Reviews-Penguin USA – Cindy's Love Of Books

Review/ Cure For The Common Breakup

Posted on May 28, 2014May 30, 2014 by Cindy

Cure for the Common Breakup by Beth Kendrick
Format: Paperback
Published by Penguin on 2014-05-06
Pages: 336
Goodreads
Genres: Contemporary Women, Fiction

Welcome to Black Dog Bay, a tiny seaside town in Delaware known as “the best place in America to bounce back from your breakup.” Home to the Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, the Eat Your Heart Out bakery, and the Whinery bar, Black Dog Bay offers a haven for the suddenly single.

Flight attendant Summer Benson lives by two rules: Don’t stay with the same man for too long and never stay in one place. She’s about to break rule number one by considering accepting her boyfriend’s proposal—then disaster strikes and her world is shattered in an instant.

Summer heads to Black Dog Bay, where the locals welcome her. Even Hattie Huntington, the town’s oldest, richest, and meanest resident, likes her enough to give her a job. Then there’s Dutch Jansen, the rugged, stoic mayor, who’s the opposite of her type. She probably shouldn’t be kissing him. She definitely shouldn’t be falling in love.

After a lifetime of globe-trotting, Summer has finally found a home. But Hattie has old scores to settle and a hidden agenda for her newest employee. Summer finds herself faced with an impossible choice: Leave Black Dog Bay behind forever, or stay with the ones she loves and cost them everything....

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Before I begin my review I just quickly want to thank Penguin USA for allowing me to be a part of the book tour for Cure For The Common Breakup. This is also going towards the Book Sparks Summer Reading Challenge as well.

I have to admit that I have never read anything by Beth Kendrick’s until now and I do know I have a few of her books sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. Why have I not read any of this author’s books? If her other books are anything like Cure For The Common Breakup then I really need to move them up way up on my tbr pile asap!

I really enjoyed Cure For The Common Breakup alot and I have to say that this is a perfect book to read this summer.

I read it pretty quickly over the span of a few days and when I read it I literally had a hard time to put it down.

I loved Summer. She is a take no crap kind of person and tells it like it is. I don’t think Summer ever had a filter on because she would say things without really thinking about it before hand. She is works hard and plays even harder. During the day she is a flight attendant dating the very hot pilot, Aaron. Things are going really good for both of them until a flight to Paris changes everything.

Just before take off Summer finds out that Aaron in planning on proposing. This changes everything because Summer never really thought about marriage but as she thinks things through she realizes that perhaps this is the time until tragedy strikes that makes her rethink who she is and everything again.

Summer is down and out and decides she needs to get away from everything and everyone and heads to a little town called Black Dog Bay in Delaware that is known to take in heartbroken women. This is just the place she needs to be to get back on track. This little down has the cutest names for its businesses such as Eat Your Heart Out Bakery, The Whinery and so many other names. There was even a bookstore in the book, how could you not love that?

This little town welcomes the heartbroken women in with open arms even though she enters the town with a bang so to speak. She drives into the yard and damages the roses of a handsome guy (Dutch) but he isn’t just any guy but the Mayor of Black Dog Bay. Will Summer be able to break down the major?

All the characters were very fitting for the book and I loved how Summer stood up to Hattie and deep down I really think Hattie wanted to be like Summer but didn’t know how to do it but she was just send hell bent on revenge that she has held on to over the years.

I loved how Summer ended up changing for the better and you can’t help but want to root for her throughout the book. She is the kind of friend I would want in my corner.

I loved how I had a hard time to put the book down because I just wanted to read what was going to happen, what kind of trouble would Summer get herself into and how would she get out of it.

I think if your looking for a fun read this summer then this is the book for you.

Buy the book
 Amazon for Kindle: http://amzn.to/1hyNK4C
 Amazon for paperback: http://amzn.to/1hH0kZB

About the author:
Beth Kendrick is the author of The Week Before the Wedding, The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service, and Nearlyweds, which was turned into a Hallmark Channel original movie.

She lives in Arizona with her two rescue dogs, but she loves to vacation at the Delaware shore, where she goes to Funland, eats boardwalk fries, and wishes that the Whinery really existed.

Connect with the author:

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1hyNbYy
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1gSjj3h
Website: http://bit.ly/1lQXUwF
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1hyN7Ie

(Review) Diary of a Mad Fat Girl

Posted on February 7, 2012April 14, 2014 by Cindy

Title: Diary of a Mad Fat Girl
Author: Stephanie McAfee
Pub Date: February 2012
Publisher: Penguin
Pages:356

Source:
I received a finished copy of the book from Penguin USA for an honest review.

About The Book:

Graciela “Ace” Jones is mad-mad at her best friend Lilly who cancels their annual trip to Panama City for mysterious reasons; at her boss Catherine for “riding her ass like a fat lady on a Rascal scooter;” at her friend Chloe’s abusive husband; and especially at Mason McKenzie, the love of her life, who has shown up with a marriage proposal three years too late. Ace is never mad, though, at her near-constant companion, an adorable chiweenie dog named Buster Loo.

Ace’s anger begins to dissipate as she takes matters into her own hands to take down Chloe’s philandering husband-and to get to the bottom of a multitude of other scandals plaguing Bugtussle, Mississippi. Then, she starts to realize that maybe Mason deserves a second chance after all.

With a sharp and distinctive voice, Stephanie McAfee delivers a hilarious and fast-paced tale about Ace Jones and her two best friends-thick as thieves and tough as nails-navigating Southern small-town politics and prejudices, finding love, and standing up for each other all the way.

I was recently offered this book from Penguin USA and it sounded like it was going to be a fun read so I decided to accept the offer to review it and I have to say that I am happy that I did because I thought this was a fun read. I managed to read it over a two day span. Thankfully most of the time I read it I was home alone because I was giggling alot and the times I was reading it when people were around I was getting asked “What’s so funny?”

This is Stephanie’s debut novel and when I was looking up info I discovered that Stephanie has signed a three book deal with the publisher so I will be curious to see what comes out next.

Just a heads up to my readers who might be offended by offensive language that this might not be the book for you. Personally for me if its not over the top I don’t mind it because for me its just a book and not real life.

I have to say that I really liked Ace (Graciela, her real name) because she was who she was and didn’t care what others thought of her. She is very brass and what you see is what you get. She hasn’t had the ideal life. Her parents died in a car accident at and early age and from there she went to live with her grandmother. Then when she is older her grandmother dies leaving Ace her house and land which just happens to boast a beautiful garden that Ace has maintained.

Ace is living in Bugtassle with her dog. Her best friends (Chloe and Lilly) live in the same city as her and no boyfriend or husband insight and that is because we slowly find out that Ace pushing them away. She is afraid to get hurt. She sabotages the relationships with jealousy and insecurities.

Now Ace and her best friend Lilly are teachers at the school and as the book is beginning Ace is excited for spring break because she is desperate for a vacation with her bestie but with a few hours to spare Lilly calls to tell Ace she can’t go. Instead of going on her own Ace decides to wellow in her own self pity and stays home mad at her best friend for cancelling at the last minute thinking that she is jetting off some where fabulous with a mysterious man.

Before long Lilly gets fired from the school because apparently she is linked to a student (hmm could this be true and that is why she is so mysterious?) and of course it looks like that from the outside and it makes sense with all the secrets. But is it true?

Ace’s other bestie is Chloe. When Ace finds out that Chloe has been admitted to the hospital because she was beaten up (although its been reported that she fell down some stairs) she is hell bent on getting her away from her abusive husband. Which of course lands her in to some trouble and arrested and of course the principle from hell fires her too.

Thankfully Mason, Ace’s long time ex boyfriend who happens to be a lawyer shows up on her doorstep trying to help her out of this situation she is in and hoping that perhaps this time she will wake up and see that he isn’t such a bad guy and that he can be trusted. He is honestly her true love and he is there to tell her. But will her insecurities cause her to doubt him?

I loved how much friendships meant to Ace and that she would do anything for her friends no matter what it costs her.

I really enjoyed reading this book and wished I had a friend like Ace.

Thanks again Penguin USA for sending me this book to review.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
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(Review) The Cats in the Doll Shop

Posted on December 8, 2011April 14, 2014 by Cindy

Title: The Cats in the Doll Shop
Author: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Illustrator: Heather Maione
Pages: 160
Publisher: Viking (Penguin)
Pub Date: November 2011

Source: I received a finished copy of this book for review from the publisher.

About the book:
When Anna spots a cat in the yard behind her parents’ doll shop, she is excited. Then she realizes the cat is about to have kittens-even better! And Anna has something else to look forward to: her cousin Tania is coming from Russia to stay with Anna’s family. Anna already has two sisters, but she and Tania are the exact same age-eleven-and she imagines they will get along perfectly. But Tania doesn’t respond to Anna’s friendly overtures, and her sisters don’t seem to like Tania at all. Luckily, Anna finds a creative way to use her love of dolls and cats to bring everyone together.

I have to send out a huge Thank You to Diane for bringing this book to my attention because up until she mentioned it to me I have never heard of it and I am so happy that I got the chance to read it because it was so much fun to read. I am actually going to pass this book on to my son’s school library as I am sure the kids would love this story.
I haven’t read the companion book The Doll Shop Downstairs yet but I am going to after reading this one.

I am always a little hesitant about reading a second book or a companion book when I haven’t read the first one because sometimes characters have been introduced or things have happened and the story continues but I have to say not this one. This can actually read as a stand alone and I really enjoyed it. I think the middle graders would too.

Anna’s family (Mama and Papa) own a doll shop (in New York City) where they make dolls that they sell to all kinds of stores (F.A.O Schwarz). Anna lives with her two sisters (Sophie and Trudie) in an apartment above the doll shop. She is a middle child.

In the beginning of the book the girls discover that their cousin Tania will be coming from Russia to stay with them for a year until their aunt can get anough money together to join her daughter. This is the first time they have met her and they are excited. Anna has imagined all kinds of things about Tania and is hoping that since they both are the same age that they will bond but once Tania gets here things aren’t like they were imagined.

Now if having a stranger coming to visit who couldn’t speak english wasn’t enough excitement lets throw in a stray cat that Anna spotted across the yard. This is just any stray cat but a stray cat ready to give birth anytime soon. The girls decide they have to take care of it especially after what they witness a neighbor doing. Thankfully their dad steps in and allows the girls to give it scraps but nothing else. They are from the old country and they didn’t have pets.

I loved how having a mouse in the house changed Tania because she bonded with the cat because the father allowed the cat to come in so that she could catch it or at least that is what we think happened.

I love reading stories that happen in New York City because it brings back so many great memories of my trip there and when Yona wrote about Ellis Island and when you came in from the boat you went right there before coming into the US. Having visited Ellis Island I can only imagine what it must have felt like to have been traveling weeks, months to finally hit land and see this amazing skyline in front of you and wondering what your future would hold.

Yona did a fantastic job because the story takes place during the Cold War and I can only image what it must have felt for Tania to be coming to a new place on her own and staying with strangers.

I also enjoyed the glossary of terms at the back of the book because there was a few Jewish words I didn’t know and to have them close by was nice.

Thanks to Diane once again for bringing this book to my attention and to Viking for sending it my way.

(Review) Sisters of the Sari

Posted on June 17, 2011April 14, 2014 by Cindy

Title: Sister of the Sari
Author: Brenda L. Baker
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 352
Pub Date: June 2011

Source: I received a finished copy of the book from Penguin USA for my honest and sincere review.

About the Book:
A debut novel about an American woman and an Indian woman who are about to dramatically change each other’s lives-along with the lives of those around them.

While vacationing in India, Kiria Langdon, the opinionated and driven CEO of a major company, meets Santoshi, a former slave who now works as a cleaning lady and lives in a shelter for homeless women in Chennai. Appalled by the conditions in the shelter, Kiria becomes obsessed with the idea of building decent housing for poor working women in India. Santoshi reluctantly agrees to help, even though she thinks Kiria’s ideas are too crazy to succeed.

Embarking on a rich journey of personal discovery, both women will learn invaluable lessons about themselves as they forge a powerful bond of sisterhood across the barriers of language and culture-a bond that makes anything possible.

I was instantly drawn to the cover when I got pitched this book. I love the pink and the bangles. The premis of the story also intrigued me so I accepted the request to review the book and knowing that Brenda lives in Canada now always was a huge plus for me.

I managed to read the book pretty quickly. I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t and this will be surprising to my readers because I always seem to enjoy or love the books that I read here so this is rare for me.

Kiria (the main character) is a successful American woman who is the CEO of NOVIO, her own company. Kiria has no ties so nothing holds her back so she does what she wants even taking a trip to India.

During a trip to India she meets Santoshi by a chance encounter. Kiria is drawn to this woman and is determined to find out more about her and she almost stops at nothing to find out what she can. She finds out that alot of the women live in a shelter system instead of living on the streets. Although some will turn to the streets to live because they have no other option.

There is something about Santoshi that draws Kiria to her and she wants Santoshi to become better and more independent for herself. With her sight set on helping out Santoshi, Kiria decides that the other women need that same chance so she decides to open her own shelter that would allow these women to become dependant individuals.

Kiria’s friends are sure that this venture will fail but she is out to prove them wrong. Things come to a head when Santoshi informs Kiria that she will not live with anyone below here and that many of the women will feel the same way. This hits Kiria the wrong way and she is not going to turn anyone away that can use her help. Will she be able to help these women out or will she get burned in the process?

I have to admit that there was alot happening in this book with numerous characters being introduced with there own story lines and at times I was a little unsure how they would fit in. Perhaps this was one of the reasons I didn’t really enjoy the book.

I feel bad that I didn’t enjoy the book more because I know tons of people who loved the book from reading their reviews.