a “Living Legend”, Lena Browning was Bina Blonski, a wealthy Polish Jew whose life and prominent family were destroyed by the Nazis and imprisoned with the rest of Warsaw’s Jews in a ghastly ghetto. Determined to fight back, the beautiful, blonde Aryan-looking Bina becomes a spy and an assassin, gaining information and stealing weapons outside the Warsaw ghetto to protect her family and fellow Jews. While Bina accomplishes amazing feats of bravery, she sacrifices much in the process – including a forbidden love.

More than a decade after escaping the horrors of the war, Lena Browning rises to fame in Hollywood. Yet she cannot help but hunger for revenge against the Nazis who escaped justice after the war. Fierce and fearless, Lena uses her star power to right the past’s wrongs . . . and perhaps even finds the happy ending she never had.

A gripping page-turner of one of history’s most heroic uprisings and a glamourous actress whose personal war never ends, The Goddess of Warsaw is filled with secrets, lies, twists and turns, and a burning pursuit of justice no matter the cost.

My Review of The Goddess of Warsaw {Lisa Barr}:

The unboxing video that I had posted on Instagram:

Omg this book.

It’s SO good. Like, SO good.

I actually read it months ago but wanted to wait until closer to its release date before blogging about it. That date is almost here! You can preorder it now and it officially releases next week (5/28).

This book kept me company during my 2 weeks spent serving on a federal criminal jury back in February! By the end of the trial, all of my fellow jurors had passed this book around the jury table to read it’s synopsis and all agreed that they couldn’t wait to read it!

Like all of Lisa Barr’s books, this one took me on a JOURNEY. Spanning through decades, locations, emotions, and the most carefully crafted characters.

The settings were all written so vividly…how does she even DO that? I felt like I was there.

I smiled, I cried, I hung on to every word of this beautiful story. You know those books that live on in your heart long after you finish reading? This is one of those books for me.

How you can tell I loved a book: When the cover ends up looking like this because I couldn’t leave the house without bringing it EVERYWHERE with me!

I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of research and dedication that must go into writing an historical book such as this. The details in this book were incredible.

With everything going on in the world right now, being proud of being Jewish feels even more important than ever. Whether the reader of this book is Jewish or not, it will teach people so, so much about what Jewish people have historically gone through and how it impacts all of us to this day. Thank you, Lisa, for bringing such awareness to everyone in such a powerful and moving way.

I truly, truly loved this book.

I couldn’t be more excited and honored to attend The Goddess of Warsaw book release party this weekend! I’ll take lots of pictures and blog all about it. I had the BEST time at her Woman on Fire book release party in 2021!

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Lisa Barr’s best book yet. Preorder Stat.

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

Xo,

Jenny

**Click HERE to preorder the book through my Amazon affiliate link (it releases 5/28). 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)

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

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2 Books I’m NOT Reading!

2 Books I’m NOT Reading!

Most beautiful cupcake that I ate on Mother’s Day! Tasted just as amazing as it looked!

I think both of these books sound GREAT but unfortunately I had to return them to my library before I even had the chance to crack either of them open (cue the sad violin music). I’m so hoping to read them both at some point!

**Note: The fancy pictures of these books were taken in my car juuuuuuuuust as I was about to return them to the library book return bin, lol. No beautiful shots here!**

Book #1 I’m NOT Reading:

Goodreads Synopsis of Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop {Hwang Bo-Reum}:

Yeongju is burned out. With her high-flying career, demanding marriage, and busy life in Seoul, she knows she should feel successful, but all she feels is drained. Yet an abandoned dream nags at her, and in a leap of faith, she leaves her old life behind. Quitting her job and divorcing her husband, Yeongju moves to a small residential neighborhood outside the city, where she opens the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.

For the first few months, all Yeongju does is cry, deterring visitors. But the long hours in the shop give her time to mull over what makes a good bookseller and store, and as she starts to read hungrily, host author events, and develop her own bookselling philosophy, she begins to ease into her new setting. Surrounded by friends, writers, and the books that connect them all, she finds her new story as the Hyunam-dong Bookshop transforms into an inviting space for lost souls to rest, heal, and remember that it’s never too late to scrap the plot and start again.

Book #2 I’m NOT Reading:

I LOVED The One by John Marrs (if you haven’t yet read The One, it’s a must read. HERE is a link to the synopsis and all of my thoughts)!

If this book is half as good as The One, I’m all in…

Goodreads Synopsis of The Vacation {John Marrs}:

How far would you run to escape your past?

For eight strangers in a Los Angeles backpacking hostel, even the other side of the world isn’t far enough.

The craving for a new identity and the chance to start again is something they have in common. But the search for a fresh start isn’t as easy as they’d imagined.

And they soon discover that it doesn’t matter where you are or who you are – if you can’t lay the past to rest, coincidence, fate and deception have a way of catching up with you when you least expect it.

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

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

Xo,

Jenny

**Click HERE to order Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop and click HERE to order The Vacation both through my Amazon affiliate links. When you order through these links, 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)

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VIDEO Book Review: Ready or Not {Cara Bastone}

VIDEO Book Review: Ready or Not {Cara Bastone}

I haven’t done a video in review in a while…so I filmed one for you! Here are my thoughts (spoiler free obvi) on Cara Bastone’s Ready or Not.

VIDEO Book Review: Ready or Not {Cara Bastone}:

 

Let me know if you enjoy these types of videos and if so, I can film these more often! 

 

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!*

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

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Audiobook Review: The Teacher {Freida McFadden}

Audiobook Review: The Teacher {Freida McFadden}

My son’s baseball season has officially started! Alwaaaaaaaays with the Dunkin’ next to me, lol.

Freida McFadden released a brand new book 3 days before my jury duty summons was to begin??? Fate.

This was actually 1 of the 2 audiobooks I listened to as I drove downtown bright and early each morning during jury duty! And then again as I crawled back home each night because downtown Chicago traffic is insane. Thank goodness for audiobooks (and coffee…so much coffee) to kept me company and entertained on some of those VERY long commutes! Everyone in the cars around me looked so annoyed and I was happy as a clam 🙂

The Teacher is actually the 8th Freida McFadden audiobook I’ve listened to. Here are links to my thoughts on the other 7!

The Surrogate Mother

The Inmate

Do Not Disturb

Want to Know a Secret?

The Locked Door (AKA The Most ANNOYING Audiobook Voice)

The Wife Upstairs

The Coworker

Photo Cred: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis of The Teacher {Freida McFadden}:

Lesson #1: Trust no one.

Eve has a good life. She wakes up each day, kisses her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except…

Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal involving a student-teacher affair, with one student, Addie, at its center. But Eve knows there is far more to these ugly rumors than meets the eye.

Addie can’t be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that’s what everyone says.

But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet…

My Review of The Teacher {Freida McFadden}:

I really love Freida McFadden audiobooks. Perfect for background noise as I’m doing other things (such as driving). The stories are always juuuuust simple enough where I don’t have to be 100 percent focused on not doing anything else while listening! I was super excited that my long commute coincided PERFECTLY with a brand new Freida McFadden release. A long commute was the PERFECT time to enjoy this one. And enjoy it I did!

One of my favorites of hers yet. This one was great and kept me guessing the whole time. The story was interesting (I’m a former teacher so of course I found those parts interesting) and the characters were great. I won’t give anything away but I will say that the ending was AWESOME. That’s all I will say about that!

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

The book itself was really good but that ending was FANTASTIC.

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!*

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

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Book Review: Expiration Dates {Rebecca Serle} and Giveaway Winner

Book Review: Expiration Dates {Rebecca Serle} and Giveaway Winner

Hi Friends!

Thank you for your support as I’m slooooowly getting back into my blogging groove! Feels so nice to be back…I’ve missed you!

This past weekend 16 of my sorority sisters and I took a trip back to our Alma Mater to say good-bye to our beloved sorority house that is now closing. Cue allll the tears. It was both a heartbreaking and heartwarming trip for sure. Love you forever, Sig Delt sisters!

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Rebecca Serle’s newest book, Expiration Dates. I put my name on the library waitlist months ago!

I LOVED every single word of In Five Years. If you haven’t read In Five Years, that book is an absolute MUST READ. The book synopsis and my glowing review can be found HERE.

Note: I haven’t read One Italian Summer but I’ve heard it’s wonderful! To be honest, I think it sounds too depressing. I’ll be skipping that one but I’m sure it’s great…

How beautiful is the cover? LOVEEEEEEE.

Goodreads Synopsis of Expiration Dates {Rebecca Serle}:

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.

My Review of Expiration Dates {Rebecca Serle}:

Ahhhh this is a lovely book. The character development was amazing! Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the timeline (jumped around a bit too sporadically for me), I did love the way that the story was told throughout the series of flashbacks (although I wish those flashbacks were told in more of a chronological order).

Rebecca Serle is a BEAUTIFUL writer. When I read In Five Years, I remember being completely captivated by her words. Did I feel the same way with this one? I did not…but…it was still very good. I loved the ending! I just wasn’t as invested as I was with In Five Years as I truly couldn’t put that book down once I started reading. This one was great and if I wasn’t comparing it to In Five Years I think I would have loved it much more. Comparison is truly the thief of joy as the famous quote says!

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Read this book. Just don’t compare it to In Five Years.

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

What You Do To Me (Signed Copy!) Giveaway Winner:

Thank you to everyone who entered! Here is a video of me randomly choosing the winner:

Xo,

Jenny

**Click HERE to order Expiration Dates 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)*

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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

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…

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

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

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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*

*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 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*

*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 9 best books I read in 2023

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