BookmarkedbyLynds

27/07/2022

💫Book Review💫
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗫𝗘𝗥 𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗥
Author: Lauren Forsythe
Pub Date: 8/2/2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aly has always been able to fix everyone else's problems, personal or professional. It is no surprise when she is approached by Nikki, a well-known social media influencer, to fix her boyfriend's business and get him to propose. Little did she know, the boyfriend is her first love, Dylan. Strapped for cash to save her mom's house, she accepts the job.

I could not figure out why Dylan was with Nikki in the first place, there was absolutely no chemistry and little backstory was offered. It made no sense. Aly and Dylan, on the other hand, were clearly attracted to each other, even when they pretended not to know each other.

With each fix, whether it was a relationship needing fixing or a push in the right direction, I grew frustrated with these women and their fixing business. I couldn't help but see red flags. Maybe it was the wrong guy for that person or maybe they needed actual, professional help. Even if it worked, would it last? The answer was predictable, but I couldn't help but enjoy the ending, both business-wise and love-wise.

_________________________
Thank you to and for the advance copy!

25/07/2022

💫 BOOK REVIEW 💫

𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐑
Author: Alice Feeney
Pub Date: 8/30/22
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

At midnight on her 80th birthday, family members find their Nana dead in her home. Gathered for her birthday celebration, they are now trapped on the isolated island until the tide goes down Over the course of the night, others are found dead in this whodunnit mystery.

𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐑 starts off quite slow. It take a while for the tension to build and the dysfuntional family dynamics to appear. All with against a dark, eerie, cold background with 80 clocks that ring on the hour inside the house to the thunderstorms outside.

Nana was easily a favorite character with great words of wisdom and the purest heart. It is almost hard to believe these horrible and selfish people are in her family, where any one of them could be behind this. Let your theories run wild because the twist Is genius and 100% worth the slow reveal.

I've loved Alice Feeney and her writing style since 𝐇𝐈𝐒 & 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 and this one is no different. Thank you to for passing it along for me to read. I've also heard rumors that this is going to be a August BOTM pick! Get excited!

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴?

22/07/2022

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐊

If you love thrillers and mysteries like I do, you know this summer Is a big thriller summer! There are many coming out by authors I have loved in the past. I can not wait to get through this stack of books and have really enjoyed the two I have read (The Swell and Upgrade)!

Thank you to the tagged publishers for the following books:
◽️ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 Out 9/15/22
◽️ 𝘊𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘺 - Out Now
◽️ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 - Out 8/16/22
◽️ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 - Out 7/26/22
◽️ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 - Out Now - Review to be posted next week!
◽️ 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 - Out Now
◽️ 𝘜𝘱𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 - Out Now - Review posted this week!

𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳?

22/07/2022

💫 BOOK REVIEW 💫
𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪
Author: Emma Straub
Pub Date: 5/17/22 (My birthday 🥳)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A mix between "13 Going on 30" and "Groundhog Day", 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 is Alice's opportunity to find what has been missing in her life for so many years.

In the present, Alice is 40 years old, unmarried with a dying father in the hospital and a best friend who is busy with kids. With a portal back to her 16th birthday, Alice is able to recreate that day over and over again, each time discovering the aftereffect the next day when she wakes up 40 again.

Being nearly 40 myself, this well-written, time-traveling book definitely hit home! I am that mom who has to schedule friend time in. Thankfully, I haven't had a dying parent, but not all my friends can say that. And who hasn't had a "what if" moment? When you add in the '90s nostalgia and likeable characters, there is much to love about this book.

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 16 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺? Like Alice, I would want to spend more time with my loved ones to have one more hug and conversation.

____________
Thank you to for the gifted copy and for the ALC. Marin Ireland was a wonderful narrator! .

19/07/2022

📚 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐩 📚

Happy Publication Day and Drop Day for 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐇!

Thank you to for sending me an additional copy to donate to my local little free library! I love how they continue to do this! Check your local LFL to see if you can grab a copy! I'll also post a link in my stories to the map where copies have been donated.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
It begins quietly on a balmy Southern night as some locals gather at Bo Peep’s, one of the town’s favorite watering holes. Within an hour, however, a man will be murdered and his companion will be “disappeared.” An unlikely detective, Morgana Musgrove, doyenne of Savannah society, is called upon to unravel the mystery of these crimes. Morgana is an imperious, demanding, and conniving woman, whose four grown children are weary of her schemes. But one by one she inveigles them into helping with her investigation, and soon the family uncovers some terrifying truths―truths that will rock Savannah’s power structure to its core.

Moving from the homeless encampments that ring the city to the stately homes of Savannah’s elite, Green’s novel brilliantly depicts the underbelly of a city with a dark history and the strangely mesmerizing dysfunction of a complex family.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙇𝙁𝙇? I found 𝐖𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝!

19/07/2022

📚 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐩 📚

booksandbedtime
📚 Little Free Library Drop 📚

Happy Publication Day and Drop Day for 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐇!

Thank you to for sending me an additional copy to donate to my local little free library! I love how they continue to do this! Check your local LFL to see if you can grab a copy! I'll also post a link in my stories to the map where copies have been donated.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
It begins quietly on a balmy Southern night as some locals gather at Bo Peep’s, one of the town’s favorite watering holes. Within an hour, however, a man will be murdered and his companion will be “disappeared.” An unlikely detective, Morgana Musgrove, doyenne of Savannah society, is called upon to unravel the mystery of these crimes. Morgana is an imperious, demanding, and conniving woman, whose four grown children are weary of her schemes. But one by one she inveigles them into helping with her investigation, and soon the family uncovers some terrifying truths―truths that will rock Savannah’s power structure to its core.

Moving from the homeless encampments that ring the city to the stately homes of Savannah’s elite, Green’s novel brilliantly depicts the underbelly of a city with a dark history and the strangely mesmerizing dysfunction of a complex family.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙇𝙁𝙇? I found 𝐖𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝!

#

18/07/2022

💫 BOOK REVIEW 💫
𝗨𝗣𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗘
Author: Blake Crouch
Pub Date: 7/12/22
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have a gene mutation (BRCA2) that results in high probability of hereditary breast cancer. Future genetic engineering has the potential to eliminate this mutation, causing the BRCA2 gene to function properly as a tumor suppressing gene it should be. In theory, it sounds great!

In Blake Crouch's newest book 𝗨𝗣𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗘, the ability to change DNA is available, but it is banned after a genetically modification experiment (lead by the Logan's mother) backfires and causes The Great Famine. In an explosion at an illegal lab, Logan's genes are modified to "upgrade" him. From there, the book turns into a cautionary tale on the needs of humanity in order to survive.

In theory, I love the idea of an genetic upgrade from improved bone density, reduced sleep needs, faster reading ability, better concentration, etc. For me as a non-scientist, 𝗨𝗣𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗘 was powerful, especially in the current state of the world we live in. The epilogue alone was 5 stars.

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦? I would say sleep. My insomnia has been out of control as of late.

_______________________
Thank you to for the gifted copy.

16/07/2022

𝘞𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵? 😉

With the kids home for the summer, I forgot to post gifted book mail that arrive these over past two months! Oops!

Thank you to the tagged publishers for the following books:

◽️ 𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳? - An upcoming pick, Out 8/23/22
◽️𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 - Out 9/6/22
◽️ 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘶𝘮𝘱 - Out 7/19/22
◽️ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘹 - Out Now!
◽️ 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 - Out Now!
◽️ 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦 - Out Now!
◽️ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘩 - Out Now!
◽️ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 - Out 7/19/22 and ready for the LFL drop on Tuesday!

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥? I’m halfway through 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 and loving it!

13/07/2022

💫 AUDIOBOOK REVIEW 💫

𝗔 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗦
Author: Bridget Morrissey
Pub Date: 6/21/22
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So many memories returned as I I listened to Dee and Ben roadtrip from IL to CO. Growing up in Iowa, my husband and I have roadtripped both directions.

𝗔 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗦 was unique, easy to listen, and full of great banter, especially with the addition of her podcast episodes sprinkled in to add depth to her feelings and history to their relationship. But it did fall in one of my least favorite romance tropes, miscommunication and/or misundersstanding. Granted it occurred when were in high school, so I will give them that. lt is hard to understand others when you can hardly understand yourself.

Read if:
- you require snacks and car games on road trips
- you have ever buried a time capsule
- you avoided your 10 year reunion
- you hold back your feelings

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱? We love the license plate game.
____________________
Thank you to for the gifted ALC.

12/07/2022

💫 BOOK REVIEW 💫

𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗜 𝗗𝗢
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Pub Date: 7/1/2014
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For those of us married, we know that marriage is work. There are great and amazing days where you are riding a high, but there are also those days where you need your space and every action of your partner drives you crazy. Never before have I read a fiction book that made me really reflect on my own marriage as much as this book did.

For Lauren and Ryan after 6 years of marriage and 11 years of dating, every day has become a bad day and they are done trying to make it work. Instead of divorce or marriage counseling, they decided to take a year break for each other with hopes it will bring them back together.

The rawness of Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing and her ability to put the reader in the character's shoes to feel their pain and emotions will never cease to amaze me. For that alone, she is my favorite romance writer. My heart hurt multiple times... when Ryan moved out, when they fought over who could keep the dog Thumper, when Lauren tells her family and friends, and the list goes on. I never cry when reading, but this book was too real, too honest for even me.

If you are in a committed relationship, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 and then try telling me that you did not see your own relationship differently afterwards. My friend .bookstagram even said, "we’ve communicated better and had better s*x." Hmmm... Convinced yet to read it?

Thank you to my TJR reading group (, , , , , , .literarywith_lexi, ) for all our discussions. Look forward to my final rankings to come.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴/𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳? Puzzles have been one of our go-to, quiet, relaxing activites.

08/07/2022

💫 BOOK REVIEW 💫

𝗚𝗜𝗟𝗧
Author: Jamie Brenner
Pub Date: 6/21/22
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pavlin & Company is best known for their engagement rings, especially after their “𝘈 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦” marketing campaign. But when the Electric Rose engagement ring is promised to the first daughter engaged, their luck takes a turn. Years later, one of their daughters is dead and their family business is struggling.

Set mostly in Manhattan and Providencetown, this multi-generational, women's fiction novel is about the choices the three Pavlin daughters made, the search for the famous, yet cursed, engagement ring, and their ability to to forgive themselves and others. Add in a love interest for each woman and you have a messy, entertaining, and heartwarming family drama!

I loved how each woman grew and evolved as they were able to let go of the past in order to move forward. Wiith sisters of my own, it's 100% relatable. We can be stubborn, but in the end, we are family and move forward.

𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯? My husband and family would say yes...
_____________________
Thank you to for the gifted copy and for the ALC. I recommend both.

06/07/2022

💫 BOOK REVIEW 💫

𝗠𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗕𝗘 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗘
Author: Hannah Orenstein
Pub Date: 6/7/22
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵?

6/24/22 - Edie's predicted day she will meet her husband. Grandma Gloria has, after all, has been spot-on with all her other predictions. The big day arrives and she meets a musician named Theo.

The premise of this book really intrigued me. Is it better to not know or would you let this prediction guide your life? Edie drove me crazy on what she did with this information. She put everything into this date. I honestly felt bad for all of her boyfriends that came prior to this date. I'll leave it at that.

What I did love was the tight connection she felt to her family . It also had great Jewish representation with vivid food descriptions, traditions, and mahjong. Grandma Gloria's matzah ball soup recipe is even included.

Take my review with a grain of salt... I read this one when I had COVID and without the buddy read, I would have placed it in my NRN (not right now) pile.

______________________
Thank you to for the gifted copy. It is out!

01/07/2022

𝐌𝐈𝐃-𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒

📚 Books read: 54

📜 Number of pages read: 18,990

❤️ Fave Romances: How to Fake It in Hollywood, Funny You Should Ask, One Night on the Island, & One True Loves

🔪 Fave Thrillers/Mysteries: The Lies I Tell, Before Dark, The Night Swim, and Shiver

💀 Least faves: No Exit, Dream On, & Beneath the Stairs

⏱ Longest read: Project Hail Mary (476 pages)

🥞 Shortest read: Nora Goes Off Script (272 pages)

👀 Top book moods: Emotional, Mysterious, Tense, and Lighthearted (what a range!)

💗 Top genres: Romance, Thriller, Contemporary, & Mystery

Thank you to Amelia () for the template ! I’m tagging a few friends to share your stats! Pictured are a few of the books I enjoyed. I pass on many of my books so not all are pictured.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 2022?

29/06/2022

💫 ARC REVIEW 💫

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬𝗚𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗗
Author: Katherine Center
Narrator: Patti Murin
Pub Date: 7/19/2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What a carefree, fun read with likable, relatable characters! Sure, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬𝗚𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗗 is bit predictable, but there is so much to love about this book.

Right off the bat, Jack and Hannah had chemistry and a connection. Maybe he truly was that great of an actor, but I believed it! And in a world where we are told we can be anything, I loved that she was his bodyguard. Why couldn't a petite woman be a bodyguard? The job requires as much mental skills as well as physical skills.

And I loved that Jack wanted to be home with his sweet mom's side as she was battling breast cancer. To me, that is 100% relatable - and that is what family does. As a BC survivor, I also appreciated that they did not go into too many details.

𝘔𝘪𝘥-𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯… 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘞𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺? I’m already looking forward to Friday and going home for the Fourth of July!

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Thank you , , and for the ARC in exchange for my review. Grab this one on July 19 OR sign up for Book of the Month and pick this one! I have a referral code in my profile that would make it only $5!

28/06/2022

💫 BOOK REVIEW 💫​​​​​​​​
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𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗜𝗥𝗟𝗦
Author: Lucy Clarke
Pub Date: 6/28/2022​​​​​​​​ - TODAY!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️​​​​​​​​💫​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Looking for the perfect summer thriller? This is your book!

Set in the Greece Islands, six ladies head to Lexi's hen party, ready for an unforgettable getaway with plenty of beaches, pools, and cocktails. Little do they know, everyone has a secret (and maybe an alternative motive) they have been withholding.

It Is a quick read full of surprises that I did not see coming. Plus chapters are short with cliff-hanging ends..

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Thank you for the finished copy of this book and to PRH Audio for the audiobook.

27/06/2022

💫 ARC REVIEW 💫

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦
Author: Lisa Jewell
Pub Date: 8/9/2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Unlike others apparently, I was perfectly happy with the ending of 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗨𝗣𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗦. A sequel to it never crossed my mind as needed, but I knew I had to read it once it was available.

Perfectly titled, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦 follows Henry on his obsession to find Phin, Lucy to now find Henry, and a detective deadset on finding out what happened years ago while trying to find the murderer of a bag of bones found in the Thames River. Rachel's story, who happens to be Lucy's ex-husband's wife, is also revealed. The author does a great job, refreshing the reader's memory on the first book, but I wouldn't recommend starting this book until you have finished 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗨𝗣𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗦.

Overall, I am not sure what I expected. It wasn't as twisty and page turning as her other books. It does accomplish its purpose of providing the closure that others wanted. I was content before and remain content after.

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘴? I usually don’t.

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Thank you to and for the advance copy!

23/06/2022

💫 ARC REVIEW 💫

𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗝𝗨𝗠𝗣
Author: Lacie Waldon
Pub Date: 7/19/2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬? Two philosophies my husband and I discuss ALL the time. I'm in the “work to live” camp. Life is way too short.

The female MC Liv is in the live to work camp, which makes complete sense after her tough childhood. It’s caused her to miss out on a lot…close relationships, vacations with friends, and life, in general. One random day, she decides she's had enough, takes a “leave of absence” from work, and hops a plane to join her friends (which happens to include the mysterious Lucas Deiss) in Africa.

From then on, her life is never the same. Full of roadblocks along the way, Liv is reminded sometimes you need to just jump and trust everything is going to be ok.

At times, I questioned her friend choices and their closeness. Yet… I can relate. I am guilty of letting my career and family distance once close people. It’s hard to do everything.

But I loved her and Deiss together. Falling under the "friends-to-lover" trope, 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗝𝗨𝗠𝗣 is a fun romantic comedy with a cover that screams summer read!

𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵: "𝘔𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯..." Mine: My friends are going on vacation and I have to cancel my appointment for tomorrow. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Thank you to and for an advance copy. It comes out in July!

21/06/2022

21/06/2022

𝕊𝔼𝔼𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝔻𝕆𝕌𝔹𝕃𝔼𝕊 𝔾𝕀𝕍𝔼𝔸𝕎𝔸𝕐 - 𝟰 𝙒𝙄𝙉𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙎

Thank you to the tagged publishers and a giveaway for the gifted copies! I ended up with a few duplicates & there is nothing I would love more than to share the love!

