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Two moms who love to read, spoil our kids, travel, decorate, eat good food and buy fashionable but mom friendly clothing

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One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you @prhaudio and #netgalley for my #gifted copy!

Pub Date: May 6, 2025
Pages: 400
Audiobook Length: 11 hours, 49 minutes

This may be my favorite Fortune book! I loved all the characters: Alice, her grandmother (Nan) and Charlie. The only thing that bothered me was that Charlie kept calling Alice by her full name “Alice Everly”. I do not know why that was such a bother, but it was. Alice, always behind the lens of her camera, took a picture many years ago on the lake that she has always loved. Wanting more, but not sure what, Alice spends the summer figuring out herself. I was surprised by the depth that this story had. The storyline and the characters felt real and I really appreciated that. There was a lot more to it than just a summer romance. With some romance and some self-discovery, this makes for a perfect summer read!

#LTKSeasonal #LTKSummerEdit #LTKOver40

The Ascent by Allison Buccola ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into this book with zero expectations and it was such a treat. The writing was incredible, I was sucked into the suspense of the story from page one and I was fully engaged until the end. Parts of the book were predictable, but it did not ruin any aspect of the story for me. I found myself struggling to trust any of the characters, making for an “on the edge of the seat” kind of thrilling read. The characters were well developed and the plot was great. Another book taking place in Philadelphia, which is always a win for me. Lee spent the first 12 years of her life living in a cult, until one morning she woke up and everyone was missing. Fast forward 20 years, she is married, a mom to a 7 month old and dealing with some undiagnosed postpartum anxiety. When a woman shows up at her door, claiming to be someone from her past, but also threatening the quiet life she has built. This book takes you on unexpected twists and turns and will keep you up at night turning the pages. If you are looking for a fun thriller, I suggest this one (and I am a tough critic of thrillers!)

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

#LTKSummerEdit #LTKSeasonal #LTKFindsUnder50

What Not to Do on Vacation by Rachel Magee ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pub Date: May 20, 2025
Pages: 320
Audiobook Length: 9 hours, 56 minutes

This book was an absolute pleasure to read and a breath of fresh air. It was a fun read that I was excited to pick up each time I had to put it down for real life. This was a fun beach read that I could not put down! Savannah and her two sisters rent the beach home they rented as a family years ago to recreate their beach summers. This was a heartwarming combo of my two favorite rom com movies: How to Lose a Guy in 10 days and 10 Things I Hate About You. The characters were fun, the plot line was easy to follow and the romance was cute. Each sister finds herself again in a new light. This was a cozy story that I finished in two days. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic! A perfect summer read!

Thank you #netgalley for my #audiobook #arc

#LTKSeasonal #LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKSummerEdit

April 2025 favs!

Bethany's Favorite: Bright Years

Sara's Favorite: The Mademoiselle Alliance

#LTKTravel #LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKGiftGuide

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you @prhaudio and #netgalley for my #gifted copy!

Bethany's Review: As odd as this book was, it was such a fun read! Was it a masterpiece? No. Was it truly thought provoking? No. Was it greatly entertaining? Yes! I blew through this audiobook in one day. I couldn’t put it down. The premise was fun: Jane and Dan are out at an exclusive restaurant in a remote location celebrating their anniversary when Jane tells Dan she wants a divorce. During this already odd dinner, terrorists enter and hold everyone in the restaurant hostage. I loved the moments when we were inside Jane and Dan’s head as each contemplated what to do. Once they realize that the hostage situation was following Jane’s failed novel it gets even weirder. I loved the characters and thought Oakley did a wonderful job creating them. If you go in looking for entertainment, then this one hits the jackpot.

Sara's Review: This was one of those books that from page one you are sucked in and the next thing you know the book is finished. I thought that it was fun and entertaining, which is exactly what I wanted in a book (and did not fully expect given the topic!) The book was weird, the characters were entertaining. I loved all the dialogue, in their heads and in real life. I thought that it was ridiculous, yet found myself laughing and questioning what I would do. It was really well written, making it a quick and fun read. If you are looking for a serious masterpiece, this is probably not it. Jane and Dan are out for their anniversary when Jane announces she wants a divorce. They suddenly find themselves in a hostage situation, and the terrorists are following the pages of Jane's book - which means Jane and Dan are the only ones that know what is coming next and how to stop it. It is far-fetched and at times completely ridiculous, but I found that to be part of the draw. It was a great book to escape life from and I will recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read.

#LTKGiftGuide #LTKTravel #LTKFindsUnder50

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you @prhaudio and #netgalley for my #gifted copy!

Pub Day: April 2, 2025
Pages: 432
Audiobook Length: 12 hours, 2 minutes

Bethany: As much as I love Emily Henry’s books, this one is a bit different than her others. It is being sold as a romance, and I’m not really seeing it there. It seems more like women’s fiction with a bit of mystery included. Henry’s writing was fantastic as usual, and I loved the literary elements in all of her stories, just the storyline felt like something was lacking. Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson are both competing to write the memoir of Margaret Ives, an heiress who hasn’t been seen in years. The back and forth between interviewing style and present day was a good choice. The entire story felt like a slow-burn. I did guess some of the twists along the way. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator.

Sara: I love Emily Henry but did not LOVE this one. Maybe I set my expectations too high? Maybe I miss the style from her previous books? I do not actually have a major issue with the book, it just was not one of those “I can’t put this book down” reads to me. I enjoyed the romance tied into the book, but I actually wanted more of it. I was not totally feeling the mystery portion of the book and could have done without it. I enjoyed the back and forth between the characters, the banter and the style of writing. The book moved slowly, which may be why I didn’t feel like this was a can’t stop reading kind of book. Overall, I am still a huge fan of Emily Henry and can’t wait for her next read. I just hope it is more romance, less mystery.

#LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKGiftGuide #LTKHome

Bethany's Favorite: Promise Me Sunshine & One Good Thing
Sara's Favorite: Broken Country & Promise Me Sunshine

#LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKHome #LTKSeasonal

The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you @prhaudio for my #gifted copy!

Pub Day: June 6, 2023
Pages: 384
Audiobook Length: 12 hours, 7 minutes

This book has been on my TBR for way too long. I finally was able to pick it up and I am so glad that I did. This was a heartbreaking story about courage, love and strength. While the story is set during WWII, the focus wasn’t on the Nazi’s and horrendous things they did. It was focused on the relationships between two women, between mother and daughter and between family. It was about the strength that one must have in order to carry on when the world is taken away or is unknown. It is about living in the past vs living in the future. The story was very well written, and I was engaged through the fast-paced events that occurred. While I saw the twist coming from a mile away, I did enjoy watching the characters figure out things as time went on. The research that went in to making sure events were accurate was outstanding. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. If you haven’t read this beautiful historical fiction read, I suggest you do!

#LTKSeasonal #LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKHome

The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This one was fine, no major complaints, but I also didn’t feel like this was one of those “i can’t put it down and count down until I can pick it back up again” kind of books. I loved the historical part - the experiences and history of Vietnamese immigrants to the United States. How they adapted to life in America and how they raised their children, embraced their community, oftentimes with no family. This story follows 5 siblings after they learn that their wealthy father will only give the winner of a ridiculous competition their inheritance. The story follows each of these siblings, in their POVs, in the cities assigned to them. The different perspectives were clear and the stories transitioned smoothly, I just felt that because there were so many POV that I felt like we knew the characters on the surface. If you are looking for an interesting book about an immigrant family over multiple generations, give this a try.

Pub Day: April 1, 2025

Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro ⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you are looking for a story that is about a mother struggling with postpartum depression (and maybe even anxiety) this is the book for you. The struggles of postpartum motherhood and mental health challenges are well depicted. But that is pretty much all the book is about. The FMC is struggling with postpartum when her husband is arrested for murder. She struggles with her feelings towards him and motherhood. She is resistant to help and trusts very few people. The book was more about her struggles than the murder, which I was not expecting. I wanted a little more from the murder aspect of the story, which was fine, but predictable and not the main focus. I think if you want a story about mental health challenges, especially as a new mother, this book will check all of your boxes. It was just not what I was looking for and became repetitive and frustrating to me (not the depression, but the constant descriptions of her challenges.)

Pub Day: April 29, 2025

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHome #LTKFindsUnder50

What a great month of reading! 📚Bethany read 16 books and Sara read 18!

Bethany's Favorite: Come Fly With Me
Sara's Favorite: The Quiet Librarian and The Secret History of Audrey James

#LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKOver40 #LTKHome

A Beauty Queen’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem by Kristen Bird ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dakota Green is convinced by her aunt to enter into her town’s beauty pageant to try to win a cash prize. This felt like a modern and southern version of Miss Congeniality. I love that the contestants of the beauty pageant were represented as real people and not all ditsy girls. I love stories that take someone who isn’t used to being pampered, done up etc and gives them these experiences as they compete for something, in this case a beauty pageant. It opens their eyes into another world. Some of the characters were over the top but I enjoyed the storyline that kept me interested throughout. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. This was the first in a series that follows Dakota. I can’t wait to see what mystery she gets into next. This was a fun cozy mystery that was exactly what I needed.

#LTKHome #LTKSeasonal #LTKFindsUnder50

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Well written. A fun read with lots of twists and turns. Fast paced!

#LTKHome #LTKFamily #LTKFindsUnder50

The Launch Date by Annabelle Slator ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was so cute. I loved the slow burn, coworkers to lovers, enemies to lovers & overall joy of this book. I found that the chemistry was evident from page 1, although it took a LONG time for both characters to admit their feelings. Even then, I liked that they did not dive in head first, but instead kept to their own priorities & let the relationship happen slowly, maybe too slowly. The book was so engaging and the characters were the type that I want to meet in real life. I loved the push & pull, their personalities & the fun plot. Honestly, just a very well done & enjoyable book - there was personal growth, professional growth and relationship growth - from both parties, which is always fun to see! Grace & Eric work for a dating app, they were once good friends turned enemies, who now have to work on a project together. As they go on date after date, they start to realize that they may not be enemies after all. A really fun one!

The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Have you ever read a book & when it ended you asked yourself if anything actually happened? That was this book for me. This book follows the ups and downs of a long term relationship... & what happens when their children grow up & the life that they once knew changes. Part missing person, part flashbacks, part reflection of a life lived. I enjoyed the audiobook of this more than the ebook - I thought the narrator was great. I enjoyed the story being about an older couple & the natural & normal ups & downs of life. However, I found that not enough happened making the book move very slowly. I also found the female character to be unlikeable - she was whiny and selfish and rubbed me the wrong way. Parts of this book worked very well for me, while others fell short of what I expected.

#LTKHome #LTKMostLoved #LTKFindsUnder50

January favs!

Let’s call her barbie by Renee Rosen
Girls of the glimmer factory by Jennifer coburn
Eddie Winston is looking for love by Marianne Cronin

#LTKMostLoved #LTKGiftGuide #LTKFindsUnder50

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I loved parts of this book and hated other parts, which really confused me! I loved the parts about Stephanie and Jasmine. Their perspective of their current life, their friends and co-workers POV when they disappeared. I really thought it was fascinating and well done how different people viewed similar things so differently. And handled things so differently. I truly despised Trent from the start and did not like his POV at all. I skimmed through the entire middle of the book. It just felt very mechanical and forced, where the earlier POVs of the book were engaging and interesting. I thought the ending was farfetched, by fine. I didn’t really have complaints, but it took work to read through the middle 30-40% of the book. Overall, a fascinating and interesting psychological thriller that definitely kept me on my toes and threw some fun twists and turns into the book.

Stephanie and Jasmine are on the same plane, but that is where their similarities end. Then they both send similar messages to friends about a man, Trent, before they go missing. What happened to these women? Or what did they do to Trent?

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

#LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKGiftGuide #LTKHome

Into The Woods by Jenny Holiday ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pub Date: January 7, 2025

What an adorable story! Gretchen Miller has sworn off dating and accepts a summer job of being a dance teacher at a summer camp in Minnesota. Teddy Knight just finished a tour with this rock band and has also gotten roped into working at this summer camp while he figures out what his next steps in his life are going to be. When Gretchen and Teddy get lost in the woods and have to rely on each other for sanity and warmth, they realize each are not who they seem at first glance. I love the camp setting and the morning swims in the lake. The characters were fun, both with flaws and it was refreshing that we were in their late 30’s / early 40’s. The banter between Gretchen and Teddy and the sarcastic humor was spectacular. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the dual narrators. I think it was a smart choice. This was a story about finding yourself again and being inspired.

#LTKGiftGuide #LTKHome #LTKFindsUnder50

What Happened to the McCrays? By Tracy Lange ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pub Day: January 14, 2025

A really well done and enjoyable family drama!

#LTKFamily #LTKHome #LTKFindsUnder50

My daughter received some great gifts for her birthday!

The books are mine but everything else in this picture is hers.

Kendra Scott jewelry is so in right now for the tweens.

OMG the amount of face, body and hair care she received from friends was insane.

We also got her the weighted blanket that looks soooo cozy!

#LTKFamily #LTKBeauty #LTKGiftGuide

Can you believe that today is the last day of November?

Bethany's Favorite Reads: Is She Really Going Out with Him & The Sunflower House

Sara's Favorite Reads: Behind Every Good Man & The Sunflower House

#LTKHome #LTKGiftGuide #LTKFindsUnder50

Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fun and adorable book. A feel good story that you will not be able to put down.

Thank you NetGalley for our arcs!

#LTKFamily #LTKGiftGuide #LTKHome

Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gemma is 16, hasn’t had an easy childhood and gives birth to her daughter which she gives up for adoption to give her a better life. As Gemma grows and matures to be a young lady that is respectable and contributes to society, she begins to wonder what happened to her daughter and to her mother whom she hasn’t spoken to in years. So, beings her journey with her wonderful group of diverse friends to find herself and become more confident in her life decisions. This was an emotional story as Gemma pieces together parts of her life. Gemma has some coping mechanisms of counting items in a room that I have seen in other books. I enjoyed reading about Gemma’s journey. I listened to the audiobook and was pleasantly surprised with the narrator in this single POV story.

Thank you #netgalley for my #audiobook #arc

#LTKFamily #LTKGiftGuide #LTKFindsUnder50

Favorite books read in October!

Bethany's Favorite Reads: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

Sara's Favorite Reads: Echoes of Us and James

#LTKSeasonal #LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKHome

Daughter of Ruins by Yvette Manessis Corporon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a well written, researched and emotional book. I loved the 3 stories and how they all were connected. The bonds between women, especially those that are relatives. And the overall uplifting feel to this book, despite it being an emotionally challenging read. The story spans hundreds of years, from Greece to New York City. It is rich with detail, history and family. Over the many years and stories followed, family secrets unraveled and one woman’s life was changed forever. I enjoyed this audiobook, I was engaged from the beginning. I found that all the stories were interesting and that it was easy to follow. However, I had very high expectations for this book and I did not feel they were hit. I wanted to continue listening and was invested in discovering the end. So, it is possible that I set my expectations way too high for this one or that it is a better read than audio.

#LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKHome #LTKSeasonal

The Nanny by Lana Ferguson ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I thought this was such a cute one - with lots of 🔥. I thought the characters were well done and different. I enjoyed the chemistry, the story line and all the supporting characters. A single dad who falls for his daughter’s Nanny. He is a chef who has difficult hours, his daughter’s mother passed away and they have been flying through nannies. Until Cassie enters the picture. Not only does he love her but so does his daughter. After their relationship turns to more than nanny and boss, they discover that they previously met. Will they find a happily ever after?

#books #bookrecs #bookreviee

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHome #LTKFindsUnder50

@bandsbookclub September Favorites!

The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morganthaler

Mademoiselle Eiffel by Aime K Runyan

#books #bookrecs #favbooks #septemberreads

#LTKFamily #LTKHome #LTKSeasonal

The Perfect Baby by Sam Vickery ⭐⭐⭐💫

An interesting take on a thriller and surrogacy. While I enjoyed the story, it was a bit of a slow burn.

#psychologicalthriller #bookrecs #books

#LTKFamily #LTKHome #LTKFindsUnder50

Thank you for standing up to antisemitism.

Make sure to preorder this today!

Favorite books on August 2024

Until Next Summer by Ali Brady
Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza
The Berlin Apartment by Brynn Turnbull

#LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKHome #LTKSeasonal

Until Next Summer by Ali Brady

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The cutest book about overnight camp. Brought us right back to many summers of our childhood!

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHome #LTKFindsUnder50

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you loved Dawson creek, the oc, Gilmore girls and other shows from that era… READ THIS BOOK!

#books #alwaysreading

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHome #LTKBacktoSchool

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