I Was Wrong. So Very Wrong. This Book is AMAZING. {Part 2}

I Was Wrong. So Very Wrong. This Book is AMAZING. {Part 2}

I posted this on Instagram exactly a year to the DAY before I finished reading the book! So random. I posted this last year when Jenna Bush Hager was announcing that it was the book of the month for her Read With Jenna book club and I was NOT feeling it!

Many times when a book is gaining lots of attention, I don’t feel that attention is deserved (examples of this HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE).

Sometimes….sometimes…the popularity of the book is a direct and well deserved representation of the beautfully written words written inside (examples of this HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE).

There’s also the category of “Ok the book is WILDLY popular and so well loved but I have ZERO desire to read it and I’m not going to….but then eventually I will cave and read it and I will hate it just as expected”. (Examples of this HERE and HERE).

But then there’s an entirely different category. A very special category. The category of EXTREMELY popular books that I have ZERO desire to read and then I cave and read them and then…I get it. I totally get it. Every last bit of hype and praise so well deserved and I realize how wrong I was to resist reading it for so long. A few years ago there was a book that I was VERY against reading and when I finally did…it was one of the best books I’ve ever read (you can read part 1 of “I Was Wrong. So Very Wrong. This Book is AMAZING. HERE).

It’s happened again.

Photo Credit: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis of Remarkably Bright Creatures {Shelby Van Pelt}:

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

My Review of Remarkably Bright Creatures {Shelby Van Pelt}:

A gem. A total gem of an absolutely beautifully written book. One of the very best books I’ve read.

When I tell you that I had ZERO desire to read this book, I mean I had ZERO desire to read this book. An octopus?!? Hard pass. But I promise this book isn’t like that. It’s a beautiful story with such depth and perfection. And dare I say that my favorite chapters were the ones told from the point of view of the octopus???

This book made me think and left me with a whole slew of emotions. I smiled, I cried, I felt it all. This book is wonderful.

I saw this gorgeous statue while I was shopping last weekend and I immediately thought of Marcellus! See my daughter’s shoe beneath the table? Imagine her saying, “Mom…are you taking a picture of an…OCTOPUS statue???” Why yes darling, I sure am 🙂

The one and ONLY unglowing (not a real word) thing I will say about this book was that I did find it quite predictable. I’m usually horrible at making predictions and I basically predicted this entire book. However, it didn’t even matter because the book was so incredible and beautiful.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrators were PERFECTION. I loved, loved, loved the voices of Marcellus and Tova. After I finished reading and did my own research, I was blown away to find out that the voice of Marcellus belongs to one of my favorite characters on Shrinking (side note: if you haven’t yet watched Shrinking on Apple TV….watch Shrinking, it’s amazing).

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Let go of how weird this book sounds and just READ IT. It’s perfection.

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

Xo,

Jenny

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Book I’m Reading!

Book I’m Reading!

I bought a new candle a few days ago and put it on our dining room table. Apparently my husband has noticed it (insert eye roll emoji here).

Hi Friends!

How are you??? My audiobook game is still going strong (yesterday I finished listening to one of the best books I’ve ever read/listened to…I’ll write a blog post about it ASAP) but it does also feel nice to read an actual print book. Absolutely nothing could ever compare to holding an actual print book in my hands. The best!

Book I’m Reading

I was sent this book a while back and I’m so happy to start reading, I think it sounds great! Have any of you read it?

Adorbs Cover Art!

Amazon Synopsis of Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life… and a Man {Reenita M. Hora}:

Ila, a Mumbai-based teenager, is going nuts with Veena, her controlling, single mother who prevents her from stalking her pop idol, Ali Zafar. Veena wants her daughter to date real guys in the lead-up to finding a husband. But Ila decides that the only way to get her mom off her back is by finding her a boyfriend instead. With the help of her best friend Deepali, her crush Dev and her mother’s best friend Maleeka, they will come up with a plan to make it happen by setting up a profile in dating apps.

Stay tuned for my full review (and blog giveaway!!) once I finish reading!

