Tag Archives: fiction

Review: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating

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Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating
by Christina Lauren
4 stars

I am a super fan of Christina Lauren. They (not she) are actually the combined duo of longtime writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. Those two ladies work well together as witnessed by their latest novel Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating.

Hazel Camille Bradford is a quick witted, hilarious, and accident prone elementary school teacher. Josh Im is an upright, though not quite stodgy, physical therapist. They first met in college when Hazel threw up on Josh’s shoes…not the greatest start. Fast forward 10 years later and Hazel is doing her best to help Josh get over an ex. She gets him to go on double blind dates that increase in comedic results. You may know where the plot is headed, but the road there is slapstick funny yet also tender and sweet.

A fabulous, funny read with a little bit of heartbreak. This book made me laugh and cry…my favorite combination in a book!

 

Read-alikes:

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

 

 

 

Review: Crazy Rich Asians

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Crazy Rich Asians
by Kevin Kwan
5 stars

Raised in America by her Chinese mother, Rachel Chu is an economics professor in NYC.  When her boyfriend invites her back to his native Singapore for a friend’s wedding, Rachel is excited to join him.  She is in for a shock when she finds out that he is from one of the richest families in Asia.  We see this crazy rich (seriously CRAZY amounts of money) world through Rachel’s eyes as she deals with cultural and social differences, as well as Nick’s disapproving relatives.

I read Crazy Rich Asians in a day during a recent vacation…and went to see the movie the next day.  I loved both of them.  It’s a fantastic bit of escapism.  The descriptions of the crazy rich lifestyles of some of the characters will have you rolling your eyes and the descriptions of the food will have you checking airline ticket prices!  (The movie is no different, I was starving by the time I left!)  I loved diving into this ridiculously opulent and melodramatic world!  Rachel’s friends try to guide here through the pitfalls and dangers of this unknown world, while Nick’s mother Eleanor schemes to split the couple up.

I am completely looking forward to the next book (and movie) to see what happens to the characters, especially Nick’s cousin Astrid who quickly became one of my favorites!

 

Recommendations:

What We Were Promised by Lucy Tan

The Garden Party by Grace Dane Mazur

In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

 

Review: The Death of Mrs. Westaway

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The Death of Mrs. Westaway
by Ruth Ware
4 stars

I had wanted to try out a Ruth Ware book, but they always seem to be checked out! So I jumped at the chance to read her newest. The story starts out about a young women named Harriet (Hal) who is on her own after her mother had died three years before in a hit and run. She never knew her father’s identity, so she is on her own. Hal can barely keep up with expenses needed to eat and keep her flat not to mention she owes some bad guys some money. It’s always rainy, cold and bleak out. But one day, she receives a letter from a lawyer informing her that her grandmother has died and that she has been named in the will. But she has no grandparents left. Soon, she is on to Trepassen House, the Westaway estate in the English Countryside. In no time, Hal is caught up in old family secrets and past demons with an inheritance at stake. The creepy house just adds to the sense of menace. This is one of those books that you just stay up late reading because you just want to know who murdered who and why and if Hal would survive. Who is Hal’s father? I thought the author’s style of writing was different and fresh for me and I can’t wait to read her other books.

 

Read-alikes

Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson