Review: The Whole Thing Together by Ann Brashares

Goodreads Blurb

Summer for Sasha and Ray means the sprawling old house on Long Island. Since they were children, they’ve shared almost everything—reading the same books, running down the same sandy footpaths to the beach, eating peaches from the same market, laughing around the same sun-soaked dining table. Even sleeping in the same bed, on the very same worn cotton sheets. But they’ve never met.

Sasha’s dad was once married to Ray’s mom, and together they had three daughters: Emma, the perfectionist; Mattie, the beauty; and Quinn, the favorite. But the marriage crumbled and the bitterness lingered. Now there are two new families—and neither one will give up the beach house that holds the memories, happy and sad, of summers past.

The choices we make come back to haunt us; the effect on our destinies ripples out of our control…or does it? This summer, the lives of Sasha, Ray, and their siblings intersect in ways none of them ever dreamed, in a novel about family relationships, keeping secrets, and most of all, love.

My Review: Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Life comes full of surprises. This was the first book I have read from Ann. I was lost halfway through the book, going from character to character. It started getting interesting halfway through the book. This book brought two families that share kids in common but live their separate lives. Two of the kids, Sasha and Ray, are not related but never met even though they share Ray’s sisters. This book is filled with love, secrets, courage, and strength. The two families can’t be together until an unexpected tragedy brings them all together. I learned that we need to all love and care for each other because tomorrow isn’t promised.

Goodreads Author Biography

Ann Brashares is an American young adult novelist. She is best known as the author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.

Review: Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis

Goodreads Blurb

What could cause a man, when all the stars of fortune are shining upon him, to suddenly snap and destroy everything he has built? This is the question that haunts Sergeant Ryan DeMarco after the wife and children of beloved college professor and bestselling author Thomas Huston are found slaughtered in their home. Huston himself has disappeared and so is immediately cast as the prime suspect.

DeMarco knows—or thinks he knows—that Huston couldn’t have been capable of murdering his family. But if Huston is innocent, why is he on the run? And does the half-finished manuscript he left behind contain clues to the mystery of his family’s killer?

A masterful new thriller by acclaimed author Randall Silvis, Two Days Gone is a taut, suspenseful story that will break your heart as much as it will haunt your dreams.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Wow, I am speechless. Randall is truly a gifted writer who writes stories that make you struggle with your belief in good people. His writing makes you see, feel, and place yourself in the story. This is the first book I have read from Randall, and I just found another favorite author to read. This story really tore my heart apart. His writing really grasps the reader from the very beginning, making you feel sadness, hope, strength, weakness, and death in the worst ways. Life is precious but can disappear at the blink of an eye. Each word I read leads me to more mystery, secrets, and revelations. I loved both Ryan and Huston as strong-willed characters who are in search of answers and freedom. I truly was captivated by how this story unraveled and set the reader and characters free of the torment. This thriller mixed with poetry and mystery will keep you wanting more. I highly recommend this book.

Goodreads Author Biography

Randall Silvis is the internationally acclaimed author of over a dozen novels, one story
collection, and one book of narrative nonfiction. Also a prize-winning playwright, a
produced screenwriter, and a prolific essayist, he has been published and produced in
virtually every field and genre of creative writing. His numerous essays, articles, poems and short stories have appeared in the Discovery Channel magazines, The Writer, Prism International, Short Story International, Manoa, and numerous other online and print magazines. His work has been translated into 10 languages.

Silvis’s many literary awards include two writing fellowships from the National
Endowment for the Arts, the prestigious Drue Heinz Literature Prize, a Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Award, six fellowships for his fiction, drama, and screenwriting from the Pennsylvania Council On the Arts, and an honorary Doctor of Letters degree awarded for “distinguished literary achievement

Review: Without Words by Delancey Stewart

Goodreads Blurb

After an accident in the line of duty, firefighter Roberto DeRosa’s life is turned upside down. His career fighting fires is over, and he’s left with an uncertain future and an injury that makes communicating difficult for him. The only time words flow easily is when they’re lyrics and he has a guitar in his hands. Talking to women is definitely out, especially if they have bright blue eyes that seem to see right into his soul.

Dani Hodge is on the brink of realizing her dream of opening a small combination wine and book store in San Diego’s funky Ocean Beach neighborhood. But before she can open the doors, there’s work to be done, more work than she can do herself.

When the tattooed guy who completely ignored her at a bar walks by and offers her a hand wrangling a tile saw, Dani can’t afford to say no—and why would she say no to Mr. Strong and Silent when his stare conveys more than words could?

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It is a wonderful book that sparks love at first sight to a full-blown lust and desire. I loved how both Dani and Rob had many scars from previous relationships. This made the story more fun since they were so attracted to each other but were so worried about how either one would leave. Rob was a character with many flaws who had a huge heart. I loved that Dani, though scarred from her past family history, was able to succeed and had a clear mine of what she wanted in life. This was a wonderful romance filled with love, hope, and determination. I assure you that wine and chocolates truly make this the book extra enjoyable.

Goodreads Author Biography

I’m USA Today Bestselling author Delancey Stewart. My contemporary romances run the gamut of settings and setups, but they always deliver humor, heart and heat. It’s a guarantee.

I write from my home in Denver, CO, where I manage a household full of boys and men. Okay, only one man. The hubs. But two boys. I mean, three if you count the hubs. (You see why I do words and not numbers. I was told there’d be no math in this bio. Someone lied.)

I grew up in California and have had more jobs than anyone on earth (personal trainer, pharmaceutical rep, copywriter, tech writer, marketing director, wine seller, elementary school teacher… I’m not kidding. The list. It goes on.) But the one I love the most is writing, in part because I get to meet people who love books and stories as much as I do! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to say hello, and don’t forget to join my newsletter!

Review: The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey

Goodreads Blurb

The Bad Guys next mission? Rescue 10,000 chickens from a high-tech cage farm. But they are up against sizzling lasers, one feisty tarantula, and their very own Mr. Snake…who’s also known as “The Chicken Swallower.” What could possibly go wrong?

Get ready to laugh up your lunch with the baddest bunch of do-gooders in town!

My review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

This was such a cute, funny book. Perfect for children to read and enjoy. I love the illustrations, and the plot was very good.

Goodreads Author Biography

Aaron is an Australian author of children’s books and artist who until the mid-2000s was also an actor. His award winning picture books include Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley, The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon and the best-selling Pig the Pug.

In the field of acting, he is probably best known for his lead roles in two television dramedies, 1994’s The Damnation of Harvey McHugh, for which he won an Australian Film Institute Award, and 2003’s CrashBurn, before retiring from performance in 2005.

Review: My Fair Duchess by Megan Frampton

Goodreads Blurb

Archibald Salisbury, son of a viscount, war hero, and proficient in the proper ways of aristocratic society, has received orders for his most challenging mission: Genevieve, Duchess of Blakesley. How she inherited a duchy isn’t his problem. Turning her into a perfect duchess is. But how can he keep his mind on business when her beauty entices him toward pleasure?

It was impossible, unprecedented…and undeniably true. Genevieve is now a “duke”, or, rather, a duchess. So what is she to do when the ton eyes her every move, hoping she’ll make a mistake? Genevieve knows she has brains and has sometimes been told she has beauty, but, out of her depth, she calls on an expert. And what an expert, with shoulders broad enough to lean on, and a wit that matches her own. Archie is supposed to teach her to be a lady and run her estate, but what she really wants to do is unladylike—run into his arms.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

War hero meets duchess in need of guidance. I just finished reading, and I can still see steam coming out of the book with all the spicy scenes. The plot for this book was genius since a woman wouldn’t have been able to run an estate. I love happily ever after novels. I loved the attraction between Archie and Genevieve. Both are strong characters who stand up for what they love and their duty. I was cracking up with the notes they wrote back and forth while they were in the same house. It was great to be able to know each characters true thoughts of their feelings. Highly recommend this fun romance filled with laughs and hot loving.

Goodreads Author Biography

Megan Frampton’s love affair with books began when her parents moved her to a remote town in New Hampshire where there was only one television station. And then the TV broke. She devoured every book of fiction in her well-read parents’ library, finding special joy in Georgette Heyer and the fairy tales collected and translated by Andrew Lang. Megan majored in English literature at Barnard College and worked in the music industry for fifteen years. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband (her former intern) and her kid.

Review: Elizabeth and Zenobia by Jessica Miller

Goodreads Blurb

When Elizabeth and her unusual and fearless friend Zenobia arrive at Witheringe House, peculiar things begin to happen.

Especially in the forbidden East Wing.

The flowers and vines of the wallpaper sometimes seem to be alive.

A mirror has a surface like the water of a pond.

And an old book tells a different story after midnight.

Zenobia is thrilled by the strangeness, but Elizabeth is not so bold…

Until she makes a mysterious and terrifying discovery.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

It was a fun book filled with ghost hunts and family mystery. Elizabeth has a friend that only she can see, and no one else can. She is strong-willed and not scared of anything. She loves it when there is something spooky to unravel and will stop at nothing while Elizabeth is scared of anything supernatural. The author shares some poetry from Edgar Allan Poe since Zenobia is obsessed with his work. I loved that the author added details of plant names and had plotted her book to include scenes in a plant kingdom. Elizabeth has an imagination that will make this adventure unforgettable.

Review: The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green

Goodreads Blurb

Ronni Sunshine left London for Hollywood to become a beautiful, charismatic star of the silver screen. But at home, she was a narcissistic, disinterested mother who alienated her three daughters.

As soon as possible, tomboy Nell fled her mother’s overbearing presence to work on a farm and find her own way in the world as a single mother. The target of her mother s criticism, Meredith never felt good enough, thin enough, pretty enough. Her life took her to London and into the arms of a man whom she may not even love. And Lizzy, the youngest, more like Ronni than any of them, seemed to have it easy, using her drive and ambition to build a culinary career to rival her mother’s fame, while her marriage crumbled around her.

But now the Sunshine Girls are together again, called home by Ronni, who has learned that she has a serious disease and needs her daughters to fulfill her final wishes. And though Nell, Meredith, and Lizzy are all going through crises of their own, their mother s illness draws them together to confront old jealousies and secret fears and they discover that blood might be thicker than water after all.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It is a heart-stopping story that will change all the readers’ views about life, love, family, and togetherness. It was a heartbreaking book that brought a family back together. We sometimes do things to be happy or pleasing, but we need to love our family and not let small arguments or disagreement destroy time with your loved ones. The sunshine girls all went through trauma with their mother, who was famous and not supportive of their personal achievements. This caused each sister to be apart from each other and apart from their mother. In the end, each daughter shined brighter than their mother and stood up to live the life they wanted. We individually need to achieve our goals and aspirations.

Goodreads Author Biography

Jane Green’s twenty first novel, Sister Stardust, is out April 5th 2022.

She is the author of eighteen previous New York Times Bestselling novels, and known as one of the world’s leading authors in women’s fiction, with over ten million books in print, and translations in over 25 languages.

Previous novels have included The Beach House, Second Chance, Jemima J, and Tempting Fate.

She joined the ABC News team to write their first enhanced digital book— about the history of Royal marriages, then joined ABC News as a live correspondent covering Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton.

A former journalist in the UK, she has had her own radio show on BBC Radio London, and is a regular contributor on radio and TV, including as well as regularly appearing on television shows including Good Morning America, The Martha Stewart show, and The Today Show.

Together with writing books and blogs, she contributes to various publications, both online and print, including anthologies and novellas, and features for The Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, Cosmopolitan and Self. She has taught at writers conferences, and does regular keynote speaking, and has a weekly column in The Lady magazine, England’s longest running weekly magazine.

A graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, Green is bringing out her first cookbook: Good Taste , with Berkley in October 2016.

She is a storyteller for The Moth radio hour on NPR,
and lives in Westport, Connecticut with her husband and their blended family. When she is not writing, cooking, gardening, filling her house with friends and herding chickens, she is usually thanking the Lord for caffeine-filled energy drinks.

Review: I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski

Goodreads Blurb

I see London, I see France, I see Sydney’s underpants.

Nineteen-year-old Sydney has the perfect summer mapped out. She’s spending the next four and half weeks traveling through Europe with her childhood best friend, Leela. Their plans include Eiffel-Tower selfies, eating cocco gelato, and making out with très hot strangers. Her plans do not include Leela’s cheating ex-boyfriend showing up on the flight to London, falling for the cheating ex-boyfriend’s très hot friend, monitoring her mother’s spiraling mental health via texts, or feeling like the rope in a friendship tug-of-war.

As Sydney zigzags through Amsterdam, Switzerland, Italy, and France, she must learn when to hold on, when to keep moving, and when to jump into the Riviera…wearing only her polka-dot underpants.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It is one of the best spontaneous traveling books with friends. It was a fun book filled with laughs, friendship, and love. I felt bad for Sydney’s situation but was happy she went for that trip she always wanted to go with her best friend. Love the quirky adventures and risky romance. It was a fun book filled with details that will bring you to these amazing places that we all wish to visit. I was excited for this book since I dream of one day having an adventure of my own in Europe.

Goodreads Author Biography

Sarah was born in Montreal, Canada. After graduating with an honors degree in English literature from McGill University, she moved to Toronto to work for Harlequin Enterprises. While she never met Fabio, she used her romance publishing experiences to fuel her first novel Milkrun.

Since then, Sarah has written four additional novels for adults: Fishbowl, As Seen on TV, Monkey Business, and Me vs. Me; the New York Times bestselling middle grade series Whatever After; the middle grade series Upside-Down Magic (with Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins); and the teen novels Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleeping Bags, and Parties & Potions (all in the Magic in Manhattan series), as well as Gimme a Call, Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have), Don’t Even Think About It, Think Twice, and I See London, I See France. Along with Lauren Myracle and E. Lockhart, Sarah also wrote How to Be Bad, and along with Farrin Jacobs, she wrote See Jane Write, a guide to writing. Sarah also co-edited two bestselling charity collections (Girls’ Night In and Girls’ Night Out), and has contributed to various anthologies (American Girls About Town, Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, 21 Proms, First Kiss (Then Tell), Fireworks, and Vacations from Hell).

Sarah is also a co-founder of OMG BookFest, a celebration of books aimed at the early to middle grade reader (ages 7-12) that brings together commercial and award-winning authors with underserved local communities for an exciting experience of books, games and activities.

Sarah’s books have been translated into twenty-nine languages and optioned to Hollywood. She now lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

Review: Under-The-Bed Fred by Linda Bailey

Goodreads Blurb

There’s a monster under Leo’s bed making a ruckus every night. When Leo needs to go to the bathroom, he leaps from the bed to the door — careful not to put his feet on the floor within the monster’s reach. But one night Leo gets tired of being scared and boldly calls out to the monster to see if they can’t just work something out. Surprisingly, the monster listens, and Leo finds out that even enormous monsters have fears! Leo and his monster, Fred, team up to face their fears, each with his own unique strengths. Over the course of five easy-to-read chapters, their friendship blooms as they face everything from bullies to bedbugs. A funny and endearing tale of two very different and unlikely friends, in the tradition of Bink and Gollie and Frog and Toad.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

When a monster can be your best friend too. A book filled with spooks and laughs. Everyone young and old will enjoy Fred the monster. He knows how to scare you but is a great friend and helps when you get bullied. Illustrations were perfect for each scene.

Goodreads Author Biography

I was born and grew up in Winnipeg —a daydreamer with her nose in a book. In my twenties, I traveled around the world, mostly by ship. Later, I moved to Vancouver, where I earned a B.A. and M.Ed. at the University of British Columbia. Among my jobs were travel agent, college teacher, instructional designer and editor.

For years, I dabbled with writing. But I didn’t begin to write in earnest until I had two young daughters. My first book was published in 1992, and I have since written more than thirty others, including novels, picture books and non-fiction.

I live in Vancouver, a short walk from the sea. I write full-time and still love to travel, read and daydream.

Book Event With Clare Leslie Hall

I had such an amazing time last night at the author event of Clare Leslie Hall at the Paramus Barnes and Noble. We read Brokwn Country a few months ago for the B&N book club, and it was my favorite book for this year so far. I highly recommend you read this book. Below is my book review.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It is a heartbreaking love story filled with secrets that will shatter the lives of the characters and the readers. Clare Leslie Hall is a fantastic storyteller. She captivated the readers with a story filled with so much love that tragedy was unavoidable. I fell in love with each of the characters. I felt like a member of the family watching every tragedy unfold.

The first page of this story grasped my attention. I wanted to know what exactly happened at this farm and who was murdered. Clare divided the story into five different sections. The story begins with Gabriel, followed by Bobby, Jimmy, Frank, and Grace. It then takes us to the trial, weaving through the past and present-day events. The way she drafted the story made the story unravel at the exact time the author was ready to reveal a secret or a tragedy.

Bobby, Beth’s child, is the central figure in this story. His conception, childhood, and the tragedy that ultimately impacts the Johnson family will lead to a love triangle fraught with disaster, shocking readers. Losing a child is an unimaginable experience for any parent, especially when it involves witnessing such a gruesome death. Despite Beth blaming Frank for Bobby’s death, both of them showed remarkable bravery by continuing their marriage.

The story begins with the intense love affair and subsequent breakup between Beth and Gabriel. After their separation, Beth marries Frank, who has always been in love with her. Together, Beth and Frank have a son named Bobby. Bobby is passionate about the outdoors and learns everything he can about farm life. However, the family faces a tragedy when Bobby’s life is cut short.

Meanwhile, Gabriel marries and has a son named Leo. He becomes a famous author and eventually returns to his childhood home. Despite moving on, Beth and Gabriel still feel the lingering sparks from their past romance, which leads to an affair. As Beth connects with Leo, she finds herself grappling with the loss of Bobby.

As secrets unravel, an intense argument culminates in a murder. I won’t spoil the entire story but prepare to be shocked by who pulls the trigger and to witness the strong bonds of love and family throughout the narrative.

The tree featured on the cover of the book plays a significant role in the story. It is a tree that the Johnson family grew up with, where a wedding proposal took place. Unfortunately, a tragedy occurred with the eventual death of the tree and the precious life of an innocent boy. This intense love triangle, with its many secrets and tragedy, will leave you wanting more.

Goodreads Author Biography

Clare Leslie Hall is a novelist and journalist who lives in the wilds of Dorset, England, with her family. Under the name Clare Empson, she published two domestic noir thrillers, Him and Mine, that were published in the UK and Germany. She has always loved The Go Between by LP Hartley and Broken Country is a nod to it, featuring a forbidden love affair with catastrophic repercussions. Broken Country is her US debut.