What are you currently reading? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

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The Big Book Disappointment of 2023

The Big Book Disappointment of 2023

The right wick on my new candle doesn’t burn as highly as the wick on the left. For someone as Type A as I am, this is making me insane. It’s also a perfect comparison for the 2 books I am discussing on my blog today. Book #1 burns BRIGHTLY and Book #2 does…not.

UGH. That’s all I can say. I’m so disappointed. I was SO excited to read this book. It sucked.

The Big Book Disappointment of 2023

Let’s start from the beginning…

Book #1: Things We Never Got Over

I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this adorable book. A charming town, colorful characters, spicy sex scenes…this book had it all. Cheesy? Oh lord yes but somehow it all just worked. I smiled, I cried, I LOVED it. If you haven’t yet read Things We Never Got Over, it’s a must read for me. HERE is my full review (including the book synopsis).

So naturally when Lucy Score announced that a sequel was in the works, I was ALL IN. I was actually counting down until it’s release (February 21, 2023). I went to Barnes and Noble that week because I couldn’t even wait for a copy to come in at my library…I needed to own this beautiful book STAT. I couldn’t wait to dive right back into the little town with it’s interesting residents. HERE is the post where I was so excited to buy this book (how happy was I??). Reading that post now just makes me sad.

Hoooooow is this book in the same book series as the first book??? It’s so completely different than Book #1. I think a big part of it is the perspective from which it’s told. Book #1 is from the perspective of someone who isn’t from this town and is learning all of the town’s intricacies, meeting all of it’s residents, etc. It focused so much more on the town and the residents. Book #1 really only had 1 storyline that I didn’t enjoy…aaaaaand THAT storyline is the entire premise of Book #2. It makes sense….Book #1 was really introducing everything and now Book #2 dives deeper into the story but the one particular story that it dives deeply into was my absolute LEAST favorite thing about Book #1.

The main characters that I fell in love with all make such tiny appearances in Book #2 and the other, more minor characters that Book #2 focuses on are ANNOYING.

I really can’t say too much about this book without giving away spoilers from both books so I’ll just say this: everything about Book #2 is different than Book #1.

The one constant between the books is the adorable banter between the characters. Lucy Score has such a lovely way of writing dialogue! I just wish the dialogue had been between different characters and talking about different things, lol.

One more thing to note: Book #1 ends with not only 1 epilogue but also a BONUS epilogue. Book #2 ignores both epilogues and just continues the story right where it left off before them. Ummm HUH?? So now we know what happens in the future AND in the farther off future but now we are back in time to reading before any of that actually happens?? I feel like a book series should be in completely chronological order. Obviously Lucy Score shouldn’t have included either epilogue in Book #1 if she was thinking a book series might follow but she did….and now I feel like Book #2 should start right where Book #1 left off.

Basically this book is all a bit of a mess.

One thing I will say is that the covers of the books in the Knockemout series are STUNNING. Book #3 is going to be purple!

I stopped reading at page 270 out of 574 pages. I just couldn’t do it for another 300 pages and even getting to page 270 TOOK FOREVER. I should have been able to read this 600 page book fairly quickly but I was just too bored to ever want to pick it up.

I’m heartbroken, I can’t believe this second book was so terrible when the first was so wonderful. I appreciate that sequels are rarely AS good as the first but this wasn’t even in the same category.

According to reviews online, many many many others hated this book as well. More than one review I read referenced how this book “should be hidden from the light”, lol.

Moving on….but sadly not to the 3rd book in the Knockemout series, Things We Left Behind, which is expected to be released 9/5/23.

Have you read either of these books? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

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Audiobook Review: The Roommate {Kiersten Modglin}

Audiobook Review: The Roommate {Kiersten Modglin}

This is my 2nd Kiersten Modglin book. You can read my thoughts on The Arrangement HERE.

Photo Credit: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis of The Roommate {Kiersten Modglin}:

He thought his life couldn’t get any worse…

Wesley Gates is down on his luck.
He’s drowning in debt.
His demanding career isn’t letting up.
And, to top it all off, after years of ignoring their failing marriage, his wife has had enough.

Heartbroken and in desperate need of a place to stay while he gives his wife the space she’s asked for, Wes is shocked when he runs into a familiar face from his past. As they catch up, Wes quickly learns his old classmate has an extra room and a non-existent social life. He can’t help feeling grateful to spend time with someone who remembers who he was during their glory days, long before his life fell apart. So, when Elias offers to rent out his spare bedroom, it seems like the answer to all Wes’s problems. Wes takes his old friend up on the offer without hesitation.

Living with someone you barely know is better than living with a stranger… Isn’t it?

But soon, Wes realizes moving in with Elias may have been a mistake.
Between the wild mood swings, strange occurrences, and total disregard for his new roommate’s privacy, Wes begins to wonder if Elias will be his savior or his worst nightmare.

When his wife reveals devastating news that destroys the final bit of shaky ground Wes was standing on, his new roommate may be all he has left.

Maybe that’s what Elias wanted in the first place…
Or maybe it’s all in Wes’s head.

Elias invited him in…
Will Wes ever be able to leave?

My Review of The Roommate {Kiersten Modglin}:

For whatever reason, I historically don’t choose books with male points of view when choosing books or audiobooks. The Roommate is told entirely from a male point of view which did cause me to pause before I chose it, but decided to give it a try anyway. I’m glad I did! Listening to this from a male point of view was interesting and it opened my eyes to choosing more male points of view in the future.

So this book was interesting in the fact that literally NOTHING happened for the first 90% or so. Like…how is that even possible?? And then the last 10% was super weird. I actually enjoyed the 90% where nothing happened more than the 10% where things actually did.

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Skip it. It’s about nothing.

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

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

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Audiobook Review: The Inmate {Freida McFadden}

Audiobook Review: The Inmate {Freida McFadden}

My husband caught my hat from the t shirt cannon at a basketball game we went to a few weeks ago. It’s massive, I can’t see anything because it covers my eyes, the front is furry, the bull is shiny, it’s all kinds of insane, and I love it so much!

I feel like with the way my reading habits have been lately, this blog should be named AUDIObook Coffee Happy 😉 I tend to go through phases when it comes to audiobooks…I listen to them back to back to back to back and then I take a break??? Obviously right now I’m in the middle of a major audiobook binge. If audiobooks aren’t your thing, just remember that many, many audiobooks can also be found in print! Here is one of the many audiobooks that I have listened to recently:

The Inmate {Freida McFadden}:

Photo Credit: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis of The Inmate {Freida McFadden}:

There are three rules Brooke Sullivan must follow as a new nurse practitioner at a men’s maximum-security prison:

1) Treat all prisoners with respect.

2) Never reveal any personal information.

3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.

But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary’s most notorious and dangerous inmates.

And they certainly don’t know that Shane was Brooke’s high school sweetheart—the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke’s testimony was what put him there.

But Shane knows.

And he will never forget.

My Review of The Inmate {Freida McFadden}:

So it held my interest long enough that I listened to it fairly quickly but…SO MUCH of this story was so incredibly unbelievable…and not the good kind of unbelievable.

The kind of unbelievable where there is NO WAY that so much of this story could have ever happened! Just so completely unrealistic in so, so many ways. A true work of fiction indeed, lol.

So many plot twists which I love…some predictable, some not. Overall it was just eh. The first half of the story was way more interesting than the 2nd half (shouldn’t it be the other way around??)

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Would I recommend it? I guess….??

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

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

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Audiobook Review: Do Not Disturb {Freida McFadden}

Audiobook Review: Do Not Disturb {Freida McFadden}

Crumbl Cookies, you have my heart.

Hiiiii! How are you? I have been on such an audiobook kick lately! I listened to this one a few weeks ago over the course of a few days. This is my 2nd Freida Mcfadden book. You can read my review (and book synopsis) of The Surrogate Mother HERE.

Photo Credit: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis of Do Not Disturb {Freida McFadden}:

Quinn Alexander has committed an unthinkable crime.

To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. She leaves behind her home, her job, and her family. She grabs her passport and heads for the northern border before the police can discover what she’s done.

But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel. The handsome and kindly owner, Nick Baxter, is only too happy to offer her a cheap room for the night.

Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn’t the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. The motel has a dark and disturbing past. And in the dilapidated house across the way, the silhouette of Nick’s ailing wife is always at the window. Always watching.

In the morning, Quinn must leave the motel. She’ll pack up her belongings and get back on the road to freedom.

But first, she must survive the night.

My Review of Do Not Disturb {Freida McFadden}:

I appreciate the writing…so many different storylines and so many characters all weaved together.

The actual story? Eh. I wasn’t nearly as invested in it as I should have been. An easy listen but one I most definitely wasn’t racing to listen to at every chance I got. I kept waiting for it to get better but it just never did. Fell flat for me. And while my predictions did keep changing as I read, I found one major part of the ending to be pretty predictable. Eh.

As an audiobook? Another eh. I hated Nick’s voice.

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

I would skip this one. It’s fine…but there are way better audiobooks out there!

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

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

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Where I’ve Been, An Audiobook Review, What I’m Reading

Where I’ve Been, An Audiobook Review, What I’m Reading

I saw this painted on a bathroom wall yesterday…love it 🙂

Where I’ve Been

CONSUMED WITH MY FIVE WIVES. That’s it. Not some big dramatic story…just absolutely enamoured by this 9 year old reality show that only lasted 2 seasons and I’ve devoured every single episode over the past 3 weeks, lol. It’s wonderful and a million times better than Sister Wives (which I also watch). These wives are better, the husband is a TRILLION times better in every single way, and their relationships are all so beautiful. 5 wives, 1 husband, 24 children.  While I still don’t understand why anyone would choose this lifestyle,  I CAN appreciate the beauty of the relationships between the wives (personally I would choose finding some wonderful BFFs and knowing that they AREN’T sleeping with my husband…??)  If you have no idea what this show is, here’s a preview:

Watch this show. You’re welcome.

An Audiobook Review

I have listened to a few audiobooks recently including this one by Kierseten Modglin!

Note: This book is not to be confused with The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth! Same title, totally different book. You can read my (GLOWING) review of Sally Hepworth’s book HERE!

Photo Credit: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis of The Mother In Law {Kiersten Modglin}

There’s something strange about Loren’s new mother-in-law…

When Loren meets Jack, she’s sure he’s the man she’s been waiting for—a perfect husband and a father for her young daughter. Shortly after their wedding, their plans to start a life together are put on hold when the couple receives word that Jack’s father has died.

In an effort to appease her new husband, Loren invites her mother-in-law, Coralee, to stay with them while she grieves. When strange things begin to occur just after her arrival, Loren questions how much she knows about the woman she invited into her home.

One calculated move after the next, Coralee attempts to drive a wedge between Loren and her new husband. Jack believes his mother’s strange behavior is just further proof she needs their help, but Loren isn’t so sure. As Coralee’s actions become increasingly sinister, Loren is pushed to her breaking point and she realizes she must do whatever it takes to get rid of her mother-in-law for good.

What she doesn’t know about her new family could kill her…

My Review of The Mother In Law {Kiersten Modglin}:

Eh.

It was boring. Not much else to say. I hated all of the characters, I found the storyline way too far fetched, and I will never for the life of me understand allllll of the actions of the main character.

It held my interest enough to finish listening which is more than I can say for a bunch of other books/audiobooks I’ve started reading/listening to recently.

And…something happened that has NEVER happened to me EVER in the history of ANY book I have EVER read. Are you ready? There was a big twist at the end that I…didn’t understand. Like, the wording was so strange and I just didn’t understand what happened. Ummm huh??? I tried googling the ending but to no avail. If you have read this one (and understand the ending), please message me so we can discuss! I have a big question!

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Sally Hepworth’s book was a MILLION times better than this one. Read hers instead.

What I’m Reading

Still reading this beauty! Just not as quickly as I would like…#myfivewives. I’ll post my full review once I finish reading!

Have you watched My 5 Wives???

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

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I. CAN. NOT. WAIT. TO. READ. THIS. BOOK.

I. CAN. NOT. WAIT. TO. READ. THIS. BOOK.

#obvi

Back in October, my family and I took such a lovely vacation down south (you can read all about our awesome trip HERE). While we were there, I read the most beautiful book: Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score (you can read about my decision to buy that book HERE and my glooooowing review of that lovely book HERE).

I have been not so patiently waiting for it’s sequel (Things We Hide From The Light) to be released and this was the week! FINALLY! This is one book that I knew I wanted to own so I happily bought myself a copy. Released on Tuesday, purchased on Friday. EXCITED!

Goodreads Synopsis of Things We Hide From the Light {Lucy Score}:

Nash Morgan was always known as the good Morgan brother, with a smile and a wink for everyone. But now, this chief of police is recovering from being shot and his Southern charm has been overshadowed by panic attacks and nightmares. He feels like a broody shell of the man he once was. Nash isn’t about to let anyone in his life know he’s struggling. But his new next-door neighbor, smart and sexy Lina, sees his shadows. As a rule, she’s not a fan of physical contact unless she initiates it, but for some reason Nash’s touch is different. He feels it too. The physical connection between them is incendiary, grounding him and making her wonder if exploring it is worth the risk.

Too bad Lina’s got secrets of her own, and if Nash finds out the real reason she’s in town, he’ll never forgive her. Besides, she doesn’t do relationships. Ever. A hot, short-term fling with a local cop? Absolutely. Sign her up. A relationship with a man who expects her to plant roots? No freaking way. Once she gets what she’s after, she has no intention of sticking around. But Knockemout has a way of getting under people’s skin. And once Nash decides to make Lina his, he’s not about to be dissuaded…even if it means facing the danger that nearly killed him.

Hoping for Sex Scenes

As I mentioned in my review of Things We Never Got Over, the sex scenes were surprisingly HOT and I am crossing alllll of my fingers that the sequel will also deliver the goods. I loved Things We Never Got Over for so many reasons and those awesome sex scenes were such a FUN and unexpected bonus 😉

Bring on the sex!

Just like Things We Never Got Over, Things We Hide From the Light is THICK. Very, very think. Almost 600 pages (589 pages to be exact) thick.

A 3rd Book in The Knockemout Series Will Be Coming in September!

I can’t wait!

As always I’ll share my full review once I finish reading!

Have you read either of these books? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

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Audiobook Review: The Arrangement {Kiersten Modglin}

Audiobook Review: The Arrangement {Kiersten Modglin}

My daughter and I went thrift store shopping a few weeks ago. I thought these were BOOK DISHES! They…weren’t, lol.

I have a book (audiobook) review for you today of a book that has been on my TBR for YEARS! I’m so happy that I finally had the chance to read (listen) to this one. It came highly recommended to me from a friend so I had very high hopes!

Note: This book is not to be confused with The Arrangement by Robyn Harding! Same title, totally different book.

Goodreads Synopsis of The Arrangement {Kiersten Modglin}:

Ainsley Greenburg is a fixer.
It’s what she prides herself on.

So, when she realizes her marriage is at its breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband to propose the arrangement is supposed to be the hard part, but Peter agrees to the salacious plan almost immediately.

The rules are simple:
They will each date someone new once a week.
They will never discuss what happens on the dates.

Soon, though, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.

When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits surface. Can they truly trust the person they share a life with, or will the vicious lies that have mounted over the years destroy everything they’ve built?

Once, Peter and Ainsley vowed to stand together forever, but as they push boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder if ’til death do us part may come sooner than they’d intended.

My Audiobook Review of The Arrangement {Kiersten Modglin}:

There were twists after twits after twists which I LOVE! One big twist I figured out from very early on but the others I NEVER saw coming. LOVE THAT SO MUCH.

So I do have a pretty big….complaint? Observation? I felt like I was listening to 2 completely different books. The first half of this book is so incredibly different than the 2nd half of this book! There really isn’t much I can elaborate on this without giving away the entire book so I’ll just say this…I enjoyed the 1st half much, much more than I enjoyed the 2nd half.

This is book #1 in a 3 book series. I don’t feel the need to continue reading…I’m good. I despised every single character in this book so I honestly don’t really care what happens to any of them in future books.

Remember in the beginning of this review I mentioned that this book has the same title as a Robyn Harding book? HANDS DOWN I would read Robyn’s book over this one! You can read my review of that awesome book HERE.

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

The first half of this book was AWESOME. The second half was not nearly as awesome.

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

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

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

BLOGMAS 2022: Review of the Christmas Book With One of the Prettiest Book Covers I Have Ever Seen

Annual holiday drive thru AKA one of my favorite family holiday traditions! This lit up tunnel was STUNNING!

Ok so WOW. My little book blog BLEW UP with page views yesterday…apparently you guys really liked my list of the 13 best books I read in 2022! I hope you found some good suggestions as obviously every book on that list is coming at you highly, highly recommended. If you missed that post, HERE it is :). It’s filled with the very best books I read this year (and I read many, many, MANY books this year)…

Review of the Christmas Book With One of the Prettiest Book Covers I Have Ever Seen:

The Christmas Bookshop {Jenny Colgan}

I received this book during last year’s holiday season from a wonderfully kind blog reader. I couldn’t get my hands on a copy and I desperately wanted to read it! I’m still not over the generosity of this person. SO AMAZINGLY KIND!!! You can read about that lovely gesture HERE.

So halfway through reading Joanne Demaio’s Winter Novels, I pivoted my reading plans and basically stopped everything to read this book! You can read all about that decision HERE.

Out of the 8 holiday books that I was excited to read, THIS book was the one that I was the MOST excited to read (you can read that post with the other 7 titles HERE).

Can we talk about this GORGEOUS cover??? It’s BEAUTIFUL! The colors are so bold and amazing. Bookshop AND Christmas?! Absolutely love everything about this cover!

Goodreads Synopsis of The Christmas Bookshop {Jenny Colgan}:

When the department store she works in closes for good, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. She doesn’t want to move in with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered Edinburgh life.

Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want Carmen there either. Her sister has always been sarcastic and difficult. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs a retail assistant for his ailing bookshop, so welcoming Carmen might still have some benefits for everyone.

At Sofia’s behest, Carmen is thrown into the daily workings of old Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the streets of the old dark city. Can she use her design skills to revamp the store and bring it back to popularity in time to benefit from Christmas shopping traffic? Can she choose between bad boy literary rock star Blair and quiet Quaker student Oke? And will she heal the rift with the most important people of all: her family?

My Review of The Christmas Bookshop {Jenny Colgan}:

It’s a beautiful story! So descriptive and lovely with wonderful characters and beautiful settings.

In our hotel room last Christmas Day! We took a staycation in downtown Chicago and this book came along for the journey!

My ONLY complaint…so…the bookshop was just 1 of the many storylines in this book. I wanted the bookshop to be the MAIN storyline. I wanted this entire book to revolve around a lovely Christmas bookshop

I think I went into reading this book thinking it was a light, easy read and wasn’t prepared for the depth that it provided. At ANY OTHER TIME during the year, I would have wholeheartedly welcomed that depth but during the holiday season I really just want light, easy, fluffy books.

Trifecta.

I did love that I found myself googling picturesque Edinburgh (and various tree types that were mentioned throughout the story) and seeing pictures of the exact area where the fictitious bookshop is supposed to be. What a stunning backdrop for this story! If you do read this, I highly suggest doing a bit of research on this beautiful area. It helped to have a bit of background knowledge when reading the descriptions of the area.

Side Note: One of the most beautiful book covers I have ever seen.

Bottom Line:

A beautiful book…just don’t expect the majority of it to be about the bookstore, lol.

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

Blogmas 2022 Posts:

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

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

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

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

12/5 Blogmas 2022: Winter Wonderland Book Tag

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Xo,

Jenny

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