A Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This endearing story is about unlikely friendships, strength of community, and how even the smallest acts of kindness can change someone's life.

A follow up to the delightful The Story of Arthur Truluv, Berg centralizes this novel around Lucille Howard, Arthur Moses' former neighbour/friend/roommate.  Lucille is an active eighty-eight-year-old former teacher that teaches banking classes out of her home, thanks to the inspiration from her recently departed dear friend, Arthur.  Her baking is groan-worthy and her classes have become so popular that she is forced to hire an assistant.  Iris is the newest resident of Mason, Missouri, and although she knows nothing about baking, she is a quick study and just what Lucille needs.  It also turns out that Lucille is just the distraction Iris needs to keep her mind off the life-altering decision she made that brought her to Mason.

A lovely young couple lives in Lucille's old house which is next door.  When faced with a tragedy, Lucille steps in to help look after the couple's son, Lincoln.  In a small town like Mason, the residents support their own and come together in the spirit of community. 

Night of Miracles is incredibly heartwarming.  Writing from multiple viewpoints, Berg pens characters that are charming despite their flaws.  She captures more of your heart on each page while weaving the plot into a beautiful and touching story.  The book is a quick and easy read that is whimsical and lighthearted, a feel-good book that was just what I needed.       

My only criticism was that Maddy wasn't as integral as she should/could have been.  Perhaps this was deliberate in that Berg was letting her evolve on her own, or maybe she held back a little on her storyline because Maddy will be the basis of another installment?  Wouldn't that be fantastic?! 

I've been asked if you need to read the first book first, or whether this book could function as a standalone book.  My answer is that I do think you should read The Story of Arthur Truluv first, not only because it is equally enjoyable, but it does give you more context so that this story doesn't come off as too simplistic because there is so much more to the recurring characters.

The book is a quick and easy read that is whimsical and lighthearted, a feel-good book that was just what I needed.  

My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie Kemper is a comedian and star of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and appeared on the US The Office series.  Her other written work includes writing for GQ, Esquire, The New York Times, McSweeney’s, and The Onion. In this collection of essays, Kemper delivers some funny bits about her journey from the suburbs to Hollywood, and becoming a full-fledged New Yorker.

My Squirrel Days is a heartfelt compilation with nods to nature, Kemper's upbringing, her career, her short stint in field hockey, and adulting.  And because we are all a bit celebrity obsessed, she carefully name drops a select few.

Let me preface this by saying I did enjoy parts of the book; Ellie is charming and you can't help but associate her with that infectious smile, but I feel like her life is not overly interesting.  The "Hysteric" essay was the worst in the collection (total and unnecessary filler).  That being said, it is a quick read—she is so likable and endearing.

My recommendation would be to listen to the audiobook rather than reading it because you would get to experience Kemper's fabulous personality and humour that was lost on the page.  

Girls' Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

A special thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For estranged friends Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren, it’s time to heal the old wounds between them. Where better to repair those severed ties than on a girls’ getaway to the beautiful paradise of Tulum, Mexico? But even after they’re reunited, no one is being completely honest about the past or the secrets they’re hiding. When Ashley disappears on their girls’ night out, Natalie and Lauren have to try to piece together their hazy memories to figure out what could have happened to her, while also reconciling their feelings of guilt over their last moments together.

Was Ashley with the man she’d met only days before? Did she pack up and leave? Was she kidnapped? Or worse—could Natalie or Lauren have snapped under the weight of her own lies?

As the clock ticks, hour by hour, Natalie and Lauren’s search rushes headlong into growing suspicion and dread. Maybe their secrets run deeper and more dangerous than one of them is willing—or too afraid—to admit.

Liz and Lisa, what a ride! This book was fantastic! The writing is layered, dynamic, and oh so clever. The character depictions are detailed and fierce and I was completely captivated by the timelines and narratives.  

What Fenton and Steinke do best is conversation. Did you not feel like you were on this trip too?  Beyond the story are deeper themes of secrets, complicated relationships (at what point is a friendship obligatory?) and mystery. The brilliant aspect of this book is the juxtaposition of complex friendships against a frantic search for a loved one. Female relationships are complex, but three is never an ideal number and this ratchets the tension even further. I would highly recommend this book.

LIZ FENTON & LISA STEINKE are the author team of five novels, including Girls' Night Out and the The Good Widow.

Liz and Lisa have been best friends for 30 years.

Indigo Presents: All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin

Photo credit: Girl Well Read.  Do not use without written permission.

New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin visited the Indigo Books & Music store at Sherway Gardens in Toronto to talk about her highly anticipated new novel All We Ever Wanted. The event was hosted by the lovely Afiya Francisco, one of Canada's leading style experts. (Afiya is an on-air personality, brand ambassador, and founder of TheStyleHouse.ca.) The energy in the room was palpable, everyone was super excited to see Emily and her daughter, Harriet, who was wearing the most adorable "Canada or Nowhere" shirt.     

Told from three points of view, Giffin's ninth novel is about two families with teenagers that attend the same elite private school. It involves an inappropriate photo of the female teen in a compromising position with a racist caption and what happens when the mother of the boy who is accused of sending the picture starts questioning her own moral standards. Emily tackles some incredibly weighty topics: sexism, racism, elitism. Of the story, she said that it is about "how one woman is forced to choose between her family and her values." The book makes one question just how far they would go in order to protect their children. 

Following the chat, there was a mini QA session. Emily is engaging, funny, and real. She posed for pictures, signed books, and chatted with her guests.  

Giffin continued her whirlwind Canadian stop on the All We Ever Wanted book tour with an appearance on Your Morning, The Social as a co-host, and eTalk where she sat down for a chat about the royal wedding with Ben Mulroney. Emily is always on royal watch—do you follow her on Instagram? Jessica, Ben Mulroney's wife, is one of Meghan Markle's best friends and also her stylist. The Mulroney children were in the wedding party: seven-year-old twins, Brian and John, were the pageboys and four-year-old sister, Ivy, was a bridesmaid. Giffin is also the mother of twin boys, so they had lots to chat about.

Emily, thank you for coming to Toronto and for signing my books!  I can't wait for your next novel and to see you when you visit us again. 

All We Ever Wanted

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 teenaged 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.

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EMILY GIFFIN is the author of eight internationally bestselling novels: Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You’re With, Heart of the Matter, Where We Belong, The One & Only, and First Comes Love.

A graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and three children.

Better in the Morning by Fern Ronay

A special thank you to the author, Fern Ronay, for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Veronica Buccino thinks the man of her dreams, John DelMonico, is going to propose and she can quit her soul-sucking job as a lawyer. When John says he has 'big news,' Veronica is certain he is going to ask her to marry him, but instead of John getting down on one knee, John's only proposal is for her to drop everything and move to London where he will be starting a new job. 

She is absolutely heartbroken as her visions of the perfect ring and the perfect wedding are shattered. There will be no happily ever after with John and she will be stuck in a job with an incredibly demanding boss. Being a lawyer sounded glamorous, but in fact it is anything but.  It's long hours, low pay, and little appreciation. Veronica is distracted by a high-profile case—the attempted murder of a doctor's wife.  Apparently the doctor was involved, yet the wife is standing by him. Veronica is fascinated with the case and it becomes her only escape from her mundane job.    

Feeling lost, Veronica starts dreaming of her deceased grandparents who offer her their wisdom and guidance to steer her in the right direction. At their suggestion, Veronica takes a class in news reporting and covers the high-profile conspiracy trial she's so interested in as her first assignment. She also starts dating an unlikely match in Syd Blackman after her friends insist she put herself out there.   

Just when her love life and career seem to be looking up, she is thrown for a huge loop that makes her start to doubt herself and question her recent choices.

Can I tell you how much I loved this book? This story was absolutely delightful! For those of you that regularly read my blog, you know that I don't like comparisons, but the writing is just as sharp and humourous as a Sophie Kinsella novel. Ronay strikes the right balance of lightheartedness and purpose, and quite simply captured my heart. There were so many little nuances that I adored (especially the pennies) and the supporting cast of characters were just as engaging as the main characters, which is no small feat. Admittedly, I was initially confused in the beginning with Veronica talking to her deceased grandparents (were they ghosts/was this a dream?) but once I got in the grove and realized what was going on, I came to really look forward to these exchanges—they were so endearing.

Congratulations, Fern, on this fab novel. I can't wait to read what you publish next!  

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FERN RONAY is the host of the podcast Signs from the Other Side. Better in the Morning is her fist novel.

Ronay has lived in NYC, Chicago, and now resides in Los Angeles with her husband, but she will always consider herself a Jersey girl.

Forbidden by Faith by Negeen Papehn

A special thank you to the author, Negeen Papehn, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sara's life would be easier if she married a man of her faith, but when it comes to matters of the heart, when has love ever been easy?

Raised by Iranian immigrants, Sara was raised to always respect her parents and their values.  She has always made decisions that her family has approved of, that is until she meets Maziar.  The two share an instant attraction and it seems like fate when she learns that he is also Iranian.

It's too good to be true—Sara is Muslim and Maziar is Jewish.

Despite their cultural and religious differences, Sara and Maziar fall in love, but their love comes at a high price because it comes at the expense of losing their families.

I was so thrilled when I heard from Negeen asking me to review her debut novel—the synopsis was intriguing and I loved the cultural twist on this love story.

Papehn's writing was engaging, while not being overly stylized or trite.  She captured the emotions and struggles of young love against the cultural constraints of differing religious backgrounds.

Sara is the daughter to traditional, albeit demanding, Persian parents, a student, and a girl trying to navigate through a relationship that challenges her upbringing.  She is also American and wants to fit it, but she also wants to stay true to her culture.  What I liked most was the growth of Sara over the course of the narrative.  She experiences tremendous progress to become her own person outside of her family.  

The prologue was unexpected and the perfect hook.  I look forward to the second book in this series.  Congratulations, Negeen, on this wonderful accomplishment.  Thank you for the honour of letting me review the book—I devoured it, it was a great summer read.

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NAGEEN PAPEHN is a graduate of USC dental school and divides her time between her patients and writing.

She was born and raised in southern California, where she currently lives with her husband and two boys.

The Husband Hour by Jamie Brenner

A special thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lauren Adelman marries her high school sweetheart, Rory Kincaid, and they seem to have it all.  They are good looking, popular, and Rory has signed with an NHL team.  Rory shocks everyone—most notably, Lauren—when he enlists in the U.S. Army.  When Rory is killed in combat, Lauren is left devastated and alone.  

Lauren is thrust into the public eye and escapes to her family's old beach house when she can hide and be on her own.  However, this summer she's not alone—her domineering mother and contentious sister have also taken up residence at the house.  To top it all off, Matt Brio, a documentarian has tracked her down and convinces her to meet with him.  Lauren is not ready for all of this.  Matt's hour meeting sets in motion a summer of surprises, revelations, and disruption.  She is forced to deal with her grief head on, understand the past, and look toward her future.

This book was utterly captivating.  And being a Canadian hockey mom, can I just say that Jamie Brenner did her homework.

Brenner pens characters that are rich and layered and certainly not without flaws.  There is almost a naive quality to the three main female characters in that they don't realize their worth, strength and resilience.  The supporting cast is just as integral to the story and propel the main characters to grow over the course of the narrative.

Whether it be through death, or mourning the loss of a relationship, the theme of grief is an essential part of the story. Brenner juxtaposes this grief against self-empowerment and this is particularly effective in the growth of her characters.

This is a story of relationships, love, loss, and self-discovery.  It is beautifully written and paced—the story unfolds in stages much like grief and was a thoroughly satisfying read.  This book would make an excellent book club choice.

JAMIE BRENNER studied literature at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Jamie moved to New York City where she started her career at HarperCollins Publishers, then later Barnes&Noble.com and Vogue.com before returning to books and becoming an author.

Her novel The Forever Summer is a national bestseller.

Jamie  lives in New York City with her husband and teenage daughters.