Ladies' Night

Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2014
Pages: 480
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Take a splash of betrayal, add a few drops of outrage, give a good shake to proper behavior and take a big sip of a cocktail called. . .Ladies' Night.

Grace Stanton's life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger take a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style. Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and ives above a rundown beach bar called "The Sandbox," is less than ideal. So is attending court-mandated weekly "divorce recovery" therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to the best only commonality. When their "divorce coach" starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday "Ladies' Night" sessions at The Sandbox, and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there? 

Review: This book was pure entertainment and a great escape. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Weekenders

Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2017
Pages: 464
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Some people stay all summer long on the idyllic island of Belle Isle, North Carolina. Others come only for the weekens, and the mix between regulars and "the weekenders" can sometimes make sparks fly. Riley Griggs has a season of good time with friends and family ahead of her on Belle Isle when things take an unexpected turn. While waiting for her husband to arrive on the ferry one Friday afternoon, Riley is confronted by a process server who thrusts papers into her hand. And her husband is nowhere to be found. 

So she turns to her island friends for help and support, but it becomes clear that each of them has their own secrets, and the clock is ticking as the mystery deepends. . .in a murderous way. Now Riley must find a way to investigate teh secrets of Belle Isle, the husband she might not really know, and the summer that could change everything.

Review: This was my first Mary Kay Andrews novel. She and Diane Chamberlain, one of my fave authors, are friends in real life so I had been wanting to read her for awhile. As far as I can tell by reading reviews this isn't one of her better novels, but I enjoyed it. I was looking for a book I could escape into, and I found it. Success. 

You Belong with Me

Author: Tari Faris

Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2019
Pages: 368
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Realtor Hannah Thornton has many talents. Unfortunately, selling houses in the town where her family name is practically poison isn't one of them. WHen a business tycoon determines to raze historic homes in the small town of Heritage, Michigan, and replace them with a strip mall, Hannah resolves to stop hi. She sets about helping Heritage win a restoration grant that will put the town back on the map-and hopefully finally repay the financial debt Hannah's mother caused the town. But at first no one supports her efforts-not even her best friend, Luke.

Luke Johnson may have grown up in Heritage, but as a foster kid he never truly felt as if he belonged. Now he has a chance to score a job as assistant fire chief and earn his place in the town. BUt when the interview process and Hannah's restoration project start unearthing things from his past, Luke must decide if belonging is worth the pain of being honest about who he is-and who he was.

Review: There was a lot going on in this book. The author tied everything up nicely, but it was a lot to follow. Definitely a cute, fast read though. I liked it.

The Happy Camper

Author: Melody Carlson
Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2020
Pages: 352
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Home is the place to heal, right? At least, that's what Dillon Michaels is hoping as she leaves her disappointing career and nonstarter love life behind to help her grieving and aging grandfather on his small Oregon farm. The only problem? Her eccentric mother beat her there and has taken over Dillon's old room. After a few nights sleeping on a sagging sofa, Dillon is ready to give up, until she receives an unlikely gift, her grandfather's run-down vintage camp trailer, which she quickly resolves to restore with the help of Jordan Atwood, the handsome owner of the local hardware store.

But just when things are finally beginning to run smoothly, Dillon's non-committal ex-boyfriend shows up with roses. . .and a ring.

Review: I chose this book for the cover. It was light, fluffy, and pure entertainment. I loved it so much I read it in a few hours. Thoroughly predictable and fun. For a little while I got to be Dillon.