Saturday, October 30, 2021
Review - Dear Santa
AUTHOR: Debbie Macomber
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): A special holiday wish list brings about hope, love, and second chances in this nostalgic novel from the queen of Christmas stories, #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.
Lindy Carmichael isn't feeling particularly joyful when she returns home to Wenatchee, Washington, for Christmas. The man she thought was "the one" has cheated on her with her best friend, and she feels completely devoid of creativity in her graphic-design job. Not even carolers or Christmas cookies can cheer her up--but Lindy's mother, Ellen, remembers an old tradition that might lift her daughter's spirits.
Reading through a box of childhood letters to Santa and reminiscing about what she'd wished for as a young girl may be just the inspiration Lindy needs. With Ellen's encouragement, she decides to write a new letter to Santa, one that will encourage her to have faith and believe just as she'd done all those years ago. Little does Lindy know that this exercise in gratitude will cause her wishes to unfold before her in miraculous ways. And, thanks to some fateful twists of Christmas magic--especially an unexpected connection with a handsome former classmate--Lindy ultimately realizes that there is truly no place like home for the holidays.
In Dear Santa, Debbie Macomber celebrates the joys of Christmas blessings, old and new.
REVIEW: Another classic Debbie Macomber story with all the feel-good holiday vibes. After reading a few tear-jerker books, I really needed something to lift my spirits, and this book did the trick. I could easily picture it as a future Hallmark movie. Now…if you’re the type who gravitates toward the gripping, emotional, sexy love stories, then you might want to pass on this one. Debbie’s books are almost always sweet, inspirational, and (if I’m being completely honest) a little cheesy at times. But, don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing! Sometimes you just need to lose yourself in a little magical storytelling with a guaranteed happily ever after. With all the madness going on in the world today, I fully believe we should grab some happiness wherever we can find it. With that being said, if you enjoy stories that are light-hearted and fun to read, then I would recommend Dear Santa.
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Review - Evvie Drake Starts Over
AUTHOR: Linda Holmes
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future.
When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.
REVIEW: Such a cute story! After reading something as heavy as The Paper Palace, I really needed something funny, light, and heartwarming to lift my spirits, and this book was just what I needed. I caught myself laughing out loud many times while reading the witty banter between the characters, and I love the way Evvie evolved in this story. You couldn't help but root for her. I would happily recommend it to everyone.
Monday, October 18, 2021
Review - The Paper Palace
AUTHOR: Miranda Cowley Heller
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at "The Paper Palace"—the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: last night Elle and her oldest friend Jonas crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside.
Now, over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn't forever changed the course of their lives.
As Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity. Tender yet devastating, The Paper Palace considers the tensions between desire and dignity, the legacies of abuse, and the crimes and misdemeanors of families.
REVIEW: WOW! I can't think of many words to describe this book other than raw and heartbreakingly real. Elle's story grabs you hard and doesn't let go. It was a constant rollercoaster of emotions from beginning to end, and I went back and forth between "What in the world could possibly happen next?" and just complete shock. The only thing that swayed me from giving it five stars is the wide range of characters. There were so many it was sometimes confusing and hard to keep up with them all. I had to reread certain passages to get reacquainted with who belonged to which spouse and/or family. I'm still stunned this is the author's debut novel. Truly incredible storytelling. If you want a story that will keep your attention from start to finish then I would recommend The Paper Palace, BUT on a side note I wouldn't recommend it to those who may be triggered by story lines dealing with rape, incest, and pedophilia. Just my two cents.
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Review - It Ends With Us
AUTHOR: Colleen Hoover
RATING: ★★★★★
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Summary (from Goodreads): Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up — she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
REVIEW: From the book - “…I think about how easy it is for humans to make judgements when we’re standing on the outside of a situation. It’s easy when we’re on the outside to believe that we would walk away without a second thought if a person mistreated us. It’s easy to say we couldn't continue to love someone who mistreats us when we aren’t the ones feeling the love of that person. When you experience it firsthand, it isn’t so easy to hate the person who mistreats you when most of the time they’re your godsend.”
This book turned me inside out. I don’t know how else to describe it. I was in an abusive relationship for three years before I met my husband, and some of Colleen’s descriptions in this story felt as if she penned them straight from my heart. I tried so many times to explain to family members and friends why I didn’t end that relationship sooner, but there’s really no way to fully understand the reasons unless you’ve been through it. I don’t know what else to say other than I would recommend this book to everyone. My hope is that it sheds some light to those on the outside who are quick to judge a situation they aren’t involved in. I also pray it gives strength and courage to the women reading it who might be desperately searching for a way out.
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