Book Review: The Lost Letters of William Woolf @wordsofhelen @HarlequinBooks @netgalley

Yup, catching up on those Netgalley reads! Thank you to Graydon House/Harlequin publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest (& late) review!

This was such a unique book. It’s a great, refreshing read that will have you rooting for people you’ve never met as they “find” themselves in this one.

Reader’s digest summary: William met his wife in college at a book club that failed and only she showed up to. Their marriage is rocky. He works at the lost letters depot and tries to get mislabeled packages/letters to their rightful owners. He stumbles across letters he feels are meant for him. Can his marriage survive?

What I loved about this book…both the husband AND wife have faults. They aren’t perfect and feel like they both may have made a mistake with marrying each other. They both go on a personal discovery through their own means and ultimately…well, read the book.

I will admit I thought (based off the title) that there would be more to this book with lost letters, but I wasn’t disappointed with how it was written. We have some happy stories of him delivering mail to people who least expected it. The focus was just on the personal journey of the husband and wife, which again, was a great story.

4 stars.  I found myself rooting for the marriage throughout this book. It truly is a tale of a marriage in that dreaded 7 year itch, will they or will they not make it. The author just penned a tale of a troubled marriage and the solution so absolutely well. You won’t regret picking this one up!

Details

Title: The Lost Letters of William Woolf

Author: Helen Cullen

Genre(s): Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Graydon House

Release Date: June 4, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads

Six For Sunday: Fictional Characters #SixForSunday #SundayMeme #MomsWhoRead #Books

I discovered this meme thanks to Jill’s Book Blog and thought it would be interesting to start in 2020! It is hosted by Steph at alittlebutalot and all the prompts for 2020 can be found here (aka take a peek and join in on a few with me!!).

This week’s prompt is…

Six Characters I’d Like To Be Stranded With

Lara Jean: To All The Boys I’ve Love Before star…I would LOVE to chat with her. She seems so wise beyond her years and would be a fun person to just be around.

Will Robie: From the mastermind of David Baldacci, I feel like Robie would be able to get us unstranded. He’s resourceful and I feel like he would protect me and keep me safe.

Pepper: She starred in Tweet Cute and was a riot. I would count on her to be live tweeting our predicament and we’d at least become viral sensations out of our adventure.

Jen Dixon: MY INNER SPIRIT ANIMAL!!!! She takes center stage in the Class Mom series by Laurie Gelman and would be me if I was a class mom. She is a RIOT. I feel like she would bring some wine and we’d be all set!

Princess Samantha: One of the main characters from American Royals by Katharine McGee…and well duh, it’s because she’s a freakin’ princess. Also, I love how she’s friends with a lowly citizen/non-royal and she just seems cool.

Daisy Jones: Oh the stories I bet she would tell! I would like to be stranded with the older Daisy, the one who isn’t doing drugs anymore, FYI, haha, I felt I needed to mention that right quick.

Who would you want to be stranded with if you could??

First Line Fridays: March 6th #MomsWhoRead #Dragging #Novel #FleishmanIsInTrouble #FLF #BookMeme

As always First Line Friday comes courtesy of Hoarding Books Blog.  I discovered this magic thanks to Crystal at Must Love Reviews.  I am STILL trying to pound my way through Fleishman Is In Trouble…I can’t stand him and I can’t stand his wife, but I’m still chugging through to see what happens…ugh…I’m torturing myself but I’m hoping the book can save itself! First line from the start of the 3rd part of the book.

Vindication was coming.

I know I should just toss it aside and not finish it…but I rarely quit books. It’s just not in me. My good friend is reading this one with me and feels the same so it’s nice to have someone to moan and groan to!

Blurb

Recently separated Toby Fleishman is suddenly, somehow–and at age forty-one, short as ever–surrounded by women who want him: women who are self-actualized, women who are smart and interesting, women who don’t mind his height, women who are eager to take him for a test drive with just the swipe of an app. Toby doesn’t mind being used in this way; it’s a welcome change from the thirteen years he spent as a married man, the thirteen years of emotional neglect and contempt he’s just endured. Anthropologically speaking, it’s like nothing he ever experienced before, particularly back in the 1990s, when he first began dating and became used to swimming in the murky waters of rejection.

But Toby’s new life–liver specialist by day, kids every other weekend, rabid somewhat anonymous sex at night–is interrupted when his ex-wife suddenly disappears. Either on a vision quest or a nervous breakdown, Toby doesn’t know–she won’t answer his texts or calls.

Is Toby’s ex just angry, like always? Is she punishing him, yet again, for not being the bread winner she was? As he desperately searches for her while juggling his job and parenting their two unraveling children, Toby is forced to reckon with the real reasons his marriage fell apart, and to ask if the story he has been telling himself all this time is true.

What are you reading today??

Book Review: The Other Mrs. Miller @MsAllieD @PutnamBooks @LittleBrownUK #MomsWhoRead #Thriller #ReadMe #Suspense

Yes, another October 2019 read I gathered from my public library. Pretty soon I’ll be caught up with all my reads!

Another book with a crazy woman who stays inside her house and spies on all her neighbors? Yes…but trust me when I say this is one is different and will have you flipping the pages to keep up.

Phoebe has become a recluse when her high profile father dies amid a shocking scandal. Her marriage…well…she’s married so there’s that, but not much more to it than a title at this point in time. She starts to notice a car parked outside herself and believes she is being watched. Is she crazy? She starts to take note of the times they’re there…

…meanwhile she starts to befriend her new neighbors. Let me tell you that some crazy stuff happens and it all happens at once. It takes awhile to get to the meat of the stuff, but once part two hits, BAM, it is in your face.

4 stars.  For avid thriller readers you may be able to predict the ending. I am an avid reader, but I live in la la land so I didn’t see anything coming. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it for anyone who is looking for a story where a crazy, middle aged woman takes center stage!

Details

Title: The Other Mrs. Miller

Author: Allison Dickson

Genre(s): Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Release Date: July 16, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: Unpregnant @JenniHendriks @HarperTeen @secretagentbri #MomsWhoRead #YA #YoungAdult #RoadTrip #BookBlog #Book #ReadMe #Reading

Catching up on reviews…yet another read from October. Shout out to my public library for grabbing this one for me!

I am going to start this review off by saying that if abortion is a topic you are sensitive to, do not read this review any further and do not pick this book up. This is essentially a book about friends taking an abortion road trip.

17 year old Veronica finds herself pregnant near the end of senior year and can’t believe it. Her whole life flashes before her eyes and she decides she wants to terminate her pregnancy. The nearest clinic is states away and so she confides in her ex-best friend, Bailey, to help her get to where she needs to be.

What a comical road trip. How she became pregnant comes to light (her ever so loving boyfriend poked holes in condoms) and he ends up chasing them on the road trip. Veronica also manages to tick off Bailey mid-road trip and things go south with her. Can she save a new old friendship?

This was fantastically written. All of the drama that goes on in high school with your friends and boyfriends is so appropriate in this humorous novel. How Veronica and Bailey end up taking off on this crazy road trip is even more realistic. Do they get caught? I don’t read and tell! Read it yourself!

4 stars. I found myself laughing out loud at the things Veronica and Bailey got themselves into. I also loved how feminism was addressed in this book. This book also managed to take a heavy subject such as abortion and turn it into something just a little lighter. Delightful read! I cannot wait to see what Hendriks pens next!

Details

Title: Unpregnant

Author: Jenni Hendriks & Ted Caplan

Genre(s): Fiction, Young Adult, Humor

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: September 10, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday: February 18th #TTT #BookHangovers #MomsWhoRead #Reading

It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for another TTT courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl! This week’s topic is…

The Last Ten Books That Gave Me A Book Hangover

Let me just tell you that books started JUMPING at me with this prompt!!! Ready? Here we go!

Book 2 in the Paradise trilogy…I had MAJOR book hangover after the first book (FOR A YEAR) and here I am in the same boat just dying inside until October…

The plan was to read this and go see the movie…guys…I mourned over this book like I lost a loved one. I have never seen the movie and I have no plans on ever seeing the movie. This ripped my heart and soul out of my body…saddest book I have ever read. I took a break from reading for awhile after this one…man…

Another book that just made me stop in my tracks. I read this on a plane and bawled like a baby. It hit me so hard at the moment in my life. Crazy, right? I did not read the book I had planned once I finished this one mid-flight. Oh man…this is probably one of my favorite books ever. HIGHLY recommend it.

I read the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy in 3 days. No shame in my game. I need more Lara Jean in my life. I miss her SOOOO much. Yet another movie I refuse to watch because I don’t want it to ruin the pristine imagery in my head with this one!

I was obsessed with this one…and this book made me an automatic Driscoll fan. I could not stop talking or thinking about this one. I had to take a break from thrillers after this one because I knew I would just compare them to this one…

So it may not be 10, but I got to 5…it takes a lot for a book to really affect me and these certainly did…what book gave you a major hangover??

Bibliotherapy @BuzzFeed #Books #Therapy #MomsWhoRead #ReadMe #BookBlog #Reading

I came across this article published on February 6, 2020 in which Clare Aston, self proclaimed book lover, tried out bibliotherapy.

What is bibliotherapy?

Bibliotherapy, according to the dictionary, “is the use of books as therapy in the treatment of mental or psychological disorders.” It is often a therapeutic and cost effective approach to help ones mental health.

In the article Clare gives us some background on what she is going through, how her session went, and the books that were recommended to her. It was pretty interesting and insightful. She does give a link so if you feel inclined to try it you can; however, the therapy is located in Australia…

Here is the link to read the article, all in all it was pretty interesting!

What are your thoughts on bibliotherapy? Would you try it??

Six For Sunday: #SixForSunday #MomsWhoRead #FavoriteAuthors @elinhilderbrand @teresadriscoll @davidbaldacci @djpalmerauthor @realsandiejones @RuthWareWriter

I discovered this meme thanks to Jill’s Book Blog and thought it would be interesting to start in 2020! It is hosted by Steph at alittlebutalot and all the prompts for 2020 can be found here (aka take a peek and join in on a few with me!!).

