The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate - Book Review

My review:

   I am a huge fan of Historical fiction and this book did not disappoint.  It is written in two time periods, Louisiana 1875 and Louisiana 1987.  Benny from 1987 as a new teacher trying to motivate her students to care about local history and the local plantation where Hannie was a slave back in 1875.  I could really feel Hannie's pain of losing her family and trying to find them against all the dangers that came with searching.  The actual "Lost Friends" advertisements really brought the story to life.  

  I really enjoyed reading this book.  There was so much pain in the lives of not only the slaves but also from the current owner of the Plantation. As I was reading I kept wondering how much more can Hannie endure in her search for her family. The ending was a pleasant surprise.  

  A definite five stars!  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for my advanced copy for my honest review.

Amazon.com description of this book:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a new historical novel: the dramatic story of three young women searching for family amid the destruction of the post–Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who learns of their story and its vital connection to her students’ lives.

Bestselling author Lisa Wingate brings to life startling stories from actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as newly freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold away.

Louisiana, 1875: In the tumultuous era of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest: Hannie, a freed slave; Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now destitute plantation; and Juneau Jane, Lavinia’s Creole half sister. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following roads rife with vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of stolen inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and siblings before slavery’s end, the pilgrimage west reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the limitless frontiers of Texas and, improbably, hope.

Louisiana, 1987: For first-year teacher Benedetta Silva, a subsidized job at a poor rural school seems like the ticket to canceling her hefty student debt—until she lands in a tiny, out-of-step Mississippi River town. Augustine, Louisiana, is suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled live oaks and run-down plantation homes lie the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything.

On Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice Munroe - Book Review

My Review:

On Ocean Boulevard is a 6 book in the Book House Series. You do not have to read the other books in the series because this book stands perfectly on its own.  I really enjoyed meeting the Rutledge family and will definitely go back and read this series from the beginning just to get to know them all better.  I loved reading about Linnea and Cara  and their work with the turtles!  

  I would rate this a 5 out of 5 stars!!  Definitely a good summer/beach read. Or read it anytime you want to feel swept away by a more relaxing beautiful destination.

  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of this book for my copy of an ARC book for my honest review.

NetGalley's Description:

The New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Guests returns at long last to her beloved Beach House series in this breathtaking novel about one family’s summer of forging new beginnings against the enduring beauty and resilience of the natural world.

It’s been sixteen years since Caretta “Cara” Rutledge has returned home to the beautiful shores of Charleston, South Carolina. Over those years, she has weathered the tides of deaths and births, struggles and joys. And now, as Cara prepares for her second wedding, her life is about to change yet again.

Meanwhile, the rest of the storied Rutledge family is also in flux. Cara’s niece Linnea returns to Sullivan’s Island to begin a new career and an unexpected relationship. Linnea’s parents, having survived bankruptcy, pin their hopes and futures on the construction of a new home on Ocean Boulevard. But as excitement over the house and wedding builds, a devastating illness strikes the family and brings plans to a screeching halt. It is under these trying circumstances that the Rutledge family must come together yet again to discover the enduring strength in love, tradition, and legacy from mother to daughter to granddaughter.

Like the sea turtles that come ashore annually on these windswept islands, three generations of the Rutledge family experience a season of return, rebirth, and growth. “Authentic, generous, and heartfelt” (Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author), On Ocean Boulevard is Mary Alice Monroe at her very best.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center- Book Review

My Review:

I loved the story of Samantha and Duncan.  Samantha knew Duncan from a previous job.  When Duncan becomes the new Principal at her new school,  Duncan he is no longer the carefree man she used to know.  You can feel Samantha's disappointment and heartache. I really enjoyed the way Katherine Center wrote this book. 
  This book is a 5 out of 5 stars for me.  It was a really enjoyable read with some interesting character you get to meet along the way.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for an opportunity to read this book for my honest review.  I always like finding a new author to read.  I will be reading more books by Katherine Center.

Amazon.com's description:

Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her job, the kids, and her school family with passion and joy for living.
But she wasn’t always that way.
Duncan Carpenter is the new school principal who lives by rules and regulations, guided by the knowledge that bad things can happen.
But he wasn’t always that way.

And Sam knows it. Because she knew him before—at another school, in a different life. Back then, she loved him—but she was invisible. To him. To everyone. Even to herself. She escaped to a new school, a new job, a new chance at living. But when Duncan, of all people, gets hired as the new principal there, it feels like the the best thing that could possibly happen to the school—and the worst thing that could possibly happen to Sam. Until the opposite turns out to be true. The lovable Duncan she’d known is now a suit-and-tie wearing, rule-enforcing tough guy so hell-bent on protecting the school that he’s willing to destroy it.

As the school community spirals into chaos, and danger from all corners looms large, Sam and Duncan must find their way to who they really are, what it means to be brave, and how to take a chance on love—which is the riskiest move of all.

With Katherine Center’s sparkling dialogue, unforgettable characters, heart, hope, and humanity, WHAT YOU WISH FOR is the author at her most compelling best.

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner - book review

My Book Review:

  I enjoyed reading this book of the story of two sisters Jo and Bethie.  There was a lot of plot twists that kept it interesting. The story was written from both sisters perspective, which was interesting to see how different they viewed things. The ending almost had me in tears, which is rare.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy for my honest review. The book did exactly what I wanted it to do, keep me entertained and had me question my beliefs. I would give this 5 out of 5 stars!

Amazon.com's description of the book:

Do we change or does the world change us?

Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise.

Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.

But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?

In her most ambitious novel yet, Jennifer Weiner tells a story of two sisters who, with their different dreams and different paths, offer answers to the question: How should a woman be in the world?

The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg - Book Review

My review:

   Sometimes you just want to read a book that you can escape into and just make you feel good. This is one of those books. When I read this book I did not realize it was third in a series.  It can definitely be a stand alone book.  I love reading stories of women's friendships.  The Confession Club was a delightful book. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and the idea of a monthly supper club turning into a confession club was just too enticing not to read!! I particularly loved the story of Iris. 

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion.  Definitely a 5 out of 5 stars for me!!  I will go back and read the other two books in the series and look forward to reading more from Elizabeth Berg.

Amazon.com's description of the book:

USA TODAY BESTSELLER • An uplifting novel about friendship, surprising revelations, and a second chance at love, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Story of Arthur Truluv.

When a group of friends in Mason, Missouri, decide to start a monthly supper club, they get more than they bargained for. The plan for congenial evenings—talking, laughing, and sharing recipes, homemade food, and wine—abruptly changes course one night when one of the women reveals something startlingly intimate. The supper club then becomes Confession Club, and the women gather weekly to share not only dinners but embarrassing misdeeds, deep insecurities, and long-held regrets.

They invite Iris Winters and Maddy Harris to join, and their timing couldn't be better. Iris is conflicted about her feelings for a charming but troubled man, and Maddy has come back home from New York to escape a problem too big to handle alone. The club offers exactly the kind of support they need to help them make some difficult decisions.

The Confession Club is charming, heartwarming, and inspiring. And as in the previous books that take place in Mason, readers will find friendship, community, and kindness on full display.

The Forgotten Wife by Emma Robinson - Book Review

Amazon.com's Description of this book:

There’s room in her house where Shelley has shut away a heartbreakingly-soft, never-used baby blanket. In a box, under a bed, behind a door that she never opens. If it’s there, she can forget about it. Just like she has her memories. Of a marriage that hadn’t been perfect. Of a life that didn’t go the way she had hoped.

Every day she acts like everything is normal. Going to work and following a routine helps her pretend the bad stuff never happened. Until one day, everything changes.

She sees the couple moving in next door, laughing sweetly as they walk up the path to their new home. The woman is pregnant. It’s like she has everything that Shelley has lost. But when Shelley properly meets Lara, she soon discovers Lara is actually carrying a heartache to match her own.

As her friendship with Lara deepens, Shelley starts to wonder what might happen if she opens the box she’s hidden away, with the tiny, beautiful blanket in it. Will the secrets from her past – about what she lost, what she’s hiding from, and what she has been doing her best to forget – destroy her? Or will opening it up finally give her a chance to live again?

A heartbreaking emotional drama about the power of friendship that will make readers laugh and cry, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Dani Atkins and Daniela Sacerdoti.

My Review:

This was a very emotional story about two very different women that bond over being neighbors and then personal tragedies. I really enjoyed this book, it was very hard not to get emotional while reading this book. It was written in two points of view, which made the story more intimate. 

I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars!!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for my ARC copy for my honest review.

Nikki

The New Husband by D.J. Palmer -- Book Review

Amazon.com's description:

Just because you love someone doesn’t mean you know them.

Nina Garrity learned that the hard way after discovering that her missing husband, Glen, had been leading a double life with another woman. But Glen's gone—presumably drowned while fishing on his boat—so she can't confront him about the affair or any of his other misdeeds. A year and a half after the accident, Nina considers herself a widow, even though the police never found a body. Following a chance encounter with Simon Fitch, a teacher from her daughter Maggie's middle school, Nina finds love again and has hopes of putting her shattered life back together.

Simon, a widower still grieving the suicide of his first wife, has found his dream girl in Nina. His charm and affections help break through to a heart hardened by betrayal. Nina's teenage son, Connor, embraces Simon as the father he wishes his dad could have been, but Maggie sees a far darker side to this new man in their lives. Even Nina’s good friends wonder if Simon is supremely devoted—or dangerously possessive.

But Nina is committed, not only to her soon-to-be new husband but also to resuming her former career as a social worker. Before she can move forward, however, Nina must first clear her conscience that she's not making another terrible choice in a man. In doing so, she will uncover the shocking truth: the greatest danger to her, and her children, are the lies people tell themselves.

My review:

The New Husband had just the right amount of suspense, with plenty of plot twists to keep this book interesting till the very end!!  Nina was in the right place of vulnerability for Simon to swoop in and turn her life upside down.  I  wanted to scream at Nina to wake up and listen to her friends and children.  

Nina thought her husband Glen had betrayed her and then gone missing.  She opened up her heart and home to Simon, who seemed like a very good man on paper.  Boy was she wrong. I would say this is a perfect thriller!!  I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars!  

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my advanced copy for my honest review.

Nikki