Books – February 2023

Coming at you with some more book reviews. A few of these are ARC copies and I put the date that they release so you have pre-order or library request information! Have you read any of these? What is your favorite book you have read so far this year?

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

I am trying to decide what all I want to say about this book. I love Friends, and Chandler is definitely my favorite character on the show. I knew when I saw this book come out that I wanted to listen to it on audio, as Matthew Perry is the narrator. I knew that he had problems with drugs and alcohol, but I guess I didn’t realize to what extent. My goodness. It is heartbreaking and tragic to hear about at the level of honesty that he shares. But I will say, the book comes off very….narcissistic? I guess that is the word I want to use. He had a hard childhood, his parents split very young, etc etc. I get that. However. He blames everyone for his problems and takes zero responsibility. It is like he wants to live his life as some kind of victim. He dates someone, uses, is afraid said person is going to leave him so he leaves her, complains that Jennifer Anniston wont date him, uses and repeat.

I don’t really find it helpful to judge and criticize here because I don’t really know what it is like to be an addict. But I feel like with all the rehab and therapy that he has been through, someone should have helped him accept some responsibility for his life and actions?

Another thing that bothered me about the book is the way it flows. Which is there isn’t one. It goes back and forth in time and it is just like a random stream from his brain. I wish it was edited better. At times I am lost as to what time frame we are in.

Bottom Line: If you are a fan of Friends and his movies, it is worth the read. Just be prepared for all flaws of the book, and his personality, to come with it.

The Christmas Wish by Lindsay Kelk

This is sort of reminds me of Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze, in that our leading lady experiences Christmas Day over and over like Groundhogs Day movie. Which is ironic, as I am reading it on Groundhogs Day. I actually enjoyed this way more than I thought I would when I first started. So if you pick this up, stick with it. Gwen grows so much as a character throughout the whole book and I just absolutely love the way it ends.

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received a copy of The Christmas Wish from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Releases July 11, 2023

It is no secret that I love Katherine Center books! This is no different. We meet Sadie, who has face blindness after a surgery. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult of a transition she had to make to be able to cope with this. I felt like Katherine did a great job getting into Sadie’s head on her feelings about it. We have a fabulous love triangle with Dr Addison and Joe. An evil stepsister, think Cinderella without all the cleaning. Throw in a sweet, elderly dog that has health problems and reminds me of my Mac…..and we get a story full of swoony romance, family drama, charming characters, and unique plot. While I totally guessed the main twist in the book, as I always tend to do with romcoms, it was quite the fun ride to get there. This book just makes me smile.

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received a copy of Hello Stranger from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.*

Off the Map by Trish Doller

Releases March 7, 2023

I didn’t realize that this was part of a series, and you definitely don’t need to read the first two to enjoy this…as I didn’t. I definitely want to go back and read the first two now! This goes a little deeper than your typical romcom, as Carla’s dad is suffering from dementia. I feel like the romance portion was a little fast on the attraction with Carla and Eamon, and so therefore their relationship doesn’t have quite as much depth as I would have liked. But their adventures were fun, and I found myself smiling often. I definitely understand Carla’s hesitation for a relationship. I really loved her friendship with Anna, and Stella, her stepmom. Overall, it was a great read.

I received an audio copy and really enjoyed the narrator. She was quite enjoyable to listen to, and did a great Irish accent….which added to the fun of the book.

Bottom Line: Read it.

**I received a copy of Off the Map from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Three Strikes and You’re Mine by R. S. Grey

Releases February 23, 2023

Another R. S. Grey book that I completely devoured in less than 24 hours! There is something about the way that she writes her characters that I absolutely love. We have Luke, a professional baseball player and single dad who is trying to find the right balance for his daughter Harper. Chloe, who is a pastry chef at a prestigious restaurant where her head chef boyfriend cheats on her and she finds herself in need of a change. And Harper, an adorable, outspoken six year old who has to be the coolest kid character in any book I have read.

This book is a swoon worthy, slow burn romance that I absolutely loved! I loved Chloe’s big family, Luke’s sister, and the general flow of the book. And the fact that on the last page, we see that Tate is going to get her own book this summer!!! Shut up! I cannot wait!

Bottom Line: Read it!

Game On by Elise Eliot

I am going to go in to some details that will be spoilers, so read with caution. I was excited to read this book because it takes place in the real estate world, where I have been my entire adult career in some form. So when I started getting into the day to day real estate office talk in here…I was less than thrilled. There is a lot of detail, and it isn’t at all how any office has been that I have worked in. While I have worked for some greedy, crappy bosses….it was different than this. Also, Millie makes a big deal about having to go to a rough property and talk to the residents there and she makes a comment like she might get shot and doesn’t feel safe. And she needs to lysol her shoes after being in some places before she gets into her car. That is pretty shitty. Just because someone comes from less, doesn’t make them a bad person. She also made a comment about her autistic kid along the lines of “I wish I was like him when I was younger and didn’t care about social norms and what people thought about me.” Really?? There are several distasteful comments throughout the book like this that really put me off from wanting to continue reading.

Other things that turned me off were the fact that Millie makes Colton out to be such a greedy and bad person, and she says she feels dirty taking money from certain deals…yet she continues to work there while she has her dental assistant schooling as back up and could have left and done something else. So she is no better than Colton, and just as greedy. In fact, we are constantly reminded that she is making more money than ever before.

And I am sorry, but this woman is 31 years old. If she couldn’t see the red flags with Jon not wanting to bring her to his place, meet her kids, etc. Than she is just an idiot. And her plan with her best friend to get back at Colton was pretty immature. I didn’t really find it all that funny.

Bottom Line: Pass. I was really excited about the plot being in the real estate industry and it had a uniqueness to it, it just wasn’t executed all that well.

Currently Reading

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus