Category: Reviews 2017

• Book Review: “The Secret Life of Violet Grant” by Beatriz Williams

  Posted at 4:45 am by Laura, on May 10, 2017

  The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams

  Publisher: Berkley
  Published: May 2014
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780425274842
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Fresh from college, irrepressible Vivian Schuyler defies her wealthy Fifth Avenue family to work at cutthroat Metropolitan magazine. But this is 1964, and the editor dismisses her…until a parcel lands on Vivian’s Greenwich Village doorstep that starts a journey into the life of an aunt she never knew, who might give her just the story she’s been waiting for.

  In 1912, Violet Schuyler Grant moved to Europe to study physics, and made a disastrous marriage to a philandering fellow scientist. As the continent edges closer to the brink of war, a charismatic British army captain enters her life, drawing her into an audacious gamble that could lead to happiness…or disaster.

  Fifty years later, Violet’s ultimate fate remains shrouded in mystery. But the more obsessively Vivian investigates her disappearing aunt, the more she realizes all they have in common—and that Violet’s secret life is about to collide with hers.

  1964: It all begins with a suitcase sent to Vivian Schuyler’s new (new to her, at least) apartment. Originally addressed to a Violet Schuyler, Vivian is determined to figure out who the owner of the suitcase is, what happened to her, and why she seems to be erased from the family tree. Thankfully the Schuylers are littered across the society pages, which Vivian as full access to at her Metropolitan job. 1912: Violet Schuyler, analytical and clever, arrives in England to study physics at university. A charming, older professor agrees to take her on as a student. All seems to be well till it leads to a disastrous marriage and a quick move to Berlin. As Europe draws closer to war, a British army captain enters Violet’s life, and makes her question everything.

  Williams is a new-to-me author and I have a feeling I’ll be reading more of her work soon. Especially if she has some snappy, quick-witted characters like Vivian, and startlingly contrasting characters like Violet.

  Vivian made me laugh out loud, and I enjoyed her spunk, her forwardness, her jokes, and even her tender-hearted moments with work friend Margaux. The back-and-forth soap opera drama with Dr. Paul, though wild and spinning, was enjoyable to read as well. You can really see her beginning to let down her walls. Violet, on the other hand, was such a studious, unemotional sort of character, experiencing her own coming-of-age in a rather cruel way thanks to the men in her life. It was wonderful to watch her blossom. Toss in Lionel, the British army captain (…or is he?), and you’re in for an awakening.

  One of my favorite things (in an “ah, interesting!” way) about this novel is the way sex and sexuality was viewed 50 years apart. On the one hand, it was excellent fodder for juicy gossip, but most would never discuss what was happening behind closed doors. By the 1960s, people were forward in admitting their experience, taking safety precautions with birth control, etc. Imagine how Vivian and Violet would have turned out if they lived in the other’s time frame.

  Though there are some ick moments (I won’t even begin to discuss Violet’s husband), the novel propels forward with such momentum, you don’t even realize time has passed. I am sporting a rather alarming sunburn thanks to this novel! Williams captured my attention and held it tight from beginning to end, and I can’t wait to begin another of her books!

  .

  This qualifies as book 7 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 5 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Alex, Approximately” by Jenn Bennett

  Posted at 5:15 am by Laura, on April 20, 2017

  Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

  Publisher: Simon Pulse
  Published: April 2017
  Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance
  ISBN: 9781481478779
  Rating: ★★★.5

  Classic movie fan Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online as Alex. Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.

  Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new archnemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever it is she’s starting to feel for Porter.

  And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.

  Bailey is an Artful Dodger: she likes to avoid confrontation, she dislikes new environments without checking them out first, and she’s wary of new people. The one true friend she has someone named “Alex” online on a classic Hollywood film fanatic website, and he happens to be living in the same California coastal town Bailey just moved to. Before telling him she’s moved there, she wants to test the waters first and see if she can figure out who he is before the summer’s big film festival on the beach. But her new job at the local museum, and the annoying boy Porter she’s beginning to fall for, are making her Artful Dodger plans to meet Alex unravel. Or are they?

  This was such a cute contemporary, and definitely something the doctor ordered! It has an awesome surfer/beachy vibe to it without it being all about going to the beach and getting tan or catching boys or getting up to shenanigans. Bailey’s interest in old Hollywood films also adds retro flavoring — she dresses like classic film stars and even drives a Vespa! So cool.

  Bailey’s voice was engaging, and I liked the recipe for romantic banter between her and Porter: the kind that is genuinely funny, there’s no game involved, and they don’t hate each other. They just know how to bicker really well, and really affectionately. It was almost like reading an old couple’s bickering conversation — laced with love, but still poking fun at one another.

  Elements of the novel that really appealed to me included one perspective (gosh, this feels so rare in contemporary YA lately — or YA in general) and a super cool, unique job. She’s not working at one of the many churro stands along the beach, or a boardwalk shop, or fast food restaurant, or babysitting, or any of the other super predictable summer jobs for teens. No, in this YA, Bailey is working at an interesting, local, wacky museum that’s part manor house part cave, curated by a wealthy couple from the 1920s and full of all sorts of odds and ends within themed rooms. This is the perfect job for Bailey because she would like to be a museum curator one day.

  I’m not sure if I wanted to know that Porter is Alex. In many ways it makes Bailey look dumb — to no fault of her own. I tried to read this without my extra insight getting in the way. Would I have noticed this clue if I were Bailey? But I have to admit that part of the fun of the book was waiting to see when Bailey (or Porter) would figure it out.

  If you’re looking for a grounded YA contemporary that’s not too fluffy but not too serious, has great “we met on the internet” vibes, and you’re eager to dig your toes into some figurative sand, grab a copy of Bennett’s latest novel!

  This qualifies as book 6 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Trigger warning: guns, shark attack

   

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: romance, genre: young adult, review

• Book Review: “Outrun the Moon” by Stacey Lee

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on April 12, 2017

  Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

  Publisher: Putnam
  Published: May 2016
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780399175411
  Rating: ★★★★★

  San Francisco, 1906: Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong is determined to break from the poverty in Chinatown, and an education at St. Clare’s School for Girls is her best hope. Although St. Clare’s is off-limits to all but the wealthiest white girls, Mercy gains admittance through a mix of cunning and a little bribery, only to discover that getting in was the easiest part. Not to be undone by a bunch of spoiled heiresses, Mercy stands strong—until disaster strikes.

  On April 18, a historic earthquake rocks San Francisco, destroying Mercy’s home and school. With martial law in effect, she is forced to wait with her classmates for their families in a temporary park encampment. Though fires might rage, and the city may be in shambles, Mercy can’t sit by while they wait for the army to bring help—she still has the “bossy” cheeks that mark her as someone who gets things done. But what can one teenage girl do to heal so many suffering in her broken city?

  Mercy Wong is eager to make something of herself and help her family out of Chinatown. In order to do so, she needs to attend St Clare’s School for Girls. Getting into the school is the first of many hurdles, and Mercy is nearly unprepared for what’s in store within the school’s walls. But when a disastrous earthquake rocks San Francisco, destroying the city and setting it alight, Mercy and the other girls do their best to set up a temporary encampment at a nearby park and make the most of what they have. Mercy can’t sit by and watch the world burn — but what can she do to help ease the pain of her crumbling home?

  Once again, Stacey Lee steals my heart and shares another important story. Important in American history, important in Chinese-American culture, just all around important. She delivers it with such artistry and storytelling mastery. I’m blown away.

  Mercy is one fierce, independent, determined young woman. She wants to make something of herself so that she could also assist her family and help them out of poverty. The Wongs, like most Chinese-American families in Chinatown, would otherwise face the inevitable cycle of poverty just because of their race and location of their home. Mercy consults a businesswoman’s book to help her navigate the “white ghost” language, social structure, and business in a fair and structured way. No one could lawfully question her otherwise if she’s playing by their rules. But in order to do so, she needs to attend an all-white, very prosperous, all-girls school. The struggle is real, folks.

  Race is a common theme throughout the novel, and one that is demonstrated without pushing an agenda. This is how things were then — and it’s painful and honest and difficult to take in — and likely how things are still now. We can learn from our history, and Lee does an excellent job of saying such by showing us the conflicts, triggering the reader’s emotions and reactions. I, for one, wanted to punch the living daylights out of so many white characters; meanwhile, Mercy held her ground with strength and poise. I admired her.

  To end on a light note, I was touched by the affection between Mercy and Tom, another Chinese-American boy with aspirations to fly. They love one another, you can feel it in their interactions, and they set out for their goals with the other in mind to share in the dreams and success. Though this isn’t a romance per se, it’s beautiful.

  This book is about Mercy’s journey to achieve her dreams while fighting through adversity, and experiencing this journey with a close group of schoolgirls in the middle of a very traumatic moment in history. Open it and take the journey in another’s shoes. Find compassion. Be inspired.

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  This qualifies as book 6 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Hunted” by Meagan Spooner (ARC)

  Posted at 3:45 am by Laura, on April 6, 2017

  Hunted by Meagan Spooner

  Publisher: HarperTeen
  Published: March 2017
  Genre: young adult, fantasy
  ISBN: 9780062422286
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.

  So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.

  Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

  Yeva’s family is forced to move to their winter home, a hunting lodge on the outskirts of town at the edge of a deep woods. Yeva and her father are pleased by the move, only because they’re such natural hunters. But when he comes back from a hunt raving about a Beast, and disappears again in his madness to find the creature, Yeva takes it upon herself to find them. What she was not prepared for was just how right her father was, how unprepared she is, and how otherworldly the Beast and his own captivity is. Has she entered a fairytale, or a nightmare?

  You think you know the Beauty and the Beast fairytale story. A selfish prince is cursed, turned into a beast until he learns to love another and the other loves in return. There’s captivity, madness, and magic, and in the middle of it all is a beautiful young woman. I love this fairytale, problematic situations and all. I was concerned this would be another one of those retellings that just rehash the same old story — and poorly — but that was not the case.

  This novel was so intense and perfect and exactly what I wanted from a Beauty and the Beast retelling without even knowing it. The hunter/hunted theme really brought out just how self-sufficient our leading lady (the Badass Protagonist) is. Yeva is quite possibly one of the fiercest, strongest female protagonists I’ve seen in YA fantasy in a while. There is no Stockholm Syndrome here!

  What I loved the most was how quickly I forgot this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. The setting alone quickly maneuvered the comparisons and made the story stand on its own. A Russian winterscape — almost solidly historical at first before Yeva crosses into the magical woods — was absolutely perfect. It turned Hunted into a fairytale within a fairytale. Yeva even uses Russian fairytales to help maintain a calm rationale for everything, as she herself had difficulty coming to terms with the magical elements she encountered.

  I applaud Spooner. This is a phenomenal book.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from HarperTeen for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 8 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: young adult, review

• Book Review: “A Window Opens” by Elisabeth Egan

  Posted at 4:00 am by Laura, on March 30, 2017

  A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan

  Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  Published: August 2015
  Genre: adult fiction, women’s fiction
  ISBN: 9781501105432
  Rating: ★★★.5

  Alice Pearse plays many roles (which she never refers to as “wearing many hats” and wishes you wouldn’t, either). She is a mostly-happily married mother of three, an attentive daughter, an ambivalent dog-owner, a part-time editor, a loyal neighbor and a Zen commuter. She is not: a cook, a craftswoman, a decorator, an active PTA member, a natural caretaker or the breadwinner. But when her husband makes a radical career change, Alice is ready to lean in—and she knows exactly how lucky she is to land a job at Scroll, a hip young start-up which promises to be the future of reading, with its chain of chic literary lounges and dedication to beloved classics. The Holy Grail of working mothers―an intellectually satisfying job and a happy personal life―seems suddenly within reach.

  Despite the disapproval of her best friend, who owns the local bookstore, Alice is proud of her new “balancing act” (which is more like a three-ring circus) until her dad gets sick, her marriage flounders, her babysitter gets fed up, her kids start to grow up and her work takes an unexpected turn. Readers will cheer as Alice realizes the question is not whether it’s possible to have it all, but what does she―Alice Pearse―really want?

  When her husband decides to make a radical career change, Alice Pearse takes the reins and lands a job at Scroll, a young start-up that promises to be the future of reading in the digital age. She is going to be a full-time working mother, happy in her career and her personal life. But as her father’s health declines, her marriage flounders, and her work takes an unexpected turn, Alice begins to wonder if the question isn’t is possible to have it all, but does she know what she really wants?

  It’s amazing how a book seems to fall into your lap at just the right time in your life for you to fully appreciate it. When fiction quasi-parallels life, or when several passages state exactly what you’re feeling in that moment of your life so distinctly, you know it’s a case of the book finding you. For me, it was the health issues Alice’s father faced. His lung cancer, death process, and the grieving process post-death mirrored so much of my grandfather’s last few months. He passed away just as I started reading this book, too. It affected me more than I ever could have expected.

  Scroll, Alice’s new job, is an Amazon-meets-Apple-meets-Google set up. Alice works at the NYC headquarters for MainStreet, a futuristic mostly-online retailer, and she’s in the thick of the planning for all these Scroll store openings across the country. MainStreet has a hand in several areas of business, and the bookstore was their next unconquered landscape. But it’s very demanding, and Alice becomes one of those working moms: constantly attached to her phone, speaking in business lingo, losing touch with her children, and completely unaware of life passing by.

  More than anything, this is a journey in Alice’s life we’re glimpsing, and it was a thinker. What do you want in life? How would you handle the situations she’s thrown into? Would you have made the same decisions? I will say for sure I was very pleased with how Egan handled the marriage struggles. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows — but it’s also not all doom and gloom.

  A simple story well told, this book is a perfect read in our social-media-obsessed age. Mothers and working women would identify with Alice and her honest humor as she navigates a new job, experiences the next stage of a marriage, and watches the declining health of her father. Validating, entertaining, and true to life, Egan delivers a fantastic story and cast of characters.

  This qualifies as book 5 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, review

• Book Review: “Son of the Shadows” by Juliet Marillier

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on March 27, 2017

  Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier

  Publisher: Tor
  Published: 2002 (first published in 2000)
  Genre: fantasy
  ISBN: 9780765343260
  Rating: ★★★★

  It is from her sacrifice that her brothers were brought home to Sevenwaters and her life has known much joy. But not all the brothers were able to escape the spell that transformed them into swans, and those who did were all more–and less–than they were before the change.

  It is left to Sorcha’s daughter Liadan who will take up the tale that the Sevenwaters clan is destined to fulfill. Beloved child, dutiful daughter, she embarks on a journey that opens her eyes to the wonders of the world around her…and shows her just how hard-won was the peace that she has known all her life.

  Liadan will need all of her courage to help save her family, for there are forces far darker than anyone chould have guessed and ancient powers conspiring to destroy this family’s peace–and their world. And she will need the strength to stand up to those she loves best, for in the finding of her own true love, Liadan’s course may doom them all…or be their salvation.

  Liadan is the beautiful younger daughter of Sorcha and Red, legends in their own fairytale story of the Sevenwaters clan. She loves to assist her mother with herbs and healing, speaks telepathically with her twin brother Sean, and attempts to rein in her older sister Niamh’s wild ways. But turbulent times crash into the family just when all seems to be well, and Liadan is trapped in the middle of an ancient prophecy. She is determined to make the right choices for her family, but with every step she takes her course appears to bring them further into darkness.

  SPOILER ALERT
  Events pertaining to Daughter of the Forest are within this review.
  SPOILER ALERT

  The second book in the Sevenwaters series is just as breathtaking, beautiful, and magical as the first, featuring another strong female protagonist who draws upon strength of the mind and spirit rather than physical qualities to combat her enemies.

  Liadan is a fierce and stubborn chatterbox, and she will tell you what she thinks of your decisions and actions if she believes it will improve your character or the family. She’d be a good friend to have around — patient and loving, while still practical and headstrong. She’s a great blend of Red and Sorcha, and that makes her flawed. While Sorcha is still one of my favorite characters in literature (right up there with Jane Eyre!), she was almost too perfect. Liadan makes loads of mistakes, to the point where it really does seem like the family is doomed. She is observant, aware of her mistakes, aware of how people treat her and how she treats others, and how sometimes similar situations and others’ reactions to them can be hypocritical. Take this, the family’s reaction to Liadan’s pregnancy:

  I was aware, constantly, of how different this was from Niamh’s experience. For my sister there had been the cold disapproval, the harsh censure, the shutting out, the hasty, forced marriage. For me there was simply acceptance, as if my fatherless child were already part of the family at Sevenwaters.

  While Son of the Shadows was entertaining and fantastic, and Liadan was an excellent character on her own, I had a hard time getting into the romance. It felt more like a means to an end for me, and less epic and profound as I was led to believe. Much of Liadan’s motivation and decisions were stemmed from this love, so I was pretty miffed by how central of a role it played when I wasn’t convinced of it.

  The prophecy from the first book is becoming a reality in this one, and it leaves the reader hanging, ready to read book three to see what happens next. There was more about the curse and the characters that come into play (such as, ah-ha!, the son of the shadows), more strategizing and skirmishes, more storytelling and culture. Sorcha was on a quest, separated from her family; Liadan is in the thick of it, a key player in the prophecy and all it entails.

  This qualifies as book 2 of 9 in the Flights of Fantasy / Gabaldon-and-Marillier challenge.

  This qualifies as book 4 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, flights of fantasy, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: romance, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Miniaturist” by Jessie Burton

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on March 13, 2017

  The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

  Publisher: Ecco
  Published: July 2014
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780062306814
  Rating: ★★★★

  On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office–leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.

  But Nella’s world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist–an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

  Johannes’ gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand–and fear–the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?

  Nella arrives in Amsterdam eager to begin her new life as a wife to Johannes Brandt, an incredibly successful merchant and member of the VOC. While he seems kind, he’s rarely home and hardly notices her presence. Nella is left with her harsh and hypocritical sister-in-law, Marin, and the two unusual servants. Johannes knows Nella is struggling in her new role away from home, and presents her with a cabinet house in the exact replica of their home. Nella seeks out a miniaturist to fill this home, but what the miniaturist delivers is eerie, unexpected, and seems to send warnings to Nella of what’s to come.

  The synopsis suggests there’s a suspenseful mystery here (who is the miniaturist, and how does he/she seem to know what’s going on in the Brandt household?), and while there is an element of that, the story is more about morality and social justice, and a young woman’s bildungsroman in a time when few had roles outside of being a wife and mother. Amsterdam was the capital of commerce, and though the Bible is toted about as law, few people seem to follow its rules: be poor, give often, do not be proud, do not worship idols. But in a place that thrives on its riches from business and trade, it is difficult to be that pious Christian the reverend urges his flock, come fire or damnation.

  The Brandt household alone is a contradiction to society. We as readers are Nella, naive to the city and an observer in the family dynamics. We have Johannes, who is a good man, a great businessman, and a “poor” husband (rarely home and attending to his wife). There’s Marin, his pious sister who is as wicked sharp and she is contradictory, claiming sweets are poor for the soul yet hiding away candies in her small room. Otto, Johannes right-hand man and servant, a free black man in a city only familiar with slaves. Cornelia, at first judgmental and somewhat off-putting, but genuinely sweet and open, a confidant for Nella. Who are these people and what are their secrets? The secrets are…devastating for the family, and in turn alter the city’s business as well as the views of religion and morality.

  Though the last 50 pages were a bit lackluster (all the secrets are out), it still fell into the realm of a soap opera: you just can’t stop reading and having everything confirmed! The novel is entertaining, and is full of book club-worthy discussion topics, especially sexuality, gender roles, racism, marriage, and religion. I’d go into it here but then I really would spoil the novel…

  The Miniaturist was far more accessible of a read than I expected, and not as magical as I thought it would be. It was certainly suspenseful, sometimes downright creepy, but for a slow burn of a novel it was a very compelling read.

  .

  This qualifies as book 3 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies” by Laura Stampler

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on March 8, 2017

  Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies by Laura Stampler

  Publisher: Simon Pulse
  Published: July 2016
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9781481459891
  Rating: ★★★

  Harper Anderson always believed she belonged somewhere more glamorous than her sleepy Northern California suburb. After all, how many water polo matches and lame parties in Bobby McKittrick’s backyard can one girl take? That’s why Harper is beyond ecstatic when she lands her dream internship as a dating blogger at the elite teen magazine Shift. Getting to spend the summer in New York City to live her dream of becoming a writer? Harper’s totally in.

  There’s just one teeny, tiny, infinitesimal problem: apart from some dance floor make-outs, Harper doesn’t have a lot of—or, really, any—dating expertise. In fact, she might have sort of stolen her best friend’s experiences as her own on her Shift application. But she can learn on the job…right?

  From awkward run-ins with the cute neighborhood dog walker to terrifying encounters with her crazed editor, from Brooklyn gallery openings to weekends in the Hamptons, Harper finds out what it takes to make it in the Big City—and as the writer of her own destiny.

  Harper’s dream is to become a journalist, and the best pie-in-the-sky opportunity is a summer internship with Shift, an elite teen magazine. Any girl in late high school or college who interns there is guaranteed a job in the industry come graduation. But that internship is truly pie-in-the-sky — until it’s not. Harper’s wishful thinking turns into a dream come true when the editor calls her up and gives her three days to pack her bags and fly to New York. The thing is, though, Harper can’t tell the editor or any of the glamorous interns that she knows nothing about the topic she’s assigned: dating. But what’s one little white lie here and there, anyway?

  The Devil Wears Prada meets Gossip Girl in this laugh-out-loud, feel-good, at times ridiculous novel. All sense of this novel being rooted in reality goes out the window right from the beginning: Harper conveniently has a crazy and lovable “aunt” (an old college roommate of her mother’s) who lives right next to Central Park and has all the money in the world for Harper to utilize during her 6-week internship. Lodging and money for NYC, INSTANT CHECK!

  But the hilarity begins the second Harper walks into Shift. High stress, high heels, and high rise in this environment, and every intern is competing for the Young Journalist to Watch spread in the September issue, as well as a story on the Leader Board. That Leader Board is vicious, tracking the top ten stories on the magazine’s website based on the number of clicks. The editor’s number one goal is to crank out as many stories as possible, to gain click momentum, and get viral.

  Harper’s feeling the heat, because the summer dating blogger is supposed to attract interest — and who wants to read a dating blog by someone who (1) has no dating experience and (2) doesn’t really, well, date? Harper gets creative, utilizing help from her best friend’s experiences, the adorable dog walker in her aunt’s building, and observations from her fellow interns. One story goes a bit too far, though, and Harper’s morals and values are on the line.

  Fun, funny, and just plain good brain candy to get you out of a reading slump!

  This qualifies as book 4 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, review

• Book Review: “The Silver Gate” by Kristin Bailey

  Posted at 3:30 am by Laura, on March 2, 2017

  The Silver Gate by Kristin Bailey

  Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
  Published: January 2017
  Genre: middle grade, fantasy, historical
  ISBN: 9780062398574
  Rating: ★★★★

  In shepherd boy Elric’s tiny village, people think children like his younger sister, Wynn, are changelings-left by fairies and doomed to curse all around them. As a baby, Wynn was born with developmental delays, and according to the rules, she was supposed to be abandoned in the woods.

  Instead Elric’s mother saved his sister and hid her away for eleven years. They live in secret and fear of being discovered, yet their home is full of love, laughter, and singing. Wynn and Elric’s favorite song is about the Silver Gate, a beautiful fairy realm where all children are welcome.

  But when their long-absent father returns to sell Wynn to the Lord’s castle as a maid, Elric realizes that folk songs and fantasies can’t protect them from the outside world. They have to run away. Still Wynn believes there’s only one place they’ll ever be safe, and it lies beyond the Silver Gate.

  The road to freedom is long and treacherous. If they have any hope for survival, Elric and Wynn must learn to depend on each other above everything else-and discover the magic that always reveals itself when it seems like all is lost.

  When Elric discovers his father sold his sister Wynn to the Lord’s castle as a lowly maid after their mother’s death, Elric convinces Wynn to run away with him under the pretense of a game: to search for the Silver Fate, a place made up in the fairytales their mother told them. But as they continue their journey across the land in hopes of finding refuge in a convent or village, the siblings begin to realize just how difficult life can be on their own. But Wynn believes in the Silver Gate, she believes in the magic, and it’s up to Elric to open his eyes and see it too.

  “I will not expose this abbey to an unfit soul.” The abbess turned her hard glare back to Wynn, as if she could crush her with the power of her words. “We have taken a vow of poverty. What resources we have must be devoted to God and the good women who come here from noble families to pursue their devotion and study. We must not waste.”

  I was only 60 pages into this when the siblings’ relationship made me cry. It’s so beautiful, heartfelt, and strong. Elric is of course frustrated with his younger sister just like any older sibling would be — but he has such a deep love for her that it just ripped me apart. Add on another important layer to this story: Wynn has Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome. One in every 125,000 births have this. These individuals have learning disabilities and physical defects that mark them as “other.” Toss in this novel’s setting — Celtic in origin, Middle Ages — and society rejects these individuals as halfwits or changelings. So to see this sibling relationship, and feel it every step and struggle throughout their journey…oh gosh. Tears. Everywhere.

  “I can’t believe,” he admitted in a soft voice as he stroked his thumb over the surface of the stone. “If I believed in fairies, that would mean they switched you for another baby. It would mean you’re not my sister.”

  Wynn is the true hero of this story. She urges her brother and the reader to believe — mind, body, and soul — in the power of the imagination, in magic, in make-believe. She may not be able to build a fire, she doesn’t pack the right things, it’s hard for her to remember things if she doesn’t ruminate on them over and over, and she may not speak very well, but her mind and creativity is her saving refuge. Her insistence that the Silver Gate is more than the stuff of bedtime stories and folk songs shows just how powerful magic can be. What a beautiful, smart girl.

  And what a beautiful, smart, rich, heart-wrenching story of love, sacrifice, and imagination!

  This qualifies as book 3 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 1 Comment | Tagged books, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, genre: middle grade

• Book Review: “You and Me, Always” by Jill Mansell

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on February 27, 2017

  You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell

  Publisher: Sourcebooks
  Published: July 2016
  Genre: adult fiction, chick lit, contemporary
  ISBN: 9781492638858
  Rating: ★★★.5

  On the morning of Lily’s twenty-fifth birthday, it’s time to open the very last letter written to her by her beloved mother, who died when she was eight.

  Learning more about the first and only real love of her mum’s life is a revelation. On the same day, Lily also meets Eddie Tessler, a man fleeing fame who just might have the ability to change her world in unimaginable ways. But her childhood friend Dan has his own reasons for not wanting Lily to get too carried away by Eddie’s attentions.

  Before long, secrets begin to emerge and Lily’s friends and family become involved. In the beautiful Cotswold village of Stanton Langley, nothing will ever be the same again…

  With her mother’s final letter, Lily and her friends’ lives are about to change forever. Lily’s mother passed away when Lily was a child, and every year on her birthday she receives a letter from her mother. In this last letter, her mother mentions a man, Declan, who was the only real love her life. Lily sets out to find Declan and befriend him on the same day she runs into Eddie Tessler, a movie star hiding away in her friend Patsy’s house till the most recent scandal calms down. As Lily and Eddie grow closer, her childhood friend Dan comes to grips with his secret feelings. But Dan’s not the only one with secrets in the village of Stanton Langley, and the summer is about to change for everyone.

  If you’re a fan of Win a Date With Tad Hamilton, this book is for you!

  I enjoyed the glimpse of Cotswold village life, how everyone knows everyone in some way or another, and yet the secrets keep on building. Unlike many novels I’ve read recently with secrets that just lead to massive amounts of frustrating miscommunication, these secrets are ones we everyday folks keep from family and friends: one night of regret that would never ever ever be mentioned or brought up again ever, harboring a secret crush or love, or surprising a sibling with Beyoncé tickets. What was entertaining was seeing how even these tiny secrets created a snowball all when Declan and Eddie come to town.

  Though it comes across as a love triangle, I promise you it’s not. It’s clear from the beginning, even if it’s not clear to Lily, that Dan is the one. Their banter was the kind I enjoy — not hate-to-love, but one of familiarity, friendship, and excellent witty comebacks. A genuine friendship and love underneath it all. Eddie’s glamorous life and lifestyle made him seem more appealing, yet I didn’t see much going for him. He was nice, don’t get me wrong, but I had a hard time being convinced Lily liked Eddie for Eddie rather than Eddie the Movie Star, if that makes sense. This was a good, clean, funny romance all in all.

  Shout out to Patsy, who is — I swear — my soul sister.

  Cozy up with this great afternoon romcom, and enjoy the banter, the dates, the village life, and the glamor!

  .

  This qualifies as book 2 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: romance, review, rock my TBR

• 

• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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