MY HEART IS STILL POUNDING FROM READING THIS BOOK.

Do I have a great book for you today! Holy hell. My poor heart may never be the same after reading! This book was HEART POUNDING. If you are looking for an INTENSE read, this is the book for you…

Goodreads Synopsis of Bath Haus {PJ Vernon}:

Oliver Park, a young recovering addict from Indiana, finally has everything he ever wanted: sobriety and a loving, wealthy partner in Nathan, a prominent DC trauma surgeon. Despite their difference in age and disparate backgrounds, they’ve made a perfect life together. With everything to lose, Oliver shouldn’t be visiting Haus, a gay bathhouse. But through the entrance he goes, and it’s a line crossed. Inside, he follows a man into a private room, and it’s the final line. Whatever happens next, Nathan can never know. But then, everything goes wrong, terribly wrong, and Oliver barely escapes with his life.

He races home in full-blown terror as the hand-shaped bruise grows dark on his neck. The truth will destroy Nathan and everything they have together, so Oliver does the thing he used to do so well: he lies.

What follows is a classic runaway-train narrative, full of the exquisite escalations, edge-of-your-seat thrills, and oh-my-god twists. P. J. Vernon’s Bath Haus is a scintillating thriller with an emotional punch, perfect for readers curious for their next must-read novel.

My Review of Bath Haus {PJ Vernon}:

My heart literally didn’t stop pounding while reading this book.

The first 100ish pages were GREAT. Intense, frightening, awesome. The second 100ish pages were…good. A bit long. But those last 100 pages??? Those last 100ish pages were AWESOME. Twisty, juicy, fantastic.

Some twists I saw coming, some I did NOT.

The writing was simply…beautiful. I was completely struck by how talented PJ Vernon is. The descriptions, the WORDS…all so beautifully written.

This book was an absolute nail biter for me pretty much throughout the entire time I was reading.

I’ve mentioned before how I like to research topics I read about. I always have to have my phone next to me so that I can research places, look up definations, etc. Well this book’s Google searches were VERY different from my usual Google searches. Let’s just say that the search history on my phone is now filled with some VERY descriptive gay sexual terms, positions, and so much more. Omg. I learned SO MUCH from this book about topics I never even knew existed, lol.

Bottom Line

AWESOME book!

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

Xo,

Jenny

Click the image below 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

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

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2 Books, 2 Hijacked Planes, 1 Decision

2 Books, 2 Hijacked Planes, 1 Decision

Only I would get stuck slowly driving behind a bookmobile right next to a sign pointing out a different library…

A few weeks ago, I put this book on hold at the library.

Goodreads Synopsis of Hostage {Claire Mackintosh}:

You can save hundreds of lives. Or the one that matters most.

A claustrophobic thriller set over twenty hours on one airplane flight, with the heart-stopping tension of The Last Flight and the wrenching emotional intensity of Room, Hostage takes us on board the inaugural nonstop flight from London to Sydney.

Mina is trying to focus on her job as a flight attendant, not the problems of her five-year-old daughter back home, or the fissures in her marriage. But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination. Someone who needs Mina’s assistance and who knows exactly how to make her comply.

It’s twenty hours to landing. A lot can happen in twenty hours.

I received the notification that the book was in and I could pick it up at any time. I was so excited! I thought it looked so good.

Aaaaaand a few hours later ON THE SAME DAY THAT THE BOOK CAME IN, I received a text from my book twin.

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you are well aware of my Book Twin, Jana. Jana and I (almost) always agree on books and we take each other’s recommendations very seriously. If she loves a book, there is a HIGH chance that I will as well. If I love a book, I can’t wait for Jana to read it. We text each other often with book recommendations, especially if one of us reads a book that we KNOW the other will love.

Jana’s text:

This text from Jana really threw me. She recommended Falling. And not just recommended it but used the phrase “READ THIS ONE.” I immediately googled the synopsis and realized that there is no way I could possibly read BOTH of these books back to back. 1 book about a hijacked plane is definitely more than enough for an already generally anxious person who loves to fly.

Goodreads Synopsis of Falling {T.J. Newman}:

You just boarded a flight to New York.

There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.

What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.

For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.

The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.

Enjoy the flight.

So I suddenly found myself in a bit of a conundrum. Which to read??? The one already waiting for me at the library or the one I’d have to order and possibly wait a long time to read???

If you are lucky to have someone in your life who recommends books to you and is always (or almost always) SPOT ON…you listen to them.

Many of you tell me that I’m that person for you…I’m flattered! I write this blog with the intention of helping as many people as possible find books they will love. Some of my reviews you may agree with, some you may not…but in the end, I love knowing that I’ve introduced so many of you to books you may not otherwise have picked up.

So, back to my conundrum. Random book I found on social media or Book Twin recommendation?

I canceled my hold request for Hostage (which pained me a bit…who cancels a request for a book when the book is WAITING for you to pick it up???) and I immediately put in a request for Falling.

A few weeks later…

I’m so excited to read it! I may wait a few weeks as I’m going on a vacation (NOT flying, lol) and I think this may be the perfect vacay read.

And let’s take a moment to talk about my book twin and the fact that she did indeed read BOTH OF THESE BOOKS BACK TO BACK. That’s A LOT of hijacking! I don’t think I would ever fly again! Here are her thoughts:

Looks like I made the best decision. I’ll let you know my thoughts once I read it!

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

Xo,

Jenny

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

Xo,

Jenny

Click the image below 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

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page 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)*

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The ultimate list of my top book suggestions can be found HERE

The 12 best books I read in 2020 can be found HERE

Book Review: The Wife Upstairs {Rachel Hawkins}

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins was on my to read list FOREVER. I was so excited to finally get my hands on a copy to read and review!

Goodreads Synopsis of The Wife Upstairs {Rachel Hawkins}:

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates—a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie—not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past—or his—catches up to her?

My Review of The Wife Upstairs {Rachel Hawkins}:

This book is a “modern retelling of Jane Eyre”. I read the original Jane Eyre over 20 years ago so I really can’t speak to the similarities and differences between them. However, I CAN say that one book is clearly known as a true classic and this one…well…I REALLY do not foresee the same for this one.

I really just didn’t like this book.

It was all a bit of a mess for me. Different perspectives, flashbacks thrown in the middle of current storylines, characters so unlikeable that I found myself not caring enough about what happened to any of them.

It’s like the first 200 pages were told in tidbits of stories and only in the last 90 pages did any of them start to make sense. Which is fine, but…what a boring first 200 pages of reading a book and not completely understanding what was going on.

This book just lacked so much depth. Depth in stories, depth in character development, depth in all of it.

It was only 290 pages but it took me so much longer than it should have to read because I was just so bored! As I was nearing the end (yaaaay) around midnight, I found myself closing the book with 5 pages left to finish in the morning. Who puts a THRILLER down with only 5 pages left??? That right there should tell you how bored I was with these characters and storylines.

Plus, I absolutely hated the writing style. Nope, not for me.

This book DID have 2 things that I quite enjoyed. A major twist that I did NOT see coming and…the cover art. I liked the cover art. Aaaaand that’s about it. I didn’t like anything else.

Bottom Line

This book had been on my to read list for so many months. Such a disappointment. Ugh.

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

Xo,

Jenny

Click the image below 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

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page 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)*

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The ultimate list of my top book suggestions can be found HERE

The 12 best books I read in 2020 can be found HERE

Weekend Book Blogging Thoughts

Hiiiiii!

New Fancy Computer:

I got a new computer this weekend (obsessed) and of course I wanted to try it out ASAP. What better way than a random weekend blog post? This post will be a bit all over the place but I really just want to try out all of this new computer’s features. I’m in LOVE!

Street Fest:

Yesterday we went to a street fest by our house. It was a perfect outdoor activity!

My daughter had so much fun doing the pony rides. My son…cried because it smelled like horse doodie and refused to get on. The lady gave me back my money but she wasn’t thrilled about it. #fail

Saw this at the fest yesterday. It’s so true!

Book I Finished, Book I Started:

As for books, I finished reading this book last night and I have allllll kinds of thoughts. Review coming soon!

