September Reading Round-Up

  Here's a look at the books we loved, didn't love, read, rated, or DNF'd this month!

Jay's Reads (10):

  

What I Rated Them:
Takedown Twenty ☕☕☕☕

Top Secret Twenty-One ☕☕☕☕

Tricky Twenty-Two ☕☕☕☕

Turbo Twenty-Three ☕☕☕☕

Hardcore Twenty-Four ☕☕☕☕

Look Alive Twenty-Five ☕☕☕☕

Twisted Twenty-Six ☕☕☕☕

Any Luck at All ☕☕☕☕.25

Lock Every Door ☕☕☕☕

Big Girl Panties ☕☕☕.75

Favorite Read:
That's tough. Probably Lock Every Door.

Least Favorite Read:
Big Girl Panties

DNF?:
None this month! 

Rolling over to next month:

The Beauty in Breaking

The Friend Zone

Al Capone Throws Me a Curve

Never Let You Go

Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing

Truly Madly Guilty

Meg's Reads (7):

What I Rated Them: 
Know My Name ☕☕☕☕☕

Glow ☕☕☕☕
Love Again ☕☕☕☕
Blind Love ☕☕☕☕
This Love ☕☕☕☕
Reckless Love ☕☕☕☕

Born to Fly ☕☕

Favorite Read: Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Least Favorite Read: A Little Bit Stronger by Sara Evans. I finished it and just absolutely did.not.like.it. Like had a full-on discussion with my Lynn-Mom about how I was going to return it even though I read it all because I just did not like it AT ALL.  

DNF: Nada. 

Carrying Over to Next Month:
Johnny Cash the Life
Our Stop 
Life and Other Inconveniences
Beach Read 

Any Luck At All by Denise Grover Swank and A.R. Casella

  Thank you Denise Grover Swank for my free eARC as part of her review team! All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: The first book in a new rom com series by Denise Grover Swank, the author of the New York Times bestselling Wedding Pact series, and A.R. Casella.

Georgie Buchanan doesn’t know the first thing about running a brewery—she doesn’t even like beer—so she’s thrown when her grandfather leaves his business to her and her three siblings. Selling Buchanan Brewery would be the prudent approach, and while Georgie is, first and foremost, a businesswoman, keeping it might be her best chance of connecting with her half-brother, Jack. But she quickly learns that what she thought was a fixer-upper is a money pit, the employees are all eccentric to the extreme, and her inheritance comes with a shocking catch. Her one hope for success lies with River Reeves, the handsome brewmaster who learned at her grandfather’s feet...if she can avoid falling for him.

After learning his best friend and boss is selling the brewery they built together to a soulless corporation, River quits on the spot, only for Georgie Buchanan to offer him a job the very same night. Helping her turn Buchanan Brewery around is his dream job, the perfect homage to the man who taught him everything and helped give him roots. There’s one problem: his new boss is his dream woman, and she’s not the type to mix business and pleasure. Balancing a new job, a new puppy, and a growing infatuation with his boss, River knows something has to give.

If Georgie has any luck at all, she’ll be able to turn Buchanan Brewery around without losing her mind or her heart. But as River helps her weather everything from her uncle’s possessed cat to a séance, she realizes she might be wishing for the wrong kind of luck.

Genre? Romantic Comedy

Backlist? No. This was just published September 22, 2020.

New to me Author? Absolutely Not.

What did I think? This was such a cute romantic comedy and I can't wait for the series to continue!

I've been spending time working my way through Denise Grover Swank's immense backlist of books and I'm so used to writing reviews like "I don't normally read this genre..." and having her make me fall in love with things like paranormal romance. I had almost forgotten she can also write romantic comedy! But it was SO GOOD.

I absolutely adored the character of Georgie. Her struggle to try to figure out how the heck to run a brewery, as well as her situation with River is both comical and completely relatable. In fact, all of the characters are pretty relatable. I mean, we all have a crazy aunt, am I right?! (Maybe I AM the crazy aunt??)

Also, pink crystals. That's all I can say without giving it away but, if you know you know.

Five Star Friday - Let's Pretend This Never Happened

  This week's Five Star read was read by Meg!

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: For fans of Tina Fey and David Sedaris—Internet star Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, makes her literary debut.
 
Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof) accompany the text.

Genre? Memoir

Backlist? Yes. Published April 17, 2012.

New to me Author? Yes.

Why I rated it 5 stars? 

I tried to read this book five or so years ago and it just didnt resonate with me. After dealing with my own anxiety in the years between then and now, I could relate a lot more. Jenny's stories made me laugh so hard I was snorting or crying or both. I can't wait to read her other book as well!

Five Star Friday - This Is How It Always Is

 This week's Five Star read was read by Jay!

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: This is how a family keeps a secret…and how that secret ends up keeping them.

This is how a family lives happily ever after…until happily ever after becomes complicated.

This is how children change…and then change the world.

This is Claude. He’s five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess.

When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl.

Rosie and Penn want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. They’re just not sure they’re ready to share that with the world. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude’s secret. Until one day it explodes.

This Is How It Always Is is a novel about revelations, transformations, fairy tales, and family. And it’s about the ways this is how it always is: Change is always hard and miraculous and hard again, parenting is always a leap into the unknown with crossed fingers and full hearts, children grow but not always according to plan. And families with secrets don’t get to keep them forever.

"This is a novel everyone should read. It’s brilliant. It’s bold. And it’s time.”
―Elizabeth George, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Banquet of Consequences

Genre? Contemporary Fiction/LGBT+

Backlist? Yes. Published January 4, 2017.

New to me Author? Yes.

Why I rated it 5 stars? 

This is easily going to become one of those books that I recommend to EVERYONE who asks me for recs. It was so well written and I was so invested.

The whole storyline with Claude/Poppy is just so relevant right now. This novel leads to great conversations about LGBT/Trans without being political at all, which is a bit unusual. It really had me thinking about what I would do if my son came to me and said he wanted to be a girl. Would I handle it with as much grace as Rosie and Penn did? I would like to hope so. 

This story is told throughout Claude/Poppy's life from about five years old through fifth grade. It shows the struggles, the triumphs, and how a family moves forward.

Five Star Friday - Dear Wife

This week's Five Star read was read by Jay!

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: From the bestselling author of The Marriage Lie and Three Days Missing comes a riveting new novel of suspense about a woman who, in a fight for survival, must decide just how far she'll go to escape the person she once loved

Beth Murphy is on the run...

For nearly a year, Beth has been planning for this day. A day some people might call any other Wednesday, but Beth prefers to see it as her new beginning--one with a new look, new name and new city. Beth has given her plan significant thought, because one small slip and her violent husband will find her.

Sabine Hardison is missing...

A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find his wife, Sabine, is missing. Wherever she is, she's taken almost nothing with her. Her abandoned car is the only evidence the police have, and all signs point to foul play.

As the police search for leads, the case becomes more and more convoluted. Sabine's carefully laid plans for her future indicate trouble at home, and a husband who would be better off with her gone. The detective on the case will stop at nothing to find out what happened and bring this missing woman home. Where is Sabine? And who is Beth? The only thing that's certain is that someone is lying and the truth won't stay buried for long.

Genre? Thriller

Backlist? Yes. June 25, 2019.

New to me Author? No.

Why I rated it 5 stars? 

This book kept me going! I could not slow down and wanted to continue reading page after page. I picked this up originally because I LOVED her book The Marriage Lie. This book did not disappoint! 

I spent most of the book thinking I knew what was going on and then, like any good thriller, a plot twist threw me completely off guard. However, the plot twist made sense and was not completely out of left field like some tend to be. I would definitely recommend her books and I need to go back and read Three Days Missing since I loved these other two so much!

Five Star Friday - The Substitute

This week's Five Star read was read by Jay!

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

The first book in a humorous contemporary romance series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Denise Grover Swank.

Megan Vandemeer meant to tell her parents about her broken engagement, but a month and a half later she finds herself boarding a plane home to her wedding. Having stretched avoidance to its limits, it's time to come clean--a terrifying prospect since her mother is sure to blame her rather than her cheating, emotionally frigid ex. A couple of drinks and two Dramamine later, Megan finds herself spilling her sob story to the tall, dark, and handsome stranger in the seat next to her.

With only one week left to save his business, Josh McMillan boards a plane to Kansas City in a last-ditch effort, leaving the details to chance. An unexpected answer is delivered in the form of the beautiful brunette beside him. Though she’s completely loopy, her honesty, openness, and humor charm him. So when she passes out before landing, he helps her off the plane--a good deed that leads to a colossal misunderstanding. Her parents assume he’s her fiancé. In a twist of fate, the mix-up might help Josh save his business, so he plays along, figuring he can help Megan too. All he has to do is stage a public break up convincing enough to appease her mother.

Josh is only supposed to be a substitute groom, but the more time he and Megan spend together, the more their pretend engagement starts to feel real…and the less they want to break it off. Can a relationship that began as a farce turn into happily ever after?

Genre? Contemporary/Romance

Backlist? Yes. Published January 21, 2015

New to me Author? Absolutely not!

Why I rated it 5 stars? 

Can someone explain to me why I finished this book bawling like it was a Nicholas Sparks book?! I don't do that often (ever, really).

Six weeks ago, Megan and her no-good fiance, Jay, broke up. Instead of calling her mother crying, Megan simply never tells her about it. Meanwhile, her mother has been planning the most elaborate wedding ever. Megan's mother has completely controlled her for pretty much all of her life. In fact, Megan is pretty much scared of her.

On the flight home for the wedding, Megan is still trying to figure out how to tell her family about Jay. Meanwhile, the (extremely hot) man next to her on the flight is dealing with his own reasons for flying that direction. Through a weird twist of fate, Megan's family mistakes this man, Josh, for Megan's fiance. Josh decides to go along with it for a while to help Megan out and hopefully help save his business in the process.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I don't know why I did not read it earlier. While I have a soft spot in my heart for Rose, being my first DGS read...I won't lie, this may be my new favorite series. I hope the rest of the books are this good!

Josh and Megan's relationship cracks me up. They are both stubborn and witty. They play off each other wonderfully. He seems to be one of very few people that Megan is not afraid to stand up to and doesn't roll over for. I also really love Libby. I hope to know more about her story! But my favorite character...hands down, Gram. What a sassy lady.

HIGHLY recommend this book. I'm hopeful the rest of the series is just as wonderful.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

 Thank you NetGalley for my free eARC! All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insists she was murdered―and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?

Genre? Mystery/Thriller

Backlist? No. This was just published August 4, 2020.

New to me Author? No

What did I think? This is my second book by this author and I was hoping it would be just as good as The Escape Room. I was NOT disappointed. Rachel is a podcaster who reports on crime and "Puts the listener into the jury box". She is covering a trial about a young girl, K, who was allegedly sexually assaulted. However, while Rachel is in this town, she begins getting letters from Hannah, begging her to help solve the murder of her sister Jenny years ago. Jenny's death was ruled an accident or possibly even suicide, but Hannah knows that can't be. This book is told through dual point of views. We hear Rachel's side of the story (and her podcast - which I wish they would turn into a real podcast. I would listen to the heck out of that) and we also hear Hannah's story told through her letters. There were times that I was pretty sure I knew where the story was headed but I definitely did not see the ending coming how it did. Megan Goldin really covers her bases and connects the dots to make her story come together.

August's Reading Round-Up

 Here's a look at the books we loved, didn't love, read, rated, or DNF'd this month!

Jay's Reads (15):

   
   

   

  

What I Rated Them:
The Player ☕☕☕☕.5

This is How it Always Is ☕☕☕☕☕

The Night Swim ☕☕☕.75

White Out ☕☕☕.5

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird ☕☕☕☕

Plum Lovin' ☕☕☕.25

Lean Mean Thirteen ☕☕☕☕

Fearless Fourteen ☕☕☕☕

Finger Lickin' Fifteen ☕☕☕☕

Sizzlin' Sixteen ☕☕☕☕

The Book of Unknown Americans ☕☕☕☕☕

Smokin' Seventeen ☕☕☕☕

Explosive Eighteen ☕☕☕☕

Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered ☕☕☕☕

Notorious Nineteen ☕☕☕☕


Favorite Read:
This is How it Always Is

Least Favorite Read:
Honestly, probably White Out. It just seemed to take so long to read lol

DNF?:
None this month! I think I'm getting better at choosing. Plus, half of these were from my favorite series so....

Rolling over to next month: 
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye

Takedown Twenty

Meg's Reads (8):

      

   

What I Rated Them: 
Glow ☕☕☕☕
Love Again ☕☕☕☕
Blind Love ☕☕☕☕
This Love ☕☕☕☕
Reckless Love ☕☕☕☕

Born to Fly ☕☕

Favorite Read: Glow by Molly McAdams

Least Favorite Read: A Little Bit Stronger by Sara Evans. I finished it and just absolutely did.not.like.it. Like had a full-on discussion with my Lynn-Mom about how I was going to return it even though I read it all because I just did not like it AT ALL.  

DNF: Nada. 

Carrying Over to Next Month:
Johnny Cash the Life
Our Stop 
Life and Other Inconveniences
Beach Read