5 star books

23 Books To Read In 2023

January 31, 2023

After doing a lot of digging and reading over the last month, I’m excited to finally post my 2023 book list! I tried to include novels in a variety of genres and threw in some memoirs as well as a classic (always). As you can see, April is going to be a very expensive month for me. So many great books are releasing that month- just in time for spring/summer reading! Let me know in the comments which books you are looking forward to devouring this year!

Sam by Allegra Goodman – This coming of age novel is a short and sweet read. I’m currently about halfway through this one and enjoying it so far.

Spare by Prince Harry – I love catching up on the royal family and this memoir did not disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised that Harry mostly talked about his childhood and personal experiences in the military. Meghan Markle didn’t come into the book until probably 3/4 of the way in.

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey – I added this one to my TBR list so fast!

Becoming Free Indeed by Jinger Duggar Vuolo – This memoir releases today! I am really excited to read Jinger’s experience in her religion and growing up in the Duggar family.

Maame by Jessica George – I’ve seen this book everywhere, so I had to add it to my personal TBR list!

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes (Feb 7th) I’ve read several Jojo Moyes books and none of them disappointed. I’m excited for this one to come out soon!

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi (February 14th) – I’m not a huge fan of fantasy, but this one sounds like it has potential. I’m a sucker for a description that relates a book to fairytales. Sold.

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (March 7th) – This is one I am personally really excited about! It’s got first loves, family drama and lots of wit!

The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew by Maggie Bullock (March 7th) – If you are remotely interested in American fashion, this one is a must-read!

The Quarantine Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (March 28th) – What 80’s/90’s babies were not obsessed with Princess Diaries? I’m excited to read the newest in the series.

Homecoming by Kate Morton (April 4th) – Kate Morton is one of my all-time favorite authors! I am beyond excited for her new novel because it has been a few years since her last one. If you enjoy historical fiction mixed with a little mystery, you will love her novels.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (April 4th) – The title hooked me and then after reading the description, I think this is the rom-com we all need right now.

A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung (April 4th) – Chung dives into the middle class life she thought she knew and grief in this highly anticipated memoir.

Happy Place by Emily Henry (April 25th) – Emily Henry is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I loved Beach Read last year and am ecstatic for the release of this one!

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane (May 2nd) – I don’t know a lot about this one, but the synopsis had me hooked!

Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier (June 6th) – For the thriller and mystery lovers, this sound like the perfect summer vacation novel.

The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand (June 13th) – I’m so excited that Elin Hilderbrand is coming out with another new novel just in time for beach season!

The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan (July 11h) – Jenny Colgan is the queen of light-hearted sweet novels! If you need a light read, this will be perfect.

Books to catch up on:

I rated these 5 stars last year and wanted to include them in my list. They are definitely worth going back and catching up on.

Under the Magnolias by T.I. Lowe – This coming of age tale was so enjoyable and refreshingly clean.

Meant to Be by Emily Giffin – This story is heavily influenced by the Kennedys and I absolutely loved it!

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand – I couldn’t put this one down! It was such an incredible story.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman – I am currently a little over halfway through this book and am really enjoying it so far! It is now a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks!

Y’all know I love to end my lists with a classic and this year’s choice is Little Women because Sophie and I are reading it together! I hope you will join us in diving in this classic again (or for the first time).

Which books are you looking forward to reading the most?

The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews

June 21, 2016

The Weekeners by Mary Kay Andrews

Synopsis from Goodreads: Some people stay all summer long on the idyllic island of Belle Isle, North Carolina. Others come only for the weekends-and the mix between the regulars and “the weekenders” can sometimes make the sparks fly. Riley Griggs has a season of good times with friends and family ahead of her on Belle Isle when things take an unexpected turn. While waiting for her husband to arrive on the ferry one Friday afternoon, Riley is confronted by a process server who thrusts papers into her hand. And her husband is nowhere to be found.

So she turns to her island friends for help and support, but it turns out that each of them has their own secrets, and the clock is ticking as the mystery deepens…in a murderous way. Cocktail parties aside, Riley must find a way to investigate the secrets of Belle Island, the husband she might not really know, and the summer that could change everything.

Told with Mary Kay Andrews’ trademark blend of humor and warmth, and with characters and a setting that you can’t help but fall for, The Weekenders is the perfect summer escape.

Book Review: The Lake House by Kate Morton

September 28, 2015

The Lake House by Kate Morton

Atria Books October 22, 2015

Pages: 400

Synopsis from Goodreads.com: The beguiling new novel from Kate Morton; the number one bestselling author of The House at Riverton and The Secret Keeper.

An abandoned house…

After a particularly troubling case, Sadie Sparrow is sent on an enforced break from her job with the Metropolitan Police and retreats to her beloved grandfather’s cottage in Cornwall. There she finds herself at a loose end, until one day she stumbles upon an abandoned house surrounded by overgrown gardens and dense woods, and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace.

