Book Review: "Long Walk Home" by Ellyn Oaksmith

Up for a second-chance romance in a beautiful Pacific Northwest setting? Here’s one for you: Ellyn Oaksmith's newest book, Long Walk Home.

Ten years ago, Lola and Gus were in love. They were teenagers from different worlds—she was the youngest daughter of the family who owned the Blue Hills winery, he was a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Then one night Gus made a host of stupid decisions which put Lola in danger and landed him in jail, and pushed him out of her life.

Now, Lola wants to make a bigger impact at the winery but keeps running into resistance from her older sister, Carmen. Lola thinks she’s ready to be the chef for Blue Hills and has so many ideas, but Carmen still treats her like the little sister. So when Lola gets the idea to build some tiny cabins for vacationers on a part of the winery’s property, she has to go behind Carmen’s back to get it done.

The last thing she expected is that the master carpenter assigned to build the cabins is Gus, who has returned home to try and make amends with those he hurt, and hopefully make a fresh start. But Lola’s father threatened him to stay away from her all those years ago—will anyone be able to see him for the man he’s become, not the boy he was?

If you had a second chance with your first love, would you take it? Lola and Gus’ story plays out amidst family struggles, as Lola demands that her ideas for the winery be taken more seriously by her family. All of this takes place against a gorgeous backdrop.

I enjoyed Long Walk Home a great deal. I love second-chance love stories and definitely rooted for Lola and Gus. I did think Lola acted like a brat sometimes, and Carmen was inflexible, but that’s family dynamics for you!

This is the third book in a series but I read it as a stand-alone and didn’t feel like I missed anything. Oaksmith’s imagery made me feel like I was there (and I wished I was), and her descriptions of food made me hungry!!

I was glad to be part of the tour for this book. Bookouture provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

Book Review: "The Lucky Ones" by Liz Lawson

Liz Lawson's The Lucky Ones is an emotional, timely story that packs such a powerful punch.

When a deadly shooting occurred at her school, May survived by hiding in a closet. But her brother and her friends were among those killed. She knows she should feel lucky but she doesn’t. No one understands the guilt, the hurt, the anguish she feels as her life is falling apart around her. All she wants to do is lash out, but one friend tries to keep her close.

After the shooting, Zach’s life changed in a different way. When his mother decides to become the shooter’s defense attorney, he loses everything. His girlfriend dumps him, his friends ostracize him, and he spends most of his time with only his little sister and the one friend who still cares about him.

Neither May nor Zach feels like they are really living anymore, and both wonder if it’s worth going on with life. But when the two meet, it’s the first time in a long while they’ve felt something other than grief or anger or guilt or pain. Can two people barely surviving help each other live again?

I thought The Lucky Ones provided a really interesting perspective on the survivors of a school shooting. Sadly, there are far too many of these shootings occurring these days, so this story is really relevant.

At times, as you’d imagine, this book got a bit heavier than I could handle, but it was a really well-told and moving story that definitely made me think.

NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press provided me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

Book Review: "She Drives Me Crazy" by Kelly Quindlen

Fake dating? Characters obsessed with 80s music and movies? I’m in!! You get all of this and more in Kelly Quindlen's latest YA rom-com, She Drives Me Crazy.

Scottie hasn’t quite gotten over the fact that her girlfriend Tally broke up with her and then transferred to the more exclusive, rival high school. (She also can't seem to get over Tally.) Facing Tally at a basketball game, Scottie and her team get humiliated, and she wants to get even.

Leaving the game, she gets into a fender-bender with Irene, head cheerleader and all-around queen bee, who caused one of Scottie’s most humiliating moments. When Irene is left without a car, it’s decided by the mothers of both girls that Scottie can drive Irene to school—much to both of their displeasure.

Scottie quickly sees that her proximity to Irene raises her profile at school, and suddenly Irene and her minions start attending the girls’ basketball team’s games, which motivates them to play harder. (Plus, Tally is getting jealous, so, win-win.)

So Scottie does what everyone else would—she essentially convinces/bribes Irene to pretend to date her, in order for people to keep coming to the basketball games and hopefully motivate the team to beat their rival in the Christmas Classic. (And if it upsets Tally in the process, oh well!)

Through the course of their “relationship” both come to realize their assumptions about the other are wrong. Both have serious hurts they’re dealing with and have their guards up, but could a real relationship flourish amidst all of this?

I thought She Drives Me Crazy was a great story. There’s a lot going on here—issues with self-esteem and trust, toxic relationships, using people’s sexuality as a weapon against them—but it never gets too heavy. The characters aren’t perfect (who is?), so everything feels very real.

There are some really terrific moments here—some cheesy, some funny, some emotional. I need to go back and read Quindlen’s first book now! (I also couldn't get a mash-up of Fine Young Cannibals' "She Drives Me Crazy" and Britney Spears' "(You Drive Me) Crazy" out of my head.)

Pride Book Tours and Roaring Brook Press sent me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available and inviting me on the tour!!

Book Review: "Boy Queen" by George Lester

George Lester's Boy Queen is a beautiful, joy-filled book about finding the right path—and the belief in yourself to follow it.

Robin has his future planned—he’s going to attend a performing arts academy and set the theatre world on fire. Everyone tells him how talented he is, even though he doesn’t always believe it.

When he doesn’t get into the academy as he (and everyone else) thought he would, he’s utterly devastated. What’s next for his future? He didn’t apply to university and all his friends did, so he has no clue what he’ll do, and he doesn't want to have to stay in his hometown alone.

On his birthday, to try and get him out of his doldrums, he and his friends go to Drag Night at a gay bar, and he is utterly mesmerized. He realizes that this is what he wants to do. This is who he wants to be.

Under the tutelage of the glorious Kaye Bye, he sets out to find his true self. But he’ll need to believe in himself and his talent first, and realize he also needs to focus on the people who love him for who he is—not the ones who only support and love him when no one is around.

“I’ve never felt so powerful or fully in control of myself before, but, in that moment, there it was. The more applause I got, the more powerful I felt, like some kind of oversized Tinkerbell in three pairs of tights and a six-inch heel.“

So full disclosure: while I have immense admiration for the artistry, talent, and sheer confidence of drag artists, I’ve never been a huge fan. But this book by George Lester has gotten me hooked a bit!!

I absolutely loved Boy Queen and the characters, especially Robin’s friends, some of his teachers, and his mother, who was incredible. The support and encouragement they gave him really filled my heart.

It was fun buddy reading this with my friend Javi. We both loved it, and hopefully you will, too!

Book Review: "We Are the Brennans" by Tracey Lange

In Tracey Lange's upcoming debut novel, We Are the Brennans, a secret threatens to tear a family apart, even five years later.

When Sunday Brennan wakes up in an Los Angeles hospital after a drunk-driving accident, she’s both surprised and unsurprised to find her older brother Denny at her bedside. He convinces her to come back with him to the Long Island town—and the house—where she grew up.

Sunday left suddenly for Los Angeles five years ago without any explanation to anyone—not her family or her long-time boyfriend—so her return stirs up a lot of questions and emotions. And as she settles back into her family, she realizes that they’re struggling just as badly as she has been all these years, and it's not too long before she falls into the all-too-familiar role of caretaker. But she really doesn't seem to mind.

When she discovers that some financial decisions Denny has made threaten the survival of the family’s bar business and the family home, Sunday knows her help is needed more than ever. And that help means revealing the secret that sent her running away five years ago—but revealing the truth will have real ramifications, too.

I don’t know what it is about family drama and secrets that draws me in, but it’s definitely a genre that appeals to me. We Are the Brennans was such a compelling, engaging story, and I was really hooked on these characters. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel!

Celadon Books provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

We Are the Brennans publishes 8/3.

Book Review: "Infinite Country" by Patricia Engel

If you're looking for a powerful, relevant story about immigration and its effects on a Colombian family, look no further than Patricia Engel's Infinite Country.

“And maybe there is no nation or citizenry; they’re just territories mapped in place of family, in place of love, the infinite country.”

Talia was sent to a juvenile facility in the Colombian mountains after committing a sudden act of violence in retribution for horrible animal cruelty. (Was what she did more extreme than what the person did? She doesn't think so.) She doesn’t feel she belongs there and is desperate to get home to her father in Bogota.

One night she and some of the other teenage girls escape from the facility. Talia must make it home so she can catch a flight and finally be reunited with her mother and siblings, who have been living in America. If she gets caught or somehow doesn’t make it home in time, she might miss her chance to ever get to America.

Infinite Country is the story of two generations. It follows Mauro and Elena, Talia’s parents, as they fall in love as teenagers in Colombia and try to build a life together in America, only to be thwarted by immigration issues. It traces their path as they are forced to make a decision that splits the family.

The book juxtaposes their story with Talia’s, as she tries to get home. She wonders whether leaving her father for America is the right decision, or whether she should stay with the parent who knows her. It’s an all-too-familiar struggle faced by families.

I thought Infinite Country was gorgeously written and it brimmed with emotion. I didn’t necessarily agree with all of the storytelling choices Engel made—all of a sudden the narration in the book switches to two other people that hadn’t yet had a role in the story. But it’s a minor thing, really, amidst the beauty of her writing.

So grateful to have read this with a friend of mine on Bookstagram. Thanks for the discussion and for encouraging me to read this!

Book Review: "The Restarting Point" by Marci Bolden

Everyone needs help and support to start over, even strong people. This is the core message of Marci Bolden's new novel, The Restarting Point.

Jade has always been a driven person determined to succeed. That spirit has made her a successful marketing executive, and when she was faced with a serious cancer diagnosis, her strength and determination helped her beat it.

Now it’s time to relax a little before getting back to the grind. When her husband asks where she wants to go on vacation she chooses idyllic Chammont Point, where she has memories of their earlier days from when their children were young. When he can’t make the trip because of a conflict, she goes herself, only to find herself injured after a freak accident. Returning home to nurse her wounds, she discovers the real reason her husband couldn’t join her on vacation—and now she’s really entering a new phase of her life.

For someone who’s always fought hard for what she wants, she’s not sure what comes next. But with the support of an unlikely crew of people—who become friends—she’s ready to take the next steps in her life, even if she has no idea what they are.

This was a fun, poignant read that really drew me in! Even if we all can't identify specifically with the things Jade went through in the book, many of us have experienced a time in our lives when we've been knocked for a loop by circumstances. Essentially we have two choices: let circumstances destroy us, or fight back. That's what was so meaningful about the book.

Storygram Tours and the author provided me with a complimentary advance copy of b>The Restarting Point in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!