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Favorite Reads of 2017

Asking a bookworm to choose her favorite book is like asking a cat lady to pick her favorite feline, or asking a hoarder to pick his favorite box of antique bobble heads. It's just nearly impossible. But I can try and narrow it down for you so that you can at least pick from a variety. This year was probably my favorite year of reading. There were so many moving, well-written, thought-provoking and thrilling stories. I read 65 books, including print, e-books and audiobooks. My goal was 60 so I was so happy about surpassing my goal! Check out the complete list of reads on my Goodreads Account ) There is just no way to choose favorites so I am just going to highlight the books that stood out to me the most and link to them so you can read more about them on either my past reviews or Goodreads. I am not saying these books were the only good ones I read. There are literally tons of amazing books but I just wanted to give you a quick round up. The Last Mrs. Parrish  by Liv Cons

A Very Bookish Christmas

It was a very bookish Christmas around here this year....

Book Review: Little Broken Things

Book Review: Little Broken Things by Nicole Baart  There is nothing better than a thriller that really makes you think. You're not just reading it, you feel like you are right there with the characters, trying to figure it along with them.  Nora and Quinn are estranged sisters with secrets that they are both trying everything they can to keep hidden. Across the lake Quinn and her husband are living, their mother is secretly watching them through the telescope of her deceased husband. She's trying to figure out why Quinn is acting so strange, coming and going in the middle of the night  When Nora shows up after a year, asking Quinn to take care of something for her, Quinn is floored when she realized that "Something" is a 6 year old little girl. Without giving any answers, Nora disappears again without any explanation. So not only must Quinn figure out how to take care of this silent, helpless child, she must also come to terms with the fact that she looks unmist

Best Day Ever Makes The BEST GIFT Ever!

Do you love giving books as gifts as much as I do? Right now, there are at least 10 books wrapped up under the tree for my friends and family and I can't wait for them to be opened! I am partnering with #BESTDAYEVER to give you a chance to give a great thriller as a present too! Check out the link below! A post shared by Jen- That's What She Read (@thats_what_she_read) on Dec 9, 2017 at 9:40am PST I absolutely love giving books as gifts and #BestDayEver by @kairarouda makes the best gift ever! Right now you can win a copy of this awesome thriller plus a $25 @amazon gift card! You can enter here: BEST DAY EVER Giveaway link Contest is open to US and Canada entrants until 12/17

Book Review: The Last Mrs. Parrish

Book Review: The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine Don't you love a good ol' fashioned "Who's the real bad guy" thriller? Well, in this case, it's rather "who is the bad woman?" because even though Amber, our first narrator, would like you to think she's the alpha-female who deserves what everyone else has, there are more sinister plans going on in the minds of the other characters. The first Mrs. Parrish, Daphne, is impeccably dressed, refined and living in the lap of luxury. Amber nestled herself next to her, under the pretense of friendship, all the while planning to rip the Parrish thrown right out from underneath her.  But beyond the mansions, the cars, the luxurious vacations, Mr. & Mrs. Parrish have secrets of their own and Amber may find out too late that their facade is anything but grand. There is a major plot twist and a shift of power in this thriller that will make you start reading with a quicker pace because

Book Review: The Wife Between Us

Book Review: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen  The premise of this book is captivating. At first I think it's clear: A man left his wife for his assistant and the ex-wife is left devastated. The new bride is carried away in the new lavish lifestyle her husband-to-be is creating for her and she barely notices the subtle clues that someone is stalking her, watching her every move. Nellie is cute, bubbly and everything that Vanessa used to be. The ex wife, Vanessa, is a recovering alcoholic living with her aunt, wondering how Richard could leave her. So she sets up on a mission to find out what Nellie has that she doesn't and to find a way to seek revenge. If the book would have wrapped up after the first major twist in the middle of the book, I would have been impressed but the hits and twists just kept coming so it was impossible to put down.   I think the twists and turns, plus the creepy narration from an unreliable character who is clea

Book Recommendation: The Thing With Feathers by McCall Hoyle

Emilie Day believes in playing it safe: she’s home-schooled, her best friend is her seizure dog, and she’s probably the only girl on the Outer Banks of North Carolina who can’t swim. Then Emilie’s mom enrolls her in public school, and Emilie goes from studying at home in her pj’s to halls full of strangers. To make matters worse, Emilie is paired with starting point guard Chatham York for a major research project on Emily Dickinson. She should be ecstatic when Chatham shows interest, but she has a problem. She hasn’t told anyone about her epilepsy. Emilie lives in fear her recently adjusted meds will fail and she’ll seize at school. Eventually, the worst happens, and she must decide whether to withdraw to safety or follow a dead poet’s advice and “dwell in possibility.” From Golden Heart award-winning author McCall Hoyle comes  The Thing with Feathers , a story of overcoming fears, forging new friendships, and finding a first love, perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven, Robyn S

Book Review: The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

Book Review: The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall "A timely novel about an accusation against a beloved schoolteacher and the repercussions on his loved ones, exploring issues of loyalty, truth, and the meaning of happiness through the lens of an all-American family on the brink of collapse." This story, told from the perspectives of the family members of a man accused of sexual abuse of numerous teenage girls, gives a new side of all too familiar story. Unfortunately, this topic is something we have to face every day but this book really dives into what happens to the family structure of those who are left behind in the midst of the accusations and subsequent trial against their father, husband and friend.  I really got into the family's feelings. I got it. I empathized with all of them, which I feel is sometimes difficult with multiple narrators but the author does a great job writing distinct voices for each: the mother, the daughter and the s

Book Review: Kitchens of the Great Midwest

It seemed to me that this book has been chasing me around for the past 2 years. I kept seeing it on all the blogs, bookshelves and lists for great reads but for some reason, I never added it to my reading list . Today I wanted to tell you how happy I am that I finally picked it up... My local library has a limited choice of audio books but I was between my audible credits so I grabbed it off the shelf and before I knew it, I was laughing out loud as I listened to it on my way to work. The first chapter is about a father trying to feed his daughter pureed pork shoulder. He literally has no idea what he's doing and it was funny, endearing and so engaging. I just finished it today. I find a really great joy in immersing myself in the novels I read, and that is especially easy to do when they give recipes as part of the story. I absolutely love that  opportunity to really experience whatever it is that that character themselves get to experience. This morning is a Saturday so

Book Review: Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

Happy Pub Day to Colleen Hoover!  Without Merit is my favorite of her books so far.  You will never meet a family more unique than the Voss family. You will never meet more quirky characters. There's a ton of kids, an agoraphobic mother who lives in the basement, a step-mom that lives upstairs and a bunch of kids who really just don't know what the hell is going on.  There is Merit and her twin sister, Honor and their brothers and father who round out the story. There's also a really pissed off neighbor and a couple terminally ill people in the mix as well.  I think my favorite part of this book was the very beginning (even though whole book is one great scene after another) when Merit is browsing an antique shop for her next trophy to add to her collection (see what I mean about quirky?) when she unexpectedly ends up kissing a stranger out on the street.  That escalated quickly, I bet you're thinking. And you're right. That's how this book goe

You're Invited to Book Chat with Paperless Post

Have you heard of Paperless Post? It's a super fun and easy way to surprise guests with a classic invitation just like the old days- along with the convenience of doing it right from your phone or email.  When Paperless Post offered to partner with me, I knew the perfect event I could use my invitations for. Recently, I invited fellow bookworms over to my house for a "Book Chat" night. I've been wanting to have a book club for years but could never get people together, let alone think of a book we would all enjoy reading. On top of that, it was hard to imagine finding the time to read another book on top of all the others I read for reviews. So instead, I decided we could just get together to talk about whatever book we are currently reading. And the night turned out to be everything I was hoping for, and more.  I of course wanted to use a bookish theme for the invite and Paperless Post came through with the perfect one. They have so many to choose from

Book Review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celest Ng

This story about family took so much patience and understanding to read, so don't go into this lightly. And I mean that in the most positive of ways. I loved this novel. I read it slowly, like a decadent dessert because I wanted to savor every detail.  Mrs. Richardson, Mia, Mrs. McCullough, BeBe, these are all women who try and illustrate what it means to be a mother and the sacrifices that we make to take care of our children.  The book opens with a literal fire and so immediately the title makes sense but the more I read, the more I realized that it was merely a metaphor for the internal fires that burned inside so many of the characters. Every one of them were wrestling with secrets, decisions, fights and emotions that made me truly think about what it would be like to be in their shoes.  There are too many narratives for me to put it all into a nutshell of a review so I will try and explain here why you should read it instead of give a synopsis.  Read this book because

Show Us Your Books: August

Show Us Your Books: I promised myself I would not forget to link up with Steph and Jana today so I listed all my books weeks ago and guess what? I still forgot to come back and write more about the books! So for now, I am just going to list them for the sake of time.  Short summary: Gather The Daughters and Fierce Kingdom were my favorite. See What I Have Done was meh.  Gather The Daughters by Jennie Melamed One of Us is Lying by Karen MacManus  Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta  Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips Class Mom by Laurie Gelman  Are You Sleeping  by Kathleen Barber  The Necklace  by Claire McMillan  The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman   See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt  Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

Book Review: Lie to Me

Lovers of grit lit, take notice. You must put Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison on your list:  There have been so many gritty, heart stopping thrillers out lately and I can't get enough of them. This one didn't disappoint. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on The Train, The Breakdown, The Couple Next Door and All is Not Forgotten then you will love this one too.  This is d omestic noir at its best. It's about the disintegration of a marriage with everything that goes with that: grief, jealousy, betrayal... they all lead to a tragedy that destroys the facade of the perfect literary couple.  Here's the synopsis from the publisher:  Sutton and Ethan Montclair's idyllic life is not as it appears. They seem made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her.  Ethan finds h

16 Books for Your Fall Reading List

Here's What I WISH I could read in the next 2 months. I read 13 books in August so I am hoping to keep up the pace!  Instead of a synopsis, I am simply listing what made me want to read each book. Click on the title to read more about the books on Goodreads! I've also received most of these books through the publishers or Netgalley, so I'm also giving shout outs because I am so thankful for all of the review copies!  Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo - I've heard about this book on the All The Books podcast from Book Riot and so many of my fellow bookstagrammers are raving about it. (Amazon) Without Merit by Colleen Hoover - I hear about Colleen Hoover all the time and everyone LOVED It Ends With Us, but I didn't at all. So when I was contacted by the publisher asking if I would like a copy of her newest book, I decided to give her another try. We shall see! (ARC, Atria Books)  Something Like Happy  by Eva Woods - This book was on a list of recommendation

Book Review: Gather the Daughters

I am so excited to talk about Gather The Daughters by Jennie Melamed.  Th is book can not be compared to any book I've read before. It's gritty and takes a lot of bravery to read, and I can't even imagine the bravery it took to write it. It tackles major topics like abuse, politics, leadership and gender roles.  When a group of "leaders" start a colony and convince their families that there is no one else left in the world, they think they can control everything. But a generation of brave young girls start to wonder: "What is the wasteland and why can't they go?" and they start a revolution to find the why that is behind years of strict rules, abuse and lies. The wasteland is apparently where the elders go to gather goods. I took it as the place that used to be civilization. The people in the colony are told that the outside world was destroyed by a massive fire but the wasteland still has items left over that they are able to collect. 

Book Review: Emma In the Night

Isn't there a great sense of relief when an author you love comes out with a new book and you know without even reading the synposis that you're going to love it? That's how I feel about Wendy Walker . I loved All Is Not Forgotten so much. Christopher and I both read it and it was so great to talk about it together. I was thrilled when I heard that Wendy published a new book, Emma in the Night . If you follow me on Instagram , you know by now that I read it non-stop and found it just as thrilling as AINF. The greatest element of these two thrillers is that Wendy's narrators are unreliable, yet you find yourself hanging on their every word. It's unnerving but addicting.  The tension had me literally hanging on every word, even when those word didn't quite match up.  Before I tell you more about Emma in the Night, check out this awesome book trailer from St. Martins Press: Cass Tanner arrives home, three years after she and her sister Emma d