Beach Read by Emily Henry | Witty, entertaining and absolutely swoon-worthy! ❤

Why don’t I read rom-coms more often? 

I’m so happy that I decided to listen to many glowing reviews of «Beach Read» and request it on NetGalley! Guys, if you haven’t read this book yet, make sure to pick it up this summer. It’s such a fast-paced and funny book, that will make you feel the whole spectrum of emotions. 

For a while now I have been avoiding romances and women’s fiction only because a couple of last books in these genres I read last year were nothing special, and after finishing them I always wished I’d spent my time reading something else instead. But «Beach Read» by Emily Henry is a must-read book for every book lover out there, even if romance is not your favorite genre. 

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Dear Lily by Drew Davies | The perfect book to take on a trip to Copenhagen!

When I finally get my stuff together and plan a trip to Copenhagen, this is the book I will bring with me to read on the bus, airport and on the flight! Touching, witty and very emotional, it’s a perfect book to space out, lose yourself in someone else’s life, and enjoy the hustle and bustle of traveling.

Set in Copenhagen, Denmark, «Dear Lily» is a collection of letters from Joy to her younger sister Lily, where she recollects her experiences of moving to a different country, getting a new job, finding friends and dealing with mundane struggles of everyday life.

They Call Me the Cat Lady by Amy Miller | Another attempt to find a book similar to “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine”!

It was so difficult to sit down and write my review for this book. There are a couple of reasons for that. First of all, it was one of those books that didn’t spark a conversation. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I didn’t like it, but it felt like something I’ve read before, not bringing anything new to the table. And secondly, even though I did enjoy this book, I didn’t feel compelled to make other people read it.

«They Call Me the Cat Lady» was a fun, sad and mysterious book. The plot twists were intriguing and I did want to find out more about Nancy Jones’ past, but at the same time, it wasn’t anything extraordinary.

Maggsie McNaughton’s Second Chance by Frances Maynard | My second attempt to find a new favorite!

I desperately keep searching for books similar to «Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine». I would love to experience again the same emotions I felt towards Eleanor and her complicated and messed up life. And I keep falling for the blurbs “for fans of Eleanor Oliphant” and then get disappointed when the book doesn’t live up to my expectations. 

This happened with «Where’d You Go, Bernadette» and now again with «Maggsie McNaughton’s Second Chance» by Frances Maynard. These books weren’t bad! (although, I hated Bernadette with all my heart!). And, in fact, I’d like to read another book by Frances Maynard – «The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr», which sounds way more like something I’ll love.

Three Beach Reads | Quick Reviews!

The summer has officially begun on the 21st of June, and you might be looking for some new Women’s Fiction / Chick-Lit to bring with you to the beach. Earlier this year, I was in the mood for some quick, light reads and picked up these three novels. Not all of them lived up to my expectations, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t like them!

Let’s begin with the one I liked the most and leave the one I didn’t enjoy for last.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple | Soo-Lin is the most inconvenient person in the entire world!

Last year I read and LOVED «Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine» by Gail Honeyman. It was by far one of the best books I read in a very long time. And so I went googling. Searching for as many books as possible that would have similar to Eleanor characters. One book that kept coming up in almost every post was «Where’d You Go Bernadette» by Maria Semple.

And based on the fact that (1) it is similar to my other favorite, (2) has an appealing cover and (3) a movie starring Cate Blanchett is coming out in August 2019, I’ve decided to purchase it with high hopes for another favorite.

Imagine all of this excitement that was completely crushed after the first 50 pages of the book!

The Girls at 17 Swan Street by Yara Zgheib

As much as I think that (1) mental illnesses should be talked about, (2) people should be aware and educated on these topics, and (3) feel free to speak about them to others to help them overcome their struggles, I’m also not usually the targeted audience for the books that are focused on “mental illnesses”. Normally I wouldn’t even pick them up.

«The Girls at 17 Swan Street» sounded like something I might enjoy, and besides, we are bound to leave our comfort zone from time to time. This was my attempt of trying something different, of expanding my reading horizons.

I didn’t dislike it, I didn’t enjoy it either. It was one of those books that once I put down, I didn’t want to pick up again.

Something like Happy by Eva Woods | Can we learn how to live and appreciate every day at a time?

“It’s simple, really. You’re just meant to do one thing every day that makes you happy. Could be little things. Could be big. In fact, we’re doing one right now…”

This quote has also made it into the blurb of the book, because, let’s face it – the quote is utterly inspiring and makes you realize how much we miss during our day-to-day routine. But if we stop for a second, we can always find things worth appreciating and being happy about. I am sure of it!