The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey- Reshelved Books

**The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey was sent to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

For anyone who has been patiently waiting a new YA book review from me, look no further than this post!

The Library of Lost Things introduces us to Darcy Wells, a 17 year old girl who's been hiding the fact that her mother is a hoarder. With a new building superintendent, the secret that Darcy has worked so hard to hide is threatening to be exposed.  In a few weeks from when the author introduces the reader to Darcy, she will be 18, no longer at worry for CPS to take her away but fueled by the prospect that her home might be taken away from her and her mother. 

I didn't find there was as much focus on Darcy and her mom's relationship. I kinda thought that it could have been more involved? Yes, we knew that there was a shopping addiction and that her mother had other shortcomings but that was kinda it.  (Maybe the lack of her mother's appearance was to show that she was somewhat absent?! Update: I think it was totally intentional!)

Book Cover was copied from Amazon- linked above

Other than that, I felt like everything that Darcy was going through was relatable.  Having a fear of being out in front of an audience on a stage: normal.  Being on that stage and having to have your first kiss at the same time: terribly mortifying and yet a totally relatable feeling.  Having strong feelings for someone who you know can only be your friend and nothing else: also a normal thing. 

Darcy as a character was just bland.  There wasn't anything that made her stand out in my mind. 

My final feelings on this book are the following: it fell a little flat for me.  I found it to be very slow going for a good amount of the book.  It wasn't until the last 3 or 4 chapters that the story picked up from me. 

I would give this book 3 coffee beans out of 5 coffee beans.  

This book will be available for purchase on October 8, 2019.

~ Jillian 

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey-Reshelved Books

Who's ready for a little romance? 
Raise your hands, if you are. 

This book is *not* a YA book! If you're looking for a YA book - YA is not this book.  I wouldn't even read this review because this is not the book for that genre. (Though, I do have some YA book reviews coming up. Stay tuned for them!) 

The copy of the book cover is from Harper Collins.
There was a small mishap with my copy....

While I found this book to have been the best rom-com type book that I've read, I would like to say that it becomes VERY uh, NSFW.  Don't be fooled by the cover art, this book does quite hot and heavy.

That being said.  Here goes my review!

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey is the first book is her "Hot and Hammered Series" (Did I know this before reading this book? Nope.  I only learned of it when I was searching Amazon for the book to link).  Fun Fact: Her second book Love Her or Lose Her (as per Amazon, this book will follow Dominic and Rosie) for the same series, will be coming out next year. 

Georgie is a 23 year old woman, who also happens to be a clown.  Yes, you read that correctly: she is a clown but a professional clown.  Like any businesswoman, Georgie has aspirations to grow her business and become successful.  Travis Ford, Georgie's longtime childhood crush, is back in town after his retirement from his career in professional baseball.  The story starts off in an interesting way, Georgie goes to visit Travis in his apartment, thanks to her brother Stephen who gave her the key.  There, Georgie and Travis get into some sort of food fight!
  
I was surprised to see the Georgie and Travis both wanted to be taken seriously and move on from what people thought of them.  Georgie wants to be seen as more than just the youngest Castle kid.  Travis wants to be seen as someone who's more than just a pretty boy, who's reputation proceeds him.

I had an idea of how the book was going to end.  I just surprised that it panned out in the way that it did. 

I really liked this book, I thought it was super cute and really funny.  Georgie's character was written in such a way that really kept you laughing.  Travis's character though (oh my word!) I didn't realize that he would be so... aggressive! 

Because of Travis's character and the things he partakes in, this book is not for someone who has some conservative views about adult relations? (That was worded really awkwardly.  I don't know how else to write that out). 

I found that Tessa Bailey was a lot like Meg Cabot with the humor behind Georgie's character.  She was funny, I often found myself giggling at something she said or did. 

Will Georgie succeed with expanding her business? Will Travis get his commentator job? Will Georgie and Travis be able to weather this storm and stay together? 

You'll just have to read the book to find out!

I am happily giving this book 5 coffee beans out of 5!

- 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

Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank - Reshelved Books

Don't you hate it when all of your library holds come in at once?  That's what happened this past week, which means I've been double fisting my reads, and also gives an excuse to why it took me so long to finish Dorothea Benton Frank's latest novel, Queen Bee. It also probably didn't help that I left it in my boyfriend's room for two days. 

Ironically, in my personal life hardly anyone ever asks me what I'm reading, yet while I've been reading this one, so many people have, and here's what I've been telling them:

I'm reading a book about a woman that's in love with her neighbor and his two little boys.  His wife died, but her love is secret because he started dating some trampy mean dentist he wants to propose to.  This chick hates his little boys.  The woman next door?  She keeps bees, and her sister is home contemplating a divorce because her husband wants to move to Las Vegas to be a drag queen.  He wants to stay in their marriage and be called Charlene. 

Are you intrigued?  I was.  This book is nothing like I expected it to be, but it makes the perfect fluffy summer read.  So Dewey Readers, I leave you with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  

Until the next read!

~Jessica

Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) by Abbi Glines - Reshelved Books

Oh hey guys, guess who's back with another review!

That would be me.  Yes, yes it's true.... I have two book reviews for y'all this week.  I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.  

Fun fact: I was very excited to share this review with MB.  As soon as he saw the title AND the cover art of the book, he gave the following potential diagnosis of the book (truth be told, he was pretty spot on!): 
"Let me guess... It takes place in Texas. It's a love story about a football player and a girl, who's not a cheerleader, she's not popular, she's a band geek and they date. The book will end with the QB breaking up with the girl so he can date a cheerleader".  Did he stereotype based on a title and a cover? Yes, yes he did. I made sure to explain to him that I believed "Until Friday Night" was the title because West and Maggie would at first speak with each other on Friday nights after the games.

Well MB's guess was right about the book taking place in the South; the state that he guessed was close yet so far.  He guessed that it would take place in Texas- the book is actually set in Alabama. 

Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) by Abbi Glines is well, the first book in the Field Party series.  The book was published several years ago and since then, other books of the series have been released.  

The list of the books in this series are the following:
1. Until Friday Night
2. Under the Lights
3. After the Game
4. Losing the Field
5. Making a Play (coming August 2019)

I would say that this book tackles some heavier stuff - the loss of a parent(s).

Maggie witnessed the murder of her mother by her father.  West is witnessing the slow death of his father from cancer.  Both teenagers are navigating their grief with the help of one another.  Maggie lost her mother two years prior but that doesn't make her challenges any different from West, who is living in the now with his loss.

Through the bond that they share, West and Maggie are both able to heal. Maggie does something that she didn't think was possible.  In fact, no one thought that she would be able to do what she did: talking again.  It was said early on the story, that Maggie hadn't spoken to a soul since she spoke to the police 2 years before about what had happened to her mother at the hands of her father.  Maggie left that if she didn't talk, then she wouldn't have to testify against her father.  Her fear was that once she started to talk, she would have to talk to the police again and stand as a witness to her father's trial.

But West, West changed all of that for Maggie.  He was lost and hurting just like her.  She felt comfortable enough to talk around him, to listen to his concerns and his sadness.

What did I like about this book? 

I liked how it dealt with something real.  Not just that it dealt with losing a parent and grief but it dealt how everyone is different in handling a traumatic experience.  Maggie's traumatic experience caused her to lose her voice.  West was handling the stress before his father's death by drinking and sex. (Which is a heavy for a teenager to deal with pain, in my mind).  West also had a tough time getting and keeping his anger in check; this is was something that more assumed and mentioned then it was shown.

There wasn't too much fluff in this story.  It wasn't like there was a torrid teenage love affair when Maggie and West first kissed.  They didn't get crazy caught up.  They didn't develop this relationship that came in like a hurricane.  Nope, nothing like that happened. Maggie had to step back from West because she didn't want to feel like she was enabling anymore. (To me, that shows maturity.  There are people who are much older who can't find the strength to step back from a toxic relationship (not that I'm saying West and Maggie were toxic!)).

What did I not like about this book? 

West. Haha. He was the classic high school football star (MB said that sounded like West's character was the running back?).  


Spoiler is coming at you in 3....2....1....

MB was right, West and Maggie did break up.  They did end up getting back together though.  That was something that I didn't have a problem with.  Will I read the remaining books in the series? I'm not sure yet... we'll all just have to wait and see!

The ending wasn't something that I would have predicted.  I liked it, I would have liked to know what the note to Maggie from her father would have said but I did like the ending.  When everything is said and done, I would give Until Friday Night 4 coffee beans out of 5. 

- Jillian

2019 Summer Reading Library Book Haul

Summer is here! In the library world, summer means summer reading and summer reading is here.

Courtesy of CSLP

Every year, CLSP (collaborative summer reading program), a system of "grassroot consortium of states" who, together, set up a summer reading program that provides summer reading materials to adults, young adults and children.  According to the ALA, summer reading started back in 1890s as a way to encourage students on summer break from school to read.  If you're looking for more information, you can click here.

The CLSP Summer Reading Theme for this year is "A Universe of Stories"

Jessica and I happily work in libraries and educating individuals on the benefits and services that are offered at the library make us somewhat passionate about summer reading. (Oddly enough, library card sign up month is in September- AFTER Summer Reading occurs...)

We encourage everyone out there to go to your local library and get a library card.  Not only can you check out books but your library has services that allow you to borrow e-books plus audiobooks and magazines! 

In honor of Summer Reading, this post will be a library book haul - all of the books that I have picked up from my library within the last week! 

- Nothing Left to Burn by Heather Ezell (you can find the review for that book here)

- Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines (review for this book is here)

- Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey (you can find that review here)

-The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey

- D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis and Helped Win World War II by Sarah  Rose

- La Passione: How Italy Seduced the World by Dianne Hales

This library book haul has a balance of adult fiction (including mystery and romance), YA fiction and non-fiction!  Not to toot my horn here, but I think I did a pretty good job. 

Fix Her Up seems like it will be a cute rom-com story.  La Passione will hopefully indulge my new found desire to one day travel to Italy.  Until Friday Night was picked because I needed a good YA book to read.  I picked Nothing Left to Burn because of the cover art and because being a volunteer EMT myself, I found it intriguing to read a story featuring a volunteer firefighter. D-Day Girls was added to be TBR pile because MB and I will be touring Fort Miles in August and I wanted to learn a little more about WWII and D-Day. Lastly, The Widows of Malabar Hill was checked out because it was a recommendation on my Tailored Books Recommendation list! (But *shhhh*, don't tell Jessica that I subscribed out of curiosity....)

I hope this inspires at least one person who reads this post to go out to the library and see what's going on! Go complete the summer reading challenge at your library.

See you guys soon!

~ Jillian

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves- Reshelved Books

Hiya everyone,  

Once upon a time when I was a better blogger, I had signed the blog up for an account with NetGalley.  I didn't follow the recommendations for NetGalley and I requested far more than I realized than I should have. Not realizing that I would be approved for a decent amount of what I requested.  This caused me to become so overwhelmed with books that I just stopped reading all together.  I'm not talking about days here, either.  I'm talking months.

Cover art was copied from book listing on Amazon

Before I quit reading in the Fall, I was approved by NetGalley (in exchange for an honest review) to read this title: The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves. 

Safe to say that now I'm no longer overwhelmed with books and here I am reading this book months later.... 

The Girl He Used to Know is a book that I really enjoyed. I thought of this book as being a coming of age tale. Yes, I know, the main character, Annika is a 32 year old woman who's reflecting on her life 10 years ago.  When you think of a coming of age tale, you think of teenagers, not a woman who's in her early 20s but let me explain. 

Annika is a young woman, who may fall on to the Autism Spectrum.  She had to learn and train herself for social interactions, with her friends and with her boyfriend.  There's other stuff that took place in the book, that once you read it, it'll make sense as to why I say this. 

As I digress.

I really enjoyed this ARC.  It held my interest and I enjoyed seeing the progress that Annika was able to make. 

The ending of the book blew me away.  It wasn't something that I expected but given that the book took place in 2001 during August and September, I shouldn't have been that the events of September 11th were a part of this book.  Being brought to the time when individuals didn't know what was going with their loved ones who were working in the Twin Towers, near or in the City at that time, was very surreal. 

I'm giving The Girl He Used to Know 4 coffee beans out of 5 coffee beans.

Catch ya'll later!

~ Jillian