A Week at the Lake by Wendy Wax

Wendy Wax's latest novel centers around three women who became best friends in their early twenties while living in New York City. Now, Emma, an actress from a well known successful acting family, is a single mother to sixteen year old Zoe. Serena, originally from Charleston, South Carolina, is the star of an popular animated show in which she plays the vivacious and sexy Georgia Goodbody. Mackenzie and her husband, Adam run a theater in a small, family-oriented city in Indiana. For one week every summer the three women would retreat to Emma's family lake house in upstate New York, however the invitations stopped abruptly five years ago without explanation. And now, after five years of no contact, Emma has once again invited them.

The day before they are all to meet in city and make their way together to the lake, Emma is caught in a terrible accident which puts all their plans in a tailspin.  Pushing hurt feelings and all sorts of emotions aside, Mackenzie and Serena, along iwth Emma's daughter Zoe, keep vigil at her bedside. They all have so much to tell each other and it seems that Emma had a reason for bringing them all together. This is a story of old friends, secrets and loyalty with deep emotions and life-long implications.

My Thoughts:

Believe it or not, this was my first Wendy Wax book. I'm familiar with her other novels since so many of my fellow bloggers have read and praised them. This story appealed to me mainlyt because of the long running friendships the three women share. I can relate to that because most of my own close friendships are decades old as well. That is a special bond so naturally it piqued my interest.

Emma, Serena and Mackenzie were each good characters and likable, though I did feel a little distant from Mackenzie who I thought came actross a bit judgmental.  Serena, on the other hand, was the character I liked the most. I enjoyed her free spirit and playfulness, even though some of her choices were not always what was best for her.

A lot of times when I'm reading women's fiction, I get frustrated by the predictability of the story. so it was a pleasant surprise when the beginning didn't start off the way I imagined it would. The accident caught me off guard and took the story in a direction I wasn't expecting. 

Though there was a lot of history between these women that needed to be explained, I felt Ms. Wax kept the story moving without getting bogged down in the details but still painted a clear picture of where each woman had come from and also her present self.  The secondary characters, especially Nadia, the nurse, was a bright spot and I enjoyed her immensely. That was another unexpected element for me. 

So, for me, A WEEK AT THE LAKE was win. I can say now that I was prepared for another predictable story of friendship gone awry, but it turned out to be more than I was expecting.  I'm glad I can now say I've read a Wendy Wax novel and  I did enjoy it.  I will definitely read more from her in the future. This is the perfect book to add to your summer reading list.

A WEEK AT THE LAKE (Uncorrected Digital Galley Copy)

Author: Wendy Wax

Publisher: Berkley

Published: June 23, 2015

Length: 432 pp

Source: Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting via NetGalley

Review: A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke

(No Spoilers!!)
When Eva Bowe's husband of only eight months is killed in a fishing accident in Dorset, she wants desperately to connect with Jackson's father and brother, who live on a southern island of Australia. Shortly after arriving at his father, Dirk's house, things seem a bit off to Eva. Dirk appears very uncomfortable having Eva there and after a few drinks of whiskey, his harsh words flow more freely and he tells her it would be best if she left. Feeling shunned but still determined to find out what Jackson's life was like before going to England, she sets out to track down his brother, Saul. She finds him on a fishing dock and he is no friendlier than Dirk. She knew the brothers had a falling out and hadn't spoken in a few years but she still held out hope that they could at least get to know each other.

Reluctantly, Saul offers Eva a place to stay for a few days, hoping that after that she will go back to London so they can all move on but he's worried that the longer she stays, people who knew Jackson will start asking who she is and he doesn't want to have to lie.

She and Saul start to get to know each other and even enjoy some time fishing and diving, but with every day, Eva discovers more lies and before long she doesn't know who to trust. Jackson had told her once that Saul was a liar and couldn't be trusted but Eva begins to wonder if Jackson was the liar. To complicate matters, while she begins to feel deceived by Jackson, she is growing closer to Saul, but how can she trust Saul when she can't even trust her own instincts?

Through many twists and turns, Eva confronts the people in Jackson's life and even when she thinks she finally has the answers, she is hit with another blow. Not only does she doubt everything she thought she knew about her husband, she doubts her very life. She wonders if it was all just a big lie or did Jackson really love her and have legitimate reasons for his secrets.

My Thoughts:

After reading Clarke's debut novel, SWIMMING AT NIGHT last year and really enjoying it,  I was looking forward to her new book. As with her first book, Clarke doesn't waste time getting right into the story and that continues throughout the book. I instantly liked Eva and felt terribly for her and what she was going through. She's a very likable character, so I shared her feelings of betrayal each time she discovered another lie. There are so many plot twists in this book that kept me riveted and raised new questions.  I've read other books with a lot of twists and turns that made me feel jerked around, but I didn't feel like that with this book. Clarke did a terrific job of weaving an intricate, complex story of love, loss, betrayal and hope. It all worked perfectly, in my opinion.

Another thing this book has in common with her first book is the amazing Australian locale. Though she doesn't go overboard with description, Clarke sets the scenes so vividly you feel like you're right there with them. I especially loved when Eva and Saul would go free diving and experience all the tropical fish and colorful reefs. I could see it all in my mind and it had me wishing I lived beach side. Its quite evident in her writing that she loves the sea and surrounding land and that she enjoys sharing it in her books. You can sense the gunuine affection she has for that life. In this book, the sea and landscape actually becomes a character of its own.

A SINGLE BREATH was such a pleasure to read and has made me see that Lucy Clarke is a true talent. Its very easy for me to say this book is one of my favorites this year. As you can tell, I am a big fan and will always be on the lookout for her new books. Her writing is fresh, her stories captivating and beautifully written, which is why I will be recommending her books to my friends.

A SINGLE BREATH
Author: Lucy Clarke (@lucyclarkebooks); on Facebook
Publisher: Touchstone
Published: April 8, 2014
Length:  385 pp
Source: Publisher

Review: Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.

But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for. (from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

When this book first came out in 2009, there was so much talk about it and it seemed the blogosphere was saturated with it, so I purposely held off reading it. Then I forgot about it. This past winter with the release of the film version looming, my interest was sparked again. I'm a huge Josh Brolin fan and I wanted to read the book before I watched the movie. 

When I first started reading, I was unsure if I was going to like it. Adele, the mother, seemed a bit off to me and I had trouble relating to her and the way she lived her life. Thankfully, as the story went on I began learning more about her background and I understood her a little better, though I still thought she was a bit odd.  Additionally, in the beginning, the story just didn't sound all that realistic to me.  That said, Frank did come across as a likable guy once you knew the real story of how he ended up in prison and I did like how he related to Henry and taught him things.  But the fact that this man had so much power over them was just strange to me.  I still have trouble accepting it as realistic sometimes when I think back on it. 

For me, this is one of those books that slowly got better and by the end, I was glad that I'd decided to finally read it. I did really like the ending, though it was a sad and strange story. I am looking forward to seeing the movie to see how they interpret it for the big screen. Maybe it will come across a bit more realistic to me. Plus, there's the Josh Brolin thing....

Though I did end up enjoying the book, I can't say it's one of my favorites or one that I would recommend highly. If I'm completely honest, I just don't relate to all the hype this book garnered when it was first released.  For me, it was okay but I didn't love it. 

LABOR DAY (Kindle Edition)
Author: Joyce Maynard
Publisher: William Morrow
Published:  July 2009
Length:  256 pp

[TSS] Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (Unabridged Audio Version)

If you're one of those people who looked at the cover and title of this book and thought it was just another flowery, romantic story of love, I'm here to tell you that you couldn't be more wrong. This is the second Moyes book that I've read and once again, I was very pleasantly surprised by what I read and its impact on me.

ME BEFORE YOU is the unlikely story of a twenty-six year old English woman still living with her parents and elderly grandfather, struggling to help contribute to the family's income. Louisa, unlike her older sister, did not exude much independence and drive, so her parents didn't expect a lot out of her in the long term. She put up with her father's constant teasing and light-hearted put downs and for the most part, didn't show how deeply his words wounded her. Her mother made up for her father's insults by offering non-stop complacency with Louisa's choices. When Louisa lost her job at a local coffee shop she was forced to scour the limited workforce. Reluctantly she took a job working as a companion for a local wealthy family looking after their grown son who had suffered a life changing accident two years prior. Once a hard-nosed, thrill seeking, successful executive, Will Traynor was now confined to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic.

Will Traynor was an impossible man who seemed to take pleasure in being harsh to Louisa and making her feel completely inadequate for even the simplest of tasks. Lou, as she was often called, wanted to quit right away but her sister Katrina guilted her into staying on, especially after their father lost his job at a local furniture factory. She was making good money taking care of this man and if she quit now she would be hurting her family. Lou decided that the only way to deal with Will was to stand up to his bad attitude. As time went on, progress was made and they even developed a kind of comfortableness with each other.

When Louisa overheard a conversation with Will's mother and sister, it became clear to her why they had only hired her for a six month contract. This information disturbed Louisa and went against everything she believed in. She felt completely helpless and felt she couldn't discuss it with anyone, considering the legal ramifications it entailed. Neither her family nor her boyfriend  realized the stress she was under and when she finally confided in her sister, a plan was devised. Lou made it her mission to make Will see that his life was not over. To complicate matters, Lou's close proximity to Will's every personal need created a closeness that became second nature for her. She was also spending more time with Will than her own boyfriend, Patrick.

Lou is fighting time and battling a decision, that frankly, she has no right to change. This is Will's life and she must find a way to come to terms with it, but she vows never to give up until the very end.

My Thoughts:

Though this is a story of love, it is only secondarily a love story, in my opinion.  This incredible story is told from a unique perspective and goes beyond the outer surface to the very difficult and controversial topic of assisted suicide. That being said, there is even more than that. Through her complicated relationship with Will, Louisa also learns so much about herself, as does her family. I like that they begins to see her in a different light and even gives her the respect she deserves for the difficult job she has. The compassion is not all one-sided either. Will, even in his most vulnerable state, is able to help Lou overcome an event in her past that has, until this point, shaped her life. The beauty of this story for me was the unexpected gift of self discovery that Will is able to give Lou. The impact he has on her life changed her drastically and will stay with her forever.

This is a complicated, layered story that is anything but a typical romance. As with the previous Moyes book I read, THE GIRL YOU LEFT BEHIND, I was completely immersed and satisfied with the story.   I chose the audio version of this title and I felt it was superbly done. The narration was done by several different people and they all had fantastic performances.

Jojo Moyes is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and one that I will not miss in the future. This book is totally different than the earlier one I read and it shows her versatility. Some writers stick to the same theme or technique throughout their career and though there is nothing wrong with that, Jojo Moyes has surprised me twice and that makes me want to read more from her.

I couldn't recommend this book more, whether in print or audio. It is an absorbing, interesting novel that deserves all of the accolades my fellow readers and reviewers have given it. If you're looking for a good book to lose yourself in, you must read ME BEFORE YOU.

ME BEFORE YOU (Unabridged Audio Version)
Author: Jojo Moyes (@jojomoyes)
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Published: 12-31-2012
Length: 14 hrs 40 mins
Recommend? Absolutely YES!!!!

Review: Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews (Kindle Edition)

Mary Kay Andrews is a favorite author of mine that I have enjoyed reading for many years.  I love her escapist novels for their Southern charm, clever wit and entertaining characters and stories, so I was surprised that I'd fallen behind and somehow let SPRING FEVER slip through my radar! I used to stalk her blog and lie in wait for her next release and somehow I got off track. With her new book, LADIES NIGHT, released on May 28th, I decided to get busy and read SPRING FEVER first.

About the Book

In the small town of Pascoe, North Carolina, Annajane Hudgens works at the soda-pop company that pretty much keeps the town afloat, and happens to be the family business of her best friend, Pokey and her ex-husband, Mason Bayless.  Though Mason and Annajane have been divorced for five years, they still work together and have a civil relationship with each other. But when Mason is set to marry his new girlfriend, Annajane is surprised by her sudden feelings of regret over her divorce. When an emergency takes place during the wedding that turns the whole event upside down, Annajane is thrown smack into Mason's life again,  much to the dismay of Celia, Mason's bride-to-be.

As Annajane prepares to wrap things up at Quixie, the beloved family business, and move to Atlanta to be with her fiance, she overhears a suspicious phone conversation of Celia's. Annajane doesn't trust Celia and her so-called business savvy as far as she can throw her, so she feels torn between starting her new life with Shane or helping her ex-husband save the struggling company that has been in his family for generations.

My Thoughts:

I could tell right away that SPRING FEVER was going to be exactly what I was looking for. Though I've read all of her books, excluding her very latest LADIES NIGHT, I haven't felt the immediate connection to the main characters  since Weezie and Bebe, who were the stars of her earliest books, SAVANNAH BLUES and SAVANNAH BREEZE. Those characters will always be my favorites, but Annajane and Pokey are wonderful in their own rite. In fact, all of the characters in this book were really good and likable. Mary Kay Andrews has a knack for creating great characters with goodness and quirkiness that makes them unforgettable. Even Celia, in all her deviousness, was a great character that I just wanted to get blown out of the water!

A big plus for this novel was the multi-layered plot that gave more depth to the story.  Aside from the obvious relationship angle between Annajane and her ex-husband, Mason, was the battle for controlling interest of Quixie, the struggling family owned soft drink company. I loved the business aspect of the story because it brought all of these characters together for better or worse.   In the first few chapters, the history of both the characters and the business were revealed by flashbacks seen through Annajane's perspective. I thought that was a great way to introduce the complicated dynamics of these people. Once all that was revealed, the story was then told in the present tense. It worked beautifully and gave the reader a full understanding of the past.

I feel this book brought Mary Kay back to the quality of her earlier books that I loved so much, like the aforementioned SAVANNAH BLUES, along with LITTLE BITTY LIES and HISSY FIT.  I was totally surprised when a big twist was revealed near the end of this book that I wasn't expecting.  Though I've enjoyed reading her other recent books, DEEP DISH and SUMMER RENTAL, for me, this one stands out as one of her best. It has rejuvenated me and has made me very anxious to read LADIES NIGHT.

If you are looking for great summer reading, you should definitely pick up a Mary Kay Andrews book. SPRING FEVER is a terrific choice and I promise you'll catch the fever.

SPRING FEVER (Kindle Edition)
Author: Mary Kay Andrews (@mkayandrews)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: June 5, 2012
Length: 416 pp
Source: Purchased
Recommend? Yes! This is a terrific summer read!

Review: Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman

I'll admit that I was ridiculously late in reading Beth's first book, SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT, but once I read, and fell in love with it, I vowed never to put off reading another of Beth Hoffman's books. So imagine how happy I was to be one of the lucky ones to receive an advance copy of LOOKING FOR ME. It was the highlight of my spring!

About the Book:
(No Spoilers Included)


LOOKING FOR ME is the story of a Kentucky family, told by Teddi Overman, the oldest daughter of two hardworking parents and sister to her younger brother, Josh. Teddi Overman knew what she wanted to do with her life as a young girl when she discovered her love of old furniture. She'd find old pieces from just about anywhere, take them home, fix them up and sell them on the side of the road. Much to her mother's dismay, Teddi packed up and moved to Charleston, South Carolina right after high school graduation to work at an antique shop where both her passion and talent grew larger and larger.

Through the years Teddi builds a good life for herself in Charleston and is quite successful but there is a sadness deep within Teddi that never goes away and that same sadness has taken hold of her parents as well. That sadness is the loss of Josh, her younger brother, who disappeared when he was seventeen, never to be heard from again. Though he is presumed dead, Teddi has a hard time accepting it and she can't help feel that her mother blames her for his disappearance. It has caused a deep sore spot between the two.  Teddi feels that if she could just get her mother to talk to her, it might make things better, but it's hard for her to even bring up Josh's name to her mother.

My Thoughts:

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you I fell in love with this book after reading the first chapter. Even the first page! What was glaringly obvious to me was how beautiful the writing was. Beth Hoffman swept me away with her lovely prose and I knew right away I was in for a real treat. When I read this book, I lost myself in it, completely tuning out everything that was going on around me.

Everything about this book was spot on, in my opinion. The storyline, the characters, and also the locations - both the family farm in Kentucky and Teddi's new hometown of Charleston only made this story richer. I know I'm gushing, but I can't help it. This is the type of book that I absolutely love. Learning about Josh and his love of wildlife, especially the birds, really touched me and left me with lumps in my throat. It was just a lovely, endearing book that I enjoyed immensely.  Not since Jayne Pupek's amazing TOMATO GIRL have I been so moved by a book. LOOKING FOR ME ranks right up there. This is the highest quality of Southern Fiction.  It was obvious to me that this story came from a deep place and I thought it was amazing. If you are in a book club, you definitely want to add this to your selections list! I can hardly wait to see what Ms. Beth Hoffman will give us in her next book. I'd like to thank Beth for providing me with my advanced copy. I will treasure it always!

 LOOKING FOR ME
Author: Beth Hoffman
Publisher: Pamela Dorman books
Published: May 28, 2013
Length: 368 pp
Source: Author provided review copy
Recommend? ABSOLUTELY!!!

Friday Finds: Denial and Crime Fiction

Friday Finds is a great way to share books you've discovered this week whether it be by cruising the blogs, magazines or a book shop. I discovered my Finds while visiting blogs this week. The books couldn't be any more different from each other but they both stood out to me. Here's what I found:

THE GOOD HOUSE by Ann Leary

I saw this book first on Book Fan's blog where she reviewed the audio version on Tuesday.You can read her review here. One of the other reviews that stood out for me was over at Book Mama's blog. You can read her review here. The reason this book has captured my attention is the main character, Hildy Good, a successful real estate broker battling alcoholism. She really stood out to me because of her realness and the believability of her story. I was so taken by this book's description and by Mary's review of the audio that I used one of my monthly credits at Audible.com and purchased it for myself.

BLOOD MONEY by Doug Richardson

I discovered this author/book while visiting Fiction Books' blog yesterday. I also visited Doug Richardson's website and was surprised to see how many books he's published. I am always looking for new crime fiction reads but many times when I read the synopsis I am turned off by over-complicated and confusing storylines and excessive characters. But in her blog post, Yvonne laid the story out beautifully and also included a bit about the Mr. Richardson's impressive career as a screenwriter. Honestly, I don't know how I've missed this author! I'm very anxious to get my hands on BLOOD MONEY, his new release set to come out in the Spring. This story is centers around a small town sheriffs detective's quest to track down the ex-Marine who shot down and killed his brother. This suspect has left a trail of death from Nevada to Los Angeles and the detective looks for help in the form of an LAPD detective who is not thrilled to have to 'babysit' the small town cop. It sounds thrilling and I am very much looking forward to diving in. One last thing I like about this book is the cover. I think it's a great cover that gives just enough hints to what's inside.

There are more Friday Finds over at Should Be Reading, so stop over there and see what other book lovers have discovered this week.