Show us Your Books - short reviews for May!

Hard to believe another month has passed since the last SUYB link up! I read some phenomenal books this month and I can't wait to share them here!!! Linking up with Steph and Jana today - check out their blogs for others' posts about books too!!

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this entire book, pretty much, with a smile plastered on my face. Nina is such a fun character - she lives for books, she is excellent at trivia, she is a good friend, but she is also rigid, organized, and likes her alone time. It's easy to relate to her and respect her. It was fun to watch her grow and accept changes in her well-planned-out life throughout this book.
The writing in this novel is so quirky, so fun to read, and there were so many lines that I just read over again because the turn of phrase that Waxman used was just SO good. If you live a bookish life at all, you might be predisposed to like this one more than others but I think this book will resonate with a lot of readers who can relate to balancing time alone and time with friends, friends as family, and being yourself in spite of others' expectations. Thank you to Edelweiss, Berkley, and the author for the ARC of this wonderful book. It comes out July 9. This is a perfect one to add to your summer reading list! 

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I bought this book the day it came out and waited a few months to read it. I don't know why!!! I loved Nevermoor and this one picked up right where that left off. I ended up listening to half of this and reading half of it. The audio version was fantastic. This world is so much fun to read about and I cannot wait to share it with my children in a few years. I can tell that Jessica Townsend is building up to quite the series here and this one was no exception - sometimes I don't love a sequel as much as the first in a series but that was not the case here. This sequel dove into more about what it is like to be in the Wundrous Society and we learn more about Morrigan's unit and candidates. Some new characters are introduced in the form of educators and conductors of the unit. We also meet Hawthorne's family in this book.

There are still many themes of good vs evil, friendship, family, loyalty, and of course, magical abilities and power throughout this book and I absolutely adored it. Cannot wait to continue the series ASAP!!

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
My rating: 4.5/5 stars

I saw someone post about this book in probably January 2019 and say that it was one of the best books they'd read this year so I went to check it out and could not WAIT to read it. I was delighted to be approved for an ARC from Netgalley and Forever earlier this week and couldn't resist diving into the book right away despite being in the middle of a few other books. This book certainly did not disappoint. It packed WAY more of an emotional punch than I was expecting based on the synopsis and the cover, especially in the latter chapters. I loved the dual perspectives, and fully appreciated Josh's perspective in particular. Not every female author nails the male POV the way that Abby does in this book. Of course, it helps that the main characters are all extremely lovable (including Stuntman Mike, Kristen's adorable dog!). By the time I finished this, I felt like I had been put through the emotional wringer but it was still ultimately a satisfying ending. These two characters and their path to one another isn't easy and there are some very, very real issues that go on in this book. It was such a great read and I highly recommend if this is your genre of choice (and if you read it, PLEASE talk to me about it, PLEASE!!!)

Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC of this book which comes out June 11!

The Huntress by Kate Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a riveting novel and I was captivated throughout. I quite enjoyed it as an audiobook. Sometimes the whole "the reader knows everything but the characters don't" thing doesn't work for me, but it was well done here.




The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this especially the dual perspectives and the extremely wonderful characters. I would highly recommend this if you want to read a historical fiction book that is NOT about a world war. This was fascinating but not devastatingly sad like some other books. There was a "mystery" (who is this person?!) element to it that was really fun.


Daisies and Devotion by Josi S. Kilpack
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh, I loved this book so much. What a sweet little love story. Can't wait to continue this fun series of proper romances - this one reminded me a lot of one of my favourites of all time, Edenbrooke!!
Thank you to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the ARC of this book. It is a standalone novel but I enjoyed the first in the series too!  



The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book took me a little while to get into but the characters were lovely, the concept was refreshing, and I love reading books set in London (or Britain in general). There was definitely more to this than meets the eye, and it held my interest and kept me turning pages quickly. A lot of cute references to other literary works. Tiffy's job sounds like a blast and the supporting characters were all really fun. Definitely recommend this if you're looking for some well-written summer chick lit with some more serious topics woven through. Thank you so much to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC of this book!! This comes out May 28. 


