Once Upon A time VI

I have been busy with my family. I wanted to do this since I have till June 19th to read 4 books. Figurednthat was not pushing it with a busy family. :)
Here is what I chose:
Fantasy : The Fellowship of the Ring
Myth: Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead
Fairy tales: Grimm's Fairy Tales
Folklore: Lord Brocktree by Brian Jacques

I will post as I finish my books. I still read but with two young boys and a house, life is busy but full. So glad to be back!

Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells

Della Carmichael runs a cooking school and gets the chance to run a cooking TV show. But when the former show host drops dead on set after tasting Della's mousse, she looks a little suspect. Della claims being innocent since she had not met the original host previously. Now she wants to work hard to prove what she is saying.

Ms. Wells has a wonderful start to this mystery series. The twists and turns in this book were amazing. I had no clue who the killer was until it was revealed at the end. I was shocked! The characters had quite the range of personalities and it made the book so more appealing. I loved that how clean it was for a cozy. If there was romance present, it was kept behind closed doors. Emotions were rampant in this book of a wide variety. I also was happy to see the recipes in the back of the book.

Della struggling over losing her husband two years previous takes the offer of a cooking show. She loves to cook and it helps her work through her emotions. She is such a sweetie and for the most part a very intelligent woman. She does have one moment of stupidity towards the end where she really wasn't thinking. Liddy, Della's best friend, is her voice of reason. When emotions are starting to build between Della and another character, Liddy is able to tell her to watch what she does. These two women made the best friends. The other minor characters like Eileen, who stayed at the house with Della was a sweetie. You really got to know quite a bit about her.

I truly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one. Being set around Halloween made this a fun October read. I hope the new relationship presented in this book blossoms in the next one. But I guess I'll have to wait and see what Ms. Wells cooks up next.

Melinda Wells/ New Author/ Cozy Mystery/ Fright Fest 2010/ 280 pages/ 5 out of 5

This was such a fun read. I'll start my next entry for Fright Fest next week!

Cell by Stephen King

Clay Riddell just left a wonderful business venture from a graphic arts company. He cannot wait to get back to his hotel to call his ex-wife and son. In the heart of Boston, all hell is unleashed with simple cell phone calls. Clay doesn't understand what is going on but people are turning into mindless creatures. All Clay wants to do is to get home to check on his family. That may not be as easy as he thinks.

Mr. King is quite talented at writing books that really make you freak out. The best thing in my mind is that it sticks with you. He also does not use a lot of words. The way that man can write just blows me away. His imagination is deep with what he is able to create in every single story. His characters have depth and emotions that have a wide range. There is a lot of gore but it may not run through out the entire book. That is the part that pleased me the most in this book. To have a good horror novel, you need some gore but not too over the top. There was a few moments but all in all, it wasn't as bad as some others I have read.

Clay Riddell had one mission. He needed to get back to his family to see if they had come out of this event unscathed. He had feelings that they might not have but no matter what he needed to see it for himself. He didn't want to rely on his emotions since so many other things were going wrong. He found a friend in Tom McCourt who he saved from one of the mindless creatures. Tom didn't want to leave all that he had. Yet he knew when he found a friend. There were a lot of big decisions made in this book at every turn. It was definitely a survival of the fittest as well as those who didn't use their cell phones.

As much as this book intrigued me, the ending was way too abrupt. It upset me that I had made it all the way through the book to have a lot of things hanging in the balance. The gore did get a little too much for me since this is not a genre I typically read. But the premise intrigued me so much that I had to read it to find out how it would envelop over time. Mr. King truly had a good novel for the most part no matter what other people may say. It just frustrated me with how it ended. I was hoping for so much more and had a major letdown. I know not everything can end well but the build up to the end seemed like there would be so much more to it than what I was left with after all. I will definitely pick up more of his work in the future but it may be awhile before that will happen.

Stephen King/ Horror/ Fright Fest 2010/480 pages/ 3 out of 5

Though I didn't finish in time for week one which stinks. I am hoping better for this next week. As long as I finish all four books before the month is up, I am happy. :) Off to the next book!

Fright Fest 2010

I have been looking for a Halloween Challenge. So I am challenging myself to read four books, one a week. :)

Here they are:
Cell by Stephen King
Revenant by Caroylyn Haines
Carbs and Cadavers by J.B. Stanley
Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells

I own the first two so that will be a great jump on it. Will start one of them tomorrow!

