Happy Friday, friends! Its October Book Review Day! WOOHOO!

BUT . . . before I get into the book review, today is our 16th wedding anniversary!!! HOW IN THE WORLD? Time flies, friends. We have had our ups and downs (mostly ups), and I wouldn’t want to go through this with anyone else but sweet Reid!

So, at some point on our honeymoon . . . probably after a few pina coladas . . . I promised Reid that on our 10th anniversary, I would put on my wedding dress and still look cute! HA! Such a mess. Well, on our 10th anniversary, I think that we had just had one of our many miscarriages, and my body (and mind) was clearly not in a space to fit into this beautiful dress. As the years went on, and my body dealt with more pregnancies and hormonal swings, I just forgot about it. Until this year. Yes, my friends, Optavia finally got to me, and I have FINALLY shed those demons and weight and gotten my inflammation under control. I have managed to hit my wedding day weight (WOOHOO!), but my dress STILL WON’T FIT ME! It is SOOOOOO close, but I am blaming eleven pregnancies changing my body composition and a lack of a corset bra. Ha! Definitely a goal for me in the coming weeks. Right now, this beautiful dress is living in the guest room closet. Don’t go in there, Reid!

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Okay . . . so, onto the book review!!! I read FOUR books this month, and loved every single one of them! SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD! Check out the reviews below, and make some notes for gifts for yourself or stocking stuffers for others!

Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker

I am a K.A. Tucker fan! A fan girl, if you will. This is the FOURTH book that I have read of hers since March, and I need her to keep writing so that I can keep reading!!! I know that several of you have read her The Simple Wild and Wild At Heart books because I am getting all kinds of messages about the characters. My favorite is my sweet friend that is convinced a movie should be made of these books, and Chris Hemsworth should be cast as Jonah. I am here for that!

So, full disclosure, this book cover looks very saucy! While it does have its R-rated moments, it is much sweeter of a story than the book cover suggests.

Until it Fades is about Catherine, a 24-year-old waitress and a single mom to a precious, five-year old little girl. Catherine has made a couple of bad choices during her teenage years, but has pushed through and tried to out run the horrible abuse that she lived through.

One night on the way home from the late shift, she comes across a horrible wreck. Not thinking, she pulls the passenger out of the destroyed car to safety just before it bursts into flames. She has no idea that she has saved the most famous hockey player in the country, Brett Madden. And, as Brett recuperates and learns to walk and skate again, he leans on Catherine as his guardian angel.

This book gave me all the feels. LOVE this story of redemption for Catherine! And, love that Brett has to fight through the fact that one night has changed his life forever. SO, SO sweet! So sweet, that I could see myself reading this again one day. Definitely a great one to pick up for yourself!

Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino

I read two of Renee Carlino books in 2019. I named Swear On This Life as one of my favorite books of the year! It was SO, SO good! It will be two years in February since I read it, and I STILL think about it from time to time. Assuming all of her books would hit me equally as hard, I then read The Last Post and just didn’t love it. Was such a bummer for me.

I walked into Wish You Were Here thinking that I would hate it. No clue why. But, I am SO glad that I made myself read this because it was wonderful! WONDERFUL! Like, so great that I want a movie to be made out of this book. A movie where I would laugh so hard, and then use up a box of tissues from my tears.

Charlotte’s chance meeting with Adam, one night on the way home from work, changes her life. The rare one-night stand tugs at her heart, and only leaves her devastated the next day. She spends months thinking about Adam and trying to get over him. Finally, six months later, when she starts dating Seth, she finds Adam once again. His life, his story, that one night . . . everything makes sense.

Y’all. I can’t give any more information away. This is such a strange story, but EVERY character is one that you hope the very best for. There is hardship. There is loss. But, above all, there is so much love. Wow. I have chills even writing this review. Beautiful, beautiful story. Have any of you read this? I am feeling the need to sit down in front of a cozy fire with someone and talk through it!

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

This summer, I read Lucy Foley’s The Guest List, and just really enjoyed the murder mystery format. Such a great book! After I wrote about it in my book review, so many of you reached out saying that The Hunting Party was just as great! And . . . let me say, that I am a HUGE Lucy Foley fan!

A group of old friends from Oxford have grown up and gone their seperate ways. Except for over New Years Eve. Each year, the group gets together and goes on a little trip for a few days over the New Year. A perfect way to stay connected and to celebrate new beginnings at midnight on January 1st!

This year, they chose a remote hunting lodge. Hard to get to, but beautiful. And, the perfect location for someone to be murdered. Cue spooky music here! You know from the first chapter that someone has been killed. You don’t find out the sex of the character until about 3/4 of the way through. And, then you don’t find out who it is and who the murderer is until the very end! SO GOOD! Definitely keeps you guessing the entire way through!

I love a good murder mystery, and this definitely delivers. Not scary for me, just entertaining! Love this book!

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Y’all. I have a Christina Lauren problem. This book was just released, and so I cracked it open the moment it arrived at my house. I think that this may make me her unofficial Book Club president. Her books are just so easy. Yes, I get the formula. Yes, I know what will happen. Yes, I am all down for the chessy stuff. But, sometimes during these crazy times, we just need a book that makes us smile. Can I get an Amen?

Let me just say that In A Holidaze is ADORABLE! In love with this book. You need to be able to buy into a little magic. And, while in some books I may be a hard pass, on this one, I AM HERE FOR IT! This is just so sweet, and may be my favorite Christina Lauren book yet. Oh, and it is set at Christmas, so how can it be bad?

Best friends from college have stayed in touch for decades, and have spent this time celebrating each Christmas together at a cabin in the mountains. This means that their kids have all grown up together, and they are truly a “framily”. Love a good “framily” relationship!

Maelyn is 26-years-old and is just stuck in her life. Her favorite place is the cabin, and she ruins the Christmas holiday by getting drunk on eggnog and making out with a family friend. She is devastated on the way to the airport, but BOOM . . . she ends up repeating the same trip over and over.

Very much like Groundhog Day meets When Harry Met Sally meets every Christmas Hallmark Movie that you have ever seen. Have I mentioned that I loved this book? Grab it and sit by the fire this holiday season with your hot chocolate or hot toddy. OR, throw in someone’s stocking. Perfect book for this time of year!

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Yeah for October! LOOOOOVED the books I read this month, and I hope that you love them as well. As always, send me your recommendations! I need some ideas for November and December! Have a great weekend! XO