My (Not So) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

My (Not So) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

Publisher: Penguin Random House, February 2017

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Paperback (ARC), 436 pages

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from goodreads.com):

Katie Brenner has the perfect life: a flat in London, a glamorous job, and a super-cool Instagram feed.

Ok, so the real truth is that she rents a tiny room with no space for a wardrobe, has a hideous commute to a lowly admin job, and the life she shares on Instagram isn’t really hers.But one day her dreams are bound to come true, aren’t they?

Until her not-so perfect life comes crashing down when her mega-successful boss Demeter gives her the sack. All Katie’s hopes are shattered. She has to move home to Somerset, where she helps her dad with his new glamping business.

Then Demeter and her family book in for a holiday, and Katie sees her chance. But should she get revenge on the woman who ruined her dreams? Or try to get her job back? Does Demeter – the woman with everything – have such an idyllic life herself? Maybe they have more in common than it seems.

And what’s wrong with not-so-perfect, anyway?

Review:

**This book was provided to me by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

First off, I love Sophie Kinsella... LOVE! I believe I have read every single one of her books and just love her ability to weave a story and keep the reader engaged in every aspect of it so it comes as no surprise that I absolutely adored "My (Not So) Perfect Life". You know that feeling you get when you start a book and already, on page one, you know that you are going to be in for a good read? I got that feeling when I was reading this book.

There is something about stories that take place in London that grip me and when you add such loveable characters, like Katie (or Cat or Cath), into the mix, it's a recipe for success. In fact, all of the characters really are wonderful... each of them have their own personality which add a certain element to the overall flow of the story. Whether you love or hate them, they really grow on you as the book progresses and I found myself rooting for the people I had least expected.

I also like that the book was broken into two parts... a London storyline and a Somerset (or country) storyline. While I did enjoy the London part of the story, my favourite part was when Katie moved to the country... I can't even imagine what it would be like to go from a city-loving girl to finding yourself, back at home, in the middle of your families latest money-making adventure. I found myself smiling and laughing out loud as Katie took her 'Glampers' on crazy adventures and used some of that pent-up frustration to get back at her, more privileged, guests.

As with most chick-lit books, there is going to be a romantic aspect to the story but I really like that Sophie Kinsella doesn't shove it down your throat. It wasn't a 'romance' book and the relationship that developed really was more of a behind the scenes story... it also didn't follow that usual recipe for romance which I really appreciated. Now, that said, it doesn't take a genius to figure out how things go but, I will say that I was very happy come the end of the book.

Before I wrap up this review, I wanted to touch on the underlying message that I found running through the book and that is of the 'perfect life' that we see so much in social media. The life that people WANT you to see... I thought it was brilliant that Katie had a 180 degree spin in her thoughts on how social media works. It's so true that what you see isn't always the true story. Nobody wants you to see the heaps of dirty laundry, the messy stove, the couches covered in animal hair (speaking from experience here)... everybody wants to give the illusion that their lives are perfect. So, THANK YOU Sophie for making that a theme in your novel, I found it humbling to know that so many will read that and hopefully feel better about their own lives and the way they present themselves to other people. xx

Overall, if you are a fan, in any way, of Sophie Kinsella, this book is a must. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am already chomping at the bit for her next book to come out!

The Daughter by Jane Schmilt

Daughter by Jane Schmilt

Publisher: Penguin, March 2015

Genre: Fiction

Pages: eBooks, 352 pages

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

Jenny is a successful family doctor, the mother of three great teenagers, married to a celebrated neurosurgeon.

But when her youngest child, fifteen-year-old Naomi, doesn’t come home after her school play, Jenny’s seemingly ideal life begins to crumble. The authorities launch a nationwide search with no success. Naomi has vanished, and her family is broken.

As the months pass, the worst-case scenarios—kidnapping, murder—seem less plausible. The trail has gone cold. Yet for a desperate Jenny, the search has barely begun. More than a year after her daughter’s disappearance, she’s still digging for answers—and what she finds disturbs her. Everyone she’s trusted, everyone she thought she knew, has been keeping secrets, especially Naomi. Piecing together the traces her daughter left behind, Jenny discovers a very different Naomi from the girl she thought she’d raised.

Review:

What just happened? I love me a mystery novel but man, this one was so frustrating that I sit here, having just finished reading it, not knowing whether I enjoyed it or hated it.

Normally, I love stories written from multiple perspectives. 'Daughter' is written all from Jenny (the mom's) point of view, but over a fifteen month time gap. One part of the story is current day, or a year after the disappearance, and the other is at the time of the disappearance. I found that I totally enjoyed the part if the story taking place in the past but the current day narrative was very slow moving and almost seemed unnecessary at times. As the story progressed, that got better but overall, I found the story definitely dragged.

When it comes to the characters, for the most part, I enjoyed them all. I thought Ted was a piece of junk and wanted to punch Ed on multiple occasions, but for the flow of the story, I thought they were all very well written. I related most to Jenny but as a mom, I wouldn't really expect much different.The part of the story that just fell flat, to me anyways, was the ending. I still don't really feel like we know what happened the night Naomi disappeared and I don't feel like we know what the future holds. I want more detail and given that the book is closing in on 400 pages, I think we should have some ideas that answer these, very important, questions.

Overall, good but not great... I never like finish a book and feeling unsatisfied.

Bridget Jones's Baby: The Diaries by Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones's Baby: The Diaries by Helen Fielding

Publisher: Knopf Canada, October 2016

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Hardcover, 219 pages

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

8:45 P.M.  Realize there have been so many times in my life when have fantasized about going to a scan with Mark or Daniel: just not both at the same time.

Before motherhood, before marriage, Bridget with biological clock ticking very, very loudly, finds herself unexpectedly pregnant at the eleventh hour: a joyful pregnancy which is dominated, however, by a crucial but terribly awkward question – who is the father? Mark Darcy: honourable, decent, notable human rights lawyer? Or Daniel Cleaver: charming, witty, notable fuckwit?

9:45 PM  It’s like they’re two halves of the perfect man, who’ll spend the rest of their lives each wanting to outdo the other one. And now it’s all enacting itself in my stomach.

Review:

Quick, fun and simple read... exactly what I would expect for a Bridget Jones story. I have loved all of the books in this series, more so that the actual movies, and was thrilled to see a new book to continue the storyline.

For me, Bridget Jones' Baby was exactly what I was looking for... it is the type of book that you want to read when you finish a 'heavy' story. I love the fun nature of the story... the dynamic between Bridget, Mark and Daniel is just as endearing as it always is.

A great book for all the Bridget Jones lovers out there.

The Best of Enemies by Jen Lancaster

The Best of Enemies by Jen Lancaster

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, August 2015

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Hardcover, 320 pages

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

Jacqueline Jordan knows conflict. A fearless journalist, she’s spent the past decade embedded in the world’s hot spots, writing about the fall of nations and the rise of despots. But if you were to inquire about who topped Jack’s enemy list, she’d not hesitate to answer: Kitty Carricoe.

Kitty reigns supreme over the world of carpools and minivans. A SAHM, she spends her days caring for her dentist husband and three towheaded children, running the PTA, and hiding vegetables in deceptively delicious packed lunches.

Kitty and Jack haven’t a single thing in common—except for Sarabeth Chandler, their mutual bestie. Sarabeth and Jack can be tomboys with the best of them, while Sarabeth can get her girly-girl on with Kitty. In fact, the three of them were college friends until the notorious incident when Jack accidentally hooked up with Kitty’s boyfriend…

Yet both women drop everything and rush to Sarabeth’s side when they get the call that her fabulously wealthy husband has perished in a suspicious plane crash. To solve the mystery surrounding his death, Jack and Kitty must bury the hatchet and hit the road for a trip that just may bring them together—if it doesn’t kill them first.

Review:

This is my second time reading this book but I didn't have it marked as 'read' in my Goodreads so... GRRRR... and I didn't remember reading it but parts of it were super familiar.

I am sad to say that I didn't love this book. The characters were unlovable and overly annoying and the whole premise of the book was a little to 'out there' for me. Yes, it's fiction, but I still like a story that has a little bit of fact behind it. While I found the relationship of Jack and Kitty to be enjoyable and funny at times, their personalities were a little too much for me and once they kind of figure each other out and stop pretending, they turn into much nicer characters and I really wish that they had been written that way from the get-go.

Overall I think that this was a good book... not the usual Jen Lancaster funny that I have come to expect but it was enjoyable enough that I will continue to read her fictional stories.

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, November 2016

Genre: Fiction, Mystery/Suspense

Pages: Paperback, 384 pages

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

Every morning and evening, Zoe Walker takes the same route to the train station, waits at a certain place on the platform, finds her favorite spot in the car, never suspecting that someone is watching her...

It all starts with a classified ad. During her commute home one night, while glancing through her local paper, Zoe sees her own face staring back at her; a grainy photo along with a phone number and a listing for a website called FindTheOne.com.

Other women begin appearing in the same ad, a different one every day, and Zoe realizes they’ve become the victims of increasingly violent crimes—including murder. With the help of a determined cop, she uncovers the ad’s twisted purpose...A discovery that turns her paranoia into full-blown panic. Zoe is sure that someone close to her has set her up as the next target.

And now that man on the train—the one smiling at Zoe from across the car—could be more than just a friendly stranger. He could be someone who has deliberately chosen her and is ready to make his next move…

Review:

Well, I can now happily say that Clare Mackintosh is, in fact, a stellar storyteller. Hey, it happens... an author's debut novel is a brilliant one and then, well, the follow ups aren't up to par. However, after reading 'I Let You Go', I knew that as soon as Clare's next book, 'I See You', was released, I would be picking it up and man, am I ever glad that I did because it was just as good, if not better than her debut novel.

While you can classify both of Clare Mackintosh's novels along the same genre, suspense/mystery/thriller... 'I See You' had an extra spine-tingling factor to it in that you had no idea who was behind the crimes and the fact that there could be someone watching your every move is just super creepy. This was definitely an on the edge of your seat type of book and one that I could see many people enjoying in the fall, as things start to get a little dark and mysterious out.

As for the characters, I like both Kelly and Zoe and while they can be classified as 'unreliable narrators', I have come to realize that I quite like that and enjoy not really knowing what's going on. The fact that Zoe is so innocent and couldn't see anyone is her life as a prime suspect made me feel like everyone was. Kelly, being the toughen cop with a mysterious past, made for a very enjoyable, fly by the seat of your pants, character.

Overall, an amazing book and one that I will definitely be recommending to all my friends. Clare Mackintosh is up there with my favourite suspense author, Chevy Stevens, and I cannot wait for her next book to come out.

Make Me by Lee Child

Make Me by Lee Child

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Genre: Fiction, Action

Pages: eBook, 416 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

“Why is this town called Mother’s Rest?”

That’s all Reacher wants to know. But no one will tell him. It’s a tiny place hidden in a thousand square miles of wheat fields, with a railroad stop, and sullen and watchful people, and a worried woman named Michelle Chang, who mistakes him for someone else: her missing partner in a private investigation she thinks must have started small and then turned lethal.

Reacher has no particular place to go, and all the time in the world to get there, and there’s something about Chang . . . so he teams up with her and starts to ask around. He thinks: How bad can this thing be? But before long he’s plunged into a desperate race through LA, Chicago, Phoenix, and San Francisco, and through the hidden parts of the internet, up against thugs and assassins every step of the way—right back to where he started, in Mother’s Rest, where he must confront the worst nightmare he could imagine.

Walking away would have been easier. But as always, Reacher’s rule is: If you want me to stop, you’re going to have to make me.

Review:

It's been a hot minute since I've read one of Lee Child's 'Jack Reacher' stories and being in the midst of all things Christmas, it took me a couple of chapters before I was able to fully digest what was happening.

Nothing screams action and adventure like a good ole Jack Reacher book. When I think of Jack, I don't see Tom Cruise (as cast in the movie), I see someone more like The Rock. A GIANT, full of muscle and as bad ass as pretty much anyone else on Earth. He's awesome.

What I really appreciate about the way that Lee Child writes this series is that you don't have to read them in order. There isn't really any carry-over from book to book and while there may be the odd detail that comes up from another book, it's not something that would create confusion or take away from the overall story. With 'Make Me' being the 20th book in the series, it's nice to know that you can pick it up and not worry about needing all the back details (even though I've read most of previous books).

Make Me follows the typical pattern of Jack Reacher... he shows up in some random location and stumbles into a crazy situation and from there, chaos ensues. I did find that the story dragged at certain parts with maybe a little bit more detail than necessary but, when the action started... WOAH, what an edge of the seat feeling.

Overall, a decent edition to the series and I will, of course, continue with reading the books as they become available. Always good for a quick read!

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, May 2016

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Paperback, 384 pages

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

On a rainy afternoon, a mother's life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street…

I Let You Go follows Jenna Gray as she moves to a ramshackle cottage on the remote Welsh coast, trying to escape the memory of the car accident that plays again and again in her mind, desperate to heal from the loss of her child and the rest of her painful past.

At the same time, the novel tracks the pair of Bristol police investigators trying to get to the bottom of this hit-and-run. As they chase down one hopeless lead after another, they find themselves as drawn to each other as they are to the frustrating, twist-filled case before them.

Review:

Yet another book review that I am starting with a giant WOW! What an amazing debut novel for Clare Mackintosh... a story that grabs you from the first page and keeps you guessing right up to the last page.  You know the type of book that leaves you hungry for more?  That is exactly what I Let You Go does!!

While I found the start of the story insane, it slowed off just a little to the point that I started thinking that this book wasn't going to live up to it's hype.  However, I hit the halfway point and  the book took a sudden turn that made you go from thinking it's 'just okay' to 'this book is crazy good'.  It became that page turner that I was expecting and I fell in love with Clare's ability to build a story.  Her characters were lovable and relateable ... people who made mistakes and now have to spend a lifetime dealing with the consequences.

I am so excited to read Clare's next book because if this is any indication... I will be a forever fan!

Holiday Reads | Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Publisher: Random House, October 2016

Pages: Hardcover, 240 pages

Genre: Fiction, Christmas

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

Friendly and bubbly, Julia Padden likes nearly everyone, but her standoffish neighbor, Cain Maddox, presents a particular challenge. No matter how hard she’s tried to be nice, Cain rudely rebuffs her at every turn, preferring to keep to himself. But when Julia catches Cain stealing her newspaper from the lobby of their apartment building, that’s the last straw. She’s going to break through Cain’s Scrooge-like exterior the only way she knows how: by killing him with kindness.

To track her progress, Julia starts a blog called The Twelve Days of Christmas. Her first attempts to humanize Cain are far from successful. Julia brings him homemade Christmas treats and the disagreeable Grinch won’t even accept them. Meanwhile, Julie’s blog becomes an online sensation, as an astonishing number of people start following her adventures. Julia continues to find ways to express kindness and, little by little, chips away at Cain’s gruff façade to reveal the caring man underneath. Unbelievably, Julia feels herself falling for Cain - and she suspects that he may be falling for her as well. But as the popularity of her blog continues to grow, Julia must decide if telling Cain the truth about having chronicled their relationship to the rest of the world is worth risking their chance at love.

Review:

Short and sweet story that follows the typical pattern of books that are centered around the Christmas season. Have you ever watched the shows 'Extreme Couponing' or 'House MD' and can pretty much say how the episodes will break down? Well, I find that Christmas stories are the same way. Two unlikely people find themselves together and quickly and unexpectedly fall in love, only to be torn apart by some random/horrible situation. Then, either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, they come to their senses and end up realizing that they are destined for happiness together. However, knowing that, I still reach for all things holiday novel in the month of December EVERY SINGLE YEAR!

Twelve Days of Christmas is just that... your typical Christmas story but when you remove the anticipated story-line it breaks down to some pretty annoying characters who I found myself in a love/hate relationship with. Julia was so sweet she made my teeth hurt and yet, I found her somewhat charming and perhaps even a girl after my own heart. Cain, on the other hand, was a jerk... through and through and I found myself disliking him, and his bi-polar personality, more as the book went on. Honestly, the only character that I truly liked was Bernie, the kinda-creepy, grandfather... and he was barely in the story so not sure what that's saying.

 As a lifetime blogger/vlogger, I found some of Julia's super-stardom to be a little too much for my liking but knowing that it was the purpose of the whole story, I was able to forgive it... to a point. 

Overall, I found the story fun and enjoyable, even with the dodgy characters and crazy blog stats, and it still brought a smile to my face as I read the last page. Basically, it did as I would like any December Christmas novel want... got me in the holiday spirit.

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Publisher: Random House of Canada, October 2016

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Hardcover, 480 pages

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from Chapters.indigo.ca):

A young woman and her husband, admitted to hospital to have a baby, request that their nurse be reassigned - they are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is black, to touch their baby.  The hospital complies, but the baby later goes into cardiac distress when Ruth in on duty.  She hesitates before rushing in to perform CPR.  When her indecision ends in tragedy, Ruth finds herself on trail, represented by a white public defender who warns against bringing race into the courtroom.  As the two come to develop a truer understanding of each other's lives, they begin to doubt the beliefs they each hold most dear.

Review:

WOW... another amazing book by Jodi Picoult. I have read every single one of her books and can honestly say that I always walk away feeling like I have learned something new. Her books tackle topics that some authors may shy away from and yet she handles them with such ease that her readers are left with hearts and minds full of new found love for her characters and different social situations.

In Small Great Things, Jodi Picoult tackles the topic of race and discrimination and it's such a relevant thing to talk about given the stories that dominate the news every single day. The story is written so that the readers can see both sides of the story and yet find themselves dealing with the morale issue of what's right. Perhaps you see yourself more in one camp than the other but by the end of the story, you can see the light of both sides.. you understand that the world, for lack of better terms, isn't just black and white.. that there are so many shades of grey in between.

As always, Jodi's novels leave me craving her next story... I highly recommend Small Great Things to anyone but don't stop there, read all of her stories and you will be better for it!