32 Candles by Ernessa Carter

John Hughes's "Sixteen Candles" grows up in this wry and satisfying romantic tale in which an ugly ducking becomes the swan she always dreamed of and gets the prince--but will she be able to keep him?

Initial Thoughts:

I am a lover of all things John Hughes, so this book was a must read for me.

The Pros:

I absolutely adored the style of writing in this book. It was funny and intelligent. There were many laugh out loud moments, yet moments that left me teary eyed.

Davie works HARD to get away from her past. But then her past shows up knocking on her front door. You have to admire the girl's work ethic.

The way Davie idolized John Hughes' movies reminds me of myself when I was little. I wanted to be the girl who drives away in Jake's red Porche.

The way that Davie suffers silently through being bullied in high school is heartbreaking, but she never retaliates. All the horrible things that happened to her were bricks in the road to her self discovery.

The Cons:

What she did was not cool. Not going to lie. It bordered a bit on psychotic, but after the things she went through, I don't know that it was completely out of line.

An epilogue would have been nice. I want to know what happened!

Finding out who Davie's father is was a shock to the system.

The Wrap Up: 4.5/5

This is one phenomenal book. Smart, funny, and tugging at your heartstrings, thrown in a bowl and mixed with 80's nostalgia. 

Favorite Quote:

"I will never let a man hand me an Invitation to Crazy."

Get your own 32 Candles here.

A Grown Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

A Grown Up Kind of Pretty is a powerful saga of three generations of women, plagued by hardships and torn by a devastating secret, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of family. Fifteen-year-old Mosey Slocumb-spirited, sassy, and on the cusp of womanhood-is shaken when a small grave is unearthed in the backyard, and determined to figure out why it's there. Liza, her stroke-ravaged mother, is haunted by choices she made as a teenager. But it is Ginny, Mosey's strong and big-hearted grandmother, whose maternal love braids together the strands of the women's shared past--and who will stop at nothing to defend their future.

Initial Thoughts:

I really didn't have many expectations of this book, other than it's consistent 5 star ratings on every review site imaginable. I figured it had to be at least decent.

The Pros:

This was an incredibly powerful story. I definitely cried. Not going to lie.

Ginny. Oh Ginny. She is probably the strongest literary character I have ever come across. She is the glue that holds the Slocumb family together when it seems like the world is trying it's hardest to rip them apart.

This book is part chick lit and part mystery with plenty of drama thrown in. It kept me guessing. I thought I had it all figured out (I usually do figure out mysteries way before they are revealed) but I had it completely wrong in this book. Way, way off. Which was an awesome change for me.

I was rooting for all three generations of women to get their happy ending. I was so invested in all three's lives, not one more than another.

The use of southern dialect was enriching, not detracting from the story line.

The Cons:

I didn't really like how the author called Liza's stroke a "brain event". 

The fact that they didn't take proper care of Liza until the very end of the book was kind of unsettling.

The Wrap Up: 4.5/5

I really loved this book. I have recommended it to so many people who have loved it just as much as I did. It's the kind of book that you can't put down and can't stop talking about it after you're done.

Favorite Quote:

"Before my mom had her brain event, I never even saw him have a conversation with her face. He talked lower, like her thought her boobs had microphones in them and if he aimed right he could order up a chili-dog combo."

Click here to get your copy of A Grown Up Kind of Pretty NOW. Trust me. You will love it.

These Girls by Sarah Pekkenan

In her third novel, internationally bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen examines the lives of three women working and living together in New York City and shows that family secrets may shape us all, but it’s the rich, complicated layers of friendship that can save us. Cate, Renee, and Abby have come to New York for very different reasons, and in a bustling city of millions, they are linked together through circumstance and chance. Cate has just been named the features editor of Gloss, a high-end lifestyle magazine. It’s a professional coup, but her new job comes with more complications than Cate ever anticipated. Cate’s roommate Renee will do anything to nab the plum job of beauty editor at Gloss. But snide comments about Renee’s weight send her into an emotional tailspin. Soon she is taking black market diet pills—despite the racing heartbeat and trembling hands that signal she's heading for real danger. Then there’s Abby, whom they take in as a third roommate. Once a joyful graduate student working as a nanny part time, she abruptly fled a seemingly happy life in the D.C. suburbs. No one knows what shattered Abby—or why she left everything she once loved behind. Pekkanen’s most compelling, true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate the complications of careers and love—and find the lifeline they need in each other.

Initial Thoughts:
I'm a sucker for chick lit novels. Anything remotely along the lines of Sex and the City and I'm intrigued. So when you tell me about three roommates in New York? I'm sold.

The Pros:
All three girls were immensely relatable. Who hasn't felt stressed out by their job, wished they could lose a few pounds, and had their heart broken into a million pieces? I'm pretty sure every girl has.

Abby's story was the most compelling to me. It had the most depth, and kept me guessing. The love she showed little Annabelle was heartwarming.

Renee personifies my fear for girls today. No one is ever thin enough or pretty enough, and some girls will stop at nothing to be the thinnest and prettiest. It's an important lesson to instill in young women.

Cate's decision to put her friends above herself was noble, and shows where her alliances lay. Remember the saying.. chicks before... well... you know the rest.

The Cons:
I wished it was a bit longer. I wanted to know more. With around 300 pages split between three girls, that's just about 100 pages a girl. Not nearly enough to get my fill.

I wanted to know more about Trey. It seems like he was just glossed over.

The Wrap Up: 3/5
This is your standard chick lit quick read. It was interesting enough to keep me amused, but nothing I would rave about. Cute and relevant, it's a good beach read.

Favorite Quote:
"I can't take back what I did. But it might... help you to know how much I love your daughter. I thought the letters were for Annabelle, but they're not. They're for you."

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