Tuesday, December 29, 2020

The Family Next Door

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~



Synopsis (from Amazon):  Small, perfect towns often hold the deepest secrets.
From the outside, Essie’s life looks idyllic: a loving husband, a beautiful house in a good neighborhood, and a nearby mother who dotes on her grandchildren. But few of Essie’s friends know her secret shame: that in a moment of maternal despair, she once walked away from her newborn, asleep in her carriage in a park. Disaster was avoided and Essie got better, but she still fears what lurks inside her, even as her daughter gets older and she has a second baby. 
When a new woman named Isabelle moves in next door to Essie, she is an immediate object of curiosity in the neighborhood. Why single, when everyone else is married with children? Why renting, when everyone else owns? What mysterious job does she have? And why is she so fascinated with Essie? As the two women grow closer and Essie’s friends voice their disapproval, it starts to become clear that Isabelle’s choice of neighborhood was no accident. And that her presence threatens to bring shocking secrets to light.

The Family Next Door is Sally Hepworth at her very best: at once a deeply moving portrait of family drama and a compelling suburban mystery that will keep you hooked until the very last page.



One (or more) Sentence Summary:  Sally Hepworth is another author to add to your must-read books list.  Who doesn't want to know what is really happening behind "the neighbor's" door?  Super suspenseful as we learn more about Isabelle and why she has moved into the neighborhood.  Another book I couldn't put down!  



Sally Hepworth is the bestselling author of The Secrets of Midwives (2015), The Things We Keep (2016) The Mother's Promise (2017), The Family Next Door (2018) and The Mother In Law (April 2019). Sally's books have been labelled “enchanting” by The Herald Sun, “smart and engaging” by Publisher’s Weekly, and New York Times bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Emily Giffin have praised Sally’s novels as “women’s fiction at its finest” and “totally absorbing”.

Sally's novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into 10+ languages.

Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children.


Sunday, December 20, 2020

Deep State

 ~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~





Synopsis (from Amazon):  

In this white-knuckled, timely, and whip-smart debut thriller, a deadly plot against the president’s life emerges from the shadows of the Deep State.


Recently elected President Richard Monroe—populist, controversial, and divisive—is at the center of an increasingly polarized Washington, DC. Never has the partisan drama been so tense or the paranoia so rampant. In the midst of contentious political turf wars, the White House chief of staff is found dead in his house. A tenacious intern discovers a single, ominous clue that suggests he died from something other than natural causes, and that a wide-ranging conspiracy is running beneath the surface of everyday events: powerful government figures are scheming to undermine the rule of law—and democracy itself. Allies are exposed as enemies, once-dependable authorities fall under suspicion, and no one seems to be who they say they are. The unthinkable is happening. The Deep State is real. Who will die to keep its secrets and who will kill to uncover the truth?



One (or more) Sentence Summary:  I drove Saturday from SW Ohio to Decatur, Illinois for my son's hockey game and listen to Deep State for the whole 5 hours (I listen to audiobooks at the fastest speed).  I have made this drive two other times and this was by far the most entertaining! 

Amazing story and the end....WOW!  I never saw it coming.  Fast paced, great characters, plot against the government with twists and turns is my kind of book.  Deep State would make a great movie!  I can't wait for the second book, Savage Road to come out.  I can't even imagine what adventure Chris Hauty will take us on.  Amazing first book!

The narrator did a great job with all the different characters too!

Now I need to find a book to keep me entertained for the drive back home!

Would I Read Other Books by the Author:  Ready to read Savage Road now!  Can't wait for it to come out.


Chris Hauty was born in San Antonio, Texas, and is a graduate of Reed College. He began his professional writing career with “Don Coyote”, a contemporary interpretation of Cervantes’ “Don Quixote” with Jonathon Lynn attached to direct. Projects in the family film genre followed, including Disney’s “Homeward Bound: Lost In San Francisco”. To broaden and further define himself as a screenwriter, Hauty wrote the original screenplay, “Arena”, a dark, gladiator epic. Subsequent credits include “Moby Dick” at Dreamworks Animation, “Beautiful Killer” at Universal Pictures with Jessica Alba attached, “Land of Legend”, a Viking saga at Walden Media with Renny Harlin set to direct, “Vigilante” at Studio Canal with Ed Burns to star and direct, and “Colosseum” at Icon Pictures, with Mel Gibson to direct. He sold the pitch for “The Eternals”, a supernatural thriller set on a college campus, to CBS Films. Recent produced credits include “Never Back Down”, directed by Jeff Wadlow and starring Djimon Hounsou and “Sniper: Ghost Shooter” staring Billy Zane for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Hauty lives in Venice, California, with his feral cat and a Triumph motorcycle. Deep State is his first novel. Visit him at chrishauty.com and follow along on Instagram, Twitter at @ChrisHauty and on Facebook at @hautywriter.

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Bunco: A Comedy About The Drama Of Friendship

 ~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~



Synopsis:  We all have “those” friends.  Maybe you’ve known them since childhood, or met in college, or while waiting for a child’s practice to end. Maybe you found yourself living on the same street. There’s no single path to friendship. Relationships don’t follow a script and neither do the lives of smart, funny, complicated suburban women.

Jill, Anne, Mary, and Rachel met years ago through a neighborhood group that regularly got together to play a dice game called bunco. Although players have come and gone, they continue to use bunco as an excuse to abandon their day-to-day responsibilities and enjoy food, drinks, and the company of their best friends. 

When new neighbors move in under the cover of night, the foursome sees an opportunity to expand their bunco circle. But within hours, suspicions run rampant as the odd behaviors of the newest residents are interpreted differently. Are they quirky, or kinky? Diabolical, or misunderstood? Time after time, as the truth sheds light on some secrets, more emerge. Each woman finds herself shocked by the friends she thought she knew.

Through the friendly banter, intimate confessions, and tongue-twisting insults, you may see yourself or your friends in these characters. Wipe away tears of laughter and loss as you join the four metaphorical rounds of bunco, and feel part of the conversation. Whether engaging in playful exploits, providing unconditional support, making uncomfortable sacrifices, or winding up in handcuffs again, these ladies are those rarest of friends who become true family. Of course, families don’t follow a script either, unless it is a plot-twisting, slightly off-color comedy about the drama of friendship. And bunco, sort of.


One (or more) Sentence Summary: LOVED IT!  I was told Bunco: A Comedy About the Drama of Friendship was a mix of Desperate Housewives and Bad Moms and it is so true.  I absolutely loved the ladies (and their families).  So many laugh out loud part - the port-a-toilet and the lake! Each of the ladies has their own story and background that intertwine.  None of their own stories are alike, but each deals with real-life situations that most of us can relate to.  

Bunco: A Comedy About the Drama of Friendship is written in what I would call a movie/play/tv script which I really liked.  I could also see this book being turned into a Netflix movie.  Super easy format to read.  Bunco: A Comedy About the Drama of Friendship would make a great book club selection too

I was especially excited to learn that Robin lives in the next town over (literally 5 minutes away).  If she has a real-life Bunco group, I would love to be invited.  So happy to meet a local author!

This was a super-fast read, extremely funny with real-life scenarios.  Bunco: A Comedy About the Drama of Friendship is a MUST read for sure!

Would I Read Other Books by the Author: Absolutely and hope there are more to come! Can't wait to see what Robin writes next.  




Robin Delnoce has the kind of sense of humor that would crush any political aspirations. Her off-color humor amuses most but offends a few, and she has been known to issue a post-party apology or two. After twenty years of being caught in her verbal crosshairs, her husband kindly suggested she shift her energies to a more constructive outlet.

To learn more, go to https://buncothebook.com/

Monday, December 14, 2020

A California Christmas

 ~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~



Synopsis (from Amazon):  Up-and-coming TV anchor Emery Bliss can’t imagine anything more humiliating than the sex tape her ex revenge-posted online. That is, until it causes her to lose her job on top of her dignity and self-esteem. Seeking solace—and anonymity—in Silver Springs, Emery isn’t looking to get involved with another man any time soon. But when she’s thrown back into contact with Dallas Turner, she sees something that his many detractors have missed.

Being home for the holidays and his adoptive mother’s wedding isn’t where mountain climber Dallas feels most comfortable. Thanks to his troubled childhood, he’d rather be on a rock face alone than trying to connect with people. Emery, however, makes him want to overcome his past…somehow.

Both Emery and Dallas had been planning on a quiet, solitary Christmas, but the sparks between them are lighting a fire strong enough to last—possibly forever.




One (or more) Sentence Summary:  A great read this time of year or any time you need to get into the holiday spirit.  I really liked both Dallas and Emery.  What Emery went through is just terrible and Dallas helps set it all straight while dealing with his own demons.  There are some steam scenes where sparks fly!

Very enjoyable, great characters, fast read - just my kind of book!

Would I Read Other Books by the Author: I would really like to start at book 1 in the series (even though it is not needed - A California Christmas stands on its own).  There are 8 so far and A California Christmas is book 7.  Oh course the title that caught my eye was The Bookstore on the Beach!  The Dr. Talbot series looks really good too!




Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller's Best, the Bookbuyer's Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she's raised $2.5 million.

Aunt Ivy's Cottage

 ~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~





Synopsis:  Up in the attic, with views across the sparkling bay, she opens the lid of the carved trunk. Carefully moving aside the delicate linen wedding dress once worn by her great-aunt, she unpacks all the smaller boxes inside until she finds the leather-bound diary. She knows this will change everything…

All Zoey’s happiest childhood memories are of her great-aunt Ivy’s rickety cottage on Dune Island, being spoiled with cranberry ice cream and watching the tides change from the rooftop. Now, heartbroken from a recent breakup, Zoey can see her elderly aunt’s spark is fading, and decides to move to the island so they can care for each other.

When she arrives to find her cousin, Mark, sitting at the solid oak kitchen table, she knows why Aunt Ivy hasn’t been herself. Because Mark—next in line to inherit the house—is pushing Ivy to move into a nursing home.

With the cousins clashing over what’s best for Ivy, Zoey is surprised when the local carpenter who’s working on Ivy’s cottage takes her side. As he offers Zoey comfort, the two grow close. Together, they make a discovery in the attic that links the family to the mysterious and reclusive local lighthouse keeper, and throws doubt on Mark’s claim…

Now Zoey has a heartbreaking choice to make. The discovery could keep Ivy in the house she’s loved her whole life… but can Zoey trust that the carpenter really has Ivy’s best interests at heart? And will dredging up an old secret destroy the peace and happiness of Ivy’s final years—and tear this family apart for good?



One (or more) Sentence Summary:  Aunt Ivy's Cottage is a book with lots of secrets that all come out in the end.  Zoey returns to her Aunt Ivy's cottage to help due to two aunts due to their failing health but also because she has lost her job.  Her niece joins her to finish out the school year due to problems at home.  Both end up finding their way to happiness on Dune Island.  

I wish Zoey could have been stronger right from the start.  She really lets her cousin Mark bully her.  She does find her voice at the end.  Mark really is not a nice person, but he too comes around by the end.  We probably all have family members who aren't and we tend to tread lighting as not to "poke the bear"!  I know I do.

The house begins to slow show some hidden secrets.  As Zoey unravels them and the truth comes out, you will be in for a surprise.  The turn Aunt Ivy's Cottage takes at the end was one I did not see coming.  A very enjoyable book and loved the journey to Dune Island.

Check out other reviews: 

Sunday, December 13, 2020

The Things We Cannot Say

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~



Synopsis (from Amazon):  In 1942, Europe remains in the relentless grip of war. Just beyond the tents of the Russian refugee camp she calls home, a young woman speaks her wedding vows. It’s a decision that will alter her destiny…and it’s a lie that will remain buried until the next century.

Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now fifteen and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina’s tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate.

Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears. Where Alina used to measure time between visits from her beloved, now she measures the spaces between hope and despair, waiting for word from Tomasz and avoiding the attentions of the soldiers who patrol her parents’ farm. But for now, even deafening silence is preferable to grief.

Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative. The Things We Cannot Say is an unshakable reminder of the devastation when truth is silenced…and how it can take a lifetime to find our voice before we learn to trust it.


One (or more) Sentence Summary:  Beautifully written.  It seems there are a lot of books written about WWII in the past 3 or so years.  I enjoy them, even more, when they have a different twist to them.  The Things We Cannot Say is one of them. You will need tissue - it is a tearjerker (and worth the swollen, red eyes the next day).

Would I Read Other Books by the Author:  Oh my word, Kelly Rimmer, has so many books that look really, really good.  Start Up in the City series looks great.  When I Lost You, Me Without You, and Before I Let You Go all like great reads (and gut-wrenching).




Kelly Rimmer is a USA Today bestselling author of five novels, including Me without You and The Secret Daughter. She lives in rural Australia with her husband, two children, and fantastically naughty dogs Sully and Basil. Her novels have been translated into more than twenty languages.


Friday, December 11, 2020

Mr. Right - Swipe

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~




Synopsis (from Amazon): Rae Wallace would rather drown in a vat of pinot greezh and be eaten by her own beagle than make another trip down the aisle--even if it is her best friend's wedding. She's too busy molding the minds of first graders and polishing that ol' novel in the drawer to waste time on any man.

But when her best friends stage an intervention, Rae is forced to give in. After all, they've hatched a plan to help her find love the 21st century way: online. She's skeptical of this electronic chlamydia catcher, but she's out to prove she hasn't been too picky with men.

However, when a familiar fella's profile pops up--the dangerously hot substitute teacher from work--Rae swipes herself right into a new problem...

Sarcastic, irreverent, and uproariously funny--the painfully-true, so-insightful-it-hurts kind of funny--Ricki Schultz's wry debut will speak to fans of Bridesmaids or Trainwreck, and to anyone who's ever been on a bad date.




One (or more) Sentence Summary:  Funny read about online dating.  Relatable characters, current trend in dating (thank goodness I am married) and easy read


Ricki Cardenas is the author of two humorous women’s fiction novels, MR. RIGHT-SWIPE (2017) and Georgia Author of the Year finalist SWITCH AND BAIT (2018), both published by Grand Central (Hachette) under the name Ricki Schultz. 

Among other publications, she has contributed to Writer’s Digest Books, and she is also a freelance editor. She earned a B.A. in English and an M.Ed. in Secondary Education from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, and she’s taught English for most of her adult life. She lives in Atlanta now with her husband and geriatric beagle, and her writing is represented by Barbara Poelle of Irene Goodman Literary Agency. 

If you feel so inclined, give her Facebook author page a "like" (http://www.facebook.com/rickicardibooks), follow her on Twitter (@RickiCardi), or take a gander at her on the Instagrams (rickicardibooks). She would love to discuss taking on your editing project, so check out her Web site (www.rickicardenas.com) or shoot her an e-mail (rickicardibooks@gmail.com).

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

One Less Problem Without You

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~



Synopsis (from Amazon):  Meet Prinny, Chelsea and Diana. Prinny is the owner of Cosmos, a shop that sells crystals, potions, candles, and hope. It’s also a place where no one turns down a little extra-special cocktail that can work as a romance potion or heal a broken heart. But Prinny is in love with her married lawyer and she’ll need nothing short of magic to forget about him. 

Chelsea works as a living statue at tourist sites around Washington, DC. It's a thankless job, but it helps pay the rent. That, and her part-time job at Cosmos. As her dream of becoming a successful actress starts to seem more remote and the possibility of being a permanently struggling one seems more realistic, Chelsea begins to wonder: at one point do you give up on your dreams? And will love ever be in the cards for her?
Diana Tiesman is married to Leif, a charismatic man who isn’t faithful. But no matter how many times he lets her down, Diana just can't let him go. She knows the only way she can truly breakaway is if she leaves and goes where he will never think to follow. So she ends up at Cosmos with Leif’s stepsister, where she makes her homemade teas and tinctures as she figures out whether she'd rather be lonely alone than lonely in love.
In Beth Harbinson's One Less Problem Without You, three women suddenly find themselves together at their own very different crossroads. It will take hope, love, strength and a little bit of magic for them to find their way together.



One (or more) Sentence Summary:  Three stories in one. Loved it! Toss in a bit of magic and you have a great book.  I would love to have a Cosmos shop in my town!  Enjoyable all the way to the end.

Would I Read Other Books by the Author:  I need to read more of Beth Harbison's books.  I have listened to The Shoe Addict series and enjoyed it. She has a lot of books that look really great.


Beth Harbison is the New York Times bestselling author of "Shoe Addicts Anonymous", "Hope in a Jar", and more. Her latest book is "Always Something There to Remind Me", a poignant look at first love and the eternal question "what if...?" She currently splits her time between Washington, DC and New York City.

Monday, December 7, 2020

I Liked My Life

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~



Synopsis (from Amazon):  A story from debut author Abby Fabiaschi that is "as absorbing as it is illuminating, and as witty as it is heartbreaking."

Maddy is a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother, host of excellent parties, giver of thoughtful gifts, and bestower of a searingly perceptive piece of advice or two. She is the cornerstone of her family, a true matriarch...until she commits suicide, leaving her husband Brady and teenage daughter Eve heartbroken and reeling, wondering what happened. How could the exuberant, exacting woman they loved disappear so abruptly, seemingly without reason, from their lives? How they can possibly continue without her? As they sift through details of her last days, trying to understand the woman they thought they knew, Brady and Eve are forced to come to terms with unsettling truths.
Maddy, however, isn’t ready to leave her family forever. Watching from beyond, she tries to find the perfect replacement for herself. Along comes Rory: pretty, caring, and spontaneous, with just the right bit of edge...but who also harbors a tragedy of her own. Will the mystery of Maddy ever come to rest? And can her family make peace with their history and begin to heal? A story from debut author Abby Fabiaschi that is "as absorbing as it is illuminating, and as witty as it is heartbreaking."





One (or more) Sentence Summary:  I loved I Liked My Life!  A tear-jerking and emotional read that will have you laughing and crying all the way to the end. Abby is debut novel is amazing and her book deserves a lot of praise.  


Abby Fabiaschi is a human rights advocate and co-founder of Empower Her Network, a nonprofit that paves a path for survivors of human trafficking with a will for independence. In 2012 Abby resigned from her executive post in high tech to pursue a career in writing. I LIKED MY LIFE is her first novel. She and her family divide their time between West Hartford, Connecticut, and Park City, Utah. Learn more at www.abbyfabiaschi.com and www.empowerhernetwork.org.

Saturday, December 5, 2020

Don't You Cry

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~


Synopsis (from Amazon):  In downtown Chicago, Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace. A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among her possessions, leaving her roommate Quinn Collins to question how well she really knew her friend. Meanwhile, in a small town an hour outside Chicago, a mysterious woman appears in the quiet coffee shop where eighteen-year-old Alex Gallo works as a dishwasher. He is immediately drawn to her, but what starts as an innocent crush quickly spirals into something far more sinister. 

As Quinn searches for answers about Esther, and Alex is drawn further under the stranger’s spell, master of suspense Mary Kubica takes readers on a taut and twisted thrill ride that builds to a stunning conclusion and shows that no matter how fast and far we run, the past always catches up with us.


One (or more) Sentence Summary:  Another good psychological thriller!  So many twists and turns and just when I thought I figured it out....I didn't.  Great read!



Mary Kubica is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including THE GOOD GIRL and her upcoming release, THE OTHER MRS. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children.

Visit Mary at http://www.marykubica.com/


Thursday, December 3, 2020

The Witch's Daughter

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~


Synopsis (from Amazon):  My name is Elizabeth Anne Hawksmith, and my age is three hundred and eighty-four years. Each new settlement asks for a new journal, and so this Book of Shadows begins… 

In the spring of 1628, the Witchfinder of Wessex finds himself a true Witch. As Bess Hawksmith watches her mother swing from the Hanging Tree she knows that only one man can save her from the same fate at the hands of the panicked mob: the Warlock Gideon Masters, and his Book of Shadows. Secluded at his cottage in the woods, Gideon instructs Bess in the Craft, awakening formidable powers she didn't know she had and making her immortal. She couldn't have foreseen that even now, centuries later, he would be hunting her across time, determined to claim payment for saving her life.

In present-day England, Elizabeth has built a quiet life for herself, tending her garden and selling herbs and oils at the local farmers' market. But her solitude abruptly ends when a teenage girl called Tegan starts hanging around. Against her better judgment, Elizabeth begins teaching Tegan the ways of the Hedge Witch, in the process awakening memories--and demons--long thought forgotten.

Part historical romance, part modern fantasy, Paula Brackston's New York Times bestseller, The Witch's Daughter, is a fresh, compelling take on the magical, yet dangerous world of Witches. Readers will long remember the fiercely independent heroine who survives plagues, wars, and the heartbreak that comes with immortality to remain true to herself, and protect the protégé she comes to love.



One (or more) Sentence Summary: Wickedly good!  I liked the historical and present-day of the story.  We learn about 4 different time periods (3 in the past and 1 in the present). Best part - there is a book 2, so the story doesn't end...yet!



Paula Brackston lives in the historic city of Hereford on the Welsh border. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University, and has been a Visiting Lecturer for the University of Wales, Newport. Before becoming a writer, Paula tried her hand at various career paths, with mixed success. These included working as a groom on a racing yard, a travel agent, a secretary, an English teacher, a script reader, and a goat herd. Everyone involved (particularly the goats) is very relieved that she has now found a job she is actually able to do properly. 

In 2007 Paula was shortlisted in the Creme de la Crime search for new writers. In 2010 her book 'Nutters' (writing as PJ Davy) was shortlisted for the Mind Book Award. The following year she was selected by the BBC under their New Welsh Writers scheme. 'The Witch's Daughter' became a New York Times bestseller. Her books are translated into five languages and sold around the world.


Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Us Against You

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~



Synopsis (from Amazon): Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did.
Have you ever seen a town rise? Ours did that, too. 

A small community tucked deep in the forest, Beartown is home to tough, hardworking people who don’t expect life to be easy or fair. No matter how difficult times get, they’ve always been able to take pride in their local ice hockey team. So it’s a cruel blow when they hear that Beartown ice hockey might soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in the neighboring town of Hed, take in that fact. As the tension mounts between the two adversaries, a newcomer arrives who gives Beartown hockey a surprising new coach and a chance at a comeback.

Soon a team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; always dutiful and eager-to-please Bobo; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the town’s enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.

As the big game approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt intensifies. By the time the last goal is scored, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after everything, the game they love can ever return to something as simple and innocent as a field of ice, two nets, and two teams. Us against you.

Here is a declaration of love for all the big and small, bright and dark stories that give form and color to our communities. With immense compassion and insight, Fredrik Backman—“the Dickens of our age” (Green Valley News)—reveals how loyalty, friendship, and kindness can carry a town through its most challenging days.




One (or more) Sentence Summary:  Oh my...another book by Backman that I LOVED.  I cried a lot (sobbed), so you may need a tissue, or two.  Us Against You really hit me hard.  I have 16 years old twin girls and a 17years old son who plays junior hockey.  This story broke my heart no matter what way you slice it.  Another MUST-READ Backman book. 

Even though I read this book 2 years ago, I still recommend Us Against You and Beartown to everyone and anyone.  Right after that, I recommend all of Backman's books!  I would love to see the two books turned into a movie on Netflix.  Backman has a new book out that I can't wait to read! Please keep them coming....LOVE THEM.


Fredrik Backman, a blogger and columnist, is the New York Times bestselling author of A MAN CALLED OVE and MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY. Both were number one bestsellers in his native Sweden and around the world, and are being published in more than thirty five territories. His latest novel is BRITT-MARIE WAS HERE. He lives in Stockholm with his wife and two children. 


Visit him online:
blog - FredrikBackman.com
twitter @backmanland
instagram @backmansk.