Book Review: The Block Party

If you love a summer drama then you will love The Block Party by Jamie Day. This story is packed full with drama and ends with a murder. Well, technically, it starts with a murder, but you don’t find out anything about the murder until the end. The whole book has you enthralled with all of the drama, but also leaves you guessing the whole time about who could have been murdered and why?

Alton Road is an exclusive cul-de-sac where the residents really only interact with each other. Every year they have an annual summer block party, but this years block party ends with someone murdered. In order to figure out who and why, the story needs to go back to last years block party and start from there. From there you will see just how many secret each resident on Alton Road is hiding.

I loved that right away you knew someone was murdered, but did not find out who until the very end of the book. It kept me engaged throughout the whole novel. I kept having ideas about who it could have been or who maybe did it, but in the end I was still a little shocked at who it was and how it played out. Every character was dealing with their own problems and it was interesting to watch how it all played out.

I gave this book 3.5/5 stars. I thought it was a good read, but it just wasn’t the best book I ever read. I did really enjoy it though and found it to be a good September read. It was a good book to end the summer with. If you like mysteries and thrillers and just a good summer read, I would definitely recommend this book!

September Reading Wrap-Up

Now that it is officially October, this post is dedicated to my September reads! I read a lot of great books in September. It was honestly my best month of the whole year. I read multiple five star books. Here are the 8 books I read in September:

We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler
The Block Party by Jamie Day
The Starfish Sisters by Barbara O’Neal
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Of these eight books it is really hard to choose a favorite. To me, The Turn of the Key, Adelaide, The Starfish Sisters, and The Lost Apothecary were all five star books. I loved everything about them. From the plot through to the characters. I would recommend any of those books in a second. If you like thrillers, I would recommend either The Turn of the Key or The Lost Apothecary. If you like contemporary fiction, I would recommend Adelaide or The Starfish Sisters. You really cannot go wrong with any of those books though.

My least favorite read of the month was We’ll Always Have Summer. I am glad I read it, especially since I read the first two books in the series, but it just wasn’t my favorite book I ever read. If you are reading the series I do think it is worth reading. If you like YA novels than I do think you would enjoy the series.

Overall, this was a fantastic month for reading! I read some of the best books I ever read. I was in a bit of a reading slump, but these books pulled me out of it and made me want to keep reading more and more. I am looking forward to seeing how many books I get through in October!

Book Review: The Turn of the Key

I was in a bit of a reading slump, but then I read The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware, and it absolutely changed everything! I could not put the book down. As soon as I started it I was sucked right in. It quickly became one of my favorite reads of the year. It was the thriller I had been waiting for to suck me out of the reading slump I was stuck in.

Rowan Caine comes across an ad she cannot ignore. It is for a live in nanny that has a huge salary. It is not even remotely what Rowan was looking for, but how could she pass this opportunity up? When Rowan arrives at the Heatherbrae House, she is immediately enthralled, and maybe a little freaked out. Rowan has no idea what awaits her though. Her future now holds a dead child and her in prison for the murder. Rowan is writing a letter to a lawyer explaining the story of what happened. She is desperately hoping he will help her because no one believes her, but she swears she did not kill this child.

This book was just one turn after another. Right when I thought I had things figured out something else would come along and change the course again. I opened this book and I could hardly put it down! All of the characters were so interesting and I just wanted to figure them out. It felt like every single character was holding a huge secret. Between the writing, the plot, and the characters, this was one of my best reads this year!

I gave this book 5/5 stars. I absolutely loved it. From beginning to end I was hooked in. I never got bored throughout the novel and I never was able to figure anything out until it was revealed. It has definitely made its way into my top five favorite reads of the year!

Book Review: The Love of My Life

It only took me about a day to read The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh. I was hooked from the beginning. There were a lot of twists and turns and right when I would think I had it figured out, something else would happen and it would bring the novel in a whole other direction. I could not bring myself to put it down and I just wanted to finish it, so I could finally figure everything out.

Leo is an obituary writer. Emma is a marine biologist who is well known. When Emma suffers from a serious illness, Leo copes by researching and writing about Emma’s life. The more he digs into Emma’s life, the more he realizes everything Emma has ever told him is a lie. She has even lied about her name. As the darkest moments of Emma’s past are coming to light, she must prove to Leo she really is who Leo thinks she is, but she also must tell him about the other love of her life.

This book took me on a wild ride. Every time I thought I figured things out, something else would happen. It was just so unpredictable and I love when a thriller mystery can do that. It was not until the end of the novel that I knew what was going on. It was all just so different from any other thriller I have ever read. I also really liked the characters. They were all likeable and real. I found myself rooting for them all and wanting the best for all of them.

I gave this book 4.5/5 stars. I would highly highly recommend this book. Especially if you like thrillers and mystery. I am not kidding when I say I almost finished it in one night. I desperately needed to go to sleep, which is the only reason I did not finish it in one sitting. I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately and this book completely helped me slip out of it. It was a fast paced read and it just flowed so well. If you are looking for a good thriller to read I highly recommend The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh.

Book Review: The Five Star Weekend

The Five star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand was such a good read. I believe it is my favorite book by her so far. Usually, I find her books can get a little boring in the middle, but I did not feel that way with this book. I felt that there was more mystery added to this novel than her others. It was one of those books where I was trying to figure out how it was going to end, because it was getting really close to the end of the book, and there were so many things not yet resolved.

Hollis Shaw decides to gather four friends from different phases in her life to spend a weekend with her on Nantucket. Hollis seems to have the perfect life and is the envy of many others. She runs a popular blog, has a daughter in college, and is married to a heart surgeon. One day Hollis and her husband, Matthew, get into a heated argument. It is a snowy morning and Matthew leaves for the airport with things unresolved. On his way to the airport Matthew gets in an accident and dies instantly. After her husbands death, Hollis is really struggling. She decides to gather four friends and host something called a “Five Star Weekend”. This novel is a story of friendship, hardship, life, and love. Hollis hopes this weekend will be able to pull her back to life and give her the strength she desperately needs to enjoy life once again.

I loved this book from the moment I started it. I instantly like Hollis. I found her to be extremely relatable and likeable. I also found all of the other characters to be well written. They seemed so real and this group reminded me of a real group of friends. All the different personalities coming together reminded me so much of actual friend groups I have been involved in. Also, the twist in this book was so well written.

I gave this book 4/5 stars. It was by far my favorite Elin Hilderbrand book I have read, so far. This book made me excited to read even more books by her. I would highly recommend this book. Especially if you have previously read books by this author and enjoyed them. I honestly was sad to get to the end of Hollis’s story. I wanted to keep following her along on her journey.

Book Review: We’ll Always Have Summer

We’ll Always Have Summer is the third and final book in The Summer I turned Pretty series. I found this book to be a great finisher. It wrapped everything up and it also kept you guessing throughout the entire novel. It is not until the very end that everything falls together and becomes finalized.

Two years ago, Conrad told Belly to be with Jeremiah. He essentially told Belly to just forget about him. Ever since then Jeremiah and Belly have been inseparable. Even going to the same college. Jeremiah ends up making a horrible mistake and promises Belly he will never do it again. Now, Belly has to decide if she really has a future with Jeremiah. Or, is Conrad really the one she is meant to be with.

This book was very different from the first two in the series. There were more characters added in, that I do believe, ultimately added to the plot. You could see the growth between Belly and Jeremiah and even the growth between Belly and Conrad. I spent a majority of the book mad at Belly, but I also understood she was only 19. I would say this one was probably my least favorite of the three books. I do think it was necessary though, to really help wrap everything up.

I gave this book 3/5 stars. I found myself getting a little bored throughout. I felt like the problems did not really evolve. It was basically the same problem throughout the novel and it became a bit repetitive. I was happy with how it all ended though. I would recommend to read this book if you have read the first two. It helped finalize everything and brought closure to the story of Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad.

Book Review: It’s Not Summer Without You

It’s Not Summer Without You is the second book following The Summer I Turned Pretty. For me personally, I find second books usually to be kind of boring. I usually am missing the feeling that the first book in a series provides. I did really like this book though. I thought it did a good job of representing the growth of Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad.

This is the first year in Belly’s life that she will not be going to Cousins Beach. Belly used to always think summer was not really summer until she arrived to the house in Cousins Beach. This year everything changes though. After Susannah got sick again, they are not going to Cousins Beach this year. To Belly, this is the worst summer ever, and she wishes that she could just skip over it altogether. That is, until Jeremiah calls telling Belly Conrad has gone missing. Jeremiah and Belly head to the house at Cousins beach to try to make everything right again. Conrad, Jeremiah, spend what will probably be their last summer ever at the house on Cousins Beach. They just hope they can make it the best summer ever.

This book really dove into Belly’s relationships with Jeremiah and Conrad. She has a very different relationship with both of them, but she still loves them both. Belly is determined to save Conrad throughout this whole book. I kept having to remind myself she is only a teenager and love is new to her. I found myself frustrated with her at times because of her desperate need to save Conrad. I get it though. I think we have all loved someone in our life that you want to save, but simply cannot.

I gave this book 3/5 stars. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the first one. There were also times I was frustrated with Belly throughout the novel. Just a reminder this is a young adult novel. I am not saying that is a bad thing, it is just teenagers are going to love a lot differently than adults do. It was easy to be frustrated with the characters, but then also remember we were all 16/17 at one point. Overall, I would recommend to read it, if you have read the first one. It answered a lot of questions that I was left with after finishing the first one. On Friday, I will cover the third and final book of this series! I look forward to you all reading it!

Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

I recently read one of the most talked about books turned tv series, The Summer I Turned Pretty, I read the whole series actually. I actually remember reading this book many years ago. I did not even remember it until it became a television series. I decided to go back and reread it to see if I would like it as much as I did when I first read it. Obviously, I am not the same person I was in high school. Especially, early high school. I still enjoyed it though. It is a sweet read and entertaining. This week I am going to be reviewing all three books, starting today with, The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Every summer, Belly, spends June-August, at a beach house in Cousins. Belly, her mom, her brother Steven, her mom’s best friend, Susannah, and her two sons, Jeremiah, and Conrad stay at their summer house there. Summer has always been Belly’s favorite time. This summer everything changes though. It seems Belly’s school girl crushes on Jeremiah and Conrad, may actually be reciprocated and this summer is the beginning may be the beginning of a whole new life.

This book contains lots of young love, family drama, and just regular drama of being a teenager. I found it to be a fun story and an easy read. I enjoyed all of the characters and felt the plot moved at a perfect pace. It was kind of a typical young adult novel. I really did enjoy it though. I found Belly to be likeable and believable.

I gave this book 3.5/5 stars. It was well written, the characters had depth to them, and I thought the plot was intriguing and well thought out. I feel it is a really good book for kids in middle school and high school. When I read it in high school I remember really enjoying it. It is really a sweet read and I think most girls will be able to relate to Belly. I also cried at times throughout the novel. There were some really heavy moments sprinkled throughout. Overall, I did enjoy it. I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone who enjoys young adult novels.

Book Review: The True Love Experiment

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren was such a good love story. I was hooked from the beginning to end. I am not always a fan of romance novels. That is actually an understatement. I usually loathe romance novels. I find myself rolling my eyes and fighting my way through them. Over time I have began to like them a lot more and I absolutely loved this one. I felt like there was actually depth to it and it was not overly mushy or cheesy.

Felicity or, Fizzy, Chen, is a famous romance novelist. She has been in quite a rut for a while now with her writing and her love life. Connor Prince is a documentary film maker. He is very passionate about his work. Connor chose to relocate and work for a production company to be near his daughter. The production company has now decided they want to switch over to producing reality tv instead of wildlife documentaries. Connor enlists the help of Fizzy to set up a Hollywood love story that everyone will be rooting for. Connor sets up a cast of the “perfect” matches for Fizzy and lets the world vote on the man she should be with. The only problem is, Fizzy and Connor end up falling in love.

