Samantha's Literary Cafe

So, I took off for the weekend instead of hopping on late Friday to review a book I've recently just finished. I marked Hide by Kiersten White as DNF (did not finish) because I could not for the life of me understand what was going on in the first chapter. Or maybe I am just so into Freida McFadden I wanted her books or something similar. So, I moved on to Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand. My first Elin Hilderbrand book. I heard from so many other reviewers how amazing her books were and how they're perfect for summer. They were right! I loved every part of Barefoot . In Barefoot , we meet three women visting Nantucket for the summer as they cope with the challenges of their life. From marriage to infidelity to children to the mayhem of motherhood to scandal to tragedy and illness. Vicki is trying to sort through the news that she has a serious illness. Her sister, Brenda, has just left her job after being caught in an affair with a student. Their friend, Melanie, after seven faile...

Once again, as promised, the review for If He Had Been with Me by Lauren Nowlin. This book is popular on BookTok and I figured it was time that I read it. I wanted to see what the hype about it was. Let me just say that, to me, I didn't get the hype at all. We have Autumn and Finn who used to be inseparable, but then something changed. Or they changed. Usual high school stuff. They do their best to ignore each other. Autumn has her boyfriend, Jamie, and her close group of friends. Finn has become that boy at school, the one that everyone wants to be around. It still doesn't stop the way Autumn feels every time she and Finn cross paths, and her nagging thought that maybe things could have been different. Maybe they should have been together. And as time passes, Autumn realizes that she may not get another chance to make things right before it's too late. I just didn't feel anything up until the end. I got a bit emotional. It was giving A Thousand Boy Kisses , which I lov...

 As promised, the review for Final Offer . This is the third book in the Dreamland Billionaire series. This series is about three brothers. We follow Rowan, Declan, and Callahan Kane as they learn lessons in life after their grandfather has passed. The Fine Print follows Rowan. Terms and Conditions follows Declan. While this one, Final Offer , follows Callahan or Cal. The third and final book is a second chance romance trope. So, if you're not a fan second chance romance, scroll away. Different from his brothers, Cal is an alcoholic and a washed-up athlete and a trust fund brat. No one really knows Cal except for his childhood best friend and the woman he's only ever loved Alana Castillo. Six years ago, he broke her heart and promised to never return to Lake Wisteria. He kept his word until his grandfather passed and left a will. To earn his inheritance. Cal's task is to spend a summer at the family lake house before selling it. The plan was supposed to go smoothly until it...

It's been a while since I've done book reviews on a blogging website. A lot has happened since 2014 and 2019. I've read a lot. From non-fiction to poetry to short essays. Recently, I've finished my reading goal and just started reading for fun this summer. I do most of my book reviews on Instagram. Mary Jane is a 14-year-old girl living in 1970s Baltimore. She loves cooking with her mother, singing in her church choir, and enjoying her family's subscription to the Broadway Show Tunes of the Month record club. She's shy, quiet, and bookish. She's glad she landed a summer job as a nanny for the daughter of a local doctor. Mary Jane is welcomed into a liberal home while living with conservative parents. This coming-of-age story reminds me of Go Ask Alice, but also Almost Famous and Daisy Jones and the Six. I thought this was such a good coming-of-age book. I've seen so many book reviewers on YouTube say that they loved this book and how it's perfect for...