Tag Archives: fiction

The Hopefuls

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Author: Jennifer Close           hopefuls
Publisher: Knopf
Genre: Fiction
Source: BEA 2016

 

 

Goodreads: When Beth arrives in Washington, D.C., she hates everything about it: the confusing traffic circles, the ubiquitous Ann Taylor suits, the humidity that descends each summer. At dinner parties, guests compare their security clearance levels. They leave their BlackBerrys on the table. They speak in acronyms. And once they realize Beth doesn’t work in politics, they smile blandly and turn away. Soon Beth and her husband, Matt, meet a charismatic White House staffer named Jimmy and his wife, Ashleigh, and the four become inseparable, coordinating brunch, birthdays, and long weekends away. But as Jimmy’s star rises higher and higher, their friendship–and Beth’s relationship with Matt–is threatened by jealousy, competition and rumors.

Ope’s Opinion: This felt like I was reading Beth’s diary.  She was telling me what was going on, but I didn’t really feel drawn into the story.

I could relate to Beth’s struggle of moving to a new place and attempting to make friends, find a grocery store and feel at home. I just recently moved and some of those adjustments were more difficult then others.

Since I live outside of DC, I did enjoy hearing about all the landmarks I recognized.  It was fun to hear the behind the scenes of political life too.

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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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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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Before the Fall

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Before the fallAuthor: Noah Hawley
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Mystery
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  From the Emmy, PEN, Peabody, Critics’ Choice, and Golden Globe Award-winning creator of the TV show Fargo comes the thriller of the year.

On a foggy summer night, eleven people-ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter-depart Martha’s Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs-the painter-and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul’s family.

With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew members-including a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilot-the mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens. As the passengers’ intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. And while Scott struggles to cope with fame that borders on notoriety, the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage.

Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

Ope’s Opinion:    I took this book from a Starbucks in Virginia on the airplane to California!  Might not have been the wisest of choices to read on an airplane!

The story in this book is amazing and intense. The story toggled from present day, where they are trying to figure out how the accident happened to each character and how they ended up on the plane. Noah Hawley can write  a great story, but all the characters are rich men who only want money and women.  It was kind of disappointing to have such a great story, not followed up with great characters.  Scott and JJ are the two characters that kept me reading this book.

The ending wrapped up the investigation, but left me wanting more of how Scott and JJ’s lives moved on

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When I’m Gone

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when i'm gone

Author: Emily Bleeker
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Fiction
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads: Dear Luke,First let me say—I love you…I didn’t want to leave you.…

Luke Richardson has returned home after burying Natalie, his beloved wife of sixteen years, ready to face the hard job of raising their three children alone. But there’s something he’s not prepared for—a blue envelope with his name scrawled across the front in Natalie’s handwriting, waiting for him on the floor of their suburban Michigan home.

The letter inside, written on the first day of Natalie’s cancer treatment a year ago, turns out to be the first of many. Luke is convinced they’re genuine, but who is delivering them? As his obsession with the letters grows, Luke uncovers long-buried secrets that make him question everything he knew about his wife and their family. But the revelations also point the way toward a future where love goes on—in written words, in memories, and in the promises it’s never too late to keep.

Ope’s Opinion:  Read this book!!  It is so good!  There are more twists and turn then I have ever read in a book, but they were believable. The characters are amazing.  You can feel what they are feeling.  This book was put under Fiction and Romance.  It is both of those, but I would also put in the Mystery category.  

What a ride this book took me on.  I did not want to put this book down.  I finished while on an  airplane.  When I was done, I wanted to be able to talk to my daughter about it – it was frustrating to be on the plane at that point.  As soon I got off the plane I called her and said OMG! about three times.  We both thought it was a great book!

The ending left me wanting to know where everyone is now. I think I need a sequel.

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Lies and Other Acts of Love

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lies

 

Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Fiction
Source: Kristy Woodson Harvey

 

Goodreads:  Dear Carolina was praised as “Southern fiction at its best.”* Now author Kristy Woodson Harvey presents a new novel about what it really means to tell the truth . . .

After sixty years of marriage and five daughters, Lynn “Lovey” White knows that all of us, from time to time, need to use our little white lies.

Her granddaughter, Annabelle, on the other hand, is as truthful as they come. She always does the right thing—that is, until she dumps her hedge fund manager fiancé and marries a musician she has known for three days. After all, her grandparents, who fell in love at first sight, have shared a lifetime of happiness, even through her grandfather’s declining health.

But when Annabelle’s world starts to collapse around her, she discovers that nothing about her picture-perfect family is as it seems. And Lovey has to decide whether one more lie will make or break the ones she loves . . .

Ope’s Opinion:  When I started reading this book, I felt like I was sitting with an old friend telling me her story.  The book kept calling me back to spend time with that friend.  As I continued to read I was totally surprised by the twists and turns.   This wonderful story drew me and kept me coming back for more.

The ending was perfect – it tied things up and let you know where everyone is now.

I am looking forward to Kristy Woodson Harvey’s next book!

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

The View from Prince Street

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Author: Mary Ellen Taylor
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  The author of The Union Street Bakery and At the Corner of King Street returns to Alexandria, Virginia, with a heartfelt tale of reconnection.

Rae McDonald was fifteen when a car accident took her sister’s life and threw her own into reckless turmoil. When she got pregnant a year later, she found a loving couple to adopt the child. Since then, she’s buried her grief and guilt under a heart of stone.

Lisa Smyth survived the fateful crash, but never told the truth about what happened. And when a family obligation draws her back to Alexandria, the weight of Lisa’s guilt grows heavier by the day.

As both women confront a past refusing to be forgotten, long-buried artifacts are discovered by the Shire Architectural Salvage Company that point to a shared history between families.  Now, Rae and Lisa must finally ask themselves if denying the past is worth sacrificing the future.

Ope’s Opinion:  If you like history infused with a story – this book is for you.  Living close to Alexandria made this story feel like I was walking the streets that are familiar to me.  

This story showed how the past really effects every part of Rae’s and Lisa’s lives.  Because of one accident a lot of other decisions were made that brought them to the present.  The way Mary Ellen Taylor weaves the past into the present story, it all came together.

I have read several of Taylor’s books and I am ready to read more.   

Rating:  4

New Book Coming Out!!

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I am so excited that Amy Hatvany is coming out with another book.
It isn’t until March, so we will have to count down the days!

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

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.

Doesn’t this sound like an amazing read??
Can’t wait!

The Word Game

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Author: Steena Holmes               word game
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased

 

Goodreads:  For overprotective parent Alyson Ward, any time her daughter, Lyla, is out of sight is reason to panic. So it’s a big step for her when she lets Lyla attend a sleepover at her cousin’s house. Comforted by the knowledge that her sister, Tricia, is the chaperone, Alyson does the one thing she never thought possible: she lets go and trusts that her daughter will be safe.

But Alyson’s sense of peace is short lived. When Lyla comes home the next morning, she reveals something that could tear apart not only their family but also the entire community. Now, Alyson and Tricia must confront their painful shared past as they come together to help a little girl who they fear might be harboring terrible secrets similar to their own. Will the sisters be strong enough to face their demons in order to protect the child, even if it means telling their most private truths?

Ope’s Opinion: Oh, my! this has to be one of the top five books of 2015 for me.  I can not believe how absorbed I was in this story from the very beginning until I flipped the last page.  

Each one of the women in this book is strong in their own way.  They are supportive of each other and very relatable.  The subject matter is difficult to deal with.  Steena Holmes did it in a way that made you feel deeply for everyone.

If you have not read a Steena Holmes book this would be a good choice, but then any of her books are awesome.  I look forward to her next book.

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

 

The Admissions

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Author: Meg Mitchell Moore            Admission cover
Publisher:Doubleday
Genre: Fiction
Source: Booksparks

 

This is how Booksparks sent the book!

 

 

 

This the cover of the book!  What a beautiful way to start reading.

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Goodreads:  One of People magazine’s  Great Beach Reads: “This novel about a striving, upscale California family is a bracing entertainment that zeroes in on the modern pressures put on teens–and their folks.”

The Admissions brilliantly captures the frazzled pressure cooker of modern life as a seemingly perfect family comes undone by a few desperate measures, long-buried secrets—and college applications!

The Hawthorne family has it all. Great jobs, a beautiful house in one of the most affluent areas of northern California, and three charming kids with perfectly straight teeth. And then comes their eldest daughter’s senior year of high school . . .
Firstborn Angela Hawthorne is a straight-A student and star athlete, with extracurricular activities coming out of her ears and a college application that’s not going to write itself. She’s set her sights on Harvard, her father’s alma mater, and like a dog with a chew toy, Angela won’t let up until she’s basking in crimson-colored glory. Except her class rank as valedictorian is under attack, she’s suddenly losing her edge at cross-country, and she can’t help but daydream about the cute baseball player in English class. Of course Angela knows the time put into her schoolgirl crush would be better spent coming up with a subject for her term paper—which, along with her college essay and community service hours has a rapidly approaching deadline.
Angela’s mother, Nora, is similarly stretched to the limit, juggling parent-teacher meetings, carpool, and a real-estate career where she caters to the mega rich and super-picky buyers and sellers of the Bay Area. The youngest daughter, Maya, still can’t read at the age of eight; the middle-child, Cecily, is no longer the happy-go-lucky kid she once was; and the dad, Gabe, seems oblivious to the mounting pressures at home because a devastating secret of his own might be exposed. A few ill-advised moves put the Hawthorne family on a heedless collision course that’s equal parts achingly real and delightfully screwball.
Sharp and topical, The Admissions shows that if you pull at a loose thread, even the sturdiest of lives start to unravel at the seams of high achievement.

Ope’s Opinion:  This story is like a vine on a trellis.  All the characters are intertwined and effect each other.  The stories twist and turn around each other.  It was great to hear this story from each perspective.

My perspective on this story is unique – I worked in a guidance office and I watched students going through the admissions process.  Each student handled it differently and the families always had their expectations, which influenced the whole process.

Meg Mitchell Moore really made the characters come off the page and feel like someone you might know and care about.  They each had flaws, secrets and agendas of their own, as well as for each other.  It felt very real to me.

Rating:  4 – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.