Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin ★★★☆☆ #BookReview

Synopsis from Goodreads
Aviva Grossman is a bright, ambitious congressional intern with a promising political future ahead of her until she makes the mistake of having an affair with her very married boss … and writing what she thinks is an anonymous blog about it. When the affair dramatically comes to light, it’s not the popular congressman who takes the fall, it’s Aviva–and her life suddenly seems over before it’s hardly begun. Slut-shamed and hounded by the media, she becomes a late-night talk show punchline. Determined to rebuild her life on her own terms, Aviva changes her name, moves from Florida to a small town in Maine, starts her own wedding planning business … and decides to continue a surprise pregnancy.

But when “Jane” decides to run for public office, that long-ago mistake–an inescapable scarlet A–trails her via the Internet, threatening to derail her life yet again. It’s only a matter of time until her daughter finds out who her mother once was–and is forced to reconcile that person with the one she thinks she knows …

My Thoughts
This book has been on my To Be Read list for over a year and I was finally able to squeeze it in between some ARCs I’ve been reading. I really enjoyed The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by the same author, so I was keen to read one of her other books. However, Young Jane Young didn’t have the same impact on me as Fikry did.

Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you so much to Live The Frugal Life for the nomination for the Versatile Blogger award! I encourage everyone reading this to go subscribe to that blog immediately!  🙂

I started blogging back in late November 2018 so I could share my love of books. I never dreamed I’d have so much support from so many people!!  I already have over 350 followers which blows my mind and I am super thankful for each and every one of you. It feels really good to know there are people out there just as interested in reading as I am and are interested in what I might have to say about the books I read!  Thank you VERY much to all my current and future followers!  YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!  And I have to give a shout out to the blogging community on Twitter… I’ve found so many awesome bloggers there! I wouldn’t have the followers I have today without the awesome people I’ve met via Twitter.

The Truth About Leaving by Natalie Blitt ★★★★★ #BookReview

Synopsis from Goodreads
Lucy Green thought she had her senior year in the bag. Cute boyfriend? Check. College plan? Check. But when her boyfriend dumps her the week before school starts and she literally stumbles into Dov, the new Israeli transfer student, on her first day of school, Lucy’s carefully mapped-out future crumbles.

Determined to have a good senior year, and too busy trying to hold her family together while her mom is across the country working, Lucy ignores the attraction she feels to Dov. But soon, Lucy and Dov’s connection is undeniable. Lucy begins to realize that sometimes, you have to open yourself up to chance. Even if the wrong person at the wrong time is a boy whose bravery you admire and who helps you find your way back to yourself.

My Thoughts
This is a character-driven coming of age story that touches on the topics of grief, duty, responsibility, education, family, and love. But at its heart, this is a story about growing up.

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy ★★★☆☆ #bookreview

Synopsis from Goodreads
Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

My Thoughts
I should have known right off the bat that this book was going to irritate me because of the use of the word “twiggy” in the synopsis.