Book Review: Isla and The Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3) by Stephanie Perkins

Description from Goodreads
Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. 

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

Initial Thoughts
I'm assuming at this point that the Josh in this story is the same Josh from Anna and the French kiss that is friends with Anna and Etienne, but I am not sure. I am really excited to read this book, and finish out this little series! Though the reviews on Goodreads seem to have been a little mixed (even though the ratings are good), this book is still the reason I read this series in the first place so I'm definitely anxious to start it!

My Review
I was right- it is the same Josh! Even though some other reviews were mixed, and my own reviews were mixed about half way through the book, I had a hard time putting this down and I ended up really enjoying it! 
Isla is in Paris for school, and has had a crush on Josh forever. He is interested after breaking up with a long time girlfriend, and they start dating. Then the shit hits the fan, and they become a long distance relationship.
I think that aspect of the story was pretty realistic- at least to me. The desperation even after only a month of dating- I think a lot of us feel like we want to plan our future with someone that soon, even if it's not a good idea. So I felt for them in that aspect. But the more it went on, I felt like it was completely contrived and just continued on for as long as it did so the author would continue having something to write about.

However, once things started coming around with Isla and her realization about who she is, the story got really interesting to me again, and I really enjoyed it again. 
I also really, really enjoyed getting to see all the other characters again, especially since this is listed as the final book of the series. It was nice to see them continued on a bit, and I feel like all of their stories wrapped up nicely enough for satisfaction.


I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who loves YA Romance. I do think you could read each individual book on it's own, but the whole is worth the read.

Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review: Lola and The Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2) by Stephanie Perkins

Description from Goodreads
Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Initial Thoughts
After reading the first book in the series, I am excited to read this one! The main characters seem interesting, and I like stories about friends falling in love. So this might be good!

My Review
This was another adorable book!

I really loved Lola, the main character, and reading about all her fun outfits! I really sometimes wish I was more creative with my clothing and I loved reading about the way she put them together. I also loved how Cricket is basically similar with his clothing- he's always put together. Not quite as in costume like Lola is, but still definitely better put together than most guys.

I also really, really liked that Anna and Etienne from the first book made appearances throughout- even though I knew these books were part of a series, I thought it was just because of the way they were written or the types of stories they were. So that was a very nice surprise. 

I thought her relationship with the boy she is dating in the beginning of the novel was a little .... lacking. It was probably my least favorite part of the entire story. It wasn't really the age difference, but he just never really seemed all that into Lola. It made it easy for me to root for them to break up, which is both a strength and a weakness in the novel. Sometimes a guy isn't right for you, but can still be a good guy. I wish more writers wrote it like that.


I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads, just like the first novel. I can't wait to read the third book!


Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1 by Marie Rutkoski)

 

Description from Goodreads
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love 

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Initial Thoughts
Another series dystopian novel? Sign me up! I think the premise of this sounds interesting, and not quite like anything I've seen lately. I wonder where this is going- she bought him, but the price she paid is more than she ever could have imagined? Hmmmmm.

My Review
I was into this book almost right away. I did guess what Arin was up to pretty early on, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story all the same. I liked the world they seemed to set up, and I enjoyed the budding romance between the two main characters.
With that said, though, at times it was a little exhausting. And I don't see, after reading the ending, how they might end up back together (assuming that's the end goal and the second book doesn't bring in a love triangle.)

I thought Kestrel was a fairly strong female character. I feel like she is someone that can carry a trilogy easily, and I actually want to read more about her journey. I also feel like she's a female character that other girls would look up to- she is strong-willed and doesn't give in easily.


Overall, I just really enjoyed this- it was entertaining, and I want to keep reading the trilogy.

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.


Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Description from Goodreads
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Initial Thoughts
I'll be honest- I just want to read this book and the second book so I can get to the third book. It does sound like something I'll like, but when I found the third book on Goodreads, I knew I HAD to read it, and if I find out a book is part of a series, it feels weird to not start at Book #1. So hopefully this will be a good intro!
I also have never read anything by this author before, and I would love to read more new-to-me authors this year!

My Review
I absolutely adored this book! As I said above, I wasn't sure about it, and read it more to get through the first couple of books in this series, but I'm so glad I decided to start at the beginning!

It was a cute and quick read. I liked that the supporting characters were mostly fleshed out, though I wish I knew more about the relationship between Etienne and his parents. I also felt the end was a tad rushed, but since there was so much tension between Etienne and Anna throughout the story, I guess it was okay that once they were together, they were together.
But, overall, I loved that the characters seemed like real teenagers, and real teenage drama. The misunderstandings between Anna and her friend back home felt like things that happened with my own friends, and they felt organic. I didn't feel like the author was forcing me to believe anything that was happening- it just felt like I was following along.


I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads, and I can't wait to see if the second book in the series entertains me as much as the first.


Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review: Atlantia by Ally Condie

Description from Goodreads
Can you hear Atlantia breathing?

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

Initial Thoughts
I'm really excited to read this. I loved her Matched Trilogy (and I talked about how much a bit in last year's favorite books of 2013 post), and am excited to read a stand alone novel. And the premise sounds exciting!

My Review
Maybe I hyped this book up too much in my own head prior to reading, but I really didn't ever get into this. I tried really hard. And I kept reading way past the time I usually would have given up, but I kept waiting for something. 

The book itself is mainly about two sets of sisters. And their lives Below. Below is the city of Atlantia, which was created after Above became too polluted to live in. Two of the sisters in the sets are Siren's, which have extremely powerful voices. And even knowing what Siren's are, the book never actually touches on anything about them, other than they are miracles and their voices are powerful. And it never goes too much into the relationships either of the younger girls have with their respective love interests- it barely glosses over them.
The author herself says this is a book about family, but the older sets of sisters don't have a relationship and we never really learn much about them at all, and the younger sets of sisters are close, but I never really felt the bond for myself. (And you know, as a reader, that you can feel that bond between characters if it's written well enough.)

By the end of this book, I just felt relief that I had finished it. 


When I initially finished the book, I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads, but I have since changed it to 2. I just really didn't like it very much at all.
I'm not giving up on Ally Condie as an author, but I definitely won't get too excited about her next book.


Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Changing it up again - Book Reviews

Last time I changed up how I did my book reviews, I liked it. I thought the idea would have my reenergized to do book reviews. And it did, but doing both Judging Book posts and the actual review took up twice the amount of time. Which is the opposite of what I was hoping it would do.

So, I've decided to change it up again, but I'm basically going to be combining the two posts into one.



I'm going to do an initial review prior to my reading the book- it might be a quick note I jot down in my Goodreads when I add the book to my "to read" category (and I really need to do this because sometimes I cannot remember why I added a book) and transfer over, or just a quick draft of the book review post. After that, I will post my review. This will all be in one handy post. I also think it might be fun to see my initial impressions against how I felt after reading.


My first new review will be up Tuesday, Jan 6th! Hope you guys enjoy!

My favorite books read in 2014, and my yearly books read goal

Today, I'm going to be sharing with you all my favorite books that I read this year. These are books that I gave a 5 star review on Goodreads that I read in 2014, which I don't give out a lot of. I give out a lot of four star reviews, admittedly, but the 5 star review I save for the books that will stay with me, that I'll recommend to everyone I know. They're the books I shout about from the rooftops.

This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl by Esther Earl with Lori and Wayne Earl

A collection of the journals, fiction, letters, and sketches of the late Esther Grace Earl, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 16. Photographs and essays by family and friends will help to tell Esther’s story along with an introduction by award-winning author John Green who dedicated his #1 bestselling novel The Fault in Our Stars to her.

Why I Loved It: You can read my review here. It was the first book I logged as read in 2014, and I am still thinking about it.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

Why I Loved It: You can read my review here. But it begins with "Oh, my heart."

Shadow Spell (Book Two of the Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy) by Nora Roberts

With the legends and lore of Ireland running through his blood, falconer Connor O’Dwyer is proud to call County Mayo home. It’s where his sister, Branna, lives and works, where his cousin, Iona, has found true love, and where his childhood friends form a circle that can’t be broken…

A circle that is about to be stretched out of shape—by a long-awaited kiss.

Meara Quinn is Branna’s best friend, a sister in all but blood. Her and Connor’s paths cross almost daily, as Connor takes tourists on hawk walks and Meara guides them on horseback across the lush countryside. She has the eyes of a gypsy and the body of a goddess…things Connor has always taken for granted—until his brush with death propels them into a quick, hot tangle.

Plenty of women have found their way to Connor’s bed, but none to his heart until now. Frustratingly, Meara is okay with just the heat, afraid to lose herself—and their friendship—to something more. But soon, Connor will see the full force and fury of what runs in his blood. And he will need his family and friends around him when his past rolls in like the fog, threatening an end to all he loves…

Why I Loved It: You can read my review here. I believe it was better than both the first and third books in the series.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

For the Posts, a two-week trip to the Balearic island of Mallorca with their extended family and friends is a celebration: Franny and Jim are observing their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, and their daughter, Sylvia, has graduated from high school. The sunlit island, its mountains and beaches, its tapas and tennis courts, also promise an escape from the tensions simmering at home in Manhattan. But all does not go according to plan: over the course of the vacation, secrets come to light, old and new humiliations are experienced, childhood rivalries resurface, and ancient wounds are exacerbated.

This is a story of the sides of ourselves that we choose to show and those we try to conceal, of the ways we tear each other down and build each other up again, and the bonds that ultimately hold us together. With wry humor and tremendous heart, Emma Straub delivers a richly satisfying story of a family in the midst of a maelstrom of change, emerging irrevocably altered yet whole.

Why I Loved It: It's the perfect summer read. You can read my review here.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
For more than a decade, Jenna Metcalf has never stopped thinking about her mother, Alice, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident. Refusing to believe that she would be abandoned as a young child, Jenna searches for her mother regularly online and pores over the pages of Alice’s old journals. A scientist who studied grief among elephants, Alice wrote mostly of her research among the animals she loved, yet Jenna hopes the entries will provide a clue to her mother’s whereabouts.

Desperate to find the truth, Jenna enlists two unlikely allies in her quest. The first is Serenity Jones, a psychic who rose to fame finding missing persons—only to later doubt her gifts. The second is Virgil Stanhope, a jaded private detective who originally investigated Alice’s case along with the strange, possibly linked death of one of her colleagues. As the three work together to uncover what happened to Alice, they realize that in asking hard questions, they’ll have to face even harder answers.

As Jenna’s memories dovetail with the events in her mother’s journals, the story races to a mesmerizing finish.

Why I Loved It: I didn't guess the twist. It was engaging from the beginning, and I loved everything about it.



I definitely didn't meet my goal. I was on track, but then I got side tracked with Fall TV and "morning sickness". I read 38 books, and I had my goal set for 50.


This year I have my goal set for 30. I think that it's doable, especially considering I'll be off work for awhile. Granted, a portion of that time, I will also have a newborn. So, we'll see! 

FTC: All books were either purchased by me, borrowed from the library, or provided by NetGalley for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

BATR Book Club: True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

Description from Goodreads: Jeremy Marsh is the ultimate New Yorker: handsome, almost always dressed in black, and part of the media elite. An expert on debunking the supernatural with a regular column in "Scientific American," he's just made his first appearance on national TV. When he receives a letter from the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, about ghostly lights that appear in a legend-shrouded cemetery, he can't resist driving down to investigate. Here, in this tightly knit community, Lexie Darnell runs the town's library, just as her mother did before the accident that left Lexie an orphan. Disappointed by past relationships, including one that lured her away from home, she is sure of one thing: her future is in Boone Creek, close to her grandmother and all the other people she loves. Jeremy expects to spend a quick week in "the sticks" before speeding back to the city. But from the moment he sets eyes on Lexie, he is intrigued and attracted to this beautiful woman who speaks with a soft drawl and confounding honesty. And Lexie, while hesitating to trust this outsider, finds herself thinking of Jeremy more than she cares to admit. Now, if they are to be together, Jeremy Marsh must make a difficult choice: return to the life he knows, or do something he's never done before--take a giant leap of faith. A story about taking chances and following your heart, True Believer will make you, too, believe in the miracle of love.



It has been a long time since I read a Nicholas Sparks book. Mostly because I figured they are all the same- they fall in love, and someone dies. Or is dying. But when I saw this in a bag of books my aunt was getting ready to donate to the library, something drew me to it. So I grabbed my phone, and read some reviews. And then talked to my Aunt. She said "nobody dies in this one." So I decided to give it a shot.

It's a cute story. There's a little mystery with the lights in the cemetary, and I thought for a minute that the man that had a crush of Lexie would cause major problems, but nothing really happened. As a matter of fact, nothing really happened. They fell in love, and then, a miracle.

I will say the "miracle" aspect of this story did tick me off just a bit. You discover something about Jeremy in the book that is not something that you hear a lot about in books. And it made me sad but did excite me a little- it still gives the couple an obstacle. But, by the end of the story, it's not anymore. And it just made me go "Okay, that's nice, but really?"


I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads. It was cute enough, and I might give more Sparks' books a try, but I won't be re-reading or thinking about this book after now.
However, there is a sequel, and I want to check it out because the reviews aren't as good. Is that weird? Probably. But since there is an additional part of Jeremy and Lexie's story, I want to know it.



You can get this book for your Kindle here, or a physical copy here.


Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my great aunt. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post contains amazon affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

BATR Book Club: Top Secret Twenty-One (Stephanie Plum #21) by Janet Evanovich

I rated this book 3 stars on Goodreads, and I'm being generous.

I just am getting really tired of the same old, same old. And it doesn't seem like it's going to change any time soon.
If you're familiar with one Plum novel, you're familiar with them all. And I'm still reading them, because I want to see it end eventually and her end up with someone (or even no one!), but it's getting boring. Someone blows up her car. She sleeps with Morelli and thinks about sleeping with Ranger. She has trouble with even the most basic bonds catch, and most often, that person is naked.

It's just the same book.

The sad thing is that I will keep reading these novels, as long as she keeps writing them. Because I keep hoping for something different. And there is a good way to do a series novel, but this isn't really it.



Have any questions or want to talk about the book? Discuss below!

You can get this book for your Kindle here, or a physical copy here. Or you can pick it up from your local library, like I did!


Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post contains amazon affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Judging A Book By Its Cover: My Brilliant Friend (L'amica geniale #1) by Elena Ferrante

Description from Goodreads: A modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante’s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. The story begins in the 1950s, in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these tough streets the two girls learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone or anything else. As they grow, as their paths repeatedly diverge and converge, Elena and Lila remain best friends whose respective destinies are reflected and refracted in the other. They are likewise the embodiments of a nation undergoing momentous change. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her protagonists, the unforgettable Elena and Lila. Ferrante is the author of three previous works of critically acclaimed fiction: The Days of Abandonment, Troubling Love, and The Lost Daughter. With this novel, the first in a trilogy, she proves herself to be one of Italy’s great storytellers. She has given her readers a masterfully plotted page-turner, abundant and generous in its narrative details and characterizations, that is also a stylish work of literary fiction destined to delight her many fans and win new readers to her fiction.


I read about this book in Entertainment Weekly, and it just sounded fascinating. I really love books about friendship, and I really like that it sounds like it will tie into a bigger story.
As of this post, it gets almost a four star rating on Goodreads, which is pretty good, and most of the reviews talk about how beautiful and rich the story is.  I really can't wait to just get into it.

BATR Book Club: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

(Read my Judging A Book post about this book here.)

This book was so good, and kept me guessing until the very end!

The main characters are incredibly complex and so different from each other- you have Madeline, who is this slightly crazed mom who is dealing with her ex-husband's new wife and her teenage daughter, Celeste who seems to have the idea life as a rich stay-at-home mom, and Jane, who is a single mom to a little boy who is accused of being a bully. 
There are many other characters, but those three are who the story centers around. The story as a whole centers around characters that have children in Kindergarten. 
Also, this story takes place in Australia, which I didn't know when this first started. Not that it's a huge part of the story, but it is something they mention.

You know almost right away that there is a death in this story, but I could not figure it out the whole story. I know what I was hoping for, but I just didn't know. But I did out loud say "OMG" when it happened. And when another reveal happens- I did NOT see it coming, at all. I was in absolute shock.
(I talk a lot when I read books, and laugh. It's just a thing I do. Like the characters can hear me or something...)

This wasn't a quick read by any means (the book is 480 pages!) but it didn't feel like a long read, either. 
I gave this book a solid four stars on Goodreads. I really liked it and it kept me interested. 


Have any questions or want to talk about the book? Discuss below!



You can get this book for your Kindle here, or a physical copy here. Or you can pick it up from your local library, like I did!


Disclosure: I won this book in a Birchbloggers contest to review in the month of September. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post contains amazon affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Judging A Book By It's Cover: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Description from Goodreads: Check out the #1 New York Times bestseller Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, called “a surefire hit” by Entertainment Weekly.
 
"The secrets burrowed in this seemingly placid small town...are so suburban noir they would make David Lynch clap with glee...[Moriarty] is a fantastically nimble writer, so sure-footed that the book leaps between dark and light seamlessly; even the big reveal in the final pages feels earned and genuinely shocking.” —Entertainment Weekly

"Reading one [of Liane Moriarty's novels] is a bit like drinking a pink cosmo laced with arsenic... [BIG LITTLE LIES] is a fun, engaging and sometimes disturbing read” –USA Today

Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal. . . .
  A murder… . . . a tragic accident… . . . or just parents behaving badly?  
What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.   But who did what?
  Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:   Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (howis this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?). 
Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.   New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.
  Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.


I won this book in a Birchbloggers contest (I've been very lucky when it comes to those!)

This book has so much hype! I first heard about it by reading TheSkimm, and since then, it's been everywhere! It sounds so interesting, and like it will have some very well-written female characters, which I am always drawn to.
A reviewer on Goodreads says it's Heavy Chick Lit, so it sounds like it will be a very interesting read.

Superficially, I am actually in love with the cover of this book. The silver is so shiny, and the letters are raised, which is just one of those little details I really love.


I'm going to try to finish this book quickly, by the end of September, so be on the lookout!

BATR Book Club: Sisterhood Everlasting (Sisterhood #5) by Ann Brashares

This book is really sad. And really real.
If you liked the other four books (and I did), then prepare yourself. Or if you've only seen the movies, and want to see how it ends... also, prepare yourself. Because things aren't peaceful in the land of the Sisterhood.

If you loved that special sisterhood camaraderie you probably won't like this very much. The sisters are older, and have grown apart. They still love each other; that much is obvious.
But if you want to read a book that really gets what friendship is like as an adult, definitely pick this up.

I do think you need to have some idea of what the Sisterhood is all about if you read this book- going into it blind would be a bad idea, and wouldn't have the same emotional impact. But if you like the Sisterhood, whether from the books or the movies, pick this up. See how it ends.


You might close the book sad, and wanting to call your best friend. But you'll be happy you opened it.




Have any questions or want to talk about the book? Discuss below!



You can get this book for your Kindle here, or a physical copy here. Or you can pick it up from your local library, like I did!


Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post contains amazon affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Judging A Book By It's Cover: True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

I was at my Aunt's house today, and she had five bags of books. She was going to be donating them to our library for their Friends of the Library sale, but asked if I wanted to pick out a few first. I ended up picking 5 (I'll post a "haul" on those soon), and this was one of them!


I've actually read very few Nicholas Sparks books (I've read A Walk To Remember and The Best Of Me), but I usually see the movies based on his books, and enjoy them (even though they all make me cry), so I figured I'd give this a shot.

According to some of the reviews, this isn't your typical "and then someone dies" Sparks' novel. It's just a really nice romantic novel. So that's how I'm going into this book- I expect romance, and I hope I get it!


Have any of you read Nicholas Sparks? What do you think about his books?

Judging A Book By Its Cover: Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich

Hello, BATR Book Club!

Today I am starting Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich!
I previously reviewed Takedown Twenty.


I'm going into this book with extremely low expectations, as these books are pretty much all the same. Stephanie gets in trouble, her car gets blown up, etc. And there will still be no resolution on whether she's going to end up with Joe or Ranger.


Do any of you read the Stephanie Plum novels? What do you think of them?

Changing it Up- Book Review

I'm bored with book reviews.

And I told my husband this about 45 minutes ago. I was getting ready to write my review for Sisterhood Everlasting, and it was not going to be good. By that, I mean that I didn't know what to write. And I realized that I am bored. So I told him, "I'm bored with book reviews."
And he brought up that I love books, and I do. And that I want to keep this blog being about both beauty AND books. So he said I should come up with something else. He mentioned that I like to talk to people about books, so I should make the reviews more like conversations.

So, the BATR (batter) book club is born!
Basically, I'm going to make a post when I start a book- "Judging A Book By It's Cover", where I talk about what I think the book is going to be about, why I started reading it, etc.
And when I finish the book, I'll do a BATR book club post, which will be a lot more conversational. And if you see I'm reading a book and haven't done my book club post yet, leave a comment, and I'll answer it back in the book club post.

With my husband's help, I feel a lot better about book reviews now. And I hope you all will like them, too!


My first BATR Book Club post will be up on September 16th, and will be on Tuesdays, like the book review posts were before, at some point after I finish the book. All "Judging a Book" posts will be up before I start reading, which will vary in day, so be sure to follow me on FB, Twitter, or Bloglovin to make sure you see those posts! (All links are on the right side.)