Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella (Review)

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Humor 
Publication date:  July 21st 2009 
Publisher: The Dial Press
Format: audiobook, 15 hours and 5 minutes
How I got it: My public library
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 3/5 

Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don't get visited by ghosts. Or do they?

When the spirit of Lara's great-aunt Sadie-a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance-mysteriously appears, she has one request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie's possession for more than seventy-five years, because Sadie cannot rest without it.

Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie's necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different "twenties" girls learn some surprising truths from and about each other. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella's books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family. 

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My thoughts:

Lara is having some major life issues currently including, her ex- boyfriend, a job that she isn’t too sure about and now a dead aunt who might be haunting her.  Lara is just trying to keep her imagination under control and get her life on track, but maybe her dead aunt Sadie is just what she needs to get everything in line.

The author does a great job creating Lara’s personality.  We can see right from the beginning that Lara is a little stressed and has a lot going on, but is working hard on putting up a good front.   Lara doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or trouble anyone. Lara grew on me when I was reading the book and I ended up rooting for her the whole time to get everything in order.  Lara did get a little stuck on the ex-boyfriend issue, but it does end up working on in the book.

The story follows Lara as she is in search of her great-aunt Sadie’s necklace.  Lara is somewhat looking for the necklace while trying to keep going with her career.  I loved the banter that occurred between Lara and Sadie during the book.  The banter alone would keep me listening to the book.  I loved the relationship that developed between the two of them and how much that Lara could learn about Sadie’s life.  Sadie was an amazing second character since she was a ghost stuck in the past it was an interesting view on life.  I enjoyed how it brought the Twenties Girl idea to life through Sadie.

The story moves along at a nice pace and is easy to follow along.  I loved how the story unfolded and it kept my attention most of the time.  The story gets busier towards the end, but overall a great pace.

My major complaint with the book would have been the romance.   I have read several Sophie Kinsella books and enjoyed the romance portion of those books.  The romance in this book felt slightly as an afterthought in this book.   The book is focused mainly on Lara and getting her life back together and trying to figure out what she wants out of life.  I did enjoy the romance at times and felt it was cute, but at other times I felt it could have been almost a second book.

I would suggest this as a nighttime read.  There were a lot of parts where I felt that the book could be put down and picked back up.  The book kept my attention while listening to it, but I was able to take some breaks and not feel like I missed anything. 

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About the Author

Madeleine Wickham (born 12 December 1969) is a bestselling British author under her pseudonym, Sophie Kinsella. Educated at New College, Oxford, she worked as a financial journalist before turning to fiction. She is best known for writing a popular series of chick-lit novels. The Shopaholic novels series focuses on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her own finances. The books follows her life from when her credit card debt first become overwhelming ("The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic") to the latest book on being married and having a child ("Shopaholic & Baby"). Throughout the entire series, her obsession with shopping and the complications that imparts on her life are central themes.

Author Links:

   

Hardcore Twenty-Four - Janet Evanovich (Review)

Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich
Series Stephanie Plum #24
Genres: Fiction, Mystery
Publication date: November 14th 2017
Publisher: Bantam
Format: hardcover, 320 pages
How I got it: Library
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 
My rating: 3/5 
 
Janet Evanovich’s #1 New York Times bestselling sensation Stephanie Plum returns in her twenty-forth thriller as mutilated corpses litter the streets of New Jersey...Trouble comes in bunches for Stephanie Plum. First, professional grave robber and semi-professional loon, Simon Diggery, won’t let her take him in until she agrees to care for his boa constrictor, Ethel. Stephanie’s main qualification for babysitting an extremely large snake is that she owns a stun gun—whether that’s for use on the wandering serpent or the petrified neighbors remains to be seen.

Events take a dark turn when headless bodies start appearing across town. At first, it’s just corpses from a funeral home and the morgue that have had the heads removed. But when a homeless man is murdered and dumped behind a church Stephanie knows that she’s the only one with a prayer of catching this killer.

If all that’s not enough, Diesel’s back in town. The 6-foot-tall, blonde-haired hunk is a man who accepts no limits—that includes locked doors, closed windows and underwear. Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli isn’t pleased at this unexpected arrival nor is Ranger, the high-powered security consultant who has his own plans for Stephanie.

As usual Jersey’s favorite bounty hunter is stuck in the middle with more questions than answers. What’s the deal with Grandma Mazur’s latest online paramour? Who is behind the startling epidemic of mutilated corpses? And is the enigmatic Diesel’s sudden appearance a coincidence or the cause of recent deadly events?

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My thoughts:

I have been a big fan of the Stephen Plum series for years now as they are perfect fast paced humor reads.   I have read every book in this series and couldn’t wait to read the next.  I have struggled through the past few with the repetitive nature of the story line, but this one gave me some hope.

This book follows Stephanie as she is trying to hunt down some escapees while feeding a boa and potentially zombies.   We have Lulu along for the ride as always during the book.  We only get bits and pieces of the relationship with Morelli in this book as well as bits and pieces with Ranger.   Diesel is in this book, but doesn’t add too much to the story line.  He seems as mysterious as ever.

The plot is a typical Stephanie Plum series where it can go in any direction at any time.  The story moves quickly along to keep me wanting to read.  The zombie story line creates a lot of humor for me as it just seems ridiculous in nature. 

I think my saving grace for this book was by far the humor has come back to the series.  I was struggling with the last few books there were some funny parts, but other than that they were standard and not to exciting.  Finally, in book 24 we are back to the comedy relief that this series provides.   The author does a great job bringing in the humor to make this a fast paced read.

My biggest complaint is we still don’t have a defined male for Stephanie and it just seems silly now.  She goes back and forth between Morelli, Ranger and now add in Diesel.  I would love for her to settle down with one, but I guess that wouldn’t keep the series going.  It is always the same I think she is heading towards Morelli and then back to Ranger.

I would suggest this as a nighttime read.  It was very fast paced and an easy read to be able to take your mind off a long day.   It was easy enough to read a long portion in a short amount of time, but there were some stopping points as well in the book. 

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About the Author

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O'Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.

Author Links:

   

I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella (Review)

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Humor 
Publication date:  February 14th 2012
Publisher: The Dial Press
Format: audiobook, 13 hours, 25 minutes
How I got it: My public library
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5 

I’ve lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day! Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive :) !!
 
Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!
 
Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.
 
What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

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My thoughts:

This story follows Poppy who recently got engaged to the man of her dreams.  While out with the girls she was passing along her engagement ring and the fire alarm goes off causing the ring to go missing.   Poppy begins the search and in the process, loses her cell phone.  Poppy ends up picking up a cell phone from the garage can and it happens to belong to Sam.  Poppy and Sam begin an unconventional relationship via the shared cell phone. 

Poppy is such an interesting main character.  She is trying to do the right thing always and in the process, doesn’t realize she is putting herself second.  Poppy is working to fit in with her finance’s Magnus’s family who happen to be all well published educators.   Poppy desperately wants to make everything work and be perfect.  Poppy gets a lot of bumps handed to her and she handles them well. 

Magnus is such an interesting male character for Poppy.  They don’t seem to mesh well and he does appear to be avoiding her for a good portion of the book, although we only get Poppy’s POV so we don’t 100% know what is up with Magnus.  As we get a closer consider Poppy’s relationship we do see some red flags going off with Magnus.  I enjoyed getting the background that we did get on Magnus because it helped see what he was thinking.

Sam is a perfect male lead in a book.  I can see him being a perfect book boyfriend.  He comes off harsh in the beginning, but it does appear he has a higher stress job and that he might need a little help opening up. I loved when we got to learn more about him and see that he acts a certain way due to his end goals.

The author does a great job with the storyline to keep the story moving along.  There is a lot of action that happens in a short amount of time.  The story is told through Poppy’s POV so we get to consider her thinking pattern as well as seeing what is going on with her as it happens.  I loved getting to know the characters and couldn’t help but root for Poppy while listening.   The side characters in the book made the story even better.  I loved the comic relief that I got while listening to this book.

The ending of the book was perfect in my mind.  It was tied in a perfect bow for me and I love when a novel feels complete.

I would highly recommend the audio of this book.  The narrator was perfect and so easy to listen too.  I loved getting to listen to this story.  It would be the perfect book to read while having a weekend to do nothing. 

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About the Author

Madeleine Wickham (born 12 December 1969) is a bestselling British author under her pseudonym, Sophie Kinsella. Educated at New College, Oxford, she worked as a financial journalist before turning to fiction. She is best known for writing a popular series of chick-lit novels. The Shopaholic novels series focuses on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her own finances. The books follows her life from when her credit card debt first become overwhelming ("The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic") to the latest book on being married and having a child ("Shopaholic & Baby"). Throughout the entire series, her obsession with shopping and the complications that imparts on her life are central themes.

Author Links:

   

I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool - Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella (Review)

I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool by Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella
Series: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman #8
Genres: Humor, Nonfiction
Publication date: July 11th 2017 
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: ebook, 320 pages
How I got it: Netgalley to provide an honest review
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
My rating: 4/5 

The bestselling and “perennially hilarious” mother-daughter team is back with a new collection of stories from their real lives, guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Join Lisa and Francesca as they regret drunk-shopping online, try smell-dating, and explore the freedom of a hiatus from men - a Guyatus. They offer a fresh and funny take on the triumphs and facepalm moments of modern life, showing that when it comes to navigating the crazy world we live in, you’re always your own best lifeguard

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My thoughts:

This book is written my mother and daughter duo Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella.  I have read several of Lisa Scottoline’s books and enjoyed them so I was excited to see what this book had to offer.

This book is told in a series of short chapters that talk about happenings in Lisa’s and Francesca’s current life as they are writing.  The stories are meant to be more on the comical side, not truly reflective of Lisa’s novel style.   The stories are told from Lisa’s perspective and Francesca’s perspectives in the different chapters.  Lisa has more of the stories, but we do get alternating ones when Francesca takes over the story telling.   The chapters/stories are short in nature so they are quick reads.

I enjoyed reading the stories about the current happenings in their lives.  It was interesting to hear how everyday occurrences can be made into fun stories to listen too.  I loved that we get to see the relationship between mother and daughter as they both speak about one another in their perspective stories.   As a reader you can tell that the mother and daughter share a very deep and special bond.

Some of the stories are laugh out loud funny.  We get to hear each of their own thoughts about what is going on.  It was a fun read that I couldn’t put down once I started it.  They talk about a lot of everyday modern happenings and give their opinion.

I would suggest this a nighttime read.  It is a great book to take your mind off the day.  The stories don’t follow one another so it is easy to read a few stories before bed to relax.  The flow of the book does feel natural, but it doesn’t have a specific order.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley to provide an honest review.  This does not affect my opinion of this book. 

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About the Author

Lisa Scottoline is the New York Times bestselling author and Edgar award-winning author of 28 novels, including her latest, ONE PERFECT LIE, which releases in April 2017. Her previous emotional thriller, MOST WANTED, has been optioned for a TV series. Lisa also co-authors a bestselling series of humorous memoir with her daughter, Francesca Serritella, which is based on their weekly Philadelphia Inquirer column titled "Chick Wit." These witty and hysterical books examine life from a woman's perspective, and the most recent book is, I'VE GOT SAND IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES. The first in the series, WHY MY THIRD HUSBAND WILL BE A DOG, has been optioned for TV. Lisa reviews popular fiction and non-fiction, and her reviews have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Lisa has served as President of Mystery Writers of America and has taught a course she developed, “Justice and Fiction” at The University of Pennsylvania Law School, her alma mater. Lisa is a regular and much sought after speaker at library and corporate events. Lisa has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Author Links:
   

Francesca Serritella is a bestselling author and columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University, where she won the Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize, the Le Baron Russell Briggs Fiction Prize, and the Charles Edmund Horman Prize for her creative writing. She lives in New York with one dog and one cat, so far.

Author Links:
   

I've Got Sand In All the Wrong Places - Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella (Review)

I've Got Sand In All the Wrong Places by Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella
Series: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman #7
Genres: Humor, Nonfiction
Publication date: July 12th 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: kindle, 317 pages
How I got it: NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5  

Lisa and Francesca are back with another collection of warm and witty stories that will strike a chord with every woman. This six book series is among the best reviewed humor books published today and has been compared to the late greats, Erma Bombeck and Nora Ephron. Delia Ephron said of the fifth book in the series, Have a Nice Guilt Trip, "Lisa and Francesca, mother and daughter, bring you the laughter of their lives once again and better than ever. You will identify with these tales of guilt and fall in love with them and fierce (grand) Mother Mary." This seventh volume will not disappoint as it hits the humorous and poignant note that fans have come to expect from the beloved mother-daughter duo.

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My thoughts:

This book is told by a mother and daughter author team.  This book is extremely funny and heartfelt.   I have only read books by Lisa, but will definitely be checking books out written by Francesca now and also the remaining books of these series.  The mother/daughter dynamic of the book is perfect.  They nicely play off of each other in some stories and other stories are just bits and pieces from their lives. 

I really enjoyed that we got a very personal story from both Lisa and Francesca based on an attack that happened to Francesca.   I couldn’t imagine how challenging it would be to write about something so terrible as being attacked.  Francesca not only wrote with a great amount of detail of the attack, but she also gave us her feelings on what happened as well and also parts of her recovery.   It made the story feel very real and personal.  I also liked that we got to hear Lisa’s reaction to what happened for a full circle feeling.    It made them seem so real and a perfect duo when facing something so tragic as an attack.   With a book full of humor this story really made it more dynamic. 

Other stories in the book I really enjoyed was actually about Lisa’s anxiety of driving over bridges.  Honestly I was very lucky that when I was first starting out learning to drive I had to go over bridges by my grandparents’ house that are super tight and narrow so I am pretty comfortable going over them, but I completely understand if it was not something you do often how scary it could be driving over them.   I like that we got a very personal story about anxiety because it is something very real and effects a lot of people.

This is a perfect nighttime read.  The stories are super short so it is easy to read a few and then put the book down. 

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.  This does not affect my opinion of this book.

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About the Author

Lisa Scottoline is the New York Times bestselling author and Edgar award-winning author of 23 novels, including her latest, EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES, which releases in April 2015. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter Francesca Serritella for the Philadelphia Inquirer titled "Chick Wit" which is a witty and fun take on life from a woman's perspective.

Author Links:

    







Francesca Serritella is a bestselling author and columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University, where she won the Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize, the Le Baron Russell Briggs Fiction Prize, and the Charles Edmund Horman Prize for her creative writing. She lives in New York with one dog and one cat, so far.

Author Links: