Beach House Summer by Sarah Morgan

I loved this story of two women thrown together by tragedy.

When Joanna’s ex husband Cliff is killed in a car crash with a young woman in his car her life is turned upside down.

After large amounts of soul searching Johanna goes to visit the young woman. Joanna and Ashley decide to stick together and an unlikely bond begins to form between them.

They end up at Johanna’s secluded beach house that she hasn’t been to for decades. The small town welcomes her despite her fears and both women heal and find hope.

Joanna slowly reconnects to the town and the friends she thought were only memories, and realizes she can start over here if she wants.

Ashley starts to see a future where she has only seen loss. Slowly a future she looks forward to emerges.

This story has so many things that I love. Friendship, hope, fresh starts and surprises along the way.

A perfect read for the beach, the pool, or to binge read. I was sorry to leave as I read the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy.

The Rules of the Road by Ciara Geraghty

 

 

 

 

Terry never expected her friend Iris to disappear, but when she calls the Yoga Retreat where Iris is spending her birthday to tell them she will stop by with a cake she learns that Iris isn’t there. Terry gathers her father from his nursing home which is dealing with a vermin problem and heads out in search of Iris.

 

Terry is a first-class worrier and full-time mother, so she fears that Iris lays in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, and rushes to check on her.   The house is empty and still and clean.  Iris has never been tidy.  Terry soon realizes where Iris is and jumps in headlong to save her.

 

Throwing caution to the wind is not something Terry would normally do, but she knows that Iris doesn’t have anyone to look out for her, so she skips out on her duties to her grown daughters and her husband and heads off to find Iris before something horrible happens.

 

Terry’s adventure is full of twists and turns.  She will challenge herself, test her friendship with Iris, strain her marriage and have the adventure of a lifetime that she never saw coming.

 

Terry makes it her job to hinder Iris’s plans with results that are touching, comical and often not at all what she planned or hoped they would be.  I see so much of every Mom I know in Terry:  Let me handle that, let me make it easy, let’s not fuss.   It made me smile and sometimes laugh out loud.

 

Ultimately, Terry and Iris will learn things about themselves and each other that they never knew and sometimes regret as they travel through Europe on a tour de force neither of them will forget.    Their friendship will suffer a strain, almost break and change forever.

 

Bet this one is on your reading list.  Check out the first chapter here:

Chapter 1 excerpt

 

Rebecca Raisin’s LITTLE BOOKSHOP ON THE SIENE,

When Sarah gets the chance of life time to leave her quiet little bookshop in Ashford and run her friend Sophie’s shop in Paris her heart soars.  She’s always dreamed of going to Paris and now here is her chance.  Once Sarah gets to Paris she realizes it isn’t all she dreamt of.  She is a fish out of water and she struggles to find her place.    Gradually Sarah falls in love with Paris and gets to know her co-workers.  Along the way she finds parts of herself she never knew existed.  This story is filled with lovable characters, plenty of challenges and a bookstore that becomes a character as well.  The pages come alive with Paris and all it’s magic.   A great uplifting read.    I have included an excerpt provided by the publisher so you can try it out.

 

THE LITTLE BOOKSHOP ON THE SEINE Blog Tour Excerpt (1)

A Light in the Hallway

A Light in the Hallway by Amanda Prowse is the story of a family.   The story opens as Kerry is battling cancer and her husband Nick is trying to manage the day to day task and be there for their teenage son Oliver.  Nick struggles to manage everything and he finds it harder as time goes on.  I know this makes it seem like a  tear-jerker, and I admit I cried, but I also admired Nick for his strength in the face of the situation and his drive to keep going.  The story spans a few years.  The narrative moves through time showing us Nick’s scenes from Nick’s life and even letting us know what Kerry thinks.  Nick plucked my heartstrings as he navigated the changes in his life and tried to do the best thing for his son.    This story leaves you feeling hopeful and optimistic as you take Nick’s journey with him.  He is supported by his friends and family and they add their own special touches to his journey.   This book became available on November 11th and it might be just perfect for you or someone on your gift list.

The Memory Book by Lara Avery

Cassie must face the fact that her memory is going to be stolen from her by a disease and she must fight back the only way she knows how with a memory book.  She writes it to her future self and in it she lists everything from locations of important things like her study guides to debate stories about her best friend, to dating her long term crush and how much she misses her child hood friend Cooper.  Cassie has always had a plan and this time is no different, this time she must remember, she must keep her grades up, she must prove to her doctors and her parents that she can handle college, and she must remember her life.  A touching story of the things in life that catch us by surprise and how we face them.

The Trouble with Lexie: A Novel by Jessica Anya Blau

I loved Lexie, despite the fact that she turns her soon to be perfect life upside down and may-be for some not so good reasons I admired her spunk and her ability to follow her gut and her heart even though it seems crazy to do it.  She is loveable and quirky and goes after what she wants.  I loved her and her female pals the southern sweet yet direct school nurse and the English teacher in her later years that curses like a sailor. The blend of the women is genius and Lexie’s take on her life and her co-workers will keep you wanting more even after the last page.

The Memory Jar by Elissa Janine Hoole

When Taylor and Scott have a snow mobile accident on top of all the other things going on in their lives it is more that Taylor can take, but at least she is awake, the problem is she doesn’t really remember what happened, did she cause the accident and if so than whatever happens to Scott is her fault.  Taylor must decide how to make peace with her past and decide what she wants for her future, but at the moment it takes all she has just to get out of bed and shower and attend a class or two.  Taylor’s therapist gives her a memory jar so she can write down and store her memories and hopefully figure out the puzzle her life has become, but like everyone else Taylor learns life is never as simple as it could be, but it might not be as hard as she wants it to be either.  A touching portrait of life and lost and hope and dreams. 

The Black Velvet Coat A Novel by Jill G. Hall

The Black Velvet Coat tells the stories of Anne a struggling artist who really wants to make it work and Sylvia Van Dam a socialite in the 1960’s whose life takes her places she never imagined.  Anne finds the coat in thrift store and falls in love with it so much so she spends her rent money on it, but she knows the moment she puts it on that it is meant for her, what she doesn’t realize is that the coat has a story to share with her and piece by piece she discovers Sylvia and her past, but Sylvia’s story ends abruptly and Anne is left wondering what happened.  The stories of both women make you root for them and a happy ending, and there are unexpected turns in both their lives and in Anne’s search for an ending.  I loved the way the lives of the women overlapped in their own way and I loved watching the puzzle pieces fall into place as Anne searched for answers and found herself along the way.

The Girl With Nine Wigs A Memoir by Sophie van der Stap

I loved this book. You would think that a cancer memoir would be glum or full of deep thoughts, and while this book does have a few of them overall it is upbeat and thoughtful and runs the emotional spectrum. One of the themes of the novel which makes it quirky and fun is the wigs Sophie acquires during her treatment and recovery. Each wig makes her feel differently and reflects a different personality so her wigs choice becomes tied to her mood, from her first wig Stella which is not a great fit to Bebe that is given to her by a friend and all the ones in between Sophie and her wigs tell a story of hope, promise and fun along the way.

The Hawley Book Of the Dead Chrysler Szarlan September 23rd

I loved the way this story weaves the past and the future together so well.  Reve returns to Massachusetts following the suspicious death of her husband Jeremy.  She settles into a home on family land and tries to start over with her three daughters but life keeps getting in her way.  If she wants to understand her future she must understand her past as so begins her journey into her family history and the secrets it holds.  The story flows well and it kept me guessing and eagerly turning pages.