Audio Book Review: Red Hook Road, by Ayelet Waldman

 I wasn't supposed to like Red Hook Road. But I did.

Red Hook Road begins with a tragedy.  Becca and John are killed in an accident on Red Hook Road just hours after they are married.  For the rest of the book, both families are trying to come to terms with their grief. Does that sound like a good book?

After the beginning, when I realized what this book was going to be about, I almost gave up.  But I'm more patient with audiobooks, and the writing was really great. I was caught up in these people's lives.  I could see the beautiful coastal village in Maine. The details are what kept me involved.

Red Hook Road isn't an action book, although there is a bit of suspense at the end.  It's a study of the characters and their interactions with each other--how they helped each other through.  And in some cases, how this tragedy divided them. Of course, it was sad at times, but there is a good balance of uplifting scenes too.

Like I said, this isn't my "type" of book.  But I love stretching my wings and finding something that I really enjoy, even if out of my comfort zone. Pick up Red Hook Road if you like atmospheric stories of family and love. I would highly recommend the audio version. Kimberly Farr does a great job.

Published by Doubleday, 2010, Random House Audio.
Audiobook obtained from the library
352 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Christmas Room by Catherine Anderson

The Christmas Room is a cute, heartwarming romance but wasn't the Christmas story I expected.

Cam has moved his family (his mother, Maddie, and son) to Montana where he bought some land and intends to build a house.  But, in the meantime, they are camping out - living in a trailer and other makeshift dwellings. When he strikes up a conversation with Kirstin while having a drink, he has no idea she's the daughter of his crazy neighbor, Sam Conacher.

Sam has a reputation for running off and ruining any suitor that even thinks about dating his daughter.  Cam and Kirstin can't ignore the attraction they feel, so they begin seeing each other in secret.

Since Sam's wife died six years ago, he's been a totally different person.  Almost all of his ranch hands have quit.  He's lost contact with all his friends.  When he discovers his daughter has been seeing Cam, he explodes and ends up confronting Maddie, who is a tough older lady and doesn't take any crap from Sam.

We end up with a double romance in The Christmas Room--the older and younger generations trying to make their way into a relationship.  Maddie has been recently widowed, so surviving and grieving after losing a spouse is a strong theme.

I enjoyed watching it all play out.  The characters are interesting, all having their faults.  Nothing is easy, but love prevails. My only complaint is that I didn't really consider this a Christmas story.  Christmas isn't even mentioned until well into the second half of the book.  I kept looking at the cover and thinking, "This looks like a Christmas book, right?" The book ends at Christmas, and there are some Christmas surprises, but I didn't get enough Christmas to satisfy my need.

I enjoyed The Christmas Room, but I'll be looking for another Christmas novel that I hopefully can get to before the holiday.  This is the first book I've read by Anderson, and I won't hesitate to pick up her others when I'm in the mood for a romance.

Published by Berkley, September 26, 2017
eARC obtained from NetGalley
432 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Things We Know By Heart, by Jessi Kirby @JessiKirby

Things We Know by Heart is a heartwarming, well-written novel even though it follows a somewhat predictable path.

It has been over a year since Quinn's long time boyfriend (and neighbor) died in a horrible accident, and Quinn is still dealing with the loss. One of the things she has done is write to all of the people who received his organs which were donated when he died. All of them have responded -- except the one who received his heart.

So Quinn becomes obsessed checking dates and news stories on the internet and eventually figures out who has the heart. He, Colton, lives nearby and she decides to meet him. So they form a friendship, and it becomes even more. She never tells him why they happened to meet, and he never tells her he's had a heart transplant.

Every reader knows this is going to blow up in their faces eventually. Quinn has many perfect moments that she could have confessed, but she doesn't. And let's face it, if she did, there wouldn't be this book. I did say this is predictable, but it's teen drama. We're not talking about magical, paranormal surprises. It's a contemporary, and how can they not all be a bit predictable if they are realistic. So that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Especially when you take into consideration the writing and the characters, both of which Kirby does an excellent job creating. I love how Quinn's family is present and supportive. And how Colton's sister is so protective. The ocean setting and kayaking scenes added a lot to the story too. And you won't be disappointed by the ending.

Kirby is a great storyteller, and teens are going to really enjoy Things We Know by Heart.  I look forward to recommending it.

Published by HarperTeen, April 21, 2015
Copy obtained from Edelweiss
304 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith @JenESmith

Oh! Cute! Cute! Cute!. Jennifer E. Smith has done it again with The Geography of You and Me.

Lucy and Owen both live in a high rise apartment building in New York City. Lucy with her parents in a luxury apartment, and Owen with his father in the basement. Owen's father is the superintendent of the building. Lucy and Owen get stuck in the elevator when New York experiences a blackout, and a friendship is born.

Their lives take them very far apart from each other. They both move away, but keep in touch sporadically, mostly via post cards. So the question is, Why do they keep thinking about each other? Is there something there? Is this more than a friendship? How are you supposed to figure that out when you are halfway around the world from each other?

I think what I love most about Smith's books is that they aren't sappy. They aren't overly dramatized. These kids aren't homeless or drug addicts or physically or mentally challenged. They are just somewhat normal kids, living normal lives, and the romance aspect has this slow burn quality that I love.

At the end, you aren't even sure if these two will be together forever, much the way I've felt about all Smith's books. At the end, your are at the beginning of what is a cute, heartwarming romance.

Smith's books all have the same kind of rhythm, but I will read every one she writes. I'm not getting tired of her, like I have some authors whose books all seem too much alike.

If you want a cute, teen romance book that will make you feel good, then read The Geography of You and Me. And if you haven't, you need to read The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and This is What Happy Looks Like. Then you need to make sure you keep track of when Smith's next one is being released! My students will eat this one up, just like they have the other two.

Published by Poppy, April 15, 2014
Purchased copy
337 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, by Morgan Matson @morgan_m

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is a heartwarming road-trip book that I'm glad I spent some time with.

Amy's father died three months ago, her brother is in rehab after going over the edge, her mother has decided to move them from California to Connecticut, and Amy is feeling very guilty.

Amy has been living alone in her California home for a month while she finishes school. Pretty sad situation for someone who has recently lost her father. (I can't believe her mother did that!) Amy had something to do with the accident that killed her father, that much is obvious, but we don't find out the details until towards the end of the book. But, you kind of figure it out before that. Amy definitely needs counseling, but there's never any mention of this. :(

Since the accident, Amy doesn't drive. Her mother needs her car to be driven to Connecticut, so she gets her friend's son (Roger) to drive him and Amy across the country. Amy's mom has everything planned out and reservations made. It's going to take them four days to make the trip.

No....it's not. Amy & Roger decide to take a detour -- well, maybe quite a few detours. In the process, Amy heals a bit. Also, Roger has an ulterior motive for the trip, which he also accomplishes. And there's the expected romance.

But I hate to even call this book a romance. That doesn't really happen until the last 30 pages. I mean, talk about SLOOOOOW building...this is the antithesis of "instalove."

There's so much more to Amy & Roger's Epic Detour than the relationship between Amy & Roger. There's music, a scrapbook, 20 questions, experiencing landmarks and local foods, friendships, and a lot of healing.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is a tingly feel-good book that teen girls will really enjoy. (And they have.  My library copy is very well read.)

Published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2010
Copy obtained from the library
344 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Torn Away, by Jennifer Brown

Torn Away was not what I expected, but it is entertaining and a little heartbreaking.

I don't read book blurbs. And this one tells too much. So, I'm not going to give you specifics in this review, but you can find out more if you read the blurb. All I knew about Torn Away is that it is about a devastating tornado, and it was written by Jennifer Brown whose books I've enjoyed before.

I'm afraid of tornadoes. I live in Illinois, and this book takes place in Missouri, so that's very close. I've never been in a tornado, but I've had several close calls. I thought Torn Away was going to be about the aftermath of a tornado. The clean up. The rebuilding. The volunteer helpers. The finding people places to live.

Torn Away is actually about Jersey recovering from grief, and in that way, it's like a lot of other books out there. I think Brown missed an opportunity here to not only tell Jersey's story, but keep the story within the aftermath of the tornado.

What actually happens is that a few days after the tornado, Jersey, who has lost everything (and I won't be specific here, but we're talking property and loved ones) is taken away from everything she knows. So this is about her adjusting to a new (and horrific) life, about finding out that her loved ones may have misrepresented their past, coming to terms with her loss, and suffering from PTSD.

And, just let me add, Ronnie is a total jerk. I live in a "blended family" and -- just -- that would NEVER happen. I don't care how grief stricken you are -- isn't there any love or compassion for your non-biological child? He really pissed me off.

I'm not a crier, and this book made me tear up several times, so it is well written and I felt for the characters. I just didn't get the unique premise that I had hoped for.

Published by Little Brown BFYR, May 6, 2014
eBook obtained from NetGalley
288 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Me Since You, by Laura Wiess

Me Since You is a touching story, although very bleak.

Rowan skips school on the day that a young father jumps off a bridge holding his baby and kills them both. Rowan's father is a police officer who was first on the scene, since he had to pick up Rowan and bring her home when she got caught skipping.

This day changes Rowan's life.

There's a bit of a love interest named Eli. He has had a difficult life too, and the fact that he was on the bridge walking his dog during the incident complicates it even further. Rowan and Eli have a bond because of what happened, and soon a touching romance begins. I did enjoy this relationship, and I really loved the dog and the role she played in the story.

Most of Me Since You is about Rowan and her family's grief. Wiess has done an excellent job depicting how grief tears people apart, and different people grieve differently. But really, this goes on for pages and pages and I found it very repetitive. And I did find the behavior of at least one person to be unrealistic. Having dealt with the death of a family member before, I found this book really depressing. The end is very abrupt, just beginning to reveal meager signs of hope.

Wiess writes great characters, and the situations she puts them in are realistic and difficult. The middle of Me Since You just gets bogged down in the endless symptoms of grief. I will recommend Me Since You to my teens with the caveat that it's really a downer.

Published by MTV Books, February 18, 2014
eBook obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 3/5

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Book Review: Morning Glory, by Sarah Jio @sarahjio

My love for Sarah Jio's books continues with Morning Glory. I always know that her books will immerse me in a place and a time that I will be sad to leave.

Ada lost everything, her husband and her daughter, in an accident two years ago. She's tried to immerse herself in her work as an editor of a popular magazine, but she decides she needs to leave New York to get away from the memories. She quits her job and rents a houseboat in Seattle for the summer.

Now, of course we expect her to find a guy that she's attracted to and fall in love. And Jio writes this romance with her usual style. But, there's also a mystery on Boat Street. Many years ago the woman that lived in Ada's houseboat, Penny, disappeared. It's very clear that some of the people on Boat Street know more about this than they are letting on.

Ada can't stand not knowing what happened, especially after she finds a trunk of Penny's things, and she vows to figure it out. We get a dual perspective in Morning Glory. Penny's perspective reveals more than Ada knows, so the reader is always rooting for Ada to find out what we already know. It makes for quite a page turner.

We also eventually find out about the accident that killed Ada's family. What a surprise. The whole time I was just assuming car accident, but no. How horrible!

I'm not a big crier, but I did find myself tearing up a bit at the end of Morning Glory. The only thing I didn't like was the epilogue. I would have preferred that Jio just left that off. I think it tied things up a bit too nicely, and in doing so, the story lost a bit of credibility.

Jio fans should definitely pick this one up. If you haven't read anything by Sarah Jio, Morning Glory is a great place to start! Her books are sweet and clean and totally appropriate for teens too.

Published by Plume, November 26, 2013
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
304 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Just Like Fate, by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Just Like Fate has a unique premise, at least to me. What effect does one decision have on the future? Patrick and Young have spun a tale of one scenario like this, and I found the story quite intriguing.

After sitting for day after day at her dying grandmother's bedside, Caroline has a decision to make. Should she take an evening off to spend at a party with friends, or spend yet another night waiting for her Grandmother to wake up, or inevitably die.

The chapters alternate between "Go" and "Stay," following Caroline's life for several months based on each of these possible decisions. Occasionally, I got confused as to which "lifeline" we were in, but I still really enjoyed the journey down these dual paths.

It gave me a lot to think about. Neither decision was "correct." Both paths had their ups and downs, and Caroline struggled at times in either life. There were romances and the stresses of family and suffering through grief.

I couldn't figure out how this story was going to end! I thought the authors did a great job of bringing it together, kind of.  Very satisfying.

I'll be happy to recommend Just Like Fate to my contemporary fans. I really think this would be a great classroom read -- there's potential for excellent discussions here.

Published by Simon Pulse, August 27, 2013
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
304 pages

Rating: 4/5

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