Summer Secrets

summer secrets. New York: St. Martin's Press. 308 pages. ****

"For as long as I can remember, I have always had the feeling of not quite fitting in, not being the same as everyone else." Throughout her life, Cat Coombs discovered that alcohol was the equalizer that helped her fit in and made her feel beautiful. Having spent her teenage years with a cold, distant father and a mother in a deep depression, did nothing to dispel Cat's feelings about herself. After her father's death, Cat's mother comes alive again and drops a bombshell on Cat, which changes her life forever. Cat takes stock of her life, decides to quit drinking and meets who she believes is the love of her life, Jason. Determined to discover the father she never knew and the sisters she didn't know she had, Cat travels from London to Nantucket. Convinced she has control over her drinking and one won't hurt, Cat shatters her fantasy life in one night. Fast forward to a sober, divorced, single mother with a thirteen-year-old daughter. Determined to make amends, Cat and her daughter, Annie, travel to Nantucket to confront Cat’s past and earn forgiveness. 

Green spins a story on many levels that delves into the life of an alcoholic masking her feelings of inadequacy with the struggle to understand family secrets, betrayal and the need to be accepted. I enjoy Green's style of writing and really enjoyed reading this book. Cat has so many issues as do many of the characters in this book, but she is so likable that you will find yourself cheering her on and groaning when she screws up. Her tenacity is what is so endearing and her honesty about who she is carries the story until the end. It's a great beach and summer read. 

Jane Green is the author of sixteen previous bestsellers. Originally from London, she now lives in Westport, CT, with her husband, children and a menagerie of animals. Visit her website at http://www.janegreen.com or join her Facebook at facebook.com/authorjanegreen. 

Pieces

Pieces by Maria Kostaki. CA: She Writes Press, 209 p. ***

Pieces of Sasha's life are portrayed vivadly from early childhood in Cold War-era Moscow to Athens, Greece. Having no control over where she lives in her youth to out of control adult behavior seeking love and acceptance. Taken from the Grandparents who love her to live with her narcisstic mother, who tells Sasha, "I feel sorry for you...you'll never find someone who has the ability to love in the way that you do. You love unconditionally, desperately." The death of her step-father, Michael, the only father she has known, has triggered her memories of life with him and her mother. Sash lashes out at him in her grief for the biological father she never knew and the step father who raised her. "You were supposed to be my prototype male. I still have nightmares about your fingers, the tattoo on your wrist, your palm slamming on my mother's face, the gold ring on your middle finger. But I loved you anyway." 

It is a gritty, alcohol laden story of survival and hope. Kostaki has painted a harsh picture of life in Moscow and the resilience of family during tough times.  Love prevails....

If not for the Summer Reading Challenge, I probably would not have picked up this book to read. A little confusing for me at times, it was  a worthwhile read. Kostaki has a talent for bringing the reader into the story with a few well chosen words. 

Maria Kostaki is a native of Moscow, Russia, but has spent most of her adult life on a plane from Athens, Greece to New York City and back. She holds a master’s in journalism from New York University, where she was a recipient of a grant from the Knight Foundation. She has worked as an editor and staff writer for Odyssey magazine in Athens and New York, and her nonfiction has appeared in publications including Elle Décor and Insider Magazine. Her fiction has appeared in Flashquake and Mediterranean Poetry.

Worthy

Worthy: A Novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Seattle: Lake Union Publishing, 2015. 321 pages, paperback. *****

Virginia works in a diner in a small town longing for love and a family of her own. Aaron's wife died of cancer and he is raising Buddy by himself.  Aaron finally works up the courage to ask Virginia on a date. Life intervenes with disastrous results. 

Fast forward nineteen years and Virginia is co-owner of the diner and engaged to be married.  Her fiancé may not be the perfect guy, he doesn't get along with her dog T-Rex, but at fifty-six years old, she thinks she has run out of options. Her best friend Fern is content to live alone, but Virginia can't stop thinking about what might have been with Aaron and Buddy.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has woven a heart-warming story of love, relationships, compassion and what really makes a family. Life doesn't always turn out the way we expect and Hyde is masterful in her moving story of a young boy who experiences loss and always feeling different from others. Definitely a 5 star read! 

Hyde is the bestselling author of twenty-seven published and forthcoming book. Her bestselling 1999 novel Pay It Forward was adapted into a major motion picture. 

Eight Hundred Grapes: a novel by Laura Dave. NewYork: Simon & Schuster, 2015. 260 p. *****


Thirty-year-old Georgia Ford's life takes an unexpected turn when at the last fitting for her wedding dress she sees her fiancé walking down the street with a gorgeous woman and a little girl. When opening the door to catch his attention, Georgia hears the little girl call Ben, Georgia's fiancé, "Daddy." With the clothes on her back (which happens to be her wedding dress), Georgia returns to the family winery and the venue for her soon to be held wedding. Seeking solace and advice, Georgia discovers discord in her parent's perfect marriage; her two brothers are at odds with each other and the family vineyard is about to be sold.

A poignant tale told humorously and with such grace, it was hard to put down. Dave has a strong storytelling voice and each character is likable and identifiable. Even though there is no Reading Guide, I recommend it for a Book Club choice. There are a few subplots which would make good discussion points.

This is may favorite of the books I have read so far for The Summer Reading Challenge 2015. I was drawn in from the very beginning and couldn't wait to see what happens next. Loved the ending, so fitting and perfect.

Laura Dave is the author of The First Husband,  The Divorce Party, and London Is the Best City in America. Her work has been published in fifteen countries, and three of her novels, including Eight Hundred Grapes, have been optioned as major motion pictures.

Received two copies of Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Which one to read? The published copy or the Advanced Reader's Copy (the Uncorrected Proof)? Decisions, decisions...It is hard not to judge a book by the cover, isn't it?

The Balance Project: a novel. by Susie Orman Schnall. SparkPress, 2015. 273 pages with Book Club Discussion Guide; The Balance Project Questionnaire. ****

"Sometimes things fall apart because life has something better to come."

Twenty-five year old Lucy Cooper, is assistant to high-powered, media darling, forty-five-year-old, Chief Operating Officer of Green Goddess and Co., Katherine Whitney. Whitney in her best-selling novel, the Balance Project, espouses that women can have it all...career, perfect marriage, adorable children, exercise, best friends...all it requires is balance. Lucy is the one charged with keeping it together for Katherine while Lucy's life is falling apart. Lucy has no time for her boyfriend Nick, laundry, best friend Ava, family, etc. Cracks soon appear in Katherine's perfectly balanced life when the nanny gets sick; her husband has an affair and Lucy applies for a different job. To save herself, Katherine undermines Lucy and their relationship with disastrous results!

Life's challenges for working women are poignantly told, humorously and realistically. Schnall has captured those moments when life gets in the way no matter how well planned the situation is.
Fans of The Devil Wears Prada will enjoy this book.

The Balance Project: a novel was inspired by the interview series called The Balance Project that Susie does on her website. There is a Questionnaire in the back of the book for anyone who wants to participate or you can go online to The Balance Project Interview.


Susie Orman Schnall grew up in LA and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. The Balance Project is her second novel. Her first novel, On Grace, won numerous awards.

Wishful Thinking by Kamy Wicoff. Berkeley, CA: She Writes Press, 2015. 359 pages. With reading group questions and topics for discussions. ****

What working mother doesn't dream about being in two places at once and full-time at the office and still have quality time with her kids? What if an application was developed that would allow it to happen and the app mysteriously showed up on your lost phone?

When Jennifer Sharpe, overworked, spread thin, divorced mother of two, discovers the Wishful Thinking app on her phone she doesn't know what to think. The app does come with a warning that if she chooses to use it, Jennifer must contact the designer for some instruction prior to use. Feeling pressured at work to stay long hours, promised a twenty thousand dollar bonus for the completion of a community project and challenged by her ex-husband for a fairer custody agreement, Jennifer throws caution to the wind and creates an "event." Through the use of a secret bathroom on the eighteenth floor, Jennifer was able to time travel to attend her son's guitar recital and a scheduled staff meeting at work. Promising the designer, physicist Dr. Diane Sexton, that she will limit her use of the app, Jennifer soon becomes addicted to being "superwoman." When her worlds collide (who didn't see that coming) Jennifer allows her best friend and a work colleague in on her secret routine. Using her talent for time travel, Jennifer unveils an embezzler and like all superwomen, saves the day.

Told with humor and angst, Wicoff creates a fantasy world in which many working parents can relate and identify with daily. A tale of parenting, friends, love, divorce, romance and lack of sleep. This novel will appeal to many sleep deprived, guilt driven Mom's who can't do it all no matter how hard they try and will provoke many pool/beach side conversations.

Kamy Wicoff is the founder, with author Deborah Siegel, of SheWrites.com, the world's largest online community for women who write. She is also the founder, with publisher Brooke Warner, of She Writes Press.