"All We Every Wanted" by Emily Giffin

Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. More recently, her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their adored son has been accepted to Princeton. 

Yet sometimes the middle-class small-town girl in Nina wonders if she’s strayed from the person she once was.

Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. His road has been lonely, long, and hard, but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school.

Amid so much wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn’t always fit in—and her overprotective father doesn’t help—but in most ways, she’s a typical teenaged girl, happy and thriving.

Then, one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. As the image spreads like wildfire, the Windsor community is instantly polarized, buzzing with controversy and assigning blame.

At the heart of the lies and scandal, Tom, Nina, and Lyla are forced together—all questioning their closest relationships, asking themselves who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning.

I seem to be very hit or miss with Emily Giffin's books. Some I absolutely adore and some are just okay. All We Ever Wanted managed to be both, but it certainly wasn't all that I ever wanted. The book focuses on Nina and Tom. Nina is a small town girl who as made it big (via her husband). She and her family have the enormous house, a staff to keep said house and her son attends a very prominent (and expensive) school. Tom, has had it rough, but does his best to provide for his daughter Lyla. Everything changes when Nina's son shares a very NSFW photo of Tom's daughter. While this event is what gets the ball rolling for the plot, the story focuses more on various relationships of the characters- friends and family, good and bad.

First, what I loved. It it so nice to read a book that had romantic elements, but romance isn't the main focus. I don't have a problem with romances, but I often prefer books that deal with other types of relationships and I really dislike when a romance is pushed into the story 'just because'. The various relationships in this book felt very real. I am also glad that this book dealt with a topic that is extremely relevant. It's amazing just how quickly a text or a picture can take off'and how many lives it can alter. I thought that Giffin addressed this well from both the parental and teen perspective. Lyla is put in a situation that no one what's to be in, but I had a lot of respect for how she, her father, and Nina handled the situation. I thought that they were all very mature in how they dealt with the events and I liked that the novel wasn't just filled with hate and judgement.

Now the bad. This book was very compelling and very much a page turner. However, it suffered in some of it's development and it's ending. I don't want to spoil, but I felt that there wasn't enough build-up between Nina and her husband, Kirk. Thanks to other portrayals in books and movies and certain stereotypes, I knew what to expect from Kirk and from their relationship. However, I still wanted to see it play out in Giffin's writing and not just because I expected the plot to go a certain way. As for the ending, I felt that there was a lot of build-up to a conclusion that never happened. Again, I would have rather seen what happened to the characters and not just read about it in the epilogue. Of course, the final results of what would happen to the characters post scandalous text messages isn't really the main focus of the novel, I still wanted it. All in all, this book felt shorter than it was presented.

I'm fairly certain that if you enjoy Emily Giffin's books, you will like this one. I know I have heard from multiple people that this is her best novel yet. While I don't agree (I'm still a fan of Something Borrowed and Something Blue as far as favorites go), I don't regret reading this book. It won't make it into my re-read pile, but it was just good enough that I am glad I read it.

Happy Reading!

-Melly

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul" by Jeff Kinney

I must say, before I began this book, I wondered if Jeff Kinney might be running out of steam after so many Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Thankfully, the answer to this is no, and The Long Haul is my favorite yet! I read this book in a waiting room while waiting for my boyfriend. I got some strange looks because I kept giggling out loud- but I couldn't help it. Greg and his family get into so many crazy scenarios I just could not contain the laughter.

Greg's family is hitting the road after his mom sees an article about how it can bond their family. While this may work for some families, it doesn't quite work out as planned for the Heffley's. Just a few of their encounters include: hauling a boat becuase it's more cost effective than an RV or a trailer, an empty swimming pool, and some angry seagulls. And Manny wins a pig, which ends up going along for the ride. Without a doubt, this is one trip Greg will never forget.

Those that are already a fan of the series will enjoy this book. Something I like about these books is that readers can somewhat get away with reading the books out of order or by skipping around. While there are some references that will be missed, they are structured so that each book is not entirely dependant on the others. When I was a kid, I liked when I could skip around in a series without missing out on too much. Now that I have finished this book, I am once again looking forward to the next in the series and anything else Jeff Kinney decides to write.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"13 Little Blue Envelopes" by Maureen Johnson

This was a very strange reading experience for me. My general rule, though I don't follow it strictly, is to read at least 100 pages of a book and if I still am not that into it and still don't care about what happens to the characters, I stop reading it. Like I said, it's not a strict rule. Sometimes the book is so bad I just have to see how it ends, sometimes the amount of reading left is worth getting to add another book to my "read" list. Sometimes I don't have another book handy. With 13 Little Blue Envelopes, I got to the 100 page mark and still wasn't that impressed, but I had wanted to read it for so long that I was determined to finish it. Oddly, the closer I was to the end of the book, the more I enjoyed the story.

Ginny is about to start a strange journey. Her aunt passed away a few months before and left behind 12 envelopes, each leading Ginny to a new location. On her travels, Ginny will learn about the world, her aunt and herself and discover more than she ever could have dreamed possible.

The premise of this book is amazing. I tend to get a little jealous of book characters when they are able to take off on these fantastic journeys though they rarely seem to plan nor do they worry about financial burden. Johnson makes a point to cover these little details. And yet, this book still didn't quite satisfy me. The first half of the book was a little bland and though what we learn of Aunt Peg and the places Ginny visits are interesting, this book just didn't keep my attention like I thought it would.  I was surprised that the story improved as I was reading and am glad that I stuck with it. I am still looking forward to reading the sequel since I have confidence that continuing Ginny's story will work. I am sad that I can't recommend this book as highly as I wanted to. I really did think I was going to enjoy this book a lot more than I did. Overall, it was worth the read, but at this point I probably won't be re-reading it (unless The Last Little Blue Envelope proves to be amazing).

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"The Long Way Home" by Ann M. Martin

I was surprised how much I enjoyed The Long Way Home compared to Better to Wish. This book focuses on Dana, the daughter of Abby and Zander. She is an aspiring artist who looks up to her father more than anyone. Though she loves her mother, brother and twin sister, she just isn't as close to them. Their lives are happy, until tragedy strikes (isn't that always the way in the literary world?) and soon Dana will have to make some tough decisions in order to live the life she dreams of.

I thought that Martin did a great job with Dana's story. Though I liked Abby's, I felt that her development fell a little flat and her story didn't work as well with the way the book was written. However, it worked well for Dana. In this series, we see glimpses of the girls' lives set over the course of multiple years. Because of this, there is sometimes a little bit too much text devoted to filling the reader in on what they missed from one period to the next, but it seems that Martin had a better handle on this with The Long Way Home.  I was apprehensive to read this book, since I didn't feel that the first was the strongest of Martin's writing. But since the sequel is a much stronger book, I now look forward to completing the series. Tweens looking for a little bit of history mixed in with an interesting style of showing a girl growing up will like these books.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Welcome to Camden Falls" by Ann M. Martin

For some reason I just didn't get into this series when it first came out. Pretty sure part of the reason is that it came out as I was making the transition from less juvenile books to more young adult books. Thankfully I have since come to my senses and can read just about anything now. Welcome to Camden Falls has a lot of charm and I was surprised at how strong the characters and the plot are.

Flora and Ruby are moving to Camden Falls to live with their grandmother after their parents are killed in a car accident. They are about to start their new lives in a new town. They spend their days in their grandmother's sewing store, Needle and Thread and making new friends, particularly with a neighbor named Olivia. The focus of the book is on these girls, with a few chapters from the point of view of Nikki, a girl whose family is very poor which in part is responsible for her lack of friends. The book also spends some time with several of Flora and Ruby's new neighbors and in doing so gives us insight into their lives in a way that I really hope we see more of these characters in the later books in this series as Martin sets up what could be some very interesting plot lines.

I liked this book and the characters quite a bit. Though the setting itself is rather calm, there is more conflict than I expected and can tell that there is a lot of potential for this to be a strong series. I am curious though, since it is a rather short series (by BSC standards anyway) I hope that there are enough books to cover all of the plots that are suggested in the first book. I will certainly be finishing this series!



Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Article 5" by Kristen Simmons

This book is quite the page turner! I've seen it on lists of "If you like The Hunger Games try..." and I can certainly see why (though I liked this book quite a bit more than the first Hunger Games book, and that's saying something). It's been three years since the war. Ember remembers what it was like before the Moral Statutes, before the arrests, before she had to protect her mother. But even though she has become used to the way the world now functions, nothing can prepare her for the day when soldiers arrive at her door and arrest her mother and Ember is sent to a rehabilitation facility. From that moment, her only mission on life is to be reunited with her mother, no matter what it takes. Soon she embarks on a journey with the one person she has to trust yet the one person who could ruin everything, the boy she loves and the boy that helped arrest her mother, Chase.

I just had to know what happened in this book. After reading the inside jacket, I was surprised that it mostly summarized the first chapter, but I 
really appreciated this. I didn't have to wait for the story to start, I just jumped right into the action.  There were many moments when I just didn't know how Ember was going to get out of her current predicament (but knowing there are two sequels I figured that somehow she would manage) and read this book almost straight through without any breaks (only took one break from it actually, that is how good it is). While I wouldn't completely compare it to The Hunger Games there are quite a few similarities: survival, the need to protect family, finding out that the world is an even scarier place than originally imagined are just a few. But I felt that the characters in Article 5 are much stronger and that the pacing was better. I look forward to reading the rest of the series! Simmons has a winner with this book!



Happy Reading!
-Melly

And Happy Valentine's Day too! If you are looking for a lovey-dovey book for today, I don't recommend this one. I don't read many romances so I'm not the best to suggest them. But for me books=love!

"Dad is Fat" by Jim Gaffigan

My favorite thing about this book is that it didn't feel like I was merely reading a transcript of one of Gaffigan's shows.  Many books like this tend to just be a rehashing of stories that we are already familiar with (though it is very possible that I just haven't heard these particular stories.  Feel free to correct me in the comments).

Dad is Fat tells Jim's story of what it is like to be a father of five, with a comical twist.  Ever wonder how a family of seven shares a tiny apartment in NYC?  Curious what it's like to shuffle kids from to various schools and events?  Heck, just curious about the title?  Then this is the book for you.  While I didn't enjoy this book as much as Beyond the Pale (I think I prefer Gaffigan's verbal delivery over written), this book is a lot of laughs and is a must read for any fan of Gaffigan's work (it's also clean humor, for those that are interested).



Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Ten Kids, No Pets" by Ann M. Martin

As a kid, Ten Kids, No Pets was one of my favorites by Ann M. Martin.  Something about ten siblings spending a year trying to convince their parents that they need a pet and then finally finding a loophole to the rule that "ten kids enough" just delighted me.  For some reason it became my personal tradition to read this book the night before Thanksgiving.  I stuck with this ritual for quite some time and it was really nice to go back and get reacquainted with the Rosso family.

The Rosso children are used to order and organization.  Named alphabetically from Abigail to Janthina, they know how to keep life from becoming too crazy (no easy feat in a family with 10 kids), but when they move from New York City to the country, they try to throw a little crazy into their lives be asking (and asking) for a family pet.  But their mother continues to insist that they do not need said pet.  Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the children and follows them over the course of a year.  As the reader, we get to see Jan's impatience while waiting for Santa, Dagwood's mishaps when planning a Halloween party, and Calandra's desperation to find a place of her own. This is the kind of book that I think is excellent for beginning readers or a book to read a chapter a day.  There isn't a lot of suspense and each chapter wraps up nicely before going onto the next.  It seems that this book is out of print (I ended up getting my copy at a library book sale) so it may be difficult to get your hands on a copy, but if you come across it I highly recommend it!

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"The Steps" by Rachel Cohn

I think this was the least heavy book I have read so far this year, both in content and in weight (only 144 pages).

Annabelle lives in New York City with her mother Angelina and her Bubbe.  Her father, Jack, lives in Australia with his wife, Penny, and her two children, Lucy and Angus.  Jack and Penny also have a daughter, Beatrice.  Confused yet?  Throw in Angelina's boyfriend Harvey and his son Wheaties, as well as Penny's ex Patrick and his son Ben.  Now are you confused?  Try being Annabelle.

The Steps by Rachel Cohn is the funny story of Annabelle's visit to Australia to meet the new half of her family.  She has little interest in meeting her new step-siblings and is infurriated to find out that they are calling Jack, Dad.  Even she doesn't do that!  Readers can go into this book somewhat knowing what to expect.  Annabelle is very angsty and doesn't like change.  Over the course of the book she begins to realize that she has a lot to learn about what really makes a family.  It isn't a revolutionary book or one that touches on topics never before seen in the young adult world either.  But it's the kind of book you can pick up and read anytime, anyplace, and sometimes you just need a book that will make you laugh.

Find Rachel on Twitter and Facebook!

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Tell Me a Secret" by Holly Cupala

This book surprised me in more ways than one.  I am horribly guilty of picking up books (or not picking them up) soley based on the cover.  I guess the cover of Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala caught my attraction.  And I am glad it did.


Rand's sister died five years ago and her family has yet to fully heal from the trauma.  Rand continuously finds herself in Xanda's shadow.  It is clear that Rand's mother is desperately trying to avoid making the same mistakes with her younger daughter but by doing so, she is pushing Rand further and further away.  When Rand finally takes a pregnancy test and her worst fears are confirmed, the relationship with her mother worsens- it is now or never, she must make decisions that will change her life forever.


I have read multiple books involving teenage pregnancy (The Lit Report by Sarah N. Harvey and Dancing Naked by Shelley Hrdlitschka are both highly recommended by me) and they usually follow a similar storyline.  Girl finds out she's pregnant, girl makes decision to have the baby (usually), and then figures out if she will keep the baby or give it up for adoption.  Tell Me a Secret has those same elements, but with a drastic twist.  I don't want to reveal the twist, but it will likely shock readers and have them desperately wanting to know what happens next.  This is yet another book that will stick with the reader for quite some time even after they have finished reading it.  


Find Holly on: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, YouTube, HarperTeen, and MySpace





Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Raven" by Suzy Turner

The first book I read on my new Kindle!!

A great fantasy story for fans of the Twilight saga.  Lilly is growing up in a repressed world.  She doesn't realized that her classmates receive gifts on their birthday, eat non-straight-from-the-can dinners, and have parents that show love for their children.  Every day is exactly the same.  The only bright spot is when she is spending time at school with her best (and only friend), December.  It isn't until Lilly's parents mysteriously vanish does Lilly begin to realize how strange her life has been.

Her life is turned upside down (though not in a completely bad way) when she is sent to live in Canada with family that she never knew she had.  Lilly begins to discover secrets about her family and secrets about herself.  She also finds out that this is not the first time family members have suddenly gone missing.

Though I haven't read it, I suspect that fans of Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush will also enjoy Suzy Turner's Raven.  From what I have heard, I think they are somewhat similar.  I am not really a fan of fantasy (I may have said this before) but I enjoyed Raven and found it to be an easy and enjoyable read.  If you enjoy reading about vampires, people that transform into animals and vials of blood, then this is a book for you!



Visit Suzy on: Twitter, Facebook, and Blogspot!
And check out the sequel, December Moon!




Happy Reading!
-Melly

“My So-Called Family” by Courtney Sheinmel

I enjoyed Courtney Sheinmel's My So-Called Family quite a bit, but it wasn't exactly what I expected. The description in the front jacket reads:

“Leah Hoffman-Ross just moved to New York and she wants her new friends to think she's a typical thirteen-year-old.  But Leah has a secret: She doesn't have a father; she has a donor.  Before Leah was born, her mother went to Lyon's Reproductive Services and picked Donor 730.  Now Leah has a stepfather and a little brother, and her mom thinks that they should be all the family Leah needs.

“Despite her attempts to fit in and be normal, Leah can't help but feel like something is missing.  When she finds a link to the Lyon's Sibling Registry, Leah has to see if she has any half siblings.  And when she discovers that one of the other kids from Donor 730 is a girl her age, Leah will do anything to meet her- even if she has to hide it from everybody else.

“Debut author Courtney Sheinmel puts a contemporary spin on a timeless question in this heartfelt novel about what makes a family.”

Upon reading this, I made the assumption that this book was solely the story of Leah's journey to find out more about her half siblings and possibly search for the father she has never known.  Instead, it focuses on her new friendships upon moving, her relationship with her brother Charlie and somewhat on her mother's writing career.  We get to see her friend Avery's family struggle with her older brother's college decision and acceptance in addition to following Leah through her journey of finding her half siblings.  When I first started writing this review, I felt that the book wandered a bit too much and didn't focus enough on what was promised in the description  However, as I'm sitting here analyzing it a bit more I'm thinking about the last line “Courtney Sheinmel puts a contemporary spin on a timeless question in this heartfelt novel about what makes a family.”  Throughout the course of the book, we are introduced to Leah's relationship with her mother, stepfather, and half-brother.  We also follow her as she makes new friends in New York.  And lastly, we find out whether or not she finds any half-siblings.  

Sheinmel makes it very clear that it is sharing the same blood and genes do not necessary make you a family.  Family can be your closest friends or your neighbors, as well as those you are related to.  Sheinmel's book illustrates that well.  Leah's family extends beyond those she is immediately related to and those she has grown up around.  Upon writing this review, I like this book even more than when I finished it.  I recommend it to readers around 10 or so and up (but I would suggest parents be available as their children read this, since some of the subject matter will likely spark questions from their young reader). 

In addition I also recommend  another of Sheinmel's books, Positively, a book about a girl named Emmy who is HIV positive and has to move in with her father and step-mother after her mother passes away from the same disease.

Overall I was very happy that I picked up this book and will likely read more books by this author.