Happy New Year and a Change to Book Coffee Happy :)

Happy New Year and a Change to Book Coffee Happy 🙂

Hiiiii!

I hope you loved Blogmas as much as I did. Blogmas is so much work but I absolutely loved doing it and have already started planning for next December. If you missed the end of Blogmas, you can read the Blogmas wrap up (including the entire month’s posts) HERE.

Happy New Year!

I hope your holiday was filled with lots time with those that you love and lots of time reading BOOKS 🙂

I did a LOT of reading:

An overnight hotel staycation with my family 🙂

My bestie and I went to the Half Price Books Outlet:

Me 🙂
My Beautiful Bestie…Hi Amy!!!
THE. VERY. BEST.
Oh I sure did read this book waaaaaay back in the day written by Britney Spears and her mother!
On NYE we went to a spy themed restaurant and they made you create your very own spy agent name. My daughter took one look at mine and rolled her eyes which made me love my name choice even more 🙂

A Change to Book Coffee Happy:

There is an exciting change coming to Book Coffee Happy in the new year!

I am proudly reflected in all aspects of my blog from the pink background (my favorite color of ALL TIME. The VERY first thing I did once I started blogging was to change the background from white to pink, lol) to the not so grammatically correct sentences. This blog is MINE and what I love most about it is that I put my heart into each and every aspect of it. I’ve worked hard through the years to make sure that this little blog of mine is something that I am proud of, not only because it creates revenue for me but because it is my favorite creative outlet. I love blogging and I love the community of book lovers that I have worked so hard to create!

Since I have started blogging in 2018, I have always included my “bottom line” at the bottom of all of my book reviews. It’s usually 1 (ish?) sentence that summarizes my review of the book. I have always called this 1 sentence my “Bottom Line”…and I have always HATED that I have called this 1 sentence my “Bottom Line”! It sounds so formal and so “businessey”…in other words, so NOT me. I guess I just didn’t know what else to call it without using a “star” rating system (I did use the “star” rating system when I first started blogging but over time I learned that it worked better for me to review books without it). I wanted a quick, few word recap of my feelings at the end of each of my reviews to summerize my thoughts but I was simply at a loss of what to call it. “Bottom Line” just made the most sense because those final thoughts have always been indeed my bottom line! The name for these last thoughts just never fit with the overall vibe of my blog.

Until now 🙂

After years of trying to come up with a better title for this little recap of my reviews, I have finally landed upon the perfect word. A word that reflects me and a word that reflects my blog in a perfect way. So starting in 2023, at the end of each of my book reviews you will also find my…

drumroll please….

EPILOGUE!

According the the Oxford Dictionary, an epilogue is defined as a section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened.

How PERFECT is that?!?

I am a huge fan of epilogues in general as I like books (and television shows) to be wrapped up in pretty little bows and using this word on each of my blog reviews is such a perfect match. It feels so much more ME and is such a better fit for Book Coffee Happy. And I obvi love that it’s a literary term. Perfect.

So cheers to 2023 and cheers to Book Coffee Happy! I have some really exciting things already planned for this blog in the coming year and I’m so happy to have you along for the ride.

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! Spend some time searching through old blog posts, I have been blogging since 2018 and I’ve read a LOT of books 🙂

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s 13 most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

My Favorite Posts that I wrote in 2022 can be found HERE

I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby:

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

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

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

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

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_5573-1.jpg

Blogmas 2022: Non Holiday Book Review: Instamom {Chantel Guertin}

Blogmas 2022: Non Holiday Book Review: Instamom {Chantel Guertin}

Goodreads Synopsis of Instamom {Chantel Guertin}:

It’s the influencer’s golden rule: know your niche. Kit Kidding has found hers on Instagram, where she gets paid to promote brands and share expertly curated posts about her fun, fabulous, child-free life. Kit likes kids just fine, but she passionately believes that women who choose not to become mothers shouldn’t have to face guilt. Or judgement. Or really hot chefs who turn out to be single dads.

Will MacGregor is aggravating, sexy, persistent, averse to social media, and definitely a bad idea. As soon as Kit learns his parenting status, she vows to put their scorching one-night stand behind her and move on. But Will and Kit are thrown together on an Instagram campaign, and the more time she spends with him—and his whip-smart, eight-year-old daughter, Addie—the more difficult it is to stay away, much less sustain what Will so cleverly calls her “Resting Beach Face.” Kit’s picture-perfect career path is suddenly clashing with the possibility of a different future—messy, complicated, and real. Which life does she truly want? Will she have to re-invent herself? And will love still be waiting by the time she figures it out?

My Review of Instamom {Chantel Guertin}:

It was…good. Not great but good!

As someone who LOVES Instagram and follows tons of influencers, I loved the premise of this story and a behind the scenes look at how these people live their lives. Definately my favorite parts of the book were the parts where Kit would discuss her influencer status and all that it entails to be successful.

That being said, I didn’t enjoy the relationship between Kit and Will. In fact, it was so forgettable that I just had to pick up the book to even remember Will’s name, lol. I found their relationship completely unbelievable and I never felt whatever spark they claimed that they had. Eh.

The overall message of the book was a good one although I disliked so many of the characters that the delivery just wasn’t there for me. I found myself struggling to finish the book and never wanting to pick it up although it was an easy read!

Eh…if you’re looking for a light, easy book this one is ok although honestly, I’d probably just skip it.

Bottom Line:

Eh.

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

Blogmas 2022 Posts:

12/1 Welcome to Blogmas 2022 {Video)!!

12/2 BLOGMAS 2022: Happy Birthday to ME {Target Gift Card Giveaway}

12/3 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: The Holiday Swap {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2022: The Bookish Gift I Bought For Myself

12/5 Blogmas 2022: Winter Wonderland Book Tag

12/6 Blogmas 2022: 6 Books I Want To Read in 2023

12/7 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: Kiss Her Once For Me {Alison Cochrun}

12/8 Blogmas 2022: Book I’m Currently Reading, Coffee I’m Currently Drinking, 1 Thing Making Me HAPPY!

12/9 Blogmas 2022: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: Maybe Someday {Colleen Hoover}

12/10 Blogmas 2022: The Christmas Book I Started Reading and Didn’t Finish

12/11 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: Christmas in Winter Hill {Melody Carlson}

12/12 Blogmas 2022: 2 Books For Upcoming Blog Giveaways

12/13 Blogmas 2022: Non Holiday Book Review: Skinny {Donna Cooner}

12/14 Blogmas 2022: INTERNATIONAL BOOK GIVEAWAY (2 Signed Copies): The Mommy Clique {Barbara Altamirano}

12/15 Blogmas 2022: The Holiday Book I’m Most Excited to Read NEXT Holiday Season

12/16 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas {James Patterson, Tad Safran}

12/17 Blogmas 2022: The 13 Best Books I Read in 2022

12/18 Blogmas 2022: Review of the Christmas Book With One of the Prettiest Book Covers I Have Ever Seen

12/19 Blogmas 2022: Smash or Pass Book Tag

12/20 Blogmas 2022: My Favorite Book Coffee Happy Posts of 2022

12/21 Blogmas 2022: 11 Non Book Gift Ideas for Book Lovers

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)*

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

The 13 best books I read in 2021 can be found HERE

Book Coffee Happy’s 12 most viewed posts of 2021 can be found HERE

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_5573-1.jpg

Blogmas 2022: The 13 Best Books I Read in 2022

Blogmas 2022: The 13 Best Books I Read in 2022

For the past 2 years on this post I have used a picture of the year’s number all lit up in beautiful lights from an annual drive thru light show. This year they had the lights set up in a weird place and I couldn’t get my annual blog picture! Soooo….random selfie it is, lol.

It’s heeeeeere….the post I wait all year to write! This post is always so much fun for me because it allows me the opportunity to think about and reflect on alllllll of the books I’ve read this year (and I’ve read A LOT of books this year). It’s also always one of my most visited posts due to the fact that I include it in my blog signature at the very bottom of each post that I write.

If you are a regular blog reader, you know that I always include my “bottom line” on the bottom of my reviews which is a quick way for me to recap my feelings. Just like I have done in past years, I thought it would be fun to list these books only by the bottom line that I gave to them in my reviews. Click these bottom lines to take you directly to my review of each book (which also includes the synopsis for each book).

Here are links to my favorite books from past years:

The Best Books I Read in 2019

The Best Books I Read in 2020

The Best Books I Read in 2021

And….drumroll please….I now proudly present to you….in absolutely no particular order…

The 13 Best Books I Read in 2022:

Book #1’s Bottom Line:

If you love libraries, you will LOVE this special book.

Book #2’s Bottom Line:

Read this. Today.

Book #3’s Bottom Line:

Read this. And be ready to develop a sudden fascination with the entire Kennedy Family.

Book #4’s Bottom Line:

Sweet, innocent, cheesy words of a really beautiful story and suddenly…BAM…dirty sex scene. Loved this book so much!

Book #5’s Bottom Line:

This book is FASCINATING.

Book #6’s Bottom Line:

I never wanted this book to end.

Book #7’s Bottom Line:

It’s haunting, it’s disturbing, it’s insane. It’s awesome. I LOVED it.

Book #8’s Bottom Line:

Perfect little holiday read!

Book #9’s Bottom Line:

I can already confidently say that this will be one of my favorite books of the year…and it’s only January 🙂

Book #10’s Bottom Line:

Absolutely loved it.

Book #11’s Bottom Line:

I officially now declare this to be one of my all time favorite books.

Book #12’s Bottom Line:

One of my favorite reads of the year!

Book #13’s Bottom Line:

If you are married, read this book. And then go and hug your spouse.

What are some of the best books that you have read this year? Have you read any of my 2022 favorites? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Blogmas 2022 Posts:

12/1 Welcome to Blogmas 2022 {Video)!!

12/2 BLOGMAS 2022: Happy Birthday to ME {Target Gift Card Giveaway}

12/3 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: The Holiday Swap {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2022: The Bookish Gift I Bought For Myself

12/5 Blogmas 2022: Winter Wonderland Book Tag

12/6 Blogmas 2022: 6 Books I Want To Read in 2023

12/7 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: Kiss Her Once For Me {Alison Cochrun}

12/8 Blogmas 2022: Book I’m Currently Reading, Coffee I’m Currently Drinking, 1 Thing Making Me HAPPY!

12/9 Blogmas 2022: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: Maybe Someday {Colleen Hoover}

12/10 Blogmas 2022: The Christmas Book I Started Reading and Didn’t Finish

12/11 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: Christmas in Winter Hill {Melody Carlson}

12/12 Blogmas 2022: 2 Books For Upcoming Blog Giveaways

12/13 Blogmas 2022: Non Holiday Book Review: Skinny {Donna Cooner}

12/14 Blogmas 2022: INTERNATIONAL BOOK GIVEAWAY (2 Signed Copies): The Mommy Clique {Barbara Altamirano}

12/15 Blogmas 2022: The Holiday Book I’m Most Excited to Read NEXT Holiday Season

12/16 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas {James Patterson, Tad Safran}

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)*

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

The 13 best books I read in 2021 can be found HERE

Book Coffee Happy’s 12 most viewed posts of 2021 can be found HERE

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_5573-1.jpg

Blogmas 2022: Book Review: The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas {James Patterson, Tad Safran}

Blogmas 2022: Book Review: The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas {James Patterson, Tad Safran}

Obsessed with how this picture turned out…

Goodreads Synopsis of The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas {James Patterson, Tad Safran}:

Every year at Christmastime, Will and Ella Sullivan, and their father, Henry, come to a family agreement: Christmas is a holiday for other people. 

At their brownstone in Harlem, stockings go unstuffed, tinsel unstrewn, gifts unbought, mistletoe unhung, chestnuts unroasted, carols unplayed, cookies uncooked, a tree un-visible, and guests uninvited. 

Until guests start arriving anyway. In pairs and sixes, in sevens and tens—they keep coming. And they stay. For twelve long, hard, topsy-turvy, very messy days. That’s when the Sullivans discover that those moments in life that defy hope, expectation, or even imagination, might be the best gifts of all. 

My Review of The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas {James Patterson, Tad Safran}:

This book is…cute.

I definitely found myself smiling throughout reading. The descriptions in my head of what was happening in each scene were hilarious and delightful. It’s nearly impossible to write this review without giving away so many spoilers so I will just leave it at this: Not what I was expecting (not even close, lol) but a cute little holiday read. Would make a precious movie.

I LOVED the ending.

Such a short book, such an easy read. Chapters were just a few pages each…the best! I WILL say that I was expecting so much MORE from James Patterson which leads me to believe that he had very, very little with the actual writing of this book, lol.

Bottom Line:

Would I recommend it? Eh…it’s cute…but there are WAY better holiday books out there.

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

The Mommy Clique Giveaway Winner Video:

Thank you to everyone who entered! If you missed it, HERE is the giveaway post with the awesome book synopsis and my review.

The video of me choosing the winners:

Blogmas 2022 Posts:

12/1 Welcome to Blogmas 2022 {Video)!!

12/2 BLOGMAS 2022: Happy Birthday to ME {Target Gift Card Giveaway}

12/3 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: The Holiday Swap {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2022: The Bookish Gift I Bought For Myself

12/5 Blogmas 2022: Winter Wonderland Book Tag

12/6 Blogmas 2022: 6 Books I Want To Read in 2023

12/7 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: Kiss Her Once For Me {Alison Cochrun}

12/8 Blogmas 2022: Book I’m Currently Reading, Coffee I’m Currently Drinking, 1 Thing Making Me HAPPY!

12/9 Blogmas 2022: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: Maybe Someday {Colleen Hoover}

12/10 Blogmas 2022: The Christmas Book I Started Reading and Didn’t Finish

12/11 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: Christmas in Winter Hill {Melody Carlson}

12/12 Blogmas 2022: 2 Books For Upcoming Blog Giveaways

12/13 Blogmas 2022: Non Holiday Book Review: Skinny {Donna Cooner}

12/14 Blogmas 2022: INTERNATIONAL BOOK GIVEAWAY (2 Signed Copies): The Mommy Clique {Barbara Altamirano}

12/15 Blogmas 2022: The Holiday Book I’m Most Excited to Read NEXT Holiday Season

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

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)*

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

The 13 best books I read in 2021 can be found HERE

Book Coffee Happy’s 12 most viewed posts of 2021 can be found HERE

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_5573-1.jpg

Blogmas 2022: Book Review: Kiss Her Once For Me {Alison Cochrun}

Blogmas 2022: Book Review: Kiss Her Once For Me {Alison Cochrun}

Oh was I excited for this book to be released! I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Alison Cochrun’s previous book, The Charm Offensive and I couldn’t WAIT to get my hands on a copy of her newest book, Kiss Her Once for Me!

***And if you haven’t yet read The Charm Offensive….READ. THE. CHARM. OFFENSIVE. I absolutely DEVOURED that book, it’s so amazing.***

Goodreads Synopsis of Kiss Her Once For Me {Alison Cochrun}:

One year ago, recent Portland transplant Ellie Oliver had her dream job in animation and a Christmas Eve meet-cute with a woman at a bookstore that led her to fall in love over the course of a single night. But after a betrayal the next morning and the loss of her job soon after, she finds herself adrift, alone, and desperate for money.

Finding work at a local coffee shop, she’s just getting through the days—until Andrew, the shop’s landlord, proposes a shocking, drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes and isolation. They make a plan to spend the holidays together at his family cabin to keep up the ruse. But when Andrew introduces his new fiancée to his sister, Ellie is shocked to discover it’s Jack—the mysterious woman she fell for over the course of one magical Christmas Eve the year before. Now, Ellie must choose between the safety of a fake relationship and the risk of something real.

My Review of Kiss Her Once For Me {Alison Cochrun}:

Aaaaaaand exactly as expected…I loved it 🙂

It’s wonderful! I LOVED the characters…each so intricate, so complicated, and so beautifully written. I loved the humor and found myself smiling while reading at many different points. I loved the overall messages and takeaways from this book (which I won’t say because I would never spoil a book for you)!

**Side Note: I think the name Ellie Oliver might be the cutest character name I’ve read.**

Reading is self care!

Alison Cochrun has such a gift and whatever she writes, I will absolutely read. Her writing just flows so well…does that even make sense?! I adore her!

Kiss Her Once for Me is such a delightful holiday book and as someone who LOVES the snow, all of the beautiful snowy scenes made my heart so happy 🙂

Bottom Line:

Loved it.

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

Blogmas 2022 Posts:

12/1 Welcome to Blogmas 2022 {Video)!!

12/2 BLOGMAS 2022: Happy Birthday to ME {Target Gift Card Giveaway}

12/3 Blogmas 2022: Book Review: The Holiday Swap {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2022: The Bookish Gift I Bought For Myself

12/5 Blogmas 2022: Winter Wonderland Book Tag

12/6 Blogmas 2022: 6 Books I Want To Read in 2023

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)*

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

The 13 best books I read in 2021 can be found HERE

Book Coffee Happy’s 12 most viewed posts of 2021 can be found HERE

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_5573-1.jpg

Blogmas 2022: Book Review: The Holiday Swap {Maggie Knox}

Blogmas 2022: Book Review: The Holiday Swap {Maggie Knox}

So this was the book that I wanted to read LAST holiday season but ran out of time (and I am waaaaaay too Type A to read a holiday book at any other time of the year). Everyone was reading this book last December and I found myself experiencing some pretty big FOMO! So, obviously this was the first book I picked up to read during this holiday season and I couldn’t wait to start reading 🙂

Goodreads Synopsis of The Holiday Swap {Maggie Knox}:

All they want for Christmas is a different life.

When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell–both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie’s identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family’s bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won’t get the memo that they’re over.


With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven’t done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician’s assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix. Will the twins’ identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?

My Review of The Holiday Swap {Maggie Knox}:

**Note that the book I own is an Advanced Reader Copy. Thank you to my sweet friend (you know who you are!) for sharing it with me!**

Ok so obviously it’s an adorable premise…set in a adorable small town.

This book was just WAY too unrealistic and way too predictable for me. I literally predicted almost every single thing that happened which made for a rather annoying reading experience.

The “swap” was also annoying…I kept confusing the characters throughout the entire book!

But most of all it made me angry how this book was about 2 adult women who spent the majority of their time switching places and repeatedly LYING to EVERYONE.

And one of THE most annoying parts of this book? It’s freaking not even a holiday book. Yes it takes place right before Christmas but there really isn’t anything “Christmasy” about it until the verrrrrry end.

I didn’t hate this book, I just didn’t love it. It was cute, it was sweet, it was….eh. So many other adorable holiday books out there!

Bottom Line:

Everyone LOVES this book…and I’m honestly not sure how.

Target Gift Card Giveaway

I’m LOVING all of the kind comments on yesterday’s post! Leave a comment HERE to enter for your chance to win a $20.00 Target gift card! Giveaway closes at 6:00 (central time) tonight and I’ll announce the winners in tomorrow’s Blogmas post here on my blog :). Good luck, Xo!

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

Blogmas 2022 Posts:

Welcome to Blogmas 2022 {Video)!!

BLOGMAS 2022: Happy Birthday to ME {Target Gift Card Giveaway}

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)*

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

The 13 best books I read in 2021 can be found HERE

Book Coffee Happy’s 12 most viewed posts of 2021 can be found HERE

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_5573-1.jpg

Book Review: Bookish People {Susan Coll}

Book Review: Bookish People {Susan Coll}

I’m such a sucker for books about people who read books. If you recall what FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME is, than this statement should come to you as no surprise.

Knowing this, you can understand why the synopsis of Bookish People grabbed me….especially the last sentence!

Goodreads Synopsis of Bookish People {Susan Coll}:

Independent bookstore owner Sophie Bernstein is burned out on books. Mourning the death of her husband, the loss of her favorite manager, her only child’s lack of aspiration, and the grim state of the world, she fantasizes about going into hiding in the secret back room of her store.

Meanwhile, renowned poet Raymond Chaucer has published a new collection, and rumors that he’s to blame for his wife’s suicide have led to national cancellations of his publicity tour. He intends to set the record straight—with an ultra-fine-point Sharpie—but only one shop still plans to host him: Sophie’s.

Fearful of potential repercussions from angry customers, Sophie asks Clemi—bookstore events coordinator, aspiring novelist, and daughter of a famed literary agent—to cancel Raymond’s appearance. But Clemi suspects Raymond might be her biological father, and she can’t say no to the chance of finding out for sure.

This big-hearted screwball comedy features an intergenerational cast of oblivious authors and over-qualified booksellers—as well as a Russian tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr.—and captures the endearing quirks of some of the best kinds of people: the ones who love good books.

My Review of Bookish People {Susan Coll}:

Ok so my feelings on this one are a bit all over the place. I definitely liked it and dare I even say there were parts that I LOVED but…there were MOST definitely parts that were pretty boring. It was just so wordy. SO. MANY. WORDS. And so much backstory, so many feelings…I just kept waiting for something (anything) to happen.

I didn’t feel like the character development was complete, the various viewpoints from which the story was told were confusing, and it all just felt a bit jumbled together.

HOWEVER…and here is where I’m so conflicted in my thoughts on this one…there were parts of this book that were absolutely ADORABLE. I found myself smiling on more than one occasion while reading! The backbone of this story is that books is what binds all of these people together and I absolutely loved that aspect of the book. A book describing the inner workings of a bookstore and it’s staff? Yes please!

Waiting for my Covid Booster!

But….just as often as I found myself smiling, I also found myself contemplating not even finishing because I just really didn’t care what happened to any of the characters (except for Sophie and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.).

I will say that I enjoyed this book SIGNIFICANTLY more as I kept reading and by the end, I actually ended up loving it. I just wish I had those feelings the whole time!

Bottom Line:

I pretty much equally loved and disliked this book.

Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts 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!*

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

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

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

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

The 13 best books I read in 2021 can be found HERE

Book Coffee Happy’s 12 most viewed posts of 2021 can be found HERE

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_5573-1.jpg

Book Review: The Perfect Neighborhood {Liz Alterman}

Book Review: The Perfect Neighborhood {Liz Alterman}

If you follow Book Coffee Happy on Instagram, you already know how much I LOVED reading this book! This is a perfect example of spotting a book with a new-to-me title and author sitting on the library shelf and discovering an absolute GEM.

After reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and then Things We Never Got Over, I was in the mood for my next read to be a completely different genre…and I was craving a twisty psychological thriller.

I am currently on such a streak of reading amazing books! The past 3 books I have read have all been WONDERFUL. Oh please let this streak continue…

Goodreads Synopsis of The Perfect Neighborhood {Liz Alterman}:

When actress and model Allison Langley leaves her former rockstar husband, Christopher, in the middle of the night, it’s all her Oak Hill neighbors can talk about. The gossip comes to an abrupt halt when five-year-old Billy Barnes goes missing on his walk home from kindergarten.

Billy’s mother, Rachel, blames herself for being at work and letting her only child walk alone. Cassidy, Billy’s teenage babysitter, was also late to arrive on the afternoon he disappeared and blames herself for his disappearance.

As the clock ticks down, police are unable to find any trace of Billy, forcing Rachel to ponder the enemies she’s made in their well-off suburb. Could it be one of her neighbors who stole her son? Would they abduct Billy to hurt her? How easy would it be to take a child while the parents or nannies are distracted?

When another child goes missing, the town is put under a microscope as the police try to get to the bottom of the disappearances. Will they be able to find the two children, or will it be too late? What secrets lie at the heart of this tragedy, and how far will one go to keep those dangerous secrets buried?

My Review of The Perfect Neighborhood {Liz Alterman}:

I absolutely LOVED this book!

The entire book revolves around the mystery of the missing children and my theories of who took them changed literally by the sentence. Just when I was completely sure of who took them, my theory would instantly change to me thinking it was someone else. I LOVE WHEN BOOKS ARE UNPREDICTABLE. I had NO CLUE how this book was going to end…right up until the very last sentence!

Liz Alterman’s writing style is easy to read, easy to understand, and GREAT. There were a lot of characters in this book but they weren’t difficult to keep track of and remember (which was so appreciated because this is always such a pet peeve of mine)…and each character brought such a unique perspective to this story.

I read this book over the course of a few days, I couldn’t put it down.

Bottom Line:

One of my favorite reads of the year!

Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts 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!*

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

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

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

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

The 13 best books I read in 2021 can be found HERE

Book Coffee Happy’s 12 most viewed posts of 2021 can be found HERE

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_5573-1.jpg

Book Review: Things We Never Got Over {Lucy Score}

Book Review: Things We Never Got Over {Lucy Score}

The bar was set HIGH for this one and my expectations were through the roof. When I actually purchase a book rather than check it out from the library, you KNOW I’m expecting it to be great.

I started reading this book right before my family and I took an epic road trip and this book came along on the adventure! I’ve read parts of this book in 4 different states!

Started in Illinois
Continued in Indiana
Reading while watching the sunrise over the mountains in Tennessee
Read more in Indiana
Aaaaand finished the book while back home in Illinois

Goodreads Synopsis of Things We Never Got Over {Lucy Score}:

Bearded, bad-boy barber Knox prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Unless you count his basset hound, Waylon.
Knox doesn’t tolerate drama, even when it comes in the form of a stranded runaway bride.

Naomi wasn’t just running away from her wedding. She was riding to the rescue of her estranged twin to Knockemout, Virginia, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are settled the old-fashioned way…with fists and beer. Usually in that order.

Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn’t changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected. The niece Naomi didn’t know she had. Now she’s stuck in town with no car, no job, no plan, and no home with an 11-year-old going on thirty to take care of.

There’s a reason Knox doesn’t do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi’s life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into new trouble he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.

At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.

My Review of Things We Never Got Over {Lucy Score}:

I really loved it.

There is so much hype surrounding this book right now and there is a reason…it’s wonderful.

Set in a charming small town with charming characters, I found myself smiling while reading. It’s light, easy to read, and a perfect book to bring on vacation.

It’s LONG (552 pages!) but the story never dragged, it just intensified. A bit cheesy at times and I didn’t always love the actions of one of the main characters (Knox)…but overall I really loved the story.

The biggest surprise of the book was the way the author went from cheesy, overly saccharine writing to…EXTREMELY HOT AND DIRTY SEX SCENES! Like, holy fuck did those scenes come out of left field. They were awesome and a very pleasant surprise indeed. Loved them 🙂

The second biggest surprise to me was that there was one storyline that I predicted from the very beginning that I felt was glaringly obvious throughout the entire book…AND IT TURNED OUT THAT I WAS WRONG! I absolutely LOVE when that happens!

The author’s note at the end was so beautifully written and made me respect the whole book even more.

The sequel comes out in February 2023! I’m excited to revisit Knockemout and to revisit these beautiful characters. I already LOVE the gorgeous cover:

Bottom Line:

Sweet, innocent, cheesy words of a really beautiful story and suddenly…BAM…dirty sex scene. Loved this book so much!

Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts 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!*

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

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

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

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

The 13 best books I read in 2021 can be found HERE

Book Coffee Happy’s 12 most viewed posts of 2021 can be found HERE

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_5573-1.jpg

Book Review: Any Other Family {Eleanor Brown}

Book Review: Any Other Family {Eleanor Brown}

The library didn’t put the book cover on straight and it bothered me for the entire duration of the time I was reading this book. GRRRRRRRR.

Goodreads Synopsis of Any Other Family {Eleanor Brown}:

They look just like any other family. But they aren’t a family like any other – not quite. Instead, they are three sets of parents who adopted four biological siblings, committing to keeping the children connected after the death of their grandmother.

Tabitha, who adopted the twins, is the planner of the group, responsible for coordinating playdates and birthdays and Sunday night dinners, insistent that everything happens just so. Quiet and steady Ginger, single mother to the eldest daughter, resists the forced togetherness, her own unsettled childhood leaving her wary of trusting too much. And Elizabeth is still reeling from going directly from failed fertility treatments into adopting a newborn, terrified that her unhappiness means she was not meant to be a mother at all.

But when the three women receive a surprising call from their children’s birth mother, announcing she is pregnant again and wants them to help her find an adoptive family for this child too, the delicate bonds they are still struggling to form threaten to collapse. As tensions rise, the women reckon with their own feelings about what it means to be a mother and what they owe each other as a family.

Set across the span of a family vacation, one full of boisterous laughter and emotional upheaval, Any Other Family is a thought-provoking and poignant look at how families shift and evolve and a striking portrait of motherhood in all its forms.

My Review of Any Other Family {Eleanor Brown}:

It’s a beautiful story filled with beautifully complex characters.

That being said…

…I found it boring.

It’s extremely character driven which I’ve learned I just don’t enjoy as much as a plot driven story. I like when THINGS evolve significantly more than I like reading about PEOPLE evolving. Thoughts, feelings, emotions, relationships…eh. Give me a good plot twist over any of these. Does that make sense? This book was SO character driven and I just kept waiting for something (ANYTHING) to happen…but what WAS happening were the thoughts, feelings, emotions, relationships, etc.

Boring.

**One thing that I LOVED and so wish more authors would do was that a family tree was drawn on page 1. With a book filled with so many characters and backstories, THIS WAS SO HELPFUL to keep everyone straight! Why don’t more authors choose to include this?!? As a reader, I found this so incredibly helpful and beneficial to make sure that I knew exactly everyone was and I found myself referring back to it OFTEN. While reading books, I have thought many times of creating my own type of chart/family tree to keep track of characters. Have you done this? There is a poll currently up in my Instastories asking how many of you have…I think at times I may need to start.**

Bottom Line:

A very beautiful but very boring book.

Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts 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!*

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

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

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

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

The 13 best books I read in 2021 can be found HERE

Book Coffee Happy’s 12 most viewed posts of 2021 can be found HERE

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_5573-1.jpg