"Commonwealth" by Ann Patchett
Published by HarperCollins

Finished 7/11/17  -   3.5 / 5 stars

The story begins and ends with a bottle gin, with lots of family drama in between. A drunken kiss turns into an affair, separating 2 families yet bringing 6 children together. Well, at least for part of the summers and a little of their adult lives. With each chapter you learn a little more about each character through their current living situation, their memories of the past, and how that past shaped the person they are. Although related by either blood or marriage, each character is quite different and bring a different aspect to the story.

Although not my favorite Ann Patchett book, I did truly enjoy it. Initially I had a hard time keeping straight which child belonged to which adult but eventually that became much easier and it never took away from the enjoyment of the story. I definitely recommend it.

“I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool”

By Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

Finished 6/26/17 – 4/5 stars

“Life gets in the way” is an understatement when it comes to why I haven’t read a book in so long.  But you don’t want to hear about that…..you want to know what I thought about this book.  Well, I loved it!  As I do all the antidotal books this mother/daughter team puts out.  I’m about a decade younger than Lisa, but relate and find plenty of humor in her stories.  And although a different generation than Francesca, I enjoy her stories as well.  I truly enjoy them all and feel like they are family while I read these books.

These stories are just the dose of humor needed.  I’ve read a couple biographies of comedians this year and actually enjoy these books more.  Neither make you laugh ‘til you cry, but I find these stories more relatable and thus more funny and endearing.  They are an easy read to take you away from the chaos of everyday life.  And with it being a book of short stories, you can easily put it down and pick it back up without worrying about where you left off (or you can just read it in two days like me).

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

"Anything is Possible" BOOK REVIEW

"Anything is Possible" by Elizabeth Strout
Published by Random House


Finished 5/9/17  -  3/5 stars

Although I am a fan of some of Elizabeth Strout’s books, I was behind the ball and just recently finally read “My Name is Lucy Barton”.  I figured I should make sure to read it prior to reading the follow-up book of “Anything is Possible”.  “My Name is Lucy Barton” was only a 3 star read for me and unfortunately the same is true for this one.  I’m not reader of compilations of short stories and feel that was really what this book was - that probably influenced my rating.  I do enjoy some of the writing itself, but the characters and storylines just didn’t pull me in.  It took me way too long to read such a short book so that personally tells me a lot.  If I had loved it, I would have read a book this size in just a few days.  I’m truly hoping her next book, with a brand new set of characters, will make me fall back in love with Strout’s writing.

Thank you to Random House and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.   

"My Name is Lucy Barton" BOOK REVIEW

"My Name is Lucy Barton" by Elizabeth Strout
Published by Random House
Finished 4/16/17  -  3/5 stars

Not my favorite Elizabeth Strout book by far, but I still enjoyed it. At times it was a little confusing, but overall a good story. It has a lot of unanswered questions though. Many times I'd wonder why she even bothered to bring certain details up if she wasn't planning on further explaining them or simply providing a little more detail. I guess there are just parts that are left to your own imagination. Which is probably why the ratings on this book vary so much.....it depends on how much you read into things and put your own spin on it as to how much you enjoy it.

"One Perfect Lie" by Lisa Scottoline BOOK REVIEW

“One Perfect Lie” by Lisa Scottoline

Published by St. Martin’s Press


Finished 4/11/17  -  4/5 stars

Let me be up front – I am a huge fan of Lisa Scottoline.  I have only read a few in her series, but I have read many of her stand-alone books and a few of her non-fiction books written with her daughter (quite funny) so I’m a little surprised that I’m only giving this 4 stars rather than 5.

This is the story of a few boys on a high school baseball team with various backgrounds and up bringings.  They all have their own part in the story but the main character is their new teacher/coach.  There is so much unknown and questionable about him but I really can’t say more without giving away the twists and turns of this page turner.

Part 1 has me hooked, but questioning how the main character could actually be hired to teach and coach at the high school.  Then I’m hearing in the news about high school journalists who unmask issues with their new principal’s background, leading to her resignation just a few days later.  If it can happen in real life, I can more easily believe it in a book so I continue on, wondering just what is about to happen.

Part 2 immediately has me rethinking everything I just read in Part 1. I thought for sure I knew what was going on and what would come but nope, I was wrong.  I had to completely change my mindset and became even more curious as to just what was about to happen.

Then came Part 3.  The first half of this part, continued to keep me on edge and wanting to keep turning those pages but then the second half of this part had me questioning reality again.  It was still good, but this and the final ending had me changing my rating from a 5 to a 4.  I still highly recommend this book, it is a 4 after all.  It’s just not my favorite Lisa Scottoline.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.  I look forward to them every year so would be more than happy to do this for you again J

"Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher BOOK REVIEW

“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher

Published by Razorbill

Finished 4/2/17  -  5/5 stars!

This is one of the best YA books I have read!  I’m far from being a young adult anymore (my grey hair kind of gives that away anyway) but I found this book to be impressive in both the way it is written and the content itself. 

Hannah Baker is new to town but it doesn’t take long for classmates to bully her and/or take advantage of her.  When she decides to commit suicide, she also decides that she wants to make certain people aware of why she did it and what their role was in her decision.  She records 7 cassette tapes with a different story on each side along with instructions to ensure the set is passed from person to person that she talks about.  During the book, it’s Clay’s turn to listen.  When the box of tapes arrives at his house, he’s surprised by the instructions within the package and not sure what part he plays, or how many others know about the tapes and have listened before him.  He is determined to listen to them all to find out though.  As he listens, we hear both what Hannah has to say about her short time at her new school and Clay’s reaction to hearing the stories and what he remembers.  Luckily, the font is changed for the recording to help easily determine whose voice you are listening to.

I highly recommend this book to all teenagers and parents of teens.  Actually, I recommend it to everyone but I truly think it is a must read for those.  It’s very insightful.

"Never Let You Go" by Chevy Stevens BOOK REVIEW

“Never Let You Go” by Chevy Stevens

Published by St. Martin’s Press

Finished 3/29/17  -  5/5 stars

This is the book that finally got me out of my reading slump!  It also had me up way past my normal “lights out” so that I could read just a few more pages.  And truly, the last 50-75 pages are best read all in one sitting if possible.   You will not want to put it down.

This is the story of Lindsey and her teenage daughter, Sophie.  When Sophie was just a young girl, Lindsey took her and went into hiding from her controlling, alcoholic, verbally (and sometimes physically) abusive husband.  Skip ahead about 10 years and suddenly there are signs that someone is stalking her.  Could her husband have found them?  As you read along, you will begin to question everyone in their lives….who is the true culprit?  Is it even just one person putting them through this stress or a few?  You will change your mind multiple times as you read along.

Although I’ve had other books by Chevy Stevens on my “to read” list for a long time, this the first one I have actually read.  It will NOT be my last.  She is definitely an author I want to read more from.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this fabulous page turner in return for an honest review.  Loved it!

"Ill Will" by Dan Chaon - BOOK REVIEW

"Ill WIll" by Dan Chaon
Published by Random House

Finished 3/23/17  -  2/5 stars

I struggled through this book.  The storyline had promise, but I didn’t enjoy the writing.  At times it seemed to just ramble, other times it was confusing, and there were a few times I was just frustrated with it – especially with the dialog.  This was quite a surprise to me because I had heard good things about this author so was excited to finally read one of his books.

This novel is centered on a family massacre in the past as well as a series of murders in the present day.  There are various potential scenarios regarding the past murders that I don’t feel are ever fully proven but then you are provided with an answer to the present day murders, and truly it wasn’t a surprise.  I feel like the book just didn’t live up to its potential regarding the story itself.  It was a good idea, but lacked the writing to make it work well and the ending just left too many questions unanswered. 

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.  I’m sure it’s not what you wanted to hear, but the agreement is for me to be honest so I’ve had to do just that

"Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk" - BOOK REVIEW

"Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk" by Kathleen Rooney
Published by St. Martin's Press


Finished 3/7/17  -  3/5 stars.


It took me a month to finish this book - that says a lot.  Part of the delay was simply due to being in a reading slump but, truly, the book itself just didn't have what it takes to pull me back in either.  If it weren't for knowing that I was in a slump, I probably would have only given the book only a 2 rather than a 3.  Cute stories within the story itself, but just nothing truly peeking my interest.  Sorry, but I just can't recommend this one.

"The Weight of Him" BOOK REVIEW

“The Weight of Him” by Ethel Rohan

Published by St. Martin’s Press


Finished 2/12/17  -  3/5 stars

One night while the family was sleeping Billy’s oldest son, Michael, walked out of the house and hung himself in a tree.  His suicide took the family by complete surprise and seeing as how he didn’t leave a note, no one really knows why he did it.  One thing Billy does know is that he doesn’t want Michael’s death to be for nothing.  He is determined to bring attention to suicide in the hopes of preventing others from taking their own lives.  He decided to accept pledges/donations to a charity for him to loose half his weight (he is truly obese), to create a walk in the town to bring awareness, and create a documentary to share the story of Michael and others affected by suicide.  If Michael’s death can stop someone else from dying, then it will all be worth it.  But what about the rest of the family…..is it worth it to them?

The idea behind this story is a good one.  There are too many suicides in the world, especially teens.  I love the fact that Billy takes this on as his new life mission, which helps him to heal as well, but I feel like the story is missing a lot that could have made it a better book.  I think Michael’s character needed more development and back story and truly, so did the rest of the family.  For example, Billy has a daughter that you know almost nothing about and therefore, I’m not even sure why she’s a character in the book at all.    I also found the storyline to be quite slow.  It took me longer than it should have to read this book simply because there was nothing drawing me back to pick it up and read more.  I did feel for Billy though – he had a very tough time with Michael’s death and had to work through surviving it without any true help from his own family.

Thank you to Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

"The Grownup" BOOK REVIEW

"The Grownup" by Gillian Flynn
Published by Crown
Finished 1/21/17  -  4/5 stars

Creepy - 55 pages of creepy! It starts out talking about giving hand jobs and I thought, um....what am I about to read? And it stays strange for a little bit but then the creepiness arrives and stays that way for the rest of the book. And then you finish the book and think, what in the world just happened and what is about to happen? But you won't know because it's OVER.

I will say, I'm glad I didn't buy this book. Anytime an author puts out a mini book like this and charges more than $5 for the actual book or more than $1.99 for the ebook, I won't take the bait and buy it. To me, that's just wrong and appears that they are writting simply for the money. But since it was free......I have no problem reading and enjoying it :)

"Always" BOOK REVIEW

“Always” by Sarah Jio

Published by Ballantine Books

Finished 1/21/17  -  3/5 stars

Kailey has moved back to Seattle, found a good job, met a nice guy, and fell in love.  They bought a house together and are busy planning their wedding when one evening she happens upon a homeless man when leaving a fancy restaurant in the city.  When their eyes meet, he doesn’t recognize her but she is sure she knows who he is – her first love from years ago.  He was young and successful when he just disappeared from her life, never to be heard from again.  What could have possibly happened for him to now be living on the streets and not even remember her?  Kailey is determined to find out, but at what cost.

I had heard great things about Sarah Jio’s books but this is the first one I’ve actually read.  Unfortunately, I have a feeling it’s not her best work.  I found this story to be low drama, low action, and fairly predictable.  With that being said, it was also just what the doctor ordered for me at this time because I had just finished the most depressing book I have ever read and needed something light with a happy ending.  It definitely served its purpose for me.  Because of the great things I’ve heard about this author, although this book was only a 3/5 for me, I will be trying another of her books.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

"A Little Life" BOOK REVIEW

“A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara

Published by Doubleday

Finished 1/14/17  -  3/5 stars

Yes, you read that correctly.  I am only giving this book that everyone else has loved only 3 stars.  I liked the storyline and all the characters, however, it was just too long.  I know it covers many years, but it could have been condensed some and there were parts that seemed truly repetitive that I would find myself speed reading through.  Also, whereas I’m sure Jude was easily taken advantage of and/or abused because he came to simply expect the worst out of people, I find it somewhat hard to believe that around every corner of his early life there was someone doing just that. 

I would say my favorite part of this book was the bond between the men and their ability to help one another through difficult times.  Obviously, most of the support was for Jude but Willem got his fair share too.  They all wanted the best for one another and were there mentally and physically for whomever needed it at the time.  Those parts were heartwarming.

I also liked the way the story ended.  It was not what I expected in a number of aspects.  I won’t speak to why that is the case so you’ll have to read it yourself. 

If you haven’t read this book yet and are planning on doing so, please know that there are parts of this book that are violent and disturbing and the majority of the book is quite depressing.  It is definitely not an easy read with regards to the subject matter.