After an eighteen-month journey, we can’t believe YOUR PERFECT LIFE is finally out. Not to mention it’s in such fabulous company this month!
1. All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner (out June 17th)
The scoop: Allison Weiss got her happy ending—a handsome husband, adorable daughter, a job she loves, and the big house in the suburbs. But while waiting in the pediatrician’s office, she opens a magazine to a quiz about addiction and starts to wonder…Is a Percocet at the end of the day really different from a glass of wine? Is it such a bad thing to pop a Vicodin after a brutal Jump & Pump class…or if your husband ignores you?
The pills help her manage the realities of her good-looking life: that her husband is distant, that her daughter is acting out, that her father’s Alzheimer’s is worsening and her mother is barely managing to cope. She tells herself that they let her make it through her days…but what if her increasing drug use, a habit that’s becoming expensive and hard to hide, is turning into her biggest problem of all?
With a sparkling comedic touch and a cast of unforgettable characters, this remarkable story of a woman’s slide into addiction and struggle to find her way back up again is Jennifer Weiner’s most masterful work yet.
Our thoughts: This is her best yet!
Giveaway: ONE copy (US). Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Monday, June 23rd after 8am PST.
See Jen on tour >>
2. The Unexpected Waltz by Kim Wright
The scoop: From the author of the critically acclaimed debut Love in Mid Air comes this moving novel about a middle-aged widow who finds her feet by embracing a new hobby: ballroom dancing.
Kelly Wilder becomes recently widowed from a much older wealthy man with whom she spent her married life doing charity work, building a lovely home, and, as she says, “pretending to be a whole lot more conservative and stupid and nicer than I really am.”
Now, with too much time and money on her hands, Kelly has absolutely no idea what happens next. So on a whim she signs up for a ballroom dancing class, and slowly, step by high-heeled step, begins to rebuild her life with the help of friends old and new: Nik, a young Russian dance teacher who sees the artistic potential she left behind; Carolina, a woman in hospice, anxious to experience a whole lifetime in a few months; and Elyse, Kelly’s girlhood best friend who knows all of her past secrets—including the truth about the man who long ago broke Kelly’s heart.
In the vein of Jennifer Weiner's novels, Unexpected Waltz is a deeply felt story about moving on after loss and finding a new walk—or dance—of life through the power of second chances.
Our thoughts: We've loved Kim since she wrote Love in Mid Air (check that one out too!). This book is a must-add to your summer reading list.
Giveaway: ONE copy (US). Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Monday, June 23rd after 8am PST.
3. The Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis Lee
The scoop: Portia Cuthcart never intended to leave Texas. Her dream was to run the Glass Kitchen restaurant her grandmother built decades ago. But after a string of betrayals and the loss of her legacy, Portia is determined to start a new life with her sisters in Manhattan . . . and never cook again. But when she moves into a dilapidated brownstone on the Upper West Side, she meets twelve-year-old Ariel and her widowed father Gabriel, a man with his hands full trying to raise two daughters on his own. Soon, a promise made to her sisters forces Portia back into a world of magical food and swirling emotions, where she must confront everything she has been running from. What seems so simple on the surface is anything but when long-held secrets are revealed, rivalries exposed, and the promise of new love stirs to life like chocolate mixing with cream. The Glass Kitchen is a delicious novel, a tempestuous story of a woman washed up on the shores of Manhattan who discovers that a kitchen—like an island—can be a refuge, if only she has the courage to give in to the pull of love, the power of forgiveness, and accept the complications of what it means to be family.
Our thoughts: The perfect summer escape!
Giveaway: Giveaway: ONE copy (US). Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Monday, June 23rd after 8am PST.
4. Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews
The scoop: A savannah florist is about to score the wedding of a lifetime—one that will solidify her career as the go-to-girl for society nuptials. Ironically, Cara Kryzik doesn't believe in love, even though she creates beautiful flower arrangements to celebrate them. But when the bride goes missing and the wedding is in jeopardy, Cara must find the bride and figure out what she believes in. Maybe love really does exist outside of fairy tales after all.
Told with Mary Kay Andrews' trademark wit and keen eye for detail, mark your calendars for Save the Date!
Our thoughts: We're not sure what her secret is, but her books just keep getting better!
Giveaway: ONE copy (US). Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Monday, June 23rd after 8am PST.
5. The Never Never Sisters by L. Alison Heller
The scoop: Marriage counselor Paige Reinhardt is counting down the days to summer, eager to reconnect with her workaholic husband at their cozy rental cottage in the Hamptons. But soon a mysterious crisis at Dave’s work ruins their getaway plans. Paige is still figuring out how to handle the unexplained chill in her marriage when her troubled sister suddenly returns after a two-decade silence. Now, instead of enjoying the lazy summer days along the ocean, Paige is navigating the rocky waters of a forgotten bond with her sister in the sweltering city heat.
As she attempts to dig deeper into Dave’s work troubles and some long-held family secrets, Paige is shocked to discover how little she knows about the people closest to her. This summer, the self-proclaimed relationship expert will grapple with her biggest challenge yet: Is it worth risking your most precious relationships in order to find yourself?
Our thoughts: We just love Alison! She's not only a talented author but a great person! Definitely throw this novel in your beach bag!
Giveaway: ONE copy (US). Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Monday, June 23rd after 8am PST.
6. Right Click by Lisa Becker
The scoop: Love. Marriage. Infidelity. Parenthood. Crises of identity. Death. Cupcakes. The themes in Right Click, the third and final installment in the Click series, couldn't be more pressing for this group of friends as they navigate through their 30's. Another six months have passed since we last eavesdropped on the hilarious, poignant and often times inappropriate email adventures of Renee and friends. As the light-hearted, slice of life story continues to unfold, relationships are tested and some need to be set "right" before everyone can find their "happily ever after."
Our thoughts: Love this series! Download to your e-reader and prepare to devour this delicious novel!
Giveaway: ONE e-copy or print copy (US). Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Monday, June 23rd after 8am PST.
7. The Scenic Route by Devan Sipher
The scoop:Austin Gittleman is running late, and not just for the seaside wedding he's attending. Austin's an eye doctor, who doesn't see what's in front of him, until he crashes into Naomi Bloom, a pastry chef with a taste for adventure. Naomi believes a straight line isn't always the shortest distance between places -- or people.
Do any two people look at love the same way? Austin and Naomi offer conflicting narrative accounts as they circle each other through a series of miscommunications and missed connections. In The Scenic Route, life is what happens on the way to where you're going. It's unpredictable and sometimes fleeting, but it can be pretty wonderful when you bring the right person along for the ride.
Our thoughts: A man that can write books for women. What more could you ask for?
Giveaway: Giveaway: ONE copy (US). Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Monday, June 23rd after 8am PST.