Cozy Mystery Challenge Wrap Up Post!

I had soo much fun with this one. I challenged myself to read between 7 and 10 books. I read 8! Here they are:
The Fashion Hound Murders by Elaine Viets
Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson
Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson
Throw Darts at a Cheesecake by Denise Dietz
Beat Up a Cookie by Denise Dietz
Death and The Easter Bunny by Linda Berry
Death and the Hubcap by Linda Berry
Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett

I had a blast! I would link to reviews but I do not know how. I just started Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I hope to enjoy this one. I still would like to finish up the Goldie Bear series by Diane Mott Davidson this year.

September Stats and Reads

Reads:

1.Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult 9-1-10 through 9-22-10 A+ (another favorite)
2.Homemade Life by Molly Wizenburg 09-02-10 through 09-06-10 A+ (Another favorite)
3.Water Witch by Deborah LeBlanc 09-06-10 through 09-09-10 B
4.Death and The Easter Bunny by Linda Berry 09-11-10 through 09-15-10 A
5.Death and the Hubcap by Linda Berry 09-16-10 through 9-20-10 A
6.Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett 09-27-10 through 09-30-10 A+
7.Monkey With A Tool Belt by Chris Monroe 09-30-10 A

Stats:
Total Books Read: 7
New Authors: 5
Fiction: 6
Non-Fiction: 1
Mystery: 3
Children's:1
Romance: 0
Chunkster:1
From the stacks: 6
Books for Review:1
Books I Bought:3
Total pages read: 1965 pages

Cozy Mystery Challenge: I wanted to read 7 to 10 book and I read 8! I'll make a wrap up blog tomorrow.

Off to go start my book club book Eat Pray Love!

Monkey with a Tool Belt by Chris Monroe

Chico Bon Bon is a monkey with a tool belt. He fixes anything and if he makes a mistake he'll fix that too. An organ grinder finds Chico and kidnaps him to make Chico his new show monkey. They take a long trip to the circus. Can Chico get away with the help of his tool belt?

Ms. Monroe wrote a fantastic and imaginative story. My six year old picked this book out of his school library for the title alone I am sure. He read most of the book but once the organ grinder had kidnapped Chico, there were too many words for him to read. So I finished up the book.

He laughed and really seemed to enjoy the book. I loved the illustrations. They were very well done. The tools went from the ones I have heard of to ones I am sure she created. But every tool on Chico's tool belt had a purpose. I see there are more in this series and I would love to see what Chico does next!

Chris Monroe/New Author/32 pages/ Monkey/ Tools/Children's fiction/ 4 out of 5

FTC: My son got this from his school library. I can't wait to finish the book he got from the library today!!

Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett

Tricia Miles moves to Stoneham, New Hampshire to start her life over after getting divorced. She still doesn't understand why but she takes it all in stride. Opening the mystery bookstore Haven't Got A Clue, it all hits home as her neighbor Doris at the cook book shop The Cookery is killed. Tricia is the one who finds her body. The sheriff is determined to prove Tricia was the killer. All tied into an old cookbook that Doris bought right before her murder. Proving her innocence may have to come from all the mystery reading she has done up till now. But will that be enough?

Being a first time reader of Ms. Barrett's work, I am highly impressed. The detail of the book is so much fun. I felt like I really did walk into Haven't Got A Clue. The small town life is so much fun to read. I loved the cleanliness of the book. Ms. Barrett did a fabulous job. The characters were lively and fun to read.

Tricia was full of life and had moved on. I loved how she came to create her store and the atmosphere in it. She has a fantastic business with old/used books as well as the new ones. Her personality is fun to read and loved watching her store bloom. Her only employee Ginny loves her job and is a sweetie. Their balanced personalities make the store run smoothly. There is also their number one customer Mr. Everett who is there when the door opens and stays till closing time. He always helps out wherever Tricia might need help even though he is not an employee. Angelica, Tricia's sister, sweeps into town and wants to help Tricia in any way she can. Yet she makes friends with Bob Kelly, the main realtor of the town. Tricia isn't thrilled one bit.

I loved this series. I think it is great and getting off to a good start. I am curious to see how all the relationships play out like between Tricia and her sister Angelica. Plus I can see story lines coming hopefully in the romance department for Tricia. At least that is what I hope for. I don't know when I will pick up the next book but I hope soon!

Lorna Barrett/New Author/ Cozy Mystery/Small Town/Bookstore/Family/288 pages/ 5 out of 5

FTC: This book is part of my own collection and was either bought or given to me.

This is the last one for my cozy mystery challenge. I am bummed to see it end but will read more I am sure of it!

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

Life with Willow has always been interesting. One trip to Disneyland changes the family's life forever when the doctor's note for Willow gets left behind. Questions arise and time spent apart makes Charlotte and Sean upset. Meeting with a lawyer brings up a question neither thought about, what if they had known from the start that Willow had Osteogensis Imperfecta? Would Charlotte had an abortion even though it goes against her being Catholic?

Ms. Picoult does it again. It all drives home how they want to make sure Willow has the best of everything. Her characters have so many problems physically and emotionally. Yet they must learn to work through them and figure out what is going to be best for them. Their lives are wrapped up and around the center of what is going on.

Charlotte just wants to protect her family but wants to be able to finally provide everything that Willow needs to be safe. Sean is frustrated with how Charlotte wants to go about getting the money. He thinks Willow will think more of the wrongful birth lawsuit than even Charlotte can imagine. Among the chaos is Amelia who is caught in the middle, she loses attention but never doesn't love Willow. They mean the world to each other.

This book was tough to read at times. It also had a lot of points of view between Sean, Charlotte, Amelia, and their lawyer Marin. Just the every day struggles that they had from birth to present day with Willow being 5, it just blew my mind. The book was one big roller coaster for the most part but I was glued. I had to find out what would happen. Ms. Picoult does it again. There are some people who do not care for the book but I couldn't get enough. And as always there is a twist at the end, but to find that out you'll need to read it.

Jodi Picoult/ Fiction/ Family/ Lawsuit/496 pages/ 5 out of 5

I finished this one awhile ago but couldn't come up with a good review. Hoping to read one more book this month.

Bridget Jones' Diary the movie!

This movie was fantastic. They got a the characters spot on from the book. I was impressed. I loved some of the scenes and could see how they were taken directly from the book. Obviously due to time constraints some of the bigger stuff was left out. I was bummed but I enjoyed the chick lit movie all in all.

I loved the Darcy reference and I could see in the beginning how Bridget was a bit like Elizabeth. I found it interesting that Colin Firth played another Darcy in this movie. Since he did play Mr. Darcy in the movie of Pride and Prejudice.

I couldn't get enough of the movie and was sad to see it end. I am curious to see what happens next so I will most likely get to the second book and the second movie. Renee Zellweger blew me away in this movie. Once again, great acting, great casting and a well enjoyable movie all in all!

This was part of the Everything Austen II Challenge. Up next is Rude Awakenings of A Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler.

Death and the Hubcap by Linda Berry

Trudy has her feet wet but this next crime scene has her puzzled. Tanner whitcomb who drives a hubcap claims he has run over a man. Keeping a straight face, she goes to check out the crime scene. Actual tire tracks on the body has her scratching her head about all of it. A poshly dressed man doesn't fit the small town of Ogeechee. It all leads back to Atlanta and the past that Trudy had while living there. Is there someone there that is willing to kill again?

Ms. Berry writes another fantastic book in the series. It builds up just where the other one left off. Her characters that repeat have more depth. I loved seeing how they changed in this story. Relationships were tested and Ms. Berry gave you closed endings for most of them. She truly shows you the true way of small town life. I agreed and it made me giggle at times having once lived in a small town. Ms. Berry also showed how she can write silly characters as well as very serious ones. It was a joy to watch the whole story unfold.

Trudy really shines in this book. She doesn't have as much free reign as the last one. Yet she still is able to prove herself to Henry. She has to fight some of her family in little ways. Dulcie, her niece, is still around and as sweet as ever. Phill Pittman, the editor of the local newspaper, and Trudy seem to be expanding their friendship. I can't wait to see where that goes next.

This series just keeps getting better. It never comes across as over the top. Every scene is so genuine. I am blown away by the fun of it all. The murder again is not gruesome in detail. This author keeps me on edge to see what happens next. It's a book you laugh out loud while reading as well as just finding it for the most part like you are coming home.

Linda Berry/Cozy Mystery/ 256 pages/ Small Town/ Family and Friends/ 5 out of 5
So glad to get another one done for the cozy mystery challenge. Now just need to write up my post for Everything Austen Challenge II.

Death and the Easter Bunny by Linda Berry

Trudy Roundtree is the only woman police officer at the Ogeechee Police Force in Georgia. She struggles cause her cousin is the chief. She is determined to prove herself. She is just happy to be home again. A murder has them all getting fired up in more ones than one. Reed Ritter is the victim of a fire but the he was dead before the fire was lit. Secrets aren't easy to hide in a small town. There are way too many suspects, can Trudy discovers some secrets might be worthy of a murder.

Ms. Berry does fantastic job with juggling all the characters. The point of view is all through Trudy's eyes. The small town life is very well represented. I was also impressed with how clean the book was due to the fact of finding a dead body. I loved all the aspects of each character and the developments with each little storyline.

Trudy is so much fun. Even though she is a widow and is dealing with the death of her hubby, she is a very light hearted person. She sees things very well and keeps her chin up. She is a determined lady who just wants to show what she can do. Her family is a bit nutsy since she lives in her Grandmother's house as well. Henry Huckabee is the chief of police and her cousin. He is a good guy but he is stubborn as well. He is learning his position and so wants to do it all himself. Phil Pittman is the editor of the newspaper as well as a volunteer fireman. He does his best to answer any questions Trudy might have about the town since she has come back.

I truly loved this series. I have the second one and I am curious to see where a few story lines are going. It is a true cozy with no blood and guts. I couldn't get enough. I hope Trudy finally gets her feet wet and gets somewhere. Ms. Berry has me captivated from the very beginning!

Linda Berry/ New author/ Small Town/ Police/Family/ Cozy Mystery/ 251 pages/ 5 out of 5

FTC: This book is part of my personal collection that was either bought or given to me as a gift.

I am hoping to start the next one in the series tonight!!

Water Witch by Deborah LeBlanc

Dunny always felt left out. She had a secret that she wanted secret. When it became public, it only brought unwanted attention. So she kept her powers a secret until her sister calls and there are children missing. She wants to help but there is something out there that scares her to no end. Yet finding the children keeps her going.

Ms. LeBlanc has a tremendous way with words. Being on the edge of my seat was only one thing I dealt with. It was gruesome at times in detail but reminded myself it was a thriller horror after all. Nothing ever felt like over the top or too much, it all seemed to fit well in the story line. She creates characters that you not only feel but see in a way. The villains are real people not just looking for an end to their means. It didn't make it any easier to read and I didn't empathize but felt more human and not perfect.

Dunny truly wants to help. It is in her entire being yet she doesn't want to be used. She wants to be appreciated for who she is all of her not just the part that has powers. Angelle is scared of what is going on but knows that her sister Dunny can be helpful to the children's disappearance or at least she hopes that will be the case. Angelle is young and wants the best for all. Poochie is a sweet woman who lives with Angelle and her husband Trevor. She is a wise woman that I grew to love throughout the story. She believed and accepted Dunny as she is. That was a huge part of the story.

This book was difficult to read at times but I had to find out if the children were going to be found. The villain in the story was determined to get his mission completed. The power described in this book is one not to touch ever! It always reminds me to be careful of what I do and say in this world. Without warning you can unleash things beyond our comprehension. Ms. LeBlanc does a fantastic job and I may read more of her work eventually.

Deborah LeBlanc/New Author/ Thriller/ Horror/ Family/ Acceptance/ 290 pages/ 4 out of 5

FTC: I got this book for a review over a year ago and I have tried to be as honest as possible.

A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

Molly has a unique take and relationship with food. Both her mother and her father have different perspectives and that has shaped her from early childhood. The recipes in this book vary from the simple to a little on the difficult side. Yet I am intrigued to try most of them. The writing style is straight forward. I also felt like I got to know the writer personally through her stories and recipes.

Ms. Wizenberg blew me away. I wasn't sure what to expect at all and I found myself captivated! She puts her whole self in her writing. I never felt like she held back anything though I am sure there had to be something.

I fell in love with this book. Whether you are a foodie or not, since I am becoming one, this book is for you. It is a wonderful journey and I can't wait to try some of these recipes. I can't wait to see what Ms. Wizenberg writes next and will be patiently waiting for it to come out.

Molly Wizenberg/ New author/ Non-Fiction/ Food/ Family/ 352 pages/ 5 out of 5
I don't want to give it all away but I highly recommend this book! Off to start another one while still reading Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult.

August Stats and Reads

I am a little behind but here you go!

Total Books Read: 5
New Authors:3
Fiction:3
Non-Fiction:1
Mystery: 1
Children's:
Romance: 1
Chunkster: 1
From the Stacks: 5
Books for Review: 0
Books I bought: 0
Total Pages Read: 1643

Reads:
1.The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne 08-02-10 through 08-05-10 A+
2.A Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova 08-07-10 through 8-23-10 B
3.Beat Up a Cookie by Denise Dietz 08-24-10 through 08-25-10 B
4.Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding 8-26-10 through 8-29-10 B
5.Hurricane by Karen Harper 08-29-10 through 8-31-10 A

I'll have my review of my latest book that I finished tomorrow.

Hurricane by Karen Harper

Julie Minton is trying to get her girls that she watches over to safety while a hurricane comes their way. But all she can think about is her daughter Randi who has ridden off on a jet ski with Thad. She hopes they are safe. Yet in her heart, she begins to wonder if something is wrong since they are not back yet. With the help of Thad's father Zach, she hopes to find them before the storm hits. Law enforcement is no help due to the storm so they are on their own. They must work together to get through the storm that has hit and escape an enemy that is lurking in the shadows.

Ms. Harper writes a fantastic suspense story. I was on the edge of my seat. There was tension of all kinds and yet nothing seemed out of place. I loved how clean it was and not bloody, gory, or full of sex. It was a nice change of pace and the characters were well detailed. I felt like I was in the midst of the book. I love reading the credits to see how much help they had and it showed how important she felt it was to seek out help to write an accurate story line.

Julie is a woman I can relate to with being a mom. She truly cared for her daughter even though it didn't always show. Running a resort for cutters kept her busy. She had help in her friend Kaylin to run the resort. Kaylin is tested by the emotions of Randi gone as well as helping the girls and not returning to her old ways of cutting to deal with the stress. Zach is a tough guy but even he is stressing out. He doubts finding the kids alive but won't stop looking. With his SEAL training, it may just be the one thing that would save the kids.

This book was very good! I was impressed with how well paced it was and with the diversity of characters. I would definitely read more of this author's work. I'm not sure what problems people might have with this writing style, but give it a try. I hope the rest of her work is just as good if not better. I am definitely happy with how it all played out.

Karen Harper/ Thriller/ 400 pages/ New Author/ Weather/ Family/ 4 out of 5

I finished this one yesterday but was not able to post the review. I'll post my monthly stats and reads tomorrow! Oh and I bought three books today The Cat, The Professor and The Poison by Leann Sweeny, A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams and Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett. I can't wait to read them!! :)

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

Bridget is a thirty something single Brit who fails miserably at losing weight, quitting smoking, and trying to find a love life. Her look through the year in her diary lays it all out there. She relies on her friends and searches to find how her life is and could possibly be if she keeps working at it.

Ms. Fielding did a fantastic job of keeping things real for Bridget. Her descriptions of the characters help to make things come even more alive and make it seem like you are right there in the book. The book is well written whether in journal or story form.

Bridget is very real and most of the time not too over the top. She has to rely on her friends since her family has their own struggles. The ones that are the most close are Tom, Shazz, and Jude. They keep her uplifted through all the things she experiences in the book.

I liked this book over all and never really saw a connection to Pride and Prejudice. There were a few mentions of the movie with Colin Firth. It's a quirky book if you can get past all the drama. By the end, it was wrapped up neatly and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I may just check out the next book in the series.

Helen Fielding/ New Author/ British Lit/ Family and Friends/ 271 pages/ Everything Austen Challenge II/ 4 out of 5

I had a nice review all typed up and then somehow deleted it. I hope to finish one more book. We'll see.

Beat Up A Cookie by Denise Dietz

Ellie Bernstein is at it again. Murder seems to follow her around even 7 years later. She is frustrated but Lt. Peter Miller tries to keep her on a short leash. Being a MASH lover, she never knew how it would be for someone to kill look alikes of the actors on that show. Now she feels like she must figure out what is going on before she is next.

Ms. Dietz definitely improved the depth of the characters in this one. I felt a little bit better yet was still a little too gory for a cozy mystery. There were more characters to play around with and a better glimpse into their lives. The flash backs were done well and flowed smoothly through the book. I never felt like any of it was out of place. It all made sense at the end.

Ellie was still a little bit of a snoop. Yet I really started to care for her. She finally seemed to be happy where her life was at. Her ex Tony drove me up the wall. The man didn't seem to know who or what he wanted in his life. Peter, on the other hand, was straight forward and always laid it all on the table. There was no question what he wanted and who he wanted in his life. Mick, her son, came to play more in this story than the previous one. I enjoyed seeing the depth of Ellie's character.

This book was far better than the last and not nearly as gruesome or detailed. I know it is classified as a cozy but sometimes it just didn't have that feel for me. I enjoyed it a lot more and may continue the series at another time. I am curious to see what happens next in Ellie's life and how she gets wrapped up in the next murder to solve.

Denise Dietz/Cozy Mystery/Dieting/253 pages/4 out of 5

Onto the next challenge book, so excited to read something. I will watch Pride and Prejudice next month!

A Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova

Elena Gorokhova presents her world growing up in Russia. Her world is only one side but she does show how each side works a little bit by the people she meets and the friends she has in her life. The rules she follows are ingrained in her from childhood. It encompasses a lot of time and some of it is skipped. Yet I felt that the main part of her life was covered and all the important things are shown. I was blown away with how things are so regimented. Maybe this is only one point of view but that is not how it came across to me.

I had some difficulty believing how things are for them. Yet when dealing with kids from other countries they had the same reactions that I had while reading the book. So it helped me understand just the outside experience with the country. The repetitiveness got to me after awhile but as the story went along, it just seemed that is how they were taught to express themselves. So it fit in her world while it doesn't always fit in mine.

I was proud of Elena and all that she went through. And for the most part, she stayed as true to herself as possible. It wasn't always easy and she knew she might butt heads with her mother in some respects. But she still kept plugging along even if she had to keep secrets from her mother. I didn't agree with that, but then her life is different than mine. The one other thing I didn't agree with is the comparison to Angela's Ashes. While the book was very readable, I never had trouble eating while reading this book unlike Angela's Ashes. I was pleased to see that Mr. McCourt had liked the book. I never noticed it till I finished the book so that helped me like it a little more in the end. If you don't mind a little repeating of things and sometimes feeling a little left out, this is a good book for you. I enjoyed it for the most part and it gave me a great glimpse into a world I don't know a whole lot about. I would love to read more about this time through other people's eyes.

New Author/ Non-Fiction/Memoir/308 pages/Russia/3.5 out of 5

I am going to be posting a giveaway for this book since it is an ARC and I don't believe I'll read it again!

The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne

A question always nagged at the back of Betsy's head. Twenty-seven years ago, she was left on the door step of The Phillimore Academy for Young Ladies. Raised by the owners Lord and Lady Phillimore has been wonderful. Returning to the place she loved, she finds it in disarray and Lord Phillimore desperate to save the lasting piece of history his family has carried on for a long time. Betsy is given the chance to update the curriculum and make it more modern for the times. Though coming back to London also means facing her crush she had when she was younger. She also wants to solve the mystery of her parents who abandoned her.

Ms. Browne does it again! I loved the Little Lady Agency series. This one brought me back to the UK and I couldn't get enough. The characters are pretty one dimensional but I needed something with a little growth development but not piles of it. There was a nice balance and it was just what I needed. I loved seeing all the aspects of current high society life but making it relevant for anyone. Skills we all could use even me!

Betsy is such a sweet heart of a character. I couldn't get enough of her. Yes, she had her doubts and she had to learn to work through them. I kept cheering her on! Her best friend Olivia is a good balance of reality and naive. She had a lot to learn but was able to take it all in thanks to Betsy's help. They were such a good match in friendship. I enjoyed all the time that they spent together. The four girls that were in the school were so much fun. They even got to play a part in restructuring the new school.

This was a fantastic book from beginning to end. I couldn't get enough. I finished it fairly quickly yet didn't want to see it end as well. I would love to see a sequel from Olivia's point of view. That would be fun! I highly recommend it if you need a good chick-lit book that has heart.

Hester Browne/ Chick-Lit/England/New beginnings/Friendship/ 411 pages/ 5 out of 5

Off to a non-fiction book next. :)