Crossing into Brooklyn by Mary Ann McGuigan- Reshelved Book

Hello readers!

As some of you who have read our reviews here before, you all should know that I am at my happiest when I'm reading a good YA book.

Even though we're a smaller blog, we do get asked to review books by some pretty awesome authors! (If that makes anyone uncomfortable, then you don't need to continue this post.  Just know that I'm being honest with my thoughts and feelings on this book!)

That being said... Mary Ann McGuigan reached out to us back in the fall, asking if we would be willing to read and review her latest novel Crossing into Brooklyn.

After three long months, I was finally able to sit and read (devour, really since I finished it in two days!)...

Crossing into Brooklyn tells the story of Morgan Lindstrum, a teenager who is about to discuss a hidden past that her mother has been hiding for decades.  Morgan is recently grieving the loss of her grandfather; when she discovers that there's a man behind this mystery she has uncovered.

I liked this book but writing this review got me wondering... Why didn't we hear about Morgan's uncle Michael more.  I think in a way, it would have been interesting to hear a little about his background history.

What we as readers do get to see, is how poverty affects people.  According to Mary Ann, she has chosen this topic to tackle in her other two novels.  It's a subject matter that hits close home to her. Working off of this subject, McGuigan took an approach that was different then her other two novels.  According to McGuigan, "This is the first time I've explored what that frightening, uncompromising landscape feels like to an outsider, someone who has not experienced poverty". 

This is something that the reader can see within the story line.  Morgan is naive in thinking that if Sarah's mother were to sign Terrance as an artist, that he would be able to move out of the ghetto. She doesn't understand why she can't have Clover, Terrance and another family live with her in Princeton.  

There were pieces of Morgan's past that the reader never gets to hear.  This was mainly seen when she thinking about her past around Ansel.  That was something that didn't bother me too much. 

Near the end, Clover does come to NJ and she does get to speak to Morgan's mother, Maggie.  I was very surprised why Clover was reaching out to Maggie.  (I don't want to ruin the end of the story for anyone) I thought that it would have been something much more than what it was.  


This YA book was definitely one that but me out of my little YA comfort zone. But, I don't regret reading it! 

I give this book 4 out of 5 coffee beans. 

See you guys at the next review!

~Jillian

Now That You Mention It and On Second Thought by Kristan Higgins- Reshelved Books

Hip hip hooray for a new review from moi!

Jess reviewed a book by Kristin Hannah earlier this week and today, you guys are getting my reviews on Kristan Higgins.
(No, this was not planned but hey! at least it's following alphabetical order! :-P )

This month, I give you two back to back reviews on books by Kristan Higgins. 
1.) Now That You Mention It
2.) On Second Thought

Now That You Mention It:

Here at FortheLoveofDewey, as I am sure you have been able to see, we give out alot of 4 coffee bean(ed) reviews.

I would like to think, however; that our 5 coffee bean reviews are far and few between (?) At least speaking from my reviews.

Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins is my first 5 coffee bean review of 2018! (It is also my first kindle book on my iPad).

Why? You might ask... Because duh, it's just that good. Because, I bought the kindle book on a Saturday and I finished it at 1 am the following morning on a Sunday.  (Which says a lot when you spend your days running after a 13 month old!)

It. Was. Just. That. Good.

I'm going to say it now that there are going to be spoilers in my review.  

SO. This title came to me when I was unwrapping interlibrary transits. (You know... BEFORE the fall of the interlibrary loan transit system here in NJ) Because I am horrible book person, I judge my pickings on cover art.... As awful as it sounds, it hasn't let me down!

This book brought me the kind of joy that Meg Cabot books brought me.  
I laugh a little (a lot acutally), I cry a little, I got a little frustrated... You get the gist. There were scenes in the book that involved Nora's encounters with her mother's bird, Tweety.  Some of these encounters had me laughing so hard that tears were falling down my face. 

I really really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it. 

****--------------------- Full Spoilers Ahead!!! --------------------------****

First things first! 
You all thought that I would actually ruin this book?!

No way!

Go check it out for yourself!

Trust me, you won't be disappointed!!


On Second Thought:

Unfortunately for this Kristan Higgins book... I just couldn't like it as much as Now That You Mention It....

Why? I'm not quite sure.  I didn't find myself laughing out loud as much.  It was darker for sure, it didn't carry the same levity.  By all means, that's not a bad thing.  I mean the synopsis of the novel shows that it's subject matter is deeper and darker. 

Ainsley and Kate are half sisters, who are both encountering loss; Kate lost her husband and Ainsley lost her boyfriend. Nathan (Kate's husband) died when he hit his head; Eric (Ainsley's boyfriend) broke up with Ainsley after Nathan's untimely death. 

Both girls are learning how to move forward and live their lives by themselves again. 

I found Ainsley to be the comedic relief to Kate's sorrow.  I really really liked Ainsley, I can safely say that she was easily my favorite.  I liked how there was a happy ending for each girl at the end of the story.  It's always nice to read something that ends on a happy note!
I don't understand how Daniel the Hot Firefighter came into play... I was a little confused about where he came from.  I felt like he just appeared?  I wasn't impressed by him... But (I know you're not suppose to start a sentence with "but" :P ) poor Kate! Not only did she lose Nate but she had a few run-ins with his ex-wife, Madeline.  Who was not a nice person, at all.  

On a side note.... It seems like Kristan published a book before If you Only Knew that follows Jenny and Leo.  Jenny and Leo are two characters who come up in On Second Thought. 

In the way of coffee beans, I give this one a 3.5 coffee beans out of 5. 

Both books were easy reads and I would recommend both of them.  Just because I didn't like On Second Thought doesn't mean that someone else might not.  

~JB

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers! 

Happy February reading!  I have been in such a reading slump lately, but I promised you that I would get back to it, and I also promised that my next review would be something different from Colleen Hoover.  This is difficult because between this review and the last one, I read Hoover's Maybe Someday and bought November 9.   In the to-read pile the later will go....and so I will stop boring you and proceed to today's review.

I have loved Kristin Hannah's novels ever since I picked up Firefly Lane when I was 19 years old.  Hannah's latest novel, The Great Alone, sort of follows the trend of writing something different from what she previously wrote, which was a turn Hannah took when she published her historical novel The Nightingale last year.  In The Great Alone, we still dive into a novel that is primarily domestic fiction, but instead of focusing on Washington State, this time Hannah takes her readers deep into the Alaskan wilderness.  My co-wokers raved about this novel.  They absoutlely ADORED it, and now they all want to visit Alaska.  While I did enjoy reading it and was thankful that it pulled me out of my reading slump, I didn't relish in it to the point where I too am jumping on the next plane out into the Alaskan wilderness.   

So about the book.  In this novel we travel back in time to 1974 (similar to how Firefly Lane began in the '70s.  VW buses, anyone?)  and we meet the Allbright's, a family of 3, who's patriarch is a Vietnam veteran.  The war has changed Ernt.  He suffers from PTSD, constantly wants to move the family around, and is abusive towards his wife.  In the hopes of healing Ernt and starting fresh, the family moves to the Alaskan wilderness.  It is a place where the winters are brutal and where one mistake can kill you.  This novel is about mistakes. It is about tragedy.  It is about love. And most importantly, it is about survival.  This novel is messy, where the characters lives and emotions are literally a mess no matter which way they turn, and just as mistakes can be deadly, so can luck.  The one issue I had with the novel was the ending.  Without giving it away, I felt like it was almost "too neat" compared to the rest of the book, which is why I will not be giving it 5 coffee beans.  So go ahead, give this one a read, and tell us what you think!       

& until the next read,  I leave you with a rating of 4 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  
Happy Reading! 

~ Jessica