Review: This Will Only Hurt A Little by Busy Philipps

This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps

Published: October 23, 2018

Publisher: Touchstone

Format: audiobook via Overdrive

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

A collection of humorous autobiographical essays by the beloved comedic actress known for her roles on Freaks and Geeks, Dawson’s Creek, and Cougartown who has become “the breakout star on Instagram stories...imagine I Love Lucy mixed with a modern lifestyle guru” (The New Yorker).

Busy Philipps’s autobiographical book offers the same unfiltered and candid storytelling that her Instagram followers have come to know and love, from growing up in Scottsdale, Arizona and her painful and painfully funny teen years, to her life as a working actress, mother, and famous best friend.

Busy is the rare entertainer whose impressive arsenal of talents as an actress is equally matched by her storytelling ability, sense of humor, and sharp observations about life, love, and motherhood. Her conversational writing reminds us what we love about her on screens large and small. From film to television to Instagram, Busy delightfully showcases her wry humor and her willingness to bare it all.

My Thoughts

In This Will Only Hurt a Little Busy Philipps gives us stories of her life growing up and her struggles in her acting career. While most stories are funny and she gives us the things we like her for, it's her serious stuff that really connects with me. Her revelations of being assaulted at an early age and later her admission of having an abortion are just some of the things that shows us a serious side of her that we rarely see.

I enjoyed her tales of working on her TV series that she is known for and especially her stories of her family. Her candid take on her marriage and how she was ready to give up but decided to give it another chance and her take on motherhood rang so true. I loved how she didn’t shy away from sharing the truth with us she give it to us no holds bar and that was so brave of her to do. While I’ll admit I didn’t know that much about her this book gave me a new perspective on her. I definitely admire her hard work and dedication to everything in her life. This book will make you laugh of course but it’s her personal anecdotes that make this book really shine. This book is no doubt worth a read.

Review: Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon

Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon

Published: September 18, 2018

Publisher: Touchstone

Format: via Overdrive

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Reese Witherspoon’s grandmother Dorothea always said that a combination of beauty and strength made southern women “whiskey in a teacup.” We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside, she said, but inside we’re strong and fiery.

Reese’s southern heritage informs her whole life, and she loves sharing the joys of southern living with practically everyone she meets. She takes the South wherever she goes with bluegrass, big holiday parties, and plenty of Dorothea’s fried chicken. It’s reflected in how she entertains, decorates her home, and makes holidays special for her kids—not to mention how she talks, dances, and does her hair (in these pages, you will learn Reese’s fail-proof, only slightly insane hot-roller technique). Reese loves sharing Dorothea’s most delicious recipes as well as her favorite southern traditions, from midnight barn parties to backyard bridal showers, magical Christmas mornings to rollicking honky-tonks.

It’s easy to bring a little bit of Reese’s world into your home, no matter where you live. After all, there’s a southern side to every place in the world, right?

My Thoughts

What an adorable book! Maybe I’m a little biased since I’m a huge fan of Reese’s ever since I saw The Man on the Moon, but this is the quintessential Southern handbook. As I read it I found myself laughing out loud and totally identifying with lots of things in the book. What I found surprising was that a lot of the things that I thought was just “normal” were indeed just Southern things. We tend to take for granted the things we do or say as just stuff everyone else does but when you realize it's not that way its kind of funny.

While this read has its funny parts what I loved most that it's focus and based on traditions and family two things we in the South have drilled into us from birth. The stories she shares of her family especially her grandparents are so sweet and amazing and it shows us what they meant to her and how they continue to influence her life and how she continues to pass on those things to her children. The recipes and must list of Southern music, books and movies are some of my favorites in the book. If you want to know how we do things in the South look no further then this gem. Its informative and entertaining and you will surely take away something from it. 

Review: The Summer Sail by Wendy Francis

The Summer Sail by Wendy Francis

Expected Publication: May 1, 2018

Publisher: Touchstone

Format: via Edelweiss

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Three college roommates are celebrating a twentieth wedding anniversary by taking a cruise to Bermuda. As the ship pulls away from the pier, everyone is looking forward to lounging by the pool, sipping sunset cocktails, and reminiscing. Abby, the mother hen of the group, will be celebrating her wedding anniversary in style, even as she and her husband keep a secret from the group. Ambitious career woman Caroline happily anticipates several stress-free days away from her magazine job with her boyfriend, Javier, who may or may not be finally inspired to propose. And single mom Lee (annoyingly gorgeous and irresistibly popular in college) hopes she’ll win back the affections of her formerly sweet daughter Lacey, who after her first year in college, has inexplicably become a little bit of a monster.

As the balmy pink shores of Bermuda come into view, tensions simmer, and old jealousies flare, sending the temperature from soothing to scorching in this engrossing tale of three best friends on a vacation they won’t soon forget—but not for the reasons they expect.

My Thoughts

The Summer Sail is the quintessential summer read that focuses on a group of friends whom met at college and have stayed besties from that day on. Abby who is married and has two sons wants to bring together her friends for a week of sun, fun and relaxing on a cruise to celebrate her twentieth wedding anniversary. However, when all is said and done Abby might have interior motives than just a fun friends cruise, it could be something no one ever expected.

While it seems like a great vacation each of her friends is dealing with their own mini problems. Lee is single and has devoted her life to her daughter Lacey who is off in college but doesn’t know how to deal with being alone. It has always just been the two of them and Lee simply can't cut the strings when it comes to Lacey. Caroline is a successful magazine writer and while she has gotten everything she wants career-wise now she now wants nothing more but to get married but she is afraid her boyfriend doesn’t want that but she is determined to get a proposal on this cruise or she might just dump him.

I really did fall in the love with the scenery and got pulled into the storyline, and while I felt something was looming when it was finally revealed to everyone I just didn’t feel the impact I was expecting. I just felt when it finally came out it was rushed all of a sudden. Granted it was towards the end but I just felt like the payoff wasn’t there but overall I liked how we got to know each friend and each had their own storyline. I also loved the message of friendship and how each one had each others backs. They were true friends and would do anything for each other. I also wouldn’t mind a sequel of sorts I thought there was plenty of story that could still be told. This is one read that is a summer must!

Review: The Salt House by Lisa Duffy

The Salt House by Lisa Duffy

Published: June 13, 2017

Publisher: Touchstone

Format: via publisher

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

In the coastal town of Alden, Maine, Hope and Jack Kelly have settled down to a life of wedded bliss. They have a beautiful family, a growing lobster business, and the Salt House—the dilapidated oceanfront cottage they’re renovating into their dream home. But tragedy strikes when their young daughter doesn’t wake up from her afternoon nap, taking her last breath without making a sound.

A year later, each member of the Kelly family navigates the world on their own private island of grief. Hope spends hours staring at her daughter’s ashes, unable to let go. Jack works to the point of exhaustion in an attempt to avoid his crumbling marriage. Their daughters, Jess and Kat, struggle to come to terms with the loss of their younger sister while watching their parents fall apart.

When Jack’s old rival, Ryland Finn, threatens his fishing territory, he ignites emotions that propel the Kelly family toward circumstances that will either tear them apart—or be the path to their family’s future.

 My Thoughts

The Salt House is an emotional rollercoaster of a read that grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go until the very end. It’s the tale of a family who tries to recover after the loss of their youngest daughter and how each one is dealing with the aftermath and are trying to move on. Told in alternating chapters by each family member we see how each one views each other and how they see how everyone is coping and dealing with the loss.

The Kelly family are holding on by a tread when an old rival Ryland comes back into town and Jack doesn’t like how Ryland and his wife are interacting, which doesn’t help his marriage which is all but in scambles. We see a marriage falling apart at the seams and a couple who doesn’t know how to grieve and take the time to save their marriage at the same time.

This was a heart wrenching, complex and intriguing read, one that gives us a glimpse into a family at their breaking point. What makes this read so wonderful is the rich layers that Lisa Duffy gives us that makes this story one that you cant put down. I haven’t been this invested in a story in a long time and I highly recommend this amazing book to anyone who wants a heartfelt read.

Review: Simply Clean by Becky Rapinchuk

Simply Clean by Becky Rapinchuk

Published: March 21, 2017

Publisher: Touchstone

Format: via publisher

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

In Simply Clean, Becky will help you effortlessly keep a tidy house and build habits to become a neat person—no matter how messy you may naturally be! Simply Clean features:

-A 7-Day Simply Clean Kick Start and the 28-Day Simply Clean Challenge, to turn cleaning from a chore into an effortless habit

-A designated catch-up day, so you’ll never have to worry or stress when life gets in the way of cleaning

-Step-by-step tutorials for speed cleaning hard-to-clean spaces

-Dozens of recipes for organic, environmentally conscious cleaning supplies

-Many of Becky’s famous checklists, schedules, and habit trackers

No matter how big your home or busy your schedule, the Simply Clean method can be customized to fit your life. It really is possible—in just ten minutes a day, you can create a cleaner, happier home.

My Thoughts

Those who don’t know me have no idea how much of a clean freak I am! I’m one of those people who loves to clean and “organize” is my middle name, so when I received this book I was ecstatic beyond belief. What I loved about this read was how the author basically gives you everything you need to get started. It’s the simple daily tasks that won't overwhelm you. I also love the section on making your own cleaning solutions. I know a lot of people who don’t like all the harsh chemicals out there and these alternatives are awesome. However, my favorites are the checklists which just brings everything together. This book will make the messiest unorganized person into a pro in no time.

WoW [11]

Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

The History of Us by Leah Stewart
Expected publication: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Touchstone

[Goodreads] Three grown siblings return to their childhood home and face a family secret that forces them to reexamine their relationships to each other—and to the aunt who took them in as children.

Eloise Hempel is on her way to teach a class at Harvard when she receives devastating news. Her sister and her husband have been killed in a tragic accident, and Eloise must return home to Cincinnati to take her sister’s three children, Theodora, Josh, and Claire, out of the hands of her own incapable mother. She moves back into her mother’s ancient house and, after her mother leaves, pours her own money into its upkeep.

Nearly two decades later, Eloise is still in that house, still thinking about what she left behind. With Claire leaving for New York City for a promising ballet career, Eloise has plans to finally embark on a life that’s hers alone. But when her mother makes a competition out of who inherits the house, and Claire reveals a life-changing secret, their makeshift family begins to fall apart.


I'm a fan of Leah Stewart. I think she's an amazing writer and I'm never disappointed when I read her writing. The novel sounds good and interesting and I cant wait to read it.

So what are you all waiting on? Please share.