Tag: reading

This Chick Read: Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renée Rosen

Two young women’s lives intersect in 1938 New York during the Great Recession, Gloria Downing, whose father had just been caught swindling money from his clients, and Estée Lauder a young woman selling face cream in the beauty parlor where Gloria finds a job. They strike up a friendship and each of them pursue careers in the beauty industry although on slightly different paths. Estée takes on the beauty moguls Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden while Gloria works her way into the back offices of Saks Fifth Avenue, while staying friends through thick and thin.

This historical novel takes on the rise of Estée Lauder into the beauty icon that her brand has become today. The story covers her many relationships and marriage to her long time live Joe and is based on fact but is also fictionalized to create and interest story. Contrasting her tale with the story of a young woman on her own for the first time while also dealing with the betrayal from her father and family was smart. Each had to have strength and fortitude to strike out on their own and create these lives during a time when jobs were scarce and women were not treated as equals. It was a really interesting read!

I think for me that even though the story and historical time frame was interesting neither of these characters were particularly likable. Estée was single minded and although married, divorced, and then married again to her husband Joe carried on with other men and ultimately her brand and building her business superseded her family life. Joe was so likable that it was hard to see him get walked all over by this strong-willed woman. Gloria had a LOT of daddy issues and viewed all men with distrust, and herself with weakness. Despite overcoming her upbringing she built a career, which was admirable, yet I still couldn’t connect with her character. I wished that Gloria was a little more likable to balance out Estée’s strong-willed personality. Although I totally understood where each of their characters were coming from it just would have made the story slightly easier to read.

If you like historical novels that mix fact and fiction this might be a novel you would be interested in reading. It does give a very interesting take on how women worked to keep the country moving during WWI, and the friendship between Gloria and Estée was both strong and giving. Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl is a solid novel with two interesting views of this time in history. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Deep Tide (Texas Murder Files #4) by Laura Griffin

Leyla’s two brothers are on the police force of their small town, Lost Beach, so she is not ignorant that crime is on the rise. She doesn’t expect to find her murdered employee in the alley behind her café. When a friend of her brother’s, law officer Sean Moran, starts asking questions Leyla realizes that this death may be linked to more trouble close to home. She uses her business connections to ask a few questions and finds herself at the center of the case. A case that soon consumes both she and Sean’s lives and creates a connection that binds them together.

Leyla’s café has been a meeting place in previous novels and Leyla herself an acquaintance of other characters stories, so I was excited to see that she is getting her own book. Leyla is an interesting character in that she’s a business owner and sister to a couple of officers on the police force. She’s not a stranger to murder since both her brothers are on the force, but she is normally a supporting character. During the opening chapter when she meets Sean Moran at her brothers wedding there was an immediate connection that I found interesting despite a lack of a mystery at that point in the novel. As soon as the murder lands on her back door? This story twisted into a romantic thriller, and one that I was thrilled to be reading.

Laura Griffin has a great style of writing that makes her stories very easy to read and immerse myself in. At the same time her characters are relatable and the reader can easily like them. Leyla has always been a likable character and because I already knew her I was two steps ahead emotionally by the end of the first page. What was going to happen to Leyla? Was I going to like Sean for Leyla? What kind of danger would Leyla involve herself in? So many questions! Laura Griffin quickly moved the story forward and those questions eventually were answered in a way that helped me connect and like her even more. Sean was a little harder to figure out because he was a new character, but I liked his immediate connection and the mystery that revolved around why he was in town.

Each of the books in the Texas Murder Files series can be read alone, although you’ll see characters from previous novels pop up. They don’t really have anything to do with the current mystery and I feel like their presence doesn’t detract or confuse the reader, so feel free to pick up this book, even though it’s numbered four in the series. I really enjoyed Leyla’s spirit and Sean’s efforts in taming it. It was a good mystery too!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Deep Tide

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase a book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (4/24/23)

Do you have a favorite genre or sub-genre in your favorite genre? I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for a great fantasy novel, but when it’s a romantic fantasy, I am in my dream sub-genre. Another sub-genre I love is a great sports romance. I’ll admit that a lot of times I’m really disappointed because I’m a girl who likes a little sports references in my sports romances and I don’t always get that, but I thought the book I just finished did a good job at delivering the goods. Let’s get to it and remember, feel free to chime in on what you’re reading as well!

JUST FINISHED

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a ton of angst in this Devney Perry novel. I’ve read a few and I had it in my had that there would be a lot of inner turmoil. There was a bit, but this was a solid second chance sports romance! I enjoyed the main characters and the setting. I don’t see a lot of books set in Montana on a college coaching staff. I was entertained!

JUST STARTED

An older book of Lucy Score’s that is having a re-release. Finally Mine is the sequel to Pretend You’re Mine which I enjoyed. I wish the author hadn’t spent so much time recapping a story I’ve already read. That plot device is one that drives me crazy- I don’t need to see the same plot through the eyes of another character, thank you very much. However, unless a book is horrible, which this isn’t, I will see it through to the end. I’m skimming all the bits I’ve read though.

I hope you’re Monday is off to a great start! Happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Two Wrongs Make A Right- by Chloe Liese

Bea and Jamie have a disastrous first meeting, with Bea dumping not one, but two drinks on Jamie and he grumpily staring and declaring his disinterest. However, their friends are in love and they keep pushing them together thinking they are the perfect match. When they find themselves on a blind date with each other they agree to pretend that they are in love in order to get their friends off their back. As they spend time with each other they quickly find their friends just might have been right.

I found this novel on an Amazon Best Romances of 2022 list and I am not going to disagree. Two Wrongs Make a Right has a premise that has been done a thousand times before but in this instance it’s with two characters who are so unique and original that the kind of tired trope becomes something new and refreshing. Artistic, tattooed Bea, lives with her sister who has recently fallen in love with conservative, glasses and sweater wearing pediatrician Jamie. So at first sight, they seem to be complete opposites, but Bea falls on the autistic spectrum and is recovering from a bad breakup. Jamie is a successful pediatrician but he has horrible anxiety and doesn’t do well in crowds- he also has a difficult family whose expectations are hard to live up to. They both are a bit of a mess, but find in each other the support that they need. It’s a wonderful love story that moves slowly but there are so many emotional reveals that impact the story that it gives the reader a feeling of moving much more rapidly than it actually does.

Once Bea and Jamie get past the awkwardness of seeing through their bad first-meet, they quickly come to realize that they have a friendship that can be concrete. They go from avoiding each other to seeking each other out, and that story is emotion filled and wonderful. I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed getting to know these characters and reading their story. Don’t let the cover fool you, this novel has depth that rises above the fluff of the artwork and delivers an impact that will leave the reader surprised and completely satisfied.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Two Wrongs Make A Right

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Audio Review: I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Bodie Kane, a successful film professor and podcaster, has overcome her difficult childhood, including her four years spent at an exclusive boarding school in Vermont, where her roommate was murdered in her senior year. When she gets invited back to the Granby School to teach a course on podcasting, she is overwhelmed by memories and is drawn to the case of her murdered roommate, Thalia Keith. Was this case mishandled? Did the correct person go to jail for her murder? Did her school and that small town botch the investigation? Bodie can’t help but pursue these questions to a brand new conclusion.

I loved this story! It brought back all of the feelings I had when I was listening to the podcast Serial about Adnan Syed’s case and whether he murdered his girlfriend 20 years ago. The fact that he was let out of jail not too long ago for being falsely accused helped build my interest in this fictional tale. I also love the narrator, Julie Whelan, who is super talented and whose voice always draws me in to the story she is narrating. I should also give credit to JD Jackson, who narrates Omar’s character over a phone from jail. It was so realistic and added to the very real vibe set by the story. Last, I give full credit to the author, Rebecca Makkai for creating a story and characters who drew me in and held me captive through 12 hours of an audio book. It’s a good thing I listened to this book over a weekend because I didn’t do anything else besides work puzzles on my Ipad while listening to this awesome story.

I mentioned above how listening to this book drew me back to my enjoyment of the podcast, Serial, but in this instance, because it was a fictional story, the reader got a point of view from someone who lived at that time, with the person who was murdered. As Bodie narrates her story from both current time and flashbacks, we learn who she is as a character, messed up and flawed as she was, but also as an adult who can look back and see through those flaws and it’s riveting to be along for the ride as she pieces things together. Bodie’s is not the only character in the story however, this is a fully fleshed out novel with schoolmates, best friends, and disappointed teenage angst. All of it very well written with a depth that captivated my interest. This novel deserves all the accolades and is on my “Best of” list for books I’ve read so far this year. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* I Have Some Questions For You

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (4/17/23)

The weather is gorgeous, we can now see what plants have died over the winter and need replanting, and flowers are starting to bud. YET I’m still finding time to read. I should just start every one of these posts with “Life is moving forward and yes, I am still reading”. Truly! I will always find the time to read at some point in a week so no new surprises there. What might surprise you was that I found one of the books I read below in a New York Times article on romance novels and agree with that writer. This was a surprising book!

JUST FINISHED

Have I mentioned how much I dislike the male chest romance covers? I know there are people who love them but typically I stay away from those books. However, I saw this book mentioned in an article about good romance novels and since it was a Kindle Unlimited novel I borrowed it. I was surprised by this one folks! The characters were great, the love story had depth, and I learned a ton about raising chickens. Who’d a thunk it? If you have KU you should check this one out. It was good!

JUST STARTED

Since I literally just finished the previous novel I’m not quite certain what I will start, however after the last success I may read ‘On the Hustle’ which was also mentioned as a great romance novel in that same list. It looks cute!

If you’d like to start a conversation about your own list of books, or a novel you particularly liked, please comment below. 🙂

Have a happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick Read: Throwback by Maurene Goo

High schooler Samantha Kang is coasting through life. Her high school is culturally diverse and she enjoys the anonymity of her high school scene, although being the girlfriend of a popular guy does put her a little more in the limelight than she’d like. Her mother wants her to care more about her prospects for college and thinks her boyfriend is holding her back, so needless to say their relationship is strife with conflict. A pattern that she see’s repeated between her mom and her grandmother. When Sam and her mom have a big blow-up, leaving Same stranded at the mall she calls for a rideshare service to get her to school in time for her first class. What she doesn’t expect is to be dumped back to the 90’s where she comes face to face with an whited out version of her mother whom she befriends. Her mom, Priscilla, has just been nominated for homecoming queen, something that Sam knows she didn’t win. She thinks that by helping her mother win, she will find her way back to the future.

Whereas Sam and her mom Priscilla don’t swap places, I did get a Freaky Friday vibe from Throwback. What sets this novel apart from those other time travel novels is that Sam’s time is spent working towards the goals of someone else instead of securing her own future. Although working for Priscilla will ultimately get her back to her own time so it’s a twofer. Another thing that sets her apart is that there is someone else in this time who is from the future, someone who helps her see her own life back in 2015 clearly, and when she goes back she knows the person she wants to be.

I really enjoyed all of the 90’s references since I was in school during that time and Maurene Goo was spot on with how life was as a teen during that era. Totally clueless when it came to cultural diversity, women’s rights, Black Lives Matter, etc. Life was lived with blinders on regarding impropriety and Sam’s reactions were both funny and poignant. She was a cultural sounding board but no one was listening.

Throwback was a fun read that hid the seriousness of relationship struggles with her mom through humor and some emotional scenes. I really enjoyed her characters emotional growth and especially loved the ending of the book. This novel gets a solid 4.0 rating from me!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Throwback

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton

Mystery, danger, and love collide in this historical novel set in 1934 on a cruise ship sailing from New York to Havana Cuba. Recently engaged heiress Catherine Dohan is traveling with her fiancé and young daughter when someone tries to kill her by pushing her over the railing of the ship. Elena Palacio is traveling in disguise back to her homeland after surviving an attempt on her own life back in New York. Wanting revenge on the man responsible these two women join forces in order to change both of their destinies.

The Cuban Heiress was an enjoyable thriller set in the 1930’s when men had all of the power and women were commodities used for their looks and/or their wealth. The author didn’t take long to enmesh the reader in the stories of these two women whom at first didn’t seem to have that much in common but as the book moved forward we saw that their circumstances forged that connection. The setting of the cruise ship, as well as the destination of Havana certainly added to the Noir-esque vibe of the story and the opening chapter started quickly and the story never lost its pace.

Each woman’s story arc gave the reader more reasons to root for them and the feeling of danger escalated so that I was turning the pages rapidly wanting to reach that final outcome with no delay. This historical thriller was a fun, glamorous excursion into the dark waters of the Atlantic. I wasn’t sure how it would end, but wasn’t disappointed in the least. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Cuban Heiress

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (4/10/23)

It was a busy week leading up to a holiday weekend, so there wasn’t a lot of time for reading, but I did manage to squeeze in a few minutes. I mean, come on, there’s always time to read, right?

JUST FINISHED

Four ex-stars of a teen tv show are roped back into a reunion show after 13 years apart. An unexpected meltdown led to a cancellation of their popular show, leaving a lot of questions unanswered. Although not my typical choice, I thought it was an interesting story and a quick read. Made me glad that I wasn’t a child star, that’s for sure!

JUST STARTED

A re-release of a book that came out in 2018, Pretend You’re Mine is a small town romance with quite a bit of heat between our two main characters! I’m half way through the story and see glimpses of what has made Lucy Score such a popular writer. Her characters are funny, relatable, and have real life problems, making them very easy to relate to. A fun weekend of reading!

Happy belated Easter everyone! Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick Read: It Starts With Us (It Ends With Us #2) by Colleen Hoover

Co-parenting with her ex Ryle is finally moving along smoothly and although he still holds out hope for getting back together Lily is ready to move forward in her life. When she accidentally bumps into Atlas on the street it seems like fate is pushing them together. It’s something she wants but introducing him back into her life will make waves with her volatile ex and she has her little girl’s future to take into account.

It Ends With Us is the conclusion to the best-selling It Starts With Us and I’ll admit I was eager to give Lily her happily ever after, so why do I feel a little let down? Atlas was everything he needed to be. He had her back, was emotionally available, stable, and an all around likable character. Lily and her baby certainly needed that after her rocky first marriage. Colleen Hoover even gave Atlas a sweet story arc that gave her readers a reason to care for him besides his love for Lily. I did really like him, but didn’t love this story. It felt a little bland after the volatility and emotional impact in the first novel.

What did I like about this book? I really liked how Lily had such a great support group, including Ryle’s own family who took her side against his actions. They were there for her and continued to be there for her and truthfully if this were a real life situation, they were the only reason why Ryle didn’t continue with his horrible behavior. They stood by her and made him face the consequences for his actions. I loved that!

If there was a reason to write this novel it was to give fans of It Starts With Us the happy ending that they felt like Lily and Atlas deserved. This novel does that for these characters. It’s well written, but a little safe and steady. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if it was a stand alone novel where I needed only the words on these pages to identify with these characters I wouldn’t be giving this as good a rating as I did.

❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* It Starts With Us

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads