The Book Chick

Review: "The Very Picture of You" by Isabel Wolff

2012-01-27T06:46:00.000-08:00

Ella Graham is a portrait painter whose career is just starting to take off. When she donates a portrait, to be painted by her, to a charity auction she is appalled to learn that her sister has won and that her sister would like the portrait to be painted of her fiance, whom Ella can't stand.

Ella reluctantly begins to paint Nate, her sister's fiance, and is horrified to find out that once she gets over her initial dislike of him, she finds herself falling for him. Ella also finds herself becoming involved with the lives of the people who she is painting, including an elderly woman, a woman having a hard time with the fact that she is turning 40, and a local political figure with a secret to hide.

As Ella finds herself falling deeper for Nate she is torn about what she should do. Remaining silent will ensure that her family remains intact, but will it destroy her instead?

The Very Picture of You was just okay for me. I found that I had a hard time connecting with Ella, our main character, on any kind of a personal level and that usually dooms a book for me. Ella seemed one-dimensional and I found the fact that she becomes involved personally with almost every one of her subjects irritating. It made the plot jump around quite a bit, and although it wasn't confusing, I did wish that there could have been more focus.

That being said, this was not a horrible read. I read the whole thing through and found some enjoyment in reading it, but at the end I discovered that this book is not one that will continue to resonate with me.

My thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for providing me with this review copy.

Review: "Blank Slate Kate" by Heather Wardell + Free Book for Kindle!!!!

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

Kate wakes up one morning in a strange bed with a strange half-naked man. That in itself is scary, but as she realizes that she's lost her memories of the past 15 years of her life her fear elevates to terror. Kate has no idea who she is and absolutely no clue what has happened in the past years. She remembers being 17 and then she wakes up the next day and she's suddenly 32 with no idea of what brought her to where she is. With the help of the handsome man that Kate woke up next to, Jake, Kate is able to piece together a bit of the previous night but her other memories remain elusive. As Kate starts to fall for Jake she begins to wonder if she lost those 15 years for a reason, and if perhaps some memories are better left forgotten.

Blank Slate Kate quickly became one of my favourite Heather Wardell novels. The mystery contained within the pages was tantalizing. As the reader we have only the information that Kate has, so we have no idea about her past and what brought her to be where she is today. As Kate manages to piece together a few things about her past we find out a little more about her and I loved the slow reveal. I especially enjoyed waiting to find out the mystery behind "Bubbly Words". Kate has an iPhone and the locked area in her "Bubbly Words" game remains stubbornly closed to her as she can't remember how she set up the security in the first place. As Kate comes closer and closer to being able to unlock that area I was at the edge of my seat in anticipation. I couldn't wait to see what information the locked area contained!

The ending was fabulous as well, especially as it didn't end in the way that I thought that it would. Wardell kept me wondering how things would end, and I was happy and pleasantly surprised with the direction that she chose.

I can't think of anything that bothered me about Blank Slate Kate. It was interesting and the plot flowed smoothly, the mystery surrounding Kate was fun to uncover and the ending was a pleasant surprise. I can highly recommend this to fans of women's fiction, and it's a steal at only $0.99. My thanks to the author for providing me with this copy for review.

For a limited time Heather's book Seven Exes Are Eight Too Many is available for free for the Kindle! This will only be free until January 27th, so hurry!

Review: "The Bro-Magnet" by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

2012-01-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

Johnny Smith has been the best man in eight (count 'em) weddings. Since childhood he's been known as a real man's man. He loves sports, wears a backwards ball cap every day, and drives a big truck. Men love him, and women don't want to be with him. And that's the problem. When Johnny finds himself giving the best man speech at his best buddy's wedding, and his best buddy just happens to be marrying Johnny's childhood crush, Johnny knows that it's time for him to put himself out there and find that special person to share the rest of his life with.

That's when Helen walks into Johnny's life. She's gorgeous, she's a DA, she loves wine and the opera, and she hates sports. Johnny enlists the help of his married friends, his father, his BFF (who happens to be a lesbian who lives next door) and even his ex-crush to help him to win the heart of the woman that Johnny is quickly falling for. But what parts of himself will Johnny have to give up in order to win the heart of the woman that he loves?

The Bro-Magnet is fantastic, funny, light-hearted chick lit at its best. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing and can't recommend it highly enough. It's a light read, but perfect for these winter months when the lack of sunshine is getting you down.

Johnny is absolutely lovable. Having always been a man's man he appears to have no clue about women. When he meets Helen, a sassy DA, he knows that he will have to pull out all of the stops to win her over. He finds himself buying throw pillows and a cat, he changes his wardrobe and pretends that he hates sports, even though he really lives for them. He is willing to do absolutely anything to win the girl. The other characters are fantastic as well. Helen is the perfect woman for Johnny and she certainly isn't a demure wallflower. Sam, Johnny's best friend is a lot of fun as well. As the female sidekick she was perfect.

I have a very minor critique for The Bro-Magnet. It is written from the point of view of a man, and for the most part Baratz-Logsted does an excellent job of finding his voice. There were a few parts, though, where he sounded more like a woman than a man, primarily when he was trying to figure out what side of himself to present to Helen as they start dating.

The Bro-Magnet literally had me laughing out loud at parts. Before you say "so what?" keep in mind that I was completely alone in the house at the time and probably sounded like an idiot. The book is funny and heartwarming and wholly enjoyable, and I would absolutely love it if Baratz-Logsted decided to write a sequel. I would be first in line to read it! The Bro-Magnet is available in eFormat for a variety of readers for only $4.99 and my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this copy for review.

Review: "Aefle and Gisela" by Libby Malin

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Medieval History professor Tom returns to his hometown to attend the wedding of his cousin but he ends up getting more than he bargained for. After attending an alcohol-fueled bachelor party he remembers that he agreed to stop his cousin's wedding on a dare. Hoping to get rid of his childhood nickname, "Timid Tommy", Tom actually goes through with the dare, but realizes too late that he's stopping the wrong wedding.

DeeDee McGowan is surprised when someone at her wedding voices their disapproval of her pending union. She is even more surprised when she sees that the person stopping her wedding is none other than Tom Charlemange, someone that she dated briefly more than ten years ago. Having been having second thoughts about her wedding for some time now DeeDee eagerly flees the altar- and she takes Tom with her.

Despite the fact that the whole situation is really just a big mix-up, Tom and DeeDee find sparks flying between them once again. The fact that their personalities are completely opposite doesn't seem to phase them, but the fact that DeeDee's jilted groom is suing both of them certainly does. Tom is concerned about how his new legal issues will affect his quest for tenure, and DeeDee is focused on saving her failing car dealership, the legacy that she received from her late father. Will opposites really attract in this case, or will the barriers be too great for Tom and DeeDee to cross on their way to happily ever after?

Aefle and Gisela is a sweet and sassy romantic comedy. Libby Malin delivers again and again as an innocent dare ends up turning into a small-town debacle. Malin's comedic timing is spot-on throughout the book, as is her character development. You can't help but feel for the bumbling Tom, who simply intended to shed himself of his nickname and carry on his way, and instead ends up with a runaway bride on his arm. I enjoyed his transformation from someone who is lost in his own world and quite content to stay there to someone who is able to speak his own mind. DeeDee is something else. She's a strong female character determined to save the business that she loves and I appreciated that she did not take a backseat to Tom in the book. She was brash, but there was something inherently lovable about her.

At only $0.99 for both Kindle and other platforms, Aefle and Gisela is a steal. Sweet, funny, interesting and satirical this book is sure to keep you entertained from the beginning to the end. My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy for review.

Review: "Momfriends" by Ariella Papa

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

After suffering through infertility, Ruth finally has the baby that she always wanted. Unfortunately things now are not at all like the baby fantasies that she had while trying to get pregnant. She is overwhelmed by the new little creature that she is completely responsible for and she is at the end of her rope when a knock on the door changes everything.

Kirsten is an artist, a mom of three, and a dreamer. She and her boyfriend, fellow artist David, have always been very happy, but when she stumbles across something late one night, her whole world changes.

Claudia has always been focused and driven in her personal life and being a parent hasn't changed her personality at all. She is determined to get her twins into the right preschool and eventually Harvard, and everything is going according to plan. However a flirtation with a colleague changes everything, and Claudia finds herself acting in a way that is most certainly not fitting in with her master plan.

These three women come together thanks to the mysterious bond of motherhood and find out more about one another than they ever thought possible.

I found reading Momfriends to be an enjoyable experience. The book is about the strange bonds that we form when we become parents, and how these experiences can lead us to become friends with people who couldn't be more different than ourselves. I'm lucky enough to have "momfriends" of my own, women who I have bonded with over the years about parenting and marriage and motherhood so I found myself relating to a lot of the story. In fact, that's one of the things that will make this book appeal to a wide variety of female readers. No matter what kind of parent you are, and despite your individual parenting style, you will be able to relate to one of these characters because they are so different from one another.

The story and dialogue flow well, the characters are likable, and the plot is easy to relate to, making Momfriends easy for me to recommend to mothers who enjoy women's fiction. My thanks to the author for providing me with this copy for review.

Review: "Unscripted" by Natalie Aaron and Marla Schwartz

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Abby Edwards has her friends, her contacts in the industry, and her job as a producer on a reality television program, so she has no need for romance, right? Wrong. When her ex writes a movie loosely based on their relationship Abby realizes that she is not where she had been hoping to be in her life by now, both romantically and career-wise. When her best friend Zoe starts growing and moving on with her life, Abby becomes even more clueless as to what she should do to progress in her own life, and her crush on her director, Will, is certainly making things more complicated than she would like.

Abby's about to realize that despite her best efforts, life won't always follow the master plan.

There was a lot about Unscripted that I enjoyed. Abby is a fantastic character. She makes mistakes, she's genuine, and you really want to see her succeed by the end of the book. In order for me to truly enjoy a book I need to feel something for the main character, and Abby was both endearing and likable.

The authors of this book both work in reality television, and that made the reality tv portion of the book ring true for me. It felt really authentic, and I felt like I was getting a behind-the-scenes look at what is actually involved in producing reality tv, yet it never went over my head. I've read books before that have tried to use a similar setting and some have fallen flat for me, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well this worked in Unscripted.

Aaron and Schwartz have created a multitude of colorful characters that appear in this book, and most were either people that you loved, or people you hated. There wasn't a ton of middle ground. The supporting cast added a lot to the book but I have to be honest and say that I wasn't in love with Abby's best friend, Zoe. She was shallow and inconsiderate for the most part, with an emphasis on shallow. I believe that this is how she was intended to come across, as I'm sure that there are lots of people in Hollywood who are really like that, but I finished the book and was basically glad that I don't have to deal with people like her on a regular basis.

Unscripted is the fun and fast-paced story of Abby trying to find her own reality in a very fake world. I can happily recommend it to anyone looking for a story with a lovable main character looking for love herself, or for anyone who would enjoy a closer look at the world of Hollywood reality television. You can connect with authors Natalie Aaron and Marla Schwartz by visiting their website, liking them on Facebook or by following them on Twitter. My thanks to Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours for inviting me to participate in this tour!

Leave a comment on this post for chance to win a $10.00 Amazon gift card! Purchase Unscripted before January 30 and e-mail your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com and you'll receive five bonus entries (comments left on this page will unfortunately not count towards the contest. You must click the link above and leave a comment in order to enter the giveaway).

Review: "29 Days To...." by Richard Fast

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love resolutions. I don't just make them at New Year's (although I do that too), but I make them year round. I kind of feel like I'm at a place in my life where I can make me into the best me possible! I have an amazing husband and three beautiful, challenging, aggravating, lovable children so I feel like the next step in my life is achieving some of my own goals.

2011 was a big year for me as far as meeting personal goals went. I had this "ah-ha" moment in February 2011 that fad diets and diet-pill-popping were just not going to help me to lose any weight so I began eating healthfully and exercising and I lost 26 pounds. My goal is to lose 25 more in 2012 but I'm well on my way. In December 2011 I broke a bad habit that I've had since I was 15 (I'm now 30) and I quit smoking. I can just feel, deep down in my gut, that this time it will stick.

I want to tell you about two books that helped me to achieve my goals last year. Richard Fast has released a series of books titled 29 Days which will help you achieve your personal goals. I received 29 Days to Your Perfect Weight and 29 Days to Your Life Without Cigarettes for review and I took the time to sit down with each and really read through them and then follow them. Essentially each program consists of a lengthy introduction to the process behind the idea and is followed by (you guessed it!) 29 days worth of activities that assist in achieving your goal. Some of the basic ideas behind the program involve positive thinking (which I can always use more of in my life!) and the fact that it has been scientifically proven that it takes 21 days to break an old habit or form a new one. I appreciated the ideas behind the program and I found them easy to apply to my own personal situation.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I achieved my goals solely by reading these books. It took a lot of determination and willpower and support from my family and friends for me to make some positive changes in my life. However, I can say that these books definitely helped me on my way. They gave me a great head start and I was able to face these challenges with a positive attitude and the belief that I would be successful.

The 29 Day program is not limited to helping those who want to lose weight or quit smoking. There are also programs available for those who wish to achieve financial independence or learn how to communicate more effectively and an introductory program available to those who want to learn how to effectively form new, positive habits. I can highly recommend these programs to those who are looking to change their lives for the better in 2012 and to finally achieve some of the goals that they have wanted to. I'll be hanging on to my copies for when I need a refresher course on positivity in 2012.

Review: "Stir Until Thoroughly Confused" by Heather Wardell

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Mary has risked it all to become a chef. Her former husband, Charles, wouldn't agree to them spending money so that she could attend culinary school, and he made her put her own dreams and goals aside so that he could finish school instead. After all, she could always do this another time, right? Save up in the future? Mary finally has enough of his dominant personality and leaves him to follow her own dreams.

Mary arrives in Toronto and through sheer determination she lands a job working with Kegan Underwood, the owner of hot Toronto restaurants Steel and Magma. Kegan really doesn't need a new chef, but Mary wears him down and eventually wins him over. Mary and Kegan begin dating, but when Mary finds out that Kegan is controlling and possessive will she be able to stay with him or will she need to move on in order to protect her fragile threads of self-worth?

Stir Until Thoroughly Confused is a great book, and it's also part of Heather Wardell's "Toronto Collection", which revisits characters that we've met in her previous books. I enjoyed the peeks into the lives of the other characters that we have met before, and I enjoyed the new story line as well. Mary is a great character and she embodies things that I believe many women can relate to. So often our self-worth is trampled down to almost nothing as we navigate adolescence and then adulthood and we're left with such a low opinion of ourselves that we allow anyone and everyone to walk all over us. Mary seems fragile in her new found determination to not allow anyone to run her life but herself and this made her a thoroughly likable character. The romance between Mary and Kegan was enjoyable as well. It felt realistic because the union was not without its problems, problems that threatened to topple the relationship completely.

A few of the subplots felt unnecessary to the story as a whole, but other than that I can't complain about anything. Stir is a compelling and enjoyable story with fun cameos from previous stories as well as new characters to root for and get to know. Fans of women's fiction should definitely pick this one up. Stir is available to download for only $0.99, but for only $2.99 you can download this story along with three others from Wardell's "Toronto Collection". For less than I spend on coffee in a day you can download 4 fantastic stories, all of which I've read and can highly recommend. Downloading them is a great way to treat yourself (What are you waiting for? Do it now!!!).

My thanks to the author for providing me with this review copy.

Review: "Secrets" by Freya North

2012-01-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

Joe has a demanding job building bridges and since he travels frequently he needs someone to care for his rambling seaside home while he's gone and walk his mutt, Wolf. He advertises for the position and is surprised when Tess shows up, packed and with her 18-month-old daughter in tow. Unconvinced that Tess is the one for the job but willing to at least give her a chance, Tess and her daughter move in and make themselves at home.

The beginning of their time together is rocky. Both Tess and Joe are unsure as to how they should act around one another, and it turns out that they are each keeping secrets from one another that are bound to come out eventually. However practice makes perfect, and the more time they spend together, the more used to each other they become, and romance just may bloom between the unlikely pair.

Secrets is the first book that I've read by Freya North, but it won't be the last. She writes interesting and engaging chick lit. Even though the general plot has been done before, North managed to inject something new into it. I didn't like Joe as much as I liked Tess and her daughter, but even he had some redeeming qualities.

I do feel that the book could have been a little shorter. The middle dragged a bit and I think that the story would have been just as good if it were 100 pages shorter.

Overall a fun and interesting book, perfect to curl up with to beat those winter blues. Despite the length issues I wouldn't hesitate to read another of her books in the future. My thanks to Sourcebooks as well as Netgalley for providing me with this review copy.

Review: "150 Pounds" by Kate Rockland

2012-01-03T10:57:00.001-08:00

Shoshana Weiner has always been a big girl in a big family. She weighs in at about 215 pounds, her sister Emily is close to 300, and her mother is large as well. Having seen how people discriminate against larger people firsthand, Shoshana runs a blog called “Fat and Fabulous”, encouraging heavier women to “live large” and love every curvy bit of themselves despite the numbers on the scale.

Alexis Allbright runs the blog “Skinny Chick”. Alexis schedules her day down to the last minute, includes daily vigorous workouts, rigorously inputs her calories into an app on her iPhone and doesn’t have any room in her life for people who are overweight. In fact she doesn't have room for many people in her life at all.

When Shoshana and Alexis meet on the Oprah show for a special segment on women and how they view their bodies, it doesn’t go well. With such drastically opposing viewpoints on weight and health, it’s not surprising. However the next few months find Shoshana and Alexis rethinking their original opinions and coming to some surprising conclusions.

What divides a good book from a great book in my opinion? A good book is one that I’m enjoying but don’t find myself reaching for at every spare moment. A great book is one that I just can’t stop reading, despite what is on TV, or what chores need to be done, or how much time I have before leaving for work. 150 Pounds is a great book. As a woman who has struggled with her weight, and the stigma surrounding being a heavier woman, all her life, I found myself relating to this one from the beginning. 150 Pounds is all about how women so often connect their self-worth to the numbers on the scale. When those numbers go up, we become worthless in our own eyes, and when those numbers go down suddenly we become worthy of being loved by others. Last February I took charge of my own health and began eating more mindfully as well as incorporating exercise into my daily routine. I did find myself feeling better about myself as those pounds fell off, but at the same time I found that life is not any rosier on the other side. I found out that the connection between self-worth and the numbers on the scale is often an illusion. Shoshana and Alexis struggle with these same issues throughout the book.

150 pounds is made up of two different story lines. Half of the book tells Shoshana’s story, and half tells Alexis’. You’d think that, being a curvy girl myself, I would have enjoyed Shoshana’s story the most, right? Surprising even myself, I found myself drawn to Alexis from the very beginning, and not for the reasons that you would think. I wasn’t drawn to her thinness or her impeccable discipline, but rather to the pain that I sensed underneath her tough exterior. While I enjoyed Shoshana’s story, it was Alexis’ that had me really wanting to know more.

My only complaint (except for the fact that the eARC that I read was not formatted very well which was distracting) was one small part in the conclusion of the novel. Overall I liked the conclusion a lot and found it fitting, but there was one part that seemed overdone and that bothered me a little.

I can easily recommend 150 Pounds. The stories were interesting and well-written, the characters believable and lovable, and the ending really brought everything together. If you’ve ever struggled with your weight or your self-worth, I think that you’ll definitely find something to relate to in 150 Pounds.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC.

Happy 2012 and New Year's Goals!

2012-01-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone! I'm sending positive 2012ish thoughts your way right now. :)

2011 was a good year for me, in general. Nothing crazy awesome happened, but nothing particularly bad happened either. It was just a good year. I'm especially proud of the fact that I did manage to accomplish some long-term goals in 2011. In February I started exercising and watching what I was eating and I lost 26 pounds. I've been indulging a little when it comes to food over the holiday season, so I'm sure that that number is a little diminished right now, but you only live once, right? And this is a start, a good start. I also quit smoking about a month ago. It's still early days but I have a feeling that this will stick this time. I've unsuccessfully quit once in the past but my willpower has undergone quite the transformation this past year and I know that this time will be different.

Even though I accomplished some goals in 2011, I like to make new goals for myself every year. I like to always be changing and growing and striving towards new things, and I enjoy writing down my new goals and looking back at them at the end of the year. Therefore, in no particular order, here are my goals for 2012:

1. Make Blogging Fun Again
I got into a blogging slump in 2011, and it was a big one. I got overwhelmed with reviews and schedules and feeling obligated to read things, and my blogging suffered as a result. Luckily in the latter portion of 2011 I seemed to find my blogging mojo again and my goal is to keep blogging fun throughout 2012. I have about 10 reviews from 2011 that still need to be written and then I plan on choosing books to review based solely on the fact that I am excited to read them. So many of my favourite authors are coming out with new releases in 2012 (Allison Winn Scotch, Sarah Pekkanen, Emily Giffin, Jen Lancaster, Sophie Kinsella and Catherine McKenzie, just to name a few!), and I have lots of exciting books on my TBR shelves (plus I still love discovering new-to-me authors) so I will certainly have lots to read and blog about! My goal is to not get bogged down with the details in 2012 and to just blog because I truly love doing so.

2. Cook Nutritious Meals for My Family
I am not a great cook. I'm not a horrible cook either, I'm just not creative in the kitchen. I cook meals for my family on a daily basis but they are certainly not as healthy as I would like them to be. My goal for 2012 is to try new things in the kitchen, and with the help of some cookbooks (one of which I bought yesterday and will be reviewing next week- it is FANTASTIC!). I would like to know that I am feeding my family the healthiest versions of our favourites. I know that it will require more prep work and planning, but I'm up for the challenge.

3. Continue With My Exercise
I don't know about you, but I truly hate exercising. I would rather be reading than sweating and huffing and puffing. However, I've learned in the past year that if I'm exercising regularly, I feel better and I lose weight more quickly. The hubby and I bought ourselves a used Bowflex for Christmas and my goal is to learn how to use it properly and then incorporate it into my existing exercise routine.

4. Find Balance in My Life
Number 4 is a biggie. I will continue to seek balance in 2012. As a wife and a mother and an employee I will strive to find balance between the needs of my family, the needs of my body, and the needs of myself. I will continue to try to find that magic balance between blogging and reading and exercising and cooking and working and cleaning and spending time with my kids and spending time with my hubby. Whew! I'm tired just typing all of that, but I won't quit trying.

I look forward to looking back on these at the beginning of 2013 and seeing how far I've come! Happy 2012 to everyone!

Review: "Mothers and Daughters" by Rae Meadows

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

Description from the publisher's website:

"Samantha is lost in the joys of new motherhood—the softness of her eight-month-old daughter's skin, the lovely weight of her child in her arms—but in trading her artistic dreams to care for her child, Sam worries she's lost something of herself. And she is still mourning another loss: her mother, Iris, died just one year ago.

When a box of Iris's belongings arrives on Sam's doorstep, she discovers links to pieces of her family history but is puzzled by much of the information the box contains. She learns that her grandmother Violet left New York City as an eleven-year-old girl, traveling by herself to the Midwest in search of a better life. But what was Violet's real reason for leaving? And how could she have made that trip alone at such a tender age?

In confronting secrets from her family's past, Sam comes to terms with deep secrets from her own. Moving back and forth in time between the stories of Sam, Violet, and Iris, Mothers and Daughters is the spellbinding tale of three remarkable women connected across a century by the complex wonder of motherhood."

I remember receiving this one in the mail as a "surprise" review copy. It's not often that I receive a surprise book and am quite this excited to receive it. I had seen Mothers and Daughters appearing in other blogger's mailboxes and was hoping that I would receive one as well. The cover is vibrantly beautiful and I really enjoy books focused on motherhood and how our world changes as we enlarge it to include our offspring.

I really enjoyed Mothers and Daughters. There was something magical about the way in which Samantha, a new mother, learns about her family history despite the fact that her mother has passed. I thought that was really well done. Samantha was mourning the loss of her mother and being able to discover more about her family history gave her a new connection to the mother that she had lost and was so desperately missing.

This is a fantastic choice for those who enjoy women's fiction with a little mystery and history thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed the way that the narratives, those from both the past and the present, wove together and were formed into a complete story. The ending was great and left a little room for my imagination to continue on with the story, a feature that I enjoy. My thanks to Henry Holt and Co. for sending me this review copy.

Review: "Homecoming" by Cathy Kelly

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

I generally prefer to write my own book descriptions, but this one says it better than I could, so this is borrowed from the publisher's website:

"Eleanor Levine left Ireland seventy years ago with little more than a suitcase and her mother's handwritten recipe book. Now, a lifetime later, she's returning from New York with hard won wisdom and memories of her own. A renowned psychoanalyst, Eleanor knows there's one final journey she has to make...

Lovely young actress Megan Bouchier didn't have to chase success - it arrived effortlessly. Fame was what she always wanted until a disastrous affair made her the wrong kind of headlines - now Megan needs a place to hide...

Darkly beautiful Rae is a wonderful wife, a loyal friend and a dedicated community carer. From Titania's Tea Rooms she dispenses tea and sympathy to everyone - until a painful secret from her past threatens everything she holds dear.

Big-hearted teacher Connie O'Callaghan has given up on love. She's cheerfully approaching forty and besides, why does no man ever match the heroes in her beloved romantic novels?

As Eleanor re-reads her mother's comforting words and watches life unfold from her window in Dublin's pretty Golden Square, she slowly becomes drawn into the lives of Megan, Rae and Connie. But can treasured wisdom handed down from mother to daughter really be relevant today? And what are the ingredients for a life well lived?"

I generally enjoy books with multiple plot lines (think Marian Keyes, some Jill Mansell) the best, but I did have a few problems this one. Homecoming is so intent on telling these four individual's stories in completion that I found it confusing at times. I found myself flipping back and forth through the book in order to figure out what exactly was going on, and I generally don't have that problem. I also found it to be a bit long for my tastes. Once again, I generally don't have a problem with long books as long as they've captivated me, but I found that this one lagged in the middle for me.

Overall it wasn't a bad book, just a book that posed some problems for me personally. The plots and characters were interesting and I would certainly give Cathy Kelly another try in the future. Perhaps it was just this one that didn't do it for me. My thanks to HarperCollins Canada for providing me with this review copy.

Review: "The Last Will of Moira Leahy" by Therese Walsh

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Maeve Leahy is a busy professor of languages at a University in New York. Scholarly and serious, she leaves little time in her life for memories and reflection, especially concerning her twin sister Moira, who she lost nine years ago.

When anonymous letters and a childhood relic that Maeve hasn't seen in years rock the foundation upon which she has built her current life, Maeve finds her long-buried memories surfacing and she finds herself travelling across the ocean in pursuit of the closure that she needs if she is going to break out of the shell that surrounds her life and truly learn to live.

The Last Will of Moira Leahy is told in two parallel narratives. One thread of the story tells of Maeve Leahy's present-day life, while the other recalls childhood memories of both Moira and Maeve. These narratives weave together seamlessly and beautifully, giving the reader a sense of Maeve's current predicaments and the background as to why she is the way that she is today.

What strikes me the most about this book is how beautifully it is written. Walsh chooses such beautiful words, such beautiful language, making this a book to be savoured slowly and read once again after you have finished it the first time. I loved how the words rolled off of the page, and I even found occasion to read some of the sentences aloud, just to hear how they sounded out loud. It's not often that I find books that are written so beautifully, so carefully, and I would recommend it on that point alone.

Walsh's book is on the reading list of Catherine McKenzie's Facebook group "I Bet We Can Make These Books Bestsellers", a group that encourages readers to come together and experience books that McKenzie feels have not received enough attention despite how good they are. I have agreed with the vast majority of her recommendations in the past and I wholeheartedly agree with this one as well.

If you're looking for a book written with the utmost of thought that has a compelling plot and an almost surreal conclusion, then I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Last Will of Moira Leahy.

Review: "A Scandalous Secret" by Jaishree Misra

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Neha and Sharat appear to be the golden couple of Delhi. At first glance, they seem to have it all- money, social connections, glamour and class. The two are happily married and childless but they appear to be fulfilled. However, their picture-perfect world is about to be shattered.

When Neha was a young, naive student of 18 she became pregnant. Unable to provide for her unborn child, emotionally or financially, Neha made the decision to give the child up for adoption. She determined that she would never have contact with the child again, vowing to give her a better life. Neha has never told her secret, even to her husband, fearing that it would complicate his political aspirations, but Neha's child, Sonya, is now a full-grown woman determined to trace her roots.

Will Neha and Sharat's marriage be able to survive the revelation of this secret? And will Sonya's appearance in their lives complicate things beyond what they can handle?

Jaishree Misra has penned a poignant novel detailing both the heartbreak of giving your child up for adoption as well as how keeping secrets from your spouse can forever affect a marriage. A Scandalous Secret is women's fiction with heart. The story is well-written and captivating, and it only took me two days to read it. I enjoyed the fact that it felt realistic, that these events could be taking place anywhere in the world at this very moment. Hiding secrets from the ones that you love, even if you feel that it is for the best, is apparently universal.

Armchair travellers such as myself will enjoy this one. I really enjoyed the depictions of life in Delhi. There were so many differences between Canada and Delhi, but at the same time there are so many similarities, and I added Delhi to my list of places that I would one day want to explore when I finished reading A Scandalous Secret.

Well-written, thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable, A Scandalous Secret is a book that I can easily recommend to fans of women's fiction and armchair travellers alike. My thanks to HarperCollins UK for providing me with this review copy.

Review: "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" by Claudia Carroll

2011-12-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Annie and Dan were the perfect couple. Young and in love, it was always expected that the two would end up married and would live happily ever after. Fast-forward several years and Annie and Dan feel more like roommates than husband and wife. Having moved to the tiny village of Stickens right after they got married so that Dan could run his successful veterinary practice, Annie works a job that she hates and has to deal with a critical mother-in-law and a "friend" who is more like an enemy. Annie, an actress by trade, is thrilled when she learns that she has landed a role in a Broadway musical, but is less excited when she learns that it will take her away from her home and her husband for a full year as she relocates to New York City.

Does Annie and Dan's marriage have what it takes to survive a year apart, or will the end of the year find them more distant than ever?

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? is an absolutely delicious piece of British chick lit. I loved the plot, especially because it focused on the trials that real marriages between people who truly love one another go through. I love examinations of both marriage and motherhood when reading women's fiction and although there were no children involved in this book, the examination of marriage was both interesting and realistic.

Claudia Carroll writes with a skilled hand. I tend to favour British chick lit over all of the other chick lit that I read. I've loved the genre since I picked up my first Jill Mansell and I've been hooked ever since. Having devoured Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? I have found a new favourite author in Claudia Carroll. I found the book to be witty and interesting, and I took away something about the nature of relationships when I finished it.

I can highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a book that is fun yet has a substantial and interesting plot. My thanks to HarperCollins UK for providing me with this review copy!

Review: "The Queen of New Beginnings" by Erica James

2011-12-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have quickly become a new fan of Erica James! Her chick lit is fun, funny, fast-paced and interesting. I found her book to be an easy read (but not unintelligent or dumbed down) and I can highly recommend her books if you're looking for something light to read over the holidays. I gravitate towards lighter reads over the holiday season because I find them easy to follow despite the fact that I seem to be doing a million other things at the same time.

What do you get when you combine a man who has been through heartbreak and is desperate to escape it all and you combine that with a woman who enjoys making herself into someone that she is not? You get The Queen of New Beginnings. After being publicly humiliated by his girlfriend and his former writing partner, Clayton Miller leaves London seeking anonymity in the country. He is in desperate need of a housekeeper to run the household and keep him out of the public eye so he quickly hires Alice, who is doing a favor for a friend by temporarily working as a housekeeper for her company. Alice, a voice over artist, enjoys creating persona's for herself as she takes on these cleaning jobs and introduces herself as Katya, a woman from Latvia.

Alice isn't the only one hiding things. It quickly becomes apparent that Clayton is hiding things about himself and his fame as well. Although the two get off to a rough start they quickly find themselves bonding in their odd situation, and Alice finds herself revealing things to Clayton about herself that she has previously kept private. The two form an unlikely friendship and their story comes to a surprising conclusion.

The Queen of New Beginnings is a fun, light, and satisfying read. I genuinely cared about each of the characters and the cast of supporting characters were interesting and lively as well. The plot was familiar in the sense that it followed a fairly typical pattern, but that made reading it all the more comforting for me. This was an enjoyable read and Erica James has an extensive back list that I will certainly be tracking down in the future.

My thanks to Sourcebooks for providing me with this review copy.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to all of my blogging, reading, and author friends! I hope that you all enjoy your time with your family and friends!

Review: "The Bungalow" by Sarah Jio

2011-12-23T11:25:00.000-08:00

Having loved Sarah Jio's debut novel, The Violets of March, I of course jumped at the opportunity to read her newest release, The Bungalow, ahead of publication. The Bungalow releases on December 27th, and it's the perfect gift to pick up for yourself following the holiday rush. You spent all that time cooking and shopping and wrapping and preparing, so it's time for a treat for you, right?

Sarah Jio's second novel tells the story of 21-year-old Anne. It's 1942 and war has broken out. Anne is engaged to be married to the handsome and kind Gerard. It has always been expected that Anne and Gerard would be married as soon as it was appropriate. They are both from similar backgrounds and the match is acceptable for both families. As she hears news of her friends and acquaintances enlisting and leaving to serve their countries, Anne can't help but feel that she should be doing more than just getting married and producing babies. When Anne finds out that her best friend Kitty has signed up to serve in the Army Nurse Corps in Bora-Bora, Anne decides to put her own nursing skills to use and she signs up as well.

Anne and Kitty arrive on the island and immediately begin putting their nursing skills to work. It's busy there, but Anne feels useful and manages to make the most of her days. One day she meets a mysterious soldier stationed on the island named Westry, and the two happen upon an abandoned bungalow hidden by the beach. Anne and Westry's relationship quickly develops into something deeper, and as their secret bungalow changes, so do they.

Anne is convinced that she and Westry will find some way to make their relationship work even after the war ends, but when Westry is redeployed things are forever changed between the two of them.

I was immediately surprised at how quickly I was sucked into the plot of The Bungalow. Generally I'm not one for historical fiction, but I was engrossed by this story right away. Jio incorporates a good deal of history and background about the war into her pages but the information never becomes dull or dry, and I found myself wanting to know more. The Bungalow isn't just about history, though. She incorporates romance and scandal and heartbreak into the pages, making it likely to appeal to a wide range of readers. I especially enjoyed the parts of the book that focused on the friendship between Anne and Kitty. I imagine that war would change people in unimaginable ways, and it certainly affects the relationship between these two childhood friends in ways that I wasn't expecting.

My only criticism would be that the ending wrapped up too neatly for my tastes. The conclusion was a little too coincidental for me, but that didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

A story spanning many decades, and one that seamlessly switches between the past and the present, The Bungalow is a book that you won't want to read only once. My thanks to both the publisher and the author for sending me this review copy.

Review: "All Is Bright" and "Love, Accidentally" by Sarah Pekkanen

2011-12-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

When Sarah Pekkanen generously offered her readers a chance to win one of 500 copies of her newly released short story, Love, Accidentally, you can bet that this book blogger was frantically waving her hand and screaming, "Pick Me! Pick Me!". I'm a huge fan of Sarah's and I'm eagerly awaiting the release of her next book, These Girls (coming in 2012 to a bookstore near you!), so I was happy to have something to tide me over until then. Since I had yet to read the short story that Sarah released last year (the latest story works independently, but complements her first one), I bought that and settled in for a good read (or two!).

All Is Bright is the story of Elise. Having recently split up with her childhood sweetheart Griffin because she loved him, but not enough, she is mourning the loss of his mother from her life. Having lost her own mother when she was young, Elise was able to depend on Griffin's mother for the comfort and support that she so desperately needed growing up, and Elise is unable to think of a future without her.

Love, Accidentally is the story of Ilsa, Griffin's new girlfriend. After a chance encounter with Griffin leads to one of the best dates of her life, Ilsa finds herself falling head over heels for him. However, will dealing with her sister's crumbling marriage and Griffin's ex-girlfriend's presence in their lives be too much for the new couple to endure?

I truly enjoyed both of these stories. They were both so well-written and I would love to see these stories weave their way into a full-length novel. My only complaint is that both were too short. I would have loved the stories to be 40 or 50 pages long each rather than the 20 or so that they both ended up being. It's not that Sarah didn't adequately tell the story in that length, because she did, but that it felt like it was over before I had gotten a chance to really get lost in it.

The real treat for me was the two-chapter teaser for These Girls included with Love, Accidentally. Reading the preview made me want to drive over to Sarah's house and wrestle a manuscript from her. She can, without a doubt, write and I'll be the chick spending all day reading it the day that it comes out.

All is Bright and Love, Accidentally are both available as eBooks right now.

Book Blogger Holiday Swap Gift Has Arrived!

2011-12-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

When I got a package pick-up notice in the mail the other day, I was hoping that it was the package from my Book Blogger Secret Santa. I stood in an incredibly long line with a bunch of other people waiting to mail things and pick up packages and I was rewarded with a tantalizing box with my name on it! I toyed with the idea of waiting to open it until Christmas but didn't last more than 12 hours with my resolve (Hey! Give me credit! 12 hours is a long time!). Once I had the hubby packed off to work and the kids packed off to school I ripped into it, and I am so excited by what I found! Inside my package was:

Nearlyweds by Beth Kendrick (a book from my wishlist)

Your Roots Are Showing by Elise Chidley (another book that was on my wishlist)

and The Vaccilations of Poppy Carew by Mary Wesley (different cover than the one I have here), a book that my Secret Santa enjoyed herself and that fits my love of all things British! One of the great things about the swap, in my opinion, is getting to know new bloggers and enjoying books that they have enjoyed!

My Secret Santa also included two bars of Dove chocolate (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm), pink nail polish, and a purple bangle bracelet, things that I mentioned that I enjoyed when signing up for the swap.

My Secret Santa this year was the incredibly thoughtful Charlotte of Charlotte's Library who blogs about fantasy and science fiction books for children and teenagers. If you haven't checked out her blog yet, I would encourage you to do so! A big thank-you to her: her carefully chosen gift was a bright spot in an otherwise dull week, and she chose some great books for me despite the fact that chick lit and women's fiction are not genres that she generally reads and reviews.

If you have a Secret Santa post up, please feel free to leave the link to it in the comments. I love to see what was chosen for others as well!

Review: "Build a Man" by Talli Roland

2011-11-29T20:23:00.001-08:00

American citizen Serenity Holland moved to London with her best friend in search of adventure and possibly a position writing for a tabloid magazine. Instead she finds herself working as a receptionist in a plastic surgery office, and she just happens to be dating (and living with) her boss.

Serenity finds herself longing for more, like a job that she doesn't hate or a boyfriend who will eat more than plain chicken breasts, when Jeremy Ritchie walks in the door of the surgery looking to change everything about his outward appearance in order to make himself more attractive to women. Serenity finds herself instantly inspired to write an article about Jeremy and the changes that he is about to undergo and no one is more surprised than she when her pitch to a major tabloid is accepted. The catch is that both Jeremy and her boyfriend boss can't know that she is writing about them, and Serenity finds herself going undercover.

When the unthinkable happens Serenity finds herself required to decide what is really important to her, and the conclusions that she comes to may surprise even herself.

I can easily say that Build a Man is my favourite Talli Roland novel to date. There's just something about Serenity that made me like her from the beginning, despite the fact that my life has little in common with hers. She's so sincere. She genuinely loves her friends, and she's trying to be an adult in her relationship. Her determination to achieve her goals is charming and the mistakes that she makes along the way just make her more lovable.

The real star of the show, though, is Jeremy. I think that most will agree that he is the perfect hero. Having been hurt in the past he is determined to make himself into a new man and he goes about his task with gusto, but in the midst of this he remains sincere and down- to- earth. He isn't perfect and that's what makes him so endearing. His sweetness is evident throughout the book and I was especially interested to find out how his story ends.

Build a Man is fast-paced, well-written chick lit that I can't recommend highly enough. Talli Roland has a sequel to this one coming out titled Construct a Couple and I've already added it to my wish list. My thanks to the author for sending me this review copy.

Review: "Chosen" by Chandra Hoffman

2011-11-28T05:34:00.000-08:00

Chloe Pinter is a caseworker with Portland's Chosen Child domestic adoption program. Despite the fact that domestic adoption can be a difficult program to work in, with low success rates and few children available for adoption, the image of her handing over a newborn to the new parents sticks firmly in her mind. In her line of work she meets with all kinds of birth parents from many different situations, and she clings to the idea that she will be giving these children the opportunity of a better life.

At home things are not quite as ordered as they are at work. Chloe's boyfriend is a free spirit who feels like he is being stifled by their domestic situation. A surfer who never stays in one place for long, he longs to stretch his wings and fly away, with or without Chloe.

Chloe's dream of creating happy families comes to an abrupt halt when three couples become involved in a domestic adoption nightmare. One young pregnant couple, barely able to support themselves, struggle with giving up their unborn child. Another couple have struggled with infertility for a long time but they hope that their upcoming adoption will go through. A third couple, college sweethearts, have been plagued with infertility but are finally pregnant and due to have their baby anytime now. When a baby goes missing, a chain of events is set into motion that will challenge everything that the couples once thought to be true.

I found Chosen to be a compelling and interesting story. I enjoyed the fact that while the focus was on domestic adoption, we get to know the main character Chloe on a more intimate level. We're with her while she's at work, dealing with the birth parents and the potential adoptive parents, but we also get to know her at home while she's dealing with a boyfriend whom she loves but who is a free spirit. This lent a certain personality to the story that helped me to relate to it more directly. We also get to see things from the perspectives of both the birth parents and the potential adoptive parents, which lends an air of authenticity to the story.

While it deals with a sensitive topic, one that few fictional book choose to address so directly, I think that Chandra Hoffman does an excellent job presenting multiple perspectives on the issue. Although some who have read the book didn't care for the ending, that was one of my favorite parts. I thought that the book was wrapped up in a way that way that made sense, despite the fact that it may not have been the most realistic choice. Ultimately Chosen is a gripping story well worth reading for those who enjoy women's fiction with grit.

Thank-you to TLC Book Tours for inviting me along on this tour!

Review: "Beneath a Starlet Sky" By Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper

2011-11-17T13:49:00.001-08:00

Lola Santis is the CEO of a struggling fashion line that is desperate for its big break into the fashion world. Complicating things is the fact that Lola's doctor fiance lives in Los Angeles and she finds herself frequently travelling between the fashion hub that is New York and her "real" life in L.A. Lola's father and brother are both Hollywood directors who are unfortunately in direct competition with each other, which leads to frequent tension in the Santis household. In the midst of all this craziness, Lola's attention hound mother somehow comes to the conclusion that it is a good idea to allow a reality show to be filmed in their house.

When Lola's company's wedding dresses are chosen to feature in the biggest film of the Cannes Film Festival, she finds herself organizing a couture fashion show on a yacht in the middle of the ocean in the hopes of launching the line into the big time. Will she survive Cannes? And will she be able to escape the craziness of her life long enough to figure out what's real and what's Hollywood make-believe?

Beneath a Scarlet Sky was enjoyable enough. The writing was good and the transitions seamless. However I feel that ultimately this novel is one that I will read and promptly forget. I had a hard time connecting with Lola and all of the craziness invading her life and I think that this could be part of the problem for me. The books that work the best for me are the ones in which I can connect with and root for the main character in some way. Lola was nice enough, but while I was rooting for her to find a happy ending I just found her circumstances far too different from mine for me to forge any kind of a connection with her.

It is entirely possible that others who read this book will form a very different opinion from mine. Overall this book had a fun vibe to it, and reading it is similar to reading an entertaining gossip magazine. I can recommend it to chick lit fans who enjoy good celebrity gossip from time to time (and don't we all?), however in the end this one just didn't work for me on a personal level. I thank the publicist for this review copy.

Review: "Live Out Loud" by Heather Wardell

2011-11-16T10:17:00.001-08:00

Amy is a talented songwriter and singer who accidentally falls into stardom when a video of a private performance that she gives is posted on a blog and goes viral. The next thing she knows she's being stuffed into too-tight clothing with matching wigs, she's moved to a more secure apartment, she has her own bodyguards, and she has become the singing sensation Misty Will.

Her willingness to do all it takes to become a music sensation is more than what it seems on the surface, though. Amy loves singing and performing, but what she really needs is the money that her opportunity will provide her with to start the center for troubled young girls that she and her late friend, Giselle, had always dreamed of opening. As Amy becomes more involved in the world of Misty Will, and as the money that she needs to start the center is deposited into her bank account, she starts to reexamine what it is that she truly wants from life and is torn: does she continue being Misty Will or does she start the center and honor her friend's memory? The answer seems clear, but is she making the right decision?

I'm a long time fan of Heather Wardell and there's lots to love about Live Out Loud. My favorite part had to be the underlying message that clearly comes across: live your dreams with no apologies. All too often we feel pressured to do something with our lives that will make others happy, but it's easy to lose sight of what will make us truly happy. Amy struggles with these issues throughout the book as she tries to decide if she should follow her dreams or follow the dreams of her late friend in her memory. I also enjoyed the developing romance present in the book. It felt genuine and realistic to me, and I was happy when Amy was able to find someone able to deal with her instant stardom. The plot was fresh and current. I'm a big fan of The Ellen DeGeneres Show and there have been tons of times when Ellen invites someone on her show who has posted a video of themselves on YouTube and has become almost instantly famous. With all of the technology at our fingertips this kind of thing is happening all of the time and the plot resonated with me.

That being said there was one thing in this book that I had a problem with. Amy, as a character, did not always feel real to me. It had nothing to do with her fame, but with her reactions to certain events in her life. Despite her fame she didn't seem to change a bit, and I didn't find that realistic. She was careful to watch out for others, and she got along with almost everyone that she met, but I think that all of us has an inner bitch that does come out to play once in a while, and that we can't be "on" 24-7. I just wish that she would have shown some kind of selfishness or diva-like behavior along the way. It wouldn't have made me like her any less, I just would have felt that she was more human.

Live Out Loud is well-written, relevant, and interesting, with plenty of things to love about it. I can easily recommend it to my fellow chick lit fans and I thank the author for providing me with a review copy.

Review: "Little Black Dress" by Susan McBride

2011-11-15T11:13:00.001-08:00

Antonia Ashton has worked hard to escape her small-town roots and has established a life for herself in the city, complete with a business and a boyfriend. However Antonia's plans go awry when her mother, Evie, suffers a stroke and Antonia needs to return to her hometown of Blue Hills.

Back home Antonia is confronted with a deluge of memories, and the appearance of a mysterious black dress only proves to complicate things. What Antonia slowly comes to realize is that this seemingly normal little black dress possesses power beyond her wildest imagination. It was the garment that Evie was found in when she had her stroke, and although the paramedics had to cut it open, Antonia brings it home and finds that it has miraculously repaired itself. Even more surprising are the visions that Antonia has as soon as she puts the dress on.

As Antonia spends more time in Blue Hills helping her mother recover and rediscovering old friends, she inadvertently unravels an age-old family mystery and comes to understand more about herself and her family history, all with the help of a little black dress.

Before even picking up this book I was a little skeptical. I mean, a little black dress that has magical powers? I had my doubts as to how that would work into the story, and I wondered if it would lend a sense of disbelief to the entire story. Luckily I was mistaken, and as I read I found myself drawn into the story about hardworking Antonia, her kindhearted mother Evie, and Evie's long-lost sister Anna. The mysteries behind the Ashton family were revealed slowly but surely, and even though I had some ideas as to what was going to happen, I wasn't entirely right, nor did having an idea as to what was going to happen take away from the story as a whole. Even though I don't read what one would call "traditional" mysteries, I loved how McBride was able to weave mystery, family dynamics, and romance into one book, and how she managed to make these elements all work together.

If you don't mind the fact that the one thing that ties the story together is a black dress with magical powers, I think that you'll enjoy Little Black Dress. Well-written and with a plot that managed to suck me in despite my initial doubts, this one is a treat for those who enjoy women's fiction. My thanks to the publisher for sending this review copy.

Review: "Ex-Girlfriends United" by Matt Dunn

2011-11-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

I've been a fan of the adventures of Ed and Dan since I read The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook. If you haven't read that one yet, essentially Ed is unlucky and clueless in love and Dan has had more girlfriends than pairs of underwear. Best friends, the two hope to learn from one another and hopefully they'll have their happily ever after (although Dan's happily ever after just may involve two women and a hot tub!). In Ex-Girlfriends United Ed and Dan are back, although this time it's Dan who is looking for a love life makeover. Dan has never been one for long-term girlfriends, but when his dating life becomes non-existent he starts looking for a reason for his slump. He comes across the website SlateYourDate.com and finds out that his ex-girlfriends have left him some less-than-favorable reviews. Sick of being single, Dan sets out to track down these exes, apologize, and hopefully have them change their rating of him, but when Dan realizes that he wants the first love of his life back, will he be able to convince her that he's changed for good?

Ex-Girlfriend's United may not be as funny as The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook, but with the return of Ed and Dan, it's just as fun. The first time around Ed was the clueless one, but this time it's Dan's turn. He may be smooth with the ladies, but he has absolutely no idea how to treat them beyond the first date, and he certainly has no clue how to sustain a relationship long-term. Ed, the sweeter and more thoughtful of the two, is willing to step up and lend his buddy a hand, but the road to redemption won't be without its awkward moments.

Well-written and light-hearted, Ex-Girlfriend's United is perfect for any fan of chick lit (or bloke lit as chick lit written by a man is called in the UK) . Other than the fact that it wasn't quite as laugh-out-loud funny as the first book in the series, I couldn't find fault with it, and I definitely enjoyed Dunn's quick wit and easy writing style. This would be great to curl up with when you're looking to beat the winter blahs (don't curse me- the snow is coming people whether you like it or not!) and I've already ordered the next book in the series, which is a great indication of how much I truly enjoyed it. My thanks to Sourcebooks for sending this review copy my way!

Review: "Promises, Promises" by Erica James

2011-11-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

Maggie is married to a man who not only doesn't appreciate her, but doesn't even try. He's more concerned with what time his dinner will be on the table than how her day was, even though she spends her days cleaning houses for people with more money than manners, and Maggie's had enough. Ella is a free spirit with a love for specialty interior design, and she's not looking for a man, but one's about to find her. Ethan is in a loveless marriage, and he's sworn to himself that there will be no more affairs, but when he comes across an angel painting a ridiculously expensive mural in his living room, all bets are off.

All three of these people have made promises to themselves, but keeping them may prove to be harder than they thought.

Erica James has penned another winner for fans of women's fiction with Promises, Promises. I thoroughly enjoyed her other Sourcebooks release, The Queen of New Beginnings, and this book was equally enjoyable. James has a way with words, and I find myself sucked into her stories as soon as I pick them up. I felt a special empathy for the under-appreciated Maggie, whose husband is demanding but unwilling to give anything back to her in return. He doesn't stop to think about Maggie at all, and he allows his son and his mother to treat her as their personal slave. Her story line quickly became my favorite out of the three that thread through the book.

Well-written with an interesting plot, Promises, Promises is sure to appeal to the majority of fans of women's fiction. The fact that this story is set in the UK was a special bonus for me, and I look forward to reading Erica James' next release.

Review: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Her Brother's Shotgun Wedding" by Noreen Riley

2011-11-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

Evie Dunleavy is very surprised when her brother Michael calls to say that he is getting married....and that his bride-to-be is pregnant. Michael lives in London, while the family remains in the United States, so nobody has even met the bride! Michael convinces Evie, who is at a loose end at the moment anyways, to move to London on his dime and help his bride-to-be plan the wedding while getting to know her a bit before the wedding. Without any better offers on the horizon Evie accepts, packs everything up, and heads off for an adventure.

Luckily for Evie Michael's apartment is too small for an extended house guest so he sets her up in his friend Nate's apartment. Nate is delicious to behold and charming to boot so Evie knows that she will have no problem staying with him for the next couple of months. She may just have a problem keeping her hands off of him, though, despite Michael's rule that his friends are not permitted to date his little sister.

Despite the long title, A Funny Thing Happened... is a fast and fun journey into the world of chick lit that takes place across the pond. It's filled with lots of laugh-out-loud moments, a heroine who is far from perfect, and a cast of lovable supporting characters. I especially loved the bride-to-be, Charlotte, who is well-bred, sweet, and accepting of Evie despite her downfalls. I've planned a wedding myself (although thankfully I was not pregnant at the time) and I can't imagine being as calm and collected as Charlotte was despite all of the things that inevitably went wrong.

If you're looking for a light read after a long day, and you're willing to overlook the occasional spelling and grammatical errors, A Funny Thing Happened.... is an excellent choice. I would certainly be excited to read another book about the charming and flawed Evie Dunleavy if Noreen Riley decided to write a sequel.

Guest Post by Michele Gorman, author of "Single in the City"

2011-11-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

Please join me in welcoming Michele Gorman, author of Single in the City (recently published in the US as an eBook and available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble now!), to The Book Chick! Today Michele shares with us the reasoning behind her decision to self-publish in the US despite the fact that her book was published by a traditional publisher in the UK:

When I decided to self-publish Single in the City in the US as an eBook, I had to think hard about why I wanted to do it. After all, Single in the City was published by Penguin in the UK and many other countries. Did this mean I was rejecting the big publishers, as many writers have recently done, in favour of self-publishing?

The short answer is no. My experience with Penguin UK was very positive and I will definitely look to work with a big publisher on another book. There are many advantages in a partnership with a publisher. They ensure that the process runs smoothly for instance, and once you deliver the final manuscript for publication, much of your job is done. Self-publishing however, is a bit like planning a wedding. You start out optimistically thinking it will all go smoothly. There are just a few things to sort out right? The dress, and cake. And venue, and music and rings and food and flowers and attendants and guest lists and hotels and seating plans and invitations and and and ... by the time the wedding, er, launch day, arrives you just want to go to sleep.

Another benefit of a big publisher is that they have PR teams and sales teams and editorial teams and cover design teams. In self-publishing the success of the book is all up to you. This is liberating, but daunting too.

So why am I self-publishing? Well, I’m doing it because sometimes publishers have less faith in the books, and the readers, than we, the writers, do.

You see, when Caroline and I sold book rights to Penguin (UK), we held back the US rights. We did this because I wanted a US-based publisher for Single in the City’s American launch. After all the main character, Hannah, is American. There’s a strong theme about seeing London through rather baffled American eyes. Caroline and I thought that surely it was a great fit for the US market.

The US publishers we approached had a different point of view. They were all very nice about it but said that the book isn’t right for the American chick lit market. It’s set in London. Readers won’t identify with it, they concluded.

I disagree. Isn’t it a bit dismissive, and wrong, to suggest that American women can only be interested in books that literally reflect their own lives? If that were true then only mothers of homicidal children would buy We Need To Talk About Kevin, and nobody living outside the 19th Century would bother with Jane Eyre. These books gain wide readership because they deal with universal themes (nature versus nurture, the effects of parenting, family, belonging, love). Single in the City is about taking a chance and establishing a new life. More than 5 million young American women do that every year when they move cities. It’s a fish-out-of-water story. And it’s about finding your feet in life and love. These, too, are universal themes. Those US publishers sold chick lit fans short.

And that’s why I’m self-publishing. I believe it’s the right decision for this book in this market. Like Hannah, I’m taking a leap of faith.

Thank-you so much to Michele for taking the time to be here today! You can friend her on Facebook here find her on Twitter here.

Review: "Single in the City" by Michele Gorman

2011-11-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Desperate for big change in her life, 26-year-old Hannah drops everything and moves to the UK. She has no job, no home, no connections, and no friends in London, but she's confident that things will work out, somehow. Despite a rough start and a considerable dose of culture shock, Hannah starts getting her new life together in London. She lands a job, although her boss certainly seems to hate her, she meets men, although none seem to be real prospects, and she makes new friends, although they can't quite compare to her best friend at home. As she adjusts to her new life, Hannah learns that the happiest endings are worth the extra work that it may take to get there.

Michele Gorman decided to self-publish her novel in the US (more on that to come when Michele guest posts here tomorrow!) and I'm certainly glad that she did. Single in the City is witty and charming, and it's filled with laugh-out-loud scenarios (salad cream anyone??). I've long been fascinated with England and English culture, and this book allowed me to do more than a little armchair travelling in a city that I would love to someday visit. I appreciated the main character, Hannah. I can't imagine how much guts it would take to just pick up and leave your home country without a job prospect on the horizon. Hannah manages to turn her impulsive decision into a positive one and I loved how she managed to land on her feet (although not without complications!).

Women's fiction lovers will enjoy the underlying romantic plot (I certainly did), but I appreciated that Single in the City touches on the issues of friendship, culture shock, and being willing to take risks in life. It all blended together to create a funny, highly readable book perfect for anyone who enjoys reading humorous women's fiction.

Gorman is doing something exciting that I haven't heard of before. Single in the City will have a sequel, and we, the readers, get to have input into what will happen to our heroine next. Gorman is on Facebook, she has a Twitter handle, and she has a website, and she will be soliciting input as to what direction the new book will take as well be providing us with updates along the way. There have definitely been times when I wished that I could have had input into a sequel, so I think that this is a great idea and I can't wait to read it myself.

Single in the City is now available in the US on Amazon as well as Barnes & Noble. I thank the author for providing me with a review copy.

Review: "Falling for Me: A Memoir" by Anna David

2011-10-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

Single and childless, Anna David finds herself contemplating the decisions that she's made that have led here here: in her 30's with a successful career but with only her cats for company. She's certainly not unhappy with her life, she's accomplished a lot of great things and has had some adventures along the way, but she wonders what else is out there for her. Is that perfect guy waiting around the corner? Or is she destined to be on her own?

While seeking answers, Anna comes across the book Sex and the Single Girl, the bestseller by Helen Gurley Brown. Despite the fact that the book was written many years ago, and some of the advice is outdated, Anna decides to follow Brown's advice in an effort to venture out of her comfort zone and possibly meet a man. For the next while Anna spends time updating her decor, dating people that she never would previously have given a chance, and travelling to Seville to expand her horizons, but in the end she ends up meeting someone that she hasn't seen in a while: herself.

Despite the fact that I've been with my husband for almost a decade now, I enjoyed following along with Anna as she sets out to change her life and possibly even herself. Her journey is easy to relate to whether you're married or single. I veered off of the career path when I had my boys, and while I don't regret a single second of the time that I've spent with them, I do sometimes wonder what life would be like now if I had pursued a career instead of motherhood. Instead I find myself rapidly approaching my 30's wondering what it is that I want to be when I "grow up". Anna's revelation is similar, only the opposite. She's got the fabulous career, but is missing the man and possibly the children, so she sets out with the help of Sex and the Single Girl to see if this is something that she even wants.

Anna David is not the first person to write about persuing her goals over a set period of time, and that may be the only thing that took away from the book as a whole for me. I couldn't help but feel that I'd "been there, done that" while I was reading it. Anna David herself could not have written anything any differently that would change my mind about this, it's just simply a matter of the genre exploding over the past year or so. Despite this, I found myself enjoying and relating to this book in many ways. The writing was compelling, her story interesting, and the ending fabulous. The message is one that we can all take home with us: it's worth taking the time to fall in love with yourself regardless of what path you choose to take in life. It's a lesson that we can all take to heart and hopefully apply to our own lives in some way. Falling for Me is an enjoyable journey that you will not regret taking.

For more on Anna David and her books please visit her website, Facebook page, or her blog. You can check out the trailer for Falling for Me here. My thanks to TLC Book Tours for inviting me along!

Review: "So Near" by Liza Gyllenhaal

2011-10-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Cal and Jenny Horigan are reeling from the unimaginable loss of their precious daughter, thrown out of her car seat when their Jeep rolls over. Both Cal and Jenny secretly blame themselves for the events leading up to the accident and this guilt is driving them further and further apart from one another. When an outsider comes to stay in their small town both Cal and Jenny are inexplicably drawn to him. He offers them the solace that they can't give one another, but is he bringing them closer together or drawing them further apart? Can Cal and Jenny's previously solid marriage survive a loss this great?

Liza Gyllenhaal has written a compelling novel, one that is impossible to put down despite the tragic subject matter. Both Jenny and Cal are eaten up by their individual guilt related to the role that they took in the accident leading to their daughter's death. Both parents completely blame themselves for what happened and as a result the couple quickly becomes distanced from one another. When a handsome stranger comes to town both Cal and Jenny are drawn to him; to the fact that he knows nothing of them and of their daughter. Their anonymity becomes their solace in such a difficult time, and both become entangled with him, despite the fact that he is a less willing participant in their healing than they initially believe. Both are so desperate to be absolved of their guilt that they are able to overlook the fact that this handsome stranger is self-absorbed and cares little for their grief.

So Near is a sensitively written portrait of Cal and Jenny's grief, both individually and as a couple now missing an important piece of themselves. Despite the fact that the material is far from uplifting I couldn't stop reading the book as it headed towards its conclusion. So Near is well-written and the characters thoughtfully portrayed, making it easy for me to give this book a five star rating. My thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.

Review: "A Bump in the Road" by Maureen Lipinski

2011-10-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

I won a copy of Maureen Lipinski's Not Ready for Mom Jeans a while ago, read it, and loved it. A Bump in the Road is the book that comes before Mom Jeans, and I just knew that I had to read it.

Clare and Jake are in their late twenties and are certainly not planning for children. In fact after enduring a plane ride in which a child on the plane with them alternates between kicking their seat and screaming loudly they are decidedly against the idea of having children in the near future. When Clare finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, they get over the initial shock only to find themselves thrown into the world of impending parenthood. In between choosing items for their little one on the way, figuring out exactly how one uses a Diaper Genie, and battling her mother-in-law about her pregnancy choices, Clare and Jake find themselves excited to meet the little one on the way. Clare's pretty sure that she's still not ready for mom jeans, though.

A Bump in the Road is an absolutely hilarious journey. Immediately after reading it I added it to my "keeper" shelf, an honor not bestowed upon many books that cross my path. It was funny and light-hearted, yet it addressed the issues that plague many moms-to-be, especially those that tend to be on the younger side. Even though it's been a while since I've been pregnant (my "baby" is almost 5) I completely related to Clare's struggles along the way, and cheered her on as she attempted to figure everything out.

I can't recommend A Bump in the Road and Not Ready for Mom Jeans highly enough. I adored both books, and they would make the perfect gift for any mom or mom-to-be that you know. In fact, they would be perfect for anyone contemplating motherhood as well. I give this book a wholehearted five out of five and thank the author for kindly sending a copy my way.

Review: "Fat Girls & Fairy Cakes" by Sue Watson

2011-10-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

TV Producer Stella Watson is trying to keep it all together. When she's at work, she feels guilty about being away from her family and when she's at home, she's thinking about the sheer number of things that she needs to do to get ahead at work. Making matters worse is the fact that her purely evil boss, MJ, has it out for her. The only thing that makes her problems go away, if only for a little while, is baking sinful creations that might just explain the extra weight that she has piled on in the past couple of years.

When MJ finally succeeds in getting Stella fired for something insignificant, and when Stella's husband, Tom, confesses that he's leaving her for another woman, Stella can't imagine that the pieces of her life can ever be glued back together. However with a little help from her friends, as well as the courage to finally follow her dreams, there may be light at the end of the tunnel after all.

Sue Watson's debut is as charming as the cupcakes that adorn the cover. I couldn't help but root for imperfect Stella from the very beginning as she's facing the same battles that many of us face over our lifetimes. Her marriage is far from perfect, her figure is not what it used to be, and her guilt about the lack of balance between her home and work lives is overwhelming. I loved her odd assortment of friends; the outspoken Lizzie is good for comic relief and much-needed support, as are her friends Sebastian and Al. Add to this the idyllic setting and Fat Girls & Fairy Cakes is a winner.

Fat Girls & Fairy Cakes is the perfect book to curl up with on a cold day with a hot cup of tea, and I can highly recommend this to anyone looking for a light read that manages to be both fun and inspiring at the same time. This is a great (calorie free!) choice for fans of women's fiction, especially if you enjoy stories set "across the pond" as much as I do.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me this review copy.

Review: "It's a Man's World" by Polly Courtney

2011-10-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Alexa Harris loves a challenge and has found herself to be quite skilled at taking magazines with a declining reader base and making them profitable again. Nearing the end of her contact with a woman's magazine, she isn't surprised when she receives another offer of employment from the company that she's working for. After all, she took one magazine and made it profitable, and she knows that she can do it again. However she is surprised that they want her to head up a lad's magazine (think Playboy). The idea of wading into what is clearly a man's world intimidates her but the challenge is too much for her to resist.

Alexa's appearance at Banter is not met with enthusiasm by those who are currently employed by the magazine. She even finds it to be a bit more of a challenge than she expected and must quickly become accustomed to the semi-nude women that grace the walls and televisions of the office. When she comes up with an idea that will increase the profit margins for the magazine she feels that the idea is foolproof, however when complications arise Alexa must consider if Banter magazine, and lad's magazines in general, are just a bit of harmless fun or if they are more damaging to women than she once imagined.

I loved It's a Man's World. Polly Courtney handles a controversial and fascinating subject with grace, presenting both sides of the story to the reader and allowing them to draw their own conclusions. After all, let's call men's magazines such as the fictional Banter what they are: soft-core pornography. I consider myself to be quite open when it comes to men and women's rights to look at whichever form of pornography they wish to (with obvious exceptions), however with the explosion of easily accessible pornography available to anyone with a computer, I start to wonder. Is this healthy, both for the women posing and the men with thousands and thousands of pornographic images at their fingertips? As the mother of three young boys I also wonder about them. Boys are exposed to pornography at such a young age now. How is that affecting their attitudes towards women? As someone is exposed to excessive amounts of pornography do women become merely objects, with little value otherwise?

I really related to the themes present in It's a Man's World. Courtney presents a well-balanced argument for both views of this issue, and she never comes across as being preachy or self-righteous. The writing is excellent and Alexa's struggles, both in the office and in her own mind, make this book compelling. I highly recommend this to women looking for more from their women's fiction. An enjoyable and thought-provoking read, and I thank the author and the publisher for sending me a complimentary copy for review.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Guest Post by Carol Snow & Giveaway

2011-10-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

Please join me in welcoming Carol Snow, author of What Came First, to The Book Chick today! If you missed my review you can find it here, and be sure to scroll to the bottom of that post and enter the giveaway (2 copies, US only, ends October 26).

"On one of the thousands of afternoons when I picked my son up from the local elementary school, he said, “A kid in my class asked what it’s like to have a mother who’s an author.”

“And?”

He shrugged. “I told him I just think of you as my mother.”

For the past sixteen years (I also have an older daughter), my life has revolved all of the things that mothers’ lives revolve around: the sleeping, the eating, the illnesses, the accidents. The music lessons, the playdates, the birthday parties, the scout meetings, the sports. Oh my, God – the sports! Over the years, my kids have done soccer, basketball, baseball, golf, swimming, and gymnastics. I’m sure I’m forgetting a few. Some days, it feels like all I do is drive. In the middle of all this, I have managed to write some books: seven have been published in the past five years.

My house is very, very messy.

The other night my daughter asked for some help with a creative writing assignment. I said sure, I’d help her (making sure she understood the difference between “help” and “do”). “I know a little bit about that,” I quipped.

Her response? “Oh yeah – you took a creative writing class in college, didn’t you?” She wasn’t even joking.

While my books aren’t autobiographical in the least, as a rule, I don’t tackle any life stage till I’m far enough past it to look back with something at least vaguely resembling objectivity. Several years ago, I had an idea for a multi-perspective book about a woman searching for her son’s sperm donor. I don’t even remember where the idea came from exactly, but I’d read some articles about sperm donor children searching for their biological relatives, plus I had several single friends who were contemplating motherhood. Still, I didn’t think I could pull the book off –not because of life stage issues but because I didn’t know anything about being a single mother, and I’d never had to deal with infertility or assisted reproduction.

A couple of years ago I was trying to come up with an idea for a new book when I remembered the sperm donor idea and suddenly knew that I could write it, after all. Maybe I was at a new life stage. Maybe I was surprised that I’d had no trouble writing from a single mother’s perspective in my previous book, Just Like Me, Only Better. Or maybe I was just getting desperate. But for some reason I realized that the book that would become What Came First was, at its core, about motherhood. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a girl scout leader or a CEO; whether you got pregnant on your first try or your thousandth; or even whether your children came from your body or carry someone else’s DNA: once you become a mother, your children are the most important thing in your life, no matter how much of your day you spend with them. Period. And children don’t just change your life – they actually change who you are as a person.

I wrote What Came First in three different first-person voices (which some days left me feeling like I suffered from multiple personality disorder). Laura is a successful lawyer and single mother to Ian, an angelic eight-year-old whom she raises with the help of a devoted nanny. Wendy is a frazzled stay-at-home mom to two demonic five-year old twins. Finally, Vanessa is pushing thirty, longing for children, and stuck in a dead-end relationship.

The three main characters are all very different – and all flawed in varying degrees. But I found myself rooting for them all and forgiving them their missteps. After all, like mothers and future mothers everywhere, they’re just doing the best they can."

Thank-you so much to Carol for taking the time to stop by today, and for Penguin for providing the review copy as well as co-ordinating the guest post.

Review & Giveaway: "What Came First" by Carol Snow

2011-10-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Vanessa wants only one thing for her 29th birthday- a ring and the accompanying proposal from her boyfriend, Eric. When her ring turns out to be a mix CD, and when she finds out that a proposal and the resulting children will most certainly not be a part of her future with Eric, Vanessa starts exploring alternative ways to start a family.

When Wendy and her husband Darren, desperate for children, found out that they couldn't have any, they turned to a sperm donor to make their dreams possible. Five years later Wendy finds herself the mother of unruly twins, her only escape being scrapbooking and snacks, while Darren escapes into the world of computer games. Their family is so fragmented that Wendy wonders if it is even possible to put it all back together again.

Single parent Laura is eternally grateful to her anonymous sperm donor for giving her the gift of her eight-year-old son, Ian. Ian is a gifted and sweet child who asks for little, but it bothers Laura that the one thing he wants the most is something that she can't give him- a sibling.

These three women's paths cross following a surprising phone call, and all of them will come through their experiences fundamentally changed.

The last time I read a book by Carol Snow, I found myself devouring it. She writes a compelling story and at that time I found myself unable to put the book down. Of course I jumped at the chance to read What Came First, and it didn't disappoint. The topic, sperm donation and how it affects those involved, is fresh and current, and although this particular theme has been explored in other books, she brought a new angle to it. I flew through it, thoroughly enjoying getting to know the main characters and their individual stories.

My only warning to potential readers is that Carol Snow books are incredibly addictive. I read What Came First and immediately followed that up by reading her debut, which I had on my shelves but had not read yet, Been There, Done That, which was also excellent. I now have two more of her books downloaded onto my eReader. I can highly recommend this to women looking for something to read that is interesting yet light enough to read as an escape from the everyday.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Thanks to the publisher, Penguin, I have two copies of What Came First to give away to two lucky readers. Due to publisher's restrictions this giveaway is open to US residents only. It will run until October 26, 2011, and winners will be contacted by e-mail. To enter:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Please tell me why you are interested in winning a copy of this book and include an e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win.

2. *Bonus Entry* Become a follower through Google Friend Connect and let me know that you now follow. Current followers are eligible as well, just let me know in the comments that you already follow (+1 entry).

3. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in some way. You can Facebook it, Tweet about it, or share it on your blog. Leave me a link to how you spread the word (+1 entry).

Entries can be combined into one comment if preferred. Good luck!!

Review: "Falling Together" by Marisa de los Santos

2011-10-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting more than two years for this book. A little more than two years ago I received an advanced copy of Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos, devoured it, and fell in love. As soon as I finished that one I tracked down a copy of her first novel, Love Walked In and I loved that one too. I've been waiting for her next release since then and was thrilled when I managed to get my hands on a review copy of it.

Falling Together tells the story of three friends from college, Pen, Will and Cat. While they were inseparable throughout their college years they went their own way soon after graduation when circumstances came between them. Pen is now the single mother to a beautiful little girl, and when she receives a mysterious e-mail from Cat asking her to meet her at their college reunion, Pen feels the pull of their former friendship impossible to ignore. Instead of reconciling with her old friend, Pen meets up with her other old friend, Will, at the reunion and the two are presented with information that brings their past and their present colliding together and sends them, along with Pen's daughter and Cat's husband, halfway across the world in search of answers.

To put it quite simply, I adored this book. The characters truly came to life on the page. I loved Pen and Will and Pen's daughter Augusta, and I even grew to appreciate Cat, who remains elusive throughout the book. De los Santos' skill with the written word shines through on every page and I just could not stop turning them.

Covering a variety of themes such as the definition of family and how friendships change and grow over time, Falling Together is a book not to be missed and one that I have added to my permanent book collection. I can highly recommend it and I thank HarperCollins Publishers for this review copy.

Rating: Easily 5 stars out of 5. I'd give 6 out of 5 if I could!

Guest Post by Nikki Wells, author of "Sophie's Turn"

2011-09-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

Please join me in welcoming Nikki Wells, author of Sophie's Turn to The Book Chick today! I reviewed Sophie's Turn yesterday and I am also giving away one copy courtesy of the author here so be sure to enter this international giveaway before September 20th! Today Sophie shares her favourite procrastination techniques:

When Jonita asked me if I had any funny procrastination habits, my first reaction was one of horror. Procrastinate, who me? Never! I am totally organised and efficient! I'm German! I just do Very Useful Things instead.
Ok, I admit that it does normally take me at least three attempts at sitting down before I actually start writing… but that’s just normal.

At the first attempt, I sit down, switch on the computer, stare at the screen as it starts to boot up… and then… I don’t know, I can’t quite explain it, but I just have to take a tour of the house, open a few windows, make sure the beds are made just so… that kind of thing. The environment has to be just right, you see. I could do that before I sit down, of course, and don’t think I haven’t tried. Doesn’t work! I’ve given up worrying about this little quirk of mine.

The second attempt is a bit more involved. I sit down again and actually open the file. Click, click, click. I’m busy now! Actually, hang on… I just need to tidy those pens away, they’re annoying me. And those piles of paper left from yesterday’s research need putting out of sight. Actually, while I’m moving them, I might as well file them properly, by chapter. Right, done. Good. I’m working hard, even though I’m not writing. Back to the computer then. I gaze at the screen, the cursor is blinking. I gaze out of the window. Is that a fingerprint? Is it? Well, I can’t work with a smear in my vision annoying me beyond any reasonable belief. I’ll just do a quick bit of dusting and window polishing. Will only take a sec, and then I can get on with important writing business.

Attempt number three gets under way as I sit down again. I start re-reading yesterday’s work, that’s always constructive. But no, I need a cup of tea to do that… it is, after all, 10:30, time for my morning shot of caffeine. With a big sigh entirely for my own benefit, I trudge downstairs to make a nice cup of tea. I’ll have a biscuit, too. Except I have a “don’t eat at the desk” policy (nasty conflict between crumbs and keyboard not too long ago) so I hastily and guiltily munch my biscuit pacing up and down in the kitchen, my mind turning to the writing ahead… and then, suddenly, I’m ready. I fly up the stairs, eager to get typing.

No procrastination here, then. I’m just conveniently fitting in the housework and the regulation 10:30 tea break. Nobody could accuse me of wasting time!

Oh alright. Alright! There are a few occasions where I’ve been known to resort to avoidance techniques, thinking up all manner of reasons for leaving my desk.

For example. Having reviewed a first draft of Sophie’s Turn, I needed to make some sweeping changes to what was then the prologue. I had a vague idea of chopping it up and splicing it into the first few chapters. But how? Eventually I printed the offending section out and cut it all up with the kitchen scissors. At least now I had the appropriate chunks… but how to weave them into the narrative? And where? After an hour’s fruitless deliberation, I gave up and dyed my hair instead.

And one time, I found myself going in the kitchen, slipping on the Marigolds and giving the oven a well-deserved and extremely thorough clean—leaving Sophie and Dan mid-scene while I reasoned with the oven as to whether they should go… all the way just then, or wait. Naturally, this operation took a lot longer as previously envisaged and by the time I was finished, it was time to cook dinner (not, I hasten to add, in the newly gleaming oven!). So Sophie and Dan remained frozen in their uncertain destiny until the next morning. Then, after completing steps one through three of my normal Very Useful Things routine, I finally decided quite effortlessly that they had waited so long, they could wait a bit longer!

So I would argue that procrastination, skilfully undertaken, serves a purpose and isn’t therefore ‘wasting time’ at all. J

Postscript: Other favourite Very Useful Things to do when I can’t quite get my head round writing include:

Phoning a friend (or three)

Listening to extremely loud music
Checking if anything funny is on the telly (Friends will do, or Frasier, or Glee) and then spending ten minutes agonising as to whether I actually have the time to watch it!
Performing essential computer maintenance (e.g. virus check or defrag the hard drive—a real killer as it takes hours!)

Checking email

Checking email again (in case something popped up in the previous two seconds)
Checking Facebook and Twitter sites (ditto)

Playing around with my blog (can always do with improving, so this might rightfully be counted as work rather than procrastination)

Placing an online grocery shop (at least I don’t have to leave the house!)

Plucking eyebrows (when I’m really stuck)

Checking whether the post man has been (and brought anything other than bills)

Doing some Pilates (to offset all the brownies I’m eating)
Doing some ironing (well, who else is going to do it?)

Thank-you so much to Nikki for taking the time to stop by today!

Review & Giveaway: "Sophie's Turn" by Nikki Wells

2011-09-06T20:32:00.000-07:00

After two years of being with her boring yet safe boyfriend Tim, Sophie is beginning to think that a marriage proposal is most certainly not in her future. It's not that Sophie doesn't want to marry Tim, but she just can't seem to find a ring anywhere. She's thrilled when Tim does finally pop the question, although she does wish that the proposal would have been a tad more romantic.

Caught up in engaged bliss, Sophie is blown away when a blast from her past unexpectedly appears. Dan, the lead singer of Tusk, is as gorgeous as ever. When she was nineteen Sophie toured briefly with the band, getting to know all of the band members in the process, but she has always held a special place in her heart for Dan.

When the newspaper that she currently works for insists that she travel with Tusk on their big comeback tour or face losing her job, Sophie finds herself involved in a whirlwind romance with Dan, despite the fact that Tim is waiting for her at home. When Dan pops the question Sophie suddenly finds herself engaged to not one, but two men, both deserving of her affection. What's a modern girl to do?

Sophie's Turn is author Nikki Wells' debut novel. A modern-day fairy tale, it explores what could happen if your childhood fantasy crush fell in love with you in real life. Filled with funny moments as well as moments of more serious reflection, I was unable to put it down. I'l admit that there were times that I wished Sophie would just make up her mind and choose between the two men in her life, but it all made sense in the end. The ending was both unexpected and spectacular; a truly fantastic way to close the book.

Sophie's Turn may be the first book by Nikki Wells that I've read, but it certainly won't be the last. I loved the British charm that was evident on every page, as well as the plot that kept me reading well past my bedtime. This is a must-read that does the chick lit genre proud.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
My thanks to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy for review.

Courtesy of the author I have one Kindle copy of Sophie's Turn to give to one lucky reader! This giveaway is open internationally provided that you are able to redeem a Kindle gift code. You don't need to have a Kindle to enter. Free reading apps are available for your computer or iPod. To enter:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Let me know that you would like to win this book by leaving me a comment below including your e-mail address. If you choose to you can let me know which band you would love to tour with given the opportunity, either now or in the past. (My choice? The amazing band Avenged Sevenfold!)

2. *Bonus Entry* Become a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect and let me know in the comments that you now follow. Current followers are eligible for this bonus entry as well.

3. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in some way. Blog about it, Facebook it, Tweet it, just leave me a comment letting me know how you spread the word.

These entries can be combined into one comment if desired. This contest runs until September 20, 2011, and winners will be notified by e-mail. Please leave me a way to get in touch with you if you are the lucky winner! This contest is open internationally. Good luck!

Review: "A Life That Fits" by Heather Wardell

2011-08-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Returning home from a business trip, 28-year-old Andrea finds her boyfriend of fourteen years waiting for her. Convinced that he's finally going to propose, Andrea is thrilled, until she discovers that all of his possessions are missing from their apartment. Alex confesses that he's leaving Andrea for a woman that he explains is her opposite. Following Alex's departure, Andrea vows to start doing the exact opposite of the things that she would normally do, saying "yes" when she would formerly have said "no", and incorporating new activities into her life.

Andrea finds herself enjoying the new things that she's doing, but has she done enough to win Alex back? And if he does come back, will he even fit into her new life?

Heather Wardell is one of my favorite chick lit authors because her stories are light and fun, yet thought-provoking. I always find myself reading frantically, anxious to find out what will happen next. A Life That Fits is no exception to the rule. I really appreciated Andrea's situation. Here she is, safe in a relationship that she's been in for years, and she's expecting a marriage proposal, not for her boyfriend to leave her. When the inevitable happens she spends the acceptable amount of time being upset about it, but instead of continuing to wallow she decides to take action in order to win Alex back. By changing her life in order to achieve this goal, she receives the most wonderful gift- she rediscovers who she really is. I, for one, quite like what she found. *spoiler alert* I love that Andrea changed from someone afraid to move forward in her life to a strong, adventurous woman who I would want to be friends with.

Combine entertaining characters, an interesting plot, and a fantastic ending and you have A Life That Fits. This is a great choice for women's fiction lovers who are looking for a book that refuses to let you go until the very last page. And with the e-version priced at only $0.99, it won't break the bank!

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, 2011 E-Book Challenge

Review: "Stay" by Allie Larkin

2011-08-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

Savannah "Van" Leone is loyal to a fault. Despite the fact that her best friend, Janie, is marrying the guy that she's been in love with since college, Van still dons a hideous pumpkin orange dress and stands up at their wedding as the maid of honor. Drowning her sorrows after the wedding with a Rin Tin Tin marathon supplemented with lots of vodka, Van wakes up the next morning only to discover that she has ordered a German Shepherd puppy off of the Internet. When "Joe" arrives and Van finds out that not only is he 100 pounds but he only responds to commands given in Slovak, Van has no idea what to do. But with the help of the local vet and with the assistance of the puppy that she's fallen in love with, Van learns that things may not always be as bad as they seem.

I have been hearing great things about Stay since it came out in hardcover, and when I received a surprise copy of the paperback in the mail, I was thrilled! Stay definitely lived up to its hype. Well-written with incredibly lovable characters scattered throughout, reading it was a pleasure. Van comes across as being flawed yet vulnerable, and that made me love her even more. The fact that she was willing to be the maid of honor in her best friend's wedding despite her strong feelings for the groom made her incredibly endearing, and I was rooting for her the whole way through.

You don't need to be a dog lover to adore Stay or to fall in love with Joe, the over sized German Shepherd and the star of the show. Filled with funny moments, lovable characters and topped off by the perfect ending, Stay is one of those books that I can wholeheartedly recommend to women's fiction fans.

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

Review: "My Year With Eleanor" by Noelle Hancock

2011-08-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

Pop culture blogger Noelle Hancock finds herself at a loose end after being laid off from her job. Used to spending hours flipping between one popular website after another in search of the latest and greatest gossip, Noelle suddenly finds her days stretching out endlessly in front of her. When her therapist encourages her to do more things that scare her in order to connect with the person that she used to be, a project is born. Inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt's quote "Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You" Noelle vows to spend a year doing just that- facing her fears, one day at a time.

I love the concept of My Year With Eleanor. Who among us does not have a laundry list of fears, ranging from the small ones, like spiders or heights, to the larger ones such as rejection and never finding someone special to spend your life with? Spending a year facing those fears that hold us back on a daily basis can be nothing less than helpful when it comes to being the best version of ourselves that we can be. Noelle does just that. Although not every fear that she faces is documented, we do read about her time spent at trapeze school, swimming with the sharks, and climbing Mount Everest, as well as her time spent singing karaoke and working in a funeral home. The chapters about Noelle's climb up Mount Everest were particularly interesting as she overcomes many different fears in an unforgiving environment but manages to emerge triumphant.

We learn a lot about Eleanor Roosevelt's life while Noelle is facing her own fears. I'll admit that I knew next to nothing about Eleanor before reading this book, but I found her life and her attitude about life absolutely fascinating. The information that I learned about her was an unexpected bonus, as Noelle doesn't allow the historical matter to become dry or uninteresting, and instead brings the woman's legacy to life.

A little disappointingly I didn't find myself inspired by this book to go out and face my own fears one day at a time, but I did find Noelle's personal journey to be an interesting one, and I enjoyed learning more about an historical figure that I had little previous knowledge of. Well-written and concise, My Year With Eleanor will appeal to many memoir fans. Thank-you to TLC Book Tours for inviting me along on this tour.

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

Review: "Blow Me" by Lennie Ross

2011-08-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

Rapidly approaching their forties, friends Skylar, Dawn, and Chloe seem to have missed the mark. Unmarried and childless, all three women have discovered that life doesn't always come with a happy ending guarantee. Skylar goes through men like she goes through underwear and when one romantic encounter in particular burns down her apartment, she finds herself homeless, jobless, and living in her car. Chloe is a French-Canadian actress living in the United States with dreams of making it big, or at least obtaining a green card to avoid being sent back to Canada, but neither marriage or a steady job seem to be on the horizon. Dawn is insistent on not running the family business, but she doesn't find her job as a matchmaker fulfilling and she seems no closer to finding her perfect man. Panicked that she's running out of time to procreate successfully, Dawn undergoes a procedure to freeze her fertilized eggs using a sperm donor for when she's ready to become pregnant. This off-the-wall novel explores dating, sex, and aging set in the backdrop of shallow Los Angeles.

I have to admit that I had a really hard time getting into Blow Me. The characters are all so self-centered that it's not surprising that they are each almost 40 and still unable to find love. Skylar uses men as her meal ticket. She literally sleeps around in search of her next meal or her next designer outfit and I couldn't help but compare her actions to those of a prostitute. Chloe just wasn't likable. She seemed desperate to find a man, any man, and often treats her friends like garbage in order to make herself feel better. Dawn was the only character that offered me some hope. She actually had integrity and goals for her life beyond getting laid, but she had the bad fortune to be saddled with such selfish friends.

Luckily for me the book picked up around the midway point. Dawn, the one character that I actually liked, begins to get her life together and seeing her working her way toward a happy ending encouraged me. Even Skylar, who I had a hard time liking from the beginning, seems to change her spots a little and becomes someone likable. The ending brought everything together quite nicely, and I have to say that I'm pleased at how things turned out.

If you can get past the fact that these women in their late 30's are still behaving as if they were in their early 20's, Blow Me is an enjoyable read. Lennie Ross is a talented writer and the stories of dating and love in Los Angeles certainly made for some entertaining reading. Thank-you to Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours for inviting me to participate.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, 2011 E-Book Challenge

Review & Giveaway: "Not Ready For Mom Jeans" by Maureen Lipinski

2011-07-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's summer, and in the summer I tend to choose books to read purely for pleasure, and for pleasure only. In the fall and winter my choices tend to be a little heavier, a little darker, but in the summer my books must be fun, fun, fun! I've had Not Ready For Mom Jeans on my shelf for a couple of months now. It was a win from the fabulous Melissa's over at Chick Lit Central (I love you guys and the way that you enable my chick lit habit!), and since I'm a youngish mom I can certainly relate not being ready for mom jeans. As much as I adore my kids (and I do!), sometimes I stop and think about the fact that I'm not even 30 but yet I have an 11 year old, a 6 year old, and a 4 year old. I'm not ready for those mom jeans! I want to be one of those hot mamas!

Clare Finnegan, event planner and popular blogger, is so not ready for mom jeans either. Baby Sara was conceived unexpectedly, and although Clare can't imagine what life would be like without her, she struggles with her desire to return to work. Does working mom= bad and stay at home mom= good? Back at work, Clare pulls off a fancy sweet sixteen party and a swanky golf event with her ex-boyfriend from college, but when she misses yet another of her baby daughter's milestones she allows herself to entertain an alternate solution. Can Clare stay at home with Sara and not lose a part of herself?

A young mom myself, I could completely relate with Clare and her struggles through the first year of parenting. Although I've made the decision to stay at home with my kids and work part-time while they're young, and Clare makes the decision to return to work full-time, I think that this is a question that most new mothers struggle with. How do we retain the essence of ourselves while giving ourselves completely to our children? Is there a balance possible? If so, how exactly does one find it? Clare struggles with these questions throughout the book in a realistic yet hilarious manner. Clare, as a character, is completely lovable and I think that readers will easily relate to her. She doesn't resent motherhood, she loves it in fact, but she can't quite figure out how the old Clare and the new Clare can co-exist harmoniously.

Hilarious and touching, light enough for summer reading yet containing enough substance to make the book enjoyable for a wide variety of readers, I can strongly recommend Not Ready for Mom Jeans to any mother or fan of women's fiction.

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

Partway through the book I contacted the author through her website to let her know how much I was enjoying it (and I rarely do that, so that just tells you how much I really was enjoying it!). Maureen Lipinski generously offered two of my readers the chance to win both of her books, A Bump in the Road (detailing Clare's pregnancy) and Not Ready for Mom Jeans. Want to win? Here's how:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Let me know that you would like to win these books, and if you feel like it, please share one of your funniest mom moments! Please leave me your e-mail so that I can contact you if you win.

2. *Bonus Entry* Become a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect and let me know that you now follow. Current followers are eligible for this bonus entry as well. No need for a separate comment, just add a +1 to your comment if you wish.

3. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in some way. Blog about it, Tweet about it, Facebook it or add it to your website's sidebar, just leave me a link to what you did.

All entries (mandatory + bonuses) can be left in one comment if desired. This contest is open to residents in both the US and Canada. It runs until August 5, 2011 at midnight and winners will be contacted after this date by e-mail. Good luck!

Review: "The Promise of Happiness" by Erin Kaye

2011-07-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

After choosing an unconventional way to conceive her child, Louise McNeill returns home with her 3-year-old son to where her parents and her two grown sisters live, hoping for their support as she starts over. Not quite over her divorce, Louise craves both healing and sanctuary.

Louise’s older sister Joanne has it all on the outside- three beautiful daughters and a husband who provides for them while Joanne works part-time. However as Louise spends more time with her sister she sees the cracks beneath the facade, and she sees that Joanne is less happy than she portrays on the outside. As Joanne’s “perfect” marriage crumbles before her eyes, it will be up to her sisters to help her keep her head high.

Louise’s younger sister, Sian, has a wonderful fiance, Andy, and a quest to save the world with one environmentally friendly action at a time. Sian makes no secret of the fact that she doesn’t desire to have any children because she would be contributing to the overpopulation of the world, but when Andy expresses his desire for a baby of his own, is Sian willing to give him up to stick with her beliefs? Or is there something more to Sian’s desire to remain childless than first appears?

As the three sisters struggle with their separate dilemmas they will be reminded of the bonds of family, and hopefully they can come together to create their own happy endings.

Erin Kaye transports her readers to the idyllic Irish town of Ballyfergus with The Promise of Happiness. I am a fan of all things Irish and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get in a little armchair travelling while the story of the McNeill sisters unfolded. The three sisters were at the heart of the story and I was able to relate to them all in some way, making the plot that much more enjoyable. I related to Joanne the most, as she navigated the waters of parenting three young children with attitudes and personalities all their own. Joanne was a tough nut to crack- at the beginning she comes off as being judgmental and not an incredibly sympathetic character, but as the plot continues we begin to see the pressures that Joanne is under and we start to understand why she feels the need to keep up the tough exterior at all times.

Well-written and with just enough dramatic suspense to keep the reader wanting more, The Promise of Happiness is an engrossing read perfect for sisters or for those who enjoy their women’s fiction with a helping of drama. Thank-you to HarperCollins UK for providing me with this review copy.

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

Review: "The Summer We Came to Life" by Deborah Cloyed

2011-07-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

Every year Samantha Wheland and her three closest friends, Mina, Isabel, and Kendra vacation together. Along with their mix of parents they call themselves the "Vacation Club". Approaching their thirties now, their vacations have graduated from local beach houses to exotic destinations. This year the destination is the Honduras, but for the first time, their group is not complete. Mina lost her battle with cancer less than six months ago and nobody is feeling her absence quite like Samantha is. Her absence is like a hole in Sam's heart, and Sam desperately wants to reconnect with Mina, wherever she is.

Aided by a journal left behind by Mina, along with some theories that she and Sam took the time to research before her untimely death, Sam attempts to reach out to her best friend in the afterlife in the hope of connecting with her once again.

The Summer We Came to Life was well-written with a variety of interesting characters that came to life on the page. The destination was vividly described, making the reader feel as if they were there alongside the characters. Unfortunately, the book didn't work for me as a whole. I had a hard time connecting to the characters individually, perhaps because they were all so different from me that I had a hard time finding something in common with any of them. There was also a paranormal aspect to the book that just didn't work for me. I believe that if that particular aspect had been removed from the book it may have worked for me better as a whole, although it would have altered the story line considerably. I think that ultimately this just wasn't the book for me, although I'm sure that it would be enjoyed by many others.

The Summer We Came to Life is a book about love and loss and lifetime friendships. This would be an interesting read for someone who has experienced the loss of a loved one or for a reader who enjoys books about close friendships.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge

Review: "Things We Didn't Say" by Kristina Riggle

2011-07-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

Casey fell in love with her fiance, Michael, fully aware of the fact that a marriage between them would make her the stepmother to his three children, Angel, a surly teenager, Dylan, the shy middle child, and Jewel, the innocent youngest child. Since Michael has full custody of the children Casey knows that she will be performing the parenting gig full-time, but that doesn’t mean that it will be easy.

After Angel discovers Casey’s journal, full of her private thoughts that she would never express beyond its pages, Angel begins to hate Casey with every fibre of her being. Angel also now knows one of Casey’s deepest secrets, one that she hasn’t even shared with Michael. When Dylan goes missing, and Casey needs to deal directly with the children’s flighty mother living in their home and wreaking havoc, Casey knows that the only way to deal with the currently unlivable situation in their home is to dig up long-buried secrets of her own and of others, and to begin to say the things that have remained unspoken for too long.

In The Things We Didn’t Say, Riggle brings together a cast of unique characters into one home and allows things to implode. Casey, our main character, is intensely private and still quite young, yet she has taken on the role of stepmother to three young children for the man that she loves. Michael, Casey’s fiance, is a perfectionist, never allowing for anything less than perfection in his life. Mallory, Michael’s ex-wife and the children’s mother is the wild card. Eccentric and damaged, she threatens to explode at a moment’s notice, leaving chaos in her wake. The children, Angel, Dylan, and Jewel are the casualties of the adult’s complicated dynamics, struggling for some sense of normalcy in their lives. These characters are part of what made this novel so compelling. Waiting to see how the adults would interact with each other, and what would happen when their secrets were revealed, made it impossible to put this well-written book down.

I also appreciated the ending. I love a good ending, and I love endings for various reasons. Usually my favourite endings are those where all of the characters end up living “happily ever after” in a way that was predictable from the beginning. Riggle chooses to end Things We Didn’t Say with a conclusion that is surprising, yet when I thought about it, I couldn’t see myself getting satisfaction from any alternate ending. In short, it was perfect.

Things We Didn’t Say is a thought-provoking look at modern families and modern love. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a book that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Thank-you to TLC Book Tours for including me in this tour.

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

Review: "Click: An Online Love Story" by Lisa Becker

2011-07-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Renee is quickly approaching her 30th birthday and finds herself still single. With no romantic prospects on the horizon, and no desire to become a crazy cat lady, Renee finds herself agreeing to venture into the online dating world with her best male friend, the anal-retentive Mark. As she navigates the often murky waters of meeting that special someone in the vast reaches of cyberspace, she shares her adventures with Mark as well as her uptight friend Ashley and her over-sexed friend Shelley. Told entirely through e-mails, Renee's story is easy to enjoy and impossible to put down.

I've been out of the dating world for a long time, for more than ten years in fact, but back in the day online dating was just starting to become popular and I signed up for one of the more popular sites out there. I don't remember actually meeting someone in person as a result of that site (it wasn't long after I signed up that I met my now-husband) but I did have a few interesting online conversations with men that I met there. Since that time one person who is very close to me, and several more that I am acquainted with, have met their spouses online. It's becoming more and more common, and if you ask me, dating online make a ton of sense in this day and age. I was intrigued by the premise of Click, and couldn't wait to read it.

I got a lot more than I bargained for. Not only was Click a fun peek into the world of online dating, but it was absolutely hilarious. I read it in less than a day and I actually laughed out loud several times while I was reading it. My husband, who I was hanging out with at the time, kept asking me what in the world I was finding so funny. The decision to write it entirely in the form of e-mails was a wise one. Not only did it fit well with the online dating theme, but it made the story a fast and fun read.

I highly recommend Click to anyone who has ever ventured into the world of online dating, to anyone who has ever been curious about it, or to anyone looking for a light and funny summer read. Click will not disappoint. Thank-you to Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours for inviting me to participate in this tour.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, 2011 E-Book Challenge

Review: "I'll Have Who She's Having" by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

2011-06-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

Kate has been depressed, her behavior bordering on stalker-ish, since yet another long-term boyfriend broke up with her. Her friends and family attempt to convince her that he wasn't "the one" for her, but she doesn't believe them. Done with her sister's whining and moaning, Kate's younger sister Kelly convinces her to join a volleyball class with her. Feeling that she has no choice but to go along with it, Kate agrees to give the class a chance.

Meanwhile, Kelly's been feeling less than happy about her life as of late. Despite the fact that she is married to a wonderful man, and the mother to an adorable almost one-year-old, Kelly feels unsatisfied. Ever since she became a stay-at-home mom she has felt out of place, and joining the local mother's group, the Hot Ta-Mommies, hasn't convinced her differently.

Both Kate and Kelly set their sights on their gorgeous volleyball coach as the one who is destined to get them out of their respective slumps. As they compete with each other for his affections, and fight towards their individual happy endings, they both begin to realize that they are looking for answers in all the wrong places.

I'll admit that I was apprehensive about reading I'll Have Who She's Having. I recently finished reading Liz and Lisa's latest book, The D Word (my review), and I absolutely loved it, so I was worried that this one wouldn't live up to the same standards. Thankfully, I was wrong. I devoured it in a day. The plot was fresh and often funny, and it made me want to continue to read to see what would happen. I really related to Kelly, the stay-at-home mom, since I work part-time so that I can be home with my three kids. Kelly is not used to being away from the corporate world and feels lost, and on top of that her marriage has become complacent and she's not quite sure if it can be rescued. I couldn't tell from the writing style what was written by Lisa and what was written by Liz because their transitions were seamless. And the ending? Spot on! I really loved it.

I did have one minor problem with I'll Have Who She's Having, but nothing that overshadowed my enjoyment as a whole. The book is written primarily from the alternating viewpoints of the sisters, Kate and Kelly. That really worked for me, especially when we viewed the same situation from two different viewpoints and were able to gain a new perspective of it. However there were a few chapters that were written from a perspective other than Kate or Kelly's, and with the exception of one of those, I didn't find that they particularly fit or contributed anything significant.

After having read and reviewed both I'll Have Who She's Having and The D Word I can recommend both with confidence to those who love chick lit and women's fiction, and who are looking for something new and interesting to read. I'm already looking forward to their next book!

I'll Have Who She's Having has been recently re-released and is currently available at the special price of only $0.99 in a variety of eBook formats. Buy The D Word for $2.99 and I'll Have Who She's Having for $0.99 and you're still spending less than I spend in a day on coffee (yes, I have an addiction). Buy one or both and you can win a ton of fantastic prizes in Liz and Lisa's HUGE ASS giveaway. Thank-you to BookSparks PR for providing me with this review copy.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, 2011 E-Book Challenge

Review & Giveaway: "Sisters of the Sari" by Brenda L. Baker

2011-06-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

Kiria is the CEO of a successful video game company, but behind her professional demeanor and poised appearance, she hides the secret pain of her past. While vacationing in India, Kiria's wallet is stolen and former slave Santoshi comes to her aid. The two women form an unlikely bond and when Kiria returns to the United States she is unable to get Santoshi and her impoverished circumstances out of her head. When Kiria discovers that she is unable to feel the passion for her job that she once did, she returns to India to create a hostel for impoverished women who have no men to support them.

While building the hostel Santoshi guides Kiria through the surprising ways and culture of India, while Kiria begins to teach Santoshi that there is more to life than she ever thought possible. Despite their very different backgrounds and life experiences the two form an unlikely bond that will teach them both things about themselves.

I love books set in India. I find the culture fascinating and rich in history, and it is so different from our own. In that aspect Sisters of the Sari did not disappoint. It is full of the vivid imagery of India, and not just of the India that you would expect. The story does not touch much on those who are well-off, but rather on those who live day by day, simply doing what they have to do to get by regardless of what that is. We encounter rag pickers and prostitutes, maids and beggars, all hoping for a better tomorrow. I found out after reading the book that the author actually spent some time volunteering in India, and I appreciated the fact that some of this book was based on the insight that she gained while actually living there.

I found our two main characters, Kiria and Santoshi, fascinating. They were so different, but there were threads of their life experiences that bound them together enough for them to form a bond. I was fascinated with Santoshi's past and how that contributed to the person that she is today, and I thought that Kiria's past lent some interesting aspects to the story as well.

Sisters of the Sari is a fast-paced book that offers interesting insight into the Indian culture for the armchair traveler as well as a story about a bond between two very different women for those who prefer women's fiction. With its unexpected yet satisfying ending this is one that I can definitely recommend.

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

To Win:

Would you like to win 1 of 2 copies of Sisters of the Sari? Due to publisher's shipping restrictions this contest is open to US residents only. To enter:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Leave me a comment and let me know that you would like to win. It's that simple! Please include your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you are the winner.

2. *Bonus Entry* Become a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect and let me know that you now follow. Current followers are eligible as well, just let me know that you are a current follower.

2. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in some way. Facebook about it, tweet about it, or post about it in your blog. Just make sure that you leave me a comment to let me know what you did!

The mandatory entry and bonus entries can be combined into one comment if you choose. This contest will run until July 4, 2011 at midnight EST, with winners being contacted after this date. Good luck and thanks for entering!

Review: "The D Word" by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

2011-06-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

Spiritual Counselor and mother-of-one Jordan Daniels is navigating the waters of both divorce and single motherhood. She made the decision to leave her husband, Kevin, when she realized that their marriage had grown stale and she became determined to find herself on her own. Months later, Jordan is still frozen in time. She refuses to hang her clothes on her ex-husband's side of the closet despite the fact that Kevin has clearly moved on, and she has done nothing to begin to find herself. If only she could see into her own future...

Meanwhile Elle, a single-and-loving-it woman struggles with her decision to call off her wedding 33 days before it was set to happen. Although she can't pinpoint why the thought of marriage to Chase made her uncomfortable, she knows deep down that it wasn't meant to be. Unfortunately her best friend Taylor, her ex-fiance's sister, is unable to see Elle's side and Elle's guilt continues to mount.

One day, while on assignment for the paper that she works for, Elle meets a handsome man at the dog park, and everything for both Elle and Jordan begins to change.

I just finished this book, as in literally this morning (yes- I'm like every other mother on the planet with not enough time to read!) and I have three words for you: I. Loved. It. I must warn you that I may get a little gushy here, but seriously ladies, this is a must-read for any chick-lit or women's fiction lover. If you didn't know that this book was written by two authors, you wouldn't be able to tell just by reading it. The transitions are seamless and Liz and Lisa's voices blend beautifully. I couldn't tell which part was written by whom purely by the writing alone. I'm not surprised that the authors have been friends for over 20 years.

Another thing that I loved about The D Word was the fact that I truly did not know what was going to happen until I got to the end. In fact, I didn't even really know what I wanted to happen. I was wavering because I liked both of our main characters and wanted them both to have happy endings, but I didn't know if one could have a happy ending without the other. Many times, while reading chick lit, I can predict the ending a mile away and it is so refreshing to read a book that managed to keep me in suspense until the end. Speaking about endings, this one was fantastic. It had me laughing out loud and "aww"ing at the same time!

I can't recommend this one to women's fiction and chick lit lovers highly enough except to tell you that this is a must-read (and it would make a perfect beach book!). The D Word is available in eBook format right now for $2.99 USD through Amazon and a variety of other online retailers. And if you buy it right now (go ahead, I'll wait), you can enter Liz and Lisa's HUGE ASS Giveaway to win a ton of great prizes.

While we're on the topic of Liz and Lisa's books, why don't you check out their 2009 debut novel I'll Have Who She's Having. Not only does it have a fantastic new cover, but it is only $0.99 right now! It doesn't get much better that that! I'll be reviewing this one next week, so keep an eye out here.

Thank-you to Crystal at BookSparks PR for inviting me to participate in this tour. All opinions expressed above are 100% my own.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, 2011 E-Book Challenge

Review: "Little Miss Teacher" by Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar

2011-06-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

Candace Turner, a high-school English teacher fresh out of college, isn't entirely prepared for what her first year of teaching will entail. On top of the countless papers to grade, not to mention the students who are wholly uninterested in learning, there's the fact that Candace is starting to experience grown-up life (with all of its growing pains) for herself. When she runs into an old crush, and when she experiences the affections of a fellow teacher, Candace learns that it's not that easy navigating love and life in the 21st century.

Little Miss Teacher tells the story of first-year teacher Candace as she navigates the often difficult halls of the high school that she teaches in. Her story was not short of adventures, both in and outside of school, and Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar gives us an interesting peek into the life behind a teacher's desk. Sachar balances the more serious moments with some funny and embarrassing moments. The supporting characters, Candace's roommate as well as her fellow teachers, were really interesting and I would have loved to get to know them better.

Little Miss Teacher had the potential to be really interesting to me- a first-year English teacher shares the ups and downs of being an educator while trying to figure out her personal love life- but it unfortunately fell flat for me. I felt that it could have had a tighter plot, I found that Candace often recounted information and scenes not pertinent to the overall story, and I thought that it could have used one more good edit to weed out the unnecessary scenes. Perhaps it didn't work for me personally because Candace is fresh out of college, and just starting to experience life as a grown-up for the first time, and I'm married with three small children, so I've been out of that stage of my life for a while.

Although it didn't work for me personally, this would be an interesting read for anyone interested in coming-of-age stories, or for anyone interested in reading about the experiences and adventures of a first-year teacher. Thank-you to Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours for arranging this tour.

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, 2011 E-Book Challenge

Guest Post and Giveaway: "The Wedding Writer" by Susan Schneider

2011-06-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Please join me in welcoming Susan Schneider, author of The Wedding Writer (my review) to The Book Chick today, and be sure to enter to win a copy at the end of this post.

What IS a wedding writer anyway?

Well, I was one for about ten years. On staff at a number of bridal publications in New York, I wrote dozens and dozens of wedding stories. All year round we’d collect wedding photographs from recent brides, choose the ones we liked best, and then I’d interview the bride and get all the details, from how she felt when he popped the question to how she settled on calla lilies and roses for her bouquet. I loved writing wedding stories because they were mini fairy-tales; I never had to stint on the romance! So, when I set out to write my novel, I knew I wanted a wedding writer protagonist: I imagined her as a single working girl (underpaid, of course!), spinning tales of bliss in a humble cubicle.

A wedding story has a beginning, a middle, and an end: First comes the proposal, then the wedding itself (the story’s main character!) and then the happily-ever-after ending. Lucky, the main character in my novel, lands a job in as a wedding writer in the competitive world of wedding publications, and from there sets her sights on the top editorial job. Her own happily-ever-after? She’s got a ways to go before she lands the tiara…

Work is important to Lucky, as it is to all the women in The Wedding Writer. Nowadays many of us find fulfillment in the workplace, and yet so many crave being a princess for a day. Are the two mutually exclusive? Why does the idea of having a fantasy wedding still draw us so powerfully? I’m a divorced working woman myself, but one of my earliest memories is of my cousin Ellen in a stiff taffeta wedding gown. Staring up at her, I was transported by her transformation from cousin to… princess!

The trick to being a good wedding writer is to cast a spell. The writer takes an ordinary girl (say, my cousin Ellen) and her guy and spins a web of their dreams through their own pictures and words. And for that one day reality is suspended—romance rules! Real life is back with us soon enough. So let’s hear it for the wedding writers and every woman who ever dreamed of the perfect white dress and a perfect day. As a wedding writer, I never thought it was too much to ask.

Thank-you so much for visiting today, Susan! Now, if you would like to get your hands on your very own copy of The Wedding Writer, here's how you can win one:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Post in the comments (please leave me your e-mail address or a way for me to contact you) and tell me- what's your funniest wedding memory (it could be from your own wedding, or someone else's)?

2. *Bonus Entry* Become a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect and let me know in the comments (a separate comment is not required) that you now follow. Current followers are eligible for this bonus entry as well.

3. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in some way. Post on your Facebook or blog or Tweet about it, just come back and let me know what you did!

This contest runs until June 27, 2011 and is open to US and Canadian residents only. At the conclusion of this contest I will notify the winner via e-mail, and the winner will have 48 hours to respond. Good luck!

Review: "The Wedding Writer" by Susan Schneider

2011-06-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

When you think about a book focused around the lives of four women who work for a wedding magazine you’re thinking frilly beach read, right? Wrong. Well, at least in the case of The Wedding Writer by Susan Schneider. Lucky is a young, single woman with a less-than-desirable past who is determined to claw her way to the top of the chain at Your Wedding magazine. Grace is the formidable woman who has been at the helm of Your Wedding for years, but what she doesn’t forsee is that the magazine will be looking to replace her with younger blood. Sara is one heck of a bridal fashion editor who secretly covets the seemingly perfect lives that her two sisters are leading while she slaves away at the office night after night. Felice is happily married to her artist husband, but she has problems of her own. Her teenaged son remains distant and unreachable to her despite her best efforts. These four women, incredibly different, all long for the same thing: their own happily-ever-after.

Although a little slow to start, The Wedding Writer examines the lives of these four women with surprising depth. We get to know each of the characters quite well as the story progresses and we find that although they seem to have it all together on the outside, they are all fighting their personal demons. The funny thing for me was that although I didn’t particularly like any of these women because their personalities at work were so abrasive, I did hope that each woman would be able to find some resolutions in their personal lives, leading to their own happy endings. And when those happy endings did inevitably come, I was pleased with how everything turned out, and that not everything ended up wrapped up with a tiny bow. I like my endings to leave a little to the imagination, and Schneider certainly delivered in this respect.

Filled with unique and interesting characters, and offering suprising insight into what goes on behind the pages of a wedding magazine, The Wedding Writer is sure to appeal to fans of women's fiction with substance.

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge

Review: "Faith" by Jennifer Haigh

2011-06-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

It's the spring of 2002 and the Boston papers are filled with horrifying accounts of trusted priests being accused of child molestation. Sheila McGann sees the accounts but thinks little of them, despite the fact that her own brother, Art, is the priest of a suburban parish. When her brother is accused of molesting a child that he has grown quite fond of, Sheila returns to her hometown in an effort to find out the truth behind the accusations, but she isn't expecting to uncover all of the secrets that she does in her quest for answers.

Faith examines a sensitive current issue with the sensitivity and grace that Jennifer Haigh is well known for. Child abuse, specifically by priests, is such a touchy topic and if you were to bring it up at a party, everyone would have a different opinion. I'll admit that it is an issue that I previously have not given a lot of deep thought to, giving it only a passing glance instead, but Faith truly made me think about this problem. It made me think about the children involved, the kinds of lives that priests lead and the training they require, as well as the possibility that some of these priests are being falsely accused.

After I read the last page I realized that Art's story is told from several different and interesting perspectives, most coming from within the same family. We see how the accusation affects Art's devoutly Catholic mother, his non-church-going sister, and his brother, Mike, a man with three sons. We discover how the accusation affects Art himself, and we even get a little perspective into the life of the woman who accuses Art. These widely varied opinions offer a variety of different viewpoints into this single situation. How will Art's mother react to the accusations? How will his brother, a father of boys, react differently? Who will turn against him, and who will remain loyal to the man that they know?

More than just a study of religion and the happenings in the Catholic Church right now, Faith is an observation of one very difficult situation and the various reactions that it elicits in the people who know Art the best. In that way it is an examination of human nature and that makes Faith a must-read for anyone who likes their fiction to be thought-provoking.

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

Review: "The Perfect Hero" by Victoria Connelly

2011-06-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

Kay Ashton, romantic and die-hard Jane Austen fan, is devastated when her long-time friend and substitute mother figure passes away. Kay is astonished to find out that she is to receive a sizable inheritance and decides to use the money to quit her boring job and follow her dream instead. She impulsively decides to open a Bed & Breakfast in Lyme Regis and is shocked when the cast of a new production of "Persuasion" knocks on her door, desperate for a place to stay. Kay can't believe that handsome leading man Oli Wade Owen will be staying under her roof, but when he decides to romance her, will she find out that he is the perfect hero? Or will she find out that her leading man is someone else?

I really enjoyed my foray into Jane Austen's world, if only for 368 pages. Lyme Regis, the place where Kay decides to move when she comes into a surprise inheritance, is one of the settings of the Jane Austen novel Persuasion, so it comes as no surprise that the producers of the new version of the Austen classic decide to film there. Connelly describes the area with attention to detail, and she creates fun and quirky characters that aim to entertain. One actress is a diva in the largest sense of the word, another actress is shy and nervous about her first leading role, and the director seems angry at the world, and at the leading man in particular. Add in a shy local producer with a love for Jane Austen novels and there's bound to be enough drama and romance worthy of any Jane Austen production.

Recommended for fans of both Jane Austen novels and chick lit, The Perfect Hero is the perfect read for a lazy summer day.

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

Thank-you to HarperCollins Avon for this review copy.

Review: "A Crowded Marriage" by Catherine Alliot

2011-06-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

Artist Imogen Cameron is forced to move out of her beloved London townhouse with husband Alex and son Rufus when the economy goes for a dive and leaves them with not enough money to support themselves. As if it isn't bad enough leaving her best friend and neighbor Kate behind, Imogen, Alex, and Rufus move into Alex's ex-girlfriend's guest cottage in the country. Alex has quite a friendly relationship with Eleanor, his ex, and Imogen can't help but feel that suddenly her marriage has become quite crowded. Add in the prickly local vet and her frequent unpleasant run-ins with him and Imogen can't imagine how things could get any worse. Unfortunately for her, the worst is yet to come.

Given the fact that I am such a huge fan of intelligent, witty, interesting chick lit, I can't understand how I haven't read anything by Catherine Alliot before. I absolutely adored this book. The characters were interesting and unique, the plot entertaining, and I didn't guess the plot twist before it happened. I raced through to the ending because I just couldn't wait to find out what happened. These things combined made for a pleasurable reading experience.

I especially loved the conflict in A Crowded Marriage. I really felt for our sweet and sassy main character, Imogen. I can't imagine having to leave a home that I loved to move into my husband's ex-girlfriend's guest cottage. Here she is, relocated to the middle of nowhere, while doubts about the stability of her marriage surround her. I can't imagine that it would be a very comfortable situation. Imogen and the adjustments that she has to go through are part of what made this book so compulsively readable, but the surprise twist and the ending were fantastic as well.

A Crowded Marriage may be the first book by Catherine Alliot that I have read, but it certainly won't be the last. I was thrilled to see that I had another of her books in my TBR pile and I will be devouring that one, along with any other ones that I can get my hands on, through the summer. A must-read for fans of chick lit.

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

Review: The Goodbye Quilt” by Susan Wiggs

2011-05-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

Linda Davis’s only child, Molly, has earned a full scholarship to the college of her choice, located across the country. Linda and Molly decide to drive there just the two of them, leaving Dan, Linda’s husband, and the elderly dog behind. An avid quilter with a love for the local fabric shop, Linda decides to finish the quilt that she is making for her daughter’s dorm room during the long journey. As Linda stitches together pieces from the past along with words of encouragement for her daughter, she reflects on her journey through motherhood and wonders who she will be as a person now that motherhood will not be her primary focus.

The Goodbye Quilt is a quiet, reflective story. Linda says goodbye to her daughter as they travel through the country and she come to realize that her identity has been so wrapped up in being a mother that she has no idea who she is as a person. Molly has been her everything for so long that she can’t imagine how she will now fill her vacant hours. The Goodbye Quilt is also a reflection of how quickly time passes you by. One moment you have a squalling newborn in your arms, and the next moment your little girl is eighteen and headed off to college on her own.

The Goodbye Quilt is a must-read for anyone who is facing the reality of sending their children off to college for the first time, or for anyone who has already been though the process of saying goodbye to their child’s final moments of childhood.

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

Review: "The First Husband" by Laura Dave

2011-05-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Annie Adams is quite content with the way that her life is going. A travel columnist who gets to visit interesting places on a regular basis, with a steady live-in boyfriend, Nick, in Los Angeles, she can’t imagine needing anything more. However when Nick comes home from a meeting with his therapist and he announces that he is going to take a break from their relationship so that he can pursue a relationship with someone from his past, Annie is floored. Shaken, she visits her regular neighbourhood bar in search of solace and finds Griffin instead, a handsome, comforting chef. After a whirlwind courtship Annie finds herself married and living in rural Massachusetts with her new husband where she knows almost no one and is not exactly welcomed.

The First Husband is a reflection of love and the places that it takes us. Annie didn’t realize how stagnant her relationship with boyfriend Nick had become until the rug was yanked out from under her feet, and he announces that he is taking a break from them. His dismissal forces Annie to re-evaluate her life and the choices that she has made, and she sees that perhaps her choices were not contributing to her overall happiness. She makes this extreme leap, from a creature of habit to someone entirely unpredictable, and she marries Griffin and moves with him to his hometown in Massachusetts so that he can pursue his lifelong dream of owning his own restaurant. Annie discovers that perhaps her move was a little too hasty, and finds herself struggling to find some balance between her old life and her new one.

I couldn’t help but root for the sweet yet strong-willed Annie as she struggles to find a place in her new marriage and in her new life. Laura Dave has written a poignant story about love and the choices that we make in our pursuit of happiness, and the ending will leave you smiling. The First Husband is the perfect selection to slip into your beach bag this summer, especially if you are looking for a book that explores the many sides of love.

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

Review: "Secret Daughter" by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

2011-05-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Somer, an American doctor, has it all- a loving husband, a rewarding career. The only thing that she doesn't have, and the thing which she can never have, is a baby. Somer decides to adopt a child at the same time that Kavita, an impovershed Indian woman living in small village, decides to do whatever it takes to save her baby girl in a culture that favours sons.

Somer adopts and raises Kavita's daughter in America, but as Asha grows and asks questions, Somer does whatever she can to hold tight to her. Asha's curiosity becomes too much for her and she seeks out the answers to the questions that surround her birth to a woman who has never forgotten about her.

It's no wonder that Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda has topped so many bestseller lists since it first came out. It is a story about family and the various ways that we can create a family. It is a story about cultural identity and the ways in which we relate to those around us. It is a story about love and how it can find ways to conquer all. These themes run throughout the book and provide the reader a lot of food for thought.

The characters were all richly drawn, even though I didn't like them all. Asha, the "secret daughter" was unlikable at times. In her quest to find her identity she seems to push her adoptive mother away, despite the fact that Somer is the one that has loved and provided for her since she was an infant. Then again, Somer was not completely innocent either. Instead of giving her daughter the space that she needed to discover her Indian culture and find out more about her orgins, Somer seems to hold tighter to Asha, which in turn suffocates her. The characters really came to life for me, and their faults made them all the more realistic.

Secret Daughter spans the globe, travelling between India and America, and I appreciated travelling through the author's eyes. I especially enjoyed the scenes set in Mumbai as they gave me a glimpse into a fascinating culture.

Well-written and interesting, Secret Daughter will certainly leave readers with a lot to think about after the last page is turned and would make an excellent book club choice.

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

Review: "Already Home" by Susan Mallery

2011-05-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

In the midst of divorce, and after ten years of living in her husband's shadow, Jenna Stevens decides to return home to open her own cooking store. Despite the fact that she has spent the better part of the last decade behind the scenes in a kitchen rather than working retail, she signs a lease and begins preparing to open her store.

Jenna doesn't know anything about retail, though, and her store seems doomed from the beginning. With the help of a spunky assistant and Jenna's adoptive mother, Jenna undergoes a crash course in business management and the store begins to thrive. However Jenna isn't counting on the fact that her hippie birth parents will walk through the door and change her life forever. She also isn't prepared for the fact that her ex-husband will return to her armed with an outrageous request.

Already Home is a beautiful story about families and the boundaries that define them. When we meet Jenna she is determined to put her disastrous marriage behind her and begin living her own life. She has returned home to the place that she grew up, and her relationship with her adoptive parents is stable and loving. Jenna believes that she has all that she needs to begin healing. She isn't banking on the fact that her definition of "family" will need to expand when her birth parents, whom she has no desire to meet, walk in the door of her newly opened store and begin to pressure her to build a relationship with them. Beth, Jenna's adoptive mother, is not threatened by the presence of Serenity, Jenna's birth mother at first, but as time wears on and a new relationship forms Beth begins to feel that her relationship with her daughter is being challenged.

I appreciated the fact that Already Home brought a different perspective to adoption. Many adoption stories are focused on the child desiring a relationship with their birth parents, but in this case Jenna had no desire to meet the people that gave birth to her. This added a fresh dimension to the story, and one that I found incredibly intriguing.

Filled with interesting characters and complex family relationships, Already Home is a touching story about one woman and her quest to find her place in her family and in the world.

4 stars out of 5

Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge

Review: "Skinny" by Diana Spechler

2011-05-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

One of the first things that attracted me to Skinny by Diana Spechler was that it was told from the point of view of a character with major weight loss issues. I've struggled with my weight my whole life and I can always appreciate a character who understands the ongoing battle. However Skinny was about so much more than a person with weight issues. Gray Lachmann is 26 and dealing with the aftermath of her father's death. Not on the best of terms with him when he died, Gray feels a lot of guilt and responsibility for how things ended between them. Her relationship with her comedian boyfriend, Mikey, has suffered as a result of all of her issues, and Gray has turned to food to fill the void that she feels.

When Gray is read her father's will she begins to unravel a mystery which includes a teenage half-sister, Eden, who she wasn't previously aware of. When Gray finds out that Eden will be attending fat camp in the summer, Gray manages to wrangle a position as a counselor at the same camp. Gray hopes to get to know her sister, lose weight, and take control of her life again, but she's not expecting the fact that her co-counselor will be filled with venom or that Eden will take virtually no interest in her at all. She also isn't expecting to meet Bennett, the personal trainer who consumes her thoughts during her eight weeks at fat camp.

Skinny was so much more than I anticipated. Gray is a darker character than I was expecting, yet she was so richly portrayed that I couldn't help but feel something for her. She is so confused, so heartbroken, so laden with guilt. Food is her solace and her friend, but at the same time food is her mortal enemy. Gray's unhealthy obsession with food only masks the pain that she is feeling inside. She has so many conflicting feelings battling to get out and her inability to deal with these emotions only worsens as the summer carries on.

Ultimately what I took from Skinny was a better understanding of how one's unhealthy relationship with food can be an outward indication of one's internal hidden pain. It gave me a better understanding of the people who soothe with food, of those so unable to deal with their emotions that they will do anything to mask them.

Compelling and often shocking in its honesty, Skinny is one of those books that has the power to change how people think about others. It may make you think twice before you judge the next person who walks down the street solely on how they look; a thought-provoking novel with lots of unexpected twists.

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

Review: "Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later" by Francine Pascal

2011-05-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

I grew up with the Sweet Valley twins. I devoured their books as soon as they made their way into my library. I learned a lot about growing up from them. I have very fond memories of Jessica and Elizabeth, Bruce, Lila, and Todd. I remember being shocked when Regina died from a drug overdose. I was amused by Jessica's antics and I definitely related to Elizabeth. When Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later came out I knew that I would have to read it to see how things panned out in life for the twins.

When the story begins we find out that Jessica has done something to Elizabeth that has sent Elizabeth running to New York. Jessica remains in California while Elizabeth is writing for a small magazine many miles away. The rift between them is huge, and it's quite possible that Elizabeth will not be able to forgive Jessica. When their grandmother turns 80, Elizabeth must decide if she wants to return to California and confront Jessica or if she will forgo the family party and be unable to forgive.

Quite honestly I had a few major problems with this book. My biggest problem was with the overuse of the word "like", especially during the flashbacks. Jessica, and at times Elizabeth, still talked the same way that she did back in high school. It was very annoying, and I'm sure that the author would have been able to portray the twins just as well without resorting to that. I found that endearing when I was reading the books as a tween, but I was expecting a grown-up version of the twins in this modern-day update. My other problem with the book was how quickly and neatly things wrapped up in the end. It was like the author had a certain number of pages to fill, and she raced towards a conclusion so that it fit within certain parameters. I felt like crucial scenes were omitted, and I found that disappointing.

That being said, I'm still glad that I read this book. It was fun catching up with the twins and their friends and seeing where they are now and what they're doing with their lives. I thought that Francine Pascal offered a lot of plausible and interesting updates on everyone. I also thought that the plot, the betrayal, was interesting and it certainly held my attention. Overall, though, I'll just hold on to my fond memories of the twins when they were younger.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, 2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge

Review: "The Violets of March" by Sarah Jio

2011-04-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

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?

Review: "The Liberation of Alice Love" by Abby McDonald

2011-03-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Alice Love lives a safe yet comfortable existence, so it is an incredible shock when she finds out that her bank account has been emptied and her identity stolen. Unhappy with the measures that the police are taking to find the thief, she hires a handsome private investigator to help her get some answers. However, as Alice uncovers more details about the identity thief, and finds out that the thief knew her better than she thought, Alice begins to wonder if she should be living a different kind of life. As Alice emerges from the safe cocoon that she has spent years building around herself, will she be bold and take new chances, or will she revert back to how she lived her life before?

The Liberation of Alice Love reminded me, in a good way, of an old Friends episode (remember when Monica's identity is stolen and in her attempts to track down the thief she tries a bunch of new things?). Alice is living a safe, but boring, existence and when her identity is stolen she ends up coming out of her bubble to try a whole wealth of new things, things that she would have previously been too scared or embarrassed to try.

What was most shocking about the plot was when the identity of the thief is revealed and the reader finds out that the thief was closer to Alice than Alice had initially imagined. Also interesting were the ways in which the thief chose to spend Alice's hard-earned money.

I really enjoyed this book- the plot felt fresh, it was hard not to like all of the vibrant characters, the writing was engaging, and the romance was smokin'. I highly recommend this to fans of women's fiction, especially to those who enjoy their books with a British setting. Thanks to Sourcebooks for this review copy.

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

Review: "A Girl Like You" by Gemma Burgess

2011-03-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

Abigail has been with her boyfriend since, well, forever, so when the two of them split up Abigail has absolutely no idea how to date. The prospect of dating excites her, as she hasn't had the opportunity to do it yet in her adult life, but the fear of doing or saying the wrong thing scares her. She enlists the aid of her roommate Robert, who seems to have a different date every night and appears to be quite successful at what he's doing, given the number of women who end up in their apartment the following morning. When Abigail opens herself up enough to become involved with a new man is she setting herself up for success or for disaster? Is her knight in shining armour out there somewhere?

I have to start by saying that I adore chick lit, but that I really adore British chick lit. There is just something about those cheeky Brits! Combine the fact that A Girl Like You is Brit chick lit with a purple cover to boot, and let's just say that I was sold before I even opened the book. Luckily the inside was even better than the outside. I loved that our main character, Abigail, was looking for love but wasn't looking to become a doormat. She definitely had her standards and settling certainly wasn't one of them. I get annoyed when the heroines in chick lit seem eager to change themselves in order to get or keep a man because in reality, we shouldn't have to compromise. We shouldn't settle until we find a man who loves us for who we are, warts and all. If you love a heroine who isn't afraid to say what she's thinking, you'll love Abigail.

The other thing that I loved about this book was the romantic tension between two of the characters. No, I'm not telling you who they are, and yes, you'll be able to figure it out for yourself when you read it. There were sweet moments, laugh- out- loud situations, and an ending that left me all warm and fuzzy (the best kind!). Plum, the best friend who is single and shamelessly looking for a man, was a fun addition to the plot with her larger-than-life personality.

A Girl Like You was the first book that I've read by Gemma Burgess, but it won't be my last. I'm excited to pick up a copy of her debut novel, The Dating Detox, because I enjoyed this one so much. My thanks to HarperCollins Avon for sending me a review copy of this book.

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

Mailbox Monday

2011-03-14T04:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Mailbox Monday! Each week we share which books we got in the mail the previous week, and anyone is welcome to join in. This month our host is I'm Booking It, but be warned: Mailbox Monday can lead to overflowing TBR piles and out-of-control wish lists!

There was only one book in my mailbox last week, but it's a good one. I'm quite excited to read it! I have to admit that I'm in a bit of a blogging slump at the moment, which I know happens to everyone from time to time, but I hope that I snap out of it soon! I've been reading piles of books, but actually sitting down and writing the reviews seems to take more time than I have. It just seems like there are so many other things taking up my time: I've started a new workout program, my kids are young and busy, and my general household duties always seem to need attention. I have confidence that this is just a phase, though, and since the kids and I are off for March Break this week hopefully I'll be able to start reviewing again.

The book that I received last week was:

The Boyfriend of the Month Club by Maria Geraci. It came along with a really cool fridge magnet and some other swag. I love author swag!!!!

That's it for me for last week- what was in your mailbox??

Blogoversary Giveaway Winner

2011-03-14T04:18:00.000-07:00

A huge thank-you to all who entered my blogoversary giveaway, and a big thank-you to all who spread the word! There were a record number of entries, 171, and the winner is:

Anne! (GFC: Anne38)

Anne, I've e-mailed you with instructions on how to claim your prize, but if you don't see it in your inbox you can e-mail me your book choice and mailing address to jonitathebookchick(at)gmail(dot)com. Given the success of this giveaway and how much fun I had hosting it, you can bet that I will be hosting something similar in the future!

Review & Giveaway: "One Bird's Choice" by Iain Reid

2011-03-10T03:00:00.000-08:00

Iain Reid left home at the age of 19 when he left for University, and he had no plans to return except for visits. However he finds himself underemployed in his late twenties and he moves from his apartment in Toronto back home to the family farm. He plans to stay only for a couple of months while he reviews books on a CBC radio station, but finds himself there for an entire year. One Bird's Choice is the story of the year that he spent living at home as an adult. He details his unsatisfying employment, his adventures on his parent's farm, and the bond that he forms with his elderly mom and dad while he lives under their roof for the second time around.

It was surprising how much I enjoyed this book considering the subject matter. Let's be honest- One Bird's Choice isn't about daring revelations, a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, or a pre-planned personal journey. Rather it is about the fact that life sometimes leads us to surprising places, and it's a book about the quiet pace of farm life. It's about the pleasure of a cold beer on a hot day and about rediscovering your parents when you are no longer a child. It's a book about a bird named Lucius who acts more like an adopted child then a pet. It's a quiet book, yet I felt as if I was there, on that farm in Ottawa. I loved Iain parent's- they were non-judgmental and loving towards Iain, but they were also not afraid to ask him to lend a hand.

I particularly enjoyed all of the Canadian aspects of the book. Iain mentions places like Toronto, Kingston, and of course, Ottawa, which are all places that I have had the pleasure of visiting. When he writes about rural Canada and its quirks I couldn't help but relate- I don't live in Ottawa but I do live in a rural part of Ontario and there are not that many differences between the two. Iain Reid incorporates this unique Canadian flare into most of this book.

If you're looking for a memoir filled with quiet reflections on life and its various twists and turns, or if you're looking for a book filled with observations of the things that make the everyday so great, then this book is for you. Iain Reid shows us that you can, indeed, go home again.

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

Thanks to the publicist I have one copy of One Bird's Choice by Iain Reid to give away. To enter:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Have you ever lived at home as an adult? Answer this question in the comments, or just tell me that you're interested in winning this book. Please leave me an e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win. No e-mail= no entry.

2. *Bonus Entry* Follow this blog through GFC and let me know in the comments that you follow. New and old followers are both eligible for this bonus entry.

3. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in some way- Facebook it, Tweet about it, blog about it or add it to your sidebar. It doesn't matter what you choose to do but come back and leave a link to what you did!

This contest runs until March 18, 2011 at midnight EST and residents of both the US and Canada are eligible to enter. The winner will be contacted by e-mail. Good luck!

And the winner is...

2011-03-09T17:33:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the winner of a copy of Haunting Jasmine by Anjali Banerjee:

shanaelyse!

shanaelyse, check your e-mail for an e-mail from me. Thank-you to everyone who entered- I really enjoyed reading about the books that you`ve read that seemed to come along at the right time, and I`ve added a few of those to my wish list!

It`s not too late to enter my blogoversary giveaway! It ends on March 11, 2011 at midnight EST and is open to anywhere that The Book Depository ships to!

Review: "Walking With Elephants" by Karen S. Bell

2011-03-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

Suze Hall is trying to juggle it all. She's a wife, a mother to three growing children, and she works full-time for a boss who hates her. In her "spare time" she's a chauffer to her kids, a shoulder to cry on, a cook, and a housekeeper. When her husband announces that he is going to Australia for the six months of his sabbatical leave everything starts to fall apart for her. Suddenly she's expected to do everything at home completely on her own, not to mention the fact that her boss truly has it in for her at work. When Suze coincidentally runs into a significant boyfriend from her past she starts to re-evaluate her choices in life and where they have taken her.

I enjoyed Walking With Elephants. Suze's voice felt authentic, although at times I found her internal dialogue a little distracting. The variety of characters were interesting and colourful and good for a few laughs as well.

What I enjoyed the most about this book was the interesting points that it brought up about women and their place in the world. As a working mother myself I could relate to how Suze viewed her world at times. The equality of the sexes still seems so unbalanced. So many women are expected to keep the house, raise the children, and bring in a necessary second income. If we work too hard we feel like we're neglecting our children, and if we dote on our children too much we feel like our jobs are being neglected. "Equality" still seems out of reach as we find ourselves overwhelmed with the amount of tasks that we are expected to undertake in our everyday lives, yet underwhelmed by the amount of help that we are offered along the way. Women who put their children in daycare are "leaving them to be raised by strangers", and women who choose to stay at home with their kids "aren't bringing anything monetary to their marriages". It just seems like such a collection of contradictions and Karen Bell examines these issues and more in Walking With Elephants.

I really loved this quote, which is found on page 68:

Enjoy everything, my children! Enjoy everything that you do and make vivid memories because life is a racehorse galloping in the wind and we can barely hold on for the ride.

I recommend Walking With Elephants to anyone interested in reflecting on the issues surrounding the modern-day women within a fictional novel.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge

Mailbox Monday

2011-03-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the place where we share what made it into our mailboxes the previous week. Anyone is welcome to participate, and this month our host is I'm Booking It, but be warned: Mailbox Monday can lead to towering TBR piles and out-of-control wish lists!!

Last week I didn't participate because my children were all under the weather, so this post covers the books that I got in the past two weeks. Unfortunately my husband and I have both succumbed to whatever it is that they have and now we're sick. I'm all drugged up on OTC cold medication, so hopefully I should be able to resume blogging this week.

Several books have made their way into my house in the past two weeks. My sole arrival last week was a copy of Family Meeting by Miles DeMott.

This week I received a copy of Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan. This one has been receiving a lot of buzz and I'm excited to get to it.

I also received a copy of Here, Home, Hope, author Kaira Rouda's debut novel. I just love the cover of this one, so peaceful!

I also received an eCopy of The Scent of Jade by Dee DeTarsio for review at a later time.

That's it for my mailbox and inbox last week- what was in yours?

Review and Book Tour: "Moonface" by Angela Balcita

2011-02-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

Angela Balcita found out as a College student that she had kidney disease- her kidneys were failing rapidly and if she wanted to avoid dialysis she would have to add her name to the list of people waiting for donor kidneys. Her brother offered to give Angela one of his and she was able to use it successfully for about ten years.

When she is a little older, and still in possession of her brother's kidney, she meets Charlie. Charlie is wacky, colourful, and funny and Angela and Charlie fall in love. It amazes her that Charlie is willing to give up the normalcy of parts of his life to care for her, and her ever-present kidney problems, but it amazes her even more when he offers to donate his kidney to her when her brother's kidney begins to fail.

Moonface is their story- the story of their unconventional relationship, Angela's kidney problems, the transplant, and their quest to create a family. It is a story of love and friendship, and the power of family above all else.

For the most part I really enjoyed this story. It was quirky, which I believe is a testament to Angela and Charlie's life together. It tells the story of an extended family that, though not without its faults, loves deeply and honestly. Angela is also very honest while telling her story, whether the truth is uncomfortable or not. That added some credibility to the whole book for me: it wasn't the story of rainbows and puppies, but it was a story about the harsh reality of kindey disease and the transplant process.

*Spoiler Alert*

I think that Moonface would make a fantastic book club book because there is so much controversy within the pages. The story was the most interesting for me towards the end when Angela and Charlie decide to try to have a baby (naturally) rather than adopting or using a surrogate. Pregnancy puts both Angela and their unborn baby's health at risk, and while it would be easy for an outsider to say that Angela and Charlie were being selfish in getting pregnant, I would beg to differ. Having had high-risk pregnancies myself (although all were fine, just required additional monitoring) I can't imagine someone saying that I should not have been able to had my children because it put my health at risk. I think that a woman, and a couple, have every right to decide what risks they are willing to take to become parents, provided that they are able to provide that child with the care that it needs. Who am I to say who can and who cannot have a child? It's not my choice, therefore it's not for me to say. I'm sure that there are a lot of people who would disagree with me on this one, which is why I think it would make for a lively discussion.

Aside from the fact that it took me a few pages to really get into this one, I found Moonface to be an interesting and engaging read, and I would recommend it to any memoir fan who's looking for an unconventional story about love and family.

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

Review and Giveaway: "Haunting Jasmine" by Anjali Banerjee

2011-02-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

Newly divorced, with a cheating ex-husband to boot, Jasmine Mistry is struggling to let go of her relationship and start fresh. When her Auntie writes and asks Jasmine to take over running her bookstore, Auntie's Bookstore, located on Shelter Island so that Auntie can go home to India and "heal her heart", Jasmine readily agrees, even though she has a big presentation due at work as soon as she gets back and she needs to stay on top of her work in order to start over financially.

Jasmine bustles into the bookstore ready to clean the place up and attract some new customers, but what she's not counting on is the fact that Auntie's Bookstore already has a personality all its own. Guided along by the spirits of long-dead authors, Jasmine begins to understand what books and the bookstore means to those who come in to browse and she takes steps towards tentatively falling in love again and maybe even letting go of her past.

Haunting Jasmine was even more of an enjoyable read than I was expecting. I'll admit that I was initially wary of the fact that there would be spirits involved- it's not often that a book involving the mystical appeals to me, but in this book it just worked. The spirits of the long-dead authors were simply charming and a welcome addition to the plot. Of course I loved the fact that books played such a central part in the story. It always breaks my heart a little when someone tells me that reading is a waste of their time. Haunting Jasmine portrayed books as I feel about them- that they are there when you need them, always ready to lend a hand, and that there is a book out there for every person and every unique situation.

This was a quick read for me, and a very enjoyable one at that. I recommend it to anyone who loves women's fiction and books with a little bit of the mystical thrown in there.

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

Thanks to Erin at Penguin I have one copy of Haunting Jasmine to give away. To enter:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Answer this in the comments: Have you ever read a book that you felt you were meant to read? If so, what was it? Please leave me an e-mail or a way to contact you if you win. No e-mail= no entry.

2. *Bonus Entry* Become a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect and leave me a separate comment to let me know that you now follow. Already a follower? Just leave me a comment and let me know that you already follow to be eligible for the extra entry.

3. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in some way. Blog about it, add it to your sidebar, Facebook it or Tweet it. Just leave me a comment to let me know what you did.

This contest is open to US and Canadian residents only and runs until March 8, 2011. The winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address. Good luck!

Review: "Skipping a Beat" by Sarah Pekkanen

2011-02-21T05:02:00.000-08:00

Julia Dunhill has everything that she's ever wanted- on the surface, at least. Married to her high-school sweetheart, Michael, owner of her own successful business and living in a gorgeous home in Washington, D.C., she seems set for life. The fact that her own husband feels like a stranger and her marriage has been falling apart for some time now seems like a small price to pay in exchange for the financial security that she now has, in sharp contrast to the lack of financial security that she experienced as a child.

When her husband stands up from the head of the table in his company's boardroom and promptly collapses onto the floor, little does Julia know that her whole world is about to change. Michael's heart stops beating for 4 minutes and 8 seconds and when he wakes up he seems to have undergone a complete personality transformation. He seems determined to give away all of the money that he has accumulated and he seems equally determined to make his wife fall in love with him all over again. Will Julia be willing to go along with her husband's crazy plans in order to rediscover their marriage, or will it be too much for her and will she choose to walk away?

Skipping a Beat is a thought-provoking look at both marriage and being wealthy. I was captivated from the beginning, and I have to say that I enjoyed it even more than Pekkanen's debut novel The Opposite of Me, which I also loved. What I liked so much about this book is that is raised some interesting questions which I really took the time to think about. Julia, in the story, has never been wealthy. In fact we find out that she was the opposite of wealthy and that an addiction of her father's kept her from having any kind of financial security as a child. She marries her high school sweetheart and they are both astonished when Michael's company hits the big time. Suddenly they are wealthy beyond their wildest imaginings, and don't have to want for anything. The big question raised in Skipping a Beat is this: Does money truly equal happiness? From the perspective of an outsider Julia would appear to have nothing to be unhappy about, yet when we take a closer look at Julia's life we see that there are important things in her life that she has given up in order to achieve wealth and that she is no happier than she was when she didn't have money. Her own husband often feels like a stranger to her, her old friends have abandonded her and she is surrounded by people who are superficial. Does having money make Julia truly happy? No. It raises the question, then, that if any one of us random people suddenly accumulated large quantities of money, would it make us happy? Or would we have to sacrifice pieces of our happiness in exchange for great wealth?

Sarah Pekkanen has written an engaging, interesting novel- one that I thoroughly enjoyed and would not hesitate to recommend. She has created characters that seem to leap off the page, has raised thought-provoking questions, and she writes beautifully. She wraps everything up with a surprise ending that I certainly didn't see coming. Skipping a Beat comes out tomorrow (Feburary 22, 2011) and I urge you to go out and pick up a copy for yourself.

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

Mailbox Monday

2011-02-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Mailbox Monday! Each week we share which books we got in the mail the previous week, but be warned: Mailbox Monday can lead to towering TBR piles and out-of-control wish lists. Mailbox Monday is on tour and this month our host is Library of Clean Reads. Thanks Laura!

Last week brought one new print book into my home and two new eBooks. It was a slightly quieter book week than last week, which is giving me the chance to catch up on my own towering TBR pile!

My print book arrival came courtesy of Sourcebooks. The Queen of New Beginnings by Erica James looks like one that I won't be able to put down once I pick it up! (Note: The cover of my ARC is different than this one, but I was unable to find the same one as my cover online).

Fourteen Days Later by Sibel Hodge came courtesy of the author for future review. It has gotten some great reviews on Goodreads and I'm excited to read it.

Spinning by Michael Baron also arrived in my inbox for future review. I've enjoyed Michael Baron's novels in the past and am looking forward to this one as well.

That's it for my mailbox! What was in yours??

Happy 3rd Blogoversary to Me & Giveaway!

2011-02-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe, but today marks my third blogging anniversary! I started blogging because I adore books and I don't have a lot of people in my day-to-day life who enjoy books as much as I do. I wanted to write about what I was reading, and be able to participate in discussions with other like-minded readers. Wow! How things have changed in three short years! Now I work with some fantastic publishers, publicists, and authors, and I have made a ton of blogging friends along the way! One thing that hasn't changed? I still love discussing books with like-minded individuals. Thank-you to everyone who stops by and leaves a comment from time to time- I love hearing what you think and I've enjoyed exploring your blogs as well.

My favourite contests to enter are when I get to enter to win a book of my choice, because there is always something on my wish list, so what better way to celebrate blogging about books for three years than to give away a book of your choice?

To enter:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Leave me a comment to let me know that you would like to win. If you wish, let me know what book you would pick if you won (you can always change your mind, though!). Please leave me an e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win. No way to contact you= no entry!

2. *Bonus Entry* If you are a follower of this blog through GFC let me know in a separate comment and I will give you a bonus entry. New GFC followers are eligible for this bonus entry as well!

3. *Bonus Entry* If you choose to spread the word about this contest by posting in your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, or on your blog's sidebar please come back and leave me a comment to let me know what you did and I will give you a bonus entry (one bonus entry max for this option).

The rules:

1. This contest is open to anyone anywhere that The Book Depository ships to. Please make sure that they ship to your country before you enter.

2. If you are chosen as the winner the book that you choose must be $25 USD or less.

3. This contest runs until March 11, 2011 at midnight. A winner will be chosen after that time and will receive notification by e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail.

That's it! Have fun and good luck!

Review: "The Love Market" by Carol Mason

2011-02-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

Celine is a professional matchmaker who can't seem to get her own love life together. She was married, although not entirely happily, to Mike when she thinks that she sees Patrick, the one that got away, in London. Celine thinks that it is impossible that the man that she sees actually is Patrick- he's from Canada and is also a reporter who reports on major news around the world. Several years later Celine and Mike are divorcing. It's amicable on the surface but hurt lingers beneath the surface. When Celine receives a mysteriously blank e-mail from Patrick a chain of events begins that even Celine can't predict the outcome of.

Why haven't I heard of Carol Mason before? She writes beautifully, and even though I can usually predict the outcome of most of the books that I read, I couldn't predict this one. I would think that one thing was going to happen and then something else happened that changed things entirely. The Love Market was a very enjoyable read for me.

Celine was an entirely likable character and I appreciated that she was not without her flaws. She seemed to not know what she wanted out of life and out of love, which was understandable since she was freshly divorced. The fact that she seemed so vulnerable allowed some very real emotions to be conveyed through the story. I also enjoyed the stories involving her clients that were woven throughout. They brought something extra to the overall story.

Mason writes beautifully. Her words flow through the pages making The Love Market a thoughtful read, and one that I really enjoyed.

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

Mailbox Monday

2011-02-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Mailbox Monday! Each week we share which books came in the mail the previous week, but be warned: Mailbox Monday can lead to towering TBR piles and out-of-control wish lists! Mailbox Monday is on tour and this month our host is Laura of Library of Clean Reads.

My mailbox was a busy one last week, and I certainly won't complain!

First to arrive were two books that were a contest win from Julie at Knitting and Sundries. Julie was kind enough to send sneak an additional book from my wishlist in there so the package from her contained The Transformation of Things by Jillian Cantor and The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. Thanks Julie!

Next to arrive was a package from HarperCollins UK which also contained two books (both for upcoming review). The books were Mum on the Run by Fiona Gibson and A Surprise Party by Sue Welfare. I just love the whimsical UK covers!

Ariella Papa, a new addition to The Girlfriends Book Club, sent me an eCopy of her book Momfriends for future review.

HarperCollins Canada sent me a copy of Homecoming by Cathy Kelly, which comes out in Canada soon.

Finally, St. Martin's Griffin sent me a copy of The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers.

I'm so excited about all of the new books that I have to read! What was in your mailbox last week?

Winner of the $55 CSN Stores Gift Certificate!

2011-02-12T14:37:00.000-08:00

My giveaway for the $55 gift certificate to CSNstores.com has ended and the randomly selected winner is:

Bri from Bri and a Boy!

Thank-you to everyone who took the time to enter, and I hope to host even more contests like this in the future! Bri, I have sent you an e-mail which contains your gift certificate code.

Review: "The Hating Game" by Talli Roland

2011-02-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

Mattie Johns prides herself on the fact that she doesn't need a man to survive. She has a strict love- 'em- and- leave- 'em personal philosophy that has worked quite well for her in the past. However when her business starts crumbling because an ex-boyfriend has stolen most of her clients and the bills start piling up, Mattie signs up to be on a dating show where she just has to stick it out for two weeks in order to become the winner of 200,000 GBP. What Mattie doesn't count on is the fact that the person behind the dating show has absolutely no qualms about destroying her in order to create good TV. Or that there is a twist behind the show that brings Mattie face-to-face with four of her exes, including "the one that got away". Will Mattie leave with the prize money in hand, or will she come out with something far more valuable?

This is Talli Roland's first book and I certainly hope that we'll be seeing more from her in the future. Roland has created realistic characters that I couldn't help but root for. Mattie was tough-as-nails on the outside, but as the reader gets to know her better we are able to see the vulnerabilities that lay just beneath her surface. The supporting characters were also endearing, especially Kyle (the one that got away) and Nate (the Executive Producer of the reality show with a concience). The plot was fast-paced and entertaining and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.

My only complaint, and it is a small one, is that the ending felt a bit abrupt. It ended exactly the way that I hoped that it would, but I would have liked it to be a slightly longer conclusion. However, I would like to see the main characters in The Hating Game return in another book (sequel anyone?).

I can readily recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced and fun read with relatable characters and an interesting plot. Talli Roland is a welcome addition to the chick lit genre! My thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, 2011 E-Book Challenge

Review: "Born Under a Lucky Moon: A Novel" by Dana Precious

2011-02-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

Jeannie Thompson is one-seventh of the colourful Thompson family. Disaster seems to follow them, as well as anyone who is lucky enough to marry into the family. Jeannie's all grown up now, living far away from her childhood home in Michigan, and she's working at a fast-paced and demanding job. She's content with the way that her life is, and she would be happy to keep things exactly as they are with her boyfriend, Aidan. When Aidan proposes, Jeannie finds herself unable to say yes. She feels that Aidan just doesn't know what he would be getting himself into if he married into her crazy family. Jeannie starts telling him about one of the times in her childhood when things were all upside down, but will he stick around long enough to hear the end of her story?

Born Under a Lucky Moon tells us about two very different periods of time in Jeannie's life: present day, where she is a successful advertising executive for a film studio, and twenty years prior when she was a teenager living in Michigan. Through the stories we get to know Jeannie and the entire crazy Thompson clan. I had a bit of a hard time relating to Jeannie. I could see that she had been hurt by a man in regards to her family in the past (and indeed we meet and get to know this man in the story), but there were times when I just wanted to take her aside and slap some sense into her! She's terrified to introduce her sweet, patient boyfriend Aidan to her family because she's afraid that he will hate her family like her previous husband did, and she refuses to accept his marriage proposal until he hears everything about them, yet the reader can clearly see that something like that wouldn't bother Aidan. In fact, it would probably endear her to him even more! I really loved that my feelings were conflicted about our main character- it made her story both interesting and colourful!

The supporting characters were wonderful as well. Aidan, Jeannie's three very different sisters, her brother, and her long-suffering mom and dad were portrayed in a way that made me want to invite myself over for family dinner! They all had very distinct personalities and voices that jumped off of the page.

Born Under a Lucky Moon is chock-full of humour. I especially loved the grandmother character- she really said what she meant, no filter required. The whole family was always up to something crazy or embarrassing and that made for some great laugh-out-loud moments.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Born Under a Lucky Moon to anyone looking for a fictional story about families, and why we love them even if they are always getting themselves into sticky situations. There are a lot of funny moments, a few sad ones, and an ending that I couldn't have imagined better myself.

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

Review: "There's Cake in My Future" by Kim Gruenenfelder

2011-02-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

Superstitious bride-to-be Nicole (Nic) decides to rig the cake pull at her bridal shower in order to give her friends' futures a boost in the right direction. She rigs it that her friend Melissa (Mel) will get the engagement ring charm so that her unable-to-commit boyfriend Fred will finally pop the question. For Seema, Nic chooses the hot chili pepper charm so that she will engage in a red-hot love affair. For herself, Nic chooses the shovel charm in the hopes that she will find a new job as she's been laid off from her old one which she loved. When the cake is positioned incorrectly all three women, as well as the other women at the bridal shower, receive the wrong charms. Seema gets the shovel, Mel gets the chili pepper, and Nic gets the *gasp* baby carriage charm. Even though Seema and Mel think that the idea of a cake pull and charms is silly, even they can't ignore when the other women that were at the shower start having their cake pull fortunes come true. Suddenly everything has changed for the three friends and they can do nothing about it but hold on for the ride.

I started There's Cake in My Future this week when I was looking for something light and fun to read. My younger son went in for (minor) surgery this morning and I knew that I wouldn't want to be reading anything too heavy while we got ready for that. Cake.... fit the bill perfectly and was a humorous, engaging read. It tells the stories of three of the women, Nic, Seema, and Mel. Nic is busy dealing with her new role of full-time step-parent as well as her lack of paying employment, Mel is coming to terms with the fact that her boyfriend Fred is not who he appears to be, and Seema has an all-out crush on her best male friend. Each chapter is a part of the story from the point of the view of one of the women, and I love that despite the fact that the women were all around the same age, they all had very different stories to tell, and they meshed beautifully.

I appreciated all three of the characters and their personal dilemmas, but I especially related to Nic's story. Recently married, she essentially has her two new step-daughters dumped into her care full-time when their mom accepts a job out-of-state. It's clear that Nic loves the girls and is happy to be their "bonus mom", but she's also having trouble dealing with the instant parenthood aspect of her new marriage. As a mom to three I can agree that parenting is rarely easy and I appreciated her candid reflection of that. Seema's story was my next favourite. She has a huge crush on her best male friend, Scott, and isn't quite sure what to do about it. I found it harder to relate to Mel's story- she's a new addition to the dating scene and is determined to get out there and get her feet wet.

What stuck me the most about their story is that all three of the women seemed real. None of them was too perfect, and each had flaws and insecurities like most of the women I know. Their individual weaknesses skewed each one of their stories enough that they were all unique yet I was able to relate to them in some way.

My only complaint would be that this was a rather short book, and it wrapped up a bit too quickly for me. It seemed like one moment they were dealing with their problems, and the next, WHAM, the problems were solved and all of their story lines were wrapped up neatly. I could have used a little more development in the middle but this didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a light, fun read about dating, love, parenting and friendship. I certainly enjoyed it!

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, 2011 RYOB Challenge, 2011 E-Book Challenge

Mailbox Monday

2011-02-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Mailbox Monday! Each week we share which books we found in our mailboxes, but be warned: Mailbox Monday can lead to towering TBR piles and out-of-control wish lists (as I can personally attest to). Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page and is currently on tour. Our host for February is Library of Clean Reads. Thanks Laura!

Last week brought four new books into my house, and I'm pretty excited about each and every one of them.

First to arrive was A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess. This one has been on my wish list for a while: if you were to sum up my biggest reading weakness in three words they would be "British Chick Lit". I just can't resist! I'm almost done this one already and I can assure you that it didn't disappoint.

Next to arrive were two motivational books by Richard Fast. 29 Days...to Your Perfect Weight (written with Michele Bertolin) and 29 Days...to Your Life Without Cigarettes. Both include access to the accompanying online program, and I can tell you that just from reading the introduction to the book about weight loss that it will be incredibly helpful. This isn't a program that you embark on when you want to lose weight for a temporary period of time, but rather one that you follow when you want to make lifelong changes for a healthier you, which is exactly what I'm looking for. If you would like to read more about my weight loss journey (I'm at the very beginning of what I hope will be some positive changes in my life), I'll be blogging about it here.

My final arrival last week was a copy of The Liberation of Alice Love by Abby McDonald. I won't be able to resist this story about a woman whose identity is stolen for long!

That's what was in my mailbox last week- what was in yours?

Review & Giveaway: "Dreaming in English" by Laura Fitzgerald

2011-02-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

Dreaming in English picks up where Laura Fitzgerald's debut novel Veil of Roses left off. Tamila Soroush came to America from Iran to find a husband. There were no opportunities in Iran and the lure of America, where her sister was living already, was too much for her to ignore. Following a whirlwind courtship and a last-minute marriage to Ike Hanson, Tamila is ready to embrace America with open arms.

Unfortunately, it won't be that easy. Ike's family is shocked at his sudden decision and is less than welcoming to her. Tamila's former American boyfriends keep surfacing, and not all of them wish her well in her new marriage. Ike's ex-girlfriend, and apparently the previous love of his life, has resurfaced and is intent on making Tamila's new marriage miserable. With her immigration interview looming and all of these obstacles in her way, will her luck run out?

Dreaming in English was an incredibly interesting novel. I especially enjoyed Tamila's reflections on freedom and what it meant to her to be able to become an American citizen. We so often take our freedom and privileges for granted, and it was interesting to be presented with an additional perspective. As Tamila attempts to learn English and to immerse herself in the American culture that surrounds her, we as readers can almost feel how much this means to her.

I also appreciated that this was a commentary on marriage. Anyone can walk into a chapel in Vegas and get married, but Dreaming in English reflects on what it means to keep a new marriage together. I've long felt that the strongest marriages are the ones where the couple works through their misunderstandings and differences in order to come to a better understanding of one another and of themselves. This book examines this issue.

My only complaint would be that I found the ending to be a bit overdramatic, but that did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel. On the whole I found it to be well-written and enjoyable, filled with characters that I really came to care about.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge, South Asian Challenge 2011

Courtesy of Erin at Penguin I have one copy of Dreaming in English to give away! To enter:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Leave me a comment letting me know that you would like to win this book. Please include your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win. No e-mail= no entry!

2. *Bonus Entry* Become a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect and leave me a comment to let me know that you now follow. Already a follower? Great! Just leave me a comment to let me know.

3. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in some way. Facebook it, Tweet it, blog about it or post it on your sidebar. It doesn't matter how you choose to do it, just leave me a separate comment to let me know what you did.

This contest runs until February 18, 2011 at midnight and is open to Canadian and US mailing addresses only. The winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond. Good luck!

Review: "Blue" by Lou Aronica

2011-02-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

Chris has been lost since his divorce. He misses the hum and routines of his former household, but he mainly misses his daughter, Becky. She's into her teens now and he's finding it increasingly difficult to connect with her, especially since she seems to blame him for the changes in her life since the divorce. Becky has overcome some tremendous challenges in her young life, one of them being a battle with leukemia, and one of the things that comforted her through that time was the fantasy world of Tamarisk that she created with her dad. When Becky discovers that the fantasy world that she and her dad created is real, and is a place that she can reach through meditation, she eagerly embraces the things and places that she created in her childhood. She becomes friends with the queen, Miea, who is astonished that Becky created her world when she was only a child. Both young women are unsure why their paths are crossing only now, and it's up to them to discover the secret to why their worlds have collided.

Blue is one of those fictional novels that has it all- suspense and fantasy, solid characters and a little drama thrown in for good measure. I really enjoyed the story of Becky and her dad, Chris. The character of Becky felt so realistic to me. She was going through so many typically teenage events in her life: dating, longing for acceptance, and periods of extreme moodiness. Yet there was more than that to her- she really came alive as a character when she starts visiting the land that she created when she was a child.

I'll admit that I enjoyed the non-fantastical portions of Blue the best. The portions that occur in Tamarisk were beautifully written, but I didn't enjoy them as much. It's been a long time since I've read a novel with fantastical elements in the plot, and I thought that I would give fantasy novels another try, but I suppose that they're just not for me personally.

On the whole I enjoyed Blue. It was well-written and the characters were easy to relate to, but be warned: read this one with a box of tissues on hand! Recommended to those who enjoy their novels with a healthy dose of fantasy thrown in.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Review: "The Weird Sisters" by Eleanor Brown

2011-02-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

Every so often a book comes along that, well, just blows my mind. Occasionally, very occasionally, this book also happens to be a debut author's book. The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown is this book. I devoured it in a matter of days and I guarantee that it will be one of those rare books that I'll re-read many times in the future.

The Weird Sisters tells the story of the three Andreas sisters, Rose (Rosalie), Bean (Bianca), and Cordy (Cordelia). The three women have taken very different paths in their lives but manage to end up living in their childhood home at the same time. Their official reason for moving home is that their mother has breast cancer and is going through radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery, but underneath that official reason are their true reasons for coming home. Rose has never really left home, despite the fact that her gentle and patient fiance is living in England at the moment and wishes that she would join him. She's paralyzed by the uncertainty of living so far from home and from the familiar. Bean has left her job in New York in disgrace. After her boss discovered that she was stealing money from the company he fired her and suggested that she return home to get her life together. Cordy, the youngest child and the one that everyone always looks after, has a secret and suddenly the gypsy life that she's led up until this point in her life doesn't seem so appealing.

Rose, Bean, and Cordy are each going to have to face their demons, but they won't be facing them alone. They'll have their distant yet loving mother, their father with his obsession with Shakespeare, and the members of the small community that they once all called home to help them along.

There are so many reasons that I loved this book. I loved that the sisters loved each other but didn't necessarily like each other. Their relationship with each other felt realistic instead of idyllic, and somehow they managed to make their unique dynamics work. The lines of Shakespeare scattered throughout the book added this great literary element to the plot, yet those who aren't up to date on their Bard will still easily be able to understand what the point of the interjected phrases are. The supporting characters were lively and lovable, and I appreciated the fact that although their mother had cancer, that wasn't the focus of the entire book, but rather the common thread that bound them all together. I loved that Rose, Bean, and Cordy's parents were still in love with each other. That love and dedication shone through.

And the words, oh the beautiful words. I wanted to say them aloud, just to feel them on my tongue. I wanted to roll them around my mouth. Just when I thought that I had found a favourite phrase, I turned the page and found another one to love. I originally wanted to cite examples of my favourites in this post, but there are just too many to choose from.

The Weird Sisters is a reflection of the relationship between a trio of sisters, all unsure about each other and about themselves. It has it all: humour, touching moments, a compelling plot, beautifully assembled phrases, and the most unique narrative voice that I've read in a long time. I urge you to pick up a copy to experience it for yourselves.

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