Fly Away Home

Posted on February 9, 2017 by opesopinions

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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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Steena Holmes

Posted on January 19, 2017 by underestimatedmom

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.

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.

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.

The Goodbye Year

Posted on October 6, 2016 by opesopinions

Author: Kaira Rouda
Publisher: Sparkpress
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: Melanie, a perfectionist mom who views the approaching end of parenting as a type of death, can t believe she has only one more year to live vicariously through her slacker senior son, Dane. Gorgeous mom Sarah has just begun to realize that her only daughter, Ashley, has been serving as a stand-in for her traveling husband, and the thought of her daughter leaving for college is cracking the carefully cultivated facade of her life. Will and his wife are fine as long as he follows the instructions on the family calendar and is sure to keep secret his whole other life with Lauren, the woman he turns to for fun (and who also happens to have a daughter in the senior class).
Told from the points of view of both the parents and the kids, The Goodbye Year explores high school peer pressure, what it s like for young people to face the unknown of life after high school, and how a transition that should be the beginning of a couple s second act together empty nesting is often actually the end.”

Ope’s Opinion: It helped to see what the parents were going through to understand the student. The parents drama was too much for me. They were worse then their teenage counter parts!!

I love seeing a student try to find their next step after high school. It is fun to see them find themselves. It is helpful when the parents see their student realistically – which did not happen much in this book.

I was a little disappointed you didn’t see a parent who was excited for the empty nest. I love my girls, but I was excited for the freedom of being spontaneous. My empty nest meant my girls became my friends – it has been fun!

Gridley Girls

Posted on September 13, 2016 by opesopinions

Author: Meredith First
Publisher: Sparkpress
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads: Sometimes you have to go back before you can move forward. Meg Monahan was born to be a secret keeper. From the moment she became a peer counselor in high school, Meg has been keeping her friends secrets from sordid family drama to their sex lives that she never wanted to know. Flash forward to adulthood when Meg is a recruiter for the world s hippest (and most paranoid) high-tech company and now Meg is a professional secret keeper. When sudden tragedy strikes before Meg hosts the wedding of her childhood BFF, Anne Calzaretta, the women are forced to face their past and their secrets in order to move on to their future. In 1978, Meg, Anne, Jennifer, and Tonya were such close friends, they were known as The Group in their hometown of Gridley, California. But in ninth grade, their lives were changed forever. Loss, lies, and secrets separated them, but could not break their bonds of friendship. Thirty years later, Meg and Anne reminisce about those days dealing with parents, school, boys, sex, love, and betrayal. Anne remembers their freshman year as an easier time, but Meg, still feeling guilty about a betrayal of Anne s trust, is haunted. Even now, Meg is keeping a secret she s not prepared to face, let alone share. In her debut novel, based on true events, Meredith First tells a timeless story about the bonds of friendship, loss, and betrayal and the forgiveness that is within everyone. Can anyone really keep a secret forever?”

Ope’s Opinion: I enjoyed this book. I liked the flip from present to past. It was a great to way to learn about the past and understand how each character got to where they are in the present.

It was fun to hear the songs that brought to mind Meg’s events from the past. Songs always take me to places I have been.

I moved so much of my school years, so I did not have “the group” that these girls did, but it was fun to read about their relationships.

I would be interested in another book by Meredith First.

Beach Town

Posted on August 16, 2016 by opesopinions

Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Mary Ann ( a friend )

Goodreads: Greer Hennessy needs palm trees.

As a movie location scout, picture-perfect is the name of the game. But her last project literally went up in flames, and her career is on the verge of flaming out. Greer has been given one more chance, if she can find the perfect undiscovered beach hideaway for a big-budget movie. She zeroes in on a sleepy Florida panhandle town called Cypress Key. There’s one motel, a marina, a long stretch of pristine beach and an old fishing pier with a community casino-which will be perfect for the film’s explosive climax.

There’s just one problem. Eben Thibadeaux, the town mayor, completely objects to Greer’s plan. A lifelong resident of Cypress Key, Eben wants the town to be revitalized, not commercialized. After a toxic paper plant closed, the bay has only recently been reborn, and Eb has no intention of letting anybody screw with his town again. But Greer has a way of making things happen, regardless of obstacles. And Greer and Eb are way too attracted to each other for either of them to see reason.

Between an ambitious director and his entourage-including a spoiled “It Boy” lead actor-who parachute into town, a conniving local ex-socialite, and a cast of local fangirls and opportunists who catch the movie bug, nothing is going to be the same in Cypress Key. Now Greer is forced to make some hard choices: about the people and the town she’s come to care about, and about her own life. True love is only for the movies, right? Can Greer find a way to be the heroine in her own life story? Told with inimitable heart and humor, Mary Kay Andrews’ Beach Town is the perfect summer destination.

Ope’s Opinion: If you are a Mary Kay Andrews reader you will not want to miss this one. I really enjoyed the light, easy read.Definitely a good one to take the beach. I like her book The Weekenders a bit more.

If you are interested in behind the scenes on a movie set, you will love all the details that Mary Kay went into about the sets. At times I enjoyed this, at other times I got lost on the set and forgot about the story.

As usual, the ending was predictable, but that is what I expect with Mary Kay Andrews book. That is part of the charm of the book.

First Comes Love

Posted on June 24, 2016 by opesopinions

Author: Emily Giffin
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.

All Summer Long

Posted on May 31, 2016 by opesopinions

Author: Dorthea Benton Frank
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: William Morrow

Goodreads: Filled with her trademark wit, poignant themes, and rich characters, the perennial New York Times bestselling author returns with a sensational novel that follows the travels of a one couple though a tumultuous summer.

Dorothea Benton Frank’s magical stories take us deep into the heart of her beloved Carolina Lowcountry. In her novels, this lush landscape comes alive in all its vibrancy and color. She ignites all of our senses with her vivid descriptions of landscape and atmosphere. In her novels you hear the ocean washing the shore on different islands so profoundly that you can nearly hear the sea gulls squawking too.

This is a story of people whose lives are changing—a southern gentleman returning home to lead a more peaceful life and his talented New York wife who is not quite sure she is ready to make the transition. They are moving north to south, fast pace vs slow pace, downsizing. And while they are doing this, they are getting glimpses into other people’s lives over the course of a summer, holidays that will amuse, shock and transform them.

This irresistible story is home to captivating characters as funny, complicated, and real as our best friends—husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, friends and family who wrestle with the complexities, pain, and joys familiar to us all.

Finally, we’ll come to recognize the face of love, the kind that deepens and endures but only because one woman makes a tremendous leap of faith. That leap changes them all.

Ope’s Opinion: There were quiet a few interesting characters in this book. Dorothea Benton Frank knows how to write descriptions so that you can see what she has written.

I liked seeing the LowCountry from a New York character perspective. It added depth to the story. This was an entertaining read, but not something that will stick with me in the long run.

I have read Dorothea Benton Frank before and I will probably read her again, but I don’t think I search her out.

This Just In….

Posted on May 28, 2016 by opesopinions

From HarperCollins

Publication Date: May 31, 2016
Publisher: William Morrow

Finally, we’ll come to recognize the face of love, the kind that deepens and endures but only because one woman makes a tremendous leap of faith. That leap changes them all.

This is looks like it is going to be a good read!

The next two are from MIRA

Publication Date: May 17, 2016
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Goodreads: For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.

I like my YA books!

Publication Date: July 12, 2016
Publisher: MIRA

Goodreads: Following her bestselling debut novel Come Away with Me, Karma Brown returns with an unforgettable story that explores the intricate dynamics between friends and mothers

Hannah and Kate became friends in the fifth grade, when Hannah hit a boy for looking up Kate’s skirt with a mirror. While they’ve been close as sisters ever since, Hannah can’t help but feel envious of the little family Kate and her husband, David, have created—complete with two perfect little girls.

She and Ben have been trying for years to have a baby, so when they receive the news that she will likely never get pregnant, Hannah’s heartbreak is overwhelming. But just as they begin to tentatively explore the other options, it’s Kate’s turn to do the rescuing. Not only does she offer to be Hannah’s surrogate, but Kate is willing to use her own eggs to do so.

Full of renewed hope, excitement and gratitude, these two families embark on an incredible journey toward parenthood…until a devastating tragedy puts everything these women have worked toward at risk of falling apart. Poignant and refreshingly honest, The Choices We Make is a powerful tale of two mothers, one incredible friendship and the risks we take to make our dreams come true.

I like friendship books.

The Island House

Posted on May 27, 2016 by opesopinions

Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads: The charms of Nantucket tempt a woman to leave her established life in Kansas City—but with a piece of her heart, and a love interest, in each world, she discovers she must look within to choose the right path.

Every summer since college, twenty-nine-year-old Jenny has traded the familiarity of the Midwest for the allure of Nantucket. Now an established university professor in Kansas City, she finds herself caught between two lifestyles and two very different men. She chooses Nantucket and the glamorous life she associates with it, unaware that the summer will take an unexpected turn, and she will have to let her heart decide what it truly wants.

Ope’s Opinion: This is not a light beach read like I was expecting. This book is about a flawed family, how those flaws effect those around them and the people who love them anyway.

The beginning of the book moves slow, as you are introduced to the Vickerey family and their friends. Nancy Thayer continued to remind you of each relationship to the other person.

The book goes from present day to flashbacks. The flashbacks fill in the history of each of their relationships. It helps you understand why they are where they are in present time. It also reveals several secrets along the way.

The ending was more like a beach read. It was not predictable, but it wrapped things up nicely.

Spun

Posted on April 26, 2016 by opesopinions

Author: Catherine McKenzie
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Kristin of Kritter’s Ramblings

Goodeads: In this funny and touching novella, bestselling author Catherine McKenzie returns to the story of Amber Sheppard, It Girl and celebrity train wreck from McKenzie’s reader-favourite novel, Spin.

Life has been rough for starlet Amber since leaving rehab. She’s been two years sober, but no one seems to believe her — not the gossip media, not casting agents, and most certainly not her spotlight-loving parents. With her friendships ruined by betrayal and her career at a standstill, Amber’s just trying to get her life back on track. It doesn’t help that her former love, movie star Connor Parks, keeps trying to draw Amber back in, not just to their relationship but to his hard-partying ways. One fateful night, Amber breaks down and agrees to join him on board his private jet as it readies for take-off — a decision that will change her life forever and expose her to a whole new level of scrutiny and heartbreak.

Ope’s Opinion: Hearing Amber’s point of view in this book after just finishing Spin, made it feel like one big book. This was easy to get into because it really did feel like an extension of Spin.

Amber showed how hard it really must be, to be in Hollywood, be well known while trying not to make mistakes. I have always thought that life would be hard.

For such a small book, there was a lot in here.

Ope's Opinions

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Tag Archives: Women’s Fiction