BOOK REVIEW

TITLE: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

AUTHOR: Gabrielle Zevin

PUBLISHER: Algonquin Books

RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014

GENRE: Fiction, Women’s Fiction

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | B&N

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.(Description from Goodreads.com)

MY THOUGHTS

(***Please note that this review may contain spoilers***)

I have so many books on my “to read” list that I hadn’t been able to read this book until a few years ago. I watched the movie and loved it. Then I read the book and cannot recommend it enough. It’s one of my favorites and will always remain on my bookshelf. I purchased it many years ago, (around the time it was released in 2014) while attending a Women’s National Book Association event in California.

I was able to get Gabrielle to sign it as well. She referenced an “Ice Bucket Challenge” and from what I recall the decor of the event included books being placed in ice buckets (without the ice of course) and in 2014 that challenge was really big on social media hence the funny reference. She talked about her book and read a few pages from it. I instantly connected to it and it was really great meeting Gabrielle in person.

Being a book lover I really enjoyed that the storyline focused on a bookstore, the bookstore owner, and an overall love of books. Each chapter begins with a letter from A.J. to his daughter Maya talking about a specific book/short story and what his thoughts are. It will later be revealed in the book that he was putting this list together at the end of his life. It’s something that’s not in the movie.

It also touched on some relatable topics like losing a loved one, cancer, and adoption. I think losing a loved one was the overarching connector between all the characters because many of them lost someone throughout the book. Maya lost her birth mother then A.J.. Ismay lost her sister and husband. Amelia loses A.J. It’s a lot of loss in one book.

In my opinion, the saddest aspect of the book is A.J.’s story. He lost his wife and the book takes place after his wife passes away. He is depressed and has lost his sense of purpose. Then Maya comes along unexpectedly changing his life forever. Taking care of her mends parts of his heart that had broken with the loss of his wife. Maya gave him purpose again.

Towards the end of the book A.J. is diagnosed with cancer. Something so many people can relate to, myself included. What really got me was the ending when A.J. couldn’t speak anymore and we are reading his inner thoughts. He thinks about how the disease has taken away his ability to read and all he can get through are some short stores. He can’t write a lot anymore either. As someone whose life revolved around books and writing I can’t imagine how difficult it is losing those abilities at the end of your life. Zevin really captured that frustration and sadness at the end.

I did enjoy the relationship between A.J. and Amelia. In some ways it reminded me of my own marriage and husband. A.J. is clearly a high maintenance person to be with, but Amelia really compliments him. She’s more laid back and clam. Having both Amelia and Maya in his life somewhat mellows him out. I do feel that Amelia made a lot of sacrifices to be with A.J. including moving and leaving her job, but you can tell she doesn’t regret it. They truly loved each other.

I do like that Zevin included a brief moment after A.J. is gone showing that life still has to go on after we lose someone. Amelia and Maya move out of the town and have to start a new life somewhere else. Then the bookstore is sold to Ismay and Chief Lambiase keeping the town’s beloved store going. Everyone moves on in their own way, but books still remain.

OVERALL RATING

ABOUT GABRIELLE ZEVIN

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

GABRIELLE ZEVIN is a New York Times best-selling novelist whose books have been translated into forty languages.

Her tenth novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was published by Knopf in July of 2022 and was an instant New York Times Best Seller, a Sunday Times Best Seller, a USA Today Best Seller, a #1 National Indie Best Seller, and a selection of the Tonight Show’s Fallon Book Club. Maureen Corrigan of NPR’s Fresh Air called it, “a big beautifully written novel…that succeeds in being both serious art and immersive entertainment.” Following a twenty-five-bidder auction, the feature film rights to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow were acquired by Temple Hill and Paramount Studios.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry spent many months on the New York Times Best Seller List, reached #1 on the National Indie Best Seller List, was a USA Today Best Seller, and has been a best seller all around the world. A.J. Fikry was honored with the Southern California Independent Booksellers Award for Fiction, the Japan Booksellers’ Prize, and was long listed for the International Dublin Literary Award, among other honors. To date, the book has sold over five-million copies worldwide. It is now a feature film with a screenplay by Zevin. Young Jane Young won the Southern Book Prize and was one of the Washington Post’s Fifty Notable Works of Fiction.

She is the screenwriter of Conversations with Other Women (Helena Bonham Carter) for which she received an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best First Screenplay. She has occasionally written criticism for the New York Times Book Review and NPR’s All Things Considered, and she began her writing career, at age fourteen, as a music critic for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Zevin is a graduate of Harvard University. She lives in Los Angeles.(Bio and photo found on Goodreads)

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BOOK REVIEW

TITLE: One Italian Summer

AUTHOR: Rebecca Serle

PUBLISHER: Atria Books

RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2022

GENRE: Fiction, Romance, Summer Reads

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | B&N

When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: two weeks in Positano, the magical town Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.

But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother’s spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.

And then Carol appears—in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn’t understand what is happening, or how—all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue. (Description from Goodreads.com)

MY THOUGHTS

(***Please note that this review may contain spoilers***)

I found this book at London Heathrow Airport waiting for our connecting flight home. I had just finished up a three week Italy trip, with my husband, celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary. I read the back cover and there was no question that I needed to read it on the long flight back to Los Angeles.

It’s set on the Amalfi Coast in Positano, Italy which I fell in love with visiting the first time in 2010. I was really excited to return and experience it with my husband. We had lunch at the restaurant in Hotel Poseidon and that hotel is featured in the book. What a weird coincidence! So the setting of the book was one reason for purchasing it.

The most important reason I purchased the book was the main character, Katy, losing her mother and somehow getting her back in Italy. Even though the time traveling aspect is not real life; the longing to see someone you lost recently is so relatable.

My father in-law died a week before our Italy trip so I wanted to see what this book could offer in terms of grieving a loved one. There were so many things I could relate to when Katy was thinking of her mom. Katy would be sitting on balconies and terraces with some wine or an Aperol Spritz  just reminiscing about the times she had with her mom. My husband and I did a lot of that during our trip thinking about his dad’s smile or getting sad about what we didn’t get to say to him. The trip was very emotional for us and this book validated the things we were feeling.

The book kept reminding me of all the little things about my father in-law. For example, Katy would describe the things her mom loved to do like cooking and decorating. My father in-law couldn’t do either of those things, but it did make me think about what we would miss most like his infectious laugh and smile.

Then when Katy sees her mother again as a young woman who is carefree, happy, hopeful, and having fun, I couldn’t help but be envious. I would give anything to see my father in-law again in any form where he wasn’t sick and in pain.

The book had many parallels to my real life including the sad ones. In the book, Katy’s mother passed away from cancer; my father in-law passed away the same way. Katy describes watching her mother wither away and how that impacted her; we experienced the same thing.. There’s also part of the book where she’s angry at her mother; we have also had those feelings.

Overall, everything that Katy was going through in the book I was going through a version of it as well. I feel like I was meant to read this book at the exact time I found it. If I found it before my father in-law passed away I don’t think it would have had exactly the same impact. It’s still a very good book, but it’s even better for me at this point in time because of everything we are going through in real life. I would highly recommend this book. Rebecca is also on my favorite author list now. Excited to read more of Rebecca’s work. I already bought two more of her books; Expiration Date and In Five Years.

OVERALL RATING

ABOUT REBECCA SERLE

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

Rebecca Serle is the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years, The Dinner List, and the young adult novels The Edge of Falling and When You Were Mine. Serle also developed the hit TV adaptation Famous in Love, based on her YA series of the same name. She is a graduate of USC and The New School and lives in Los Angeles.

(Bio and photo found on Goodreads)

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BOOK REVIEW

TITLE: Counting Miracles

AUTHOR: Nicholas Sparks

PUBLISHER: Random House

RELEASE DATE: September 24, 2024

GENRE: Romance, Fiction, Women’s Fiction

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | B&N

Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone: happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where to find him.

Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. To Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.

Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog, Arlo, for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.

As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever. (Description from Goodreads.com)

MY THOUGHTS

(***Please note that this review may contain spoilers***)

I think I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors and I was really excited that this book feels more like a Nicholas Sparks book than his last book did. It had all the things I hope for in his books: romance (but not too much), good character backgrounds, character connectors, at least one really sad backstory, and a good twist at the end.

The book is broken out into three POVs: Tanner, Kaitlyn, and Jasper. Tanner and Kaitlyn are the couple we follow throughout the book who are slowly falling in love with each other. They each have their own baggage that gets in the way of them potentially living happily ever after. I do love reading these types of stories because I like seeing how they overcome the obstacles to be together.

Tanner’s issue is that he’s only in town for a specific reason and then he’s going back overseas for a job. He’s the walking billboard for not wanting to settle down and stay in one place. I didn’t like that he kept trying to insert himself in Kaitlyn’s life with no intention of staying and that he didn’t understand why she might be upset about it.

Kaitlyn is dealing with being a single mom to an outspoken teenage girl and a younger son. Tanner gives her a taste of being with someone again after her divorce and realizes she hasn’t been putting herself first at all and that she really does miss that romantic connection. However, she knows that anything with Tanner would be a fling and she battles with wanting to see him more and facing the reality that he will be gone soon.

By far my favorite character is Jasper and he has the saddest back story. I won’t reveal how, but he lost his wife and all his children in a very tragic way. I can’t imagine losing everyone I love all at once, but Jasper kept going somehow. He also got badly injured when his family died and his injuries are an important part of his character and how all the other characters and the town interact with him throughout the book.

Maybe I’m just bad at guessing twists or Sparks is really good at writing them, but the whole time I was thinking Jasper was Tanner’s father. It’s more common now for people Tanner’s age to have older parents, my husband and his dad are a perfect example. My husband is 43 and my father in-law was 83. Even though I thought Jasper was Tanner’s father through most of the book, I didn’t actually want him to be. I kept thinking that Jasper might have abandoned his child, but I’m happy that wasn’t the case. When it was revealed that he is Tanner’s grandfather I really loved that storyline especially after the way Jasper lost his family.

I think if Tanner didn’t find his grandfather the realistic character arc would be for him to move on and not be with Kaitlyn. Throughout the book I honestly couldn’t see him staying with her and staying in once place even if they ended up together at the end. Giving him another reason to stay via Jasper I think was a smart move on Sparks’s part. Not only would Tanner have a piece of his past that he’d always longed for, but he’d have a chance of a future with Kaitlyn.

Overall, I loved the book and highly recommend. I thought that all three characters tied perfectly together at the end and they all did get a happy ending.

OVERALL RATING

ABOUT NICHOLAS SPARKS

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 105 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 75 million copies in the United States alone.

Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 and he followed with the novels Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), True Believer (2005) and its sequel, At First Sight (2005), Dear John (2006), The Choice (2007), The Lucky One (2008), The Last Song (2009), Safe Haven (2010), The Best of Me (2011), and The Longest Ride (2013) as well as the 2004 non-fiction memoir Three Weeks With My Brother, co-written with his brother Micah. His eighteenth novel, See Me, published on October 12, 2015. His newest book, Two by Two, will be published on October 4, 2016.

Film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels, including The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven (on all of which he served as a producer), The Lucky One, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John and The Last Song, have had a cumulative worldwide gross of over three-quarters of a billion dollars.

In 2012, Sparks and his publishing agent and creative partner Theresa Park, launched Nicholas Sparks Productions, with Park as President of Production. A film version of The Guardian is currently in development, as is a film based on Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers’s friendship with Chicago Bears teammate Brian Piccolo.

Sparks lives in North Carolina. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually. He co-founded The Epiphany School in New Bern, North Carolina in 2006. As a former full scholarship athlete (he still holds a track and field record at the University of Notre Dame) he also spent four years coaching track and field athletes at the local public high school. In 2009, the team he coached at New Bern High School set a World Junior Indoor Record in the 4 x400 meter, in New York. The record still stands. (Bio found on NicholasSparks.com)

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BOOK REVIEW

TITLE: Dreamland

AUTHOR: Nicholas Sparks

PUBLISHER: Random House

RELEASE DATE: September 20, 2022

GENRE: Romance, Fiction, Women’s Fiction

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | B&N

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wishcomes a poignant love story about risking everything for a dream—and whether it’s possible to leave the past behind.

Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.

But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, making him wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. The daughter of affluent Chicago doctors, Morgan has graduated from a prestigious college music program with the ambition to move to Nashville and become a star. Romantically and musically, she and Colby complete each other in a way that neither has ever known.

While they are falling headlong in love, Beverly is on a heart-pounding journey of another kind. Fleeing an abusive husband with her six-year-old son, she is trying to piece together a life for them in a small town far off the beaten track. With money running out and danger seemingly around every corner, she makes a desperate decision that will rewrite everything she knows to be true.

In the course of a single unforgettable week, two young people will navigate the exhilarating heights and heartbreak of first love. Hundreds of miles away, Beverly will put her love for her young son to the test. And fate will draw all three people together in a web of life-altering connections . . . forcing each to wonder whether the dream of a better life can ever survive the weight of the past. (Description from Goodreads.com)

MY THOUGHTS

(***Please note that this review may contain spoilers***)

The book follows the POV of Colby Mills and Beverly. It goes back and forth between the two stories which are happening on the same timeline. Following Colby we get to know a man who’s taking a much needed vacation from his family’s farm and playing his music at a bar in Florida. Then it goes into a love story between him and a girl named Morgan. It goes into the uncertainty of falling in love with someone who’s on completely different paths and how it could possibly work when the vacation ends and real life begins again. When we follow Beverly, she’s running from an abusive husband with her son Tommie in tow. Reading through this POV makes you sad and sacred for her and her son because you can see that somethings just not right and she’s breaking down. The whole time I was wondering how these two stories are connected, but Sparks doesn’t give many hints and I didn’t figure out the twist until it was revealed.

Overall, this isn’t my favorite Nicholas Sparks book and it fell a little flat for me compared to many of his other books. I felt like it was lacking passion and love between Colby and Morgan. I think it would have benefited from having Morgan’s POV included as well. That way it would give her character more depth which I think she was lacking throughout. It also was lacking emotion which I’ve come to expect and want when I read a Nicolas Sparks book. I usually devour his books in a few days, but this one I it took me a month or so to want to finish it.

I’m still a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, just a little disappointed in this particular book, but there were aspects of it that I thought were good. I liked that he incorporated things that we can relate to in this age (i.e. TikTok, FaceTime, etc) and I also liked that I was surprised by the twist at the end with Beverly. Once it was revealed that she was bipolar the chapters from her POV started to make more sense, especially the chapters of her right before it was revealed. While reading those chapters I felt Beverly’s helplessness and it was clear how much she was spiraling out of control. I think Sparks did a good job portraying what it might be like for someone in the manic and depressive bipolar states. I already felt like Colby was connected to Beverly somehow and I’m glad that I was surprised by how they were connected.

I would recommend this book if you’re a fan of Nicholas Sparks, just keep in mind that it’s not up to the level of many of his other books.

OVERALL RATING

ABOUT NICHOLAS SPARKS

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 105 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 75 million copies in the United States alone.

Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 and he followed with the novels Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), True Believer (2005) and its sequel, At First Sight (2005), Dear John (2006), The Choice (2007), The Lucky One (2008), The Last Song (2009), Safe Haven (2010), The Best of Me (2011), and The Longest Ride (2013) as well as the 2004 non-fiction memoir Three Weeks With My Brother, co-written with his brother Micah. His eighteenth novel, See Me, published on October 12, 2015. His newest book, Two by Two, will be published on October 4, 2016.

Film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels, including The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven (on all of which he served as a producer), The Lucky One, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John and The Last Song, have had a cumulative worldwide gross of over three-quarters of a billion dollars.

In 2012, Sparks and his publishing agent and creative partner Theresa Park, launched Nicholas Sparks Productions, with Park as President of Production. A film version of The Guardian is currently in development, as is a film based on Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers’s friendship with Chicago Bears teammate Brian Piccolo.

Sparks lives in North Carolina. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually. He co-founded The Epiphany School in New Bern, North Carolina in 2006. As a former full scholarship athlete (he still holds a track and field record at the University of Notre Dame) he also spent four years coaching track and field athletes at the local public high school. In 2009, the team he coached at New Bern High School set a World Junior Indoor Record in the 4 x400 meter, in New York. The record still stands. (Bio found on NicholasSparks.com)

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