Review: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Forever 

Pages: 311

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother--a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career--if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes--and mouth--are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

Kritters Thoughts:  The first in a series that takes place in Lucky Harbor in Washington State.  Three half sisters move into town to renovate a resort that their mother left them, but the property is definitely in need of some of TLC.  A small town and three half sisters who are known to create their own drama is a recipe for a great book.

The middle sister, Maddie is the main focus of this story.  She is leaving her hometown of LA for the small town in Washington for many reasons, one of them being an ex boyfriend who didn't quite show his anger in the best of ways.  This caused my one concern with the book.  Within moments of being in town, Maddie has met a guy and is making out with him.  If I had just left a really bad relationship, I would not be so quick to jump into any physical contact with a guy.  

This point aside, I loved the book.  The sisters were fantastic and I am definitely excited that there are more books in this series.

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

Off the Shelf 2013 Challenge: 3 out of 30

Review: Stay With Me by Garret Freymann-Weyer

Stay With Me by Garret Freymann-Weyer

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin 

Pages: 308 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  Sixteen-year-old Leila Abranel was born some twenty years after her sisters. Her elegant sisters from her father’s first marriage have lives full of work, love affairs, and travel. Leila doesn’t know either of them very well, but she loves hearing about them—details of Rebecca’s ruined marriage, Clare’s first job, and the strings of unsuitable boyfriends.

When Rebecca kills herself, Leila wants to know why. She starts by spending time with Clare and finally comes to know her as a person instead of a story. With Clare’s reluctant help, Leila tracks down Rebecca’s favorite places and tries to find her sister’s friends. Along the way, Leila meets Eamon.Eamon is thirty-one and writes for television. He thinks Leila is beautiful and smart, but he does not, he tells her, date teenagers. And yet, the months go by and Leila turns seventeen and learns that you can love someone you are not dating.

Maybe letting Eamon love her back is a mistake. Maybe she’ll never know why Rebecca did what she did. Maybe, Leila, decides, most people have a hard time figuring out which way is left or knowing when to let go and when to stay.


Kritters Thoughts:  Leila is the youngest of three girls, two of which are her half sisters that she has idolized for years.  The girls lose their mom and a year of high stress begins. Leila must navigate a year with a half sister who she knew little about with her parents out of the country working all while dealing with a load of grief.  

Leila was a fantastic character to follow through this journey - she had depth and soul which is hard to put into a YA book sometimes.  I fell in love with her serious attack about issues that a sixteen-year-old could be dealing with and how she communicated with her friends and family.  Although I may have had an issue with one of her relationships (can't spoil anything), but I at least appreciated her approach to the relationship.

This is definitely one YA author that I will keep a look out for - I want to read more of her.  

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

Off the Shelf 2013 Challenge: 2 out of 30 

Review: Perfect Match by Jane Moore

Perfect Match by Jane Moore

Publisher: Arrow Books 

Pages: 277 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Amazon:  Could you choose between your marriage and your child? Just when Karen and Joe Eastman thought they had it all - the perfect marriage and the perfect family - they learn that their young son, Ben, has a terminal illness. The only cure is for them to have a 'designer baby' to provide him with a perfect match bone-marrow transplant. But in the process, a devastating family secret is revealed that not only jeopardises the one hope of their son having a future but also threatens to destroy their marriage...

Kritters Thoughts:  With a tagline - "Could you choose between your marriage and your child?" - you can guarantee that there will be drama and the main character will definitely have a few decisions to make in the book.  Karen Eastman has a child who has a debilitating illness and there are very few options to help him overcome the disease - one being to have a child that is a "perfect match" to allow for a true bone marrow transplant. After tests are run, Karen learns things about her child and her family that will set this family down a very rough road.  At the beginning another storyline of the Health Secretary and his wife's struggle to get pregnant is paralleling  but for a moment the reader is unsure when they will intersect and how it will affect each couple.

I loved that the unknown of the relationships between the two couples wasn't kept secret for too long to allow for more story and less intrigue.  The foundation was laid quick and then the meat of the story hit.  I think the road the characters took felt honest which made for a much better read than if it was too cookie cutter sweet.  The moral questions abound in this book where the reader make take one stance or another and with each side a different reaction to the book may occur - I am not quite sure how I feel about having a second child solely to help the first with an illness that they are battling, it could cause some major sibling issues down the road.

With a little bit of a cliffhanger, I could see these characters reappearing to continue the story.  A great story that may have you asking questions about yourself and what you would do if you were in each of the character's shoes.

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

Off the Shelf 2013 Challenge: 1 out of 30

Review: American Girls About Town

American Girls About Town

Publisher: Downtown Press 

Pages: 385 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Born in the U.S.A.... American gals are taking liberties -- and pursuing happiness on their own terms -- in this star-studded story collection featuring the nation's red-hot women writers.

They've declared their independence! 



Kritters Thoughts:  A collection of short stories written by the best of the best in the chick lit with quite a few subject matters covered throughout the book.  Some of the short stories, I wish weren't so short and could be made into a full novel.  Although this book was published a few years ago, it had the best of the best that are still in the writing community. 

Although I may have not loved each and every story, I loved enough to say that this was a great group of stories.  For any fan of any of these authors, the stories that they wrote a usually a far cry from their normal writing, which I found to be fun!

A short and sweet review for a great collection of short stories.  I am excited to pass this book on to my sister, who has a hard time finding a ton of time to read a whole book.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel