Hiiiiiii! This post is filled with a whole bunch of super random thoughts from a book blogger…
I won an Instagram giveaway from Jennastopreading and I’m so excited! Look at these amazing books that she sent me! Have you read any of these? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! I’m so excited to read 3 of them (I’ve actually already read Small Great Things so I am paying it forward and giving it to one of my besties to read…you can read my VERY unpopular thoughts on that book HERE).
A few weeks ago I was laying in bed reading a library copy of The Guest List by Lucy Foley (review coming soon!) and suddenly right at a VERY intense part…this object fell out from the pages and straight onto my chest. Scared the HELL out of me. A business card. From a FUNERAL HOME. Stuck smack in the pages of a very ominous murder mystery thriller. Rigggggght as I was reading a super intense part of the story so I was already on edge. OMG.
I started reading it last night and will post a full review once I finish! I’ve heard it’s amazing.
We ran out of half and half yesterday and I’m currently drinking my coffee with milk. Ugh. Gross.
The final round of the Goodreads Best Books of 2020 is posted and voting is open until 11/30! American Dirt without a doubt got my vote in the fiction category (I LOVED THAT BOOK! Read my review HERE). Which book did you vote for???
This is the most random blog post ever! Tell me something random going on with you!
Xo,
Jenny
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
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I 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?
Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she’s known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community’s past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block—her neighbor Theo.
But Sydney and Theo’s deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the push to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised.
When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other—or themselves—long enough to find out before they too disappear?
I started reading this one yesterday! I’ll post my review once I finish!
What Did You Recently Finish Reading?
Synopsis from Goodreads:
When Mallory Blessing’s son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he’s not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It’s the late spring of 2020 and Jake’s wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election.
There must be a mistake, Link thinks. How do Mallory and Jake know each other?
Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt, and she agrees to host her brother’s bachelor party. Cooper’s friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere — through marriage, children, and Ursula’s stratospheric political rise — until Mallory learns she’s dying.
Based on the classic film Same Time Next Year (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love.
I still need a few days to recover from a massive book hangover from this book before I start working on my review. Omg. I’ll post it once I stop sobbing. Spoiler: I. LOVED. IT.
What Do You Think You’ll Read Next?
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.
When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle….
But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.
Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.
So I’m not 100 percent sure I’ll read this book next but maybe? I have a huge stack of library books here and this one has been on my radar for awhile, I’ve heard it’s fantastic!
Have you read any of these 3 books? What did you think (no spoilers)? What are you currently reading? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Xo,
Jenny
Click on the images below to order through my Amazon link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
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So this is a perfect example of why sometimes you just need to browse the library shelves in person. I had never heard of JP Delaney’s Playing Nice, knew absolutely nothing about it, randomly saw it on a shelf at the library, read the back cover….and immediately knew I had to read and review this book. The synopsis GRABBED me!
Goodreads Synopsis of Playing Nice {JP Delaney}:
Pete Riley answers the door one morning and lets in a parent’s worst nightmare. On his doorstep is Miles Lambert, a stranger who breaks the devastating news that Pete’s son, Theo, isn’t actually his son–he is the Lamberts’, switched at birth by an understaffed hospital while their real son was sent home with Miles and his wife, Lucy. For Pete, his partner Maddie, and the little boy they’ve been raising for the past two years, life will never be the same again.
The two families, reeling from the shock, take comfort in shared good intentions, eagerly entwining their very different lives in the hope of becoming one unconventional modern family. But a plan to sue the hospital triggers an official investigation that unearths some disturbing questions about the night their children were switched. How much can they trust the other parents–or even each other? What secrets are hidden behind the Lamberts’ glossy front door? Stretched to the breaking point, Pete and Maddie discover they will each stop at nothing to keep their family safe.
They are done playing nice.
My Review of Playing Nice {JP Delaney}:
This book is GREAT. Omg it’s AWESOME.
Short chapters are my favorite and this book is wonderfully filled with 112 of them. Some a few pages in length, many less than 1 page. THE BEST! I wish every book could be written like this. I truly couldn’t put it down!
