Review: Finding Lucas

Finding Lucas was one of those novels I had been meaning to read for forever. Well, for a year (it was publishing in April 2012) anyway. Author Samantha Stroh Bailey is a fellow Canadian and we have become good Twitter friends over the past several months. I was excited to finally dive into her novel and it did not disappoint. It was sweet and hilarious and a great chick lit read.

Here's the synopsis:

Can you ever really go back to the past?
After five long years of living with Derek, her former bad-boy-turned-metrosexual boyfriend, Jamie Ross finally reaches her breaking point. She's had enough of his sneering disdain for her second hand wardrobe, unusual family and low-paying job as the associate producer of Chicago's sleaziest daytime talk show. When her new boss plans a segment on reuniting lost loves, Jamie remembers Lucas, her first love and the boy she'd lost ten years earlier. Spurred on by her gang of quirky friends, Jamie goes on a hilarious, disastrous and life changing hunt to track Lucas down. But are some loves best left behind?

One of the things I liked about Finding Lucas was that it felt very real - the circumstances, the dialogue, the characters, everything. I mean, there are some ridiculous situations but what chick lit doesn't have it's share of craziness (see: Confessions of a Shopaholic, hehe), right? Things could have been crazy and over the top but Samantha does a great job of keeping things balanced and it all works.

There were a few minor things that...irked me, I guess, but there wasn't anything that took away from my overall enjoyment of the novel. I was completely immersed and entertained by the story. These issues, if we even want to call them issues, were so minor, in fact, that I couldn't even recall them just a few days after finishing the book.

I love the romance in this book and part of the reason I love it is because it didn't take over. Even though Jamie is searching for an old boyfriend after leaving her twit of an ex, we got to see Jamie on a personal journey more than a hunt for a man. Does that make sense? She realizes so much about herself and that's the main point of her story. The bonus is that she finds love with an awesome guy (and I'm not telling you which guy it is!) and becomes more comfortable with herself and her family.

Speaking of family, this book is full of fabulous secondary characters. Jamie has a great best friend in Hannah and I loved reading about her story. Her parents (including step moms) are such a huge part of her life and it was so much fun reading the scenes with her family. Oh, and her roommates! Ha! Loved them. And I totally called the twist with them. "Twist?" you ask? Read the book and you'll understand. And probably laugh your ass off.

Overall, Finding Lucas was such a great read. Samantha Stroh Bailey wrote a novel that makes you laugh while also tugging at your heartstrings. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for their next chick lit read. I can't wait to read Samantha's next book!

Reading Bingo: Anna and the French Kiss

Time to check off another Reading Bingo square! I finally got around to reading Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins earlier this year. If you're a regular reader of my blog you'll know that I'm not a big YA fan, even though one of my favourite authors is Sarah Dessen. But, since I had heard so many good things about this book and knew it was similar to Dessen, I finally gave it a shot. And guys? I loved it.

Here's the synopsis:

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.
But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Now, I read the book ages ago. February 18, to be precise. Soooo, this will be a short review. It's also going to be full of pictures. I'll start by saying that I just devoured this book. It was an awesome read in one sitting book and it was a great way to spend a holiday Monday. It's such a sweet and fun read and exactly the kind of YA I love.

I ended up doing a bit of a photo readalong of sorts when reading it so I will now share some photos before getting into more of a review.

As it was February, I required some tea while I was snuggled under a blanket on my couch. Unfortunately I cannot give you the book and tea pairing because I can't recall what I was drinking. Yes, that is a giraffe in my mug. And yes, he does have a name. Stanley. My sister gave him to me around this time of year last year. I remember that because we were watching Stanley Cup playoffs at the time. Clearly I wasn't too original in my naming choice :)

I love when books reference Harry Potter.

And a personally entertaining part of the book when St. Clair gives Anna a Canadian flag. If I ever get to go abroad I will make sure everyone knows I am actually from Canada and not a faux Canadian :)

As I mentioned, this book was the kind of YA I like to read. I'm not into super angst-y, super paranormal-y, or any other super -y. What I love about Dessen is that her characters are so real and relatable and I felt like Perkins wrote in the same way. Sure, the main characters want to get a boyfriend and think high school is the be all, end all, but I still enjoy reading about them. I've had to put down other young adult books because I couldn't handle reading about the life of the sixteen (or whatever) year old in the book. I never felt annoyed or frustrated with Anna. Instead I was able to recall what it was like when I was a teen. It's enjoyable, not irritating.

I really don't know what else I can say about Anna and the French Kiss other than: I loved it and think many others will too. I'm waiting for Lola and the Boy Next Door to show up at my library (they didn't have a copy so my friend who works there put in an order for it. It pays to know people.) and I can't wait to read it. Of course, I'm also excited for Isla and the Happily Ever After (release date is September 17th) but am not quite as anxious as those who have been waiting for two years. I will leave you with the new covers of Stephanie Perkins' novels, which some people are upset about but I personally love. What are your thoughts?

Oh, I lied. I will actually leave you with my Reading Bingo card. Are you playing along? How's your card looking?

Happy reading! :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Light and Fun Reading

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

This week we're to list ten books we turn to when we need something light and fun. Instead of books, I'm going to list ten authors I love to check out when I need a guaranteed good read. Some of the stories they write about aren't all sunshine and lollipops but I always enjoy them so that's why they're on the list! What are some of your go to reads for when you need something light?

Don't forget to check out their blog for a full list of everyone participating this week!

Nora Roberts

I haven't read much by her (especially if you think about it in percentages, man, that woman writes a lot) but I've found each series I have read really sweet and enjoyable. I just recently finished the Inn Boonsboro series and I wanted there to be more. If you are looking to dive into the world of romance, start with Roberts.

Janet Evanovich

I've been reading the Stephanie Plum series since I was in high school and they're always good for a laugh. True, there may be about ten too many at this point, but they're still entertaining. I've read a couple of her others and enjoyed them as well but I always look forward to the new Stephanie adventure.

Joanne Fluke

I like to say that Fluke's Hannah Swensen series is a literally sweeter version of Evanovich's Plum series. Hannah owns a cookie shop and the books are full of recipes, hence the literal sweetness. She also has to choose between two men but sex has never been implied, let alone written about. They're fun little murder mysteries and great for a weekend read.

Talli Roland

I've been working my way through Talli's work and I just love her stories. They're funny and cute and clever and just oh so enjoyable.

Sophie Kinsella

Do I really need to explain this one? :)

Heather Thurmeier

So far I've read three of Heather's books and I've loved each of them, especially her reality TV series. In fact, I'm impatiently waiting for book number three to be released! I like to think of these ones as romance novels with sass, I guess. I literally just made that up. My point is that the books are romances at the core but there's more to it than just trying to get the guy. OK, bad explanation. Just read her books.

Carole Matthews

This is another author who I almost always love (I say almost because one of her recent Christmas books was such a disappointment to me) and enjoy reading. I think it has something to do with the fact that she's British and I adore British chick lit. I have a few of her older ones sitting on my shelves and I'd like to give some of her latest ones a try as well.

Romi Moondi

Romi's novels always have me laughing. She's got such a fabulous sense of humour and her books are so much fun to read. I can't wait for her to get down to writing now that she's in Paris (a lifelong dream of hers) and will impatiently wait for her third novel in the Year of the Chick series to be published.

Kathleen Kole

Kathleen's books have so much heart and are always amusing. Each of her books that I've read have been enjoyable and feature loveable heroines.

Heather Wardell

I have absolutely adored every single one of Heather's novels. Seriously. I think all but one have gotten five star reviews and that was only because I hated what happened to one of the characters. Even though I got it, I was still upset. I don't know what it is about her books but they're all amazing.

*Fun fact about my list...first three are American, two are Canadians now living elsewhere (Talli's in England, Heather in the US), two are British (Kinsella and Matthews), and the rest (Moondi, Kole, and Wardell) are Canadian. I guess I like to cover the map!

A New Feature: Taking It Off...the Shelf

Truth: A lot of us book bloggers have a ton of books. Truth: I honestly don't think I can read all of the books I own. Not unless I win the lottery. Enter my new feature: Taking It Off...the Shelf. I have quite a few books that I've been meaning to read (some of them for almost five years) so I've decided to read one book off my shelves (the ones in the above picture) every month. It's not a huge commitment and I'm hoping I can read more than one, but it's a start.

First up, a book I bought when I was still working at the bookstore...in October 2009. Yeah.

Here's what Beginner's Greek is all about:

Is love at first sight possible or just an old-fashioned romantic idea? And what if, to further complicate things, you meet the love of your life and then lose her phone number? Then what if, after the impossible happens and you find her again, she's now about to marry a roguish lothario who is also your best friend? The complications don't end there for Peter Russell, the winning hero of James Collins' charming, generous, and romantic first novel. Part modern-day Jane Austen, part Tom Wolfe,is a romantic comedy of the highest order, with characters who are perfectly, charmingly real as they swerve and stumble from fairy tale to social satire and back again.

I'm hoping I can get my review up at the end of the month. Wish me luck!

Happy reading :)

Touring My Bookshelves: Shelf #1

Every book nerd loves to check out other people's bookshelves, whether it's in person or online. I mean, hello, there's a website called Bookshelf Porn. Obviously we like creeping other people's shelves. So, I thought I would bring you on a virtual tour of my own shelves. I have books all over the place. Just last weekend I finally put up a new shelf - and it's almost full already. I'm going to spread out the posts a bit so keep checking back for the next tour.

Today's post features the large shelf full of books that still live at my mom's house.

I have to give a shout out to my sister, who took these pictures for me. (And hey, if you're looking for another blog to read that doesn't have much to do with books but should prove to be entertaining, check out her new blog here.)

Here are some of my lovely series reads. Yes, I own Twilight. Scored those hardcover beauties after Christmas one year when Chapters Indigo had their annual 30% off hardcover sale. I should really reread those ones and see if I still enjoy them. Next: the super amazing Jessica Darling series. I first discovered Jessica when I was in high school (context: I'm almost 26 now.) I believe this was a series my best friend's older sister was reading and she thought we'd like them too. We did. Next are four of my Jane Austen books. "Why four?" you ask? Because these are the four I've read. The other two are living with me in my own house. Then, the Traveling Pants girls. Sigh. Adore these books. The first one is missing in this shot because it's also with me. Oh, and fun fact: that bear's name is Alps and he comes from Switzerland!

Here's a random hodge podge of a shelf. My Anne of Green Gables set is here, one that I've had for ages. I found that Beatrix Potter set at a secondhand shop for a price that I just couldn't pass up. A magic series, Carole Matthews, Cecelia Ahern, Katie Fforde (love!), Emily Giffin, and Sheila O'Flanagan (love!) round out the rest of the shelf.

Here's a jampacked shelf! A lot of these books are ones I enjoyed but were kind of forgettable - with a few exceptions. I adore the Mindy Klasky Jane Madison series. It's a chick lit series about a woman who finds out she's a witch. I also spy Shanna Swendson's Katie Chandler series in there as well. It's another magical chick lit series. Also here is one of the few Sophie Kinsella books I actually own, Remember Me?, which I really enjoyed. And finally, my lovely box set of the Little House on the Prairie books. If I remember correctly, my mom had the opportunity to buy this set at a really great deal. I was still in nursery school but, boy, am I glad she thought ahead. Also featured on this shelf is Reepicheep the talking mouse from the Chronicles of Narnia (Prince Caspian, to be specific.) He was made as part of an assignment in grade seven. He used to have a plastic sword but it disappeared long ago.

Finally, we arrive at the bottom shelf, another shelf of mostly forgettable books. Yes, you see One Day there. I wanted to love it. Really, I did. But I just did not enjoy it one bit. Same goes for The Last Summer (of You and Me). And, of course, the bears. On the left is Goldie, a bear sporting a shirt from Wilfrid Laurier University (my old school.) On the right is Dustin, as in Dustin McGowan, pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays (er, well, if he ever gets better...) I think I amused the guy working at Build-a-Bear that day. He was used to Mileys and Zacs (Hannah Montana and High School Musical were huge at the time.)

There you have it, friends. I hope you've enjoyed today's tour and that you'll stop by for tour #2, when I feature the books I loved and immediately gave to my mom (who is still working her way through them...)

Happy reading :)

Review: Wind Chime Point

Last month I reviewed the first novel in Sherryl Woods' new series (you can catch up here.) Wind Chime Point is the second novel in the Ocean Breeze trilogy and, once again, Woods provided a sweet and entertaining romance.

Here's the synopsis:

Facing a personal crisis, ambitious and driven Gabriella Castle retreats to the welcoming arms of her family. Everything she's worked for has been yanked out from under her, and she seeks the serenity of her grandmother's home on the North Carolina coast. With difficult decisions to make about her future, the last thing she wants is an unexpected love.
Wade Johnson fell for Gabi the first time he saw her. It's not the only time he's found himself in the role of knight in shining armor, but Gabi isn't looking for a rescuer. To get her to stay, Wade will need a whole lot of patience and gentle persuasion… and maybe the soothing sound of wind chimes on a summer breeze.

I was a little hesitant about this one because I wasn't a huge fan of Gabi in the first book. I didn't dislike her, I just wondered if I'd want to read a whole book about her. She was so closed off and secretive and I didn't know how I could deal with her personality. Happily, I ended up really liking her, and her story, in book two. A bunch of life changes force her to reevaluate everything she's ever worked for and I think it changes her personality for the better.

I liked that we got to know more about Samantha, the sister who will be the focus of the final book. I think that's what my issue was going into this one - I didn't feel like I knew enough about Gabi. I knew who she'd end up with (and I know who Samantha will end up with) but I had no idea what her story would involve. There were more details given for everyone and everything, really, so I think that's what made me like this one a little bit more than book one. I finished Wind Chime Point being really excited for book three (which I just downloaded this week and will probably read this weekend because I just can't wait!) which I think is a sign of a good series.

I love the setting of these books. There's something about a beach town that I just love - maybe because I grew up surrounded by fabulous beaches. The quaint town complements the wonderful family ties that are so strong in this series. I love reading about the relationship between the sisters, they're so close but they bicker as siblings do, as well as the relationship they have with their grandmother. Cora Jane is one sassy lady and I think she's fabulous.

Overall, I think Wind Chime Point was a great addition to the Ocean Breeze series by Sherryl Woods. As I mentioned, I'm so excited to read Sea Glass Island to see how the story will end. Romance lovers should definitely check out this sweet and enjoyable series.

*A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: The Banks of Certain Rivers

I had been hearing quite a bit of buzz about The Banks of Certain Rivers around the Internet, much of it positive. While Jon Harrison's debut novel is not one I would normally pick up, I decided to give it a try because I had a feeling I'd end up liking it. I was right. This was a really enjoyable novel that kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next.

Here's the synopsis:

Neil Kazenzakis is barely holding his life together: ever since an accident left his wife profoundly disabled, he's been doing his best as a single dad and popular high school teacher. He's also been dealing with Lauren Downey, his sort-of girlfriend of the past two years who's pushing for a commitment—and for Neil to finally tell his son Christopher about their secret relationship.
Neil's carefully balanced world begins to fall apart when some questionable footage of him is anonymously posted to YouTube...just as Chris learns about Lauren in the worst possible way. Doubting his own recollection of the events in the online video and threatened with the loss of his job and the ability to care for his wife, Neil must find a way to prove the truth to his family, his community, and himself as he struggles to regain the splintered trust of his son.

It sounds like it would be horribly depressing, right? The situations Neil faces are pretty brutal, true, but he has great friendships and relationships to help him get through life. I think things could have seemed over the top had Neil not had he not had his friends and family around. He had people in his corner, who believed in him and stood by him as he tried to figure out how to prove his innocence.

I just loved the scenes between Neil and his son, Chris. Neil seemed to do a pretty outstanding job raising Chris after his wife's accident. In fact, their storyline was probably my favourite part of the novel. Their interactions were so real and you could tell how they struggled but also how much they helped each other.

I don't want to say too much else about the plot because there are subtle twists that I don't want to give away. I will say that the story grabbed me. There was a bit of set up necessary, some back story, that was interesting but it wasn't until the action really started that I realized I was completely invested in the characters' lives. In fact, I was so into the story that I was reading it during commercial breaks while I watched a TV show because I couldn't wait to find out how it turned out for Neil.

If you're looking for a good read, pick up The Banks of Certain Rivers by Jon Harrison. It gives you a little bit of everything - family, love, intrigue - wrapped up in a great story. I definitely recommend it!

Happy reading :)