Book Review: He Gets That From Me {Jacqueline Friedland}
When Melissa Amster of Chick Lit Central read He Gets That From Me, she knew that I would love it and shipped it across the country in a surprise package! Thank you so much for sharing, Melissa!
Goodreads Synopsis of He Gets That From Me {Jacqueline Friedland}:
As a young mother with a toddler and a live-in boyfriend, Maggie Fisher’s job at a checkout counter in downtown Phoenix doesn’t afford her much financial flexibility. She dreams of going to college and becoming a teacher, options she squandered when she fled her family home as a teenager. When Maggie stumbles onto an ad offering thousands of dollars to women who are willing to gestate other people’s babies, she at first finds the concept laughable. Before long, however, she’s been seduced by all the ways the extra money could improve her life. Once she decides to go for it, it’s only a matter of months before she’s chosen as a gestational carrier by Chip and Donovan Rigsdale, a married couple from New York.
After delivering twin babies and proudly handing them off to the Rigsdales, Maggie finally gets her life on a positive trajectory: she earns her degree, lands a great job, and builds a family of her own. She can’t fathom why, ten years after the fact, the fertility clinic is calling to ask for a follow-up DNA test.
My Review of He Gets That From Me {Jacqueline Friedland}:
School Pick Up Line 🚗 Obviously I read this book a few months back…I’m wearing a jacket, I’ve got a winter color on my nails, AND I’m in the school pick up line, lol.
Omg this book. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.
Truly couldn’t put it down. This is the type of book you can easily devour in a single sitting.
The moral and ethical dilemmas in this book are massive and so incredibly complex. As a mother, reading this book spoke directly to my heart and brought me to tears on many occasions. What a powerful book and what powerful messages live within these pages. I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK.
The writing was beautiful, the characters were so descriptively created, and the story…well…the story was amazing. Raw, emotional, complicated, beautiful, and equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. I finished reading it before bed one night and had such a horrible time falling asleep because I couldn’t stop thinking about it!
Bottom Line:
Read this. Today.
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
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Now that my kids are done with school, it is officially SUMMER over here! Although summer is not my favorite season (I’ll take a freezing cold blizzard over the summer heat any day), I love all of the extra family time summer allows. Bring on pool days, backyard time, picnics, and summer concerts! In fact, I’m enjoying a lovely sunny day in our backyard as I’m typing this blog post. I am sitting at our table typing while my son is next to me drawing a masterpiece 🙂 A lovely summer day, indeed.
What I’m Reading:
Remember when I was debating which book of the 2 that I recently bought to read next (I talked about it in THIS POST)?
I chose to start with Lease on Love by Falon Ballard!
I’m about 200 pages in and I have SO many thoughts (some great, some…not so great). I’ll post my full review when I finish! In the meantime, here’s the synopsis from Goodreads:
After getting passed over for an overdue—and much needed—promotion, Sadie Green is in desperate need of three things: a stiff drink, a new place to live, and a one-night-stand. When one drink turns into one too many, Sadie mixes up a long-ignored dating app for a roommate-finding app and finds herself on the doorstep of Jack Thomas’s gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone. Too bad she’s more attracted to his impressive real estate than she is to the man himself.
Jack, still grieving the unexpected death of his parents, has learned to find comfort in video games and movie marathons instead of friends. So while he doesn’t know just what to make of the vivaciously verbose Sadie, he’s willing to offer her his spare bedroom while she gets back on her feet. And with the rent unbeatably low, Sadie can finally pursue her floristry side hustle full-time. The two are polar opposites, but as Sadie’s presence begins to turn the brownstone into a home, they both start to realize they may have just made the deal of a lifetime.
Delicious Lunch:
And because sometimes I like to post random pictures of my food on my blog, here’s a picture of the GORGEOUS fish poke bowl I ate for lunch a few weeks ago. How absolutely beautiful is this?! Loved it!
