Ash Reads Stuff

The Idea of You by Amanda Prowse Publication Date:  March 21, 2017 Pages: 332 (kindle) Genre: Women's Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: With her fortieth birthday approaching, Lucy Carpenter thinks she finally has it all: a wonderful new husband, Jonah, a successful career and the chance of a precious baby of her own. Life couldn’t be more perfect. But becoming parents proves much harder to achieve than Lucy and Jonah imagined, and when Jonah’s teenage daughter Camille comes to stay with them, she becomes a constant reminder of what Lucy doesn’t have. Jonah’s love and support are unquestioning, but Lucy’s struggles with work and her own failing dreams begin to take their toll. With Camille’s presence straining the bonds of Lucy’s marriage even further, Lucy suddenly feels herself close to losing everything… This heart-wrenchingly poignant family drama from bestselling author Amanda Prowse asks the question: in today’s hectic world, what does it...

The Perfect Neighbors  by Sarah Pekkanen Publication Date:  July 5, 2016 Pages:  352 (paperback) Genre:  Fiction/Contemporary My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Perfect Neighbors takes us into the homes of an idyllic suburban neighborhood where we discover the burning secrets hiding just below the surface. Bucolic Newport Cove, where spontaneous block parties occur on balmy nights and all of the streets are named for flowers, is proud of its distinction of being named one the top twenty safest neighborhoods in the US. It’s also one of the most secret-filled. Kellie Scott has just returned to work after a decade of being a stay-at-home mom. She’s adjusting to high heels, scrambling to cook dinner for her family after a day at the office—and soaking in the dangerous attention of a very handsome, very married male colleague. Kellie’s neighbor Susan Barrett begins every day with fresh resolutions: she won’t eat any carbs. She’ll go to bed...

All the Good Parts by Loretta Nyhan Publication Date:  September 20, 2016 Pages:  338 (hardcover) Genre:  Women's Fiction My Goodreads Rating:  2.5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: At thirty-nine, Leona Accorsi is broke, single, back in school, and living in her sister Carly’s basement. She’s perfectly content being quirky Auntie Lee to Carly’s four children. That is, until Leona’s doctor tells her that if she wants to have a child, she’d better do it now. Leona does want a baby. She always has, but the circumstances have never been right. Now she has a huge decision to make: face motherhood on her own or risk missing out on its rewards. Unfortunately, she’s let her romantic life go stagnant. She barely even knows any single men. She has just a few prospects: a Vietnam vet and partial amputee, his intimidating son, the sweet but troubled man who tutors her niece, and a fellow nursing student she’s never actually met. As Leona discovers more about each ...

The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson Publication Date: February 16, 2016 Pages: 352 (hardcover) Genre: Women's Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 3.5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Born in Alabama, Paula Vauss spent the first decade of her life on the road with her free-spirited young mother, Kai, an itinerant storyteller who blended Hindu mythology with Southern Oral Tradition to re-invent their history as they roved. But everything, including Paula’s birthname Kali Jai, changed when she told a story of her own—one that landed Kai in prison and Paula in foster care. Separated, each holding her own secrets, the intense bond they once shared was fractured. These days, Paula has reincarnated herself as a tough-as-nails divorce attorney with a successful practice in Atlanta. While she hasn’t seen Kai in fifteen years, she’s still making payments on that Karmic debt—until the day her last check is returned in the mail, along with a cryptic letter. “I am going on a jou...

Keep Me Posted  by Lisa Beazley Publication Date:  April 5, 2016 Pages: 320 (kindle) Genre:  Women's Fiction My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars NetGalley Synopsis: Two sisters share the surprising highs and cringe-worthy lows of social media fame, when their most private thoughts become incredibly public in this fresh and funny debut novel. Sisters Cassie and Sid Sunday have not done a bang-up job of keeping in touch. In their defense, it hasn't been easy: life veered in sharply different directions for the once-close sisters. Today, beautiful and big-hearted Sid lives an expat's life of leisure in far-off Singapore, while harried, iPhone-clutching Cassie can't seem to make it work as a wife and a mom to twin toddlers in Manhattan. It doesn't help that Sid spurns all social media while Cassie is addicted to Facebook. So when Sid issues a challenge to reconnect the old-fashioned way—through real, handwritten letters—Cassie figures, why not? The experiment e...

When I'm Gone  by Emily Bleeker Publication Date: March 15, 2016 Pages: 366 (kindle) Genre:  Women's Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars NetGalley Summary: Dear Luke, First let me say—I love you…I didn’t want to leave you… Luke Richardson has returned home after burying Natalie, his beloved wife of sixteen years, ready to face the hard job of raising their three children alone. But there’s something he’s not prepared for—a blue envelope with his name scrawled across the front in Natalie’s handwriting, waiting for him on the floor of their suburban Michigan home. The letter inside, written on the first day of Natalie’s cancer treatment a year ago, turns out to be the first of many. Luke is convinced they’re genuine, but who is delivering them? As his obsession with the letters grows, Luke uncovers long-buried secrets that make him question everything he knew about his wife and their family. But the revelations also point the way toward a future where love goe...

Just One of Those Things  by Mindy Klasky Publication Date:  February 9, 2016 Pages:  330 (ebook) Genre: Fiction/Romance My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Matt Dawson has returned to Harmony Springs after ten years of pitching in the major leagues. His father thinks he’s a screw-up who should have joined the Army instead of playing ball. His old buddies think he’s a hero with a bottomless bank account. But Matt knows he’ll never be a hero, not like his brother Jon, who recently died in Afghanistan. Emily Barton once dated Jon but their break-up was brutal, made even worse when Matt tried to intervene. Years later, Emily remains trapped on an emotional treadmill, regularly changing her apartment, her job, and her boyfriend in a futile attempt to regain her earlier success. Determined to give back to Harmony Springs, Matt opens an American Discount thrift store. But Emily recognizes a threat to the downtown shopping district and she organiz...

The Way We Fall  by Cassia Leo Publication Date:  February 20, 2015 Pages:  309 (kindle) Genre: Romance/Women's Fiction My Goodreads Rating:  2.5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  Five pages. A letter holding a secret buried for more than five years. A secret neither of them wanted to know. Five years after their messy breakup, Houston and Rory are forced to work together opening up a new wine bar. Despite their tragic past, they find themselves once again drawn to each other, unable to deny their potent attraction. But the secret of the letter hangs like a guillotine over their heads. And soon, Houston finds himself in the same position he was in five years ago, choosing between the truth and the only woman he’s ever loved. My Review:  I picked this book up as a freebie and was looking for something short and fluffy to read this weekend, just to get my mind off the work week. Well, I chose wrong because this book is anything but fluff...