Book Review: The Lies That Bind {Emily Giffin}

I had been waiting for MONTHS to read and review The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin and was obsessively checking my status at the library DAILY to see when I would finally be able to get my hands on this popular book.

I had heard from not 1, not 2 but 3 friends who told me that they read this book over the course of 1-2 days because they couldn’t put it down and gave such glowing reviews. I couldn’t WAIT to start reading and knew that our lake house getaway would be the perfect time. I decided about a month ago that if the library wasn’t going to provide me with a copy for my vacation, Amazon would! When the library called the week before we were leaving to tell me that my copy was waiting for me, it truly felt so meant to be. You can read about our wonderful Labor Day weekend lake house vacation HERE.

Goodreads Synopsis of The Lies That Bind {Emily Giffin}:

It’s 2 A.M. on a Saturday night in the spring of 2001, and twenty-eight-year-old Cecily Gardner sits alone in a dive bar in New York’s East Village, questioning her life. Feeling lonesome and homesick for the Midwest, she wonders if she’ll ever make it as a reporter in the big city–and whether she made a terrible mistake in breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, Matthew.

As Cecily reaches for the phone to call him, she hears a guy on the barstool next to her say, “Don’t do it–you’ll regret it.” Something tells her to listen, and over the next several hours–and shots of tequila–the two forge an unlikely connection. That should be it, they both decide the next morning, as Cecily reminds herself of the perils of a rebound relationship. Moreover, their timing couldn’t be worse–Grant is preparing to quit his job and move overseas. Yet despite all their obstacles, they can’t seem to say goodbye, and for the first time in her carefully constructed life, Cecily follows her heart instead of her head.

Then Grant disappears in the chaos of 9/11. Fearing the worst, Cecily spots his face on a missing-person poster, and realizes she is not the only one searching for him. Her investigative reporting instincts kick into action as she vows to discover the truth. But the questions pile up fast: How well did she really know Grant? Did he ever really love her? And is it possible to love a man who wasn’t who he seemed to be?

My Review of The Lies That Bind {Emily Giffin}:

I brought it to Michigan and read bits and pieces whenever I could. Lakeside? Check. In bed at night? Check. In bed first thing in the morning? Check. Sitting on the couch drinking coffee whilst gazing out at the gorgeous lake? Check. I read little bits each day throughout the 5 days and finished about 2 hours before we left to come home.

I interrupt this review to bring you this amazingness…

EMILY GIFFIN THINKS I’M PRETTY. I REPEAT…EMILY GIFFIN THINKS I’M PRETTY.

MIND. BLOWN.

So…I liked this book. I did. But did I LOVE it like my friends did? I did not.

I pretty much loathed all of the characters at varying times while reading. Just when I would start to like a character, something would happen to make me not like that character…and this continued throughout the book. Where this was supposed to make the reader feel engaged, it actually made me feel DISengaged because I felt each character and each relationship wasn’t given enough detail for me to even be able to form an opinion and once I did, that opinion was instantly changed. And not in a twisty, fun way! In more of a…this character is awful…JUST KIDDING…now THIS character is AWFUL…JUST KIDDING…and that first character…NOT AWFUL AFTERALL…JUST KIDDING! Eventually all of this back and forth just got annoying and I gave up on trying to like anybody.

Without giving away any spoilers, I felt the author’s use of 9/11 in this story was disrespectful. The actual writing and details of the events were brilliantly written but the fictitious storyline based around 9/11 felt weird and so wrong to me. I can’t even imagine reading this as someone who lost a loved one during that time. I would imagine they would feel infuriated at how this story unfolded.

This book was just eh for me. Kept me interested enough to keep reading….but I honestly don’t think I would have continued if not for the high accolades from my friends. Parts felt so long, parts felt like they could have been longer, overall just eh.

And I HATED the ending.

I was so confused because my friends LOVED IT! So I went on Goodreads and confirmed that I was indeed not alone….MANY other people out there did not.

I definately liked it! I did! It was a great book to bring on vacation as I was able to easily put it down and read bits and pieces here and there. And as much as I loved that…it was absolutely one of it’s biggest flaws as I wanted to not be able to put it down. My friends felt that “unputdownable” feeling with this book…I easily kept putting this one down. Eh.

This was my first Emily Giffin book. Would I read another? I would! Am I racing to? I’m not. Do I hope she still thinks I’m pretty even if I didn’t love her book? I REALLY, REALLY DO!

Bottom Line:

Eh.

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

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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Book Review: One Of Us Is Lying {Karen McManus}

I randomly came across One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus while searching through books online (man I miss doing that in person at the library). I thought it sounded great! I couldn’t wait to read it and to write my review.

Goodreads Synopsis of One Of Us Is Lying {Karen McManus}:

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

My Review of One Of Us Is Lying {Karen McManus}:

(Disclaimer: I will never post spoilers in my reviews HOWEVER the comment section is completely fair game to discuss any and all specifics including spoilers)

I LOVE a good YA (young adult) book. In fact, some of the very best books I’ve ever read have been YA (you can read my reviews on a few of these HERE, HERE, and HERE).

So this book was good. It kept me interested enough that I wanted to see how it would end although I very much figured out the ending significantly earlier in the book then the author intended.

HOWEVER, this book was just a bit tooooooo YA for me. Does that even make sense? The language, the actions, the stereotypes of characters/scenarios, all of it. I felt like I was reading a book MEANT for high schoolers which again, I understand that the typical audience of YA books is just that…young adults. However, most YA books that I have read have been so well written and contained such deep messages that they appeal to ALL ages. This book, however…was most definitely written for high schoolers.

Even the names of the characters just made me feel like I’m way too old to be reading this book. Bronwyn? Cooper? Keely? Maeve? Janae? Ashton? I’m too old for this.

This book had a very “Gossip Girl” vibe. I LOVED Gossip Girl…a very long time ago.

One Of Us Is Lying is the 1st in a series of 3. Will I be reading the next 2? Not unless they take place 25 years into the future, lol.

Bottom Line:

If I were 25 years younger, I would have LOVED this book. Unfortunately, I’m not.

Xo,

Jenny

Did you read this book? What did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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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Book Review: Last Couple Standing {Matthew Norman}

I had been eagerly awaiting the release of Matthew Norman’s newest book, Last Couple Standing. You may remember it being included in my 6 New Books to be Released in 2020 post! I had my name on the library wait list for MONTHS and it was a happy day when it finally came in!

Goodreads Synopsis of Last Couple Standing {Matthew Norman}:

The Core Four have been friends since college: four men, four women, four couples. They got married around the same time, had kids around the same time, and now, fifteen years later, they’ve started getting divorced around the same time, too. With three of the Core Four unions crumbling to dust around them, Jessica and Mitch Butler take a long, hard look at their own marriage. Can it be saved? Or is divorce, like some fortysomething zombie virus, simply inescapable?

To maximize their chance at immunity, Jessica and Mitch try something radical. Their friends’ divorces mostly had to do with sex—having it, not having it, wanting to have it with other people—so they decide to relax a few things. Terms are discussed, conditions are made, and together the Butlers embark on the great experiment of taking their otherwise happy, functional marriage and breaking some very serious rules.

Jessica and Mitch are convinced they’ve hit upon the next evolution of marriage. But as lines are crossed and hot bartenders pursued, they each start to wonder if they’ve made a huge mistake. What follows is sexy, fun, painful, messy, and completely surprising to them both. Because sometimes doing something bad is the only way to get to the heart of what’s really good.

My Review of Last Couple Standing {Matthew Norman}:

(Disclaimer: I will never post spoilers in my reviews HOWEVER the comment section is completely fair game to discuss any and all specifics including spoilers)

This was the 2nd book that I read while on our beautiful vacation (you can read the GLOWING review of the 1st book that I read HERE and a recap of our perfect vacation HERE).

I read the majority of this book with this exact view in front of me:

Book. Coffee. HAPPY.

Take me baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

As for this book, the entire premise of the topic of the book just felt so incredibly icky to me. Open marriage, cheating, or whatever you want to call it…hard pass. I would literally DESTROY THE BITCH who would even TRY to look at my husband.

However, this book kept my attention from the very first page and I actually really enjoyed it despite it’s yucky premise. The characters and the story lines were interesting, and many parts of this book were thought provoking. It was an easy read and I quickly flew though it! I loved the humor sprinkled throughout, it made such a heavy and weird topic feel a bit lighter.

This was the first book that I have read of Matthew Norman’s and…I’m a FAN! LOVED his writing style! I will absolutely be reading more books that he has written asap.

**Side Note: The main character, Jessica, is now officially one of my most hated book characters of all time. I absolutely loathed her.**

I continued reading this book once we got home from Michigan although the scenery surrounding me wasn’t nearly as beautiful. I always find it sad to start a book on vacation and then have to finish reading once I return home. Anyone else feel this way???

I posted this on Facebook once we returned:

Bottom Line:

Icky topic….but….I liked the book???

Xo,

Jenny

Did you read this book? What did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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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READ. THIS. BOOK.

During this quarantine I have been continuously making sure to have books on hand to occupy myself as the library has been closed. At first I looked at this as somewhat of a challenge to FINALLY read those books that have been sitting on my bookshelf for years. I read one of them (whyyyyy on Earth did it take me such a long time to read that book?!?) but then I was faced with a pile of other books that have been sitting on my bookshelf for way too long. And despite everything else…I truly didn’t (and still don’t) have a desire to read any of them. Ugh. So I borrowed a book from a friend (another one that I loved) and worked my way through the pile of library books that I had previously checkout out pre-corona.

Back in May, another dear friend and neighbor of mine texted to see if I would like to do a book swap with her as by that point we were both needing some new material to keep us busy! We texted each other pictures of books that we own and were willing to trade. The 2 that I gave to her were these:

Eh. Despite popular opinion (everyone else seems to love both of these), I truly didn’t love either of these books. You can read my review of The Wives HERE and of Becoming HERE. I happily passed both of these books along!

After looking though the pictures of the books that she was willing to offer, I chose these 2! I had never heard of either title nor had I heard of either author. After a bit of Internet research, both sounded great!

She put them on her front porch. I sent my husband to grab them and replace them with the 2 that I was giving to her, and…success! Now her and I both had some new-to-us reading material.

Book friends are the best 🙂

I chose to read The Perfect Girlfriend first and…WOW.

Book Synopsis of The Perfect Girlfriend {Karen Hamilton}:

My Book Review of The Perfect Girlfriend {Karen Hamilton}:

(Disclaimer: I will never post spoilers in my reviews HOWEVER the comment section is completely fair game to discuss any and all specifics including spoilers)

THIS. BOOK. WAS. GREAT.

After finishing the last book that I read and didn’t love, I was more than ready to read an awesome book, one which wouldn’t allow for me to put it down. JACKPOT.

(Great book + Dunkin’ coffee = joy)

From page 1 until the very last sentence, I was completely hooked. This book was CRAZY and I found myself with my hand literally covering my mouth on NUMEROUS occasions while reading….the sign of an awesome psychological thriller. This genre is absolutely one of my very favorites, and books like this are the reason why.

Short chapters, awesome story lines, CRAZY main character who does even CRAZIER things as the book goes on….loved it all.

You must read this book! I absolutely loved everything about it and couldn’t put it down. Definitely one of the best books I read during the quarantine…and one of the best books I’ve read so far in 2020! I feel bad for my friend because the 2 books that I gave to her were NOT nearly as good as this one, lol. Oops. Sorry Megan!

I cannot wait to read more from this author! Apparently this is her debut book. If she can create a story and characters this involved and awesome right from the start, I can only imagine how amazing her other books will be!

Karen Hamilton, I’m a FAN.

Bottom Line:

Read this book. Stat.

Xo,

Jenny

Did you read this book? What did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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

I Bought a Book!

Throughout this quarantine, I have been reading my way though a huge stack of library books that I had checked out before the Illinois shelter in place began, books on my bookshelf that I hadn’t yet read, and books borrowed from my dear friends. If you have been following me for any length of time, you know that I am completely obsessed with my local library. I absolutely love checking out library books and VERY rarely purchase books on my own. However, with our local library currently being closed and with no plans of reopening any time soon (insert sobbing emoji here)…I finally bought myself a brand new, beautiful book!

On Monday, I posted the following on Facebook:

That post received SO MANY great responses and some AMAZING book suggestions! I just love the Book Coffee Happy reader community so very much. 🙂 Some of your suggestions were books that I’ve read (and LOVED) and others were new to me titles. I read every single one of your comments and looked up the synopsis of every single book mentioned. I’m VERY happy to report that my To Read list has grown thanks to that post! Some of the books mentioned by you guys sound AMAZING. I love, love, love book discussions. Thank you so much to those of you who commented! If you haven’t read that post or it’s amazing comments, you can follow my Facebook page HERE.

I gave my decision as to which book I was going to buy lots of thought. Being the president of my daughter’s school’s PTO has been hard work…and receiving this gift card as a thank you touched my heart. I needed to spend it wisely! Although a few of those Facebook post suggestions reaaaaaaally got me thinking…I ultimately decided on a book that wasn’t even mentioned by any of you in that post.

I Bought A Book!

The book that I bought is a book I have been dying to read for MONTHS AND MONTHS…even before it’s release. I’ve been on my library’s wait list forever (before the book was even released) and my name isn’t even coming close to the top (especially now, lol). Every time I would walk into the library, I would desperately check the new release shelf in hopes of it randomly being there but it never was. The good news is that if you are on the wait list at my local library…your name just got moved up 1 spot 🙂

I initially thought of buying this book but then decided to see if any of your suggestions would sway me into thinking that maybe I should spend my gift card on a different title instead.

So after much thought (the minimalist in me does NOT take purchases like this lightly), I ultimately went on Amazon and thanks to Prime…it arrived on my doorstep this afternoon.

Here are some clues about this book:

It was published in February 2020…a brand new release!
It’s listed genres include: mystery, thriller, horror, fiction, and suspense.
This is the 7th book written by this author but the first one I’ve ever read.
The reviews on this book are INSANE….like….everyone loves it. I searched and searched and couldn’t find a negative review! People are LOVING this book which clearly explains why I couldn’t get my hands on a library copy.

Any guesses???

As a fun follow up to yesterday’s post where I was burning a Christmas scented candle, here is the candle currently burning next to me as I type. Quarantine life has taught me not to wait for the correct time to burn the seasonal candles….there are no seasons in quarantine! Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Off to rip open this Amazon box and wipe down my brand new book with these disinfecting wipes so I can start reading ASAP!

What book do you think I bought??? I’d love to hear your guesses 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!*

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