The perfect blend of humor and heart.  

 

On the eve of Alice’s 40th birthday, as she ponders the status of her love life and career alongside the onslaught of grief over her ailing father, she finds herself transported back to her 16th birthday.  

 

Time travel is not my favorite modality for storytelling.  But in This Time Tomorrow, Straub brilliantly and uniquely uses it as a platform to explore grief in a poignant and cathartic way. 

 

As Alice ventures back to her 16th birthday where her dad is young, vibrant, and healthy, she’s able to see him anew.  She’s also able to notice and appreciate the tiny moments full of joy and love that often went unnoticed in the hubbub of teenage life.  With each of Alice’s jaunts into the past, I found myself equally reminiscent.  

 

But this story is much more than reflection and grief.  Ultimately it’s a heartwarming love story.  Love of/for:

✨Fathers and daughters 

✨Best friend soul mates

✨The city that is a part of us

✨The decade that build us (90s!)

✨And maybe mostly, love of self  

 

*I have a special appreciation for books that take me back to my youth, and this one was brimming with 90s nostalgia that brought back so many of my favorite memories.  

 

I love being able to combine the print + audio versions of a book. And with Marin Ireland narrating the audio version of This Time Tomorrow, I gladly partnered my earbuds and physical book. She gave an authenticity to Alice that I found relatable and endearing.  

 

Many thanks to @riverheadbooks @emmastraub and @prhaudio for these #gifted copies. 

 

 

#gifted @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks @harperaudio

 

I read a lot of thrillers.  A lot.  That means it’s hard to surprise me.  

 

Oh, but @gillianmauthor did just that.  

 

Riveting, captivating, and utterly clever.  I was entirely enthralled by the concept of this novel.  It is a MUST READ for fellow thriller junkies.  (Or actually… anyone… it has such broad appeal because it’s full of heart with an enveloping writing style and adept character development.)  

 

In just a matter of moments Jen’s son will turn 18.  An adult.  Where has the time gone?  As she reminisces while looking out the window, she’s suddenly met with a side of her son she’s never seen before.  A side she never could’ve expected.  A murderer.  Overrun with shock and awe, Jen cannot let this happen.  But how can you undo a murder you’ve just watched?  And how did her son… her brilliant, nerdy, happy son… how did he end up here?

 

What a premise!  But… take my word for this… that’s *all* you need to know.  Don’t go reading a bunch of reviews.  Don’t even read the full Goodreads synopsis.  Go in <totally> blind.  I did.  And I was rewarded in big ways because I didn’t know the vehicle McAllister used to work through this premise.  It is completely and totally brilliant.  A fresh take that I’ve never experienced before.  But it’s best experienced through McAllister’s mesmerizing prose, not synopsis/reviews. 

 

While the cleverness of this novel rightfully takes center stage, it can’t be overlooked that McAllister has given us a thriller full of heart.  As a mother and wife, I was deeply invested in Jen’s dilemma.  Uncovering hard truths.  Reassessing decisions, even the seemingly insignificant ones.  Wondering if you’ve given enough.  As a deeply reflective person, Jen resonated with me in a way most mystery/thriller characters do not.  

 

I had both physical and audio copies for this one.  Because I felt the need to devour this book, I preferred my physical copy when given a choice (I read faster than I can listen.).  But the audiobook, masterfully narrated by Lesley Sharp (and her perfect Brit accent!), was exceptionally well done.  It was easy to follow, even given the premise, and Sharp well depicted the tension and haste Jen was under. 

 

Of note:  This is a @reecebookclub pick for August! 

 

“Money can’t buy happiness… but it can buy a decent fake.”

 

Clever, fast paced, and all around fun.  This is the perfect book to throw in your pool bag.  

 

Ava was always a very driven woman.  But as a stay at home mom, she couldn’t find her stride.  Just as she reached a breaking point, her college roommate returned from China with a designer handbag on her arm…. the first of many couture handbags to be handled by these two Chinese American women as they build a global counterfeit handbag enterprise.  

 

This book is a total page-turner that is high in entertainment value.  I felt strong Crazy Rich Asians vibes but with a heist type storyline.    

 

Chen created morally gray characters that I couldn’t help but root for, even at their most conniving.  And the storyline delivery felt very fitting.  As Ava talks to the detective recounting the details of their scheme you get a sense that you know her fully.  Yet do you?

 

But it may have been the look into the world of counterfeit goods that was the most revealing part of the book.    

 

If you love couture fashion mixed with a dose of drama and deviousness, you’ll enjoy this book.  

 

I enjoyed mixing the print and audio versions of this book.  Catherine Ho’s narration on the audiobook is exceptionally executed.  

 

Thank you to @williammorrow @bibliolifestyle and @librofm for the #gifted copies.

 

Also of note, Counterfeit is the @reecebookclub pick for June!

An atmospheric jaunt to the free love and drug induced haze of the 60’s.  

 

Longing to break free from her dour country existence, Claire moves to London and seeks out the “It” crowd.  It’s not long before she’s swept away to Marrakesh where she meets Talitha Getty.  At a turning point, Claire must decide who she really is at her core.   

 

I wanted to get lost in Claire’s transition from country mouse to fully aware and enlightened adult.  But the evolution felt stifled and laced with immaturity.  The juxtaposition between old Claire and the one that wanted to break free didn’t feel natural, and I constantly questioned her sensibilities. Ultimately, Claire required a knight in shining armor, which left me feeling deflated and frustrated with that same old trope.   

 

To this day, Talitha’s bohemian style resonates and her fashion legacy looms large.  And while the book does portray her magnetism and charisma, I felt as though this novel pigeonholed her into a persona, leaving out the core of who she actually was.  

 

To the degree that the characterization and coming of age aspects didn’t work, the atmosphere and opulence of Marrakesh and the execution of the 60’s lifestyle absolutely DID.  

 

The decadence of the Getty’s compound is laid bare in gorgeous detail.  I felt as though I were traversing the grounds in all its bold splendor.  

 

Likewise, the parties and gatherings, which rightfully include Yves Saint Laurent, brought me into the circle, giving me a firsthand look into the forbidden.  Green well portrays the catalyst for the drug and sex induced haze of the sixties while envisioning it as both alluring and a warning.     

 

The atmosphere of this book allowed me to time travel to an otherwise impossible time and place.  And that was a win for me.  

This made for a great buddy read!  The discussions that @rachellelovesbooks and I had elevated my enjoyment of this book.  

 

Many thanks to @hanoversquarepress and @htpbooks for this #gifted copy.  

 

 

Can you be an American and not beholden to the romanticism of Camelot?  The Kennedys weren’t just a long standing dynasty.  They were an ideology and a hope.  And in many ways, all of that came crashing to an unexpected demise in the Atlantic Ocean alongside John Jr. in 1999.

 

But what if?  It’s a loaded question in many ways.  Yet in Meant to Be, Giffin considers just that and reimagines John Jr’s life and legacy.  

 

An unlikely match.  Joe, the golden boy…wealthy and highly educated, with a family heritage of service to country.  Cate, the downtrodden girl…poor and uneducated but a firecracker go-getter and fiercely beautiful.    It only takes one look at her for his heart to be irrevocably stolen.  

 

While the storyline isn’t wholly original, it is a charming and entertaining re-envisioning that I think will appeal broadly.  Giffin’s depiction of this gilded era was sentimental and often eerily evocative of John Jr’s actual life. And the romance had just the right amount of angst and passion to believably overcome all obstacles mounted against the couple. 

 

If you’re looking for a reminder that sometimes love is just meant to be, Giffin’s newest book takes a hopeless story and transforms it into something of the fairytale we once dreamed Camelot to be.  

 

Grab this one for your beach or pool bag!

 

🎧I went back and forth between the print and audiobook editions (busy mom life!). The audiobook is well narrated by Caroline Hewitt and Robert Petkoff, giving Joe and Cate distinct voices. 

 

Thank you to @emilygiffinauthor @penguinrandomhouse and @prhaudio for these #gifted copies.

 

 

Melancholic yet captivating and hopeful.  Teenage years interrupted by grief.  A life shaped by overcoming loss.  But mostly, a love letter to a sister.  

 

Little sisters have a way of idolizing big sisters.  Sally was only 3 years younger than Kathy, but those extra few years combined with Sally’s total adoration allowed Kathy to guide Sally as she matured.  Or she did until Kathy suddenly died in a tragic accident.  Without Kathy, Sally was left rudderless.  Lost and adrift.  

 

The book is narrated by Sally as she talks to Kathy, her internal dialogue laid bare detailing the depth of emotion that spans more than a decade as she grapples with the loss.  

 

Espach masterfully utilized first person POV to vividly entrench me into Sally’s inner monologue.  Every emotion she experienced was so vividly portrayed that I felt it alongside Sally.  The conflict between being crippled by grief and living a full life was intense and wholly relatable.  As the story progressed and Sally’s voice evolved, I became more deeply connected to her, fully invested in her life and her healing. 

 

The slower pace of the story felt fitting to this intimate and raw exposition on grief.  The journey was intricate in nature, showcasing the full arc of the stages and emotions.  While much of the novel is drenched in sorrow, lighter moments and an overall sense of hope created balance.  

 

While the symbolism in the story’s conclusion worked, the open-endedness of it left me wanting.  After feeling so deeply connected with Sally, I was desperate for more.  And yet maybe no ending could properly match the emotion the rest of the novel evoked.  

 

This novel has sat deeply with me after my own recent experiences with loss.  It was cathartic in a way I didn’t even know I needed.    

 

I enjoyed the physical copy of this book most, but the audiobook narrated by Jesse Villinsky is excellently done and gave a distinct voice to Sally and her grief.  

 

Thank you @henryholtbooks and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies. 

“Don’t know if it’s good or bad that a Google search on “Big Bang Theory” lists the sitcom before the origin of the Universe” @neiltyson on Twitter

 

I’ve always been fascinated by the enormity of the universe. It’s the place where the crossroads between ignorance and knowledge is most prominent.   

 

DeGrasse Tyson’s Cosmic Queries is the perfect repository for every scientific curiosity.  With topics ranging from dark matter to string theory to RNA (and much more), this book covers the evolution of scientific thinking in a way that is accessible and enlightening.  

 

While DeGrasse Tyson is the personification of PhD smarts, his writing never feels academic or aloof.  Using humor, everyday examples, and visuals, he provides astrophysicist level knowledge in an easy to understand format made for all science lovers.  

 

*Pro tip:  Have ingredients on hand for your favorite loaf of  raisin bread.  You’ll start to crave it around 1/3 of the way into the book as you come to a greater understanding of the expansion of the universe. 

 

Many thanks to @neil @natgeo @tclbook for this #gifted copy

 

Compulsively readable. Once I picked this book up, I couldn’t put it down. 

Andrew returned home from a weekend fishing trip to find his wife gone. Disappeared without a trace. Now six (long, hard) years later, she might be back. Are those sightings really her? And what happened six years ago when she went missing? 

The novel unfolds in short, action packed chapters that often left me with more questions than answers, demanding that I read at least “one more chapter” again and again. As the pov alternated, my mind raced to create or amend theories. And even when I had a strong lock on what I believed happened, I wasn’t 100% convinced until it all unraveled, which created a satisfying mystery to disentangle. 

While I did need to suspend reality some, it did not interfere with my enjoyment of the novel. This is an all-around fun, keep-you-guessing novel that won’t disappoint. 

Major shoutout to one of my fav booksta buddies, @book_wine_and_thinker who let me inundate her with *all* my complex and everchanging theories. I’d suggest reading this one with a buddy so that you can compare notes and have fun making predictions together. 

I combined the print and audio of this book. The audiobook is narrated by a cast and was both easy to follow and well executed. Joe Knezevich was the primary narrator, and he created a distinct voice exemplifying Andrew as the conflicted husband. 

Thank you to my partners @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks and @harperaudio for the #gifted copies. 

Villains. We love to hate them. And this book puts that front and center as Lucas’ snarky, devious voice details his every motive and move. 

He needed money. Lots of money. And there’s no easier way to get an abundance of cash than to inherit it. But just as it appears he’s pulled off a brilliantly lucrative con, cracks in the execution start to appear. 

McKinnon nailed Lucas’ inner voice. I felt deeply entrenched in his psyche. His pompous and conniving nature was a complete juxtaposition to the tenderness he felt for his dad. The idea that I occasionally felt sorry for such a psychopath shows adept characterization. 

While Lucas’ internal dialogue is written with skill, the first person POV didn’t work for me. Eventually I lost interest in his meanderings of his thought. And the ending, while I suspected some of it, was a bit too over the top and too unrealistic for me to fully enjoy. 

I went back and forth between the print and audio versions of this book. Alex Wyndham’s British accent gave an allure to Lucas’ most devious thoughts. 

Many thanks to my partners Mira Books, HTP, and Harper Audio for the #gifted copies!

Part mystery/thriller, part historical fiction with a side of romance… Barr’s Woman on Fire gave me bits of everything I love reading, creating the best genre mash up!   

 

An acclaimed last portrait by Ernst Engel…stolen by Nazis.  Two people with ties to the painting…one a psychopath and the other nearing death. Who will find it first? And which one is the rightful owner?

 

The way Barr utilized the beauty and allure of art to offset the sinister and cut throat nature of the underground art world created a uniquely provocative, high stakes tale that I couldn’t tear myself away from.  I became deeply invested in the painting and seeing it restored to its rightful place.  

 

The novel, steeped in history and truth, became so alive to me that I found myself wanting to google the fictional aspects.  {Surely there must be images of both the Woman on Fire and Ellis’ Baums masterfully designed shoes.} To me, that is mark of adept research and writing.  

 

Sexy, scandalous, intense, and bold.  This is a perfect book to get lost in by the pool this summer!

Many thanks to @harperperennial and @getredpr for these #gifted copies.