Synopsis from Goodreads of Other People’s Children {R.J. Hoffman}:

Gail and Jon Durbin moved to the Chicago suburbs to set up house as soon as Gail got pregnant. But then she miscarried—once, twice, three times. Determined to expand their family, the Durbins turn to adoption. When several adoptions fall through, Gail’s desire for a child overwhelms her.

Carli is a pregnant teenager from a blue-collar town nearby, with dreams of going to college and getting out of her mother’s home. When she makes the gut-wrenching decision to give her baby up for adoption, she chooses the Durbins. But Carli’s mother, Marla, has other plans for her grandbaby.

In Other People’s Children, three mothers make excruciating choices to protect their families and their dreams—choices that put them at decided odds against one another. You will root for each one of them and wonder just how far you’d go in the same situation. This riveting debut is a thoughtful exploration of love and family, and a heart-pounding page-turner you’ll find impossible to put down.

I started reading this one this morning. I’ll let you know my thoughts ASAP! I’m currently on chapter 3…

Synopsis from Goodreads of The Photographer {Mary Dixie Carter}:

WHEN PERFECT IMAGES

As a photographer, Delta Dawn observes the seemingly perfect lives of New York City’s elite: snapping photos of their children’s birthday parties, transforming images of stiff hugs and tearstained faces into visions of pure joy, and creating moments these parents long for.

ARE MADE OF BEAUTIFUL LIES

But when Delta is hired for Natalie Straub’s eleventh birthday, she finds herself wishing she wasn’t behind the lens but a part of the scene―in the Straub family’s gorgeous home and elegant life.

THE TRUTH WILL BE EXPOSED

That’s when Delta puts her plan in place, by babysitting for Natalie; befriending her mother, Amelia; finding chances to listen to her father, Fritz. Soon she’s bathing in the master bathtub, drinking their expensive wine, and eyeing the beautifully finished garden apartment in their townhouse. It seems she can never get close enough, until she discovers that photos aren’t all she can manipulate.

EXCITING BOOK NEWS:

I absolutely loved Lisa Barr’s The Unbreakables. If you haven’t read it yet, I HIGHLY recommend that you do so! You can read my (glowing) review HERE.

Throughout the years, I have come to know Lisa on a personal level and I can attest that her beautiful personality is just as wonderful as her writing. The cover revel for Lisa’s newest book, Woman on Fire, has been released and it’s STUNNING! Check this out:

And a blurb from one of my all time favorites, Mary Kubica??? YES PLEASE!

“Incredibly fast-paced and savvy, Lisa Barr takes readers into the high stakes world of art theft through the eyes of a young, gutsy journalist. Thick with history, scandal, romance and deceit, WOMAN ON FIRE is a truly compulsive read.” – Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of LOCAL WOMAN MISSING

HERE is a link where you can read the Woman on Fire synopsis AND preorder your own copy ahead of it’s March 2022 release date. I can’t WAIT to get my hands on a copy and I can’t WAIT to meet you for coffee ASAP, Lisa! Xo!

I hope you are having a lovely weekend filled with love and BOOKS! I’m off to play with my new computer…

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page 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)*

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

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The ultimate list of my top book suggestions can be found HERE

The 12 best books I read in 2020 can be found HERE

A Wonderful Book! Review: The Mothers {Genevieve Gannon}

Book Review: The Mothers {Genevieve Gannon}

Goodreads Synopsis of The Mothers {Genevieve Gannon}:

Grace and Dan Arden are in their forties and have been on the IVF treadmill since the day they got married. Six attempts have yielded no results, and with each failure a little piece of their hope dies.

Priya Laghari and her husband Nick Archer are being treated at the same fertility clinic, and while they don’t face the same time pressure as the Ardens, the younger couple have their own problems.

On the same day that Priya is booked for her next IVF cycle, Grace goes in for her final, last-chance embryo transfer. Two weeks later, both women get their results.

A year on, angry and heartbroken, one of the women learns her embryo was implanted in the other’s uterus and must make a devastating choice: live a childless life knowing her son is being raised by strangers or seek custody of a baby who has been nurtured and loved by another couple.

My Review of The Mothers {Genevieve Gannon}:

As a mother, this book absolutely shredded me. My poor heart BROKE while reading…what an impossibly horrific story.

It made me think…what truly makes a mother? Biology? Environment? Both? Neither?

I personally did not go through the IVF process but I know plenty of women who did…and I can’t even imagine reading this book having gone through that process.

As I was reading, I couldn’t help but wonder how this book was going to end. All I will say is that the ending was PERFECTION. Quite possibly one of the best written endings to a book I’ve ever read.

I absolutely loved this book for so many reasons. It was SO well written, extremely thought provoking, and incredibly beautiful.

And can we talk about the STUNNING cover? Absolutely gorgeous!

Bottom Line:

This book is absolutely brilliant.

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

Xo,

Jenny

Click the image below 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

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page 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 Instagram*

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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*

The ultimate list of my top book suggestions can be found HERE

The 12 best books I read in 2020 can be found HERE

The Guilty Reader Book Tag

I saw The Guilty Reader Book Tag on Zeezee With Books and immediately knew I wanted to participate! This was a fun one to do! Thanks so much for posting, Zeezee! If you haven’t yet checked out Zeezee’s lovely blog HERE is a link 🙂

Without even thinking about it, I recently gave myself a French braid while reading. Does anyone else do this??? I do this all the time while reading, lol…

The Guilty Reader Book Tag

HAVE YOU EVER REGIFTED A BOOK YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN?

I find that I hardly ever want to read a book that someone gives to me. While I SO appreciate the kind gesture, choosing a book to read is such a personal decision. Rarely are books given to me that are actually books I want to read! I don’t gift them to others for this exact reason but I do try my best to find them good homes. I give away my books during my annual garage sale and I LOVE to donate to Little Free Libraries.

HAVE YOU EVER SAID YOU’VE READ A BOOK WHEN YOU HAVEN’T?

Nope! In case you haven’t yet figured it out…I really, really love to read 😉

HAVE YOU EVER BORROWED A BOOK AND NOT RETURNED IT?

No but people have done this to me and it’s AWFUL. If you borrow a book from someone, please always return it! I’ve actually recently stopped loaning out my books because of exactly this.

HAVE YOU EVER READ A SERIES OUT OF ORDER?

Only once and it was a total mistake! I read THIS BOOK and only when I finished did I realize it’s #2 in a series. Oops. I loved that book so much that I must go back and read book #1 at some point! I’ve heard it’s wonderful!

HAVE YOU EVER SPOILED A BOOK FOR SOMEONE?

NO NO NO NO NO. NEVER EVER. NOT EVEN ONE TIME. HELL NO. HARD PASS. You can read more about my thoughts on this and why I will NEVER spoil anything on my blog (or in my life) HERE.

HAVE YOU EVER DOG EARED A BOOK?

Every single day, lol. Read about it HERE.

HAVE YOU EVER TOLD SOMEONE YOU DON’T OWN A BOOK WHEN YOU DO?

Nope!

HAVE YOU EVER TOLD SOMEONE YOU HAVEN’T READ A BOOK WHEN YOU HAVE?

Ummm why would anyone do that?

HAVE YOU EVER SKIPPED A CHAPTER OR A SECTION OF A BOOK?

NEVER. I read every single word every single time. I see other bloggers who say things like, “I skimmed the middle few chapters” and it blows my mind every single time. Why read a book just to skip over parts of it? If you do this, I’d love hear your reasoning!

HAVE YOU EVER BAD MOUTHED A BOOK YOU ACTUALLY LIKED?

No but if you read my blog for any length of time than you are WELL aware that I have bad mouthed plenty of books that I hated, lol. I pride myself on always sharing my truest feelings on books…good and bad! For example, my review of one of the worst books that I have ever read can be found HERE.

If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged! If you do particapate on your blog, please tag me so I can see your answers!

**I’ll be back here on Wednesday with a review of a WONDERFUL book!**

Readers, I’d love to hear your answers to some or all of these questions from this book tag in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page 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 Instagram*

*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*

The ultimate list of my top book suggestions can be found HERE

The 12 best books I read in 2020 can be found HERE