Mood Reading & Book Club Recommendation!

April 25, 2022 ~ Genevieve

{@BerkleyPub #gifted. Thank you for my free copy to read and share}⁣

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valde

⁣Are you a book planner or a mood reader?

I am absolutely a mood reader, but I also have a general idea of what I want to read during the next month or so. I am easily tempted by a shiny #NewBookReleases (and also like to share them here!) and I also have to be in the right mood for certain genres. 🔮⁣
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My overall reading during the last couple of years has not included many historical fiction novels, I just could not get into them. And so when I kept seeing some of my trusted book recommendation sources proclaiming this was a five start read, I knew Take My Hand would be my next read.

Given that this is a fictionalized account of actual events, this book proved to be a deeply powerful (and sometimes quite uncomfortable) look at inequality and the rights of reproductive consent. Books like this are so important, because as we all know too well, “…history repeats what we don’t remember”.

⁣Take My Hand is deeply empathetic but also a blunt reminder of how we may feel like we know what’s best for someone else, when we haven’t ever walked a day in their shoes. It explores responsibility, the power of CHOICE and is a raw and unfiltered look at human rights.⁣
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I finished this book last week and I know it will truly be a book I will never forget. It would also make an incredibly powerful book club discussion. Is this new release on your TBR list yet? I discussed this over on @genthebookworm and would love to hear your thoughts.

Disclosure: Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!

Book Lovers by Emily Henry // Book Review & Discussion

April 25, 2022 ~ Genevieve

{@berkleypub #partner. Thank you for my #gifted copy to read and review!} ⁣

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣

I had been anxiously awaiting getting my hands on this book for SO many months and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!
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Author Emily Henry has a way of creating such likable and relatable characters- ones you quickly must find out more about. 💜⁣
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I really loved this small town romance as well as the focus on sisterhood, becoming our true selves, and a peek into the lives of book editors and agents.
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I’m sure the author drew these parts of the stories based on her own experiences and it was really entertaining to read about that side of the books we all love and enjoy. ✍️⁣⁣

Emily Henry has officially become a must read author for me and I can’t wait to see what she writes next! Book Lovers publishes on May 3rd and I highly recommend adding it to your spring reading list! You can also order it through my affiliate link HERE.

As always, I discussed this book over on @genthebookworm and I would love it if you joined in on the conversation!

⁣Disclosure: Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!

Home or Away by Kathleen West {Publication Day Blog Tour!}

March 29, 2022March 29, 2022 ~ Genevieve

{Berkley Publishing #Partner. Thank you for my gifted copy of Home or Away and for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour. }

Home or Away by Kathleen West

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣

I was first introduced to author Kathleen West’s writing style when I read her 2020 novel Minor Dramas and Catastrophes. One of the sub-genres of #ContemporaryFiction I have come to so enjoy is #ParentingFiction. 🙌⁣

Maybe it is because I am smack dab in this stage, but I love books that take on the intricacies to a season of life. The worries, the relationships and the daily struggles that we all can relate to, even if our stories look really different from the outside. And this book takes on competitive youth sports, in particular, hockey! 🏒⁣

Book Synopsis:

Two friends, one Olympic dream, and the choice that stood in the way.

Once Leigh and Susy were close friends and teammates bound for Olympic hockey gold, but when Leigh’s sure-fire plan to make the final roster backfired, she left everything behind to start over, including the one person who knew her secret.

Two decades later, Leigh’s a successful investment banker, happily married, and the mom of a hockey prodigy, so when a career opportunity lands the family back in Minnesota, Leigh takes the shot for her kid. Back in the ultra-competitive world she left behind, the move puts her in Susy’s orbit, a daily reminder of how Leigh watched from the sidelines as her former teammate went on to Olympic glory.

Despite the coldness between them, Susy can’t help but hope that Leigh might lace up her skates and join her in the coaches’ box – after all Leigh knows better than anyone how hard it is to be a woman in this world. Susy knows soon her daughter, Georgie, will be seen as a “girl athlete,” relegated to the B team, with less support and opportunity to advance.

But Leigh believes keeping Susy at arms’ length is the only way to hide her history with her former coach Jeff Carlson. When he hints of new favors in exchange for her son’s ice time, Leigh is caught in the ultimate bind: Come clean about what happened when she was an Olympic hopeful and risk her marriage or play Jeff’s game. In a moment of desperation, Leigh realizes the one person she thought was her biggest competitor – her former teammate – might turn out to be her biggest ally.”

You can purchase your copy HERE. (affiliate link)

Growing up, I was on the swim team, played field hockey and participated in track and field. And while I was not particularly great at any of them (and also, you didn’t have to be then…🙃) I do have the best memories of being a part of these teams. 👯‍♀️⁣

⁣And one of the most unexpected joys of this stage of parenting is being a part of these communities once again…I may just be counting down the days until baseball season officially begins! But as we have progressed further into these sports (our oldest is in middle school) there also comes the very real competitive edge, and the lengths families (parents?) go to to be “the best”…🏆🤯⁣

⁣”Told with Kathleen West’s trademark wit and compassion, Home or Away is a story about overcoming our pasts, confronting our futures, and the sustaining bonds of female friendship.”

Book Club Recommendation!

⁣West shines at character building and sharing the gray areas of life..which also means this book would make for a great #BookClubRead! This book packs a punch and also kept me turning the pages until the very end. This title hits book store shelves today (3.29.22!) and highly recommend adding this book to your spring reading list!

Last // Now // Next {Currently Reading…}

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 ~ Genevieve

{thank you to @stmartinspress, @minotaurbooks, @berkleypub & @putnambooks for my gifted review copies}

Last / Now / Next

I am currently in a great reading streak and I am hoping it continues!

I finished Like A House On Fire by author Lauren McBrayer on my kindle this past weekend. It’s one of those books that really examines the gray areas of life and I can’t stop thinking about it. The characters are layered and nuanced and I can’t wait to share more as we get a bit closer to its publication date. {4.26.22}

On audio, I am currently juggling two books, one fiction and one non fiction read and they are both excellent!! I am loving Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano and keep seeing so many 5-star reviews for it all over #bookstagram, so I know I am not alone! {Publishing 2.1.22}

I started Losing Our Minds by Dr. Lucy Foulkes and it is just fascinating, nuanced and is giving me so much to unpack. {Publishing 1.25.22}

Finally, Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier is up next for my kindle reading and I can’t wait! I love a good dark domestic thriller with main characters behaving badly, so this seems like my cup of tea! {Publishing 1.25.22}

So tell me, what are your Last / Now / Next book choices? I would love to hear over on @genthebookworm where I am discussing this more!

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin | Berkley Publishing {Book Rating & Discussion}

November 27, 2021November 27, 2021 ~ Genevieve

{Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my gifted review copy}

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣

Book Summary:

Two best friends say “I do” to living together, for better or worse, in this bold women’s fiction novel from Alexa Martin.

Jude Andrews is famous. Well, at least on Instagram. Her brand is clean eating, good vibes, Pilates, and casually looking like a sun-kissed goddess. In real life, however, she’s a total disaster. She has a strained relationship with her fame-hungry mom and her latest bad decision emptied out her entire savings account.

Lauren Turner had a plan: graduate medical school and become the top surgeon in the country. But when she became unexpectedly pregnant, those plans changed. And when her fiancé left her, they changed again. Now navigating the new world of coparenting, mom groups, and dating, she decides to launch a mommy podcast with all the advice she wishes someone had given her.

Jude and Lauren don’t have much in common, but maybe that’s why they’ve been best friends since the third grade. Through ups and downs, they’ve been by each other’s sides. But now? They’re broke, single, and do the only thing that makes sense—move in together, just like they talked about when they were teenagers. Except when they were younger, the plan didn’t include a five-year-old daughter and more baggage than their new townhouse can hold.

Purchase Your Copy:

Amazon Link

LibroFM Bookstore Link

My Thoughts & Review:

I have to say, I was initially drawn to this book by the title and book cover, it’s just perfection. But what I I didn’t expect is that behind this cute cover and clever name would ultimately be SO much more than just an easy contemporary fiction read.

Author Alexa Martin draws you in and introduces you to childhood best friends, Lauren and Jude. Their lives could not be more different but when unforeseen circumstances arise, they decide to enact their childhood dream of moving in together.

They are hoping to be able to help each other out while they both are feeling a bit down on their luck. Lauren is a Black single mom to her five year old daughter Addy and Jude is a social media “influencer”, so of course, things don’t go exactly as planned, as these friends are each in very different stages of life.

What I loved about this book is the focus on adult female friendship, and how it isn’t always smooth sailing. Seeing these two women root for one another, themselves and their relationship together while also traveling the bumpy road of adulthood was relatable and inspiring.

I appreciated that there were elements of love but this this story was also based in reality. Hard topics weren’t only tied in but also fully discussed, including, race, child custody, mental health, alcoholism,and motherhood. Both women have empowering parts of their lives and also things they are working through, and I appreciated that so much.

This was my first book by Alexa Martin and certainly won’t be my last! I highly recommend this one and think it would maker for a great book club discussion.

I shared this book over on my instagram account @genthebookworm back when this was published in September, if you are interested in hearing more!

Disclosure: Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission that helps keep this website running and at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!