This story is INTENSE…it’s completely unfathomable to me how something like this could actually happen. It’s such a thought provoking scenario and truly a parent’s absolute worst nightmare. Omg.
Pro Tip: Make sure you have a nice quiet spot where you can devour the last 50ish pages because there is no way you will be able to stop reading at at point. SO. GOOD.
And yet again… I had about a million predictions and absolutely zero of them turned out to be correct. LOVE WHEN THAT HAPPENS!
Bottom Line:
Read this book. It’s fantastic.
HERE is another example of a random book that I found on the library bookshelf that tuned out to be GREAT!
Have you read this book? What unknown books have you stumbled upon which turned out to be awesome? I’d 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!*
*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)*
*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.*
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?
Synopsis from Goodreads of Playing Nice {JP Delaney}:
Pete Riley answers the door one morning and lets in a parent’s worst nightmare. On his doorstep is Miles Lambert, a stranger who breaks the devastating news that Pete’s son, Theo, isn’t actually his son–he is the Lamberts’, switched at birth by an understaffed hospital while their real son was sent home with Miles and his wife, Lucy. For Pete, his partner Maddie, and the little boy they’ve been raising for the past two years, life will never be the same again.
The two families, reeling from the shock, take comfort in shared good intentions, eagerly entwining their very different lives in the hope of becoming one unconventional modern family. But a plan to sue the hospital triggers an official investigation that unearths some disturbing questions about the night their children were switched. How much can they trust the other parents–or even each other? What secrets are hidden behind the Lamberts’ glossy front door? Stretched to the breaking point, Pete and Maddie discover they will each stop at nothing to keep their family safe.
They are done playing nice.
I have been waiting for MONTHS to read this book! I think it sounds amazing! Starting it today, I clearly have VERY high expectations…fingers crossed that I won’t be disappointed…
What Did You Recently Finish Reading?
Synopsis from Goodreads of The Guest House {Lucy Foley}:
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
I finished this one yesterday morning and I have SO MANY thoughts. I’ll post my review soon!
What Do You Think You’ll Read Next?
Being as Type A as I am, I will NOT be unprepared with reading material during a future state shutdown like I was during the last one! I am keeping my library book pile fully stocked. As we speak, I have 10 books checked out of the library PLUS a pile of books that I own just waiting for me to read them! Clearly, I have many to choose from but as of now I’m thinking I will read this one next:
Synopsis from Goodreads of Little Scratch (Rebecca Watson}:
In the formally experimental tradition of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers and Ducks, Newburyport comes a dazzlingly original shot-in-the-arm of a novel that reveals one young woman’s every thought over the course of twenty-four hours.
little scratch tells the story of an unnamed woman living in a world of office politics, clock-watching and emoji-texting as she relays what it takes to get through mundanity in the wake of a recent sexual assault.
Formatted in continuously interweaving columns that chart the feedback loop of memory, the senses, and modern distractions with witty precision, our narrator becomes increasingly anxious as the day moves on; and increasingly intent on distracting herself. Must she really drink eight glasses of water a day to stay hydrated? Does the word “rape” apply to what happened to her? Why is the etiquette of the women’s bathroom so fraught? Does the colleague who keeps offering to make her tea know something? And why can’t she stop scratching?
Fiercely moving and slyly profound, little scratch is a fearless and defiantly playful look at how our minds function in– and survive–the darkest moments
So, this book looks…different. Like, it literally looks different, check out how it’s written:
I’m undecided if this book format will be interesting or annoying but I do know that it’s intriguing? I’m already annoyed that the title words and author name don’t begin with capital letters (I told you I’m Type A). We’ll see. This book is VERY outside of the type of book I usually read??? Have any of you read it? I’ll keep you posted on my thoughts!
Have you read any of these 3 books? What did you think (no spoilers)? What are you currently reading? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Xo,
Jenny
Click on the images below to order through my Amazon 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!*
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
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This book has been on my list to read FOREVER. I brought it on our first trip to Michigan, never had the chance to read it, and had to return it to the library once we got home (cue sad music). I was SO excited when I FINALLY was able to re-check it out and start reading so that I could read and review it! And I must say…totally worth the wait. It’s AWESOME.
I. Loved. This. Book.
Goodreads Synopsis of The Wife Stalker {Liv Constantine}:
Breezing into the tony seaside paradise of Westport, Connecticut, gorgeous thirtysomething Piper Reynard sets down roots, opening a rehab and wellness space and joining a local yacht club. When she meets Leo Drakos, a handsome, successful lawyer, the wedding ring on his finger is the only thing she doesn’t like about him. Yet as Piper well knows, no marriage is permanent.
Meanwhile, Joanna has been waiting patiently for Leo, the charismatic man she fell in love with all those years ago, to re-emerge from the severe depression that has engulfed him. Though she’s thankful when Leo returns to his charming, energetic self, paying attention again to Evie and Stelli, the children they both love beyond measure, Joanna is shocked to discover that it’s not her loving support that’s sparked his renewed happiness—it’s something else.
Piper. Leo has fallen head over heels for the flaky, New Age-y newcomer, and unrepentant and resolute, he’s more than willing to leave Joanna behind, along with everything they’ve built. Of course, he assures her, she can still see the children.
Joanna is devastated—and determined to find something, anything, to use against this woman who has stolen her life and her true love. As she digs deeper into Piper’s past, Joanna begins to unearth disturbing secrets . . . but when she confides to her therapist that she fears for the lives of her ex-husband and children, her concerns are dismissed as paranoia. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them?
My Review of The Wife Stalker {Liv Constantine}:
This book is AWESOME. Actually, let me rephrase: This book is great but the ENDING is awesome.
I had been waiting for months to read this book and it was most definitely worth the wait (isn’t it the worst when a book you have been so excited to read turns out to be awful? Thankfully NOT the case here).
I was ALL IN from page 1 and I felt ALL the emotions while reading. Anger? Check. Sadness? Check. Suspicion? Check. As a mother and a wife reading this book, I was especially invested in seeing how everything was going to play out. I had SO MANY predictions while reading and exactly ZERO of them came true. I love, love, love when that happens.
If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that short chapters are my absolute favorite and this book is full of them. The writing was clear, the chapters were short, the story lines were captivating, and the ending was GREAT!
Side note: Did you know that Liv Constantine isn’t an actual person? Liv Constantine is a pen name for 2 sisters who co author their books. Mind. Blown.
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.
Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d 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!*
*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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On our first 2020 trip to Michigan, you might remember that I found the most wonderful used bookstore. I could have spent HOURS in that store! I didn’t have much time that day to browse, but I did have time to find 1 book that I thought sounded great. I had read Natalie Barelli’s The Housekeeper earlier this year (you can read my review HERE) and was happy to find The Loyal Wife sitting on a shelf! **Random fact: My review of The Housekeeper continues to be one of the highest viewed blog posts I’ve ever written and I’m not entirely sure why, lol???** ANYWAY, I was so excited to discover another Natalie Barelli book and to read and review it on the blog.
The cover promises “a gripping psychological thriller with a twist”….Ummm YES please!
Goodreads Synopsis of The Loyal Wife {Natalie Barelli}:
She thought they had the perfect marriage…
Tamra never dreamed she would marry someone like Mike Mitchell: handsome, rich, a wonderful husband… until she finds out that Mike is having an affair.
But Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Mike Mitchell should have remembered that before he made a fool of her.
Because Tamra knows something about Mike. Something he did. Something evil. And she was prepared to carry the secret to her grave.
Not anymore.
To make matters worse, Mike’s daughter Madison has come to visit for a few days, and Madison doesn’t like Tamra. Well, that’s too bad, because Tamra doesn’t have time to argue. She’s too busy ruining Mike’s life while remaining, on the surface at least, the perfect, loyal wife.
But when Tamra’s plan spirals out of control, she finds that things are not what they seem.
And now, it’s too late.
My Thoughts on The Loyal Wife {Natalie Barelli}:
Do you remember a few months back when I was trying to figure out The Great WordPress Disaster (aka Block Format)? It took me weeks to understand it enough to be able to once again write and upload blog posts, it was so frustrating. Something else that was frustrating during that time was that I was reading LOTS of books and therefore am STILL behind on uploading my reviews to my blog from those few weeks! Grrrr…..
The Loyal Wife is one of the books that I was reading during that stupid, crazy time. I was so excited to read it!
So here’s the thing. It wasn’t THAT long ago and yet…I can’t really remember anything about this book, this storyline, or these characters. Not great for a book review blogger, huh?!?
I remember thinking that I LIKED this book but I didn’t LOVE this book. I also remember thinking that parts were a bit too predictable.
There are books that I read YEARS ago which have left such an impression on me that I can easily tell you details on characters, storylines, etc. A few examples would be THIS BOOK, THIS BOOK, and THIS BOOK. Clearly The Loyal Wife will not be on that list for me. The storylines and characters clearly weren’t significant enough to stick with me even just a few months later. Eh.
Bottom Line:
I’m happy that I purchased this book from a used bookstore because supporting small businesses is SO important. As for the book itself…eh…clearly not my best purchase 😉
If any local friends would like my copy, I can leave it on my front porch for you! Free to a good home 🙂 First come, first served! Maybe you’ll love it (and will remember it) more than I did?
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!*
*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*
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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.*
Have you read Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris? If not…stop reading whatever you are reading and read that book! It was AWESOME. I read it years ago so the details are a bit fuzzy but I do remember that I literally could not stop reading until I found out how it ended. I absolutely loved that book and therefore couldn’t WAIT to get my hands on B.A. Paris’s newest book, The Dilemma. I picked this one of a few weeks ago on my very first trip to the INSIDE of my library during this pandemic. I couldn’t wait to read and review it! ***Giveaway winners for Michael Daswick’s Zin Mignon and The Secret of the Pickled Pigs’ Feet video is at the bottom of this post***
Goodreads Synopsis of The Dilemma {B.A. Paris}:
It’s Livia’s fortieth birthday and tonight she’s having a party, a party she’s been planning for a long time. The only person missing will be her daughter, Marnie.
But Livia has a secret, a secret she’s been keeping from Adam, her husband, until the party is over. Because how can she tell him that although she loves Marnie, she’s glad their daughter won’t be there to celebrate with her?
Adam is determined everything will be just right for Livia and the party is going to be perfect… until he learns something that will leave him facing an unbearable decision.
My Review of The Dilemma {B.A.Paris}:
The 2 main characters just may be my most hated main characters of all time. Livia was completely immature…a child! What grown woman centers herself around her own party the way that she did? And don’t even get me started on Adam. His choices continuously went from stupid to bad to REALLY stupid to REALLY bad throughout the entire book. The marriage between them felt more like a high school relationship than a marriage. 98 percent of this book focuses around the fact that they were afraid to talk to each other? Not to mention the fact that they were awful parents who CLEARLY lacked any type of respect for their own children.
In fact, the entire group of friends in this book felt like a group of high schoolers rather than a group of adults. So much he said/she said, cattiness, gossiping, etc.
Have you ever watched Three’s Company? The famously best part of that show were the times when misunderstandings between characters led to awkward conversations and actions where only the viewer was privy to understanding both sides. This is how I felt about The Dilemma…but…where watching it play out on television was hilarious, reading it in this book was annoying.
So now that I have successfully told you all of the reasons that I really didn’t like this book, allow me to share one tidbit from the other side of the coin:
I. COULDN’T. PUT. IT. DOWN.
That’s right! For all of my complaints, this book sure had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t WAIT to see what was going to happen! The writing was BRILLIANT, the chapters were so short (my favorite), and all of my guesses as to how this story would play out were wrong (love when that happens).
So, there you have it. Hated the characters, hated the story lines, loved the writing, loved the suspense. How’s THAT for a mixed review??
Bottom Line:
NOT as good as Behind Closed Doors. Not even close.
Giveaway Winners Video for Zin Mignon and the Secret of the Pickled Pigs’ Feet {Michael Daswick}:
Congratulations to the winners! Here is a video of the hard copy winners. Michael Daswick will be emailing the winners of the ebooks 🙂
**Video has been deleted**
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!*
*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)*
*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.*
I have watched The Bachelor since season 1. The year was 2002 and I very much remember laying on the couch in my parents’ house as my mom and I watched Alex Michel attempt to find love on national tv. I remember I was eating peanut butter straight from the jar (20 years later and my obsession with peanut butter is stronger than ever…in fact, I’m drinking a spinach/banana/peanut butter smoothie as I type this, lol). 1 episode of The Bachelor and I. WAS. HOOKED. 18 years later and my love for The Bachelor remains strong. In honor of the new season of The Bachelorette premiering on TUESDAY (finnnnnnnnally), today’s blog post includes a whole bunch of my random thoughts on The Bachelor AND a book review of One to Watch by Kate Stayman London.
Some random Bachelor/Bachelorette thoughts from past seasons:
I literally do everything that I can to avoid spoilers. I stop visiting my favorite reality show websites, turn off the radio as soon as they mention the possibility of a discussion (this applied more to when I was teaching and had a commute…now I just listen to Pandora, lol), etc.. I absolutely have blocked and even unfriended people on Facebook when they post spoilers! Side note: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP POSTING TV SPOILERS ON FACEBOOK! NOT EVERYONE IS CAUGHT UP ON THE SAME TELEVISION SHOWS AS YOU ARE OR CARES TO READ ANY SPOILERS EVEN IF THEY ARE ALL CAUGHT UP! ***Insert MAJOR eye roll here***
One of my all time favorite couples EVER was Andrew Firestone and Jen Schefft. Oh they were so cute! I loved Andrew’s season, I thought he was so handsome.
My current favorite couple is Arie and Lauren (follow them on Instagram and YouTube, they are adorable)! I know, I know…his breakup with Becca was BAD but I have always loved Arie ever since Emily’s season (and I LOVED Emily’s season!)
My very favorite Bachelorette ever was Ashley although I think I might be the only person in America who feels this way.
I really don’t enjoy watching any season until about 5 episodes in. Too many guys in the beginning and too hard to remember who is who! I like it best when it’s down to the final 5-10 guys and I can start rooting for my favorites.
I feel like the caliber of the bachelors has so dramatically changed over time. In the beginning they were always wealthy, successful, gorgeous, etc. Now they…aren’t. I really started to notice this when Farmer Chris was the bachelor…Ummm he seemed nice and all but worth fighting over and quite possibly humiliating yourself on National television for? I think not.
I hate watching The Woman Tell All and also After the Final Rose (although I always do watch both). I just like watching the regular episodes, I don’t need the backstories. Except for when Arie and Becca broke up. I was legit GLUED to the screen during that aftershow! It was so amazing.
I hate, hate, hate the group dates ESPECIALLY when they have the girls play any type of sports! So boring. Side note: I think pretty much all sports are boring in real life…the LAST thing I want to watch on The Bachelor is any type of sport!
My favorite part of any season are the 2 on 1 dates where 1 person gets sent home…always the best drama during those. I also love hometowns.
Why does every season include a private concert by some weird unknown band that the lead pretends to actually know and be excited about? So weird.
I literally remember nothing about Charlie O’Connell’s season except that I remember LOVING him?
I liked Peter during his season but…Kelley? Really???
I adore Chris Harrison and I was alllll over the rumor a few years ago that once he announced his divorce that he could have been the next Bachelor. That would have been AMAZING. I also loved the Kris Jenner Bachelorette rumor 🙂
This summer felt so weird not to have a Bachelorette and I can’t wait to tune in to Claire’s season! However…Claire??? WHY IS IT NOT HANNAH ANN???
So, I read a book a few weeks ago and it was like WATCHING AN ENTIRE SEASON! If you love the Bachelor as much as I do, keep reading…I’ve got an AWESOME book for you. If you hate The Bachelor, I’m gonna just say that you will want to stop reading this post now because this book is most definitely NOT for you, lol.
Goodreads Synopsis of One to Watch {Kate Stayman-London}:
Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers–and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?
Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition–under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She’s in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That’s it.
But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She’s in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale. In this joyful, razor-sharp debut, Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men–and herself–for a chance to live happily ever after.
My Review of One to Watch {Kate Stayman-London}:
After I finished reading this book, I FELT LIKE I JUST WATCHED A ENTIRE SEASON OF THE BACHELORETTE OVER JUST A FEW DAYS! How amazing!
I loved, loved, loved the various means of telling this story. Text chains, podcasts, blogs, emails, etc. It told this story in such a creative way and it gave this story such a deeper dimension as it was told in such creative ways.
I absolutely loved all of the Bachelor references and couldn’t believe how many of them there were…Chris Harrison’s iconic phrases (told by Johnny), the rose (kiss off) ceremony, even a Reality Steve type website was mentioned!
Just like in real seasons of The Bachelor, I didn’t always agree with Bea’s choices on the men that that she was choosing 🙂
I must say…filming the season in real time is BRILLIANT. Why haven’t the Bachelor producers caught on to this yet???
AS much fun as this book was to read, I do appreciate it’s deeper message. The Bachelor absolutely DOES need to highlight ALL people….and ALL body types. I love the show so much but it’s inclusivity is definitely severely lacking.
Bottom Line:
If you LOVE The Bachelor, you will LOVE this book! It’s wonderful.
Have you read this book? Do you watch The Bachelor? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Xo,
Jenny
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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?
Today is Tuesday…just pretend that it’s Wednesday! I have more time to blog today than I will tomorrow and I wanted to be sure to get this posted, lol.
What Are You Currently Reading?
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Breezing into the tony seaside paradise of Westport, Connecticut, gorgeous thirtysomething Piper Reynard sets down roots, opening a rehab and wellness space and joining a local yacht club. When she meets Leo Drakos, a handsome, successful lawyer, the wedding ring on his finger is the only thing she doesn’t like about him. Yet as Piper well knows, no marriage is permanent.
Meanwhile, Joanna has been waiting patiently for Leo, the charismatic man she fell in love with all those years ago, to re-emerge from the severe depression that has engulfed him. Though she’s thankful when Leo returns to his charming, energetic self, paying attention again to Evie and Stelli, the children they both love beyond measure, Joanna is shocked to discover that it’s not her loving support that’s sparked his renewed happiness—it’s something else.
Piper. Leo has fallen head over heels for the flaky, New Age-y newcomer, and unrepentant and resolute, he’s more than willing to leave Joanna behind, along with everything they’ve built. Of course, he assures her, she can still see the children.
Joanna is devastated—and determined to find something, anything, to use against this woman who has stolen her life and her true love. As she digs deeper into Piper’s past, Joanna begins to unearth disturbing secrets . . . but when she confides to her therapist that she fears for the lives of her ex-husband and children, her concerns are dismissed as paranoia. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them?
I am starting this book tonight and I am SO EXCITED. It has been on my to-read list for MONTHS! It sounds so amazing, I will report back and post my full review once I finish reading.
What Did You Recently Finish Reading?
Synopsis from Goodreads:
11 year old genius Chef Zin Mignon is in a horrific pickle. He’s been kidnapped from Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris by the mysterious Mustard Monks and spirited away to their ultra-remote mountaintop abbey. In time, he’ll be able to take their daunting Test. If he passes, he may join their secret Order and achieve the culinary success he’s always dreamed of. If he fails….
The tale of Zin Mignon begins at the bottom of a jar of pickled pigs’ feet in his father’s pathetic Brooklyn deli. A secret note sets him on a world-spinning adventure that takes him through the alleys of the homeless to the tables of billionaires, to discover who he really is and the greatness for which he is destined. As he sets the culinary world on fire, a mix of treacherous rivals feasts on the chance to make his dreams go up in smoke.
In the wildly appetizing first book of the Zin Mignon series, with the help of his family and friends, Zin is off to honor the solemn promise he made to his dad and to learn the incredible secret of his family legacy. With humor, amazing exploits and heartfelt compassion, Zin uses food and his kitchen to build a recipe that will lead him to his true identity. Can he cut the mustard, or is it all just pie in the sky?
When Michael Daswick sent me book #1 of his Zin Mignon book series, I was super excited. We are VERY into children’s cooking competition shows over here so reading about the journey of a young chef who opens his own HIGHLY successful restaurant sounded wonderful to me. I finished reading this book yesterday morning and I can honestly say from my heart that I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. My daughter will adore this book, I’m so excited for her to read it. I can’t wait to write a full glowing review on my blog for this one soon (and to also host an AWESOME giveaway for it)! Stay tuned! In the meantime, check out Michael’s website to lean more about this amazing book series: www.michaeldaswick.com
What Do You Think You’ll Read Next?
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?
When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?
In all honestly, I’m not 100 percent sure that this will be the next book that I’m going to read as it’s library due date has **cough cough** already passed. Oops. I do have a few books on hold at the library that look amazing so if I get to the library over the next few days I will return this one and grab those. If I don’t have a chance to get there over the next few days…I’ll read this one and eventually return it when I can. DON’T EVER DO THIS! Oops. #momlife #pandemic
Have you read any of these 3 books? What did you think (no spoilers)? What are you currently reading? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Xo,
Jenny
Click on the images below to order through my Amazon 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!*
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As someone who LOVES to follow influencers on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Charlotte Duckworth’s Unfollow Me literally called my name from the library shelf (I randomly came across it on my recent trip to the INSIDE of my local library). As soon as I read the synopsis on this one, I knew that I couldn’t wait to read and review this book!
Synopsis from Goodreads of Unfollow Me {Charlotte Duckworth}:
You Can’t Stop Watching Her.
Violet Young is a hugely popular journalist-turned-mummy-vlogger, with three young children, a successful husband and a million subscribers on YouTube who tune in daily to watch her everyday life unfold.
Until the day she’s no longer there.
But one day she disappears from the online world – her entire social media presence deleted overnight, with no explanation. Has she simply decided that baring her life to all online is no longer a good idea, or has something more sinister happened to her?
But do you really know who Violet is?
Told from the perspectives of her most avid fans, obsessed with finding out the truth, their search quickly reveals a web of lies, betrayal, and shocking consequences…
My Thoughts on Unfollow Me {Charlotte Duckworth}:
Oh man my throughts on this book are a bit scattered…
I LOVED the speculation surrounding Violet’s disappearance and wish the whole book could have been just that.
I wasn’t nearly as into the story lines surrounding the 2 “fans” as their lives didn’t interest me as much as Violet’s did. Unfortunately a large portion of this book surrounded around these 2 women.
There is a mystery piece to this story where the reader is given tiny bits and pieces of various story lines throughout but nothing is fully explained until the end…which frankly I found more irritating than intriguing.
There were also timelines which were confusing and characters/story lines which were unnecessary.
HOWEVER, if you are a big fan of influencers like I am…there were many parts of this book that you will find interesting. I loved the forum where “fans” could discuss their thoughts on the missing YouTuber! I wish more of this book could have focused on that forum. PS Have you ever visited any of those forums in real life??? They are crazy and speculative and mean and…wonderful. I’ve never actually posted on them but I do LOVE to read them. People are INSANE on them, it’s fantastic. **Please don’t ask me which ones I read…I do not want to give them any press…but do some Internet searching, I’m sure you can find them on your own ;)**
Another positive thing about this book is that there were definitely a few twists that I most definitely did NOT see coming! Love when that happens.
Bottom Line:
If you love following influencers, this is absolutely a book you will want to read. If you don’t follow influencers…I would skip this book.
Have you read this book? I’d 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!*
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*
*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*
*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*
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Book Coffee Happy 