PLBR Book Reviews 2018 - ELLES BOOK BLOG

ELLES BOOK BLOG

LOVE YOUR LIFE BY SOPHIE KINSELLA

10/27/2020

Love Your Life is filled with Kinsella's trademark humor and I found myself loving this one to pieces! If you enjoy a book about love and dating then this should be your next read.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: October 27, 2020
Genre: Chick Lit, Romantic Comedy.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 432 pages
Format: eBook. I received an ARC from the publisher.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I Owe You One, an utterly delightful novel about a woman who ditches her dating app for a writer's retreat in Italy--only to find that real love comes with its own filters

"As close to perfect as romantic comedies get."--Jenny Colgan, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop on the Corner

Call Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found in the real world, not on apps that filter men by height, job, or astrological sign. She believes in feelings, not algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app debacle, she decides to put love on hold and escapes to a remote writers' retreat in coastal Italy. She's determined to finish writing the novel she's been fantasizing about, even though it means leaving her close-knit group of friends and her precious dog, Harold, behind.

IN HER PUMPKIN PATCH BY ALINA JACOBS

10/24/2020

In Her Pumpkin Patch is a hilarious romantic comedy that takes place during the Halloween season! So if you're looking for a fall themed book then look no further because this is a must have!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Genre: Chick Lit. Romantic Comedy.
Series: The Svensson Brothers series #3 (can stand alone)
Pages: 415 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed with Kindle Unlimited.

Fall. Autumn. It doesn't matter what you call it, I hate it.

I despise pumpkins, Halloween, and the overwhelming sense of dread as the cold and damp move in.

But when my new chauffeur drives up in a hearse, Halloween carols blaring, I realize there will be no escape from the holiday.

Penny is the self-proclaimed Queen of Fall.

And it's her mission to turn me into a pumpkin spice fiend.

Penny

Fall is the best time of the year! I love pumpkin spice everything, cozy scarves, and nostalgic movies. But most of all, I love

ONE TO WATCH BY KATE STAYMAN-LONDON

9/30/2020

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London just may be my absolute favorite book of 2020! I was enthralled and captivated by this tale of reality tv and love. I highly recommend it!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: Chick Lit. Romantic Comedy.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 418 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

USA TODAY BESTSELLER • Real love . . . as seen on TV. A plus-size bachelorette brings a fresh look to a reality show in this razor-sharp, “thoroughly charming” (Hillary Clinton) debut.

Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers—and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?

Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition—under no circumstances will she actually fall in love.

WELL PLAYED BY JEN DELUCA

9/21/2020

While I found the premise for Well Played to be cute, I found the plot to be a little dry. I was expecting a lot of happiness and excitement but it was too few and far between.

Rating: ★★★
Release Date: September 22, 2020
Genre: Romantic Comedy.
Series: Well Met #2 (Can Standalone).
Pages: 332 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

Another laugh-out-loud romantic comedy featuring kilted musicians, Renaissance Faire tavern wenches, and an unlikely love story.

Stacey is jolted when her friends Simon and Emily get engaged. She knew she was putting her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother, but it's been years now, and even though Stacey loves spending her summers pouring drinks and flirting with patrons at the local Renaissance Faire, she wants more out of life. Stacey vows to have her life figured out by the time her friends get hitched at Faire next summer. Maybe she'll even find The One.

When Stacey imagined "The One," it never occurred to her that her summertime Faire fling, Dex MacLean, might fit the bill. While Dex is easy on the eyes onstage with his band The Dueling Kilts, Stacey has never felt an emotional connection with him. So when she

THE HONEYMOONER BY MELANIE SUMMERS

8/22/2020

I've seen this book around amazon and finally grabbed a copy when it went on sale. What a delightful read! I'm so glad I took a chance on this book because I really enjoyed it. I liked it so much that I immediately grabbed the next book in the series!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Genre: Romantic Comedy. Chick Lit.
Series: The Paradise Bay series #1 (can stand alone).
Pages: 248 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

From bestselling author Melanie Summers comes the wickedly funny, ridiculously romantic spinoff of her highly-acclaimed Crown Jewels Series…

Twenty-nine-year-old workaholic Libby Dewitt lives by the motto ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ She’s finally about to start her dream life with her steady-as-a-rock fiancé, Richard Tomy. Together, they’re the perfect power couple—right down to the fact that he’s agreed to use their honeymoon to help further her career in mergers and acquisitions. But ten minutes before the wedding, her dreams dissolve via text message.

Devastated and humiliated, Libby escapes to Paradise Bay alone. She’s got two goals for her trip: to devise a plan to get Richard back and to convince resort owner Harrison Banks to sell his property to her company. Unfortunately, when she arrives, she discovers that tall, dark, and built, Harrison is not about to make anything easy for her.

YOU DESERVE EACH OTHER BY SARAH HOGLE

8/3/2020

A hilarious novel about the complications of miscommunication! I devoured this book and loved every minute of it. I recommend it to all readers who want a good laugh!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: April 7, 2020
Genre: Romantic Comedy. Chick Lit.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 367 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

MOTI ON THE WATER BY LAYLAH ATTAR

6/16/2020

Moti on the Water is a gorgeous and uplifting beach read about one woman finding herself amidst family drama! I know, that seems like a lot but this is a wonderful story and so funny!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: August 13, 2019
Genre: Family Drama. Women's Fiction. Romance.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 258 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

2019 Writer's Digest Award Winner: A delightful romantic comedy about family, love, and inconvenient truths from New York Times bestselling author, Leylah Attar.

A Greek family. An Indian family. A summer wedding on the Aegean coast…

Meet Moti Ferreira—spectacularly jinxed from the day she’s born.

Saddled with an eccentric mother, she stumbles upon the one man who holds the key to her freedom—the best man at her cousin’s upcoming wedding.

All Moti has to do is overcome her fear of water, board a yacht to the Greek Isles, seduce the dreamy Nikos Manolas, and survive two weeks at sea with her oddball family.

The only obstacle Moti doesn’t see coming is Alexandros Veronis,

MARRIAGE ON MADISON AVENUE BY LAUREN LAYNE

2/3/2020

Marriage on Madison Avenue is the final book in the Central Park Pact series. I recommend reading the books in order BUT you don't have to. They are interconnected though.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: January 28, 2020
Genre: Friends to Lovers. Fake Relationship. Chick Lit.
Series: Central Park Pact series #3
Pages: 285 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

From Lauren Layne, comes the final installment of the Central Park Pact series, a heartfelt and laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that’s perfect for fans of Sally Thorne and Christina Lauren.

Can guys and girls ever be just friends? According to Audrey Tate and Clarke West, absolutely. After all, they’ve been best friends since childhood without a single romantic entanglement. Clarke is the charming playboy Audrey can always count on, and he knows that the ever-loyal Audrey will never not play along with his strategy for dodging his matchmaking mother—announcing he’s already engaged…to Audrey.

But what starts out as a playful game between two best friends turns into something infinitely more complicated, as just-for-show kisses begin to stir up forbidden feelings. As the faux wedding date looms closer, Audrey and Clarke realize that they can never go back to the way things were, but deep down, do they really want to?

LOVE ON LEXINGTON AVENUE BY LAUREN LAYNE

1/17/2020

Love on Lexington Avenue is the second book in the Central Park Pact series by Lauren Layne. This is an interconnected standalone and I personally recommend reading these books in order. They are all pretty spectacular!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Genre: Chick Lit
Series: The Central Park Pact series #2
Pages: 288 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne comes the second delightfully charming installment in the Central Park Pact series, following a young widow whose newfound cynicism about love is challenged by a sexy, rough-around-the-edges contractor.

There’s never a bad time to fall in love in the city, right? Wrong. According to the recently-widowed Claire Hayes, it’s very, very wrong. In fact, after finding out her late husband was a liar and a cheat, Claire’s convinced there’s never a good time for romantic notions. Determined to rid her home of anything that reminds her of her philandering husband, Claire sets out to redesign her entire Upper East Side brownstone and make it her own. But when she meets gruff and often-cantankerous contractor Scott Turner and realizes not all men are scumbags, Claire must decide if she’s ready to risk her heart again.

Scott needs a change of pace from the corporate offices and

CHRISTMAS SHOPAHOLIC BY SOPHIE KINSELLA

1/15/2020

The long-awaited next installment in the Shopaholic series is a HIT! I loved this book to pieces. It’s festive, hilarious, and everything I wanted! I highly recommend this book and series.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Genre: Chick Lit. Christmas.
Series: Shopaholic series #9
Pages: 384 pages
Format: Hardcover. Purchased.

’Tis the season for change and Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is embracing it, returning from the States to live in the charming village of Letherby and working with her best friend, Suze, in the gift shop of Suze’s stately home. Life is good, especially now that Becky takes time every day for mindfulness—even if that only means listening to a meditation tape while hunting down online bargains.

But Becky still adores the traditions of Christmas: Her parents hosting, carols playing on repeat, her mother pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the neighbors coming ’round for sherry in their terrible holiday sweaters. Things are looking cheerier than ever, until Becky’s parents announce they’re moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch—unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocados—and ask Becky if she’ll host this year. What could possibly go wrong?

25 DAYS 'TILL CHRISTMAS BY POPPY ALEXANDER

12/24/2019

25 Days 'till Christmas is an amazing debut by Poppy Alexander and I am looking forward to many more of her books in the future. I recommend this one during the holiday season!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: October 8, 2019
Genre: Holiday Chick Lit.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 348 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

In this heartwarming, feel-good holiday novel, one woman needs to find a little inspiration in the 25 days leading up to Christmas to help her remember the magic of the season and the magic of falling in love—perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan and Josie Silver.

Kate Potter used to love Christmas. A few years ago, she would have been wrapping her presents in September and baking mince pies on Halloween, counting down the days and hours to Christmas. But that was before Kate’s husband left for the army and never came home. Now she can hardly stand December at all.

Kate can’t deny she’s lonely, yet she doesn’t think she’s ready for romance. She knows that her son, Jack, needs a Christmas to remember—just like Kate needs a miracle to help her finally move forward with her life. So she’s decided if there isn’t a miracle on its way, she’ll just have to make her own.

CLARA AT CHRISTMAS BY LACEY LONDON

12/20/2019

If you're a fan of Sophie Kinsella or Lindsey Kelk you won't want to miss the Clara Andrews series! This is probably the closest I have gotten to finding a series like the beloved Shopaholic and I Heart series. I recommend this series to chick lit fans!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: October 16, 2015
Genre: Chick Lit
Series: Clara Andrews series #4 (read in order)
Pages: 171 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

With snowflakes falling and fairy lights twinkling brightly, it can only mean one thing - Christmas will be very soon upon us.

With just twenty five days to go until the big day, Clara finds herself dealing with more than just the usual festive stresses.

Plans to host the perfect Christmas Day for her American in laws are ambushed by her BFF’s clichéd meltdown at turning thirty.

With a best friend on the verge of a mid life crisis, putting Christmas dinner on the table isn’t the only thing Clara has got to worry about this year.

Taking on the role of Best Friend/Therapist, Head Chef and Party Planner is much harder than Clara had anticipated.

With the clock ticking, can Clara pull things together - or will Christmas Day turn out to be the December disaster that she is so desperate to avoid?

THE BEST MEDICINE BY CHARLOTTE FALLOWFIELD

10/9/2019

This is a really fun series. If you're looking for a good laugh you really can't go wrong with this one. This is the third book in the Dilbury Village series but can stand alone. The books are interconnected but each book focuses on new couples.

Rating: ★★★
Release Date: February 28, 2018
Genre: British Chick Lit. Romantic Comedy.
Series: Dilbury Village #3
Pages: 307 pages
Format: eBook. Kindle Unlimited.

She knows her way around risqué romances, but author, Charlie Faulkner, only dreams of starring in her own love story. Drowning her sorrows in takeaway pizza, she writes what she's never experienced.

When she does venture out of her writing cave, chaos and medical disasters follow. After a trip to the emergency room, the handsome and capable doctor ignites long-forgotten sparks of passion. Guy Fitton is the guy for her and exactly what the doctor ordered. The only problem is that he may just see her as a crazy, accident-prone woman … not the desirable temptress she craves to be.

Will Charlie get her "happily ever after" with the sexy doctor or is she destined to rely on the pizza delivery man for company?

While The Best Medicine is a standalone story, it's the third in the

BIG SEXY LOVE BY KRISTY GREENWOOD

9/18/2019

This is one of the funniest books I have read in a long time! If you're looking for a book that will make you laugh until you cry (just as the cover says) then you need this book!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: June 29, 2017
Genre: Chick Lit. Romanitc Comedy.
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 350 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

Olive Brewster is a scaredy cat. She doesn't do new or risky. She’s happy enough with her job at the local market, it’s cool that she has no boyfriend to fret over, she even likes that she still lives in her childhood home. No drama, no fuss, no problems. Everything is fine. Super duper fine.

Except … Olive's best friend in the world, Birdie, is dying.

Birdie has one final wish. She wants to track down her first love, Chuck, and because she's stuck in the hospital she needs Olive's help to do it. But there’s a teeny problem: Chuck is somewhere in New York and Olive has never even left her home town, let alone roamed the crazy streets of Manhattan.

As if the big city isn't scary enough, Olive has to contend with Seth, a cocky comedy TV writer who thinks she’s a joke; Anders, a bored socialite who’s taken a shine to her; and the fact that no matter

YOU'VE BEEN VOLUNTEERED BY LAURIE GELMAN

7/23/2019

I genuinely hope Laurie Gelman continues to writes books, especially in this series! The Class Mom books are funny, engaging, and perfect for those who love sarcasm!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: June 23, 2019
Genre: Chick Lit. Humor.
Series: Class Mom #2
Pages: 268 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

In the eagerly anticipated follow-up to Laurie Gelman’s "irreverent and hilarious" (The New York Post) hit Class Mom, brash, lovable Jen Dixon is back with a new class and her work cut out for her

If you’ve ever been a room parent or school volunteer, Jen Dixon is your hero. She says what every class mom is really thinking, whether in her notoriously frank emails or standup-worthy interactions with the micromanaging PTA President and the gamut of difficult parents. Luckily, she has the charm and wit to get away with it—most of the time. Jen is sassier than ever but dealing with a whole new set of challenges, in the world of parental politics and at home.

She’s been roped into room-parenting yet again, for her son Max’s third grade class, but as her husband buries himself in work, her older daughters navigate adulthood, and Jen’s own aging parents start to need some parenting themselves, Jen gets pulled in

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