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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Blueprints by Barbara Delinsky is a lovely contemporary romance novel. Caroline MacAfee is the host of Gut It! and a master carpenter for the show and MacAfee Homes. Her daughter, Jamie MacAfee is also on the show and works for MacAfee Homes. MacAfee Homes is a family business headed by Theo MacAfee. Roy MacAfee is Theo’s son, Caroline’s ex-husband, and Jamie’s father. He is the marketing expert for MacAfee Homes. Roy is currently on his third wife. Each time he marries, he goes ten years younger. The current wife, Jess is just a little older than Jamie (who is 29). Gut It! is something that Caroline’s loves hosting, but the show (with help from Roy) has decided to change the hosting to Jamie. Jamie agrees to tell her mother, but then she waits. Unfortunately, she waits a little too long and Caroline hears it from someone else. Jamie and Caroline had always had a great relationship until this incident. Caroline feels Jamie knew what was going to happen and should have done something or told her.
Before Caroline and Jamie can resolve the situation, Roy and Jess are killed in a car accident. Their two year old son, Tad is left is Jamie’s care. Jamie’s finance, Brad (a lawyer with MacAfee homes) is less than helpful. Instead of Caroline and Jamie helping each other, they turn to other people. Caroline becomes closer to Dean Brannick. Dean and Caroline have worked together for years and are friends. Dean now wants to take their relationship to a new level. Jamie is a mother with no experience. Charlie Kobik is a single dad with a four year old son. Jamie and Charlie meet at the park and Charlie provides valuable help and advice. What is going to happen to Gut It!? Can Jamie and Caroline work out their issues? What will happen between Caroline and Dean? Will Brad shape up or ship out? Will Jamie be able to handle her job and a two year old?
Read Blueprints to find out! Blueprints was a very enjoyable novel. I give Blueprints 4.5 out of 5 stars. Blueprints has a lovely ending that ties up all the storylines in the book. If you are looking for a good book to read this summer, than you should pick up Blueprints.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/06/blueprints.html
Before Caroline and Jamie can resolve the situation, Roy and Jess are killed in a car accident. Their two year old son, Tad is left is Jamie’s care. Jamie’s finance, Brad (a lawyer with MacAfee homes) is less than helpful. Instead of Caroline and Jamie helping each other, they turn to other people. Caroline becomes closer to Dean Brannick. Dean and Caroline have worked together for years and are friends. Dean now wants to take their relationship to a new level. Jamie is a mother with no experience. Charlie Kobik is a single dad with a four year old son. Jamie and Charlie meet at the park and Charlie provides valuable help and advice. What is going to happen to Gut It!? Can Jamie and Caroline work out their issues? What will happen between Caroline and Dean? Will Brad shape up or ship out? Will Jamie be able to handle her job and a two year old?
Read Blueprints to find out! Blueprints was a very enjoyable novel. I give Blueprints 4.5 out of 5 stars. Blueprints has a lovely ending that ties up all the storylines in the book. If you are looking for a good book to read this summer, than you should pick up Blueprints.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/06/blueprints.html
libwinnie's review against another edition
4.0
Chick lit, but good chick lit. Good Characters, good plot, well-written, engaging
debs4jc's review against another edition
4.0
The story centers around a mother and daughter that are co-hosts of a reality TV show about renovating homes. Throughout the course of the book several events threaten to pull them apart - but love and courage conquer all.
I definitely got wrapped up in all the family drama involved in this book -- as well as the romances. I was glad to see everyone end up with who they should have ended up, and come to a much better place for their work and life balance. I even talked about what was going on with Jamie and Caroline with friends and family so the characters were definitely read to me.
I'd definitely recommend this for anyone looking for an engaging novel to listen to, with realistic characters and a dramatic story line that will pull you out of everyday life.
I definitely got wrapped up in all the family drama involved in this book -- as well as the romances. I was glad to see everyone end up with who they should have ended up, and come to a much better place for their work and life balance. I even talked about what was going on with Jamie and Caroline with friends and family so the characters were definitely read to me.
I'd definitely recommend this for anyone looking for an engaging novel to listen to, with realistic characters and a dramatic story line that will pull you out of everyday life.
cstaude's review against another edition
4.0
As I have come to expect from Ms Delinsky, this is a novel with interesting layers to it. The mother-daughter aspect is not totally original but the spin and direction the author takes it is unique. At what point does this ageless relationship change and become one of two independent adults. Caroline and Jamie work out this question against a backdrop of family tragedy and family loyalty with just enough romantic “spice” tossed in to make this a really good read. As a mother of two daughters myself, I found the story relatable - does being a confidant surpass that of being a consultant? Delinsky will let you explore that one for yourself.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. "Stunning front cover!"
