I adored this book about forgiveness, second chances, compassion, and seeing people for who they are and who they can be. Violet, Harriet, and Frank are delightful characters, as are the women in the book club. I especially enjoyed the parts about the African Grey parrots. (Ollie stole the show!) It was fascinating to learn how brilliant these birds are.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy of this book.

I loved learning Ruby's secrets through her letters. This book was un-put-downable and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Ben, Libby, and Nelle were awful human beings with no redeeming qualities. You will love to hate them! Note that this is more of a family drama than what many would consider a typical thriller. The twist was "meh", hence 4 stars instead of 5.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC!

A spectacular debut that makes you realize that just because things could have been different, that doesn't mean they would have been better. I read this book in one sitting. It would create some great book club discussions!
As Leona navigates her "other" life, she learns things about her family, friends, and herself. There are some heavy topics, but they are handled with great care.
Thanks to NetGalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for the ARC!

Such a treasure! We follow Isaac from age 8 through age 96. He survives an avalanche, the Dust Bowl, the USS Houston during WWII, Civil rights protests in 1966 Mississippi, a tornado, an earthquake, and being gay when it was illegal to be so. As bleak as this all sounds, it really is an enjoyable book with great characters. Themes of friendship, family, and love will leave you wanting more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC!

Let me begin by saying that I've read a few books recently by Irish authors and I have loved each one!
'Service' surrounds Daniel Costello, a well known chef, and the accusations of sexual assault/rape against him. The book alternates perspectives between three characters: Hannah, a waitresses, Julie, Dan's wife, and Dan. This melancholic book would make an excellent book club selection. Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the ARC!

My gosh this was absolutely riveting! You NEED to listen to this on audio instead of reading it. I've listened to 188 audiobooks since discovering last year that I could retain them, and this is likely the best audiobook production I've ever heard! These weren't narrators, they were actors. I was so submerged into the story that I often forgot this was a novel. It sounded like a podcast. Bravo to everyone involved in this production! 👏👏👏

All the stars! This is easily my most loved book of the year. When I was at 80% and only had 2 hours left to listen, I was sad that it would be over soon. I adored these characters, and they made me laugh out loud multiple times. Definitely the perfect book to start out Pride month!
Coincidental buddy read with Joyce!

This is the only TJR book I've disliked. I woukd have bailed on it if it wasn't an Audible credit. I rarely give 1 stars to books because I bail on books that I don't enjoy. (Life is too short and there are too many books.) There isn't one thing that I liked about Carrie Soto - the book or rhe character - which makes me sad because I adore TJR books, but I have to be honest.

Wow. This is such a dark book. It's definitely not "enjoyable". On the other hand, it's such a good story and written so well. I read to relax, to enjoy myself, and to escape from the negativity of the world. So many parts of this book have been very uncomfortable and unpleasant. Gruesome books, horror books, or whatever you want to categorize this book, are not for me. If you enjoy those, though, you'll love this book!

Once again, Julia Whelan is the reason I gave this 4 stars. I'm not sure I would have liked it as much if I had read the physical book. Not that it was bad, it just wasn't exactly my type of book.

Super cute love story. I'm not sure what's keeping me from giving it 5 stars. Maybe I've read too many rom-coms on my rom-com kick? I think the reason Alex and Poppy cut ties for 2 years was pretty ridiculous considering their history. But these two are one of the most adorable couples. Julia Whelan narrated it. She can make any story amazing. I can't help wondering if I would've felt the same about the book if I read it instead.

This was unexpectedly fun and comical! Not serious in the least which made it a great escape. Vero is one of the best side characters! I listened to it on audio which I think helped make the story better.

I can't decide betweeen 3.5 and 4 stars. Probably because it was on audio so the twists towards the end were hard for me to follow. I also felt that the final reveal was a bit underwhelming. Maybe its one of those "it's not the book, it's my attention span" situations.

Everyone needs an Atlas!!!
This was so much better than I expected! Lily and Atlas are my favorite CoHo couple. No lying, deceiving, manipulating, or jumping to conclusions - just kind, mature people who know how to communicate. I adore them! I've seen some people ask what the point of this book was, or say it was "useless". Sometimes we just want to see our favorite characters living life and being happy. I, for one, was totally here for it!

I should've read the book instead. That was the oddest-speaking narrator I've ever listened to. The story was ok, predictable, and fun for this Halloween season, but wow. I can't even describe what the narrator did with her inflection but it was weird & distracting. No one speaks like that. She also over enunciated everything.
To the author, stop calling sex "shagging"! It takes the reader out of the moment and it doesn't fit the characters.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. I really enjoyed this book for the first 7 hours. When there were about 4 hours left it hit a lull for an hour or two. I enjoyed most of the book so I round up to 4 instead of down to 3.

Some parts were difficult for me to listen to as it reminded me of my dads final years. It was done so painfully realistic and spectacularly accurate on the audiobook that it warrants me writing a trigger warning for dementia/Alzheimer's.

ALL THE STARS for the first book of this trilogy!! I don't even know how many times I said "WHAAAAAT?!?!?!?" up until the very last lines! I'm so glad I listened to this on audio instead of reading it. Since my eyes couldn't glance ahead, I was totally surprised and taken off guard by every twist. SPECTACULAR!!!!!! READ THIS BOOK!!!!!

I just started this Audible Original and I have to say I absolutely love the sound effects! I'm listening at my desk at work with my earbuds in, and the effects make me feel like I'm sitting on the bus with the characters!

Tom Hanks was a brilliant narrator who brought this quiet little story to life. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much had I read the book. I struggled between 4 and 5 stars but settled on 4 because the 5th star would have been solely for Tom Hanks.

I loved this part near the end:

"You have to serve those who need to be served, not just the ones who make you feel good about yourself."

I wasn't expecting to love this book so much, but here I am, adoring another perfect Evelyn! The narration was fantastic, the dual timelines felt natural, and it a delightful read with nothing explicit. It made me want to move to a cabin in Hereford, Massachusetts with them!

Wow! What a surprise this book ended up to be! An enemies to lovers rom-com is something I never thought I'd read, so imagine my utter delight when I fell in love with this book! All the characters were extremely likeable (except Josh's boss and dad, obviously). The narrator was spectacular! Her voice is adorable, and I loved how she voiced Lucy's boss. It reminded me of Eva Gabor's Lisa on Green Acres. Book 40 is one of my favorite books of 2022!

Part 1/2
What a fortuitous (Word of the day! 😉) delight! It was so nice to get lost in these characters' lives and relish their slices of life on the Cape. Quite a few hilarious farcical (Word of the day! 🤣) situations and laugh out loud moments which are infrequent for me! I highly recommend this for anyone wanting to escape the current ugliness in this country.

I was expecting more of a biography of Bernie, so I was disappointed. But I can't say it is a bad book just because it wasn't what I expected. For what it was, it was great. It just wasn't what I was looking for. I am therefore leaving it unrated.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
All the stars! I rarely read a book in one sitting, but I could't put this book down! (Most of the time it was because I couldn't wait to see what Olivia would actually say or think next 😆!) My advice is to go in blind and enjoy the wild ride. I can't even form a proper review for this one just yet. If you like psychological thrillers, The Real Housewives, short but exciting chapters, and multiple points of view, read this book!!!!!

(Part 1) I can't even rate this on Goodreads. I was so excited for this book for several reasons. First, it's Anne Tyler so how could it not be good, right? Second, Deep Creek Lake (where I live) is a setting in the beginning of the book and also a memory brought up throughout. Even though the shops and roads and such were entirely fictitious, it did give me a warm feeling to see "Deep Creek Lake" mentioned so many times in a book.

ALL THE STARS!!!!!! I can't put into words how much I enjoyed this book. I thought about it when I wasn't reading it, and hated putting it down when I was. I even cried a couple times towards the end!
My favorite husband was definitely Harry! He was such a treasure and I'm thankful Evelyn always had him by her side.
It still saddens me to see how far we still have to go for the LGBTQ community, but reading this realized just how far we have come.

Neil Gaiman reading A Christmas Carol was absolutely perfect! I expected nothing less from Neil! 😍

"But darling," she said dramatically, "I'm your Auntie Mame!" She put her arms around me and kissed me, and I knew I was safe.

This fun and quirky book landed itself on my favorites shelf long before I even finished reading it. I also enjoyed learning about Patrick Dennis when I looked him up after the foreword; he is someone I would've liked to have met! I'll be reading his other books if they are half as fun as Auntie Mame is!
LGBTQ friendly!

This book is basically a Hallmark movie in book form, which was exactly what I was looking for on these 90+ degree days with the world being ugly. I never watch Hallmark movies or read books like this, but it was a lovely, although predictable, escape from my news feed.

I had a hard time rating this book. I toggled between 3.5 and 5 stars. It was a very good story, but there were some plot holes that the editor should have caught so this debut could have been a smash hit. We never learn the motive for the on-campus shooting. We get an idea of what it could be, but everyone who reads the book could think something different as to why because we aren't really given any clues. (Continued in comments)

Tough one to review. I liked so much about it that for most of the book I leaned towards giving it 5 stars, but I was annoyed by the multitide of 80s references that sometimes seemed forced, only mentioned for the sake of mentioning them. The last 100 pages slogged for me and I had to fight the urge to skim. I think it because it was too saccharine for my tastes. I would still recommend it just for the nostalgia to those of us in our 40s and 50s.

This was such a fun little feel-good book! It was just what I needed to read after an emotionally draining week. I had a couple issues with the ending, but other than that I loved it!

This book was laugh-out-loud funny! Very few books have ever made me laugh out loud, but this one did just that multiple times! Highly recommend this for a quick, fun, quirky, feel-good read.

"Don't you wish you were here?"

THIS BOOK IS PERFECTION! I can't even find the words needed to convey how much I love this book. Nothing I can say would be adequate enough, anyway. I never dreamed I would find a book that I fell in love with more than 'A Man Called Ove', but here it is!

This books gets all the stars! I am in love with this book! I'm fortunate to have gone in blind, knowing nothing about the story and not having watched the show. What a gem of a series to discover! My adoration for this book reminds me of my love for Outlander. I'm so excited for the next book!

A modern day Thelma and Louise, but far better! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even more than 'In An Instant' which ended up on my favorites list last year as my first 5 star Kindle First Reads choice. (This was also a Kindle First Reads.) It was an exciting page turning adventure. I'm terrible at reviews because I don't want to give things away, but know that Hadley & Grace made my 2021 favorites list which is saying something!

Wow! I didn't quite know what to expect going into this. I cried throughout most of the book, which I've never done before. I cried while writing the review!
Widowish is a very well written memoir. I felt so much emotion for everyone. Melissa is so fortunate to have been surrounded by so much love. I admired how raw she was; I'm sure some things were extremely difficult to share.
It is a reminder that good people and true love both still exist.

This is my first book written in verse. Once I got used to it, the rest was smooth sailing. Although the MC, Ana, was the furthest thing from likeable, this book was an engrossing page turner. Connor was pretty awful, too. Poor Rebecca and Paul, though. I loved them both. Ana did not deserve Paul's kindness, patience, or understanding, and the last page made me so mad. Ana is such a selfish, obsessive, and unstable character.

Wow that was so good!!! I don't normally read fantasy, but this is easily my favorite book of 2020!

This was such a fun book! It was reminiscent of A Man Called Ove regarding how ordinary it was, but it thankfully didn't have the sadness of Ove. It was a quick read and made me feel good. I haven't had much luck with concentrating on reading this year, nor have I had much luck with the books I have read being 5 star content, so this was definitely a treat.

This book was incredible! I really don't know what else to say. It was so well written, so believable, I don't recall any eyeroll-worthy moments (and I can be a tough critic). The Author's Note at the end added the final touch. I loved that I didn't know about what she revealed in that note, but it was an "ah-ha" moment of why this story worked so well. I am normally not impressed with Kindle First Reads, so I was really surprised. Fabulous book!

Snuggling up with this gem of a book. I'm only just beginning, but I am enjoying it so much already. I miss his class, eloquence, and grace.

I love it so far, but I'm taking a break at 25%. A character just did something that made me SO angry. I feel as helpless as the girl who's watching it happen. Without spoiling it, things that bother me the most in life are when people hurt dogs, elderly, kids, or the mentally challenged. I don't care if it's survival mode, no one but an ugly soul would do what that character just did. I hope I can continue. I have a feeling it will be a 5🌟 book.

The first 150 pages were great! I'm talking 5-star great! Then it took a drastic turn and I was so disappointed. 👎👎 It was reminiscent of Girl on the Train, which I hated. I skimmed so much towards the end because it was just so ridiculous and unbelievable. Also, without saying too much to be a spoiler, I had expected to read a book about the premise which we were given, but that was not truly the case.

I'm at 68% and it's un-put-downable! It has me so angry that I want to climb in the book and kill him myself! It's making my heart race just waiting for everything to explode. I put it down a little bit ago without saying a word and swept my steps and garage, dusted my office, and vacuumed just so I could relax a bit! It's so good and I hate this "new husband" so much! I think she's finally seeing the light now, though!
#TheNewHusband

Reading my ARC of #TheNewHusband! I'm 50 pages in and can't put it down!!

What a fun little book! It isn't my normal choice, but I like Ren Faires and I'm from Maryland! One thing I disliked: Emily's insecurities. Some were reasonable, but so many were ridiculous. I actually skipped over her internal dialogue towards the end. I was excited to find out that there will be a sequel about Stacey. Hopefully there aren't as many insecurities in this one because I really like the characters and world that DeLuca created.

I loved this little book! It was 218 pages of love, smiles, and amazing quotes that I wish I had noted. This book was reminiscent of A Man Called Ove, which I also loved. At this moment (having just finished the book) I'm not sure which book I loved more. For those who have heard me gush over Ove, you know this is really saying something. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy (as I do with all my favorite books) so I can loan it to friends.

"Auschwitz not only kills innocents; it kills innocence as well."
Wow! What a powerful line. I stopped and read it again two more times.

Wow! I've anxiously awaited the release of this book ALL YEAR and in typical Ruta fashion, it did not disappoint! The ending seemed abrupt to me, partly because I was expecting to read the closure of the story rather than just assume what happened, and partly because of the number of pages left which ended up being notes, etc. I loved every single sentence on every single page. I totally fell in love with these characters! Bravo, Ruta! Bravo! 👏👏