Saturday, August 7, 2010

The Blessings of the Animals by Katrina Kittle



From the authors website
"Shaken by her recent divorce, veterinarian Cami Anderson is on a quest to unravel the secret ingredient of a happy, long-lasting marriage. Cami’s parents are preparing to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, yet her brother and his partner are legally blocked from marriage. Her best friend—and ex-sister-in-law—is newly engaged, but her teenaged daughter’s romance has developed its own complications.

Surrounded by several couples approaching different milestones in their relationships, Cami reflects on the meaning of love and partnership, sharing her hopes and fears with an angry horse, a three-legged cat, and an escape-artist goat in her care. As she tends to the rescue animals, so, too, does Cami begin to rescue herself. Coming to terms with her own divorce, she learns poignant lessons in forgiveness, flexibility, and happiness that help her master the art of simply moving on."


I cannot express how much I ABSOLUTELY adored this novel. I managed to finish it in a day, stealing away moments to try to finish it whenever I could and ended up staying up really late since I was so entranced by it. I want to be Cami, well maybe not with the whole having my husband just up and leave me but more in how she handled it. She was so strong and brave, she ended up thriving while her ex-husband remained as unhappy as before.
She really did end up making the divorce a good thing for her, she changed her life and didn't need a man anymore.

As an animal lover, I loved Cami's connection with her animals especially the horse, Moonshine. It was amazing how they both healed each other. I loved the other characters as well, Cami has some pretty amazing people in her life. I enjoyed her ex-husband a lot, he was just so entertaining in his childish ways and his complete disregard for others.

The ending was also great but I don't want to spoil it. It did however have me hopeful and I ended up reading the acknowledgments just wanting more. I think this is my favorite book that I've read in a while, I can't recommend it enough. I'd give it five out of five stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book to participate in an online book club. The opinions expressed her are my own.

Friday, August 6, 2010

The Life You've Imagined by Kristina Riggle



From the author's website
"Are you living the life you imagined? Is there anything you’d have done differently if you could? Those are the questions asked in Kristina Riggle’s unforgettable new novel.

In high school, Cami and Anna were as close as they could be...now, years later, both have returned to their hometown to face the people they had once left behind. Anna must confront her mother, still distraught over the abandonment of her husband, and come to terms with choices she had made years before. While Cami returns home to stay with her alcoholic father, she uncovers a secret he sought to keep which could change her life and salvage her future. They reconnect with their classmate, Amy, who can't understand why achieving the thin body and handsome man of her dreams hasn't given her the happily-ever-after she desired. This is a novel that digs deep and touches the heart of the issues so many women face-the quest for perfection, the hope of love, the value of family and importance of always striving for your dream."


The publishing date for this novel is August 17.

This novel was definitely not what I expected. After looking at the cover and reading the title (I know I shouldn't judge based on just that but still) I thought this would be a light read about teens and friendship. It ended up being MUCH more complicated than that, the story is about two adult friends who happen to wind up back in their home town at the same time for different reasons. Both women have complicated family situations, Cami's mother has died years ago leaving her to be raised by her alcoholic father while Anna's father abandoned her and her mother over twenty years ago. The story follows the two women as they try to recover from their issues in this small town while at the same time dealing with the issues of their families.

The novel explores complex topics such as happiness and contentedness with your life. It explores the idea of settling and not reaching your full potential and just not being satisfied with your life in general or rather not living the life you've imagined. It talks about both not wanting to grow up to be your parents and parents wanting more for their children than they had.

I found I was able to relate to Anna and Cami but at times wondered if they were really acting like women their age would act. At times, I seemed to forget that these were grown women not high schoolers. As for Anna's mother, Maeve I couldn't seem to understand her unwillingness to let go of the past and just move on.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel but it was much more complicated than I originally expected. If you want to forget about your own problems for a bit and get wrapped up in someone else's then this is the novel for you.

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this review. I received a copy of this book as part of an online book discussion.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Commuters by Emily Gray Tedrowe



From the author's website
After losing her husband of many years, seventy-eight-year-old Winnie Easton has found love again with Jerry Trevis, a wealthy, elderly Chicago businessman; their decision, however, to buy one of the biggest houses in the small, upstate town of Hartfield, New York, ignites anger and skepticism in their families. Jerry's daughter, Annette, fearing for her inheritance, takes drastic action to freeze Jerry's assets; Winnie's daughter, Rachel, struggling with her own finances, accepts Jerry's offer of a loan; and Avery, Jerry's twenty-year-old grandson, a hotshot chef with a cocaine-fueled past, scouts out Manhattan venues in which to start his own restaurant--with Jerry's money to back him up.

With so much riding on Jerry's wealth, a rapid decline in his physical health forces hard decisions on the family, renewing old loyalties while creating surprising alliances. Commuters traces the interwoven stories of Winnie, Rachel, and Avery as each is changed by the repercussions of one marriage, and by the complex intertwining of love, family, and money.


Have you ever read a novel that you just don't want to stop reading, that you want to continue even after you're finished? Well this is one of those. The novel is told through multiple viewpoints, Winnie, Rachel and Avery. This allows the reader is able to understand what each character is going through. I tend to love novels told from multiple viewpoints because I feel you get a better understanding of what makes each character tick and what matters most to them.

The story is one about love, money and family and the problems associated with them. I loved that the story was based on finding love in different ages and just how trans-formative it can be. Love really does change the characters in this novel. Another aspect of this novel I enjoyed was the wide range of characters, Winnie is so different from her daughter Rachel and Jerry is so different from his grandson Avery. I loved this novel and can't recommend it enough.

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this review. I received a copy for an online book club.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Georgia's Kitchen by Jenny Nelson Book Tour



Georgia Gray has a bright future ahead of her as an up and coming chef, she works at one of the best restaurants in NYC and is on the verge of getting a career making review. Or so she thinks, instead of her well deserved rave review she receives a horrible review that costs her her job. To make matters worse, her fiancee decides to call off their wedding just hours after getting fired. Jobless and fiancee-less, Georgia decides to escape to Italy to work for a former employer who is opening up a new restaurant. There she meets Gianni, who gives her a very appealing offer with one catch, she'd have to stay for longer than she had planned. Will Georgia take the job or chase her actual dreams and open a restaurant of her own?

Georgia is down on her luck, she's just lost her job and her fiance and after her awful review no top-notch restaurant with any sense would want to hire her. So she goes back to work for a woman who had been really influential in her past and is able to find/learn a lot more than she expected. I liked the plot and how Nelson has Georgia leave the country after being publicly humiliated, its something I'm sure we've all wished for previously.

In Italy, Georgia learns the importance of having hope and chasing after her dreams. She doesn't take the easy way out and I admired her for that. I enjoyed this novel because it was so hopeful, Georgia never gave up hope of getting what she wanted the most, her own restaurant. I found myself entranced with this novel and wished I could venture out to the Italian countryside and attempt to learn to cook. I found Georgia to be very agreeable, she really is amazing and I wanted her to succeed.

If you're looking for a feel good novel with a happy ending then this is for you. I'd give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I did not receive compensation for this review, I did however receive a copy for review. This is my honest opinion.