Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Rating: 5 of 5 stars 

Pages: 432 pages
Published: April 2024

Just for the Summery is Abby Jimenez' third book in her Part of Your World series. I’ve secured all three books from Book of the Month and devoured them as they have published. While the three books have some crossover characters, it is not necessary to read them in order as they are standalone. However, there are some fun nuggets in this third book that the reader would recognize and enjoy having read the previous two. I love book series like this one that are a little loose. 

This latest installment features Justin and Emma who both believe they are cursed with the strange situation that every person they date goes on to find their forever person after they break up with them. They learn about this commonality on a hilarious Reddit thread, and Justin goes out on a limb and asks Emma, who is a traveling nurse, to date him so they can both find their respective forever person post-experiment/break up. 

This is a romcom, so you can imagine what ultimately happens, but as with all Jimenez' books, she gives us a fully-fleshed plot with complex character development. Her books are of substance - physically and literarily. In addition to some of the deeper topics like abuse, neglect, and depression to name a few, the story author balances those with lighter banter and appropriate humor. For example, the Toilet King advertisement is a continual thread of humor throughout the entire book that helps break up some of the heavier scenes. 

Recommendation: I read this book over a few days while I was on a business trip, and business was really getting in the way of my reading time! I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the creative way in which it was told. This book is all the rage this summer - and rightfully so. As one of my book friends said, "You speak so highly of her books!" And it's true. This is one I highly recommend for your summer reading pleasure. Grab your copy today! 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.

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Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Rating: 5 of 5 stars 

Pages: 416 pages
Published: April 2023

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez is the second in a series. I purchased and read the first Book of the Month Selection, Part of Your World, in 2022. So, naturally when BOTM published the second book in 2023, I snapped it up quickly. And just like the first, this story did not disappoint. As I mentioned before, Jimenez's books are romcoms with substance. She does an delicate job of balancing sobering topics with timely humor and bringing it all together for a satisfying conclusion. 

The second book in this series focuses on the best friend, Dr. Bri Ortiz, of the main character in the first. We meet Bri, ER doctor, on the tail end of a humiliating divorce where she's trying to regain her self-worth while also attempting to beat the clock on finding a kidney donor for her brother. As it so happens in many romcoms, a timely meet-cute (or maybe in this instance meet-conflict) ensues with one Dr. Jacob Maddox who is equally good-looking as he is good-hearted and who also happens to be on the heels of a horrible break-up. To boot, he just so happens to have recently joined the ER staff at Bri's hospital. As it were, one thing leads to another and these professional colleagues move past their initial conflict and strike up a friendship through a situational fake dating scenario. 

With this being a romcom, I don't think I'd be giving to much away to say the story follows a friends-to-lovers plotline. However, that is not the jewel of Jimenez's book. In both of the books in this series, she tackles serious issues such as depression, anxiety, loss of pregnancy and thoughts of suicide. She artfully presents these in a thoughtful way while not weighing the book (or the reader!) down too much. (Hint: Think Grey's Anatomy but in book form.)  

Recommendation: I truly enjoy Jimenez's writing style, and I can't honestly say if I loved this book more than the first. They are both equally engaging on their own. The books do follow in chronological order; however, I believe they can be consumed as stand-alone stories, with some character overlap in each. So, it is my reader's opinion, that it is not necessary to read them in order. I highly recommend picking up either copy today. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.

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We are the Light by Matthew Quick

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars 

Pages: 256 pages
Published: November 2021

I held high hopes for my latest Book of the Month selection. Written by the same author who wrote the critically-acclaimed book turned movie, Silver Linings Playbook, We are the Light touches on some of the same themes of Matthew Quick’s earlier popular book. In the quaint community of Majestic, Pennsylvania reeling and trying to heal after a mass shooting at a local theater, we find Lucas, the main character deep in grief after an unimaginable tragedy and the abrupt and involuntary end of his relationship with his Jungian analyst, Karl. The book is told in epistolary format as Lucas writes unanswered letters to Karl. In the midst of these letters, the reader learns that Eli, the brother of the mass shooter, has taken up residence by pitching a tent in Lucas' backyard. This circumstance creates an opportunity for Lucas to help Eli in the aftermath of this tragedy. 

The book is relatively short, but there is a level of complexity and a large cast of detailed characters that make it a slower read. The heavy themes of grief,  tragedy, abusive relationships, anger, spirituality and gun-control are a lot to process. Additionally, because of the format in which the story is told, there isn't much room for dialogue and the narrator (Lucas) comes off as a bit of a rambler. I am not sure if that's the challenging writing style or if it is done on purpose so that the reader can sense the same despair as the main character. Finally, the aspect of Jungian therapy didn't resonate with me. I don't know if this is because I don't know a lot about it or it's too complex of a therapy method to cram into a ~250-page novel. 

Overall, I found this book to be promising, but I think I read it at the wrong time. I was looking for something lighter to begin closing out the year, even bypassing a book about suicide, to read this one because I thought there would be a little more light at the end of the tunnel. While the ending did create a bit of a lift, it wasn't as satisfying as I would have liked. After listening to Quick's interview on the Virtual Book Tour podcast, I can appreciate that he tried to provide some light for the reader. 

Recommendation: I've said it before, books find us a different times. Sometimes it's the right time, but I think this book wasn't something I was ready to read during the holiday season. If I was a re-reader, I might pick it up again. However, I will chalk this up to a BOTM loss for me. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.

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Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pages: 256 pages
Published: January 2020

Earlier this year, I participated in another Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study centered on my fellow Texan's book, Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts by Jennie Allen. I am active in this Proverbs 31 Ministry and you can visit any of the previous study books I've reviewed by conducting a simple search for "Proverbs 31" on my website. As someone who can be overly analytical and held captive by my anxious thoughts, I was very interested in the premise of this book. Allen posits that a person has an average of 9,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day and those can often be negative. She opens her book explaining that "the greatest spiritual battle for our generation is being fought between our ears." Her book is a form of spiritual self-help on how to take those negative thoughts captive so that one doesn't suffer from paralysis by analysis. 

Her writing style is contemporary and light. She shares a lot of examples, including personal experiences. Because I studies with the Proverbs 31 Ministry, I had access to her teaching videos. While these videos supplemented the book, I found them quite challenging because of Allen's voice (sorry!). But I did very much appreciate the nuggets of wisdom she shared throughout the book. Some of my favorite quotes are listed below. 

"...yet we have allowed our minds to have outright meltdowns with zero corrections (page 38)."

"Tell me what you're thinking ... and I'll tell you who you are (page 43)." 

"We are made to experience life and peace as we begin to think less about oursevles and more about our Creator and about others (page 56)." 

"In the stillness and quiet, not only do we connect with God but we are also able to more clearly identify what is wrong. Recognizing our spirals and naming them is the first step in interrupting them (page 70)." 

"Father, help me see things not as they seem to me but as they truly are (page 81)."

"Loneliness can make us thing that everything is a threat, even if there is no real threat to be found (page 92)."

"When you're looking for intimate friendships, you've got to start with emotionally intelligent friends (page 99)." 

"But our tool for defeating 'what if' is, found in two words: 'Because God (page 109).'" 

The Bible tells us that we are not to conform to the ways of the world but rather be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Or more simply put: Quit your stinkin' thinkin'! This is a perpetual battle which requires the constant equipping and preparing of one's mind, and my personal belief is that I can overcome the negative thoughts through the reading of God's Word and improving my personal relationship with Him. 

Recommendation: I think some books resonate with some people more than others. This book definitely resonated with me. Allen's down-to-earth approach backed by scientific facts and Scripture offered a well-rounded thesis on a very important and prevalent issue that many people face daily. This is a relatively short read, and I would definitely recommend giving it a shot. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.

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Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Rating: 5+ of 5 stars
Pages: 352 pages
Published: September 2020

I love, love Fredrik Backman. I've read all of his novels (just search his name on this blog), and I think he is one of the most gifted writers in modern literature. He is able to compose sentences in a way that evoke a myriad of emotions. So, it was no surprise that as I read, I found myself pondering then laughing and then tearing up throughout Anxious People. So, what is this book about? If you read it (and please do read it), you will see that even the narrator even has a hard time pinpointing the exact subject matter. But I think overall it's about life and how we deal with it. It's written in a unique way, and in my opinion, it almost reads like a stage play. The best part of the book are the little nuggets of truth Backman hides within this dramedy. Here are some of my favorites - 

Our hearts are bars of soap that we keep losing hold of; the moment we relax, they drift off and fall in love and get broken, all in the wink of an eye. 

Because that was a parent's job: to provide shoulders. Shoulders for your children to sit on when they're little so they can see the world, then to stand on when they get older so they can reach the clouds, and sometimes lean against whenever they stumble and feel unsure. 

She told herself that was why you should always be nice to other people, even idiots, because you never know how heavy their burden is. 

I think you can understand someone without necessarily agreeing with them. 

Have you ever held a three-year-old by the hand on the way home from preschool? You're never more important than you are then. 

Because the people we argue with hardest of all are not the ones who are completely different from us, but the ones who are almost no different at all. 

He was my echo. Everything I do is quieter now. 

If you can do something for someone in such a way that they think they managed it all on their own, then you've done a good job. 

Loneliness is like starvation, you don't realize how hungry you are until you begin to eat. 

That's the power of literature, you know, it can act lie little love letters between people who can only explain their feelings by pointing at other people's. 

It's such an odd thing, the way you can know someone so perfectly through what they read. 

You can't carry the guilt and the shame and the unbearable silence on your own, and you shouldn't have to.

You see what I mean? He just finds the most beautiful ways to say the most basic things. So, back to the book. It's a story about a person at a desperate point in their life who does something they normally wouldn't and the resulting events affect a group of people who happen to be viewing an apartment for sale. Backman provides a bit of back story to each character while taking us through one day they all shared together. It sounds complicated, but the result of this novel is an uplifting work of art. Just go snag a copy! 

Recommendation: This book was definitely written for my generation, but I really think anyone can appreciate the beauty in it. If you have ever considered suicide suffer from anxiety or depression, please consider this book carefully. But note that it contains much hope! And in times like these, we could all use a little of that. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.

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