Tag: what to read next

I Got A Job (!!) and a Book Review: The Husbands {Holly Gramazio}

I Got A Job (!!) and a Book Review: The Husbands {Holly Gramazio}

I got a job!! Starting this fall, I will be a school secretary at a middle school :). I’m so excited about this for so many reasons! My commute will be approximately 4 minutes long, my best friend is a teacher there (!!), I already know many of the families and staff because they live in my community, etc. Best of all, the hours/days off so wonderfully align with my own kids’ schedules. Love.

Selfie right after I officially signed and returned all of the paperwork to my new school district office!

Being that I was a teacher for such a long time, I already am more than familiar with the school environment and how important having an amazing secretary truly is. I honestly think this new role is a perfect fit for me and I can’t wait to get started 🙂

I’m going in for a few days of training next week and then will officially start full time in August! Nothing should change with the blog but as always, know that I am WAY more active on Instagram than I am on my actual blog. I post an Instastory pretty much every single day! If you don’t already follow Book Coffee Happy on Instagram, HERE is the link to do so!

Book Review: The Husbands {Holly Gramazio}:

Ok so the first thing I noticed when I picked up this book (other than the weird cover art) was that 2 of my ABSOLUTE favorite authors blurbed this book.

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry (Gabrielle Zevin}, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow {Gabrielle Zevin}, and The Most Fun We Ever Had {Claire Lombardo} are 3 of my ALL TIME favorite books! Click the titles to read the book synopsis and my thoughts on each 🙂

Goodreads Synopsis of The Husbands {Holly Gramazio}:

When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.

As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?

My Thoughts on The Husbands {Holly Gramizo}:

Eh.

I wasn’t even aware that it was possible for a story to go on for 338 pages without anything actually progressing but turns out…it’s possible! Like, how does that even happen???

Everytime I was staaaaarting to become invested in a storyline…BAM…storyline gone.

The one and ONLY thing that I liked about this book was the fact that this entire book is basically just a series of metaphors for other things. I love that.

Zero character development because the characters came and left too quickly. About 100 characters too many. Storylines were introduced and then just dropped.

All of the reviews that I have read have mentioned the amazing ending…I didn’t like the ending?

Not sure why this book is as popular as it is but so many people are loving it right now. Eh.

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Can someone please explain why everyone loves this book so much?

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

Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is filled with love and BOOKS!

Xo,

Jenny

**Clearly I didn’t love this one but you just might! Click HERE to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo**

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

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

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2 Author Events and What I’m Currently Reading

2 Author Events and What I’m Currently Reading

Last weekend, I attended the most gorgeous release party for Lisa Barr’s newest (and in my opinion BEST) book, The Goddess of Warsaw. If you missed my review of this amazing book, you can read all of my thoughts HERE (spoiler: loved it).

Candles! I can’t wait to light mine, it smells divine.
Love you, Lisa 🙂
These gorgeous light boxes were placed all around the room. So beautiful!
My name in the Author’s Note at the end of the book. No words for how touched I feel to be included!

I also went to an event at Barnes and Noble which occurred ON this awesome book’s publishing day! The Good Book Fairy was in conversation with Lisa Barr and it was an amazing discussion. It was interesting to hear them discussing the book without giving ANYTHING away as the book was just released that day! I was only 1 of a handful of people there who had already read an advanced copy so I really enjoyed hearing this discussion from that perspective.

Love.
Lauren (AKA The Good Book Fairy) brought me a copy of her daughter’s new release, Drive Me Crazy! Thank you so much, Lauren…so sweet! I can’t wait to read it, Carly Robyn :). It looks super cute!

What I’m Currently Reading

I recently received an advanced copy of Emily Giffin’s newest book, The Summer Pact! I’m currently about 100 pages in. I’ll share my thoughts when I finish! This one releases in July.

Goodreads Synopsis of The Summer Pact {Emily Giffin}:

Four freshmen arrive at college from completely different worlds: Lainey, a California party girl with a flair for drama; Tyson, a brilliant scholar and law school hopeful from D.C.; Summer, a recruited athlete and perfectionist from the Midwest; and Hannah, a mild-mannered southerner who is content to quietly round out the circle of big personalities. Soon after moving into their shared dorm, they strike up a conversation in a study lounge, and the seeds of friendship are planted.

