Mini Review: Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

Published: August 9, 2011

Publisher: Knopf

Format: via Overdrive

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis

Wickedly hilarious and utterly recognizable, Girls in White Dresses tells the story of three women grappling with heartbreak and career change, family pressure and new love—all while suffering through an endless round of weddings and bridal showers.

Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, collect ribbons and wrapping paper, eat minuscule sandwiches and doll-sized cakes. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend with: Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, dizzy with the mixed signals of a boss who claims she’s on a diet but has Isabella file all morning if she forgets to bring her a chocolate muffin. Mary thinks she might cry with happiness when she finally meets a nice guy who loves his mother, only to realize he’ll never love Mary quite as much. And Lauren, a waitress at a Midtown bar, swears up and down she won’t fall for the sleazy bartender—a promise that his dirty blond curls and perfect vodka sodas make hard to keep.

My Thoughts

I listened to this as an audiobook and honestly, it was the worse. I thought this was going to be something light and fun but, I was confused as hell. It claims it was a story of three friends but I swear there were so many characters I didn’t know who was who. What I was looking for and what I got were two different things and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the storyline and the characters were whiny and dislikeable. This was one read that fell really flat, to say the least.

Sam & Ilsa's Last Hurrah by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Sam and Ilsa’s Last Hurrah by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Published: April 10, 2018

Publisher: Knopf BYR

Format: audiobook via Overdrive

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis

Siblings Sam and Ilsa Kehlmann have spent most of their high school years throwing parties for their friends--and now they've prepared their final blowout, just before graduation.

The rules are simple: each twin gets to invite three guests, and the other twin doesn't know who's coming until the partiers show up at the door. With Sam and Ilsa, the sibling revelry is always tempered with a large dose of sibling rivalry, and tonight is no exception.

One night. One apartment. Eight people. What could possibly go wrong? Oh, we all know the answer is plenty. But plenty also goes right, as well...in rather surprising ways.

My Thoughts

Let me start off by saying I’m a fan of Rachel and David’s previous novels so when I heard they were coming out with new read I couldn’t wait to read it but sadly this isn’t one of my favorites from them. In this read, we have twins Sam and Ilsa whose lives are at a crossroads. They are about to graduate and Sam is the apple of his grandmother's eye and Ilsa isn’t sure what she wants. They are known to throw dinner parties at their grandmother's lavish apartment but this one will be their last. They soon will move on and their grandmother is giving up her apartment and moving so they want this one to be best.

Needless to say, nothing goes as planned. Each one invites three guests and when everyone arrives its all a mess, no one gets along and the food is awful which is crazy since Sam is a great cook. Soon there are arguments and Sam and Ilsa must confront each other and say whats really bothering them not only to each other but also to themselves. I was really looking forward to this one but the story just fell flat to me. I thought this was just an unbelievable story not to mention I just saw these characters as pretentious and whiny rich kids. There wasn’t any real story for me to connect to and I just found myself rolling my eyes and waiting for this short read to be over. This was one read I couldn’t wait to be done with.

Day 5 of 12 Days of Christmas: Under the Mistletoe by J. Parker

Under The Mistletoe by J. Parker

Published: December 23, 2016

Published: HHH Books

Format: free Kindle read

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis

It's Christmas Eve, and Grace still hasn't seen a present under the Christmas tree from her husband. When Todd announces there is no present coming, she feels snubbed, not realizing that he's got a different surprise planned. But is his gift what she really wants? Or even what she needs?

My Thoughts

This is a very short read around 20 pages or so but what I didn’t like about this story was Grace the main character. I felt like she wasn’t very nice to her husband and I just didn’t like her overall attitude. My dislike for her ruined the story for me.

Mini Review: The Witch of Bourbon Street by Suzanne Palmieri

The Witch of Bourbon Street by Suzanne Palmieri

Published: June 30, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Challenges: 2015 SRC Challenge

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis

Set amidst the charming chaos of The French Quarter and remote bayous of Tivoli Parish, Louisiana, Suzanne Palmieri’s The Witch of Bourbon Street weaves an unforgettable tale of mystery and magic.

Situated deep in the bayou is the formerly opulent Sorrow Estate. Once home to a magical family, the Sorrows, it now lays in ruins, uninhabited since a series of murders in 1902 shocked the entire community. When Frances Green Sorrow is born, the family is on the brink of obscurity and the last remaining Sorrows cling to the hope that she is the one who will finally resurrect the glory of what once was.

However, Frances has no wish to be the family’s savior. Disillusioned, she marries young, attempting an "ordinary life," and has a son, Jack. When her marriage fails and she loses custody of her boy, she runs away to live a quiet life on the dilapidated Sorrow Estate, where she practices solitary magic amid ghosts and gardens. But when Jack disappears, she is forced to rejoin the world she left behind and solve the century-old murder that casts a long shadow over Tivoli Parish and its inhabitants in order to find her son.

My Thoughts

This book was so so. I just thought it started out really slow for me and I couldn’t really into the story line or the characters. I have to admit I was a little confused in the beginning with the shifting of the time lines and all the different characters that I had to keep doing back to keep things straight. But that did get better over time. I had high aspects for this read but I honestly just couldn’t get into it. With the Louisiana bayous as its backdrop and the whole Southern gothic feel to it I was hoping for great read but sadly it just wasn’t my cup of tea. 

Mini Review: A Mother's Day by Kaira Rouda

A Mother’s Day: A Short Story by Kaira Rouda

Published: May 1, 2011

Format: free Kindle read

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis

A short story from the celebrated author of HERE, HOME, HOPE... Three mothers. Three sons. One day that changes their lives forever.

My Thoughts

This is really three short stories which are all linked together by a tragic event. All focusing on mothers and their sons, I was hoping for something more but this didn’t deliver. I personally thought the story was ok I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. Nothing to rave about about in my opinion.

Mini Review: Cat and Jemima J by Jane Green

Cat and Jemima J by Jane Green

Published: May 5, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: via free Kindle read

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Jane Green comes an original short story featuring Jemima, the main character from Green's beloved novel Jemima J, and Cat, the main character from her upcoming novel Summer Secrets.

My Thoughts

This is a very short story featuring Jemima J and introducing Cat a character in Jane Green’s newest novel Summer Secrets. I love that we see a glimpse of Cat’s life before all the changes in her life and how she met Jemima J. I like how we see how they met but doesn’t give too much away when it comes to Cat’s character in Summer Secrets.

Day 6 of 25 Days of Christmas Reviews: How the In-Laws Wrecked Christmas by Fiona Gibson

How the In-Laws Wrecked Christmas by Fiona Gibson

Published: November 13, 2014

Publisher: Avon

Format: free Kindle Read

Rating 2/5

Synopsis

A funny, festive short story from bestseller Fiona Gibson. Just the thing to curl up with on a cold winter night.

Christmas in the country. What could be better? All you need is one country house, one gorgeous boyfriend and a liberal dusting of snow. Right?

That’s what Anna thinks and she can’t wait for the festivities to start. But then she meets her gorgeous boyfriend’s awful parents. And their drunk friends. And she starts to hear all about a certain ex-wife. Suddenly this doesn’t look like a very merry Christmas after all.

My Thoughts

I was torn when it came to this book. I liked the concept of Anna going to meet her future in laws however the ending had me scratching my head. I was like WHAT??? I wont spoil it for you but I honestly didn’t see that coming. I also didn’t like how rude and pretentious her in laws where. They didn’t even give her a chance and hated her from the moment they laid eyes on her. They were snobby and I personally though Anna was wonderful. Down to earth and a real caring person they would be lucky to have her in the family. Plus I hated how her boyfriend never stuck up for her, who does that?

So needless to say I was 50/50 when it came to the read. I loved parts and not so much others. If you like feel free to check it out its roughly 60 pages and you will read it in no time. Maybe you will like it more than I did.

Review: You Make Me by Erin McCarthy

You Make Me by Erin McCarthy

Published: April 17, 2014

Rating: 2.5/5

Synopsis

The guy she wants…

Growing up on the coast of Maine with a revolving door of foster siblings, Caitlyn Michaud spent one intense and passionate year falling in love with her foster brother, Heath. Then he left without a word. The betrayal devastated Caitlyn and made her vow to forget the compelling bad boy. But forgetting his sensual touch and their deep all-consuming friendship is easier said than done.

Isn’t the guy she needs…

Determined to move on, in college Caitlyn has risen above her small town impoverished roots and has joined a sorority, reinvented her appearance, and landed the right boyfriend. Pre-law major and frat president, Ethan, is thoughtful and always laughing, and he makes her feel happy, calm. He also gives her the social acceptance she craves.

But the perfect world she tried so hard to attain is ripped apart when Heath appears one night out of nowhere. Caitlyn remembers all the reasons why she loves him, even if they don’t make sense to anyone but her. Out of the military, Heath is as brooding and intense as ever, and he is determined not only to win her back, but to exact revenge on everyone who kept him from her…

And when one love allows her to breathe, but the other feels as essential to her life as air, how does she choose between them?

My Thoughts

This book was okay for me. I mean it was kind of predictable but a so so read nevertheless. Caitlyn was living a good life in school; she has a great boyfriend and recently got engaged when her past comes back and threatens to change everything she has worked hard for. Heath her “foster brother” comes back after years away and decides he wants back in her life. You see they had something briefly but he left without a word and now wants to be a part of her life again.

Personally I didn’t get them as a couple. The whole foster brother thing threw me off, it was just weird. I didn’t get the chemistry at all, maybe it was just me but this wasn’t what I thought it would be.

The storyline is alright but maybe others will like it more than I did. It is a quick read so if anyone wants to check it out it won’t take up much time.

Review: Twisted Sisters by Jen Lancaster

Twisted Sisters by Jen Lancaster

Published: February 4, 2014

Format: copy via publisher

Publisher: NAL

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis

Reagan Bishop is a pusher. A licensed psychologist who stars on the Wendy Winsberg cable breakout show I Need a Push, Reagan helps participants become their best selves by urging them to overcome obstacles and change behaviors. An overachiever, Reagan is used to delivering results.

Despite her overwhelming professional success, Reagan never seems to earn her family’s respect. Her younger sister, Geri, is and always will be the Bishop family favorite. When a national network buys Reagan’s show, the pressures for unreasonably quick results and higher ratings mount. But Reagan’s a clinician, not a magician, and fears witnessing her own personal failings in prime time. (And seriously? Her family will never let her hear the end of it.) Desperate to make the show work and keep her family at bay, Reagan actually listens when the show’s New Age healer offers an unconventional solution….

My Thoughts

I had high hopes for this book. As a fan of Jen Lancaster’s previous books I thought I was in for a treat, well sadly I wasn’t. I didn’t get the laughable moments I’ve gotten in her other books. Maybe it was me I don’t know but I just couldn’t get into the story. There was just something that didn’t click with me. As I read on I was just waiting for something to happen, for the storyline to pick up but needless to say it never did for me.

I couldn’t relate to the main character. She just didn’t give me anything. Even if I don’t like a character sometimes I tend to find some common ground with them but with this one I didn’t. She just wasn’t very likeable. As someone who hates to leave a book midway through I struggled to finish it.

Although I didn’t feel a connection to this book in particular I’m still a fan of Jen Lancaster. I look forward to her next read, and while I didn’t click with this book I do recommend her previous books especially Here I Go Again I fully enjoyed them.

Review: Loteria by Mario Alberto Zambrano

Loteria by Mario Alberto Zambrano
Published: July 2, 2013
Publisher: Harper
Format: Copy via publisher
Rating: 2/5

Synopsis

A young girl tells the story of her family's tragic demise using a deck of cards of the eponymous Mexican game in this spellbinding debut novel that marks the arrival of a powerhouse new talent.

With her older sister Estrella in the ICU and her father in jail, eleven-year-old Luz Castillo has been taken into the custody of the state. Alone in her room, the young girl retreats behind a wall of silence, writing in her journal and shuffling through a deck of Lotería cards-a Mexican version of bingo featuring bright, colorful images.

Neither the social worker assigned to her case nor her Aunt Tencha, who desperately pleads for her niece's release, can cajole Luz to speak. The young girl's only confidant is her journal. Within its pages, Luz addresses an invisible higher power, sharing her secrets.

Using the Lotería cards as her muse, Luz picks one card from the deck with each shuffle. Each of the cards' colorful images- mermaids, bottles, spiders, death, and stars-sparks a random memory. Pieced together, these snapshots bring into focus the joy and pain of the young girl's life, and the events that led to her present situation. But just as the story becomes clear, a breathtaking twist changes everything.

My Thoughts

I received this a few days ago and was really taken by the description so I dived right in. This reads more like novella than a novel; it’s a fast and easy read. The cover and illustrations are so vivid in color very true to the Loteria cards.

I was very intrigued by Luz’s story, the story is told by her conversions to someone who is simply called YOU. She tells her story by shuffling the deck and pulling the cards of the Loteria game. However I felt by doing that it was just a bunch of random stories, I just didn’t feel a connection. I really wanted to like the story; it had a good premise maybe it was just the way it was formatted that I didn’t like.

I was very interested in knowing the story of how her sister was in the ICU and why her dad was in jail. I also enjoyed her telling of family memories when things were good. Like all good things they must come to an end though. The root of it all is family, loyalty and the cards that life has dealt you. I think I would’ve rather had more of a story minus feeling that the story was forced by the cards.

Review: Style Me Sexy[Short Novella] by Tara Chevrestt

Style Me Sexy [Short Novella] by Tara Chevrestt
Published: October 2013
Format: NetGalley
Publisher: Escape Publishing
Rating 2/5

Synopsis

A charming short story about beauty, the beholder, and believing in yourself.

Bridget knows she isn’t beautiful; her ex made that point abundantly clear. So when her online-only romance suddenly leads to a real-life blind date, she beelines to the salon for a makeover. She’s dismayed and embarrassed when her usual stylist isn’t available and the sexy Javier steps in.

Javier has long been aware of the timid but kind woman, and vows to take this opportunity to make her see that she's beautiful on the outside, as well as in. Will he succeed in keeping his own feelings at bay and style her sexy?

My Thoughts

I normally don’t like novellas but since I have so many on my Kindle I figured this past weekend I would finally just read a bunch of them. I really wanted to like this but I just couldn’t, I just couldn’t believe the connection between the two characters.  I liked the whole idea of the online romance meeting thing, but I just felt they were making Bridget into this ugly duckling person which I didn’t buy into. Without giving it away I just felt this novella was quite predictable, no real surprises. It had the making of something great; but just fell kind of flat in my eyes.

Review: All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue

All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue

Expected Publication: May 21, 2013
Format: E-ARC provided via Edelweiss
Publisher: William Morrow & Co.
Rating: 2.5/5

Summary via Goodreads

In Philadelphia, good girl Kate is dumped by her fiancé the day she learns she is pregnant with his child. In New York City, beautiful stay-at-home mom Vanessa is obsessively searching the Internet for news of an old flame. And in San Francisco, Dani, the aspiring writer who can't seem to put down a book--or a cocktail--long enough to open her laptop, has just been fired...again.

In an effort to regroup, Kate, Vanessa, and Dani retreat to the New Jersey beach town where they once spent their summers. Emboldened by the seductive cadences of the shore, the women being to realize how much their lives, and friendships, have been shaped by the choices they made one fateful night on the beach eight years earlier--and the secrets that only now threaten to surface.

My Thoughts

Let’s start off by saying that although I gave this book 2.5 stars, it’s not a bad book. I just had high hopes for this book and it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. I thought it would be a light fluffy beach read. Instead I personally felt it kind of heavy.

Three friends who come together to reconnect after a few years, to the one place where they disconnected in the first place. All with their own problems in their current lives, they come to place where Kate’s brother died. All thinking they had something to do with it.

For some reason I just couldn’t connect with some of these characters. I just didn’t feel like I wanted to invest anytime with them. I liked Kate and I just wished her story with her fiancé was explored more. I would’ve loved to know more of Dani’s story. Exploring her personal life and why she’s so cut off emotionally and to see if she could finally find true love.

All in all it was an okay read in my opinion. I far from dislike it but not the summer beach read I was expecting.

Review: The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

Expected Publication: May 7, 2013

Format: ARC E-Copy via Edelweiss

Publisher: Gallery

Rating: 2/5

Summary via Goodreads

First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker. But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie's looping scrawl.

Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

My Thoughts

I went into this really psyched about reading this book. I was intrigued with the whole bully angle and was hoping for a really good story involving that. Well needless to say I was kind of disappointed. Maybe it was me but I felt this more “Mean Girls” than I was wanting it to be.

I like the background story of Lizzie and finding out the truth about what really happened. However I just couldn’t connect with the rest of characters. Her so called “best” friend wasn’t someone I would even consider worthy of the title. Her other classmates just didn’t seem real to me.

Don’t get me wrong I didn’t hate the book, I liked that it brought the topic of bullying front and center. I think I just went into thinking it was something else. I tend to do that lately.

Review: The Carriage House by Louisa Hall

The Carriage House: A Novel by Louisa Hall

Publication: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Scribner
Format: ARC provided by publisher
Rating: 2/5

Summary

After suffering a stroke, patriarch William Adair wakes up in his hospital bed and realizes that his family has changed: they are less extraordinary than he had remembered. For more than thirty years, his faith in life was grounded on two indisputable principles: his three daughters’ exceptional beauty and talents and the historical resonance of a carriage house built by his grandfather. Now, both have begun to collapse.
The carriage house, held captive by a neighbor since a zoning error classified it as her property, has decayed beyond recognition and risks being condemned. William’s daughters—all tennis champions in their youth—are in decline. Having lost their father’s pride, the three sisters struggle to define themselves. William’s ailing wife is suffering from dementia. As she forgets her daughters, they forget themselves.
To help him recover, William’s daughters take on the battle for the carriage house that once stood as a symbol of their place in the world. Overcoming misunderstandings, betrayals, and wrong turns deep in the past, each of the Adairs ultimately finds a new place of forgiveness and love. The Carriage House is a moving, beautifully wrought novel about the complex bonds of siblings and about rebuilding lost lives.

My Thoughts

When I first read what this story was about I was really tempted to read it. I seemed like a great story of a family brought together after their father’s stroke. Boy was I disappointed. I couldn’t for the life of me get into this story. I tried several times but just couldn’t. I never like to not finish a book so I struggled several times to get to the end.

I wasn’t connecting to the characters. The patriarch William was a man who in my opinion was just plain mean and insensitive to his daughters. All he cared about was imagine, the old carriage house and what others thought of him and his family. All three daughters tried so hard to live up to his expectations that they failed to really live their lives for themselves. Not to mention their mother who was suffering from dementia was mainly unheard of since she was isolated upstairs most of the time. Then there was her caretaker, who if you asked me was a character one too many. I mean there were so many characters it was kind of hard to keep track of them all. If William had put more of an effort into caring for his daughters much as he did trying to save that carriage house maybe I’ve enjoyed the story more.

In the end there were just too many loose ends and things I didn’t get to truly enjoy this book. It wasn’t a bad book there were some good parts, just not enough for me to have this book worth it for me.