Mini Contemporary Reviews: April-May 2019

May 29, 2019May 14, 2019 Red House Reviews2 Comments

Today I would like to share with you two reviews of contemporary books, that I read during the months of April and May.

Published: December 2012
Published by: Penguin Books
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format Read: Trade Paperback
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

The beloved New York Times bestseller—with more than five million copies sold—by the author of One Plus One and The Girl You Left Behind

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?
-Goodreads

Quick Thoughts

Me Before You is a beautiful story of the relationship between a man whose life has been forever altered and the women who is hired to assist him. This book made me cry, smile and laugh. I couldn’t put it down. Yes it’s subject matter is quite controversial, however I felt that the author did a good job of presenting both sides of the debate. I would highly recommend Jojo Moyes Me Before You to fans of contemporary fiction and books that have been adapted to film.

Welcome to Moonlight Harbor
(Moonlight Harbor, Book 1)
By: Sheila Roberts

Published: April 2018
Published by: MIRA
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romace
Format Read: Library Book, Paperback
Rating: 3/5

Synopsis

USA TODAY bestselling author Sheila Roberts returns with a brand-new series set on the charming Washington coast

Once happily married, Jenna Jones is about to turn forty, and this year for her birthday—lucky her—she’s getting a divorce. She’s barely able to support herself and her teenage daughter, but now her deadbeat artist ex is hitting her up for spousal support…and then spending it on his “other” woman.

Still, as her mother always says, every storm brings a rainbow. And when she gets a very unexpected gift from her great-aunt Edie, things seem to be taking a turn for the better. Aging Aunt Edie is finding it difficult to keep up her business running The Driftwood Inn, so she invites Jenna to come live with her and run the place. It looks like Jenna’s financial problems are solved!

Or not. The town is a little more run-down than Jenna remembers, but that’s nothing compared to the ramshackle state of The Driftwood Inn. Aunt Edie is confident they can return it to its former glory, though Jenna feels like she’s jumped from the proverbial frying pan into the beach fire.

But who knows? With the help of her new friends and a couple of handsome citizens, perhaps that rainbow is on the horizon after all. Because, no matter what, life is always good at the beach.

Featuring all the warmth, romance and trademark humor of Sheila Roberts’s writing, this new series will delight longtime fans and welcome a generation of new readers.
Goodreads

Quick Thoughts

Welcome to Moonlight Harbor kicks off Sheila Roberts series of the same name and follows a woman and her daughter starting over after a messy divorce. I am always drawn to stories that feature some sort of renovation and the aspect I enjoyed the most in this book was the refurbishing of the Driftwood Inn. Although it had its cheesy moments and some that made
me roll my eyes, it was a cute story with a light hint of romance. It also featured a colorful cast of characters and encompassed the small town atmosphere. I am interested to see where the author will take this series in her further releases. Welcome to Moonlight Harbor would make for an enjoyable beach read, that I would recommend to fans of contemporary fiction.

Book Reviews

California Girls by Susan Mallery

May 22, 2019May 6, 2019 Red House Reviews2 Comments

California Girls
By: Susan Mallery

Published: February 2019
Published by: MIRA
Format Read: ARC, eBook, Kindle
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance

Rating: 2.5/5

NOTE: I was sent a copy of California Girls by Susan Mallery, from the publisher, via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis

The California sunshine’s not quite so bright for three sisters who get dumped in the same week…

Finola, a popular LA morning show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she’s just fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.

Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.

Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancé sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.

But side by side by side, these sisters will start over and rebuild their lives with all the affection, charm and laugh-out-loud humor that is classic Susan Mallery.
-Goodreads

My Thoughts

Susan Mallery’s California Girls is a contemporary fiction that follows three sisters, who all get dumped by their men on the same week. All the bases are covered here: one sister was married, another was engaged to be married and another was dating. Anyone who has ever been through a breakup will find something to relate to in California Girls.

I went into this book looking forward to a quick, heartwarming story about the bond between sisters. After reading the synopsis, I thought that they would really rally around each other to recover from their individual heartbreaks. Even though there were moments where they briefly came together, I felt that there was such a distance between each character. Although this was to be expected considering their upbringing with self-centered parents, it brought a different reading experience than I anticipated.

There were aspects from each sister’s story that I enjoyed including: behind the scenes in the television industry with Finola, Ali’s character development and Zennie’s friendship with Bernie. However I found the climax of events to be incredibly predictable.

Unhealthy diet, eating habits and body image were depicted in a way that I found problematic as it felt as if they were being justified instead of discouraged.

California Girls did keep my attention and had moments that were enjoyable, however I wasn’t able to connect with the characters and the plot as I hoped I would.

Books Hauls

April 2019 Book Haul

May 15, 2019May 9, 2019 Red House Reviews1 Comment

Here are the books I added to my collection during the month of April.

Challenges · Memes · Tags

Reading Habits Book Tag

May 8, 2019April 17, 2019 Red House Reviews1 Comment

I saw this book tag over on the Musings of a Literary Wanderer blog and decided to share my answers with my readers today.

DO YOU HAVE A CERTAIN PLACE AT HOME FOR READING?

I have no shame in admitting that I’m a bathtub reader.

BOOKMARK OR RANDOM PIECE OF PAPER?

Generally I end up using a random piece of paper. At the moment though I am using a bookmark for my current physical book.

CAN YOU STOP READING ANYTIME YOU WANT OR DO YOU HAVE TO STOP READING AT A CERTAIN PAGE, CHAPTER, PART, ETC.?

I prefer to stop at the end of a chapter, but often that isn’t possible.

DO YOU EAT OR DRINK WHILE READING?

Yes sometimes.

CAN YOU READ WHILE LISTENING TO MUSIC/WATCHING TV?

Yes I can.

ONE BOOK AT A TIME OR SEVERAL AT ONCE?

I usually have 2 books going at once. A physical book and an eBook or audio book.

READING AT HOME OR EVERYWHERE?

I get more reading done at home, but I always have a book with me when I go out somewhere.

READING OUT LOUD OR SILENTLY IN YOUR HEAD?

Silently in my head. Although I do spend a good amount of time each day reading aloud to my son.

DO YOU READ AHEAD OR SKIP PAGES?

No never.

BREAKING THE SPINE OR KEEPING IT NEW?

I try not to break the spine.

Have you done the Reading Habits book tag? If so leave me your link in the comments.

Recommendations · Wrap-ups

Monthly Wrap-up: April 2019

May 1, 2019 Red House Reviews2 Comments

Total Books Read in March: 4

Total Book Read in 2019: 16

Mending Fences
(The Deacon’s Family, #1)
By Suzanne Woods Fisher
Genre: Christian Fiction, Amish Fiction
Rating: 5/5
NOTE: I was sent a copy of Mending Fences (The Deacon’s Family, #1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher, from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Random Passage
By: Bernice Morgan
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5
NOTE: Random Passage was my TBR jar pick for the month of March. This is the third time I have read this book and enjoyed learning about life in a secluded Newfoundland out-port in the mid-1800s.

California Girls
By Susan Mallery
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Rating: 2.5/5
Note: I was sent a copy of California Girls by Susan Mallery, from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Me Before You
By: Jojo Moyes
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 4
Total Number of Fiction: 4
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 0
Total Books Sent for Review: 2
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 2
Total Library Books Read: 0

Challenge Update

2019 New Release Challenge: 2
2019 TBR Jar Challenge: 2

May TBR

From My TBR Jar

Sent for Review

Currently Reading

California GirlsBy: Susan Mallery