Category Archives: Book Opinion

Object of My Affection

Posted on by
Reply

objectsAuthor: Jill Smolinski
Publisher: Touchstone
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

 

 

Goodreads:  In the humorous, heartfelt new novel by the author of The Next Thing on My List, a personal organizer must somehow convince a reclusive artist to give up her hoarding ways and let go of the stuff she’s hung on to for decades.

Lucy Bloom is broke, freshly dumped by her boyfriend, and forced to sell her house to send her nineteen-year-old son to drug rehab. Although she’s lost it all, she’s determined to start over. So when she’s offered a high-paying gig helping clear the clutter from the home of reclusive and eccentric painter Marva Meier Rios, Lucy grabs it. Armed with the organizing expertise she gained while writing her book, Things Are Not People, and fueled by a burning desire to get her life back on track, Lucy rolls up her sleeves to take on the mess that fills every room of Marva’s huge home. Lucy soon learns that the real challenge may be taking on Marva, who seems to love the objects in her home too much to let go of any of them.

While trying to stay on course toward a strict deadline—and with an ex-boyfriend back in the picture, a new romance on the scene, and her son’s rehab not going as planned—Lucy discovers that Marva isn’t just hoarding, she is also hiding a big secret. The two form an unlikely bond, as each learns from the other that there are those things in life we keep, those we need to let go—but it’s not always easy to know the difference.

Ope’s Opinion: This story of two women, their relationships with their sons and their relationships with each other just didn’t draw me in.  I couldn’t really relate all that much to either one of them.   The part I did like is the cleaning up of Marva’s house!  Is it crazy, but that was my favorite part of the book.  I did enjoy the strange and unusual way that Marva and Lucy became friends. 

44727-3chairs

A Simple Favor

Posted on by
Reply

 

a-simple-favorAuthor: Darcey Bell
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Thriller
Source: HarperCollins

Goodreads:  She’s your best friend.
She knows all your secrets.
That’s why she’s so dangerous.
A single mother’s life is turned upside down when her best friend vanishes in this chilling debut thriller in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

It starts with a simple favor—an ordinary kindness mothers do for one another. When her best friend, Emily, asks Stephanie to pick up her son Nicky after school, she happily says yes. Nicky and her son, Miles, are classmates and best friends, and the five-year-olds love being together—just like she and Emily. A widow and stay-at-home mommy blogger living in woodsy suburban Connecticut, Stephanie was lonely until she met Emily, a sophisticated PR executive whose job in Manhattan demands so much of her time.

But Emily doesn’t come back. She doesn’t answer calls or return texts. Stephanie knows something is terribly wrong—Emily would never leave Nicky, no matter what the police say. Terrified, she reaches out to her blog readers for help. She also reaches out to Emily’s husband, the handsome, reticent Sean, offering emotional support. It’s the least she can do for her best friend. Then, she and Sean receive shocking news. Emily is dead. The nightmare of her disappearance is over.

Or is it? Because soon, Stephanie will begin to see that nothing—not friendship, love, or even an ordinary favor—is as simple as it seems.

A Simple Favor is a remarkable tale of psychological suspense—a clever and twisting free-fall of a ride filled with betrayals and reversals, twists and turns, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty, murder and revenge. Darcey Bell masterfully ratchets up the tension in a taut, unsettling, and completely absorbing story that holds you in its grip until the final page.

Ope’s Opinion:  Instead of being drawn into this story, I felt like I was standing outside of it watching it all happen, which made it much less intense then I expected this book to be.

I am not sure I liked the characters in this story – of course I am not sure I was suppose to!  So in that way maybe the author achieved her goal.

The ending left me…. yea, that is kind of how I feel…

44727-3chairs

 

Coast Road

Posted on by
3

coast

Author: Barbara Delinsky
Genre: Romance
Source: Purchased

Goodreads:  Hailed as “a heartwarming story” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), a celebration of what matters most in life, Barbara Delinsky’s profoundly moving New York Times bestseller is as richly textured and captivating as the Northern California landscape in which it is set.

Jack McGill chose his architectural career over his family, and returned home from yet another business trip to find that his wife, Rachel, had left him. Now, six years later, a car accident has left Rachel clinging to life, and she and their two daughters desperately need him. Putting work on hold for the first time in his life, Jack decides to sit by his ex-wife’s bedside. As he meets Rachel’s many new friends, and tries to cope with two teenage daughters and their problems, he learns more about a woman he never really knew, her expressive art, and the secret that made her leave. Much to his astonishment, Jack begins to see Rachel, his daughters, and the story of his marriage with new eyes.

Ope’s Opinion: The beginning of the book was interesting and got my attention.  I was invested in the story and the characters and wanted to keep reading.  Then it drug on and on in the middle.  I think part of that was to show how slow time was moving for the characters, but I got bored after a while.  Randomly, she threw in things about sex that were not inappropriate,but also did not add any dimension to the story or characters. The ending was cute and predictable. 