A long-time fan of Barbara Delinsky, once again delivers a winning women's fiction drama with BLUEPRINTS. A realistic contemporary portrayal of the many challenges and complexities, faced by women of ages from 20’s to 60’s; of today’s modern world relationships--from professional, personal, family, and motherhood mixed with humor and some tantalizing sexy distractions.
Gut it! A local television production, a home renovation series headlined by women—specifically the women of MacAfee Homes. The show was not touted by high drama nor celebrity antics, just real work by real people with whom an audience of real women identified.
However, when the director decides the program needs a facelift to attract a younger demographic, family allegiances are put to the test. Caroline MacAfee is a skilled carpenter, her daughter Jamie, a talented architect and together they have been the faces of Gut It.
Jamie MacAfee is twenty-nine and pretty much financially independent. Her parents are divorced and Caroline was not just her mother, but her best friends. Roy, her dad had moved on not once more, but twice. Jamie did not care for his second wife and his third wife, Jessica was close to Jamie’s age with a young son, and she had become a friend. All the family happened to be employed by MacAfee homes (so a lot of input).
Caroline age fifty-six had always taken pride in her work and the audience loved her. However, when she is told the network wants her daughter to replace her as host, the day after her birthday, she is devastated. Can you imagine what this does to your ego? The show wants to target a younger demographic, aiming for the twenty-five to forty-year old range.
This news places Jamie in an awkward situation, since her mom built the show, and now they think her mom is too old. She was simply being rewarded for her age at the expense of her mother, who was being punished for hers. At age fifty-six she looks great; however, for television, it means over-the-hill. She is allowed to stay on the show, just not in the limelight.
The fallout causes a strain between mother and daughter, and soon after comes the accident of Roy MacAfee, CEO of MacAfee Homes, and his young wife (father and ex-husband). Now Jamie is confronted with the role as guardian of her two year old half-brother, Tad and her fiancé, Brad is less than thrilled with the news. So there is drama all the way around for these two women with much more . . .
As Caroline is four years away from age sixty (been there, not a pretty thought);however, not everyone thinks she is over-the-hill, and may be time for "Stella to get her groove back". :) Carolina has always felt passion for work and her daughter, but a man, like Dean—could be the worst or possibly the best! Loved this part...
I really enjoyed the story, from the stunning front cover, which grabbed me, as well as the design concept, and the older woman--a fantastic topic as many of us baby boomers are facing this today with our careers, as opportunities do not come along for the over 55-65 age range as often as in our younger years.
Fans of highly-charged women’s topics, women’s fiction, family dynamics, romance, chick-lit and lovers of HGTV, home remodeling, architecture, design, Wendy Wax’s Ten Beach Road home renovation series, and Mary Kay Andrews’ books will enjoy Barbara’s storytelling with her in depth research into the architecture and design business. An engaging and fun beach read of love, life, aging, motherhood and reinvention.
JDCMustReadBooks
A long-time fan of Barbara Delinsky, once again delivers a winning women's fiction drama with BLUEPRINTS. A realistic contemporary portrayal of the many challenges and complexities, faced by women of ages from 20’s to 60’s; of today’s modern world relationships--from professional, personal, family, and motherhood mixed with humor and some tantalizing sexy distractions.
Gut it! A local television production, a home renovation series headlined by women—specifically the women of MacAfee Homes. The show was not touted by high drama nor celebrity antics, just real work by real people with whom an audience of real women identified.
However, when the director decides the program needs a facelift to attract a younger demographic, family allegiances are put to the test. Caroline MacAfee is a skilled carpenter, her daughter Jamie, a talented architect and together they have been the faces of Gut It.
Jamie MacAfee is twenty-nine and pretty much financially independent. Her parents are divorced and Caroline was not just her mother, but her best friends. Roy, her dad had moved on not once more, but twice. Jamie did not care for his second wife and his third wife, Jessica was close to Jamie’s age with a young son, and she had become a friend. All the family happened to be employed by MacAfee homes (so a lot of input).
Caroline age fifty-six had always taken pride in her work and the audience loved her. However, when she is told the network wants her daughter to replace her as host, the day after her birthday, she is devastated. Can you imagine what this does to your ego? The show wants to target a younger demographic, aiming for the twenty-five to forty-year old range.
This news places Jamie in an awkward situation, since her mom built the show, and now they think her mom is too old. She was simply being rewarded for her age at the expense of her mother, who was being punished for hers. At age fifty-six she looks great; however, for television, it means over-the-hill. She is allowed to stay on the show, just not in the limelight.
The fallout causes a strain between mother and daughter, and soon after comes the accident of Roy MacAfee, CEO of MacAfee Homes, and his young wife (father and ex-husband). Now Jamie is confronted with the role as guardian of her two year old half-brother, Tad and her fiancé, Brad is less than thrilled with the news. So there is drama all the way around for these two women with much more . . .
As Caroline is four years away from age sixty (been there, not a pretty thought);however, not everyone thinks she is over-the-hill, and may be time for "Stella to get her groove back". :) Carolina has always felt passion for work and her daughter, but a man, like Dean—could be the worst or possibly the best! Loved this part...
I really enjoyed the story, from the stunning front cover, which grabbed me, as well as the design concept, and the older woman--a fantastic topic as many of us baby boomers are facing this today with our careers, as opportunities do not come along for the over 55-65 age range as often as in our younger years.
Fans of highly-charged women’s topics, women’s fiction, family dynamics, romance, chick-lit and lovers of HGTV, home remodeling, architecture, design, Wendy Wax’s Ten Beach Road home renovation series, and Mary Kay Andrews’ books will enjoy Barbara’s storytelling with her in depth research into the architecture and design business. An engaging and fun beach read of love, life, aging, motherhood and reinvention.
JDCMustReadBooks
jbarr5's review against another edition
5.0
Blueprints by Barbara Delinsky
Wanted to read this book because it's about architecture and building-something I admire others doing and enjoy the outcomes: I enjoy seeing things from a different angle than some.
Also the author's previous works speak for themselves and I know I will get a great read from this book.
Book starts out with Jamie MacAfee and she's just wrapped up the Gut It! show that she's involved in with her family business.
She is the designer/architect of the redone houses, her mom is the carpenter and the host and her father runs the business as his father will be retiring and her soon to be husband is the company lawyer.
Problem is her father has just told her the GM wants her to be the host for the next season which would mean they don't want her mother around.
Her parents are divorced and she tries to please them both. The building competition is also at her heels, the Barth Brothers.
Tragedy happens and now she has more on her plate than before...Love the fact that many generations of the family are followed in this book and real up to date problems
and the discussions with the older crowd. Love how strong both Caroline and Jamie really are in how they handle details in their lives.
Love picking up a book and learning, career of the women, words I've never heard that I do look up myself, what bands on the rings mean as I have a necklace made out of the same three.
It's all the little things and the big things together that when they combine forces can achieve so much more. Love bonds of mother/daughter as their situations change through the book. Hot steamy sex scenes.
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
Wanted to read this book because it's about architecture and building-something I admire others doing and enjoy the outcomes: I enjoy seeing things from a different angle than some.
Also the author's previous works speak for themselves and I know I will get a great read from this book.
Book starts out with Jamie MacAfee and she's just wrapped up the Gut It! show that she's involved in with her family business.
She is the designer/architect of the redone houses, her mom is the carpenter and the host and her father runs the business as his father will be retiring and her soon to be husband is the company lawyer.
Problem is her father has just told her the GM wants her to be the host for the next season which would mean they don't want her mother around.
Her parents are divorced and she tries to please them both. The building competition is also at her heels, the Barth Brothers.
Tragedy happens and now she has more on her plate than before...Love the fact that many generations of the family are followed in this book and real up to date problems
and the discussions with the older crowd. Love how strong both Caroline and Jamie really are in how they handle details in their lives.
Love picking up a book and learning, career of the women, words I've never heard that I do look up myself, what bands on the rings mean as I have a necklace made out of the same three.
It's all the little things and the big things together that when they combine forces can achieve so much more. Love bonds of mother/daughter as their situations change through the book. Hot steamy sex scenes.
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
erinbbookclub's review against another edition
4.0
It was so nice to read a modern fiction story with women at the center! The book's two main characters are a mother and daughter pair who share everything, until some work and life changes come along to make them question their decisions and relationships. As someone who abhors spoilers, that's all I'll say specifically.
I really appreciated that the book was easy to read despite a lack of knowledge about architecture or carpentry. It was a "feeling" book, so it walks you through emotions more than having a complicated or twisting plot. While it is not without romance, it wasn't hit-you-over-the-head steamy or anything. This would be a great vacation or beach read. I certainly enjoyed it!
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads, but would recommend it to friends.
I really appreciated that the book was easy to read despite a lack of knowledge about architecture or carpentry. It was a "feeling" book, so it walks you through emotions more than having a complicated or twisting plot. While it is not without romance, it wasn't hit-you-over-the-head steamy or anything. This would be a great vacation or beach read. I certainly enjoyed it!
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads, but would recommend it to friends.