Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Reasons for Avoiding Friends by Megan Leavell






 

Release Date: September 14, 2021 


About The Book:

Growing up, Gwen and Iris were the best of friends, even if they couldn’t have been more different. Now Gwen is living her hometown dream, or so she reminds herself while juggling endless parenting drama, an unemployed husband, and a neighborhood pyramid scheme. Never mind that at age thirty-nine, her social circle still resembles middle school. Her life is everything she ever wanted it to be, but nothing like she had planned.

Iris was never destined for the ordinary. When she moved to Manhattan, she shed her old life for a better one—but not without a cost. From a distance, Iris’s life couldn’t be more charmed, but no one knows about the cracks in the image she’s worked so hard to cultivate. No one knows the real Iris at all. Except for Gwen. But Iris and Gwen haven’t spoken for years. Until…

When Iris’s past catches up with her, she turns to the one person she could always count on—but she isn’t the only one keeping secrets, and as Gwen scrambles to preserve an illusion of domestic bliss, she finds herself wondering when they went from telling each other everything to sharing nothing. Now, a little wiser, and most certainly a little older, Gwen and Iris discover that the truest of friends accept you just as you are, and that loving yourself is sometimes the best way to find happiness.


My Thoughts

Who says you can't go home? That is exactly what fancy pants πŸ‘– Iris tried to do. After escaping her small town to live it up large in Manhattan...πŸ›πŸ‘ πŸ‘œcan she really go back? Well when her husband gives her reason #551 to leave him....maybe she will...the problem is her only friend there is Gwen...and it's been about 15 years since they have seen each other...so there is that...😬

 Gwen is the picture of domestic bliss...well according to her Christmas cards...in reality she is a hot mess express...like we all are...🀷‍♀️…she needs her hair done, wants a better wardrobe and runs herself ragged with her daily errands...welcome to 40! πŸ₯³

I enjoyed watching this play out. These two former BFF's πŸ‘―‍♀️seemed so different, but were they really? They were so relatable...the social media persona that is now the norm...the suburban mother that has to "fit in" with the other moms.

A fun escape...quick, easy read...about life, love and friendship. ❤️

Thank you so much to Suzy Approved Tours and Megan Leavell for my gifted copy. THIS COVER!! So pretty!



About The Author:

Megan Leavell is a full-time writer and part-time dreamer. She enjoys writing about the relationships that define our lives, and her books are sprinkled with her signature warmth and humor. Megan is also the author of several bestselling novels under the name Olivia Miles. She lives on the North Shore of Chicago with her husband, daughter, and an adorable pair of dogs.

Social Media:

Website - www.meganleavell.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/authorMeganLeavell

Instagram - www.instagram.com/meganleavellauthor








Links to Suzy’s Tours across Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzyapprovedbooktours/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/suzyapprovedbooktours

Twitter https://twitter.com/SuzyAPBookTours

Bloggers On Tour:


Sept. 1st- Nurse Bookie https://instagram.com/nurse_bookie


Sept. 1st-Mrs Boom Reads https://instagram.com/mrsboomreads 


Sept. 2nd - ML Book Love https://instagram.com/mlbooklove


Sept. 2nd-She Just Loves Books https://instagram.com/shejustlovesbooks


Sept. 3rd - The Bookish World of  YRRALH https://instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh


Sept. 3rd- Cassie’s Book Reviews https://instagram.com/cassies_books_reviews  


Sept. 3rd- Bookphile Belle https://instagram.com/bookphile_belle


Sept. 4th - Its All About The Thrill https://instagram.com/itsallaboutthethrill


Sept. 7th- Carol Doscher https://instagram.com/carol_doscher_reader


Sept. 8th - Ilashreads https://instagram.com/ilashreads


Sept. 9th - Subakka Bookstuff https://instagram.com/subakka.bookstuff


Sept. 10th- Lexi Java https://instagram.com/lexijava


Sept. 10th - Jayme Reads https://instagram.com/jayme_reads


Sept. 10th- Reading With Mere-https://instagram.com/readingwithmere


Sept. 13th - Love My Books 2020 https://instagram.com/lovemybooks2020


Sept.13th- Biblio Reviews https://instagram.com/biblioreviews 


Sept. 13th - Sunflower Book Lover https://instagram.com/sunflower_book_lover


Sept. 14th - Literally Booked Solid https://instagram.com/literallybookedsolid


Sept. 15th -Amy Lynn Lifestyle https://instagram.com/amylynnlifestyle


Sept. 16th - Bryant Park Books https://instagram.com/bryantparkbooks


Sept. 18th -Rozier Reads and Wine https://instagram.com/rozierreadsandwine


Sept. 19th Sarah Clark Reads https://instagram.com/sarah_clark_reads


Sept. 20th-Books Love And Understanding https://instagram.com/booksloveandunderstanding


Sept. 21st - Britt Reads A Latte Books https://instagram.com/brittreadsalattebooks


Sept. 24th - We Break For Books https://instagram.com/webreakforbooks


Sept. 25th -Geaux Get Lit https://instagram.com/geauxgetlit


Sept. 28th- Nature Books and Coffee https://instagram.com/nature.books.and.coffee


Sept. 30th -Sealed With A Book https://instagram.com/sealedwithabook


Sept. 30th- Sweet Honey And Brei https://instagram.com/sweethoneyandbrei





Monday, September 27, 2021

The Moon, The Stars, and Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan





About the book


From the wildly popular bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things—an uplifting, slightly magical story about how it’s never too late to find out who you really are.  

Madame Burova—beloved Tarot reader, palmist, and clairvoyant—is retiring and leaving her booth on the Brighton seafront. 

After inheriting her mother’s fortune-telling business as a young woman, Imelda Burova has spent her life on the Brighton pier practicing her trade. She and her trusty pack of Tarot cards have seen the lovers and the liars, the angels and the devils, the dreamers and the fools. Now, after a lifetime of keeping other people’s secrets, Madam Burova is ready to have a little piece of life for herself. But she still has one last thing to do—to fulfill a promise made in the 1970s, when she and her girlfriends were carefree, with their whole lives still before them. 

In London, it is time for another woman to make a fresh start. Billie has lost her university job, her marriage, and her place in the world when a sudden and unlikely discovery leaves her very identity in question. Determined to find answers, she must follow a trail…which leads to Brighton, the pier, and directly to Madame Burova’s door. 

In a story spanning over fifty years, Ruth Hogan has conjured a magical world of 1970s holiday camps and seaside entertainers, eccentrics, heroes and villains, the lost and the found. Young people will make careless choices which echo down the years….but it’s never too late to put things right. 


My Thoughts


 This book was an absolute delight to read. As soon as I heard it was a book about a beloved woman that reads palms, tarot card and is clairvoyant...I knew I needed to read it! I mean just look at that cover!

I am a big fan of dual time lines and this did a fantastic job of taking us from the 1970s and then to the present time.

1970's - a baby is found on the steps of Madame Burova's booth on the Brighton seafront...abandoned by her mother...

Flash forward to present time...Sadly Billie's parents have passed away...with a secret they have kept all those years...Billie is the baby found on the pier...yet she didn't know it...what?! So many questions!

As Billie searches for answers to her past...Madame Burova may just hold the key...except she is holding that secret close to her heart.

This was a very well spun mystery. I didn't know exactly how it would  pan out until the very end. The characters were quirky and likable.

I loved the journey we took with Billie and I loved the ending!! Extra points for all the dogs!!


Thank you Partner  Bibliolifestyle and William Morrow for this gorgeous gifted copy!! It was an absolute pleasure to read.



About the author




I was born in the house where my parents still live in Bedford: my sister was so pleased to have a sibling that she threw a thrupenny bit at me. As a child I read everything I could lay my hands on: The Moomintrolls, A Hundred Million Francs, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the back of cereal packets and gravestones. I was mad about dogs and horses, but didn't like daddy-long-legs or sugar in my tea.

I studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths College which was brilliant, but then I came home and got a 'proper' job. I worked for ten years in a senior local government position (I was definitely a square peg in a round hole, but it paid the bills and mortgage) before a car accident left me unable to work full-time and convinced me to start writing seriously. It was going well, but then in 2012 I got cancer, which was bloody inconvenient but precipitated an exciting hair journey from bald to a peroxide blonde Annie Lennox crop. When chemo kept me up all night I passed the time writing and the eventual result was The Keeper of Lost Things.

I live in a chaotic Victorian house with an assortment of rescue dogs and my long-suffering partner (who has very recently become my husband - so I can't be that bad!) I am a magpie, always collecting treasures, and a huge John Betjeman fan. My favourite word is 'antimacassar' and I still like reading gravestones.
 










TOUR SCHEDULE

Sunday, September 19th: @themaryreader    
Sunday, September 19th: @webreakforbooks     
Sunday, September 19th: @readswithyenny    
Monday, September 20th: @heatherflynnstagram    
Monday, September 20th: @thenomaddreamer    
Monday, September 20th: @suzyapprovedbookreviews    
Tuesday, September 21st: @erynereads    
Tuesday, September 21st: @howdidthatbookend    
Tuesday, September 21st: @archie.loves.to.read    
Wednesday, September 22nd: @celiamcmahonreads    
Wednesday, September 22nd: @alltheradreads    
Wednesday, September 22nd: @ambereatsbooks    
Thursday, September 23rd: @falling4romance    
Thursday, September 23rd: @amy_higgs_reads    
Thursday, September 23rd: @books.of.oz    
Friday, September 24th: @booktimistic    
Friday, September 24th: @theboozy.reader    
Friday, September 24th: @keepingyouonread    
Saturday, September 25th: @erinescapingreality     
Saturday, September 25th: @letmetakea_shelfie_     
Saturday, September 25th: @literarythumbprint    
Sunday, September 26th: @kylieisreading    
Sunday, September 26th: @legallyblondeandbookish    
Sunday, September 26th: @bigskybooks    
Monday, September 27th: @itsallaboutthethrill    
Monday, September 27th: @reading.betweenthewines    
Monday, September 27th: @kristens.reading.nook    
Tuesday, September 28th: @extrovertedforbooks    
Tuesday, September 28th: @abbysbookadventure    
Tuesday, September 28th: @irishgirliereads    
Wednesday, September 29th: @suzysbookshelf    
Wednesday, September 29th: @shobizreads    
Wednesday, September 29th: @lets.get.biblio    
Thursday, September 30th: @cmtloveswineandbooks    
Thursday, September 30th: @pairedpages    
Thursday, September 30th: @reallyintothis    
Friday, October 1st: @skiingandreading   
Friday, October 1st: @thereadingroom444   
Friday, October 1st: @krystalinthecity   
Saturday, October 2nd: @readaholicmom    
Saturday, October 2nd: @themorebooks    
Saturday, October 2nd: @campychick001    
Sunday, October 3rd: @libraryofanormalgirl   
Sunday, October 3rd: @coffeeshopcorner    
Sunday, October 3rd: @getlostinabookwithme    
Monday, October 4th: @rebecca.is.reading    
Monday, October 4th: @nature.books.and.coffee    
Monday, October 4th: @readingwithash    
Tuesday, October 5th: @brandy_reads   
Tuesday, October 5th: @delightfully.brittany     
Wednesday, October 6th: @cabinreading    
Wednesday, October 6th: @keisha_reads    
Thursday, October 7th: @secretreadinglife    
Thursday, October 7th: @thebibliophileandtheboxer    
Friday, October 8th: @sweatingtillimakeittoo   
Friday, October 8th: @communikatetions   
Saturday, October 9th: @shopcoffeekids    
Saturday, October 9th: @the_booksandwich    
Saturday, October 9th: @subakka.bookstuff    





Saturday, September 25, 2021

With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt




Paperback Release Date: June 29, 2021


About The Book:


New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt writes novels that expertly explore the struggles and conflicts that people face in their search for happiness. For the characters in With or Without You, it seems at first that such happiness can come only at someone else’s expense. Stella is a nurse who has long suppressed her own needs and desires to nurture the dreams of her partner, Simon, the bass player for a rock band that has started to lose its edge. But when Stella gets unexpectedly ill and falls into a coma just as Simon is preparing to fly with his band to Los Angeles for a gig that could revive his career, Simon must learn the meaning of sacrifice, while Stella’s best friend, Libby, a doctor who treats Stella, must also make a difficult choice as the coma wears on.

When Stella at last awakes from her two-month sleep, she emerges into a striking new reality where Simon and Libby have formed an intense bond, and where she discovers that she has acquired a startling artistic talent of her own: the ability to draw portraits of people in which she captures their innermost feelings and desires. Stella’s whole identity, but also her role in her relationships, has been scrambled, and she has the chance to form a new life, one she hadn’t even realized she wanted. 

A story of love, loyalty, loss, and resilience, With or Without You is a page-turner that asks the question, What do we owe the other people in our lives, and when does the cost become too great?


My Thoughts 

This book! Oh my heart!❤️It gave me all the feels. I went in thinking..well this sounds pretty good…umm the blurb doesn’t do it justice. I absolutely loved it !! ❤️

I connected with Stella immediately… She’s a nurse… πŸ‘©‍⚕️so she’s my people! Like so many people, Stella hits her 40s and starts to question her choices…  then she makes her biggest mistake… and ends up in a coma.

Her experience while in a coma was absolutely fascinating to me! I’ve always wondered what level of awareness the patient has during that time…πŸ€”

I finished up the book marveled at all the changes the coma brought on…to not only Stella but those around her. Her new found desire and talent to paint blew me away. 🎨 

As I got ready to close the book… I always try to learn a little bit about the author. Upon finding out she had been in a coma herself… I was rendered speechless. It made the book even that more special. The story of regret, change, finding the things that bring you pure joy in your life… I can’t recommend this book enough. ❤️

Thank you to Suzy Approved Tours, Caroline Leavitt and Algonquin Books for my gifted copy. πŸ₯° 



About The Author:

Caroline Leavitt is the award-winning author of twelve novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Pictures of You and Is This Tomorrow. Her essays and stories have been included in New York magazine, Psychology Today, More, Parenting, Redbook, and Salon. She’s a book critic for People, the Boston Globe, and the San Francisco Chronicle, and she teaches writing online at Stanford and UCLA. www.carolineleavitt.com

Social Media: 


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolineleavitt/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/carolineleavitt

Twitter:  @leavittnovelist








Links to Suzy’s Tours across Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzyapprovedbooktours/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/suzyapprovedbooktours

Twitter https://twitter.com/SuzyAPBookTours


Bloggers On Tour:


Sept. 4th- Dani Reads https://instagram.com/dani.reads.1225


Sept. 6th - The Mary Reader https://instagram.com/themaryreader 


Sept. 8th - Heather Frimmer https://www.heatherfrimmer.com/blog/


Sept. 9th - Delightfully Booked https://instagram.com/delightfullybooked


Sept. 14th - Robyn Reads1 https://instagram.com/robyn_reads1


Sept. 17th -  ML Book Love https://instagram.com/mlbooklove


Sept. 17th - Radus Reads- https://instagram.com/radusreads


Sept. 19th - Ilashreads https://instagram.com/ilashreads


Sept. 22nd- Coffee Books Dogs https://instagram.com/coffeedogsbooks


Sept. 22nd- Marilyn Goncalves https://instagram.com/marilynjgon 


Sept. 22nd - Books and Coffee MX https://instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx


Sept. 25th - Its All About The Thrill https://instagram.com/itsallaboutthethrill


Sept. 27th - Bookphile Belle https://instagram.com/bookphile_belle


Sept. 27th - The Mom Who Reads https://instagram.com/themom.who.reads

Sept. 30th- Bookish Heidi https://instagram.com/bookish.heidi

Sept. 30th- Cover 2 Cover Cafe https://instagram.com/cover2covercafe


Oct. 13th- We Break For Books https://instagram.com/webreakforbooks