Shelley Reads and Writes

Tag: book review

  • Jane Green Does It Again: Short and Sweet (and Just Great)!

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Jane Green is a favorite of mine, so any time I see one of her books on sale, I just have to download it.

    Her short story, When We Were Friends, is meant to please. We meet Lucy, who is a divorced single mom trying to figure out where she fits in. She meets a bunch of other single divorcees out for a night out, and finds herself feeling way left out. She isn’t looking for another husband (or even someone to occupy her time). She is looking for a friend.

    When she meets Elle in the bathroom, the two find a friendship that Lucy never realized she needed. They talked and texted regularly, spending plenty of time with each other, until one party changed everything.

    Lucy invites Elle to a party with her friends (pre-divorce) and can’t believe what Elle has to say about them and their lifestyle. And it changes their friendship forever!

    I finished this short story in one sitting (without interruptions) and was ready for more. I think my next story will be a Jane Green read, and I can’t wait!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • This One Broke My Heart

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

     In A Mother’s Last Wish by Jo Bartlett, a mother of two small children finds out some unexpectedly bad news. She turns to the two people who love her the most: her husband and her twin sister. However, as she faces the truth of her illness, she struggles to see her children living a life without her in it.

    Though she has a good marriage, the majority of the children’s care belongs to Louise. So, who will care for them the way she does? Instead of enjoying the time she has left, she worries about her children.

    However, as Louise gets sicker and sicker, her husband and twin sister are determined to enjoy the time that they have left with her. They try to make as much as they can, while Louise is still feeling alright.

    This book completely broke my heart. I couldn’t keep the tears from falling. It probably wasn’t a good idea to read so close to losing a friend to cancer, but it really makes you think about making the most of the time that you have left!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time!  

  • Will Death Change Friendship?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship by Lisa Verge Higgins, a group of friends’ lives completely change when they lose one of their own. Even more, she sent everyone a letter to ensure that they learn something from her own experiences.

    For Kate, she is busy being a wife and mother. Her entire life revolves around her family and making sure that everyone else’s lives run smoothly. She tries skydiving because her friend asked her to. And it changes her perspective on her life.

    For Jo, her career is everything. She works hard to ensure that she is going to have a better future than her childhood. When she gets her friend’s daughter, she has to figure out if one orphan can help another!

    For Sarah, she is forced to confront the man that she has loved for the last few years. It has kept her from finding love with anyone else, even the man who has been beside her in the steamy jungles of Africa.

    The three women are changed, both by the loss of their friend and her final wish for all of them.

    I have been reading a lot of tough books lately, and I was looking for a lighter read. Though this book dealt with death, it was a good, easy read about a group of friends who will be there for each other, no matter what. It also talks about growth as the women learn from their deceased friend. It is a good read!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time! 

  • Katie Struggles With a Broken Promise

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Kate had only loved one man, from the time that they were children until now. When he married someone else, she didn’t know what to think. He promised her that he would marry her when she grew up, but before she did, she found herself watching him with his new wife.

    So,  in A Simple Choice by Samantha Price, she did what she had to do. She left the Amish faith and became an Englisher, well as much as she could. When he asks her to come back to her faith and her family, how can she say no?

    Then, she has a chance at love, but she is too scared to take it! Will Kate be able to open her heart again?

    After so many heartbreaking reads, I needed a change of pace. I knew when I opened a book by Price, I wouldn’t be disappointed. It was just what I needed!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time!  

  • Will Horse Loving Annie Ever Find Love?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Horse-loving Amish Annie (in Annie’s Faith by Samantha Price) would prefer the great outdoors to work in the house. However, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want to get married. In fact, she has her eyes on someone, but she is not sure that he thinks about her the same way.

    She thought that he did, until Liz moved in with them. Liz left the Amish faith to become English. When she found herself without a place to live, she moved in with Annie’s family, wearing makeup and revealing clothing. Annie watches the guy she likes staring at Liz, and just knows that she has lost him.

    Will Annie ever find love with the one that she likes? Or will he choose Liz even though she is never going to be Amish again? I couldn’t wait to finish the book so that I could figure out if Annie will get her happily ever after!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time! 

  • Will Love Between an Amish Man and an English Woman Work Out?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In Ephraim’s Chance by Samantha Price, Ephraim and Liz have fallen in love, though many obstacles are in their way. Ephraim is Amish through and through, while Liz, brought up Amish, left the faith. Some of her best friends are Amish, so she is still surrounded by the community.

    Even their families are not supportive. Liz’s family disowned her when she left the Amish, while Ephraim’s mom wants him to marry someone more suitable, like Ruth.

    Because of their obstacles, the two deny their feelings for a long time. However, they keep coming back to each other, time after time.

    When Liz decides to pursue a relationship with an English man, they both have to decide if they can really make it work before they lose each other forever.

    Samantha Price does it again! I am already halfway through my next book in the series!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time! 

  • Love Between an Amish Man and English Woman Have Plenty of Obstacles

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Morgan, an English woman, has fallen in love with an Amish man named Jacob in Choosing Amish by Samantha Price. Neither of them thought that they would meet and fall in love, but now they are struggling with the challenges that are in front of them.

    Can Jacob leave his faith and family for a woman he loves?

    Or will Morgan join the Amish faith?

    Will Jacob’s family accept Morgan for her past, even if she joins the faith?

    What will the young couple do?

    Readers will really feel for the couples as they try to figure out what they are going to do. I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to see what they would decide! You will want to figure it out, too!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time! 

  • A Pop Star Invades Heather’s College Dorm and Changes Everything

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Heather is hoping for a calm summer. Her residential dorm is closed for renovations over the summer, so she just has a few residents helping to keep things running. But then, Tania’s bodyguard gets shot, and her camp of teenage girls gets moved into the dorm. 

    She gets ready for a reality TV crew, Tania, and a slew of teenage girls, until a homicide spoils the fun. Cooper and Heather are determined to get to the bottom of it, all while trying to figure out their new relationship (and hiding it from the world). 

    Another great read in the series. You can’t go wrong with Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot. I can’t wait to see how this series ends! 

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time! 

  • A Mother Keeps Her Family Close, Despite Their Choices

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In Against All Odds by Danielle Steel, Kate Madison is determined to keep her family together. After losing her husband to cancer, she has four children to raise. So, she does what she has to. She relies on her mother, goes back to work, and eventually starts her own business, a resale shop.

    But as her children grow up, go to college, and move on with their lives, she is not quite ready to let them go.

    Isabelle is a hardworking lawyer determined to make partner. When she falls for her pro bono client in a criminal case, she can’t wait to begin a life with him.

    Julie is a clothing designer, though she doesn’t get any credit for her work. That being said, she is paid well for her designs and is happy doing what she loves. When she meets a man who seems too good to be true, she marries him, gives up her job, and follows him to Los Angeles, worrying her mother.

    Kate’s son Justin is a freelance writer with a dedicated partner. However, when they decide to start a family, she worries about their relationship and doesn’t think that they are quite ready for their new adventure.

    Her youngest son, Willie is a tech genius and a serial dater, never getting too serious. When he does find someone to become serious with, he shocks his entire family.

    Kate worries about all of her children, though she does her best to keep her thoughts to herself. She worries about both of her daughter’s marriages, as well as Justin and his partner. She worries about Willie settling down.

    She eventually learns that she will support them since she can’t protect them from making mistakes. Instead, she will be by their side every step of the way.

    This was a good book about a family who have each other’s backs, no matter what. No questions asked. You can’t go wrong with a Danielle Steel novel!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time! 

  • The Book Behind the Netflix Series

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    I loved the Netflix series, so I just had to read the actual book. Actually, I read Firefly Lane once before, but when I found out there was a sequel, I had to read it all over again!

    In Hannah’s book, we meet Kate Mularkey, an eighth grader who is socially at the bottom of the totem pole. When the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend, she can’t believe that Tully Hart actually wants to be her friend.

    The two, who are complete opposites, bond in a way that only young girls can do. They make a pact to be friends forever, and from then on, they are TullyandKate and become inseparable.

    As they grow up and their lives diverge, the two continue to be best friends. Tully is always desperate to prove herself and is determined to be the best reporter in the world. Her ambition drives her life, and she finds herself with fame and success.

    Kate follows Tully into the news, but when she falls in love, she realizes she would rather stay home with her children. She wants to live an ordinary life, and takes pride in raising her children and doing everything she can to ensure they have a wonderful childhood.

    For thirty years, Tully and Kate stay friends, no matter what they are doing. They have periods of jealousy, anger, hurt, and resentment, but they always find their way back to each other. Until a single act of betrayal tears them apart and threatens their friendship in a way that it never has.

    If you are looking for a book about friendship (both the good and the bad), you definitely need to check out Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah.

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

    ***

    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time!