Category Archives: Book Opinion

The Heartbreakers

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the heartbreakersAuthor: Ali Novak
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Source:  BEA 2015

Goodreads: 

“When I met Oliver Perry, I had no clue he was the lead singer for The Heartbreakers. And he had no idea that I was the only girl in the world who hated his music.”

Stella will do anything for her sick sister, Cara—even stand in line for an autographed Heartbreakers CD…for four hours. She’s totally winning best birthday gift this year. At least she met a cute boy with soft brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes while getting her caffeine fix. Too bad she’ll never see him again.

Except, Stella’s life has suddenly turned into a cheesy love song. Because Starbucks Boy is Oliver Perry – lead singer for the Heartbreakers. And even after she calls his music crap, Oliver still gives Stella his phone number. And whispers quotes from her favorite Disney movie in her ear. OMG, what is her life?

But how can Stella even think about being with Oliver — dating and laughing and pulling pranks with the band — when her sister could be dying of cancer?

Ope’s Opinion: This is definitely a young adult book I would allow my teen to read.  It has characters with good values, but they have flaws, question themselves and other teens would be able to relate to them.

Although the synopsis talks about Cara having cancer and that does play a large part in the story, the story is more about triplets trying to figure out who they are as individuals.  It was interesting to watch each of them take a different path.

The parents are not in much of this story, but you can tell by the triplets that they are loved, are encouraged to be independent and are very supportive.

The story ended as you would expect and I liked that.

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Cupcake Cousins – Summer Showers

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cupcake cousins summer

Author: Kate Hannigan
Publisher: Disney – Hyperion
Genre: Children’s Book
Source:  BEA 2016

Goodreads:  It’s summertime, and the Bumpus family is growing! Aunt Rosie and Uncle Jonathan are expecting twins, and the entire family gathers together at Whispering Pines for a baby shower. Willow and Delia’s grandmother gives each of her grandchildren a family heirloom, but Willow’s has disappeared. Could it be lost in the cupcake batter-or will she have to tell her grandmother it’s gone for good? Follow cousins Willow and Delia’s tasty recipes once again as they solve the mystery of the missing keepsake and celebrate the excitement of new cousins in the second book in this charming series.

cupcake cousins

Ope’s Opinion:  I started reading this to Emma, who is 7 years old.  I think it was a little too long for her attention span.  I read it myself – it kept my attention, so I will try to read it to her again in about a year.  I liked the story and the characters.  It is appropriate and parents will actually like to read it themselves. 

Lies I Told

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lies i told

Author: Michelle Zink
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult
Source: BEA 2015

Goodreads:  What if, after spending a lifetime deceiving everyone around you, you discovered the biggest lies were the ones you’ve told yourself?

Grace Fontaine has everything: beauty, money, confidence, and the perfect family.

But it’s all a lie.

Grace has been adopted into a family of thieves who con affluent people out of money, jewelry, art, and anything else of value. Grace has never had any difficulty pulling off a job, but when things start to go wrong on the Fontaines’ biggest heist yet, Grace finds herself breaking more and more of the rules designed to keep her from getting caught…including the most important one of all: never fall for your mark.

Ope’s Opinion:  Even though the main characters in this book are high school age, the book felt more like an adult read.  The main characters were much more much mature and involved in adult situations.  This story is intense from page one until the last page ( which is not the end ).  I did not realize this book was part of a series, so the ending was not an ending – it just stopped.

All the characters in this book were interesting.  They each had distinct personalities.  I enjoyed their interactions.  I mostly liked Logan and Grace’s relationship – I thought they fell for each other a little too fast, but I liked that they took the relationship slowly.

I am still debating if I am going to read the next book.  It is called Promises I Made.

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In Twenty Years

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Author: Allison Winn Scotch   twenty years
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Fiction
Source: BEA 2016

 

 

Goodreads:  Twenty years ago, six Penn students shared a house, naively certain that their friendships would endure—until the death of their ringleader and dear friend Bea splintered the group for good. Now, mostly estranged from one another, the remaining five reluctantly gather at that same house on the eve of what would have been Bea’s fortieth birthday.

But along with the return of the friends come old grudges, unrequited feelings, and buried secrets. Catherine, the CEO of a domestic empire, and Owen, a stay-at-home dad, were picture-perfect college sweethearts—but now teeter on the brink of disaster. Lindy, a well-known musician, is pushing middle age in an industry that’s all about youth and slowly self-destructing as she grapples with her own identity. Behind his smile, handsome plastic surgeon Colin harbors the heartbreaking truth about his own history with Bea. And Annie carefully curates her life on Instagram and Facebook, keeping up appearances so she doesn’t have to face the truth about her own empty reality.

Reunited in the place where so many dreams began, and bolstered by the hope of healing, each of them is forced to confront the past.

Ope’s Opinion:  These five friends are the most sad and dysfunctional group of people.  No one is this group is satisfied with how their lives are twenty years out of college. Getting back together brought out all their old feelings toward each other.

This particular story wasn’t relateable to me.  There wasn’t a character that I really identified with or was rooting for.  Lindy was especially annoying and self-centered.

The ending brought some things to an end, but it didn’t really wrap it up.  It left me wondering where they were each going to be another twenty years.

Let just add that if foul language is offensive or irritating to you, this book was full of it.

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Under a Summer Sky

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under a summer sky

Author: Nan Rossiter
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: BEA 2015

Goodreads:  New York Times bestselling author Nan Rossiter transports readers to Cape Cod with a warm, compelling story of family, new beginnings, and finding the courage to love honestly and well…The old Cape Cod house that Laney Coleman shares with her minister husband Noah and their five boys is usually brimming with cheerful chaos. There’s nothing fancy about the ancient kitchen or the wooden floors scuffed by the constant parade of activity and the clicking claws of their two Labrador retrievers. It’s a place to savor the sea breeze wafting through the windows, or sip coffee on the porch before another hectic day begins. This summer, life promises to be even busier than usual, because Noah’s younger brother, Micah, wants to hold his upcoming wedding on their property.
Though thrilled that Micah has found happiness after past heartache, Laney is apprehensive about having her home turned upside down. She has other concerns too–her youngest son is being bullied at school, and Noah’s father is not the robust patriarch he once was, in mind or body. As the bride and groom’s large, close-knit families gather, there will be joyful celebration but also unexpected sorrows and revelations, and a chance to store up a lifetime of memories during the fleeting, precious days of summer…

Ope’s Opinion:  Even though this book is about a family who is centered on God, it was not preachy.  There were several sermons in the book, but it felt like Noah was telling a story about his family, not preaching at me.  

Most of the book was about this family and their every day issues, relationships and situations they were dealing with.  I felt for each of them, I could relate to them and I wanted them to be happy.  I also loved how they all had dogs and those dogs were a large part of the story.

I love how BEA introduces me to authors ( new to me ) that I then want to go find more books by them to read.  This is one of those books.

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First Comes Love

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Author: Emily Giffin         love comes first
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: BEA 2016

 

Goodreads:  In this dazzling new novel, Emily Giffin, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed, Where We Belong, and The One & Only introduces a pair of sisters who find themselves at a crossroads.

Growing up, Josie and Meredith Garland shared a loving, if sometimes contentious relationship. Josie was impulsive, spirited, and outgoing; Meredith hardworking, thoughtful, and reserved. When tragedy strikes their family, their different responses to the event splinter their delicate bond.

Fifteen years later, Josie and Meredith are in their late thirties, following very different paths. Josie, a first grade teacher, is single—and this close to swearing off dating for good. What she wants more than the right guy, however, is to become a mother—a feeling that is heightened when her ex-boyfriend’s daughter ends up in her class. Determined to have the future she’s always wanted, Josie decides to take matters into her own hands.

On the outside, Meredith is the model daughter with the perfect life. A successful attorney, she’s married to a wonderful man, and together they’re raising a beautiful four-year-old daughter. Yet lately, Meredith feels dissatisfied and restless, secretly wondering if she chose the life that was expected of her rather than the one she truly desired.

As the anniversary of their tragedy looms and painful secrets from the past begin to surface, Josie and Meredith must not only confront the issues that divide them, but also come to terms with their own choices. In their journey toward understanding and forgiveness, both sisters discover they need each other more than they knew . . . and that in the recipe for true happiness, love always comes first.

Emotionally honest and utterly enthralling, First Comes Love is a story about family, friendship, and the courage to follow your own heart—wherever that may lead.

Ope’s Opinion:  Emily Giffin hits it out of the park again!  She is an amazing story weaver!  Her characters are well developed and you care about them. 

Josie and Meredith take turns tell their story in alternating chapters.  It always amazes me how two different people can see the same event very differently and react to in completely different ways.  Being sisters and being raised the same household doesn’t mean you agree and Emily Giffin showed that throughout this book.

This is not your typical summer read, I feel like it was a deeper story line with characters who are really struggling to figure out what their lives should look like.  It is a family drama story, not just a love story.

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Riverbend Road

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Author: RaeAnne Thayne                                  river
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Little Bird Publicity

 

 

Goodreads:  Return to Haven Point, where New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne proves there’s no sweeter place to fall in love

Protecting the streets of Haven Point isn’t just a job for police officer Wyn Bailey, it’s a family tradition. But lately she’s found herself wanting more, especially from her boss—and overprotective brother’s best friend—sexy chief of police, Cade Emmett. The only problem is getting Cade to view her as more than just a little sister.

