Review: New Uses for Old Boyfriends

I love Beth Kendrick and I'm always so excited when she publishes a new book. It should be no surprise then that I jumped at the chance to read her latest novel, New Uses For Old Boyfriends. The book was good and I enjoyed reading it...but...I found it a little lacking.

Here's the synopsis:

After growing up in privilege and marrying into money, Lila Alders has gotten used to the good life. But when her happily-ever-after implodes, Lila must return to Black Dog Bay, the tiny seaside town where she grew up. She’s desperate for a safe haven, but everything has changed over the past ten years. Her family’s fortune is gone—and her mother is in total denial. It’s up to Lila to take care of everything...but she can barely take care of herself.
The former golden girl of Black Dog Bay struggles to reinvent herself by opening a vintage clothing boutique. But even as Lila finds new purpose for outdated dresses and tries to reunite with her ex, she realizes that sometimes it’s too late for old dreams. She’s lost everything she thought she needed but found something—someone—she desperately wants. A boy she hardly noticed has grown up into a man she can’t forget...and a second chance has never felt so much like first love.

I think one of my issues is that I found the characters to be somewhat two dimensional. Or maybe I just didn't get the connection I wanted with them. For example, Daphne, Lila's mom, drove me up the wall. I completely understand that she's been dealt a really hard hand in life but she wouldn't listen to her own daughter, who she seems quite close with. To be fair, this made Daphne's eventually transformation even more awesome. Not to give too much away, but she really shines once she finds her new path in life and gets her spark back.

This isn't the first time Kendrick has set a book in Black Dog Bay. A lot of the characters from Cure for the Common Breakup (my review is here) pop up in this story too. To carry on the previous character discussion, I felt like too many previous characters showed up and that took away from really getting to know Lila and Malcolm. Sure, I loved finding out what Summer and Ingrid were up to but, for example, Ingrid was such a secondary character and she shone far more than Malcolm, one of the love interests, did. 

All that being said...I did like the book. I liked that the romance wasn't totally obvious and I really enjoyed seeing how Lila and Daphne grew as women. They had a lot of really tough stuff to deal with and they did it with class - not everyone would be able to do that. It was also fun to get a bit of a crash course in couture fashion history. Kendrick did a good job of sharing information without overloading the reader with unnecessary facts. 

Maybe my expectations were too high for New Uses for Old Boyfriends. I do expect "ohmygod, I love this book to infinity and beyond" feelings when I dive into a new Beth Kendrick novel. Do I wish I had loved it more? Absolutely. Do I still think you should read it? Yep! This is a sweet novel, with depth!, that takes place in a small town everyone will want to visit. While it can stand on its own, I would recommend reading Cure for the Common Breakup first so you can get to know the characters and the town from the beginning.

*A copy of this book was provided by BookSparks via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

February Chick Lit Challenge Read: J'adore New York

J'Adore New York by Isabelle Lafleche was one of those books that I had seen on the shelf at the bookstore for ages but just never got around to picking up. The cover was what got me - the pink really pops so it was hard not to notice it. I ended up winning this copy when the book was being released in the US (yep, us Canadians had early access to this one as it was published here in 2010) so I was happy to finally have the chance to read it. While it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, I still really enjoyed reading it.

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

Offered the chance to transfer to her law firm's New York City office, stylish Parisian lawyer Catherine Lambert jumps at the opportunity--a fashion devotee with her finger on the pulse of style, she sets her sights on conquering Manhattan's high-flying worlds of glamour, law, and love tout de suite. But soon, the non-stop New York minute filled with monster bosses, lecherous clients, and vindictive secretaries begins to take its toll. That is, until one handsome and powerful client begins to change her world for the better...only to throw it all into jeopardy with one surprising request. Perfect for fans of "Bridget Jones's Diary," "The Devil Wears Prada," and "Sex in the City," Isabelle Lafleche's breakout novel "J'adore New York " is a rollercoaster of struggle and romance from the city where dreams come true.

The story really focused on Catherine's career and I think that's why I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. Lawyers have no time for anything other than work so all of her romantic involvements and friendships are with other lawyers or people somehow connected to her through law. All the drama led back to her office which was ok but I think I would have liked a little more outside life in the story.

Even though I wasn't totally in love with this book I still found myself desperately needing to find out what was going to happen with Catherine. I could not turn the pages fast enough so I could read what was going to happen next. I think this has everything to do with how Lafleche wrote Catherine's story. Her writing hooked me and I couldn't get enough. I loved reading about Catherine so much and I am so happy that there's a sequel coming (J'Adore Paris for those who are curious). I can't wait until it's released!

I think many others will enjoy Lafleche's debut novel - especially those who like chick lit but sometimes want it to be a little more in depth. This book focuses on romance and fashion (Catherine's French, what do you expect?) but also on struggles in the working world and how to navigate life as a lawyer. It's got a little bit of everything and I really liked that.

This was my second read for the Chick Lit Plus Challenge. I'm loving that this challenge is letting me get to the books that have been sitting on my shelf for ages! Overall, I really did like reading J'Adore New York and I will be anxiously waiting to read Isabelle Lafleche's next novel.

Bonne lecture! :)

May Chick Lit Review: "Second Time Around"

I was lucky enough to win this (signed!) book from Liz and Lisa over at Chick Lit is Not Dead last September when I commented on their post "What's on Beth Kendrick's Bucket List?". I had read Kendrick's book Nearlyweds the summer of 2009 and absolutely loved it so I decided to try to win Second Time Around. And what do you know? I actually won it! Amazing.

Now that you know how I came across this novel, let me tell you that I loved, loved, loved it. I had a gala event that I was planning for work this past weekend and reading this book was a fantastic escape. I was incredibly stressed out so the fact that I was able to focus on the characters and the story really shows how great this novel was. It was also a particularly delicious experience to read this book while laying in my hotel room bed the morning after the gala - massive weight off my shoulders, a great book, and an incredibly squashy and comfy bed. Heaven.

Here's the synopsis from Chapters:

Every summer, four college friends hold a mini-reunion. They laugh, reminisce, and commiserate about their soul-sucking jobs. Maybe they should have listened to everyone who warned them to study something "practical."

Then an unexpected windfall arrives-one million dollars, to be exact-with the stipulation that they use it to jump-start their new careers. Almost overnight, a professor, a bartender, a copywriter, and an administrative assistant reinvent themselves as a novelist, an event planner, a pastry chef, and a bed-and-breakfast owner. But the changes in their professional roles create unexpected turbulence in their personal lives, and soon the secrets and scandals from their past start to resurface.

For anyone who has ever wondered "What if?," this engaging novel provides a sweet, funny look at friendship, romance, and second chances. 

The synopsis is right...if you've ever wondered what would happened if you had done something differently (and come on, who hasn't?), you'll really enjoy this book. These four friends get the chance to change their lives and, as cliched as this sounds, find happiness. Each of the four women have a chance for a mini do over in their lives when they inherit $250,000 and each of them handles it in different ways. The four friends are the key to this novel so I want to give a little peek into how they deal with their new situations.

Brooke is the sensible one of the bunch who decided to stay in their college town and is working at the alumni office. When the money comes to her she decides to jump right in and do what she's always wanted.

Cait is working as an English professor and is hoping for tenure. She's always wanted to write a novel but even with this money, she can't quite seem to take the chance. Suddenly her situation changes at the college she's teaching at and she finally runs out of excuses.

Jamie is the wild girl who always does what she wants and everyone else be damned. Guys come and go and she seems to be content with her job as a bartender - until her boss refuses her time off and she quits. In typical Jamie fashion, she falls headlong into her dream job when she's visiting Brooke. 

Then there's Anna. She's the only married one of the four but things are not all sunshine and lollipops. She and her husband have been trying for a baby for years and it has finally taken a toll on their marriage. He has to go oversees for work so she decides it's a perfect time to visit with the girls at Brooke's place and it's there she rediscovers her passion for baking.


This book has everything - laughing, crying, loving, fighting, playing, and thinking - and it's all wonderfully woven together. The characters are all well rounded and incredibly likeable. I like that none of the women are perfect because, really, who is? The great thing about having this many different characters is that there's usually one that you can really identify with. In my case it was Cait. I can't quite put my finger on why but hers was the story that I always enjoyed going back to. Not to say that I didn't like reading about the other women, because I did. I actually wanted to be friends with them. And I think that is a key thing. These women have a friendship that all other females envy. Ten years ago they met in college and have stayed in touch ever since. While they may be living in different parts of the country, they still manage to see each other at least once a year and always pick up where they left off. They're doing better than some of my friends and I and we're all (for the most part) in the same province! Hence, the envy.

I also think the setting is key. The four friends are back in their college town, which is a quaint, stereotypical upstate New York college town. For me, this was the kind of place that I always thought of when I thought about going away to university. The cover also helped convey what the setting was going to be like as well. There's nothing like seeing some Muskoka  chairs, one with books on it, surrounded by green space. I think there also may be some sort of deeper meaning behind the setting. Perhaps Kendrick had all the women end up in the same town they went to college in for a reason. I think it might be because that's when things started to change and they began to make "real" decisions for the first time. I may have gone waaaay too deep for this novel, but it's an interesting thought.

I highly recommend this book because it really is everything that chick lit should be. Compelling female characters, great friendship, a little bit of romance, and a journey. Do you really need any more convincing? Find this novel in some way or another and read it. You won't regret it.

Just Finished: "Water for Elephants"

Oh my goodness. This book was amazing! I've been hearing for years that this novel was really great, as it was released way back in May 2006. When I was working at the bookstore, I tended to hear lots of reviews and recommendations, and Water for Elephants was no exception. For some reason I never got around to picking it up and I am so glad that I finally did!

Here's a synopsis from Chapters:

Orphaned and penniless at the height of the Depression, Jacob Jankowski escapes everything he knows by jumping on a passing train and inadvertently runs away with the circus. So begins Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen's darkly beautiful tale about the characters who inhabit the less-than-greatest show on earth.

Jacob finds a place tending the circus animals, including a seemingly untrainable elephant named Rosie. He also comes to know Marlena, the star of the equestrian act and wife of August, a charismatic but cruel animal trainer. Caught between his love for Marlena and his need to belong in the crazy family of travelling performers, Jacob is freed only by a murderous secret that will bring the big top down.

This was one of those novels that you just cannot put down, and I haven't read a book like that since The Forgotten Garden this past summer. There was just one little thing that I didn't love (and I say didn't love because it wasn't that I didn't like it, it just wasn't my thing) and that was that the story goes back and forth from the present to the past. Jacob isn't necessarily telling his story, but learning about his life in the circus is interspersed with present day when he is ninety three and in a nursing home. I think the reason I wasn't into this was that it ended the "action" part of the novel. One page I'm learning about how they're trying to train Rosie the elephant, and the next I'm stalled in the nursing home with Jacob waiting for his family to arrive. It's not that it was boring - Gruen wonderfully captured the scared feeling that I'm sure many elderly people feel when they know that their mental and physical capabilities are slipping - it was that I wanted to get back to the circus! Part of that feeling of needing to get back to the action was because, I think, that there was a prologue and I desperately wanted to find out how the circus tragedy was set in motion.

One of the unfortunate things about reading this book now, is that I knew who the actors are who are in the upcoming adaptation. I'm one of those people who must read the book before seeing the movie, so I guess that's another reason I finally got around to reading this book. I had known the movie was coming for a long while, and knew right away who the actors were going to be. I like being able to imagine the characters myself, so it was too bad that I couldn't do that with the main characters for this novel (which is why, when I read The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks, that I didn't look online to see who will be in the upcoming adaptation). While I couldn't picture Reese Witherspoon as easily as the magnificent Marlena, I do think she'll do a fantastic job. On the other hand, I think they picked a great actor in Robert Pattinson to play the young Jacob. I know what you anti-Twilight people are thinking, but I choose to ignore all the naysayers (that's right, I said naysayers, what of it?). He has just the right moodiness and brains to pull off the character. Hopefully I won't be disappointed. By the way, the movie is set to be released on April 22.

I enjoyed that Gruen took real life anecdotes from the traveling train circuses from years past. She mentions this in the author's notes and I'm really glad she did. Some of the things were really interesting and neat, but others were sad (such as the fact that elephant execution was common among circus elephants that misbehaved). Either way, I liked that Gruen made sure that the historical part of this novel had credibility.

Overall, this was a fantastic novel. Highly recommended to anyone who likes a good read, or really enjoys the circus. Anyone else read this book? What did you think?

Stay tuned for an Oscar related post - I'm hosting a party tomorrow night and can't wait to tell you all about it. It's going to be so much fun! :)

February Chick Lit Review - "Forget Me Knot"

I know, I know, it's been forever (ok, 2 weeks) since I last posted. Apparently my life has been busy! Not to worry though, I am back with my second review for the Chick Lit Plus Chick Lit Challenge (try saying that five times fast!)
This month I decided to read Forget Me Knot by Sue Margolis.

First, a synopsis, this one from the Chapters site:

Florist Abby Crompton has a knack for arranging the most exquisite bouquets for the hippest clientele. If only her personal life could run as smoothly. Although her fiancé, Toby, proposed a month ago, Abby's still waiting for the ring. An up-and-coming lawyer, Toby's been far too busy to shop-let alone muster the energy for romance. If that wasn't frustrating enough, the night she's supposed to meet her future mother-in-law, Abby gets stuck in an elevator-with a sexy stranger bearing fine wine. Needless to say, a tipsy Abby arrives late for dinner and doesn't make the best impression.
In the aftermath of the dinner disaster, Abby is thrilled to learn that a film studio wants to use her shop in an upcoming movie. But when she meets the director, Dan, she's shocked to discover that he's none other than the same man with whom she shared the elevator-and some highly personal information. Now, with Toby putting in more overtime, Abby's feeling even more neglected. And her attraction to Dan is growing daily-as her own life begins to mirror the romantic comedy he's shooting.
Featuring an irrepressible heroine, Forget Me Knot blooms with charm, wit, and fun.

I had passed by this book a few times at work until one day I finally decided to pick it up (I think it was in the last few weeks when I knew I would be leaving soon and wanted to get as many books with my discount as possible. Hey, don't judge. You would do the same thing!) I'm glad I did read it, even though it wasn't one of my favourites. Let me explain...

I think the thing that bothered me the most was that there was so much going on! Let me show you what I mean with this oh so fantastical character web:

As you can see, there are a ton of characters. You can also see that this is not the world's best representation, but just go with it, ok? My point with this is that there are just so many characters and so many links. The other thing is that they all have back stories! Every single one of them. Extensive back stories. So much so that I want to yell at the book and say "Get to the point!" Ahem. This makes it seem like it was 1. confusing and 2. a totally awful thing. It actually wasn't at all confusing and I did like the other stories, I just thought it left the novel being a bit disconnected and fragmented.

Here's an example. I picked up the book thinking the main story was Abby and her fiance Toby, and how they had hit a rough patch and she just happens to meet Dan while stuck in an elevator. Take another look at the synopsis. You think so too, right? Well, we're wrong. This story gets settled halfway through the book! I honestly wasn't sure what to expect after that, and I think that's where Margolis lost me. I felt like a lot of the second half of the book wasn't necessary. There's a whole other story going on with Abby's mum and dad (they're British, hence my use of "mum" instead of "mom") that, while I understand why it is important to Abby, didn't really see the point of. There was an intriguing twist with Dan, but I did see it coming (read it and let me know if you did too!)

I did love Abby, even though I thought she was a bit daft (still trying to be British while writing this review) by staying with Toby when it was so clearly not working out. She was a self made woman, who owned her own flower shop (so cool and different!) and the flat above it. She was even doing well enough to have an assistant, the prerequisite gay friend, Martin "Scoredaisy". The shop had been featured in several magazines and news articles and Abby was getting a lot of high end clients from these reviews. Way to go, girl! Her best friend Sophie is always there for her, as a best friend should be, and plays the "short, jelly bean shaped" card against the tall, slender, attractive Abby. Our heroine has a man who loves her, albeit one who always seems to be at the law office trying to make partner, but then she gets stuck in an elevator on the way to meet the future mother-in-law and it all goes to hell in a hand basket.

I won't give away all the extra story lines, some of which were cute, others were just excessive. I do recommend this book, even if it seems like I hated it. I didn't, honestly. And, if we're being honest, I finished it in the midst of one hell of a headache, so perhaps that coloured my judgement slightly. If you like cute and fun books, with pretty kick ass main characters, this is worth checking out. I have another of Margolis' sitting on my bookshelf, waiting patiently for its turn (Perfect Blend, in case you were wondering) and I look forward to reading that one too. If I were to rate Forget Me Knot with stars, I think I'd give it 3.5...just not quite at 4, very close though. Check it out from your library, and let me know what you think.

To close with this review, I want to include a quote that I thought was just perfect in describing romance and chick lit novels. Abby and Dan are talking about the plot of Dan's film and how it is a romance that follows a formula...

"But all the way through, you know it's going to work out for them in the end."
He looked apologetic. "That tends to be how rom-coms work. They're like Greek tragedies. They always follow an identical pattern. You know the routine: man meets woman, usually after some kind of complicated mix-up. They begin a tentiative relationship. Smething happens to split them up. They either get back together or form new relationships."
"No, I get that - I really do. Everyboday adores those plots. You love knowing but not knowing."

I feel like that quote sums up how we all feel about these kinds of books and movies. We know how it'll end up, but we don't know how it's going to get there. And that's what we love.

I'm loving this Chick Lit Challenge so far and am really happy I signed up for it. It's given me the chance to read what others think about some of my favourite books, and learn about new books to read too. Now I have to put on my thinking cap and figure out what the next book will be. I think March will be a debut author month, and I think I have the perfect one picked out. Stay tuned...

Currently Reading: Happy Ever After




I am so happy to finally be reading this book. It's been out since November and every shift I worked it would taunt me. I held off buying it though because I thought it'd be pretty silly to buy the fourth book in a series when I didn't own any of the others. I vowed to be patient and wait for it from my lovely local library (hey, look at that unintentional alliteration!). Actually, my mom got it from the library and I borrowed it from her. This means that I have to have it done by the end of tomorrow so I can give it back to her and she can have the time to read it. An attainable goal I think, as I am currently on chapter eleven, page 162 of 355.

The only thing I knew about this series when it first came out was that the first book had an absolutely gorgeous cover. That and it was another book in a long line by Nora Roberts. I never had a huge problem with Roberts, as I knew my mom read them and I know she doesn't read mindless romance novels (and there are many of those!). Within the next year the next three books in the series were released, all with beautiful covers as well - though my favourite is still the first one!

When I moved back home for the summer my mom mentioned a series of books that she thought I would really like, but she couldn't remember what they were called or who wrote them. She hadn't mentioned them to me when she was reading them because I was in school and had less than no time to read for fun. We eventually figured out what they were and I read the first one I was totally hooked.

This series is about four women who are such good friends they may as well be sisters. My favourite part of the whole series? That they own a wedding planning company. Why was I particularly drawn to that aspect? A bit of background on me - I took an event management course last year and toyed with the idea of working for a wedding planner but I ended up taking the fundraising route instead, almost by accident. So, I'm not just one of your average females who are drawn to stories and movies about weddings, but I actually really enjoy the planning aspect of it and the work that goes into making a bride's day perfect.

Each book is focused on a different character, and each one of them is responsible for a different aspect of a wedding. Mac the photographer was first in Visions of White, Emma the florist came next in Bed of Roses, Savor the Moment focused on the baker and cake artiste Laurel, and finally Happy Ever After was about Parker who was the one who looked after all the other necessary details. Did you notice that the titles allude to the job of the character? Cute, isn't it?

As with most romance novels, at the end of each story the main character ends up with a wonderful guy - of course after some sort of issue. I know the formula for these kinds of books and movies, and I'm ok with that. I like seeing how the writer makes the journey to the official relationship or engagement different than all the other stories out there.

What makes these books a little different is that it's not just about the men or falling in love. These women have been friends since they were children and playing Wedding Day in their backyards. They love and respect each other and that comes through in the stories. It makes me think of the relationships with my own friends and how lucky I am to have some of them who know me so incredibly well.

Overall, I would definitely recommend these books. If you like romance - read them. If you like weddings - read them. If you like reading about female friendships - read them. They're sweet, and light, and perfect for a weekend read.

Now, enough writing about this book and more reading it! :)

January Chick Lit Review - "The Book of Tomorrow"



My First Book for the Chick Lit Challenge!

 I spent Sunday reading my first book for the Chick Lit Plus Challenge, much to the annoyance of my mom who had only read about 100 pages of a book while I finished an entire one (sorry, I love you! :) I can't help if I'm a super crazy fast reader).

I chose Cecelia Ahern's The Book of Tomorrow as my first book partly for the title - I found it fitting for the beginning of a new year and the start of this Challenge. Sounds kinda kooky, I know, but that's what I thought :) I've also had it since the trade paperback came out in October 2009 and felt it was high time to pull it off the shelf. For those of you who may not know who Ahern is, she's the author of P.S. I Love You (yes, the book the movie was based on...if you've seen the movie and haven't read the book, get on it! The book is so much more detailed.) Fun fact: she was twenty one when she wrote it. So cool. Since Ahern's other novels fit the criteria for chick lit I decided to give The Book of Tomorrow a whirl.

Here is the snippet from the back of the book (I don't like giving too much away in a synopsis, and honestly, this is so much easier :) don't you agree?)

"Tamara Goodwin has always lived in the here and now, never giving a second thought to tomorrow. Until a traveling library arrives in her tiny village, bringing with it a mysterious, large leather-bound book locked with a gold clasp and padlock.
What she discovers within the pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to its core.
A mesmerizing story about how tomorrow can change what happens today..."

Honestly, I'm still not sure what I thought of the book. I went through a few thoughts and emotions while reading it. First of all, I didn't realize the protagonist was only sixteen. I know I read a few young adult novels, but I think what threw me off is that I wasn't expecting the main character to be so young. I quickly got over that and then found myself frustrated with the time it took to get to the main point of the story - the so-called book of tomorrow. It finally showed up about 60 pages in and at that point I was already intrigued by the main character, who, by the way, is named Tamara, and the mystery surrounding this book.

Once the story really got going, I realized that it was going to be a sort of coming of age story, with a mystical twist, which Ahern is known for. At the beginning of the novel Tamara is a spoiled sixteen year old girl whose world gets rocked and as the story progresses, it gets rocked a few more times. There are some twists and turns that were really interesting, but this was another thing that had me sort of iffy about. At first I thought it was going to be more like The Forgotten Garden (AMAZING book!!!), then I thought it was more resembling The Thirteenth Tale (good, but odd) and a bit of Her Fearful Symmetry (totally weird and I really didn't like it), and even though I've never actually read it, I feel like it had a touch of Jane Eyre too. Any of this making sense? :)

I found I was trying to work out the big twist for a good part of the end of the book, and I think Ahern needs commending for the shocker at the end. Parts of it were, perhaps, more obvious, and I did figure out two parts of the puzzle, but for the most part I was completely surprised. The writing was great, apart from this annoying repetitiveness when Tamara keeps talking about phrases that are redundant like "very dead."

Overall, I did like the book. It wasn't really as "chick lit" as I thought it would be, but that's ok. I would still recommend it for those who like Ahern and books with a fantastical element to them. I think it was a decent first pick for this challenge, but I hope the next one I choose is better.

Stay tuned next month for my next Chick Lit Challenge Book Review. Wonder what I'll pick...

Currently Reading: The Christmas Clock

Ah, the joys of the Christmas season. I love it. So much, in fact, that I am still reading Christmas stories. I wish I could prolong the holiday even more, but eventually, all the Christmasiness (yes, I'm making up words)
will be gone and I have to create it on my own. Right now, every thing is still in holiday mode since New Year's Eve is tomorrow (expect a resolutions type post soon!) and people are still visiting family and taking time off work. There are also lovely marathons happening on pretty much every specialty channel. I'm currently flipping between HGTV (Property Virgins) and Food Network (Challenges) while I'm writing this.

I just started reading The Christmas Clock by Kat Martin today and I absolutely love it. It was just released last October and I remember seeing it at work and wanting to read it. Unfortunately, I never got around to it. While I was working this year I happened upon it again and made a note so I would remember to check the library for it (side note: I finallllly got a library card!). Lucky for me, it was there!

I'm just over halfway through the novel, and like I said, I am in love with it - the story, the characters, the tone. It's a small book (eleven chapters, 145 pages, all packaged in a tiny hardcover) so if you're looking for a short novel to read next Christmas in between the five bazillion things you have to do, this is the one for you.

What I really love about this novel so far is that it has the true spirit of Christmas. Lottie Sparks is suffering from a form of Alzheimer's that is rapidly progressing and her biggest worry is that she will not be able to find a home for her eight year old grandson, Teddy, before she is no longer able to take care of him. She's slowly losing her memory, but every time she sees this old Victorian clock in a shop window she remembers her childhood. Teddy knows how much she loves the clock and desperately wants to buy it for her for Christmas.

The Teddy-Lottie storyline was the only one I knew about when I got into reading this, but there is actually a romantic story woven through as well. Sylvia Winters and Joe Dixon used to be in love and were engaged but all of a sudden, Sylvia up and left the small town and moved to the city. Now she's back in town and they are trying to figure out how to get used to seeing each other again. Both of them are in pain and it really gets to me the way things turned out with them. I desperately hope they can work things out.

I'll give you all an update when I finish the novel and let you know if it continued to be a fantastic book!

I hope you all had a magnificent Christmas (I sure did!) and have a Happy New Year as well! :)