I absolutely loved Connor and Fizzy. these two characters were so well written and had such depth to them. Fizzy was not some damsel in distress looking for someone to save her. And Connor was not a guy who is looking to save a woman or who is constantly relying on a woman to make him happy. That right there automatically makes it a great read for me. I also loved the whole reality tv feel. It made it feel so much more realistic for some reason.

I gave this book 4.5/5 stars. I found it to be such a good book. It was a great summer read and I had a hard time putting it down. I fell in love with all of the characters and the whole story was so different from any other romance novel I have ever read. If you love romance novels I would highly recommend this one.

Book Review: The Hotel Nantucket

Summertime is the best time to read any book by Elin Hilderbrand. Her books are fantastic beach reads and with summer coming to an end I went on a bit of a binge with her books. The Hotel Nantucket did not disappoint as another great summer read from her. There were ghost stories and love stories beautifully entwined, and, of course, the novel takes place in the summer on Nantucket.

In 1922 a fire in a hotel ended up killing the 19 year old chambermaid, Grace Hadley. After the fire, The Hotel Nantucket never really recovered. For a long time it was an abandoned building that no one wanted to touch. That is, until a London billionaire, Xavier Darling, decides to purchase the hotel. Xavier brings on Lizbet Keaton, Nantucket’s “sweetheart”, to be the general manager of the hotel. Lizbet hires a great staff, although very inexperienced. Grace Hadley continues to haunt the hotel in order to get the true story revealed.

I found this whole story to be really interesting. I loved all of the characters and the way each story interwove together. There were many layers to the story and all of the characters throughout the novel. I also loved the small little twist at the end. I honestly did not really see it coming. With most of Elin Hilderbrand’s books, I do find that I get a bit bored in the middle. I tend to lean towards thrillers though, so it is not anything against her writing.

I gave this book 3.5/5 stars. I really enjoyed the book as a whole. I just found it to be a bit slow in the middle. Sometimes, I felt as if there was some information that did not really need to be added. I did find the character development and the overall plot to be very well done. I genuinely liked every character and I liked the underlying ghost story that took place throughout. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good beach read, or contemporary fiction. There are love stories, drama, and ghost stories. I look forward to reading more books by Elin Hilderbrand.

Book Review: Family Happiness

Family Happiness by Laurie Colwin was such a good read. It is one of those books where once you finish it you cannot stop thinking about it. The more I read literary fiction and contemporary fiction the more I fall in love with it. There is simplicity to the stories, yet the feelings you get from them is so much more than simplistic.

This book follows Polly who seems to come from the picture perfect family. She is married to a great guy who has built a wonderful life for himself and his family, she has two perfect children, her parents are successful and well-known in her community, and her siblings are also successful in their own ways. In so many ways Polly appears to have the perfect life, except for one big thing: she is in the midst of a love affair with a painter named Lincoln.

Throughout the entire book as a reader I could just feel everything Polly was feeling and going through. Polly was relatable and her pain was palpable. I loved the connection I felt with Polly even though I have never actually been through what she was experiencing. The question that kept coming up for me throughout the entire book was, is it possible for good people to have an affair? Obviously everyone will answer that question differently, but I do not think the answer is as simple as it would appear.

Based on the reviews I have read I know not everyone loves this book, but I have to say I really loved it. This book looked at the role of women as daughters, mothers, wives, and siblings and showed the pressure that can be created for these women to always have it together and to care about everyone else’s feelings whilst no one else really seems to care about theirs. At the end of the book I was actually sad to see Polly go and to no longer be apart of her journey.

I would highly recommend this book. It is a quick read, there are a lot of funny, dry humor moments, and the writing was beautiful. I give this book 4/5 stars and I definitely want to read more of Laurie Colwin’s books in the future.