Cade’s hands-off approach with Wyn isn’t from lack of attraction. But his complicated past has forced him to conceal his desire. When Wyn is harmed in the line of duty, Cade realizes the depth of his feelings, but can he let his guard down long enough to embrace the love he secretly craves?

Ope’s Opinion:  This is the fourth in the Haven Point series, but you could read this one alone.  Characters from previous books are visited, but you don’t need to know them to enjoy this book. 

Riverbend Road is enjoyably predictable.  There are a few new things revealed along the way, but you know how it will end.  It was a sweet read.

The slow build of Wyn and Cade’s relationship made the book a delight to read.  I liked that they were friends for a long time and didn’t act on their feelings until they were older.  I also liked that the physical part of their relationship was not the focal point.

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Never Always Sometimes

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never

Author: Adi Alsaid
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Source:  BEA 2015

Goodreads: 

Never date your best friend.


Always be original.Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.

Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they’d never, ever do in high school.

Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember.

Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they’ve actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

Ope’s Opinion:  This is a quirky book.  It started out a little slow.  Getting to know the characters took a little too long for me.  Some of the “nevers” weren’t really interesting and a couple were inappropriate.  It was an interesting way to tell a love story.
This love story will definitely surprise you.  It has two large twists that I did not see coming at all.  I liked the way it went.  I also liked the way it ended.
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Here’s To Us

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Author: Elin Hilderbrand                                here
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Fiction
Source: BEA 2016

 

Goodreads:  Three romantic rivals. One crowded house. Plenty of room for jealousy.

Laurel Thorpe, Belinda Rowe, and Scarlett Oliver share only two things; a love for the man they all married, Deacon Thorpe–a celebrity chef with an insatiable appetite for life–and a passionate dislike of one another. All three are remarkable, spirited women, but they couldn’t be more different. Laurel: Deacon’s high school sweetheart and an effortlessly beautiful social worker; Belinda: a high-maintenance Hollywood diva; and Scarlett: a sexy southern belle floating by on her family money and her fabulous looks. They’ve established a delicate understanding over the years–they avoid each other at all costs.

But their fragile detente threatens to come crashing down after Deacon’s tragic death on his favorite place on earth: a ramshackle Nantucket summer cottage. Deacon’s final wish was for his makeshift family to assemble on his beloved Nantucket to say good-bye. Begrudgingly, Laurel, Belinda, and Scarlett gather on the island as once again, as in each of their marriages, they’re left to pick up Deacon’s mess. Now they’re trapped in the crowded cottage where they all made their own memories–a house that they now share in more ways than one–along with the children they raised with Deacon, and his best friend. Laurel, Belinda, and Scarlett each had an unbreakable bond with Deacon–and they all have secrets to hide.

Before the weekend is over, there are enough accusations, lies, tears, and drama to turn even the best of friends–let alone three women who married the same man–into adversaries. As his unlikely family says good-bye to the man who brought them
together–for better or worse–will they be able to put aside their differences long enough to raise a glass in Deacon’s honor?

Ope’s Opinion:  This book read like a day time soap opera.  There were multiple marriages, affairs, drug abuse, lies, and drama all over the place.  The Nantucket house never saw a dull moment.

Laurel was the only character that I had some sympathy toward and had some moral standards.  Angie blindly loved her father and I understood how she had difficulty with relationships – she was watching all the other females in her life, who weren’t able to give her a decent road map.

The chapter before the epilogue wrapped up everyone’s story.  The epilogue went back to Deacon’s story.

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Someone Like You

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Author: Victoria Bylin                     someone
Publisher: Bethany House
Genre: Christian Fiction
Source: Bethany House

 

 

Goodreads:  Julia Dare is trying to run her own business, raise her young son, Max, and help her widowed mother. Her biggest worry, though, is keeping Max’s father from being a bad influence while still allowing the boy to spend time with his dad. When an account from her event-planning business sends her to Caliente Springs resort, she’s shocked to encounter Zeke Monroe, her college sweetheart.

Zeke is determined to keep Caliente Springs running despite financial trouble. When Julia walks back into his life, he’s surprised at the feelings she stirs up. As they work together on an important client’s wedding, the fate of the resort soon depends on their success. With Zeke and Julia both pushed to their limits, will their history put up walls between them or bring them together?

Ope’s Opinion:  This is definitely a Christian Fiction book.  God is the center of this book from beginning to end.  It is not preachy, just God centered.  It should be in every church library.  The characters are all different ages and stages of life and stages in their Christian walk with God. 

The description of the resort setting took me away!  I felt like I was sitting there ( and I wanted to stay there ).  It was a nice back drop for falling in love.

I could have lived without the goat in the story.  That part felt a little cheesy to me.  It didn’t ruin the book, but it didn’t feel like it added anything either.

Thank you Victoria Bylin for making sure I received a copy of your book.

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