I hope you are reading (and eating!) something fabulous today! Happy Summer!
What are you currently reading? 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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This book officially published 3 days ago but I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy in the mail months ago. THANK YOU, EMILY GIFFIN! It was a happy, happy day when this arrived in my mailbox 🙂
How absolutely stunning is this cover???
Loved that this beautiful book was sent to me and I was able to devour it before it’s official release!
Goodreads Synopsis of Meant to Be {Emily Giffin}:
A restless golden boy and a girl with a troubled past navigate a love story that may be doomed before it even begins in this irresistible new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed and The Lies That Bind.
The Kingsley family is practically American royalty, beloved for their military heroics, political service, and unmatched elegance. When Joseph S. Kingsley III is born in 1960, he inherits the weight of that legacy. Growing up with all the Kingsley looks and charisma, Joe should have no problem taking up the mantle after his father’s untimely death. But he is also a little bit reckless, and can’t seem to figure out how to channel the expectations of an entire country.
No one ever expected anything of Cate, on the other hand. She, too, grew up in a single-parent household—just her and her mom scraping by in their small apartment. As a teenager, though, Cate is discovered for her looks. Modeling may be her only ticket out of the cycle of disappointment that her mother has always inhabited. Before too long, her face is everywhere, though she is always aware that she’d be a pariah in her social circles if anyone knew her true story.
When Joe and Cate’s paths cross, their connection is instant. What remains to be seen is whether their relationship will survive the glare of the spotlight that follows Joe everywhere. And just as they find themselves in the make-or-break moment, the tragedy that seems to run in Joe’s family right alongside all that privilege will repeat itself.
In a beautifully written novel that recaptures a gilded moment in American history, Emily Giffin tells a story of a love that may or may not have the power to transcend circumstances that seem arrayed against it . . . and the difficulty of finding your way to the place you belong.
My Review of Meant to Be {Emily Giffin}:
Clearly I read this book a while back. I’m wearing fur boots and a sweater in this picture! Today, I’m sweating in a tank top and flip flops.
I absolutely loved it.
It’s such a beautifully written story in every possible way!
This book tells the story of John F Kennedy Jr and his wife, Carolyn Bassette…but at the same time, it DOESN’T tell their story and is a work of fiction. Some parts of this beautiful story are factual, some parts are fiction, but it all comes together to tell an incredible story of love, family, and history.
My Google search history is currently FILLED with Kennedy family information. I couldn’t get enough of learning about this remarkable family as I was reading this book! I have learned so much.
The writing in this book is beautiful, the characters are memorable, the storylines are so detailed and amazing. Hands down my favorite Emily Giffin book I’ve read!
Bottom Line:
Read this. And be ready to develop a sudden fascination with the entire Kennedy Family.
Will you be reading this book? 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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My daughter and I had some very special mommy/daughter time yesterday. We saw an amazing play (The Sound of Music), and when it was over we headed to the mall. We had exactly 1 hour to shop before our dinner reservations at Maggianos…the perfect amount of time for each of us to choose 1 store for a little pre-dinner shopping.
She chose Claire’s (obvi). I chose the bookstore (obvi).
1 set of fake unicorn nails (her), 1 adorable headband (me), and 2 newly released books (also me) later, we called our mini shopping excursion a success. We then went to the restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious dinner and I introduced her the complete joy known as olive oil and parmesan cheese for dipping the bread. Aaaaaaand obviously we stopped at Crumbl Cookies on our way back home because I apparently live there now.
According to Crumbl, this cookie that I inhaled in about 3 minutes flat last night was: “A tasty graham cracker cookie decorated with honey butter frosting, a light drizzle of honey, and Teddy Graham Crackers”.
Opening a Crumbl so close to my house continues to be a complete (although delicious) disaster. I really wish they had opened a salad bar instead.
So what 2 books did I buy at the mall?
NewBook #1: Book Lovers {Emily Henry}:
Ok so I’ve been wavering for months on if I would be reading this one. I’ve heard such great things but I was NOT a fan of Beach Read (you can read my review of that very boring book HERE). And then last week, my cousin told me that she loved Book Lovers so much that she’s already read it TWICE! That definitely swayed my opinion! I’ll post a full review once I finish reading…
Goodreads Synopsis of Book Lovers {Emily Henry}:
One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming….
Nora Stephens’ life is books – she’s read them all – and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.
Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away – with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.
If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again – in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow – what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.
NewBook #2: Lease on Love {Falon Ballard}:
So this one is alllllll over Bookstagram and apparently EVERYONE loves it. I really shouldn’t go by what everyone else is loving because quite often I feel the opposite (again, HERE is my review of Beach Read)…Fingers crossed I love this one! I’ll post my review once I finish reading…
Goodreads Synopsis of Lease on Love {Falon Ballard}:
After getting passed over for an overdue—and much needed—promotion, Sadie Green is in desperate need of three things: a stiff drink, a new place to live, and a one-night-stand. When one drink turns into one too many, Sadie mixes up a long-ignored dating app for a roommate-finding app and finds herself on the doorstep of Jack Thomas’s gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone. Too bad she’s more attracted to his impressive real estate than she is to the man himself.
Jack, still grieving the unexpected death of his parents, has learned to find comfort in video games and movie marathons instead of friends. So while he doesn’t know just what to make of the vivaciously verbose Sadie, he’s willing to offer her his spare bedroom while she gets back on her feet. And with the rent unbeatably low, Sadie can finally pursue her floristry side hustle full-time. The two are polar opposites, but as Sadie’s presence begins to turn the brownstone into a home, they both start to realize they may have just made the deal of a lifetime.
Now for the big question: Which of my 2 new books should I read first???
Have you read either of these books? What did you think (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)? 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 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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Over the weekend, my husband was getting ready to pull the weeds from our front yard and our backyard. I, having ZERO knowledge of what a massive job this actually was, offered to do it instead (I’m not really an “outside” girl. I’d much rather be inside reading a book). He GLADLY accepted my offer! I told him I predicted it would take me about 20 minutes tops. He told me it would take HOURS.
Spoiler: He was right. 3 hours to be exact.
The first order of business was to find a suitable audiobook to keep me company. I was sitting and searching audiobook selections through the Hoopla app when I received this text from our kitchen:
**The beautiful tiles on our table and our hammock all broke during a windstorm a few weeks ago. Ugh. They will be replaced…but today’s mission was WEEDS!**There was definitely a rather long amount of time where I had no idea that I was wearing the gardening gloves backwards. I flipped them over and things got easier. Apparently this is the proper way. **Follow me for more gardening tips**Jon sent this photo to my dad. Everyone was so proud of me! Including myself. WAY proud of myself.
Other interesting texts between my husband and I as I worked:
3 hours later (3 HOURS) it began to rain and I declared that I was done. Was I actually done pulling weeds? I was not. Was I done “enough” pulling weeds with a now ruined manicure and pedicure and just wanted to take a shower? Absolutely.
Jon was VERY impressed with my work! Apparently I’m a natural and I did a great job!
So what kept me company for most of this project? AUDIOBOOKS for the win! As you know, I have recently discovered such a love for audiobooks for exactly days such as this one. It was a perfect companion as I was out there sore and sweating! Note I said “most of this project”. For about 1/3 of this endeavor my 6 year old son kept me company and we discussed dinosaurs, worms, squishies (if you are parent you know), and swim goggles. Let’s just say that between him and Colleen Hoover, I was never alone…
The Audiobook:
Maybe Someday {Colleen Hoover}
Photo Credit: Amazon.com
Goodreads Synopsis of Maybe Someday {Colleen Hoover}:
Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble—she’s a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from the balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life. But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope….
Maybe someday…
I will post my review once I finish listening!
What Color is Your Brain?® Giveaway Winners Video:
My 10 year old daughter’s hand! She picked the winners!
If you won please email me your mailing address within 24 hours of when this post is published. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll pick a new winner…
Have you read Colleen Hoover’s Maybe Someday? Do you garden?
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!*
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BOOK GIVEAWAY (2 Signed Copies): What Color Is Your Brain?® {Sheila Glazov}
I’m SO excited about today’s giveaway! This fascinating book is so interesting and I have 2 signed copies to give away! I don’t typically read nonfiction books unless the topic is something that I genuinely want to learn more about…and this topic most definitely spoke to me. I’m so glad that I read this book and I’m so excited to be able to share it with you today!
I first met Sheila Glazov years ago (2018) when I was invited to attend a meeting of the Midwest Writers Association. I met such a lovely group of authors that night and I so enjoyed listening to each of them speak of their books, their process, and all of the other aspects of writing. At the time, I had just started blogging and this group was such a wealth of information!
I loved spending the evening with all of them and was so honored to be invited to another of their meetings months later. It was at that second meeting that I listened to Sheila Glazov share her in depth expertise on the topic of brain colors and I was greatly impressed with her knowledge and passion on this subject.
Goodreads Synopsis of What Color is Your Brain?® {Sheila Glazov}:
Why do you zig while others zag? What makes you seem unique or peculiar to some people, yet similar or comforting to others?
The differences are in our personalities and how they shade our perception and affect the way we work, live, and interact. Discovering and understanding our own strengths and idiosyncrasies while adapting to others can be an overwhelming task.
In response to this common frustration, What Color Is Your Brain?® A Fun and Fascinating Approach to Understanding Yourself and Others explains the similarities and differences that impact our thoughts and actions. Rather than offer an excuse for people’s behavior, this book helps to explain why our perspectives differ from or relate to the viewpoints of others. Enjoyable, insightful, and easy-to-read, What Color Is Your Brain?® is a guide to exploring who we are, why others see us the way they do, and how the four “brain colors” or personality types play a role in our everyday lives.
Sheila Glazov has created colorful personality profiles that simplify the complex nature of our traits and talents. With its entertaining anecdotes, innovative perspectives, and resonating concepts, What Color Is Your Brain?® is a fun and fascinating book that promotes both self-awareness and acceptance of others.
Written for readers of all ages, genders, and backgrounds, this book is intended to facilitate effective communication and cooperation while minimizing frustration in numerous aspects of our everyday lives—at work and home, in dating and marital relationships, with team projects, among family members and friends, and within a mixture of other interpersonal connections.
What Color Is Your Brain?® offers the essential pieces of the puzzle that is human interaction, teaching us how to recognize and appreciate a spectrum of personality types. With the help of this dynamic book, discovering your own brain color and learning to adapt to others is bound to be a no-brainer.
My Thoughts on What Color is Your Brain?® {Sheila Glazov}:
I learned SO MUCH about myself from reading this book. After taking the quizzes, it was determined that I am a “Yellow Brainer” through and through. I don’t want to give specifics (you’ll have to read the book yourself for those) but according to the back cover, I am: responsible (YES), organized (YES), loyal (YES), and Punctual (YES). As I read more and more about the attributes that “Yellow Brainers” possess, it was glaringly obvious that this is absolutely the color for me.
Once I learned my color, it was fascinating to read about how my particular personality traits mix (and don’t mix) with others around me. I found myself analyzing my family members, friends, colleagues, and even my own children to see what colors I would define them as and was then able to see the best (and worst) ways for us to interact with each other. It opened my eyes not only as to WHY I see others and their actions the way that I do but how other people are seeing ME and why I act the way that I do.