This week’s prompt is…

Six Favorite Authors To Follow

Elin Hilderbrand: She is a must read, must buy obsession for me. I am slowly but surely gathering all her works and reading them. You can count on as soon as pre-order is available for her upcoming book, I’m on the list!! Most of her books are set in Nantucket and are the PERFECT beach reads!! Currently I’m obsessing over her Paradise trilogy and impatiently waiting for October to arrive so I can have some closure on what is happening!!!!

Teresa Driscoll: I. Love. Her. She writes the most amazing psychological thrillers and if you love thrillers and have not heard of her, you won’t regret checking her out. She’s also written domestic dramas that I will be checking out soon!

David Baldacci: He is a family love. I am sure you have heard of him and everyone in my family reads him. I have my Dad’s huge box of his reads and am making my way through them. He is an auto-read in my family for sure!

DJ Palmer: I became obsessed with DJ Palmer after Saving Meghan. I finished The New Husband last week (look for that review closer to the April publishing date) and I am officially obsessed. His books just suck you in!!

Sandie Jones: I feel a special bond with Sandie Jones as I have been honored to receive an advanced copy of all her books. I even mistakenly have my name in her thank yous in The First Mistake as just “Donna” because…well…I’m dumb. *sigh* She pens great thrillers and has you guessing until the end!!

Ruth Ware: Can you tell I love mysteries/thrillers? She is another great thrilling writer and I have adored every book I’ve read by her!

Who are you favorite authors??

First Line Fridays: February 14th #FLF #BookMeme #Friday #BookQuote #ReadMe #Reading #MomsWhoRead #Book

As always First Line Friday comes courtesy of Hoarding Books Blog.  I discovered this magic thanks to Crystal at Must Love Reviews.  Here’s what you’re all here for…the first line…

Toby Fleishman awoke one morning inside the city he’d lived in all his adult life ad which was somehow now crawling with women who wanted him.

I. Am. The. Worst. I said I was not going to let your posts bog me down and read the books you raved about…and here I go, going to my local library and picked up Fleishman Is In Trouble.

Blurb

Recently separated Toby Fleishman is suddenly, somehow–and at age forty-one, short as ever–surrounded by women who want him: women who are self-actualized, women who are smart and interesting, women who don’t mind his height, women who are eager to take him for a test drive with just the swipe of an app. Toby doesn’t mind being used in this way; it’s a welcome change from the thirteen years he spent as a married man, the thirteen years of emotional neglect and contempt he’s just endured. Anthropologically speaking, it’s like nothing he ever experienced before, particularly back in the 1990s, when he first began dating and became used to swimming in the murky waters of rejection.

But Toby’s new life–liver specialist by day, kids every other weekend, rabid somewhat anonymous sex at night–is interrupted when his ex-wife suddenly disappears. Either on a vision quest or a nervous breakdown, Toby doesn’t know–she won’t answer his texts or calls.

Is Toby’s ex just angry, like always? Is she punishing him, yet again, for not being the bread winner she was? As he desperately searches for her while juggling his job and parenting their two unraveling children, Toby is forced to reckon with the real reasons his marriage fell apart, and to ask if the story he has been telling himself all this time is true.

What are you reading today??

Book Review: Husband Material @harlequinbooks @netgalley #MomsWhoRead #ReadMe #Reading #Books #BookBlog #HusbandMaterial

Chugging along on that Netgalley train!! Aren’t you so proud of me?! 😉

*sigh* I really wanted to love this book, I did. I tried. Let me give you a synopsis of the book and then I’ll tell you what really irked me about this one.

Charlotte is a widow…no one knows it. No one at work, her roommate, no one. She works at an influencer firm and runs/designs programs that are data driven to help provide companies with real time information. She has also created a program where she has created an algorithm to find herself the perfect match. I mean, she’s only been on 70ish dates and never had anyone go past 2 dates, so…

There is drama with her late husband, her late husband’s family, and her late husband’s best friend. That is all I can say without giving anything away. There’s drama with her roommate too and rightfully so.

Here’s what irked me THE MOST. The voice of Charlotte was not consistent (at least not in my eyes or within my inner monologue while I read). In the beginning I thought maybe she was quirky or possibly a character on the autism spectrum. Then I felt like she was completely normal and not weird or quirky at all and then she would change back and it was like…wait…the voice just went all over the place for me and I didn’t enjoy that. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes she was scatter brained and lost and other times sane and level headed. Then there were times where she just didn’t care about anyone else and that was that. *shrugs*

2 stars.  I know. I will say the ending comes along with a little boop and it’s kinda like…that’s it. This is how we resolved everything and so quickly?? We went from 0 to 60 to hey let’s all hang out now…just odd. I also was not a fan of who Charlotte ends up with…at the end of the day I’m not mad I read this, I just wish there was a little more to it. At the end of the day it just wasn’t my style. Have you read this one? Have you enjoyed it?

Details

Title: Husband Material

Author: Emily Belden

Genre(s): Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary

Publisher: Graydon House

Release Date: December 30, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads