Wesley Gates is down on his luck. He’s drowning in debt. His demanding career isn’t letting up. And, to top it all off, after years of ignoring their failing marriage, his wife has had enough.
Heartbroken and in desperate need of a place to stay while he gives his wife the space she’s asked for, Wes is shocked when he runs into a familiar face from his past. As they catch up, Wes quickly learns his old classmate has an extra room and a non-existent social life. He can’t help feeling grateful to spend time with someone who remembers who he was during their glory days, long before his life fell apart. So, when Elias offers to rent out his spare bedroom, it seems like the answer to all Wes’s problems. Wes takes his old friend up on the offer without hesitation.
Living with someone you barely know is better than living with a stranger… Isn’t it?
But soon, Wes realizes moving in with Elias may have been a mistake. Between the wild mood swings, strange occurrences, and total disregard for his new roommate’s privacy, Wes begins to wonder if Elias will be his savior or his worst nightmare.
When his wife reveals devastating news that destroys the final bit of shaky ground Wes was standing on, his new roommate may be all he has left.
Maybe that’s what Elias wanted in the first place… Or maybe it’s all in Wes’s head.
Elias invited him in… Will Wes ever be able to leave?
My Review ofThe Roommate {Kiersten Modglin}:
For whatever reason, I historically don’t choose books with male points of view when choosing books or audiobooks. The Roommate is told entirely from a male point of view which did cause me to pause before I chose it, but decided to give it a try anyway. I’m glad I did! Listening to this from a male point of view was interesting and it opened my eyes to choosing more male points of view in the future.
So this book was interesting in the fact that literally NOTHING happened for the first 90% or so. Like…how is that even possible?? And then the last 10% was super weird. I actually enjoyed the 90% where nothing happened more than the 10% where things actually did.
Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:
Skip it. It’s about nothing.
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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Audiobook Review: Do Not Disturb {Freida McFadden}
Crumbl Cookies, you have my heart.
Hiiiii! How are you? I have been on such an audiobook kick lately! I listened to this one a few weeks ago over the course of a few days. This is my 2nd Freida Mcfadden book. You can read my review (and book synopsis) of The SurrogateMotherHERE.
Photo Credit: Amazon
Goodreads Synopsis of Do Not Disturb {Freida McFadden}:
Quinn Alexander has committed an unthinkable crime.
To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. She leaves behind her home, her job, and her family. She grabs her passport and heads for the northern border before the police can discover what she’s done.
But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel. The handsome and kindly owner, Nick Baxter, is only too happy to offer her a cheap room for the night.
Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn’t the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. The motel has a dark and disturbing past. And in the dilapidated house across the way, the silhouette of Nick’s ailing wife is always at the window. Always watching.
In the morning, Quinn must leave the motel. She’ll pack up her belongings and get back on the road to freedom.
But first, she must survive the night.
My Review of Do Not Disturb {Freida McFadden}:
I appreciate the writing…so many different storylines and so many characters all weaved together.
The actual story? Eh. I wasn’t nearly as invested in it as I should have been. An easy listen but one I most definitely wasn’t racing to listen to at every chance I got. I kept waiting for it to get better but it just never did. Fell flat for me. And while my predictions did keep changing as I read, I found one major part of the ending to be pretty predictable. Eh.
As an audiobook? Another eh. I hated Nick’s voice.
Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:
I would skip this one. It’s fine…but there are way better audiobooks out there!
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
Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…
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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:
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!
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I saw this shirt while shopping a few weeks ago, I should have bought it!
The first book of Gabrielle Zevin’s that I read waaaaaaaaaaaay back when I first started writing Book Coffee Happy was Young Jane Young. I loved it (you can read the synopsis and my review HERE…one of my verrrry first blog posts). A few years later I read The Storied Life of AJ Fikry which I declared to be the very best book that I have ever read…EVER. That book is so amazing (you can read the synopsis and my review HERE).
Goodreads Synopsis ofTomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow {Gabrielle Zevin}:
On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.
Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.
STOP EVERYTHING AND READ. THIS. BOOK.
Omg this book.
It’s so BEAUTIFULLY written.
I must admit that I was hesitant to pick this one up due to the subject…I am NOT by any means a “gamer” (although I must admit that I am FANTASTIC at Mario Kart). I am here to report that if you are at all hesitant as I was, READ THIS BOOK. I promise that not being an actual gamer didn’t hinder my understanding or my love for this book even the slightest bit. If anything, it piqued my interest and made me realize how brilliant game designers truly are.
