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Book Review: The Witch of Little Italy by Suzanne Palmieri
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Witch of Little Italy by Suzanne Palmieri

I received a copy of The Witch of Little Italy by Suzanne Palmieri in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
In Suzanne Palmieri’s charming debut, The Witch of Little Italy, you will be bewitched by the Amore women. When young Eleanor Amore finds herself pregnant, she returns home to her estranged family in the Bronx, called by “The Sight” they share now growing strong within her. She has only been back once before when she was ten years old during a wonder-filled summer of sun-drenched beaches, laughter and cartwheels. But everyone remembers that summer except her. Eleanor can’t remember anything from before she left the house on her last day there. With her past now coming back to her in flashes, she becomes obsessed with recapturing those memories. Aided by her childhood sweetheart, she learns the secrets still haunting her magical family, secrets buried so deep they no longer know how they began. And, in the process, unlocks a mystery over fifty years old—The Day the Amores Died—and reveals, once and for all, a truth that will either heal or shatter the Amore clan.

Review:
Ooh, a good magic story – right up my alley! I’ll admit that it took me a few chapters to ease into the Amore women and their history, but just short of halfway through the book I really started to become hooked. The mystery aspect of the Day the Amores Died was interesting, and a bit of a heartbreak to read about once it was finally time for that to be revealed. Sometimes I felt that the scenes were a bit over my head and I struggled to connect, but overall this was a really fun story filled with shaky family dynamics, the bond between mother and daughter, and the power of magic. An intriguing debut from Palmieri¸ and I hope to read more from her!
4 stars

May 1, 2013
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Book Review: I Should Be So Lucky by Judy Astley
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: I Should Be So Lucky by Judy Astley

At the age of 39- poor Viola has already had her fair share of bad turns with life. From two wrong marriages, to now having to have her and her daughter, Rachel, live with her mum, Viola feels like her life is stuck in a pit. After a party with friends and an unwanted meeting with her siblings, Viola realizes it’s time to take charge of her own life. Time for her and Rachel to move out on their own, and even better, for a new man to step in. Cue up Greg Fabian… a stranger she meets in the night, who’s carrying shovels in the middle of nowhere. With a little unexpected help from her outgoing mum, to her gay ex-husband and his sister, begins the journey of finding the life she was always supposed to live.

This is my first time reading a book by Judy Astley… someone I am definitely going to check out more of. (Having almost 20 more books, I think I have some good reading ahead of me.) I was timid at first about this book, as it was a little slow to start. But after only a few chapters, I found myself caught up in not only a wonderful love story, but mini-adventures with some of the minor characters. I especially loved Rachel and her trials of just trying to grow up. Some may say that parts of the story are a little predictable, but to me, that’s what made it so comfortable. It was fun and real at the same time. Sometimes knowing the outcome makes life a little easier to go through.

April 30, 2013
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Book Review: When Girlfriends Make Choices by Savannah Page
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: When Girlfriends Make Choices by Savannah Page

I received a copy of WHEN GIRLFRIENDS MAKE CHOICES by Savannah Page in exchange for an honest review.

Having also read When Girlfriends Step Up by the same author, I was so excited to get back into the series with these wonderful characters and hopefully get to know Lara a little better. Lara is a successful ad executive and works long hours and although she is really into her work, it appears that she is also into something else a little more – a co-worker. Turns out that she has been having an affair with a male co-worker for quite some time and it turns out that he is married and has two kids. Now, in her defense, she didn’t know all of this going into the relationship but now that she is already in it, it is hard to step away. In a way she becomes obsessed with Paul even though she knows that it is wrong and her girlfriends don’t waste anytime letting her know that she is in the wrong. Will she finally come to her senses? Or at what cost is she willing to go to finally get her happy ever after?

Like I said, I am already a fan of Savannah Page and although I really enjoyed the writing, I felt conflicted reading about an affair that involves a man with a wife and two kids. As a new mom myself, it definitely hurt my heart but I had to tell myself to not take the book seriously. Once I did that, I was ok with everything and actually really found the writing really interesting. All too often we are told stories of affairs and infidelity from the victims perspective, but not here. She had the wool pulled over her eyes early on and once she finally found out the truth, she was already in too deep. So, I definitely felt for her in that aspect because it was really unfair. Once again, I loved all of the girlfriends and their relationship and all of their input. Overall, this book is really honest and is a good read.
Rating: 4 stars

April 30, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Reckless Abandon by Jenn Flynn-Shon
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Reckless Abandon by Jenn Flynn-Shon

Jenn Flynn-Shon is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Reckless Abandon. While I’m not normally a huge fan on novellas, I have to…

April 29, 2013
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Book Review: Condemn Me Not by Dianne Venetta
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Condemn Me Not by Dianne Venetta

I received a copy of Condemn Me Not by Dianne Venetta in exchange for an honest review.

Two women, who have been friends since college, Simone and Claire, have lived very different lives. Upon graduation from college, they both chose different paths. Now, years later, the two find themselves at a common crossroads where they must look into their past and their present and examine what really matters when their daughters issue opposing proclamations with regard to college. As the two long time friends battle the news differently, they soon come to the realization that some decisions are not easy and it may complicate each of their respective relationships with their daughters. In turn, that leads both of them to wander where they went wrong.

Oh man, I really, really enjoyed this book. For years I have sat back and watched people around me with kids make decisions and I will be honest, I sometimes judged them based on what those decisions were. But, as a new mom myself, I’ve learned the hard way that sometimes things aren’t as easy as they appear and everything always looks different from an outside perspective. Well, the same thing applies here. These two women are faced with a tough decision and the way that they react could really have repercussions with their daughters. So, whats a parent to do? I think Dianne examines that question and really presents the characters in a very raw and real portrayal of what that might look like in real life. This book is really good and I am so glad that I had the privilege to read it.
Rating: 4.5 stars

April 26, 2013
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Book Review: Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

I received a copy of Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. Fortunately, she’s about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus—the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike, who’s suddenly everywhere, until she’s stuck in church with him one day. Then something happens—Apron’s broken teenage heart blinks on for the first time since she’s been adrift. Mike and his boyfriend, Chad, offer her a summer job in their flower store, and Apron’s world seems to calm. But when she uncovers Chad’s secret, stormy seas return. Apron starts to see things the adults around her fail to—like what love really means, and who is paying too much for it. Apron has come unmoored, but now she’ll need to take the helm if she’s to get herself and those she loves to safe harbor.
Review:
It took me a few chapters to really find my flow with this book, but it ended up being really touching and a good story. This book is set in the 1980’s and touches on a variety of subjects – many of them sensitive – such as sexuality and AIDS, and proved to be a really intriguing read. I actually got emotional at the end of the story, so even though I felt a disconnect in the first third of the book, I clearly was connected to all of the characters, not just Apron, by the time I finished. Sometimes I had to remind myself that Apron was only in middle school, because she had a lot of crappy situations thrown her way and she was able to handle them relatively well. I could remember those awkward teenage times – the teenage angst, the shaky friendships, the interest in boys. I think this is a unique new voice in fiction, and I look forward to more.
4 stars

April 26, 2013
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Book Review: This Could Have Been Our Song! by Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: This Could Have Been Our Song! by Danielle-Claude …

I received a copy of This Could Have Been Our Song! by Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba in exchange for an honest review.

The book begins with Lucia Mpobo-Riddell, who could have been a dancer like the rest of women of her family but instead of going down that path, she chose to pursue music. In the same sentiment, Marcus Grant could have been a doctor like the rest of his family but chose music instead too. Lucia falls for Marcus on the night of her birthday and together they create a series of “shoulda, coulda, woulda” that propels them into their future. After Marcus declines to reveal the real reason for being in Toronto that one fateful night, the duo now have to deal with the consequences, and boy are they major. This then creates a major tug of war in their lives and things get complicated. Will their relationship be able to survive?

When I first received a copy of this book and read the synopsis, it sounded like there would be so much going on that I wouldn’t be able to wrap my head around it all. But, luckily Danielle does a really good job at pacing throughout the book so that the reader is not overwhelmed with all of the activity that goes on. Although I am not really into singing or dancing, I really enjoyed the descriptions and that aspect of the book. I also really enjoyed the relationship and the dynamic between Lucia and Marcus. Now, if only they could figure out a way to make their lives a little less stressful! Overall though, this book is enjoyable and a good read.
Rating: 4 stars

April 25, 2013
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Book Review: The Sunshine When She’s Gone by Thea Goodman
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Sunshine When She’s Gone by Thea …

I received a copy of The Sunshine When She’s Gone by Thea Goodman in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:

A fresh, funny, and wisely observed debut novel about marriage—about the love, longing and ambivalence exposed when a husband takes the baby on a highly unusual outing

When Veronica Reed wakes up one frigid January morning, two things are “off”—first of all, she has had a good night’s sleep, which hasn’t happened in months, and second, both her husband and her baby are gone. Grateful for the much-needed rest, Veronica doesn’t, at first, seriously question her husband’s trip out to breakfast with baby Clara. Little does she know, her spouse has fled lower Manhattan, with Clara, for some R&R in the Caribbean.

Told through alternating points of view, The Sunshine When She’s Gone explores the life-changing impact of parenthood on a couple as individuals and as partners. Thea Goodman brings us into intimacies made tense by sleep-deprivation and to losses and gains made more real by acknowledging them. Here is the story of a couple pushed to the edge and a desperate father’s attempt give them both space to breathe.
Synopsis:

As a new mom myself, this book was definitely right up my alley. Goodman does an amazing job at giving us the real deal when it comes to these parents. Some new parents think of their baby a certain way and it just so happens that these characters are flawed and very, very honest and raw. Like I said before, I too am a new mom and I can definitely relate to the sleep deprived stupor that happens with a newborn and although I found the parents actions to be somewhat selfish, I think it is definitely understandable. Goodman fills the book with great detail and and tons of insight that will lead you to very unexpected places in your thoughts. Overall though, this book was a very good read. But, be warned to those of you who are expecting a typical chick-lit, this book was not written that way. But, you may still enjoy it because it was written very solidly.
Rating: 4 stars

April 24, 2013
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Book Review: Outside the Men’s Room by Rose Gonsoulin
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Outside the Men’s Room by Rose Gonsoulin

I received a copy of Outside the Men’s Room by Rose Gonsoulin in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Who hasn’t wanted to tell the boss he’s a jerk and quit on the spot? It’s the principle, right? Yet most people never do it. They swallow their pride and either suck it up or find another job. Except Sidney Sinclair, a hard-working but naïve young engineer entering the work place when college educated women were still a novelty item. It was a time when they were graduating in droves, like a bumper crop of ripe corn, flooding the market with their career aspirations. But can girls raised on Chatty Cathy and the Dating Game succeed in a man’s world?

After facing blatant discrimination, Sidney resorts to deception to break into the good ole boy’s club of engineering and construction. Once inside she’s thwarted at every turn—open hostility, intentional sabotage, and worse, an attraction to the man who holds the reins to her career. Was Sidney chasing a dream, or just running from her fears? Can she survive the traps and land mines waiting for her in a man’s world, or will she succumb to the goons who want her out of the way?

Set in the early 1980’s in Houston this retro chick lit novel has all the native nuances of living in the Bayou City at a time when many young women were caught between two worlds—Work and Love.
Review:
I was looking forward to reading this book because it was described as retro chick lit, and I thought that was pretty cool; something different. I struggled to get into the story though, and had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. I almost wonder if the story would have started with Sidney and focused more on her throughout the way if my reading experience would have been better, as I just could not identify with the men. Maybe it didn’t help that I’m not from the era either, even though I thought it would be interesting to read about. I’m bummed that I couldn’t make a connection to this book, but sometimes one is just not for you!
2.5 stars

April 24, 2013
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