My July Reading List

Pajamas (on sale!) | Chaise | Rug | Side table | Mirror | Ladder | Wall bursts | Lamp

I'm back with all the books I've finished last month. To be honest, there were three additional books that I read this month that I didn't list below because they were awful. Two I couldn't finish and the third I just skimmed the last few chapters of the book because I couldn't take it anymore. LOL But the six I'm sharing below are all worth mentioning and reading! You can browse through all of my past book reviews posts here if you want more recommendations of things to read.

1. We All Love the Beautiful Girls - This book was good but wasn't my favorite out of this bunch. Mia and Michael's family and life begins to fall apart after they find out their best friend scammed them out of their life savings and their son has an accident at a party that leaves him very injured. The story is about their journey through it all and how it affects their friendships and relationships. It kept my interest but there were much better books that I read this month.

2. Redeeming Love - Wow. Wow. Wow. Based on the cover of this book, I was expecting a cheesy romantic love story but this was so much more than that! Angel is sold into prostitution at a young age and is living a life of emptiness and hatred until she meets Michael Hosea. Michael is extremely religious and feels that God wants him to be with Angel. He visits her at her brothel and tries to convince he to leave with him. After she is beaten badly one night by a client, she agrees to go with Michael and ultimately marry him. Since Angel never learned how to trust a man, she struggles with being Michael's wife. Michael stays steadfast to his commitment to God that he will love this woman and be with her no matter how hard she makes it for him. To be honest, I did not think I was going to like this book as much as I did and was so sad when it was over. Such a great (and emotional) read.

3. Not That I Could Tell - A group of neighborhood moms who are all friends get together one night to drink wine and chat around the fire pit. By the next morning, one of the mothers has vanished and taken her two children with her. Everyone is stunned by her disappearance, most of all her soon to be ex-husband who fears something has happened to her and the children. At first, her ex-husband is not a suspect but slowly becomes one as more about him is revealed. This book moved a bit slow in the beginning but the ending really threw me and it saved the entire book for me. I ended up really liking this one.

4. Then She Was Gone - This book was a bit twisted but a thrilling read. Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together after the disappearance of her daughter ten years ago. One afternoon Laurel meets Floyd at a coffee shop and is surprised at how quickly a relationship develops between them. Floyd has two daughters and Laurel is taken aback when she meets his youngest one who bears a very strong resemblance to her daughter that disappeared years earlier. As Laurel learns more about Floyd and who he really is, her world is turned upside down. Loved this one and couldn't put it down!

5. This Is How It Always Is - Out of all the books I read, this one was my absolute favorite. Rosie and Penn have four boys and when they get pregnant for the fifth time, they are hoping for a girl. When Claude is born, they are overjoyed for his arrival and have accepted that their family will only be boys. When Claude is five, he begins to start wearing dresses and says that he wants to grow up and be a girl. While Rosie and Penn think it is just a phase, they soon learn it is not. After much discussion, they decide to let Claude begin dressing like a girl and allow him to change his name to Poppie. Unfortunately the school and community are not as accepting of this and it ultimately forces the family to move to Seattle. They make the decision to not tell anyone in their new city about Poppie and hope that in time they can reveal the truth and people will accept her. Keeping this a secret puts a great deal of strain on the entire family. The dynamics of the family and the struggles that they face trying to allow their son to be who he feels he is inside brought out so much emotion for me while reading this. It's such a wonderful book.

6. My Lovely Wife - This book is a bit twisted but a really good read. Millicent and her husband seem like the normal suburban couple with two kids and a great life. Except they like to murder people in their spare time. Eek! They decide to try and pin it on a local serial killer that has already been convicted of similar crimes in the past but that plan soon fails and they must regroup to figure out how to prevent themselves from being caught. There were quite a few twists and turns in this book and the ending was a huge surprise for me!

What are you currently reading? Any books that you would recommend?

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All the Books I've Finished This Past Month

Sweatshirt | Shorts | AirPod case | Bed | Nightstands | Lamps

If you are a mystery lover, today's post is going to be a good one for you! I have a few amazing thrillers/mysteries included in my recent reading list. Let's get into the reviews: 

1. Still Alice - This book was made into a film a few years ago and got rave reviews so I had high hopes about it. Sadly, I really didn't like it. Alice Howland is a professor at Harvard that is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. This story is about her life after her diagnosis and how she struggles to tell her family and also to hold on to herself while her mind is slowly slipping away from her. I don't mind books that deal with intense or sad subject matter, but this book felt incredibly depressing and anticlimactic. I kept reading it with the hopes that I would like it more as the story went on, but in the end I thought it fell flat. Maybe the movie is better.

2. The Proposal - This is your typical cute love story and an easy beach read. Nikole meets Carlos at a Dodgers game after her boyfriend of only a few months proposes to her on the jumbotron. Nikole is not in love with him and has to turn him down in front of thousands of people. Carlos and his sister pretend to know Nikole in order to allow her to escape the situation and avoid the media that is swarming her after the proposal. Carlos and Nikole decide to get together again the following week and a friendship develops that quickly turns physical. Both try to fight their feelings but are unable to and decisions must be made if they are going to take their relationship further. It's not the best book in my list but it was enjoyable.

3. Every Breath - I don't want to give too much of this book away but I have to say that the author's note really ruined the entire story for me. You will understand why if you read it. It's a great love story about two people that meet randomly at a beach in North Carolina and end up falling in love after six days of knowing one another. Sadly they can't be together because Hope is engaged to a man that she feels obligated to marry. Tru tries to convince her to be with him, but alas he returns to his native home of Zimbabwe after Hope turns him down. Decades later their paths cross again and their story continues. It's a really good book but I wish the author had not done what he did in his prologue and epilogue. Ugh!

4. All These Beautiful Strangers - This first felt like a young adult book (but in a bad way) and I wasn't sure I would like it. However, as I got further into the story it got better and better and I ended up loving this book! Charlie Calloway is a student at a New England prep school and is trying to escape her family's past and the unsolved disappearance of her mother years ago. When she is invited to join the school's elite secret society called "The A's", she is quickly thrown into hazing rituals that are dangerous and often destroy the lives of those involved. However, Charlie soon realizes that this secret society could be connected to her mother's disappearance in a distant way and she tries to uncover the truth though many people are fighting to keep it hidden. This is definitely one of my favorite books of this bunch!

5. Necessary People - I really enjoyed this book though some of the characters drove me crazy. That didn't detract from the story for me, because I was fully invested in seeing how it turned out. Stella and Violet are best friends from very different backgrounds who meet in college and hit it off instantly. Stella is wealthy and privileged, while Violet had a tough childhood wrought with abuse and turmoil. Both move to NYC after graduating, but Stella decides to galavant around the world while Violet begins building her career. By the time Stella decides to come back, Violet has risen to a executive level position in the television station she works for and finally feels like she is making her way in the world. Then Stella schmoozes her way into a job at the same television station and quickly begins her own ascent despite lack of experience and hard work. They become competitive and their relationship takes a turn for the worst.  There is a ton of deception between these two and Violet finds herself in a precarious position having to make a decision that will change her life forever. It's not a thriller per se, but it did keep me on the edge of my seat until the end.

6. The Hideaway - I love a good feel good romance novel, but this one was just ok. Sara Jenkins' grandmother dies leaving her a B&B in her will. She states that Sara must renovate the home and then decide either to keep it or sell it. Sara struggles with this decision since many of the residents of the B&B have been living there for decades. As Sara learns more about her grandmother's life and her time at the B&B, it makes her decision harder. I did like how the story followed both Sara's and her grandmother's life simultaneously and thought the author did a great job switching between different decades effortlessly.

7. The Silent Patient - My favorite book out of the bunch! I NEVER saw the ending coming and it threw me for a major loop. Alicia Berenson is a successful artist married to a famous fashion photographer, but then shoots him five times in the face and is committed to a mental institution. A new therapist, Theo Faber, has been following the case and gets a job at this institution specifically to work with Alicia, who has stopped speaking completely. Theo tries to get her to open up and tell him what happened the night of the murder. Sounds like a pretty straightforward story but it is not at all. Such a great book that I could not put down!

You can check out all my past book reviews here.

Also, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale catalog was released! You can view the full thing here.

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An Easy Lightweight Romper For the Summer + My Recent Reading List

Romper - H&M | Sandals - Madewell | Bag - Street Level (similar here) | Bag - Sunglasses (similar here)

Today's post is going to be a combination of both an outfit post and my recent reading list. Two for the price of one! LOL Some people aren't fans of jumpsuits and rompers, but I personally still love them. I love how easy it is to get dressed and how comfortable they are. I love them for running around with Miles, going to the park or even as a pool cover-up. This one is loose fitting and so lightweight for summer, and the snap at the wrap ensures it will never fall open. To bring the comfort factor to the next level, I threw on my lace-up Madewell sandals that I've had for yearsssss. They have a rubber sole and surprisingly stay on the feet easily. 

Moving on to my book reviews - I read some really great books this past month and am so excited to share them with you. Don't forget to browse through my past reviews (there are more than 100!), if you want additional recommendations.

1. The Lost Vintage - I enjoyed this book but it wasn't a love for me. It has all the makings of a great novel but didn't quite live up to my expectations. Kate is studying for her Master of Wine examination and heads to her family's vineyard estate in France to help her prepare. While there, she uncovers a basement filled with thousands of bottles of wine that must have been hidden during WWII. Kate decides to explore more about this basement and who was responsible for hiding all the bottles. Some questions arise as to whether one of her ancestors was a collaborator with the Nazis and Kate tries to seek out the truth.

2. Where'd You Go, Bernadette - This book is being made into a movie and I am really excited to see it. I enjoyed the book but I think the movie will be able to bring the content to life even better. Bernadette Fox is an eccentric architect living in Seattle with her husband and daughter. After receiving a perfect report card, her daughter asks if they can go to Antartica as her reward. However before the trip, Bernadette vanishes and her family has no idea where she has gone. While this seems like it would be a mystery novel, it's actually quite the opposite. Bernadette has a quirky personality and the dynamics between her and her family create quite a unique storyline.

3. I Let You Go - I was almost a third of the way through this book before it hooked me, but after that I really got into it. It's a thriller but doesn't get that "thrilling" until halfway through the book so just be patient. Jenna Gray moves to a small beach town in the hopes of disappearing after being involved in a horrific hit and run accident. But the truth about the day is much more complicated than it seems, and Jenna is forced to come to terms with some painful truths about her life.

4. The Boy - My favorite book of the bunch! This was one of those good ol' murder mysteries that you can't put down. Genevieve's son is brutally murdered in their home in a small town in rural Louisiana. Detective Nick Fourcade and his wife Detective Annie Broussard much figure out who would commit such a horrific crime. As they dig deeper into Genevieve's past, questions begin to arise that make them question the validity of Genevieve's account of that night. There are so many twists and turns in this story and I could not figure out who did it until the very end. This is a page turner for sure!

5. Verity - I have been waiting for almost a year for this book to come out on audio! (It's so hard for me to find the time to sit down and read so I listen to audiobooks only) I am a huge fan of Colleen Hoover but had heard this was a huge departure from her normal content. It is definitely a disturbing read and quite a suspenseful thriller, however I was a tiny bit let down that it wasn't as good as I had imagined. It is still an AMAZING book, but I think I had built it up too much in my head. LOL Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer hired by the family of Verity Crawford to help complete the remaining books in Verity's best selling series. Verity was injured in a severe accident making her unable to finish writing the last three books. However, when Lowen begins her research, she uncovers a hidden autobiography that Verity had written unbeknowst to anyone. The autobiography sheds light on a very different Verity and her life before the accident. The ending was not what I expected and really shocked me. It left me having so many mixed feelings about my thoughts on all the characters up until that point.

6. Night Film - This book is longggggg and has its tedious moments, but overall I loved it. Ashley Cordova, the daughter of legendary horror film director Stanislas Cordova, is found dead in an abandoned warehouse and her death is ruled a suicide by authorities. Investigative journalist, Scott McGrath, who has followed her father's career over many decades believes there is more to this story. He sets off to uncover what really happened and looks to Stanislas's horror films and reclusive life as a possible explanation. Delving further into Cordova's world, McGrath comes face to face with some dark and disturbing situations that he thinks may have contributed to Ashley's death. I won't give anymore away but there is definitely some major twists and turns in this book, and really brings to light the idea that things are not always what they seem.

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What I've Been Reading Lately

Bed | Nightstand | Lamp | Marble Tray | Zebra tray | Books here, here and here

This past month's reads have been a mixed bag. Some books were by my favorite authors so I knew I would love them, a few were entertaining and a couple were just not that good. #brutalhonesty Here are all the books I've recently read (and click here for all of my past book reviews):

1. Winter Garden - I am a huge Kristin Hannah fan and loved The Nightingale and The Great Alone, so I knew I was going to love this book. And I did. To be honest, it wasn't as good as her two other books I have read, but still an absolutely beautiful novel. Meredith and Nina are sisters that live two very different lives, but are forced to come together after the death of their father to help care for their mother. But that care isn't easy because their mother doesn't welcome their attention. Their father's dying wish was for them to get to know their mother's life story so they could better understand her. And once they finally know her entire story, it changes all of their lives forever.

2. My Favorite Half-Night Stand - A cute, feel-good romantic novel with super lovable characters. It was a bit slow at the start, but once I got into the story I loved it! Millie and Reid are friends as well as co-workers that begin to have feelings for one another. In an effort to try and decide if they really should be together, they both fill out online dating profiles to see what else is out there. The story has some cute twists and turns and is an easy read.

3. My Absolute Darling - While I enjoyed many of the books I read these past few weeks, this was an absolute no. I simply could not get into it and ultimately had to quit halfway through. I was so disappointed because it had won so many awards so I had really high hopes.

4. A Million Junes - I loved so much about this book, but there is a supernatural/magic aspect to the story that can get a bit annoying at times. June and Saul are teenagers from the same town, but their families do NOT get along and both have been forbidden to ever be near each other. When they meet at a local fair one night, they try to stay away but slowly feel drawn towards one another. They set off to find out why their families don't get along and what caused the riff hundreds of years ago.

5. The Thousandth Floor - This is a young adult read about a futuristic society in NYC in the year 2118. I normally like young adult novels, but this was just ok in my opinion. It's a trilogy and after reading this one, I sadly won't be reading any of the other books in the series.

6. Daisy Jones & the Six - When I saw that this was the same author that wrote one of my favorite books of all time, I knew I had to read this as well. Taylor Jenkins Reid does an amazing job at giving her books such emotional depth and I feel so many things while reading them. This particular book was not as good as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but nonetheless I loved it. It's about a fictitious rock band that became famous in the 70's and all the trials and tribulations that they went through. It's a different kind of story setup because it's written as interviews of all the band members years later, which can be a bit hard to follow because there are so many different characters. However, I quickly learned their names and didn't have any issue following the story.

7. An Unwanted Guest - I LOVE thrillers and mystery novels, but this one felt a little bit like I was reading a game of Clue. Do you guys remember that board game? It is one of my favorites to play, but not necessarily to read. The story takes place at a quaint Inn in the Catskills and guests become stranded there after a bad ice storm closes the roads and disables all the power. One of the guests is murdered that first night and subsequently 4 other guests get killed over the next two days. Because they have no power or way to contact the police, everyone is scared that they will be next. I did finish the book because I wanted to know who was the killer, but there are much better thriller books out there to read that will keep your attention.

A Duster Cardigan + My Recent Reading List

Cardigan - BP (similar here, here and here) | Tee - Chaser | Jeans - Free People | Sandals - Treasure & Bond | Bag - Staud | Sunglasses - Amazon

I bought this long duster cardigan last year and am happy I get to bring it back out again! It hasn't been warm enough to wear alone and doesn't look good with a coat over top. It's sadly no longer available but I linked a few dusters that are almost identical to it. I thought I would add my recent reading list to today's post since I have gotten through a ton of books over the past few months. Here is a link to all my other past book reviews if you want any other recommendations.

1. Matchmaking for Beginners - This was a really sweet read and one that I enjoyed immensely. Marnie is engaged and set to be married and looking forward to living a very ordinary and suburban life. After her marriage falls apart after only two weeks, Marnie is forced to imagine a new life for herself. It's a meeting with her ex-husband's great-aunt at a family function that sets her off on her new course. Marnie inherits the great-aunt's Brooklyn brownstone and has to go live there for a few months in order to settle the estate. It's during this time that she learns so much about herself and figures out what to do with her life.

2. Bad Blood - I loved The Dropout podcast about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos and immediately downloaded this book written by the Wall Street Journal journalist that first published the article questioning her entire company. The book goes much more in depth about her rise to Silicon Valley greatness and ultimately her demise and I found it fascinating. It can get a bit technical and long-winded in places, but for the most part I really enjoyed it.

3. One Day in December - This began quite slow and boring for me, but as the book went on I really came to love the story. Laurie sees a man while riding the bus one day and when their eyes meet, she instantly feels like he is her soulmate. She searches for him every day after that for a year hoping she will run into this mystery man again. Unfortunately she finally meets him at a party as her best friend's boyfriend. Laurie is devastated but doesn't want her best friend to know this is the man from the bus stop that instantly stole her heart. Over the next ten years, the dynamic between her best friend, the boyfriend and Laurie evolves and the ending is really sweet and endearing.

4. The Kiss Quotient - From the cover, this book looked like a cute romance novel but the story gets quite racy and a bit graphic in parts about the main character's sex life which was slightly off putting at times. Stella Lane is a successful econometrician and loves her job, though her love life is non-existent. She has Asperger's which makes it difficult for her to connect with people and find a boyfriend. So Stella hires an escort to help her learn more about intimacy and then hires him for a few months to teach her how to be in a relationship. The story has cute moments and I actually enjoyed the characters, but the racy text throughout doesn't seem to fit the tone of the book.

5. Lie to Me - This had the feel of a Gone Girl type story, but sadly it just didn't measure up. Ethan and Sutton Montclair have a seemingly perfect relationship until one day she leaves a note saying she is leaving and not to find her. Ethan immediately feels like something is not right and sets out to find his wife and understand why she left. A body is soon found that the police think is Sutton and immediately begin investigating Ethan for the murder. There are a ton of twists and turns in the story, but the story ended up falling a bit flat for me.

I read a few more books over the past few weeks, but truly didn't find them very good. I will mention them here just for those interested: No Exit (I had high hopes for this thriller but it was blah), 99 Percent Mine (I couldn't even finish this one it was so awful), The Kitchen House (so many great accolades but I had a hard time getting through it) and All the Beautiful Lies (another thriller that was so predictable and uninteresting).

Do you have any good book recommendations for me?! Leave them below!

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All My Favorites in One Look + Books I Recently Finished

Sweater - Tularosa | Jeans - Sam Edelman (on sale! also available here on sale!) | Boots - Stuart Weitzman (similar here) | Bag - Gucci | Sunglasses - Amazon

Leopard print, black and red all in one outfit! Nothing makes me happier. LOL I love black and red together and leopard print is always a favorite so putting them all in one look seemed like the perfect idea. I've received tons of messages from those of you that have purchased these coated jeans after hearing me go on and on (and on and on) about them. They are hands down my best jeans purchase all season. This was my favorite pair of jeans I bought in the fall that I have worn here, here and here and these coated jeans are my top denim purchase this winter. They are high waisted, very slimming (and almost have a spanx-like effect sucking everything in) and the ankle is super fitted which makes it easy to tuck into ankle boots or OTK boots. Plus they look like leather pants at a fraction of the price. For sizing reference, I took my regular size in them.

Now on to the other half of this post that is not fashion related - the books I recently finished! Wow - I just realized that I went through all of these books in the past 3 weeks. Yowza! But to be honest, listening to audiobooks is so relaxing for me so I often choose to do that instead of watching TV most nights. There weren't any duds in this bunch, but I definitely had a few that I liked and a few that I LOVED. 

1. The Other Woman - This was my favorite book out of the bunch. Emily and Adam are in love and their relationship seems to be moving towards marriage. Then Emily meets Adam's mom. She creates more and more obstacles for them, and Emily doesn't understand why. I was so annoyed with Adam's mom throughout the entire book and kept reading just to see why she was being so difficult. But I did not see the ending coming and it really shocked me. I love when books do that!

2. The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Based on the true story of Lale Sokolov who was imprisoned at the Auschwitz concentration camp. He was fluent in many languages so the guards quickly put him to work as a tattooist responsible for tattooing new prisoners arriving at the camp. During his time at the camp, he meets Gita and they fall madly in love during their years there. This book shares their story and their time after the camp and how they managed to find one another again against all odds.

3. Cancel the Wedding - This book had all the parts required to make a great novel, but I felt it fell flat. I liked reading it but it didn't keep me captivated. It's been a year since Olivia's mom passed away, and on the surface things seem to getting better for Olivia. She has a thriving career and a loving fiance, but feels compelled to travel back to her mother's hometown in Huntley, Georgia to find out why her mom wanted her ashes scattered there. Olivia knows little to nothing about her mother's childhood or her life in this small town and wants to know what her mother was hiding.

4. An Anonymous Girl - This book has been getting a ton of buzz and rightfully so. It's a very unique storyline and one that kept me guessing through the entire book. Jessica signs up for a psychology study at a local university which she thinks will be a way to make some quick money. Dr. Shields is conducting the study and takes a liking to Jessica and tries to convince her to participate in more aspects of the study. Soon the study begins to take over Jessica's life and she feels like Dr. Shields is running her life.

5. November 9 - Another Colleen Hoover winner! I absolutely love her books and though they tend to have a similar feel, I still enjoy reading them. This one threw a major curve ball halfway through the book that I did not see coming which really made me want to finish it. Ben and Fallon meet the day before she is moving cross-country and have an instant connection. So they decide to meet up the next year on the same day to see if they still have feelings for each other. This tradition continues for the next few years but life begins to get in the way and threatens to derail their plans to ultimately be together one day. I absolutely adored this book and can't recommend it enough. Here are the other Colleen Hoover books I've read and reviewed on my blog. 

6. The Perfect Couple - This book is a mystery in theory but not 'an edge of your seat' gripping one, though I still enjoyed reading it. Celeste and Benji are scheduled to be married at Benji's family's lavish Nantucket estate, but before the ceremony even begins the maid of honor is found dead. The local police begin an investigation into this seemingly perfect wealthy family only to discover many things (and people) are not what they seem.

7. Ghosted - I wanted to love this book but only ended up liking it. Sarah and Eddie have an instant connection and fall madly in love after only spending 7 days together. Eddie leaves for vacation after their week long lover affair and promises to call her while away. But Sarah never hears from him again. She desperately tries to understand why he has ghosted her and fears something awful has happened to him. I figured out the ending of this book halfway through but was still able to enjoy the remainder of the book.

Yesterday on my insta-stories, I asked my readers what was a book that they read and couldn't put down. Here were some of the answers they shared with me: Year of Yes, Sharp Objects, The Rosie Project, The Orphan Tale, Where'd You Go Bernadette, The Idea of You, The Great Alone, Verity, Winter Soldier, Pachinko, The Great Believers, The Truth About Sugar and The Sun is Also a Star. I already added a bunch of these to my must read list! :)

See all my previous book reviews here.

What book are you currently reading?

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What I've Been Reading Lately

Jumpsuit | Slippers | Bedroom decor linked here

I want to change out of what I'm wearing and put this jumpsuit back on after looking at these photos! LOL It's so comfortable and soft - it's perfect for the ridiculously cold weather we have been having. Cold weather is always the best time to get through a new book and I have finished quite a few from the past few weeks. If you need additional recommendations of books to read, here are all my previous posts as well as the top 10 best books I read last year. Here are the most recent ones that I have finished:

1. Before We Were Yours - I love when a book keeps you guessing throughout the entire story. I could not figure this one out for the life of me! Avery Stafford moves back home when her father has a health crisis and is quickly thrown back into the high society that she grew up in. During a visit to a fundraiser at a nursing home, she is approached by one of the residents who thinks she is a long lost relative. Avery is confused by this encounter but decides to look into it further and see why this woman thinks she knows Avery and her family. What she uncovers is a family history that shocks her and breaks her heart. This novel is based on a real-life scandal involving an orphanage in Tennessee where children were taken from their homes and sold to wealthy families of Memphis and all throughout the South. The story is quite sad on its own, but when I realized that it was based on true events, my heart broke for the children and families that had to endure this cruelty.

2. The Good Widow - This book is filed under the "thriller" category but it's not very thrilling to be honest. It kept my interest, but I didn't understand why it was classified as a thriller until the very end. Jacqueline's marriage is struggling and when the authorities arrive at her door to inform her that her husband is dead, things really begin to spin out of control. He is found dead in Hawaii while she thought he was on a business trip to Kansas. She discovers that he was having an affair and ends up traveling to Hawaii to find out how he died. Definitely not my favorite book out of the bunch, but a decent read.

3. The Address - This book has two stories going on simultaneously almost 100 years apart. Sometimes books like this bother me because the author does an awful job at switching back and forth, but this author did it seamlessly. It begins in the late 1800's with Sara Smythe, a housekeeper at a posh London hotel that has an opportunity to become the manager at a new high rise in New York City called the Dakota. Nearly one hundred years later, Bailey Camden is trying to get her life together after a stint in rehab and ends up staying with a family member in the Dakota. Both Sara and Bailey face a series of challenging experiences in the same building and are more connected than they think. This is a quick and easy read and one that I really enjoyed.

4. After You - It's been awhile since I read the first book in this series, Me BeforeYou, but I was quickly reminded of how much I loved it once I read the sequel. Louisa Clark is trying to figure out her life after the death of her love, Will Traynor. She has a new job and is attending a grief support when a person from Will's past shows up on her doorstep and brings up all her past feelings for Will. If you loved the first book, you will love this one for sure.

5. Still Me - This is the third book in the Me Before You series and they just keep getting better each time! Louisa has the opportunity to move to NYC and be the personal assistant to a wealthy businessman's wife. She is sad to leave her boyfriend, but excited for her new life ahead in NYC. Louisa's personality is lovable and endearing and I absolutely adore her which makes these books even better to read. After a few months in NYC, Louisa realizes things are not as wonderful as she had imagined they would be and struggles to find her identity and what she wants to do with her life. The whole series is absolutely wonderful and I wish the author would write a fourth book!

6. One Of Us is Lying - While this wasn't my favorite book of the bunch, it kept me interested because I wanted to see how it ended. Five students are stuck in detention after school, when one goes into anaphylactic shock because of a food allergy ultimately dying later at the hospital. The authorities begin to wonder if it was murder instead of a harmless accident and the other four students who were there in the room are questioned at length. The end is quite surprising and not what I expected.

7. All We Ever Wanted - I just finished this book a few days ago and thought it was fantastic. It is quite an emotional read because of the subject matter, but is definitely something very relevant to today's culture. Lyla is on a scholarship to a very exclusive private school and desperately wants to fit in. When she attends a party one evening, she drinks a bit too much and a compromising picture is taken of her and circulates around the school. The boy who takes it comes from a very prominent family and Lyla's father wonders if that will factor in to his punishment or lack of. The boy's mother surprises everyone with where she stands on the matter and things get very complicated as other people are implicated in this awful "joke". 

What books are you reading right now? Any that you would recommend?

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Camo Faux Fur + The Best Books That I Read Last Year

Jacket - Fabulous Furs (more sizes here) | Turtleneck - Club Monaco | Leggings - Trouve (similar here and here) | Heels - Something Navy | Scarf - Eugenia Kim (old but similar here) | Bag - Gucci (similar here) | Sunglasses - Amazon

Stan called this my "mob wife" outfit as soon as he saw me walk out wearing it. And frankly, I took it as a compliment! LOL A bit of faux fur and faux leather is one of my favorite combinations. Wearing a statement jacket with all black is one of my regular go-to looks in the winter. Since most of my clothes get buried under coats during the colder months, I prefer to have my coat be the outfit.

Switching gears from fashion to books, I wanted to round up my top 10 favorite books that I read last year. This list was not hard to put together and I knew instantly which ones were going to be on it. I read so many incredible books and hope I find just as many amazing ones this year to immerse myself in! If you want to see all my past book reviews, you can find them here.  

Here are my top 10 favorite books from this past year (ranked in no particular order):

1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (read my review here)
2. A Little Life (read my review here)
3. The Heart's Invisible Furies (read my review here)
4. The Idea of You (read my review here)
5. It Ends With Us (read my review here)
6. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (read my review here)
7. Unbroken (read my review here)
8. The Great Alone (read my review here)
9. Beneath A Scarlet Sky (read my review here)
10. The Light We Lost (read my review here)

I asked on my insta-stories what were the best books that you guys read this year. I compiled the top 20 most popular answers and thought I would share them as well in this post:

1. It Ends With Us (read my review here)
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (read my review here)
3. The Woman in the Window (read my review here)
4. Becoming by Michelle Obama
5. All We Ever Wanted 
6. The Tattooist of Auschwitz
7. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (read my review here)
8. Where the Crawdads Sing (read my review here)
9.  Educated (read my review here)
10.  The Woman in Cabin 10 (read my review here)
11.  The Hate U Give
12.  Something in the Water (read my review here)
13.  The Great Alone (read my review here)
14.  The Nightingale (read my review here)
15.  A Gentleman in Moscow (read my review here)
16.  A Man Called Ove (read my review here)
17.  An American Marriage (read my review here)
18.  The Hating Game (read my review here)
19.  Pachinko
20.  Little Fires Everywhere (read my review here)

Which ones have you read? And which ones are you planning on reading?! 

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All the Books I've Recently Finished

 Sweatshirt | Sweatpants | Slippers | Home office decor linked here

I have been an audiobook listening machine these past few months. I finished 9 books and had to give up halfway through 2 others because I was not enjoying them. There were a few light and easy reads in this bunch, some serious stories and then a couple that left me a bit confused. Leave me a comment and let me know what you are reading or any suggestions of books you loved! 

1. Love and Other Words - This is an easy read and a fun love story. Macy and Elliot grew up together and were each other's first loves. They had a falling out and parted ways which leaves both of them devastated. Years later they run into each other but are hesitant to stay connected and open up past wounds. Neither truly understood why their relationship fell apart and when they finally know the truth, it completely changes everything.

2. Where the Crawdads Sing - I wanted to love this book since it had so many great reviews, but sadly I only ended up liking it. That being said, I still would recommend reading it. Kya Clark grows up alone on the marsh in North Carolina after circumstances leave her orphaned. She stays to herself and only allows a few people into her life. When she lets one of the wrong people into her life and something happens to him, the first person the authorities accuse is Kya. This book is slow moving at times, but the ending really surprised me.

3. Educated - I had a ton of feelings while reading this - from anger, to frustration, to sadness and everything in between. It's a real life memoir about a young girl raised by her survivalist parents in Idaho. It's her account of what happened to her growing up and the unconventional life that her family led. Since the book has been released, her parents and siblings have denied the damaging claims the author puts forth in her story. What she details in the book about her childhood is devastating to read and left me so angry and frustrated for her. She managed to move past her difficult upbringing and go on to accomplish many great things, especially with her education. Obviously we can never know the full story but the circumstances surrounding how she was raised and the events that occurred in her life are hard to imagine. Either way, I thought it was a fascinating story and one that really moved me.

4. A Simple Favor - I heard so much buzz about this book (that was also made it into a movie) so I figured I would see what all the fuss was about. Meh. It was good. Nothing earth-shattering to be honest. Emily and Stephanie are best friends and know everything about each other. Emily seems to lives a fabulous life and one that Stephanie envies as a single mother and widow. One day Emily goes missing and Stephanie believes Emily's husband knows more than he is telling. The story gets twisted and a bit weird, but managed to keep my attention until the end. 

5. The Hating Game - A cute love story that I couldn't put down. Lucy and Josh work together and hate one another. They do everything they can to get each other in trouble and ruin the other's day whenever possible. When both are in line for the same promotion, Lucy decides she is not backing down to Josh and will fight tooth and nail for this opportunity. After a work outing one afternoon, their dynamic begins to change and things get complicated. This is a light and easy read and I enjoyed it from start to finish.

6. The Immortalists - This book didn't instantly hook me but grew on me as the story developed. 4 siblings visit a psychic that tells them the day they will die. While it seems like just a hoax, some of the siblings really wonder if it's true. The psychic's premonition haunts each of them and as their lives unfold, they have to decide if they will believe that date is their destiny or if they have control over their own life. It's a captivating story that kept me interested until the very end.

7. Our Kind of Cruelty - What the wha??? That was what I kept telling myself while reading this book. It is weird. So weird. I couldn't really tell what was actually the truth because the main character was so delusional that I had a hard time figuring out the storyline. Mike is in love with Verity even though they broke up more than a year ago. She is engaged to another man and Mike still believes that they she is playing hard to get. It's a weird book with a very strange ending and I can't decide if I liked it or not. The reviews were all over the place which makes sense now after reading it.

8. All Your Perfects - I've come to love Colleen Hoover books even though their storylines all seem to be very similar. Quinn and Graham fall in love in the most unique of circumstances and their future seems destined for a lifetime of happiness. Sadly their marriage encounters some devastating situations early on that leave them broken and on the verge of divorce. They must figure out if they can move past these struggles and learn to love each other again or go their separate ways.

9. Lilac Girls - It was only after I finished reading this book did I learn that it was based on actual events which made it so much more devastating. The story takes place during WWII and chronicles the lives of three different women and their experiences during the war. For much of the book, I didn't understand where their stories would converge but things began to come together almost halfway through. The majority of the story is about the horrors that took place at the Nazi women's camp in Ravensbruck and all the medical experiments that were performed on the innocent women there. It's a heartbreaking book but nonetheless a wonderful read and a testament to the courage that so many of these women had in the face of such atrocities.

I did read two more books but couldn't finish them because they were not my cup of tea. I tried and tried, but couldn't get through either. I didn't add them to the list but for those interested it was Circe and The Night Circus. I had heard wonderful things about both but sadly they were not for me.

Read all my past book reviews here.

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