Do you follow Book Coffee Happy on Instagram? Here are some of the Instastories that I shared while reading (devouring?) this beautiful book:
A beautifully written book in every single way. Stop whatever you are doing and get your hands on a copy. Stat.
Every single thing about this book is pure magic. The beautiful writing, the in depth characters representing SO MANY, the complicated relationships, the overall story (and the stories that fall within those stories)…all simply magic. I absolutely savored every word in this book and never wanted it to end.
Bottom Line:
I officially now declare this to be one of my all time favorite books.
I won’t be posting here for a bit…my family is going on a little vacation for the next week! Follow me on Instagram…I’ll be posting stories while on the trip 🙂
Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Xo,
Jenny
Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
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If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember the Instastories of me literally CHASING this book around town at the beginning of summer. It was high on my TBR and I was DETERMINED to find myself a copy. I went to Barnes and Noble and not only were they sold out…but apparently ALL Barnes and Nobles in my area for miles around were sold out! Well if THAT didn’t make me want to read it even more, nothing would.
So I took a quick lunch break and then went straight to to bookstore #2…Barbara’s Bookstore in Vernon Hills…SUCCESS! I happily bought my book and left with a smile on my face. I couldn’t wait to start reading!
Goodreads Synopsis of Every Summer After {Carley Fortune}:
They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.
Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.
For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.
When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.
Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever.
Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.
My Review of Every Summer After {Carley Fortune}:
Book + Pedicure = Happiness
I was so excited when I finally DID manage myself a copy of this book! I bought it, I read it, and…Eh.
I really, really liked it. There’s nothing not to like! I smiled, I cried, I felt alllll the emotions while reading. BUT…
It was boring. It took me weeks to finish. I’m not sure what I’m missing here….so many people say they devoured this book in 1 sitting? I felt like nothing really happened within the first 2/3 of this book? It held my interest enough to keep reading but I just kept waiting for something….ANYTHING…to happen? I also just wanted MORE. More storyline, more character development, more reasons to like Percy (I did not), more Sue, more EVERYTHING.
I found the timelines to be confusing. Bouncing around through 12 years while simultaneously talking about the present just didn’t work for me. I found myself going back to the beginning of chapters to remind myself what decade we were in. Eh.
And my biggest issue with this book….IT. WAS. SO. PREDICTABLE. By chapter 2, I figured out the entire ending and I was spot on. And I wasn’t even trying to predict anything! I HATE THAT SO MUCH.
Now I DID enjoy the writing style and I’m very much looking forward to reading another book by Carley Fortune but unfortunately this one just wasn’t my favorite.
And the cover art is weird. Why does Percy have a bald spot?
Bottom Line:
It’s good…definitely not worthy of all the hype.
Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Xo,
Jenny
Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
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Months ago, my best friend Amy and I visited a Half Price Books Outlet (remember when I first went there and bought what turned out to be the BEST BOOK I’VE EVER READ???)
I look tired but happy in this photo, lol. Here’s hoping that Dunkin helped to wake me up! Also, it’s now August and I was wearing a winter coat in this picture.
I bought 2 books that day. 1 had been on my TBR for quite some time and 1 was a new to me book/author that I had never heard of.
The New Book That Had Been On My TBR For Quite Some Time:
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before {Jenny Han}
Goodreads Synopsis of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before {Jenny Han}:
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed.
But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh.
As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
New To Me Book/Author:
Skinny {Donna Cooner}
Goodreads Synopsis of Skinny {Donna Cooner}:
Find your voice.
Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it.
But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.
With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.
I Read One Book and Am Reading the Other One Now
I was super excited to find these 2 books! I read Skinny first but am actually saving my review to publish during…BLOGMAS! Yes, I am doing Blogmas again this year, I loved doing it last year even though I didn’t quite complete it (HERE is a link to a video I made allllll about what Blogmas is). Stay tuned for my full review but in the meantime here’s a hint as to how I felt about this book: READ. IT. STAT.
And now, I’m 150ish pages into To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Jury is still out on how I feel about it but my friend Jenna absolutely loves it so I feel like I need to continue to give it a fair chance :). So far, I would say that I’m liking…not loving…it??? Fingers crossed I start loving it soon!
Have you read either of these books? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Xo,
Jenny
Click the images below to order the books through my Amazon affiliate 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!*
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Our dear friends sent us a get well soon Sugarwish Box last week! We let our son choose the candy types 🙂 CUTEST GIFT!
