Tag: military families

REVIEW: Curlfriends: New in Town by Sharee Miller

REVIEW: Curlfriends: New in Town by Sharee Miller

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Charlie’s glad her dad has retired from the military so they can settle in one community for awhile. But at the same time, everything feels different. Her dad seems to know everyone in his old home town, making Charlie feel even more like an outsider. And after so many years when it was just Charlie and her mom, his daily presence in her life makes things awkward and weird at times.

But Charlie has a plan to make all this change start to feel like home. She’s going to make some new friends! She’s done tons of research, and she’s determined to do all the “cool” things so she can fit in right away.

Review

I can see why this has been getting such positive reviews! This is a lovely friendship story while also being about growing up and about identity (my favorite theme in a book). Some of Charlie’s choices are painful to watch – like her bristling at her dad as she tries to figure out where he fits into the family dynamic she and her mom have had for years. And the lying to her potential new friends because she’s trying not to stand out.

There’s a lot here that a book group could dig into for excellent conversation. I’d love to see a group of kids dig into this. The artwork in the graphic novel is lovely! I hope there will be some more Curlfriend stories in the future. Graphic novel fans are going to love this. Kids who like school stories and friendship stories will find a lot here to enjoy, too.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: The Islanders by Mary Alice Monroe

REVIEW: The Islanders by Mary Alice Monroe

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Aladdin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Jake’s dad is critically injured while serving in Afghanistan, his mom sends Jake to Dewees Island to stay with his grandmother, Honey. At first, Jake’s upset – he has to leave his friends, go somewhere without wifi, and he’s worried about his dad. Jake also discovers his grandmother hasn’t been doing so well since his grandfather died. Most of the food in the fridge is long past edible. The house is filled with dusty stacks of books. And his grandmother spends a lot of time in her room.

But Jake starts helping his grandmother, and he makes a couple friends his age. And that changes everything. But even as he starts to feel more comfortable on the island, he worries about how his dad’s injury will change things.

Review

This was great! There’s a terrific blending here of Jake’s personal story – with the island, with his grandmother, and with his father’s injury – and a strong friendship story. Each of the three kids – Jake, Lovie, and Macon – are challenged by something. And their friendship helps each kid face that thing and address it in some way.

I enjoyed the naturalist/conservationist pieces – Jake learning about the island wildlife in general as well as the work the three kids do together for the (adorable!) turtles.

There’s a lot here for readers to love – great characters, a fascinating setting, and just enough interpersonal conflict to keep the story moving and the characters growing. I was excited to see that Goodreads lists this as the first in a series. I would definitely read more books with these characters in the future!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick

REVIEW: Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Truly Lovejoy was devastated by her family’s move to Pumpkin Falls, NH. It’s January, so the weather is awful. It’s so cold, a waterfall is freezing, and it snows all the time. They were supposed to be living in their very own house in Texas, down the road from Truly’s cousin/best friend after years of military housing. After her father’s accident, days before he was supposed to come home and retire, though, everything changed.

Now, Truly’s father and his sister are running the family bookstore for their parents who have joined the peace corps. That means a mid-year school change for Truly and her siblings. A new town, a new school, and tons of new people.

Truly usually tries to blend into the background. It’s been pretty easy at home since she’s the middle kid of five. It’s harder in public when she’s almost 6 feet tall and not quite 13 years old yet. Usually she can manage to fade into the woodwork anyway. But when she finds a letter with a scavenger hunt clue tucked into a rare book at the store, Truly will need the help of her new classmates to solve the mystery.

Review

I had heard great things about the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series for years, but this was my first chance to try it out. What a delight!

The mysteries are fun. The 20 year old scavenger hunt pushes Truly to get to know her new home town and her classmates. There are also some fun references to Much Ado About Nothing, one of my favorite Shakespeare plays.

The family bookstore is a great place for characters to meet, story elements to unfold, and Truly’s family to start to heal. I adored the shop and all of the activities centered there. And Truly’s family (and her friends) are a treat.

The characters are what makes this book special. From Truly’s dad who is adjusting to a disability and the change in all of his ideas of what his retirement would look like to each of Truly’s friends who are distinct and delightful, there are tons of great characters in this. But Truly is my favorite of them all. She may not tell the adults in her life everything she is thinking and feeling, but she is very clear in her own mind. I loved watching her process the changes in her family, the transition to her new school, and the mysteries she stumbles into. I can’t wait to read the other books in this series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = Loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

REVIEW: Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Alexis’s coffee shop, ToeBeans Cat Café, has become something of a safe haven for other survivors of sexual harassment and assault. And that’s why she thinks the new arrival at her shop has shown up. But Candi is actually there because she believes Alexis is her biological sister. And she has an unbelievable request. Her biological father is going to die unless he gets a kidney transplant.

Noah desperately wants to protect Alexis from whatever this business is with Candi. Either it’s all a scam, or it’s a gross imposition on Alexis for a man who never bothered to acknowledge her before now, a man who left Alexis and her mother to scrape by on their own.

But this crisis is tweaking Noah’s and Alexis’s feelings for one another. Out loud, they both insist they are only friends.  Or that they can’t risk their friendship on something more. But maybe a chance at rich, true love is worth the risk.

Review

There’s a lovely emotional ebb and flow to this story. There are laugh-out-loud moments, especially when it comes to Lexa’s cat, Beefcake. There are also heart-tugging ones with the core romance as well as with the losses both characters have experienced. The ups and downs evolve naturally and made for a fun reading experience.

It was good to be with the Bromance Book Club crew again. The premise for this series – a group of men who read romance novels to help them in their romantic relationships – is outstanding. The men in the group are a hoot, and I enjoy the banter between them. Even more, I love their more touching, emotional moments with one another. The scenes with the Bromance guys were my favorites in the story.

While I was moved at times by Noah and Lexa’s story, I didn’t click with them like I have with other series characters. One of the issues for the couple is his seething resentment and anger and unresolved grief while she tends to gloss over her hard feelings in an attempt to take the high road and be “above” such things. It was perfect for the story being told, and the growth needed for the characters. But their situations should have made them furious, at least at some moments. But there wasn’t enough fury for me for the context. (Of course, this could just be my own 2020 rage looking for an outlet, too.)

I enjoyed this addition to this excellent series, and I cannot wait to get my hands on book 4, Isn’t It Bromantic, set for a summer 2021 release. If you are a fan of the series, you will want to pick this one up for yourself and check out Noah and Alexis’s story. (Language, sex, TW: grief/loss)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½=Good+

REVIEW: The Places We Sleep by Caroline Brooks DuBois

REVIEW: The Places We Sleep by Caroline Brooks DuBois

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a physical review copy of this book from Holiday House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

A novel in verse starring Abbey, a seventh grader in a new school in 2001. She’s trying to make friends, avoid the mean kids, and deal with her first period.

Abbey’s mom isn’t around to help her with her period. Planes flew into the twin towers in New York City and now her mom’s sister, Rose, is missing. Abbey’s mom has gone to help her brother-in-law with their kids while they wait for word on Rose.

Abbey’s dad is career-military. As the country tries to recover from the unthinkable, he’s preparing for deployment.

When the world seems changed forever, Abbey is trying to negotiate middle school while her family deals with the unimaginable changes in their day to day lives.

Review

This is a new-kid-in-school story, told in verse, and set with 9/11 as the backdrop. September 11th is an inciting incident. It changes the dynamics in Abbey’s home and in the world around her. It pulls her mom away and pushes Abbey to deal with her first period on her own. And it is why her father later gets deployed. There are threads on grief and war protests and racism against Muslims. But those aren’t the main focus of the story.

The focus is Abbey. It’s on her adjustment to a new school and to puberty. She considers questions of identity when it comes to her art. And she grows in her confidence to stand up when others are teased or harassed.

I have read other novels in verse – The Crossover (♥♥♥♥), Garvey’s Choice, Inside Out and Back Again (♥♥♥♥♥), Long Way Down (♥♥♥♥), Solo – and my reaction has been mixed. Some I love and others haven’t clicked. For me, I think it’s about how much I connect with the story being told and how the format enhances that story. And this one was fine, but didn’t grab me. I liked Abbey, and I cared about what happened with her family. But I wanted more. I think I wanted to go deeper on the emotions of Abbey’s story with 9/11. That just wasn’t the story the author chose to tell.

If you are building a collection of novels in verse, or you are looking for middle grade coming-of-age stories, be sure to check this one out. Abbey is a lovely character, and I think kids will like her. If you are looking for more stories that talk honestly with readers about menstruation, this could be a good choice. Abbey’s period really weaves through the whole book rather than just being a one-off incident. (Content Warning: 9/11, grief, deployment)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥=Good/fine/solid

BONUS REVIEW: From Alaska with Love by Ally James

BONUS REVIEW: From Alaska with Love by Ally James

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

It started on a whim. Sara heard a radio announcement about sending letters to deployed soldiers. After a particularly upsetting family event, Sara decides to do something kind for someone else and composes a letter. If it lets her vent a little, and her crazy life amuses someone else, all the better.

Gabe has been in the military for a long time. He’s structured his whole life around it. The most long-term relationship he’s had is the one with his dog, Trouble, because a military life can be hard on a family. When someone hands him the letter, his first instinct is to give it to one of the younger, newer guys. But they received so many letters this time, there were plenty to go around. So Gabe gets Sara’s letter.

They exchange emails and then texts. Sara’s are funny and self-deprecating. Gabe’s messages are brief, but honest. And over the course of many months, a relationship grows. When Gabe returns to the States for awhile, he hopes they can meet in person. Sara wants that, too. But is she ready to put herself first for once, or will she let the family who have come to see her as the maid, babysitter, caretaker, and financial planner for their lives convince her their needs are more important than her heart?

Review

This was good! I was thoroughly frustrated by Sara’s family. They used her and had no qualms about doing so. And when she pursued something she wanted for herself, they resented her, punished her, and even bad-mouthed her to her beloved niece. It was infuriating. It was mostly sorted out by the end, but it was aggravating along the way.

Therefore, it was extra delightful when Sara followed her heart and let her family deal with their own dysfunction. Trouble the dog was a fantastic icebreaker for Sara and Gabe, and so, so sweet. I enjoyed the Alaska part of the story the most.

There were a couple frustrations. Structurally, there were moments where Sara’s letters to Gabe were repeated verbatim in the book. The reader saw the letter as Sara was writing and then again when Gabe read it. Definitely not a deal-breaker for enjoying the book, but it was a curious formatting choice. Also, the book description online doesn’t match the story. I was expecting this six-week deadline or timeline that Gabe convinces Sara to give him. That never happens. So my expectations didn’t line up with the story I read. But I was happy with how things went in the book, so other than a curiosity, it wasn’t a big issue.

Contemporary romance fans, especially those who like great animal characters, should check this one out. (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Definitely Daphne by Tami Charles

REVIEW: Definitely Daphne by Tami Charles

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Stone Arch Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Annabelle had no idea what was in store for her. Since her mom’s in the military, they’ve moved a lot. She thought this move to New Jersey from Germany would be like all the rest – her mom would do her stuff, her dad would work from home and homeschool Annabelle.

Not this time.

Shy Annabelle is off to middle school, full of cliques, strange customs and expressions she doesn’t know. When Annabelle announces she wants to quit after the first day, her parents send her to a therapist to help with the transition.

The therapist thinks Annabelle’s love of making movies could be the key to helping her make some friends and adjust to her new circumstances. Annabelle agrees to try it under a few conditions. Her account has to be private – family viewing only. And she’ll use her middle name – Daphne – and only be on camera with a disguise. There’s just one part of the plan she doesn’t tell the adults – she’s going to use the vlog to show how awful school is so she can go back to homeschooling!

Review

I loved everything about this! Annabelle is so relateable. From the new school and friend issues to her vlog and therapy to her feelings about her mom’s deployment. It’s all real and familiar.

Annabelle goes through some ups and downs. She tries on some new identities in the story – both “Daphne” and others – with mixed results. Through it all I couldn’t stop cheering for her.

The “Daphne Doesn’t” vlogs were great – things kids will definitely recognize about school. And the blog was a way for shy Annabelle to share her thoughts and feelings – and be affirmed for them. Which eventually gave her some confidence to share with those closest to her. She even has the gumption to reach out to someone who doesn’t make it easy, but who needs a friend just like Annabelle does.

This was absolutely perfect from start to finish – a delight to read. Highly recommend!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