On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day. T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends. Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

Initial Thoughts:
There was so much buzz around this book I just had to read it.
The Pros:
This book was like Castaway with a dash of Mrs. Robinson. In the best possible way.
The description of the island and the characters was flawless. I felt like I was there with Anna and TJ on the island. Also, I think that the author did a phenomenal job of writing about events that really would happen if you were a castaway. Sharks, storms, chickens, you name it, she thought of it.
The growing romance between TJ and Anna was natural, not awkward in any way, shape, or form. It was a beautiful love story. It wasn't creepy, just sweet.
The idea that the cancer could come back at any time haunted me throughout the book. At every page turn, I was like "omg. is the cancer back?".
This book is a self-pub but I found no mistakes and the writing was phenomenal.
The Cons:
I'm not a huge fan of dual first person narratives.
The Wrap Up: 5/5
One of the best books I've ever read. Seriously.
Favorite Quote: "'What's it like being with her? Is it true what they say about older chicks?' 'She's not that much older.' 'Uh, okay. So anyway, how is it?' 'It's incredible.' 'What's she do?' 'She does everything, Ben.'"
Get your copy of On the Island on Amazon.

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."

Want to read about These Girls? Click here.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past. The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

Initial Thoughts:
This book was on the best sellers list as soon as it came out, so I was intrigued to what made it so special. After reading the blurb, I was so curious about this Victorian language of flowers and how it would play a part in the book.

The Pros:
This book shows you just what happens to kids after they "age out" of the foster care situation. Also, it shows you how difficult it can be to both a foster child and a foster parent.

The Victorian language of flowers is beautiful and so interesting. The book even comes with a flower "dictionary" in the back.

Victoria's story, while heartbreaking, is empowering and inspirational.

Interconnected details that originally present themselves as mundane really build the story into something strong and meaningful.

The many plot twists kept me guessing.

The Cons:
I wasn't a big fan of the ending.

Victoria comes across incredibly selfish in many parts of the book, and at times it turned me off to the book.

The Wrap Up: 4/5
A fantastic read. The story has so much heart and the flashbacks really help you discover why the characters are the way they are. Also, you'll know what your favorite flower says about you by the end of the book.

Favorite Quote:

“It wasn't as if the flowers themselves held within them the ability to bring an abstract definition into physical reality. Instead, it seemed that...expecting change, and the very belief in the possibility instigated a transformation.” 

Want to read this amazing book? Click here!