Roni Recommends: Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I have made no secret that I love Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books, and I think because I love them so much, I’ve taken them slow. I haven’t devoured her backlist because I don’t want it to run out too quickly. So I’ve had Maybe In Another Life on my shelf for probably about a year. But I finally hit a moment where it felt like the right time to read it. I’m so glad I did!

I love that Reid tends to make her books about a particular question. The question explored in Maybe In Another Life: Can we change our fate by making the smallest decision? Like if we turn left on the street instead of right, does our entire life change? Or are we destined to end up how we end up? This also plays with the concept of soulmates, which she’s explored in other books as well. Do we only have one?

So the premise of this story is that the main character, Hannah, goes to her a bar with her friend. In one scenario, she says yes to going home with her ex-boyfriend from high school. In the other scenario, she turns him down. What follows is a story told in two separate timelines. One follows the first version of Hannah and what happens if she says yes. The other story is if Hannah says no.

This story is heartbreaking at times, but I promise, y’all, this isn’t a sad book. That’s what I love about Reid’s books. She makes you worry about how things might turn out, but then she always gives a satisfying ending (even if it’s not the ending you guessed.) I found the book very life-affirming. It had great characters, romance, and made me think. I am very stingy with rating things 5 stars in my reading journal. This is only the 4th novel I’ve read this year out of almost 60 that got that rating from me. Highly recommended!

About the book:

From the acclaimed author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and After I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.

At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.

Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?

Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.

Buy the book: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

BInge-Worthy TV: Younger (Or Why I Stayed Up Late Too Many Nights Last Month)

If you follow my blog, you know that my primary form of entertainment is reading books not watching TV. I love TV, but with a 10-year old at home and my not so late bedtime, my time to watch grown-up shows is highly limited. So usually, in order to get my TV fix, I choose one show to work my way through. This usually takes a long time.

Then, I started watching Younger (streaming on Hulu and TV Land) while hubs had a string of out-of-town trips. This meant I could choose a show that was just for me that I knew hubs would never want to watch together AND it meant I had no one to say, “Hey babe, it’s getting kind of late and maybe we should tun off the TV.” In other words, I was left to my own devices and ended up not getting enough sleep many a night in the last two months or so because this show is SO fun. Plus, it is a master at the cliffhanger. “Just one more” became a regular mantra. I made it through all five seasons in no time at all.

So, let’s back up, if you have no idea which show I’m talking about. The premise of Younger (the show’s based on a book) is that a 40-something year old Liza is recently divorced (her husband cheated) and is now left with no job and has to pay for her daughter’s college tuition. She tries to get a job in publishing, the career she was in before she became a mom, but she’s been “out of the game too long” according to everyone she interviews with. She’s frustrated and desperate. Her friend suggest she lie about her age. Liza gets a millennial makeover, claims to be 26, and lands an assistant job at Empirical Publishing. That’s the set up. Good hook, yeah?

Well, even though the show is based on this one thing—Liza lying about her age and trying to pull off being a millennial when she is definitely not one—it’s not a one-trick pony. The cast of characters is so funny and likable, the storylines so engaging, and the romances so sexy that I gorged on the seasons like candy.

The episodes are short (less than 30 minutes) so they’re easy to devour, and they are so good at the end-of-episode cliffhanger that I couldn’t help clicking to start the next one too many times. I think I particularly enjoy the premise because I was born at the end of 1979 and sit on the border of the Gen X and Millennial years, so I can laugh and appreciate both generations as they poke fun at them.

Also, the show is set in publishing, so of course I love that. However, be warned, though they get some things right, many of the things they do in publishing are NOT accurate, lol. (Cue me talking to the TV often: “That’s not how it works!”.) Also, the episode focused on romance publishing (which did a cool shout out to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books!) was a little annoying as it didn’t dispel the stereotypes non-romance readers have about the genre. However, the end of that episode made me feel a little better and not quite as annoyed. ;)

Also, if you need no other reason to watch, then watch to appreciate the male beauty of Josh (Nico Tortorella) and Charles (Peter Hermann). I’m actually using Josh as inspiration for Kincaid’s hero (looks wise) in book four of The Ones Who Got Away series.

Josh…

I'm Still Going To Walk You Home Though, Cause I'm A Gentleman GIF from Suttonfoster GIFs

Charles…

Of Course GIF from Peterhermann GIFs

So if you’re looking for something fun that’s full of strong female friendships, steamy romance, and the world of books, you can’t go wrong with this one. Now I’ll be tapping my foot until season 6 arrives.

Seasons 1-5 can be streamed on Hulu or TV Land.

Anyone else a Younger fan? What have you binge-watched lately?

Roni Recommends: Two Feel-Good Reads for Your Weekend

First, I just want to say I’m sending good thoughts to those on the east coast who are dealing with Hurricane Florence today. I hope you all are staying safe. As I mentioned earlier in the week, I was supposed to be in Maryland this weekend for a signing at Nora Roberts’ bookstore Turn the Page. Because of the weather and the fact that I would’ve been flying through the hurricane zone, I had to cancel. But I will be working with the bookstore to reschedule sometime in 2019.

Okay, on to the books! This week I’ve been in the mood to read something fun and fluffy. And I say “fluffy” with the upmost respect, by the way. My definition of fluffy is a book that is a page-turner that makes me laugh and smile and get all the warm and fuzzy feels. Fluffy is actually really hard to pull off. So I was delighted this week to not just fine one but TWO great books that fit the bill.

I devoured these two books, reading them in every little crevice of time between work and family stuff, and now I have the dreaded BOOK HANGOVER. I tried to read something new last night and picked up three different books, read the first chapters, and was like…meh. Book hangovers are both the best (yay it means I’ve read a fantastic book) and the worst (now nothing seems to live up to it.)

So, first up, is a book you’ve probably seen everywhere because it’s a new release by the popular writing duo, Christina Lauren. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is the third book I’ve read by Christina Lauren this year, so that’s saying something because I tend not to read a bunch of books by the same author in a short span of time. (Weird reader quirk.) The only author recently who had me doing that was Colleen Hoover. So this is a rarity. I think what I like so much about the Christina Lauren books is that they have a lot of humor and a great voice. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating was no exception.

This book was a romantic comedy with the friends-to-lovers trope (a trope I adore.) Josh and Hazel are friends and decide to help set each other up on dates, and they keep going on these awful, often funny double dates. Hazel is kind of a manic-pixie-dream-girl type but with more substance so she’s very zany, over the top, and totally accepting that she is who she is. Josh is the quieter, more thoughtful type. But together, they were a really fun pair to watch. I laughed aloud a number of times. It’s a really cute book that will leave you feeling good, so if you’re looking for a pick-me-up, you can’t go wrong here.

Next up is Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, a YA contemporary with a romance. Somehow I have managed to never read a Sarah Dessen novel. I’m not even sure how that is possible. I had three of her books on my e-reader, so clearly I am attracted to the premises in her books, but I’ve managed to not read a one. I have now fixed this—hurrah!—and I’m so glad I did.

Along for the Ride is a story about Auden’s last summer before she goes to college. She lives with her very pretentious professor mother but decides to spend the summer in a beach town with her father, his new wife, and their new baby. Auden was a hard character to connect with upfront because she is so self-contained and has been trained to basically be all work and no play. She’s also supremely lonely and doesn’t know how to connect with kids her own age.

However, once she moves in with her dad, she begins getting exposed to all kinds of things her rigorously academic upbringing has not afforded her. Making friends with girls her age, meeting a boy she likes, and doing fun activities that have nothing to do with academics. There is a sweet romance in this story, but I hesitate to call it a YA romance because though the romance thread is strong, a big portion of this book is about Auden’s journey (her relationship with others, her parents, and how she sees herself.) So this one has some meat to it but still gives you that summery ahh feeling of a beach read. I zoomed through this one even though it’s not a short book. This definitely won’t be the last Sarah Dessen book I read.

So that’s what I’ve got for you and now I must find something to get over my book hangover. I’m thinking maybe a historical romance because I realized when I looked through my book journal that I have read NO historicals in 2018. How is that even possible? I must fix this immediately.

What are you reading this weekend? Or, tell me what’s the last book that gave you a book hangover?