My husband took the quizzes and it was interesting to see his responses (which unsurprisingly were almost completely different than my own)…
This book is awesome and a must read. I learned so much and most importantly, how to approach different situations with the different people in my life. I learned WHY I act and react the way I do to things, why THEY act and react the way they do to things, and how (based on our colors) we should be acting and reacting to things together. I can honestly say that there are a few people in my personal life who I now view in a different (more informative, more accepting) light. I just didn’t understand how their brains worked before…and now I do.
I told you that this topic is fascinating!
My highlighter was working in overtime while reading (told you I’m yellow brained).
I read this whole book while holding a open highlighter…so much I wanted to remember! My entire book looks like this!
The book itself is easy to read and broken down into sections to make all of the information easy to understand. I read and highlighted the entire book cover to cover in 2 days. It’s amazing how much I learned about myself and those I love in just 2 days!
Here is an overview of the book, taken directly from Sheila Glazov’s website:
A Conversation with Sheila Glazov, in her own words:
What type of person would be the ideal reader for your book?
An ideal reader for my book is an individual who is eager to learn an engaging and compelling methodology, which will help them understand their personality type and decode other people’s points of view to reduce the hassles and increase the harmony in their life!
What would be the biggest benefits a reader would gain from learning about their brain color?
The biggest benefits a reader will gain from learning about their Brain Color personality are:
Appreciation for their unique attributes, abilities, and strengths.
Acceptance of other people’s perspectives in order to communicate better, collaborate more, stress less, and work smarter.
More harmonious relationships with the adults and children in their family, romantic partners, workplace colleagues, and customers, friends, and people in their community.
Where can your book be purchased?
My book can be purchased online in paperback and/or e-book editions at
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo.
Any additional information that you would like to provide about you or your book:
People tell me that the Brain Color theory is a remarkably powerful and simple approach to determine what make people tick. It helps them immediately, recognize, adapt, and accommodate other’s perspectives to reduces the stress and complications in their personal and professional lives. People have fun learning why some people are a pain in the neck and others are a song in their heart.
My book has sold over 35, 000 copies. The book also contains 2 Brain Color Quizzes: One for the reader’s personal life and one for their professional life. I allocates 10% of the royalties from the sale of all my books to The Raue Center For The Arts Mission Imagination children’seducation program.
***GIVEAWAY DETAILS***
Would you like to win a signed copy of What Color is Your Brain?® I have 2 signed copies to give away! This particular giveaway is open to US residents only.
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 tomorrow (5/17/22) at 6:00 pm CDT and the 2 winners will be randomly chosen and announced here on my blog on Wednesday (5/18/22).
I will post a video here on Wednesday of me choosing the winners!
Good luck! Can’t wait to read your comments!
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!*
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Book Review: When We Let Go {Rochelle B. Weinstein}
Years ago in the very beginning of my book blogging days, I had read another blogger’s review for Rochelle Weinstein’s Somebody’s Daughter on a book blog. I immediately was captivated by the synopsis and knew that I had to read it. My local library didn’t have a copy but that didn’t prevent me from checking EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I was there because I was so determined to read it (I have since learned to request books that my library doesn’t have and they can order them…). When my library finally DID get a copy of Somebody’s Daughter, I was ON. IT. Needless to say, I devoured it and it was just as wonderful as I knew it would be. If you haven’t read Somebody’s Daughter, you can read the synopsis and my glowing review HERE.
Fast forward a little over a year and I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of Rochelle’s next book, This is Not How it Ends. I. LOVED. THAT. BOOK. To quote my own words from my own blog review:
“I SOBBED. In the absolute very best way. In fact, I messaged Rochelle Weinstein very late one night to share a fun fact that I discovered while reading…eye cream BURNS when it mixes with tears! Who knew?! Like…for real. It hurt.”
To read the rest of my review as well as the synopsis of This is Not How It Ends, click HERE (pro tip: apply eye cream AFTER reading).
And now here we are in 2022. Back in February, I SO fortunate to receive an advance copy of Rochelle’s newest book, When We Let Go. It publishes NEXT WEEK (5/17) and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on a copy!
Goodreads Synopsis of When We Let Go {Rochelle B. Weinstein):
When Avery Beckett is proposed to by Jude Masters, a widowed father and the man she loves, it should be a time of great joy. Instead, Avery is on edge. She’s wary of the idea of family, doubtful of happy endings, and too afraid to take the leap. It’s the kind of fear that comes from having secrets.
Before Avery commits to a new life, she must reconcile with the one she left behind.
When Avery returns to her childhood farm in the North Carolina mountains, she’s surprised to be saddled with a companion: Jude’s teenage daughter, Elle, who’s grappling with the loss of her mother and the complicated emotions of first love. On a path of mending wounds and breaking down walls, Avery and Elle form an unexpected alliance. It’s giving them the courage to move forward. And for Avery, everything she needs to confront the past.
An emotional tale of mothers and daughters, loss and acceptance, When We Let Go is about the lessons that come from heartbreak and the healing it takes to embrace the joy of a second chance.
My Review of When We Let Go {Rochelle B. Weinstein}:
I read this book while on a family getaway to Wisconsin!
This story is absolutely beautiful.
As you know, I’m a HUGE quote person and I love discovering beautiful and meaningful quotes within the pages of books. There are SO MANY beautiful lines in this story, so many deep and special quotes that I had to read twice just to absorb. I won’t share any of them as I don’t want to spoil any part of this beautiful story but just know…this entire story is FULL of meaning and beauty.
I laughed, I cried, I loved it. These characters immediately spoke to my heart from page one and still do. Even though I’ve finished reading, I have not finished thinking about these characters, their stories, and their futures.
Rochelle, I adore you as a person and I respect you as an author. I can’t wait to read your next one!
Friends, When We Let Go officially releases on May 17th! You can preorder your copy HERE.
Bottom Line:
Absolutely loved it.
Have you read any of Rochelle’s books? Will you be reading this one? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Xo,
Jenny
Click the image below to preorder 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!*
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My 400th Blog Post, Another Delicious Cookie, and a Book That I Hated
This is officially Book Coffee Happy’s 400th blog post! Thank you for supporting me and my little hobby…I really love writing this blog and I’m so thankful for YOU!
My most recent Crumbl Cookies indulgence (caramel cake served warm). I wish I could say it was a treat to celebrate my 400 post but alas, just a random dessert, lol. Whyyyyyyy did this bakery have to open up so close to my house??? Ridiculous.
In the passenger seat just eating a monstrosity of a cookie and protecting my clothes with a paper towel while my husband drives. Classy.
I Hated This Book
I really wish this book was as delightful of an experience for me as devouring that delicious cookie. It was not.
The Woman Next Door {Natasha Boydell}
Photo Credit goes to Amazon because I listened to this one as an audiobook
Goodreads Synopsis of The Woman Next Door {Natasha Boydell}:
Two neighbours struggle with envy of each other’s lives—and as their friendship grows, their questions do too . . .
Sophie is a happily married mum of two who considers herself lucky—until her beautiful and highly successful new neighbour Angie moves in along with her charming husband and four talented children. The two women couldn’t be more different, but after a storm brings them together, an unlikely friendship develops. As their children grow closer, so does their bond.
But the alliance between the families is a wake-up call for both women. Angie’s success makes Sophie consider whether she really is as satisfied as she makes out. And Sophie’s uncomplicated marriage forces Angie to look at her own and accept that it’s not as perfect as it seems. Both women vow to change.
But their decisions may not lead where they expect, in this absorbing novel about risks and relationships by the author of The Missing Husband that explores whether the grass is always greener on the other side of the garden fence . . .
My Review of The Woman Next Door {Natasha Boydell}:
So…I pretty much hated this book.
It was just so boring! I kept waiting for something (annnnything) to happen but it really never did. Eventually there was a “big” plot twist but it fell short because it was so completely predictable. This. Book. Was. So. Boring.
I really disliked so many of the characters and found myself not caring what happened to any of them as the story went on…not a good way to feel while reading (listening to) a book. Ugh.
I listened to this one as an Audiobook and I must say…listening to someone actually FROM the country where the story takes place adds such a wonderful dimension. And that’s pretty much the only nice thing I have to say about this book 🙂
Bottom Line:
I just wanted it to end.
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 if filled with love, BOOKS, and Crumbl Cookies!
Xo,
Jenny
This book clearly wasn’t for me…but you might love it!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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2 Author Events, What I’m Reading, Best Coffee News Ever
On Tuesday night, I went to see my girl, Lisa Barr, speak about her AMAZING book, Woman on Fire, at my local Barnes and Noble. She was adorable as usual and it was so wonderful to listen to her talk all about her book, her research, and everything that went into creating her amazing finished product.
Shout out to my dear friend, Megan, for joining with me!
Love you ❤️
Speaking of Lisa Barr, I had mentioned that I went to her release party last month when Woman on Fire was officially released. It was an AWESOME party. Thank you so much for including me, Lisa! I had the best time and I felt so honored to be included. I adore you and I love being able to celebrate your amazing success!
So nice to see Francie Dickman! Francie was one of the very first authors to send me her book back when I had JUST started writing my blog. You can read my review of her lovely book HERE.
So nice to see you, Francie!Woman on Fire candle and napkin…LOVE!I love authors ❤️Cookies! SO CUTE!
Goodreads Synopsis of Woman on Fire {Lisa Barr}:
From the author of the award-winning Fugitive Colors and The Unbreakables, a gripping tale of a young, ambitious journalist embroiled in an international art art scandal centered around a Nazi-looted masterpiece–forcing the ultimate showdown between passion and possession, lovers and liars, history and truth. NOW A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Actress Sharon Stone set to produce and star in the film adaptation of WOMAN ON FIRE.
After talking her way into a job with Dan Mansfield, the leading investigative reporter in Chicago, rising young journalist Jules Roth is given an unusual–and very secret–assignment. Dan needs her to locate a painting stolen by the Nazis more than 75 years earlier: legendary Expressionist artist Ernst Engel’s most famous work, Woman on Fire. World-renowned shoe designer Ellis Baum wants this portrait of a beautiful, mysterious woman for deeply personal reasons, and has enlisted Dan’s help to find it. But Jules doesn’t have much time; the famous designer is dying.
Meanwhile, in Europe, provocative and powerful Margaux de Laurent also searches for the painting. Heir to her art collector family’s millions, Margaux is a cunning gallerist who gets everything she wants. The only thing standing in her way is Jules. Yet the passionate and determined Jules has unexpected resources of her own, including Adam Baum, Ellis’s grandson. A recovering addict and brilliant artist in his own right, Adam was once in Margaux’s clutches. He knows how ruthless she is, and he’ll do anything to help Jules locate the painting before Margaux gets to it first.
A thrilling tale of secrets, love, and sacrifice that illuminates the destructive cruelty of war and greed and the triumphant power of beauty and love, Woman on Fire tells the story of a remarkable woman and an exquisite work of art that burns bright, moving through hands, hearts, and history.
You can read my full review of another of Lisa’s amazing books, The Unbreakables, HERE.
What I’m Currently Reading:
He Gets That From Me {Jacqueline Friedland}
I quite literally cannot put this book down. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that it has made me THINK…and I find myself thinking about it so often throughout the day when I’m not reading. The ethical and moral dilemmas that this book questions are FASCINATING and as of this point (I have exactly 99 pages left) I’m not sure how it will end and I’m also not sure how I WANT it to end. It’s amazing, I HIGHLY recommend this book. I’ll post a full review once I finish reading but in the meantime…READ IT. It’s awesome.
Goodreads Synopsis of He Gets That From Me:
As a young mother with a toddler and a live-in boyfriend, Maggie Fisher’s job at a checkout counter in downtown Phoenix doesn’t afford her much financial flexibility. She dreams of going to college and becoming a teacher, options she squandered when she fled her family home as a teenager. When Maggie stumbles onto an ad offering thousands of dollars to women who are willing to gestate other people’s babies, she at first finds the concept laughable. Before long, however, she’s been seduced by all the ways the extra money could improve her life. Once she decides to go for it, it’s only a matter of months before she’s chosen as a gestational carrier by Chip and Donovan Rigsdale, a married couple from New York.
After delivering twin babies and proudly handing them off to the Rigsdales, Maggie finally gets her life on a positive trajectory: she earns her degree, lands a great job, and builds a family of her own. She can’t fathom why, ten years after the fact, the fertility clinic is calling to ask for a follow-up DNA test.
Best Coffee News Ever:
As for the best coffee news ever (for me at least)…a brand new and sparkling Dunkin’ WITH A DRIVE THRU has opened within a walkable distance from my house. It’s clean, it’s beautiful, it smells amazing (new construction), the employees are so nice, and the owner told me…and I quote…”Make yourself comfortable. This is your home now.”
Dreams really do come true.
My current view as I’m typing this blog post:
Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is filled with love and BOOKS!
Xo,
Jenny
Click the images below to order the books 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!*
*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.*
Candle Holder Update and a Book Review: If The Shoe Fits {Julie Murphy}
Before I dive into a book review, I must take a moment to update you on my favorite candle holder…Broken no more! Big hugs to my wonderful husband for making it look brand new once again after I had dropped it. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers, it was touch and go there for a bit…but look how pretty and sparkly she looks now! #phew
Ok time for a book review (although unfortunately not a very positive one. I love my candle holder WAY more than I love this book).
Photo Credit goes to Goodreads because I listened to this one as an audiobook
Goodreads Synopsis of If The Shoe Fits {Julie Murphy}:
After having just graduated with a degree in shoe design, and trying to get her feet on the ground, Cindy is working for her stepmother, who happens to be the executive producer of America’s favorite reality show, Before Midnight. When a spot on the show needs filling ASAP, Cindy volunteers, hoping it might help jump-start her fashion career, or at least give her something to do while her peers land jobs in the world of high fashion.
Turns out being the only plus size woman on a reality dating competition makes a splash, and soon Cindy becomes a body positivity icon for women everywhere. What she doesn’t expect? That she may just find inspiration-and love-in the process. Ultimately, Cindy learns that if the shoe doesn’t fit, maybe it’s time to design your own.
My Review of If The Shoe Fits {Julie Murphy}:
Eh.
So I LOVE reality shows and I’ve always been a member of Bachelor Nation. Turns out I also really enjoy books about this type of reality show! This is the 3rd “Bachelor” type book I’ve read and I must say…it was my least favorite.
So much of it was just so unrealistic (and I’m not even talking about the reality show part…obvi that part is always unrealistic, lol).
I liked this book…I didn’t love this book. I did like it significantly more than Dumplin’ (see my review of that one HERE).
If you want to read a fantastic book that centers around contestants of fictiocious “Bachelor” type reality shows…I HIGHLY recommend THIS ONE and THIS ONE over If the Shoe Fits.
And, according to Goodreads this book is the first in the “Meant to be Series” which is:
“Meant to Be is a series featuring updated and contemporary takes on classic Disney princesses, and also the first Disney intellectual property to be developed as an adult publishing project.”
I mean…I think that’s just stupid.
Bottom Line:
Unfortunately this is not the most dramatic book review ever…see what I did there??? Bachelor fans will 🙂
Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Xo,
Jenny
Clearly this wasn’t my favorite book but you might love it! 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.*
Crackers”.
Book Coffee Happy 