Rebecca Serle’s In Five Years was one of the books that I recently purchased while on our recent getaway to Galena, IL. You can see pictures from our beautiful trip HERE and you can see the other 3 books that I purchased while on that trip HERE. I absolutely LOVED this beautiful book, it was such a wonderful choice for me to purchase. Trust me…you will also LOVE THIS BOOK.
How stunning is this cover???
Goodreads Synopsis of In Five Years {Rebecca Serle}:
Where do you see yourself in five years?
When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.
But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.
After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.
That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.
Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny.
My Review of In Five Years {Rebecca Serle}:
There is quite literally nothing I can say in this review that wouldn’t spoil this book for someone who hasn’t read it. Knowing how much I LOATHE spoilers, I would never do that!
So this review will be very broad, very generic, and yet…very positive 🙂
I absolutely loved this beautiful book. Everyone does. Because it’s WONDERFUL.
I posted this on Facebook right after I finished reading the last page:
The writing was beautiful, the chapters were short, and the story was amazing. The characters and settings were so perfectly descriptively written. Rebecca Serle is an absolutely phonominal writer…I can’t wait to read more she has written!
I am fully aware that this is the most broad review I’ve ever written but I want to be clear in NOT spoiling any of this book for future readers. It’s such a lovely, lovely story….one that will be in my heart for a very long time.
Bottom Line
READ. THIS. 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:
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
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I love a good book tag and when I saw the 20 Questions Book Tag on Stephen Writes, I knew I wanted to participate!
Hi 💗
20 Questions Book Tag
1. How many books are too many books in a series?
I would love to read Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen series but there are 33 books in that series! I’m not sure how many books are too many books in a series but I DO KNOW that 33 is too many 🙂
2. How do you feel about cliffhangers?
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a good cliffhanger! Or as my 9 year old daughter calls them…”hangcliffs” 🙂
3. Hardback or Paperback?
Both. Paperbacks are so much easier to carry around but hardcovers are a million times easier to use with my favorite reading accessory.
4. Favourite book?
My answer to this question is constantly changing the more titles I read but THIS BOOK is hands down one of my favorite books I’ve ever read.
5. Least favourite book?
Landline by Rainbow Rowell. I really hated this book and I received SO MUCH backlash when I posted my negative review. I stand by my words! You can read my review HERE.
6. Love triangles, yes or no?
Eh. I don’t really have strong feelings either way. If it’s well written…sure?
7. The most recent book you just couldn’t finish?
The House in the Cerulean Sea. People LOVE this book! I just….couldn’t do it. Read my thoughts on why I stopped reading HERE.
8. A book you’re currently reading?
9. Last book you recommended to someone?
The Windfall by Diksha Basu. I absolutely loved it! Read my review HERE.
10. Oldest book you’ve read?
When I was in high school, this was my favorite book! So much so that I created an entire binder where I wrote down my thoughts on the characters, settings, plot, etc. (AKA a book blogger WAAAAAAY before that was even a thing) I will always have a copy of this classic book on my bookshelf 🙂
11. Newest book you’ve read?
I recently finished reading The Seven Day Switch by Kelly Harms last week. It isn’t being released until July so I would count that as a pretty new book, lol. I will have all of my thoughts posted alongside a review with Melissa Amster from Chick Lit Central closer to it’s release date 🙂
I’ve only done this twice. I reread Shanghai Girls (LOVE THAT BOOK….read my review HERE) in anticipation of the release of it’s squeal, Dreams of Joy. I reread the Shopaholic series (these books will forever hold a special place in my heart…read my review of them HERE) in anticipation of the movie release.
17. Can you read while listening to music?
HELL. NO.
18. One POV or multiple POVs?
If written in a way that isn’t confusing the the reader, I LOVE multiple POVs!
19. Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?
Are you asking me this before I had 2 children or after? Because my answer is so dramatically different based upon that fact, lol.
20. Who do you tag?
Anyone who would like to participate! Tag me so I can read your answers 🙂
Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is filled with love and BOOKS!
Xo,
Jenny
If you would like to answer any of these 20 questions in the comments below, I’d love to read your answers!
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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I read Wendy Clarke’s We Were Sisters while on our recent getaway to Galena, IL. I hadn’t previously heard of this book but it caught my eye on the library bookshelf weeks ago. The cover says that it is “An absolutely gripping psychological thriller” Ummmm….YES PLEASE. I was super excited to read and review it!
Goodreads Synopsis of We Were Sisters
I turn to where I left my baby in his pushchair and pull up short. With a racing heart, I look around wildly, fear gripping my stomach. I only looked away for a moment. The pushchair and my baby are gone.
Kelly is taking her twin daughters to their first day of school, ushering them into the classroom, her heartbreaking to think they might not need her anymore when she turns around and sees that her newborn baby is gone.
As a desperate search ensues, baby Noah is quickly found – parked in front of a different classroom. But when Kelly reaches forward to comfort him, she finds something tucked beside his blanket. A locket that belonged to her sister Freya. A locket Kelly hasn’t seen since the day Freya died.
And then Kelly’s perfectly-ordered life begins to unravel…
We Were Sisters is a heart-pounding suspense thriller that will grip you until the very last page. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to stop reading this incredible book.
My Review of We Were Sisters {Wendy Clarke}:
As it turns out, this is NOT an “absolutely gripping psychological thriller.”
Eh.
So this book was good…it held my attention, had short chapters (the BEST), and an interesting plot.
However…
It was SO predictable and so much of it was just so unbelievable. Also, so many side plots meant to throw the reader off from figuring out the twists but instead just felt like unnecessary noise.
Years ago, I wrote a blog post and I explained my requirements for books I bring on vacation (check out that post…I still stand by all of the recommendations on there! You can read that post from 2019 HERE)! Would I have chosen to bring this particular book with me on vacation? Probably not as it just wasn’t “unputdownable” enough for me. However, we booked this trip quite literally 48 hours before we left (!!!) and this just happened to be the book I was reading at the the time soooo….into my suitcase it went 🙂
Reading with the prettiest view! Take me baaaaaack!
Would I recommend We Were Sisters? Well I wouldn’t NOT recommend it…but I definitely would recommend a whole bunch of other psychological thrillers instead. HERE are some of my psychological thriller recommendations!
Bottom Line
Eh.
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!*
*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)*
*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.*
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?
Still dreaming of the Half Price Books Outlet that I visited 2 weeks ago…Heaven on Earth!
*I know the point of this post is for bloggers to participate on Wednesdays…but…Happy Friday, lol ;)*
What Are You Currently Reading?
Goodreads Synopsis of The Seven Day Switch {Kelly Harms}:
Celeste Mason is the Pinterest stay-at-home supermom of other mothers’ nightmares. Despite her all-organic, SunButter-loving, free-range kids, her immaculate home, and her volunteering awards, she still has time to relax with a nice glass of pinot at the end of the day. The only thing that ruins it all is her workaholic, career-obsessed neighbor, who makes no secret of what she thinks of Celeste’s life choices every chance she gets.
Wendy Charles is a celebrated productivity consultant, columnist, and speaker. On a minute-by-minute schedule, she makes the working-mom hustle look easy. She even spends at least one waking hour a day with her kids. She’s not apologizing for a thing. Especially to Celeste, who plays her superior parenting against Wendy whenever she can.
Who do Celeste and Wendy think they are? They’re about to find out thanks to one freaky week. After a neighborhood potluck and too much sangria, they wake up—um, what?—in each other’s bodies. Everything Celeste and Wendy thought they knew about the “other kind of mom” is flipped upside down—along with their messy, complicated, maybe not so different lives.
This book isn’t being released until July but I was lucky enough to receive an Advance Reader’s Copy from Melissa Amster (f you haven’t already checked out her lovely book blog, you will love Chick Lit Central)! Thank you so much for sending this wonderful book to me, Melissa!
You can preorder your copy now on Amazon (linked below) for it’s July release!
Stay tuned for a double review of this book as Melissa and I will be collaborating on a blog post closer to its release date 🙂 Can’t wait!
What Did You Recently Finish Reading?
Goodreads Synopsis of In Five Years {Rebecca Serle}:
Where do you see yourself in five years?
When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.
But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.
After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.
That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.
Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny.
I finished reading this book last weekend and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I will post my full review soon but in the meantime…READ. THIS. BOOK.
What Do You Think You’ll Read Next?
Goodreads Synopsis of The End of Her {Shari Lapena}:
It starts with a shocking accusation…
Stephanie and Patrick are recently married, with new-born twins. While Stephanie struggles with the disorienting effects of sleep deprivation, there’s one thing she knows for certain – she has everything she ever wanted.
Then a woman from his past arrives and makes a shocking accusation about his first wife. He always claimed her death was an accident – but she says it was murder.
He insists he’s innocent, that this is nothing but a blackmail attempt. But is Patrick telling the truth? Or has Stephanie made a terrible mistake?
How will it end?
After reading In Five Years and The Seven Day Switch back to back, I’m ready for a genre change! I’ve previously read 3 psychological thrillers by Shari Lapena:
The Couple Next Door: LOVED IT! How have I not reviewed this book on my blog? READ IT!
An Unwanted Guest: Really liked it! You can read my review HERE.
A Stranger in the House: Didn’t love it. You can read my review HERE.
I’m excited to read this one! I’ll post my review once I finish reading!
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!
Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is filled with love and BOOKS!
Xo,
Jenny
Click on the images below to order through my Amazon links. When you order through these 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!*
*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)*
*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.*
Last week my family and I took the most lovely getaway to Galena, IL. You can see pictures from our beautiful trip HERE.
We had rented a house right on the water with a massive wrap around porch. The whole scene was just begging for someone to read a book there! I happily obliged 😉
I came home refreshed, relaxed, and of course with plenty of souvenirs. Somehow 4 new books came home with me!
Fantastic Book #1:
We spent one morning visiting Dubuque, IA and the very best part of that morning was visiting the most wonderful local bookstore. River Lights is such a charming bookstore and the beautiful lady working and I had the most lovely conversation discussing books. When we left she told me that she enjoyed our visit…so did I 🙂 If you are ever in the area, I HIGHLY recommend visiting this charming bookstore!
Dead body in front of the thriller section!
When I spotted Rebecca Serle’s In Five Years on the shelf, I knew that I wanted to purchase it…I absolutely love supporting independent bookstores, especially one as wonderful as this.
This book has been on my TBR list for what feels like forever. I started reading it on our last night of our amazing trip and I finished it a few days ago. I’ll have my review posted for you soon!
How stunning is this cover?
In Five Years {Rebecca Serle}
Goodreads Synopsis of In Five Years {Rebecca Serle}
Where do you see yourself in five years?
When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.
But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.
After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.
That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.
Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny.
Fantastic Book #2:
When I see a sign like this…I get very, very excited.
Obviously I knew I had to visit and that amazing store did not disappoint! I could have spent hours in that store, omg.
So many rooms and so many nooks all covered in books! A dream!
I saw Primates of Park Avenue on the shelf and I was reminded that I had wanted to read it when it first came out. It reminds me of The Nanny Diaries which I LOVED when I read it almost 20 (!!!) years ago! I’m a bit nervous because I usually HATE reading memoirs (even if they ARE written by Michelle Obama. You can see my thoughts on her book HERE) but…I do think this one sounds great???
Primates of Park Avenue {Wednesday Martin}
Goodreads Synopsis of Primates of Park Avenue {Wednesday Martin}:
Like an urban Dian Fossey, Wednesday Martin decodes the primate social behaviors of Upper East Side mothers in a brilliantly original and witty memoir about her adventures assimilating into that most secretive and elite tribe.
After marrying a man from the Upper East Side and moving to the neighborhood, Wednesday Martin struggled to fit in. Drawing on her background in anthropology and primatology, she tried looking at her new world through that lens, and suddenly things fell into place. She understood the other mothers’ snobbiness at school drop-off when she compared them to olive baboons. Her obsessional quest for a Hermes Birkin handbag made sense when she realized other females wielded them to establish dominance in their troop. And so she analyzed tribal migration patterns, display rituals, physical adornment, mutilation, mating practices, extra-pair copulation, and more. Her conclusions are smart, thought-provoking, and hilariously unexpected.
Every city has its Upper East Side, and in Wednesday’s memoir, readers everywhere will recognize the strange cultural codes of powerful social hierarchies and the compelling desire to climb them. They will also see that Upper East Side mothers want the same things for their children that all mothers want: safety, happiness, and success;and not even sky-high penthouses and chauffeured SUVs can protect this ecologically released tribe from the universal experiences of anxiety and loss. When Wednesday’s life turns upside down, she learns how deep the bonds of female friendship really are. Intelligent, funny, and heartfelt, Primates of Park Avenue lifts a veil on a secret, elite world within a world: the exotic, fascinating, and strangely familiar culture of privileged Manhattan motherhood.
Fantastic Book #3:
Driving home from Galena, we stopped in Rockford, IL for lunch and my husband suddenly spotted the MECCA.
He immediately turned into the parking lot, dropped me off, and took the kids for dessert so I could have time to browse all by myself. HELL YES. It was AWESOME in there. I must get back there asap!
One of my favorite Bookstagrammers/bloggers, Jenna Stop Reading, absolutely LOVES this book and has convinced me that I need to read it. I LOVED Gabrielle Zevin’s Young Jane Young so I’m excited to read this one (if you haven’t read Young Jane Young, you must! HERE is a link to it’s synopsis and my review….one of the very first blog posts I ever wrote!)
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry {Gabrielle Zevin}
Goodreads Synopsis of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry {Gabrielle Ziven}:
As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.
We are not quite novels.
We are not quite short stories.
In the end, we are collected works.
A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died; his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history; and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Chief Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward him; from Ismay, his sister-in-law, who is hell-bent on saving A.J. from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who persists in taking the ferry to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, he can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.
And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, though large in weight—an unexpected arrival that gives A.J. the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J., for the determined sales rep Amelia to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light, for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world. Or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming.
Fantastic Book #4:
While at the Half Price Books Outlet, I randomly came across this book on the clearance shelf. I had never heard of it but think it sounds great! And it was $1.00 so…
Lost and Found {Carolyn Parkhurst}
Goodreads Synopsis of Lost and Found {Carolyn Parkhurst}:
A gentle satire on reality TV, as a mother and daughter face numerous challenges both on and off the show. As the game escalates, tensions mount, temptations beckon, and the bonds between teammates begin to fray. The question is not only who will capture the final prize, but at what cost?
What do a suburban mom and her troubled daughter, two recently divorced brothers, a pair of former child stars, born-again Christian newlyweds, and a couple of young millionaires have in common? They have all been selected to compete on Lost and Found, a daring new reality TV show. In teams of two, they will race across the globe – from Egypt to Japan, from Sweden to England – to battle for a million-dollar prize. They must decipher encrypted clues, recover mysterious artifacts, and outwit their opponents to stay in play.
What starts as a lark turns deadly serious as the number of players is whittled down, temptations beckon, and the bonds between partners strain and unravel. Before long the question is not only who will capture the final prize, but at what cost.
Have you read any of these 4 books? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Xo,
Jenny
Click the images below to order the books through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, X
o
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!*
*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*
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Scenes From Our Gorgeous Getaway to Galena, IL {Pictures}
My family and I went on a 4 day getaway to beautiful Galena, IL. Who knew Illinois could be so pretty?! We rented the most GORGEOUS lake house (think Chip and Joanna Gaines style). It was STUNNING, massive, and right on the water. PERFECT. We shopped at gorgeous boutiques, ate delicious food, played many rounds of Uno, went on a 3 mile hike (where a snake slithered right up to my foot!), roasted S’mores, and enjoyed this special time with just the 4 of us. Here are some snapshots that I took of our lovely trip 🙂
Thank you for allowing me to share a bit of my personal life with you today. I’ll be back on Wednesday with a post all about the books that I purchased while on my trip (I bought 4)!
Have you been to Galena, IL? Highly recommend. This was our 2nd trip there and I cant wait to return for a 3rd!
Until next time…
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!*
*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)*
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Book Coffee Happy’s newest series where I share the book I’m currently reading, the coffee I’m currently drinking, and 1 thing that is currently making me happy!
Book I’m Currently Reading:
I bought this book last weekend from the most LOVELY bookstore while on a last minute vacation with my family. I will have lots of pictures from my trip and more details on this bookstore posted on the blog next week! Stay tuned!
Goodreads Synopsis of In Five Years {Rebecca Serle}:
Where do you see yourself in five years?
When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.
But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.
After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.
That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.
Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny.
I’ll post my review once I finish reading!
Coffee I’m Currently Drinking:
I saw this mug in a specialty grocery store a few weeks ago and FELL IN LOVE WITH THE QUOTE. So much so that I took a picture of the mug and spent FOREVER on Etsy trying to find this quote on a mug with more color than just black and white. Lots of options but none called to me. Last weekend, I was in a GORGEOUS boutique while on my vacation and the original black and white mug was the first thing to greet me as soon as I walked in the door! Totally fate, totally meant to be, total serendipity. I have grown to love the black and white and this quote is definitely one of my new favorites! I’ve been happily drinking coffee out of this mug every single day since I bought it. Best quote. Cutest mug. Love.
Currently Making Me Happy:
So by now I’m sure you have heard alllll about this candle from every influencer on the Internet. Apparently evvvvveryone LOVES it and I’ve been wanting to smell it for months! I was in an adorable garden store a few weeks ago and was pursuing the candle section. I picked up this candle and was instantly in LOVE. Omg. Only THEN did I read the brand on the lid…THE CAPRI BLUE VOLCANO CANDLE! Yesssss! Seeing the price (for 8.5 oz and only 1 wick), I put it back down and walked away….just to be DRAWN right back to it once again. Yes it smells that good. Yes it’s worth all the hype. Yes I wanted to buy the larger size but bought the smaller one instead (for now, lol). This candle seriously smells INCREDIBLE.
From the Capri Blue website: “Capri Blue is built on the stylish back of our famous volcano candle! With its familiar feel and cult following, Volcano is the perfect blend of citrus and sugar notes. Like the excitement and energy of a summer night rendezvous, this fragrance is simply unforgettable.”
Apparently you can buy it at Nordstrom, Anthropolgie, etc. Amazon sells it too! There are so many different tin colors and tin designs and each are stunning. I linked the beautiful design that I have below!
Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is filled with love and BOOKS!
What are you currently reading?
What coffee are you currently enjoying?
What is 1 thing currently making you HAPPY?
Xo,
Jenny
Click the images below to order these items through my Amazon affiliate links. When you order through these links, 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!*
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Diksha Basu’s Destination Wedding has been on my to read for YEARS (it was on my list of books to read in 2020) but my library hasn’t carried it. When I saw The Windfall at that glorious bookstore on our trip, I knew I had to read it! I asked the lady working if they also carried Destination Wedding but sadly they did not. I happily bought this book instead and was so excited to FINALLY have the opportunity to read and review one of Basu’s books!
Goodreads Synopsis of The Windfall {Diksha Basu}:
For the past thirty years, Mr. and Mrs. Jha’s lives have been defined by cramped spaces, cut corners, gossipy neighbors, and the small dramas of stolen yoga pants and stale marriages. They thought they’d settled comfortably into their golden years, pleased with their son’s acceptance into an American business school. But then Mr. Jha comes into an enormous and unexpected sum of money, and moves his wife from their housing complex in East Delhi to the super-rich side of town, where he becomes eager to fit in as a man of status: skinny ties, hired guards, shoe-polishing machines, and all.
The move sets off a chain of events that rock their neighbors, their marriage, and their son, who is struggling to keep a lid on his romantic dilemmas and slipping grades, and brings unintended consequences, ultimately forcing the Jha family to reckon with what really matters..
My Book Review AKA: Why I Loved Reading The Windfall {Dasha Basu}:
I truly believe that out of that entire massive selection of books at that awesome book store, I could not have made a better choice 🙂
I’ve mentioned before how much I absolutely love reading books about cultures different than my own. I always find it so fascinating to distinguish between cultural similarities and differences!
I’ve also mentioned that throughout my entire life, I’ve always felt particularly drawn to learning about the Indian culture. So many aspects of Indian culture have fascinated me from the time I was a little girl and has continued to do so.
The Windfall is EXACTLY the type of book that I find so compelling. I have read MANY books which revolve around Indian culture but none as raw and honest as this book. I learned so much without necessarily being taught…just from reading about the lives that these characters lead. I found myself Googling numerous times while reading about various cultural topics just to enhance my knowledge. I love when a book is so well written that it makes me want to learn even more factual information about the setting beyond the story!
I completely fell in love with this wonderful book and these characters. Each had such an interesting story to tell and I was equally invested in each of their stories for different reasons. I loved these characters!
And the descriptions…I truly felt like I was in India!
I finished reading this book one night last week and I woke up the following morning already missing these lovely characters. The Windfall gave me so much to think about! It’s messages about family, status, culture, love, and what is truly important in life were deep and meaningful.
AND….after checking for the millionth time…my library can now FINALLY receive a copy of Destination Wedding for me to read! I’m so excited, I have very high expectations. In fact, I’m pretty sure I love it already 🙂
Bottom Line:
Such a special 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:
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*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)*
*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.*
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 (which is supposed to be posted on Wednesdays….but….Happy Friday!)
What Are You Currently Reading?
Goodreads Synopsis of We Were Sisters {Wendy Clarke}:
I turn to where I left my baby in his pushchair and pull up short. With a racing heart, I look around wildly, fear gripping my stomach. I only looked away for a moment. The pushchair and my baby are gone.
Kelly is taking her twin daughters to their first day of school, ushering them into the classroom, her heartbreaking to think they might not need her anymore when she turns around and sees that her newborn baby is gone.
As a desperate search ensues, baby Noah is quickly found – parked in front of a different classroom. But when Kelly reaches forward to comfort him, she finds something tucked beside his blanket. A locket that belonged to her sister Freya. A locket Kelly hasn’t seen since the day Freya died.
And then Kelly’s perfectly-ordered life begins to unravel…
I will post a full review once I finish reading! So far I’m liking it 🙂
What Did You Recently Finish Reading?
Goodreads Synopsis of Leave the World Behind {Rumaan Alam}:
Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G. H. are an older black couple—it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area—with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service—it’s hard to know what to believe.
Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?
I read 5 pages and called it quits. 5 PAGES! It’s like the author had a thesaurus next to him while writing and kept interjecting massive words just to make his writing sound more interesting. I just couldn’t do it. I’m disappointed because I think the synopsis sounds incredible! I just couldn’t get past the unnecessary monstrously descriptive words. Ugh. Example from page 2 where the main character describes the smell of his children:
“To mitigate all this Archie sprayed a chemical into the thatch under his arms, a smell unlike any in nature, a focus groups’ consensus of the masculine ideal. Rose paid better attention. The shadow of a young girl in flower: a bloodhound might find the metal beneath the whiff of entry-level cosmetics, the pubescent predilection for fake apples and cherries.”
Now I have a pretty extensive vocabulary and clearly I spend a vast amount of my time with my nose in a book…but…this writing was just too much for me. 300 pages of this? No thank you. Couldn’t even make it to page 6!
Have any of you read this book? I think it sounds great…as long as you have a thesaurus next to you while reading, lol.
What Do You Think You’ll Read Next?
Oh man…I’m not sure! I have a bunch of books sitting here but unfortunately none are calling my name. Ugh. I think my weekend plans might just need to include a trip to my local library!
Have you read either of these 2 books? What did you think (no spoilers)? What are you currently reading? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is filled with love and BOOKS!
Xo,
Jenny
Click on the images below to order through my Amazon 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!*
*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)*
*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.*
Recently I bought myself 2 amazing bookish items! These would be great gifts for any book lovers in your life….orrrrr you can buy them for yourself as I did, lol 😉
Book Lover Gift #1: Book Mask
I saw a post in a book blogger Facebook group from a member making and selling the most gorgeous book masks I have seen! I had been searching for one for months but couldn’t seem to find a good one and as soon as I saw hers, I was IN LOVE. I instantly messaged her asking for her Venmo information so I could place my order! Less than a week later, my stunning mask arrived in my mailbox.
It’s PERFECT.
It’s hard to tell but it has GORGEOUS gold threading throughout. It’s AMAZING when it shines in the sun!I was so excited to wear it that I didn’t even think to check if it has a wire on the nose! I was pleasantly surprised later to realize that it does!Wire nose clip! Love!
The inside of it is also so beautiful!
If you would like to place your own order, here is her contact information (she gave me permission to post it):
Thank you so much, Christina! I absolutely love my beautiful book mask!
Book Lover Gift #2: Book Pop Socket
I’m obsessed with having a Pop Socket on my phone and my old one was no longer doing it’s job. It kept coming (flying!) off and I was spending more time reattaching it than actually using it! Not to mention that it’s gorgeous swirly pattern was rubbing off around all of it’s edges. Ugh! My phone was more than overdue for a refresh.
After much searching, I found the most beautiful one (linked at the bottom of this post)!
So beautiful! I love all the gorgeous colors!Bright yellow phone, bright purple nail polish, bright colored Pop Socket = Perfection!
I’ve had it attached to my phone for almost a week now and I love it so much! Hasn’t flown off even once 😉
Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a wonderful day! I’ll be back here on Friday with a post about a book that I disliked so much that I only made it through 5 pages before calling it quits…
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!*
*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)*
*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.*
Book Coffee Happy 