Magnolia Parks Series
This book was so fun! The characters had such different stories and were super interesting to follow along with. At some points you’ll be furious with them and the next you’ll love them, which keeps you wanting to read. If you’ve ever watched Gossip Girl, I feel like this is the British version, but in a book! It follows the London IT girl and her on-again off-again boyfriend. It starts at their messy breakup, and you learn more and more about their toxic relationship as you go on, and trust me, you won’t be able to put this book down. If you love it like I did, make sure to read the rest of the series, they are all great.
Carrie Soto is Back
Taylor Jenkins Reid is a phenomenal author, every single one of her books is amazing. They are such unique plot lines that stray from your typical romance book–that why I love them. When Carrie Soto retires, she’s the best tennis player there is. Her story to the top is super empowering, it made me question trying to become a tennis prodigy myself. But as she sits in the stands and watches her record taken, she makes the statement that ‘Carrie Soto is back’ for one last year, to reclaim her record. I’ve never been interested in professional tennis, but this story is weirdly inspiring as it’s a mix of celebrity drama, sports and romance.
Malibu Rising
Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again!! If there’s one author I recommend, it’s her. This book is beautifully written. It follows two timelines; aspiring artist Mick and June in the 1950s and then their kids dealing with the aftermath of the choices their parents made. The siblings all throw a huge party to celebrate the end of summer, but by morning, the mansion is up in flames. If you’ve ever watched Shameless, this book is similar in the older sister taking care of her very dysfunctional family.
Tuesdays with Morrie
This book is actually a memoir of the author’s weekly visits with his college professor, Morrie Schwartz, as he battles ALS. Every Tuesday they meet and Morrie shares his valuable life lessons on just about everything: life, aging, work, death, family. Through Morrie, the author Mitch starts to learn new things about himself and his own life, and he soon understands what truly matters. This was such a powerful and emotional read. This book truly made me reflect on my life and I couldn’t help but feel inspired on Morrie wisdom of what truly matters in life and to live for a purpose.
Better Than the Movies
Better than the movies is a classic light-hearted romance book. If you are a rom com/coming of age movie connoisseur, this is the book for you. The amount of rom com movie references this movie has is insane, in the best way possible! Both main characters, Liz and Wes, are very likeable, but also flawed, which is what makes them so real. Liz’s middle school crush moves back to town, and she’s determined to score a date with him. Lucky for her, her annoying next door neighbor is willing to help her, but… you guessed it. These two start to catch feelings for one another!! You’re just going to have to start reading to find out what happens after that.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
This book deserves all the hype it is getting. It’s about an unlikely friendship between an older woman, Tova Sullivan, and a Giant Pacific Octopus named Marcellus. As Tova is grappling with the mysterious loss of her son, Marcellus escapes from his enclosure and reveals a secret about her son’s odd disappearance. This novel beautifully deals with themes of loss and the connections we make to get through it. This was a very good read, and if you’re looking for a story that you’ll still be thinking about says after you finish, this is the one.
The Seven Year Slip
This is considered a magical realism romance. But don’t let that scare you away from reading it. I’m not particularly drawn to those kinds of books, but this one was different. It was fun, engaging and had me on the edge of my seat. The storyline was super creative and the characters were very likeable. It follows clementine as she’s grieving the loss of her aunt. She soon moves into her aunts’ apartment, but to her surprise, someone is already living there — the man that lived there seven years in the past. She soon must figure out if love can survive across time. This book had just the right amount of magic and touches on themes of grief and love.
People We Meet On Vacation
A romance book on how these two polar opposites get together every summer and go on vacation together. How perfect is this book for your vacation? But, Alex and poppy had some sort of falling out, and they haven’t spoken in a while. But they get to have one more trip together, and now she has the week to fix everything. What could possibly go wrong? Emily Henry’s book are perfect for spring break, they are light and funny and easy to read in one sitting. You might want to pick this book up before the new movie adaptation comes out!
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
This story is set in a small café in Tokyo, one where you can go and travel back in time. But only under certain circumstances, you have to return before the coffee gets cold. It follows four different visitors, each with their own reasons to travel back in time, all following the same theme of love loss and the power of a second chance. The author does a superb job of creating something optimistic out of a sad moment, and that makes it all the more interesting. This was a super short read, I finished it in like a day and absolutely loved it!
Mrs. Pausch Recommends…
How to Solve Your Own Murder
This story is a comedic thriller. It follows Iris who has been murdered, but she’s still alive — sort of. As a ghost, she makes it her mission to solve her own murder. With this, she’s forced to reflect on her life. This is a fun twist on your classic mystery thriller, with plenty of twists and turns and comedic moments.
