1996 was the best and the worst summer of Maggie Dawes’ life. She is now a 50 something successful woman living in New York. She is at the end of her life, and she believes this will be her last Christmas. She spends it with the young assistant who helps her run her art gallery. She tells him about the summer of ‘96 and all the joys and heartbreak that came with it. Much like the Notebook, Sparks uses the ‘story within a story’ to tell this sweet tale. I loved the setting, the characters and story. Maggie stole my heart – along with Aunt Linda. I laughed, I cried, and it ended just how I wanted it to. Not all perfect with a bow on top, but sweet and sad and honest.

This book takes place before the ever popular It Ends With Us. In this book we hear Atlas’ side of the story. I know many people think we didn’t need this book, but I loved it! Unpopular opinion, but I like it better than the first book. I loved how sweet the book was, how you felt the friendship of the characters and how you learned some things from Atlas’ perspective you didn’t know when reading the first book. It wasn’t all about their love story, I also enjoyed seeing how Lily grew as a person, and as a mother. This book wrapped up the series for me just perfectly!

I read this book in one weekend – I couldn’t put it down. I am not a hockey fan so I wasn’t sure if I would like this book. But WOW – was I wrong. This book starts slow but pulls you into the lives of the characters. I loved the small town setting, I loved the people and the backdrop of hockey and high school. The relationships are rich and create a web that is difficult for the characters and the reader to get out of. This book moved me and I can’t wait to read the others in the collection.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? When Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan is asked this question she knows just what to say. But is that really what she wants? A dream shakes her and she begins to question what she wants, who she is and what she wants to do in life. The relationship between her and her best friend (Bells) was one of my favorites. I loved how much they cared about each other and I enjoyed learning about their childhood and how they grew up together. What happens to Bella is heartbreaking and what comes next might not be realistic, but it sure did make for a great story and a fantastic ending.

We meet 19 year old blue-skinned Cussie Carter the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry. The young woman is lonely and living alone with her Pa. She joins the Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and delivers books to the impoverished hill people. She befriends many along the way, and is accepting of all. Her life is hard and we are along for the ride as she experiences life in KY hills and it is NOT an easy one. I learned a lot about this time period, Blue People, and life in the hills.

Unlike other Colleen Hoover novels I have read, this one was not creepy or scary. But had a mystery all its own. Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and through relationships, and troubles of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist. This one had me surprised and I hope you are too!

Malibu Rising is the story of the Riva family—surfer siblings Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit, as well as their mother June and their father, the famous singer, Mick Riva. It takes place over the twenty-four hours leading up to Nina Riva’s infamous Riva Party, but it is also a culmination of generations of secrets and traumas. This book had everything I love; pop-culture, love and family…I really enjoyed this quick read and look forward to reading more of her work!

Set in the White House during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, the novel centers on the relationship between the “peculiarly constituted” Mrs. Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley, whose fine skill and reasonable rates earned the First Lady’s business and whose loyalty and kindness won her friendship. Based on a true story this book had me interested from the first pages. Socioeconomics, race, and politics all have a role; just like today.

Famous reclusive Hollywood movie star shares her life and claims she is ready to tell the truth. But why does she choose Monique Grant to write her story? No one knows – especially Monique. We learn about her 7 husbands, her career and a forbidden love. But understanding why she chooses Monique is an interesting twist that I loved learning along with Monique.

The Vanishing Half follows the lives of two twin girls, both light-skinned Black girls, who run away from home at the age of sixteen. Desiree marries a dark-skinned Black man and has a child, while Stella lives her life passing as white. The book tracks their lives across generations, as their lives branch away from each other and yet remain intertwined. It’s a story that explores the intricacies of identity, family and race in an interesting but thoughtful way.

The Four Winds is a deeply moving, powerful story about the strength and resilience of women and the bond between mother and daughter. We meet Elsa who will discover the best of herself in the worst of times in a a trip from Texas to California in 1934. I learned a lot about the “Dust Bowl”, Texas farmers, and how unions came to be. I truly enjoyed this family and the mother/daughter relationship had be weeping at the end.

A Spark of Light tells the stories of the lives of a group of people when a man enters an abortion center in Mississippi and begins shooting. The shooting develops into a hostage situation, and the hostage negotiator soon learns that his teen daughter is one of the hostages inside. This book makes you rethink everything you believe about this hot button topic. Very interesting as many stories and situations are shared in the book. The most interesting part of this book is that the story is told BACKWARDS. Amazing!

Set in a small Kentucky town in Depression-era America, the novel details the lives of five women who become traveling librarians, delivering books to the people of Kentucky. The story follows Alice Wright, a British woman, who moves after marrying the Kentucky native Bennett Van Cleve. You see the hardships woman faced during this time in history and have empathy for all that they are trying to do. The story of friendship between these 5 woman is truly endearing.

This is a sweet story where we follow two timelines that span 40 years. The modern day, the novel centers around Anthony, an aging man who has spent his life collecting lost things and mourning his long-deceased fiancée; and Laura, his secretary-turned-housekeeper, a middle-aged woman recovering from a bad divorce. In the 1970s, we follow Eunice, secretary and lifelong best friend of affable publisher Bomber, who can never return her romantic interest. Anthony leaves Laura all his worldly possessions and home, with one directive: that she continues his work of collecting discarded objects and do her best to return those items to their original owners.

Dawn is a death doula, and spends her life helping people make the final transition peacefully. But when the plane she’s on plummets, she finds herself thinking not of the perfect life she has, but the life she was forced to abandon fifteen years ago – when she left behind a career in Egyptology, and a man she loved. Join Dawn as she thinks about the path her life has taken and see which she chooses.

This is about all the woman who have inspired Melinda Gates along the way. You hear amazing stories of woman she has met in her work around the world, in business and her life (like her mom!) She shares stories of woman who have suffered horrible treatment to woman who inspired her with their spirit. This book educated me on the treatment of woman around the world and opened my eyes to what woman are capable of accomplishing.  

An honest memoir from the author about life, loss, love and the permission to set boundaries we all need.  This book had me laughing at funny stories she shared, and crying about the hard stuff alongside Glennon.  It also caused me to look at religion and love in a new light.