Beach Read by Emily Henry

Beach Read by Emily Henry, 361 p.

"Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block. Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really."--Goodreads blurb

I'm on a contemporary romance kick, and I'm loving it! I seriously am having the best time reading these books. They feel like a summer breeze, and I read this book on the beach! How apropos! Another really fun and funny story set in the book world! This enemies-to-lovers story has a hard undercurrent with the situations both characters are going through, but they can get through it all together. I can see why this is THE summer beach read. 
 

Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter

 

                                           Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter-307 pages

Through several twists and turns, a couple finds out that they are truly better together than apart.  A very sweet love story that takes place in the remote countryside.  Forced to finally tell Noah her deepest secrets, Josephine finds that Noah's unconditional love is the only thing that can heal her troubled soul.  A nice easy read, that has you screaming at Josephine, "just tell him"!! You are pulling for both of them as they try to survive a late spring snowstorm out in the wilds.  Knowing that they belong together if they can just get past all the hurt.  I enjoyed it very much.

Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter

       Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter-307 pages

Following his divorce, Noah gave up his dream job, settling at a remote horse ranch in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Georgia, putting much-needed distance between himself and the former love of his life. But then Noah gets a letter from the IRS claiming he and Josephine are still married. When he confronts Josephine for the first time in months, they discover that she missed the final step in filing the paperwork and they are, in fact, still married.

Josephine takes the high road and decides to deliver the divorce papers to Noah herself to save him a trip to town.  She must have not checked the forecast, because the worst spring snowstorm in a decade has decided to dump a lot of snow on top of them.

As the electricity goes out and they are forced to live in one room around the fireplace, old wounds surface and tempers flare.  And yet, Noah still finds himself in love with his wife.  Once she finally admits all that she has endured in her past, Noah realizes that even he has let her down.  Will they tear up those divorce papers? I guess you will have to read it to find out!

A nice, clean easy read.  I enjoyed it very much. 

The Friends We Keep by Susan Mallery

 The Friends We Keep by Susan Mallery-376 pages


Looking for a lighter read I picked up this book by Susan Mallery.  I enjoyed the characters, though I found one of them irritatingly winey.  There are three friends who are all dealing with different circumstances.  As they work through their problems together all three will find fulfilling outcomes.  Brings to the fore the importance of good and loyal friends in our lives.  To share good times with and to help us get through distressing times too.  I enjoyed it very much and look forward to hopefully more releases in this series.  Mischief Bay #2

Layover by Amy Andelson & Emily Mayer

Layover by Amy Andelson & Emily Mayer - 265 pages

Flynn and Amos have been avoiding each other for nearly six months.  They've always been the best of friends as they looked out and cared for their younger stepsister Poppy.  However, a growing crush by each of them on the other has made things incredibly awkward and has sent Amos running away to boarding school.  Christmas vacation will be the first time they spend any time together.  When Poppy reveals a huge secret while on a layover in LA, Flynn and Amos decide it's time to take a break and stay in LA with Poppy.  Now they're on the run while trying to figure out what to do next . . .

It seems that the stepsiblings falling in love has been a common story plot lately in teen books. I enjoyed this one as it told the story from both Amos and Poppy's point of view as well as Poppy's.  I also liked that while the plot was not realistic at all that the final resolution was much more realistic than many books of this genre.  I would definitely recommend this to teens wanting romance or family stories.

Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie

Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie - 272 pages

Lucy is having a bad week.  Her husband didn't bother to show up for the divorce and she was just attacked by a mugger.  But her week gets even worse when she finds out that the mugger was actually a police detective trying to protect her as it seems someone is trying to kill her.  Now the police detective has moved into her house to keep her safe.  She just has to decide if she wants her heart to stay safe from the detective.

This was a quick, fun read by Jennifer Crusie.  This was an early romance by her.  It contains her typical humorous romance with a little bit of suspense.

The Whole Thing Together by Ann Brashares

The Whole Thing Together by Ann Brashares - 293 pages

Sasha and Ray have shared most things for their whole life -- a family, a bedroom, and now a job.  However, they have never actually met.  Ray's mother was married to Sasha's father before they both remarried their current spouses.  The divorce was so bitter that they are never in the same place at the same time -- not even for their daughters' birthdays.  They even share a vacation house with each family taking it every other week.  Then one summer, everything changes.

I really enjoyed this book.  It really reminded my why Ann Brashares' series the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was so popular.  The writing style is very readable and the story was engrossing.  You really get caught up in the various characters' lives.  I would definitely recommend this book.

A Hundred Pieces of Me by Lucy Dillon

A Hundred Pieces of Me by Lucy Dillon  pages 512


Gina Bellamy is starting again, after a difficult few years she'd rather forget. But the belongings she's treasured for so long just don't seem to fit who she is now.

So Gina makes a resolution. She'll keep just a hundred special items - the rest can go.

But that means coming to terms with her past and learning to embrace the future, whatever it might bring.

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

176 pp. One of several candid memoirs written by Carrie Fisher, she details her childhood growing up the child of Hollywood stars, her addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, and her bipolar diagnosis and subsequent electroshock therapy treatments. Tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecating, and witty.

Bootstrapper: a Memoir by Mardi Jo Link

Bootstrapper: a Memoir by Mardi Jo Link published in 2013       258 pages
Mardi Jo Link has shared the worst time of her life in this book.
Financially broke, divorcing Mr. Wonderful, no steady job, three boys to raise, and awful things just keep happening.
Through it all she maintains her sanity and some bit of pride by relying on her three young sons and her faith in farm land.
Her story sounds familiar in that we all have been, or are going through, tough times. Mardi Jo Link demonstrates that as bad as things get, if you can find something solid to hang onto, you can live through just about anything.
I enjoyed the book, and I think you will too.

Dolores by Bruce Brooks

Dolores: Seven Stories About Her by Bruce Brooks - 135 pages

This book contains seven short stories about the girl Dolores throughout her childhood and teen years from ages 7 years to 16 years.  It includes stories on attempted kidnappings, divorced parents, first kisses, and high school cheerleading.
I enjoyed reading this book.  I had seen it for years on the shelves here at the library and finally picked it up when it was a candidate for weeding last week.  The stories were all very short but contained a lot of character development and plot.  There was no real connection between stories.  They are merely snapshots of events in her life.  I would probably suggest this for older kids as the last story does involve her being taken by man wanting sex (she does get a way without anything untoward happening to her).

No Stranger by Stella Cameron

No Stranger by Stella Cameron - 253 pages

Nick has been in love with his neighbor Abby since he moved in several months ago.  Now that her husband has left her, he decides to try to strike up a relationship.  Then he discovers that she is pregnant and has lost her job.  Now he will do anything possible to help her out and hopefully make her realize that he truly loves her.
I read this book based on a starred review in Booklist.  However, nowhere in the review did it say that it was a reprint of a book from the early 1980s.  It is extremely dated -- both in the technology, terminology, and views of divorce and pregnant women.  While the romance was cute, I certainly would not recommend this book to anyone.