All posts by tracym

You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell

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You and Me, Always CoverI just finished reading Jill Mansell’s You and Me, Always, which is, unsurprisingly, another romantic tale that I always tend to turn to. I often turn to stories of this particular genre as I always seem to enjoy them. In this story, the protagonist’s name is Lily whose life changes on her twenty-fifth birthday when she receives her last birthday letter from her mother who passed away years ago. In this letter, she learns about a man named Declan that Lily’s mother loved many years ago and is determined to meet him. On the same day, she meets a movie star, Eddie, and pursues a relationship with him.

Lily’s new relationships with Eddie and Declan affects her current relationships with the other important people in her life, which we learn quite a bit about as Mansell focuses on each character’s own story, and not just Lily’s. I am pleased with this approach that Mansell takes because I am often curious about other characters that are not the protagonist and their own personal story. I am also pleased that Mansell is able to really grasp the true feelings and emotions of each character. Continue reading →

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

For a while, I have been in the mood for a “rom-com” type of book, and I am so pleased I got my hands on Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game because it was definitely what I was looking for! The story focuses on two co-workers, Lucy and Josh, who despise each other so much they make a game out of it and this game intensifies when they compete for the same promotion. What pleased me so much at this point is that Thorne does not endorse gender inequality in the workplace. Lucy is just as capable as Josh to get the promotion, which makes the story all the more interesting because the reader has no idea who would get the job. Both characters have their strengths and weaknesses that are explicitly portrayed throughout the story, but one strength that I admire about Lucy is her determination to succeed in her career and not being tied down to someone like her mother decided in doing. Continue reading →

The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

The Red Notebook book coverOne phrase to sum up Antoine Laurain’s The Red Notebook is that it’s “short and sweet”! The story begins with a woman named Laure being robbed of her purse, and a bookseller named Laurent discovers it near his place later on. From this brief summary, one could assume that this story would fall under the mystery genre. However, this is not like any other mystery that I have read before. The mystery is not figuring out who had stolen the purse, but rather, the mystery is on Laurent attempting to find out who the purse belongs to. His intention is to return the purse to her, but he is distracted with what he finds in Laure’s purse and becomes fascinated with her. Oddly enough, Laurent’s fascination with Laure was not at all disturbing and just made me all the more fascinated with Laure too! Continue reading →