As their college years fly by, their bond intensifies and the four become inseparable. But as graduation nears, their lives are forever changed after a desperate act leads to tragic consequences. Stunned and heartbroken, a pact is made to be there for each other in their time of need, no matter how separated they are by circumstances or distance.

Ten years later, Hannah is anticipating what should be one of the happiest moments of her life when everything is suddenly turned upside down. Calling on her closest friends, it soon becomes clear that they are facing their own crossroads. True to their promise, they agree to take a time out from lives headed in wrong directions and embark on a journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance.

In this tender portrayal of grief, love, and hope, Emily Giffin asks: When things fall apart, who will be at our sides to help pick up the pieces?

Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is filled with love and BOOKS!

Xo,

Jenny

**Click HERE to order The Goddess of Warsaw, and click HERE to preorder The Summer Pact (both through my Amazon affiliate links). When you order through these links, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo**

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

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2 Books I’m NOT Reading!

2 Books I’m NOT Reading!

Most beautiful cupcake that I ate on Mother’s Day! Tasted just as amazing as it looked!

I think both of these books sound GREAT but unfortunately I had to return them to my library before I even had the chance to crack either of them open (cue the sad violin music). I’m so hoping to read them both at some point!

**Note: The fancy pictures of these books were taken in my car juuuuuuuuust as I was about to return them to the library book return bin, lol. No beautiful shots here!**

Book #1 I’m NOT Reading:

Goodreads Synopsis of Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop {Hwang Bo-Reum}:

Yeongju is burned out. With her high-flying career, demanding marriage, and busy life in Seoul, she knows she should feel successful, but all she feels is drained. Yet an abandoned dream nags at her, and in a leap of faith, she leaves her old life behind. Quitting her job and divorcing her husband, Yeongju moves to a small residential neighborhood outside the city, where she opens the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.

For the first few months, all Yeongju does is cry, deterring visitors. But the long hours in the shop give her time to mull over what makes a good bookseller and store, and as she starts to read hungrily, host author events, and develop her own bookselling philosophy, she begins to ease into her new setting. Surrounded by friends, writers, and the books that connect them all, she finds her new story as the Hyunam-dong Bookshop transforms into an inviting space for lost souls to rest, heal, and remember that it’s never too late to scrap the plot and start again.

Book #2 I’m NOT Reading:

I LOVED The One by John Marrs (if you haven’t yet read The One, it’s a must read. HERE is a link to the synopsis and all of my thoughts)!

If this book is half as good as The One, I’m all in…

Goodreads Synopsis of The Vacation {John Marrs}:

How far would you run to escape your past?

For eight strangers in a Los Angeles backpacking hostel, even the other side of the world isn’t far enough.

The craving for a new identity and the chance to start again is something they have in common. But the search for a fresh start isn’t as easy as they’d imagined.

And they soon discover that it doesn’t matter where you are or who you are – if you can’t lay the past to rest, coincidence, fate and deception have a way of catching up with you when you least expect it.

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

Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is filled with love and BOOKS!

Xo,

Jenny

**Click HERE to order Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop and click HERE to order The Vacation both through my Amazon affiliate links. When you order through these links, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo**

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

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

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VIDEO Book Review: Ready or Not {Cara Bastone}

VIDEO Book Review: Ready or Not {Cara Bastone}

I haven’t done a video in review in a while…so I filmed one for you! Here are my thoughts (spoiler free obvi) on Cara Bastone’s Ready or Not.

VIDEO Book Review: Ready or Not {Cara Bastone}:

 

Let me know if you enjoy these types of videos and if so, I can film these more often! 

 

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

Xo,

Jenny

**Click HERE to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo**

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

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

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

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

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Book Review: Expiration Dates {Rebecca Serle} and Giveaway Winner

Book Review: Expiration Dates {Rebecca Serle} and Giveaway Winner

Hi Friends!

Thank you for your support as I’m slooooowly getting back into my blogging groove! Feels so nice to be back…I’ve missed you!

This past weekend 16 of my sorority sisters and I took a trip back to our Alma Mater to say good-bye to our beloved sorority house that is now closing. Cue allll the tears. It was both a heartbreaking and heartwarming trip for sure. Love you forever, Sig Delt sisters!

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Rebecca Serle’s newest book, Expiration Dates. I put my name on the library waitlist months ago!

I LOVED every single word of In Five Years. If you haven’t read In Five Years, that book is an absolute MUST READ. The book synopsis and my glowing review can be found HERE.

Note: I haven’t read One Italian Summer but I’ve heard it’s wonderful! To be honest, I think it sounds too depressing. I’ll be skipping that one but I’m sure it’s great…

How beautiful is the cover? LOVEEEEEEE.

Goodreads Synopsis of Expiration Dates {Rebecca Serle}:

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.

My Review of Expiration Dates {Rebecca Serle}:

Ahhhh this is a lovely book. The character development was amazing! Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the timeline (jumped around a bit too sporadically for me), I did love the way that the story was told throughout the series of flashbacks (although I wish those flashbacks were told in more of a chronological order).

Rebecca Serle is a BEAUTIFUL writer. When I read In Five Years, I remember being completely captivated by her words. Did I feel the same way with this one? I did not…but…it was still very good. I loved the ending! I just wasn’t as invested as I was with In Five Years as I truly couldn’t put that book down once I started reading. This one was great and if I wasn’t comparing it to In Five Years I think I would have loved it much more. Comparison is truly the thief of joy as the famous quote says!

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Read this book. Just don’t compare it to In Five Years.

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

What You Do To Me (Signed Copy!) Giveaway Winner:

Thank you to everyone who entered! Here is a video of me randomly choosing the winner:

Xo,

Jenny

**Click HERE to order Expiration Dates through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo**

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

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site 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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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

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What I’m Currently Reading (Good), What I Recently Finished Reading (Not So Good), What I Think I’ll Read Next (SOUNDS AMAZING and Now I’m Pissed)

What I’m Currently Reading (Good), What I Recently Finished Reading (Not So Good), What I Think I’ll Read Next (SOUNDS AMAZING and Now I’m Pissed)

I love when Book Coffee Happy can participate in WWW! The Three Ws: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

Thanks so much to Sam from Taking on a World of Words for hosting this fun weekly post!

What Are You Currently Reading?

I received this book recommendation from a friend of mine who KNOWS what I love to read so obviously I had to immediately put it on hold at my library! So far its…good. Not great, but definitely good. I’m not very far in (70ish pages maybe?) so I’m hopeful it will pick up speed soon!

Goodreads Synopsis of Hold My Girl {Charlene Carr}:

Two women. Two eggs. One life-changing switch.

Katherine finally has it all. She’s spent her entire life striving for perfection―obsessing over her spotless home, maintaining her pristine reputation, building her perfect family―and her hard work has finally paid off. After seven difficult years of trying (and failing) to conceive, Katherine gives birth to Rose, her IVF miracle child, and at last has the one thing she’s wanted most of all. But one thing isn’t quite perfect. Rose’s pale skin doesn’t match Katherine’s complexion, and an irritating doubt begins to grow in Katherine’s mind.

Tess never got the happy ending she wanted. She underwent IVF at the same clinic as Katherine, but after finally conceiving, Tess’s daughter was stillborn. Now, nearly two years later, she’s approaching rock bottom. Consumed by her grief and without hope for the future, Tess is divorced, broke, and stuck in a dead-end job beneath her skillset. But shortly before Rose’s first birthday, Katherine and Tess get a call from the fertility clinic. Their eggs were switched.

As Katherine’s carefully planned life begins to crumble around her, Tess finally sees the glimmer of hope she needed to get her life back on track. Motherhood has always been their dream, and neither woman is prepared to share that claim over Rose. It will take a tense custody battle to decide who deserves to be Rose’s mother, but it will also push them to the brink.

With themes of racial identity, loss, and betrayal, Hold My Girl is an emotional novel that will leave you What makes a mother?

What Did You Recently Finish Reading?

Ok so I really didn’t give this book a fair shot before calling it quits. I think because it starts with a crime and I don’t love reading about crimes? I enjoy reading the buildup but starting with the crime and then leading into a “who did it” mystery…eh. I DO think this book has the possibility of being great (the synopsis sounds great) but I was honestly just too bored to stick around to find out.

This is actually the 2nd Katherine Faulkner book that I’ve returned to the library without reading it! The first one I had checked out was was when I had Covid in 2022. You can read all about that here: 4 Books I’m NOT Reading and a Covid Update!

Goodreads Synopsis of The Other Mothers {Katherine Faulkner}:

When a young nanny is found dead in mysterious circumstances, new mom, Tash, is intrigued. She has been searching for a story to launch her career as a freelance journalist. But she has also been searching for something else—new friends to help her navigate motherhood.

She sees them at her son’s new playgroup. The other mothers. A group of sleek, sophisticated women who live in a neighborhood of tree-lined avenues and stunning houses. The sort of mothers Tash herself would like to be. When the mothers welcome her into their circle, Tash discovers the kind of life she has always dreamt of—their elegant London townhouses a far cry from her cramped basement flat and endless bills. She is quickly swept up into their wealthy world via coffees, cocktails, and playdates.

But when another young woman is found dead, it’s clear there’s much more to the community than meets the eye. The more Tash investigates, the more she’s led uncomfortably close to the other mothers. Are these women really her friends? Or is there another, more dangerous reason why she has been so quickly accepted into their exclusive world? Who, exactly, is investigating who?

Omg.

I’m so pissed. This book has been on TBR for MONTHS and I finally got my hands on a copy. The synopsis sounds great (SPIIIICY) and I’ve so been looking forward to starting it! 

As I sat down to write this blog post and searched Goodreads for a synopsis to include here for you, I am only NOW realizing that this book is actually BOOK 3 IN A SERIES??? Well crap.

So I am NOT in fact going to include this synopsis because I have no clue if it includes spoilers! Maybe this can be read as a stand alone? Have any of you read this series? The synopsis for Book #1 sounds…well…DIRTY. Sooooo maybe I’ll read it afterall, lol 😉

Oh I’m so mad. 

Have you read any of these books? What did you think (no spoilers)? What are you currently reading? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

Hold My Girl

The Other Mothers

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…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

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

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Click HERE for the 9 best books I read in 2023

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2023 can be found HERE

Blogmas 2023: Books I’m Taking To DISNEY WORLD!

Blogmas 2023: Books I’m Taking to DISNEY WORLD!

Remember back in 2019 when I wrote this exact post?

And then remember when I came home from my trip and made a super long video where I declared that reading in Disney is virtually impossible and I never even cracked open ANY of the books that I brought??

Fast forward 4 years later and clearly I have learned absolutely nothing…I’m bringing 4 books to Disney, lol! BUUUUT this trip is different because we are spending a relaxing few days in Daytona after we leave Disney World so maybe I’ll have time to read then? Maybe? If not, the plane rides might be the only time I read over the next week and I’ll be lugging these books to and from Florida just to look pretty in my suitcase. Eh…worth it.

So what am I bringing?

Books I’m Taking to DISNEY WORLD!

Ok obviously the next 2 books in my beloved Winter Novels. I can’t WAIT to read these! Not posting the synopsis for either book since they are books #6 and #7 in the series and you all know how I feel about spoilers 😉

This picture I took bothers me because the books are reversed…Winter House is #6 and Winter Road is #7! My type A self is struggling that they aren’t flipped.

If you follow Book Coffee Happy on Instagram, you might remember when I found this one sitting in a Little Free Library a few weeks ago….the first book in an adorable sounding new to me holiday series? Ummm YES PLEASE.

Goodreads Synopsis of The Clause in Christmas {Rachel Bloome}:

Sometimes home is where you least expect it…

Cassie Hayward hates Christmas. Especially this year.

No job. Flat broke. And an ex most definitely on the naughty list.

But the unexpected inheritance of a Victorian cottage in the idyllic town of Poppy Creek may be the miracle Cassie needs. Except for one problem: a clause in the will. Cassie must complete a series of festive tasks for each day in December leading up to Christmas. Overseen by the disarmingly handsome, Christmas-loving lawyer, Luke Davis.

Luke is as strong and steady as the bespoke furniture he crafts as a hobby. He has to be. Stepping into his late father’s shoes as the town lawyer comes with a sleigh full of responsibilities. Which means the alluring stranger collecting her inheritance is a distraction he can’t afford.

As the unlikely pair works together to complete the daily tasks, fighting their attraction becomes more futile than putting good ol’ St. Nick on a diet. But when Cassie’s ex reappears with the offer of a lifetime, she’ll have to choose between love and the life she always wanted.

Curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and visit a town that feels like home. This endearing, sweet romance will warm your heart and fill you will hope. A “must-read” year after year.

Sounds so good, right? You had me at “town that feels like home”…

Aaaaand then this book which I checked out of the library at the very beginning of this holiday season, have talked about on my blog over and over, and yet STILL haven’t read!

Click HERE for a synopsis of Blame it on the Mistletoe from a previous blog post that I wrote! 

***Fun fact: when I was searching “Blame it on the Mistletoe” to add a link to my Amazon Affiliate account, I discovered that “Blame the Mistletoe” is also an OPI nail color:

Love it! So pretty!

Soooo those are the books coming with me to Disney. Will I read them? Maybe. Will I be prepared with reading entertainment in case my family gets stranded and has to extend our vacay like that one time we were stranded on top of a mountain? Absolutely!

Blogmas 2023 Posts:

12/1 Blogmas 2023: Welcome to Blogmas {VIDEO}!

12/2 Blogmas 2023: Happy Birthday to ME {Sephora Gift Card Giveaway}!

12/3 Blogmas 2023: Book Review: All I Want for Christmas {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Christmas Bet {Meg Easton}

12/5 Blogmas 2023: The Winter Series {Joanne Demaio} Check In

12/6 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Coworker {Freida McFadden}

12/7 Blogmas 2023: Random Bookish Things

12/8 Blogmas 2023: The Holiday Sign in the Form of a Post It

12/9 Blogmas 2023: READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK

12/10 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: A Lake House Holiday {Megan Squires}

12/11 Blogmas 2023: Disney World Trumps Blogmas!

12/12 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Book Club Hotel {Sarah Morgan}

12/13 Blogmas 2023: Book Coffee Happy’s 13 Most Viewed Posts of 2023

12/14 Blogmas 2023: A {Non Holiday} Middle School Book Series That I LOVE

12/15 Blogmas 2023: I LOVED This Gorgeous Holiday Book…About BOOKS!

12/16 The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

12/17 Blogmas 2023: 2 Non Holiday Audiobooks {Same Author} I Started Listening To and Hated!

12/18 Blogmas 2023: Screw It…Moving On, My Beautiful Present, and a Holiday Book Review

12/19 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}

Xo,

Jenny

Click HERE to order book #1 in the Winter Novels

Click HERE to order The Clause in Christmas

Click HERE to order Blame it on the Mistletoe

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…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site 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 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*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}

Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}

New candle holder. Obsessed.
Photo Credit: Amazon

This is the 2nd Natasha Boydell book I’ve listened to as an audiobook. You can read my (scathing) review of The Woman Next Door HERE (or maybe don’t….).

Goodreads Synopsis of The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}:

Kate and Pete have been the perfect couple ever since they were teenagers. Fifteen years later they have two young daughters, live in a beautiful London townhouse and seem like they have it all. But one day, Pete leaves for work and never comes home.

In a note Kate discovers, he confesses that he’s been unhappy for a long time and that he’s met someone else.

Distraught, Kate later learns that he has left everything, including his mobile phone, behind and sets out to learn the truth about her husband’s disappearance.

But is she prepared for what she will learn?

When nothing is as it seems, who can you trust?

Non Holiday Audiobook Review of The Missing Husband {Natasha Boydell}:

Well I liked this one much more than The Woman Next Door so I’ll give it that.

The Woman Next Door was boring…aaaaand so was The Missing Husband. In fact, 95 % of this book is NOT a psychological thriller. The twists came right at the end but until then, it was just…a story. Not twisty, not deep, just…a story. Does that make sense?

I had lots of predictions and none of them ended up being correct which I love BUT what I DON’T love is that I think my predictions would have made a better story 😉

I HATED, HATED, HATED the voices of the children. Audiobooks are weird, the narrator often has to do many different voices. I didn’t mind the voices that she gave the other adults but the voices that she used for the kids? It was like listening to the most annoying children’s’ cartoon voices over and over (think Calliou…IYKYK)

Overall this book was fine, eh. I never really cared about any of the characters, so I never really cared about what happened to any of them.

Side Note: Three main female characters all with similar sounding names. Claire, Kate, Karen. How stupid is that??? Like, there are millions and millions of names in this world…why pick similar sounding ones to confuse your readers?

Book Coffee Happy Epilogue:

Forgettable characters, forgettable storylines…moving on.

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

Blogmas 2023 Posts:

12/1 Blogmas 2023: Welcome to Blogmas {VIDEO}!

12/2 Blogmas 2023: Happy Birthday to ME {Sephora Gift Card Giveaway}!

12/3 Blogmas 2023: Book Review: All I Want for Christmas {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Christmas Bet {Meg Easton}

12/5 Blogmas 2023: The Winter Series {Joanne Demaio} Check In

12/6 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Coworker {Freida McFadden}

12/7 Blogmas 2023: Random Bookish Things

12/8 Blogmas 2023: The Holiday Sign in the Form of a Post It

12/9 Blogmas 2023: READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK

12/10 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: A Lake House Holiday {Megan Squires}

12/11 Blogmas 2023: Disney World Trumps Blogmas!

12/12 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Book Club Hotel {Sarah Morgan}

12/13 Blogmas 2023: Book Coffee Happy’s 13 Most Viewed Posts of 2023

12/14 Blogmas 2023: A {Non Holiday} Middle School Book Series That I LOVE

12/15 Blogmas 2023: I LOVED This Gorgeous Holiday Book…About BOOKS!

12/16 The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

12/17 Blogmas 2023: 2 Non Holiday Audiobooks {Same Author} I Started Listening To and Hated!

12/18 Blogmas 2023: Screw It…Moving On, My Beautiful Present, and a Holiday Book Review

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…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site 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 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*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

Blogmas 2023: Screw It…Moving On, My Beautiful Present, and a Holiday Book Review

Blogmas 2023: Screw It…Moving On, My Beautiful Present, and a Holiday Book Review

Juuuuuuust in case it rains while we are at Disney…we’re prepared! 

Oh man, I was really hoping to love The Twelve Dates of Christmas! I have been waiting for 2 years to read it!

I read 150 pages aaaaaand…I’m out.

K, whoever you are…thank you for the recommendation. I respectfully disagree 🙂

I just couldn’t connect to any of these characters! Like…at all. And if this book is going in the direction that I’m assuming it’s going to go, this is all waaaaay too predictable. The writing was ok, I just couldn’t get into it and never really wanted to pick it up. Eh.

For my birthday, my daughter bought me this STUNNING light up Christmas tree for my nightstand! At night, I’ve been turning it on while reading with my book light and it’s been DREAMY.

I WILL say that the fact that I couldn’t get into this book miiiiight have a bit to do with the fact that I am beyond distracted trying to get everything ready for our Disney trip! I also feel pretty strongly that part of this distraction is knowing that I have Joanne Demaio’s 2 most recent additions to the Winter Series just sitting on my shelf and waiting for me to read them! When I first learned of our Disney trip, I shifted my plans of reading the 2 Winter Series throughout the month of December and saving them for the plane. Yeah, I’m done waiting. I don’t want to bring The Twelve Dates of Christmas with me on vacay. Screw the plan…I’M GOING IN. The NEW plan is to start reading book #6 (Winter House) asap and bring it on the plane with me along with book #7 (Winter Road). I’ll throw a few other books in there as well 🙂

Happily moving ON!

Have you read The Twelve Dates of Christmas? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Blogmas 2023 Posts:

12/1 Blogmas 2023: Welcome to Blogmas {VIDEO}!

12/2 Blogmas 2023: Happy Birthday to ME {Sephora Gift Card Giveaway}!

12/3 Blogmas 2023: Book Review: All I Want for Christmas {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Christmas Bet {Meg Easton}

12/5 Blogmas 2023: The Winter Series {Joanne Demaio} Check In

12/6 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Coworker {Freida McFadden}

12/7 Blogmas 2023: Random Bookish Things

12/8 Blogmas 2023: The Holiday Sign in the Form of a Post It

12/9 Blogmas 2023: READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK

12/10 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: A Lake House Holiday {Megan Squires}

12/11 Blogmas 2023: Disney World Trumps Blogmas!

12/12 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Book Club Hotel {Sarah Morgan}

12/13 Blogmas 2023: Book Coffee Happy’s 13 Most Viewed Posts of 2023

12/14 Blogmas 2023: A {Non Holiday} Middle School Book Series That I LOVE

12/15 Blogmas 2023: I LOVED This Gorgeous Holiday Book…About BOOKS!

12/16 The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

12/17 Blogmas 2023: 2 Non Holiday Audiobooks {Same Author} I Started Listening To and Hated!

Xo,

Jenny

Click HERE to order The Twelve Dates of Christmas

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…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site 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 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*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

My perfect birthday present from my son!

I cannot believe that I only have 9 books on this list this year! I usually have more than that amount! I read A LOT of books this year and many were great…just not great ENOUGH to be considered the BEST books I read in 2023. I take this list very seriously and it’s always more important to me to truly include my absolute favorites, even if that number is lower than I would like for it to be. Quality over quantity always!

Here are (significantly longer) lists from previous years:

The 12 Best Books I Read in 2019

The 12 Best Books I Read in 2020

BLOGMAS: The 13 Best Books I Read in 2021

Blogmas 2022: The 13 Best Books I Read in 2022

The 9 Best Books I Read in 2023

As always, I’m continuing with the tradition of presenting this year’s selection not by title, but by the Book Coffee Happy epilogue that I always include at the very end of all my book reviews. These epilogues are my “final thoughts”, a quick 1 sentence(ish) recap of my feelings about the book. When you click on each “epilogue” below, it will take you to my original blog post which includes the book’s synopsis and well as my full review!

So without further adu, I present to you the 9 absolute BEST books that I read in 2023 in no particular order:

Book #1’s Epilogue:

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

Book #2’s Epilogue:

Read this series. Start with this book. Order a “Vagode” cake.

Book #3’s Epilogue:

Loved every single word…and song lyric.

Book #4’s Epilogue:

Read these books. If you have middle schoolers, encourage them to read these books. Better yet, read them at the same time and have meaningful and important life discussions đŸ™‚

Book #5’s Epilogue:

This book is pure holiday magic and joy.

Book #6’s Epilogue:

It was great!

Book #7’s Epilogue:

A perfect holiday book for a book lover.

Book #8’s Epilogue:

Every teenager (and adult!) should read this book. I truly can’t recommend it enough. You will smile, you will cry, you will LEARN. This is such an important book and absolutely one of the very best I’ve read in a very long time.

Book #9’s Epilogue:

READ. THIS. BOOK. Just not while you are on an airplane or have plans to be on one anytime soon đŸ˜‰

What are the best books YOU have read in 2023?? Have you read any of these? Plan to? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Blogmas 2023 Posts

12/1 Blogmas 2023: Welcome to Blogmas {VIDEO}!

12/2 Blogmas 2023: Happy Birthday to ME {Sephora Gift Card Giveaway}!

12/3 Blogmas 2023: Book Review: All I Want for Christmas {Maggie Knox}

12/4 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Christmas Bet {Meg Easton}

12/5 Blogmas 2023: The Winter Series {Joanne Demaio} Check In

12/6 Blogmas 2023: Non Holiday Audiobook Review: The Coworker {Freida McFadden}

12/7 Blogmas 2023: Random Bookish Things

12/8 Blogmas 2023: The Holiday Sign in the Form of a Post It

12/9 Blogmas 2023: READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK

12/10 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: A Lake House Holiday {Megan Squires}

12/11 Blogmas 2023: Disney World Trumps Blogmas!

12/12 Blogmas 2023: Audiobook Review: The Book Club Hotel {Sarah Morgan}

12/13 Blogmas 2023: Book Coffee Happy’s 13 Most Viewed Posts of 2023

12/14 Blogmas 2023: A {Non Holiday} Middle School Book Series That I LOVE

12/15 Blogmas 2023: I LOVED This Gorgeous Holiday Book…About BOOKS!

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…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site 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 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*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE