Review: Novelista Girl by Meredith Schorr

Novelista Girl

by Meredith Schorr

Publisher: Booktrope Editions

Pages: 244

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Kim runs the most popular chick lit book blog on the web, loves playing house with her sexy lawyer boyfriend, Nicholas, and is finally pursuing her lifelong dream to become a published author. At first glance, her life is five-pink-champagne-flutes worthy. 

But is there more to the story than meets the eye?

After hearing the phrase “chick lit is dead” more times than she’s read Bridget Jones's Diary, Kim is driven to desperate measures, seeking advice from up-and-coming chick lit author, Hannah Marshak, her high school nemesis and resident “mean girl.” As if Kim doesn't have enough on her plate balancing her secretarial duties with her blog Pastel Is the New Black, shrugging off the growing pile of agent rejections, and keeping her best friend from turning green over Kim’s budding friendship with Hannah, Nicholas is so blinded by his career ambitions, he doesn't see that their home sweet home could use more than a dash of sugar. 

This is the year when all of Kim's dreams—professional and romantic—are supposed to come true, but will the story have a happily ever after, or will Kim end up unpublished and all alone?


Kritters Thoughts:  The second in a series (I think) that centers around a young woman, Kim who is a blogger and secretary who really wants to write and blog full time, but she isn't there yet.  She must juggle a lot of things as well as a relationship with a lawyer who doesn't have much time himself and something is bound to suffer.

As a blogger who doesn't want to be a writer, I still enjoyed this one.  It was absolutely fun to hear what goes on in my own head with mounting TBRs, scheduling posts and working with people in publishing, it was fun to read something that hit so close to home!  At times I wanted to pass this book out to friends and my dear husband, so they could hear what all goes into this blog of mine!

I would absolutely recommend to start at book one in this series, but this is one not to miss!

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2015 Challenge:  53 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: How to Grow an Addict by JA Wright

How to Grow an Addict

by JA Wright

Publisher: She Writes Press

Pages: 300

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Randall Grange has been tricked into admitting herself into a treatment center and she doesn’t know why. She’s not a party hound like the others in her therapy group—but then again, she knows she can’t live without pills or booze. Raised by an abusive father, a detached mother, and a loving aunt and uncle, Randall both loves and hates her life. She’s awkward and a misfit. Her parents introduced her to alcohol and tranquilizers at a young age, ensuring that her teenage years would be full of bad choices, and by the time she’s twenty-three years old, she’s a full-blown drug addict, well acquainted with the miraculous power chemicals have to cure just about any problem she could possibly have—and she’s in more trouble than she’s ever known was possible. 


Kritters Thoughts:  For some reason this synopsis pulled me in when I was pitched the book and I thought this book would be an interesting read about a woman who becomes an addict and how it happened.  What I read was a long winded excuse of a woman's life that she uses as an excuse as to why she becomes an addict. 

This fiction read like memoir and it didn't work for me.  The parents frustrated me and there were too many moments when I wanted them to get it together and be actual parents.  I think what made me the most frustrated was there was not one redeeming character in the book that I could put my hope on.

If you enjoy the soap opera shows then you could enjoy this one more than me.


Rating: not such a good read

Ebook 2015 Challenge:  54 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Christmas Bridge by Elyse Douglas

The Christmas Bridge

by Elyse Douglas

Pages: 183

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  A First Love. A Second Chance. 

A young widow travels to New York on business a few days before Christmas. She has reluctantly made a date with a lover she hasn’t seen in 20 years, and she is nervous and apprehensive. Twenty years before, she made a difficult decision that has both troubled and haunted her ever since. She knows she’s about to come face-to-face with her past and she’s hoping for some redemption and resolution. She also wonders if she can somehow pick up where she left off 20 years ago and start again. 

An exciting chance encounter changes everything. Now, not only will she face the past with hope to rekindle an old romance, but there is the possibility that this chance meeting will bring her love and happiness she never thought possible. 

Once again, she will have to choose. She will have to make the right decision. She will have to believe that Christmas miracles can still happen. 


Kritters Thoughts:  A great holiday novella/short story that really put me into the holiday spirit.  With moments taking place in the city that makes me think of the holidays - New York.  Olivia a recent widow returns to New York for work during the holiday season and sets a dinner date with a long lost love, but fate intervenes!

I love how this book deals with the idea of fate.  I love how she thought her life was going a certain way when fate and a bridge stepped in.  Even in your late 30s can your life take a turn and you can end somewhere you didn't even imagine if you just follow your heart.  What a great message especially right before the new year when everyone is focusing on both the past year and the year to come.

For a "Christmas" book, this one definitely had some ups and downs and I appreciated that it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows and white snow!

With this being my first Elyse Douglas, I may have to see what other books are in her back list.  


Rating:  definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2015 Challenge:  51 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: All in Her Head by Sunny Mera

All in Her Head

by Sunny Mera

Publisher: She Writes Press

Pages: 184

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  As a young girl growing up in the Midwest, Sunny experiences the shame and stigma of scandal when her father is banned from their church for having an affair with the pastor’s best friend’s wife. As Sunny grows older, she begins to build the life she’s always wanted: she marries, buys a house, enrolls in graduate school, and soon has a baby on the way. But when she experiences the psychological phenomena of orgasmic labor, it triggers a chain of bizarre events, and she gradually descends into a world of delusion and paranoia. As Sunny struggles to separate the real from the unreal, she relies upon friends and family to ground her in truth and love—and keep her from going over the edge into madness.


Kritters Thoughts:  Sunny had a very traumatic experience during childbirth and she feels as though it put her into a depressive state and set off her brain down a very painful path. 

It is always hard to rate and review a memoir because you know that it is all truth and that the author is telling you about a moment in their own life, so to rate and review is weird.  It makes it even weirder when you don't love the book.  

At the end of the book, she referenced Brain on Fire, which I reviewed here awhile ago and definitely enjoyed.  I wished this book had had more of the feel of that one, this one felt too stream of crazy consciousness for me where as Brain on Fire felt more methodical.  I couldn't concentrate on the flow of her writing and couldn't enjoy it.


Rating:  not such a good read

Ebook 2015 Challenge: 50 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Plan Bea by Hilary Grossman

Plan Bea

by Hilary Grossman

Publisher: BookTrope

Pages: 241

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  How well do you really know the people in your life? 

Annabel O’Conner has the perfect husband, two adorable children, an amazing job, and the mother from hell! Annabel doesn’t like it but has come to terms with the fact that her relationship with her mother, Bea, deteriorated to the point of forced and strained communications. However, an unscheduled call from Bea turns her world around and makes Annabel question everything she believed about her life.

Despite the fact secrets, lies, and misplaced blame have destroyed the women’s relationship; Annabel reluctantly agrees to help Bea plan her wedding. Little does Annabel know the impact of her decision.


Kritters Thoughts:  Beatrice and Anna are a mother daughter pair and they aren't the closest of pairs.  Although Anna doesn't know why her mother has distanced herself she has just let it be that way.  Through some interesting turn of events these two end up planning Beatrice's wedding and learning more and more about each other and the past.  

This one started out rough for me, but once it got moving I was sold.  I had a hard time reading it at moments because the mother is so awful.  I came from quite the idyllic upbringing and it is hard to read when mothers and daughters don't have relationships, but about halfway through I got to know the stand offish mother more and more and could understand why she may have put her daughter at arm's length and I fell in love with the story.  

There was a line and I am paraphrasing, but it said something like you think you know those around you, but sometimes you don't know everything.  And I agree completely.  You can't know someone unless they let you in and some people are very open and easily let others in to see all their feels, but others are more closed off and never fully reveal themselves to you.  I am in the open camp and am pretty open quickly to anyone, so it was interesting to read a character (Beatrice) who hadn't even let her daughter in close to see all her true colors.

This book made me think and I love it when something that seems like a light read still makes me think about life and things!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2015 Challenge: 49 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Book Trope Publishing.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Black Velvet Coat by Jill G. Hall

The Black Velvet Coat

by Jill G. Hall 

Publisher: She Writes Press

Pages: 350

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Twenty-eight-year-old struggling San Francisco artist Anne McFarland is determined to get a one-woman show, even though no one, including herself, believes she can do it. But when she buys a coat at a thrift shop with a key in its pocket, strange, even magical, occurrences begin to unfold, and she is inspired to create her best work ever. Fifty years before, the coat’s original owner, young heiress Sylvia Van Dam, is headed toward a disastrous marriage with a scoundrel. In a split-second reaction, she does the unimaginable, which propels her destiny out of alignment and forces her on a trip of self-discovery to nature-filled Northern Arizona. When Anne and Sylvia’s lives intersect, they are both forced to face their fears―and in the process, they realize their true potential.


Kritters Thoughts:  With two women characters taking their turns telling their story with a coat connecting them.  A modern San Francisco artist is barely making ends meet and finds a beautiful coat in a thrift shop and she has to make it a part of her wardrobe.  Once she finds out the previous owner - a former heiress she is inspired to create new art.  The heiress is the other character and her story weaves in and out of Anne's as the reader finds out what happened to her.

The one thing that I would have loved to change were the short chapters, they felt very choppy and it went back and forth from Anne and Sylvia too fast as soon as the chapter was starting too get good it switched to the other, I would have loved if more chapters for each character had been grouped together.

Beyond this one change, I enjoyed the stories.  I loved how they quickly overlapped and you knew how they were connected early on.  I also loved how as Sylvia's story was unfolding Anne was getting inspired and she was learning the details of Sylvia's life along with the reader.

I definitely liked this one and would recommend it.  


Rating: enjoyable but didn't leave me wanting more

Ebook 2015 Challenge: 48 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Word Game by Steena Holmes

The Word Game

by Steena Holmes

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 207

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  For overprotective parent Alyson Ward, any time her daughter, Lyla, is out of sight is reason to panic. So it’s a big step for her when she lets Lyla attend a sleepover at her cousin’s house. Comforted by the knowledge that her sister, Tricia, is the chaperone, Alyson does the one thing she never thought possible: she lets go and trusts that her daughter will be safe.

But Alyson’s sense of peace is short lived. When Lyla comes home the next morning, she reveals something that could tear apart not only their family but also the entire community. Now, Alyson and Tricia must confront their painful shared past as they come together to help a little girl who they fear might be harboring terrible secrets similar to their own. Will the sisters be strong enough to face their demons in order to protect the child, even if it means telling their most private truths? 

Kritters Thoughts:  Steena Holmes is by far one of my favorite authors.  She writes books across genre and just cranks them out, but they are all so unique and satisfying.  I couldn't tell you where to begin, but instead to just say start now!  

Ok now after gushing.  The Word Game.

Told through 4 women's points of views, all mothers and all confronted with a hard subject and all want to deal with it in their own way.  What started at a harmless girl sleepover after a great dance recital ends in the principal's office with Child Protective Services involved.  One of the girls makes statements that can be taken out of context or put right where it belongs and the mothers must decide what daughter is telling the truth and how to deal with it.

I am not a mother and not sure I plan on being one, but I loved this book.  I loved the gut check it made me do.  It boils down to the simple statement - when do you say something to an authority figure or when do you let a family deal with it internally.  

Each woman was dealing with it and other secrets that were slowly but surely revealed.  I read this book in two sittings, I was flipping page after page and couldn't put it down until I knew how it was all going to get resolved.  

If you want to start with Steena Holmes, this is a great one to start.  If you have been reading her from the beginning like me, this one will meet or exceed your expectations!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2015 Challenge: 47 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Whistling Women by Kelly Romo

Whistling Women

by Kelly Romo

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Life went terribly wrong for Addie Bates in San Diego, and she’s been running from dark memories ever since. For fifteen years, the Sleepy Valley Nudist Colony has provided a safe haven for Addie to hide from the crime she committed. But when the residents pack up to go on exhibit at the 1935 world’s fair in San Diego, Addie returns and must face the thrilling yet terrifying prospect of reuniting with her estranged sister, Wavey.

Addie isn’t the only one interested in a reunion. When her niece, Rumor, discovers she has an aunt, Rumor is determined to bring her family together. But it’s not so easy when the women are forced to confront family secrets, past and present.


Kritters Thoughts:  A historical fiction that is told through two very different points of view a woman who has ended up in a nudist colony and the other view is a young girl who finds out she has more family than what she has always known - her mother, sister and "father," this discovery sends her on an adventure to find out who she really is.

I loved the few chapters at the beginning that set up these two characters separately and then the reveal came early - which I loved!  It gave the author the bulk of the book for these two to interact and to have a real full story.  

The setting was great, not just the time, but the place.  The World's Fair in San Diego.  I had not read a book centered around a World Fair, although I know they are out there and may even have a few on my shelf, I enjoyed learning about this family, but also with the backdrop of the World Fair was very fun to read.

There are not a ton of books that focus on an aunt/niece relationship and I enjoyed that part of this book.  Being only an aunt and not a mom, it was fun to see it in print and to see the appreciation a niece/nephew has about having an aunt in their lives.  On a personal note, being an aunt is one of my favorite parts of my life.  

I loved this debut book.  I loved that yes, it was historical in its point in time, but if you enjoy family stories, you can enjoy this without it being in your face historical.  I will definitely be looking out for Kelly Romo's next book.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row


Ebook 2015 Challenge:  46 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Fishing with Rayanne by Ava Finch

Fishing with Rayanne

by Ava Finch

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 318

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Having fled the testosterone-soaked world of pro fishing to finally settle in her Minneapolis fixer-upper, thirty-something RayAnne unexpectedly lands at the helm of the first all-women fishing and talk show. Between her dad's falling off the wagon, unwanted advice from Mom—a life coach to the menopausal rich—and her clingy dog, she needs the advice of her beloved grandmother more than ever.

With the show’s surprise success, producers press for celebrity appearances, but fans tweet support for RayAnne and her quirky guests, real women with unique stories and something to say. And though handsome Hal tempts RayAnne, he is a sponsor, rocketing him to the top of her don’ts list.

Just when she’s shedding uncertainty, RayAnne’s world nearly capsizes, and she’s faced with gut-wrenching choices. Will she live by the rules, or by her heart?

Kritters Thoughts:  A mix of behind the scenes of reality tv and good ole fishing!  Rayanne comes from an interesting family - a mother who takes women on spiritual journeys as menopause hits and a father who has made a code word to remember all the names of his past wives.  Rayanne has relied solely on herself with the help of her grandmother as a sounding block.

I loved the show concept, a talk show while fishing with women who have done extraordinary things.  I loved that fishing took the guests out of their comfort zone and almost made them talk more openly.  

What shined throughout this book was the characters.  They were full and complete and just so fun to get to know!  From page one I loved Rayanne but all the characters that surrounded her were just fantastic.  

I loved this debut from Ava Finch and I am putting her on my author to watch list.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2015 Challenge:  45 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Year of Necessary Lies by Kris Radish

The Year of Necessary Lies

by Kris Radish

Publisher: Spark Press

Pages: 350

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  One amazing year in a remarkable woman's life journey becomes the inspiration for generations when she takes a huge risk, follows her heart, embraces forbidden love, and unwittingly becomes the champion of a winged world that is on the brink of extinction. It’s 1903, the world is poised for drastic change, and Julia Briton is a naive, beautiful Boston socialite who suffers a series of devastating losses and discovers that her beloved husband is involved in the plume trade—the massive slaughter of birds for use in the fashion industry. When Julia is secretly ushered into the early 20th century by a group of brazen female activists, she boldly risks everything and embarks on a perilous journey to the wilds of untamed Florida, a place of great danger where men will stop at nothing to get what they want and where one man, and a faithful friend, force her to make yet more life-changing decisions. Years later, when Julia’s great-granddaughter, Kelly, discovers some hidden tape recordings in her famous great-grandmother¹s dresser and learns the real truth about Julia’s year, a year that changed the course of history, she must decide what to do with her grandmother¹s incredible legacy. Will she keep the real “secret of the year”, or will she be brave enough to follow her own heart?


Kritters Thoughts:  With two semi plotlines going on at the same time, one took over a little and I was so glad!  The main plotline is fiction, but felt like truth throughout the whole book (and I liked it) was set in 1904 and are actually recorded tapes from a great grandmother reliving a major year in her life as she leaves her privileged life in Boston and goes to Boston to help fight against plume hunters who are killing birds for their feathers for fashion.  The secondary plotline is the great grand daughter who finds the tapes and when she first finds them is going through a hard moment in her life and finds comfort in the tapes with her great grand mother's life story unfolding in the tapes.

This was a great concept.  Although I absolutely adored one plotline over the other, I still appreciated the inclusion of the secondary plotline.  

As I said before there were many moments where I had to remind myself that this was historical fiction instead of historical fact.  I absolutely loved reading about famous historical figures as they wove through this book and their impact on this woman as she is trying to find her place in the Audobon society and trying to change society's view on the inclusion of feathers in fashion.

I definitely liked this book, it had a great pace from the halfway point to the end as the reader gets more into Julia's story.  Once I got really into Julia's story, I couldn't put it down!


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2015 Challenge: 44 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Booksparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.