I'd like to give this a 3.5. Well-written, charming memoir of a couple who take the plunge and start a new business as outsiders in a small town. Loved the local stories, sympathized with some of the more librarian-ish aspects of their jobs!

Sweet story that follows chick lit patterns but has the distinction of a male narrator. He is a shy guy who starts to fall for an unknown coworker after scanning her emails as part of his IT job.

I enjoyed BFF Beth & Jennifer's back and forth gossipy emails (and was reminded of my own email conversations in a past office life) and thought Lincoln was believable & likeable as a shy loner trying to get back out into the world. (In fact, he reminded me of a less-quirky Lars from the excellent film "Lars and the Real Girl.")

This was a fun read, but I don't know that I will be checking out the sequels.

I can't give this a blanket recommendation because of potential subject matter triggers (sexual abuse against a child) but I could NOT put this book down. While some parts do read like a PSA or pamphlet about abuse, the story & characters really grabbed me and I had to know if this family was going to be ok.

Listened to this one on audio--I think authors should have to listen to their books read aloud, because some of the dialog sounded really stiff and formal. And although I appreciated Evanovich's commitment to showing that she is, in fact, familiar with Boston, I didn't need to hear every single turn onto every single street that the protagonists made every time they drove somewhere.

I wanted something light and I am a sucker for Regency stuff, but I just couldn't get into this. There was no romantic tension (the leads are basically into each other from Day 1) and you could tell 1/3 of the way in who the villain is. So what's to keep you going? I made it a little over halfway and then skipped ahead to the end just to confirm my guesses. "Sorcery and Cecelia" by Patricia Wrede was a lot more fun!

I had to wait for the right moment to read this book because I knew it would be a rough ride. That said, EVERYONE needs to read this. Yes, there are some pretty depressing statistics and stories, but there is also a LOT to feel hopeful about and many, many suggestions for how my own efforts could make a big different.

I was really, really excited for this book, and there was a lot about it that I really liked, but I had a hard time with all the language. Just . . . MAN that's a lot of bad language, and names for genitalia. But some of her points were just awesome, including these:

You don't have to tell people that they are being sexist. You can just say that they are being rude, and that can be enough.

To decide if something is a sexist issue, ask yourself if this is something Jon Stewart has to worry about. Example: mandated bikini waxing, women being mean/unsupportive to other women, etc. If it's something that Jon Stewart and, by extension, men in general, don't have to worry about, then it's a made up thing that has been put onto women.

Have to put in a shout-out to Amy Ferguson Hackworth, the co-writer. She is lovely and I'm sure is the reason why this reads a lot better than NieNie's blog does.

Found myself getting all feminist-up-in-arms in the beginning when 19-yr-old Stephanie explains that she doesn't care about college or jobs and just wants to get married and have babies like right now. Except a true feminist would say that a woman should be able to choose the life SHE wants and pursue it, not the life other people would choose. So, fine.

And yes. Cried tears through the last two-thirds.