***INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY*** This is Not How it Ends {Rochelle B. Weinstein}

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest blog review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved Somebody’s Daughter by Rochelle B. Weinstein.  I read that book over a year ago and I still think about it.  If you haven’t read that one yet, do yourself a favor and read it.  It’s such an important topic and the way she presents it is incredible.  You can read my review of Somebody’s Daughter here.

So obviously when I was asked if I would like to receive a copy of Rochelle Weinstein’s newest book ahead of it’s January 1st release, of course I said yes!

When it arrived in the mail, I was surprised to find that it also contained this adorable little package of Kleenex.  How cute is that?!

Receiving this package of Kleenex was my first clue that I might cry while reading this book.  Ummm…I didn’t cry.  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.

Synopsis:

When Charlotte and Philip meet, the pair form a deep and instant connection. Soon they’re settled in the Florida Keys with plans to marry. But just as they should be getting closer, Charlotte feels Philip slipping away.

Second-guessing their love is something Charlotte never imagined, but with Philip’s excessive absences, she finds herself yearning for more. When she meets Ben, she ignores the pull, but the supportive single dad is there for her in ways she never knew she desired. Soon Charlotte finds herself torn between the love she thought she wanted and the one she knows she needs.

As a hurricane passes through Islamorada, stunning revelations challenge Charlotte’s loyalties and upend her life. Forced to reexamine the choices she’s made, and has yet to make, Charlotte embarks on an emotional journey of friendship, love, and sacrifice—knowing that forgiveness is a gift, and the best-laid plans can change in a heartbeat.

This Is Not How It Ends is a tender, moving story of heartbreak and healing that asks the question: Which takes more courage—holding on or letting go?

My Thoughts:

(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 truly loved this book.  In fact, it was among my favorites that I read in 2019!

The multifaceted characters, the intricate storylines, the beautiful settings…all of it spoke directly to my heart.  The depths of emotions that each character felt were so beautifully articulated and made my heart continuously see characters from different angles the further I read into the story. I LOVED it.  I found myself thinking of these characters when I wasn’t reading which is always the sign of a great book. I couldn’t wait to pick it up again each day!  I wanted to read quickly to find out what would happen and yet at the same time, I wanted to read slowly just to savor it so it wouldn’t end. I LOVE books that make me feel like that.

Over the past year, Rochelle and I have become friends and I’m so proud of her and of her beautiful new book.  It’s always tricky for me to review a book written by someone whom I adore…what if I don’t adore the book???  I’m happy to report that I truly love this book and it has absolutely nothing to do with how much I love it’s author.  Both this book and this author are absolutely beautiful!

These characters, these storylines, these settings…all of it will stay with me for quite some time. I really loved this book. You will, too.

Bottom Line

Read this book now.  Apply eye cream later.

A Conversation with Rochelle Weinstein, In Her Own Words:

How did you create the idea for your book?

The idea for This Is Not How It Ends came from her big sister What We Leave Behind. An early fan favorite, the novel captured a heart-wrenching love story that resonated with many readers. I’d been itching to write a similar story, one which pulled all the heart strings. And here we are.

What audience would be most interested in your book?

I’d say my books are for women of all ages. Especially book club readers. And I do have some awesome male readers. If you’re the kind who’s willing to go deep, I think you’ll find my work satisfying.

Where can your book be purchased?

Amazon and some select independent bookstores.

Use 3 adjectives to describe your book:

Heartbreaking. Emotional. Unforgettable.

Any additional information that you would like to provide about you or your book:

I love connecting with readers.  Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Book Bub, Goodreads, or Instagram. Also, sign up for my newsletter at www.RochelleWeinstein.com
Thank you! I’m so grateful to all the readers and bloggers.

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

***GIVEAWAY DETAILS***

Would you like to win a signed copy of This is Not How It Ends ?
I have 1 signed copy of to give away! 
If you live in the US, the book will be mailed directly to your home.  If you live internationally, an electronic copy will be sent to you.

To be entered, please complete these 2 simple steps:

1. Make sure that you are following and/or subscribed to my blog

2. Tell me about your favorite love story (it can be from real life, a book, a movie, etc.)

FYI here’s my answer:

**My favorite love story is my own!  My husband and I are high school sweethearts.  We broke up the night before I left for college…and got back together 11 years later.  We now have 2 children, bought a house in the town where we grew up, and our kids will one day attend the same high school that we did!  We drank out of our prom champagne glasses at our wedding and Jon’s prom bow tie is current;y displayed in our china cabinet).**

**You must complete BOTH of these steps to be eligible for the giveaway and you must complete them here on my blog (not on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)**

Giveaway will close tomorrow (1/21/20) at 6:00 pm CDT and the winner will be randomly chosen and announced in Wednesday’s blog post (1/22/20).

Make sure you check the blog on Wednesday to see if you’ve won (you will have 48 hours from the time I post the winners to email me your mailing address.  If I don’t hear from you within 48 hours, I will pick a new winner).

If you already follow and/or subscribe to my blog, you are still eligible…just leave a comment below to be entered 🙂

Good luck!  Can’t wait to read your comments!

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Review of a Not Yet Released Book {Guest Blogging on Chick Lit Central}

I was so excited when Melissa from Chick Lit Central reached out and asked me to be a guest blogger on her amazing book blog! I’ve been reading Chick Lit Central for years and Melissa has been such a wonderful inspiration, supporter, and friend to me.

The topic for today’s post is a review (and giveaway!) of Mary Kubica’s newest psychological thriller, THE OTHER MRS. which officially releases 2/18/20.

Melissa and I have both read it and each give a side by side full review of our thoughts! There’s also a giveaway of this book on our post 🙂

Click HERE for a direct link to the post to read our reviews and to enter the giveaway!

And while you’re on her site, you should definitely follow Chick Lit Central! Chick Lit Central has introduced me to so many new titles and authors over the years.  Melissa not only reviews books but provides a “cast list” with Hollywood names she feels would be a good fit each character.  I love seeing who she chooses as it’s so interesting to me to view how other readers “see” the characters in books compared to how I “see” them.  Her book reviews are fantastic!  Even when her and I don’t agree on a book, I can appreciate the excellent points that she makes in her reviews.

Chick Lit Central is such a fantastic resource for anyone who loves to read…including me 🙂  I’m so excited to be a guest blogger over there today!

Xo,

Jenny

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The 12 Best Books I Read in 2019

I read A LOT of books in 2019.  I haven’t counted them but I can assure you…I read A LOT.  I read many wonderful books, many not so wonderful books and even started reading a few that I never bothered to finish because they didn’t hook me. Here (in no particular order) are my 12 absolute favorite adult fiction (and 1 young adult fiction) books that I read (and LOVED) in 2019. Click on the book cover to purchase the book through my affiliate link (when you purchase through this link, I receive a small commission…xo). Click on my review to read each book’s synopsis as well as my personal thoughts.

What If It’s Us {Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera}

Read my review HERE

The Other Woman {Sandie Jones}

Read my review HERE

Somebody’s Daughter {Rochelle B. Weinstein}

Read my review HERE

A Spark of Light {Jodi Picoult}

Read my review HERE

The Unbreakables {Lisa Barr}

Read my review HERE

Convenience Store Woman {Sayaka Murata}

Read my review HERE

The Most Fun We Ever Had {Claire Lombardo}

Read my review HERE

The Bride Test {Helen Hoang}

Read my review HERE

A Simple Favor {Darcey Bell}

Read my review HERE

The Turn of the Key {Ruth Ware}

Read my review HERE

The Mother in Law {Sally Hepworth}

Read my review HERE

This is Not How It Ends {Rochelle B. Weinstein}

This book isn’t being released until 1/1/20.  I was fortunate enough to receive an Advance Readers Copy and I finished reading just a few days ago.  I. LOVED. IT.  Full blog review coming soon…

Have you read any of the above books?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

My Superhero Mind Giveaway Winners:

Congratulations to the following lucky readers 🙂  Please email me your mailing address (bookcoffeehappy@gmail.com) within 48 hours to receive your autographed copy!  If I don’t hear from you in 48 hours, I will pick a new winner.  A big thanks to everyone who entered!  I have some fantastic giveaways already lined up for 2020, I can’t wait to share them with you…

Tracy (I would love this book to read to my own children AND all to read to in ALL the classrooms I work in! As an instructional coach, I am in so many classes and I think this book would be great for all students!
I love your blog Jenny! Thanks for sharing your love of reading with so many! Happy Holidays to you and your family!)

Becca (My 4 year old niece and my 2 year old nephew would absolutely love this book. One of the best and most meaningful things I do with them is read to them and share my love of books. This would be a great addition to the collection of books they have.)

Jess E (I’d love to have this book for my 2 year old boy/girl twins! It sounds like a great book that will be able to grow with them, teach positive lessons, and to show any and all of their dreams are supported!)

Melissa (At 2 1/2 years old, Addie would LOVE this book. She loves to read and right now she is obsessed with Spiderman so a super hero book would be great. She is a very independent, sassy and strong little girl!)

Kelley (I wish to share this book with my best friends grand daughter Carleigh! I think she would love it. Thank you)

What was your favorite book that you read in 2019? Please share 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:

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I Can’t Put This Book Down!

A book I literally can’t put down, holiday lights, a special reunion, a lovely new book in the mail, and a chance to theme out my daughter and I???  I’d call that a wonderful week!

My kids and I were driving around looking at holiday lights a few nights ago and we stumbled upon this house.  How beautiful is this?!

I had such a special thing happen earlier this week.  When I was in kindergarten, I was an advanced reader (no surprise there) and was pulled each day from my classroom to go into another classroom for advanced reading instruction. I loved my beautiful reading teacher so much and looked forward to spending time with her and her lessons each day!

Earlier this week, when I arrived to lead my storytime at a local children’s play cafe, my beautiful teacher was there with her granddaughter! We recognized each other immediately 🙂 I couldn’t believe that I was given the opportunity to read to my very own reading teacher and to be able to thank her for all she has done for me.  I was so excited to tell her how my love of reading had lead me to teaching elementary school for 14 years, currently writing a book blog and to now being paid to read to kids twice a week!

After storytime was over, her we had such a lovely talk.  We caught each other up on the past 35ish years (!) and compared our current “to read” lists.   We gave each other book recommendations and lots of hugs!  So special.

Speaking of book recommendations, I  CAN’T.  PUT.  THIS.  ONE.  DOWN.  I’m halfway through and am loving it so much.  I have no idea how this one is going to end!  Aaaaaand after I just wrote that sentence I realized the title of the book that I am discussing, lol.  I can’t remember the last book I read where I was this invested.  Maybe this adorable book?

I’m truly loving this one so far and I can’t wait to write a full review once I’m through.  (I’m so fortunate to be reading an advance readers copy…It officially releases January 1st).

I received this children’s book in the mail yesterday and it looks great! Full blog review and giveaway coming soon!

The library called last night…the book I’ve had on hold for weeks is waiting for me to pick up! Happy holidays indeed 🙂

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend…Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate! My daughter and I will be wearing these to her class party today 🙂

What are your plans for this weekend?  I hope whatever you are doing includes family, friends, 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:

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An Honest Book Review (Positives and Negatives) of a Currently Popular Book

Book Bloggers everywhere are loving this book and it’s been on my radar for months to read! My review of this one is a bit complicated…there were parts of it that I loved and parts of it that I did not. This book was recently released in mid August and I was fortunate to receive an Advance Reader’s Copy.  It’s currently such a popular book…I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and to start reading!

Before I go into my review, just a few random shapshots of my life:

I dropped off my son at preschool this morning and when I got back to my car, I realized that I had left my coffee in his classroom.  Oh HELL no!  I couldn’t get back into that building fast enough!  As I was frantically running to get back inside, I passed another mom who pointed out the irony of the shirt that I just so happen to be wearing today:

Truth.

My kids attended a birthday party yesterday and after we left my daughter turned the crayon box party favor into a tiny book!  Love her creativity!

And now, a book review.  Have you read this?  I’m truly not sure how I feel about it.

Things You Save in a Fire By Katherine Center (affiliate)

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she’s seen her fair share of them, and she’s excellent at dealing with other people’s tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it’s an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated.

The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie’s old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren’t exactly thrilled to have a “lady” on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn’t seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can’t think about that. Because she doesn’t fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don’t date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping…but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she’s worked so hard to be taken seriously?

My Thoughts:

(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)

3.5 Stars

Man is this a tough review to write as my thoughts on this book are so scattered.

First and foremost, it’s a beautiful book with so many beautiful messages.  It’s a very easy read.  I found myself fascinated in learning about firefighters and about the aspects of their jobs in which I really had no idea.

That being said, I do feel this book lacks some pretty major character and storyline development.  I just wanted MORE of everything!

There was one major storyline that I really disagreed with and it bothered me throughout the entire story.

I felt that this book was a bit cheesy, predictable, and unrealistic at times…

HOWEVER, I honestly did enjoy it.  I found myself smiling more than once as I was reading.  I even posted on Instagram how much I was loving it! That’s the problem…just when I would start to really love it, I would become bored by it.  My feelings were completely inconsistent the deeper into the book I got.

I wouldn’t say that this was a book I couldn’t wait to pick up each day (except for those few intense chapters toward the end…those chapters were GREAT!  I wish the rest of the book would have held my interest as those few chapters did).

I laughed, I cried (tears down face), I smiled, and…I was bored.  All while reading the same book.

Have any of you read this???  Please comment below…I’d so love to hear your thoughts.

I told you my review of this one is a bit complicated and all over the place 😉

Bottom Line:

Would I recommend this book?  Yes!  Would it be high on my list of recommendations?  No.

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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Sick, Reading, Coffee, and Books

My daughter has been sick.  There is nothing worse than when your child gets sick!  She was home from school for a few days last week and spent her time sleeping, reading, and watching episodes of her current favorite tv show (Bunk’d).  I bought her a present to cheer her up (shown with the humidifier which has been running every night for over a week in her room):

Her and I quietly reading together.  And yes, the bulb in her closet is pink 🙂  Obviously.

Last week was hard and I was exhausted.  I dropped my coffee all over the floor as I was desperately quickly trying to brew it because I was so tired from being up with my sick daughter the night before.  As soon as my son came into the kitchen and saw this, he thought that the coffee grounds were ants and he promptly freaked out.  Recap: I was dealing with a sick daughter, upset son, huge mess, and NO coffee all at the exact same time.  #momlife

Thankfully now it’s a new week and she’s feeling much better but I do think this nasty cough might be around for a while.  Ugh.

In book news, if you follow me on Instagram you know that I officially gave up on this book.  I found it VERY unrealistic and VERY boring.  Not to mention that I kept pronouncing the main character’s name the wrong way. It has gotten fantastic reviews from others who have stuck it out.  My general rule is when I use words like “stuck it out” that means it’s not a book I need to read, lol.

Also, if you follow me on Instagram you know that I’ve been receiving some very exciting book mail lately!  My dear friend Melissa over at Chick Lit Central mailed me these 2 books and I’m SO excited!  I’m halfway through reading Things You Save In A Fire and I’m enjoying it so far 🙂  Full review coming soon!

Rochelle Weinstein sent me an advance reader’s copy of her latest book which will be released in January 2020.  This beautiful book looks AMAZING and I can’t wait to read and review it!  Thank you so much, Rochelle!

I entered a Bookstagram giveway on Instagram and won!  Thank you so much to Flat Iron Books for sending me a copy of this book!  It looks great 🙂

I went to the post office to buy stamps (holiday card season is almost HEEEEEERE!!!) and the man presented me with 7 different design options.  Obviously I chose the one with a literary reference!

And lastly, this picture because it makes me smile.  Favorite coffee, favorite holiday cup, favorite color:

Happy Monday!  I hope your week is off to a great start.  I’m looking forward to Wednesday…I’m going on a special blog related activity!  Any guesses???  If you have been reading my blog since the beginning, you might be able to figure it out from this clue (that’s me on the top right):

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!*

*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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INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY: The Unbreakables {Lisa Barr}

Lisa and I began communicating roughly a year ago to discuss a possible blog book review and as soon as she sent me the book synopsis, I knew this was a book I wanted to read. Unfortunately it wasn’t going to be released until June and I had to wait a looooooong time to get my hands on a copy.  It was an exciting day when this lovely book arrived in my mailbox!

Full disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book to read and review for my blog.  All opinions are my own.

Giveaway details will be given at the bottom of this post!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

It’s Sophie Bloom’s forty-second birthday, and she’s ready for a night of celebration with Gabe, her longtime, devoted husband, and her two besties and their spouses. Dinner is served with a side of delicious gossip, including which North Grove residents were caught with their pants down on Ashley Madison after the secret on-line dating site for married and committed couples was hacked. Thirty-two million cheaters worldwide have been exposed…including Sophie’s “perfect” husband. To add insult to injury, she learns Gabe is the top cheater in their town.

Humiliated and directionless, Sophie jumps into the unknown and flees to France to meet up with her teenage daughter who is studying abroad and nursing her own heartbreak. After a brief visit to Paris, Sophie heads out to the artist enclave of Saint-Paul-de-Vence. There, for the first time in a long time, Sophie acknowledges her own desires—not her husband’s, not her daughter’s—and rediscovers her essence with painful honesty and humor, reawakening both her sensuality and ambitions as a sculptor.

As she sheds her past and travels the obstacle-filled off beaten path, Sophie Bloom is determined to blossom. Allowing her true self to emerge in the postcard beauty of Provence, Sophie must decide what is broken forever…and what it means to be truly unbreakable.

My Thoughts:

One of the best books I’ve read so far in 2019.

I truly LOVED it.  Everything about this book was great…the characters, the storylines, the settings, all of it.  I devoured this book!

It was REAL. Lisa Barr wrote from her heart without holding anything back. It was scandalous, it was sexy, it was heartwarming, it was AWESOME.  The storylines were detailed and complex, the characters were well developed, and the overall messages delivered through the book were clear, deep, and thought provoking.  It was so beautifully written.

Can we talk about it’s gorgeous cover?  Stunning.

I truly loved everything about this book and I’ve already recommended it to so many people.  It’s WONDERFUL.

Over the course of the past year, Lisa and I have gone from author/blogger to real life friends.  We have yet to meet in person but I can promise that I am saving one massive hug for this beauty when we finally do!

And check out what she said to me…here is a direct quote from one of her emails:

“You’re the absolute best and you need to quit your day job, ignore your kids, and do a podcast … all that personality cannot be a suburban best-kept secret.

Ha LOVE it! Anyone out there want to help me start a podcast?!?  I’m so down.

Here’s a bit about Lisa:

Lisa Barr is the author of THE UNBREAKABLES (HarperCollins) and the award-winning historical thriller, FUGITIVE COLORS, a suspenseful tale of stolen art, love, lust, deception and revenge on the eve of WWII. The novel won the Independent Publisher Book Awards gold medal for “Best Literary Fiction 2014” and first prize at The Hollywood Film Festival (Opus Magnum Discovery Award). In addition, Lisa served as an editor for The Jerusalem Post, managing editor of Today’s Chicago Woman, managing editor of Moment magazine, and as an editor/reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. Among the highlights of her career, Lisa covered the famous “handshake” between the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat, and President Bill Clinton at the White House. Lisa is also the editor and creator of the popular parenting blog GIRLilla Warfare (www.girlillawarfare.com), and has been featured on Good Morning America and Today for her work as an author, journalist and blogger. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and their three daughters.

How beautiful is she???

A Conversation with Lisa Barr, in her own words:

How did you create the idea for your book?

It was 2015, and the Ashley Madison cheating scandal just broke after hackers exposed ALL 32 million names on the infidelity website. I was out with a small group of friends having dinner and reading off the list of Ashley Madison cheaters  in our community together (I know, awful, right? Not proud, people, not proud). Needless to say,  I was shocked, but there it was—neighbors, high school and college friends, acquaintances, etc—on this exposed list of cheaters. It was the train wreck that you knew you should just look away, but simply couldn’t. The story began to form in my mind … The Unbreakables is sexy, but it also tackles betrayal, second chances, mother-daughter bonding, reinvention, finding love again. My protagonist, Sophie Bloom, is a hot mess turned badass … and I kinda fell in love with her.  Did I mention that my “research” was in the South of France? Torture, I know … This book was truly a labor of love.

What audience would be most interested in your book?

It’s sexy women’s fiction geared toward … wait for it … WOMEN. While the novel is steamy, it is also feminist, artsy, passionate, and empowering. Women – especially Moms – will really connect to it. That said – the Millennials and MEN are reading this book. I have received lots of emails and texts from Moms and daughters reading it together, and I love that. And the men … crazy … I attribute this to it’s like reading their sister’s Cosmo in the bathroom. I’ve had at least a dozen men or more write me that they stayed up all night reading my novel and loving it, which means the world to me. The book is very relationship-y – it’s great that men are connecting to it too.

Where can your book be purchased? 

It can be purchased in bookstores nationwide, Costco, airports, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Books-a-million, and directly on HarperCollins book site.

Use 3 adjectives to describe your book: 

Sensual, Empowering, and Emotionally-gripping

Any additional information that you would like to provide about you or your book:

Life for all of us has many twists and turns. When everything falls apart, there still is a Second Act, new leases, new beginnings. Everything my protagonist has been through, I, too, have been through on a different level. Years ago, I lost everything and had to seek a new life when my old one fell apart. My fave sentence in the book, which sums up what I really want my reader to gain, comes from one of my minor characters – a French millennial artist named Lea (love her). She and Sophie Bloom become friends (and yes, more) … Sophie has opened up to her about the devastating pain of her broken marriage. Lea looks at her and says: “My mother used to tell me when I doubted myself that no one wants to be with a shell. Be the pearl, Sophie, and you will find you again.” Here’s the takeaway: No matter what happens … it’s the spirit that is truly unbreakable.

***GIVEAWAY DETAILS***

Would you like to win a copy of The Unbreakables?
I have 1 copy of The Unbreakables to give away! 
If you are located in the US, a hard copy will be mailed to you and if you are located internationally an e-copy will be emailed to you!  

To be entered, please complete these 2 simple steps:

1. Make sure that you are following and/or subscribed to my blog

2. The main character in this book spends a great deal of time learning the things she needs to do for herself.  Self care is so important! Tell me in the comments below about 1 thing that you do for yourself that makes you happy.

**You must complete BOTH of these steps to be eligible for the giveaway and you must complete them here on my blog (not on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)**

Giveaway will close tomorrow (Thursday) at 6:00 pm CDT and the winner will be randomly chosen and announced in Friday’s blog post (10/18/19).

Make sure you check the blog on Friday to see if you’ve won (you will have 48 hours from the time I post the winner to email me your mailing address.  If I don’t hear from you within 48 hours, I will pick a new winner).

If you already follow and/or subscribe to my blog, you are still eligible…just leave a comment below to be entered 🙂

Good luck!  Can’t wait to read your comments!

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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Book Review of a Currently Popular Psychological Thriller

Everyone in the book blogger community seems to be reading and loving this book right now.  I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy!  Psychological Thrillers are obviously some of my favorite books to read and this one sounded GREAT.  I couldn’t wait to read it and share my thoughts in a blog review.

How gorgeous is our new fall mum?!? My daughter picked it out at our local farmer’s market last week. It’s absolutely perfect and it makes me so happy.  I LOVE FALL!!!  Perfect backdrop for a book picture…especially when the word “lovely” is in the book title:

My Lovely Wife By: Samantha Downing

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

My Thoughts:

(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)

3 Stars

This book is DARK. Obviously all psychological thrillers are dark but this one was even more disturbing than most.  Without revealing spoilers, I will just say that there were numerous parts of this book which left me feeling uncomfortable.

This book just had too many of everything. Too many characters, too many storylines, too many insignificant details.

I kept hearing how shocking all of the twists were and I was extremely disappointed when none of them shocked me. And I am NEVER able to predict twists! I predicted just about all of them long before they happened without even trying. So annoying.

And one of my biggest pet peeves…when authors casually mention something completely insignificant in 1 or 2 sentences and then 200 pages later you as the reader are expected to remember it as it becomes a major plot twist. HATE. THAT.  Who remembers every single sentence of a book as they continue to read?  If something will be important later, at least give it enough attention that the reader will remember what you are talking about.  This happened MANY times throughout this book!  I was reading this while sitting next to my daughter (who was silently reading a book about unicorns) and at one point she asked me why I kept flipping back to previous pages while reading, lol.  Even my 7 year old appreciates that books should be read from front to back…not from front to back back to front back to back back to front back to back, lol.

However…

I DO have some positive things to say about this book. I loved the short chapters! I wish all books had short chapters. Also, I really enjoyed her writing style although the topic was just so weird.

This book completely held my attention from the very first page although I just didn’t love it.  It WAS interesting and I wanted to see how it all would end…even though the ending (as well as the rest of the book) was overall pretty predictable.  Ugh.

Bottom Line:

I didn’t love this author’s debut novel BUT I did enjoy her writing style enough to want to read others she will write in the future! Fingers crossed the topics and details won’t be as disturbing…

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

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One of the Worst Books I’ve Ever Read

Today feels like FALL here and it’s making me so happy.  It’s cold, rainy, dreary, and…perfect.  I love fall so much.

(I’m totally one of those people who have a porch goose and I change her outfit every few weeks based upon holidays, seasons, etc. This is her current “fall look”).

My husband has a (ridiculously) strong aversion to anything cinnamon.  Hates the taste, hates the smell, hates everything about it.  Who on Earth hates cinnamon?!?  Insane.  I could eat it by the spoonful, lol. He can’t even be around the smell which makes this time of year a bit tricky for me as I’m obsessed with anything cinnamon!  If you have been following me for any length of time, you know that I light candles pretty much daily and I looooove a good seasonal candle.  I’m DYING to light a pumpkin spiced candle over here!  I’ve been hunting for the perfect fall candle for months in anticipation for a day just like today.  I have a few apple scented ones (eh), some campfire scented ones (eh), but nothing truly FALL because fall means cinnamon.  I came across this one at Homegoods last week all mixed in with their other fall candles and although it’s a bit “citrusy” for this time of year, I’m pretending that it’s fall enough because apparently Homegoods does.

Anyone have any fall (non cinnamon) candle recommendations for me?

From Instagram:

Happy Fall, Happy Rosh Hashanah to those who celebrate, and Happy Belated National Coffee Day!  A true season of happiness 🙂

After I published my last post discussing one of the best books I’ve ever read, I thought it would be fun to write a post about one of the WORST books I’ve ever read.  I have read A LOT of books…like, a lot.  Some I loved, some I hated, some fell somewhere in between.

Today I give you an example of a book that I absolutely hated.

Landline By: Rainbow Rowell

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts…

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

My Thoughts:

(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 won the 2014 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction.  As soon as the results were posted, I immediately went to the library to check this one out.

Ummm….HOW did this win???

I literally hated every single second of this book.  The synopsis promises that there’s no time travel…and yet the entire book is about time travel?  If I’m being very honest, the details of this book escape me (not the sign of a remarkable piece of literature) but the feeling of complete confusion over the time travel is exactly what I remember about this book.  I couldn’t wait for it to end, I hated every second.  The one and only reason that I didn’t abandon it midway through reading was the fact that it won such a prestigious award.

The good news is that although I HATED this book, it’s actually not my MOST hated book of all time!  You can read this post to see which book I hated most of all.

Bottom Line:

I now take the Goodreads Choice Awards with a grain of salt. As should you.

Xo,

Jenny

Did you read this book?  What did you think?  What is one of your most hated books of all time? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

I hated this book…but you might not! 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)*

*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 Review: Read This Book. Today.

I have a full review of an AMAZING (adult) book to share with you today!  But first…a bit about what my kids are currently enjoying 🙂

Thanks so much for the love on my last post. 1 year feels like such a big milestone to me and I’ve been feeling great about it all week 🙂  Happy 1st Birthday, Book Coffee Happy!

Bring it on, Year 2!

My daughter brought home this book from her school library and it was AWFUL but watching my kids read it together was adorable (for the record they loved it and so did my husband).

My 1 and only favorite joke in the whole book. This one actually did make me laugh out loud 🙂

She also brought home an “I Spy” book from her school library…I LOVE I SPY BOOKS!  If you haven’t heard of these, they are so fantastic.  When I was a teacher,  my students LOVED these…and I love doing them now with my own kids.  My son was so proud when he found something that both my daughter and I were unable to!

**Amazon affiliate link for you to order I Spy books below**

And now…A Book Review of a FANTASTIC book.  If you haven’t read this, RUN to the library or the bookstore STAT:

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.

My Thoughts:

(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)

5 Stars

Omg this book. It’s AWESOME. I literally couldn’t put it down. It was intense, spooky, twisted, and PERFECT.

This book was CREEPY. Like…CREEPY. Ruth Ware sure knows how to utilize adjectives in her descriptive writing, lol. I could feel my heart rate speed up as I read! Loved, loved, loved it.  So intense.  So amazing.  YES.

Pro Tip: I read a portion of this book at 3am while an insane thunderstorm was happening. The glows of lightening and the cracks of thunder outside my bedroom window complimented this story perfectly. Check your local weather forecast before starting this book…I highly recommend reading it during a thunderstorm.  Adds to the whole spooky and intense experience.

I had so many predictions while I was reading and I’m happy to report that I was wrong on every single one of them. Every single one!  LOVE. THAT. There’s nothing worse than correctly predicting an intense story such as this one. Literally kept me guessing until the very last page.  And that last page was AWESOME.  Omg I loved this book so much.

Please make this into a movie. Please make this into a movie. Please make this into a movie. And…I don’t even enjoy watching movies but I would totally watch this one.

I also really enjoyed Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 although I enjoyed this one more. I recommend both but I do think this one really stands out!

Bottom Line:

Read this. You’ll love it. Especially during a creepy thunderstorm.  Perfection.

Xo,

Jenny

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

Click the images below to order the books through my Amazon affiliate link.  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!*

*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*