1 Book I Started and Stopped at Page 50 and 1 Book I Started and WANTED to Stop at Page 50

Sitting outside and drinking Dunkin! Spring is COMING!

This has not been the best week of reading for me. I started reading a book and didn’t finish…and then I started another book and didn’t WANT to finish but I decided to keep going.

The Book That I Stopped Reading at Page 50

After the poll that I had posted on Instagram asking if my next read should be Invisible Girl or The Last Flight, I started reading Lisa Jewell’s Invisible Girl. I’ve previously read 2 of Lisa Jewell’s books…1 that I LOVED (READ THAT BOOK) and 1 that I didn’t.

Goodreads Synopsis of Invisible Girl {Lisa Jewell}:

Owen Pick’s life is falling apart.

In his thirties, a virgin, and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a geography teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct, which he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel—involuntary celibate—forums, where he meets the charismatic, mysterious, and sinister Bryn.

Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night.

Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then, on Valentine’s night, Saffyre Maddox disappears—and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick.

Why I Stopped Reading Invisible Girl {Lisa Jewell}:

Invisible Girl just didn’t grab me from the beginning. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t poorly written, it was just…eh? I really do think it would have gotten much better the more I kept reading but unfortunately I just wasn’t willing to stick around to find out.

I once write an entire blog post called How Long Until You Officially Abandon A Book? In that post, I said that I always read the first 100 pages of a book before putting it down. Sometimes I break my own rule…I made it about 50ish pages before I decided that I was going to move on.

***Side Note*** I absolutely HATE starting books and not finishing them but do you know what I hate even more? Doing something for fun that isn’t feeling fun. Reading is one of my most favorite hobbies….why would I want to spend time doing one of my favorite hobbies while not enjoying myself? Long gone are the days of required reading for school (although I LOVED the days of required reading for school) and now that I am a proper adult, I choose what to read…and what not to read!

The Book That I WANTED To Stop Reading at Page 50…But Didn’t!

Once I decided to move on, I browsed through my stack of books waiting to be read and decided on this book.

I bought Ghosted from the ADORABLE used book store on a trip to Michigan that I talked about in THIS POST.

Goodreads Synopsis of Ghosted {Rosie Walsh}:

When Sarah meets Eddie, they connect instantly and fall in love. To Sarah, it seems as though her life has finally begun. And it’s mutual: It’s as though Eddie has been waiting for her, too. Sarah has never been so certain of anything. So when Eddie leaves for a long-booked vacation and promises to call from the airport, she has no cause to doubt him. But he doesn’t call.

Sarah’s friends tell her to forget about him, but she can’t. She knows something’s happened–there must be an explanation.

Minutes, days, weeks go by as Sarah becomes increasingly worried. But then she discovers she’s right. There is a reason for Eddie’s disappearance, and it’s the one thing they didn’t share with each other: the truth. 

So I started reading….aaaaaaaaand wasn’t so impressed. The storylines and complete lack of background knowledge were super confusing and frankly, quite boring. I had even posted this on Facebook:

I searched through other blogger reviews and there seemed to be a common theme with this book: it starts off slowly but eventually turns amazing???

So I kept reading. I’m now on page 150ish and I will say…it’s definitely getting better! Not amazing by any means (yet? I’m optimistic that it’s going to turn around like everyone says that it will) but better than those first few pages. Eh. I’m sticking with it mainly because I own it! If this were a library book, I’m confident that I would have returned it before I even got to page 50. I will say that I already have SO MANY THOUGHTS on this book, I will post my full review once I finish reading.

Have you read either of these books? 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 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!*

*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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*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

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

The 12 best books I read in 2020 can be found HERE

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Random Book Blogger Thoughts

I have so many random thoughts to share with you today that I decided to dedicate an entire post to them, lol. I actually think I will do this as a regular series on Book Coffee Happy 🙂 Welcome to the the first installment of Random Book Blogger Thoughts!

Thank You

Thank you so much for all of your kind comments on my LAST POST. To be completely transparent, I was nervous to write that post and after I finally did write it…I almost deleted it before posting. I was very worried that I was going to come across as insincere and that was absolutely NOT my intention! I was so pleasantly surprised to see that I am not the only one who feels the way that I do. Book related discussions are so amazing and some of the comments on that post brought up such excellent points! I would still love to hear from the other side but I completely respect why you might not want to comment on this topic.

Book I Recently Read

I finished reading Kelly Yang’s Parachutes yesterday. I’ll post my review here next week…stay tuned!

A Book Poll

Thank you to everyone who has answered my poll on Instagram! SO many of you did and I appreciate the advice! I have these 2 books both currently checked out of the library and I truly couldn’t decide which to read next…I’ve heard great things about both! Here are the final results! Excited to start reading Invisible Girl tonight 🙂

My Daughter’s Homework

My daughter’s 3rd grade teacher has assigned each student to read for 20 minutes each day and it has quickly turned into one of my favorite times of the entire day! She grabs a book, I grab a book, my son grabs a book, and the 3 of us cuddle up and silently read for 20 minutes. I light a candle and have a mug of steaming coffee. HEAVEN. I promised her that whenever she needs to read for homework, I will ALWAYS join her! I love, love, love this time in the day. NOTE: The second that 20 minute timer goes off, my children literally RUN out of the room…but you KNOW Mama stays and finishes whatever chapter she’s in the middle of, lol.

This Book Blogger’s Biggest Fan

Nobody on Earth has a more wonderful father than I. He reads every single post I write and always has such wonderful and supportive things to say. I LOVE YOU, DAD!

Children’s Book Giveaway

I have an AWESOME giveaway coming up on Wednesday for a BEAUTIFUL children’s book! This book truly speaks directly to my heart and I’m so excited to share it with you! Be sure to check back here on Wednesday for your chance to win.

Your turn…tell me something random in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

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

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

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

The 12 best books I read in 2020 can be found HERE

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5 Books To Read for Your Next Book Club {Volume 2}

About a year ago, I wrote a post called “5 Books for your Book Club” and I received such amazing feedback! You can read that original post HERE. Apparently lots of you found that post very helpful so I thought I would write a second edition! I still 100 percent stand by my original picks but here are a few more titles to add to your book club selections!

**I also still stand by my choice of not wanting to join a book club but I know that many of you love them! You can read why I’m personally anti-book club HERE. Although I have no desire to join a book club myself, I can absolutely see why other people feel differently. If you are in a book club, use these suggestions on books for your next meeting. If you are a solo reader like me, you can use these suggestions as books you can enjoy on your own 🙂 **

Each of the following books would be a perfect selection for your next book club. They are all VERY different but all are excellent, thought provoking, and would lead to such interesting discussions. Some I loved more than others but ALL would be perfect picks for interesting conversations.

5 Books To Read For Your Next Book Club:

Click the link below each book to read the synopsis and my (always spoiler free) review. Click the picture of each book cover 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

Last Couple Standing {Matthew Norman}

Read the book synopsis and my review of Last Couple Standing HERE.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo {Taylor Jenkins Reid}

Why am I recommending that you read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for your book club when I didn’t even finish reading it myself??? Read the book synopsis and my explanation of that HERE.

The Family Upstairs {Lisa Jewell}

Read the book synopsis and my review of The Family Upstairs HERE.

American Dirt {Jeanine Cummins}

Read the book synopsis and my review of American Dirt HERE.

My Dark Vanessa {Kate Elizabeth Russell}

Read the book synopsis and my review of My Dark Vanessa HERE.

Everyday Mindfulness Book Giveaway Winner Video:

Thank you to everyone who entered! You can read more about this wonderful book and my review of it HERE.

Have you read any of my book club selections? What book(s) would you recommend for a book club? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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 ultimate list of my top book suggestions can be found HERE

The 12 best books I read in 2020 can be found HERE

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Book Coffee Happy’s 11 Most Viewed Blog Posts of All Time

Looking at my analytics, I always find it so interesting to see which of Book Coffee Happy’s posts rank with the highest blog views.

I started writing my book blog 2.5 years ago and it is hands down one of my most favorite hobbies that I’ve ever had! It has given me such a creative outlet, so many fun opportunities, and has introduced me to some amazing people. Thank you so much for reading!

Truth.

Many of you have started reading my blog over the past 2.5 years and therefore may have missed some of my most popular posts. I have written 267 posts! Here are Book Coffee Happy’s 11 most viewed posts of all time starting with #11 and ending with the #1! Enjoy 🙂

Book Coffee Happy’s 11 Most Viewed Blog Posts of All Time

#11: **DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK** Book Review: Tampa {Alissa Nutting}

Not a surprise. That book is VILE.

#10: Spring Break 2019 Book Recommendations

I still stand by ever single one of those book recommendations!

#9: Walt Disney World Vacation Tips and Tricks {VLOG}

Awww I LOVED our trip to Disney and I loved making that video of my best Disney tips and tricks!

#8: I was Wrong. So Very Wrong. This Book is AMAZING.

Read that book. Today.

#7: The 12 Best Books I Read in 2020

2020 was such a weird year but I did read some amazing books!

#6: My Top Book Recommendations

YES. Love every single book on that list.

#5: One of the Best Books I’ve Ever Read

I still think about that book often.

#4: Book Review: The Housekeeper {Natalie Barelli}

Ok, I’ll be honest. I have no idea why that post receives the traffic that it does but for some reason it gets viewed pretty much every single day from all around the globe…???

#3: Book Review (Unpopular Opinion): Then She Was Gone {Lisa Jewell}

So many people love that book. I did not.

#2: I was Stuck on a Mountain in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

It makes me happy that so many of you read that post! I had such fun writing it. What a CRAZY experience we had up on that mountain…

And The #1 Most Viewed Blog Post of all time on Book Coffee Happy…

#1: Why I Stopped Reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo…But You Shouldn’t!

That post is literally viewed EVERY SINGLE DAY by readers all around the world, has thousands and thousands of views, and brings more traffic to my site than any post I have ever written. You should definitely read that book…even though I couldn’t even make it through the entire thing, lol. That post explains all of that and apparently has people are quite curious.

Which of these posts did you enjoy the most? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Follow me on Instagram*

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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*

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

The 12 best books I read in 2020 can be found HERE

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The 12 Best Books I Read in 2020

Today I give you my list of the 12 Best Books I Read in 2020. I read many AMAZING (and unfortunately many not so amazing) books this year but this list contains my absolute FAVORITES.

2020 has been quite the year. This year has taken away SO MUCH but luckily books has NOT been one of them. Reading has always been my favorite hobby and I’ve never been more thankful for it than I have in 2020. There is a lovely quote by Mason Cooley which states, “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” How TRUE is that…especially this year?!?

We drove through an AMAZING holiday light show last week! This 2020 sign was absolutely stunning in person!

Some of these books were released this year, some were released earlier. This list was not an easy one for me to narrow down and create! If you haven’t read any of these books, I very obviously highly recommend ALL OF THEM!

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. 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 (including the synopsis for each book).

In no particular order, I present to you my absolute favorite books that I’ve read in 2020 (and I have read A LOT of books this year):

The 12 Best Books I Read in 2020:

Book #1’s Bottom Line:

Truly one of the best books I’ve ever read.  If you haven’t read this one yet…it’s a MUST.

Book #2’s Bottom Line:

READ THIS.

Book #3’s Bottom Line:

I absolutely loved this special book.  You will, too.

Book #4’s Bottom Line:

Please, please, please someone make this awesome book into a movie!

Book #5’s Bottom Line:

This book is both heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.  A must read.

Book #6’s Bottom Line:

Read this  book.  Stat.

Book #7’s Bottom Line:

If you love YA, you will LOVE this book!

Book #8’s Bottom Line:

This book is absolutely brilliant.  I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Book #9’s Bottom Line:

This book is juicy, scandalous, and AWESOME.

Book #10’s Bottom Line:

Read this book. If you are married and a mother, read this book….and then hug your husband and children a little tighter. Omg.

Book #11’s Bottom Line:

Truly one of the best books I’ve ever read. These characters will stay in my heart for a VERY long time…

Book #12’s Bottom Line:

It feels weird to say that I loved this book because the subject is just so weird and dark…but…I loved this book.

What are the best books you have read this year? Have you read any of the books on my Top 12 list? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

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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*

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

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What I’m Currently Reading, What I Recently Finished Reading, What I Think I’ll Read Next (WWW #7) {Book Coffee Happy}

Thanks so much to Sam from Taking on a World of Words  for hosting this fun weekly post! I love when Book Coffee Happy can participate!  The Three W’s: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

I started reading this last weekend!  I’ll post a full review once I finish.

What did you recently finish reading?

I finished reading this one last week and I had SO many thoughts!  You can read my full review HERE.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m honestly not 100 percent but I’m currently leaning toward this book.  Have any of you read it?  I got it so long ago and still haven’t read it…

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:

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

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

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

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

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

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

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

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

Book Review: The Family Upstairs {Lisa Jewell}

During the first week of the COVID-19 quarantine, one of my best friends texted me that she was dropping Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs on my front porch.  She loved it and thought that I would as well.  I couldn’t wait to start reading and to write my book review, I had heard such great things from so many people about this book!

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.

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)

4 Stars

Omg I LOVED this book!

There are so many storylines and characters which I usually hate but in this book was completely necessary in order to properly tell this story.  The first half of the book set the scene for the second half of the book which I couldn’t put down!  I read the first half over the course of a week or so and the second half over the course of only 2 days.  Loved it.

Some storylines I figured out while some I did NOT.  This book is creepy, twisted, interesting, fascinating, and AWESOME.

This is the 2nd Lisa Jewell book that I’ve read (you can read my review of another one HERE) and I’m such a huge fan of her writing style.  She tells such detailed, colorful stories with the most fascinating characters!  Also, I love her short chapters as this makes it so easy to FLY through her books (more on my thoughts on this HERE).  As soon as this quarantine is over, I’ll be running to the library to check out her other books!  I’m a BIG fan!

And…apparently she’s a fan of ME too 😉

Twitter:

Instagram:

How cool is that?!  #besties

I should add here that the copy of this book that I read was a “Barnes and Noble exclusive” copy which contained a special author’s note at the end.  This piece was fascinating and added another rich layer to the already complex story.  If you can get your hands on a Barnes and Noble copy, I highly recommend it!  Lisa Jewell discusses the background on how this story came to be and even hints at a possible future project…loved reading this special addition.  It added another whole dimension to this book!

I should also add that I will be returning this book to my friend in the EXACT condition as it was when it was left on my front porch.  It was hard but I did it!  Phew 😉

Bottom Line:

Please, please, please someone make this awesome book into a movie!

Did you read this book?  What did you think?  I would 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!*

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

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

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

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

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

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

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