What_Kel_Reads

You Were There Too was released by Berkley on January 7th, 2020.  I was given a copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. (Synopsis from Goodreads) Mia Graydon's life looks picket-fence perfect; she has the house, her loving husband, and dreams of starting a family. But she has other dreams too—unexplained, recurring ones starring the same man. Still, she doesn’t think much of it, until a relocation to small-town Pennsylvania brings her face to face with the stranger she has been dreaming about for years. And this man harbors a jaw-dropping secret of his own—he's been dreaming of her too.  Determined to understand, Mia and this not-so-stranger search for answers. But when diving into their pasts begins to unravel her life in the present, Mia emerges with a single question— what if? I really wanted to like this book.  Unfortunately, I had a really hard time with it.  Mia spends half the book talking about how she has feelings for someone oth...

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was written by Abbi Waxman, released by Berkley on July 9, 2019.  I was given my copy by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Nina has her idea of the perfect life.  She has a job at a bookstore (SO JEALOUS), her planner, awesome trivia team friends, and her cat Phil.  When her out-of-the-picture father dies and she discovers she has a huge family that wants to meet her, she panics.  Now she has to figure out how to communicate with these STRANGERS.  In addition to all of that awkward, her trivia version of Draco Malfoy named Tom turns out to be cute and kind of funny, and she might have a crush on him!  Nina now has to figure out how to break out of her shell to deal with all of the new feelings and people.  Thankfully, we get to watch her do it. This was one of my favorite books of the year.  I almost feel like I should personally apologize to Abbi Waxman for taking so long to read it.  I rela...

Okay listen-I've been terrible about updating lately.  I was lucky enough to get what is basically my current dream job.  The hours are long.  The work is HARD.  The effort is so worth it.  As a result, I've fallen a bit behind on my book reviews....and by a bit, I mean I have like 7-10 books waiting on me.  Please bear with me.  I'll get caught up eventually! 😓 Today's review is for Hazel Prior's Ellie and the Harpmaker.  I was lucky enough to get this book through NetGalley, all thanks to the lovely people at Berkley Publishing Group.  Ellie and the Harpmaker was released on August 6, 2019. Ellie is a lonely housewife, strolling along the woods in Exmoor when she stumbles across a barn owned by a man named Dan.  Dan is a harp maker. Because she looks so sad, Dan gives her a harp.  This is how a very unique friendship begins between the two of them.  It may even blossom into true love.  This story was inter...

The Friends We Keep by author Jane Green will be released by Berkley Publishing Group on 06/04/19.  When I saw the cover on NetGalley, I knew I had to read the story!  This story follows the lives of Evvie, Maggie, and Topher.  They met at university and spent their years there inseparable.   Evvie becomes a supermodel, only to derail by sleeping with a married man.   Maggie marries Ben, her dream man from university and has to battle the problems his drinking causes.  Topher becomes a well-known actor, but his childhood haunts him and prevents him from building good relationships. They reunite at their 30 year reunion.  Having lost touch over the years, they attempt to rebuild their lives together.  When a terrible secret is brought to light, these 3 must decide if they are strong enough to overcome it together. This book was so easy to identify with.  From the fears of what comes after university to the struggle of ...