August Reads

When Life Hands You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger

(4***)

Lauren Weisberger is the author of Devil Wears Prada. I never read the book but I loved the movie. Actually this book is the third in the “Devil Wears Prada” series and it was the first I have read from this author. I seem to have a problem with this issue. It’s ok by me to read a book later in a series without reading the previous installments but I have found that sequels are not always a fair example of an authors work. Reviewing only the Lulu book is my only choice until I go back and read Ms. Weisberger’s other work. I found this book to be a great quick, witty read. I would classify it as a beach read, a child-lit. The characters were easy to understand but also easy to predict. The plot was much the same. There were a few twist and turns but in the end everything wrapped up in a nice package, everything I expected.

The Perfect Couple

(4-****)

Elin Hilderbrand is an author that I own several books of but honestly have never read! obviously I intended too or I would not have added her books to my collection. I really enjoyed this book! I found the character development was great and nicely intertwined. I was surprised at times and totally shocked during other times. I assumed this would be a quick beach read but I thought it was more than that, I wouldn’t say extremely deep but gave a little more than a chick-lit beachy read. I really appreciated the way the the author didn’t wrap things up until the very end and did so in a transparent way. I read this gem in less than 4 days and that wasn’t because it was lacking in pages or words but because I desired to know what was a around the next page (too cheesy?). Oh! also I loved the way the chapters were laid out. The chapters switched between the past, building the back story, and the present therefore paralleling the past and present. Great read! Now I need to read Elin’s other works that I have on my shelf.

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe

(4****)

A few weeks ago I posted a review on another book by Mary Alice Monore, Beach House Reunion. In that review I admitted that I didn’t know Beach House Reunion was apart of a series. I went back and read this book, the first in the series and I a so glad I did. I now see where the characters I grew to know from their beginning. MAM did a fantastic job at recapping what was needed to read the other installments but I didn’t realize how much time was covered in between the two books I read. Yes this is a beach read, hello it’s the summer. It included love, death, heartache, growth, reunion of mother and child and the hint of new love. Now I need to read the other books in the series because I am definitely invested in these characters! I put in a request for the next installment…stay tuned.