Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelley - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

I am super excited to review Martha Hall Kelley's latest novel Lost Roses.  Kelley's novel Lilac Girls was a wonderful read, so when her latest novel arrived as an ARC from Baker and Taylor I was super excited to take it home and review it on our blog for all of you.  While Lilac Girls follows the story of WWII, Lost Roses follows the story of WWI and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Now I am not a big history buff or historical fiction fan, but I became interested in the royal Russian family after reading a y.a. novel centered around the Romanovs when I was in graduate school. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why I found this novel so hard to put down.  

Not only does this novel tell the horrors Russian families faced during the war, but it also examines the unbreakable bond of a mother and her child in conjunction to the horrors of abusive domestic relationships.  The novel itself has a plot that makes the reader quickly devour the pages, while there are just enough details to leave the reader stunned and begging for more.  Like Lilac Girls, Lost Roses is a well researched piece of literary art that leaves the reader feeling like they have traveled back into time.  

So Dewey Readers, I leave you with a rating of 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  Look for this novel on April 2, 2019. 

~Jessica      

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler - Resehelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers! 

Today's review is something sweet.  It's The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler.  

In this novel, Penny's mother and father are going through a divorce, but fourteen year old Penny doesn't really know what's going on.  Her mother moved Penny and herself out of NYC and back to her home town of Hogshollow.  Here, Penny enrolls in her first year of High School and her mother opens a bakery, where Penny works decorating cupcakes after her classes.  Still, Penny retains her naivety surrounding her parents divorce and her eventual choice of where she wants to live. She isn't quite sure what's going on.  She knows she's in Hoghollow for the "now" but she doesn't believe that it's forever and no-one has really told her differently.  A lack of communication becomes a theme of the novel both where Penny's parents fail to explain to her what's going on, and Penny fails to ask even when she begins to speculate and have questions. In addition to exploring lack of communication, this novel is all about Penny learning to put down new roots, while somewhat retaining her old ones. 

Bascially, while this novel touches upon the idea of what could be considered "tough" coming of age subjects, it's really just a cute novel about starting a new school, making new friends, having a crush, and decorating A LOT of cupcakes. It's also a quick read that will be making you want more. 

So Dewey Readers, if you haven't checked ut Hepler's books go ahead and do so!  I give this novel 4.5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.

Until the next read!
~Jessica   

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

Lynda Cohen Loigman just wrote another new book.  If you avidly read our reviews, you know that Jillian and I both LOVED Loigman's novel The Two Family House, so when we heard that she was coming out with another novel we just knew that we had to read it. 


The Wartime Sisters follows the story of two sisters who were both very different.  Ruth, the older sister, was very bookish.  She got straight As, liked doing homework, and always strived for perfection.  The younger sister, Millie, was very different.  Actually, the two sisters sort of reminded me of my sister and I.  I'm the older and bookish one and my sister... well, she isn't.  We're both smart, but she definitely is more lax. I think because of this, the way that Loigman crafted the characters of the two sisters, and even the differences in how their parents treat and expect things from both of them, felt very much real to me.  

So a bit about the plot.  The two sisters grow up to marry different men and end up losing communication with each other after a falling out.  Millie, head over heels in love, marries a man who isn't a very wise financial choice, and Ruth marries a man similar to herself.  Then WWII begins.  Ruth's husband, a scientist, is important within the army, and Millie is now an army widow with a two year old son.  Ruth reaches out to Millie and offers her a place to stay with her and her husband at the army base.  

This novel explores the bonds of sisters, of family, and of love.  It allows the reader to dive into a historical time frame and develop and emotional connection to it through it's characters.  When you read this novel (because you definitely need to read it) you will end up devouring it.  

So Dewey Readers, I leave you with a rating of 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.

Until the next read!
~Jessica