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Book Review: Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill

Reviewer: Sandy “She’s wearing pink lace underwear, small lumps of flesh spilling over her knickers, the inner edges of her thighs close to touching. #727…

Book Review: Elly in Love by Colleen Oakes

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Curvy wedding florist Elly Jordan has had quite a year. First, she had to design her ex-husband’s wedding to the mistress who split them up, and then she broke up with the hottest musician this side of St. Louis. Three months have passed since then, and now Elly is primed for what promises to be the best wedding season of her life.
Encouraged by her loyal friends (and one pushy coworker), Elly considers opening a chic flower boutique uptown when BlissBride, a popular wedding reality show, asks her to design the wedding of a famous—make that infamous—celebrity. Elly is about to get everything she ’s ever wanted, when a stranger shows up at her store with a request that changes every aspect of her life—including her budding relationship with deli owner Keith. As she
struggles to stay calm in the midst of growing chaos, Elly will learn the true meaning of love and sacrifice.
Filled with the heart, humor, and horticulture that made Elly in Bloom a bestseller, Elly in Love welcomes readers back to Elly’s big, beautiful, and messy life.
Review:
I have been looking forward to the sequel of Elly in Bloom for some time now, so I was super excited to get this on my Kindle. Once again, the writing and descriptions are vivid and crisp, easily drawing readers into the story. There was a fun element of the celebrity wedding that Elly is the florist for, but it’s the romance that gets featured heavily. There’s also another dimension added with the mysterious stranger that shows up at Elly’s door, which added another layer to the novel. A book I really enjoyed, I hope you can read both Elly in Bloom and Elly in Love – or just look at their beautiful covers!
4 stars

Book Review: All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

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

Allison Weiss got her happy ending—a handsome husband, adorable daughter, a job she loves, and the big house in the suburbs. But while waiting in the pediatrician’s office, she opens a magazine to a quiz about addiction and starts to wonder…Is a Percocet at the end of the day really different from a glass of wine? Is it such a bad thing to pop a Vicodin after a brutal Jump & Pump class…or if your husband ignores you?

The pills help her manage the realities of her good-looking life: that her husband is distant, that her daughter is acting out, that her father’s Alzheimer’s is worsening and her mother is barely managing to cope. She tells herself that they let her make it through her days…but what if her increasing drug use, a habit that’s becoming expensive and hard to hide, is turning into her biggest problem of all?

With a sparkling comedic touch and a cast of unforgettable characters, this remarkable story of a woman’s slide into addiction and struggle to find her way back up again is Jennifer Weiner’s most masterful work yet.
Review:
I always enjoy Jennifer Weiner books. I think they’re thought-provoking and emotional and fun to read novels. But this – this one was different. Yes, it was thought-provoking and emotional and fun to read, but on a different level. I’d been hearing talk that this was a new path for Weiner, I can definitely see that. We get to go deep with this book, as we follow Allison succumb to pain killer addiction. We watch her life slowly unravel – her marriage coming apart at the seams, her parents relying more on her, and her struggles with motherhood – until it all falls apart. Hard to put down, this book engaging me from the beginning and didn’t let me go. I loved the title, the cover, and this by far my favorite Jennifer Weiner book. You don’t want to miss this book this summer. I highly recommend.
5 stars

Book Review: The Bastard by Inez Kelley

Reviewer: Andrea I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The Summary: In the battle between good and evil, humans…

Book Review: Roastmaster (A Coffee Novel) by Janice Lierz

Reviewer: Kate I received a copy of Roastmaster (A Coffee Novel) by Janice Lierz in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The seventh sister is…

In My Mailbox: Week of June 30

Title: Deadly Assets Author: Wendy Tyson Received: CLP Blog Tours Synopsis: An eccentric Italian heiress from the Finger Lakes. An eighteen-year-old pop star from Scranton,…

Book Review: The Girl with the Blood Red Lips by …

Reviewer: Andrea I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The Summary: Neva is different. Aside from having a phobia…

Book Review: The Walk-In Closet by Abdi Nazemian

Reviewer: Kate I received a copy of The Walk-In Closet by Abdi Nazemian in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Kara Walker has never found…

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Chez Stinky by Susan C …

Susan C Daffron is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Chez Stinky
Summary:
Kat Stevens is a slightly insecure, mostly bored technical writer who likes her cat a lot more than her boss. She hasn’t laid eyes on her great aunt Abigail since she was eight, so she’s stumped when she inherits Abigail’s house in the small hamlet of Alpine Grove.

Kat’s uncomplicated life gets decidedly less so when she discovers the inheritance comes with some hairy conditions: four dogs and five cats that her aunt wanted her to love as her own. Of course, the house smells like a barn–with a touch of antique skunk–and, naturally, has serious roof issues. And that’s before the three-legged cat gets stuck in the wall and the shower goes kablooey.

When Kat meets Joel, an unemployed techie type with no love lost for his sister, Kat looks past his obvious flaws, given his timely and desirable skill set: a talent for fixing things (and his own tools).

Despite out-of-control dogs, cat fights, dust dinosaurs, massive spiders and an old grizzled hippie passed out in the yard, Kat discovers the tranquility of the forests of Alpine Grove starting to seep into her soul.

And why she can’t she stop thinking about Joel?
Review:
I’m a huge animal lover (dogs in particular) so I knew reading this blurb that I would have a fun time with this story. And I was right! The book was easy to get immersed in, and the characters of Chez Stinky are full of personality and so fun to read about. I thought the story was light-hearted, yet there were several serious moments involved, and I enjoyed the duality that was delivered. I found myself making excuses for why I just had to keep reading. I’m very much looking forward to more from this cast of characters!
4.5 stars