Weekly Reads: The Ever After

The Ever After is the newest title by Sarah Pekkanen, out on June 5th. I received an e-ARC of it to read and review honestly. I always enjoy Sarah Pekkanen's books, so I didn't hesitate to read this one on my recent trip home from Boston. I honestly hadn't even read the description, so it wasn't subject matter that I would've necessarily been drawn to. I do think it an interesting portrayal of life after infidelity. I have no clue if it's an accurate depiction of it, and hope to never find out, but it did feel very honest and raw to me. Definitely worth a read, and I think a new foray for the author.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

In this intricate and enthralling domestic drama the author of the “gossipy page-turner” (Glamour) The Perfect Neighbors goes deep into a marriage in crisis, peeling back layers of secrets to discover where the relationship veered off course—and whether it is worth saving.

Josie and Frank Moore are happy… at least Josie thinks they are. As parents of two young girls in the Chicago suburbs, their days can be both busy and monotonous, and sometimes Josie wonders how she became a harried fortysomething mother rather than the driven career woman she once was. But Frank is a phenomenal father, he’s handsome and charismatic, and he still looks at his wife like she’s the beautiful woman he married more than a decade ago. Josie isn’t just happy—she’s lucky.

Until one Saturday morning when Josie borrows her husband’s phone to make a quick call—and sees nine words that shatter her world.

Now Josie feels as if she is standing at the edge of a sharp precipice. As she looks back at pivotal moments in the relationship she believed would last forever, she is also plunging ahead, surprising everyone (especially herself) with how far she will go to uncover the extent of her husband’s devastating secret. 

Weekly Reads: Smothered

 Smothered is a new book by Autumn Chiklis. I saw it being advertised as an up and coming title and it looked right up my alley. Plus there were two pugs on the cover. How could I resist? I read it while traveling to Boston, and it was a very fast entertaining read. I think I would've enjoyed it more right after college, as I would've identified a little bit more with the storyline, but it was still a good light read. I received an e-ARC of it, so it was a little challenging to read on a device, I would highly recommend getting the physical copy of it. Also there were a lot of funny footnotes (a la Jen Lancaster of yore, and those didn't format well with the e-copy. 

My rating: 3 stars

Summary from Goodreads:

A humorous debut crossover young adult novel about what happens when entering the "real world" means moving back in with your mother, inspired by actress and celebrity Autumn Chiklis' real life.

Eloise “Lou” Hansen is graduating from Columbia University summa cum laude, and she's ready to conquer the world. Just a few minor problems: she has no job, no prospects, and she’s moving back into her childhood bedroom. Lou is grimly determined to stick to a rigorous schedule to get a job and get out of her parents’ house. Shelly “Mama Shell” Hansen, on the other hand, is ecstatic, and just as determined to keep her at home. Who else will help her hide her latest binge-shopping purchases from her husband, go to SoulCycle with her, and hold her hand during Botox shots?

Smothered is a hilarious roman à clef told via journal entries, text messages, emails, bills, receipts, tweets, doctor’s prescriptions, job applications and rejections, parking tickets, and pug pictures, chronicling the year that Lou moves back home after college. Told from Lou’s point-of-view, Smothered tells the story of two young(ish) women, just trying to get it right, and learning that just because we all grow up doesn’t mean we necessarily have to grow old. (After all, what is Juvaderm for?)

Weekly Reads: My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories is an awesome book to get you into the holiday spirit! I received an e-ARC of this book to read and review honestly, and promote to my library customers if I enjoyed it.

I'm normally not a huge fan of short stories, because I feel like as soon as I get into the story, boom it's over. But I didn't feel like that with these short stories. Ok, I wished a few of them went much much longer, but I was still satisfied by them and their endings. My favorites were Stephanie Perkins' and Rainbow Rowell's. This is a great read for a wintery December day.

My rating: 4 stars.


Summary from goodreads:

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins.