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jessica42980's reviews
629 reviews
For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker
2.0
All my reviews are on www.jessicasreadingroom.com
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I had never heard of Jen Hatmaker until two friends raved about For the Love in the same week. I looked it up and it sounded interesting, so I eventually bought it. She is on a popular HGTV show, has written a couple of books, has five children, and a pastor’s wife (and daughter).
I expected a different book based off the title than what I read. I did not feel I got much out of the book. Part of it could be that she talks a lot about her kids and I don’t have children. I did not feel that The “Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards” was met. Maybe I am just not in the target demographic for this book. It didn’t have a “book” feel to me; it felt more like a blog. I was also surprised how much she talks about drinking. I don’t have an issue with people drinking, but was surprised how much it was mentioned, especially being a pastor’s wife.
Chapter 15 dealt with “Supper Club” where several couples meet together to fellowship, and they take turns cooking. I liked the idea, and she tried to show how easy cooking is and anyone can do it. I’m not a cook and it did not inspire me to want to cook. It’s a good thing my husband enjoys cooking, because otherwise we would starve!
The book is written in four parts and she ends each part with humorous thank you notes. Those “thank you notes” were the best parts of the book. The chapter I got the most out of was chapter 21 “Poverty Tourism”. It was talking about how can we really help the countries we visit where they actually get something out of the missionary work that is done for them. Not just painting the same building every year, but find out what that community actually needs and do that instead. And don’t just visit one time after that terrible event, continue the relationship with the community.
Overall, I can’t recommend this book. It just wasn’t for me.
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I had never heard of Jen Hatmaker until two friends raved about For the Love in the same week. I looked it up and it sounded interesting, so I eventually bought it. She is on a popular HGTV show, has written a couple of books, has five children, and a pastor’s wife (and daughter).
I expected a different book based off the title than what I read. I did not feel I got much out of the book. Part of it could be that she talks a lot about her kids and I don’t have children. I did not feel that The “Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards” was met. Maybe I am just not in the target demographic for this book. It didn’t have a “book” feel to me; it felt more like a blog. I was also surprised how much she talks about drinking. I don’t have an issue with people drinking, but was surprised how much it was mentioned, especially being a pastor’s wife.
Chapter 15 dealt with “Supper Club” where several couples meet together to fellowship, and they take turns cooking. I liked the idea, and she tried to show how easy cooking is and anyone can do it. I’m not a cook and it did not inspire me to want to cook. It’s a good thing my husband enjoys cooking, because otherwise we would starve!
The book is written in four parts and she ends each part with humorous thank you notes. Those “thank you notes” were the best parts of the book. The chapter I got the most out of was chapter 21 “Poverty Tourism”. It was talking about how can we really help the countries we visit where they actually get something out of the missionary work that is done for them. Not just painting the same building every year, but find out what that community actually needs and do that instead. And don’t just visit one time after that terrible event, continue the relationship with the community.
Overall, I can’t recommend this book. It just wasn’t for me.
The Girls by Emma Cline
3.0
You can find all my reviews at: www.jessicasreadingroom.com
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The premise of The Girls is intriguing: The end of the 1960s and a girl gets sucked into a Manson type cult. And terrible murders occur towards the end of the story.
The book begins with Evie grown up and runs into these teens who recognize her as “that girl” from the cult. And the story is her looking back on the 1960s. Emma Cline’s writing is very well done. It is told in a “wordy” style, so it is not for everyone. I had difficulties listening to it, and it may be her writing style. At times the story seemed to run at a snail’s pace for me.
There is quite a bit of detailed sexual content as Evie experiments and discovers herself with both males and females. This could disturb some readers who may not want to read that kind of content in depth.
SPOILER: From the description of the novel, you know what is coming. I was expecting more details with the murders, but Evie was not present, and since this is her story and her memories, we don’t get those specific details. If she had been present for the murders or she was one of the murderers, I expect it would have been very detailed as the rest of the book was very detailed.
The Girls is very well written with an intriguing premise, but the execution of the novel was not for me. I would have given the book two stars, but Emma Cline did write the book very well, so for that she gets an extra star. It is an impressive debut for an author. I will look into future books she writes.
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The premise of The Girls is intriguing: The end of the 1960s and a girl gets sucked into a Manson type cult. And terrible murders occur towards the end of the story.
The book begins with Evie grown up and runs into these teens who recognize her as “that girl” from the cult. And the story is her looking back on the 1960s. Emma Cline’s writing is very well done. It is told in a “wordy” style, so it is not for everyone. I had difficulties listening to it, and it may be her writing style. At times the story seemed to run at a snail’s pace for me.
There is quite a bit of detailed sexual content as Evie experiments and discovers herself with both males and females. This could disturb some readers who may not want to read that kind of content in depth.
SPOILER: From the description of the novel, you know what is coming. I was expecting more details with the murders, but Evie was not present, and since this is her story and her memories, we don’t get those specific details. If she had been present for the murders or she was one of the murderers, I expect it would have been very detailed as the rest of the book was very detailed.
The Girls is very well written with an intriguing premise, but the execution of the novel was not for me. I would have given the book two stars, but Emma Cline did write the book very well, so for that she gets an extra star. It is an impressive debut for an author. I will look into future books she writes.
S.M.A.F.U. Situation Married All F'd Up by E. Michael Bosso, E.M. Bosso
5.0
All my reviews can be found at: www.jessicasreadingroom.com
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I was lucky enough to receive a copy of SMAFU to read for review from THE Book Club (TBC) on Facebook. I am thankful for the opportunity as I enjoyed the book!
Steve and Mary have been married for seventeen years and their marriage is in trouble and has been for a long time. They move to a new house and meet Cherisse who changes their lives. Cherisse is 90+ years old and “tells it like it is”. She tells stories of her life along with parables to both Steve and Mary. As you learn things about Cherisse’s life, maybe a little more than you want to know, she tries to help save Steve and Mary’s marriage. Steve is the main character in SMAFU, and most of the book is from his perspective. Therefore, we get to see what marriage can be like from the male perspective, which we don’t get much in novels. We see his thoughts and mistakes he makes.
This book has lots of humor (my favorite was when Steve tries to grocery shop!), sarcasm, and it makes you think. I love Cherisse’s character! I wish there was someone like her in reality. She can really teach someone based on all her life experiences.
Will Steve and Mary save their marriage or is it destined to end as it was the beginning of the book? You will have to read to find out!
**Thank you again TBC for the copy of SMAFU
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I was lucky enough to receive a copy of SMAFU to read for review from THE Book Club (TBC) on Facebook. I am thankful for the opportunity as I enjoyed the book!
Steve and Mary have been married for seventeen years and their marriage is in trouble and has been for a long time. They move to a new house and meet Cherisse who changes their lives. Cherisse is 90+ years old and “tells it like it is”. She tells stories of her life along with parables to both Steve and Mary. As you learn things about Cherisse’s life, maybe a little more than you want to know, she tries to help save Steve and Mary’s marriage. Steve is the main character in SMAFU, and most of the book is from his perspective. Therefore, we get to see what marriage can be like from the male perspective, which we don’t get much in novels. We see his thoughts and mistakes he makes.
This book has lots of humor (my favorite was when Steve tries to grocery shop!), sarcasm, and it makes you think. I love Cherisse’s character! I wish there was someone like her in reality. She can really teach someone based on all her life experiences.
Will Steve and Mary save their marriage or is it destined to end as it was the beginning of the book? You will have to read to find out!
**Thank you again TBC for the copy of SMAFU
Special Delivery by Lia Fairchild
4.0
All my reviews can be found at: www.jessicasreadingroom.com
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I really enjoyed this short story by Lia Fairchild! It reminds me of the movie Bed of Roses starring Christian Slater and Mary Stuart Masterson, which I haven’t seen in years! Special Delivery is like a fantasy most girls have: receiving flowers every month for a year! And it helps when the delivery guy is good looking too.
Amy receives a bouquet of flowers every month because of a contest she won. I very quickly identified with Amy: I am the same age as her, she was married for 4 years before her hubby died (I’ve been married just over 3.5 years and thankfully my husband is still with us), and I also have the same last name as Amy.
The story is very short, and has a conclusion. I only wished it was longer as I wanted more of Amy’s story- before and after this story occurred! Yes, it is predictable but it is still enjoyable. Sometimes you just need a sweet and clean love story.
If you have 20- 30 minutes to spare, download this short story from Lia Fairchild! It is worth it. Just remember, you may want more to the story when it is over. I’m off to go watch Bed of Roses now!
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I really enjoyed this short story by Lia Fairchild! It reminds me of the movie Bed of Roses starring Christian Slater and Mary Stuart Masterson, which I haven’t seen in years! Special Delivery is like a fantasy most girls have: receiving flowers every month for a year! And it helps when the delivery guy is good looking too.
Amy receives a bouquet of flowers every month because of a contest she won. I very quickly identified with Amy: I am the same age as her, she was married for 4 years before her hubby died (I’ve been married just over 3.5 years and thankfully my husband is still with us), and I also have the same last name as Amy.
The story is very short, and has a conclusion. I only wished it was longer as I wanted more of Amy’s story- before and after this story occurred! Yes, it is predictable but it is still enjoyable. Sometimes you just need a sweet and clean love story.
If you have 20- 30 minutes to spare, download this short story from Lia Fairchild! It is worth it. Just remember, you may want more to the story when it is over. I’m off to go watch Bed of Roses now!
Twice As Fatal: A Jarvis Mann Detective Novel by R. Weir
4.0
All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com
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Jarvis Mann is back! Twice as Fatal is the second full length novel by R. Weir. The first was a short story introduction to Jarvis. Twice as Fatal picks up where Tracking a Shadow concluded. This time Jarvis is working two cases:
1. His landlord Kate is convinced her husband is cheating on her and she wants evidence of that.
2. His friend Bill’s son Ray has gone missing.
Of course the two cases end up being connected and R. Weir does a good job connecting them.
We are really getting to know Jarvis as a person now. He is a flawed man whose weakness is women. And he really likes looking at pretty women. He sees a lot of that in this book. It is a nice change to see that the protagonist of the novel is not perfect, as none of us are. We also see where certain things happen in the cases that make Jarvis uncomfortable. That was welcome to see as he hasn’t become jaded in his job.
Jarvis’ relationship with Melissa is continued, but is strained. She is working a lot of hours on a court case and is thinking about going to school to become a lawyer. You can’t help but to root for Jarvis and Melissa to work out. He does become conflicted some in the book and you see he doesn’t want to mess up again like he did previously. I was hoping Jarvis wouldn’t make that same mistake again!
**A warning to potential readers**:
The book does take a turn of an adult nature. A “gentleman’s club” is involved. There are a variety of sexual exploits including S&M and violence including torture. There is also a lot of profanity. It is graphic with some of those activities. This book is definitely not for the kids! If you have issues with those types of activities, you may want to stay away from this novel. Some of it was a little difficult for me to read.
Twice as Fatal could be read as a standalone novel, but you would not see everything connected from the previous novels. I would recommend reading the others before reading Twice as Fatal. I also recommend Twice as Fatal.
I do like Jarvis and look forward to reading the next in the series: Blood Brothers!
I received a copy from R. Weir in exchange for an honest review.
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Jarvis Mann is back! Twice as Fatal is the second full length novel by R. Weir. The first was a short story introduction to Jarvis. Twice as Fatal picks up where Tracking a Shadow concluded. This time Jarvis is working two cases:
1. His landlord Kate is convinced her husband is cheating on her and she wants evidence of that.
2. His friend Bill’s son Ray has gone missing.
Of course the two cases end up being connected and R. Weir does a good job connecting them.
We are really getting to know Jarvis as a person now. He is a flawed man whose weakness is women. And he really likes looking at pretty women. He sees a lot of that in this book. It is a nice change to see that the protagonist of the novel is not perfect, as none of us are. We also see where certain things happen in the cases that make Jarvis uncomfortable. That was welcome to see as he hasn’t become jaded in his job.
Jarvis’ relationship with Melissa is continued, but is strained. She is working a lot of hours on a court case and is thinking about going to school to become a lawyer. You can’t help but to root for Jarvis and Melissa to work out. He does become conflicted some in the book and you see he doesn’t want to mess up again like he did previously. I was hoping Jarvis wouldn’t make that same mistake again!
**A warning to potential readers**:
The book does take a turn of an adult nature. A “gentleman’s club” is involved. There are a variety of sexual exploits including S&M and violence including torture. There is also a lot of profanity. It is graphic with some of those activities. This book is definitely not for the kids! If you have issues with those types of activities, you may want to stay away from this novel. Some of it was a little difficult for me to read.
Twice as Fatal could be read as a standalone novel, but you would not see everything connected from the previous novels. I would recommend reading the others before reading Twice as Fatal. I also recommend Twice as Fatal.
I do like Jarvis and look forward to reading the next in the series: Blood Brothers!
I received a copy from R. Weir in exchange for an honest review.
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
4.0
All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com
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I enjoyed The Wonder. It is slow to start, but once it gets going I had to know what was going to happen!
English nurse Lib is brought the Ireland to watch 11 year old Anna O’Donnell. She is believed to not have eaten anything since her eleventh birthday, which was four months ago. Word has gotten out about Anna and people are traveling from everywhere to see or meet “The Wonder”. Anna believes she is surviving on manna from Heaven and has no need to eat. Lib is a skeptic. Is Anna actually not eating or is food being sent to her secretly to eat in private? That is Lib’s job: To not leave Anna alone for a moment to discover the truth.
There is an answer to this question, and once we have the answer, there is still more book to read! It becomes more than what the answer is as Lib tries to save Anna’s life.
This book is very well written. Well done Emma Donoghue! You can sense the tension between Lib, Anna’s family, and doctor. The book takes place in the year 1859 and much of the tension is that of the Irish vs English. You also see the honest faith of a child that Anna has, but is it misguided? You must read the book to find out! There is definitely more to this novel than you think going into it.
Audiobook review:
I listened to the audiobook version of The Wonder. I don’t usually write a review for the audiobook, but I feel I need to in this case. The narrator is Kate Lock. I had difficulty understanding some of the characters as the Irish accents were too strong for me. There were times when the mother was yelling- and I could not understand what was said. Also, at times I could not understand Anna. Lib is the main character in the novel, I had no problems understanding her. There were other characters where I had this problem as well.
I know with this difficulty that I missed some of what happened in the novel, so I can not recommend the audio version. If you choose to read The Wonder, stay away from the audio version and read the book.
The Wonder is recommended!
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I enjoyed The Wonder. It is slow to start, but once it gets going I had to know what was going to happen!
English nurse Lib is brought the Ireland to watch 11 year old Anna O’Donnell. She is believed to not have eaten anything since her eleventh birthday, which was four months ago. Word has gotten out about Anna and people are traveling from everywhere to see or meet “The Wonder”. Anna believes she is surviving on manna from Heaven and has no need to eat. Lib is a skeptic. Is Anna actually not eating or is food being sent to her secretly to eat in private? That is Lib’s job: To not leave Anna alone for a moment to discover the truth.
There is an answer to this question, and once we have the answer, there is still more book to read! It becomes more than what the answer is as Lib tries to save Anna’s life.
This book is very well written. Well done Emma Donoghue! You can sense the tension between Lib, Anna’s family, and doctor. The book takes place in the year 1859 and much of the tension is that of the Irish vs English. You also see the honest faith of a child that Anna has, but is it misguided? You must read the book to find out! There is definitely more to this novel than you think going into it.
Audiobook review:
I listened to the audiobook version of The Wonder. I don’t usually write a review for the audiobook, but I feel I need to in this case. The narrator is Kate Lock. I had difficulty understanding some of the characters as the Irish accents were too strong for me. There were times when the mother was yelling- and I could not understand what was said. Also, at times I could not understand Anna. Lib is the main character in the novel, I had no problems understanding her. There were other characters where I had this problem as well.
I know with this difficulty that I missed some of what happened in the novel, so I can not recommend the audio version. If you choose to read The Wonder, stay away from the audio version and read the book.
The Wonder is recommended!
Find Me by E.J. Bennett
5.0
All my reviews can be found at http://jessicasreadingroom.com
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Find Me is a short story (33 pages) that pulls you in from the beginning and you don’t want to put it down! It took me just over an hour to read it. This story is available today and comes out at the perfect time since Halloween is just a few days away! The house is truly creepy and I didn’t know what was going to happen. There is a conclusion to Find Me, but I wanted more! Whether extending it or more of Mia’s back-story.
It is recommended. If you like ghost stories, or something to spook you that is not long, definitely check it out.
I received a copy from E.J. Bennett in exchange for a review. Thank you E.J!
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Find Me is a short story (33 pages) that pulls you in from the beginning and you don’t want to put it down! It took me just over an hour to read it. This story is available today and comes out at the perfect time since Halloween is just a few days away! The house is truly creepy and I didn’t know what was going to happen. There is a conclusion to Find Me, but I wanted more! Whether extending it or more of Mia’s back-story.
It is recommended. If you like ghost stories, or something to spook you that is not long, definitely check it out.
I received a copy from E.J. Bennett in exchange for a review. Thank you E.J!
Queen of Blogging by Therese Loreskär
5.0
All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com
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Kajsa is the Swedish version of Bridget Jones! I can imagine if Bridget Jones was a blogger, then this would have been her. I enjoy the Bridget Jones books and movies, so this was a book for me!
Kajsa has the #1 fitness blog in Sweden, but it is all a lie. Blogging has overtaken her life and she constantly thinks about what her next “false post” will be. She says she eats these very healthy meals, but eats the opposite. She said she runs a 10k for her morning run, when she doesn’t actually run at all. She goes into gyms and poses for pictures for posts. She also uses Photoshop to make pictures appear real. Things are starting to get out of control for her and then it actually does with one little lie on her blog: Saying she is friends with the #1 US Fitness Trainer. Things just take off from there. You will have to read the book to see what happens next.
Her perfect family is not perfect. She doesn’t spend much time with her kids and her husband is up to something. Is he just preoccupied with his job, or is something else going on? Kajsa also has a stalker on her blog who really wants to meet her. Should she meet him or not? She actually debates this.
This book has many “Bridget-esque” type of adventures. The book’s chapters are by days of the week and the day is chronicled like a blog.
If you enjoy chick-lit or enjoy Bridget Jones as I do, check this book out. It is only 99 cents on Amazon. There is a sequel, but it probably needs to be translated to English. As this was translated to English, I did notice some spelling and grammar issues, but it did not take away from the book.
The Queen of Blogging is recommended!
I received a copy of The Queen of Blogging from TBC.
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Kajsa is the Swedish version of Bridget Jones! I can imagine if Bridget Jones was a blogger, then this would have been her. I enjoy the Bridget Jones books and movies, so this was a book for me!
Kajsa has the #1 fitness blog in Sweden, but it is all a lie. Blogging has overtaken her life and she constantly thinks about what her next “false post” will be. She says she eats these very healthy meals, but eats the opposite. She said she runs a 10k for her morning run, when she doesn’t actually run at all. She goes into gyms and poses for pictures for posts. She also uses Photoshop to make pictures appear real. Things are starting to get out of control for her and then it actually does with one little lie on her blog: Saying she is friends with the #1 US Fitness Trainer. Things just take off from there. You will have to read the book to see what happens next.
Her perfect family is not perfect. She doesn’t spend much time with her kids and her husband is up to something. Is he just preoccupied with his job, or is something else going on? Kajsa also has a stalker on her blog who really wants to meet her. Should she meet him or not? She actually debates this.
This book has many “Bridget-esque” type of adventures. The book’s chapters are by days of the week and the day is chronicled like a blog.
If you enjoy chick-lit or enjoy Bridget Jones as I do, check this book out. It is only 99 cents on Amazon. There is a sequel, but it probably needs to be translated to English. As this was translated to English, I did notice some spelling and grammar issues, but it did not take away from the book.
The Queen of Blogging is recommended!
I received a copy of The Queen of Blogging from TBC.
Always Watching by Chevy Stevens
3.0
All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com
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I listened to the audiobook Still Missing by Chevy Stevens a couple of months ago and I was blown away (I had listened to it several years ago, but did not remember much about it). I decided that I wanted to listen to more of her books since my local library offers hers on audio. Always Watching is another good one by Chevy Stevens, but it does not live up to Still Missing.
Heather Simeon becomes Dr. Nadine Lavoie’s newest patient after a suicide attempt. As Heather tells her story, Nadine realizes they have some similar circumstances in their lives. Heather was part of a commune (a cult) which Nadine was a part of when she was younger as she, her brother, and mother joined. Heather’s story brings to light some of Nadine’s repressed memories. And because of these memories which include sexual abuse, Nadine sets out on a mission to discover if there were any other victims. This decision brings danger to into her life.
Nadine’s daughter Lisa has been on her own for a while and she has been a drug addict. She comes into the story and Nadine also tries to save her in more than one way. Lisa becomes very important to this story.
Will Nadine find out if there are other victims, and will she save herself and her daughter from the dangers that come about in the novel? You will have to read to find out.
Always Watching is written well and I wanted to know what was going to happen. Maybe I expected a lot out of it after listening to Still Missing, but I just wasn’t pulled in to the story as much as I would have thought as I find cult type stories intriguing. I think I just wasn’t as attached to Nadine’s character. Always Watching did not have as much of a shock factor as Still Missing did. There are some intense scenes in Always Watching.
Warning: If you have issues with sexual abuse of a child, you might want to stay away from this book. There are not many scenes, but enough to possibly bother some more sensitive readers. There is also a tough scene involving an animal death.
If you want to check out some of Chevy Stevens’ work, I would say read Always Watching first then read Still Missing. I don’t really like to compare books, but I think having recently ‘read’ Still Missing affected my enjoyment of Always Watching. I do plan to read/listen to more of Chevy Stevens.
I would say overall that I would recommend this book.
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I listened to the audiobook Still Missing by Chevy Stevens a couple of months ago and I was blown away (I had listened to it several years ago, but did not remember much about it). I decided that I wanted to listen to more of her books since my local library offers hers on audio. Always Watching is another good one by Chevy Stevens, but it does not live up to Still Missing.
Heather Simeon becomes Dr. Nadine Lavoie’s newest patient after a suicide attempt. As Heather tells her story, Nadine realizes they have some similar circumstances in their lives. Heather was part of a commune (a cult) which Nadine was a part of when she was younger as she, her brother, and mother joined. Heather’s story brings to light some of Nadine’s repressed memories. And because of these memories which include sexual abuse, Nadine sets out on a mission to discover if there were any other victims. This decision brings danger to into her life.
Nadine’s daughter Lisa has been on her own for a while and she has been a drug addict. She comes into the story and Nadine also tries to save her in more than one way. Lisa becomes very important to this story.
Will Nadine find out if there are other victims, and will she save herself and her daughter from the dangers that come about in the novel? You will have to read to find out.
Always Watching is written well and I wanted to know what was going to happen. Maybe I expected a lot out of it after listening to Still Missing, but I just wasn’t pulled in to the story as much as I would have thought as I find cult type stories intriguing. I think I just wasn’t as attached to Nadine’s character. Always Watching did not have as much of a shock factor as Still Missing did. There are some intense scenes in Always Watching.
Warning: If you have issues with sexual abuse of a child, you might want to stay away from this book. There are not many scenes, but enough to possibly bother some more sensitive readers. There is also a tough scene involving an animal death.
If you want to check out some of Chevy Stevens’ work, I would say read Always Watching first then read Still Missing. I don’t really like to compare books, but I think having recently ‘read’ Still Missing affected my enjoyment of Always Watching. I do plan to read/listen to more of Chevy Stevens.
I would say overall that I would recommend this book.
Virgin Kiss: A very short story by Jina Bacarr
4.0
All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com
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This is a cute, clean short story about a first kiss. There is some humor in this story and I liked Riley. Riley is the narrator and we experience everything from her perspective and feel everything she feels.
I liked Jina Bacarr’s writing style for this short story. I’m not much of a romance reader, which her books are, but I may give more of her writings a chance.
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This is a cute, clean short story about a first kiss. There is some humor in this story and I liked Riley. Riley is the narrator and we experience everything from her perspective and feel everything she feels.
I liked Jina Bacarr’s writing style for this short story. I’m not much of a romance reader, which her books are, but I may give more of her writings a chance.