The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This was adorable and might be one of my new favourites from this hilarious duo. Whenever I get a new Christina Lauren book I cannot wait to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea (or wine) and just jump in and laugh and grin and feel light emotions for a few hours. Their books are a great pass-the-time-happily experience for me and I often get exactly what I expect, but funnier. Their writing is so fun and their characters and the situations they find themselves in are unique and interesting. This one about two "sworn enemies" - siblings of a bride and groom - who are the only two people at a wedding that don't end up with horrifying food poisoning - is pure gold. The two "enemies" go on the honeymoon for the couple and encounter some people from their past and future while they are pretending to be the newlyweds. The whole setting and trip sounded like a blast and of course, there are some bumps along the way. Highly recommend this one for another perfect beach read this summer. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC of this book which is on shelves today!! 

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really, really liked this and found it to be very fast paced and easy to read. The characters were all well developed and I loved Khai and his family, particularly his brother, Quan. I loved the glimpses we see of Michael and Stella from The Kiss Quotient. Helen Hoang's writing is spot-on and she portrays these characters wonderfully. Of course, the ending was swoon-worthy too, and I expected no less. Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for the ARC of this book. PS: This book is on Hoopla (audio) if you're having a hard time getting it at the library!!! 

The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh, I love this series. It is set in such a different world than most contemporary romance novels and it is SO fun to be continually learning more about the London theater scene. Of course, the Austen themes in this one were especially appealing to me. I will absolutely write whatever Lucy Parker writes in the future because her books are so well done!! I think there are plans for a 5th in this series (can't wait).
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this 4th book in the London Celebrities series which is out now!!

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'd file this book under "books I would have loved with all my heart at the age of 11-12 but I still like quite a bit at the age of 33". Is that a category? :) This book introduced me to such a unique concept and the plot involved children on a fun (but dangerous! jeepers!) literary adventure through San Francisco. Emily's family and her new friend were wonderful supporting characters and can I just say PLEASE can book scavenger be a thing in the real world now?!?! I want to play it so badly!! (Basically, geocaching with books). Can't wait to read the rest of the series as it comes out.

Enjoyable but don't rush out right away:

Normal People by Sally Rooney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Usually, after I finish a book, I obviously know whether I liked it or not. With this one, I just could NOT get my thoughts together. If someone else read this and said to me, "wow, I loved that!" I would completely understand why. Likewise, if someone said they hated it, I could relate to that too. LOL. However, this book was not what I expected and I read it in two very busy days, so I absolutely enjoyed the experience. I also can't believe the author is only 28 years old. These words are so well done. I didn't completely love either of the main characters, but the plot and the way it followed the characters over time with some ups and downs in both of their lives was just so good. I hesitate to recommend this wholeheartedly without any reservations, but I know it will be sought out widely this summer and I can understand why.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. 

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sadly, I did not love this as much as many other readers, nor did I love it as much as The Hate U Give, but it was still wonderfully narrated by Bahni Turpin and provided me with a perspective that I am not usually exposed to. Overall, Brie just didn't tug at my heartstrings the way other characters do and I think that was my disconnect from the story in general. The plot definitely held my attention though and I quite enjoyed the ending.

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was cute and felt very much like watching one of those mid-2000s romantic comedy movies with quirky side characters and a happy ending. Some parts of it were quite funny but it was overall pretty fluffy and there were some issues here and there. I do look forward to the sequel with some interesting characters introduced in this book. If you're looking for one good summer read, however, I'd recommend one of the others mentioned in this post. Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If I Loved You Less by Noelle Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After absolutely adoring the first book in this series, which was loosely based on Pride and Prejudice, I was quite antsy to dive into this one, which is loosely based on Emma. It was cute and fun - I enjoyed revisiting all of the characters from the first novella in the series and I really enjoyed Ward and Em as characters. I liked the way this was updated and modernized as an adaptation. Ultimately, it didn't quite live up to my love of the first, but I do prefer P&P to Emma quite a bit too so that's partly on me. If you are a fan of Austen retellings, these are some of the better ones I've read - I cannot WAIT for the Persuasion retelling which is next and comes out in June.

Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was my first book by this author and it felt quite hard to get through despite being not very long. I think it just wasn't quite what I was expecting. The mystery aspect definitely kept me entertained but I couldn't find myself caring as much about the characters as I usually do when reading these types of books. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book which came out May 7.

I also re-read and adored Anne of Avonlea :)

TL;DR - please add The Bookish Life of Nina Hill to your summer TBR if you like contemporary fiction about a girl who loves books ;) If you're into romance I cannot recommend Lucy Parker's books enough and I also recommend The Flatshare, The Unhoneymooners, and The Friend Zone 100%. If you are into Middle grade fiction in any capacity, The Nevermoor series and Book Scavenger were both excellent. Or The Gown if you are looking for a historical fiction book that is not about the war in any way!


Currently reading: too many to list here, LOL, but I post pretty regularly over on Goodreads! :)

What are you reading lately? Is anyone else super excited for summer reading season!? So many good books on the horizon!!!

Favourite Things: March

Hellooooo Wednesday! I've been waiting for this day for awhile! I'm going to the doctor this morning (regular pregnancy check up) but I really need her to check out my extremely itchy baby belly!! It is driving me nuts these days!! I think it's just winter dry skin and stretching, but it is unbearably uncomfortable and I can't wait to see if there is something I can do to relieve it. Ahhhh.

I had a post like this planned for this week anyway, so I'm going to link it up with Emily at Beauty and the Greek and Kylie at Liploss and Lunges for March Favourite Things!!!

1) Banana and PB wraps

I have always loved these as an easy sandwich for lunch or for a quick post-workout snack, but I've had them mid-morning lately and they definitely keep me going. Easy to make! Today it's for lunch!

1 Whole Wheat wrap (any size)
2 TB natural Peanut Butter (in Canada, THIS one is my favourite)
1 banana

Roll and eat. YUM.

2) Come to Me by the Goo Goo Dolls


I had heard this song when it first came out and forgot about it. THEN, Amanda mentioned it on her blog a few weeks ago and I listened to it again and FELL IN LOVE. I've probably listened to it about 5 times a day since then. :)

3) House of Cards (Season 2!)
We'd be watching Season 2 faster if I could bring myself to stay up later at night. We're about halfway through it now, and it's not disappointing. I have never really been a huge Kevin Spacey fan until watching this show.

4) Fruit, Fruit Smoothies, and especially Strawberries

I've had a fruit smoothie with spinach every morning for about the last month-6 weeks. It keeps me going until lunch, and provides me with protein and nutrients. Delicious. We also got some amazing strawberries this week from the US (I like to buy local but not very possible in March in Canada!) and they are so red, juicy and flavourful that I might have had a whole container of them myself a few days ago...

AND, here's my fruit salad from last night's pancake Tuesday supper!

The most delicious thing I've eaten all week - leftovers sitting in the fridge for me at work!

5) Pregnancy pillow AKA "Big C"

(Source)

I slept with my normal memory foam head pillow and a body pillow for the first 7ish months of this pregnancy because I turned over a lot. I transitioned back to my pregnancy pillow a few weeks ago, and so far, it has really helped my neck and back pain. It just supports everything so well and allows for the best possible night's sleep. My only issue is when I need to turn over, because the whole pillow has to come with me. Brian's only issue is that it the pillow kind of counts as a third person (4th counting the baby?) in our bed, hahaha.

6) Sporcle.com triva website

I used to love this site and followed it regularly when I was in school. I've done a few quizzes here and there lately. I LOVE trivia. My father in law has recently started going to a trivia night at one of our local pubs that he raves about constantly...it makes me miss the days I had a big group of friends at trivia night downtown. Sporcle gives me a good fix when I have time though! There is an app for it too.

7) Squeez'ems reusable squeeze bags for kids

Source

I'd been eyeing something similar to these on Amazon for awhile, but then I came across these ones at Walmart last week. Molly loves fruit smoothies (she also has one everyday) and pureed fruits and vegetables. These reusable packages are great for making your own "baby food" and easy to take on the go. I put applesauce in hers, or yogurt, and we can take it in the car or she can wander around with a limited likelihood of mess!!!

What are some of your favourite things these days?? I am hoping that my April post can say something along the lines of "My favourite thing right now is spring weather!!" ;)  What are the chances? hehe. I'm actually pretty sure I'll be saying then that my favourite things are 1) not being pregnant anymore 2) raspberry beer, and 3) sushi. Can't wait! :)

Favourite Things Link Up

Happy Monday!!

We had a wonderful and relaxing weekend, with beautiful weather! We were able to get outside for a nice walk on Sunday afternoon, and it was really good for the soul after all the snow and cold we've had lately. We also got caught up with some family and friends, which was nice, and I got a bit of organizing done in the baby's room. Brian watched the Superbowl last night, but I only made it to half-time before it was time for bed. It was pretty clear at that point who was going to win anyway. We're not huge NFL fans in our house, but Brian was going for Denver after picking them in his football pool at work, so he was disappointed.

(Via)
I always thought groundhogs were a bit cuter...haha

Shubenacadie Sam, our Nova Scotia groundhog, also predicted an EARLY SPRING yesterday, so that's kind of exciting (but I'm not sure if I trust him! ;)). I had a friend on Facebook who was asking about the whole point of Groundhog Day since we all know that Spring comes on March 20 every year. I had to laugh because obviously we aren't relying on the groundhog to tell us what's going to happen, but it is a funny little event in February. We were going to take Molly out to visit Shubenacadie Sam yesterday since they had a huge event going on all day in the wildlife park, but it's almost an hour away and we just needed to hang out at home instead.

Today I wanted to share a few of my "favourite things" lately and link up with Beauty and the Greek who shares her favourite things every month HERE. Here are a few things that I'm loving lately!!

1) How I Met Your Mother - boy am I glad I stuck with Season 9, as in, we watched about 10 episodes over the weekend and we are all caught up to tonight's episode on TV. I love the Mother!! Every episode that has featured her prominently has also made me a bit teary-eyed, which Brian finds hilarious...but she is just so sweet! And the most recent episode with her boyfriend dying...I mean, that was sad stuff!! I am sure there are more tears to come...haha. I also loved the episode about asking Barney questions that he could only answer with the truth. I can't WAIT for Ted and the mother to "meet" in present day! By the way, do we know the Mother's name yet??

I'm sure I'm not the only one who got teary-eyed at this moment!!

2) Vector and Cheerios...as I mentioned last week, I am definitely on a huge cereal kick after not eating it much for years. I guess we'll chalk it up to a pregnancy craving?? ;) I also love that Molly calls Cheerios "Cheeewweeeweeos" with an extra syllable thrown in there.

Yum YUM

3) Simple Facial Wash. I got a sample of this in a mommy-to-be bag from Sobeys, and I loved the way it made my face feel. It's not often that I find a facial wash I like and I don't often change it up from Oil of Olay, but I'm liking this for now so we'll see how it goes! I got mine at Walmart here in Canada, and I'm not even sure if it's available in the States but it's good stuff!

(Via)

4) Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion - because I live in Canada and it's the winter.

5) U2's new song that was available for download on iTunes last night until midnight tonight. LOVE it. :)

6) Water infused with cucumber, mint and lemon. (See benefits HERE). This is supposed to be a bit of a detox drink, and I am obviously not in weight-loss mode since I am growing a person, but I drank this all weekend for the first time in months and felt SO refreshed and a lot less bloated. I also had significantly less heartburn and indigestion, so I am going to stick with it for now. It is delicious :)

If you put it in a water bottle, make sure you wash the water bottle out frequently :)

I think that's it for today!! Tomorrow's tot talk is about VBACs, but hopefully not TMI!! I am also working on a few design aspects of the blog this week. I made a lot of progress over the weekend, but got a bit stuck so I'm still working on it slowly. I'll share the tutorials I used when I'm all done!

Off to tackle my Monday now. xoxo