Review: "The Violets of March" by Sarah Jio

There are some books that I just read; I read them because I feel obligated, or because there's been a lot of hype surrounding them, or because someone has recommended it to me as a "must read". When I read these kinds of books there are some that don't grab me and I admit to checking how many pages there are, as in, how many more pages of this do I have to read before I'm done? Then, there are some books that I read. These are the books that I find impossible to put down. These are the books that I am completely engrossed in, that somehow manage to touch a personal chord in me. Sarah Jio's debut novel The Violets of March is a book that I took great pleasure in reading.

The Violets of March tells the story of Emily Wilson. Once upon a time, Emily had it all. She wrote a bestselling book beloved by many, she had a handsome husband, and she had a promising future. Almost ten years later Emily is experiencing a case of writer's block that is threatening to put an end to her writing career and she is going through a divorce from the man who was once her everything. When Emily's great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March with her on Bainbridge Island, the setting for many happy childhood memories, Emily jumps at the chance to give herself some time to heal, and to hopefully start writing again. She's certainly not banking on the fact that she will find a diary from 1943 that raises more questions that it answers, and she's also not counting on the fact that she will find herself in the midst of unraveling a decades-old mystery.

Sarah Jio possesses the ability to really tell a story. I wanted to reach out and hug Emily from the beginning. She seemed so vulnerable and downtrodden, uncertain of what her next steps should be. Most of all she seemed completely unsure of herself and her abilities, something that I think all of us have felt at one time or another. From the very first page I just wanted things to work out okay for her. I was equally enamoured of the story of Esther, the author of the mysterious journal from the 1940's that Emily finds shortly after her arrival on the island. Often when a book had a dual storyline I find myself interested in one of the stories, but less interested in the other. In the case of The Violets of March I felt the need to find out what happened to both of our heroines.

The final pages of Violets moved me, and by that I mean that I was in the dentist's office with my son wiping away tears in the waiting room while people looked at me like I was a crazy lady. I adore a great ending, and Violets definitely had one.

The combination of endearing characters, an interesting plot, and an ending that had me wiping away tears makes debut novelist Sarah Jio's The Violets of March a book not to be missed.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge

Review: "Here, Home, Hope" by Kaira Rouda

Kelly Mills Johnson is almost in her 40th year and she is taking stock of her life. She has two wonderful sons who are on their way to becoming independent and they don't need her like they once did. She and her husband, a successful lawyer, have created a comfortable routine that seems to work well for the two of them. Her two best friends, Katherine and Charlotte, have managed to make a name for themselves in the business world even though they are both mothers. Kelly feels that her true passions are being wasted the longer that they remain in disuse, and that it is time for her to make some major changes in her life.

Kelly creates a "Things to Change" list, effective immediately. Whether she is helping to care for her best friend's anorexic teenage daughter, fending off the advances of her drunken neighbor, or watching the marriages of those around her fall apart, Kelly strives to make changes in her personal life that will improve her for the better.

I thoroughly enjoyed Here, Home, Hope. Kelly was an incredibly likable character, and I liked the fact that both her marriage and family life was stable. It was herself that Kelly was intent on changing, and she was only making those changes in order to become a better version of herself. Many of the books that I read are based around the fact that the main character's marriage or home life is falling apart, and while I enjoy reading those kinds of books, the subject matter of Here, Home, Hope made for a refreshing change.

The secondary characters were enjoyable to read about as well. While Kelly's own life lacked drama, the lives of those around her certainly did not. Kaira Rouda covers a variety of topics within this story, including infidelity and divorce, anorexia, and righting the wrongs of your past, making for a fast-paced and interesting plot that is serious at times, but not overly so.

If I have one complaint about the book it would be that some of the things in Kelly's life came together a little too easily. Without giving away too much of the plot, at one point in the book Kelly decides to start her own business and it seemed to me that she became successful unrealistically fast. I found myself doubting that success would come that quickly to many people, although I'm sure that there are some situations that are the exception to the rule.

Overall Here, Home, Hope was a humorous, uplifting, and highly readable book from debut author Kaira Rouda, and I will be making it a point to read her future releases.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge

Thanks to BookSparks PR for inviting my participation on this tour.

Review: "Merry Acres Widows Waltz" by Nan D. Arnold

Georgiana Duncan insisted that she and her husband, Daniel, move to the retirement community of Merry Acres when they reached "that" age. Now, with few prospects for making new friends, a husband too busy gambling or playing golf to stick around for long, and a money-pit of a house to fix up, Georgiana isn't too sure. She becomes even more concerned about her decision to move there when several women's husbands end up murdered. Are the newly minted widows in Merry Acres hiding something, or is there some other force at work here? And would Georgiana really be so unhappy if her own husband were to mysteriously kick the bucket?

Merry Acres Widows Waltz was certainly a departure from my usual reading selections. It had murder, intrigue, and a breathless (yet satisfying) ending. I couldn't help but feel some pity for our main character, Georgiana. We find her at the beginning of the novel uncertain as to why she was so determined to move to Merry Acres in the first place. Her husband certainly hasn't changed since the move, their house continues to drain their financial resources, and the women in the community seem distant and just a little unusual. When the men living in the community begin meeting their untimely demise, one by one, Georgiana is really questioning her decision to become a part of the retirement community. But with a mystery on her hands, and the free time to solve it, she begins chasing down some surprising answers.

Well-written, fast-paced, and clever, Merry Acres Widows Waltz is a must-read for anyone who enjoys curling up with a good mystery.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge

Review: "The Surprise Party" by Sue Welfare

Suzie, a married mother of two impressionable girls, and Liz, her minor celebrity sister, manage to put aside their differences to throw a surprise 40th anniversary party for their parents. Little do they know that they are the ones about to be surprised! It turns out that their mom and dad have been keeping a secret from them since they were little, and it's all about to come out of the woodwork. Meanwhile, Suzie's daughter Hannah is trying to navigate her way through her first real crush, and Megan is trying to figure out her place in the family as the youngest child. Suzie's keeping a secret from her husband while trying to keep her marriage from collapsing around her, Liz is trying to remain popular in the ever-changing world of television, and Liz and Suzie's aunt Fleur is struggling with a romantic entanglement of her own. All this makes for one very surprising surprise party.

When I first realized that The Surprise Party took place over the course of one day, I was a little skeptical. I've read books with that format before and they don't always flow well for me. Sue Welfare's book was the exception. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I couldn't help but rush through it so that I could find out what happened next. Welfare has enough happen to make the plot truly interesting, but she doesn't make it unrealistic in the sense that you end up thinking that there is no way that all of that could happen in one day. Welfare covers a variety of interesting topics as well including teenage alcohol use, finding love at an advanced age, first love, divorce, and cheating.

The characters in The Surprise Party were endearing and likable, and I really wanted to see them all end up with their own happy endings. Suzie and Liz's parents were surprise favourites of mine. They were eminently lovable, despite all of their very human flaws, and had personalities all their own.

With a fast-paced and interesting plot, lovable characters, and a thoroughly enjoyable ending, The Surprise Party was a winner for me. I'll definitely try to track down Sue Welfare's back list and I'll be keeping my eyes open for her future releases as well.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge

Review: "Upcountry" by R.M. Doyon

Jane Schumacher walked out of her childhood home ten years ago and she hasn't looked back since. She hasn't been in contact with her father or her twin sister, and she is quite happy with her life as a political aide for the Governor of New York. When she receives a life-changing phone call just before Thanksgiving, a series of events begins that will quickly spiral out of control. Jane returns home to see her father and her sister and to confront the demons of her past head-on with surprising results.

Upcountry was fast-paced and engaging. As you may know from reading my reviews on here, I tend to choose chick lit and women's fiction as my usual reading fare. Upcountry is neither chick lit nor women's fiction, but is instead the story of one woman who returns home to try to make amends for her ten-year absence. I wasn't sure when I first picked it up if it would be too different from my usual reading choices, but Doyon manages to incorporate action and drama and romance into the pages of this novel.

I had one small issue with the book, and that was with one particular plot point. In the beginning of the novel we learn that Jane hasn't talked to her twin sister for ten years. Jane returns home, there is a little awkwardness with her sister, and then suddenly she is protecting her fiercely. I understand that family will always be family, but if Jane had such strong feelings about protecting her sister, why would she not even speak to her for ten years? It seemed like a rather abrupt switch to me, which is my personal opinion more than anything.

Aside from that small issue, I really enjoyed Upcountry. There were lots of plot twists and turns (some predictable, some not), and the final chapters were impossible not to race through. I would certainly recommend this to someone looking for a smart novel that has a little something for everyone.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, The Canadian Book Challenge 4

Review: "Mum on the Run" by Fiona Gibson

Laura Swan is horrified when she realizes that she has promised her daughter that she would participate in the dreaded mum's run at her school. She's even more horrified when she falls flat on her face during said run in front of her husband, Jed, and his beautiful new coworker, Celeste. Determined not to let something similar happen again, Laura joins a local diet group and begins running in the park. She also keeps a close eye on her husband and his budding friendship with Celeste, all the while confused over her own feelings for her cute new running buddy, Danny. Will rediscovering her pre-motherhood self give her more than she bargained for?

Right from the first word I felt a certain kinship with Laura. Laura enjoys being a mum to her children, and she adores her husband, but she can't help but feel that she's been putting the needs of her family above her own for too long and as a result has been letting herself go. I think that every mother at some time has battled with similar feelings- where does the mum end and the woman begin? How much time for ourselves is too much time? Are we being selfish by taking time to take care of ourselves? Laura was a thoroughly lovable heroine. I cheered her, and her efforts to lose weight and feel better about herself, the entire way through.

While Laura's efforts to lose weight was one of the themes in Mum on the Run, it was not the only one. Fiona Gibson also examines marriage, motherhood, and the constant competition among other mothers in a light and humorous way. I had a lot of fun reading about Laura's advenutures, and at the same time I could relate to much of what she was going through. Throw in a whimsical cover and a fabulous ending and you have a book that you won't want to put down. I certainly didn't!

My thanks to HarperCollins UK for sending a review copy of this book.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge

Mailbox Monday

Welcome to Mailbox Monday! Each week we get together and share what books we received in our mailboxes last week. Anyone is welcome to participate and this month our host is Passages to the Past. Be warned: Mailbox Monday can lead to towering TBR piles and out-of-control wish lists!

It's been busy here and it's been a couple of weeks since I participated in Mailbox Monday, but I'm back! Last week I received absolutely no books in the mail, but this week more than made up for it. Here are the goodies that I found in the ol' mailbox:

Mothers and Daughters by Rae Meadows: This was an unsolicited review copy, but one that I was quite happy to receive as I've been seeing this in other's mailboxes and it looks really good. This also came with a bonus audio CD.

My Dear I Wanted to Tell You by Louisa Young

An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy

Confetti Confidential by Holly McQueen

Already Home by Susan Mallery

The Goodbye Quilt by Susan Wiggs

Whew! Apparently I have some reading to do... That was what was in my mailbox last week- what was in yours?