The Rules of Magic

By: Alice Hoffman
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Simone & Schuster
Pages: 384

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I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.

First Impressions

I received an email asking for me to review this book and I honestly wasn’t too sure about it. The only other novel I have read by Hoffman (Faithful) I didn’t enjoy, and I’ve never seen the movie Practical Magic. However, the summary intrigued me, so I decided to give it a shot. Honestly, I would not have picked this up based on the cover. It wasn’t something that drew me in.

What I thought

As I mentioned above, I have never watched (nor read) Practical Magic, so I didn’t really have any background or expectations.

Rules of Magic is a prequel to Practical Magic and focuses on the lives of the aunts who are older in Practical Magic. Franny, Jet, and Vincent are siblings who live in New York. Their family bloodline is based in magic and witches, but their parents don’t acknowledge this and discourage ay type of magical behavior. At the age of 17, Franny is invited to spend the summer at their Aunt Isabelle’s house in Massachusetts. Her siblings go with and they start to learn more about their family history.

This story was very interesting and I appreciated a lot of the historical aspects. It had a similar feeling to Discovery of Witches to me and I enjoyed that. It was interesting to see how Franny, Jet, and Vincent grew. Their journeys of self-discovery were what really helped this story move along.

My only complaint about the story was that it was a little slow to start and kind of difficult to get into. There were parts where I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going, so that was a bit tricky. However, it did pick up once they got to their Aunt Isabelle’s and they started to dabble into magic a bit more.

If you aren’t into magic and witches, I would still encourage you to check out this book. It has a lot of aspects that are just growing pains for young adults. Franny, Jet, and Vincent deal with tragedies as well as their own identities and that is so relatable, even if their magic powers through some extra complication into the mix.

I also feel like this book does a great job as a prequel, even though I haven’t read the original book. I could imagine reading Practical Magic and having two characters you didn’t know much about but who were fascinating and wanting to know as much as you could. I’m sure that this book accomplishes that perfectly and that any fans of Practical Magic will enjoy this book.

When a book encourages me to go back and read previous books in the series that I have never read, I think it has accomplished it’s mission. I enjoyed getting to know Franny, Jet, and Vincent and am curious to see how the rest of their lives play out. If you like coming of age novels with a bit of a twist, I would definitely recommend checking this book out.

Fireworks

By: Katie Cutugno
Published Year 2017
Publisher: HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray
Pages: 336

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): It was always meant to be Olivia. She was the talented one, the one who had been training to be a star her whole life. Her best friend, Dana, was the level-headed one, always on the sidelines, cheering her best friend along. 

But everything changes when Dana tags along with Olivia to Orlando for the weekend, where superproducer Guy Monroe is holding auditions for a new singing group, and Dana is discovered too. Dana, who’s never sung more than Olivia’s backup. Dana, who wasn’t even looking for fame. Next thing she knows, she and Olivia are training to be pop stars, and Dana is falling for Alex, the earnest, endlessly talented boy who’s destined to be the next big thing. 

It should be a dream come true, but as the days of grueling practice and constant competition take their toll, things between Olivia and Dana start to shift . . . and there’s only room at the top for one girl. For Olivia, it’s her chance at her dream. For Dana, it’s a chance to escape a future that seems to be closing in on her. And for these lifelong best friends, it’s the adventure of a lifetime—if they can make it through. 

Set in evocative 1990s Orlando, New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno’s Fireworks brings to life the complexity of friendship, the excitement of first love, and the feeling of being on the verge of greatness.

First Impressions

If this cover doesn’t scream fun, I don’t know what does! I read 99 days by Cutugno a few years ago and really enjoyed it, so when I saw that she had a new book coming out it caught my eye. Her cover and the summary would’ve grabbed me even if I didn’t know who she was. Love at first sight!

What I thought

Drama!

It’s the 90’s and Orlando and boy/girl bands are all the rage! Dana and Olivia are best friends from a suburb of Atlanta. Olivia has dreams of pop stardom, while Dana is just hoping to not be stuck in their hometown forever. When Olivia brings Dana along on an audition to be a part of the newest produced girl band in Orlando, their worlds are both turned upside down when Dana is asked to audition as well.

My childhood was at the peak of the boy/girl band production. Orlando was HUGE for music production and companies were cranking them out one after the other. Backstreet Boys, N’SYNC, Spice Girls, 98 Degrees, the list goes on. It was such fun to have a story that took place right in the midst of that world.

Olivia is a bit spoiled as she comes from a well-to-do family and has never had to work for anything a day in her life. Dana is the complete opposite in that she has been working a job since she was 16 and is taking care of her alcoholic mom. The two have been best friends since kindergarten and are initially happy to be going on an adventure together. Unfortunately, nothing ever goes as planned. Dana has never wanted to be a popstar, so this is all new to her while Olivia and the other two girls in their band have only ever wanted this. The fact that Dana is so inexperienced is definitely a point of contention.

In addition to the inner girl group drama, there is boy drama as well! The newest upcoming boy band is staying at the same facility and you know what happens when you put teenage boys and girls in the same place. And of course, Olivia and Dana end up having their eye on the same guy. One of my favorite aspects of this book is that while it follows some of the typical cheesy storylines, it has such an aspect of realness to is that makes it stand out. For example, Dana and Olivia both like the same guy, but Olivia has “dibs” since she had a crush on him 4 years ago. When I mentioned this to my friend, she was like “What? No one can have dibs for that long! And doesn’t the guy have a say in the matter?” Well, a few pages later the guy in fact says something along those lines! It was great.

There is some fascinating relationship drama within this story and the world of popstars is interesting as well. Like I mentioned, even though some of the dramatic tropes are similar to what you find in most YA, it’s done in a different way. All those questions you have of “it wouldn’t happen this way in real life would it?” are addressed in this story. It just adds an element that makes this book so satisfying to read.

Let’s be honest, anything that has 90’s boy bands in it is automatically going to win my heart, but this book really did execute it so well. Dana and Olivia were unique characters who had growth and it was fun to watch them change. I didn’t fully expect the trajectory of the book which made it even more enjoyable. If you are a lover of the 90s boy band era or if you love friendship drama I highly recommend checking this book out. Cutugno has done it again!

The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse

By: Tom Verducci
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Crown Achetype
Pages: 375

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): With inside access and reporting, Sports Illustrated senior baseball writer and FOX Sports analyst Tom Verducci reveals how Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon built, led, and inspired the Chicago Cubs team that broke the longest championship drought in sports, chronicling their epic journey to become World Series champions. 
It took 108 years, but it really happened. The Chicago Cubs are once again World Series champions. 
How did a team composed of unknown, young players and supposedly washed-up veterans come together to break the Curse of the Billy Goat? Tom Verducci, twice named National Sportswriter of the Year and co-writer of The Yankee Years with Joe Torre, will have full access to team president Theo Epstein, manager Joe Maddon, and the players to tell the story of the Cubs' transformation from perennial underachievers to the best team in baseball. 
Beginning with Epstein's first year with the team in 2011, Verducci will show how Epstein went beyond "Moneyball" thinking to turn around the franchise. Leading the organization with a manual called "The Cubs Way," he focused on the mental side of the game as much as the physical, emphasizing chemistry as well as statistics. 
To accomplish his goal, Epstein needed manager Joe Maddon, an eccentric innovator, as his counterweight on the Cubs' bench. A man who encourages themed road trips and late-arrival game days to loosen up his team, Maddon mixed New Age thinking with Old School leadership to help his players find their edge. 
The Cubs Way takes readers behind the scenes, chronicling how key players like Rizzo, Russell, Lester, and Arrieta were deftly brought into the organization by Epstein and coached by Maddon to outperform expectations. Together, Epstein and Maddon proved that clubhouse culture is as important as on-base-percentage, and that intangible components like personality, vibe, and positive energy are necessary for a team to perform to their fullest potential. 
Verducci chronicles the playoff run that culminated in an instant classic Game Seven. He takes a broader look at the history of baseball in Chicago and the almost supernatural element to the team's repeated loses that kept fans suffering, but also served to strengthen their loyalty. 
The Cubs Way is a celebration of an iconic team and its journey to a World Championship that fans and readers will cherish for years to come.

First Impressions

Wooooo!!!!! I was so excited when I found out that this book was coming out. I am a Cubs fan and experiencing their World Series win was one of the most exciting moments of my life so far. As soon as the game ended, I knew I wanted a book that delved into the process of how this team was developed and how all of these characters I love were acquired. When I read the summary for this book I knew it was everything that I had been hoping for and it shot to the top of my to read list.

What I thought

This book is everything a Cubs fan will want and more!!

The Cubs Way discusses histories of how each impact player was acquired to the Cubs, starting with Tom Ricketts (the owner) and Theo Epstein (the president). Intermixed with the stories of the players is a recap of each game of the World Series.

I loved how Verducci explained how each and every player that had an impact on the World Series win was acquired to the Cubs. Every one of them had their own portion of a chapter that not only discussed the process in which Epstein went through to get them on the Cubs, but also a little bit about their personal histories. I also liked getting to learn more about Ricketts, Epstein, and Maddon.

While I am (and always have been) a Cubs fan, I have always been more of a passive fan. I have attended at least 1 game a year for the past 10 years, and have always owned a Cubs t-shirt (usually with the name that I found most appealing). However, I have never actively known more than 2-3 players at a time on the team and I don’t religiously watch the games on TV. In fact, I think the last time I watched a Cubs game on TV prior to 2016 was in 2003. As a result, any Cubs knowledge that I have comes from one of my best friends and one of the biggest Cubs fans I know. Getting to learn more in depth information about the Cubs team through this book was so satisfying.

As I am not an avid baseball fanatic, I don’t know anything about baseball statistics. Unfortunately, since Verducci is a sports writer, this book is riddled with statistics. I think that he could have cut down on them a bit, just assuming that there would be a high quantity of Cubs fans who do not know statistics the same way he does. At the very least, I would’ve appreciated some explanation about the basics so that the numbers meant something to me as I read them. I will say, that while I still don’t fully understand the statistics I have learned more about baseball than I have ever known thanks to this book.

Other than that, the writing was top notch. Reading each game made me feel like I was watching them all over again. I felt the same anxiety as I did living through them the first time, but got to enjoy experiencing them in a new way with different perspectives from players, Maddon, and Epstein.

This book is everything! I would recommend it to any Cubs fan and baseball fan (with the exception of White Sox and Indian fans). The process is fascinating and getting to know more about this team of good guys is such a great experience. I don’t think I could ask for more from this book. I’ve always (for a whole 5 months!) wanted to know how this team got to where they did and how they came together over the course of 5 years and this book had it all. I can’t rave about this book enough! Just read it and enjoy!

Book Club September 2017

I picked this book because I had seen it on a few lists of recommended book club books. I also am a sucker for alternate timelines. We haven’t ever read anything that is science fiction-y in our book club so I also thought it could be fun to push my friends a little out of their comfort zone.

What I thought

This book took me a little while to get into because the narrators voice is very distinct. Once I got into it, I really enjoyed it!

Tom lives in a utopian/futuristic 2016. While there are still issues such as small crime and heartbreak, there are no longer bigger problems such as war. In 1965 the scientist Lionel Gottreider invented a machine that could create limitless, clean energy. This lead to a fast creation of technology and a world which is similar to the Jetsons. In fact, Tom’s dad is currently working on creating a time machine to go back to the moment that Gottreider flipped on the machine that changed the world. However, hen Toms jumps back to the present, he ends up in our “dystopian” 2016 instead of his own.

This book is so well thought out I can’t even begin to explain it. All of the scientific elements are explained and so thorough that I fully expect someone to try these things and create them in real life. But even though this science-fiction novel is solid with the science, there is a lot of good fiction too.

When Tom wakes up in his alternate universe’s body, he is, of course, the same but different. His dystopian 2016 personality is named John and John has been having dreams from Tom’s world and memories. The other aspect I really enjoyed was that when Tom tried to explain what had happened to his family, the legitimately thought he was mentally ill. Which, you know, if my brother came up to me saying he wasn’t really my brother that I knew but was from an alternate version of our reality, I wouldn’t think he was sane ether. But Mastai wrote this aspect of the book really well.

With the exception of the ending, which I found a bit confusing I really enjoyed this book. It made me realize that I may be more of a sci-fi fan than I thought!

What Book Club Thought

We had some interesting discussion about our personal feelings of time travel and whether or not we believe it could truly happen. It was a lot of fun to discuss! Everyone enjoyed the book and felt that the voice of the book was unique adn interesting. There were definitely some parts of the book that were confusing that we needed to clarify as a group, but overall it was a lot of fun and easy to read. The best part was that no one seemed to have major issues with this book! 

The Future She Left Behind

By: Marin Thomas
Published Year: 2017
Pages: 352
Publisher: Berkley

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): One woman's journey home gets derailed by her soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law in a novel filled with humor, small-town charm, rekindled love, and the resilient ties of family. 

Cast aside by her cheating husband, Katelyn Chandler is ready to pack it all in and drive home to Little Springs, Texas. She wants a chance to regroup, reconnect with her mother, and get back to her art. 

But Shirley Pratt--master manipulator, elitist snob, and Katelyn's terror of a live-in monster-in-law--has other ideas. Shirley insists on joining Katelyn's trip after her son tries to pack her off to a retirement community. Katelyn has no choice but to play peacekeeper between the ornery old woman and the proud matrons of Little Springs. Yet the small town seems to be changing Shirley. And as Katelyn weighs the wisdom of picking up where she left off with Jackson Mendoza, the town bad boy and her high school sweetheart, she must find a way to believe in the strength of her dreams.

First Impressions

The cover drew me in on this one for sure. I am a sucker for road trip books. I was a bit wary about the mother-in-law aspect of the summary, but decided it could end up being really cute.

What I thought

Katelyn unexpectedly receives divorce papers from her husband of 19 years. He tells her that he is leaving her and that the house will be on the market the next day, leaving her no place to live and the only option for his mother is an apartment that he bought without her input or knowledge. Shirley, Katelyn’s mother-in-law and pain in her a$$, decides she wants to stick it to her jerk of a son and wants to go with Katelyn to Texas. Katelyn decides that she wants to go back to her small hometown in Little Springs Texas to see her mother and get back to the dreams she had before her marriage and her children.

There were a few things here and there that bothered me. Some of them were silly things, like the fact that Shirley is 65 and painted to be a very old woman. I mean, I know that 65 isn’t young, but the way they described her in the summary and even the way that she acts at times, I pictured her as much older. The other thing that bothered me was repetitive writing. It seems as though Thomas repeated a lot of the same phrases throughout the book to really drive home the thoughts and feelings, but instead I would read them and just think “I already know this.” For example, every time Jackson and Katelyn were thinking about each other it was the same old thoughts. Because of that, I never felt like I wanted them to get together.

Personally, Shirley and Birdie were my favorite part of the entire story. I loved their pasts and how they were dealing with their present. I also really enjoyed their banter and wish we could have seem some more of their interactions.

Unfortunately, Katelyn fell a little flat to me. While I liked a lot of the aspects of her personality, such as her strength and resilience, she was a bit whiney and never seemed to quite find herself. It just seemed like over and over again she was realizing that she hadn’t been as happy in her marriage as she originally thought she was.

There was not a true road trip element to this book, contrary to what the cover would make you believe. Shirley and Katelyn make it to Text pretty quickly.  The cast of side characters in the smalle town of Little Springs was wonderful. I would gladly read more books about the town and the people in it. I just didn’t connect with Katelyn as much as I wanted to, even though I enjoyed her story.

I think there are a lot of fun and interesting parts to his story, but something about it just didn’t completely click with me. I loved Little Springs and I liked Shirley, but the over all story was just kind of bland. I would recommend it if you like simple, small town stories, but I think I have other books that would be recommended before this one came to mind. I can easily see this one fading in my memory like one of the trains that passes through Little Springs Texas on its way to a bigger city.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Matte Highliner

I recently received two Marc Jacobs Matte Highliners ($25) for review (Thanks Crowdtap!). I have never tried an Marc Jacobs Beauty products but I have only ever heard good things. They are a bit pricy, so I’ve shied away from them a bit, but was really excited to get the opportunity to try these new eyeliners.

These gel eyeliners claim to last for 12 hours and boast super-rich pigmentation. This is the matte formula, so it is formulated without any shimmer. The company also warns that you have about 15 seconds to smudge or move the liner before it sets. This liner is also waterproof, is a screw up liner, and also has a sharpener hidden in the bottom!

The two colors that I received were (Earth)quake, a dark brown, and Pink of Me, a baby pink.

These eyeliners are the softest liners I have ever used and I love them! I hate when you buy an expensive liner and it just pull and tugs at your lid as you try to get it on. Not only does that irritate your eye and cause potential wrinkles, but you’re never able to get a straight line! That is not the case with this liner. You barely have to apply any pressure to get an intense color payoff.

As for the 12 hour wear claim? I don’t know if I can confirm the full 12 house, but I can definitely confirm long-lasting wear that doesn’t smudge. I feel completely confident putting this on at 7 in the morning before work and knowing it will stay in place until I get home around 4-5.  

There are also so many fun colors to choose from. I’ve never worn a burgundy or hot pink eyeliner, but man do these liners make me want to! There is also a beautiful cobalt blue that I’d love to get my hands on. While there isn’t a black in this collection, there is a dark gray that comes pretty close.

Compared to other high-end eyeliners that I’ve used, this one wins out. The Nars Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner which is a similar product, is $1 more expensive for a slight bit more product, .2oz compared to the .1 for Marc Jacobs. To me though, there is no contest. The Marc Jacobs Highliner is so much creamier that I will pick that one every time.

A Strange Scottish Shore (Emmaline Truelove #2)

By: Juliana Gray
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Berkley Books
Pages: 400

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Scotland, 1906. A mysterious object discovered inside an ancient castle calls Maximilian Haywood, the new Duke of Olympia, and his fellow researcher Emmeline Truelove, north to the remote Orkney Islands. No stranger to the study of anachronisms in archeological digs, Haywood is nevertheless puzzled by the artifact: a suit of clothing, which, according to family legend, once belonged to a selkie who rose from the sea in ancient times and married the castle’s first laird.

But Haywood and Truelove soon discover they’re not the only ones interested in the selkie’s strange hide, and when their mutual friend Lord Silverton vanishes in the night from an Edinburgh street, the mystery takes a dangerous turn through time, which only Haywood’s skills and Truelove’s bravery can solve…

First Impressions

As this is a sequel, I don’t really have first impressions. I’ll leave the link to my review of the first Emmaline Truelove novel, A Most Extraordinary Pursuit, here for you to find out what I thought of the first novel. Also, if you haven’t read the first book, I warn you there will most likely be some spoilers as I discuss this on.

What I thought

While I remember enjoying the first book, I’m pretty sure I enjoyed this one much more! I don’t have many lingering thoughts and feelings about the first book so that means it didn’t make a huge impression on me. I’m glad that I at least had enough of a memory that I enjoyed the first one to agree to review this one.

In the last novel, we were left with the concept that Max, the Duke of Olympia has the ability to pull people through time. Emmaline Truelove who was working as his secretary, is now working as his equal on researching how this happened and how to control it. A Strange Scottish Shore starts with Emmaline on her way to meet the Duke since he has found something interesting that he needs her help with. He also sends Silverton to keep an eye on Truelove. But while keeping on eye on Truelove and her papers she’s meant to be delivering to Max, he disappears.

This first book in this series was mostly an mysterious adventure with all of a sudden time travel thrown in at the end. This one is fully immersed in the time travel. It starts with Max and Emmaline trying to research what has happened and why and goes from there.

There is a lot more of Truelove and Silverton in this book and it is lovely. They are so sweet together and it is frustrating watching Truelove deny her feelings for him. I like that this is a different take on time travel with a love of historical fiction elements involved. The one (semi) problem I have with these stories is that there is so much information left out. I understand that a lot of it is left out because you’re discovering along with the characters, but there are still certain parts that I just don’t get. Hopefully they’ll become clearer as the series continues.

I really enjoyed how Gray incorporates the historical elements with the science fiction and with romance. It makes the time travel element a bit more relatable to readers who aren’t typically into that kind of thing. I also like that it allows Gray to explore different time periods and the cultures of that time period. I look forward to seeing where our adventurers go next!

If you like historical fiction, romance, and a bit of science fiction this series will be for you. I think that this book is a bit stronger than the first as it seems to really be settling into its identity. It has some ups and downs that will keep you turning the pages. This series is really starting to pick up and I’m looking forward to the next book!

On the Spectrum

By: Jennifer Gold
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Second Story Press
Pages: 336

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Growing up in the shadow of a famous mother, Clara has never felt good about her body. Now, at sixteen, she has an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. After a social media disaster, she decides to escape for the summer to Paris to stay with her estranged dad and her six-year-old brother, Alastair, who is on the autism spectrum. Charged with his care, Clara and Alastair set out to explore the city. Paris teaches Clara about first love and gives her a new love of food. And Alastair teaches Clara about patience, trust and the beauty of loving without judgment.

First Impressions

As a speech pathologist, I work with children who are on the Autism spectrum. I am often a bit critical of books that have children who are on the spectrum as they follow a lot of clichés and not necessarily truthful behaviors. However, the cover and the summary of this book caught my eye. In the summer I love to read books that take place elsewhere and this seemed like a unique twist.

What I thought

When Clara, the daughter of a prima ballerina, is accused of having an eating disorder, her mother decides that it might be good for her to spend in the summer in Paris with his wife and son (her half-brother). While neither Clara nor her mom think that she truly has a disorder, her mom is worried that she isn’t being a good parent and feels like since she has never truly spent time with her father or his family, that this would be a good time to do so. Alastair, Clara’s 6 year old half-brother, is also on the Autism spectrum.

This book was a truly enjoyable and easy read. Like, finished in a few hours easy read. I didn’t realize when I picked up this book that there were going to be ties to dancing and eating disorders as well as the Autism connections. As a dancer, I always connect easily with dance story lines, but I haven’t read a book with a character whose mother is a dancer but they personally do not dance. It was a very interesting dynamic.

At the beginning of the book, I was a bit worried Clara was going to be a terrible person. She has a bit of an attitude and it very concerned about social status as well as what she looks like and what she eats. However, as the book continues you learn that she is a good person at her core, but that she just has an illness that has a strong hold over her. I always feel like characters who get the opportunity to go to a different country for the summer and are angry about it are spoiled (I would have jumped at the chance) but Clara doesn’t take any of that attitude, and while she is a bit reluctant at first, she immediately embraces the experience which is great.

I also truly appreciated that they didn’t claim that Alastair had Autism. They referred to him as only being “on the spectrum” and also as not having a neurotypical brain. Part of the reason I appreciated this is because there is such a wide range of personalities and behaviors that truly are on the spectrum that never get mentioned. It is only ever the extremes. There are a lot of children who don’t have an official diagnosis of “Autism” but still exhibit Autism like behaviors, hence the “spectrum”. The character of Alastair was an absolute delight and I loved every scene that he was in.

Truthfully, I wish this book was longer. I feel like it only just started to scratch the surface of Clara dealing with her disorder as well as finding herself. I would love to read a sequel to this book and find out how Clara is dealing, especially once she goes back home to her mom. There is also a little bit of romance, but it’s not a central story line.

This book is delightful. Every character has realistic flaws, but they are dealt with and accepted and understood. Nothing is ignored in this book and I really appreciated that. I also enjoyed that it discussed some of the difficulties of having a child who is on the spectrum. There were a few moments where Clara observed that it must be hard to be a mom or dad of a child like Alastair, and I loved those little moments. If you enjoy books about self-discovery, you should pick up this book. While it deals with serious topics, it does it in such a light way that you just enjoy and learn from the whole experience. I look forward to reading more by Gold, and I really hope this isn’t the last we see of Clara and Alastair.