My Favorite Reads of 2018

Happy Monday friends!!! The first full week of 2019....full week of school, activities, and all the things! Today is probably one of my favorite posts to write- my favorite books!
I am sharing my top ten reads from 2018. A couple years ago I made a commitment to read more and have loved doing it. I read 40 books last year (4 more than 2017) and I am excited to share my favorites. I have really fallen in love with two authors, Sally Hepworth and Colleen Hoover.... so you will see a couple books from them😉 They also each had a book on my top ten from last year!

A stack of books to read is one of my favorite things!!!

So get ready to put these on your TBR (to be read) lists!

ten

Last year I read  The Things We Keep from Sally Hepworth and it was so good. I told myself I would read more from her. So here she is on my top ten again. Spoiler alert- there is another one from her here too!

I grabbed this one and she did not let me down. This was the story of three women, three generations of midwives. When the youngest, Neva discovers she is pregnant she keeps it a secret from everyone. The secret gets out and unravels some secrets from all three women. It was such a great story about women, becoming a mother and the true meaning of family. One of those books that I instantly connected with the characters and could not wait to see what happened next.

nine

I have read a few books from Colleen Hoover and I love her!! It Ends with Us was on my favorite list last year and this one here is being added to my favorites list!

Confess

I love her books, mostly because of the way she tells the story. She makes me truly understand the characters and just fall in love with their story.  This book shared the story of Auburn a young girl that falls in love at 15 and suffers a terrible loss. She finds herself living in a new state and coming to terms with her new life, when she meets an artist that paints people's confessions. Their stories become entwined in a way that has you wanting to keep reading. I loved this story!

eight

So i have shared before that I love Colleen Hoover and Elin Hilderbrand.... and this is my fourth book from Sally Helpworth and she is officially a favorite of mine too!

The Family Next Door

 This book was set in a seemingly "perfect" suburban neighborhood. A new neighbor, moves in and becomes fascinated with one of the families next door. Lots of stories intertwined and the book was written so that I could not wait to see what happened next. Lots of things in this book surprised me- it was not a predictable one at all!

seven

My girlfriend gave my this book and her recommendation to read it. I did and I really enjoyed it.

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine

 Eleanor is a socially awkward woman who seems to say exactly what is on her mind. Her life takes a new turn as she develops a friendship with Ray, the IT guy in the office. It's a well written story of compassion, human connection and relationships. You will find yourself rooting for Eleanor!

six

My dad gave me this book and it was a read it in one day kind of book.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

My first book by this author and I can't wait to read more. Grace has a sister Millie, who has Downs Syndrome and plans to be her caretaker soon. She meets a wonderful man that is kind to both her and Millie and she feels she has found her prince charming. But things are not what they seem behind closed doors as she learns she has married a monster that has horrific plans in place. She is a prisoner in her own home and fears for her and Millie's safety. This book was in that psycho thriller category, but I could not put it down....in fact, I did read it in one day! B.A. Paris is on my read more from her list for 2019!

five

Colleen Hoover has never let me down, and I just loved her newest book! 

All Your Perfects

 A heartbreaking story about a troubled marriage and a promise they made in the past. Through so many ups and downs, can this damaged couple hang on....all because of a promise they once made? She has a way of writing that tells a beautiful story. Add this to your reading pile ASAP!

four

I had seen this one shared by quite a few bloggers over the past few months and it had been on my "to read" list. It was good...I mean really good...the book you read in a weekend good. 

 It was the story of Emma and how her husband, her one true love,  dies at sea and his body is never found. She picks up the pieces of her life and finds love again. She is engaged to be married with someone from her past and thinks she has found true love again. When she gets a call that her husband has been found (years later) she gets thrown into a whirlwind and has to decide who is her one true love.

This was a good one friends. Not a sappy love story, but one really about true love. A perfect book for your Winter reading list!

three

So many people have been talking about this and I had to see what all the hype was about. 

Girl, wash you face by Rachel Hollis

Well it totally lived up to it's hype. It was a laugh out loud, maybe shed a tear it's so real, inspirational, motivational, every woman (especially in the 30-45 year age range) should read. Rachel just tells it how it is....sometimes painfully honest and sometimes full of humor.  With chapters like "I'm Not a Good Mom" or "I'll Start Tomorrow" it's just an awesome way of saying get over yourself and live your life! Such a great book!

two

My Dad read this book and recommended it to me...two of his recommendations made my top ten! I should have him start guest blogging here too 😉 I have read Kristin Hannah before and was excited to read another one. 

The Great Alone Kristin Hannah

A story about a young girl, Lenora,  with troubled parents and their move to Alaska as a way to solve their problems. This book shared some of the harsh realities of Alaska in the Winter (think 18 hours of darkness, wild animals) and what that can do to a person's psyche. It gave an alarming look at both what that can do to a family as well as how a community can come together to work through it. I fell in love with Lenora's character and was rooting for her the whole time.. such a great read!

one

It Ends With Us was my first book from Colleen Hoover and wanted to read more from her. I grabbed November 9 at the library and I read through it one day...it was that good. I don't know what it was about this book, but it was just fascinating to me and I have recommended it to everyone!

Fallon is the daughter of a movie star father and was severely burned on the night of November 9. Two years later, on November 9 she meets her dad for lunch and he doesn't even acknowledge the anniversary of the horrific accident. A stranger comes into her life that same day and they have an instant connection. Unfortunately its the same day she is moving cross country to New York. They make a plan to have no contact, but meet again the following November 9 and everyone after that for the next 5 years. What happens each year they meet is just amazing... and you see that everyone has scars, although some may not be visible.

You can check out all my reviews from this year....
January 2018
February 2018
March/April 2018
May 2018
June 2018
Summer 2018
December 2018
And look back at my favorites from last year!
My favorites of 2017

Happy reading friends!
See you soon, there is always room for one more at our family table.
xoxo
Genevieve

What I've Been Reading......

Hey friends!! It has been a while since I shared a book review here. So here is a peek at what I have been reading lately. 

8 books

6 I enjoyed.

2 not so much.

And reading is so good when you are surrounded by twinkle lights!

Summer Book Review

Hey friends!! So I usually have a recipe to share on Mondays, but well... it just did not happen! I don't know where the last week went and I had no pictures of dinners or recipes, so I moved to Plan B for today's post.
It has been a minute since I shared some of my reads with you! Funny thing, I love Summer reading, but sometimes I find I actually read less in the Summer, because we are so busy doing all the Summer things! 

I love reading on the beach, in a hammock, poolside, on the boat or by the fire. 

Here's a peek at a few of my recent reads!

one

My Dad gave me this one and I really enjoyed it!

 A quick reading thriller that is perfect to read over a weekend. Ella is on a train ride when she overhears two men flirting with some younger girls and something doesn't feel right. She doesn't say anything, only to find out the next day that one of the girls is missing. A year later she is still missing, Ella is overcome with guilt and someone is threatening her. As Ella struggles to make up for not speaking up that fateful night, all sorts of secrets come out.....and everyone seems to be watching Ella. 

two

 I love Nancy Thayer books in the Summer! I have read a few from her, and grabbed this one at the library.

Carly suddenly loses her husband Gus and is left widowed at a young age with 2 young girls She is struggling to keep her house and begins to run it as a bed and breakfast. Her in-laws are less than thrilled and she keeps running into her husbands best friend......so I'm sure you can guess what happens! It was a fun, light Summer read!

three

This book seems to keep popping up on blogger posts and social media, so when I saw it at the library I grabbed it.

Alexa Monroe gets stuck in an elevator with a handsome doctor who is in town for a wedding. Turns out his date cancelled and Alexa agrees to be his date. They have a great time and both want more, but they live in two different cities and the doctor is a confirmed bachelor. A fun book about a whirlwind romance.... just be warned it maybe a bit R-rated in some parts, in my opinion!

four

Elin Hilderbrand never disappoints me. 

Meredith is Silver Girl, a woman who had it all, until her husband was indicted on a ponzi scheme and she lost everything and everyone. She reaches out to her childhood friend Connie, with whom she had a rift with a few years ago and has spoken since. She has no one else to turn to and Connie comes to her rescue. Each of the women try to rebuild their lives and their friendship. It was a great story about a lifelong friendship that truly never dies. 

I just got a new stack to read and am halfway through this one....

and I am struggling to get into it, but keeping with it!

If you missed my other reviews...

January Book Review

February Book Review

March/April Book Review

May Book Review
June Book Review

2017 Favorite Books

Have a great Monday! See you soon, there is always room for one more at our family table.
xoxo
Genevieve

June 2018 Book Review

Well somehow we are 12 days into July and I am just getting around to sharing my June Book Review. Summer reading is usually my favorite and I knock out some serious reading, but I started June a little slow. We were busy doing all the Summer things and I only got to 3 books in my "To Be Read" pile! Good news is that I was happy with all three books! So here we go, a peek at what I read last month.....

May Book Review

Hey, hey its book review day!!! This month was so good for two reasons. One, I got to do a lot of my reading outside....

And two, I enjoyed every book I read this month!!!

A Little Book Review

Hey friends! Not sure what happened, but somehow my March Book Review eluded me so I am sharing my thoughts today on books I read in March and April.
I read some amazing books in February and well I can't say the same for this last batch. I read 4 books and one with Ella. Two were just ok, one I really liked and one I can't really decide on.
So, here we go!

one
I read Me Before You and loved it, so I was super excited to pick up After You. 

It picked up with Louisa after Will had died and I just could not get into it. The whole concept was a little far fetched for me and I don't know.. I just did not enjoy it. I have heard there is a third book in this series, but I think I will skip it.

two
Next up was this book that I read with Ella. I shared a little bit about this book and the why we read it now in a post here.

If you have a daughter heading into middle school, I would highly recommend this book. It's a great start to a conversation about changes that your daughter will be going through. There is a version for boys too.

three
My dad gave me this book and I read it in two days. And I still can't decided my thoughts on it. I could not put it down, because I could not wait to see how it ended.

But yet I felt uncomfortable reading it the whole time. It was the story of a woman that lived alone, with a fear of going outside and sees things happening in her neighbor's homes... or is she making it up? It was a thriller, similar to Gone Girl, but there was something about it I didn't like, yet could not put down. Anyone else read this one and have similar thoughts???

four
After The Woman in the Window I needed a happy, fun book and The Guest Cottage by Nancy Thayer was the answer! I love her books....they are light, fun and beachy.

This was the story of a woman who finds out her husband wants a divorce and decides to rent a house on the beach with her kids for the Summer to figure things out. When she arrives she finds a recently widowed man and his son that have somehow rented the same house. They decide to give it a go and share the house for the Summer. Just a fun story of how they each come to terms with what has happened and the friendship that forms over the Summer. As the weather warms up, this would be a perfect pool/beach book!

five
My last book was 'Without Merit by Colleen Hoover. Now I have read a few others by her and loved them. This one was just ok, and I was kind of bummed.

This was the story of Merit, a high school girl with a bizarre family life, living in an old church. I guess as I read it I just never really connected with the characters. It felt more like a book targeted towards a young reader. It was ok, just not great.

Now I am on the hunt for some great books for May. Please share your favorites with me in the comments.
If you missed my other book reviews this year...
January Book Review
February Book Review
2017 Favorite Books

See you tomorrow for Friday Favorites, there's always room for one more at our family table.
xoxo
Genevieve

February 2018 Book Review

Oh friends, I am so excited for today's post! It's my monthly book review....and it is such a good one! I had lots of pool and beach time this month and read 6 books! YAY! I could read all day with this view....and I did!

January 2018 Book Review

I can't believe we are already doing our first book review of 2018! Last year I really wanted to get back into reading and I did just that. I set a goal to read two books a month and I read 36 books last year. If you missed that review you can catch up here.
2017 Book Review
This year I still have reading at the top of my "What I want out of 2018" list. This month I read 4 books... a pretty good start. I have had a few people message me lately asking when do I have time to read?? I decided to share a little bit of when and where I read in a post yesterday.
A little post about Reading
I had one "ok" book, one book that I just dreaded reading each day and two that I LOVED! Here's the scoop on what I read this month.
one
I started the Elin Hilderbrand Winter series and read book one in November. I quickly grabbed book two, because I couldn't wait to see what happened next. 
That was December. And well here I am reviewing it in January. Not sure what happened last month, but not much reading was accomplished! Anyway, I liked the first book more than the second and there are two more in this series. It follows the life of a family on Nantucket that owns an inn. There are all kinds of stories interwoven between the owner of the inn, his children, his ex, you know....lots going on. It's definitely in the "fluffy" book bucket, but I love Hilderbrand and I love Christmas....so I will continue on with the series, but probably not until November.😉

two
This movie is coming out in March and it seems to be geared towards my kids age group, so I grabbed A Wrinkle in Time with thoughts of me reading it, then the kids. I love reading the book and then seeing the movie (although yes, I am usually disappointed).

I have to say I did not like anything about this book. I am not sure if  it's because it was sort of sci-fi like or what, but me and this book did not jive. It was about some children trying to find their father who was in some other world or time... I think? I was so lost and not into it, I just wanted it to end. Honestly, I did not read the last 30 pages. I dreaded reading this book each day and thought...this is silly. Why am I reading a book I don't like?
Is it me? Did anyone else "get" this book? I was just so lost.
Maybe this will be one where I like the movie more than the book???

three

After one "ok" book and one "ugh" book I really needed a good one to get me back to my reading sweet spot. And with this one, I found it.

I had seen this one shared by quite a few bloggers over the past few months and it had been on my "to read" list. It was good...I mean really good...the book you read in a weekend good. It was the story of Emma and how her husband, her one true love,  dies at sea and his body is never found. She picks up the pieces of her life and finds love again. She is engaged to be married with someone from her past and thinks she has found true love again. When she gets a call that her husband has been found (years later) she gets thrown into a whirlwind and has to decide who is her one true love.
This was a good one friends. Not a sappy love story, but one really about true love. A perfect book for your February reading list!
four
Last year I read from The Things We Keep from Sally Hepworth and it was so good. I told myself I would read more from her.

I grabbed this one and she did not let me down. This was the story of three women, three generations of midwives. When the youngest, Neva discovers she is pregnant she keeps it a secret from everyone. The secret gets out and unravels some secrets from all three women. It was such a great story about women, becoming a mother and the true meaning of family. One of those books that I instantly connected with the characters and could not wait to see what happened next.

And that's my review for January. I am accepting all recommendations for books....we have a trip planned next month. #lotsofreadingtime
Please drop me some of your favorites in the comments!
See you tomorrow for Friday Favorites.....there's always room for one more at our family table.
xoxo
Genevieve

March Book Review

It't the last Thursday of the month & time for my monthly book review! A couple light beachy reads, a little suspense and a third book from one of my new favorite authors rounded out this month. I am linking up with Narci over at Grace and Love Blog for her monthly Carpool Book Club.  Be sure to check out her blog for all her picks too!!

                                       If you missed the last few, you can catch up below.....

January Book Review

February Book Review

A little recap on my March reads. The first two I finished up after vacation, so they are more in the beach read bucket!

one

This was the first book I read by this author,  Nantucket Sisters by Nancy Thayer and probably won't be the last. This was the story of two girls from very different lives who spent their summers together on Nantucket. The book follows them from the time they are 11 years old through early adulthood. There were a few surprises and some things played out differently than I expected. I liked that it was not predictable. A fun, light read that I think you will enjoy!

And between this book and all those I have read from Elin Hildebrand, I really need to get to Nantucket!

two

Up next was The Girls of Mischief Bay by Susan Mallery

Another new to me author. I just loved this book! This followed three women in very different stages of life, each enduring a life changing event. I connected with all three characters and really enjoyed reading their stories. A very quick, fun read! I wish that there was another book that continues their stories.... and if you know of one out there, please let me know!

three

Now this one has been on my list to read for the last month....The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. So I have heard great things on this one, so I think I may have set the bar too high. Reviewers said if you liked Gone Girl or Girl on the Train this is a must read. Well I liked both of those so I got this one. I have to admit, I did not love it. I thought it was good....not great. This was the story of a woman chosen to go on the maiden voyage of a luxury ship through the Norwegian Fjords. She meets someone in Cabin 10 during the first day.....witnesses something horrific....and then all is not what it seems. It was not predictable, rather I was surprised how it ended, however I just didn't love it. I did connect with the main character enough to make it a "can't put it down" type of book. But yes it was similar to the one I mentioned, and if rank them in order of my favorites....

1. Gone Girl

2. Girl on the Train

3. The Woman in Cabin 10

four 

The Secret Life of Violet Grant. So this is my third month with a book by Beatriz Williams. I read A Hundred Summers and Tiny Little Thing by her earlier this year. I loved both of them!  As I began reading this one, there were characters that crossed over to Tiny Little Thing! I did not expect that and thought it was fun.

Now I have 80 pages left on this one, so unless the ending doesn't sit well I would highly recommend this one! Vivian is a journalist and discovers a suitcase belonging to a mysterious aunt, Violet Grant. Violet disappeared and it has always been speculated that she murdered her husband and ran off with her lover. Vivian is on a mission to uncover what really happened..something her family would rather not do. It's a very good read with great characters that have a parallel to them.. grab this one for sure!

But like I said... I still have the ending, so I will let you know if it changes my thoughts on this one.

So there you have it.... my March reads!

Any great recommendations out there for April?? I have been keeping a list of books that other bloggers have reviewed, along with recommendations from my readers. Slowly, but surely crossing them off.
Here's my recipe for a little treat... Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies. Can't beat a warm cookie and a good book!

See you tomorrow for Friday Favorites....there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve

February Book Review!

So excited for my second monthly book review this year!  I am linking up with Narci over at Grace and Love Blog for her monthly Carpool Book Club.  Be sure to check out her blog for all her picks too!!

This month we had a long road trip and spent the week at the beach. I got to read a lot! Yay!! Here is a little recap of what I read. I linked up each book to Amazon, so you can just add them to your cart if you want a copy at your bedside!

one

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. Now a few years ago (aka before kids) I read a lot more and this was always one of my favorite authors to grab a book from. This was the story of a girl who lost her mother when she was 3. It was unclear whether her mom was dead or had run away and she enlists the help of a has been psychic and a former police detective to help her uncover the truth. The book was never quite what it seemed and did a lot of flipping back and forth between characters. I liked it... but didn't love it. Side note... the setting was that of an elephant sanctuary and it gave some pretty neat facts and insights about elephants. I found that part fascinating!

two

Train like a Mother: How to get across any finish line, and not lose your family, job, or sanity. I grabbed this book, as I am in my second month of marathon training. If you are a runner or thinking about running, this is a really light and fun read! It recommends how to eat and train for races from 5k up to a full marathon. But the best part are the little snippets of real life running as a mom.... like running with a stroller.... how to fit in time to run.... and running with a body that is not quite the same after child birth! I laughed out loud a few times reading this one!

three

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams. This book was raved about by a few other bloggers I follow and I have had it on my list. I read Tiny Little Thing by the same author last month and loved it. This was the story of two girls what grew up together and went to college together in the 1930's. They had not seen each other in awhile, until they meet up again while summering in Rhode Island. It is there that we see how their relationship was a bit twisted and pieces of their past tie them together in ways you might not expect. I loved this book!

four

The Storied Life of AJ Fikried by Gabrielle Zevin. My dad is an avid reader and gave this one to me...said it was a quick, easy light read. It was a cute story of a man that owns a bookstore on a summer island. He is kind of a grumpy guy, but life changes when a new sales rep for a publishing company comes into his life. His life takes an even more dramatic turn when he loses something very valuable and something even more valuable arrives at his book shop.  It was as my dad promised... a quick, light read with a cute story!

five

The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard. This book caught my eye at the library and the description on the back cover sounded great. So I grabbed it and really didn't love it.... anyone else read this one? It is the story of two girls born on the same day in a small town. They grow up in very different families and the book follows their life through adulthood. I had two issues with the book... the first being that I just could not connect to the characters. I can usually envision book characters in my mind, but this one I just couldn't get there. The second was the "secret' in the story was pretty predictable to me and I just wanted it to come out already. It did not keep me in suspense, I was more annoyed that I had to wait until the end for it to be revealed. And even when it was, it was kind of anti-climatic. So chime in if you have read this one... I just was not feeling it!

I have a few more days of vacation left.... and a few more book reads I am finishing up! I will be sure to recap those next month. 

See you tomorrow for Friday Favorites....there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve