Mini Review: First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

Title: First Comes Love
Author: Emily Giffin
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: June 28th, 2016
Source: Recieved for review from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

In this dazzling new novel, Emily Giffin, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed, Where We Belong, and The One & Only introduces a pair of sisters who find themselves at a crossroads.

Growing up, Josie and Meredith Garland shared a loving, if sometimes contentious relationship. Josie was impulsive, spirited, and outgoing; Meredith hardworking, thoughtful, and reserved. When tragedy strikes their family, their different responses to the event splinter their delicate bond.

Fifteen years later, Josie and Meredith are in their late thirties, following very different paths. Josie, a first grade teacher, is single—and this close to swearing off dating for good. What she wants more than the right guy, however, is to become a mother—a feeling that is heightened when her ex-boyfriend’s daughter ends up in her class. Determined to have the future she’s always wanted, Josie decides to take matters into her own hands.

On the outside, Meredith is the model daughter with the perfect life. A successful attorney, she’s married to a wonderful man, and together they’re raising a beautiful four-year-old daughter. Yet lately, Meredith feels dissatisfied and restless, secretly wondering if she chose the life that was expected of her rather than the one she truly desired.

As the anniversary of their tragedy looms and painful secrets from the past begin to surface, Josie and Meredith must not only confront the issues that divide them, but also come to terms with their own choices. In their journey toward understanding and forgiveness, both sisters discover they need each other more than they knew . . . and that in the recipe for true happiness, love always comes first.

Emotionally honest and utterly enthralling, First Comes Love is a story about family, friendship, and the courage to follow your own heart—wherever that may lead.

WHAT I LIKED:

- I absolutely love how messy and real Giffin's characters are. You hate them, but you love them. They are endearing, but they piss you off. And with messy characters, you get messy relationships. 

- The Alternating POV's between Meredith and Josie. They are sisters and they have a ton of baggage. It was nice having that back and forth to shed light to all the tension between them. 

- The mindlessness of it all. While there were issues that were dealt with, there wasn't a sense of urgency. It's not packed full of action. It's mainly based on the relationships and the drama that ensues. This might sound like a negative, but for me it wasn't. It was the exact reason I snatched it up on NetGalley, because it's a part of Giffen's writing that I've come to adore. Sometimes you just need an adult book that isn't full of fluff and sex. (Deep enough to keep my interested without too much thought) 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

- Hmmm. There isn't anything that I really didn't like per say, but I guess some more closure would have been good. Maybe an epilogue. It wraps up well enough, but I always like to read what happens down the road. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: 

- First Comes Love wasn't my favorite Emily Giffin book, but I did really enjoy it. I think fans of her work will enjoy it as well. It's hard to beat Something borrowed and Something blue. Those two are still my faves. 

About the author:

Emily Giffin is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia
School of Law. After practicing litigation at a Manhattan firm for several years, she moved to London to write full time. The author of seven New York Times bestselling novels, The One & Only, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love The One You're With, Heart of the Matter, and Where We Belong, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and three children.

Find Emily:

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Labels: adult contemporary, ballantine books, Chick lit, Emily Giffin, first Comes Love, reviews

{Mini Reviews} ME BEFORE YOU & A CURIOUS BEGINNING

Title: Me Before You
Author(s): Jojo Moyes
Narrator(s): Susan Lyons, Anna Bentink, Steven Crossley, Alex Tregear, Andrew Wincott & Owen Lindsay
Series: Me Before You, book #1
Length: 14 hrs 40 mins
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publication Date: December 31, 2012
Source: purchased audiobook
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

I honestly never intended to read this novel. I usually avoid novels that are going to make me overly emotional, and as I'd heard that this book in particular would lead to ugly crying, I planned to pass on it forever. And then I saw the movie trailer last week. And though it did sound like a rather sad story, it also looked adorably sweet.

Because I saw the trailer and the actors who portrayed Will and Lou, I couldn't envision them as anyone else as I listened to the audiobook, but that was quite alright with me since I happen to love Sam Claflin. ;0) The audiobook is narrated by several talented folks, including Steven Crossley, who also happened to narrate another fave of mine, A Darker Shade of Magic. I giggled and laughed my way through a large percentage of this audiobook, but ultimately, I did not cry.

Maybe because I spent the weekend away from this book, the ending affected me less than I expected. Rather than being overcome with grief at what I knew was coming -- as expected last week when I turned off the audio at 90% done so that I wouldn't be sobbing in my car on my way home from work -- I actually felt rather comforted by this book's ending. I'm not one of those people who requires a Happily Ever After to enjoy a novel, though.

That said, I still don't know if I can bring myself to read After You. I haven't even looked up the synopsis because I liked what Me Before You stood for -- the understanding I gained from it -- and I'm not sure I'd want to see what happens after, other than what the epilogue divulged.

About the author:

Jojo Moyes is a British novelist.

Moyes studied at Royal Holloway, University of London. She won a bursary financed by The Independent newspaper to study journalism at City University and subsequently worked for The Independent for 10 years. In 2001, she became a full time novelist.

Moyes' novel Foreign Fruit won the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) Romantic Novel of the Year in 2004.

She is married to journalist Charles Arthur and has three children.

Find Jojo:

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Title: A Curious Beginning
Author(s): Deanna Raybourn
Narrator(s): Angele Masters
Series: Veronica Speedwell Mystery, book #1
Length: 10 hrs 51 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication Date: September 3, 2015
Source: purchased audiobook
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

In her thrilling new series, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries, returns once more to Victorian England…and introduces intrepid adventuress Veronica Speedwell.

London, 1887. As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England now gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker—a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

Remember how much I loved Love, Lies & Spies? This novel is like that book on steroids. Both books feature a somewhat improper heroine chasing insects (Juliana's hobby was researching ladybugs, while Veronica prefers hunting butterflies), but that is where the similarities end.

Veronica Speedwell is a twenty-something "spinster" who enjoys the occasional dalliance with a young man...just as long as he is not an Englishman. She is a woman of the world, having traveled extensively in her profession as a lepidopterist. When her plans to continue such travels are thwarted, she digs in her heels and busies herself trying to determine who and why someone would be after her, a relative nobody.

I started listening to this audiobook on Friday when I couldn't bring myself to finish the last 10% of Me Before You, and then I didn't want to stop listening. So, I downloaded the ebook from my library and alternated reading and listening as opportunities to do so presented themselves over the weekend. The story flows beautifully, whichever way you choose to experience it, but I very much enjoyed Angele Masters' narrative style. She made Veronica sound every bit as quick-witted and sharp-tongued as she is shown to be in the story, and Stoker came off just as gruff and roguish as expected.

Veronica is feisty and headstrong, making her a veritable match for the enigmatic Stoker. They are thrust in each other's path by a mutual acquaintance, and they are hesitant to trust one another in the beginning. But slowly, they come to terms with their forced partnership and become something akin to allies. All of their questions concerning Veronica's parentage and who killed their shared friend will be answered in due time, but this story presents some of the best twists along the way. And that reveal is a doozy.

A Curious Beginning is not romance-centric but the novel does feature a heroine who is not intimidated by her own sexuality. And although Veronica does seem to have an aversion to Englishmen, I foresee more than a mere dalliance with one Mr. Stoker in her future, one of the many reasons I'm looking forward to future books. ;0)

About the author:

A sixth-generation native Texan, New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a double major in English and history and an emphasis on Shakespearean studies. She taught high school English for three years in San Antonio before leaving education to pursue a career as a novelist. Deanna makes her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband and daughter.

Find Deanna:

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Labels: adult contemporary, audiobooks, deanna raybourn, historical fiction, jojo moyes, me before you, mini reviews, penguin, reviews, veronica speedwell mystery

Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Attachments
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Series: n/a
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: April 14th, 2011
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

I dare say, this may be my favorite Rainbow Rowell books thus far. I read Fan Girl a couple years ago, and I liked it, but the Carry On story within the story didn't do much for me. So I didn't love it, and clearly I will not be buying Carry On that just came out a bit ago. Then I bought Landline, the audio version. I really liked that too, but the whole paranormal magic phone crap annoyed me. The story and the message was great, but the other garbage killed it for me.

Attachments had no weird shit!!! It was a normal contemporary novel and I loved it. Lincoln is so lovable. I mean, I just adored him. Every little nerdy bit. I love nerdy guys, its true. While my husband isn't quite as nerdy as Lincoln, I could see some similar qualities in him, which helped me fall for his character even more.

Lincoln works for a news paper company. He's the go to internet security guy. So he gets to read everyone's flagged email. My favorite part of this book were the emails between Beth and Jennifer. Omg, they are laugh out loud funny at times. I can just imagine poor Lincolns face reading them. They were also serious too, there were a few that nearly choked me up. But I suppose that's how Lincoln felt too. He continues to read these emails. Even though he probably shouldn't, but he's grown attached to these women's lives. Especially Beth.

That's where this story becomes even cuter. Because he basically falls for this girl without ever seeing her. But it's not all mushy sweetness either. It's complicated, because how do you ask a girl out whom you've been reading her private emails for months. That's just fucking weird and stalkerish.

Oh but it all comes together and it's wonderful. Big fan of this one. It left my heart all warm and snuggly. <3

About the author:



Rainbow Rowell writes books. Sometimes she writes about adults (ATTACHMENTS and LANDLINE). Sometimes she writes about teenagers (ELEANOR & PARK and FANGIRL). But she always writes about people who talk a lot. And people who feel like they're screwing up. And people who fall in love.

When she's not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguing about things that don't really matter in the big scheme of things.

She lives in Nebraska with her husband and two sons.

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Labels: adult contemporary, attachments, Dutton, rainbow rowell, reviews

Review: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Title: Simply Irresistible
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor # 1
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: October 1st, 2010
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother—a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career—if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes—and mouth—are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor. .

I usually read YA, but occasionally I crave something more adult. Adult Romance series books are a weakness of mine. About 2 years ago I read the Sullivan books by Bella Andre and I couldn't put them down. I've pushed off Simply Irresistible out of fear the same thing would happen. I would pick up book one and then have to binge read. Who has time for that? 

Well, it's happening again and I'm at peace with it. Right now with all that has been going on in real life, I just haven't had the capacity to read anything deep and meaningful. That's not to say Simply Irresistible isn't meaningful, but it's fully. It's fluffy, fun and full of corny romance. Just what I need right now. 

What I loved about this book was Maddie's relationship with her sisters. Hilarious at times but also heartwarming. Was the plot a bit predictable? Of course, but that just comes with the territory with these kinds of reads. I'll have to say the washing machine scene was not expected but it definitely gave me a laugh and eye roll. So entertaining though. 

Also, the romance between Maddie and her hot ass contractor was adorable. I really loved their chemistry. And serious sexy times... I haven't read a book with that in a while. It was nice. 

Overall, this was a really cute story. I love small town settings where everyone is in everyone's business, and you know that eventually down the line you will get to hear all the stories. The next story follows one of Maddie's sisters, so I'm excited to read from her POV. I'll be starting that asap. 

Oh my gosh, these sappy series books...

About the author:

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras with her family and far too many assorted quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental.

Look for Jill's latest, ONE IN A MILLION, on shelves and e-readers now, and get all her bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold.

Visit Jill's website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Find Jill:

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Labels: adult, adult contemporary, jill shalvis, reviews, romance, simply irresistible