Fly Away Home

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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.

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Doing It Over

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doing

Author: Catherine Bybee
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: BEA 2016

Goodreads:  Voted Most Likely to Succeed, Melanie Bartlett ended up anything but. The down-on-her-luck single mom wants a complete do-over—is that too much to ask? With her family long gone from River Bend, strong, independent Mel is as surprised as anyone to end up in the quaint small town she once called home. But with her friends, Jo and Zoe, by her side, and a comfortable room at Miss Gina’s quirky bed-and-breakfast, she just might have turned the corner on a new life.

Wyatt Gibson never liked the big city. River Bend suits the ruggedly handsome builder just fine. Wyatt knows he’s home, even if that means being charmed by the appearance of Melanie and her spunky, adorable daughter. Is Wyatt’s calm devotion—even amid a coming storm—enough to convince Mel she may have found a home to call her own, a family that never leaves, and a true love to last a lifetime?

Ope’s Opinion: This book falls under the romance genre – it will not disappoint those who are truly looking for a romance ( there are some steamy parts ), but this book is so much more!  It is a great story, some family drama, friendship and a little mystery.  So if any or all of those fall into the genre you enjoy reading, this book is for you. 

Also, this is the first of a series.  This book is about Melanie, the next one is about her friend Zoe.  It will be coming out January 24th, so we don’t have to wait too long!  

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Coming Soon…..….

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…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In February I hope to read….

abby

Publication Date: February 14, 2017
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

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.

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

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

On Second Thought

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onAuthor: Kristan Higgins
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source:  Little Bird Publicity

 

Goodreads:  Following in the footsteps of her critically acclaimed novel If You Only Knew , multi-bestselling author Kristan Higgins returns with a pitch-perfect look at the affection—and the acrimony—that binds sisters together 

Ainsley O’Leary is so ready to get married—she’s even found the engagement ring her boyfriend has stashed away. What she doesn’t anticipate is for Eric to blindside her with a tactless breakup he chronicles in a blog…which (of course) goes viral. Devastated and humiliated, Ainsley turns to her half sister, Kate, who’s already struggling after the sudden loss of her new husband.

Kate has always been so poised, so self-assured, but Nathan’s death shatters everything she thought she knew—including her husband—and sometimes the people who step up aren’t the ones you expect. With seven years and a murky blended-family dynamic between them, Ainsley and Kate have never been overly close, but their shared sorrow dovetails their faltering worlds into one.

Despite the lifetime of history between them, the sisters must learn to put their differences aside and open their hearts to the inevitable imperfection of family—and the possibility of one day finding love again.

Ope’s Opinion:   I really do like Kristan HIggins stories and style of writing.  This particular one had too much detail for me.  At times, there was so much detail, I lost the story line.

This sisters relationship was amazing! I have a sister and she is one I turn to and care about her opinion.  I also have two adult daughters that I hope have the same kind of relationship.

These two strong, independent women are the kind of examples I really enjoy reading about.  They supported each other through the difficult times.

I will be reading another Kristan Higgins.  She is one of my “go-to” authors.

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More Than Friends

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moreAuthor: Barbara Delinsky
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Romance
Source:  Purchased

 

Goodreads:  More Than Friends is a moving, unforgettable story of friendship, love, and forgiveness a classic from New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky.

The Maxwells and the Popes have been friends forever. The women were college roommates, their husbands are partners in the same law firm, their kids have grown up next door to each other, and the two families share both vacations and holidays.

All is beautiful and serene in their “perfect” shared suburban Eden until a tragic accident forces these very close friends and neighbors to look more deeply beneath the surface. And when their idyllic lives are unexpectedly shattered by a moment that can never be erased or forgotten, their faith in one another and in themselves is put to the supreme test.

Ope’s Opinion:  When I started this book I felt like I had read it before.  I kept reading to see if I had.  At the end, I was still not sure.

My daughter Kristin of Kritters Ramblings suggested I read the first book I put on my Goodreads  each month.  So this is the one that came up.  It is definitely a dated book – there were no cell phones, no emails, and many other little things that let me know how old this book really is!!

The cheating happened in the beginning of the book.  It felt like it happened haphazardly.  There was no build up of attraction between the two.  The rest of the book was the consequences of their actions.

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Steena Holmes

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Today I wanted to give a shout out to an amazing author that has blown me away not only in her stories but also in person. Steena Holmes is a women’s fiction writer who has the heart of gold. Her books are captivating and the way she writes makes it so easy and a  pleasure to read.

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When I first met Steena in person her face lit up with joy when she noticed me. I was in shock that a little blogger like me would get such a heartfelt reaction. Her enthusiasm is infectious and it traveled with me through the rest of the day.

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Thanks to this amazing author and Lake Union Publishing, I get to sit with this incredible book and see what Abby has in store for the next chapter of her life. If you haven’t already read my review on Saving Abby, you can go see where Abby started or pre-order Abby’s Journey here.

Pretty Little World

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Author: Elizabeth LaBan and Melissa DePino
Publisher: Lake Union
Genre: Fiction
Source: Little Bird Publicity

 

Goodreads:  On a cozy street in Philadelphia, three neighboring families have become the best of friends. They can’t imagine life without one another—until one family outgrows their tiny row house. In a bid to stay together, a crazy idea is born: What if they tear down the walls between their homes and live together under one roof? And so an experiment begins.

Celia and Mark now have the space they need. But is this really what Celia’s increasingly distant husband wants? Stephanie embraces the idea of one big, happy family, but has she considered how it may exacerbate the stark differences between her and her husband, Chris? While Hope always wanted a larger family with Leo, will caring for all the children really satisfy that need?

Behind closed doors, they strive to preserve the closeness they treasure. But when boundaries are blurred, they are forced to question their choices…and reimagine the true meaning of family.

Ope’s Opinion:  I started out reading this with a little skepticism.  The thought of three families living together seemed a little odd to me. As I read, I bought into the idea.  The families seem to really meet each others needs.  The authors had convinced me this was going to work.  Then too much intimate details of their sex lives was written into the story – this added nothing to the characters or to the story line.  At that point, I was frustrated.  I did finish the book.  The ending left me up in the air.

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This Just In….

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From William Morrow Paperbacks

almost

Publication Date:  July 11, 2017
Publisher:  William Morrow

Goodreads:  With empathy, grace, humor, and piercing insight, the author of gods in Alabama pens a powerful, emotionally resonant novel of the South that confronts the truth about privilege, family, and the distinctions between perception and reality—the stories we tell ourselves about our origins and who we really are.

Superheroes have always been Leia Birch Briggs’ weakness. One tequila-soaked night at a comics convention, the usually level-headed graphic novelist is swept off her barstool by a handsome and anonymous Batman.

It turns out the caped crusader has left her with more than just a nice, fuzzy memory. She’s having a baby boy—an unexpected but not unhappy development in the thirty-eight year-old’s life. But before Leia can break the news of her impending single-motherhood (including the fact that her baby is biracial) to her conventional Southern family, her step-sister Rachel’s marriage implodes. Worse, she learns her beloved ninety-year-old grandmother, Birchie, is losing her mind, and she’s been hiding her dementia with the help of Wattie, her best friend since girlhood.

Leia returns to Alabama to put her grandmother’s affairs in order, clean out the big Victorian that has been in the Birch family for generations, and tell her family that she’s pregnant. Yet just when Leia thinks she’s got it all under control, she learns that illness is not the only thing Birchie’s been hiding. Tucked in the attic is a dangerous secret with roots that reach all the way back to the Civil War. Its exposure threatens the family’s freedom and future, and it will change everything about how Leia sees herself and her sister, her son and his missing father, and the world she thinks she knows.

Thank you William Morrow for sending this book!