And though each of us has our own individual stories to tell, a true adventure emerges when we bring them all together as one. That line from Epcot's fireworks show, Illuminations, is my guiding light. As someone who has struggled to identify and express emotion, reading stories that do that with vulnerability and authenticity has supplied me with a path forward. It's what I aim to do with my writing. To inspire, evoke a kaleidoscope of emotions, and connect. Some read to escape reality. I do so to navigate it. As the prelude to Illuminations eloquently states, there's magic when we share our stories and bring them together as one.
Is accepting a troubled past safer than embracing an uncertain future? Sophie Holland, a model living in New York City, is lost in the shadow of her fiancé, and haunted by traumatic memories from her past. Sophie’s unexpected journey to Pigeon Grove results in a surprising encounter. Mason Shaw, a hopeful restauranter, might appear like an open book, but his inability to share emotions for the truly important things in life keeps him from navigating similar turbulence from his past. Through a genuine connection and unspoken communication, Mason and Sophie stumble upon a growing realization. We don’t need to go through life alone, and trust hides in that fragile space between holding on and letting go.
Compelling (adj.): evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.
It’s a favorite word in my vocabulary. But I'm compelled (ironically) to remove it from past reviews. This novel sets a new benchmark for this word's literary meaning.
This story addresses controversial topics that keep the reader thinking while considering their own stance on societal issues. There is language and sexual undertones throughout this novel, but it’s done in a respectful manner that adds tone and depth to the characters instead of detracting from them.
If you're looking for a story that helps to find yourself amidst the chaos of everyday life, Evelyn Hugo and Monique Grant, through the compelling storytelling prowess of Ms. Reid, might give you a peek behind the curtain that reveals a greater truth.
"If you're looking for a book to take on holiday this summer, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has got all the glitz and glamour to make it a perfect beach read." -Bustle
From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six-an entrancing and "wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet" (PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready…
Occasionally, a book affects you profoundly: as a reader, writer, and person.
As a reader, the characters were part of my life. The ebb and flow of conflict, resolution, and tension was captivating. While reading this book, I slowed down instead of speeding up, to savor every emotion with intensity.
As a writer, Ms. Hannah uses language to convey heart-wrenching emotion. This is the joy, despair, hope, love, anger, and rage I want to share in my stories.
As a person, stories let us inspect the complex intricacies of humanity. It’s inspiring, moving, and encouraging. This one evocatively demonstrates the power of love, family, courage, and hope. I would be surprised if this book disappointed you, and not surprised a bit if it changes you on some deeper level.
Soon to be a major motion picture, The Nightingale is a multi-million copy bestseller across the world. It is a heart-breakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the endurance of women.
This story is about what it was like to be a woman during World War II when women's stories were all too often forgotten or overlooked . . . Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac are two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals and passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path towards survival, love and freedom in war-torn France.
Lauren Denton continues leading me down a road filled with glory and unparalleled splendor. The authenticity and raw connectedness to her characters resonates on a level that transcends fiction.
Life is messy and uncertain. It’s the people we surround ourselves with and summoning the courage to open up that makes everything seem “right”. There’s no word for it, that feeling when everything settles into place because you’ve given yourself permission to be the person you truly are. But the entirety of this novel wraps around you with that message.
Find your path, with all its grooves, bumps, and ruts. There might be dusty fragments scattered in the breeze or thick mud that slows you down, but when it’s “your” road and choice, it’s undeniably the most glorious road you’ll travel.
As three generations of women navigate the uncertain paths of their hearts and futures, one summer promises to bring change-whether they're ready for it or not.
At thirty-eight, garden shop owner Jessie McBride thinks her chances for romance are years behind her and, after her failed marriage, she's fine with that. She lives contentedly with her fiery mother and her quiet, headstrong daughter. But the unexpected arrival of two men on Glory Road make her question if she's really happy with the status quo.
Handsome, wealthy Sumner Tate asks her to arrange flowers for his daughter's wedding, and Jessie finds…
I hoped to like this book, but I didn’t expect to. I don’t usually read YA novels. No matter your normal reading preferences, though, there’s something special here for every reader.
Abbie captures elements of the human condition with artistic and poetic fluency that make it a joy to read her prose. But there’s more to love about this story. Tessa and Weston are two characters I immediately identified with and connected to, because of their authentic feelings and flawed selves.
Finding yourself amid chaos becomes easier when you have someone to share that experience with. Tessa and Weston prove this in a way that’s emotionally moving and authentic. Part coming of age and love story, 100 Days of Sunlight will shine bright long beyond that span of time.
When 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight for 100 days, she feels like her whole world has been turned upside-down.
Terrified that her vision might never return, Tessa feels like she has nothing left to be happy about. But when her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper looking for a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging, an unlikely answer knocks at their door: Weston Ludovico, a boy her age with bright eyes, an optimistic smile…and no legs.
Knowing how angry and afraid Tessa is feeling, Weston thinks…
There are twenty-six letters in the alphabet and infinite ways to combine them, to portray every emotion a human experiences.
The overarching sentiment I appreciate after reading this book is that the beauty of romance can’t be fully captured with inky black symbols, even if arranged perfectly. You can get close, but true love is something that is felt.
In countless places, my heart was torn apart and healed, all inside a single sentence. This paradox and roller coaster of emotions encapsulates the rapturous essence of love.
We need more of the unnamed sentiments in this book to pour into our world. There’s a bygone nostalgia and charm, a flame to reignite through stories like this. Embrace the magic of love. Believe in it, feel it, and share it.
Fall in love with one of the bestselling novels of all time -- the legendary love story that became a beloved film starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.
If you've ever experienced the one true love of your life, a love that for some reason could never be, you will understand why readers all over the world are so moved by this small, unknown first novel that they became a publishing phenomenon and #1 bestseller.
The story of Robert Kincaid, the photographer and free spirit searching for the covered bridges of Madison County, and Francesca Johnson, the farm wife waiting…
Two women, a century apart, seek to rebuild their lives after leaving their homelands. Arriving in tropical Singapore, they find romance, but also find they haven’t left behind the dangers that caused them to flee.
Haunted by the specter of terrorism after 9/11, Aislinn Givens leaves her New York career and joins her husband in Southeast Asia when he takes a job there. She acquires several paintings by a colonial-era British artist that she believes are a warning.
The artist, Elizabeth Pennington, tells her own tumultuous story through diary entries that end when World War I reaches the colony with catastrophic results. In the present, Aislinn and her husband learn that terrorism takes many shapes when they are ensnared by local political upheaval and corruption.
"Aislinn Givens leaves a settled life in Manhattan for an unsettled life in Singapore. That painting radiates mystery and longing. So does Clifford Garstang's vivid and simmering novel, The Last Bird of Paradise." –John Dalton, author of Heaven Lake and The Inverted Forest
Two women, nearly a century apart, seek to rebuild their lives when they reluctantly leave their homelands. Arriving in Singapore, they find romance in a tropical paradise, but also find they haven't left behind the dangers that caused them to flee.
In the aftermath of 9/11 and haunted by the specter of terrorism, Aislinn Givens leaves her…
