Another solid entry from Sarah Dessen. Not as predictable as her last novel, and I thought the characters were more well-rounded too.

This was a quick read for a rainy day. I thought the premise was a bit thin, especially for a 300+ page novel. And I was right. It was ok, but there wasn’t much substance. I liked Millie, and there were a few twists I didn’t see coming but the villain’s motivation was poorly explained, so that sorta ruined the ending for me.

Another enjoyable summer read. This had more of a mystery at the heart of it, as a group of friends reveal secrets and come to terms with the death of a couple in their group. Elin Hilderbrand is always a good choice for a summer beach read. I like how her characters are multi-layered and not just sterotypes.

I enjoyed the flashback chapters to Allie & Olivia’s friendship in middle and high school, it added depth to the novel.

A perfect summer beach read.

From the book jacket:

When Allie Denty—tall, blonde and, these days, just a bit heavy—discovers her boyfriend in the sack with another woman, her primary coping mechanism involves a credit card and the Sephora counter. Allie figures that some Dior lashes will help her feel more confident at her reunion—an event that the lovely, formerly mousy Olivia Pelham has no intention of attending until her mother shows up on her doorstep, licking her wounds from a breakup with husband number five. At the reunion, Allie and Olivia have an awkward meeting and go their separate ways until Allie learns that a mutual friend plans to marry a cosmetically enhanced Mean Girl from their class. It’s life makeover time for both women, as they get in touch with their true feelings about beauty, careers and, most importantly, love. Like the face cream from which it takes its title, this is slick, light and indulgent.

From the jacket:

In a quiet suburban neighborhood, in a house only one door away, a family is brutally murdered for no apparent reason. And you think to yourself: It could have been us. And you start to wonder: What if we’re next?

Promise Falls isn’t the kind of community where a family is shot to death in their own home. But that is exactly what happened to the Langleys one sweltering summer night, and no one in this small upstate New York town is more shocked than their next-door neighbors, Jim and Ellen Cutter. They visited for the occasional barbecue and their son, Derek, was friends with the Langleys’ boy, Adam; but how well did they really know their neighbors?

Living in New Jersey–the state that boasts the most malls per capita–Kat’s favorite recreational activity is a no-brainer: shopping. But when she discovers that her husband, Griff, has been hiding a secret bank account, her joyful consumerism suddenly loses its appeal. Are their fights about money more serious than she understood? Is he, as her friends suggest, preparing for a divorce? Just in case, Kat decides it’s time to start saving.

Drastic times call for drastic measures: Kat starts by canceling cable and kicking her $240-a-month Starbucks habit. But what starts out as a simple effort to cut costs becomes an over-the-top obsession when Kat joins an eclectic but lovable group of savers called the Penny Pinchers Club. Soon she is pumping her gas at dawn (when it is thicker) and serving dinner made from food she retrieved at the grocery store dumpster. Kat is saving money, to be sure, but what she’s really saving is time–time she spends with Griff, their two kids…and an old flame who resurfaces at precisely the wrong moment, offering Kat a life where money is no object.

I love this author, and this latest, perfectly timed for the economic time we live in, didn’t disappoint. In fact, there’s a morsel or two of good financial advice amid the usual chick lit drama.

Plus I liked how the Penny Pinchers Club met at the local library!

My uncle recommended this to me because it was funny. So I gave it a try while on vacation. It was funny, clever and entertaining, plus it had a fairly good mystery.

Quick read. And I can’t wait to read the other too, I like Felix.

Sookie is fun. She’s spunky, it’s a short book, so it’s easy to get through. There’s a credible mystery. The resolution comes quick and they don’t spend much time with it after that. So for all those reasons I liked it.

Not what I expected. Didn’t realize the Joy of Sex would play so heavily into what I thought was a cooking memoir. Also, I wanted to know more about Julia Child and wasn’t satisfied with the letters interspersed. However, there were more than enough funny anecdotes to keep me entertained.

I wanted to read this because I want to see the movie, and I’m interested in how the book will be translated to the big screen.