First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

 First Comes Love will be released on June 28th, 2016!

 

Emily Giffin understands the complexity between families and it is reflected in her characters. They are real, flawed and crafted beautifully.

Nearly 15 years has passed since the death of Josie and Meredith's brother. The family is still dealing with the fallout of his death in some not so healthy ways. Josie and Meredith are as different as night and day, causing a seemingly unbreakable rift between them. They both hold secrets that are in a way connected to the death of their brother. Secrets that have put them in their current path of life.

Josie is single and a first grade teacher. An ex whom she still holds a flame for her has a daughter who has just ended up in her class. Josie spirals into a mid-life crisis and because obsessed with becoming a mother. Meredith is married, has a four year old daughter and works as an attorney. Meredith is restless, trapp
ed and unhappy. Both women will have to face the past and Dannie's death in order to find a semblance of peace and happiness.

First Comes Love is an easy, enjoyable and entertaining read. If you only read one book this summer, let it be this one.

Grade: A+

The Crown by Kiera Cass

The Crown is part of the selection series and it follows American and Maxon's daughter Eadlyn. 

Eadlyn has to step up and rule the country while trying to select her future husband. Eadyln is a brat but has good intentions. She is just young and immature but when tragedy forces her to grow up she steps up to the plate. Her new role as Queen is complicated by the fact that she has to select her future husband and no one seems quite right for her.

This characters are very different from American and Maxon as they should be, giving this book and the previous one (The Heir) deal with a different cast of characters. I like the mix up and I found that ending to be very fitting.

This is a very simple and fun read, broken down into short chapters.

Grade: A

Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben

The nanny camera captured Joe's image as he  played with his daughter but ... Joe is dead. Maya buried her husband weeks ago and she is now on a truth seeking mission.

Maya is no stranger to missions, she's a pilot for the army and has been in combat zones but this mission might prove to be more than she can handle.

Coben,  knows how to write a page turner and the ending wasn't what I expected. I thought, I had it figured out but I was wrong, wrong, wrong!

I don't want to introduce a spoiler, so all I can say is go out, pick it up and read it. You will not be disappointed.

Grade: A

A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold and Andrew Solomon

I remember the tragedy of Columbine. It has been seared into my memory clear as day. I remember the sadness I felt for the victims and the parents of the perpetrators. To all who sit and judge, remember this could happen to you.

The Klebold's were blamed for the actions of their child and expected to have answers for why their son, helped to commit this atrocity. The answers to these questions died with those two young men who, themselves might not have even known.

Sue is candid and open about how difficult it was for her to fully accept that her son was not who she thought he was -- that he was a killer. Sue gives us a sobering look into the lives of those we love and how little we actually know about them.

There are no revelations or answers in this book. This book is about a mother coming to terms with what her son did and opening up to the public.

She will be judged critically because everyone makes the assumption that she could of, should have done more, or that they would have known. To those who sit and judge I ask you to reflect back into your life .... as a teen (and even know) and what you didn't let your family know about it. We need to stop putting blame on others and place it on those who are responsible.

[No grade because of the subject matter]

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

I really hated this book when I first read it and now I really like it! I think having read the series in sequence rather than in a span of time has made me appreciate it much.

Initially I hated, hated the Bree character and now -- I really adore her.  She is spunky and her story within itself is pretty sad.  I didn't realize what a proactive, independent and free thinking characters she is.  The development between Bree and Diego is perhaps the most intriguing relationship that Meyer has even written.

Meyer often tells readers that "newborn" vampires are out of control  and have no impulse control however Bree seems to have more control than one would expect of a 3 month old vampire. I was taken back by this and have to wonder if Meyer choose to introduce a "calm" newly made vamp to make her a sympathetic character or because she can't conjure the feral atmosphere of new vamps that she had prepared readers for.


Nevertheless this novella made for a much more palpable read this time around.
This is also my favorite cover of the series.

Grade: B+

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

The conclusion of The Twilight Series was fitting to the story lines. A few really random, over the top and silly things happen but what do you expect from a series based upon sparkling vampire's?

The most interesting part of the series is the history and story behind vampire children. My previous review showed that I liked it more than, then I do now. I found this to be very interesting. 

I am still not a big fan of Bella or Edward but am anxious to know more about the other cast of characters. I find it very interesting that minor characters are much more alluring. It seems that Meyer is better are telling stories that aren't of a romantic human-vampire nature.

So ... Breaking Dawn is a heavy book weighing in at about 768 pages. The story could have been told in less than half of those pages essentially this is what happens. An unusual child breed from vampire and human is born. This child is special and a vampire who is not part of the Cullen clan views it and reports if to the "powers".  They believe that a vampire child was created and since this is against the rules the Volturi are out to destroy the Cullen clan. The, Cullen gather groups of friends to witness that the child was not created but born and then they all live happily ever after.

Grade: C