Pets of Park Avenue by Stefanie London

 Welcome to the Book Blog Tour for Pets of Park Avenue, the new release by Stefanie London.

Book Summary: 

The perfect romcom for dog lovers! Pets of Park Avenue is the story of a self-confessed hot mess who learns that life is more fun when things don't go according to plan.

What do you do when The One is also the one who broke your heart?

Self-proclaimed hot mess Scout Myers is determined to prove she’s finally got her act together. Raised by grandparents who saw her as her wayward mother’s wayward daughter, Scout’s used to being written off. So when the opportunity for a promotion arises at Paws in the City, the talent agency where she works, Scout is desperate to rise to the occasion. With shared custody of her little sister also on the line, Scout can’t afford a single mistake…like suddenly needing a canine stand-in for an important photoshoot. Luckily (or not) she knows the owner of the perfect pup replacement: the estranged husband she walked out on years ago.

On the surface, it appears Lane Halliday’s life has been blissfully drama free without Scout, but she suspects her handsome-as-ever not-quite-ex-husband doth protest too much. Working together even feels like old times—except for all that lingering, unresolved tension. But Scout’s not sure she’s ready to confront the reasons she left Lane, and when their plans to finalize the divorce become very real, Scout starts to wonder whether second chances might be worth a little hot mess.

Paws in the City – series (each book is a standalone novel)

Book 1 - The Dachshund Wears Prada

About the Author: 

Stefanie London is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her books have been called "genuinely entertaining and memorable" by Booklist, and her writing praised as "elegant, descriptive and delectable" by RT Magazine.

Originally from Australia, she now lives in Toronto with her very own hero and is doing her best to travel the world. She frequently indulges her passions for lipstick, good coffee, books and anything zombie related.

Pattie's Review:

In the midst of the holidays, it's hard to find time to read. Thankfully, this novel is a fast-paced easy read that is full of heart. While some of the details seemed random as I read, everything fit together rather nicely overall. Recommended for lovers of rom-coms and dogs (or any pet, really). PG-13 for language and open-door love scene.

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You can purchase this book from the following locations:

Buy Links:

HarperCollins.com 

BookShop.org

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

Social Links:

Author Website 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1643456955872922  Goodreads

Thank you to the publisher HarperCollins and the author for a preview copy of the novel for review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Sunshine Girls

 Welcome to the blog tour for Molly Fader's novel The Sunshine Girls

A cross between Firefly Lane and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a dual-narrative about two sisters who realize their mother isn’t who they’d always thought when a legendary movie star shows up at her funeral, unraveling the sweeping story of a friendship that begins at a nursing school in Iowa in 1967 and onward as it survives decades of change, war, fame—and the secrets they kept from each other and for each other.

A moment of great change sparks the friendship of a lifetime...

1967, Iowa: Nursing school roommates BettyKay and Kitty don’t have much in common. A farmer’s daughter, BettyKay has risked her family’s disapproval to make her dreams come true away from her rural small town. Cosmopolitan Kitty has always relied on her beauty and smarts to get by, and to hide a devastating secret from the past that she can’t seem to outrun. Yet the two share a determination to prove themselves in a changing world, forging an unlikely bond on a campus unkind to women.

Before their first year is up, tragedy strikes, and the women’s paths are forced apart. But against all odds, a decades-long friendship forms, persevering through love, marriage, failure, and death, from the jungles of Vietnam to the glamorous circles of Hollywood. Until one snowy night leads their relationship to the ultimate crossroads.

Fifty years later, two estranged sisters are shocked when a famous movie star shows up at their mother's funeral. Over one rollercoaster weekend, the women must reckon with a dazzling truth about their family that will alter their lives forever…

Pattie's Review:

If you like multiple timelines and alternating points of view, this book is for you. I enjoyed the intertwining stories of the sisters and the friends, and how their lives all intersected in different ways throughout the years. Some may find surprises, others will not, but it's an enjoyable journey either way.

This gem of a novel releases this Tuesday 6 December 2022 from Graydon House, a Harlequin imprint.

Buy Links:

BookShop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-sunshine-girls-original-molly-fader/18408170?ean=9781335453488 

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335453488_the-sunshine-girls.html 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sunshine-girls-molly-fader/1140810565?ean=9781335453488 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Girls-Novel-Molly-Fader/dp/1335453482/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=sunshine+girls+molly+fader&qid=1668111685&sprefix=sunshine+girls+molly%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-1 

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Sunshine-Girls/Molly-Fader/9781335453488?id=8292090795540 

 

Author Website: https://mollyfader.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/molly.fader

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mokeefeauthor/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MollyOKwrites?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Escreen-name%3AMollyOKwrites%7Ctwcon%5Es2 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18435981.Molly_Fader?from_search=true&from_srp=true 

Thank you to Harlequin and the author for an advance reading copy. All copy and links are from the publisher, and the review opinions are my own.

Feed the People and Actually Enjoy It!

Feed These People: Slam-Dunk Recipes for Your Crew by Jen Hatmaker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Good recipes? Check.
Funny commentary? Check.
Irreverence? Double check.

I'm writing this review on book release day, and while I have not read every word of the cookbook, I have read enough to know that if you like stories with your food (that you don't have to scroll through like the internet, for the love!), flexibility within recipes, and dishes that everyone in your household will enjoy, THIS IS THE COOKBOOK FOR YOU. 

I've made six things, and they have all been hits in my house (which currently is my husband, my mother, and myself). It has been a fun journey thus far! Looking forward to trying more recipes in the weeks to come.

This book lover loved the Book Haters Book Club

 

The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony - Blog Tour

Book Summary: 

Filled with humor, family hijinks, and actual reading recommendations, The Book Haters’ Book Club features a messy group of people trying to save their local Indie bookstore --  and who might just save each other along the way. This heartwarming, wildly entertaining novel is both a celebration of found family, and a love letter to booksellers and librarians everywhere. 

Elliot, co-owner of Over the Rainbow Bookshop in Minneapolis, started The Book Haters’ Book Club—a newsletter of reading recommendations for the self-proclaimed “nonreader” – because he believed that it only takes the right book to turn a Book Hater into a Book Lover. Now, after they’re all reeling after Elliot’s sudden death, his business partner, Irma, has agreed to sell Over the Rainbow to a developer. When Irma breaks the news to her daughters, and Elliott’s romantic partner, Thom, they are aghast. Especially since Irma won’t explain why she’s so intent on selling. 

Irma’s daughters and Thom conspire to save the bookshop. Even if it takes some snooping, gossip and (minor) sabotage, they won’t give up without a fight.

Review:

What a crazy, convoluted, ragtag bunch of characters in this town outside Minneapolis. Each of them seemed quite real and full of heart. I just loved each of them. The current countdown to the closing of the Rainbow book shop alternates with old issues of "The Book Haters' Book Club" newsletter from different points in the store's history. The friends are family, and the family is family--they don't always get along or communicate well, but they LOVE each other.  It is a really fun read, even considering the sadness each of them feels over the loss of Elliot. It's his spirit that seems to spur them on throughout the book.

Recommended for all book lovers, especially those who love and support indie stores.

Thank you to Gretchen Anthony, Justine Sha, and Harper Collins/Harlequin for a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions about the book are my own.

All the other information you need about this book:

The Book Haters’ Book Club

Author: Gretchen Anthony

ISBN: 9780778333067

Publication Date: September 13, 2022

Park Row Paperback Original

Buy Links:

HarperCollins.com 

BookShop.org

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

IndieBound

Social Links:

Author Website 

Twitter: @granthony 

Facebook: Gretchen Anthony

Instagram: @gretchenanthony.writer 

Goodreads

Mr. Perfect on Paper

 I loved this book! Do yourself a favor and read it.

Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While I enjoyed Jean Meltzer's debut novel "The Matzah Ball," I think she really hit her stride with her sophomore release "Mr. Perfect on Paper."

As with her first novel, Meltzer explains many things about the Jewish faith in an easy-to-understand way (not pedantic or preachy at all), which gives all of us insight into our protagonist's world. I love this so much.

The love story in this novel is natural, good, believable, and yes, sometimes heart-crushing. The worlds of dating apps, television, New York, families, and fire engines all converge for the love story of Dara and Chris. It doesn't go like you think it will, and thank goodness we have our fairy ChallahBack Girls to provide the wisdom of the heart for Dara.

Do yourself a favor. If you like rom-coms, pick this one up. You'll be so glad you did.

Savvy Sheldon has a bit of an odd title, but a good story

Fresh-Brewed Writer - Review of Savvy's story

Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by Taj McCoy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

Savvy Sheldon spends a lot of time tiptoeing around the cracks in her life: her high-stress and low-thanks job, her clueless boyfriend and the falling-apart kitchen she inherited from her beloved grandma—who taught her how to cook and how to love people by feeding them. But when Savvy’s world starts to crash down around her, she knows it’s time for some renovations.

Starting from the outside in, Savvy tackles her crumbling kitchen, her relationship with her body, her work–life balance (or lack thereof) and, last but not least, her love life. The only thing that doesn’t seem to require effort is her ride-or-die squad of friends. But as any home-reno-show junkie can tell you, something always falls apart during renovations. First, Savvy passes out during hot yoga. Then it turns out that the contractor she hires is the same sexy stranger she unintentionally offended by judging based on appearances. Worst of all, Savvy can’t seem to go anywhere without tripping over her ex and his latest "upgrade." Savvy begins to realize that maybe she should’ve started her renovations the other way around: beginning with how she sees herself before building a love that lasts.

Things I liked about this book:
1. Savvy and her internal journey. While it began from words spoken to her that caused her pain, she did decide to make changes in her lifestyle on her own to help herself feel better. I admire that.
2. Savvy has a great group of friends who support and love one another.
3. Dogs.
4. Savvy had to do some soul-searching about her job, and dang if I haven't just gone through all of that myself! I think it was very real.

Things I did not like about this book:
1. Savvy's tendency to jump to odd conclusions. (Example: Spencer was miscategorized as homeless and that was unfair.)
2. Savvy did allow her psycho ex to get in her head (although who of us hasn't had this issue?), and good golly, why was he everywhere afterward? Was he focused on trying to make Savvy feel worse, thereby making him even more of a jerk-face? or was this just part of the author's way of making Savvy self-evaluate each time? Not sure.
3. Spencer was almost too good and patient to be true.
4. There is a lot of focus on why Savvy decides to diet and exercise to lose weight. I don't see it as fat-shaming, necessarily; but I'm also a Gen-Xer who generationally doesn't see it the same as millenials or Gen-Zers likely do.

Overall, I landed on a four-star rating.

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Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Smile and Look Pretty

Smile and Look Pretty is the debut novel of Amanda Pellegrino--but it doesn't read at all like a debut novel. In fact, it's like a delightful combination of the tv show Sex and the City and workplace novels in the vein of The Devil Wears Prada and The Nanny Diaries.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A juicy, fun yet piercing debut novel, Smile and Look Pretty tells the story of four assistants working in media who band together to take on their toxic office environments in the ultimate comeuppance—pitched as Sweetbitter meets Whisper Network.

Online they’re The Aggressive One, The Bossy One, The Bitchy One, and The Emotional One. In real life, best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max all have one thing in common—they’re overworked, overtired, and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful men in the media and entertainment industries. When they secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, their posts go viral and hundreds of other women come forward with stories of their own. Confronted with the risks of newfound fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, they have to contend with what happens when you try and change the world.

Gripping, razor-sharp, and scathingly funny, Smile and Look Pretty is a fast-paced millennial rallying cry about the consequences of whistleblowing for an entire generation, and a testament to the strength of female friendship and what can be accomplished when women come together.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amanda Pellegrino is a TV screenwriter and novelist living in New York City whose writing has appeared in Refinery29 and Bustle. Smile and Look Pretty is her debut novel.

REVIEW: 

It took me a few chapters to get into the book, but once I was in, I was hooked. I enjoyed it and would recommend it for fans of workplace/revenge stories.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Author Website: https://www.amandapellegrino.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/amandagpellegrino/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandapellss?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor 

BUY LINKS:

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/smile-and-look-pretty/9780778311126

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Smile-Look-Pretty-Amanda-Pellegrino/dp/0778311120 

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/smile-and-look-pretty-amanda-pellegrino/1138272491tar

Target: https://www.target.com/p/smile-and-look-pretty-by-amanda-pellegrino-paperback/-/A-81225901

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778311126?AID=10747236&PID=7310909&cjevent=bb1b392a8f9911ec836100490a82b838 

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780778311126

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/smile-and-look-pretty

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/smile-and-look-pretty/id1524947340

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Smile_and_Look_Pretty?id=AQAAAEC82iWaiM&hl=en_US&gl=US