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Book Review: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese …

I received a copy of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
I wish I could tell everyone who thinks we’re ruined, Look closer…and you’ll see something extraordinary, mystifying, something real and true. We have never been what we seemed.

When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is seventeen years old and he is a young army lieutenant stationed in Alabama. Before long, the “ungettable” Zelda has fallen for him despite his unsuitability: Scott isn’t wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner, and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. Her father is deeply unimpressed. But after Scott sells his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to Scribner’s, Zelda optimistically boards a train north, to marry him in the vestry of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and take the rest as it comes.
What comes, here at the dawn of the Jazz Age, is unimagined attention and success and celebrity that will make Scott and Zelda legends in their own time. Everyone wants to meet the dashing young author of the scandalous novel—and his witty, perhaps even more scandalous wife. Zelda bobs her hair, adopts daring new fashions, and revels in this wild new world. Each place they go becomes a playground: New York City, Long Island, Hollywood, Paris, and the French Riviera—where they join the endless party of the glamorous, sometimes doomed Lost Generation that includes Ernest Hemingway, Sara and Gerald Murphy, and Gertrude Stein.
Everything seems new and possible. Troubles, at first, seem to fade like morning mist. But not even Jay Gatsby’s parties go on forever. Who is Zelda, other than the wife of a famous—sometimes infamous—husband? How can she forge her own identity while fighting her demons and Scott’s, too? With brilliant insight and imagination, Therese Anne Fowler brings us Zelda’s irresistible story as she herself might have told it.
My Review:
Who can resist a novel about Zelda Fitzgerald? I sure couldn’t! I was excited to see this interpretation of her life as the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. In this fictional autobiography, we see Zelda as a young girl, then follow her as she meets F. Scott Fitzgerald, their engagement, their wedding, and the years following. They were the picture of a golden couple in the 1920’s – talented, good-looking, young, a bit mysterious. But problems were always lurking below the surface, and readers get a taste of that first-hand. It was fascinating to read about their world, to feel like I was transported to a time where Fitzgerald and Hemingway were up and coming writers, friends yet rivals, possibly even lovers. There has always been the question of did Scott ruin Zelda’s life or did Zelda ruin his, and I think this book is a great guide to let readers make their own decision. One to read!
4.5 stars

March 28, 2013
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Book Review: Six Years by Harlan Coben
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Six Years by Harlan Coben

I received a copy of SIX YEARS by Harlan Coben in exchange for an honest review.

Six Years have passed since Jake Fisher was left by the love of his life, Natalie. He sat and watched as she married another man and then left it all behind. He threw himself into a career as a college professor and attempts to move on. But, after so much time, there is still a love that burns deep down inside of him and he can’t help that he still loves Natalie. But, one fateful day brings an obituary into his view and it happens to be for Todd, who was the man who stole her away. He can’t help himself so he attends the funeral and optimistically hopes for a rare glimpse of her, but when he sees a mourning widow that claims to have been married to Todd for almost two decades, he begins to wonder what the heck really happened. He begins to question everything that he has ever none as so many things around him become a mystery. What has happened to the picture perfect memories that he has hung onto so tightly?

I am actually slightly embarrassed to admit that I’ve never read anything written by Harlan Coben before … but that is all changing now. To say the least, I am obsessed. He is such a talented writer and does an amazing job at crafting such detailed experiences that will literally blow you away. When I began reading this book, I assumed that poor Jake Fisher was just hurting from a broken heart when Natalie married another man, but this book kicked that ideal to the curb and definitely knocked me on my butt. This book is very fast paced and reads like a mystery/suspense novel – which I guess it might technically be classified as. Either way, SIX YEARS is amazing and you should definitely go out and grab yourself a copy. Plus, I just read that Hugh Jackman has signed on to star in the film adaptation. Um, yum!!

http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/hugh-jackman-set-to-star-in-adaptation-of-harlan-cobens-six-years

Rating: 5/5 stars

March 27, 2013
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Book Review: Market Street by Anita Hughes
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Market Street by Anita Hughes

I received a copy of Market Street by Anita Hughes in exchange for an honest review. Whew, what a book! Cassie Blake is our leading lady, an heiress to San Francisco’s most exclusive department store and wife to UC Berkeley professor Aidan. She has a wonderful lifetime friend in Alexis, is madly in love with her husband, and overall feels pretty charmed in her life. When she finds out Aidan slept with one of his students her charmed existence shatters, and she runs to the safety of Alexis’s mansion to help her figure out if she can forgive Aidan and keep her marriage intact. While separated, she takes on a new project at the department store to keep her busy and that visits her first love – food. With the addition of a handsome architect at the store and consistently being away from her husband, Cassie knows she has some big decisions to make regarding her future.
Market Street is incredibly difficult to put down. I understood that Cassie loves Aidan and how tore up she is over his mistake, and I really wondered throughout the story how they would end up. I know you should cheer for the husband and wife to be together, but I just thought Aidan was slimy and overbearing from the get-go. I hate saying that I was pulling for architect James to come away the victor, but Cassie is a strong woman and knows what she wants, so she kept my interest piqued.
Since Cassie and her friend Alexis come from a world of wealth, Market Street is filled with fabulous designer clothes, posh parties, and rubbing elbows with San Fran’s elite. And I loved every minute of it! Alexis stole my heart with how deeply she cared for her friend, and her own unique drive and lifestyle that she brought to the pages. I really loved everything about the book, from the friendship dynamic, love story, and emotional decisions, this was a 5 star read for me!
5 stars

March 27, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: When Girlfriends Step Up by Savannah Page
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: When Girlfriends Step Up by …

Savannah Page is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and When Girlfriends Step Up. This book is just my cup of tea, and I’m so excited to see that there will be a series following the friends. The first introduces us to Robin, Sophie, Claire, Lara, Emily, and Jackie. We follow along with Robin, who is twenty-five and works in a small publishing house in Seattle. A colossal mistake almost cost her a friendship, but her life gets even more rocked when she finds out she is pregnant from a one-night stand. Her group of girls rally around her during the pregnancy, and she even thinks she might have found Mr. Right in a co-worker.
When Girlfriends Step Up is such a good story. I love books about good, solid friendships, and this one really hit the spot. With Robin’s mistake I almost wondered if the friendships could stay intact, and it was really refreshing to read about the forgiveness between the women, because usually it’s just the opposite. I loved reading about all the girls, and I’m excited to read the next book in the series, When Girlfriends Make Choices. I highly recommend you check out these novels from Savannah Page!
4.5 stars

March 26, 2013
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Book Review: The Gilly Salt Sisters by Tiffany Baker
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Gilly Salt Sisters by Tiffany Baker

I received a copy of The Gilly Salt Sisters by Tiffany Baker in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
The author of the New York Times bestselling The Little Giant of Aberdeen County returns with a magic-tinged tale of dreams, family secrets, and betrayals on a New England salt farm.

In the isolated Cape Cod village of Prospect, the Gilly sisters are as different as can be. Jo, a fierce and quiet loner, is devoted to the mysteries of her family’s salt farm, while Claire is popular, pretty, and yearns to flee the salt at any cost. But the Gilly land hides a dark legacy that proves impossible to escape. Although the community half-suspects the Gilly sisters might be witches, it doesn’t stop Whit Turner, the town’s wealthiest bachelor, from forcing his way into their lives. It’s Jo who first steals Whit’s heart, but it is Claire–heartbroken over her high school sweetheart–who marries him.

Years later, estranged from her family, Claire finds herself thrust back onto the farm with the last person she would have chosen: her husband’s pregnant mistress. Suddenly, alliances change, old loves return, and new battle lines are drawn. What the Gilly sisters learn about each other, the land around them, and the power of the salt, will not only change each of their lives forever, it will also alter Gilly history for good.
My Review:
I’ll start my review by saying that I enjoyed this book. It was interesting, the characters were unique, and I was curious how everything would end. But when I was thinking of words to use in the review, I kept coming back to one – bored. I was a little bored with the book as a whole. I was never really captivated by the story and it took me almost four days to read, which is an anomaly for me. So I ended up shutting this book with conflicting feelings. While I did still enjoy it, I can’t say I loved it by any means.
3 stars

March 22, 2013
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Book Review: Playing Along by Rory Samantha Green
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Playing Along by Rory Samantha Green

I received a copy of PLAYING ALONG by Rory Samantha Green in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:

Two Lives. Two Continents. One Song…

Then: George Bryce was an awkward, English schoolboy fantasizing about being in a band.

Now: George is frontman of Thesis, an overnight indie scene sensation. Intense, creative and self-deprecating, his childhood dreams have all been fulfilled – so why does George still feel so lost?

Then: Lexi Jacobs was a confident Californian high school cheerleader, planning her future marriage and a meaningful career.

Now: Lexi is searching for substance in a life full of mishaps. Cautious, bemused and rapidly losing the control she used to rely on, none of her teenage dreams have delivered and she’s left wondering, “What next?”

Follow George and Lexi as they navigate their days thousands of miles apart. Fly with them from London to LA and back again, as George copes with the dynamics of his tight knit band and loose knit family, while Lexi juggles her eccentric new boss, bored best friend and smother mother.

Even though there’s an ocean between them and their worlds couldn’t be further apart, George and Lexi are pulled together through music, and their paths appear determined to cross.

The question is – when?
Review

Goodness … it sure has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a book this much, I even stayed up late to finish it one night. As the summary states, this is a tale of two people from two different continents who eventually stumble onto one another’s path. I instantly felt a connection to Lexi and George and loved them from the get go. I really enjoyed the way that Rory crafted each of these characters and their story and I loved getting to know them in depth and I think that ultimately, I had a much stronger connection to both of them because of it. In the beginning, I really enjoyed reading about their “almost” meet-ups but then after a few too many, I was so anxious for them to meet up that I started to get worried that it would never happen. But, don’t fret because Rory definitely takes care of the reader and eventually gives you something even better. There are a few minor issues here and there but I think that the overall story makes up for them and then some. Overall, a very solid debut that I really enjoyed and I think that you will too .
Rating: 4.5/5

March 22, 2013
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Book Review: Cursed by Lynn Ricci
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Cursed by Lynn Ricci

I received a copy of CURSED by Lynn Ricci in exchange for an honest review.

Summary

When Sarah Carter moves to Boston to escape her past she realizes there’s more than meets the eye with the landlord and her mysterious new best friend. What happened to the owner of this brownstone and what secrets lie within its walls and continue to torment? Witchcraft, curses and timeless love are not what Sarah expected to find, but as she learns more, she wonders is she actually running back to her past instead of from it?

Review

For a lack of better words, this is the first time that I am going to call a book cool. I had a really fun time when I was reading this book and for some bizarre reason, it felt like it was a story that would have everyone gathered around a campfire. There are a lot of spooky things going on but the book isn’t scary at all, which I liked because I am a huge wuss! I really enjoyed Sarah and thought that her interactions with the tortured landlord were oddly hilarious and although he gives off a very odd vibe, I found him to be sweet and noble and he definitely turned out to be my favorite character. This book is an odd combination of spooky folklore and an oddball fairy tale, but together they make the perfect combination. This is the second book by Lynn that I have read and I must admit that I liked it better than the first because it was so unique and original. I would highly recommend it.

Rating: 4.5/5

March 21, 2013
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Book Review: Gone with the Wedding by Laura Briggs
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Gone with the Wedding by Laura Briggs

I received a copy of Gone with the Wedding by Laura Briggs in exchange for an honest review. When Amy Pontelle is offered to have a Southern Belle wedding courtesy of a popular magazine, she has to jump at the chance. She is engaged, of course, but she is also a romance writer who happens to love anything Gone with the Wind and can’t wait to be Scarlett for a day. But the weeks leading up to the wedding aren’t what Amy envision. Now she finds herself questioning everything surrounding her big day…including her groom.
Gone with the Wedding is another wedding book that I just couldn’t say no to. I loved the idea of a period wedding, and was practically salivating myself over the dress Amy gets to wear and the corsets and the hoop skirts – I love it! Poor Amy was just a mixed up girl. It was nice to see her finally start to question something that probably should have been questioned a lot earlier. It seemed that her and her fiancé had not much in common, nor did it seem that her friends and family really appreciated them together either. I did wonder how it got to the point of a wedding at times, but that’s all right. It still didn’t take away from me enjoying the journey along with Amy.
4 stars

March 21, 2013
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Book Review: Prior Engagements by Sarah Goodwin
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Prior Engagements by Sarah Goodwin

I received a copy of PRIOR ENGAGEMENTS by Sarah Goodwin in exchange for an honest review.

Prior Engagements begins with Annie, who isn’t really enjoying her time in the twenties as much as she expected. She was left at the alter by Stephen and is currently in the process of paying down the gargantuan mountain of debt leftover from the wedding that never happened. Then one day, she meets a man who is in need of a favor – to accompany him to the wedding of his ex. She decides on a whim to accompany him and then next thing she knows, she is getting married in Vegas to Dorian. But, that makes things complicated as she returns home and realizes that her best friend, who also happens to be her boss, has been working up the courage to pop the question himself. Will is not happy at all about the new discovery and wants nothing more than to get Dorian out of the way. Like I said, things are complicated and it gets worse as we are introduced to Dorian’s sister, his ex-bride and Annie’s dear old mother. Fun times ensue as some Annie tries to figure out just how her life ended up so complicated.

I really enjoyed PRIOR ENGAGEMENTS and thought that it was a really good read. At first I wasn’t quite too sure what to think about Annie but after a little hesitation on my part, I soon fell in love with her character. Sarah does an amazing job at crafting flawed characters who are also very realistic. On numerous occasions I felt that Annie and I would make great friends. I knew instantly that Stephen was a douche bag and ironically, am glad that she got left at the alter because she was so much better off without him. I must also admit that I was quite surprised when she married Dorian in Vegas … I definitely didn’t see that one coming. Overall though, this book is a really great read from a debut author. I think that if you are looking for a hilarious book with a lot of wit and heart, then this book is for you.

Rating: 4/5 stars

March 20, 2013
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