A missing child…

June 1933, and the Edevane family’s country house, Loeanneth, is polished and gleaming, ready for the much-anticipated Midsummer Eve party. For Eleanor, the annual party has always been one of her treasured traditions, but her middle daughter, Alice, sixteen years old and with literary ambitions, is especially excited. Not only has Alice worked out the perfect twist for her novel, she’s also fallen helplessly in love with someone she shouldn’t. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night sky, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great they leave Loeanneth and never return.

An unsolved mystery…

Seventy years later, in the attic writing room of her elegant Hampstead home, the formidable Alice Edevane leads a life as neatly plotted as the bestselling detective novels she writes. Until a young police detective starts asking questions about her family’s past and seeking to resurrect the complex tangle of secrets Alice has spent her life trying to escape…

My Thoughts: As expected, this novel was nothing short of amazing. I have anticipated it all year and was so honored to have the opportunity to review it before it’s release next month. If you read one book this fall, make it this one. In true Kate Morton fashion, this story gripped me from the beginning. I couldn’t set the book down. I just had to know what happened. Every time I thought I had figured out the mystery, the book took a turn and threw me for another loop.

My favorite part about reading novels by Kate Morton is that she goes back and forth between the present and the past. We get a glimpse at what was happening while the case is being solved. This novel affected me more than her others because it involved a little boy around my son’s age. This book had suspense and shock. I really did not see the end coming. It took a turn that made me cry happy tears. It was such an incredible story that I didn’t know how Morton could have dreamed up such a twisting, surprising, unreal story. This author’s imagination is nothing short of fascinating and that is why she continues to be one of my favorites. I have always harped on The Forgotten Garden, but I must say, this one gave it a run for it’s money. I think her books get better with each page published.

In my opinion, fall is the perfect time of year for a good mystery. If you want to read a book this season that you can completely indulge in and hardly put down – one that will grip you and leave you thinking about it days later, you need to read this one. Out of all the books I’ve read – and there have been many – this was definitely one of my favorites.

The Lake House comes out October 22nd and I highly recommend it to all women. If you were a Nancy Drew girl, this one’s for you. I gave this book 5 stars.

Book Review: The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

September 15, 2015

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Grand Central Publishing April 2015

Pages: 454

Synopsis from Goodreads: American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it’s Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain’s future king. And when Bex can’t resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick’s sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he’s fated to become.

Which is how she gets into trouble.

Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she’s sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

My Thoughts: I don’t even know where to start with this one. I was captivated from the beginning. I wanted to know everything from the first page. I love reading about the royals (the real ones) so much. Their life is fascinating to me. This book opened my eyes to their side of things. The paparazzi is the devil in the book. I got a glimpse at what it must be like to be famous and all I can say is no thanks. I feel that it is my motherly duty to wan parents that because of drug use and sexual sections of this book, it may not be the best for your teens, but it is of course up to you. Just one mom’s opinion.

This book was so so good. It made me laugh hysterically – like, husband giving me a super awkward stare in bed while he is trying to sleep and his wife is still up reading that book and won’t stop cry laughing, hysterical. It also made me cry. I loved this book so much that I am crossing my fingers and hoping for a sequel! Please, Heather and Jessica, give us a sequel! I don’t know what else to say other than, read it! I gave this book 5 stars…obviously.

Today I am giving away a copy of Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell! Enter in the Rafflecopter below!

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What are you currently reading?

Book Review: Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

August 12, 2015

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 260

Synopsis from Goodreads: There are secrets you share, and secrets you hide…

Growing up on her family’s Sonoma vineyard, Georgia Ford learned some important secrets. The secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine: eight hundred. The secret ingredient in her mother’s lasagna: chocolate. The secret behind ending a fight: hold hands.

But just a week before her wedding, thirty-year-old Georgia discovers her beloved fiancé has been keeping a secret so explosive, it will change their lives forever.

Georgia does what she’s always done: she returns to the family vineyard, expecting the comfort of her long-married parents, and her brothers, and everything familiar. But it turns out her fiancé is not the only one who’s been keeping secrets…

My Thoughts: Eight Hundred Grapes is one of the best novels I have read in a while. It was on my Summer Reading List and it definitely did not let down my expectations. Bonus points for being a shorter book to help me through my reading list! For the last several years, Ryan and I have had a big California trip all planned out. We just haven’t quite found the time to go yet. This book made me want to visit northern Cali SO much more. It sounds so beautiful. I loved the way all of the relationships panned out in this book ans the story gripped me from the first page. It was an addictive book that I couldn’t wait to read every night. I would definitely recommend it to women of all ages! Oh, and I gave it 5 stars which I haven’t done in a while. 🙂

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Book Review: Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews

July 14, 2015

Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews
Published June 4th 2013 by St. Martin’s Press

Pages: 464

Synopsis from Goodreads: Grace Stanton’s life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style. Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and lives above a rundown beach bar called The Sandbox, is less than ideal. So is attending court-mandated weekly “divorce recovery” therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to be the only commonality. When their “divorce coach” starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday “Ladies’ Night” sessions at The Sandbox, and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there?

Heartache, humor, and a little bit of mystery come together in a story about life’s unpredictable twists and turns. Mary Kay Andrews’ Ladies’ Night will have you raising a glass and cheering these characters on.

My Thoughts: This was my first MKA book. I know, I know, I am SO behind on an amazing author. I have a couple of her other books on my shelf waiting to be read, so don’t worry, I’ll catch up. I’ll describe this book in a couple of words: Amazing and Intense. Never have I read a book that I was so hooked from the first page than this one. It made me so angry at times and laugh until I cried at other times. It will definitely tug on your feminist strings a little. Grace was very relatable because she is a blogger! I loved reading about that aspect of her and her life, but her husband is maddening. The whole book is following Grace as she is getting a divorce from her husband and all through their journey. He literally takes everything from her, but it is so interesting how it all plays out in the end. It is a book I would recommend to every woman who wants a good novel to get into this summer. I gave this book 5 stars!

Book Review: First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

February 24, 2015

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Pages: 291

Synopsis from Goodreads: From the New York Times bestselling author of Garden Spells comes a story of the Waverley family, in a novel as sparkling as the first dusting of frost on new-fallen leaves…

It’s October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree… and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.

Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies. Though her handcrafted confections—rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds—are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.

Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby— a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.

Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to…if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke?

When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before. And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.

Lose yourself in Sarah Addison Allen’s enchanting world and fall for her charmed characters in this captivating story that proves that a happily-ever-after is never the real ending to a story. It’s where the real story begins.

My Thoughts: It’s no secret to you that I love Sarah Addison Allen novels and that Garden Spells was my favorite. Well, the Waverley’s are back along with their magic and mystery. I loved reading about grown up Bay and the sisters as they are getting older and switching roles a bit. I really hope SAA writes more novels in this series. I loved First Frost and gave it 5 stars.

Book Review: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

January 21, 2015

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Pages: 460

Synopsis from Goodreads: Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal. . . .

A murder… . . . a tragic accident… . . . or just parents behaving badly?

What’s indisputable is that someone is dead. But who did what?

Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads: Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).

Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.

Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

My Thoughts: I loved every page of this book. Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite authors because she never disappoints. You never see it coming. The whole time you are thinking, this is so easy, I know who gets murdered and I know who did it, but you don’t. Not even close. This novel kept me on my toes and (much to Ryan and Hampton’s dismay) I literally couldn’t put it down. It was exciting and fast paced. I loved that it kept going back and forth between the past and present so that you felt like you were trying to put the puzzle pieces together along with the detective. The characters are really likable, but I really loved Celeste. She was so spunky and definitely a go-getter type of woman that you would definitely want on your side. I gave this book 5 stars and highly recommend it!

What are you reading?

Book Review: The Devil Wears Prada

August 14, 2014

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
May, 2006 by Anchor Books

Pages: 432

Synopsis on Goodreads: A delightfully dishy novel about the all-time most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses.

Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job “a million girls would die for.” Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of “Runway “magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts “Prada! Armani! Versace!” at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA gives a rich and hilarious new meaning to complaints about “The Boss from Hell.” Narrated in Andrea’s smart, refreshingly disarming voice, it traces a deep, dark, devilish view of life at the top only hinted at in gossip columns and over Cosmopolitans at the trendiest cocktail parties. From sending the latest, not-yet-in-stores Harry Potter to Miranda’s children in Paris by private jet, to locating an unnamed antique store where Miranda had at some point admired a vintage dresser, to serving lattes to Miranda at precisely the piping hot temperature she prefers, Andrea is sorely tested each and every day—and often late into the night with orders barked over the phone. She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get Andrea a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, however, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not the job is worth the price of her soul.

My Thoughts: I loved this book. Plain and simple. It is so much better than the movie, simply because there is so much more to the story than the movie shows. Which is basically like every other book-to-movie. I’m so glad I decided to read the book before reading the sequel because I would have totally been lost otherwise. I enjoyed it so much and blew through it very quickly. The characters are so real and I love fantasizing about working at Runway. Every fashion lover’s dream – to work at a high fashion magazine. Reading about the clothes/photography/models etc. was so much fun! I loved getting lost in this book that is also one of my favorite movies. I gave this one 5 stars…because, why not? Oh, and if you haven’t already, you need to watch The Devil Wears Prada movie!

For more book recommendations and reviews check out my bookshelf!

Book Review: The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

June 6, 2014

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Pamela Dorman Books, August 2013

Synopsis from Goodreads: In 1916, French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything – her family, reputation and life – in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.

Nearly a century later and Sophie’s portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting’s dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened…

In The Girl You Left Behind two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for the thing they love most – whatever the cost.

My Thoughts: Amazing doesn’t begin to describe this book. I couldn’t put it down. It is the perfect mix of historical fiction and chick lit, which if you know me, you know that’s right up my alley. I think I have found a new favorite author and can’t wait to read more from her. The characters captivated me as well as their individual stories. I didn’t want it to end. I loved Mo’s eccentric and sarcastic personality. She made me laugh and was an excellent added character. I gave this book 5 stars.

Be sure to stop by and enter Karissa’s giveaway!