April Reads

 A few days late, but my April reading included several "fun" reads, a few memoirs I could not put down, and one book I did not finish.

Shoulder Season, by: Christina Clancy

I was so excited to get this advance reader copy from St. Martins Press - this books comes out on July 6th. I loved the other book I've read by this author, partly because she includes locations from the state I grew up in. I really wanted to read this book because it is situated in Lake Geneva, WI and revolves around the Playboy Club that was there. Set in the early 80's, the main character Sherri loses her parents within years of each other. Feeling lost, she unexpectedly finds a feeling of belonging when she becomes a "bunny". Mesmerized by the fast paced lifestyle of sex, drugs, and popularity she soon finds herself in love. But tragedy strikes and it will haunt her for the rest of her life. I really enjoyed this and found the details of the club fascinating - the rules in place that you wouldn't expect...... the fact that it was a family friendly place. Interesting!

 

Cheat Day, by: Liv Stratman

Thank you to Scribner for this advance copy - this book comes out on May 25th. Kit and David have been married for 12 years and live in Brooklyn. David has a successful career, but Kit feels stuck managing her sister's bakery. She is always trying the next best fad diet, and David goes along with the crazy eating habits to support her. Feeling stuck, a new carpenter hired to renovate part of the bakery peaks Kit's interest. They fall into a passionate affair as her marriage hits rock bottom. Her sister eventually uncovers her secret, and Kit is relieved to have a confidant and debates on telling David. In the end, they both decide to work on their marriage (she does not tell him - at least not now). This ending was interesting because the couple was happy again, but their view of marriage changed in the sense that they knew it might not be forever and that they had to work at it and both want to be in it. The title of this book played on both the infidelity as well as diet culture. I liked this because it was different, honest and real.

 

Been There, Married That, by: Gigi Levangie

 I received this copy from St. Martins Press, but didn't read it until now. This book follows the divorce of writer Agnes whose famous director husband wants a divorce. I'm not sure why I finished this book, as it was so seeped in Hollywood lingo and oddness that I could not relate. I guess I was interested to find out what happened to the somewhat normal main character as she navigated her way through this toxic society. It confirmed for me even more why I dislike Hollywood and the fantasy lives they live.

High Achiever, by: Tiffany Jenkins

My friend gave me this book and I was anxious to read it. Being a fan of her videos on Juggling the Jenkins, this is a wonderful story of overcoming addiction. Tiffany was living a "double life" as she dated a cop but was deep into opioids and dangerous drug deals. Eventually charged with 20 felonies, she spent 120 days in jail and then went into rehab. Now, married with kids and a successful social media platform, she is absolutely hilarious (mostly because everything she puts out there is so completely relatable about motherhood and womanhood). I love reading success stories like this and can't even begin to imagine going through something like this. I believe she is writing another book which I would certainly read!

Love Warrior, by: Glennon Doyle

My friend gave me this book also, and after reading the life changing "Untamed" last year I knew I'd enjoy more from Glennon. This book was written before "Untamed", and since I already knew what happened with her relationships there I hoped I would still get something out of this. I sure did!!! Here Glennon details more of her childhood, eating disorder and other addictions. How she met her husband and how they got married because she was pregnant. How, after 2 more kids, she found out he was unfaithful. At that point, she poured all of her energy into working on herself knowing that it was something she needed to do. She got out of her comfort zone and tried things as simple as a breathing class and watching sunsets, to the heavier things like therapy. Her husband worked on himself too and they both decided after some time to stay married at this point. There is so much more depth here that I connected with that you would have to read the book to understand. Like "Untamed", this is one you underline and keep to refer back to! There are a lot of people these days putting out "self help" books, you just need to find one that you connect with and pick and choose the parts that you need.

 

Valentine, by: Elizabeth Wetmore

I picked up this copy from my local used book store. I had high hopes for this book, but I stopped reading in about three fourths of the way through. I guess I kept hoping it would get better. The setting is the oil boom in Texas in the 70's. A 14 year old girl is found assaulted and barely alive. As I awaited reading about the trail, I was introduced to character after character that did not interest me. I'm not sure how they all fit together at the end, but too many unnecessary details that took away from the important theme. Disappointing.