You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
notesbynnenna's Reviews (513)
4.5 stars
I finally finally read this collection and it was just as good as everyone said it would be!
The first two stories felt like an amuse bouche and then we got into the meatier stories. As you can guess, secrets are a running theme in these stories. We see the interior lives of these women and there are affairs, strained family relationships, and hidden desires. These characters and their stories are so rich with detail, which I loved. And I feel like the author writes about these women without judgement.
I liked every single one of these stories, but I think my favorites were “Peach Cobbler” and “How to Love a Physicist.” Between this collection and The Office of Historical Corrections, I’m starting to enjoy short stories more and more. If you’re looking for a quick and excellent read, definitely add this one to your list.
I finally finally read this collection and it was just as good as everyone said it would be!
The first two stories felt like an amuse bouche and then we got into the meatier stories. As you can guess, secrets are a running theme in these stories. We see the interior lives of these women and there are affairs, strained family relationships, and hidden desires. These characters and their stories are so rich with detail, which I loved. And I feel like the author writes about these women without judgement.
I liked every single one of these stories, but I think my favorites were “Peach Cobbler” and “How to Love a Physicist.” Between this collection and The Office of Historical Corrections, I’m starting to enjoy short stories more and more. If you’re looking for a quick and excellent read, definitely add this one to your list.
This book was sad and beautiful and emotional and messy. It’s about Liam, a sixteen year-old nonbinary teen whose older brother Ethan dies suddenly. It flashes back and forth between the present day, after their brother has died, and the past, when their brother was still alive.
It’s such a life-altering event and we can see how Ethan’s death completely turns Liam’s world upside down, how Liam searches for answers about who Ethan was. I thought this was so beautifully written and that the way the author captured grief was so authentic. I don’t think I could have read this book a few years ago when I was dealing with a loss and honestly, I had a bit of trepidation that I wouldn’t be able to handle it when I first picked it up and read the synopsis.
I think if I was a teen reading this now and going through something similar, it would help me feel less alone. It would let me know that it’s ok to have all these messy and complicated feelings after the death of a loved one. That there is a way through all of the pain and hurt. It’s not an easy book to read, I think especially if you’ve experienced something similar, but at the same time, it’s such a beautiful expression of humanity and grief.
CW: Death of a sibling, suicidal ideation, self-harm
It’s such a life-altering event and we can see how Ethan’s death completely turns Liam’s world upside down, how Liam searches for answers about who Ethan was. I thought this was so beautifully written and that the way the author captured grief was so authentic. I don’t think I could have read this book a few years ago when I was dealing with a loss and honestly, I had a bit of trepidation that I wouldn’t be able to handle it when I first picked it up and read the synopsis.
I think if I was a teen reading this now and going through something similar, it would help me feel less alone. It would let me know that it’s ok to have all these messy and complicated feelings after the death of a loved one. That there is a way through all of the pain and hurt. It’s not an easy book to read, I think especially if you’ve experienced something similar, but at the same time, it’s such a beautiful expression of humanity and grief.
CW: Death of a sibling, suicidal ideation, self-harm
3.5 stars
This was a fun read, but it didn’t grab me the way I was hoping it would. I loved the theme of found family and I enjoyed the side characters so much. I also loved that this story was such a love letter to NYC and that the author wrote about some of the small details that make NYC so wonderful.
Maybe I don’t like time travel as a theme after all? I feel like I haven’t had much luck with the last two books I read that had time travel, including this novel. I wasn’t sure the logistics made sense and in a way, I felt like perhaps it was detracting a bit from the narrative, rather than allowing me to get swept up in the story.
I did resonate with August’s feelings around not belonging and I especially loved her character development. ONE LAST STOP was enjoyable and I give kudos to the author for such a unique idea.
This was a fun read, but it didn’t grab me the way I was hoping it would. I loved the theme of found family and I enjoyed the side characters so much. I also loved that this story was such a love letter to NYC and that the author wrote about some of the small details that make NYC so wonderful.
Maybe I don’t like time travel as a theme after all? I feel like I haven’t had much luck with the last two books I read that had time travel, including this novel. I wasn’t sure the logistics made sense and in a way, I felt like perhaps it was detracting a bit from the narrative, rather than allowing me to get swept up in the story.
I did resonate with August’s feelings around not belonging and I especially loved her character development. ONE LAST STOP was enjoyable and I give kudos to the author for such a unique idea.
Spoiler alert: I loved this one!! Jasmine Guillory has done it again!!
Full review to come.
//
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
Ahhh, you should have seen the way I squealed when this book showed up on my doorstep. And I was right to be excited, because Jasmine Guillory has done it again! This book was an utter delight.
I devoured this and pretty much read it in two sittings. Less than ten pages into the book, I was already loving it. I immediately connected with Ben because he works in advertising, which is the same industry I work in. He was just so charming and Anna seemed wonderful as well, like someone I'd want to be friends with. I just thought both of these characters were so likable, and I was rooting for them from the start.
I absolutely loved the celebrity and non-celebrity trope and how that was an added layer to their relationship. I also enjoyed getting a peek into the behind the scenes of Hollywood life. Not going to lie, it does seem pretty fun, but I know that it's definitely not glamorous all the time. For example, Anna talks about her journey to loving her body as a curvier woman (particularly in Hollywood where a certain "look" is considered the norm). She also describes her struggles with anxiety and her mental health in general. That is something that I really appreciate about Guillory's books. She writes such wonderful love stories, but there's also depth in the topics that she chooses to explore, such as body positivity and mental health in this book.
Jasmine Guillory's books just feel like a good hug to me. They are truly feel-good stories. WHILE WE WERE DATING was sexy and so much fun, which is exactly what I want in a summer read. And as usual, I enjoyed seeing characters from other books reappear here, such as Theo and Maddie, among others.
I'm pretty sure I said this when her last book came out, but I think this one might be my new favorite. Now I'm a tiny bit sad that I read it so quickly, because I'll have to wait for whenever her next book is coming out, but it was 100% worth it.
Full review to come.
//
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
Ahhh, you should have seen the way I squealed when this book showed up on my doorstep. And I was right to be excited, because Jasmine Guillory has done it again! This book was an utter delight.
I devoured this and pretty much read it in two sittings. Less than ten pages into the book, I was already loving it. I immediately connected with Ben because he works in advertising, which is the same industry I work in. He was just so charming and Anna seemed wonderful as well, like someone I'd want to be friends with. I just thought both of these characters were so likable, and I was rooting for them from the start.
I absolutely loved the celebrity and non-celebrity trope and how that was an added layer to their relationship. I also enjoyed getting a peek into the behind the scenes of Hollywood life. Not going to lie, it does seem pretty fun, but I know that it's definitely not glamorous all the time. For example, Anna talks about her journey to loving her body as a curvier woman (particularly in Hollywood where a certain "look" is considered the norm). She also describes her struggles with anxiety and her mental health in general. That is something that I really appreciate about Guillory's books. She writes such wonderful love stories, but there's also depth in the topics that she chooses to explore, such as body positivity and mental health in this book.
Jasmine Guillory's books just feel like a good hug to me. They are truly feel-good stories. WHILE WE WERE DATING was sexy and so much fun, which is exactly what I want in a summer read. And as usual, I enjoyed seeing characters from other books reappear here, such as Theo and Maddie, among others.
I'm pretty sure I said this when her last book came out, but I think this one might be my new favorite. Now I'm a tiny bit sad that I read it so quickly, because I'll have to wait for whenever her next book is coming out, but it was 100% worth it.
Well this book sucked me all the way in and I’m so glad I packed it with me on vacation because it was a great summer read. Engrossing, steamy, and just downright juicy.
I’ve wanted to read this ever since I heard about it on the Bad on Paper podcast. I think originally, the premise didn’t sound that interesting to me, but I heard so many rave reviews that I had to see what I was missing out on.
This is about a woman redefining herself and allowing herself to pursue what makes her happy. I thought that the author wrote some interesting and relevant commentary about what society expects of and how it treats women of a certain age. It’s also about art and its purpose, as well as the cult of celebrity and how all-consuming it is, further reinforcing my belief that I would never want to have that kind of fame.
THE IDEA OF YOU features fancy meals, jetsetting, designer names, and lots of sex (a fair warning for those who prefer a closed door romance!), which made for a great escapist read. The phrase “lifestyles of the rich and famous” definitely came to mind while reading this book. This was such a pageturner- I really enjoyed this backlist book and now I finally know what everyone was raving about!
I’ve wanted to read this ever since I heard about it on the Bad on Paper podcast. I think originally, the premise didn’t sound that interesting to me, but I heard so many rave reviews that I had to see what I was missing out on.
This is about a woman redefining herself and allowing herself to pursue what makes her happy. I thought that the author wrote some interesting and relevant commentary about what society expects of and how it treats women of a certain age. It’s also about art and its purpose, as well as the cult of celebrity and how all-consuming it is, further reinforcing my belief that I would never want to have that kind of fame.
THE IDEA OF YOU features fancy meals, jetsetting, designer names, and lots of sex (a fair warning for those who prefer a closed door romance!), which made for a great escapist read. The phrase “lifestyles of the rich and famous” definitely came to mind while reading this book. This was such a pageturner- I really enjoyed this backlist book and now I finally know what everyone was raving about!
3.5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
Taylor Jenkins Reid knows how to tell a story and I found myself getting drawn right into her latest novel. This book is about family and the messiness that can entail, and it delivered up some good family drama. I liked that it mostly took place over the course of the day and I had fun picturing everyone in full 80s gear at this party. Out of the four siblings, I think Kit was my favorite character because she had gumption.
MALIBU RISING is a great beach read- full of sun, sand, and surf. I very much enjoyed it while I was reading, but perhaps towards the end, I was just a little bit tired of these rich people and their shenanigans.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
Taylor Jenkins Reid knows how to tell a story and I found myself getting drawn right into her latest novel. This book is about family and the messiness that can entail, and it delivered up some good family drama. I liked that it mostly took place over the course of the day and I had fun picturing everyone in full 80s gear at this party. Out of the four siblings, I think Kit was my favorite character because she had gumption.
MALIBU RISING is a great beach read- full of sun, sand, and surf. I very much enjoyed it while I was reading, but perhaps towards the end, I was just a little bit tired of these rich people and their shenanigans.
This book spoke to me. There is just something so magical about reading the right book at the right time. If you need a vacation, this book will transport you, and if you're reading it on a vacation, it will probably further solidify your love for travel.
This is a slow burn, friends to lovers romance, and I thought it was so well done. The tension builds and builds, and when they finally get together, the payoff is worth it. I could see how these two people that are kind of polar opposites fell in love slowly and completely.
I loved the structure of it, the way that Henry flashes back and forth between their past vacations and their present one. I'm so into the idea of taking an annual summer trip with your best friend. I also loved the way that she wrote about the people we become when we travel and the connections that are formed, whether those connections are limited to a specific place and time, or become long-lasting ones. This book and this vacation that I've just taken definitely made me reflect on how amazing travel is and how rewarding it can be to experience new places and new people. What a privilege it is.
Poppy is definitely a quirky character, and while that didn't work as well for me in her other book, BEACH READ, it worked for me here. I loved that she had a blog and got to travel for a living, which seemed like a very cool job. I also appreciated that she didn't always have it together and needed time to figure certain things out. It's ok to reevaluate your life from time to time and realize that your priorities might have changed (an idea that I think a lot of people can relate to as we've spent the last year+ in a pandemic). And Alex seemed like such a sweet human being and I loved what a caretaker he was.
I've been on such a roll with summer reads and this was another excellent one on my list. I definitely felt a connection to this book as I was reading and I loved getting swept up in the love story. I much preferred this to her other book and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.
This is a slow burn, friends to lovers romance, and I thought it was so well done. The tension builds and builds, and when they finally get together, the payoff is worth it. I could see how these two people that are kind of polar opposites fell in love slowly and completely.
I loved the structure of it, the way that Henry flashes back and forth between their past vacations and their present one. I'm so into the idea of taking an annual summer trip with your best friend. I also loved the way that she wrote about the people we become when we travel and the connections that are formed, whether those connections are limited to a specific place and time, or become long-lasting ones. This book and this vacation that I've just taken definitely made me reflect on how amazing travel is and how rewarding it can be to experience new places and new people. What a privilege it is.
Poppy is definitely a quirky character, and while that didn't work as well for me in her other book, BEACH READ, it worked for me here. I loved that she had a blog and got to travel for a living, which seemed like a very cool job. I also appreciated that she didn't always have it together and needed time to figure certain things out. It's ok to reevaluate your life from time to time and realize that your priorities might have changed (an idea that I think a lot of people can relate to as we've spent the last year+ in a pandemic). And Alex seemed like such a sweet human being and I loved what a caretaker he was.
I've been on such a roll with summer reads and this was another excellent one on my list. I definitely felt a connection to this book as I was reading and I loved getting swept up in the love story. I much preferred this to her other book and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.
3.5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
It seems that I can’t get enough of regency romances and I really enjoyed this one. At the beginning of the novel, we learn that an announcement has appeared in the newspaper about the engagement between William, the Earl of Norwood, and Miss Charlotte Hurst. The problem is that they’ve never met and they’re not actually engaged! However, since the announcement was very public, they have to pretend to be engaged in order to avoid scandal while William is campaigning for an important political position, and to save Charlotte’s reputation.
I loved the premise (yes to a fake dating or fake engagement story) and I loved the dynamic between William and Charlotte. They get off to a bit of a rough start, but then he slowly grows on her. They both start to realize that despite their differences, they’re actually quite well suited. I loved that they were constantly teasing each other and that she had no problem dressing him down a bit and keeping his ego in check.
I did feel it was a bit repetitive in the middle, but then it picked up again. Also, it looks like this is going to be a series, with the next novel focusing on characters that appear in this book. I’m looking forward to it as I would happily return to this world.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
It seems that I can’t get enough of regency romances and I really enjoyed this one. At the beginning of the novel, we learn that an announcement has appeared in the newspaper about the engagement between William, the Earl of Norwood, and Miss Charlotte Hurst. The problem is that they’ve never met and they’re not actually engaged! However, since the announcement was very public, they have to pretend to be engaged in order to avoid scandal while William is campaigning for an important political position, and to save Charlotte’s reputation.
I loved the premise (yes to a fake dating or fake engagement story) and I loved the dynamic between William and Charlotte. They get off to a bit of a rough start, but then he slowly grows on her. They both start to realize that despite their differences, they’re actually quite well suited. I loved that they were constantly teasing each other and that she had no problem dressing him down a bit and keeping his ego in check.
I did feel it was a bit repetitive in the middle, but then it picked up again. Also, it looks like this is going to be a series, with the next novel focusing on characters that appear in this book. I’m looking forward to it as I would happily return to this world.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
I loved THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT when I read it last year, so I was so excited to read this next installment in the series. This one is all about Taylor, who is a fitness coach. She starts working with a famous professional football player named Jamar who’s hoping to make a comeback after suffering a knee injury. But the twist is that Jamar doesn’t want anyone that he’s trying to make it back to the league, so their cover story is dating, not training together!
You know that I love a fake dating story, so I was all for that. I loved seeing the relationship build between Taylor and Jamar, especially when they stopped being silly and finally admitted that they have feelings for each other! Another thing I love about this series is the friendship between these three women. They originally met because they found out they were all dating the same guy at the same time (yikes!) and I love that that’s how they became friends. They’re so supportive of each other and I admire how they were able to turn such a negative situation into a positive one.
There are a few different topics covered in this book, including disabilities, family dynamics, and grief. There’s also a discussion around the way that athletes push their bodies and the sacrifices that they make, which is something that I’ve been thinking about a bit with the Olympics coming up. I’ll just never know what it’s like to be an athlete at that level and how much hard work and determination it takes.
I will say that I’m not really a huge sports person, so I didn’t find the sports aspect of this story as interesting. But, I enjoyed this book from start to finish, and I think if you are a football fan, or a sports fan in general, you’d enjoy it even more. And now I can’t wait to read London’s book and learn more about her backstory when that comes out next year!
I loved THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT when I read it last year, so I was so excited to read this next installment in the series. This one is all about Taylor, who is a fitness coach. She starts working with a famous professional football player named Jamar who’s hoping to make a comeback after suffering a knee injury. But the twist is that Jamar doesn’t want anyone that he’s trying to make it back to the league, so their cover story is dating, not training together!
You know that I love a fake dating story, so I was all for that. I loved seeing the relationship build between Taylor and Jamar, especially when they stopped being silly and finally admitted that they have feelings for each other! Another thing I love about this series is the friendship between these three women. They originally met because they found out they were all dating the same guy at the same time (yikes!) and I love that that’s how they became friends. They’re so supportive of each other and I admire how they were able to turn such a negative situation into a positive one.
There are a few different topics covered in this book, including disabilities, family dynamics, and grief. There’s also a discussion around the way that athletes push their bodies and the sacrifices that they make, which is something that I’ve been thinking about a bit with the Olympics coming up. I’ll just never know what it’s like to be an athlete at that level and how much hard work and determination it takes.
I will say that I’m not really a huge sports person, so I didn’t find the sports aspect of this story as interesting. But, I enjoyed this book from start to finish, and I think if you are a football fan, or a sports fan in general, you’d enjoy it even more. And now I can’t wait to read London’s book and learn more about her backstory when that comes out next year!
4.5 stars
This book wasn’t really on my radar, but I picked up this coming-of-age memoir because it was the July Literary League pick and I thought it was very good. I listened to it on audio over the course of two days and for me, it worked really well as an audiobook.
It’s narrated by the author and she’s telling the story of her difficult childhood while infusing a lot of humor into her writing. As you can imagine, that humor comes through so brightly in the audiobook and I felt like her personality really shone. She writes about her family, including her relationships with her brother, mother, and grandmother, about being poor and on welfare, and about what it was like growing up in the 70s and 80s.
I really enjoyed her voice, both her narration and her writing. She definitely went through some trauma as a child, which she writes about openly and honestly. I don’t think it would have been easy; in fact, I think it would have taken a lot of healing as an adult for her to be able to write this book. I didn’t know who she was before picking this up, and it made me want to learn more about her and find out what she’s up to now. And I hope she writes a second memoir because I want to know what her life was like after she left for college and how she became a TV writer!
CW: domestic violence, physical and sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, depression
This book wasn’t really on my radar, but I picked up this coming-of-age memoir because it was the July Literary League pick and I thought it was very good. I listened to it on audio over the course of two days and for me, it worked really well as an audiobook.
It’s narrated by the author and she’s telling the story of her difficult childhood while infusing a lot of humor into her writing. As you can imagine, that humor comes through so brightly in the audiobook and I felt like her personality really shone. She writes about her family, including her relationships with her brother, mother, and grandmother, about being poor and on welfare, and about what it was like growing up in the 70s and 80s.
I really enjoyed her voice, both her narration and her writing. She definitely went through some trauma as a child, which she writes about openly and honestly. I don’t think it would have been easy; in fact, I think it would have taken a lot of healing as an adult for her to be able to write this book. I didn’t know who she was before picking this up, and it made me want to learn more about her and find out what she’s up to now. And I hope she writes a second memoir because I want to know what her life was like after she left for college and how she became a TV writer!
CW: domestic violence, physical and sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, depression