Women’s Fiction & Domestic Fiction

Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave
Loved this and the lessons!
Sunshine Mackenzie has built her on-line empire on the premise of lies. She has everything, a star, a best-selling book, and a faithful husband supporting her the whole way.
The thing is, when the blocks of your foundation are made up of lies, they crumble. That’s what happens. She loses everything. Sunny is forced to go home and face her past and her sister. She has the chance in the midst of destruction, to save her life and rebuild, but there are choices and she has to be careful with them.
This has scandal, gossip, and some hard to learn lessons about keeping life simple and real.
These are some quotes I loved:
“In today’s world, telling the truth isn’t rewarded as it should be. The story is rewarded. With social media you are always selling a story about who you are. There is no cost to these small lies, to the need to present yourself in a certain light.” – Laura Dave, Hello,Sunshine
“I was still trying to figure out what we all lost in broadcasting our lives for everyone else’s consumption. Before we took the time, you know, to figure out what we wanted our lives to add up to.” – Laura Dave, Hello,Sunshine
“Did it ever occur to you that if you weren’t living in fear of other people’s opinions of you, no one would have the power to take anything away?” -Laura Dave, Hello,Sunshine
“We are and we aren’t. We try and we fail. We tell the truth and then we lie. We want to be a part of things so badly that we’ll pretend to be anyone to get into the room. And pretend to be someone else just to stay there. We want to be seen and we want people to guess. We want them to understand. We want to be forgiven. We forgive ourselves. We start again.” -Laura Dave, Hello,Sunshine
I really loved this one! The characters were well developed. The story was real and the lessons and thoughts conveyed were so relative. 4/5⭐

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is a beautiful story of grief and surviving it.

Elsie and Ben were like a supernova, an extraordinary burst of light and energy.

Elsie picked up a pizza on an ordinary errand and found an extraordinary love, she met Ben and the chemistry was explosive and electric. In a short time, they were completely head over heels. Then they eloped. In less than two weeks later, tragedy strikes and Elsie has to find her way through grief with a mother-in-law that she’s never met.

Not all endings are full of the happiness we anticipate but there is a way to find happiness through the heartbreak of grief.

I was so angry initially, with the twist and then I immediately identified with Elsie. I enjoyed the beautiful character development as I experienced her story and the book was just excellent. It’s not a topic we like to discuss but the raw beauty in experiencing it lets you know that you’re human and you should enjoy your time and embrace your feelings.

I loved this journey of grief because it’s something relatable for everyone at some point and Elsie’s experience was so real and thought out, I felt like I was with her.

An excellent book, but get some tissues beforehand. So raw and so real! 5/5

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
WOW!
Let's talk about this one.
The pen is mighty when an author can evoke this much feeling in the reader. Rebecca Yarros' writing has depth and connects instantly with the reader.
The characters: Beckett is my hero! How can one man come from so much pain and sorrow only to embrace the hurt from others and comfort them while still standing? Not perfect, but honorable, dependable and loyal.
Ella, a single mom with twins, walks a path of challenges. She's been hurt, she's lost with grief, trust isn't easy but she still shows up and gets the job done. She's passionate, courageous. not without fault but she loves like a warrior mom.
Havoc- the dog my dreams are filled with. She is smart, loyal, and intuitive. She is the leader of the pack and the pack is her human family. A soldier in war and at home.
I was so engrossed in this story, I felt their pain and joy. I was struggling with them and soaring in their happiness. There is some spice in this one but it is well placed and doesn't detract from the story, it fits the narrative, well done.
The best part of any story is when there is an awesome dog at the heart of it, and this book brings it. As a mother, I cried with Ella and I fell in love with her kids.
I won't go into plot details because I just want to say that this book set the bar high for my reading expectations. As an avid reader and reviewer, I read a lot! This book gave me a reading hangover, I took my time reading it because I was afraid of it ending, my instincts were right, I can't read anything else today. It really was that awesome.
Please read this one with caution, it will steal your heart and make you cry, it's a beautiful story! 5/5
#gigisbookcorner #gigisbookcornerblog #TheLastLetter #rebeccayarros #womensfiction #booksthatmakeyoucry #BookReview #bookblogger #myfavoritereads

The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore
I enjoyed this one, it had everything, a library, books, mystery and a good love story!
Chloe Sampson, a struggling librarian, has the weight of the world on her shoulders, raising three siblings. She barely makes ends meet and is almost at the end of her rope. One day while clearing out the basement of the library, she comes across a rare book from the 1960s.
The curmudgeon next door, Jasper, offers to buy it with a blank check. In the margins are notes between two young lovers. Jasper has secrets and they are spread through several old books around town.
As Chloe goes on a literary hunt to solve the mystery of the young couple, she follows clues and an unexpected friendship with Jasper forms as he opens his home to her family.
This is more than a love story, it’s finding family, forgiveness, and friendship in the unlikeliest places. With a dual timeline, epic love story, secrets and family drama, this story carries the reader through like one of the characters. The characters are so relatable and well developed it is easy to connect with them.
I love how the story developed and the complex layers in the relationships. I could feel everything Chloe experienced and I enjoyed it! 4.5/5⭐️

#gigisbookcorner #thelibraryofborrowedhearts #womensfiction #friendshipfiction #comingofage

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
This was a heartwarming journey of self discovery.
Helen, recently divorced, has signed up for an extreme wilderness adventure to redefine herself. When she stops to drop Pickle, her dog, off with her brother, she runs into his best friend, Jake. As it turns out Jake is headed to the same wilderness camp, so he hitches a ride. On their cross-country trip, they stop at grandma Gigi’s house. Gigi is a hoot with her interesting after hours book club.
Once they arrive at the camp meetup, they pretend to be strangers. The three week adventure begins with a quirky cast of participants. This group will have you laughing out loud and make you feel like you are experiencing the great outdoors with them.
There were parts of this story that really frustrated me, the push-pull of the relationship between Helen and Jake on the trail, but I also loved it because I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Along the way, Helen discovers the root of her insecurities and vows to make changes in her life. I laughed and cried and I always love books that evoke real feelings. Katherine Center does not disappoint! 5/5⭐️
If you’re wondering, the movie doesn’t follow the book exactly but it was a cute rendition of the story.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
I enjoyed this one but it wasn’t what I anticipated.
Elizabeth Zott is a hot mess, determined to stand by herself on the rim of a tumultuous time for women gaining independence from apron strings. She survives some heinous things and lands on two feet. As a single mom in the 1960s, she stands out and ruffles feathers.
When she gets pushed out of her job at the lab, she creates her own at home and forges on. Then landing a job on a TV cooking show, she teaches her audience so much more than cooking with her practical chemistry lessons. She challenges the housewives in her audience to trade in their aprons and do more and follow their dreams.
The characters were brilliant but there are some dark corners in the story that give it a different tone. I really liked the story but I wanted it to be lighter and I think it needed more humor for balance. 3.5/5⭐️

Get Lucky by Katherine Center
Another great novel by Katherine Center! I love her writing!
This is a poignant novel about making your own happiness and being lucky enough to recognize and appreciate it.
Sarah Harper sabotages her career when she forwards an inappropriate email to the whole company. From there she returns home to Houston and her sister Mackie for Thanksgiving. As she contemplates sharing her troubles with her sister, she finds that Mackie has her own. Struggling with infertility, Mackie is on the verge of giving up her dreams to become a parent. Sarah formulates a plan to help her sister, a chance to take care of her big sister for once. To make everything come together Sarah has to come to terms with her past, including her estranged father and a long lost boyfriend from high school that she dumped. Sarah has to hold on to hope that she finds some luck when she changes her path in life.
This was great family fiction! I love to read books with complex sibling dynamics. Sarah and Mackie have to come to terms with their grown up selves and how to exist as adults in new roles. This one was a fun read, not without some tears, but also full blown laughter. 4/5⭐

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Hannah Brooks is good at her job even though she doesn’t look it. When she is assigned to protect superstar Jack Stapleton from his stalker, she has to convince him that she is legitimately a bodyguard. She has a lot of experience and punch packed in her small stature.
Jack’s mom is sick and when he goes home to help, he refuses to let the family in on the stalker situation. The two devise a plan where Hannah becomes Jack’s girlfriend. While this makes it easier for Hannah to protect Jack, it doesn’t protect Hannah’s heart in the least. When things get complicated she realizes some things are more important than what she once thought.
I really enjoyed this one. the dynamic between Hannah and Jack’s family was a nice experience, she found the family she wished she had. I did think the plot was little flaky at times with the stalker description and interaction, but overall, it was an awesome book! 4/5⭐️

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
This is a fun novel about life, love, sacrifice and courage, with a journey of forgiveness. It will make you laugh, cry, and get angry from time to time. It will make you feel.
Cassie Hanwell is a local hero in her Texas’s town. She saves lives. She thrives in an emergency and as the only female in her firehouse she has a reputation of courage.
Cassie receives a call from her estranged mother that changes everything. Her mother walked out when Cassie was a teen and they haven’t spoken since. Now her mother needs her and Cassie goes to the Boston area, where she finds that women aren’t as welcome in the firehouse. She finds a different landscape in the firefighting community where she doesn’t feel welcomed. She endures the hazing and activities aligned with rookies. Underfunded supplies and needed renovations motivate her. It seems no one wants her there except the rookie, and he’s something she has encountered before. She has declared she has no time for romance or friendships but this new group may challenge that.

The characters are captivating and invite you to just exist in the pages with them. I love a book that makes you feel things that the characters experience and there is a whole lot of feeling in this one! 4/5⭐️

Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
This book is just about life, regular people with problems, trials, and reflection.

Julia Ames has hit midlife and realizes that she hasn’t always made the best choices in navigating life. She has a hard time connecting with others and seemingly appears to be a perpetually unhappy person. She keeps herself closed off without realizing it. Julia almost completely derails her life and that of her family several times as she tried to find her way at different stages of her life.
I liked this book because it was just about life, nothing grand or with big twists, just a glimpse in the existence of a woman as she grows and matures as a person and how she feels and reacts to life as it happens. She doesn’t always make the best or the right decisions, but this story shows the raw part of just being human with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

This was not a grand epic tale, it was just a beautifully told story about real life with its misfortunes, failures, accomplishments, and a sprinkling of happiness. It’s long, slow at times, but just a good book to relax with, like sitting on the porch and catching up with an old friend.
4/5⭐️

Georgia, All Along by Kate Clayborn
Georgia Mulcahy goes home to her hometown when her LA boss calls it quits. She is quick to realize that her needs and plans have been disconcertingly paired against assisting others. She has a blank page.
Georgie finds an old notebook that she and her long time best friend, Bel, wrote in during high school. She decides to use the book as motivation to jumpstart her life in a new direction.
Her obstacle is Levi Fanning, formerly the town trouble maker. He wants to help Georgie find her way and check off her list. It doesn’t take long for Georgie to realize that what she wants may be by her side with his dog, Hank. It will take the two of them side stepping the past to leap forward.

This was a really good romance with sort of a coming of age feel to it. It does have a couple spicy scenes but they do not overtake the book and if you skip them, you will still enjoy the book.
I really enjoyed Georgie’s character as she discovers who she is and what she really wants. The love relationship is easy and it compliments the family dynamics with Levi’s family and Georgie’s parents. Hank was a fun addition too, because I love dogs!
The audio book is wonderful, the male narrator for Levi does a wonderful job giving his character a unique voice and accent. Loved it!

4/5 ⭐️

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms
This is a great story, full of laughter, tears, and relatable characters.

Amy is an overworked librarian with bright creative ideas and two teenage kids. As a single mom, she feels underappreciated. Her estranged husband shows up after three years of no contact, wanting to reconnect with his children. He asks for a week and she relents. Amy heads to New York City for a much overdue break.

Amy rediscovers parts of herself as she immerses herself in the culture and sophistication of a city that doesn't sleep. With loads of encouragement and laughable moments, Amy's friends help her to find a way to let loose and she finds love. As she struggles with big decisions, a crisis strikes that could derail everything in the blink of an eye. She could lose what she had and never find what might have been.

A brilliant story, so relatable with richly developed characters, I loved it! I love stories about librarians and books, this one is fully loaded! 4/5⭐s

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh

This is a heartwarming, uplifting, light romance that just makes you smile.

At 30, Isadora Bentley has convinced herself that life is better navigated alone. In celebration of her thirtieth birthday, she buys a magazine with an article about being happy and sets off to disprove it.
In her quest she sets up her own experiences as an experiment. Along the journey she finds friends and family among her neighbors and colleagues. She experiences love, laughter, and anger. Isadora eventually comes to the conclusion that happiness is her responsibility.

I loved this book, it was a fast read and just made me feel good.

I have a favorite quote from a passage in the book, “Happiness isn’t that hard to find, you know. It’s everywhere. It’s all around us. But it’s not something that happens to us. It’s something we seek. It’s something we pursue. And you’ll never find it if you never let anyone in.” (From Marty)
4/5⭐️s