Point Click Love by Molly Shapiro

A new one for the Favorites list! I adored Point, Click, Love, the debut from Molly Shapiro. I started this book one night while curled up in my chair, and after what felt like ten minutes I decided it was time for bed – and realized I was 61% finished with the book! This is an absolute gem, and one for your must-read list.

The story follows four friends as they deal with some tough issues. Katie is a divorced mother of two who uses the internet to get back in the dating game. She has decided she is over relationships and love, she just want some casual sex and companionship.  But it Kate really ready for the world of online dating – and does she really in heart want to stay single? Annie has come to Kansas City from New York to get away and do something different from all her classmates – who are now all crazy successful – and has decided she is going to have a baby on her own.  But when the sperm donor she wants isn’t giving the goods anymore, she takes matters in her own hands. Maxine has the perfect marriage – or so everyone on the outside thinks. She hasn’t even shared with her best friends that she and her husband have stopped having sex and she thinks he is having an affair. She turns to gossip sites and immerses herself in the celebrity world – until a wakeup call outside of Jennifer Aniston’s house brings her back to her own reality. And Claudia has become over-the-top angry with her husband, who has seemed to lose any motivation to try to find a job and is obsessed with sharing too many details of his life on Facebook. When a relationship with a co-worker goes too far, Claudia has to decide what she really wants from her marriage.

I thought this debut was fabulous. I loved each character and reading about how they went through their troubles, how they thought they could fix them, and what their end results were. I will say I didn’t think of them as friends so much, there was very little interaction between them, but I enjoyed their stories none the less. It was refreshing to have a novel set somewhere else than New York or LA, and this was set in Kansas City, which I loved. Annie’s story turned just a bit unbelievable with the sperm donor, but I still can’t give this any less than 5 stars. A great read that showcases powerful women, and a very modern tale about the times we live in now.

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These Girls by Sarah Pekkanen

From Sarah Pekkanen’s debut novel, The Opposite of Me, I knew the women’s fiction world had gained a truly talented author. Not at all disappointed by her sophomore book Skipping a Beat, I was thrilled when offered the chance to review These Girls. Once again – immaculate story-telling, a build-up of memorable characters and situations, and another novel to add to my Favorites list.

The story follows the lives of three very different women. First there is Cate, newly promoted features editor for the lifestyle magazine Gloss. She fears that she may have gotten the job for the wrong reason, a reason that makes her think about a secret she is hiding from her past. Then there is her roommate Renee, who is desperate to get promoted to beauty editor at Gloss. She thinks if she is skinnier she might get the job over her competition, so she starts taking extreme risks to lose the weight. She also has her eye on the delicious Trey, who seems to have his eye on Cate…Rounding on the threesome is Abby, Trey’s sister. Abby fled to be by her brother when her personal life spirals out of control after she falls for the father of the little girl she nannies – who is very much married. Renee and Cate take Abby in, and the girls all form a bond that helps one another through their obstacles.

I thought These Girls had a little bit of everything – romance, love, heartbreak and scandal. It also had some fun chick lit ties in there with Gloss being a focus, and the focal point of the female friendship was really spot on. I loved the little dramas each girl was dealing. Abby’s story was particularly sticky for me, falling in love with a married man and the reason her parents have always been so cold to her was chilling – no pun intended. Pekkanen really hit another home run with her latest. I can’t wait to read what she has next for us!

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Save Me by Lisa Scottoline

I received Save Me by Lisa Scottoline via the SheKnows Book Club. The synopsis had me eagerly tearing into this book – a mother who has to choose between her own daughter and her daughter’s bully during a school fire? I had goosebumps just thinking about ever having to be in that situation. I wasn’t sure what to expect, how the story would unfold, and the fire ended up happening right away. Rose McKenna makes her snap decision, and the rest of the book follows her life the days, weeks, and months after the fire and how her decisions continues to affect not only her, but the entire suburban community. I of course won’t tell you more than that, but I will say read this book! It was so fabulous I did not want to put it down for any extended period of time. I thought this might be a sad book, and even mentioned something on Twitter about having my tissues handy, but I don’t think I cried at all. It just really made me think, made me feel for so many characters, and kept me on my toes throughout. I wasn’t expecting the political scenario that emerges, but I loved it! There were a few editing errors I found, and I noticed multiple characters (not living in the same town) had the same farewell which I thought I was a little odd, but overall a really fantastic book that you won’t want to miss out on!

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Skin Rules by Debra Jaliman, M.D.

I am all about caring for my skin. I stopped going to tan beds in college, I read product reviews, I slather on sunscreen everyday – summer or winter. So I was thrilled to read Skin Rules by Debra Jaliman, M.D. and one of the top New York dermatologists. With 77 tips filling the pages, I quickly soaked in all the advice she had to offer, and have to say I am super impressed with this book! I know it will not be leaving my bookshelf, because I’ve already gone back three times to look up a product or recommendation. I have changed the way I wash my face – from once at night to both morning and night. It might seem pretty obvious, but I never thought of all the germs that make it on to my pillowcase at night. There are so many great product recommendations – from over the counter cleansers, prescriptions for eyelash lengtheners, to laser procedures to help sculpt a body. I definitely recommend you give this book a read!

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I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

I couldn’t wait to dive into Sophie Kinsella’s latest novel, I’ve Got Your Number. I’m not sure who sent it to me, but it showed up in my mailbox one day and I squealed in excitement when I opened the package. And can you believe it – I’m giving it a five star review! Shocking, right? I just love Kinsella and her stories, and this one was right up there. You know when you read a book and it just keeps making you laugh out loud? And then every once in a while you snort with laughter? That was me all the way.

The story follows Poppy Wyatt, whose world gets flipped upside down when she loses her engagement ring. Shortly after her ring goes missing, she loses her cell phone – her lifeline! She finds a cell phone in a trash can and decides to claim it as her own. It was in a trash can – clearly the owner had given it up. But she finds out the phone actually belonged to the assistant of Sam Roxton, a very busy and angry businessman, and he wants it back! Poppy eventually convinces Sam to let her keep the phone for a while longer, at least until she hears back about her lost engagement ring. Poppy finds herself a bit bored, and starts reading through some of the text and emails that she is forwarding to Sam. Before she knows it, she is practically playing assistant to Sam, and finds herself immersed in some of his personal business. Poppy thinks a spark might be happening between her and Sam – but how could that be? She is set to marry her ideal man. Sure, they don’t have much in common and his family seems less than impressed with her but still – she knows this marriage is the right thing to do. Right?

I whipped through this story, cracking up along the way. One scene I’ll point out – and you’ll only get if you read the story – was the gift Poppy tried on that was meant for her fiancé’s mother. I was red in the face from laughing so hard. Wait, one more I want to point out. When Poppy is buying a fake engagement ring to play off as the real one. That scene with the jewelry sales girl was AMAZING. All I can say – read this book! You won’t be disappointed.

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More Reviews for Sophie Kinsella:

Twenties Girl

Shopaholic and Baby

Shopaholic and Sister

Shopaholic Ties the Knot

The Undomestic Goddess

Can You Keep a Secret?

Remember Me?

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Home Front by Kristin Hannah

Oh boy. I knew I was going to be in for a ride with Home Front, the latest from Kristin Hannah, because well – it was Kristin Hannah. And that was exactly what happened. While I couldn’t stop reading the book, I made myself put it down because I wanted to stop crying! The emotions that swirled through me while reading left me a bit exhausted when I finally finished the story. But what a book. A five star review all the way. Shall I finally get to the review?

Michael and Jolene Zarkades are a married couple whose happiness is slowly disappearing. After twelve years of marriage, two children and hectic work schedules, there is a clear gap between husband and wife. But they are about to face the biggest challenge yet when Jolene gets deployed to the war. As a Blackhawk pilot with the National Guard, it is her duty to go, and Jolene and best friend Tami – also a Blackhawk pilot – head to Iraq together. Michael now faces being Mr. Mom at home, a job he isn’t happy about. Never one to support his wife being a soldier, Michael is furious Jolene abandons him – and tells her he doesn’t love her just before she leaves. While Jolene and Tami fight for their lives on a daily basis in Iraq, Michael tries to hold his family together back home. A horrific accident will change all the characters involved, and push them to the brink as they valiantly try to find their way home.

Hannah clearly put an insane amount of research into writing this book. From describing Iraq and what the soldiers go through to the families that are without a parent to what happens when the heroes come home is so eye opening. I have family in the military – my brother-in-law actually deploys this month to Afghanistan – so this book really hit me hard. I will say if you have a loved one deployed or soon to be deployed, I suggest you wait on reading this. Parts were hard for me to get through. But the story is so beautiful written, so masterful when it comes to creating characters, that this book has to be on your to-read list. Another 5 star review for Kristin Hannah from me!

