Book Review- And One Last Thing

I just finished reading And One Last Thing by Molly Harper for a Galley/Pocket Book Blog Tour.

From Goodreads:

Lacey Terwilliger’s shock and humiliation over her husband’s philandering prompt her to add some bonus material to Mike’s company newsletter: stunning Technicolor descriptions of the special brand of "administrative support" his receptionist gives him. The detailed mass e-mail to Mike’s family, friends, and clients blows up in her face, and before one can say "instant urban legend," Lacey has become the pariah of her small Kentucky town, a media punch line, and the defendant in Mike’s defamation lawsuit.

Her seemingly perfect life up in flames, Lacey retreats to her family’s lakeside cabin, only to encounter an aggravating neighbor named Monroe. A hunky crime novelist with a low tolerance for drama, Monroe is not thrilled about a newly divorced woman moving in next door. But with time, beer, and a screen door to the nose, a cautious friendship develops into something infinitely more satisfying.

Lacey has to make a decision about her long-term living arrangements, though. Should she take a job writing caustic divorce newsletters for paying clients, or move on with her own life, pursuing more literary aspirations? Can she find happiness with a man who tells her what he thinks and not what she wants to hear? And will she ever be able to resist saying one . . . last . . . thing?

Oh this one was fun!  I think Lacey is what every woman who has been cheated on is really like deep down.  Oh how I would have loved to write what I really felt about my ex who cheated on me and sent it out for everyone to know what a jerk he was.  But luckily, I had enough sense not to.  Lacey just went with it and thus unfolded a great story about getting over someone and moving on.

Lacey was a great character!  She was spunky and fun and just said what she thought.  I loved her!  And Monroe seemed so hot!  The brooding, mysterious guy at first who then opens up and becomes the great male romantic interest.  And the cast of secondary characters were great too--Maya, Lacey's potential new work partner and Emmett, Lacey's gay and fabulous brother. 

And the plot worked so well.  Yes, the basic formula for a chick-lit story was followed, but it went so well.  I felt like the story could be real. Lacey's feeling adn growth throughout the story seemed accurate and felt right. 

If you've ever been cheated on, then you'll identify with this story.  And if not, then you'll just enjoy laughing at Lacey's fun personality.

I gave this book a rating of 4.5/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 98

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Sarah from Galley and Pocket Book Blog Tours for an honest review.

Book Review- Forget You

I just finished reading Forget You by Jennifer Echols for a Galley/Pocket Book Blog Tour.

From Goodreads:

WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . . AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER? There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

Okay, this book was just a little off for me.  Zoey claims to be such a good girl, but she made some awfully stupid choices. I mean, with everything she went through with her mom, and then her dad being so cruel, I can maybe see how she hooked up with Brandon the first time.  But then she goes around saying over and over again about how Brandon was her boyfriend (to the point that I wanted to scream if I read that one more time).  And he kept blowing her off.  And yet she still didn't get it.  And then some of the stuff she did with Doug...she thought she was dating Brandon, so the good girl was bad by cheating.  She did some other stupid stuff as well, but I don't want to give it away.

I did, however, love Doug.  He seemed like such a good guy.  Vulnerable, and sweet, and hot!  I felt so bad for him because of the way he was treated by his dad.  And Zoey called him controlling and manipulating several times, but I didn't see it that way at all.  I saw it as sweet and caring.

Other than the fact that I didn't like Zoey, the book was easy to read.  The words flowed well and I was easily absorbed into the story.  I'm looking forward to reading Going Too Far, also by Jennifer Echols.

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 94
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 71

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Sarah from Galley and Pocket Book Blog Tours for an honest review.

Book Review- Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives

I just finished reading Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives by Josie Brown for a Galley and Pocket Book Blog Tour.

From Goodreads:

Suburbia is a jungle, filled with lots of vicious creatures.

Take the Paradise Heights Women’s League board. Lyssa Harper should have warned golden-haired DILF du jour Harry Wilder what he was getting into when she invited him to meet the mommies who run their suburban, gated community. At least he brought cupcakes. Since meeting the former Master-of-the-Universe turned stay-at-home single dad, Lyssa has been his domestic Sherpa, teaching him the ins and outs of suburban life. She just didn’t realize her friends would show up at his house unannounced with casseroles, leopard-print bikini briefs, and plans to rearrange his kitchen cabinets.

The truth is, if Harry and his wife, the neighborhood’s "perfect couple," can call it quits, what does that mean for everyone else? Lyssa’s husband, Ted, is a great father, but he pays her Pilates-pumped momtourage more attention than he does his own wife. Her friends gossip about the neighbors while ignoring their own problems: infertility, infidelity, and eating disorders.

When Harry sets boundaries with his new fan club, he is exiled from the neighborhood’s in-clique. But Lyssa refuses to snub him. What she never expects is the explosive impact her ongoing friendship with Harry will have on her close-knit pals—and on her marriage.

This book was gossipy and light and fun, while at the same time making me a little depressed.  If that makes any sense at all.  The story takes place in well-to-do suburbia.  So of course there is gossip and cattiness and lots of characters you love to hate.  Which is fun.  But there was also a lot of cheating and it made me wonder if there are any good marriages out there (I mean, I know there are, but you wouldn't guess it from the book).

Each chapter started off with a love or marriage quote, which I love because I have always loved quotes so this was fun.  The story was slightly predictable.  I had figured out part of the big gasp at the end of the book but not the complete scenario.  But the story ends on a happy note and that how I like my summer-y reads!

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 77
2010 Chick Lit Challenge: 8

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Sarah from Galley and Pocket Book Blog Tours for an honest review.

Visit these other blog tour sites:
All About {n}
The Book Tree
Books Gardens & Dogs
Arms of a Sister
Booktumbling
A Room Without Books Is Empty
Busy Julie
Bookin’ with Bingo
The Down Home Diva
Me, My Book, and the Couch
Starting Fresh
Frugal Plus
Avid Reader
Marta’s Meanderings
Eclectic Book Lover
Not Quite Susie
Books and Needlepoint
Books with a Cup of Coffee
Knitting and Sundries
Just Another New Blog
Simply Stacie
Must Read Faster
Booksie’s Blog
Reminder List
My Five Monkeys
My Book Views
Taking Time For Mommy
I Heart Book Gossip
Book Junkie
Jeanne's Ramblings
Readaholic
Broken Teepee
Tethered Mommy
Just Jennifer Reading
Reading With Tequila
Book N Around
A Journey of Books
Bella’s Novellas
CuzinLogic’s Blog
Rundpinne

Book Review- Alexandra, Gone

I just finished reading Alexandra, Gone by Anna McPartlin for a Pocket Book Blog Tour.

From Goodreads:

LETTING GO FOR GOOD . . .

Once, Jane Moore and Alexandra Walsh were inseparable, sharing secrets and stolen candy, plotting their futures together. But when Jane became pregnant at seventeen, they drifted slowly apart. Jane has spent the years since raising her son, now seventeen himself, on her own, running a gallery, managing her sister’s art career, and looking after their volatile mother—all the while trying not to resent the limited choices life has given her.

Then a quirk of fate and a faulty elevator bring Jane into contact with Tom, Alexandra’s husband, who has some shocking news. Alexandra disappeared from a south Dublin suburb months ago, and Tom has been searching fruitlessly for her. Jane offers to help, as do the elevator’s other passengers—Jane’s brilliant but self-absorbed sister, Elle, and Leslie Sheehan, a reclusive web designer who’s ready to step back into the world again. And as Jane quickly realizes, Tom isn’t the only one among them who’s looking for something . . . or traveling toward unexpected revelations about love, life, and what it means to let go, in every sense.

In this insightful and irresistible novel, by turns profound, poignant, and laugh- out-loud funny, acclaimed Irish writer Anna McPartlin tells a story of friendship and love, of the families we are born into and the ones we create for ourselves, and of the hope and strength that remain when we find the courage to leave the past behind at last.

This book was a little hard for me to get into.  There was something about the writing that made me have to struggle with it at first, and then once I did, it was easier to read.

This was a deep book--it's definitely not something you'd want to read if you were looking for a happy, uplifting or fluffy book.  But it was definitely interesting.  A lot of issues were brought up--teenage pregnancy, missing people, suicide, cancer, mental illness. 

The way the characters were all integrated took a little while to figure out, but then it was neat to read about how their lives intertwined.

I would recommend this book if you're looking for a thought-provoking story.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 47

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Sarah from Pocket Book Blog Tours for an honest review

Book Review- Spider's Bite

I just finished reading Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep for a Pocket Books Blog Tour.

From Goodreads:

"My name is Gin, and I kill people."

My name is Gin Blanco. They call me the Spider — the most feared assassin in the South (and a part-time cook at the Pork Pit BBQ joint.) As a Stone elemental, I can hear the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet and feel the vibrations of the soaring mountains above me, though I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.

After a ruthless Air elemental double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way. I may look hot in a miniskirt, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble when irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine agrees to help. The last thing a coldhearted killer needs when she's battling a magic more powerful than her own is a sexy distraction ... especially when he wants her dead just as much as the enemy.
 
I have previously read all of the Bigtime series books by Jennifer Estep and really enjoyed them, so I just at the chance to read Spider's Bite.  And I wasn't disappointed.
 
First off, let me say that Spider's Bite is a bit more gory and gruesome than what I normally read but that didn't stop me from devouring the book.  For some reason, Estep's writing just flows so easily and I always plow through her books so quickly.
 
I loved the characters in this story.  I really liked the main character Gin--she was hard and tough, yet there was a slightly softer side lurking below the surface.  And the morally-good detective Donovan Caine just sounded plain hot.  Plus he was such a good guy.  How could I not like him?
 
I thought the plot was interesting.  It kept me hanging on until the end.  And I liked the idea of Elementals having special powers. It was a new twist on the paranormal or urban fantasy (not sure what you'd consider it).  The next book in the series, Web of Lies, comes out at the end of May and I can't wait to get my hands on it!
 
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:

2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 20

Other Stops On The Tour:
Pam’s Private Reflections
The Cajun Book Lady
Book, Books Everywhere
Book Junkie
My Life In Not So Many Words
I Heart Monster
Carol’s Notebook
My Guilty Pleasures
The Neverending Shelf
Steph the Bookworm
My Friend Amy
The Bibliophilic Book Blog
Chaotic Book Obsession
Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm
Drey’s Library
Jeanne's Ramblings
Books Gardens & Dogs
See Michelle Read
Book Series Reviews
The Wayfaring Writer
What Book Is That?
Jen’s Book Talk
Pick of the Literate
My Overstuffed Bookshelf
Temple Library Reviews
Dan’s Journal
I Heart Book Gossip
Geek Girl Reviews
All Things Sizzle
Find the Time to Read
Poisoned Rationality
Reading with Tequila
Mindful Musings
Vision Quest Fail
Wendy’s Minding Spot
Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks
Red Headed Book Child
Readaholic
Eclectic Book Lover
Parajunkee’s View
You Wanna Know What I Think?
Patricia's Vampire Notes
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Sarah from Pocket Book Blog Tours for an honest review

Book Review- Over the Holidays

I just finished Over the Holidays by Sandra Harper.

From the back cover:

The best holiday traditions are meant to be broken.

It's only December 1, and Vanessa Clayton has been dreading Christmas since she spotted tinseled trees at her local mall in September. Thankfully, she and her husband, JT, can't afford to drag their twin boys across the country to New England for the annual celebration at her stuffy sister-in-law Patience's home. Not that Vanessa has prepared a proper Christmas for her family in years, and she has less time than ever since she agreed to consult on the script of a local play. Her older sister, Thea, is no help -- she'd rather make art and flirt with surfers than babysit her nine-year-old nephews. Then Patience drops a holiday stress bomb: Her family will come to California instead.

In between "baking" cinnamon rolls for the school potluck and overbearing Patience testing her patience, Vanessa can't stop thinking about the difficult but charming playwright at work. Meanwhile, Patience's teenage daughter, Libby, obsesses over a college boy she has met by the pool, and Thea searches desperately for the meaning of Christmas -- for her latest installation, of course. As their holiday plans go comically awry, these four women discover the true spirit of the season is hidden in every festive surprise.

When I started this book, I was looking forward to it but unfortunately I was disappointed.  I didn't connect with any of the characters.  I thought everyone was way too dramatic and too concerned with themselves.  The only characters I enjoyed was JT.  He seemed like a real, sweet guy.

  And I thought there was too much going on with everyone and that the individual plots were too rushed.  The feelings between Vanessa and Neil, the playwright, seemed to come out of nowhere.  And there were other side stories and flashbacks to the past that just didn't fit.  I think that if the story had been one main idea, it would have worked better.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Sarah from Pocket Book Blog Tours for an honest review.

Blog Tour- The Secret of Joy

I just finished reading The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate for a Pocket Book Blog Tour.

From the back cover:

Is the half sister that Rebecca Strand has never met short? Tall? Rich? Poor? Pretty? Funny? Married? Lonely? Happy?

Rebecca is about to find out.  The New York City Paralegal thought nothing could shake her life off its fast track--which includes her handsome lawyer boyfriend and their extravagant condo.  The shocking revelation that she even has a half sister comes from her dying father, in a hospital bed confession of a long-past summer affair...and now the dad she adores has one last wish: would Rebecca deliver a cache of letters he never sent to his other daughter, Joy Jayhawk, in a tiny coastal Maine town?

But when Rebecca arrives in Wiscasset, with the life-changing letters stashed in a leather box, nothing goes as she imagined--and Joy Jayhawk is less than thrilled to meet her.  Joy already has her own life, her own family, and her own business: she runs a bus tour for singles, a matchmaking excursion that's brought lovers together, healed broken hearts, and changed lives.  Rebecca joins the singles tour in the hopes of unlocking a door into Joy's life and forming a relationship with the only family she has left.  But as she spends more and more time with Joy and the women who dub themselves The Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset--and starts a flirtation with a seriously hunky carpenter--Rebecca realizes it's her life and heart that are ready for healing and change...and that sometimes, you just have to go along for the ride.

I really enjoyed reading this story.  I really enjoyed the main theme of finding a sister you never knew you had.  But I also liked the secondary theme which was all about relationships.  It was all about knowing what was right for you in your relationship and when it was time to let go.  It really made me think about my relationship with my boyfriend and where we are right now.

The setting of the book just seemed gorgeous.  I have never really had any want to go to Maine--but the way that Melissa Senate paints the town of Wiscasset makes me want to visit.  And it makes me want to move from my large city to a small, welcoming town.

And I really loved all of the characters.  I loved Rebecca and how much she wanted a sister.  I felt for Joy and how she suddenly had this half-sister from a non-existant father thrown at her.  And the residents of Wiscasset were just so warm--The Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset were hilarious and I wanted them to find love.  And Theo was just so understanding and cared so much for Rebecca.

This was my first book by Melissa Senate, but it will definitely not be my last.  I can only hope that her other books make me think and feel as much as this one did!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

Visit these other stops on the blog tour:

Books, Movies & Chinese Food
Booking Mama
Frugal Plus
All About {n}
Rundpinne
Brizmus Blogs Books
Psychotic State
Books Reviews by Buuklvr81
Starting Fresh
A Sea of Books
That’s A Novel Idea
Book Junkie
My Book Views
Drey’s Library
Me, My Book & the Couch
Just Another New Blog
One Person’s Journey Through A World of Books
Booksie’s Blog
Book N Around
Keep on Booking
My Life In Not So Many Words
Beth’s Book Review Blog
Readaholic
My Reading Room
My Book Addiction and More
Crazy For Books
Bella’s Novella
Blog Business World
Reading at the Beach
My Friend Amy
Book Magic
The Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object
Jeanne's Ramblings
Red Headed Book Child
Reading with Tequila
Books, Gardens, and Dogs
Jens Book Talk
My Own Little Corner of the World
Lit and Life
Entertainment Realm

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Sarah from Pocket Book Blog Tours for an honest review.

Blog Tour- Japan Took The J.A.P Out Of Me

I just finished reading Japan Took The J.A.P. Out Of Me by Lisa Fineberg Cook for a Pocket Books Blog Tour.

From the back cover:

From oy vey to arigato...

A hilarious and heartwarming memoir about a nice jewish girl from the west coast who learns to negotiate a new marriage, a new culture, and a new outlook on life when she moves to the far east.

Six days after an InStyle-worthy wedding in Los Angeles, Lisa Fineberg Cook left behind her little red Jetta, her manicurist of ten years, and her very best friend for the land of the rising sun. When her husband accepted a job teaching English in Nagoya, Japan, she imagined exotic weekend getaways, fine sushi dinners, and sake sojourns with glamorous expatriate friends. Instead, she's the only Jewish girl on public transportation, and everyone is staring. Lisa longs for regular mani/pedis, valet parking, and gimlets with her girlfriends, but for the next year, she learns to cook, clean, commute, and shop like the Japanese, all the while adjusting to another foreign concept -- marriage. Loneliness and frustration give way to new and unexpected friendships, the evolution of old ones, and a fresh understanding of what it means to feel different -- until finally a world she never thought she'd fit into begins to feel home-like, if not exactly like home.

When I first started reading this, I thought it would be fun to learn about the Japanese culture from an American girl standpoint. I was not expecting it to be as funny as it was! I was actually laughing outloud at many points (and getting strange looks from my boyfriend). Lisa Cook writes her story in such a way that I found myself totally engaged in her year in Japan. I felt like if I were the one in her shoes, I would be doing, saying, and feeling the exact way she did! I have always wanted to live abroad, but never thought about how many things I take for granted over here in the US are completely different in other cultures.

I also loved her husband, Peter. I can only hope that he is really as great in real life as he was in the book. He was totally supportive and understanding of how she was feeling and I loved the way their relationship was!

And I loved the ending. I only wish that I could have read more about her second year in Japan! What a great memoir!

I gave this book a rating of 4.5/5!

Visit these other sites on the blog tour:

The Life (And Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/

The Neverending Shelf: http://neverendingshelf.blogspot.com

Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/

A Sea of Books: http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/

Libby’s Library News: http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com/

Bookin’ With Bingo: http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/

Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

That’s A Novel Idea: http://thatsanovelidea.blogspot.com

Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/

Just Another New Blog: http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/

Blog Business World: http://www.blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com

My Friend Amy: http://www.myfriendamysblog.com

Chick With Books: http://www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/

Book N Around: http://booknaround.blogspot.com/

My Book Views: http://my-book-views.blogspot.com/

Keep on Booking: http://keeponbooking.blogspot.com

Reading at the Beach: http://ilratb.blogspot.com/

Found Not Lost: http://jmomfinds.amoores.com/

Brizmus Blogs Books: http://brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com/

I Read: http://sumanam.wordpress.com/

* This book was provided for review by Pocket Books

Blog Tour- Over the Holidays

Today is the blog tour for Over the Holidays by Sandra Harper. I haven't received the book yet so I am just going to post book info and other stops on the tour. I will post my review after I get the book and read it.

It's only December 1, and Vanessa Clayton has been dreading Christmas since she spotted tinseled trees at her local mall in September. Thankfully, she and her husband, JT, can't afford to drag their twin boys across the country to New England for the annual celebration at her stuffy sister-in-law Patience's home. Not that Vanessa has prepared a proper Christmas for her family in years, and she has less time than ever since she agreed to consult on the script of a local play. Her older sister, Thea, is no help -- she'd rather make art and flirt with surfers than babysit her nine-year-old nephews. Then Patience drops a holiday stress bomb: Her family will come to California instead.

In between "baking" cinnamon rolls for the school potluck and overbearing Patience testing her patience, Vanessa can't stop thinking about the difficult but charming playwright at work. Meanwhile, Patience's teenage daughter, Libby, obsesses over a college boy she has met by the pool, and Thea searches desperately for the meaning of Christmas -- for her latest installation, of course. As their holiday plans go comically awry, these four women discover the true spirit of the season is hidden in every festive surprise.

Visit these other stops on the blog tour:

Rundpinne: http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com

Frugal Plus: http://frugalplus.com/

The Life (And Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/

Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/

Wendi’s Book Corner: http://wendisbookcorner.blogspot.com/

Opinionated? Me? : http://readingwatchingliving.blogspot.com/

Me, My Book and the Couch: http://memybookandthecouch.blogspot.com/

Libby’s Library News: http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com/

Bookin’ With Bingo: http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/

Books, Movies, and Chinese Food: http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/

Psychotic State: http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com/

Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

That’s A Novel Idea: http://thatsanovelidea.blogspot.com

All About {N}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/

Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/

A Sea of Books: http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/

Just Another New Blog: http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/

Blog Business World: http://www.blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com

My Friend Amy: http://www.myfriendamysblog.com

Cheryl’s Book Nook: http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/

One Person’s Journey Through A World of Books: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/

I Read: http://sumanam.wordpress.com/

Keep on Booking: http://keeponbooking.blogspot.com

Reading at the Beach: http://ilratb.blogspot.com/

Found Not Lost: http://jmomfinds.amoores.com/

Brizmus Blogs Books: http://brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com/

Book Reviews by Buuklvr81: http://www.buuklvr81.blogspot.com/

Blog Tour- Breaking the Bank

Last night I finished readin Breaking the Bank by Yona Zeldis McDonough for a blog tour for Pocket Books.

From the back cover:

Money isn't everything...

Mia Saul is down on her luck. Dumped by her husband, jettisoned from her job, and estranged from her adored older brother, she and her young daughter, Eden, have had to make a downscale move to a crummy apartment, where their neighbors include a tough young drug dealer and a widower who lets his dogs use the hallways as their own personal litter box. Juggling a series of temporary jobs, wrangling with her ex-husband over child support, and trying to keep pace with Eden's increasingly erratic behavior have left Mia weary and worn out.

Except when it is...

So when a seemingly functional ATM starts handing Mia thousands and thousands of dollars — and not deducting the money from her account, because it sure isn't in there — she isn't about to give it back. Her newfound cash stash opens up a world of opportunity, and a whole lot of trouble. Worried friends, family, and in-laws start questioning her judgment about everything, and the cops really, really want to know where all that cash is coming from. And then there's Patrick, a man Mia most definitely would never have met if things hadn't spun out of control. Mia is beginning to think that maybe somebody, somewhere, is trying to teach her a lesson about what matters in life, and what doesn't....

I'm not really sure what I think about this book. On the one hand, I liked that Mia was gracious enough to always make sure to give some of the money she magically got away to people who needed it. On the other hand, it seemed so far-fetched that I was sure she was going to wake up and it was all a dream. And I'm not sure that I liked the ending either...it just seemed sort of weird and not right for me. And I didn't get her whole fascination with the Patrick character.

I did however like how the story was written. I felt that I really got to know Mia and I felt her pain over dealing with her ex-husband and having to struggle to make ends meet for her and her daughter. And I felt sorry for her when her family started to gang up on her. And I also liked the character of Eden. I like the way that she was portrayed as wanting to be so grown up at times, but was still really just a young child at others.

Overall, it was an interesting read and I sure would like my own magical ATM :)

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

Visit these other blogs participating in the tour:

Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/

Found Not Lost: http://jmomfinds.amoores.com/

Rundpinne: http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com/

The Brain Lair: http://brainlair.blogspot.com/

My Own Little Corner of the World: http://molcotw.blogspot.com/

My Reading Room: http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com/

All About {n}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/

Bookin’ with Bingo: http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/

Chicks with Books: http://www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/

I’m Booking It: http://imbookingit.wordpress.com/

My Guilty Pleasures: http://www.mgpblog.com/

Blog Business World: http://blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/

Crazy For Books: http://www.crazy-for-books.com/

Libby’s Library News: http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com/

Jeanne’s Ramblings: http://jeannesgifts.blogspot.com/
Just Another New Blog: http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/

My Book Addiction and More: http://mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com/

That’s A Novel Idea: http://www.thatsanovelidea.blogspot.com/

Bookfoolery and Babble: http://bookfoolery.blogspot.com/

Booksie’s Blog: http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/

My Five Monkeys: http://www.tableforseven-julie.blogspot.com/

Chicks Love Lit: http://www.chickloveslit.blogspot.com/

Hers For The Reading: http://13r3asonswhy.livejournal.com/

Lit and Life: http://litandlife.blogspot.com/

Psychotic State: http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com/

Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews: http://sharonsgardenofbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Book Magic: http://bookmagic418.blogspot.com/

Metroreader: http://metroreader.blogspot.com/

Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/

Keep on Booking: http://keeponbooking.blogspot.com/

Foreign Library Circus: http://www.foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com/

Thanks to Sarah at Pocket Book Blog Tours for setting this up!

Blog Tour- How It Ends

I just finished reading How It Ends by Laura Wiess.

From the back cover:

All Hanna's wanted since sophomore year is Seth. She's gone out with other guys, even gained a rep for being a flirt, all the while hoping cool, guitar-playing Seth will choose her. Then she gets him--but their relationship is hurtful, stormy and critical, not at all what Hanna thinks a perfect love should be. Bewildered by Seth's treatment of her and in need of understanding, Hanna decides to fulfill her school's community service requirement by spending time with Helen, her terminally ill neighbor, who she's turned to for comfort and wisdom throughout her life. But illness has changed Helen into someone Hanna hardly knows, and her home is not the refuge it once was. Feeling more alone than ever, Hanna gets drawn into an audiobook the older woman is listening to, a fierce, unsettling love story of passion, sacrifice, and devotion. Hanna's fascinated by the idea that such an all-encompassing love can truly exist, and without her even realizing it, the story begins to change her.

Until the day when the story becomes all too real...and Hanna's world is spun off its axis by its shattering irrevocable conclusion.

Wow--what a book! There were so many great things about this book, and a few things that I didn't like.

First of all, the characters: For some reason, I just didn't really connect with Hanna. Some of the things she did or said, I remember feeling and doing, but other things seemed a little out there. And I didn't get a lot of warmth from her. But I really felt for Helen. I felt for her when she was lonely and wanted Hanna to visit. And I felt for her when she became trapped in her own body due to her illness. And I loved the connection between Helen and Lon (her husband).

The story: I liked the love story part of it--the one between Helen and Lon that is, and Peter and Louise. And I guess the relationship between Hanna and Seth was semi-realistic although I could do without Seth getting high all of the time. I mean, to me, that just not the kind of character that I like and was disappointed that Hanna was in love with him. I was much more of a Jesse fan. Some of the story got a little boring for me--the parts that talked about taxidermy and women's reproductive rights just didn't do it for me.

But the ending is really what got me! It was so sad and I didn't see it coming. But it was sad in a good way--it felt right to me. And makes me want to have that type of love that will last forever.

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

I reviewed this book for Pocket Books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

From Simon & Schuster

Laura Wiess is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Such a Pretty Girl, chosen as one of the ALA’s 2008 Best Books for Young Adults and 2008 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, and Leftovers. Originally from Milltown, New Jersey, she traded bumper-to-bumper traffic, excellent pizza, and summer days down the shore for scenic roads, bears, no pizza delivery, and the irresistible allure of an old stone house surrounded by forests in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains Region.

Visit Laura Wiess's website

Other blogs on this tour are:
My Book Views
Book Soulmates

A Journey of Books
Just Jennifer Reading
Debbie’s World of Books
All About {n}
Chick with Books
Bookin’ with Bingo
Starting Fresh

Booksie’s Blog

Readaholic
Blog Business World
Books and Needlepoint

Bella’s Novella
Frugal Plus
Eclectic Book Lover
My Own Little Corner of the World
Chick Loves Lit

Poisoned Rationality
Beth’s Book Review Blog

Park Avenue Princess
Half Deserted Streets

Power in the Blog

Metroreader
Crazy for Books
Angieville