Today I decided to join in on the reading fun and link up with Steph and Jana HERE and show you my books- for this post, I decided to share my summer reads because they have been great! One, even, is most likely going to be named my favorite book of the year!
Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
2020 has been a year of several Colleen Hoover novels for me...edgy love stories with heartache and suspense all in one
Synopsis:
Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.
Morgan
is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she
did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own
dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps.
Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.
With
warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it
increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace
to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the
family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a
tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting
consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.
While
struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds
comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one
boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets,
resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further
apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back
together.
28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
Friends? This could be it...my #1 Book of 2020...we shall see...Elin Hilderbrand is my favorite author and my fave up until this point was The Blue Bistro- she always says that The Blue Bistro was her favorite book to write and this one, my friends, has surpassed it in my book!
Synopsis:
Mallory Blessing meets her brother’s fraternity brother, Jake McCloud, over Labor Day Weekend 1993. The two immediately fall in lust, and inspired by the movie Same Time Next Year, decide that every Labor Day they will meet and reenact this perfect weekend of innocent love. And they succeed, for 28 summers, despite the twists their lives take. Mallory stays in the beach cottage on Nantucket she inherited from a beloved aunt, and becomes a talented English teacher at the high school. Jake marries his high school sweetheart, an exacting and cold lawyer who eventually runs for President. Hilderbrand doesn’t just focus on the three days each year Jake and Mallory spend together, so the set-up never gets stale, and you’ll find yourself rooting for this star-crossed adulterous couple. Nantucket isn’t as much of a character in the novel as in Hilderbrand’s other works, but she weaves in some recurring characters, restaurants, and locations to satisfy her devoted readers.
Eliza Started A Rumor by Jane Rosen
This book was a pleasant surprise and I LOVED it! Fun little suburban drama that us housewives can certainly relate too- loved the drama and chuckled throughout!
Synopsis:
It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. When Eliza Hunt created The
Hudson Valley Ladies’ Bulletin Board fifteen years ago she was happily
entrenched in her picture-perfect suburban life with her husband and
twin preschoolers. Now, with an empty nest and a crippling case of
agoraphobia, the once-fun hobby has become her lifeline. So when a rival
parenting forum threatens the site’s existence, she doesn’t think twice
before fabricating a salacious rumor to spark things up a bit.
The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin
I have to tell you that I used to be a big Emily Giffin fan. I have read all of her books and loved her first three or four. Then her last couple of books were disappointing to me and now that I follow her on Instagram, I am really turned off by her nasty political posts and so, I didn't even know if I would pick this one up. To make a long story short, I followed the recommendation of some of my favorite bloggers and this one was a winner...such passion and drama....
Synopsis:
It’s 2 A.M. on a Saturday night in the spring of 2001, and
twenty-eight-year-old Cecily Gardner sits alone in a dive bar in New
York’s East Village, questioning her life. Feeling lonesome and homesick
for the Midwest, she wonders if she’ll ever make it as a reporter in
the big city—and whether she made a terrible mistake in breaking up with
her longtime boyfriend, Matthew.
As Cecily reaches for the
phone to call him, she hears a guy on the barstool next to her say,
“Don’t do it—you’ll regret it.” Something tells her to listen, and over
the next several hours—and shots of tequila—the two forge an unlikely
connection. That should be it, they both decide the next morning, as
Cecily reminds herself of the perils of a rebound relationship.
Moreover, their timing couldn’t be worse—Grant is preparing to quit his
job and move overseas. Yet despite all their obstacles, they can’t seem
to say goodbye, and for the first time in her carefully constructed
life, Cecily follows her heart instead of her head.
Then Grant
disappears in the chaos of 9/11. Fearing the worst, Cecily spots his
face on a missing-person poster, and realizes she is not the only one
searching for him. Her investigative reporting instincts kick into
action as she vows to discover the truth. But the questions pile up
fast: How well did she really know Grant? Did he ever really love her?
And is it possible to love a man who wasn’t who he seemed to be?
Two Truths And A Lie by Meg Mitchell Moore
What a fun little beach read and my favorite part of this book was how it all took place right near us in the beautiful beach side town of Newburyport...loved all of the local references and flew through this one.
Synopsis:
Truth: Sherri Griffin and her daughter, Katie, have recently moved to
the idyllic beach town of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Rebecca Coleman,
widely acknowledged former leader of the Newburyport Mom Squad (having
taken a step back since her husband’s shocking and tragic death eighteen
months ago), has made a surprising effort to include these newcomers in
typically closed-group activities. Rebecca’s teenage daughter Alexa has
even been spotted babysitting Katie.
Truth: Alexa has time on her hands because of a recent falling-out with her longtime best friends for reasons no one knows—but everyone suspects have to do with Alexa’s highly popular and increasingly successful YouTube channel. Katie Griffin, who at age 11 probably doesn’t need a babysitter anymore, can’t be left alone because she has terrifying nightmares that don’t seem to jibe with the vague story Sherri has floated about the “bad divorce” she left behind in Ohio. Rebecca Coleman has been spending a lot of time with Sherri, it’s true, but she’s also been spending time with someone else she doesn’t want the Mom Squad to know about just yet.
Lie: Rebecca Coleman doesn’t have a new man in her life, and definitely not someone connected to the Mom Squad. Alexa is not seeing anyone new herself and is planning on shutting down her YouTube channel in advance of attending college in the fall. Sherri Griffin’s real name is Sherri Griffin, and a bad divorce is all she’s running from.
A blend of propulsive thriller and gorgeous summer read, Two Truths and a Lie reminds us that happiness isn’t always a day at the beach, some secrets aren’t meant to be shared, and the most precious things are the people we love.
The End Of Her by Shari Lapena
and I am already flying through my first read for August and LOVE it. Shari Lapena never lets you down....she writes these page turners full of suspense and action and it keeps you wanting more!
Synopsis:
Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin
girls. The babies are a handful, but even as Stephanie struggles with
the disorientation of sleep deprivation, there's one thing she's sure
of: she has all she ever wanted.
Then Erica, a woman from
Patrick's past, appears and makes a disturbing accusation. Patrick had
always said his first wife's death was an accident, but now Erica claims
it was murder.
Patrick insists he's innocent, that this is
nothing but a blackmail attempt. Still, Erica knows things about
Patrick--things that make Stephanie begin to question her husband.
Stephanie isn't sure what, or who, to believe. As Stephanie's trust in
Patrick begins to falter, Patrick stands to lose everything. Is Patrick
telling the truth--is Erica the persuasive liar Patrick says she is? Or
has Stephanie made a terrible mistake?
What are you reading? You never let me down...I always read your posts and add a few to my Kindle :)
28 Summers is showing up everywhere this month with good reviews all around! I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you joined the Show Us Your Books link up!!! Wasn’t 28 Summers the absolute best!!! I may reread it this winter because it was so good!! Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Regretting You. Colleen Hoover is gold! 28 Summers is on my radar and I want to read it before summer ends. The rest of these are getting added to my TBR! We seem to like the same stuff.
ReplyDelete28 summer is everywhere this month. I absolutely must read it because the FOMO is real.
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for my library to get the new Shari La Pena in.
ReplyDeleteWe have such similar reading tastes! I love Colleen Hoover and enjoyed Regretting You. I'm not a huge Hilderbrand fan but everyone is loving 28 Summers so I'm going to give it a try. I haven't read The End of Her yet, but have read Lapena's other books. I too used to be a big fan of Emily Giffen. But after seeing her social media posts, I have no interest in reading her books.
ReplyDeleteI love Colleen Hoover! Her books, including Regretting You, are so good. I've found Hilderbrand's books to just be okay, but everyone's raving about 28 Summers, so I'm going to have to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteI loved 28 Summers too; most of Elin's books are great but there are some that just stand out above the others.
ReplyDeleteEliza Starts a Rumor sounds like a fun read! I'll have to add it to my list.
ReplyDeleteI am so behind on my Shari Lapena reading. Like, at least three books.
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining us!
Eliza Starts a Rumor sounds like a fun one!! And I need to read something by Shari Lapena!
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I loved the Elin, Emily and two truths books. They were good reads!
ReplyDeleteI still haven't read an Elin Hilderbrand book somehow! The Lies that Bind sounds very interesting. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your month :)
ReplyDeleteI also loved 28 Summers!
ReplyDelete