Tag: parenting

REVIEW: Lost and Found Family by Jennifer Ryan

REVIEW: Lost and Found Family by Jennifer Ryan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Sarah Anderson is trying to hold it all together. She’s running the company she started with her husband while also being their top coder. She’s raising her two young sons alone after the death of her husband. The juggling of everything is leaving her exhausted.

And then she gets the letter from the lawyer.

Sarah’s mother-in-law has always assumed and believed the worst about Sarah. And now she’s threatening legal action to take Sarah’s boys away. So reluctantly, she agrees to a six-week visitation with her late husband’s family. Yes, their verbal abuse and hatefulness is hard to take. But she can endure it for six weeks to show her willingness to compromise.

Luke Thompson, the good-looking rancher next door to Sarah’s mother-in-law is the lawyer who sent the letter. And he’s guarded when it comes to Sarah, ready to see this awful person his neighbor has described. But Sarah is nothing like he expected. How does her mother-in-law see something so different? What is he missing in the story of this family? Who is really telling the truth?

 

Review

I picked this up because I was intrigued by the story. I also ADORED the author’s earlier book, The Me I Used to Be. I thought this would be something similar, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

I enjoyed this sweet story of steadfast integrity and character in the face of cruelty and anger. Sarah is almost too good to be true.

While I enjoyed the story and the characters, the big climax with Sarah’s family happened mid-book. And unlike The Me I Used to Be, there was no other mystery to carry the rest of the story to the end. I spent the second half of this book waiting for a BIG new conflict or disaster to come, but it never did. The almost-too-perfect-to-be-believable character continued to be saint-like in response to the garbage her late husband had pulled and the fall out she faced through the end of the book.

I felt like the lack of a new challenge or conflict as well as Sarah’s perfection took some of the joy out of the reading experience for me. It was 100+ pages of resolution and happily ever after, which can be nice at times, but isn’t always satisfying. I mistrust books where there’s no challenge or mission – and this one only had a challenge for about half of the story.

These days, though, there is a place for reading an escape story where there’s not a ton of conflict and there’s a whole lot of happily-ever-after. If you are looking for a book like that, give this one a try!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: A Dozen Second Chances by Kate Field

REVIEW: A Dozen Second Chances by Kate Field

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

When Eve’s sister Faye died, Eve was at the start of her dream life. She had archaeology and her geeky passion for history. And she had Paddy and their plans for a life together.

After Faye died, Eve took in her orphaned niece, Caitlyn, only a toddler at the time, to raise. She put aside her professional dreams, willingly. And Paddy was on board – initially. But when he left, Eve and Caitlyn were both devastated. Eve decided then and there that she would never let a man into their lives again who could break their hearts.

Caitlyn’s grown now and ready to spend a year in Paris as an au pair. She makes Eve promise she’ll do things to pamper herself as she moves into this empty nest stage of life. She even gives Eve 12 decorated certificates to fill out and mail her, saying what Eve is doing to treat herself.

In the quiet of Eve’s life after Caitlyn leaves, she is forced to take a close look at her life. She’s almost 40 and in a job she chose so she could be close to Caitlyn as she was in school. Without her niece, and with a new, awful boss, is this job really where she wants to stay? Eve’s been dating a guy for a couple years. But he’s never introduced her to his kids, and she realizes he is more around as a distraction than someone she really cares for.

Before she can even think about making any changes, though, Paddy shows up in her life again, reminding her of the dreams she once had. Is it possible to start over, here and now, and reclaim some of those dreams?

Summary

From the first page, I clicked with the empty nest/where-does-my-life-go-now aspect of Eve’s story. I was sad over all the ways she seemed to settle for whatever was readily available rather than pursuing what she wanted. So I loved that Caitlyn’s gift gave Eve permission – and a push – to re-examine her life and her choices.

I read a lot of books for kids and teens, so I’m familiar with the coming-of-age novel, the stories of identity formation, and the books that look at the transitions common to young people. I’ve not read as many “middle age”/empty nest novels with those same themes, but after this I am here for as many of them as I can find. Thankfully this mid-life crisis book doesn’t involve an affair or demolishing a quarter-century marriage or any of those common pieces, because I would not have liked that sort of tale nearly as much. This is more introspective and identity focused. It’s more about Eve’s feelings and about pursuing the dreams she set aside for Caitlyn. And it was great.

There are some nice plot twists in this to ramp up the tension and keep the characters interesting. And it all wraps up in a satisfying way in the end. Be sure to check this one out. (Some language, off-page sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: The Middle Matters by Lisa-Jo Baker

BONUS REVIEW: The Middle Matters by Lisa-Jo Baker

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary and Review

A collection of essays about noticing, embracing and loving mid-life. The subtitle for the book is “Why That (Extra)Ordinary Life Looks Really Good on You.” There are several broad categories like marriage, parenting, failures, and friendship. Every category then contains three to seven essays.

My favorite section was probably the parenting section – although there are parenting-related essays in other places, too. Many of them left me surrounded by tissues. Other essays left me with a sense of longing for the kinds of relationships she describes in the friendship section. And the collection felt very honest. The author never elevates herself as the perfect example or preaches a message of “be like me.” The whole book is affirming and encouraging with the clear message throughout that you are loved no matter what.

There’s not much scripture referenced here, but the author’s faith is clearly represented. Over and over she affirms the extravagant love of God for each person. The essay format reminded me a lot of a Jen Hatmaker collection, with less humor (not a criticism). While the format is similar, the tone is different. Both have their own merits. I can see readers using this in a group discussion or even as a devotional with each essay being the thought for the day and an opportunity for the reader to reflect on her own life.

This is a resource I will return to. There were several essays I wanted to read again and talk through or journal through my thoughts. Be sure to check this one out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Fumbled by Alexa Martin

REVIEW: Fumbled by Alexa Martin

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

When Poppy was a teenager, she got pregnant. When she told her boyfriend TK, his mom gave her money and told her to end the pregnancy. Keeping the baby cost her everything – TK, her parents, her home, and her life in DC.

Thankfully, Aunt Maya welcomed her into her home in Denver. Now it’s just Poppy and her son, Ace, but they are living a contented life together. He has always been the light of her life. They don’t have much money, but they get by. Sure, she has a crappy job as a waitress at the Emerald Cabaret. She has to wear a corset and ridiculously high heels every day. And occasionally she has to deal with sleazy customers who think they can touch as well as look. But Ace is worth any amount of hassle.

Poppy has always felt pretty lucky that the club doesn’t cater to a professional football clientele. Because TK is on the Denver Mustangs football team these days. And she does NOT need him stumbling back into her life. He has no idea Ace even exists. And Poppy is happy to keep it that way.

And then one night, the Mustangs show up at the Emerald Cabaret.

Review

This was so fun! I loved the first book in this series, Interception. The intersection of real life, romance and football is a great fit for me as a reader. In the first book, the main character needed to find her voice and her agency  over her own life (a theme I love in books). In this one, Poppy already knows who she is and what’s most important to her. The story in this one focuses on Poppy figuring out if TK belongs in her life at all.

This story is terrific! Poppy finds a fantastic circle in this book – football wives and other friends who care about her and about Ace first – before the Mustangs or TK or anything else. I also was thrilled at the honesty of the story – no secrets (other than Ace early on), no lies. Poppy speaks her mind and holds firm to her boundaries as a mom. She tells herself she can walk away from TK if he is not on board with what she has to say. The story also deals with contemporary issues in football, including concussion protocols and CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).

This is a must-read series for me – I love the sass and strength of the female characters and the happy endings in this series so far. I can’t wait to see what happens in book 3, Blitzed, due out before the end of the year! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