Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams - Reshelved Books

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone is doing okay during this crazy crazy time. 

I am here with a new review! *the crowd cheers*

Some of you may recall how I loved the first book in this series The Bromance Book Club.

WELL. LET ME TELL YOU.  I loved this book as much as I did the first one. 

Mack was the guy I wished I would have the luck of meeting and maybe dating...? Yes, I definitely think that I could see myself dating this literary guy.

Anyway. 

Undercover Bromance introduces the reader to Braden "Mack" Mack, nightclub owner and founder of the Bromance Book Club and how he finds himself in love with a very unlikely person, Liv Papandreas.

While this book is part of a series, (it's the 2nd one) it's almost as if it could be a standalone.  The book really didn't build on top of the other one.  The characters are reoccurring and there are some new characters but for the most part everyone is the same. 

If it's possible, I loved this book more than I did the first one (sorry to Gavin).  I found Mack to be a more lovable and enduring character.  I like how he had to court Liv.  Just like the first one, I could NOT stand Liv in this one.  I would like to think that that is whole point of her character, for you to be a little put off by her but still rooting for her. 

Not only does this book discuss her building and budding relationship with Mack, but it also handles a pretty big topic of current events: workplace and sexual harassment.  I thought that Adams did a good job to addressing the topic and how one must feel when they're placed in that horrible situation.  Just like in the best book, I found myself laughing at a lot of the antics that Liv found herself involved in at the Farm.

If you're looking for a good book to read during day I can't even remember anymore of quarantine, I definitely think you should grab this one!  It is available via Amazon but check to see if there's a copy available via Libby with your local library! It's a digital resource that you may have access too. 

I wish everyone the best during this time and I want everyone to stay safe!

Happy reading, 
Jillian

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez- Reshelved Books

Maybe it's just me but I always have a hard time writing a review about a book that I didn't like.  I feel bad for putting it out there that I just didn't like a book.  I don't want to offend the author and anyone who's reading here who may have liked the book.  I can only imagine how much time it takes to write the book, to look for a publisher, etc.

I'm just going to come out and say this right now: This book was too much. 

And for that... I didn't like it. Side note: I know that I get stuck in these funks where all I read are books that I find to be less the stellar. 

In The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez focuses on two characters: Kristen and Josh.  
Kristen: 24 year old, owner of her own business, is about to have a major life changing surgery.  The outcome of this surgery is what's preventing her from getting attached to Josh.  Kristen is currently dating Tyler, who is finishing up his tour overseas. 
Josh: 29 year old, former Marine, current firefighter/paramedic.  Josh moved to California from South Dakota after a bad breakup. (Josh also believes that Kristen is his "unicorn" - he wants to be with her and he will do anything to show her that they are worth the risk.)

Book Cover Link Here

Josh and Kristen both happen to be in the same wedding: Kristen is Sloan's maid of honor and Josh is Brandon's best man.  


As any good rom-com story would go; Kristen and Josh have a chance encounter before officially meeting one another.  (Apparently, you can go X amount of time as someone's best friend and never ever meet their finance's best friend).

Kristen was driving Brandon's new truck, when she slipped her coffee and stopped short.  Josh was driving behind her and he happened to be looking at his phone and when Kristen stopped; Josh didn't react in enough time and he ended up tapping his truck against the back of the one that she was driving.

Logically (I say this lightly), this is Josh's fault and he offers to help clean up the mess and offers Kristen his shirt.  Since this is a book, Kristen uses her shirt to clean up the mess (as it was already stained) and then she goes and changes into Josh's shirt. 

It wasn't until Josh arrived at the fire station, did he realize that he hit Brandon's truck while Kristen was driving it!

For the sake of speeding things along... 

Kristen ends up hiring Josh to be her carpenter for her business.  'Cause you know, Josh conveniently had a woodworking hobby on the side.

During this time, they get closer to one another but after multiple conversations with Josh, Kristen learns that he dreams of settling down and having a big family.  Part of the reason *why* Josh broke up with his ex-girlfriend and left South Dakota was because she didn't want to have children. 

Kristen knows that she could never give Josh what she wants (or so she believes).  But sometimes, love is such a strong emotion and force, that it needs up conquering all.

Kristen's health and her surgery are big part of the book.  That was something that I didn't have a problem with.  How she felt about that and how that influenced what she did with Josh. (I actually liked that part about the book. I thought it was important that she covered topic like that and the fears that along aside it!)

My problem was all of the added stuff that didn't seem to be important!

This next part is going to contain a spoiler, so advert your eyes! If you so choose...

Brandon and Sloan are the reason why Josh and Kristen were brought together.  Okay. But what didn't need to happen was killing OFF Brandon! That came out of left field for me and I didn't really think that it was needed.

Another thing that I couldn't really stand was Kristen's attitude toward *everything*.  She wasn't a very wholesome, nice person.  I know not every character in every book is going to be sugary and sweet; that's not what I'm saying.  The issue that I had with her character was that she's a cynical, crass and nasty person. 

This book does have high ratings on Goodreads.  Sadly, it's not going to get more than 2.5 coffee beans from me. 

~ Jillian

When Polly met Olly by Zoe May- Reshelved Books

Hi everyone

Summer is here and if we're looking for any good beach reads, you've come to the right place.

You guys, this year I'm feeling that romance books might make good beach reads. 

"When Polly Met Olly" was an ARC that I received from NetGalley.  Like all NetGalley reviews, books are approved to be read in return for an honest review!

I found “When Polly Met Olly” by Zoe May to be a cute book.

As a struggling photographer, Polly interviews and accepts a job as a matchmaker.  Just a change in her career is surprising to not only her friend, Gabe but to Polly herself.  Add in the fact that Polly has been down on her luck with dating for quite sometime. 

In a effort to keep the new job that she's grown attached to and to help her boss in business, Polly goes "undercover" to interview with the rival matchmaking service to be matched with a date.   During her "undercover operation", Polly mets Olly!  He conducts her interview for matchmaking.  There was a flash of chemistry between Polly and Olly in that moment. 

Even though I found this book to be cute, I can see where somethings in the story would frustrate people.  Though it did fall a little flat for me...I thought that there could have been a little more funny and a little more romance.
  
The book was lacking in a few things: the ending with Alicia was a little bit of a cop out and I felt that Gabe and Scarlett just kinda fell off the face of earth.  I think that it would be neat to see what was going on with Gabe and his relationship with Adam.  In a way, I was getting the vibe that there was trouble in that paradise. 

"When Polly Met Olly" is getting 3.5 coffee beans out of 5 from me.  I would still recommend it as a beach read- even though my overall and final feelings on it where a little impartial. 

- Jillian

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!  

At least the book is kind of pretty.

I usually adore Nicholas Sparks novels.  Who doesn't like a romance novel every now and then that could make even the coldest of hearts believe in love?  So I was super excited to get my hands on Sparks' latest novel Every Breath.

What a disappointment it was.  

This novel follows the story of two people who fell in love over the course of a couple days.  Hope, from North Carolina, is having relationship troubles with this man the she's been with for 6 years.  She wants to get married and have kids, while Tru is from Zimbabwe.  He has a son and is now sterile due to a complication from an illness.  They live in different countries, and Hope wants kids so their romance ends.  

Or does it?

Eh.  You can probably can guess what happened and how the story ends.   

I used to feel like I was immersed inside the the text of Sparks' novels.  I DEVOURED At First Sight, The Best of Me, The Choice, etc.  With those novels I felt like I was with the characters.  The writing style of Every Breath lacked this quality and I became bored with it. 

So Dewey Readers, I leave you with  a rating of 1.5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.

Until the next read!
~Jessica 

P.S.  The epilogue left me with weird stalker vibes from the narrator (who may be Sparks? I skimmed through it.)  Did anyone else feel this way?

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - Reshelved Books

Hello there once again Dewey Readers!

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes has been in my to-read pile for a quite some time.  It's a hot checkout item at the library AND it's a movie.  It's a love story that even Oprah raves about and it was time to finally sit down and give it a read.  

So a bit about the book.  This novel takes place in England and it opens with a scene of a young businessman who works too much, loves his motorcycle, and is always rushing around.  Well, it's raining one day and he gets into a motorcycle accident.  NOPE he wasn't driving!  He was walking.  This accident left him paralyzed, thus changing his life forever.  

Tragic. 

So, flash forward a bit and we meet a young woman who lives with her family.  Her father fears that he is going to lose his job, and eventually he does, so they pretty much depend on her pay check to pay the bills.  Unfortunately, she loses her job as well.  She begins working as the companion / caregiver for the paralyzed man and makes it her mission to make his life worth living.  

Romantic?  I guess for some.  Did I love it? Nope.  I wanted to love this book and walk away with a mushy heart just like I would after a Nicholas Sparks read, but unfortunately I just thought it was kind of silly.   

So Dewey Readers, I leave you with a rating of 2.5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.

Until the next read!
~Jessica 

A Million Little Things by Susan Mallery - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

It's snowing here is Jersey and not just a little dusting this time either.  It is snowing HARD.  So what better way is there to spend a day snowed in, than with a book review that takes place near, but not exactly on, the beach?  That's right there is no better way!  It just isn't possible.  

So I picked up a copy of Susan Mallery's A Million Little Things a couple weeks ago at used book store called Footnotes, that specializes in romance novels.  It looked adorable, and as you all know, I absolutely adore the shore.  Perhaps maybe even more than books.... okay maybe not.   I guess what I'm trying to say is that I judged this book based off of the cover, bought it, and brought it home.   

Jillian hasn't read this novel.  In fact, I don't think I even talked to her about it yet, but I think that the two main characters in it our our soul sisters.  The two of us are defiantly equally both of the two characters.  We're semi-insane and definitely quirky.  (Jillian, you can have it after I give it to my Grandma.  Promise.) 

So in this novel, we meet Zoe.  Zoe recently broke up with her boyfriend after she purchased a house thinking that he and his children would move in with her, they'd marry, and have a happily ever after life.  Zoe even quit her job as a teacher, taking a different job that allowed her to work from home so that she could stay home and  theoretically raise her boyfriend's children.  But then, they break up!  And big surprise, the little fantasy that she planned her life around just didn't happen.  The back of the novel says that Zoe "is more than just single - she's alone."  But she's not really alone.  I mean, she does have her cat.  And when Zoe gets stuck inside her windowless attic early on in the novel (the door with the drop down steps got stuck) her cat was stuck with her.....

Now, the other main character we meet in this novel is Zoe's best friend Jen.  Jen has high anxiety.  Her husband is a cop who recently took a promotion as a detective, and her son (I think he's 22 months old?) will not speak.  Jen is constantly worried that something bad will happen to her husband, and is equally, if not more so, worried that there's something wrong with her son.  Everyone tells Jen that there's nothing wrong with her son, but she's so anxious and hypocondriatic that it just makes her even more anxious that no one seems to take her seriously.  Jen needs to come to the crystal shop with us and buy some lavender oil.     

Unlike a lot of romance novels, which can be sappy, cliche, and really sort of dull, Mallery draws the readers into her characters and their actual lives.  Lives that don't primarily revolve around finding and keeping a man, but I guess as one always secretly hopes, does play a role.  So Dewey Readers, I leave you with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 Coffee Beans!

Happy Reading! 

~Jessica  

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 Matchmakers of Minnow Bay by Kelly Harms - Reshelved Books

Happy almost fall everyone!

How has everyone been?? I am sorry for my absence but I am back and ready to go! 

Would you believe me if I told you that this book sounds *very* familiar to me and that I have read it before...?

Well, this book sounded very familiar to me and I felt like I've read it before. 

You guys also know that I've never given a novel a crappy review before but I suppose there's a first time for everything!

The Matchmakers of Minnow Bay by Kelly Harms is going to be my first review on a book that I did not like. 

The reader meets Lily Stewart, an artist who gets evicted from her apartment after missing one rent payment.  While Lily is cleaning out her apartment, we see that Lily finds annulment paperwork from her Las Vegas marriage. Annulment papers from TEN YEARS AGO! TEN (10) count 'em, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10, years ago!! HOW CRAZY!

After meeting with her best friend-divorce attorney, Renee, Lily decides that she's going to find Ben Hutchinson and tell him all about her delay in the paperwork and how it was all a big misunderstanding!!  (I'm still confused as to how you could even consider Renee to be a best friend when for most of the book, she's been a horrible person).

Ugh.

Then as the book continues we see the interactions between her and Ben; how the town of Minnow Bay tries to keep her and Ben together. Blah blah blah.

My issues with this book reside with Lily herself.

As a character, she is so flat! She does the same things over and over again and there is no change. (What's that saying? Doing the same things over and over again when the outcome is the same is the definition of insanity??) She's too stubborn to believe that anything new could be of benefit to her. 

I don't understand how helping Simone played any part of the development of Lily's character. Ben seemed like a big jerk and then he turned and became this tolerable person on a dime. He was mean and nasty to Lily YET everyone knew that they were perfect for each other.  (...What?)  I feel like there wasn't enough dialouge between the two of them, we didn't learn a lot about Ben. 

No one deserves to be treated like a jerk.  Even if it's a character in a book. 

The title "The Matchmakers of Minnow Bay" is confusing because there were no matchmakers.  Unless Colleen and Jenny were the matchmakers.  But I don't feel like that can be said when all they did was make a flat tire, kept Lily from getting a new tire and throwing a birthday party for Ben's mom, Carla.

I mean... Really?

The only part of the book I found to be funny was when Lily attacked Renee with the bristles on the broom because there was a robber in her apartment. 

(I probably laughed waaaaay too hard at that.)

I am sad to say that I can only give this book 1 coffee bean out of 5...

I was able to snag a copy of this book on sale for $9.00 and I think that's a fair price.  I wouldn't go out of my way to read this book....

~ Jillian

About That Man by Sherryl Woods- Quick Review

Hi everyone!

Long time no post for me! Life has been a little hectic with balancing baby C and going back to work. 

Two weeks ago, baby C and I were strolling the aisles of the local Stop and Shop when I stumbled upon the book section. (Coincidence? Maybe...) Causally, I couldn't helps myself and I ended up reading back covers until I found a book that sparked my interest. 

I give you all my quick little review of About That Man by Sherryl Woods. 
The story follows Daisy Spencer and (Detective) Walker Ames in the fictional town of Trinity Harbor, Virginia. Daisy and Walker have a cross encounter when Daisy fosters Walker's nephew, Tommy. 

Walker and Daisy were instantly attracted to each other when they first met. And who could blame Daisy for getting swept away by Walker? Who doesn't love a man in uniform!?

I found About That Man to be a quick read, and one that was packed with a lot of emotion.  

Do Daisy and Walker become a couple? Does Tommy end up staying in Trinity Harbor with Daisy or move to Washing D.C. with Walker? 

Read About That Man and found out!

Happy readings and see you guys real soon!
~ Jillian