After I Do

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published Year: 2014
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Pages: 352

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.

Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for?

This is a love story about what happens when the love fades. It’s about staying in love, seizing love, forsaking love, and committing to love with everything you’ve got. And above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game—and searching for a new road to happily ever after.

                                                             First Impressions

I first heard about this book through a review on So Obsessed With (one of my fave book review blogs). I read the summary and immediately knew it was a book I would be interested. Add that to the rave review and I was hooked. On top of that, this cover is definitely one that I would have picked up off the shelves based on the cover alone (just an FYI that the cover recently changed and I don't like it as much as the original).

                                                             What I thought

I really enjoyed this book. I related to this book in a big way and found the writing style to everything I wanted it to be and more. I loved the characters, I loved the writing, I loved the story.

Lauren and Ryan met at 19 in college and have been together ever since. They have been married for a few years, but all of a sudden can’t stand each other. They find themselves irritated by anything and everything that the other person does. Because of this, they decide to spend a year apart. During this year, they decide to not have any communication with each other. No phone calls, no texts, no emails. They are going to live their lives separately for an entire year after 11 years apart.

Ok guys, it’s side bar time. My husband and I have been together for 8 years. We met at 19, like Lauren and Ryan, and have been together ever since. We lived together for two years and then lived apart for another year before I headed to Florida for graduate school. We stayed together the entire year and a half I was in Florida and he was in Michigan. During that time, he traveled to visit me about once a month. Even though we stayed together and loved each other, toward the end of my time in Florida, I felt very similar to Lauren. Everything that my boyfriend/now husband did was opportunity for a fight. It’s hard to explain unless you experience, but while I knew that I still loved him, I didn’t like him anymore.

Shortly after I moved back home, I decided I needed some time to myself. I was not happy and didn’t want to waste my time or his. Luckily, I realized not too long into our break that I needed my boyfriend/husband in my life and we got back together.  Because of these experiences, I felt very connected to the story. I understood all of Lauren’s questions and my heart broke for both of them. 

This book is a great book for anyone in a long term relationship. I think it’s also good for anyone NOT in a relationship. I think that those who are in a long term relationship will connect with this book and look back on their relationship and hopefully use what Lauren and Ryan learn throughout the book. While I think that people who are in or who have been in a long term relationship might connect to this book more, I think those who have not been in a long term (or any) relationship could learn a lot from this book.

Reid is such a great author and I’m so glad that I was introduced to her. She balances the drama with humor and makes every character likeable. There was also an air of unpredictability in her writing. I kept thinking that I knew what twists she was going to use, but I was still surprised.

As much as I loved and would highly recommend this book, I don’t find myself 100% in love with it. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t give this book a Beloved rating. Either way, I think I have found a new favorite author! I would definitely recommend this book if you are a romantic or if you’re in a serious relationship. I would most likely re-read this book and I would buy it for my collection so that I could pass it around to friends who need it.
 

Birchbox February 2016

In case you are unaware, Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription box. It costs $10 a month and you receive multiple sample size item. These boxes allow you to try tons of new products that you may have never even heard of before. The other fun thing about Birchbox is that every time you purchase an item from their site, or review a product from your box, you receive rewards points! Once you collect 100 points, you get $10 off of your next purchase. These points definitely add up quickly between buying your box, and reviewing the products.

Each month, Birchbox allows subscribers to pick one of their samples. If you prefer surprises, you don’t have to pick one. You can choose to be surprised instead. They also offer full boxes that have been made by a guest. This month’s guest editor box was a Date Night Box for Valentine’s day. The sample choices were the Hey Honey Take it Off Exfoliating Honey Peel off Mask, Arrow BOOST color enhancing lip balm, REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask, and the Whish Revitalizing Cleaning Oil.  

The products I received this month were as follows:

12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment (Full-size $22)- This is an all-in-one spray that is meant to detangle, protect, hydrate, and heal. I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m always skeptical of products that claim to be all-in-one. It does smell decent, so we’ll see what happens.

TOCCA Eau de Parfum in Emelia (Full-size $68)- This perfume is said to have notes of citrus, fig, and flowers. I have to admit I don’t like this perfume and it will probably go in the trash. First thing I don’t like is the way the sample is packaged. I prefer the small perfume samples to come in a spray as opposed to a stick that makes it difficult to apply. The scent is very perfume like. I know that sounds silly, but when I think of a classic perfume scent, this would be it. It’s a little old for my tastes.

Hey Honey Take it Off! Exfoliating Honey Peel Off Mask (Full-size $29)- This is a peel off mask that is meant to brighten skin by peeling away dead skin. It uses alpha hydroxy acids, which is a vague way to say that it’s a chemical exfoliant. This was my sample choice this month as I love peel off masks. In elementary school I used to put glue on the back of my hands and wait for it to dry, just so I could peel it off, so obviously I’m obsessed with the fact that this is now acceptable for my face. If you don’t like that feeling, you won’t like this mask, but I LOVE it. It has an interesting scent that I couldn’t quite figure out. At first I didn’t like it, but then it grew on me. My skin also felt noticeably softer immediately after use.


COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face (Full-size $36)- This product is a matte tinted moisturizer with SPF (obviously). It is meant to moisturize while also evening skin tone. I haven’t had a chance to try this yet, so we’ll see. It says that it’s unscented, so that’s nice, but I’m a little wary of the fact that it’s matte. I have dry skin, so it matte product tend to cling to my dry patched.

ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm (Full-size $14)- This is Birchbox’s newest in house brand and it is mostly skin care. I was super excited to receive this because I almost picked it for my sample choice. This is a lip balm that adjusts to your pH to create your own personal natural hue. I do like that it does make a visible change to your lip color, and I like the texture. I don’t love the smell, as it’s a bit fruity, but it doesn’t leave a weird taste behind. It also does a good job of moisturizing my lips!

Overall, I’m very pleased with this box. There are a lot of products that are variances on what I use in my everyday life, so it’s exciting to try them. The perfume is a bit of a throwaway, but it didn’t ruin the box or anything.
 

Library Hiatus

As I touched on in a recent post, I have a little bit of a library problem. I have been a library lover since I was a small child and participated in the summer reading challenges. It also doesn’t help that my library is one of the best in the state! (No lie) I do not typically purchase books unless it’s a book I’ve already read and know I will want to re-read in the future, which also contributes to my library addiction. However, recently I have either purchased or acquired a lot of books and I haven’t touched them.

I think that because library books have a deadline before they have to go back I always find myself putting them before the other books I own, even if I want to read those more than the library books. Most recently, I started reading Shadow of Night, the second book of the All Souls Trilogy, back in December. I am still only about half way through because I put it down at the beginning of January to read the stack of library books I received.

Shortly after that, I purchased the illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone, Remembrance (Mediator book 7 by Meg Cabot), How I Met You, and a few other books at the library book sale. I now have a stack of books that I am excited to read, but feel like I don’t have the time to do so because I have my library books that I have to read.

This is when I realized I might have a problem. I have been putting off books that I had wanted to read so badly, that I had actually purchased them, for books that were more current and that I maybe didn’t even want to read as badly. Granted, if I didn’t want to read the book, I wouldn’t have checked it out from the library to begin with, but now I am at a high level of books that I want to read and have sitting in my house untouched.

That led me to the decision this weekend that for the next month (maybe more, depending on how many books I get through) I will be taking a hiatus from the library. Now, this does break my heart as I absolutely love my library, but I think that purchasing books and then not reading them is ridiculous. The exceptions to my hiatus are books that I already have on hold at the library that come in (I’m only currently at 3, one of which falls into the next exception), the book club books that I am asked to read, and a book for my Debut Author Challenge.

The reason that I am still allowing myself the rental of the book club book and the Debut Author book is because, as mentioned above, my standard for purchasing books is for books I know I will re-read. I think it would be a waste of money to purchase these book, so in order to keep up with my challenge and book club, I am allowing myself these rentals.

I will definitely update you all at the end of the month and let you know how it goes! I’ll let you know how many of my purchased books I have gotten through, without being tempted by library books. Hopefully I will make it through a decent amount and I won’t have to continue my hiatus into March!

wet n wild 1 step wonder gel

While at Walgreens recently, I decided to check out nail polish. I hadn’t bought any in a while and decided I wanted a light pink. In the wet n wild section, I spotted a new 1 step gel polish. I have previously tried a few other non-light needed gel polishes with not so great results, but decided since this was only $4.99, I would give it a try. Wet n wild is 3-free, without the use of formaldehyde, toluene, or phthalates.
 

The wet n wild polish claims to work like a gel polish without a special top coat needed and without a light needed. The company claims that this color will provide you with color and shine for up to 2 weeks. I picked up the color Pinky Swear and decided to give it a try this week for Valentine’s Day.

Now, I didn’t fully expect that this polish would last 2 weeks without a chip, but I had hoped that the formula would allow me maybe 5 days without a chip. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Looking back, I might’ve misinterpreted the point of this nail polish, but if they’re calling it a gel, I expect for that to mean lower likelihood of chipping, not just a longer lasting shine. Any nail polish can last on your nails for up to 2 weeks if you’re not counting chipping.

The first issue that I had with this polish was the application. I found that I needed 2 coats (as I do with most nail polishes) but that it bubbled as it dried. I know this can happen when you shake a bottle or if you’re sitting in a very warm environment. Neither of those was the case during my application. 

The color is pretty, and I did like that the polish was shiny without a topcoat. These were probably the only two pluses to this nail polish.

It only lasted about a day before I got my first chip and that was after I washed dishes. Once it chipped, the show was all over. I wish that this product worked, I really do. Unfortunately, it doesn’t and it isn’t worth purchasing. I think that you could get the same amount of wear time from a regular nail polish, so this is pretty gimmicky. After one use, I think I’m going to try to return this to the store. It just isn’t worth it for me to keep as I will always pick a different polish over this one.

Book Club February 2016

This month’s book was picked by Stephanie. She picked The Lake House by Kate Morton.
 

Published Year: 2015
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 593

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented sixteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure…

One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest child, eleven-month-old Theo, has vanished without a trace. What follows is a tragedy that tears the family apart in ways they never imagined.

Decades later, Alice is living in London, having enjoyed a long successful career as an author. Theo’s case has never been solved, though Alice still harbors a suspicion as to the culprit. Miles away, Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather’s house in Cornwall. While out walking one day, she stumbles upon the old estate—now crumbling and covered with vines, clearly abandoned long ago. Her curiosity is sparked, setting off a series of events that will bring her and Alice together and reveal shocking truths about a past long gone...yet more present than ever.

                                                              First Impressions

When Stephanie first read the synopsis for this book, I was intrigued. I had a couple of quick predictions that I thought were obvious, but I was intrigued. I was excited to read a mystery as it was different from the types of books I had read recently. I was a little put off by the length of the book (because of time constraints) and wasn’t taken in with the cover. It definitely would not have jumped off the shelves to me, especially as a mystery novel.

                                                               What I thought

This was an interesting book and it kept me turning the pages, curious to find out what really happened.

The Lake House follows a few different storylines over a long period of time. One storyline is Sadie. Sadie is a police detective in present day. She is asked to go on leave after some issues with a case, and while visiting her Grandfather in Cornwall, discovers the Edevane house. While looking into it, she discovers that there was a mystery that occurred on those grounds. The other two storylines follow Eleanor Edevane and Alice Edevane. Eleanor was the mother and mistress of the house while Alice was the middle Edevane sister. The book switches back and forth between narrators and time periods, revealing parts of the mystery as it goes on.

This book is a bit slow to get into. I think it took about 100 pages before I really found myself invested and curious about what happened. By about 200 pages I was really into it and trying to read as much as I could as fast as I could. There were a few slower moments toward the last bit of the book, but it picked back up again.

Morton wrote these characters so well. I was attached to each and every character that came through the book, no matter how small their part. She also did an amazing job of making the reader feel attached almost immediately. While Sadie wasn’t one of my favorites, I still enjoyed reading her story. I think hers was probably the least developed which is why I wasn’t as attached. There were actually three main mysteries within the story, and unfortunately I think one of them was a little bit left behind.

Besides the disappearance of Theo, the Edevane’s little boy, we follow the case that Sadie was following before she was asked to take a holiday from her job. In addition to that, there is a part of Sadie’s life that is a small mystery that is hinted at. Unfortunately, this was the part that was a bit underdeveloped. It seemed like it was thrown in to create a reason for certain things but then left alone because it wasn’t really a concern. I would’ve liked learning more about that part of Sadie’s life.

I did find parts of the book to be predictable, but not overly so. As a reader, I’m kind of tough to keep in the dark. I tend to be able to figure out what’s going to happen before it does. I didn’t figure out everything in this book, but from pretty early on I figured out two relatively important parts. This didn’t ruin the book for me as I was 100% sure that I was right until closer to the end, but it did take out a lot of the surprise for me. Overall, it was a really interesting story and I really liked the characters. I will definitely be checking out more of Morton’s books in the future.

                                                    What Book Club Thought

With the exception of one person, everyone seemed to enjoy it. We all agreed that there were certain story lines we could’ve done without as they weren’t totally necessary to the main story, but overall everyone really liked it.

The fun thing to do was write down all of our theories as we were reading and then share them at book club. If you pick this book for a book club, I highly recommend doing this. It was really fun to see who guessed what at certain parts of the book.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I can share our poignant questions as they were mostly about parts of the plot that would spoil it for people who haven’t read it. It made for a great discussion and we all enjoyed talking about which characters we liked and which we didn’t. It was also fun to see if we would’ve made the same choices the characters did.

Book Club for March

A Court of Thorns and Roses By: Sarah J. Maas

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Book Club Date: March 19th
 

The Heir and the Spare

By: Emily Albright
Pages: 288
Published Year: 2016
Publisher: Merit Press

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Family can be complicated. Especially when skeletons from the past pop up unexpectedly. For American Evie Gray, finding out her deceased mother had a secret identity, and not one of the caped crusader variety, was quite the surprise. Evie’s mom had a secret life before she was even born, one that involved tiaras.

In this modern day fairytale, Evie is on a path to figure out who her mom really was, while discovering for herself what the future will hold. Charged with her late mother’s letters, Evie embarks on a quest into her past. The first item on the list is to attend Oxford, her mom’s alma mater. There, Evie stumbles upon a real life prince charming, Edmund Stuart the second Prince of England, who is all too happy to be the counterpart to her damsel in distress.

Evie can’t resist her growing attraction to Edmund as they spend more time together trying to unravel the clues her mother left behind. But, when doubts arise as to whether or not Edmund could ever be with an untitled American, what really ends up unraveling is Evie’s heart. When Evie uncovers all the facts about her mom’s former life, she realizes her mom’s past can open doors she never dreamed possible, doors that can help her be with Edmund. But, with everything now unveiled, Evie starts to crack under the pressure of new family responsibilities and the realization that her perfect prince may want her for all the wrong reasons.

                                                          First Impressions

I essentially picked up this book based on the cover and title alone. I think I briefly skimmed the summary but not intensely enough to remember what it was about when I picked it back up. I love England and I am fascinated by royalty, so that in and of itself was enough to make me pick up this book. It also helped that Emily Albright is a debut author, so this book counts towards the Debut Author Challenge.

                                                          What I thought

This book was so cute! I absolutely adored this book.

The Heir and the Spare follows Evie Gray during his first year at Oxford. Evie’s mother passed away when she was young and every year on her birthday, Evie receives a letter from her. One year she receives an additional letter, sending her on a quest. The quest begins with going to Oxford, which is Evie’s mom’s alma mater and also home country. While there, she becomes friends with some other students, one of which turns out to be the second Prince of England. The story follows Evie as she goes on the quest to find out who she is and who her mom was.

Edmund and Evie are two of my favorite characters that I’ve read in while. I also enjoyed how they didn’t have a lot of silly stupid fights that could’ve been explained if they just talked to each other. Yes, they had their moments, but they were all pretty believable. I also enjoyed Evie’s development throughout her year and discovery of who her mom’s family was.

The issue that I had with this book is that it seemed like Albright had a lot ideas, but not enough pages to carry them out on. This book is relatively short and could easily have been another 100 pages without any new ideas. The first half of the book was very well paced and had a lot of great development, but the second half seemed rushed. It would seem like a problem would come up and then 5 pages later it would be resolved. This was a little frustrating because that wasn’t how the first half of the book was written. I wish that Albright had taken some additional time to really flesh out the ideas that she had and make the book more substantial. The potential is there, the carry-out is just a little off. 

While this book was relatively predictable and not necessarily unique, the story was wonderful and I loved the characters. It was an easy read and I enjoyed every minute of it. I wish that the ending had been a little different so that it could’ve been set up for a sequel! Maybe we’ll get lucky and Albright will write one anyway. If you’re looking for a quick, easy, fun read, then you should definitely check this out. 

January 2016 Favorites

Books

The Bitch-Proof Suit By: De-ann Black (Review)

Match Me If You Can By: Michele Gorman (Review)

My Life on the Road By: Gloria Steinem (Review)

The Heir and the Spare By: Emily Albright

The Marble Collector By: Cecelia Ahern
 

Favorite Book This Month: The Marble Collector. This was a great month for books for me and it was really hard to choose a favorite. It’s completely possible that this ended up being my favorite because it was the last one that I read. However, it has been the one that, even though I started a new book, I’ve still been thinking about it. I love Cecelia Ahern and I think this is just another solid showing of her talent as a story teller. 

Beauty

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels

I don’t think I have repeated an item in my favorites as I typically like to highlight new products I’ve been loving, but these have been such a savior. Not only have they been great after the (multiple) plane rides I’ve been going on, but they are also wonderful for when you don’t feel well. The few times that I’ve found myself starting to come down with something my eyes have been getting itchy and puffy. I put these on and they immediately make me feel better. Since it’s still cold and flu season I really wanted to share that. I also think they’ll be great come spring for those that have seasonal allergies. I typically purchase mine through Birchbox using points that I have, but you can also buy them at Ulta.  

Buys

Guinness Sweatshirt

I purchased a sweatshirt at the Guinness factory when my husband and I went and it is the most comfortable thing I currently own. I have been wearing it pretty much nonstop when I’m not at work. I also love that not only is it comfortable, but it has memories from my honeymoon.

Columbia Coat

This coat has been a lifesaver this winter! It is the pefect weight and really keeps me warm and dry. The only issue I have is sometimes the zipper can be a bit finicky. Buying this coat was the best decision I made this winter. Not only is it warm, but it is easy to move in and the color is unique. This will definitely be useful through the next couple of Chicago winters.

Miscellaneous

Tea

After having an afternoon tea in England, I became obsessed. I’ve always enjoyed tea, but for some reason that sparked a new passion for tea in me. I purchased the David’s Tea starter pack and have been really enjoying trying the new teas and finding new ones I love. My current favorite is the coffee pu-reh.

Jessica Jones

I love superheroes. I watch all three superhero shows on the CW and I always see the movies. However, for some reason, I was wary of Jessica Jones. When my husband and I got back from a trip recently we decided to give it a try and I am hooked! It is so good that we ended up finishing it in less than a week!
 

Our Shared Shelf- My Life on the Road

In January 2016, Emma Watson decided that she wanted to start a feminist book club. I really respect Emma Watson and was really excited when I saw that such a smart woman like her would be starting a book club that I could be a part of. In addition to that, I knew that her selections would be books that I would not pick up on my own so this would be a great way to challenge myself and read books outside of my comfort zone.

The first book she chose for her book club was My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem. I think that for these Our Shared Shelf posts, I’m not going to put a first impression. I’m predicting a lot of them would be “I don’t know this person” or “I would not have picked this up by myself.” So instead, I’m just going to share what I thought of the book.

Published Year: 2015
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 304

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Gloria Steinem—writer, activist, organizer, and one of the most inspiring leaders in the world—now tells a story she has never told before, a candid account of how her early years led her to live an on-the-road kind of life, traveling, listening to people, learning, and creating change. She reveals the story of her own growth in tandem with the growth of an ongoing movement for equality. This is the story at the heart of My Life on the Road.

 What I thought

This book could be absolutely life changing; it has that kind of quiet power. It is one of those books that I wish we could require everybody in the world to read. While I think it would be beneficial for women, I think it would be even more beneficial for men to read. There are some really interesting stories and I think it does a great job at explaining feminism in a way that isn’t typically shared.

I will admit that I tend to tune out the news and I was never interested in history as a child, so I am kind of ignorant when it comes to lesser known (but still well-known and important) figures in history and politics. I also do not have any interest in politics, so I will be the first to tell you this is not a subject I am knowledgeable about. So, I had no idea who Gloria Steinem was. None. And I will now admit, after reading this book, that I am ashamed of myself.

Gloria Steinem is such a core factor of the women’s movement, past and present, and I think it’s sad that I never heard of her or knew who she was. I was a little worried that this book was going to be very preachy and anti-male but it definitely isn’t. It was so fascinating to not only be educated about who she is but to hear a lot of her stories about her life.

As a writer, this autobiography is obviously written as well as you would expect. I think my favorite thing was how she would write about different things she did (like talking on college campuses) and share some history about how she felt about the talks and different people that she traveled with. Then she would have a series of actual stories and interactions from her speeches. These were my favorite parts to read and I loved that she included her commentary about how those moments made her feel.

This book is so inspiring and so positive that I can’t praise it enough. I am honestly surprised by how much I feel like I learned from this book. I wish this has been out when I was younger and that I had been forced to read it. While I feel as though I have feminist values at heart I have never been one to act. This book makes me want to act and that is saying a lot.

This was such a great start to the book club! I’m really looking forward to reading more and I really hope that it continues!

Like I said, I think anyone and everyone, no matter age or gender, should read this book. I think it will teach so much about life and different perspectives which is something we need in the world right now. I would gladly buy this book as gifts for people just in hopes of forcing them to read it. I can definitely see myself buying this for my shelf, again, just so I can loan it out to people.