Review: Knee Deep

Knee Deep by D.E. Haggerty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a cute, fun summer read. The story is all very real and I can see it happening in real life: anger, love, relationships, marriages, friendships, grief, and lots of pain, but it all seems very surface, not very deep or detailed. I have read a few of the other books in this series so I remember the characters and it was fun having them expanded upon. You certainly don't need to read the other books to understand this one. The grandmother cracked me up as she had in the other books, still meddling in everyone's business.
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Some of the writing/dialog is just a little too over the top and not really necessary, and there are way too many puns that had me rolling my eyes more than once. On one page I counted 7 puns such as “white on rice,” “motion in the ocean,” and “zip my lips.” Other than that, the book was an enjoyable, fluffy quick read.
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I was gifted a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Empire of Wild

Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book really piqued my interest as it was about the ever talked about Rogarou and the Métis tribe. Also, this book has been published previously in Canada winning a few awards, and was just released in the U.S.
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I really felt for the main character, Joan, in her search for her missing husband. She is the only one that believes he is missing, everyone else thinks that he took off and she is determined to prove them wrong. Throw in a traveling church, native lands, the Rogarou, and you’ve got quite a book. Right? Well, I liked the many twists and turns in the story but I couldn’t help but think that I was missing something. The descriptions of the scenery makes you feel like you are there but the dialogue or interaction between characters is awkward and strange. I can say I absolutely hated the ending. It had me scratching my head and rereading because I thought I had missed something.
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I didn’t hate this book but I didn’t love it either. It was a quick read but just didn’t quite get there for me. My family thought it was really cool that I read a book involving the Rogarou though!
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I won this Advance Reader Copy in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you Goodreads and William Morrow Books!

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Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am pretty stingy when it comes to giving books 5 stars, a book really needs to blow me away for me to do so. This book did just that. It was the best book I've read in a long time. It has been on my "to-read list" for quite some time, but thanks to my book club I finally was able to.
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This book has it all. Love, love, and love, and so much more, trust, deceit, getting what you want, how to get what you want, regret, no regrets, secrets, Hollywood (who doesn't love a good Hollywood story!), and the list goes on and on. And just when you think that you know what's going to happen next, wham!, you get hit upside the head and spun in another direction. This book was very difficult to put down. Thank you to my book club and fellow book pushers for recommending this book! I, in turn, highly recommend reading this one if you haven't done so already. I look forward to reading all of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books!
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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Review: The Son of Good Fortune

The Son of Good Fortune by Lysley Tenorio
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Son of Good Fortune, he certainly is not! I understand the struggle happening in our country with un-documentation, I understand that people come to America for better lives, and I understand that it isn't easy for everyone that comes to our country. This book really sheds a lot of light on the hardships that people endure and what they go through when they are not documented in the United States as are the characters in this book. Jobs, money, abuse, friendships, scamming and lying.
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This book runs you through many different emotions, hurt, anger, love, embarrassment, and it is like a train wreck that you cannot look away from. Excel just wants to find a normal life, unlike the one his mom provided him. When he runs away from it all after high school to live in a small city in the desert, will he find the life he is looking for?

I was really expecting a bit more out of this book with all the rave reviews but for me, it was just so-so. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. There is so much potential here and the message is clear and I would have liked it to go a little bit deeper (it only spans a year of Excel's life with some flashbacks). If you have some time it may be worth the read just for the perspective on living your life constantly looking over your shoulder and what undocumented people really go through.
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I received this book as an ARC in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you, Goodreads and Harper Collins Publishers for the opportunity to read and review it.

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Writing Reviews

When you sit down to write a review on a book what do you like to include in your review? Do you actually do a "book report" of sorts and give a synopsis of the book or do you just give your thoughts and feelings on the book and how it was written? 

I am always mixed when it comes to this. People are already going to know what the book is about based on the description on the back of the book or inside the front cover, and they may see it in write-ups on different avenues such as Goodreads, Amazon, bookstore websites, etc. So why would I need to re-write that and possibly give away something in the book that should be left a mystery for any potential readers? Plus, don't you feel like you are back in school and doing a book report when you do that? 

For me, honestly, I tend to do both. I don't really like to give a synopsis in my reviews, I just like to say if I liked the book or not, what I thought of the writing style, if it held my attention, if it was an easy read, and sometimes even a little criticism if necessary. If it is an ARC or a giveaway I will definitely make mention of that and who I received the book from. 

What do you do to write a review? 

Review: Eliza Starts a Rumor

Eliza Starts a Rumor by Jane L. Rosen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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What started out as a nice, cute summer read quickly turned into something a little bit deeper. When Eliza finds out that her decades-old mom/small town message board has a new modern rival board, she takes action to add some spice to hers to keep up the interest. And how does she do that? Well, she starts a rumor on her message board, of course. What she thinks is a rumor about her neighbor turns out to have everyone wondering if it is their husband who is involved. The story follows many characters but four women mainly, each of them carrying their own demons. A single mom lawyer, an actress with a husband in the midst of a sex scandal, an agoraphobic with a major secret from her past, and a wife and new mother who thinks the rumor may be about her husband. Honestly, this book does not put men in a very good light but it does show the importance and benefit of friendships and women supporting one another.
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The writing style is smooth and easy, the characters believable, and I really enjoyed this book. It is juicy but not over the top and I would definitely recommend reading it, and I just may have found a new author to follow.
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⭐⭐⭐⭐
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I won this ARC in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you Berkley for the opportunity to review it.

Well look at me...

I've made myself a book blog! Who would've thought? I started a craft blog back in 2009 called Queen of the Crop (http://queen-of-the-crop.blogspot.com/). I would often post different scrapbook layouts or cards I had made, contests, design team creations, as well as fun blog hops with other crafters. I really enjoyed blogging about my crafting but unfortunately, life happened, my girls were getting older, I was working more, and crafting and blogging kind of took a backseat. 

I have always been an avid reader and read whatever I can get my hands on. I remember as a kid I would hide under my covers with a flashlight reading when I was supposed to be asleep. Today I have an entire wall of bookshelves overflowing with books that have yet to be read, old and new. Over the past several years with social media being the "it" thing, I have discovered many groups and/or websites where I have been lucky enough to be given ARCs (advance reading copies) to review, or have won books in Goodreads Giveaways, and things of that nature where reviews are required. With that being said, I always have posted my reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, sometimes Barnes & Noble, and most recently have started an Instagram, or #bookstagram account. Since I have blogged before I thought, why not start back up with my love of reading. 

I hope to not only post my reviews but maybe give a little bit more thought and insight beyond that review. So who knows. Let's just see where this blog will take me.....

Wish me luck!