Tropical Girl Reads

An American Marriage – Book Review

Hey, just finished another book, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. Here is my review!

An American Marriage: WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION, 2019 by [Tayari Jones]

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of the American Dream. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. Until one day they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit.

Devastated and unmoored, Celestial finds herself struggling to hold on to the love that has been her centre, taking comfort in Andre, their closest friend. When Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, he returns home ready to resume their life together.

A masterpiece of storytelling, An American Marriage offers a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three unforgettable characters who are at once bound together and separated by forces beyond their control.

No. of pages :- 321 pages

Date Published:- March 2018

Genre:- African American Fiction/Contemporary Fiction

Tayari Jones is the author of the novels Leaving Atlanta, The Untelling, Silver Sparrow, and An American Marriage (Algonquin Books, February 2018). Her writing has appeared in Tin House, The Believer, The New York Times, and Callaloo. A member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, she has also been a recipient of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, Lifetime Achievement Award in Fine Arts from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, United States Artist Fellowship, NEA Fellowship and Radcliffe Institute Bunting Fellowship. Silver Sparrow was named a #1 Indie Next Pick by booksellers in 2011, and the NEA added it to its Big Read Library of classics in 2016. Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, University of Iowa, and Arizona State University. An Associate Professor in the MFA program at Rutgers-Newark University, she is spending the 2017-18 academic year as the Shearing Fellow for Distinguished Writers at the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

This book had been in my want to read list for a long time and finally, I was able to get my hands on this book!!! This book has so many good raving books including comments from former US president Obama and Oprah Winfrey’s book choice for her book club so this made me want to read the book more!

So in a nutshell, Roy and Celestial are newlywed couple who seemed to be living a comfortable life in Atlanta and who also seemed to be having a successful married life with the hopes of having a family. But on the night of the anniversary in Louisiana, a fateful incident happened that changed both Roy and Celestial’s married life. Roy was sentenced to twelve years in prison for a crime he never committed and the story begins with how this incident had a great impact on their married life.

Now here are the things I like about the book.

The book was well written–the author has written this book really well, captivating the reader. The descriptions of the places and food, the emotions and feelings that each of the characters are feeling are so well written that the reader can feel them.
The book is very realistic outlining many injustices that many African-American are facing in America even today. Roy, is a successful African-American male but became easily suspect when the woman accuses him of raping her. Despite lack of seemingly evidence and proof that Roy never raped the woman, he was sentenced to jail for twelve years (eventually shortened to five thanks to Celestial’s uncle’s work). This is just how most African-American despite having successful careers are still easily accused of being criminals. This is still a sad and emotional issue that most African Americans are facing.
The main focus of the book is the emotional impact this had on Roy and Celestial’s marriage and not about the crime Roy was convicted of which makes it a unique book to read.
The story was told from the perspectives of Roy, Celestial and Andre (who is Celestial’s childhood friend and later on lover and who was the one who set Roy and Celestial up during college) so we know what each of the characters are thinking about each other.
I also like the letters that are exchanged between Celestial and Roy, while he was in prison, outlining how their marriage seemed to be deteriorating and how the epilogue ends with Celestial and Roy writing letters to each other after they go in their separate ways, showing they still care about each other.

Now the things I didn’t like about the book.

Though the story was good, I didn’t like the characters at all particularly Celestial. For me, she sounds selfish and think only about herself.
Some parts of the story was boring

Overall, this is an emotional book to read. Worth four stars!

I Know Your Secret – Book Review

Hey all! I am back after a long time!!! Anyway so I just finished I know Your Secret by Ruth Heald and here is my review!

I Know Your Secret: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller full of twists by [Ruth Heald]

She thinks she knows me.

She believes my marriage is falling apart at the seams, that my husband can barely look me in the eyes. She thinks I’m desperate for a baby, that my longing for a family keeps me up at night. As much as I hate to admit it, all of this is true.

She thinks I listen to her advice, that I care about her opinion. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Because she has no idea who I am. She has no clue that I know everything.

I know her secret. I know that she did the unforgivable. I know how many lives she ruined.

I know exactly what she did. And I’m here for her.

No. of pages:- 272 pages

Date published:- June 2020

Genre:- Psychological Fiction

Ruth Heald is the bestselling author of psychological thrillers THE MOTHER’S MISTAKE and THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS, and the relationship drama 27: SIX FRIENDS, ONE YEAR.

Ruth studied Economics at Oxford University and then worked in an eclectic mix of sectors from nuclear decommissioning to management consulting. She worked at the BBC for nine years before leaving to write full time. Ruth is fascinated by psychology and finding out what drives people to violence, destruction and revenge. She’s married with two children and her novels explore our greatest fears in otherwise ordinary, domestic lives

The story starts with a woman named Beth, who is going through a break-up with her partner, Richard as he moves out of the house. Her life becomes messier as she needs to look after her son Charlie. Beth is working as a therapist and during one of her session, she meets a new client named Danielle Brown. Then things began to change in her life.

Now I will start with the ones I like about the book.

The book is told from the perspectives of two women, Beth and Danielle. Both seemed t be struggling with their own relationships and both seemed to be carrying some sort of secret, which as a reader you are dying to know what the secret is.
I also really like the writing of the book–the author has done a good job keeping the reader hooked into the story.
The story is gripping, intriguing making the reader like me want to read more and also in each of the chapter, there are unexpected twists and turns. Also both the characters are undependable and later on the secret is unraveled in the end of the book.
The ending was good, a bit emotional but was good.
By reading the perspectives of Beth and Danielle, it will be interesting as a reader to know what they are actually thinking and so the reader can read their minds–I also like how both the characters are vulnerable–Beth seemed to be suffering from delusions and Danielle seemed to be suffering from anger management. During the course of Beth’s relationship with Richard, he admitted of having an affair and Beth suspected it was Danielle. Was it really Danielle? And Danielle doesn’t seem to be too honest with her husband, particularly her family background which you are curious to find out.
The book is actually fast paced and also a quick read.
Each of the chapter is filled with suspense that made the reader hooked and intrigued into the story. The author was clever of making the reader believe in both the characters and then doubting them in the middle and finally clearing up the fog towards the end. That’s the great writing.

Overall, this is truly a gripping, mind blowing psychological thriller that you simply cannot put down!!! I would rate this book as five stars!

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The Second Chance Supper Club – Book Review

Just finished listening to The Second Chance Supper Club by Nicole Meier

Always With a Book : Review: The Second Chance Supper Club by ...

Two estranged sisters reunite in an emotional novel of family, forgiveness, lost hope, and new beginnings.

They had a forever bond, until a sudden tragedy thrust them apart. Now, each at a crossroad in her own life, two sisters’ paths are about to intersect.

Broadcast journalist Julia Frank has it all: a career, an ambitious fiancé, and the hard-won respect of her peers. Until a ruinous decision destroys her reputation, puts her job at risk, and sends her reeling toward the only soul left to turn to: her estranged sister, Ginny.

The owner of a clandestine supper club hidden in the Arizona desert, Ginny Frank has a lot on her plate. The last thing she wants is more drama—or the burden of nursing her younger sister’s wounded ego. But family is family. Besides, Ginny can use the help in more ways than one, and she’s going to make sure Julia pulls her weight.

As a tenuous reunion reopens old wounds, Julia and Ginny have no choice but to confront the pain and betrayals of the past. Will working to keep the secret supper club running be just what they need to find common ground and a path toward forgiveness, or will the increasing stress push them even further apart?

No. of pages :- 267 Pages

Date Published :- September 2019

Genre:- Rural Fiction/ Contemporary Fiction

Nicole Meier is the author of The House of Bradbury, The Girl Made of Clay, and The Second Chance Supper Club. She is a native Southern Californian who pulled up roots and moved to the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband, three children, and one very nosy Aussiedoodle. Visit her at http://www.nicolemeierauthor.com.

Here’s the nutshell of the story. Julia Frank seems to have a successful career as a broadcast journalist but one day, her career seems to have just ended when she asked the mayor of New York a question on live that seemed to have angered him. She then flees to Arizona to get away from the chaos and tries to reunite with her estranged sister, Ginny. Ginny used to be a former chef who also used to live in New York but now is running a secret supper club in her house during the night. This is the story about how the two estranged sisters trying to patch up their relationship.

So here are the things I liked about the book.

I would say that the book was well written. I like the way the author has used the description that makes the reader feel as if they are in Arizona with the characters.
The description of the food was amazing and made me feel hungry and mouth watering!
I also like the book cover because I thought it looked cute!
Another good thing about the book is it is actually a quick read and didn’t take too much time to finish the book!

Now the things I didn’t like the book

I did not like the characters at all, particularly Julia and Olive, Ginny’s daughter. To me, Julia sounds like a whiny naive character–I mean she is a journalist and shouldn’t she at least try to save her at least her reputation by proving her point? Also Olive sounded more like a whiny teenager than a twenty one year old.
I do like the story about the two estranged sisters getting back together to renew their relationship but then some parts of the story doesn’t sound realistic

Overall, this book is a good quick and cosy read. Worth three stars!

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The Family Upstairs- Book Review

Back with a book review! Just finished reading The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell and here’s my review for the book!

Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.

Hardcover: 352 pages

Date Published : November 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Domestic Thriller/Women’s Fiction

Lisa Jewell is the internationally bestselling author of seventeen novels, including the New York Times bestseller Then She Was Gone and the UK instant Sunday Times Number 1 bestseller The Family Upstairs, as well as other much loved novels such as Watching You, I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. In total, her novels have sold more than two million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into over twenty five languages. Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters. Connect with her on Twitter @LisaJewellUK and on Facebook @LisaJewellOfficial.

This is the first time I was reading Lisa Jewell’s book. Found this copy of The Family Upstairs during my recent visit to a bookstore and so decided to get this book. And I was not to be disappointed.

In a nutshell, Libby Jones inherits a house in Chelsea through a trust fund that was created for her when she turned twenty-five years old. Despite the expensive and exquisite look from outside, the house however was known to have some dark secrets–twenty five years ago, the bodies of three decomposing people were found on the floor of the kitchen and Libby, who was just a baby was well fed and was left in a cot in another room. There used to be four children in the house but they were missing. Libby finds that her real name was Serenity Lamb and together with the Guardian journalist Miller, she discovers some dark secrets about the house.

Now as usual, let’s start with the ones I like about the book.

The book was actually well written and the author did a good job of keeping the reader hooked into the story.
There were some twists in the story that made the reader was made at the edge of the seat and wanting to know what is going to happen next in the story.
The story was divided into four parts and was told from the perspectives of three people–Libby, Lucy and the past which is told from the perspective of Henry, who happened to be Lucy’s brother set in somewhere in 1990’s. The house used to be full of parties and social life until Henry’s mother invited a woman named Birdie into the house along with a man named David Thomsen who eventually changes the house to the rags. So as a reader you can see how some unknown strangers changes everything around the house. This shows how naive people can be to let some unknown strangers into the house who eventually take control of the house.
By reading through different perspectives the reader will get to know what is happening in each part of the story.
It was really good and I really couldn’t stop reading the book as I want to read more and want to know what is going to happen next!

The things I didn’t like about the book.

I am actually confused about the title–The Family Upstairs didn’t really suit to the story.
Some parts of the story doesn’t really sound realistic to me–what type of person would let some unknown stranger to run the house let alone take all their stuff including money? Sometimes, I found it hard to believe it. Particularly the parts where the children were punished by locking up in their room, not feeding them, not giving them proper food. But then maybe, it may happen in real life.
Following a cult like that is actually disturbing to read sometimes.
The ending to me was bit confusing

Overall, this was a good psychological thriller book to read which will actually keep you up all night. Worth four stars!

July TBR List – Part 1

Hey all!!! These are tentative list of the books I am hoping to read in July!

The Second Chance of Supper Club – Nicole Meier

Two estranged sisters reunite in an emotional novel of family, forgiveness, lost hope, and new beginnings.

They had a forever bond, until a sudden tragedy thrust them apart. Now, each at a crossroad in her own life, two sisters’ paths are about to intersect.

2. The Family Upstairs – Lisa Jewell

An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

The can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.

3. An American Marriage – Tayari Jones

Newlyweds, Celestial and Roy, are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive and she is artist on the brink of an exciting career. They are settling into the routine of their life together, when they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
This stirring love story is a deeply insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward- with hope and pain- into the future.

4. Rose’s Travelling Tea Shop – Rebecca Raisin

The trip of a lifetime!
Rosie Lewis has her life together.

A swanky job as a Michelin-Starred Sous Chef, a loving husband and future children scheduled for exactly January 2021.

That’s until she comes home one day to find her husband’s pre-packed bag and a confession that he’s had an affair.

Heartbroken and devastated, Rosie drowns her sorrows in a glass (or three) of wine, only to discover the following morning that she has spontaneously invested in a bright pink campervan to facilitate her grand plans to travel the country.

Now, Rosie is about to embark on the trip of a lifetime, and the chance to change her life! With Poppy, her new-found travelling tea shop in tow, nothing could go wrong, could it…?

A laugh-out-loud novel of love, friendship and adventure! Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Holly Martin.

5. Don’t Turn Around – Jessica Barry

Don't Turn Around: A Novel by [Jessica Barry]

322 miles of road. 6 hours. 2 strangers. 1 killer. Too many secrets.

Midnight. Cait Monaghan and Rebecca McRae are on a desolate road that slices through the New Mexican desert. They’ve never met before tonight. Both have secrets to protect. Both of their lives are in danger.

When a truck pulls up fast behind them, they assume it’s punk teenagers or run-of-the-mill road rage, but it soon becomes clear that whoever is driving the truck is hunting them for sport—and they are out to draw blood.

As the miles unspool and the dangers mount, the pasts they’ve worked so hard to keep buried have come back to haunt them. Someone wants one of them dead. But which one? And given the lives the two women have been leading, that someone could be almost anyone.

If Cait and Rebecca are going to survive, they’ll have to learn to trust one another—and themselves. But trust is a costly business, and they’ve both paid the price before. . . .

June Wrap Up

The month of June is over and July is here! Here’s a wrap up of the books I have read in the month of June

Five Star Rated Books

You Should See Me in a Crown – Leah Johnson
A Woman is No Man – Etaf Rum
Tuesday’s Child – Anya Mora
I Am Watching You – Teresa Driscoll
#MeToo – Patricia Dixon
Liars- Patricia Dixon and Anita Waller

Four Star Rated Books

Tea Tiramisu and Tough Guys – Harper Li
The Secret Messenger – Mandy Robotham
What Happened to Us? – Faith Hogan
The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop – Abbie Clements
Aunt Lee’s Delights – Ovidia Yu

Three Star Rated Books

The Restaurant – Pamela Kelley
Cream Puff Murder- Sandi Scott
Eight Perfect Murders – Peter Swanson

Total Number of Books Read – 14

No. of E-Books – 14

No. of Physical books – 0

Best Book I have read this month- You Should See Me In A Crown – Leah Johnson

Worst Book I have read this month- Eight Perfect Murders – Peter Swanson

You Should See Me In A Crown- Book Review

Just finished with the audio book of You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson. Can’t wait to share my thoughts with you all!

Amazon.com: You Should See Me in a Crown (9781338503265): Johnson ...

Becky Albertalli meets Jenny Han in a smart, hilarious, black girl magic, own voices rom-com by a staggeringly talented new writer.

Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.

But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down . . . until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.

The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?

No. of Pages :- 336 pages

Date published:- June 2020

Genre:- YA Fiction/ LGBT fiction

Leah Johnson, author of You Should See Me in a Crown | Feminist ...

Leah Johnson is a writer, editor and eternal Midwesterner, currently moonlighting as a New Yorker. She is a graduate of Indiana University and Sarah Lawrence College, where she received her MFA in fiction writing, and currently teaches in their undergraduate writing program

This is actually my first time reading LGBTQ themed books. This book is also the debut book of author Leah Johnson.

So in a nutshell, Liz Lightley believes that she is too black, too poor, too awkward to take part in the prom that seems to be an obsession in her small town Campbell, Indiana. But when she loses the financial aid she has been aiming for to get into her dream college, Pennington College. Her only choice would have been to join the highly publicized high school prom event which will offer her the check to her get into Pennington so she could become a doctor. But being black is not the reason why Liz was a bit hesitant if she will win the prom–she is actually a queer.

So anyway, I will tell you all about the ones I liked about the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I simply couldn’t put it down.It was funny, it was so well written. Kudos to the author for writing this book well. It was also interesting too to read that I simply couldn’t put it down.
Many of the characters in this book are all likable except of course Rachel. I really like the main protagonist, Liz Lightley’s character in the book. She was funny, but she was also very open, a bit sensitive and is particularly close to her brother Robbie.
I also like how Liz’s friend particularly Gabby and Britt were all supportive to her, helping her to prep for the prom, knowing her sexuality. This shows the true friendship between the girls. I like how Jordan, her friend from middle school was supporting her in the end.
I should say, the narrator who was reading the book did a good job reading it as I was drawn into the book!
I like the budding romance between Liz and the new girl, Amanda McCarthy, known as Mac. I also like how the author made it realistic as Liz was feeling a bit insecure with her feelings.
This is such a cute book! This book is full of activity and also I had an emotional roller coaster ride while reading this book.
This book is told from the perspective of Liz so we can actually know what Liz is really feeling. She seemed to be a kind heart likable character, sometimes making bad decisions.
I like the competition the high school is having to secure a position in the prom court, like the bake sale, volunteer work.
I like how nearly the entire community support Liz in the end–it was so heart breaking and emotional as how Liz had to go through because she is black and because of her sexuality.

Overall, I strongly recommend this book to everyone! It was fun, enjoyable, unputdownable and overall an emotional roller coaster ride. Worth five stars!

The Restaurant – Book Review

Hey all! I am back with a book review. Just finished reading The Restaurant by Pamela Kelley and I am going to share my thoughts with you all.

Three sisters. An inherited Nantucket restaurant. One year before they can sell.

Mandy, Emma and Jill are as close as three sisters who live hundreds of miles apart can be. They grew up together on Nantucket, but Mandy is the only one that stayed.

Jill lives a glamorous life in Manhattan as a co-owner of a successful executive search firm. Never married, she is in her mid-thirties and lives in a stunning, corner condo with breathtaking views of the city and Hudson river. Everyone thinks there’s something going on with her partner, Nick, because as a workaholic, she spends more time with him than anyone else. But there’s never been anything but friendship between them and Nick loves being a bachelor in NYC.

Emma lives in Arizona and is an elementary school teacher and an aspiring photographer. She met her college professor husband, Peter, in grad school and they’ve been married for over fifteen years. In recent years, she’s noticed that Peter has grown distant. But when he shares a surprising secret, she doesn’t see it coming and her world is turned upside down.

Mandy followed her high school boyfriend, Cory to Boston College, and right after graduation, they married and settled in Dover, just outside of Boston. Cory joined a successful hedge fund, while Mandy took a job at a downtown financial services firm as an administrative assistant. She quit a year later, when Blake, the first baby came. Two years later, when Brooke was born, Cory left to open a competing Hedge Fund and they moved home to Nantucket. Now that the children are older, Mandy has more free time and is eager to do more than just volunteer with local charity events. But Cory doesn’t want her to work. He thinks it doesn’t reflect well on him and appearances are everything to Cory. Though when Mandy finds a second cell phone in his gym bag, she begins to question what is really going on.

When their beloved grandmother, Ethel Ferguson passes peacefully in her sleep a week before her ninety-ninth birthday she leaves them quite a surprise. In addition to her Nantucket home, they learned that she was the silent owner of Mimi’s Place, one of Nantucket’s most popular year-round restaurants.

There was of course, a catch–she left the restaurant equally to Mandy, Emma, and Jill–and also to Paul, the chef for the past fifteen years.

And before they could sell, all three girls needed to work at the restaurant for a period of one year–or else the entire restaurant would go to Paul.

The same Paul that broke Emma’s heart many years ago.

Pages :- 282 pahes

Date Published:- May 2020

Genre:- Family Saga/ Women’s Fiction

Pamela M. Kelley is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of women’s fiction, family sagas, and suspense. Readers often describe her books as feel-good reads with people you’d want as friends.

She lives in a historic seaside town near Cape Cod and just south of Boston. She has always been an avid reader of women’s fiction, romance, mysteries, thrillers and cook books. There’s also a good chance you might get hungry when you read her books as she is a foodie, and occasionally shares a recipe or two.

First of all I really like the cover! The cover made me want to buy the book and saw I bought the book through Kindle.

So in a nutshell, the three sisters, Jane, Mandy and Emma are living in different lives from each other. Jane has her own company in Manhattan and is very successful in her career and she questions about her budding friendship with Billy who had been her partner in the business. Emma is overcoming with heartbreak after her husband Peter cheats on her. She moves back to Nantucket from Scottsdale, Arizona. Mandy was the only one who remained in Nantucket, seemingly have a successful marriage with her college sweetheart Cory and are blessed with two children Brooke and Blake. Then one day, the girls’ grandmother dies and the sisters reunite together and discover that a popular Italian restaurant known as Mimi’s Place was actually owned by their grandmother and she had left a will of the restaurant for them. But on one condition–the three sisters need to work together with another chef Paul for one year in order for them succeed the ownership of the restaurant. But there’s one catch–Paul happened to Emma’s ex-boyfriend from high school.

So I will start with the ones I like about the book.

I really like the bond that is shared between the three sisters–Jane, Mandy and Emma and how they support each other during their hard times.
The first few chapters were interesting and I like the parts in the book where Mandy finds her grandmother’s diary and finds out her grandmother had acquired the restaurant. It is interesting as a reader to know the history of how the sisters’ grandmother acquired the restaurant.
Some of the descriptions of the food written by the author was mouthwatering and wished you can actually eat it!
The plot line was good.

Now the things I didn’t like about the book.

I didn’t like the writing much, it was OK not that great though towards the end, it got better.
Too much dialogue, not very interesting sometimes, got bored sometimes. It was always about meeting up, going out for food and some dialogue thing between the characters. So as a result, it was a bit boring.
Sometimes, the food descriptions is not very appetizing and not very enjoyable
I felt the book was being rushed a little, as if the author really wanted to finish the book early so didn’t like it much.
It was not very realistic, very predictable because you know in the end what was going to happen and as I said, a bit boring.

Overall, this is a good book, not a great book but an OK book, worth three stars in my opinion!

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Childhood Books Part 1

Hello all! I am still reading the books and still haven’t finished reading them so today, I decided to share with you some of the books I used to love as a child.

Well, this is going to be a weekly post so today, I will tell you my favorite childhood books.

I used to read lot of Enid Blyton’s books. Secret Seven series are one of them.

This was one of my favorite books by Enid Blyton although I have read several of her books. Maybe someday, I will read them again and do a review about it!

Tea, Tiramisu and Tough Guys – Book Review

Just finished reading Harper Lin’s second book of the Cape Bay series, Tea, Tiramisu and Tough Guys.

Tea, Tiramisu, and Tough Guys (A Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Book 2) by [Harper Lin]

From USA TODAY Bestselling Author Harper Lin: a culinary cozy mystery series with recipes set in a charming beach town!

When Francesca’s old high school crush, Todd, is accused of murder, she is convinced he is innocent. The police don’t believe Todd’s story, and neither does Matty.

During the busy summer tourist season at Cape Bay, Francesca sets out to prove Todd’s innocence. Matty, however, investigates to prove Todd is guilty. Why does Matty detest Todd so much? But what if he’s right—what if Todd is a murderer?

Harper Lin is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of cozy mysteries. When she’s not reading or writing mysteries, she loves going to yoga classes, hiking, and hanging out with her family and friends.

In case if you have been following my blog, I have done a book review of the first book of the Cape Bay series, Cappuccinos, Cupcakes and a Corpse, written by the same author. So in here, a man named Joe was stabbed in the car park of a gym owned by Francesca’s former high school classmate and crush, Todd. Since Todd does not have a good alibi, he becomes the main suspect of Joe’s murder. Francesca believes that Todd is innocent and like in the first book, she goes out to find the real murderer.

So I read the book or rather listened on audio book. It was actually short about four hours long so actually for people who want a quick read or want to listen to an audio book that is not too long, this book is good.
I still like the community setting of Cape Bay and I like how Frannie is introducing new items into her cafe to make her coffee shop more successful. In this case, she introduced tea into her coffee shop by studying and experimenting with different types of tea and makes a business deal with an Italian restaurant owner Monica to make tiramisus. So that’s why the title comes from. Oh and Joe who was murdered was doing kick boxing and that’s why the third title, tough guys comes from.
Just like the first book, Frannie along with Matt goes out to investigate on their own. However, Matt initially was convinced that Todd killed Joe. This also shows the growing budding romance between Matt and Frannie.
The writing sounds simple and the description of tiramisus made me mouth water!
I like the relationship Frannie had with her co-workers in the shop.
This is a cozy mystery novel so you can kind of guess who the murderer is.

Overall, this is a good quick book to read and if you like cozy mysteries, try reading Cape Bay mysteries. P.S. you don’t really need to start from the beginning. There’s no continuation part I have noticed except the main characters are the same.

Overall I give four stars!