"you're so sure about the world Leena. but i'm not like that. you know the best way for you to deal and you've been doing it. ....i haven't worked out how to heal so i'm trying everything.
that's my way."
published: 2020
pages: 336
heard: 7/22-25/2020
book: 63 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
Eileen is sick of being 79.
Leena's tired of life in her twenties.
Maybe it's time they swapped places...
When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She'd like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen.
Once Leena learns of Eileen's romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.
Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn't as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect - and distractingly handsome - school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?
THOUGHTS
hooray for netgalley having audiobooks and offering this one up for grabs for freeeee! (cause other wise, i'm sure i wouldn't have been approved.)
I read the flatshare back in 2019 and while it wasnt a super favorite of mine, I was down to read this one once it was available at my library but then Covid happened and the release date got pushed back and uh, anyway, here we are.
This was a cute little story that I could've gone 100% never having read.
Bah, that sounds bad.
Hear me out....
Eileen and Leena swap lives because well, shit hit the fan for Leena and if I'm being 1000% honest (and sorry it is a bit spoilery) because Eileen was looking for dick. I know I'm crude but in this case, I'm not being crude i'm just stating whats said in the book.
I can't really go into details about their similarities because there's one thing they have in common that's not mentioned in the synopsis that I don't wanna spoil for anyone who wants to read this book but I guess I can see how that one thing is leading them both to have the same lives. or no, not even that. not even that one thing. its just there really wasnt much to differentiate them besides their age. what Eileen wanted to accomplish in her hometown, she did in Leena's and what Leena wanted to accomplish in London, she did at her grandmas. yea, sometimes you need a change of scenery but this was meh at most to me.
Out of all the twists this story had I was only really surprised by one. and that one was done good but eh. but in general everything else was kinda predictable. I didn't care for Ethan (Leena's) boyfriend. I get WHY he was in the plot but tbh, this story would've been fine without him. There was no need for him at all. Leena could've fallen in love with the other dude just fine without having to introduce Ethan. And she could have strongly disliked homegirl without well, having to have had all that happened. (See!, kinda can't talk about it too much cus its spoilery)
It wasn't a bad story but to me it was just 2 women living repetitive lives at different ages/stages in their lives.
I felt like the problems they had were idk...not to sound like a bitch but aside from the one major thing, small. Eileen's was easily solvable if she'd just accepted the dick that was there for her all along....and Leena's was solvable if she'd just accept that other people are allowed to make their own choices no matter what YOU think is the right thing to do. Tbh, that fucking pissed the fuck out of me. I get her feelings are her feelings but she was just too much there. no one can tell anyone how to live their lives so i don't really sympathize with her there. (but please note that i 1000000% understand that i have NEVER been in that situation so who knows how i would act in that moment. its always the easiest thing to talk about when it isn't you that the thing is happening to.)
Anyway, it's not out in the US yet but somehow everyone is already reading it so I'll leave it here cause I don't wanna continue spoiling anymore for those that are waiting until August to read it.
....but jump over for spoilers if ya want.
thanks for reading!
 #bookslesreads on IG |
SPOILERS
S P O I L E R S
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Leena gets put on a 2 month leave from work after having a panic attack.
to explain it clearly, her sister passed away. i didnt really pay attention to the timeline but if it wasnt a year that its been, i think its the anniversary that's coming up. so idk that clearly but i know it has to do with her sisters death.
so anyway, she has a panic attack so they place her on a 2 month PAID work leave.
she goes to visit grandma and catches Eileen's list that she had made about finding someone to date and that's when they decide to swap lives.
Leena is mad at her mom because her mom let her sister Carla end her life even though there was possible treatment. she thinks she's the only one suffering her sisters death but her mom is also heartbroken. it just so happens that Leena was the "adult" when all this was going on.
Leena is looking to open up her own company with her best friend, Bea, but keeps putting it off. its not until her grandma catches Ethan cheating on her that she kicks her shit into gear (after being a dumb bitch about it) and gets it all going. she eventually decides to leave London and move down with her grandma to start her life over.
she also breaks up with Ethan and finally gives into dating Jackson (tbh, i can see it but this shit also came out of left field because its not like they spent lots of time together.)
Bea of course ends up moving with her daughter to whatever town it is because a) London is horrible for dating but also, the new dude that she is now dating that she was conveniently set up by Eileen, happens to live there or visit or some shit.
---
Eileen goes to London, sets up a dating profile, gets a hit and ends up having casual sex with some dude (forgot his name). she realizes that he is good times but ultimately that's no the kind of man she wants to end up with. (she's dating now because her husband left her).
Eileen doesnt really care for her neighbor Richard and thinks he's annoying but it turns out that they actually had chemistry way back when but because she was married she decided to turn cold against him.
this trick knew all along that she had dick right next door but had to travel on the train to realize it. in the end they end up together.
tbh, there's a lot im leaving out but im over this book so...yea, if you have questions, ask. if i remember, ill answer.
thanks for reading!
“It would be nice if you were here,” she murmurs. Then she falls asleep. I am alone in the bookstore, looking across the city at her sleeping form, lit only by the gray light of her laptop. In time it, too, falls asleep, and the screen goes dark."
published: 2012
pages: 242*
read: 7/17-18/2020
book: 62 in 2020
*according to the kindle version of my library hold.
SYNOPSIS
The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, but after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything; instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends, but when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls.
THOUGHTS
what in the world did I just read?
this is one of those books that's been around for forever therefore has forever been on my tbr list but I just never got around to it.
I was thisclose to buying it at B&N when I bought Open Book by Jessica Simpson book and I couldve read it for free when I had scribd but somehow, I ended up putting it on hold at my library and like always, i forgot.
I got it the other day and I decided to finally jump in.
Like I said on goodreads: "what in the Sally sells seashells down by the seashore did I just read?"
I haven't really seen reviews for this one around in a while besides Rad's on ig but even then prior to that, I dont think anyone really spoke about what this book entailed.
I knew it was about a dude who works at a 24 hr bookstore. I just thought idk, spooky ghost shit would happen if I had to guess. No idea really where it would go but I did not expect at all what I got.
Uh. So this was a funny read (it had its moments) and overall, I do think this was a good read. While I'm definitely not mad I read it, I do have to say I'm glad to be done with it. Something about it kinda gave me the hibbie jibbies. First when I started reading it and kinda the overallness of it all in the end.
At first it was kinda dragging for me, then it picks up but about 70% in I was kinda just ready for it to be over.
This story is about essentially a "cult" hell bent on discovering the message one person left behind that leads to the discovery of everlasting life.
This has been going on for 500+ years. Here comes Clay to (unknowingly) shake things up.
I won't go into details about that because it would be considered spoiler-ish and I dont wana do that here but woooah, what the fuck.
Maybe I still need time to process this book but..., not really. I mean, idk if it was just weird af because I had no idea what it was about or what but!, while I know I should focus on what it's really about, the bigger picture, I'm choosing to focus on Clay's relationship with Neel. And how they both bonded as kids over some dorky ass books which I wont say anything else about except: 😍. And how I love the way their relationship was played out in this story.
Or I can also focus on how Clay had what he needed when he needed it (can also be a bit spoilery)...basically what I'm tryna say is that theres a lot going into this story besides the main point but I kinda dig that!
overall, trippy read.
anyway, jump over for super basic spoilers because I couldn't even if i tried.
This story is about essentially a "cult" hell bent on discovering the message one person left behind that leads to the discovery of everlasting life.
This has been going on for 500+ years. Here comes Clay to (unknowingly) shake things up.
I won't go into details about that because it would be considered spoiler-ish and I dont wana do that here but woooah, what the fuck.
Maybe I still need time to process this book but..., not really. I mean, idk if it was just weird af because I had no idea what it was about or what but!, while I know I should focus on what it's really about, the bigger picture, I'm choosing to focus on Clay's relationship with Neel. And how they both bonded as kids over some dorky ass books which I wont say anything else about except: 😍. And how I love the way their relationship was played out in this story.
Or I can also focus on how Clay had what he needed when he needed it (can also be a bit spoilery)...basically what I'm tryna say is that theres a lot going into this story besides the main point but I kinda dig that!
overall, trippy read.
anyway, jump over for super basic spoilers because I couldn't even if i tried.
thanks for reading!
SPOILERS
S P O I L E R S
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Clay is walking around San Francisco looking for a job when he inadvertently stumbles upon Penumbra's bookstore which happens to need a night clerk.
He interviews for it, gets it and starts the job. But the peculiar thing is no one really buys books it's more like they borrow them and then return them for other books.
He was told not to look inside of them so he doesnt until his roommate Matt stops by one night and does the looking for him.
The point of the story is that there is a Society (cult) whose set their life mission to find the message hidden in these books.
Theres the one main book that lives in NEW YORK but you don't get to touch that book until you've solved the mystery in all of the other tiny books and written your own book that passes the test you are given.
For 500 years theyve tried cracking the ultimate message. Here comes Clay and cracks the first piece of the puzzle with the help of Kat who happens to work at Google. From there on Penumbra let's him in on the story and basically, he goes to New York and copies the one book that is never supposed to be leaked and then hands it over to Kat to crack.
....which of course she doesnt.
It's not until Edgar (the dude that guards the entrance to the underground library in New York) asks Clay to track down the missing Gerritszons font pieces (honestly, I'm missing a lot here so it makes sense if you're all wtf? *head scratch*) that Clay makes the connection to the mystery message.
When Clay was in 6th grade, he bonded with Neel over some dragon books. They've both read them several times but it's not until hes driving home with the missing pieces that hes listening to the audio version of the book that he realizes how to find the message.
Turns out the message was in all of the Gerritzons font tablet things. They were like carved in all tiny and when put together, its Gerritzon saying thank you to his friend Teobaldo for essentially giving him the key. (Garritszons was forced to work in i forgot where that went against his beliefs so when he turned 16, he ran away and ended up working with Teobaldo where he was able to create his font and live his life they way he wanted to.)
Penumbra and crew had spent 500 years looking to find this message because they believed that it would lead to everyone finding immortality (they believed Garritszons never really passed away and that once they found this message not only would he come back but also revive all those who wrote their own books and have since passes but also all those currently doing the work)
Honestly, a lot of other shit also goes down but I don't feel like getting into it.
At the meat of the story, everything I wrote above is what the story is all about.
The end. :D
It was a valuable thing, he suddenly realized, to have someone you could count on for honesty. How many times in his life had he wanted only that?
published: 2016
pages: 277
read/heard: 6/24/2016 to 7/20/2020
book: 61 in 2020
"But 20 years to figure out who you are, how hard can that be?"
"Plenty hard. The plain truth can be the hardest thing to see when it's about yourself. If you dont want to know the truth, you'll do anything to disguise it."
SYNOPSIS
Pax was only a kit when his family was killed, and “his boy” Peter rescued him from abandonment and certain death. Now the war front approaches, and when Peter’s father enlists, Peter has to move in with his grandpa. Far worse than being forced to leave home is the fact that Pax can’t go. Peter listens to his stern father—as he usually does—and throws Pax’s favorite toy soldier into the woods. When the fox runs to retrieve it, Peter and his dad get back in the car and leave him there—alone. But before Peter makes it through even one night under his grandfather’s roof, regret and duty spur him to action; he packs for a trek to get his best friend back and sneaks into the night. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their independent struggles to return to one another against all odds. Told from the alternating viewpoints of Peter and Pax.
THOUGHTS
you read that right. It only took 4 years to finish this one. 😅
I started this one right away when I bought it. made it about a hundred and something pages in and put it down because all of me couldnt handle the story.
Think The Fox & The Hound.
Yea.
Exactly.
As a kid I could eat that movie up. As an adult, I have yet to watch it again. Basically the last time I saw that movie, I owned it on VHS.
So when it came to this book about a kid and his fox and leaving Pax behind, I couldnt deal with it.
I always said I'd pick it back up soon but never did and it wasn't until now that I thought to myself that I could just finish it up as an audiobook.
I placed the hold, forgot about it, got it and finished it in like an hour. For someone who forgets everything easily, I was able to pick this one back up real quick.
Overall, l was being a super softie. It's just who I am. The story ends up working out the way it's supposed to but from beginning to end, I just couldnt handle it. 😅
Yea.
Exactly.
As a kid I could eat that movie up. As an adult, I have yet to watch it again. Basically the last time I saw that movie, I owned it on VHS.
So when it came to this book about a kid and his fox and leaving Pax behind, I couldnt deal with it.
I always said I'd pick it back up soon but never did and it wasn't until now that I thought to myself that I could just finish it up as an audiobook.
I placed the hold, forgot about it, got it and finished it in like an hour. For someone who forgets everything easily, I was able to pick this one back up real quick.
Overall, l was being a super softie. It's just who I am. The story ends up working out the way it's supposed to but from beginning to end, I just couldnt handle it. 😅
good story, beautiful book with gorgeous illustrations & deckled edges. 😍 what more do you need to love this story!?
I'm telling you, kids books are made up entirely of something else.
Just because it isn't happening here doesnt mean it isn't happening.
jump over for quick spoilers.
SPOILERSS P O I L E R S
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Uhm, well, yes, Peter's dad makes him leave Pax in this field and then he drives him to his grandpa's.
Pax is all wtf & Peter regrets it right away so now they're both on their journey to find one another.
Peter runs away, ends up breaking his foot or messing up his ankle really bad (I dont remember) but he ends up in the farm of a lady (I forgot her name/too lazy to get up and go look it up) (her name is Vola. I needed to look up a quote and there was her name. Lol!) she has issues of her own but they end up helping each other out.
Meanwhile Pax is learning to fend for himself.
He meets up with another fox who ends up passing away (again forgot his name). Pax ends up bonding with a brother/sister pair who becomes his family.
He tells them that his master or owner is one of the good ones but of course the other foxes are hesitant because they've seen humans in another light.
After many attempts trying to find each other, Peter & Pax finally find each other. But by then Peter can see he is late and that Pax has made his new family so he throws the toy once again and tells him to leave. Well, I wouldnt say he can see he's late. I'd say something more like he realized where Pax truly belongs.
(The messed up part is that the dad made Peter leave Pax in an area where he knew Pax could possibly be hurt because he was part of the crew that was laying down dynamite for the enemies to get blown up by.)
of course there are other things i left out but for the most part, this was the main plot.
"True love doesn't always last. It doesn't always have to be for a lifetime."
"And that doesn't mean it wasnt true."
published: 2016
pages: 327
read: 7/17-18/2020
book: 60 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.
On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.
Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.
That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.
Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?
Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.
THOUGHTS
*not completely spoilery but there are some so beware!*
Ooooh. Definitely liked this one the most of all 3 TJR books I just read.
I'm a sucker for love stories. and i loved this love story because of that ending!!!! *heart eyes*
stories where both parties agree to an ending because it is what it is are even better for me!
I think it's safe to say that I am a person afraid of time. Afraid in the sense that I'm afraid of losing time with something that's meant to be. I need to learn to let time do its thing. What's meant to be will find it's way....and if it doesnt well then, you shouldn't be wasting time on it anyway. So of course I'd love this book because OMG time is a fickle thing.
(but how funny that one of my favorite Jack Johnson songs has my most favorite lyric ever: "you tell me time never waits, well that's okay cause i don't wait for time.")
Emma has finally gotten her life back on track and is so happy with Sam when she gets a call from Jesse and everything she thought she knew just falls apart. Now she has to decide what and who she wants and what to do with it all.
I think I liked this story over maybe in another life because it's a singular line type of story vs the two stories we get in that book. It wasnt...idk how to explain it...it was straight forward, you don't get to see two happy endings. It's just time doing its thing. What's meant to happen is....happening.
I did feel like Jesse was never really the one (obvs I know this is a made up story and that only they know their relationship). but I guess my reasoning is because first he doesn't know she exists and then he does, then the next minute they're married and then he's gone.
And once they reconnected....they were both just so different that you could just tell they weren't meant to be anymore. I guess maybe I'm team Sam because you saw them blossom together and you saw him understand her "new" life and you saw them put in the work into the relationship that they have/are building towards. With Jesse it was all in a flash. It didnt seem to me like there was any sustenance to them. BUT maybe that's what TJR meant to do! Maybe this is her genius working its magic. We're sposed to get this love story that was right for the moment but ultimately its sposed to get the back seat to the true love story of this story.
Overall, I'm really happy with the way this one turned out. *sorry if it's a bit spoilery * my favorite thing about this story is the closure. They were grown ups about it, there was no animosity towards anyone and they said goodbye with nothing but love.
They once had their time and now its time to move on. And Jesse might not fully grasp it but he knows....he ends up knowing and it was the best ending ever.
Ah, I love a good closure.
Everything about this story spoke to my time fighting/needing to understand time heart.
Emma has finally gotten her life back on track and is so happy with Sam when she gets a call from Jesse and everything she thought she knew just falls apart. Now she has to decide what and who she wants and what to do with it all.
I think I liked this story over maybe in another life because it's a singular line type of story vs the two stories we get in that book. It wasnt...idk how to explain it...it was straight forward, you don't get to see two happy endings. It's just time doing its thing. What's meant to happen is....happening.
I did feel like Jesse was never really the one (obvs I know this is a made up story and that only they know their relationship). but I guess my reasoning is because first he doesn't know she exists and then he does, then the next minute they're married and then he's gone.
And once they reconnected....they were both just so different that you could just tell they weren't meant to be anymore. I guess maybe I'm team Sam because you saw them blossom together and you saw him understand her "new" life and you saw them put in the work into the relationship that they have/are building towards. With Jesse it was all in a flash. It didnt seem to me like there was any sustenance to them. BUT maybe that's what TJR meant to do! Maybe this is her genius working its magic. We're sposed to get this love story that was right for the moment but ultimately its sposed to get the back seat to the true love story of this story.
Overall, I'm really happy with the way this one turned out. *sorry if it's a bit spoilery * my favorite thing about this story is the closure. They were grown ups about it, there was no animosity towards anyone and they said goodbye with nothing but love.
They once had their time and now its time to move on. And Jesse might not fully grasp it but he knows....he ends up knowing and it was the best ending ever.
Ah, I love a good closure.
Everything about this story spoke to my time fighting/needing to understand time heart.
jump over for quick spoilers.
SPOILERS
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When the story starts, Emma is with Sam and her parents having dinner to celebrate her dads bday. They're all getting ready to leave when she gets a call.
Its Jesse.
Her husband.
Who had passed away 3 years earlier in a plane crash.
Emma sees Jesse at a swim meet in high school and falls in love with him then & there. It's not til years later that they're at a house party that they connect while running away from the cops.
Emma understands Jesse's desire to leave swimming behind since it's his parents dream because she wants to leave her parents dream for her behind. She doesn't want take over the bookstore and she wants to travel.
They end up going to LA for years (9 I think), he proposes, they get married and on the night before their 1 year anniversary he takes a flight to who knows where but the plane crashes.
she moves back home with her parents and eventually gets her shit together.
She runs into Sam (he used to work at her parents bookstore with her when they were teens) at a music store and they end up going on a date. Fast forward they end up engaged.
But now that Jesse is back she needs to figure out what to do.
At first Sam was understanding but there's only so much he can take. He tells her that she needs to figure it out (in a nicer way of course).
She ends up going to Michigan with Jesse to the cabin where they got married. Of course they hook up and you know, do couples shit but in the end they come to the realization that they have grown apart.
She does indeed love Sam and wants to be with him.
So after 3 days, they decide that it's over between them. They love each other but there's no making it work. ...mostly it was Emma realizing this. it took a bit for Jesse to see it but its not til like 8 months later or some shit that he really sees it.
Before all this happened Sam told Emma that he would call her when he was ready to talk.
So of course she was worried that she had blown it with him (especially because she got a phone call from their wedding venue about the cancellation) but Sam comes to his senses and tells her that he wont let her leave that easily and that he needs to, he will fight for her.
just as she was going to look for him, he comes looking for her! <3
They are married sometime later and 8 months after that she gets a call from Jesse.
Hes found someone hes in love with and he can now understand everything that she told him about love and how what they had isnt deemed invaluable just because it didn't stand the test of time.... its just that their time has passed.
And yes. That's the super short version.
They are married sometime later and 8 months after that she gets a call from Jesse.
Hes found someone hes in love with and he can now understand everything that she told him about love and how what they had isnt deemed invaluable just because it didn't stand the test of time.... its just that their time has passed.
And yes. That's the super short version.
there's also some beef shit with her sister....but ya know.
"that is what true love is. true love is saying to someone "forget about us, we'll be okay." when it might not even be true, when the last thing you want is to be forgotten."
pages: 321
heard/read: 7/15-17/2020
book: 59 in 2020
Have you ever heard of supernovas? They shine brighter than anything else in the sky and then fade out really quickly, a short burst of extraordinary energy. I like to think you and Ben were like that . . . in that short time, you had more passion than some people have in a lifetime.
Elsie Porter is an average twentysomething and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year's Day, she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn't expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait twenty-four hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they've eloped.
Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already been whisked off to the emergency room. At the hospital, she must face Susan, the mother-in-law she has never met and who doesn't even know Elsie exists.
Interweaving Elsie and Ben's charmed romance with Elsie and Susan's healing process, Forever, Interrupted will remind you that there's more than one way to find a happy ending.
THOUGHTS
Elsie Porter is an average twentysomething and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year's Day, she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn't expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait twenty-four hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they've eloped.
Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already been whisked off to the emergency room. At the hospital, she must face Susan, the mother-in-law she has never met and who doesn't even know Elsie exists.
Interweaving Elsie and Ben's charmed romance with Elsie and Susan's healing process, Forever, Interrupted will remind you that there's more than one way to find a happy ending.
THOUGHTS
idk how to start this one.
i mean, i liked it.
it was a good story. i guess i would say that i am indifferent about it.
in this one you meet Elsie and Ben and you go along the history of their relationship. they were married for 9 days before Ben passes away. so the story is mostly about the lead up to their wedding and the aftermath of his death.
i liked the way it was written and how its kinda full circle-ish in the sense that once the story ends, i wouldn't say its the end of Elsie's mourning but the beginning of a new life for her. and i loved it even more that she decides to start anew with Mr. Callahan.
i found her relationship with Susan, Ben's mother, kinda true? maybe...is that the way i would word it? idk. i mean obvs in the beginning they didn't click and that believable but i like that in the end they're their own little family even if its just them two.
i know the story is about Elsie but i would've liked to have seen what happened between Anna & Kevin.....aaannnd i wish there would have been some more of a heart to heart resolution between Anna and Elsie.
read THIS review if you want something better....detailed. she said it better than i ever will.
overall it was a good read. i mean i was up til about 330 am reading it so yea.....i just don't really have much to say about it so yea....onto the next!
anyway, jump over for quick spoilers....there isn't really much to spoil about this story.
SPOILERS
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Ben was on his bike when he was hit.
he had gone to get cereal for Elsie because she wanted some.
she waited and waited and got worried and went to go look for him when she sees the accident.
the police officer takes her to the hospital where she runs into Ben's mom who of course didn't know they were married.
at first Susan doesn't really care for Elsie but in the end they end up forming a friendship.
uh.....they are married but Ben had put his social down wrong on the license which is why she wasn't getting the certificate months later in the mail but luckily a lady calls her and manages to fix it for her.
you see their relationship evolve but also see its cracks along the way.
and uh, yeah....
there's really not much to spoil here so yea.
i guess ill leave it at that.
pages: 333
heard/read: 7/14-15/2020
book: 58 in 2020
From the acclaimed author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.
At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.
Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?
In concurrent story lines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?
Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.
At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.
Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?
In concurrent story lines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?
Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.
THOUGHTS
this was an okay read.
there are definitely some gems in there and there are times where the overall message in a chapter itself is really great but overall, this wasn't a fave of mine.
i listened to a good chunk at work and i felt like the first half didn't really do much. it just dragged. once i got home and started reading it i was more invested so maybe it lies in that? but idk, i usually dig audiobooks.
its not that Hannah was bad, she just made bad life choices. I'm no one to judge her. we've all fucked up here and there. i just didn't connect with her.
in the beginning we have just the one Hannah, flying home to LA from NYC.
her best friend Gabby and her husband pick her up and the next night or something, they go out with friends.
Han reunites with Ethan, the love of her life, the one that got away (same for him)....when the night is over, when Ethan asks her to stay and she chooses to leave, THAT'S when it starts going both ways. and it wasnt bad, i just idk, didn't care for it.
in one timeline she manages to get back with Ethan rather easily just to lose it again juuuuuuust to end up married to him whereas in the other timeline she decides to leave Ethan just because he took someone else home and they both end up with someone else. (ALTHOUGH! they still touch bases about what could have been soooooo...iiiidddkkkkkk!)
in the end, we get 2 endings BUT there are some similarities in both stories. i think i would have preferred it if the story would have ended in just one way. more....closure. but i think the point of the story is that no matter what you choose, in the end, its mostly kinda similar.
idk.
overall, it wasnt a bad read cause if it was i wouldn't have stayed up until almost 2 to finish it but something about it left me wanting more. more...closure. idk.
"I'll see if there's any way to make it work. That's what you do when you want something. You don't look for reasons why it won't work. You look for reasons why it will.
So I'm searching, I'm digging, for ways to make it happen."
anyway, jump over for spoilers.
"I don't want to spend the rest of my life searching for someone who isn't here anymore."
pages: 262
read: 7/12-13/2020
book: 57 in 2020
"You were right," I tell him.
He looks at me. "Of course I was. About what?"
SYNOPSIS
From the author of If This Were a Story comes a heartfelt, coming-of-age novel about sisterhood, friendship, and the stories behind our journeys that connect us to one another.
Cassi has always been proud to be Puerto Rican, but when others comment on her appearance, telling her she doesn’t look like the rest of her family, Cassi begins to question everything.
At school, Cassi finds a distraction in the Math Olympics, where she is able to do what she loves and soon befriends Aaron, the new boy who tells her stories about all the tree towns he’s lived in. Just when everything seems to be getting better, a painful video goes viral and Cassi wonders if Mapleton is just another stop on Aaron’s list.
As the seasons change, Cassi must learn to solve the pieces of her life that are varied and emotional and at times, beautiful. And even when they don’t equate, reveal a rewarding answer.
THOUGHTS
GAH!
ever since I started picking up KIDS YA books last year, I've been so lucky to score some mega gems. 😍
From Dusti Bowling (book 1/2/3) (whose new book I've already preordered) to Dana Alison Levy to Erin Entrada Kelly; they've all written amazingly beautifully worded stories about kids that I hold dear to my heart. Now I have The Last Tree Town by Beth Turley to add to this collection.
Like I've said in every single one of those book posts, if I ever have children, these are the kind of stories I want to raise them with.
Something about the fact there are stories such as these out there for not only me to discover but all of the future generations that are to follow makes me utterly happy.
I know these are considered YA books but I feel like they're more kids books than anything else....and that's what makes me happy. learning how to properly learn and convey your emotions is something you're never too young to learn.
At the core of this book, this story is about Cassi discovering herself as a human and how her identity defines her or its lack thereof. All the while you see her sister Daniella go through some changes just like Cassi but in the opposite direction. At the end of the day, Daniella will always be the older sister but their paths as sisters might look a bit different for a while and they're both learning that themselves; within each other and apart.
Not only that but you also have Aaron's story which I expected to be funny in a way. not sure AT ALL why I thought that. Maybe because his attitude when they first meet was so upbeat.....idk.
His story was just as heartbreaking but needed for this entire thing to fit together beautifully. And Jac!!!!
(man, the names in this book fucked me uuuppp!)
I loved Jac. She's also dealing with her shit but just, her actions or the way people thought she was too much when she was just being authentically herself (but on like 15 monster energy drinks lol) made me love her even more
That scene where Cassi is talking to Mr G and then she scares them on the window: 😍😍😍
And then we have B E N
ohmygooooooodddnnneeesss did I love the living daylights outta this kiiiiiid!!!!!!
He's so happy!!!! He's so full of life! He's also soooo authentically himself! I just couldn't handle with how happy he made meee!!! Even if on book terms he's the one that's "best off" in the group, he fits in so well! He's perfect. They're all perfect. They're all perfect for each other! Together!
I loved them all.
We're told this story is about Cassi discovering who she is through her nationality and her figuring out how to show people that she is in fact Puerto Rican when everything about her screams opposite.
....but really it's so much more. Its Aaron's life story about his tree towns. It's about Jac and her struggle in a way about how she's adapting being the daughter of divorced parents. To Ben's zest for life. To Diana's current struggle with life.
All these things thrown together (plus others) make for such a beautiful story to read.
I'm so glad I randomly found this one on page ones Instagram. I'm so glad that cover caught my attention because if being honest with y'all, that's the reason I bought this book. I read the synopsis but it was the gorgeous cover that sold me.
I'm really glad to have read this one.
I'm glad it's a part of my life and I'm glad I own it.
I'm glad this book exists to show you that it's okay to deal with your depression and that you shouldn't hide it, there are people who want to help you, that you should be proud of your ethnicity no matter what others say, that it shows the value of love and friendship in such a loving way.
This book was just an all around hit for me.
anyway, jump over for spoilers.
"It’s incredible the things we do for people we love, isn’t it?”
pages: 336
read: 7/10-12/2020
book: 56 in 2020
"You know it's bad when I'm the social one."
Growing up under his punk rocker dad's spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. His real love isn't in front of a crowd, it's on the page. Hiding his gift and secretly hoarding songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly-happy-with-his-long-term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. But that’s not Luke’s only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell.
Vada's got a five year plan: secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from local legend (and her mom's boyfriend) Phil Josephs (check), take over Phil's music blog (double check), get accepted into Berkeley's prestigious music journalism program (check, check, check), manage Ann Arbor's summer concert series and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is most definitely NOT on the list. So what if his self-deprecating charm and out-of-this-world music knowledge makes her dizzy? Or his brother just released a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast and she really, really wishes it was her?
THOUGHTS
this. damn. book.
😍😍😍
shout out to Netgalley where I have no business being because I never read their shit but anyway, I think this was one of those free reads they were giving away at the beginning of the pandemic? Idk. I don't remember if I requested it or what the deal was with this one and tbh, I wasnt going to read it like any time soon (it's due for "review" by 7/21) but my library holds came in and the once connection I felt for them was no longer there so I decided to look for something else and that's where this one came into play.
I
LOVED
THIS
STORY
everything about it.
to me this was definitely a 1 sitting read and I should have read it in one sitting BUT there's mention of so much music that every time an artist or song was mentioned, I would stop, youtube and revel in the music. I started this at like 10 pm and by 4 am I was only about 50% through.
this book made me happy, made me smile soooo cheesy, made me cry my guts out because i loved everything about it but also brought memories about how good it all used to be.
My favorite parts had to be the way they speak to each other with songs that carried way more context than just the conversation going on in the forefront.
That's a type of love language that I can get behind. 😍.....I have been behind that kind of love language and it's so fucking beautiful!
I loved Vada and her attitude. I loved that she was sure of herself. I loved that the author painted her authentically when it came to shit with her dad. I liked the way she carried herself. I loved everything about her (I wont lie she did kinda bug me a bit at the end there where.....I wont spoil it here) but overall, I loved her tenacity.
And Luke!
Oh, Luke.
what wasnt there to like about him!!!?
I loved him too but Vada is where my hearts at and I'm sure he'd agree with me lol.
The supporting cast was great....I loved Cull & Zack and Meg and Phil and everyone who worked at the bar and just about everyone in this entire story. Except Marcus. 😒 what a dick.
I'm so glad I read this book.
I didn't think I would love it as much as I did.
I wasnt expecting for it to affect me the way it did, making me feel what it did and making me cry the way it did. it ended up being such a beautiful, wonderful surprise.
So glad I gave this one a go.
I should mention though that while I absolutely loved it, the more I think of it, I feel like the "main" subject wasnt really addressed. I mean, we learn that obvs she makes it...but I'm going based solely on assumptions.
Eh, either way, loooooved it.
I dont think I'm doing spoilers on this one. Honestly, because I'm lazy and in my feels and I just don't wanna deal with it right now.
I do want to reread this one so maybe I'll do them the next time around.
"that's the thing, you see. some people, given just the right amount of pressure, taken out of their usual, comfortable environments, don't need much encouragement at all to become monsters" -Heather
(pg 55)
published: 2019
pages: 327
read: 7/7-9/2020
book: 55 in 2020
pages: 327
read: 7/7-9/2020
book: 55 in 2020
All of them are friends. One of them is a killer.
During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.
They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.
Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.
The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps.
Now one of them is dead . . . and another of them did it.
Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?
During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.
They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.
Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.
The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps.
Now one of them is dead . . . and another of them did it.
Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?
THOUGHTS
this wasn't a bad read BUT it felt like a lot of work.
i originally started this as an actual read and i was actually going to read it before i dove into the witches but even after the first 3 pages i decided to wait; it felt really really familiar to The Guest List (which i LOVED) and i don't even think it was that, i just think deep down inside i knew it wasn't going to be a hit for me.
this one takes A LOT of work.
by the time you get to the good part of it, you dislike just about every character as much as you possibly can that you start to think to yourself "is the big reveal even worth it?"
Miranda was the fucking worst.
who the fuck does she think she is with her shitty, uppity attitude!???
none of them were all the best but thiiiiiiiis biiiitch. UGH!
you don't learn who was killed and i mean not even the sex until you're really into it.....before i even made it that far i googled spoilers to see if it was going to be worth it. i don't think that it was.
but it wasn't until i read this instagram post that i realized the spin on who did it and why. to me, it probably still wasn't even worth it then. the "why" doesn't even end up mattering in the end because well,...i wont spoil that here.
idk.
i think it's just how annoying they all are as humans that pushes you to dislike the story; to make it feel like a lot of work. maybe that was the point? at least that's how it felt to me.
i switched to audio to get through this one faster and it somehow felt like more work.
aside from the fact that this is The Guest List before TGL was released, i also feel like it pulled from some other books i've already read for example: Bring Me Back, An Unwanted Guest & The Couple Next Door (tbh, im going with TCND only because of the leaving a baby all alone part). maybe pull is the wrong way to word it but i feel like its already been done and it was then all shoved into one story.
there are a total of 12 (13 if you count Iain) characters:
Emma & Mark
Miranda & Julien
Nick & Bo
Samira & Giles & Baby Priya
Katie
Doug & Hannah
given the amount of cast, you only read chapters in a few of these people's voices and the rest were just....there to be a part of the story...so part of me is like "did they even need to be there?" i mean sorry if its a bit spoilery but Nick & Bo didn't really need to even be there. the only purpose they served was simply to have more bodies for Miranda to be a bitch to. ...and also to be the token gay couple that surprise surprise, the rest of the guys were uncomfortable with. i mean these fools have all been best friends FOR YEARS! you mean to tell me that 10+ years and theyre still uncomfortable with someone in the group being gay? by that point wtf is Nick doing still surrounding himself with all these people for? he was only "close" to Katie and even she wasn't that close to the rest of the group anymore.
another thing is while the point of the story is to find out who died and who did it, there are also little sub stories left and right. with Doug and with Heather and hell even Iain.
it was all a lot.
at least with TGL it ties up and i feel like it was done idk, cleaner. neater.
i can see the way certain things, stories were also woven into other charters because ultimately they lend to the person who did it but still..... :P
i think knowing who killed who and who it was that was killed helped me pay attention a bit closer to the story. at the end of it all, i can see little things in the overall story of the killer that were woven into other characters in the story.
iduno. i wasnt crazy about this one.
but i will say that if there is another book by this author and it follows the same plot, i will still read it. even if its similar, its still a good story line...it's just for me personally this one didnt click.
anyway, jump over for quick spoilers.
"I'll get over it but I'll never forget."
pages: 83*
read: 7/6/2020
book: 54 in 2020
*it says 91 but if you cut out all the extra crap....i think its 83 pages.
SYNOPSIS
Hannah and Veronica battle a Blood Witch in the thrilling, heartbreaking e-novella prequel to These Witches Don’t Burn.
Turns out, New York City is kind of a nightmare for a witch.
Hannah’s not exactly loving her trip to the city, considering the huge crowds and layers of concrete blocking her connection to the elements. But a weekend away with her best friend, Gemma, and her girlfriend, Veronica, still has its advantages. After all, it’s hard to complain when you’re making out with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
With Veronica’s graduation on the horizon, Hannah is determined to enjoy every second of their time together, even if that means hanging out with Veronica’s new friends, a group of Caster Witches determined to stir up trouble with a local Blood Witch.
Thrust into the middle of a terrifying magical feud, Hannah begins to question if she can really trust Veronica, especially with her heart. And with a vengeful Blood Witch on their trail, she’ll have to use every ounce of her powers to make sure she gets back to Salem alive.
THOUGHTS
ugh.
glad i read this one last because i think i would hated reading about Veronica even more so than i already did.
OMG VERONICA IS THE ABSOLUTE FUCKING WOOOOOOOORSTT!!!!!!!!!!!
questions i had in book 1 were answered in book 2. questions i had in book 2 i already forgot about but i always wondered WTF happened in New York between these 2 that had Hannah wanting to get away from Veronica so bad. and you get bits and pieces through out the book but obvs not the whole story; this is where this one comes into play.
i obviously knew Veronica fucked up majorly but i didn't know the extent of it and man was it bad. if i were Hannah i would've raised hell on her.
finishing the first 2 books left me feeling whatevers about V but after reading this, she's the fucking worst and i'm so glad Hannah stood up for herself and made her feelings about everything known. especially given that she was repressing them for the longest. i wish she would've stood up sooner but overall i'm glad she finally did.
im also really glad to be done with this series, duology, whatever it is.
im over the drama and now need something light.
i also still have some questions. most i can't remember but the one i do have is: Tori was claiming to get revenge on Alice (you dont learn its Alice until book 2 so sorry oops! bit of a spoiler!) yet Alice was afraid....was it just fear of being stripped of her magic or was she really running away from Tori while also trying to fuck her up? idk....that story there is really blurry.
anyway, on to the next book!
jump over for spoilers!
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