It’s that time again. Book day!!! Let’s take a look at my books lately! After I got through the tragedy that was Exposure to a Billionaire, the book gods were kind to me and I had 4 really decent reads this month! I feel like I have something for everyone in at least one of these four books.
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
You guys!!! Why do I do this to myself? All books with dogs are sad. You know you are going to cry. You torture yourself anyways for the beautiful, unconditional love story and this book delivers. Perhaps it is the timing of me reading this book, as my Gracie is climbing up in age and I know that her time here with me is limited. This book gave me all the feels. I broke out sobbing several times. Without giving too much away, Ted notices an Octopus(tumor) on Lily’s (dog) head one day and this book is about the emotional ride from that point forward, with a few looks back in the past. One piece of advice, make sure you have your tissues handy!
Bottom Line: If you liked Marley and Me or Art of Racing in the Rain then I would say this book is for you. If you have an 11 and 1/2 year old dog who is suffering from old age **cough cough me cough cough** and you need someone to relate with, then this book is for you. If you are looking for a good sob fest, then this book is for you.
Rating: 4/5
** I received an advanced copy of Lily and the Octopus from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**
Silver Bay by JoJo Moyes
This one started out a little slow for me, but once I got a few chapters in I was hooked! Don’t go expecting this book to be Me Before You, because it is not. And it isn’t fair to compare all of Moyes books to that one. This is still a great read. This is a slow building story that takes place in a sleepy seaside town in Australia. I really loved the characters and how they weren’t perfect. The book focuses around the locals love for marine life, in particular the whales and dolphins. The book is read in several points of view. I listened to it via Audible where the voices changed for each character so I had no problem keeping up but if you were reading it, you may take issue with it.
Bottom Line: I think this would make a great beach read. Or if you love marine life! I would consider it your typical chit lit with a little love, a little drama, a little predictable.
Rating: 4/5
Fooling Around by Noelle Adams
This was a really cute love story that I can only describe as a romance version of Me Before You. I really enjoyed the characters and the story and it left me feeling happy. It isn’t profound or my blowing by any means, but I enjoyed it enough that I read it in two sittings. I rarely ever do that with a book.
Bottom Line:If you like cute love stories, this is a good one.
Rating: 3.75 or 4/5
** I received an advanced copy of Fooling Around from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**
Mug Shot by Caroline Fardig
This is the second book in the Java Jive series and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. This series reminds me a bit of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. This book is set in Nashville and you have the resourceful heroine, the quirky set of friends, a little love triangle, and a fun plot to keep you interested the whole way through. Also, after reading this book I have officially picked up a new southern phrase that I can’t quit!!! Don’t be alarmed if you hear me exclaim “CHEESE AND CRACKERS!!!!” Next time something crazy happens.
Bottom Line: If you enjoy cozy mysteries, I would certainly give this series a try! If your are a Janet Evanovich fan, jump on this series! It is a mystery but it has some cute and funny peppered in.
Rating: 4/5
** I received an advanced copy of Mug Shot from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**
Other books I read this month:
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
Exposure to a Billionaire by Ann Menke
Plated by Elana Karp and Suzanne Dumaine
What I am reading now:
That Darkness by Lisa Black
Linking up with Steph and Jana. Have you read anything good lately?
28 Comments
I’ve only read Me Before You, but I completely agree…you can’t compare all books by an author to their most popular one. I feel that way about Markus Zusak who wrote The Book Thief. He wrote another book too that is COMPLETELY different, but it still has some powerful messages and storytelling. I added Silver Bay to my never-ending to read list 🙂
I like Moyes so I’ll add that to my list.
I don’t think I can do Lily.
not a fan of Moyes; i tried reading the other 2 popular books but i couldn’t get into them.
as for pet books, MAKES ME CRY. Marley and Me made me ugly cry IN PUBLIC (on the train to work) and people were looking at me like i was insane LOL
Hahaha at cheese and crackers!! also, one day i’ll hop back on the reading train. not sure when, but someday. 🙂
Silver Bay is on my list I wanted to read another Moyes book but haven’t got around to it.
I added the first book in the series before Mug Shot, I love Stephanie Plum so I’ll give this a try!
Omg, that first one! Nope, nope, nope. Stories about animals made me cry even before I was a pet owner. Now I’m sure I’d be a bawling wreck. I love the cover on Mug Shot!
Mug Shot looks really good, and I totally know what you mean about doggy books. Roxy is starting to get older, but I can’t help myself when reading these books. I need to stop!
I have been seeing alot of buzz about Lily & the Octopus- I may have to add it to my list!
Is that a new one from JoJo Moyes or an old one I’ve missed?
I NEVER EVER NEVER EVER read a book or watch a movie about a dog. EVER … NEVER.
Oh girl, you always have the best book lists and anything by JoJo Moyes, I know it’s going to be pretty darn good! I’m so excited to finally start reading again after all this graduation stuff is dying down. I hope you have a terrific Tuesday and it goes fast!!
i know we already talked about the dog book, i will try and read it before my puppy at home gets too old, lol. i haven’t read that Moyes, i will have to give it a go, especially since it’s set at home. fooling around sounds super cute!
You always give me great book ideas and I love your reviews!
It’s interesting that your lead photograph is the picture of the cover of Lily and the Octopus because an advertisement for that book popped up on my Goodread’s newsfeed this morning and I was instantly intrigued. It’s nice to hear someone’s thoughts on it in such a timely manner. I don’t typically knowingly read books that make me cry, but every once in a while I’ll indulge my inner weeper. We shall see. Have a good one!
Never read a book with a dog because normally I don’t enjoy sobfests, however I definitely won’t be picking up this particular one because my dog passed away due to a brain tumor and I just can’t. I didn’t realize “Cheese and crackers” was a Southern phrase, but I say that all the time! Mug Shot sounds like a fun one that I (now sadly) didn’t request because I thought it would be too fluffy, but now I really want to read it! Looks like you read some great ones this month!
I love the Lily & the Octopus cover, but I couldn’t even read your entire review because it was making me way too sad. I definitely want to read Silver Bay, it sounds like it’s on more of the same page as Ship of Brides as far as being different from Me Before you or One Plus One.
Love JoJo Moyes but I’ve never read Silver Bay, adding it to my list! And OMG I will not be able to read Lily and the Octopus, especially bc the cover seems like it’s about a dachshund!
Lily and the Octopus is on my TBR and I’m glad you read it because I was wondering how sad it was going to be. I lost my beloved cat three years ago to kidney disease and I’m still not over it. This sounds good but I will definitely be a mess through out it. Mug Shot sounds like a nice, fun read. Adding it to my TBR.
I’ll put Silver Bay on my list. I like Moyes.
Mug Shot sounds like a cute read!
I can’t read animal books at all, especially those that involve dogs. I bawled my eyes out during Marley & Me and then I stupidly saw the movie. They just always end up so sad! All of the other books that you read sound so good! I love reading books about places that I’ve visited before, so Mug Shot sounds really cute!
I love/hate torturing myself with books about dogs. I read A Dog’s Purpose and it WRECKED ME. But I absolutely loved it. However…I cried multiple times. Not just at the ending. Probably at least five times throughout. You’ll know why if you do end up reading it or if you already have. I also read another dog book that my SIL got me for Christmas…I forget the name, but it’s about the author’s Boston Terriers. Anyway, our family dog passed away right around Christmas that year and reading that book so soon after that was devastating. Okay I’ll stop being depressing now.
I also just went and added the rest of Jojo Moyes’s books that aren’t already on my TBR to it. Because why not. Ha!
Nope, nope, nope, no sad dog books. All I can think of is the sad dog movie of 2014 which made me sob like I was seeing my own dogs. It was some movie in the Arctic with Paul Walker.. I don’t know, I couldn’t finish it, but I stay away from sad animal stories. I think I did read Marley & Me, though, which didn’t do too much damage.
I don’t know if I could do Lily and the Octopus. My childhood dog died when I was 20 (I’m 31 now), and I STILL get teary-eyed thinking and talking about her. She lived a long (15 years!) and happy life, but it’s still sad. Maybe one day I can read something like this, but I’m still not there.
I read (but didn’t have time to comment on) a bunch of the reviews for Exposure to a Billionaire, and YIKES.
Mug Shot sounds good. I love mysteries!
Mug Shot sounds like the perfect beach read – those are my favorite types of vacation books! I need to buckle down and read as much as you… I have read two books this month, though! 🙂
Mug shot sounds ride up my reading alley!! I added a bunch of stuff to my list! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
I still have not read any JoJo books. I do want to see that movie based on MBY and cry my eyes out!
Yeah I’m pretty sure it’s a rule of life that a book about/with a dog as a central character is going to make me cry. I can’t do it!
Silver Bay sounds good. And I have to be honest, I really enjoyed Me Before You but it didn’t have me hooked from the very beginning! I really liked One Plus One from the start though. I don’t think Jojo Moyes can really write a bad book honestly. I’ll check this one out!