Happy Tuesday! Or, is it Monday? Or Sunday? Let’s be honest . . . I am losing track of what day it is!

Before we start today’s BOOK REVIEW, I wanted to share something amazing that I found yesterday! Jon Krasinski (Jim from The Office) launched his first SGN (“Some Good News”) episode on YouTube yesterday. This 15 minute segment has some humor (an interview with the amazing Steve Carell/Michael Scott) and then spends the rest of the time talking about all of the GOOD that is happening in the world right now. So uplifting, so heartwarming. If you need to smile – which we all do – click here and watch some good!

OK . . . so, I have discovered that between homeschooling my kids and coming up with crazy PE games for “Camp Beucler,” I have been trying to add in the books. I mean, we all need a way to escape these days!

And, I think that I have figured out that during times of uncertainty, hit me with the chick lit books that make me smile and keep me coming back for more! I read five books this month . . . loved three of them, liked one of them very much, and just was really ready for one of them to be over!

Enjoy!

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Oh my goodness, I LOOOOOOVED this book! Now, if you told me that you could get a funny, chick lit book that has infertility issues at the core, I would have told you NO. I knew it had these issues going in, but I felt strong enough to dive in. And, let me say that I LOVED THIS BOOK! So stinkin’ funny, cute, and just all around precious!

Kristen and Josh are the maid of honor and best man in their best friends’ upcoming wedding. Past relationships, health issues, family estrangements, and just plain ol’ bad attitudes keep them at arm’s length from one another.

However, fighting to stay in the friend zone in an effort to make their friends happy helps them overcome their issues.

The Friend Zone reads like a Hallmark movie, and let me say that I am here for it! Reminded me of one of the classics from Kristan Higgins. Great characters, a lovable dog, cute little town. Just super sweet, and made my heart very full. Oh, and FYI . . . definitely rated R.

Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I’m on such a Taylor Jenkins Reid kick right now!

Did you ever see Sliding Doors with Gwenyth Paltrow? The entire movie was told two separate ways, all depending on if she made her train or if she didn’t. It was such an interesting view on how one decision or moment can completely change the direction your life takes. It also convinced me to go home to the Kappa House and let a sweet friend cut inches off my hair so that Gwenyth and I could have matching bob hair cuts. Not the best decision in the moment.

Maybe In Another Life is VERY similar to this concept. Hannah has floated in out and cities, trying to find the right spot for her for years now. After a decade away from Los Angeles, she finally returns home and decides to finally put down some roots. On her first night back, she is out with friends. Her decision to either go home with her best friend to crash for the night or to stay out with her ex-boyfriend is the main turning point of this book. After that, the chapters go back and forth telling the story from the vantage point of which decision she makes. It is a FASCINATING concept of how each decision can affect our life.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. Now, this is one of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s earlier books. So, while it doesn’t have my full heart and obsession like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six do, it is still so great and an enjoyable read. Cool concept, awesome book!!

The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica

I need to apologize before you read this review! Coming in a little harsh here.

Let me give you a little context in when I read this book . . . I grabbed this book when the wheels initially started coming off with the Corona. We were still planning to head out of town for Spring Break, and I started this a few days before we left and was so excited to read it in the mountains of Colorado. And, then everything just hit the fan with this horrible situation we are in. I forced myself to finish this book once we were in quarantine, and I just wanted to get it over with.

So . . . y’all know how I love a good suspenseful novel. I was NOT a fan of this book. It literally took until page 303 to get interesting. Seriously! WAAAAY too long. Of course, it could have also been that my anxiety of what the heck was happening in the world played a part in my lack of interest with this book.

Let me say that The Other Mrs. is apparently coming to Netflix, and I will probably tune in to check it out just to see if it is better on screen than in book form.

For a quick summary . . . when Will’s sister dies, Sadie and Will move with their two boys to a small town on an island off the coast of Maine to take care of his troubled niece. After living the city life in Chicago, this is a huge change for their family, and one that is most troublesome for Sadie.

When a neighbor up the street is brutally murdered, Sadie starts going down a very dangerous path of fear and self discovery. Interesting concept, but was just way too long. And, sadly, I kind of had it figured out early on.

Has anyone read this book? I am sure that if I read it under different circumstances, I would have liked it more. I needed more of a book to escape into, and this was more annoying. Sorry to admit that! Yikes!

The Prenup by Lauren Layne

Oh, this book! (Insert multiple heart-eyed emojis)

If you looked up the perfect “Read During Quarantine Book” in the dictionary, it would have this book’s picture in the definition. Well, the perfect book for me! I desperately needed a book that I could escape into, love the characters, root for a happy ending, and just smile my way through it! Enter The Prenup! Y’all . . . I finished this book within a 24 hour period. And, now it is at my dear friend’s house being read right now. Who else wants to borrow this cheesetastic chick-lit from me?

Ten years ago, Charlotte was a spoiled twenty-one year old with big dreams to start her own life out from under her family’s name in New York City. Now, she is the CEO of her highly successful company and has returned back to the city to finalize some issues that have continued to follow her around. One of those issues? Her husband, Colin, that she married the day before she hopped a plane to San Francisco to start her new life.

Y’all. This book is precious. Total chick lit. EASY and quick read. Just a fun, FUN book when you are stuck at home.

Say You Still Love Me by K.A. Tucker

Y’all. This may have been my favorite book that I read in the month of March. Sweet, precious, adorable. I loved this book!

Piper Calloway and Kyle Miller are camp counselors one summer at Camp Wawa. Between weeks of shuttling kids from one activity to another and loving on a ton of homesick little ones, they have a whirlwind summer romance. After camp is out for the summer, Piper is devastated when her first love just walks out of her life and disappears.

Thirteen years later, Piper runs into Kyle again and he has no idea who she is. Piper is torn between running her father’s company and trying to get Kyle to remember their past.

Say You Still Love Me is written back and forth where one chapter is from the camp days and one day is present time. Such a great way to tell this sweet story. Also, please note that this book leans toward being rated R.

Very much about self-discovery and forgiveness as we get older and move on from our past. If you need a feel good book that makes you laugh, smile, and feel the feels during a crazy time of uncertainty, this is your book. Precious! This book is also going out today to a sweet friend . . .

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If you’ve read any of the books above, let me know your thoughts! I always love to hear from you! And, make sure to send me your recommendations! I foresee a lot of inside time over the month of April, and need some books to escape into! Stay safe and healthy, friends! XO