Oh, Princess Mia, never change! Because that is truly what makes these books so great. Cabot has created characters that are so charmingly real, that Oh, Princess Mia, never change! Because that is truly what makes these books so great. Cabot has created characters that are so charmingly real, that no matter what life/the plot throws at them, I know that they're going to react in character. Mia is still, after so many years and twelve books, passionate about her causes, loyal to her friends and family, loving and insecure. She doesn't want to care about her appearance, but she has to, and it stresses her out. She doesn't want to change her friends when they make mistakes, but she wants them to be happy, safe, better, whatever, and so she does her best to help them.
But honestly, honestly, seeing Mia go through what so many of us went through during the pandemic (plus more, since she is, of course, the ruler of a small but important country), has been balm to my soul. Not knowing what day it is, let alone what time. Struggling with kids being home from school, trying to get elderly relatives to take care of themselves. Weight gain from lounging around stress eating. Princess Mia is all of us!
I'm glad this book came out now. If it had come out earlier, it would have been too soon. But now, as there are still COVID cases, and still people acting like idiots, but you're almost starting to forget how bad and weird it was, this is the perfect time. And what she, and Michael, and Lilly say to a certain person at the end was truly cathartic.
This was just so darling! Everything about it felt very real and organic, their work issues and personal issues and family issues all felt like somethThis was just so darling! Everything about it felt very real and organic, their work issues and personal issues and family issues all felt like something you could really see happening, yet at the same time, it was just a teensy bit ludicrous, just to make it interesting. And I really wanted to get a good look at Tiffy's clothes . . . ...more
Not just delightful, but just what I needed right now! How did Yamile know?! She's awesome like that!
Nadia, who has done everything everyone expectedNot just delightful, but just what I needed right now! How did Yamile know?! She's awesome like that!
Nadia, who has done everything everyone expected her to do, has just realized that all she has to show for it is low self esteem and a cowardly jackass fiance. She kicks him out, a month before the wedding, and decides to use the venue and the family gathering to celebrate herself! Along the way she meets an old love, and falls in love at last . . . with herself!
This book about taking time for yourself, celebrating yourself and your accomplishments, letting your friends and family help you, letting yourself be vulnerable, was just so beautiful to me, and it's something I needed to hear, right now especially!
Sweet story set during another Christmas in the small village of Tindledale. There's a precious retired military service dog, a veteran, and a young wSweet story set during another Christmas in the small village of Tindledale. There's a precious retired military service dog, a veteran, and a young widow at the heart of this story, and my big complaint was that I wish she had expanded it!...more
Loved the soapiness of this, but the brilliance of the world she's envisioned cannot be ignored. With America ruled by a royal family, other countriesLoved the soapiness of this, but the brilliance of the world she's envisioned cannot be ignored. With America ruled by a royal family, other countries that have since also become democracies are still monarchies as well, like Germany and France. D.C. is the hub, not only of the government, but of the nation, with the Statue of Liberty there, and New York being relegated to just a city in an east coast duchy. McGee also did a great job with all the threads she had started spinning in the first book: Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne, all got the time they needed to resolve their stories, and I found it very satisfying. I would IMMEDIATELY read any further books she did in this world! ...more
A beach read about beach reads, called BEACH READ! Aw, YIS.
Deceptively simple, the type of book that might get brushed off as "shallow," this book haA beach read about beach reads, called BEACH READ! Aw, YIS.
Deceptively simple, the type of book that might get brushed off as "shallow," this book has a lot to say about that attitude: that so-called women's fiction (and romance in particular) gets far less respect than . . . literally anything written by a man. Why do happily ever afters get mocked, while depressing endings are praised as deep and insightful, even if they aren't? And why does there have to be this competition? Isn't there room on the shelf for all kinds of books?
Not to mention, what do you do when your happily ever after doesn't happen?
This book was as thought-provoking as it was funny, and as an author, gave me an extra layer as I commiserated with January over her looming deadline, her writer's block, her worries about sales and money. But you don't have to be a writer to enjoy this, or even a fan of romance novels.
I discovered Meg Cabot when I came across the delightfully pink PRINCESS DIARIES whilst working at Borders back in ye olde dayes. I love that series, I discovered Meg Cabot when I came across the delightfully pink PRINCESS DIARIES whilst working at Borders back in ye olde dayes. I love that series, and I've loved pretty much all of Meg's books. She has a fun, flirty, chatty style, even when her characters are talking about exorcising vengeful ghosts. My sister found the MEDIATOR books right after I recommended PRINCESS DIARIES to her, and then passed them on to me. I read them all in quick succession (the last one had just come out), and while I didn't love them the way I loved Princess Mia, they were different and fun.
This one is a fun follow up, almost akin to a "reunion special" for a sitcom. Six years later, where are Suze and Jesse now? Well, if you care, read the book to find out! It took me a bit to get back into it (I didn't remember most of the character names), but once I got up to speed I thoroughly enjoyed it. A nice cap off to the series. ...more
Adorable start to a series about the small town of Goose Creek and her offbeat residents. (Or Creekers, as they prefer to be called.)
Al can't wait toAdorable start to a series about the small town of Goose Creek and her offbeat residents. (Or Creekers, as they prefer to be called.)
Al can't wait to retire and buy an RV to cruise the country in, but he's never really shared this dream with his wife Millie, who has other plans for their retirement. Like buying a "fixer upper" (read: the roof is about to cave in) and opening a B & B. Add to that, Al's annoying co-worker is looking to buy a house in their town, and Millie's working for the new vet, a young woman from out-of-town that none of the Creekers trust. Oh, and Al and Millie's dog is mysteriously stinky, and has murderous intentions towards any squirrels he spies.
What does it all add up to? A very, very fun book about a small Kentucky town, that's what!...more
The perfect capstone to the PRINCESS DIARIES! Fans of Mia and her family and friends get to catch up to everyone, several years after high school. WilThe perfect capstone to the PRINCESS DIARIES! Fans of Mia and her family and friends get to catch up to everyone, several years after high school. Will Mia and Michael marry? And what will a royal wedding entail? And what about her father's political career? And Mia's own? Not to mention catching up with Lilly, Grandmere, Mia's mom, Ling Su and Perin, and Tina Hakim Baba! Cabot slips seamlessly back into Mia's world, and gives readers everything they wanted, plus some! A must read for fans of the series! ...more
I'm going to give this five stars, though I didn't think I would until about halfway through.
I was upset by the premise of this (if you don't know, iI'm going to give this five stars, though I didn't think I would until about halfway through.
I was upset by the premise of this (if you don't know, it's not a spoiler, it's right there on the cover, but Bridget is now a single mom). After it taking her two books to really get together with Mark Darcy, Mark is gone and Bridget is trying to hold it all together at 51, with two young children, trying to get back into dating and start a career as a screenwriter, which made me feel like she (and I) had been robbed of her happily ever after. Some of the parts about dating websites, and most of her friends still being single and drunk every night, I was like, REALLY!? REALLY!? At your/their age/s?
But then I started to see through that. Of course Bridget isn't living like a J. Crew catalogue model in a gracious home with Mark and two perfectly behaved children! Bridget is a real person, and this is a real life she's having. (Okay, she's fictional, this is fiction, but you know what I mean.)
In BRIDGET JONES DIARY, I had nothing in common with Bridget. When I first read that book, I was younger than her, married, and I've still never had a drink or a cigarette in my life. But what hooked me was two things: that it was an update (hilariously, wonderfully) of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and that underneath it all, Bridget felt just as nutty and insecure as I felt. And that's what drew me in here. Now, as a mother, Bridget is more like me than she ever was before. No, I'm not dating a man young enough to be my son. No, I don't have to keep track of how much nicotine gum I chew every day. But I know what it's like to run in, late and sweaty, for school concerts, and discover that your shirt is rucked up and or your underwear is showing. I have been late every day for picking up my preschooler, and then had the teacher send out a general email saying "some mothers must be confused about pick up time." I've had sick kids and still gone out to the movies or gotten a massage and then felt guilty all day the next day. I've sent the kids out with a babysitter so that I could work on a book, and then spent the entire day shopping online for clothes that I don't end up purchasing because the models make me feel fat, and then "gotten revenge" on J. Crew by binge eating. Right now, I'm having to learn to say No to a lot of things, and take a break, because I can't hold it all together, and be a mother, and look perfect, and write wonderful books, and when Bridget goes through that, I found myself laugh-crying (at the gym, on a recumbent bike). This is the perfect finish to Bridget's story, frankly. I kind of hope she doesn't do any more. If you haven't read BRIDGET JONES' DIARY, please do yourself a favor and read it! Then skip the second one, which was just all right, and go straight here, to see where our Bridget ends up. ...more
I love Heather Wells, and Cooper. I love the twists in this story, and the added tension of whether or not Heather and Cooper will actually make it doI love Heather Wells, and Cooper. I love the twists in this story, and the added tension of whether or not Heather and Cooper will actually make it down the aisle. So much fun! I could be happy with this being the last book, or more, Cabot has done a great job with this series either way....more
This was such a great book! If you are a fan of Southern fiction, like DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD you will love this book. A group of womeThis was such a great book! If you are a fan of Southern fiction, like DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD you will love this book. A group of women, friends since childhood, find their bonds tested when a long-buried secret comes to light. Poole and Youngblood have a deft touch with character and give this book the perfect mix of drama, humor, and even mystery....more
I love Heather Wells. I love her brain, which just doesn't stop. I really loved getting to know more about the Cartwright family and Tania Trace in thI love Heather Wells. I love her brain, which just doesn't stop. I really loved getting to know more about the Cartwright family and Tania Trace in this one, though I would have liked a teensy bit more about the horrible girls of the Rock Star Camp and their awful mothers. Can't wait for the next one!...more
YES! This book rocked! Heather made some excellent life choices (and don't you just love a book where you can say that? To me it means the characters YES! This book rocked! Heather made some excellent life choices (and don't you just love a book where you can say that? To me it means the characters were real.), and she solved yet another murder! Can't wait until book four!...more
I love these fun mysteries about a former pop star now working in a college dorm-- excuse me, residence hall. Heather is a delightful character, and tI love these fun mysteries about a former pop star now working in a college dorm-- excuse me, residence hall. Heather is a delightful character, and the thrills and chills and complications of her life are great. I love it that she plays the guitar all night, working on her own songs, but wants to major in criminal justice, because frankly she wants to see justice done. She champions students, harasses the ones she knows are up to no good (for their own good) and even tries to talk a drug dealer into going back to his parents' banana plantation. She's a wonderful, genuine person, and I can't wait to read the next one!...more
Well. I have never read a Nicholas Sparks book, but I have seen one movie (A WALK TO REMEMBER). But I know a ton of people love THE NOTEBOOK (movie) aWell. I have never read a Nicholas Sparks book, but I have seen one movie (A WALK TO REMEMBER). But I know a ton of people love THE NOTEBOOK (movie) and I got this book at my book group's Christmas exchange, so I thought I would give it a whirl.
It was very nice.
A gentle, charming novel, with words that moved easy and slow like the creek running by the house. Sparks evokes all the senses to tell the story of this gentle romance.
I did think the final scene was a bit . . . out there . . . but enjoyed the rest of the book....more
To start off with, we have a totally lovely and lovable main character that you are rooting for the entire time, even This book was un-put-down-able!
To start off with, we have a totally lovely and lovable main character that you are rooting for the entire time, even when you're not sure if she's gone completely crazy. She's wonderfully flawed and fragile after an accident that has robbed her of her health and a promising career as a concert pianist. You just ache for her and everything that she's lost. But added to the complications of feeling her way out of the haze of physical and emotional pain, she's got a loving fiance who is running for political office, an ill mother, meddling grandmother (wonderful characters all), and as if that isn't enough: now she might be having visions of a terrible catastrophe destroying her small town!
It's some crazy stuff, y'all, but because the characters are all so real (down to the locals at the diner), you are fully invested in everything that happens. And I hate the phrase, It really makes you think, but seriously, IT REALLY MAKES YOU THINK. (I hate that phrase because EVERYTHING should make you think, genius! Anyway...) This book makes you think about what it would be like to receive a vision. How would you know it was real, and not the onset of insanity? How would you tell people, and what would you do if even those closest to you didn't believe you? It started me wondering how many people over the centuries have been given visions and ignored them, or tried to tell people and were ignored, or judged insane. I won't tell you what happens here, but I will say this: UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE and IT WILL REALLY MAKE YOU THINK!...more
I really don't know how I feel about this book. On the one hand, his writing is superb and I couldn't put it down . . . but I also couldn't put it dowI really don't know how I feel about this book. On the one hand, his writing is superb and I couldn't put it down . . . but I also couldn't put it down because it was like watching a car accident. Two unlikeable people, year after year, making terrible decisions that anyone with common sense could see were mistakes. I kept reading to see if they would ever go, "Hey! Drug addiction has ruined my career and all my relationships! I should get help!" Or: "Staying in a bad relationship because I fell sorry for someone is a bad idea!" But no. They just kept screwing up over and over, and I kept thinking, There has got to be one year where something good is happening to them.
Sort of . . . ? One time . . . there kind of was . . . ?...more
It's like "A Christmas Carol" and a Marian Keyes novel had a baby! A fun book, yet thought-provoking, that takes a look at the different stages of oneIt's like "A Christmas Carol" and a Marian Keyes novel had a baby! A fun book, yet thought-provoking, that takes a look at the different stages of one young woman's life, how she's changed, and how she SHOULDN'T have changed, interestingly enough. At times I thought it was a tad uneven: some of the things that happen are very serious, like her childhood self's inability to process the death of her mother, and her own severe bout of depression, while other events and characters seem to be played for laughs . . . which felt inappropriate. I am fascinated to see what Noehren does next, though! I loved her characters, and their other "selves", particularly Samantha's cousin, Libby....more
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