Tag: #bookreviewblog

WWW #6 {Book Coffee Happy}

Thanks so much to Sam from Taking on a World of Words  for hosting this fun weekly WWW (What I’m Reading) post!  I love when Book Coffee Happy can participate!

The Three W’s are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.

I started reading this one a few days ago.  I’ve heard from so many people who loooooved it, I’m excited to see if I will feel the same way 🙂 I’ll post a full blog review once I’m finished reading!

What did you recently finish reading?

Synopsis from Goodreads:

On a Caribbean dive vacation, five friends discover a centuries old shipwreck – and a karmic debt past due.
Wall Eddington has always done the correct thing. It’s part of being British, part of family tradition. Yet somehow someone drowned.
Now, half a world away, he’s diving off an old sailboat with four American friends. As a vacation it’s a bit primitive, but just what his soul craves.
Until they find a shipwreck.

Untouched and impossibly preserved, the thing bewitches with promises of gold. Their rush to claim it bogs down with odd accidents and petty arguments – and Wall is not the only one with dark dreams of pain and torture. Dreams of a captain called Sadico.
In fleeing his personal demon, Wall has run straight to its lair.
This trap was laid centuries ago, for five souls moved on to new lives and new loves. Set by the one soul they left behind.

This book is GREAT and…I’m hosting a GIVEAWAY for it on the blog TOMORROW!!!  Be sure to check back here in the morning for your chance to win!

What do you think you’ll read next?

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Assigned to the same suite during their freshman year at Quincy-Hawthorne College, Lainey, Ji Sun, Alice, and Margaret quickly become inseparable. The leafy green campus they move through together, the idyllic window seat they share in their suite, and the passion and ferocity that school and independence awakens in them ignites an all-encompassing love with one another. But they soon find their bonds–forged in joy, and fused by fear–must weather threats that originate from beyond the dark forests of their childhoods, and come at them from institutions, from one another, and ultimately, from within themselves.

The Other’s Gold follows the four friends as each makes a terrible mistake, moving from their wild college days to their more feral days as new parents. With one part devoted to each mistake–the Accident, the Accusation, the Kiss, and the Bite–this complex yet compulsively readable debut interrogates the way that growing up forces our friendships to evolve as the women discover what they and their loved ones are capable of, and capable of forgiving. A joyful, big-hearted book that perfectly evokes the bittersweet experience of falling in love with friendship, the experiences of Lainey, Ji Sun, Alice, and Margaret are at once achingly familiar and yet shine with a brilliance and depth all their own.

I’m such a sucker for novels about best friends.  And this book has FOUR best friends just like ME!  I can’t wait to start reading.  The synopsis makes me immediately think of this book.  Fingers crossed it’s similar because I LOVED that book…

What are you currently reading?  I’d love to hear 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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The ultimate list of my top book suggestions can be found HERE

Quotes to Live By and 4 of My Favorite Quotes from Where the Crawdads Sing

I have a very special place in my heart for quotes. I LOVE quotes. I am constantly writing them down or adding them to the self created “quotes” folder on my phone! Years ago I had entire notebooks where I would write down my favorites. I’m constantly taking pictures with my phone of quotes I see while in public. My house is decorated with inspirational sayings!

My most recent blog post received an overwhelming amount of comments on both Facebook and Instagram. Clearly people love Where the Crawdads Sing just as much as I do! What I DIDN’T mention in that post were the 4 quotes that I took pictures of with my phone while reading so I would remember them. I often will take pictures of quotes that touch my heart while I’m reading.  Anyone else do that?

**I used my extremely subpar photoshopping skills to block all other language and cropped out all page numbers…no spoilers here!**

This is just a gorgeous quote and deeper meaning into life:

Interesting perspective on how we treat others:

The power of words is spectacular:

And then there is this. Not inspirational, not motivating…but…holy hell is this fascinating (and super weird and super creepy, lol):

So now you know THAT little random tidbit.  You’re welcome 🙂

Did you read Where the Crawdads Sing? Any quotes that stuck out to you? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

The following quote has been my absolute favorite for as long as I can remember. It was even my “senior quote” when I graduated from high school! It has truly applied to every single stage of my life and continues to do so:

“I always knew I’d look back on the times I had cried and laugh but I never knew I’d look back on the times I had laughed and cry.”

Love. It.

Be sure to check the blog on Monday…I’ll be having a giveaway for an ADORABLE book!

Do you have a favorite quote or saying? I’d love to hear what it is 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!*

*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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*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.*

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The One and Only Reason That I Didn’t Like This Book

There are many reasons not to like a book.  However there is one and only ONE reason that I didn’t like this particular book.  One. Big. Reason.

A few months ago, I entered a giveaway on Instagram to win a copy of The Girl Who Reads on the Metro.  I had never heard of it and the synopsis sounded so great!  I was ecstatic when I won and couldn’t wait for my new book to arrive.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Juliette leads a perfectly ordinary life in Paris, working a slow office job, dating a string of not-quite-right men, and fighting off melancholy. The only bright spots in her day are her metro rides across the city and the stories she dreams up about the strangers reading books across from her: the old lady, the math student, the amateur ornithologist, the woman in love, the girl who always tears up at page 247.

One morning, avoiding the office for as long as she can, Juliette finds herself on a new block, in front of a rusty gate wedged open with a book. Unable to resist, Juliette walks through, into the bizarre and enchanting lives of Soliman and his young daughter, Zaide. Before she realizes entirely what is happening, Juliette agrees to become a passeur, Soliman’s name for the booksellers he hires to take stacks of used books out of his store and into the world, using their imagination and intuition to match books with readers. Suddenly, Juliette’s daydreaming becomes her reality, and when Soliman asks her to move in to their store to take care of Zaide while he goes away, she has to decide if she is ready to throw herself headfirst into this new life.

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)

The Synopsis sounds great, right?!?

I have read a few books which have been translated from their original language and the more of them I read, the more sure I am in my thought that some books just shouldn’t be translated.  The Girl Who Reads on the Metro is most definitely one of them.

This book was completely disjointed in every single way.  The characters, the settings, and the storylines all blended together in a way which left me confused and frustrated!  I couldn’t follow this book and just as I was starting to…it would go in a completely separate direction.   Reading this book felt like a chore, it was so hard to follow and understand.

HOWEVER…

I still think the synopsis sounds so amazing!  I’m saddened that I just couldn’t get through this book because I truly believe it has such amazing potential.  I honestly would love to read it in it’s original language…something tells me that it’s a lovely book when read how it was originally written.

The one and only reason that I hated this book is because of the translation.  I think so much of this little gem got lost along the way.  Such an incredible shame.

It’s such a tiny book (172 pages) and I couldn’t even bring myself to finish.  I made it about halfway through when I decided that I had no choice but to call it quits.

Au revoir, The Girl Who Reads on the Metro.  Au revoir.

Bottom Line:

If I ever decide to learn French (highly unlikely), the first book I will pick up will be this one…in French.

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

This Is Not How It Ends Giveaway Winner

Oh how I loved reading everyone’s answers to this one!  If you haven’t read through the comments on that post, I would highly suggest checking them out.  You guys shared some really special and beautiful love stories! I loved, loved, loved reading through each of them 🙂

Here is a video of me choosing the winner of 1 signed copy of This Is Not How It Ends:

 

Xo,

Jenny

I obviously would NOT recommend The Girl Who Reads on the Metro…but you might just love it??? Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link.  When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support!  Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

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

*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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I SO Wish Authors Stop Doing This {Part 1} and our Family Getaway to Great Wolf Lodge

I find that as I read different books, there are common thoughts that run through my mind.  Things that I wish authors would stop doing and things that I wish authors would do more often are always among those thoughts.  I present to you a new series I’m calling “I Wish Authors Would Stop Doing This” which will highlight some of these common thoughts.  Aaaaand just for fun, a little glimpse into our fun family getaway to Great Wolf Lodge at the end of this post 🙂

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw in my stories that I recently started reading this book.

I don’t have much of an opinion on it yet as I’m not very far into it but I do have one opinion on something that I instantly loved…

SHORT CHAPTERS.

Oh how I love when books have short chapters! I just love flying through short chapters!  It holds my interest so much better than long chapters do.

I HATE when I decide to “read just one more chapter”…and find that means I will now be reading 30 more pages.  More often that not this means I won’t even begin reading the next chapter and the entire book will therefore take me longer to finish.

I SO wish more books could be written with shorter chapters.  I understand that sometimes stories simply won’t allow for it at certain times in the plot…but how wonderful if they could!  Break up that scene!  Leave the chapter with a cliffhanger that won’t allow the reader NOT to continue reading!

The best example of a book with perfect short chapters (some even just 1 page) is THIS BOOK.  There are over 100 chapters in that book…but each is only between 1-3 pages!  I literally FLEW through that book because those short chapters held my interest in a way that 30 page chapters simply never could have.

I SO wish authors would STOP writing lengthy chapters!

I personally believe that the perfect length of a chapter ranges somewhere between just a few pages and maybe 10-15ish?

How about you?  Do you like it better when books are written in shorter chapters?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

And now I’ll leave you with some pictures of our family getaway last weekend to the Great Wolf Lodge (Gurnee, IL).  There were 15 of us total, we all wore matching wolf t-shirts, and we had the best time.

My sister-in-law gave this to me a few months before I got married.  It has come with me on every single vacation, overnight stay, getaway, etc. that I have taken over the past 10 years!

My little wolves:

Check out this video…I did the ropes course! It was terrifying.

Have you been to Great Wolf Lodge?  We are big fans!  This was our 5th visit 🙂

Hope you are having a great Wednesday!

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support!  Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

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

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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

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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*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.*

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***BOOK GIVEAWAY (5 winners!!!)***

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

As soon as Jaina Thatch reached out to tell me about her gorgeous book, I knew it was a book I wanted to read with my daughter.  I’m so excited to share this one with you today and I have FIVE (!) autographed copies to give away!

Synopsis:

Author Jaina Thatch was inspired by her daughter’s tenacious spirit and love of Super Hero clothing that made her daughter feel strong and beautiful. If you’re raising a strong willed and determined daughter, this book is for you! Empowering and validating little girls that your authentic true beauty comes from within and from using your Super Powerful mind. By doing that, you can achieve and do/be anything that you put your mind to!

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)

Oh this book is beautiful.  I love a good rhyming book and the rhyming in this book flows so nicely.

The illustrations are gorgeous!  Bright colors and special details combine to create such beautiful additions to this lovely story.

Aside from the fantastic rhyming and beautiful illustrations, the most wonderful part of this book is the important message that it sends.  Children can be anything they choose and using their imaginations can lead to amazing results.  The back of the book tells that “authentic, true beauty comes from within”… I just love this book and the beautiful messages that it sends.

A quote from within the pages that really spoke to me was, “My super power is my mind.”  If all children (and even adults) truly believed this, how wonderful would our world be???

My absolute favorite part of the book is the last page where there is a space for the reader to draw themselves as a superhero and to describe the super powers that they possess.  My daughter absolutely loved doing this:

This book would make such a fantastic gift for the holidays for any child.  Teachers, this would be such a wonderful addition to your classroom library!  The discussions this book could spark both at home and at school would be so amazing.  I speak from experience…after reading this book, my kids and I had such a wonderful conversation! If you have a special child in any aspect of your life, this book would make such a beautiful present.

Behind the back selfie while reading to my daughter:

This book isn’t just for girls! My husband and my son also loved reading it:

Beautiful book, beautiful author…

You can read more about Jaina and her beautiful book’s mission on her website: www.jainathatch.com

A Conversation with Jaina Thatch, In Her Own Words:

How did you create the idea for your book?

Even though I am a Mom of boys, my perception of the world changed when I was expecting my daughter. I really thought hard about who I was as a woman, the expectations on myself as a woman and mom, who I would want her to be and the positive female role models that I would want for her to emulate.

What audience would be most interested in your book?

My audience is geared toward the ages of 3-6, but the message of the book and the conversation elicited from the message of the book is ageless, genderless and universal.   Our authenticity is our superpower.  And if you believe in yourself, your kind to yourself and kind to your friends, then your dreams will come true.

Where can your book be purchased?

An autographed copy of my book can be purchased on my website at www.jainathatch.com. My Superhero Mind is also available on Barnes and Noble.com, and Amazon.com

Use 3 adjectives to describe your book:

Girl Power, Inspirational, Motivation

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

I believe that every child is a superhero.  All of their wonderful traits and characteristics, are their superpowers.  You just have to believe, that the best part of being you is you!

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 copy of My Superhero Mind?
I have 5 autographed copies of My Superhero Mind to give away!  Each copy will be autographed and mailed directly to your home.

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 the child you wish to win this book for (you don’t need to mention his/her name)

**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 Thursday (12/26/19) at 6:00 pm CDT and the winner will be randomly chosen and announced in Friday’s blog post (12/28/19).

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 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!

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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*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*

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:

*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*

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*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.*

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Snow, Halloween, and Books!

It’s SNOWING!  On Halloween!  I’m so happy, I’m so obsessed with snow.  Feels like such a fun bonus to have our first snowfall of the season on Halloween!  Other towns around us are canceling trick or treating today and are postponing until Saturday.  Ridiculous!  Halloween is Halloween and this will be a fun memory for my kids.  We will definitely freeze…but this will always be a Halloween to remember

My favorite fall bush.

My kids and I spent so long attaching creepy spider webs to our bushes and now you can barely even see them.

Our neighbor’s house.  This cracked me up!  Poor ghost!

Last weekend when it was still actually fall:

And this.  Our clown.  He’s over 10 feet tall, lights up at night, and he’s AWESOME.  He fell over last week and our neighbor texted me “CLOWN DOWN”, lol.

Today.  Clown down.

As for reading, I’ve been in a bit of a book rut.  First I started reading this one…

….and was so bored that I eventually called it quits.

Then I started reading this one…

….and was so bored that I eventually called it quits.

UGH.

And now I’m reading this one.  It’s cute!

I posted this on Instagram:

So confusing, right?!?  Apparently I’m not alone because the author of the book somehow got wind of my post and commented:

Super cool!  Love that she commented!  I’ll post a full book review when I’m done reading.

Last Sunday, this happened:

Love it.  So did Lisa Barr!  I did warn Grandma that it’s a bit of a…sexy…novel 😉

Remember when I told you that my daughter has to read for 20 minutes each night for her school homework assignment?  This morning she apparently took it upon herself to silently read in her bed for 20 minutes because she knew that with Halloween she might not have the chance tonight!  I was SO proud to initial her reading log for today and send it back to school 🙂 She did a GREAT job this month!  Proud mama over here.

Her new favorite book series is Dog Man (affiliate). Have any of you or your kids read it?  They seem so weird to me but she LOVES them???  Currently obsessed.  I haven’t actually read them but from what she’s told me they just seem so strange???  I don’t get it.

Happy Halloween!  Any fun plans today?  I’m spending the afternoon at my daughter’s school Halloween party.  Can’t wait to trick or treat!  My daughter and I are going as unicorns and my husband and son are going as dinosaurs 🙂

Speaking of being excited…I can’t wait for Saturday!  One of my absolute favorite days of the entire year!  It’s heeeeeeeeeeeere!  Be sure to follow along on our adventures on Instagram…I’ll be posting Instastories throughout the day 🙂

Happy Halloween!

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!*

*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*

Are You Ready for Sweater Weather? The Autumn Tag

I love a good tag and I love this beautiful season so I’m super excited to participate in this one!  Thanks so much Jenn @ Jenniely  for creating this tag.  As soon as I saw it on Paper Eyed Girl I knew that I wanted to participate!

Hot Chocolate – what is your comfort book?

I don’t have a “comfort book” rather I find comfort when I’m really into a book and find myself thinking about it throughout the day when I’m not reading.

Pumpkin Carving – what is your favorite creative outlet?

Hands down, writing this blog.  In fact, the entire reason I started writing it in the first place was that I was looking for a creative outlet.  Creative outlet for me?  CHECK.

Falling Leaves – changes that appear bad but you secretly love?

I know this is a tag about fall but my answer is most definitely SNOW!  Oh how I love snow, I always have.  Whenever there is snow in the forecast and everyone is freaking out I am over here all, “SNOW is coming?!?!?” and I’m running around lighting seasonal candles, making hot chocolate for my family, and dressing in the fuzziest and warmest clothes I can find.  I.  LOVE.  SNOW.  Absolutely nothing better than being snowed in with my family.  My husband makes fun of me because I use the term “hunker down” every time it snows and I prepare the house in case we just so happen to get snowed in, lol.

(That picture was taken last year. I can’t WAIT for the return of snow!!! PS I wasn’t a huge fan of that book. My review can be found here.)

Pumpkin Spiced Latte – something you love that others tend to judge

Tofu.  I absolutely love tofu.  How do people not love tofu???  These beauties are sitting in my refrigerator as we speak.  Nobody else in my house will touch tofu…just means more for me 😉

Bonfire Night – what makes you explode with joy?

Time spent with my family.  Movie nights in our pajamas, going out for dinner (Chinese food is our favorite and both of my kids use chopsticks like pros), or anything else that we do…as long as we are together!

Fright Night – favorite scary book or film

The best one that I have read recently is this one.  Loved it!

Halloween candy – favorite thing to eat

BANANAS.  I’m obsessed with bananas and eat 1-2 every single day.  Plain, chopped in my oatmeal, drizzled with peanut butter, etc.  Literally obsessed.  I may or may not have been known to travel with them packed in shoe boxes so they wouldn’t get smashed during flights.  Also…grapes.  I eat an insane amount of grapes daily.  Purple has always been my favorite but lately I’ve been loving crunchy green ones!  Fun fact: Halloween candy doesn’t tempt me at all…but put a giant bowl of grapes in front of me and I literally can’t stay away.

Scarves – your autumn ‘must have’ accessory

SCARVES!!!!!  I own a ridiculous amount of scarves and basically live in them all fall and winter.  The bigger and cozier the better! I recently bought 2 wrap/shawl/scarves and I think they are brilliant.

Fire – a book or film that burns your soul

The book I am currently reading isn’t a romance or a “smutty” book by any means but there has randomly been a startling amount of times that the author has mentioned erections.  Nothing else!  No kissing, no sex.  Just…erections.   I wouldn’t say this is “burning my soul” but I’m finding it quite interesting.  Like…why so many erections?  This poor man (lucky man?) literally has them ALL. THE. TIME. I’m about 100 pages in and I would say that erections have been mentioned at least 10 times so far.  That’s a lot of erections!  Any guesses as to what book I’m currently reading???  I will be beyond impressed if anyone figures it out solely based upon this description (not romance, not smutty, lots of boners).

Toffee apples – a book or film that seems one thing but really has a different inside

This book (insert tongue sticking out emoji here).

I Tag:

Bookathon

Mummy is Reading

Fictionophile

Be sure to check the blog on WEDNESDAY!  I have a giveaway for one of the best books I’ve read so far in 2019!  Can’t wait to share it with you 🙂

Xo,

Jenny

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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:

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*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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