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 More Kristin Hannah Reviews

Night Road – 5 stars

 

Idol Hands by Cynthia Hill

Well. Huh. Okay then. I’d like to point out that it’s usually a good thing when I start off my reviews in a bit of a baffled state. This one is going to be hard to write given I try to stay away from spoilers. But I will say before I begin that I would recommend this book.  In fact, I’m going to add it to my Favorites List! It had me literally squealing and slapping my head at the end. Idol Hands by Cynthia Hill is a story written in diary format by MC Tara. We meet her and can quickly see that she is in an unhappy marriage to a jerk of a guy. While watching TV one night, Tara sees a former boyfriend, Aidan, giving an interview. Aidan and Tara dated while she was in high school, and he was on his way to becoming a pop star in a boy band. Due to increasing fame, their relationship had to stay under wraps. Aidan says in the interview that he is still in love with an old girlfriend, and Tara believes he means her. She sets out on a journey to find him again – one that takes her from Canada to Philadelphia, then hitchhiking her way across the US to get to California. Her journey is harrowing, frustrating, and at times dangerous. But what will Tara discover when she finally makes it to Aidan? Is her that he still loves?

Without giving away the ending, I will say there is an incredible twist that I never saw coming! I was eating up the last chapters, frantically scanning the pages and trying to figure out what really happened. Idol Hands is definitely not a typical story, and I think I would use the word psychological when describing this twist in events. I do wish that maybe a little more was revealed, but I think Hill wrote the ending so readers can interpret it the way they would like. The writing was great, the diary format flowed along, and I would definitely recommend this book. Just be ready to talk about it – a lot – once you’re finished!

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Chasing Rainbows by Kathleen Long

Kathleen Long is on tour with CLP Blog Tours. I absolutely adored Chasing Rainbows. Once I started, I simply could not put it down. If it weren’t for work beckoning my name, I would have sat and read this is one sitting.  The main character is Bernadette Murphy, a woman who has been having some rough years. From the death of her daughter to her husband leaving her for another woman to her dad passing away, Bernie finally snaps under the pressure. I think it would have been easy for Bernie to come off as whiny or even pathetic – she lets herself binge eat and gain weight, she lashes out her best friend, she seems to always be rude to the friendly next door neighbor – but she didn’t seem that way to me at all. For everything she has been through, the breaking point has to eventually come. I believe it’s what happens after you reach that point. Bernie may struggle throughout the novel, but she learns and is opening to the life lessons, many which come through a series of cryptograms that her father left her before he passed. Bernie’s story really touched me. I was laughing during the book, I shed a few tears, and it’s a book that just made me sit and think. Long is an exceptional writer, and Chasing Rainbows is the latest novel to be added to my Favorites List. A must read for women!

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One Pink Line by Dina Silver

Dina Silver is on tour with CLP Blog Tours. Her debut novel One Pink Line, is a must-read. I absolutely adored this book, and will be adding it to my Favorites List. Readers follow the lives of Sydney and Grace – Sydney a college senior who unexpectedly finds herself pregnant, and Grace, a young girl who finds out her family isn’t what she always thought it was. I really don’t want to give too much away with my review, because there is a little twist about halfway through the story that made me go from liking this book to loving it. Silver writes with a lot of heart, and I could easily connect with both Sydney and Grace. I would give this book a five star review, but there was a handful of editing mistakes that I caught – including “waived” instead of “waved” but overall this is a great book. I highly recommend!

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**Everyone who leaves a comment on Dina’s tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of One Pink Line before March 5 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**

 

 

More from Samantha’s Favorites:

Little Black Dress by Susan McBride

With Just One Click by Amanda Strong

Blank Slate Kate by Heather Wardell

 

Blank Slate Kate by Heather Wardell

I have been a fan of Heather Wardell’s since her first book, and have happily read and reviewed each and every one on Chick Lit Plus. When she contacted me about doing a tour for Blank Slate Kate, I was thrilled. Mainly because I got to read another book. I was super curious about this one, where the main character wakes up in her thirties – but her last memories are from when she is seventeen. Kate – or is her real name Kate? – has lost all her memories from the past fifteen years. She has to try to figure out who she really is, and things really get complicated when her husband appears. Kate doesn’t have any recollection of this man, her wedding, her corporate life. How can she piece the puzzle together?

Again, another five star review for a Wardell book. Once I started this book, I just could not put it down. I loved figuring out Kate’s life with the little clues that would come to us throughout the chapters. It was such a mystery, and a very well thought-out and written one at that. Twists and turns surfaced at so many points, but instead of being overwhelming, it just kept making the book better and better. The aspect I think I loved the most was the ending. Wardell gives her books the best endings – they never end the way you think they will or is the “norm.” (Check out Planning to Live and you’ll see what I mean). I really enjoyed the ending to this book as well, and again – if you haven’t checked out Heather Wardell  yet – do it! You’ll thank me!

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