You can check out the Sugarwish website and how it all works HERE. I have no affiliation with this company but this is one of the most adorable gifts I’ve ever received so I wanted to share!
Greetings from Day #16 of Covid! So in ways I am feeling much better but there are definitely ways in which I am far from feeling normal. I’m still congested, my ears are closed, I’m lightheaded, I’m exhausted, and the fact that my taste or smell is all messed up is DRIVING. ME. CRAZY. But…I have been trying to move on and do normal things because clearly this recovery isn’t going to happen overnight. My doctor now has me on a steroid and an antibiotic so fingers crossed they knock they help me to feel more like myself ASAP! Thank you to all of you who reached out after my LAST POST!
I went to Target 3 days ago and it felt so weird and wonderful to be out in public! A few hours of walking (sauntering?) slowly and aimlessly down the aisles was so amazing and so blissfully needed.
How FUN are these candles?! I have no clue how they smell (stupid Covid) but they are SO, SO CUTE!I really wanted to buy this t shirt but they didn’t have my size. Absolutely love!
Last night, we went to the most amazing fireworks show that my town put on. They didn’t have fireworks on July 4th out of respect to our neighboring community of Highland Park so they did them last night instead. They were AMAZING!
So that’s the Covid update! Symptoms still there but trying my hardest to get my life back. I miss my life!
Speaking of my life…how NOT ME is it to have (gasp) overdue library books?!? I’m so ashamed…this is NOT how a Library Hero should act! I must return these 4 books ASAP although I haven’t even cracked open any of the covers. This KILLS me because I was really excited to read all 4 of these…but I just haven’t felt good enough lately to even try. And now they must be returned. SIGH.
**Note: I always at least TRY to make my photos look beautiful…but with how I’m feeling lately, carpet photos at weird angles is literally the very best I can do right now, lol ;)**
Book I’m Not Reading #1:
The Club {Ellery Lloyd}
9 times out of 10, Reese Witherspoon and I do NOT agree on books (THIS book, THIS book, and THIS book are the major exceptions). However, The Club sounds so good that I have high hopes that Reese and I might be able to agree! This book was the 1 of the 4 that I was the most excited to read…hopefully I will soon 🙂
Goodreads Synopsis of The Club {Ellery Lloyd}:
The Home Group is a glamorous collection of celebrity members’ clubs dotted across the globe, where the rich and famous can party hard and then crash out in its five-star suites, far from the prying eyes of fans and the media.
The most spectacular of all is Island Home—a closely-guarded, ultraluxurious resort, just off the English coast—and its three-day launch party is easily the most coveted A-list invite of the decade.
But behind the scenes, tensions are at breaking point: the ambitious and expensive project has pushed the Home Group’s CEO and his long-suffering team to their absolute limits. All of them have something to hide—and that’s before the beautiful people with their own ugly secrets even set foot on the island.
As tempers fray and behavior worsens, as things get more sinister by the hour and the body count piles up, some of Island Home’s members will begin to wish they’d never made the guest list.
Because at this club, if your name’s on the list, you’re not getting out.
Book I’m Not Reading #2:
Greenwich Park {Katherine Faulkner}
I know nothing about this book or this author but it caught my eye on the library shelf weeks ago. It sounds so amazing!
Goodreads Synopsis ofGreenwich Park {Katherine Faulkner}:
Helen’s idyllic life—handsome architect husband, gorgeous Victorian house, and cherished baby on the way (after years of trying)—begins to change the day she attends her first prenatal class and meets Rachel, an unpredictable single mother-to-be. Rachel doesn’t seem very maternal: she smokes, drinks, and professes little interest in parenthood. Still, Helen is drawn to her. Maybe Rachel just needs a friend. And to be honest, Helen’s a bit lonely herself. At least Rachel is fun to be with. She makes Helen laugh, invites her confidences, and distracts her from her fears.
But her increasingly erratic behavior is unsettling. And Helen’s not the only one who’s noticed. Her friends and family begin to suspect that her strange new friend may be linked to their shared history in unexpected ways. When Rachel threatens to expose a past crime that could destroy all of their lives, it becomes clear that there are more than a few secrets laying beneath the broad-leaved trees and warm lamplight of Greenwich Park.
Book I’m Not Reading #3:
An Honest Lie {Tarryn Fisher}
I HATED The Wives (read my review HERE) but I DIDN’T hate Tarryn’s writing style so I was willing to give her newest book a chance…???
Goodreads Synopsis of An Honest Lie {Tarryn Fisher}:
Lorraine—“Rainy”—lives at the top of Tiger Mountain. Remote, moody, cloistered in pine trees and fog, it’s a sanctuary, a new life. She can hide from the disturbing past she wants to forget.
If she’s allowed to.
When Rainy reluctantly agrees to a girls’ weekend in Vegas, she’s prepared for an exhausting parade of shots and slot machines. But after a wild night, her friend Braithe doesn’t come back to the hotel room.
And then Rainy gets the text message, sent from Braithe’s phone: someone has her. But Rainy is who they really want, and Rainy knows why.
What follows is a twisted, shocking journey on the knife-edge of life and death. If she wants to save Braithe—and herself—the only way is to step back into the past.
Book I’m Not Reading #4:
Super Host {Kate Russo}
I’ve seen this book recently reviewed on many book blogs and I think it sounds so wonderful. If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know that my family LOVES to rent Airbnbs! Over the past 2 years, we have rented them in Michigan, Galena, and of course…the ill fated Google homepage worthy trip to Tennessee, lol.
Goodreads Synopsis of Super Host {Kate Russo}:
Bennett Driscoll is a Turner Prize-nominated artist who was once a rising star. Now, at age fifty-five, his wife has left him, he hasn’t sold a painting in two years, and his gallery wants to stop selling his work, claiming they’ll have more value retrospectively…when he’s dead. So, left with a large West London home and no income, he’s forced to move into his artist’s studio in the back garden and list his house on the popular vacation rental site, AirBed.
A stranger now in his own home, with his daughter, Mia, off at art school, and any new relationships fizzling out at best, Bennett struggles to find purpose in his day-to-day. That all changes when three different guests–lonely American Alicia; tortured artist Emma; and cautiously optimistic divorcée Kirstie–unwittingly unlock the pieces of himself that have been lost to him for too long.
Warm, witty, and utterly humane, Super Host offers a captivating portrait of middle age, relationships, and what it truly means to take a new chance at life.
So there you go…4 books I am NOT reading although fingers crossed I will read them all soon!
I hope you are having a lovely day!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think? I’d love to hear your (ZERO SPOILERS) 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!*
*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 Book I Am The Most Excited To Read This Summer
Chillin’ at one of my favorite places on the planet…my bestie’s pool! Fun fact: Unbeknownst to me, her landscaper entered the pool area JUST as I was taking this selfie while she was inside of the house. It was awkward for both of us.
Earlier in the week I had quite the adventure literally CHASING a book around town. I wanted to buy a copy of this book so badly and I was on a MISSION. I documented the entire ordeal on Instagram Stories throughout the day but I never revealed the title of the book :).
I had been on the library waitlist for weeks and I had a feeling that my name wasn’t moving up to the top slot anytime soon. And then last Monday, I received the following message from my dear friend and book twin, Jana:
Straw that broke the camel’s back? Check. I LOVED 28 Summers SO MUCH! If you haven’t yet read 28 Summers, you must read it ASAP…it’s so wonderful (except for the tiny fact that the entire beautiful story is centered around horrible infidelity…read my review HERE).
The very next day after receiving this message from my book twin, I set out on a mission. I started at Barnes and Noble where I was told that not only did they not have any copies but NO BARNES AND NOBLE in the AREA had any copies. Everyone is reading this book right now! I left the store feeling a bit discouraged but also even more intrigued to find myself a copy…
Bookstore #2: Barbara’s Bookstore in Hawthorn Mall. They had 3 copies! Barbara’s Bookstore for the WIN!
**So many of you messaged me asking if I tried looking for the book on Amazon or Target. I had not because I really wanted to buy it from a bookstore. I so rarely buy books (I love my library so much) so when I do actually purchase a book, I just love the experience of shopping in bookstores and supporting the book community!**
The Book I Am The Most Excited To Read This Summer:
I’m hoping to start reading either tonight or tomorrow…I’ll share my thoughts as soon as I finish! My expectations are obviously HIGH for this one, fingers crossed I’m not disappointed…
Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below but ABSOLUTELY NO SPOILERS, PLEASE!!
Xo,
Jenny
Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*
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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
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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!*
*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*
*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*
*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*
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Book Coffee Happy 