Shelley Reads and Writes

Tag: must read

  • The Book is Even Better!

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In PS I Love You by Cecilia Ahern, Holly and Gerry were childhood sweethearts–soulmates. They grew up together, as best friends, so it was no surprise when they married and started their life together.

    But when the unthinkable happens, Holly struggles to continue living without her soulmate. Then, Gerry surprises her from beyond the grave. He leaves her with a bunch of notes that he signed ‘PS, I Love You’. Holly is told to open one a month for several months.

    Following whatever Gerry tells her, Holly buys a new outfit, gets a good job, tries karaoke, and much more. However, she quickly realizes that, even with Gerry’s death, she is still living for him.

    Lucky for Holly, she has a lot of family and friends to help her through the first year. She finds herself laughing, crying, and enjoying life again. Even better, she has a guardian angel by her side!

    I haven’t watched the movie in years (or read this book), but I am really glad that I picked it up again. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, so stay tuned!

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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.

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    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • A Sweet Romantic Novel Worth Checking Out

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Mia DeAngelis made a change that would affect the rest of her life and her nephew Ben’s. However, she knew that it would be for the best.

    Deciding to move to Compass Cove, where her grandmother lived, felt like starting over. She took a job as a college librarian in a sleepy little beach town, where she knew that Ben would shine. The two move in with Mia’s grandmother and plan to make a life for themselves.

    Adam Miller, who retired from the NFL after an injury, returns to Compass Cove to lead a quieter, purposeful life. He becomes a coach at the college, so that football can still be a part of his life.

    They couldn’t be more different. A quiet librarian raising her sister’s child and a fast football star looking for a chance at a slower-paced life. However, when the two of them meet, everyone knows that they belong together. The two of them just need to realize it themselves!

    If you are looking for a sweet romantic read, you should start with Then Came You by Jeannie Moon. I couldn’t wait until Mia and Adam realized how perfect they were together, with little Ben by their side!

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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.

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    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Five College Friends Stay Close Years Later

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In All the Right Mistakes by Laura Jamison, five college friends approach their fortieth birthday, having traveled very different paths. Elizabeth and Sara are lawyers, Martha is a doctor, and Carmen is a wealthy stay-at-home mom. The most successful, Heather, is a famous tech executive.

    Then, Heather writes an advice novel, basically talking about all the “mistakes” that her college friends made, like opting out, giving half effort, and more. It becomes extremely popular, though, which hurts her friends more than anything. In fact, it may just tear them apart. None of them feels they can forgive Heather. When her life starts to fall apart, she doesn’t have her friends to fall back on.

    This makes the group realize that friendship is worth more than anything. They need each other to get through the ups and downs of life. It just makes life so much better to have someone you can count on!

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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.

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    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Finding Healing in Unexpected Ways

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    In 1918, as the war is ending, a family finds itself struggling with the loss of one of their own. Eleanor struggles to understand the new normal without her brother. Losing him just a few days before the end of the war doesn’t seem fair as people start to move on.

    To heal, she finds herself spending time in the neglected garden behind their home. To help her feel better, her father hires a man to help restore the garden to its former glory. Jack may come from a totally different world, but he understands her grief more than anyone else in the family. As they spend more time together, Eleanor wonders whether her family will ever accept him into their world.

    Now, Marin finds herself the guardian of her fifteen-year-old half-sister Rebecca when her father and Rebecca’s mother are killed in an accident. Though they don’t know each other, they are forced together as they deal with their own grief.

    When Rebecca suggests a fresh start where nobody knows about her loss, Marin impulsively agrees. As they move into the home Eleanor once lived in and discover a secret garden, the two find themselves working together to solve its mystery.

    This series, continuing with The Daughter’s Garden, is sure to delight readers as they read more and more, finding out how two women in the same home can be quite similar.

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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 Death Certificate Brings Two People Closer Together

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    In 1968, Sarah finds herself an orphan with nowhere to turn. She has vowed to take care of her younger sister, Lucy, and will do whatever she has to keep her safe.

    After moving in with their aunt, a tragic event leaves them with even fewer choices. Either Sarah can find someone to marry, or she works hard day and night in order to survive. She chooses marriage to a man who she thinks will take care of her dear Lucy.

    But marriage isn’t anything like she expected.

    Now, Ellen believes that life can’t get any better. She is married to an amazing man. They have one daughter together, and Ellen has an older daughter from her first marriage. But when her husband’s daughter from his first marriage comes to stay for an extended period of time, Annabelle and Ellen clash over everything!

    They eventually find a way to bond over a death certificate that was hidden in the attic. They both decide to figure out all they can about the young lady, Sarah, who died. Another great read by Kate Hewitt.

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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 Series By Kate Hewitt — A Must-Read

    Book Cover off of Amazon

    In 1939, Alice falls in love and marries a kind-hearted vicar named David. She leaves everything behind to move into a draughty vicarage in the beautiful, remote village of Goswell, Cumbria. However, she is determined to make a good life for her new husband and herself.

    But war changes things, like it typically does. David decides to leave for war, to do his part. Alice is devastated and unsure of her new role as the vicar’s wife. But everything changes when evacuees are brought into the village looking for homes. Alice finds herself bringing home a young girl named Vera, and will do whatever she can to protect this girl.

    In the present day, Jane and her family move into a vicarage in the middle of nowhere, in a small community called Goswell. Used to New York City, Jane is overwhelmed by the change.

    That all changes when Jane finds a note written by Alice. She is determined to find out everything she can about Alice and what her life was like when she lived in the same house. She finds out that, though Alice didn’t change the world, she led a good life in a small community, raising a daughter and building a life.

    I am not really a historical fiction reader, but this collection really called to me. I like reading about the two different times, and am always waiting to find the connection between the two women! I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a good mystery!

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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.

  • Who Knew the Past Could Help Someone Heal?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In 1766, Abigail is happily married to James, a tobacco trader turned sea captain. They are happy in Whitehaven, though they do struggle early in their marriage.

    Then, James decides to captain his own ship all the way to Africa and then to America. This journey will take a year and both are terrified of being apart for that long, but their future depends on it.

    As James leaves Abigail, he gets her a present, a little black child to use as another servant. However, the two bond in ways that nobody expected, not even Abigail.

    Now, Rachel is sent to Whitehaven to investigate a boat wreck that happened in the 1700s. She thinks that she may have found a slave boat that may have belonged to James, yet it didn’t sink where it was thought to. The mystery is one that she is just going to have to solve.

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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.

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    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time! 

  • What Happens When Two Ranchers Fall in Like?

    Nora Roberts is a favorite of mine, though I say that about a lot of authors! However, whenever I see one of her books for sale, I always have to pick it up (or download it)!

    In Nora Roberts’ Boundary Lines, we meet two ranchers, that share a property line. However, they also have a feud that goes back many, many years.

    Jillian Baron is excited to have inherited her grandfather’s ranch, though she knows it is going to take a lot of hard work and grit, especially since she is female.

    Aaron Murdock is back to take over his ranch as his father’s health declines. He is ready to bring the ranch up to date and is willing to do whatever it takes.

    When the two meet, their long-running feud pushes them apart, even as their attraction grows. They share a kiss, which blows both of their minds as they struggle with their dislike and attraction to each other.

    You won’t want to put this book down, as you try to figure out if they are going to get together and bring their ranches together or push each other apart even farther!

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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! 

  • Can You Really Let Go of Your Past?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky, Mackenzie Cooper’s eyes were off the road for a few seconds, and it changed her life forever, as well as many others. The accident ended more than two lives that day. After losing her marriage, family, and friends, she decides to get away.

    She finds herself in Vermont, with the name Maggie Reid. She has a small home and has adopted a dog and a few cats to keep her company. She has a good job at the Inn as a makeup artist and has quite a few friends in the community.

    That being said, she is still under probation, so she has to be careful as she gets closer and closer to the date when she doesn’t have to deal with her probation officer anymore.

    However, crime happens no matter where you live, and Maggie’s sleepy little town is thrust into the national spotlight when a local teenager hacks into the school database as well as several powerful men’s Twitter accounts. She finds her face on national television as she stands beside a friend with her own secrets!

    As Grace’s secrets come out, Maggie’s may also. The life that she worked so hard to protect may come crumbling down as Maggie struggles to deal with the loss of her daughter, five years later.

    I could not put this book down, especially as things started to come out about Maggie’s past. When her ex-husband and brother show up, you can imagine that Maggie isn’t going to be pleased.

    A Delinsky classic! Always good storytelling that is worth reading!

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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.

  • An Interesting Read You Just Might Want to Check Out!

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    I watched the movie A Man Called Otto on Netflix, and it made me really sad. The poor man just wanted to die, and though he kept trying, he kept getting interrupted. Before you knew it, the day had passed, and it was time to try again.

    When the book came up for for sale, I thought that I had to read it. I know that the books are often better than the movies, so I decided to give it a whirl. I am glad that I did. The movie makes more sense now that I have read the book!

    In A Man Called Ove, we meet Ove. He is very straight to the point. He is also a rule follower who has no time for those who don’t listen to them. He has a strict routine where he goes around his neighborhood and makes sure that everyone is following the rules. He is often seen as a bitter old man.

    When a chatty young couple with two young daughters move in next door, it changes Ove’s whole world. The first thing that they do is flatten his mailbox because they drive where they are not supposed to, and he doesn’t know how to back up a trailer! As mad as he is at them, they keep showing up and bothering him until he realizes that they are an important part of his life!

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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!