What's in the mail

Melissa A:
The Swap by Robyn Harding from Gallery (e-book via NetGalley)
The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor from Inkyard Press (e-book via NetGalley)
The Lies that Bind by Emily Giffin from Ballantine (e-book via NetGalley)
Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey from Berkley (e-book via NetGalley)
I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman from Berkley (e-book via NetGalley)
A Little Bit of Grace by Phoebe Fox from Berkley

The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves from HarperCollins (e-book via NetGalley)
Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim from Berkley (e-book via NetGalley)
Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein from Atria (e-book via NetGalley)
What You Wish For by Katherine Center from St. Martin's Press
The Friendship List by Susan Mallery from Harlequin (e-book via NetGalley)
A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight from HarperCollins (e-book via NetGalley)
Little Wonders by Kate Rorick from William Morrow (Amy got this too)

Amy:
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend by Jenny Colgan from William Morrow
500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan from Sphere

Jami:
The Runaway Girl by Jina Bacarr from Boldwood (e-book via NetGalley)
Landsliding by Mandy Jameson from Rachel's Random Resources (e-book)
Every Little Secret by Ruby Speechley from Rachel's Random Resources (e-book)
The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan from Wunderkind PR (e-book via NetGalley)
Shadow Garden by Alexandra Burt from Berkley (e-book via NetGalley)

Sara:
The First Date by Zara Stoneley from Rachel's Random Resources (e-book via NetGalley)
The Plan by/from Whitney Dineen (e-book)

Book Review: When Life Gives You Lemons

By Becky Gulc

‘Sometimes life can be bittersweet . . .

Between tending to the whims of her seven-year-old and the demands of her boss, Viv barely gets a moment to herself. It’s not quite the life she wanted, but she hasn’t run screaming for the hills yet.

But then Viv’s husband Andy makes his mid-life crisis her problem. He’s having an affair with his (infuriatingly age-appropriate) colleague, a woman who – unlike Viv – doesn’t put on weight when she so much as glances at a cream cake.

Viv suddenly finds herself single, with zero desire to mingle. Should she be mourning the end of life as she knows it, or could this be the perfect chance to put herself first?

When life gives you lemons, lemonade just won’t cut it. Bring on the gin!’ (Synopsis courtesy of HarperCollins UK.)

I’ve enjoyed several of Fiona Gibson’s novels over the years, they’re reliably good, funny and relatable. So it’s no surprise that I was happy to review Fiona’s latest release, When Life Gives You Lemons.

As outlined above Viv is going through change, both in terms of her marriage breaking down as well as "the change", she feels a mess, unattractive as well as under-valued and uninspired at work. So what is Viv going to do about it? Thankfully a lot, but in a very organic way!

Viv is such a strong character, pragmatic, relatable, loving and a good friend and mother. I enjoyed Viv’s journey in managing the breakdown of her marriage, certainly not easy but it was far from doom and gloom, this is very much a book about someone putting themselves back together and becoming happier than they perhaps ever were. It’s certainly a hopeful book and felt very mature in its coverage of relationships where children are involved.

I particularly enjoyed Viv’s friendships with Penny and her neighbour Claire, who appears to be raising a very difficult child alongside a newborn. I loved how that element of the story evolved; I found it quite moving and could relate to the sentiments experienced.

One element of the story related to the creation of a show. I admit I wasn’t completely enthralled by this part but in terms of plotting it made perfect sense in how things culminate in the closing chapters.

The characters make this book; it’s a gentle, pleasant, feel-good book which I really enjoyed. Looking forward to the next one, Fiona!

Thanks to Avon for the book in exchange for an honest review. Visit all the stops on the blog tour.

More by Fiona Gibson:

Brenda Janowitz is dressed for success...plus a book giveway

Photo by Cristina Calvi

We're pleased to have Brenda Janowitz back at CLC! Melissa A really enjoyed her latest novel, The Grace Kelly Dress and will be reviewing it soon. She met Brenda a while back and can attest that she's as delightful in person as she is online. Thanks to HarperCollins, we have one copy of The Grace Kelly Dress for a lucky reader!

Brenda Janowitz is the author of five novels and the Books Correspondent for PopSugar. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, Redbook, USA Today, Bustle, The Forward, the New York Post, Publisher’s Weekly, Hello Giggles, Writer’s Digest Magazine, WritersDigest.com, and xojane.

Brenda attended Cornell University and Hofstra Law School, where she was a member of the Law Review. Upon graduation from Hofstra, worked for the law firm Kaye Scholer, LLP, and did a federal clerkship with the Honorable Marilyn Dolan Go, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York. (Bio adapted from Brenda's website.)

Visit Brenda online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Pinterest

Read her essay in the New York Times "Modern Love": https://nyti.ms/2NQxDEO

Melissa A and Brenda...almost five years ago

Synopsis:
Two years after Grace Kelly’s royal wedding, her iconic dress is still all the rage in Paris—and one replica, and the secrets it carries, will inspire three generations of women to forge their own paths in life and in love.

Paris, 1958: Rose, a seamstress at a fashionable atelier, has been entrusted with sewing a Grace Kelly—look-alike gown for a wealthy bride-to-be. But when, against better judgment, she finds herself falling in love with the bride’s handsome brother, Rose must make an impossible choice, one that could put all she’s worked for at risk: love, security and of course, the dress.

Sixty years later, tech CEO Rachel, who goes by the childhood nickname “Rocky,” has inherited the dress for her upcoming wedding in New York City. But there’s just one problem: Rocky doesn’t want to wear it. A family heirloom dating back to the 1950s, the dress just isn’t her. Rocky knows this admission will break her mother Joan’s heart. But what she doesn’t know is why Joan insists on the dress—or the heartbreaking secret that changed her mother’s life decades before, as she herself prepared to wear it.

As the lives of these three women come together in surprising ways, the revelation of the dress’s history collides with long-buried family heartaches. And in the lead-up to Rocky’s wedding, they’ll have to confront the past before they can embrace the beautiful possibilities of the future. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
I’ve gotten really lovely blurbs from some of my favorite authors for this book, and there’s no better compliment for your writing than one that comes from someone whose work you truly admire. Emily Giffin said that The Grace Kelly Dress was my “best book yet,” and Jane Green said it “is a book that has to be added to your nightstand immediately.” It doesn’t really get better than that!

Which of the three women in The Grace Kelly Dress do you relate with the most?
Each of the women in the book relates to a part of who I am, from Rocky’s rebelliousness to Joanie’s desire to figure out who she is in the world to Rose’s loneliness. So, I suppose there’s a little of me in each of my characters.

If The Grace Kelly Dress were made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Oh, that would just be a dream come true! (Why, do you know someone?!)

For Rocky, I’d love to see Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, or Margot Robbie. Think they’d be up for dying their hair every color of the rainbow for the part?

For Joanie, I could see Jennifer Lawrence or Anna Kendrick. She’s got a lot of spunk in her, and I think either of these women could really convey that.

And for Rose, I would love to see Saorise Ronan or Emma Watson. Both women would lend the perfect amount of romance to that storyline.

If you could do something over from your wedding, what would it be?
Stress less and enjoy it! That’s advice I’d give to any bride.

But one thing I wouldn’t change? My dress. Due to my obsession with Grace Kelly’s wedding dress, my own gown had a few details in common with the iconic garment—a ribbon around the waist, a nod to Grace’s cummerbund, and delicate bows floating down the back.

What is the last movie you saw that you would recommend?
As a busy working mom, I’m afraid I haven’t been to the movies much lately! But I gobbled The Morning Show on Apple TV and Dollface on Hulu.

What is something new you want to try this year?
I’ve been getting into meditation, and that’s something I’d love to continue. It’s like exercise for your mind. And I feel a real difference in how I approach the day when I do it.

Thanks to Brenda for visiting with us and to HarperCollins for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway ends March 17th at midnight EST.

Book Review: Little Wonders

By Jami Deise

I’ve been a fan of PTA stories since I first heard the song “Harper Valley PTA.” And considering the song’s only a year younger than I am, these stories have staying power. The song even spawned a (1978) TV movie and (1981) series starring I Dream of Jeannie’s Barbara Eden.

PTA stories are perhaps even more popular today, but the focus is no longer on the sexual and drinking habits of folks who just happen to be parents to children who attend the same school. Nowadays, these stories are about what type of parents the characters are. Spoiler alert: No one is ever good enough, and the moms—they are almost always exclusively moms—are at war with each other, believing that tearing each other down will keep their own status high.

In Kate Rorick’s latest novel, the PTA in question supports the Needleton Academy for Potential Prodigies and Little Wonders, and the school is as over-the-top as its name. Set in a well-off suburb of Boston, parents are expected to devote their lives to their children and be perfect at all times. But perfection is a high bar to reach, and even tougher to grasp.

The novel kicks off when PTA president Quinn Barrett has a meltdown when her three-year-old son Hamilton refuses to wear the handmade Halloween costume she slaved over for weeks, in between working her full-time design job and planning all the Halloween events at Little Wonders. Her tantrum is recorded by new parent Daisy, an LA transplant who just doesn’t fit in with her blue hair and sleeves of tattoos. Daisy only shared the recording with two people; unfortunately, one of them gave it to a Hollywood starlet, and it went viral. Quinn is removed from her post with the PTA, put on the back burner at work, and given the cold shoulder by her superstar surgeon husband Stuart.
Daisy feels horrible. Unlike her cousin-in-law Shanna, who reveals in Quinn’s misery and quickly usurps her position as PTA president, Daisy actually feels bad for Quinn. She knows what it’s like to feel ostracized and judged. She gave up her LA life and job so she and her husband could move in with his grandfather and their daughter Carrie could grow up in a bucolic suburb. But Carrie seems to be losing her sense of self, just like Daisy is.

Written in third-person point-of-view between Quinn and Daisy, the book avoids the usual trap that writers working with this material often take: Making the Type-A queen bee PTA president a one-dimensional villain. Rather, Quinn’s quest for perfection is all too familiar to those of us who were told we could have it all, and when she loses it, readers’ hearts ache for her. Yes, she manages everything and sometimes orders people around because everyone wants these events but no one will do what it takes for them to be successful. People even need to be told where to put the chairs, for pete’s sake. Daisy is only trying to fit in, make friends, and make sure her daughter is happy. Even Shanna, who seems to be shaping up as the real villainess of the piece, is just as trapped by expectations as the other characters.

My son is now 26 (the same age I was when I had him), so I’m light-years beyond the helicopter mom crowd. But I’m still drawn in by these stories, and the questions they pose. As Generation X latch-key children, we were expected to come home to empty houses, do our homework, babysit our younger siblings and perhaps get dinner started. As parents, we are expected to work full-time at demanding yet fulfilling careers, create a home like Martha Stewart (who has a cameo or two in Little Wonders), and raise children who bring home straight As and excel in at least one sport and musical instrument. How the heck did this happen? With her perfect ending, Rorick implies that it’s not other women who are the problem, but the men who create these impossible standards, and then reap the rewards when women fail to meet them. If women took some of that energy they use in being perfect and use it instead to try to change the system, who knows what we might be capable of.

Thanks to William Morrow for the book in exchange for an honest review. Little Wonders can be purchased here.

Also by Kate Rorick:

This is NOT the end for Amy Impellizzeri...plus a book giveaway

Today we are pleased to welcome Amy Impellizzeri. (Her last name is just so much fun to look at. :) ) Her latest novel, I Know How This Ends, published last week. It's a follow-up to her debut, Lemongrass Hope, but can be read as a standalone. And it's about time travel. Amy has one print copy for a lucky reader!

Amy Impellizzeri is a reformed corporate litigator, former start-up exec, and award-winning author. After spending a decade at one of the top law firms in the country, Amy left to advocate for working women, eventually landing at a VC-backed start-up company, Hybrid Her (named by ForbesWoman as a top website for women in 2010 and 2011), while writing her first novel, LEMONGRASS HOPE (Wyatt-MacKenzie 2014), named a 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Bronze Winner (Romance). Her sophomore novel, SECRETS OF WORRY DOLLS was released on December 1, 2016, and was an Editor's Pick in Foreword Reviews Magazine.

Amy's third novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT THEA, released in October 2017 and was an inaugural pick for Francis Ford Coppola Winery's Book & Bottles. Amy's fourth novel, WHY WE LIE, published March 5, 2019.

Amy is a Tall Poppy Writer, Past President of the Women's Fiction Writers Association, and a contributor to She is Fierce! and Women Writers, Women's Books. Amy's essays and articles have appeared in The Huffington Post, The Glass Hammer, Divine Caroline, ABA's Law Practice Today, and Skirt! Magazine, among more.

Amy currently lives in rural Pennsylvania where she works and plays and keeps up on all of the latest research confirming that large volumes of coffee are indeed good for you. (Bio adapted from Amazon.)

Visit Amy online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
What if you finally stop running away from the story you were always meant to tell?

I KNOW HOW THIS ENDS is a time-bending novel about a young reporter swept into a story about family secrets and twisted fate when time travelers collide.

In the spring of 2020, an ambitious journalist, Rory Garcia, gets detoured on her way to a protest at New York City Hall, and stumbles upon the commencement ceremony of a very special class, composed completely of 37 students born to women who were pregnant on 9/11. They are, in fact, the very first graduating high school class of true 9/11 survivors. Valedictorian, Hope Campton, is scheduled to give the commencement speech for the class at Carnegie Hall, but delays and absences threaten to ruin the day.

While Rory is waiting, a mysterious stranger tells her a time-bending tale about epic love, loss, and sacrifice, and suddenly the story Rory thinks she is covering becomes so much more. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“A magical and moving tale of love and loss, hope and redemption, I KNOW HOW THIS ENDS explores the winding and complex journeys we take to find where we ultimately belong. In this time-bending and totally unique story, Amy Impellizzeri once again proves herself a true standout voice in the fiction world.”
-Kristy Woodson Harvey, bestselling author of SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF SIMPLE

“With this compelling follow-up to her bestselling book Lemongrass Hope, Impellizzeri stretches the boundaries of time, love, and family with an imaginative premise that leads the reader to think...what if? We all wonder how life might have turned out if we'd made different choices and I KNOW HOW THIS ENDS explores this possibility for Kate, Ian, Rob, and Dee. It was a delight to return to these characters, but readers new to Impellizzeri can just as easily be captivated by this standalone story. Be prepared to tell yourself, "Just one more chapter..."
-Camille di Maio, Bestselling Author of THE MEMORY OF US & THE BEAUTIFUL STRANGERS

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
My favorite compliment is when people have said that when they get to the end of my books, they want to go back and start over with what they now know. While all of my books are very different, they all have a twist at or near the end that potentially makes the book a new story the second time around!

What is something you learned from writing previous novels that you applied to I Know How This Ends?
Everything! Seriously, though, the hope for all writers is to get better with each book. From a technical aspect, I've learned a lot about pacing and dialogue that I have incorporated into this story. From a pure story point of view, I learned that people still love Kate and Ian as much as I do. And I hope I did this next chapter of their story justice!

If I Know How This Ends were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Oh, let's see. Its predecessor LEMONGRASS HOPE has been cast a few times by bloggers, and I've always been partial to the idea of Keira Knightley and Michael Fassbender playing Kate and Ian. Rory is a brand new character and I have lots of ideas for her. But I loved Lucy Boynton in Bohemian Rhapsody, so I'll throw that idea out there into the universe!

What TV series are you currently binge watching?
I am going to keep my Bachelor vice completely to myself, thank you very much. But my daughter and I are binge-watching Gilmore Girls together, and I just started Schitt's Creek and For Life to accommodate every one of my moods.

What is something that would surprise people to learn about you?
That my car is so messy on the inside I actually can't even offer you a ride anywhere. Or maybe that wouldn't surprise you?! I like to keep people thinking that I've got my act together and that I'm good at balancing a lot of different things and wearing a lot of different hats, but the thing that's gotta give is definitely the inside of my car. Please don't ask me for a ride!

If we were to check out your hometown, what are some must-see places we should visit?
Well, my parents still live in my childhood home, so that's my favorite place to visit when I go back home to Allentown, Pennsylvania. My mom's gardens and my father's handmade bamboo fence are inspiring sights. But I guess I'd want you to drive around and see the Rose Gardens, the local wineries, and the Farmer's Market (where I had my first gig selling produce!) just so you wouldn't think it's all doom and gloom like the Billy Joel song says!

Thanks to Amy for visiting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway ends March 16th at midnight EST.

Book Review and Giveaway: In Five Years

By Melissa Amster

Where do you see yourself in five years?

When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Cohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.

But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.

After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.

That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.

Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I had been interested in checking out In Five Years as soon as I read the synopsis. I love anything having to do with time travel and this definitely sounded like it would be up my alley. The story definitely lived up to my expectations.

This novel was incredibly well-written. It was a captivating story that kept me turning pages and not wanting to stop. I had no idea where the story was going and just when I thought I might have guessed something correctly, I was completely thrown off and surprised once again. It's a beautiful testament to the power of friendship. The time travel situation was haunting to think about after the fact because of where the story went.

If you enjoyed You Were There Too and/or One Day in December, you will love this novel, as well. I loved it and still keep thinking about it. I really need to go back and read The Dinner List soon.

Movie casting suggestions:
Dannie: Lyndsy Fonseca
Bella: Candice King
Aaron: Aaron Tveit

Thanks to Atria for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have one copy to give away!

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway ends March 15th at midnight EST.

Book Review: The Little Bookshop on the Seine

By Sara Steven

Bookshop owner Sarah Smith has been offered the opportunity to exchange bookshops with her new Parisian friend for 6 months! And saying yes is a no-brainer – after all, what kind of a romantic would turn down a trip to Paris? Even if it does mean leaving the irresistible Ridge Warner behind, Sarah’s sure she’s in for the holiday of a lifetime – complete with all the books she can read!

Picturing days wandering around Shakespeare & Co, munching on croissants, sipping café au laits and people-watching on the Champs-Elysees Sarah boards the plane. But will her dream of a Parisian Happily-Ever-After come true? Or will Sarah realise that the dream isn’t quite as rosy in reality… (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

It was a unique idea, having Sarah swap bookstores with a friend in Paris. From the get-go we’re given some backstory into the type of character Sarah appears to be, when it comes to running her own small, quiet, practically stress-free business. The friend in Paris owns a much larger, more chaotic store, so the reader gets a first-hand look into the type of person Sarah is when the world around her isn’t easy.

Amidst the chaos are currents of romantic undertones by way of Sarah’s love interest, Ridge. (what a name!) It felt as though her relationship with Ridge had been counterbalancing the newfound stressors in Paris, but when it begins to show the cracks and strain that can often come from a long-distance situation, not to mention the distance enabling her to see things more clearly, her world is turned upside down. In the moments where Sarah has to attempt to stand up for herself or exert any sort of dominance in any given situation, I could feel the tension, as though I was standing right next to her. I felt just as much frustration as what is portrayed in the pages, wanting to set things right when it feels like a hard road to get there.

While The Little Bookshop on the Seine could be identified as a sweet tale about the trials and tribulations that come from seeking out your own Parisian Happily-Ever-After, I thought it was much more than that. Sarah is placed into a situation where the stakes are high, and the reader gets to see what she’ll do. Will she become a stronger protagonist, or will she crumble? There are moments where I wasn’t sure. I also wasn’t sure about the eventual outcome between Sarah and Ridge. In relocating to Paris, she undergoes many changes and reevaluates her own priorities, changing the status quo in all areas of her life, Ridge included. A monumental character evolution. The bigger picture, though, is her love for books. Not only in her own shop, but in Paris. Men can come and go, but her true love affair lies within the pages of the literary world, and given my own penchant for books, I couldn’t blame her one bit.

Thanks to Rebecca Raisin for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Rebecca Raisin: