Smothered

By: Autumn Chiklis
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 288

Amazon Barnes & Noble

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): Eloise “Lou” Hansen is graduating from Columbia University summa cum laude, and she's ready to conquer the world. Just a few minor problems: she has no job, no prospects, and she’s moving back into her childhood bedroom. Lou is grimly determined to stick to a rigorous schedule to get a job and get out of her parents’ house. Shelly “Mama Shell” Hansen, on the other hand, is ecstatic, and just as determined to keep her at home. Who else will help her hide her latest binge-shopping purchases from her husband, go to SoulCycle with her, and hold her hand during Botox shots?

Smothered is a hilarious roman à clef told via journal entries, text messages, emails, bills, receipts, tweets, doctor’s prescriptions, job applications and rejections, parking tickets, and pug pictures, chronicling the year that Lou moves back home after college. Told from Lou’s point-of-view, Smothered tells the story of two young(ish) women, just trying to get it right, and learning that just because we all grow up doesn’t mean we necessarily have to grow old. (After all, what is Juvaderm for?)

First Impressions

The cover and title were what initially caught my eye. When I read that it was a story about a girl graduating college and moving back home, I knew I needed to read this book. I think I’ve noticed that I’m a big fan of cartoon people on covers since they definitely catch my eye.

What I thought

Eloise (Lou) has just graduated from Columbia University. She has no idea what she wants to do and does not have a job lined up, so she moves back home. She comes up with a lit of rules and goals for moving back home and is hoping to only be there for 9 months max. Lou also has a boyfriend she’s hiding from her mother, a mother who is shallow and a bit abrasive, and a childhood frenemy who has also just moved home.

Smothered is told in a series of diary entries, emails, texts, and various other random items such as bills or police reports. The format of this book did allow for it to move quickly, but it also meant that it’s not exactly a plot driven novel. This story is very character centric and I found that to be both a good and bad thing. I didn’t mind Lou. I felt she read very much like a 22 year old new college graduate. I think I would have enjoyed this book a bit more at that point in my life. Unfortunately, as I’m definitely a few years post-college graduation, I didn’t fully connect with her.

Lou’s mother on the other hand is clinically insane. She is quite the handful. She is the type of woman who spends $6,000 on one trip to Barneys, tried every fad diet, and registered her terrorist pugs online as service dogs so she could bring them to a hotel. I completely understand why Lou would be terrified to tell her mother about her boyfriend. Theo is easily the best person in this story. He’s the only normal one and has a good head on his shoulders. I was a bit disappointed when Theo finally met Lou’s family. I had expected something a bit more.

The writing style was good, especially for a debut novel. I look forward to more books by Chiklis as she continues to find her voice and style. At times is got a bit wordy for me and I did find myself skimming, but there were a lot of solid moments. I do think Lou could have been given a bit more to do, as I find that walking away from this story I’m more likely to remember her mother than I am to remember her.

If you are graduating soon or are a recent graduate, I think this book will speak to you. It’s a good story and is one of the few that addresses this part of an adult’s life. I think that it is a relatable story, even if the characters are a bit of a parody of themselves. I’m sure everyone will find someone or something to relate to in this story.

Surviving Adam Meade

By: Shannon Klare
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Pages: 256

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Seventeen-year-old Claire Collins has a plan: get into college and leave North Carolina behind. What she doesn’t have is an idea for how to get rid of the local football star and womanizer extraordinaire — Adam Meade, who she can’t even avoid (despite many efforts), because Claire’s dad is the high school football coach.

Seventeen-year-old Adam Meade never fails. He always gets what he wants… until he meets Claire, the new girl who leaves him unnerved, pissed off, and confused. But there’s something about her that he just can’t resist…

First Impressions

If there was ever a book written specifically for me, it would be this one. When I first saw the book it was described as being targeted towards fans of Friday Night Lights and I am a huge football fan. The cover also called to me strongly. The colors are perfect and it makes me want to crawl inside of it and live there.

What I thought

This book was everything I wanted it to be.

Claire Collins has just moved to a new school at the beginning of her senior year. Her dad is the football coach and all she wants to do is keep her head down, finish the year, and get into Auburn. Adam Meade is the star quarterback with a chip on his shoulder. He is used to getting everything and everyone he wants. When Claire is the first girl who doesn’t fall for him, he isn’t quite sure how to handle her.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you will know that my favorite romance trope is hate to love. Combine that with my love for football and you have the ingredients for my perfect novel. Now, that means this book already had a lot to live up to based on its premise alone and I have to say, Klare did a great job.

Claire is a strong female lead. She has a good relationship with her family, has lived through heartbreak, doesn’t take any shit from anyone, and knows exactly what she wants in life. Adam is the stereotypical arrogant high school quarterback who doesn’t know what to do when someone doesn’t like him. He does have two great friends, Riley and Tate, who make him more likeable. I enjoyed the banter that Claire had with her family and with Adam. It was a bit Gilmore Girl’s-esque in that she always had the perfect response.

I appreciated that there was dimension to the story with some drama in both of their pasts’. However, Adam mentions multiple times living with his Grandma and Claire takes a long time to ask him about where his parents are and why he lives with his Grandma. It seemed to me like something she would’ve been curious out a little earlier.

From what I could tell, the football side of the story was also realistic. One of my friends is often reading stories that revolve around baseball and we often discuss how frustrating it can be when the author appears to have not done any research by making obvious mistakes. It can really disrupt a book, but I didn’t find that in this story at all.

The relationships were all wonderful. I loved that Riley is a head cheerleader and is also the sweetest person. It was nice to divert from the stereotype of her being a bitch. I also loved Adam’s friend, and Riley’s boyfriend, Tate. He seemed like a little bit of a dofus at times, but very sweet. In addition to have genuine friendships, Claire’s relationships with her parents and brother were wonderful to read. Besides the animosity between Adam and Claire, everyone else got along and it balanced everything nicely.

While this book isn’t earth shattering, it is an enjoyable and fun book. I flew through it in 24 hours and enjoyed every minute of it. I would gladly read a sequel because I enjoyed both of the characters and their relationship. If you are a contemporary YA fan, I highly recommend checking out this book. It’s fun and brings you right back into the world of high school.

Lost Carousel of Provence

By: Juliet Blackwell
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368

Amazon Barnes & Noble

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

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Present day, San Francisco. During her free time, professional photographer Cady Drake shoots local carousels, a hobby inspired by a gift that transformed her childhood: a wooden rabbit supposedly created by master French carver Gustave Bayol a century ago. And when she's offered a freelance assignment for a book on the antique merry-go-rounds of Paris, Cady can't refuse the opportunity to visit the famous carousels for the first time....

1900s, France. In a small town outside of Avignon, a husband and young wife struggle to keep up their ancestral chateau--and start the family they so desperately desire. For the children they hope to have, the Clements hire the famous Bayol to build a carousel, but as the carver and his apprentice work on the beautiful and whimsical creation, fate will entwine them all in unseen ways--for generations to come...

Present day, Provence. As Cady's research leads her to the dilapidated Chateau Clement and its fabled carousel that was lost to the ravages of World War II, she will uncover a shocking truth in a set of one-hundred-year-old photographs that could guide her in reuniting a family torn apart by petty jealousies over several generations.

First Impressions

The cover looks so magical and enticing and the summary sounded magical too. I read and enjoyed Blackwell’s previous novel, Letters from Paris, so I thought this one would be interesting too.

What I thought

Cady has just lost the closest thing to family that she has ever known. While stuck in her grief, she discovers a box hidden within an antique carousel animal that she was given. Her best friend Olivia, suggests going to France to learn more about what she found and also to photograph carousels across France. While in Paris, Cady discovers more than just the carousels that brought her there.

Similar to Blackwell’s previous novel, this story alternates between the past and the present. It’s a little confusing at first because the first chapter is from 1900 and the perspective of Josephine, then it goes to the present with Cady, then it goes to Yves in 1900, and then back to Cady, and then finally it starts to alternate consistently between Maelle in 1900, Fabrice in the 1940s and Cady in the present (with occasional flashbacks to her past). It’s definitely the type of story where you have to pay attention to the date and name at the beginning of each chapter. It took a little while for me to get into because it was hard to keep the story straight, but eventually it found its groove.

I found Cady’s character to be very interesting. She is an orphan who grew up in the foster system until she was taken in as a teenager by an older woman who owned an antique shop. She isn’t good with people and keeps to herself, but she wants to have relationships and a family. She’s self-aware and I appreciated that. I think she’s one of my favorite characters that I’ve read in a long time.

The story itself moves a bit slowly, and like I mentioned, the format makes it a little hard to get into. I didn’t find myself sucked in until about halfway through. Fabrice in the present, as a grumpy old man, is a fun character and I wish we had gotten a little more of him. Jean-Paul confused me a lot. He seemed like a good guy, but then Cady kept making comments questioning his character so then I found myself holding back from liking him.

I also enjoyed the mystery of the history of the carousel and the Clement family. The dynamics of the small French town were fun and I was completely sucked into the country life. Personally, I am not much of a Francophile, so I don’t know much about France or even have much of an interest in it. However, Blackwell really drew me in. I also liked that there was consistency throughout the novel about Cady speaking French. I know it sounds silly, but when I read a book in English that’s taking place in a country whose language is not English, it always bothers me a little. I greatly appreciated that Blackwell consistently acknowledged that Cady was speaking French and even threw in some French phrases.

This was an enjoyable read that will pull you from your home to the French countryside. You will find yourself drawn into the history of the Clement family and learning more about carosuels and Frnech history than you’d ever thought you’d want to know. The characters are delightful and the overall story is unique and entertaining. The format can be a bit tough to get into, which is the biggest drawback for me, but overall, I liked the story. I would recommend it, but don’t see myself re-reading this in the future. I do think I enjoyed it more than Blackwell’s previous knowledge and look forward to reading more of her stories.

The Boy at the Door

By: Alex Dahl
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368

Amazon Barnes & Noble

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

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): This riveting psychological suspense debut by Alex Dahl asks the question, "how far would you go to hold on to what you have?"

Cecilia Wilborg has it all--a loving husband, two beautiful daughters, and a gorgeous home in an affluent Norwegian suburb. And she works hard to keep it all together. Too hard...

There is no room for mistakes in her life. Even taking home a little boy whose parents forgot to pick him up at the pool can put a crimp in Cecilia's carefully planned schedule. Especially when she arrives at the address she was given
and finds an empty, abandoned house...

There's nothing for Cecilia to do but to take the boy home with her, never realizing that soon his quiet presence and knowing eyes will trigger unwelcome memories from her past--and unravel her meticulously crafted life...

First Impressions

Honestly, I’ve been a bit burned out on psychological thrillers lately, so I wasn’t drawn to this book at first. The cover isn’t great and didn’t catch my eye and the title is a bit bland. However, the summary sounded interesting and I have always found that Scandinavian mysteries are enjoyable, so I decided to give it a chance.

What I thought

When Cecelia is asked to take home a boy left behind at the swimming pool, her life changes. The boy ties to secrets from her past that she has spent years hiding to create the perfect life.

I always forget just how hard it is to review thrillers without giving anything away. I’ll try to focus more on the characters and the writing than the story itself.

Cecelia is a bit of what has become the standard female protagonist of a psychological thriller. By that I mean, unlikeable, unreliable, and hiding a deep dark secret. I did appreciate that she had enough dimension to her that I sympathized with her throughout the story. Even though I didn’t like her and disagreed with a lot of her actions, I still found myself understanding why she was acting the way she did.

I wasn’t crazy about the writing style. I found it to move slow and then once it did start to pick up, the chapters would switch perspective. Most of the time the story was told from Cecelia’s perspective. Chapters from Tobias’s perspective (the young boy that was left behind at the pool) were randomly interspersed throughout the story. Then, there were also diary entries from Annika, the drug addict who was in charge of Tobias. While I found the diary entries interesting, I felt they were a bit long. I didn’t find that they added much to the story itself other than to create a reader connection with Annika. It felt a little bit like reading two stories at the same time. I enjoyed Annika’s story on its own, but found myself skimming parts of it to get back to the main story.

When I did get back to the main story, I didn’t find myself completely sucked in. It was relatively predictable with only small parts that surprised me. The surprises weren’t even ones that made me gasp, more like a small “huh.” Dahl did hold my interest in the story as I was curious how it was going to wrap up. I wouldn’t call this an edge of your seat thriller, but it was an interesting story.

Overall, it was a decent read. I have relatively high standards for thrillers, and I found this one to be average. I will say that I did appreciate that it didn’t follow the new trope of a huge twist 50% of the way through. It unraveled slowly with small surprises here and there and I appreciated that. I hated the ending though, just as a bit of a warning. I don’t think this book would come to the front of my mind when someone asks me for a review, but if someone asked me about it, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it.