44727-3chairs

Never Let You Go

Posted on by
Reply

never

Author: Chevy Stevens
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Thriller
Source:  Won from Shelf Awareness

Goodreads:  Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship.Her ex-husband was sent to jail and she started over with a new life. Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When her ex-husband is finally released, Lindsey believes she’s cut all ties. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But can he really change? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?

Chevy Stevens targets her readership with a novel that hits all the notes they come to expect from her—and ratchets up the stakes even more in a novel that explores the darkest heart of love and obsession.

Ope’s Opinion:  WARNING: Do not start this book unless you have ample time to continue reading one more chapter, one more, one more…..  It is amazingly intense!!!  On page one you be absorbed in the story.  During certain portions ( no spoilers ) you may need to remind yourself to breathe.  When you think the story is done, hold on… it isn’t – no details – just read to the end!  My only negative thought of this book is that it wrapped up a little too fast, a little too neatly, a little too easily. I would still recommend this book. 

5c675-4chairs

Invincible Summer

Posted on by
Reply

invincible

Author: Alice Adams
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: BEA 2016

 

Goodreads:  Four friends. Twenty years. One unexpected journey. Inseparable throughout college, Eva, Benedict, Sylvie, and Lucien graduate in 1997, into an exhilarating world on the brink of a new millennium. Hopelessly in love with playboy Lucien and eager to shrug off the socialist politics of her upbringing, Eva breaks away to work for a big bank. Benedict, a budding scientist who’s pined for Eva for years, stays on to complete his PhD in physics, devoting his life to chasing particles as elusive as the object of his affection. Siblings Sylvie and Lucien, never much inclined toward mortgages or monogamy, pursue more bohemian existences-she as an aspiring artist and he as a club promoter and professional partyer. But as their twenties give way to their thirties, the group struggles to navigate their thwarted dreams. Scattered across Europe and no longer convinced they are truly the masters of their fates, the once close-knit friends find themselves filled with longing for their youth- and for one another. Broken hearts and broken careers draw the foursome together again, but in ways they never could have imagined.

A dazzling depiction of the highs and lows of adulthood, Invincible Summer is a story about finding the courage to carry on in the wake of disappointment, and a powerful testament to love and friendship as the constants in an ever-changing world.

Ope’s Opinion: Do you like books set in London with British flare to it?  Then you might want to read this book.  The characters and situations were predictable.  For the most part, you get the surface facts of their lives, but not really the deeper meaning of it, so it was hard to get invested in how it was going to turn out in the end.  It was an easy, sort of summer read, not deep or leave you with lasting memories. 

c229c-3chairs

Life and Other Near-Death Experience

Posted on by
1

lifeAuthor: Camille Pagan
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Fiction
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

 

 

Goodreads:  Libby Miller has always been an unwavering optimist—but when her husband drops a bomb on their marriage the same day a doctor delivers devastating news, she realizes her rose-colored glasses have actually been blinding her.

With nothing left to lose, she abandons her life in Chicago for the clear waters and bright beaches of the Caribbean for what might be her last hurrah. Despite her new sunny locale, her plans go awry when she finds that she can’t quite outrun the past or bring herself to face an unknowable future. Every day of tropical bliss may be an invitation to disaster, but with her twin brother on her trail and a new relationship on the horizon, Libby is determined to forget about fate. Will she risk it all to live—and love—a little longer?

From critically acclaimed author Camille Pagán comes a hilarious and hopeful story about a woman choosing between a “perfect” life and actually living.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book started out kind of all over place.  It felt scattered to me, but that may be how you feel when you get so much hard news at the same time.  Then Libby seemed to run away – which may not have been a unusual reaction in those circumstances.

Although, this book had heavy subjects, it was a light, quick read.  It was a different perspective then I expected.

c229c-3chairs

The Ordinary Life

Posted on by
Reply

life

Author: Jennifer Walkup
Publisher: Luminis Books, Inc.
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  Sometimes hope is the most extraordinary gift of all.

High-school radio host Jasmine Torres’s life is full of family dysfunction, but if she can score the internship of her dreams with a New York City radio station, she knows she can turn things around.

That is, until her brother Danny’s latest seizure forces her to miss the interview, and she’s back to the endless loop of missing school for his doctor appointments, picking up the pieces of her mother’s booze-soaked life, and stressing about Danny’s future.

Then she meets Wes. He’s the perfect combination of smart, cute, and funny. He also happens to have epilepsy like her brother. Wes is living a normal life despite his medical issues, which gives Jasmine hope for Danny. But memories of her cheating ex-boyfriend keep her from going on a real date with Wes, no matter how many times he asks her.

Jasmine can’t control everything. Not who wins the internship, not her mother’s addiction, not her brother’s health—not even where her heart will lead her. She wishes she could just have an ordinary life, but maybe what she already has is pretty extraordinary after all.

Ope’s Opinion:   If you are looking for a wonderfully, sweet, young adult book for yourself or someone who loves young adult reads, I highly recommend this book.  The characters are someone you know ( or maybe you ), the story is sweet ( but not saccharin sweet ), and you will enjoy all the relationships. 

Jasmine’s life isn’t easy, but she makes the best of it.  She is strong, independent, caring and stands on her own two feet.  She is an example of a young adult I would want my teen reading about.  

5c675-4chairs

Forever Beach

Posted on by
1

forever-beach

Author: Shelley Noble
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Source: HarperCollins

Goodreads:  From the New York Times bestselling author of Beach Colors and Breakwater Bay comes this heartwarming story of love, family, and redemption. Two young girls pledged to be best friends forever. Separated by circumstance and hurt, they are reunited years later as they struggle to put their differences aside for the sake of a special little girl—perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Jane Green, and Kristin Hannah.

Two women…
One little girl…
Can they forgive the past in order to ensure the future of an innocent child…?

Once a foster child herself, Sarah Hargreave can’t wait to finalize the adoption of her foster daughter Leila. Sarah longs to give her all the love and stability she was denied in her own childhood. She’s put her own friendships and even her relationship with Wyatt, her longtime lover, on hold in order to give Leila her full attention.

When Leila’s biological mother suddenly reappears and petitions the court for the return of her daughter, Sarah is terrified she’ll lose the little girl she’s come to love as her own. Convinced the mother is still addicted to drugs, Sarah and her social worker enlist the help of high profile family lawyer, Ilona Cartwright. But when they meet, Sarah recognizes her as Nonie Blanchard who grew up in the same group foster home as Sarah. They’d promised to be best friends forever, then Nonie was adopted by a wealthy family, and Sarah never heard from her again. Sarah still hurts from the betrayal. But Nonie harbors her own resentment toward Sarah who she believes abandoned her when she needed her most.

Mistrustful of each other, the two women form a tenuous alliance to ensure Leila’s future, but when Leila’s very survival is on the line, they’ll have to come to terms with their own feelings of hurt and rejection to save the child they both have come to love.

Ope’s Opinion:  Page one, I was immediately drawn into the book.  There are some awesome twists and turns.  The story is very intense right up to the end.

The characters are people you want to know and route for them to be happy.

I have a couple of other Shelley Noble books on my shelf.  They have now moved up on my TBR list.

5c675-4chairs

Abby’s Journey

Posted on by
Reply

file_000

Author: Steena Holmes
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Travel
Source:  Steena Holmes

Goodreads:  Twenty-year-old Abigail Turner has only known her mother, Claire—who died shortly after she was born—through letters, videos, postcards, and journals. Abby’s father, Josh, has raised his precious daughter himself, but his overprotectiveness has become stifling. Abby longs to forge out on her own and see the world after a childhood trapped indoors: she suffers from bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which means a case of the sniffles can rapidly escalate into life-threatening pneumonia.

But when Abby’s doctor declares her healthy—for now—her grandmother Millie whisks her away to Europe to visit the Christmas markets that her mother cherished and chronicled in her travel journals. Despite her father’s objections, Abby and Millie embark on a journey of discovery in which Abby will learn secrets that force her to reevaluate her image of her mother and come to a more mature understanding of a parent-child bond that transcends death.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Steena Holmes offers a tender and heartfelt exploration of parental love and a daughter’s longing for connection in the poignant next chapter following Saving Abby.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book could be read as a stand alone, but reading Saving Abby first makes it more meaningful.  Having Abby’s family background gives you more understanding to the characters in this story.

Steena Holmes wrote this in such a way that I felt each character.  I understood each of  their points of view.  She also wrote Abby’s trip in such a way that I could see where she was – it made me want to take my own trip to see all the markets.

Once again, thank you Steena Holmes for your amazing writing!

8364b-4chairs

Fly Away Home

Posted on by
Reply

fly

Author: Jennifer Weiner
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Purchased

 

 

Goodreads:  Sometimes all you can do is fly away home . . .

When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips, and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician’s wife-her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator.

Lizzie, the Woodruffs’ younger daughter, is at twenty-four a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control. Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve-a husband, a young son, the perfect home-and yet she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER’s exam rooms, she finds herself craving more.

After Richard’s extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be.

Written with an irresistible blend of heartbreak and hilarity, Fly Away Home is an unforgettable story of a mother and two daughters who after a lifetime of distance finally learn to find refuge in one another.

Ope’s Opinion:  I am not sure what I was expecting when I started this book.  The synopsis talks about a man cheating on his wife, so the fact that this was a sad, depressing book should not have been a surprise.

Sylvie put her husband above all else – mistake!
Diana’s character is judgemental when she has no right to be – look in the mirror!
Lizzie is flighty and actually the most enjoyable of the three.

There is a very explicit, crude sexual scene in the beginning of the book that just set me off from the beginning.  It was to give you information about Diana.  That information could have been dispensed in a much more subtle way and still gotten the point across.  From there I just couldn’t like her.

The ending was not what I was expecting and not sure it felt satisfying either.

1221d-2chairs