Book Review: A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery


 

Title: A Summer to Remember

By: Erika Montgomery

Genre: Contemporary

Pages: 320

Release Date: May 11th, 2021

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Rating: ★★★★☆

 

Summary from Goodreads:

For thirty-year-old Frankie Simon, selling movie memorabilia in the shop she opened with her late mother on Hollywood Boulevard is more than just her livelihood--it's an enduring connection to the only family she has ever known. But when a mysterious package arrives containing a photograph of her mother and famous movie stars Glory Cartwright and her husband at a coastal film festival the year before Frankie's birth, her life begins to unravel in ways unimaginable.

What begins is a journey along a path revealing buried family secrets, betrayals between lovers, bonds between friends. And for Frankie, as the past unlocks the present, the chance to learn that memories define who we are, and that they can show us the meaning of home and the magic of true love.

Experience the salty breeze of a Cape Cod summer as it sweeps through this sparkling, romantic, and timeless debut novel tinged with a love of old Hollywood.

 

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Review:

This was a wonderful quick read that made me feel like the sun was on my face and the ocean was breaking on the sand in the background. I really liked how the characters were flawed and broken, but each holding a secret that you just had to find out.

I really didn't expect to fall in love with this book like I did, and I was sad when it was over, but these people will live in my mind for a long time. 

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. 


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Weekly Menu #380 And The Book Of The Week

 

Hello Monday! We managed to survive Thanksgiving, although it was a bit small this year. Some of my siblings decided to spend Thanksgiving with other families this years since our family is so large, just to cut down on the amount of people that got together. Although, that's fine with me, I still do miss them.

This weeks book is Where The World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean. This is another book on my Scotland challenge and I'm excited to find out what it's all about.  

Since there are no holidays this week, I'm back to having a full menu. It's going to be delicious, so enjoy!


 WEEKLY MENU 


Monday

Leftover Turkey and Rice Casserole

 

Tuesday

Taco Tuesday

 

Wednesday

Cajun Chicken Pasta

 

Thursday

Instant Pot Beef Tips

 

Friday

(Kid’s night)

Corn Dogs

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

 

Saturday

Spaghetti Night

 

Sunday

Leftovers Night



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Sunday Confessions #72

 

Hello Sunday! This year is dwindling away, and to tell you the truth, I'm ok with that. Although this year has brought many great and wonderful things for my family, it has also been very challenging and exhausting. Its almost as if the powers that be gave me a 50/50 year. I guess I will take it. It could be worse.

With all the changes, my reading has lessened, but I'm still trying to fit it in where ever I can. With that being said, lets recap the wonderful books that have been highlighted on the blog this last week. 



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Weekly Menu #380 And The Book Of The Week
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Book Review: A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery
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Movie Review: Emma
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Sunday Confessions #73




22/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge
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13/20 in my Scotland challenge
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42/341 Gilmore Girls challenge
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42/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge

I'm excited to be moving along with my challenges, reading a lot of new books about wonderful places. Now that the end of the year is right around the corner, how are your challenges going?

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Book Review: The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M.Eden

 

Title: The Gentleman and the Thief

By: Sarah M. Eden

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Pages: 368

Release Date: November 3rd, 2020

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Rating: ★★★☆☆

 

Summary from Goodreads:

A gentleman scribes penny dreadful novels by night and falls in love with a woman who is a music teacher by day—and a thief at night.

LONDON 1865

From the moment Hollis Darby meets Ana Newport, he’s smitten. Even though he’s from a wealthy, established family and she isn’t, he wishes he could have a life with her by his side. But Hollis has a secret: the deep coffers that have kept his family afloat for generations are bare, so he supports himself by writing penny dreadfuls under a pseudonym. If not for the income from his novels, he would be broke.

Ana Newport also has a secret. Though she once had a place in society thanks to her father’s successful business, bankruptcy and scandal reduced his fortune to nothing more than a crumbling town house. So Ana teaches music during the day, and at night she assumes the identity of the “Phantom Fox.” She breaks into the homes of the wealthy to reclaim trinkets and treasures she feels were unjustly stolen from her family when they were struggling.

When Hollis’s brother needs to hire a music tutor for his daughter, Hollis recommends Ana, giving him a chance to spend time with her. Ana needs the income and is eager for the opportunity to get to know the enigmatic gentleman. What neither of them expects is how difficult it will be to keep their respective secrets from each other.

When a spree of robberies rocks the city, Ana and Hollis join forces to solve the crimes, discovering that working together deepens the affection between them. After all, who better to save the day than a gentleman and a thief?

 

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Review:

I found that this read started off slow and I almost put it down. It was hard to get into, but I'm glad I stuck with it. The book picked up halfway through and had a nice pace to it. The characters seemed to mesh well and I really liked Ana. She seemed to bring a fresh perspective to the story. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and romance, so this was a nice read. 

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
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I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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Book Review: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

 

Title: Into the Wild

By: Jon Krakauer

Genre: Non-Fiction

Pages: 207

Release Date: January 20th, 1997

Publisher: Anchor Books

Rating: ★★★☆☆

 

Summary from Goodreads:

In April, 1992, a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, a party of moose hunters found his decomposed body. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and, unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw away the maps. Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild. 

 

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Review:

I was really interested in this story, but I have to say, the way it was written made it sound really bland. I felt like there wasn't much depth and color to the words and that facts were thrown out instead of a true story. I like my books to paint a picture instead of telling me what happened, and I think that was the one problem with this read. I found it just ok.
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Weekly Menu #379 And The Book Of The Week

 

Hello Monday. This is the week we've all been waiting for. The start of holiday season... Well, at least it is for me. I don't like to start celebrating the holidays until Thanksgiving. I find that I get tired of all the Christmas stuff long before I should if I give in any sooner. 

What is your holiday schedule like? Do you hold off like me until the last minute so you can feel the full joy of Christmas? 


This weeks book is Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin. I really loved the previous book in this series, Serpent & Dove, so I can't wait to slip beneath the cover of this beauty and finding out what happens to Lou and Reid. 

The menu is going to be a little different this week since Thanksgiving is smack dab in the middle of the week. You are going to have to figure that day out on your own, but I think you can handle it. I will be posting the side dishes that I've been asked to bring to my small family gatherings. I hope you all stay safe out there this week and come home healthy. Enjoy the menu.


 WEEKLY MENU 

Monday

Creamy Beef and Shells

 

Tuesday

Mexican Chicken with Cheese Sauce

 

Wednesday

Spaghetti Night

 

Thursday

~ Thanksgiving ~

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Broccoli Salad

 

Friday

Leftover Turkey and Rice Casserole

 

Saturday

Beef Nachos

 

Sunday
Leftovers Night



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