For this giveaway, there will be 4 winners. I will randomly choose the winners via an online comment picker. 1st winner gets 1st choice, 2nd winner gets 2nd choice, etc.⁣
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20/06/2022

💫 BOOK REVIEW 💫

𝗜𝗧 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦
Author: Therese Anne Fowler
Pub Date: 6/7/2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

With a beautiful cover, an intriguing story about 3 sisters after their mother passes, and loving her last novel 𝗔 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗡𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗗. I couldn't wait to read this novel. I had heard she intented to write a happier, lighter book (which she did), but it also turned out to be a SLOW family drama.

Of the four storylines to draw you in, only 1 held my interest, the one with the orphaned little boy. Two were very much connected with a shared love for the one sister's husband, Paul. A bit odd if you ask me. The last one I could not connect to her or feel sorry for her. In all storylines, secrets were kept and truths were finally revealed in the end to nicely resolve issues.

What I did love was the message that life is short, live life to its fullest, and communicate with others. I 💯 support this!

𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥? We sweated out in the heat to watch two kids' ballgames, did a 8 mile bike ride, and had a fun Father's Day grillout with friends.

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Special thanks to for this book and to for always being the best reading partner. One of these days we will find our 5 star read.

17/06/2022

A huge thank you to , , and for the and sending the 2029 Prairie Moms Book Club advanced copies of The Younger Wife! We felt pretty special (and lucky) to read it before it published.

Last night, we held our book club meeting to discuss and it was my turn to host. With temps in the mid-90s and under a heat advisory, we moved the party inside and enjoyed chilled white wines and appetizers in air conditioning. I didn’t get the best pictures prior to the meeting and snapped a few during. And with the ending changing before publication, we had plenty of discussion of abuse, family dynamics, and mental health. If you love family dramas, this one is definitely for you!

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘪𝘯-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘣?

07/06/2022

💫 ARC REVIEW 💫

𝗙𝗟𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗢
Author: Linda Holmes
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Pub Date: 6/14/2022 - Next Week!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Never did I think I would read a book about a painted, wooden decoy duck. Then again, I did recently read a book from an octopus' POV... 🤷🏻‍♀️

Deaths affect every one differently, especially when it is a favorite relative. Laurie loved her aunt and always admired her Aunt Dot's care-free and independent lifestyle to the point it validated her own life decisions. So when Laurie finds a mysterious decoy duck among her aunt's belongings, she's confused and somehow conned into selling it to a guy she nicknamed the Grim Reaper. Realizing her mistake, she pulls her best friend June, her old high school boyfriend Nick, and her family into this wild, duck hunt to get back her decoy duck, which may or may not be valuable.

This one has a bit of something for everyone: part women's fiction, part mystery, and part rom-com with Nick the s*xy librarian. Plus you can’t beat Julia Whelan as the narrator. Laurie’s storyline of doubting herself did wear in me, but the crazy duck drama and June's advice kept me listening.

𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴?

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Thank you to and for the advance copies of the book and audiobook.

06/06/2022

💫 BOOK REVIEW 💫

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀
Author: Kirsten Miller
Pub Date: 5/3/2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

"𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦."

Menopause. Ugh. I've been there (medically-induced) since 32 years old and all I received was slightly better vision, no cycles, hot flashes, dryness, and weight gain. Just what all of us want to look forward to.

Lucky for the characters in 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘, menopause turned them into complete badasses, each with their own power. This book is loaded with magical realism, female friendship, and female empowerment as these three ladies take on the case of disappearing young girls in their hometown. With humor along the way, it is no surprise that picked it for their May book!

I'll warn you that it is a bit long with multiple subplots. My favorite was the relatable mother-daughter relationship between Jo and Lucy. From self-defense classes to similar discussions, I only hope my daughter has taken my messages to heart like Lucy did. Raising a daughter is tough enough, without the worries of the outside world interfering.

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦? I would pick teleportation.

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Special thanks to and for this book.

31/05/2022

𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗢 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗞

It finally happened. After two years of avoiding it, COVID found a way to our home and so far, it's all been mild (thank you, vaccines). I'm isolating in my room and it felt like an appropriate time to finally post this picture… 😢

School is out here and I am loving all the vacation pictures I’ve been seeing this weekend. Sure, I’m slightly envious as I am stuck 𝗔𝗧 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘, but the idea of traveling again excites me. Hubby and I traveled a lot prior to kids and I’m so ready to go anywhere!

Until then, I’ll keep traveling through my books. Check out this book stack i pulled from my shelves with exciting locations in their titles.

🇮🇳 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗢𝗠𝗕𝗔𝗬
🇺🇸 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗬𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲
🇻🇨 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗤𝗨𝗘 𝗜𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗
🇺🇸 𝗜𝗻 𝗮 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗬𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲
🇫🇷 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗦
🇮🇹 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿-𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗨𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗬

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯? I've been to Hollywood, London, New York, and Paris. I've been to Italy too, but never Tuscany.

30/05/2022

𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦
Author: Emily Henry
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Pub Date: 5/3/2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Wow! Add this one to your summer reading list!

𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦 was more than just a fun, summer read with laugh out loud moments and crazy good banter. Leave it to Emily to work bigfoot erotica into her book... yes, apparently that is a real thing. Don't google it.

Yet, it has the character depth that was missing in 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Nora struggles with expectations of being the oldest sibling, choosing a career over a family, and accepting herself. Despite being called as a shark in her industry, Nora puts her loved ones’ needs before her own. Her relationship with Charlie pulled at my heartstrings as you could feel her internal conflicts. The ending was a tad bit predictable, but perfect.

And if you have a chance, I highly recommend 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦 as an audiobook. The witty, fun writing of Emily Henry combined with Julia Whelan’s smooth, luring voice(s) actually made my household chores enjoyable. I happily volunteered to do the dishes, walk the dog, anything that kept the audio going.

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴? I have two younger sisters.

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Thank you to .fm for the audiobook!

26/05/2022

𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗛 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘
Author: Eliza Jane Brazier
Pub Date: 1/25/2022 - Out Now
Rating: 3 ⭐️ / 5
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Wow.... What did I just read? It’s so crazy that it’s bingeable. Sure, the title suggests these people are "good", but more appropriate words are "horrible", "snarky", and "bored". Case in point: in one scene, they were all shooting each other with blanks inside a mansion for fun.
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Highly recommend you skip the book summary for this one. Just go in blind, anticipate craziness and eye-rolling one-liners, and enjoy this wild ride.
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Q: What was the last book you couldn’t put down?
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Thank you to and for this digital copy. It is out now.
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Also, shoutout to Melissa for the cutest planter and plant for my birthday. It does look like a book opening and this quote is perfect. 🥰

20/05/2022

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗗
Author: Gilly Macmillan
Pub Date: 3/22/22 - Out Now!

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵.

A group of women travel to the most remote place in England for a weekend escape, only to discover a startling note saying that one of their husbands will be killed before they return home.

Over 3 days, their story unfolds and I’m curious how this plays out as Gilly Macmillan is great at building suspense. With no definitive chapters and multiple POVs, this book was one I couldn’t pass up reading and put in my summer reading list!

Happy Friday! I’m excited that my parents are in town this weekend to watch the kids play ball and today is my dad’s birthday. Do you have any plans this weekend?

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Special thanks to , , and for a copy of the book!

19/05/2022

𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙔 𝙇𝙁𝙇 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙆 𝘿𝙍𝙊𝙋 𝘿𝘼𝙔! 🎉

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 releases on May 31st, but head over to your local little free library for a chance to read this book EARLY. This is all possible thanks to the collaboration between LFLs and Celadon!

𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥'𝘴 𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz’s 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 is a layered and immersive literary novel about three siblings, desperate to escape one another, and the upending of their family by the late arrival of a fourth.

A map to all the LFLs with early copies can be found in my stories! Local friends - do you recognize this LFL? Hint: It is the closest to my house.

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘓𝘍𝘓𝘴? 𝘐𝘧 𝘴𝘰, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥?

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Thank you to for the copy of 𝘛𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 to be placed in LFL's all over the US today.

17/05/2022

Happy Publication Day to these three beautiful books! 🎉

I am also happy to share my birthday with them today. This is my last one before 40! 😬 May has been pretty stressful in our household and I can not wait for the craziness of May and end-of-the-school year to die down. Maybe then I can finally enjoy each one of these. Until then, here is a quick summary of each, thanks to Goodreads:

* 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 - A compelling and heartwarming story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore, and three women determined to find their way in a fast-changing world.

* 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 - Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.

* 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 - On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice wakes up to find herself back in 1996, reliving her 16th birthday. Is there anything that she would change if she could?

Are any of these on your radar? Also, please tell me I’m not alone struggling with the end-of-the-school-year chaos.