Book Review: The One and Only by Emily Giffin

This review makes me depressed, but I can't lie to myself (or to anyone reading this) about how I felt about this book. Such is life.

Also, this review has spoilers!!!

The One and Only by Emily Giffin

Publication Date: May 20, 2014

My rating: ★★

Oh dear. I love Emily Giffin's books, but this one made me SO uncomfortable. I read this book in 3 days, not because I thoroughly enjoyed it, but because I was really (REALLY) hoping it would turn around and not go down the path it did. I couldn't relate to Shea too much because I don't love football nearly as much as she does. I like to watch college football games here and there, and that's good enough for me.

I started to get a little creeped out when there were notions of Shea being attracted to Coach, but I honestly thought that was as far as that story would go. Once Shea started ditching plans with her actual  boyfriend, Ryan, to spend time with Coach I started to figure out what was going on (ugh). Not only is Coach 20+ years older than Shea, but he's her best friend's DAD. I just can't. Oh, can't forget that Shea's dad was gone during Shea's childhood, so Coach basically raised Shea too. Stop the madness!

The ending was just terrible. There was some hope where Shea and Coach break things off in order to please Lucy, Shea's best friend and Coach's daughter (even though they made it sound like Lucy was such a terrible person for feeling this way. What!? Again, I just can't). But in the very end, Lucy suddenly decides that Shea and her dad belong together and that "she was wrong". I HATE this so much. Lucy was not wrong whatsoever for feeling creeped out by her dad and best friend "falling in love". Also, I can't believe at all that any girl in her right mind would just be cool with her best friend and dad being together. No. Just no.

I've read several Emily Giffin books and most of them I've enjoyed (some I've even loved!), but this is definitely the worst one in my opinion. I would definitely recommend some other books by Giffin, but this one just went to a weird place.

Book Review: Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

Publication Date: September 4, 2007

My rating: ★★★

My mom LOVES John Grisham. Like, really loves him. My dad can never surprise her with a new book out by him because she already knows about it and most likely went out and bought the book on release day. I could say I’m somewhat like that with Nicholas Sparks and Emily Giffin, but not quite.

Anyway, I borrowed this book from my mom hoping to enjoy John Grisham as much as she does. I’ve read a couple other books by him in the past and I’ll be honest I was a little so-so with those ones. Unfortunately I feel that same way with this book. To be fair, I never expected I would fall in love with a story about football. I live in the Midwest where football is pretty popular, but it’s just not my favorite game to watch. I love football season with the weather, tailgating, etc. And the atmosphere of college football games is definitely something to experience. But a story about a football team in Italy? Really didn’t do much for me.

Of course the writing is good, it is John Grisham after all.  I feel like as the reader we get to know the main character, Rick, pretty well. However I didn’t find myself interested in any (literally ANY) of the other characters we were introduced to. Most of them didn’t seem to have strong enough personalities for me as the reader to connect to. This could also be my lack of interest in the subject of the book, so take my opinion on this with a grain of salt.

This book wasn’t bad by any means, just not my kind of story. I don’t mind a sports book here and there, but maybe I’ll stick to sports movies for a while. 

My Favorite Books of 2019 So Far (+ Mini Reviews!)

So far in 2019 I've read 11 books. To some that's a ton, to others that's ridiculously low. I'm proud of it considering I have a full-time job and am a wife and mom. I'll take 11!

I love using pen and paper when I can, but I have to say I LOVE Goodreads so stinkin' much. I love having a website/app to keep track of what I've read and what books I want to read. Currently my to-read list is at 159 but often times when I get a break from work I jump around in Goodreads and grow that list. ;)

Most of the books I've read in 2019 so far have been great, but some stick out more than others. Here are my favorite books I've read so far.

P.S. I Still Love You and Always And Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Published May 26, 2015 and May 2, 2017, respectively

I read the first book in this series at the end of 2018 and finished it up at the beginning of 2019. I LOVED this series so much and didn't want it to end! There's something so nostalgic about the main character, Lara Jean, and the way she lives her life. The love story between Lara Jean and Peter is truly adorable, yet a little frustrating and stretching at times. I had wanted to read this series for a while, but I will fully admit I didn't read it until after I had seen To All the Boys I've Loved Before on Netflix. I guess I can thank Netflix for giving me a reminder to read what ended up being one of my favorite series ever!

The Women of Duck Commander: Surprising Insights from the Women Behind the Beards About What Makes This Family Work

Published April 1, 2014

Well that's quite a title, isn't it? Long title or not, I will always love books by the Robertson Family. I kinda fell off watching Duck Dynasty towards the end of it but plan to binge-watch it sometime. The Robertsons are such a nice, Godly family and I always love hearing ways they make their lives work in this crazy world we live in. I think too often the "examples" of families we see on TV are not examples at all. It's always nice when Christian families are brought into the limelight and can be actual good examples of what a Christian family and marriage looks like. The Robertsons have been through a lot, especially Miss Kay and Phil, and I think hearing about their story of love and redemption is not one to miss. 

Beyond the Castle: A Guide To Discovering Your Happily Ever After by Jody Jean Dreyer

Published September 5, 2017

Ah, Disney. It's just a magical word. I mentioned this on my Instagram, but long story short, Disney is in my blood. My parents met while working at Disneyland, so I consider my older brothers and myself to be Disney babies, of course. This book is written by Jody Jean Dreyer who held over 20 jobs with Disney (yes, 20+!!) She gives so many insights into the values of Disney and how the parks run. I loved hearing about different departments of Disney as a company, and little secrets that make the Disney parks run smoothly each day. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Disney (specifically the Disney parks) and are curious about the magic of Disney!