Better off Friends

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Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Point
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Source: Purchased

Goodreads:  WHEN HARRY MET SALLY . . . for teens, from romantic comedy star Elizabeth Eulberg.

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

Ope’s Opinion: I really like YA books and I like when it isn’t instant love, but this one was really drawn out for me.

The characters were likable, but wishy-washy with their feelings.  I understand protecting a friendship you don’t want to loose, that is important.  They just kept going back and forth, as to who was available and who would admit deeper feelings.

I did like that the physical part of the relationships in this book was very basic – kept to kissing.  It was nice to see a relationship that wasn’t all about the physical aspects.  They did know each other and enjoyed similar things.

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Worth the Wait

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Worth the Wait (St. James, #1)

Author: Jamie Beck
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Source:  BEA

Goodreads: Thirteen years ago, Vivi LeBrun was sketching a rooster and eating Oreos when she first met—and fell for—her friend’s brother, David St. James. Since then, her love for David has only intensified thanks to years of friendship with his family, who rescued her from a lonely, tumultuous childhood. As she travels to Block Island to vacation with the St. James siblings, Vivi daydreams about reuniting with David, hoping he’ll finally see her as his soul mate.

After his mother’s death, David distanced himself from his siblings, determined to hide a devastating family secret. Now, he’s brought a new girlfriend along to his homecoming—one who’s pushing for a serious commitment. The last thing he needs on his growing list of problems is his budding attraction to Vivi.

With tensions running high, David’s behavior triggers a series of events that might cost him the love he’s always taken for granted and Vivi the only real family she’s ever known.

Ope’s Opinion:  This story was intense from the beginning to the end.  All the characters had tense relationships with each other.  I wish the females had been a bit stronger in their relationships.  They seem to just take whatever the men in their lives were willing to give.

The details in the intimate scenes were too explicit for my taste.

Also,  I felt like the “f” word was placed in there after the story was written.  It did not add anything to the story and was actually kind of distracting.

The ending is predictable – which is not always a bad thing.  I just wish Vivi had more of a backbone.

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The Changing Season

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the changing season

Published:  February 17, 2015
Publisher: The Story Plant

Goodreads:  This was supposed to be a simple summer for Billy; one more lazy expanse of time before college began. He’d fill the hours playing with Jimmy – his canine best buddy – going camping and doing all the things he promised Jimmy they’d do before Billy left.

But that was before the accident that shook the entire town.

It was before the summer job that turned into something so much more than a way to get a paycheck.

And it was before Vicki.

This summer was destined to be many things to Billy, things he didn’t truly understand until now. But it was definitely not going to be simple.

An enormously touching, richly textured, deeply moving novel of new adulthood, THE CHANGING SEASON is an experience to savor.

Ope’s Opinion:  Great book!  It took a little while to get started, but worth the time to keep reading.   If you have someone in your life who will be graduating from high school this spring – this would be an awesome gift. 

The relationships in this book felt real. The heart ache and decisions were some we all face.

Steven Manchester has been an author I have read often.  This is one of my favorites of his.

Rating:  4

This Just In…

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From Amazon

somewhere

Published:  March 1, 2016
Publisher: Washington Square Press

Goodreads: What happens when two sisters who were torn apart when their young mother abandoned them—and grew up in tragically different circumstances—reunite thirty-five years later to find her? For readers who love Jodi Picoult, acclaimed author Amy Hatvany fearlessly explores complex family issues in her gripping, provocative new novel.

Natalie Clark knew never to ask her sensitive adoptive mother questions about her past. She doesn’t even know her birth mother’s name—only that the young woman signed parental rights over to the state when Natalie was a baby. Now Natalie’s own daughter must complete a family tree project for school, and Natalie is determined to unearth the truth about her roots.

Brooke Walker doesn’t have a family. At least, that’s what she tells herself after being separated from her mother and her little sister at age four. Having grown up in a state facility and countless foster homes, Brooke survives the only way she knows how, by relying on herself. So when she discovers she’s pregnant, Brooke faces a heart-wrenching decision: give up her baby or raise the child completely on her own. Scared and confused, she feels lost until a surprise encounter gives her hope for the future.

How do our early experiences—the subtle and the traumatic—define us as adults? How do we build relationships when we’ve been deprived of real connection? Critically acclaimed author Amy Hatvany considers controversial and complicated questions about childhood through the lens of her finely crafted characters in this astute novel about mending wounds by diving into the truth of what first tore us apart.

Amy Hatvany is such a great author I couldn’t wait to buy her latest book!

Left for Dead

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Left for Dead (Ali Reynolds, #7)

Author:  J.A. Jance
Publisher: Touchstone
Genre: Mystery
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads: When violence from the drug wars with the Mexican cartels crosses the border into Arizona, and an old friend is murdered, Ali Reynolds steps in to investigate in New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance’s fast-paced mystery.

When Santa Cruz county deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, one of Ali Reynolds’s classmates from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, are both under suspicion.

Ali owes Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier. When she’s summoned to his bedside at Mercy Medical Center in Tucson, it’s impossible for Ali to turn away. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there as well, working as a patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, an unidentified border crosser who was raped and savagely beaten.

As more bodies begin to pile up, Ali becomes determined to seek justice, even when it becomes impossible to know where the danger is coming from. Fast-paced, tension-filled, and intriguingly complex, Left for Dead is J.A. Jance at her riveting best.

Ope’s Opinion: This book:
– started slow
– has so many characters I needed a score card!
– in depth description ( some times too many gruesome details )
– some good twists along the way
– ending wrapped everything up and felt satisfying

Rating: 3

For Keeps

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for keeps

Author: Natasha Friend
Publisher: Speak
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: For sixteen years, Josie Gardner and her mom, Kate, have been a team. It’s been the Gardner Girls against the world, and that’s how Josie likes it. Until one day, they find out that Paul Tucci, Kate’s high school boyfriend-the father Josie has never met-is back in town. Josie’s mom suddenly turns back into the heartbroken teenager she was when Paul moved away. Meanwhile, Josie’s on the verge of having her first real boyfriend. And when Josie learns some surprising truths about Paul Tucci and the past, she begins questioning what she thought she knew, and finds out what happens when a girl gets the guy she always wanted and the dad she never knew she needed.

Ope’s Opinion: I really enjoyed this  book.  I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading Sarah Dessen.

The story had some really interesting twist to it that I did not see coming.  The characters were realistic, fun to read about and reacted to situations the way I would expect them to.  The mother- daughter relationship was one I could relate to.  I have two daughters that I enjoyed raising.

I enjoyed Liv and Josie’s friendship.  It was nice to have Liv’s two dads as a little comic relief when things seemed to be a little stressful for Josie or Liv.  It was also great to see the support between the two families of these friends.

After reading this book I looked up Natasha Friend’s other books and I am interested in reading another one by her.

Rating: 4

This Just In…

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From Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

After You (Me Before You, #2)

Published:  September 29, 2015
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Goodreads:  A NOTE FROM JOJO MOYES ABOUT HER EXCITING NEW NOVEL, AFTER YOU:

Dear Reader,

I wasn’t going to write a sequel to Me Before You. But for years, readers kept asking and I kept wondering what Lou did with her life. In the end the idea came, as they sometimes do, at 5:30 in the morning, leaving me sitting bolt upright in my bed and scrambling for my pen.

It has been such a pleasure revisiting Lou and her family, and the Traynors, and confronting them with a whole new set of issues. As ever, they have made me laugh, and cry. I hope readers feel the same way at meeting them—especially Lou—again. And I’m hoping that those who love Will will find plenty to enjoy.

—Jojo Moyes

Kristin gave me this book as soon as I finished Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.
Can’t wait to start this one.

No Ordinary Life

Published: February 2, 2016
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Goodreads: Suzanne Redfearn delivers another gripping page-turner in her latest novel, a story about a young mother’s fight to protect her children from the dangerous world of Hollywood. Faye Martin never expected her husband to abandon her and her three children . . . or that she’d have to struggle every day to make ends meet. So when her four-year-old daughter is discovered through a YouTube video and offered a starring role on a television series, it seems like her prayers have been answered. But when the reality of their new life settles in, Faye realizes that fame and fortune don’t come without a price. And in a world where everyone is an actor and every move is scrutinized by millions, it’s impossible to know who to trust, and Faye finds herself utterly alone in her struggle to save her family. Emotionally riveting and insightful, NO ORDINARY LIFE is an unforgettable novel about the preciousness of childhood and the difficult choices a mother needs to make in order to protect this fragile time in her children’s lives.

Another good read to look forward to from Kristin.
She knows how to pick them!

So many good books, not enough time!

Coming Soon….

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…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In March I hope to read….

somewhere

Publication Date: March 1, 2016
Publisher: Washington Square Press

Goodreads: What happens when two sisters who were torn apart when their young mother abandoned them—and grew up in tragically different circumstances—reunite thirty-five years later to find her? For readers who love Jodi Picoult, acclaimed author Amy Hatvany fearlessly explores complex family issues in her gripping, provocative new novel.

Natalie Clark knew never to ask her sensitive adoptive mother questions about her past. She doesn’t even know her birth mother’s name—only that the young woman signed parental rights over to the state when Natalie was a baby. Now Natalie’s own daughter must complete a family tree project for school, and Natalie is determined to unearth the truth about her roots.

Brooke Walker doesn’t have a family. At least, that’s what she tells herself after being separated from her mother and her little sister at age four. Having grown up in a state facility and countless foster homes, Brooke survives the only way she knows how, by relying on herself. So when she discovers she’s pregnant, Brooke faces a heart-wrenching decision: give up her baby or raise the child completely on her own. Scared and confused, she feels lost until a surprise encounter gives her hope for the future.

How do our early experiences—the subtle and the traumatic—define us as adults? How do we build relationships when we’ve been deprived of real connection? Critically acclaimed author Amy Hatvany considers controversial and complicated questions about childhood through the lens of her finely crafted characters in this astute novel about mending wounds by diving into the truth of what first tore us apart.

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Me Before You

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me before you

Publication Date: December 31, 2012
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books/ Viking

Goodreads: Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.

Ope’s Opinion:  I just finished this book!  Yes, I cried.   It was very intense. I want to see the movie. 

Some people are saying this is just a tear jerker book, but it is so much more then that.  It makes you think about the quality of life and do you have the right to choose to end a life.

I think this would make a good book club book.  The characters all have flaws worth discussing.  Their decisions could be up for debate also.

More Jojo Moyes books are in my future.

Rating: 5 – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on…..

This Just In….

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From Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

The Ramblers: A Novel

Publication Date:  February 9, 2016
Publisher:  William Morrow

Goodreads:  For fans of J. Courtney Sullivan, Meg Wolitzer, Claire Messud, and Emma Straub, a gorgeous and absorbing novel of a trio of confused souls struggling to find themselves and the way forward in their lives, set against the spectacular backdrop of contemporary New York City.

Set in the most magical parts of Manhattan—the Upper West Side, Central Park, Greenwich Village—The Ramblers explores the lives of three lost souls, bound together by friendship and family. During the course of one fateful Thanksgiving week, a time when emotions run high and being with family can be a mixed blessing, Rowley’s sharply defined characters explore the moments when decisions are deliberately made, choices accepted, and pasts reconciled.

Clio Marsh, whose bird-watching walks through Central Park are mentioned in New York Magazine, is taking her first tentative steps towards a relationship while also looking back to the secrets of her broken childhood. Her best friend, Smith Anderson, the seemingly-perfect daughter of one of New York’s wealthiest families, organizes the lives of others as her own has fallen apart. And Tate Pennington has returned to the city, heartbroken but determined to move ahead with his artistic dreams.

Rambling through the emotional chaos of their lives, this trio learns to let go of the past, to make room for the future and the uncertainty and promise that it holds. The Ramblers is a love letter to New York City—an accomplished, sumptuous novel about fate, loss, hope, birds, friendship, love, the wonders of the natural world and the mysteries of the human spirit.

I am really looking forward to reading this one as it was recommended to me from Kristin.  She knows what I like to read!

Also from Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

The Ex

Publication Date: January 26, 2016
Publisher:  Harper

Goodreads: In this breakout standalone novel of suspense in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on a Train, a woman agrees to help an old boyfriend who has been framed for murder—but begins to suspect that she is the one being manipulated.

Twenty years ago she ruined his life. Now she has the chance to save it.

Widower Jack Harris has resisted the dating scene ever since the shooting of his wife Molly by a fifteen-year-old boy three years ago. An early morning run along the Hudson River changes that when he spots a woman in last night’s party dress, barefoot, enjoying a champagne picnic alone, reading his favorite novel. Everything about her reminds him of what he used to have with Molly. Eager to help Jack find love again, his best friend posts a message on a popular website after he mentions the encounter. Days later, that same beautiful stranger responds and invites Jack to meet her in person at the waterfront. That’s when Jack’s world falls apart.

Olivia Randall is one of New York City’s best criminal defense lawyers. When she hears that her former fiancé, Jack Harris, has been arrested for a triple homicide—and that one of the victims was connected to his wife’s murder—there is no doubt in her mind as to his innocence. The only question is who would go to such great lengths to frame him—and why?

For Olivia, representing Jack is a way to make up for past regrets, to absolve herself of guilt from a tragic decision, a secret she has held for twenty years. But as the evidence against him mounts, she is forced to confront her doubts. The man she knew could not have done this. But what if she never really knew him?

Another recommendation from Kristin!
Thank you Kristin!