I am so glad that I finally got around to reading this book. I have had a copy for wellThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I am so glad that I finally got around to reading this book. I have had a copy for well over 10 years so it has been quite the wait. I must say that I really enjoyed it and cannot believe that it took me so long to finally read this author! I liked Cannie right away and could empathize with all the things that she goes through over the course of this story. I found this to be entertaining and funny at times but emotional at others.
Cannie has recently broken up with her boyfriend of 3 years, Bruce, when she learns that she is the subject of his new article. Bruce has written an article about loving a larger woman which becomes rather popular to Cannie’s horror. We get to see how Cannie’s weight has impacted her over the years including her current quest to lose weight in what she refers to as fat class. She starts to have second thoughts about her decision to break up with Bruce but she has a wonderful group of friends around her to support her as she works through everything.
I was somewhat surprised by just how many things happened to Cannie over the course of this story. It really was a bit of a roller coaster. I felt like she grew a lot as a character and I was happy that her support system stuck with her. I really loved the fact that even when the book was dealing with some really tough issues some humor would often pop up keeping everything from feeling too heavy.
I decided to listen to the unabridged audiobook and thought that Laura Hicks did an amazing job with this story. I think that it takes a special narrator to successfully deliver both the humor and the heartache that were a part of this story. I thought that she was able to bring this story to life and I loved the voices that she used for the various characters.
I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a wonderful story that was rather hard to put down. I hope to check out more of Jennifer Weiner’s work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
Initial Thoughts I have had this book on my tbr for ages and I am glad that I finally gave it a try. I liked Cannie quite a bit and there were a lot of things that I was able to relate to in the book. This book takes us on a journey with Cannie that I did not expect. I listened to a copy of the audiobook that I picked up from my local library and thought that the narrator did a fantastic job with this story. This is the first time that I have picked up any of Jennifer Weiner's books but I am now curious to check out some of her backlist....more
I really enjoyed this story of two sisters reconnecting with each other through letters. I foundThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
I really enjoyed this story of two sisters reconnecting with each other through letters. I found myself relating to this book a lot more than I expected. I remember the joy of getting a hand written letter even though it has been years if not decades since I received one. I am from a family of girls so the focus on the sisters really appealed to me. I was completely entertained by this story and once I really started reading it, I didn't want to put it down.
Cassie and Sid are sisters who are separated by a lot of miles. Sid is living in Singapore with her family while Cassie is in New York. At their family Christmas gathering, their grandfather reads them some letters that their grandmother sent to him when they were young. This sparks an idea between the pair and they decide to reconnect through letters. In the process, they both end up learning a lot about themselves.
The book is told from Cassie's point of view. Cassie is the mother of 3 year old twin boys. She was a working mother before losing her job but now she spends her time taking care of the household and her family. She isn't really at her best mentally. She is really struggling and looking for something more in life. I can completely relate to Cassie. I wouldn't do some of the things that she does in this story but I can understand what she would have been feeling. I know how easy it is to lose yourself in the needs of your kids and family and how important it is to take care of your own needs.
Sid is dealing with her own set of problems but we learn about them from the letters that she writes to Cassie. I loved reading the letters that they wrote to each other. It was such a nice way to tell a story and it really gave Sid a wonderful voice in the story. After reading all of their letters to each other, I kind of want to write a few myself. I liked watching both of these women grow and come together when things start to fall apart.
I thought the writing style was wonderful. Cassie had such a authentic voice and even when she did things that made me cringe, I still wanted to root for her. The letters helped tell the story at just the right moments and really worked to help control the pace of the story. I loved how the story was really about real problems that people I know have gone through.
I would recommend this book to women's fiction or chick lit fans. I actually haven't read anything in that genre for a long time but this book has me wondering why that is. I am very impressed by Lisa Beazley's debut novel and look forward to her future works.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Penguin Publishing Group - NAL via First to Read for the purpose of providing an honest review....more
I thought that this was a good read. I have had a copy of this book for years but for oThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I thought that this was a good read. I have had a copy of this book for years but for one reason or another just never got started with it. I decided that it was time to dust it off and give it a try and found it rather amusing. I do have to say that I am probably not the target audience for this book. I am the right age to have seen quite a few of Nora Ephron's movies, which I have, but with the exception of When Harry Met Sally I found them to be only mildly entertaining and not something I would feel the need to revisit. There are a lot of Nora Ephron references in this book which really didn't do anything for me. I still found this to be a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.
The book opens with Molly meeting her eventual ex-husband. After a quick introduction, the book picks up with divorced Molly working at an online magazine. Molly is in a relationship with Russell who might be slightly boring but they are comfortable with each other. Her friends really wish that Molly would give up on Russell and look for someone who will bring some passion to her life and really be the one. When Molly is given an assignment at work to write about love as Nora Ephron would, she has to examine her own life.
I liked Molly and found her to be funny at times. A lot of the book is spent in Molly's head as she thinks through her assignment and her life. It really made sense that she wasn't eager to take a big risk in regards to romance since her former husband really took advantage of her trust. Molly wanted to find a passionate relationship but she found herself making choices with lower risks instead.
Unfortunately, not a whole lot happens in this book. The romance in the story doesn't get going until the very end of the book. I understand that this was really more about Molly's journey but I would have loved to see just a bit more of her life as she takes some risks. I found this book to be only mildly funny. It was amusing but there was nothing that brought on actual laughter or stayed with me.
I found this to be a nice quick read that I am glad I finally decided to pick up. Fans of Nora Ephron's work will enjoy all of the references to her books and movies worked into the story. I would not hesitate to read more from Linda Yellin in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts This was good. I liked Molly and thought that much of the book was mildly funny. It seemed like a lot of the book was spent in Molly's head as she navigated her job as a reporter along with her relationship with her comfortable yet boring boyfriend, Russell. Unfortunately, not a lot happens in the book and the big romance doesn't get going until the very end of the story. There were a lot of references to Nora Ephron and her movies that fans will appreciate. ...more
I received an advance reader edition of this book from St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life
I received an advance reader edition of this book from St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
3.5 Stars
I had a really hard time deciding on a rating for this book. The book was well written but I did not really care for the story that was being told. In fact, I found that I was very uncomfortable while reading this book, especially the first half. I wanted to reach into the book and just slap the main character, Gabby, repeatedly. The fact that the writing could bring out strong feelings is good but the feelings that were brought out were not so good.
The story focuses on 43 year old Gabby. Gabby and Elliott have been married for quite some time. They have 2 daughters together and their marriage appears to be solid. Gabby goes out on the town with some of her friends while the rest of her family are on a camping trip. She ends up spending most of the evening talking to a younger man, Matt. Afterwords, Gabby and Matt stay in touch through email and decide to meet again. As you may suspect, things eventually do get out of hand and lines are crossed.
Throughout the first half of the book, I wanted to slap Gabby. Why would she jeopardize everything good in her life for this younger man? The second half of the book focuses on the aftermath or her choices. I actually liked this section of the book much better. I guess I found it more appealing to watch the characters try to make things right than watching them destroy theirs lives with bad choices. I did think that the conclusion of the book was quite optimistic and unrealistic.
I do love Jane Green's writing and felt that the writing was solid in this book. I just found the story to be uncomfortable and depressing. I do plan to continue reading works by this author.
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