All We Ever Wanted

By: Emily Giffin
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 334

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. More recently, her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their adored son has been accepted to Princeton. Yet sometimes the middle-class small-town girl in Nina wonders if she’s strayed from the person she once was.

Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. His road has been lonely, long, and hard, but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school.

Amid so much wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn’t always fit in—and her overprotective father doesn’t help—but in most ways, she’s a typical teenage girl, happy and thriving.

Then, one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. As the image spreads like wildfire, the Windsor community is instantly polarized, buzzing with controversy and assigning blame.

At the heart of the lies and scandal, Tom, Nina, and Lyla are forced together—all questioning their closest relationships, asking themselves who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning.

First Impressions

Oooo! A new Emily Giffin book!

What I thought

Majority of the time, I enjoy Giffin's novels, but I wasn't crazy about her last one. I was a little nervous to start this one, but the summary intrigued me and I'm glad I did!

Without going too much into the summary (as you can read it above), the best way that I can describe this book is if an author heard about the Stanford Rapist and became inspired to create a story around that type of person a privileged society. 

This is one of the first books this summer that I have found hard to put down. I was pulling for Nina, who seemed to finally realize that she did not like the world she lived in, my heart broke for Lyla and Tom who struggled with fitting into a world they didn't belong, and I was grossly curious about Nina's son Finch.

There are a lot of big issues tackled in this book; drinking, rape, child pornography, racism, classism, sexism, I could go on and on. I felt that Giffin did a nice job of balancing those issues. She made them seem serious but without making it so difficult I couldn't read it. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of moments where I felt uncomfortable. I don't think that a book should discuss those topics WITHOUT making you feel uncomfortable. But sometimes, I can't continue with those subjects because they are too harsh, and this book didn't make me feel that way.

I liked the way that the story switched between everyone's perspectives. It would have been easy to dislike Lyla and think she was a spoiled brat if the perspective had just been from Tom (when he was angry and dissappointed in her). Or even to think of her solely as a victim, if the story had only been told from Nina's perspective. Instead, it truly showed her (and the other characters) as a whole individual. There is never one side to any story, and I liked being able to read how every was impacted by what was going on.

If you enjoy books by Liane Moriarty, I think you would enjoy this one. It has a bit of a mystery vibe to it. Not as much as Moriarty's books, but it gave me that feel for some reason. I did find it different than Giffin's other novels, but her writing was extremely enjoyable and I flew through this story.

Book Club August 2018- Save the Date

The first book was my choice and I picked Save the Date by Morgan Matson. The second part will talk about our classic for the year.

By: Morgan Matson
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Schuster
Pages 432

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

What I thought

Morgan Matson is one of my favorite authors. When I saw that her newest novel was coming out at the beginning of June, and that July’s book was my choice, I knew that I had to pick her newest novel to share with my friends. Stephanie, one of the book club members, was the one to introduce me to Matson, so that made it even better.

Charlie’s sister Lennie is getting married. For the first time in a long time, Charlie’s whole family will be together and she can’t wait. Charlie is the youngest of her family, with three older brothers and her older sister Lennie. Danny, the eldest, is 29, and it goes all the way down to Charlie at 17. She is preparing to finish up her senior year of high school and coming to terms with her family selling their home. She loves her siblings and is excited to have everyone back in their family home together for the first time in years.

One of the things I love about Matson’s books is the relationships. She always has such wonderful parent/children relationships and it was fun to see the sibling dynamics in Save the Date.

Each sibling had such personality, and I would quickly read a book about each of them. Danny, the eldest, is Charlie’s favorite sibling and lives in California. Lennie is marrying Reynold who she met at Dartmouth and has been dating for about 1- years. JJ is a successful analyst for the Pittsburg Pirates, but is very immature (yet somehow maybe my favorite Grant sibling?). And then there is Mike. Mike hasn’t been home in a year and a half and hasn’t talked to his parents in as long. Charlie doesn’t want Mike to come home and is worried that if he does, he will cause drama.

Charlie’s mom is the author of a newspaper comic, Grant Central Station. I was an avid reader of Sunday comics, so I loved this storyline. The comic very much reminded me of For Better or For Worse. A family comic about siblings, parents, and a fun loving dog, who grew up in real time. I loved that Matson included a few comics within the book and honestly, I’d probably read a full book of them if they came out.

Grant Central Station has been running for years, but Charlie’s mom has finally decided to end it at the same time of selling the house. As a result, in addition to the wedding, the family is appearing on Good Morning America to discuss what it’s like to have their life mimicking comic come to an end.

Of course, in amongst the family drama is wedding drama. The wedding planner bails (sort of) at the last minute, leaving the family with a new planner and some left over screw-ups from the original. I loved the drama and thought it was so much fun.

The only part(s) that disappointed me in this novel was the romance and the friendship. While I appreciated that Matson went a bit different with this book by focusing on the sibling relationships, I usually love the romance and in this one it was kind of meh. Don’t get me wrong, I love the characters that had the romance, so it wasn’t that. It was just such a minor part of the story that I almost don’t even know why it was there? Also, Matson typically writes such amazing friendships, so I was a little disappointed by this one.

I enjoyed this book a lot, and it just continued to cement my love for Matson’s writing. However, it wasn’t one of my favorites and I find myself nervous that this is the one that will be some of my friends’ first introduction to her. I truly hope that they love her writing as much as I do and continue to want to read her in the future!!

What Book Club Thought

The fun part about this month's book club is that 3 of the girls had not finished the book before we went p to the cabin, so it was as though we were all reading it together. We were able to talk about certain parts that were funny as it was being read. It was amusing to hear someone's reaction to a scene and then find out what that scene was.

Everyone enjoyed the book for the most part. People were annoyed by Charlie and her family, but everyone loved JJ! Overall, it was a really fun book to read and talk about.

Four Funerals and Maybe A Wedding (Her Royal Spyness #12)

By: Rhys Bowen
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 304

Amazon Barnes & Noble

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

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Georgie is finally able to plan for her wedding in the summer. It is going to be a summer of weddings: her mother is marrying Max, her German beau; Georgie's grandfather is marrying his next door neighbor, Mrs. Huggins; and Darcy's father is getting up the courage to ask the princess to marry him. Georgie is staying at the princess's London house when she receives a letter from one of her mother's former husbands, Sir Hubert Anstruther. Georgie is now his sole heir, and he's offering her the use of his lovely country house. He suggests she move in right away to keep an eye on the place because all might not be well since his butler died.

Georgie talks this through with her husband-to-be, Darcy, who is off to Europe again, this time to Berlin. They decide that she will take Sir Hubert up on his offer. However, when Georgie arrives, it becomes clear that she is definitely not wanted in the house. Strange things are happening, including a lively ghost and a less than friendly reception from the new butler. When a body shows up, Georgie realizes that Sir Hubert's invitation may not have been entirely altruistic and begins to wonder if she'll even make it to her wedding day.

First Impressions

I have seen the cover for previous books in this series and always thought it looked cute. I like the cartoon-y look of it. It’s appealing and looks like a fun, light read. I was a little worried about starting with the 12th book of a series, but hoped that it was the type of series that you didn’t need much background with.

What I thought

This book was a lot of fun to read! Even though it took me a week to read, it felt like I flew through it.

Georgina is a daughter of a Duke and is connected to British royalty. In this novel, she is about a month away from marrying her fiancé Darcy. Her mother is also about to marry her German boyfriend Max, and her Grandfather is about to marry a woman as well. Before getting married, Darcy and Georgina need to find a place to live. Since Georgina is renouncing her title and tie to royalty and (I assume) because she is a woman, she doesn’t have much money. Darcy completes some secret work and also doesn’t make much money, meaning they are struggling to find a suitable place to live that isn’t Darcy’s family’s old castle. Georgina receives a letter from her stepfather that he would like to give his home to Darcy and Georgina as a wedding present (he will still live there in a wing). He also mentions that he has felt something has been off at his home while he has been away (he has been traveling the world for years) and would like her to look into it. When she arrives, she definitely sense something is amiss and works to figure out what.

I know that’s a bit of a long summary, but there is a lot going on. I didn’t even get into the whole family/royalty portion of the book. I will just say that there was a lot of aristocracy in this novel and British monarchy tie-in and I greatly enjoyed it. I feel like when books have British royalty they don’t often name the actual monarchs (with the exception of historical fiction), but I liked that they did.

Coming into this series in the middle was a lot easier than I thought. I’m sure there are some storylines that would make more sense to me (more nuanced maybe?) if I had read the other novels, but it works pretty well as a standalone. Georgina wasn’t trying to solve a previous mystery, and everything was wrapped up in the end.

I also appreciated that Georgina was smart, but not unbelievable smart. She was a strong woman for the time that she lives in as well. There wasn’t much of Darcy, so I can’t say much about him, but I did love her mother. She was a character and she cracked me up.

The mystery aspect of the novel isn’t anything ground breaking. I will say it was nice to read a mystery that was on the lighter side of things and not a thriller. I’ve read a lot of heavy intense mysteries/thrillers, and this book goes back to the style of old mystery novels. It moved at a great pace and I was interested the entire time.

If you enjoy light mystery novels, I would recommend checking this out. It is a fun story with fun and enjoyable characters. Even if you haven’t read the other novels in the series, you could easily check this one out. I’m not drawn to re-read it or to start the series from the beginning, but I would be happy to read the books that come out in the future.

Kiss the Girl

By: Tara Sivec
Published Year: 2018
Pages: 308
Publisher: Swerve

Amazon Barnes & Noble

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): A struggling antiques collector finds herself falling in love with a millionaire playboy; but can she ever be a part of his world?

Meet the Naughty Princess Club, a series from USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec that brings readers to Fairytale Lane and the hilarity—and romance—that three women fall into once they decide to strut their stuff and bring on their own happily ever after.

While her friends have broken free of their insecurities, Ariel Waters is struggling to come out of her shell. Her ex-husband took away her voice and her self-confidence, and Ariel is drowning under a sea of debt to afford the alimony she has to pay him. She refuses to ever fall for a man’s charms again, and is determined to make her own way.

When her house and her beloved antiques are taken by the bank after too many missed payments, Ariel finds herself adrift until the infuriatingly charming Eric Sailor comes to her rescue. Although she can’t stand the millionaire playboy, Eric’s kindness and unconditional support reveal hidden depths and a love that Ariel never imagined she could find.

But there are outside influences who will stop at nothing to keep them apart; can Ariel and Eric weather the storm and find a way to be together?

First Impressions

I’m a bit of a sucker for Disney Princesses, so this cover and title appealed to me immediately. Ariel isn’t y favorite Disney Princess, but I was willing to overlook that. When I read the summary and saw it was a part of the Naughty Princess Club Series, I knew it would be the perfect book to read on my upcoming girl’s trip.

What I thought

This is the first romance novel that I have reviewed on my blog. I don’t often read romance novels, but I do specifically enjoy them when it’s summer and I’m on vacation. The best part about romance novels is that they’re cheesy and relatively predictable. When I start a romance novel, I expect that and it’s typically the reason I seek them out. I will warn that this book does get a bit steamy, so if you’re not into that, you will not enjoy this book.

This is the third book in a series, and I have not read the previous two. What I appreciated in this book was the recap at the beginning. I felt like it was done in a way that was helpful to people who haven’t read the previous books but that wouldn’t be annoying to people who have read the other books in the series.

Ariel is the third princess in the Naughty Princess Club. She and her best friends, Cindy and Belle, have created an at home princess stripping service. In the previous two novels, Cindy and Belle have found their confidence as well as the loves of their lives, so in this novel it’s Ariel’s turn. In addition to finding love and confidence, she is working on making their business legitimate but applying for a business approval of some sort.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the humor. I read this while on my girl’s trip an found myself constantly laughing out loud and then reading the lines to them that made me giggle. Ariel’s love interest is (obviously) Eric. It starts out with Ariel hating him, but that hate turns quickly to lust and the to love. I do wish it had been a little bit more of a slow burn from the hate to the love part, but there could have been more build-up in the previous two novels.

As with most (all?) romance novels, there is a conflict that causes our protagonists to separate. This book’s conflict was a bit unexpected! While I don’t think I can say it was a complete surprise, there was a bit of a twist to it that I wasn’t expecting and I appreciated it a lot.

If you are a romance novel fan, I would recommend checking out this series. It has definitely convinced me to go back and read the other two. Like I mentioned before, it’s a romance novel so it follows a bit of a formula and is on the steamy side. But, this novel adds a sense of humor that I don’t often find in romance novels and I greatly appreciated it. I flew through it in under 24 hours and would gladly fly through it again!