[Release Day Review]* Sweet Pursuits (Saffron Sweeting #3) by Pauline Wiles

What’s the recipe for a second chance at love?

After six blissful years with scientist boyfriend Owen, Bella Beecham was convinced he was about to pop the question she’d been longing to hear. Instead, he accepted a prestigious job in California and left England without a backwards glance. Now, Owen’s back in the village of Saffron Sweeting, and appears to be more eligible than ever. Bella’s determined that the man of her dreams won’t slip through her fingers again.
But her plans to tone up, trim down, and tempt Owen back into her life prove bittersweet. Although Bella’s talent for baking wins her new friends, her tasty treats have a disconcerting tendency to sabotage her own intentions. And as her increasingly bold attempts to recapture Owen’s heart stumble, Bella must question whether she’s chasing a guy who wants to be caught.

A British romantic comedy featuring both familiar characters and fresh faces, Sweet Pursuits explores how a young woman seeking her soulmate must first learn to love herself.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 303 pages (Paperback)
Source: Review Copy
Genre: British Chick Lit
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date:  January 26th 2017
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This was such a good read. I don't read a lot of chick lit or romance these days (I'm a mood reader) but it was nice to delve into some good old (new actually!) British Chick Lit and I am not, I repeat not exaggerating when I say that I love Pauline Wiles little village of Saffron Sweeting.

Bella was one of those characters that I had to learn to love. I liked her just fine in the beginning of the book but it wasn't until nearer the end that I really grew to love her and I think that's because the story started going the way I wanted to. Now, when I say that I don't mean it in a bad way. I just thought that being the experienced reader I am that I could use The Force™ to force her to do give Owen up (I wanted to kick him in the "shins").  

I get where Bella is coming from though, when a relationship especially a long term one ends it is hard to get over and I know she wanted him back because she loved him but I'm very glad to report that in the end Bella ended up choosing herself and what truly made her happy. I enjoyed seeing her character grow and I really do think she's one of my favourite characters to come across in the last little while. She's basically someone I wouldn't mind being friends with and despite some of her weaker moments she was great. 

While this isn't the first book in the Saffron Sweeting series it's actually, it was the first one in the series that I've read and I'll let you know that it's one that I'm going to continue reading. The characters, setting and atmosphere was quaint, adorable and delicious. If you love baking/eating check out this charming bit of chick lit! It's perfect for rainy days or to battle the winter blues. If you want a book that will brighten your day I highly suggest giving this one a try especially if you have a sweet tooth! 

Rating:  ★★★★★

Author Bio:



British by birth, Pauline is now a contented resident of California, although she admits to occasional yearnings for afternoon tea and historic homes.
Her debut novel, Saving Saffron Sweeting, reached the quarter final of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and was a number one Kindle Best Seller. The stand-alone prequel, Secrets in the Sky, is now available, with the third book in the series coming in early 2017. Her work has been published by House of Fifty, Smitten by Britain and Alfie Dog Fiction.
When not writing, Pauline can be found getting the steps wrong in a Zumba class or calculating how many miles she has to run to justify an extra piece of cake. Her ambition is to sell enough books to cover the cost of flying herself and a reader to London for tea.


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The Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis Lee

 

Summary:

 

With the glass kitchen, Linda Francis Lee has served up a novel that is about the courage it takes to follow your heart and be yourself. A true recipe for life.
Portia Cuthcart never intended to leave Texas. Her dream was to run the Glass Kitchen restaurant her grandmother built decades ago. But after a string of betrayals and the loss of her legacy, Portia is determined to start a new life with her sisters in Manhattan . . . and never cook again. But when she moves into a dilapidated brownstone on the Upper West Side, she meets twelve-year-old Ariel and her widowed father Gabriel, a man with his hands full trying to raise two daughters on his own. Soon, a promise made to her sisters forces Portia back into a world of magical food and swirling emotions, where she must confront everything she has been running from. What seems so simple on the surface is anything but when long-held secrets are revealed, rivalries exposed, and the promise of new love stirs to life like chocolate mixing with cream. The Glass Kitchen is a delicious novel, a tempestuous story of a woman washed up on the shores of Manhattan who discovers that a kitchen—like an island—can be a refuge, if only she has the courage to give in to the pull of love, the power of forgiveness, and accept the complications of what it means to be family.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 384 pages (Hardcover)

Source: Review Copy

Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio

Expected Publication Date: June 17th 2014 by St. Martin's Press

 

I'm not usually a fan of magical realism especially if it is done with a light touch but I have to say the way that Linda Francis used it in The Glass Kitchen was amazingly well done. As with reading any new author I went it with some reservations but as soon as I started the book I was completely and utterly hooked and read it in one sitting.

 

Portia was a great character. She was so kind, and lovable and she felt so much for those around her despite the fact that the world has kind of thrown her to the curb. I felt so bad for her for having had to deal with a no good husband and being left basically destitute. No woman deserves that, but what really made me love her was that she gave herself the time to grieve the end of her marriage, be depressed but then she picked herself up again with the help of those around her. Plus, despite it all she never turned into a whiner. She had some woe is me moments but they were well deserved. I liked seeing her find her happiness again.

 

I really enjoyed the premise of the novel. It's message is all about finding yourself again and I think we all need that little bit of a push sometimes. The way Lee used Portia's gift of "knowing" what to bake for people in times of comfort was really good because so many of us connect happiness with our favourite meals. Maybe it's Nanny's scones, Dad's jerk chicken recipe who knows, but we all have those dishes that we come back to. For me it's my mom's roast dinners or her spaghetti. They're simple, but when she makes them you can taste the love and it sort of unites the family again. Bringing us back to common ground which is what I saw Portia's gift doing for those around her. The gift not only helped her find herself again she was able to help those she loved as well.

 

I also liked the way that Lee drew on many characters to bring the book together. I felt that there was no unimportant characters, they all played their parts well and they were all realistic. Not everyone was happy, some, like Gabriel the father of two was a major Mr. Grumpy Pants and while I didn't like him for much of the book because of the distance he left be created between his daughters annoyed me. If I had to pick another character that I loved, it would have to be Ariel. She was a cute kid with a smart mouth that came off as bratty but I liked her. I thought her tenacity in finding out the secret her father's been hiding was a force to be reckoned with.

 

This book had it all for me, it had love, laughter, fights, and plenty of drama without it feeling like a soap opera, plus it made me want to cook and eat! The novel just radiated warmth and hope for me which I needed, since I read it after a couple heavy reads. Plus, I think Lee may have convinced me that magical realism can be a good thing and I'm so glad I was given the chance to read and review this and can't wait to read more by this author. This is definitely one of my favourite reads of the year.

 

I would recommend The Glass Kitchen to fans of Sarah Addison Allen. The styles are very similar but I feel as though Linda Francis Lee pulls it off ten times more effectively with a lot more heart. Fantastic characters, an excellent story and beautiful writing await between the covers of this fabulous gem and makes a perfect book for reading in the backyard this summer.

 

 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

Loved It!
★★★★ ★

 

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Fly Away (Firefly Lane #2) by Kristin Hannah

Summary:

Once, a long time ago, I walked down a night-darkened road called Firefly Lane, all alone, on the worst night of my life, and I found a kindred spirit. That was our beginning. More than thirty years ago. TullyandKate. You and me against the world. Best friends forever. But stories end, don’t they? You lose the people you love and you have to find a way to go on. . . .

Tully Hart has always been larger than life, a woman fueled by big dreams and driven by memories of a painful past. She thinks she can overcome anything until her best friend, Kate Ryan, dies. Tully tries to fulfill her deathbed promise to Kate---to be there for Kate’s children---but Tully knows nothing about family or motherhood or taking care of people.

Sixteen-year-old Marah Ryan is devastated by her mother’s death. Her father, Johnny, strives to hold the family together, but even with his best efforts, Marah becomes unreachable in her grief. Nothing and no one seems to matter to her . . . until she falls in love with a young man who makes her smile again and leads her into his dangerous, shadowy world.

Dorothy Hart---the woman who once called herself Cloud---is at the center of Tully’s tragic past. She repeatedly abandoned her daughter, Tully, as a child, but now she comes back, drawn to her daughter’s side at a time when Tully is most alone. At long last, Dorothy must face her darkest fear: Only by revealing the ugly secrets of her past can she hope to become the mother her daughter needs.

A single, tragic choice and a middle-of-the-night phone call will bring these women together and set them on a poignant, powerful journey of redemption. Each has lost her way, and they will need each one another---and maybe a miracle---to transform their lives.

An emotionally complex, heart-wrenching novel about love, motherhood, loss, and new beginnings, Fly Away reminds us that where there is life, there is hope, and where there is love, there is forgiveness. Told with her trademark powerful storytelling and illuminating prose, Kristin Hannah reveals why she is one of the most beloved writers of our day.Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 432 pages (Paperback)
Source: Review Copy
Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio
Publication Date: March 25th 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin (first published April 13th 2013)

After reading Firefly Lane and being completely ripped apart emotionally by it I didn't think that Kristin Hannah could top it in terms of the brutally real characters and their dramatic lives. I am happy to say I was very wrong.

After the way Firefly Lane ended, it's no surprise that I went into this one a little frail, and more than a little apprehensive since it is no secret that Kate was my favourite character in Firefly Lane and I missed her in this one.

This one while I found it to be a great example of how people can change was a little to dramatic for my tastes sometimes. Anyone who has read Firefly Lane knows that Tully is often very childlike. She's one of those it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission types, and I found that very annoying because of how she dealt with the loss of Kate. I understand everyone grieves differently but Tully didn't really grieve for so long, I just wish she had had a better handle on things because as an intelligent woman in her late 40s I was annoyed by her and how she tried to help Kate's family through the loss.

I hated how Tully tried to step into Kate's shoes in terms of trying to help Marah but being so wrapped up in herself that she failed to notice and care that Marah was slipping away, not only from her but from the rest of the world to because she didn't have a good support system in Tully because Tully was so ill equipped to even take care of herself in many ways.

Marah, what can I say about her? I pitied her. I never liked her. Not even in Firefly Lane. She was so self centered, selfish and horrible to everyone that I wished that she had died. Is that wrong to say? I just hated the fact that she turned out that way because of Tully always undermining Kate and her husbands parenting. She spoiled Marah so much as a child she created a monster, but didn't even realize it. I hated Marah's inability to take responsibility for her own life and stop acting like a brat. She was such a whiner I just wanted to reach into the book and strangle her. She had no right to  make everyone else suffer, when if fact they were experiencing the same loss. I just hated her.

The strange thing is though, that despite by dislike for her, I still thought she was a great character. She was realistic to me because she reminds me of someone I know. I might not have liked her personality but I did like her character. She had many faults but she played a huge part in the novel and I enjoyed seeing her change in the story.

As for the plot of this one, I enjoyed it. The pace was good, although there were a few spots in the book that I felt added nothing to the overall story. I liked how this one was mainly focused on Tully whereas Firefly Lane was largely told by Kate (though Tully had a fair amount of the book to herself). Yes Marah, and her drama was a big part of this one but I liked that Tully, and her evolution as a character played such a big part. Certain aspects of her life changed by horrible circumstances, and relationships were lost, while others were made. I really got a sense of how everyone in the story was moving forward from the loss of Kate while still keeping her close to them.

Overall, Fly Away had all the drama, heartache and exceptionally written characters that Firefly Lane did, it was just written in a different tone, but one that I would say was appropriate. This was a more somber novel than the first but it still had those moments of brightness that I've come to look for in Hannah's writing and I'm very happy with the way this duology ended.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

Really Liked It!
★★★★

 

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Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane #1) by Kristin Hannah

 

Summary:

From the New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . .

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness.

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she’ll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she’ll envy her famous best friend. . . .

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship---jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they’ve survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone’s Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It’s about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you---and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you’ll never forget . . . one you’ll want to pass on to your best friend.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 479 pages (Hardcover)
Source: Review Copy
Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio
Publication Date: February 5th 2008 by St. Martin's Press

I finally did it.
After years, and I literally mean years. I finally gave Kristin Hannah a try. I've been avoiding her books like the plague. What can I say? I'm just not a chick lit/women's fiction fan for some reason.

However, after reading Firefly Lane I've got to say that I am a big Kristin Hannah fan now, she just brought the Kate and Tully's story to life so well I couldn't help but be sucked into their dramatic, tale of their 30 year friendship. I was especially impressed at how seamlessly the story flowed through the years of their friendship from the late 70's until the later half of the 2000's and seeing the characters grow, from naïve young girls into women who go on to lead such different lives but remain so close is not an easy undertaking but Hannah did it fantastically.

I do have to say thought that as much as I loved the two main characters I did have a clear favourite and that was Kate. She was much more likable and I thought the fact that she took other people into consideration as well as being able to find fault in her own actions made her a more appealing character. She was so warm and so strong, much stronger than Tully and I loved her.

Tully, well let's face it. She was a screw up and had a lot of issues many of which were due to how she was raised an ordeals she went through but she was so childlike even in her 40s that as much as I did enjoy her character, she often rubbed me the wrong way. I hated the fact that she never apologized to Kate for any of her actions, and how immature she could be. For me, I feel that you can only blame your past up to a point, beyond that you have to grow up and take responsibility for your own life, and your actions and I feel as though Tully was stunted and never reached that potential. Despite Tully's many failings, I appreciated how different she was and thought she was a great character.

I think Hannah did a brilliant job of weaving these two women's lives together so well over the course of so many years. There was laughter, and bitter tears, hopes, dreams, losses, betrayal and of course death all pulled together to create the spectacular story of TullyandKate. From Firefly Lane, to NYC and beyond, Kristin Hannah left me a little beat up and emotionally crippled  at the hands of her novel but I was so inspired by the bonds of friendship, no. Sisterhood is a much better word that it's no surprise that I wept at then end, but despite the sadness I felt as though all was as it aught to be.

So, the question is will I read another of Kristin Hannah's books? Absolutely. In fact, a couple of days after finishing Firefly Lane I read the sequel Fly Away and loved that as well (review will be up on Wednesday). I'm still nervous about trying her other novels because of how much I loved this duology but I am definitely going to read more by her.

I highly recommend this novel and it's sequel to everyone. If you're like me and don't usually care for women's fiction I urge you to give this one a try. It blew me away, and surprised me with how much I came to love the characters. If you like strong women, and a novel that celebrates life, love, friendship and yes, even death. Give this one a try! I don't say many novels are perfect, but to me this one was. Plus, this makes a great read to read with someone else and is full of life lesssons.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

Liked It!
★★★★ ★

 

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*[Blog Tour Review] The Accidental Cougar by Tiffany N. York

 

Summary:

 

Forty-one-year-old Nicole Woods was content raising her son alone, working as an ad exec, and indulging in the more than occasional cleaning frenzy...until the night she met Wil Blanco.

Her friends have decided that while her son is away for six weeks, it's the perfect opportunity for Nicole to have a summer fling. Heading the top of the list is Wil -- sexy, successful, full of life...and twenty-five!

Regretfully, Nicole declares him "hands-off," but soon he's complicating everything, from her job at the advertising agency to her self-imposed ban on relationships. When Wil becomes her top client, she has even more reason to adhere to her "hands-off" policy. So why is Nicole finding it so hard to keep her hands off him?

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 280 pages (E-book)

Source: Review Copy

Publication Date: November 23rd 2012 by The Wild Rose Press

 

I cannot begin to express how glad I am to have taken part in The Accidental Cougar book tour. The last few days have been filled with mostly non-fiction reads so when I started this one I was grateful for the change and it was wonderful to find a new author to read as well.

 

The Accidental Cougar was a well written romance novel that focuses on 41 year old Nicole and Wil her 25 year old love interest whilst her teenage son is away from home for six weeks one summer. Right off the bat I liked Nicole, I wasn't expecting to connect with her character as much as I did but I really liked her. I thought she was smart funny and a lot stronger than even she seemed to think she was. I loved how much she cared for her son and how she always put others before herself.

 

I also really liked Wil, despite the fact that he's 16 years younger than Nicole he sees how beautiful she is and sees how worthy she is of love and devotion. I was also surprised by how much I liked Wil. He could be very sweet and I found that completely endearing.

 

The overall plot was a good one. I'm a strong believer in the fact that an older woman is worthy of love and affection and if she chooses to find that in a younger man then who cares? This was a great romance novel with extremely likable characters, and of course just the right amount of drama. This book was the perfect escape for me when I read it and I loved the fact that the author made her characters so real.

 

I highly recommend The Accidental Cougar to everyone looking for their next great romance read. If you like contemporary romance novels than I suggest you head on over to your favourite e-book seller and pick a copy up! I can't wait to read more by Tiffany N. York and hope she continues writing.

 

 * I received a free complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts an opinions expressed therein are my own and I was not in anyway obligated to provide a favourable review for this book.

 

Really Liked It!
★ ★ ★ ★

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.

Giveaway

Tiffany is giving away the e-book of THE ACCIDENTAL COUGAR and a bookmark at each stop and the grand prize will be the e-book, a bookmark, plus a $20 gift card to Starbucks

 

Leave a comment for a chance to win!

 

 

Tour Stops

 

1/7 - Queen of the Night (Review/Guest Blog) and Guilty Pleasures (Review)1/8 - The Brunette Librarian (Guest Blog/Review) and Melissa Kendall (Review)
1/9 - Sultry Storyteller (Interview) and Harlie's Book Blog (Review)
1/10 - Not Now Mommy's Reading (Guest Blog) and The Muse Unleashed (Review)1/11 - Black Raven's Erotic Cafe (Interview/Review) and  Turning The Pages (Review)

 

 

 

 

*[Blog Tour Review] Walking With Elephants by Karen S. Bell

Summary:

Bridget Jones meets Erma Bombeck

Suze Hall is at a crossroads. Her nemesis at work, Wanda, has been promoted and now will be her boss. Her husband, Bob, is leaving her and the three kids for a six-month sabbatical down under. To top it off, her best friend, Marcia, is missing in action--playing footsie with some new boyfriend! Adding to this disaster stew, David, the gorgeous hunk who broke her young-girl's heart has coincidentally popped back into her life and has something she desperately needs to keep her job. Walking with Elephants, a lighthearted slice-of-life story, brings to the table the serious work/family issues facing women today. It explores the modern dichotomy of a workplace that is filled with homemakers who still must cook, clean, carpool on nights and weekends, shop for prom dresses, and "create" the holidays-such as Suze. But it also is filled with women who have the same drive as men, have no family responsibilities, and will do what ever it takes to get ahead.

So step into the shoes of Suze Hall and commiserate over workplace politics, titillate your sexual fantasies, ride the wave of a working mother, and fall-down laughing.

Summary & Photo Provided by Goddess Fish Promotions

Length: 210 pages

Source: ARC

Publication Date: December 1st 2011 by KSB Press

This book was a wonderful read, and I really connected with Suze the main character which I wasn't expecting. Since I'm only 22 I didn't think that I would get so attached to Suze since she's a middle aged woman and I'm the age of her children but she was such an awesome, likable character that I read this book in one sitting.

Just like the summary promises this is a light, easy going novel. I loved the plot of the novel because even though it could be a little fantastical sometimes I think the situations that Karen S. Bell wrote about in the book could easily be happening to a real woman. I actually think that that is what I enjoyed the most about the novel. It was so approachable and it was pretty much a "what you see is what you get" type of novel.

Walking With Elephant was a great bedtime read for me and it was one that I couldn't put down. I found myself laughing out loud so often while I was reading I'm surprised my neighbours didn't complain for all the cackling I did when I read it. I especially enjoyed the situations in which Suze's kids were in certain scenes because the conversations remind me of how my mother talks to me.

Overall this was an immensley enjoyable read and one that helped get me out of my mini reading funk. The realistic portrayal of a middle aged woman's life was written wonderfully done. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves chick lit. This is a quick read that it would work well as a weekend read up at the cottage or one that you could read in the backyard.

Author Bio

Walking with Elephants is my first novel, although I am not new to writing. I was a theater critic and celebrity interviewer for a weekly tabloid in Jacksonville, Fl and I earned a Master’s in Mass Communication from Oklahoma State University. For 15 years I worked in Corporate America as a technical editor/editor/writer. I experienced first hand the politics and intrigue that goes with that territory and the balancing act that comes with being a working mother. I salute all those mothers who are the glue that holds their families together while pursuing the nine to five brass ring.

*I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. I was not compensated in any way for my review and all thoughts and opinions are mine.

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Really Liked it!
★ ★ ★ ★

 

Starring In The Movie Of My Life by Laurel Osterkamp *(Blog Tour Review/Author Guest Post)

Summary:

Thirty-five-year-old Samantha acts without thinking. Her heart is huge while her sense of purpose is small; she's willing to fight for those she loves, but she's never learned to fight for herself. Eighteen-year-old Melody is cold and calculating, and she's driven by the desire to better herself. As these compelling yet deeply flawed women battle for the affections of twenty-five-year-old Nathan, he becomes increasingly confused and torn between them. Nathan is Melody's English teacher, and after he saves her from being raped, she becomes attached. Melody longs for the affection she's never felt, so she involves people in her self-invented drama, making sure she is at once the star and the director. Meanwhile, Samantha is newly married to Nathan. But Samantha has hang-ups about motherhood and lingering feelings for her ex. To make sense of the world, Sam relates her life to the themes of her favorite movies, while she independently makes a documentary to jump-start her non-existent film career. Stylistically influenced by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner, Starring in the Movie of my Life is told alternately from both Samantha's and Melody's points-of-view and relates two complete yet combined stories about love, acceptance, and redemption. It speaks to our universal desire to be saved by the ones we love, and the monumental effort required tosave ourselves.
Summary taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 316 pages (E-book)
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: February 1st 2011 by Preventive Measures   

I don't know about you but I don't often find a adult book that tells the story of two women in alternating points of view written in the present tense because so many authors when writing for an adult audience seem to not use this style for some reason I don't get, this author utilized both of these things to her advantage.

I really enjoyed how much detail Laurel used when creating her characters, for me it was almost as though they were real people because of how she created Melody and Sam though for me I actually liked Samantha more. I thought she was more likeable to me, like the summary says Melody was cold and calculating and I just couldn't get over that fact enough to come to really like her.

The overall plot was pretty good and it did the job of keeping me entertained with the goings on in each of the women's live without getting the two confusing so that is also another point in the authors favour and I also liked the author's writing style too.

My only issues with the book were that I didn't care as much for Melody, some things like the women's actions annoyed me just like I real person with her traits would have, some of the phrases in the book were a little repetitive and I think that the book could have been about 80 pages shorter and still have had everything that had happened happen without feeling like anything was left out.

All in all this is a book I would recommend to readers who like chick-lit/women's fiction. I think it would do well as a beach read or one to read while relaxing in the comforts of your cottage.

* I recieved a FREE copy of this book in exchange for my FREE and HONEST review.

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Liked It!
★ ★ ★

GUEST POST

More than a Novel

I’m not good at committing to one favorite book or author; I’ve loved so many books and authors over the years, all for unique reasons. I guess I’m something of a book whore. However, when it comes to what influenced me while writing Starring in the Movie of My Life, one book comes immediately to mind.

I Know This Much is True, by Wally Lamb, is not my usual type of read. It’s a little too dark and edgy to fit my tastes. It was given to me by husband’s cousin. He used to work in publishing, so he had access to tons of free books and he strongly recommended it.

I decided to give it a whirl. Early on I wasn’t sure I would stick with it. The story was a little slow, and the characters weren’t very likeable, and it was pretty dark. Then I took my car in to be serviced and I brought it along to read.

I held it when I went to the counter to pay, and the girl who was working there commented. “Oh my God,” she said. “I Know This Much is True is one of my all-time favorite books! By the end I couldn’t put it down!”

So I’ll admit it; my reaction was a little snobby. I thought, “If the girl who works at the Saturn dealership can finish this book, I can finish this book. I do teach English, after all.”

I ccommitted to finishing it. It took a little while, but halfway through this 891 page book I was hooked, and like the girl at the Saturn dealership, towards the end I could not put it down. This was before I had kids, and I remember coming home on a Friday afternoon, sitting on the couch and reading well into the evening. Then I resumed reading Saturday morning, and I didn’t stop until the late afternoon when I was done.

I cried at the ending: partly because of the beauty of the writing. Lamb somehow managed to incorporate all the themes and meaning of his brilliant book into one final paragraph, and he ends with the title. It’s not at all forced; instead it’s organic and complete. I can say that of all the books I’ve ever read, I Know This Much is True has the most well written, satisfying ending.

I also cried when I finished it because it was over. You know that feeling when you’re dying to know what happens but you don’t want to be done? Lamb switched back and forth between sub-plots and created such marvelous suspense that every time I finished one chapter I was compelled to begin the next. Eventually these stories converged, and when they did, it was amazing.

So that’s what I attempted to do with Starring in the Movie of My Life. There are two storylines, Melody’s and Samantha’s, and I tried to end each chapter at a high point of interest, urging the reader to continue on until Melody and Samantha finally join together at the end of the book. I also chose to make redemption a major theme. Wally Lamb’s main character, Dominick, endures heartbreak and loss. He makes mistakes and becomes bitter. Yet by the end he finds redemption and closure, in a way where he can move on with his life. I wanted that for Melody and Samantha.

I’m not implying that Starring in the Movie of My Life is in any way equal to I Know This Much is True. Ultimately, these two books are very, very different, and I realize I have a lot to learn before I can even approach being the writer that Lamb is. However, if there is one book that has inspired me as a writer, one book I modeled my own book after, it is his.

-Laurel Osterkamp

I'd like to thank author Lauren Osterkamp for taking time out of her busy schedule to write a guest post on Turning The Pages today. Best of luck in your writing career!