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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: When Girlfriends Take Chances by …

Reviewer: Samantha Savannah Page is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and When Girlfriends Take Chances Summary: A novel about exploring love and life’s…

Book Review: The Art of Floating by Kristin Bair O’…

Reviewer: Kate I received a copy of The Art of Floating by Kristin Bair O’Keeffein exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: At a time when…

Book Review: Fly Away by Kristin Hannah

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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.
Review:

Fly Away is an incredibly raw and emotional read, filled with character grief and tough situations we watch them go through. The drama starts off right away, and I really liked the way Hannah took us through the scenes, cutting into past and present and switching whose eyes we were seeing the story through from time to time. I have not read Firefly Lane, and while I don’t think it hindered my experience, I did keep getting a nagging feeling that I really should have read that one first, if only to feel like I was completely caught up in the story that is already happening. The book is long and can sometimes be a downer as you wonder when these poor people will ever catch a break, but it’s well-written and will reel you in right away. I was impressed with the book, and will go back to read Firefly Lane as I have heard great things about that one as well.
4 stars

Book Review: A Passionate Love Affair With a Total Stranger …

Reviewer: Samantha I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Summary: Charley Lambert has worked hard at creating a perfect…

Book Review: The New Ever After by Julie Farley

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
The sequel to Tripped Up Love is here! After becoming a widow with three small children, Heather Meadows is starting a new life. She has a sexy new husband, newborn twins, and a blossoming career as a writer. But with the advent of summer comes an avalanche of worries about doing it all and being enough. In her quirky style that drew readers to Tripped Up Love, Heather works through her new challenges and surprises with the fortitude she found she had when her first husband died. Only this time, her strength is put to the ultimate test as she faces losing not only her best friend but her new happily ever after as well.
Review:
I have also read Tripped Up Love and really enjoyed it, but the sequel didn’t wow me as much. It took me a while to really start getting into the story, and I think the part that held my interest the most was the drama with Heather’s friend and her husband. A little too predictable for me and over the top with the love between Heather and Peter, to the point where it started to feel forced. Still a sweet story with a nice ending, but not for me.
3 stars

Book Review: Here For the Cake by Emily Poule

Reviewer: Terry I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. Summary: “Something should happen: a thunderbolt should erupt, a car should crash,…

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Dangled Carat by Hilary Grossman

Hilary Grossman is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Dangled Carat
Summary:
Hilary had gotten used to dating the commitment-phobic Marc, thirteen years her senior. They had a great relationship–why rush into things? She saw no need to pressure him for marriage, believing that when the time was right, he would propose. But after they had been together for four years, their friends decided to take matters into their own hands, pushing Marc to propose and making Hilary realize how much she really did want to marry the man that she loved. Unfortunately, Marc still wasn’t ready–and their friends’ meddling in the form of a faux engagement party led to a disastrous New Year’s Eve that brought their relationship to an inevitable turning point.
Review:
I’ve been seeing a lot about this book, and I was so excited when I realized it was next in my to-read pile. Talk about a book living up to my expectations! I knew this story was a memoir, and I was curious how Grossman would write real life into a book. Let’s face it – a lot of our lives wouldn’t make a good novel, no matter how exciting or unique we think they are. But when you have a talented and dedicated author at the helm, it creates perfection. Grossman would leave us hanging throughout the book, skipping around time frames and scenarios, and that worked to keep my interest piqued throughout the entire read. At the end, my jaw actually dropped at one point – but I won’t tell you why or even if I was happy or sad about it, because I want you to read this book. Like right now. Loved it!
5 stars

Book Review: Bridal Bootcamp by Bella Bailey

Reviewer: Terry I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. Summary: When Yvonne’s boyfriend Simon accepts her marriage proposal, she resolves to…

Book Review: We’ll Always Have Paris by Jennifer Coburn

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
How her daughter and her passport taught Jennifer to live like there’s no tomorrow
Jennifer Coburn has always been terrified of dying young. So she decides to save up and drop everything to travel with her daughter, Katie, on a whirlwind European adventure before it’s too late. Even though her husband can’t join them, even though she’s nervous about the journey, and even though she’s perfectly healthy, Jennifer is determined to jam her daughter’s mental photo album with memories—just in case.
From the cafés of Paris to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Jennifer and Katie take on Europe one city at a time, united by their desire to see the world and spend precious time together. In this heartwarming generational love story, Jennifer reveals how their adventures helped vanquish her fear of dying…for the sake of living.
Review:
I thought this book would be right up my alley. I’ve read Jennifer Coburn before and thought her books were and witty and fab, so I was thinking a memoir about traveling (my favorite thing to do) and her voice would be a good match for me. I’m so bummed that I couldn’t quite connect with the book like I thought I would be able to. My problem was that it was reading really slow for me, and even when I would sit for thirty minutes and dedicate that time to only reading, I swear I was only get through a handful of pages. I wanted to skim but I didn’t, because I truly liked the travel sections and reading about her adventures with Katie. I liked seeing their relationship and how it changed throughout the years. So with so many elements I enjoyed, I’m surprised that overall I couldn’t quite connect with the book like I thought I would. While it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I think others could really enjoy this sweet read about a mother and daughter, and I will still very much look forward to more from Coburn!
3.5 stars