Luanne Oleas

This may be my favorite [a:Elinor Lipman 63681 Elinor Lipman https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1482327276p2/63681.jpg] novel so far. Maybe I'm just morbid, but having it start with two accidental deaths and uncovering the secrets of the deceased lives post mortem intrigued me. Sunny lost her mother, Fletcher lost his father, and one of them lost both. (No spoilers.) It all happens in a little burg named King George, NH, where everyone knows everyone's business. I think one of the interesting aspects of the novel was how much baggage Sunny carried from high school even at 31. Maybe returning to her home town brought it all back but I think we all have those vague tendencies. Once in grammar school, someone says you have a big nose, and you still remember that when you turn 80. In Sunny's case, she was an excellent golfer who made the guys' varsity team in high school. However, as the first female ever on the team, not to mention the best golfer on the team, she took a lot of flack for trying to be part of the team.Insecurities abound in this story. The local doctor has them, a political candidate has them, her campaign manager has them, and even the chief of police is riddled with self-doubt. Seeing all those neuroses connected by a dead man and woman is the fun of the plot. Lipman really turned on her storytelling chops to write [b:The Dearly Departed 459337 The Dearly Departed Elinor Lipman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320404587l/459337.SY75.jpg 447819]. I had a ball reading it.

If you're wondering how to deal with a lost loved one, read this book.

Anyone who says: “To talk about memories is to live them a little,” has a grip on the truth. I previously read THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by the same author. While I think that book was a little better, both books are excellent.

Also, if you've ever wanted to live forever, it might help to look into this book. Though fiction, the novel plumbs the depths of a long life, particularly in relationship to those with an average life span. While it's not a book about time travel, it does jump back and forth between centuries in an enticing way.

Overall, it was a quick read. However, I felt it was important to take time and think about what the author was exploring. He is a thought-provoking philosopher as well as a student of physics. I think a delightful side note explored how almost every idea comes and goes out of fashion, whether it's getting your tonsils out or climate change. What is believed today as fact, may prove to be folly tomorrow... or in a century, should you live that long.

This is my first [a:Elinor Lipman 63681 Elinor Lipman https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1482327276p2/63681.jpg] book, but it won't be my last. I've already got [b:Good Riddance 37569327 Good Riddance Elinor Lipman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524763503l/37569327.SX50.jpg 59180034] lined up next.I was fascinated by the main character's (Alice Thrift) personality, which was well-described and so realistic. Her mother insists she must be on the autism spectrum. Perhaps. But she seems to only be able to focus on her profession (her residency at a Boston hospital) and nothing else. Still, Alice knows something's missing in life and in her own awkward way, she tries to compensate.Enter Ray Russo, chocolate salesman, who just might be selling something else. At the time they meet, Alice has a roommate, a nurse named Leo, with whom she gets along with quite well. But since he's so popular, she automatically assumes he wouldn't be interested in her. Others notice the opposite. Still, she moves out when he consistently brings Meredith into their apartment, thinking he needs the privacy. Alice's parents, Alice's new best friend, Sylvie, and even Leo all question Alice's judgment when it comes to Ray. The book makes the reader wonder if they could all be wrong and only naïve Alice can see Ray's good side. He's smart, attentive, good in bed, and doesn't mind all the hours that Alice puts in at the hospital. What's not to love? I think Alice's growth is particularly well done in this novel. It happens not just in her personal life, but in her professional life too. Her essence doesn't change, but she does find a way through life with a little help from her friends—and her own good sense. Can't wait to read Lipman's next book. So much so, I actually streamed and watched a movie if her first book on my phone [b:Then She Found Me 483369 Then She Found Me Elinor Lipman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348466722l/483369.SY75.jpg 902699]. I'll have to read that one too. The movie was very well done. I imagine the book will be better.

I really didn't want this book, [b:The Dutch House 44318414 The Dutch House Ann Patchett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552334367l/44318414.SY75.jpg 68864841] to end. I grew fond of Danny, the narrator, and his sister Maeve. In many ways, it was more Maeve's story than Danny's, though the tale was told with his perceptions. [a:Ann Patchett 7136914 Ann Patchett https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1371838720p2/7136914.jpg] can tell a story like no other author. She only tells you what you need to know. She leaves the rest for the reader to fill in the blanks. Even though a house was at the center of this story, she didn't spend a huge amount of time describing it. She only stopped occasionally to give the reader the gist of what it looked like and, trust me, I was able to build a fantastic, three-story house around those details. After all, what house has a Delft mantle on the fireplace or blue sky painted on the dining room ceiling?I love that she followed Danny (and Maeve) from childhood through adulthood, skipping the unimportant bits and dwelling on the points that made me ache for their losses and celebrate their wins. It struck me that house that Maeve and Danny lived in as children could have such an overarching effect on their lives, even after they were no longer living there. And there can't be another villain as horrible as Andrea, or one who got her comeuppance better. Even then, I couldn't quite celebrate her fate. Yes, Patchett even made me like the bad guy. If you are hungry for some new friends, read [b:The Dutch House 44318414 The Dutch House Ann Patchett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552334367l/44318414.SY75.jpg 68864841]. But I warn you, you'll be sad to see it end.

Now I've read the entire three-book series and I can't choose a favorite. It's probably a tie between book #3, [b:Portrait of a Scotsman 55053187 Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women, #3) Evie Dunmore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607447624l/55053187.SY75.jpg 85846250] and book #1 [b:Bringing Down the Duke 43521785 Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women, #1) Evie Dunmore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554743971l/43521785.SX50.jpg 67688634], but book #2, [b:A Rogue of One's Own 49202118 A Rogue of One's Own (A League of Extraordinary Women, #2) Evie Dunmore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578931679l/49202118.SX50.jpg 73028567] is a close second. I'm glad there's a fourth coming in March 2023, [b:The Gentleman's Gambit 55053196 The Gentleman's Gambit (A League of Extraordinary Women, #4) Evie Dunmore https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png 85846264], because I love the convergence of politics and sex that [a:Evie Dunmore 18775709 Evie Dunmore https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1548783382p2/18775709.jpg] has in all of her books. I'm addicted to her League of Extraordinary Women. It's perfect that each book adds a detailed backstory behind women's rights and what it was like before women could vote or own property. It's amazing how much a woman lost just by getting married. In [b:Bringing Down the Duke 43521785 Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women, #1) Evie Dunmore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554743971l/43521785.SX50.jpg 67688634], the main character, Annabelle Archer, a commoner, and Sebastion Devereux, the 19th Duke of Montgomery, have an instant attraction even if he is opposed to Annabelle's cause of amending the Married Women's Property Act.Unfortunately, the times dictate that their relationship be on the quiet or preferably not at all. This in a society where a single woman must have a protectorate with her at all times when she is out of her home. Annabelle would actually have a better life if she agreed to be his mistress, but the question would be “better compared to what?” Like her sisters in the The Cause, she's hoping for the day when Parliament will consider voting in their favor and change the laws that keep women from being free. And so begins the massively unsuccessful avoidance between the Duke and Annabelle. It doesn't help that she's appointed by the head of The Cause to create a detailed profile of him with hopes it will help them get his vote in the House of Lords. She sets out to find his weaknesses without exposing her attraction to him and fails miserably on both counts. He seems to have no weakness and she's hopelessly overwhelmed by her emotions for him. And it's mutual. Beyond the politics, the sexual tension between the characters grows, magnified by the society's taboo on them having a relationship. With the passage of any women's rights act appearing years (decades?) away, it seems pointless to wait until they are allowed equal footing to express their true feelings.The author not only does a credible job of keeping them apart, with a stolen kiss here or there, but lots of self-examination and commitments to not let it go any further by both. But the writer also does an excellent job of detailing what happens next, which I won't reveal, but for readers who believe that love can conquer all—you won't be disappointed.Love this book!

Olive Kitteridge was a surprise to me. I expected a novel and ended up with a bunch of connected short stories. Some featured Olive as the main character while others had her make brief guest appearances. By the end, I found that Olive was both wonderful and terrible. She was kind and she was thoughtless. In essence, she was a real human being.

Somewhere between when I started the book and just after I finished, my laptop blew up and I waited for it to be fixed or to get a new one before writing this review. As such, my memory about the book is a little foggy. Still, I did like it

Another great, captivating novel by [a:Colleen Hoover 5430144 Colleen Hoover https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464032240p2/5430144.jpg]. I'm on a tear, trying to read all her books this year. [b:Regretting You 44582454 Regretting You Colleen Hoover https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559332442l/44582454.SY75.jpg 69199213], like many of her other books, had me from page one. I'm always grabbed by how the author creates an emotional connection with the reader immediately and then goes on to exploit that by putting her characters in barely believable, but plausible situation that make us want to find out how they fare.This story seems to start simply enough with two sisters, Morgan and her younger sister Jenny, both in high school and dating Chris and Jonah respectively. We find out that Morgan is pregnant, the child is Chris', and he wants to name her Clara if it's a girl. But the personalities of these four characters are ones that almost seem to clash. Where Chris and Jenny are the party animals, their dates, Morgan and Jonah are better at being supportive, deep-thinkers. The very next chapter starts with Clara, that baby is now in high school, facing some of the same pressures her young parents faced. While she is starting to date Miller, a boy her father disapproves of, she's generally a good kid. Chris and Addie are both very cautious parents, ever worried that Clara might make the same “mistake” they did and not get to pursue her dreams. However, in a twist, Clara's dream is her parents' worse nightmare. She wants to be an actress. They prefers she have a more stable profession.All of their worrying about Clara's future comes to an abrupt end when Clara's father and her aunt Jenny have are both killed in a car accident. Together. At first, that's not too odd because they both work at the same hospital. But as the story progresses, their deaths are only the beginning of the unraveling of Clara, Morgan, and Jonah's lives.Hoover's well drawn characters combined with her excellent dialogue make this story unputdownable. I would have finished it in one sitting if I had the time. I'm off to get another Colleen Hoover books. There's a reason why she has four on the NY Times bestseller list. They're addictive.

I loved Henry and Clare. I can't believe I became so involved in their lives. The whole concept of time being a factor in relationship, and the thoughts of it never really starting or ending kept me fascinated.

When I picked up this book, I was looking for something akin to a beach read, and this filled the bill in spades. I've been reading a lot of intense books lately about death, metaphysics, and deep spirituality. I needed a change. Something light, quick-paced and not stressful. (COVID gives me enough of that already.)

I learned a lot about soap opera history while reading this book. It contains little tidbits in the story and historic quips at the beginning of some paragraphs. Sort of interesting that the shows were called soap operas because originally most of the sponsors were companies who made soap products.

The book was full of good-looking people, except the bad guys, of course. But there was the qualifying condition that it was set in Los Angeles in the entertainment industry. . . although the cops were cute too, so that sort of blows that theory. But I wanted something fun and this was definitely that.

The violence that drove the story was pretty much off screen which was fine with me. Actually, not a lot of the story was realistic. Instead, it was more of a soap opera, but that fit. Mary Lisa, the main character's pathetic relationship with her own family was almost as dysfunctional as her on screen persona's, the semi-wicked, love-to-hate, star of a soap opera, Sunday Cavendish.

I like a book that can laugh at itself. The romantic lead was Jack Wolf, chief of police in a small city. In the story, characters who worked in the daily soap opera industry teased him about his name, asking if he had made it up to sound like a cop.

If you want a romp that not too deep, this book is for you. I might check out more of Catherine Coulter when I need a light read again.

I rarely read non-fiction and almost never memoir. I had heard great things about David Sedaris, so I thought I would give it a whirl. (Plus I found the book for cheap at the second-hand store.)

It took a little while to get used to his style. In fact, I almost stopped reading. I wasn't used to someone dwelling on their own life so much. However, he is an intriguing guy with a colorful life—at least as he frames it—so I continued.

It took a while to understand the title. It was something that happened when he moved to France with his partner and took French lessons. However, speaking was never his strong suit. He starts the book relaying his grammar school experiences with a speech therapist who tried to cure his lisp. He revealed the kinship he found with other males who also lisped, and not many of them took a vested interest in being cured.

He's boldly honest about his experiences as a gay man in a judgmental world. It was an eye-opener to see things from his self-deprecating point of view. His time as a furniture mover was particularly charming. His description of his quirky family are entertaining. It surprised me that he portrayed himself as somewhat of a slacker.

It's worth the read alone to see the world from his perspective.

Lisa Black's SUFFER THE CHILDREN leads the reader on a educating journey through the world of child rehabilitation. I enjoyed more of what I learned in the veins of child psychology and troubled children than I enjoyed the “whodunit” aspect of the book. Maybe the fact that all the victims were children had a negative impact. I did like the sexual tension, though unresolved, between Maggie Gardiner and Jack Renner. I would probably read more of this author's “Gardiner and Renner Thriller” series for this fact alone. Interesting information on forensics too. Overall, it did hold my interest and moved quickly. Occasionally, I struggled to track who was speaking, but maybe that's just me.

Amazing book, but I think I blew it by reading it out of order. I loved all the characters, but from just reading this book, the main character Tully, and her friend, Kate, actually met in the book FIREFLY LANE by Kristin Hannah. I can't undo what's been done, but I wish I had read FIREFLY LANE first, then FLY AWAY. (Don't make my mistake, friends.)

Still, it was an awesome read. I love the depth of all the characters, not just Tully and Kate. And when Hannah's characters fall on hard times or lose faith, they don't horse around. They go the distance. If they are able to claw their way back to the surface, it takes everything they've got.

I'm wondering if this will actually be the second book of a trilogy because some of the characters have so much chemistry together, I would like to read about them again in different relationships. Particularly Tully, John, and Marah.

What an amazing saga! If you ever wondered about living in either Virginia or England in 1722, this is the book for you. It's not only a great story with political intrigue and passion, but it's also long on details to help you envision living back then. Everything from the types of flowers blooming to the nursery rhymes that children said. It's all here. From ships to soaps to sealing wax.

Apparently Barbara (nee Alderley) was more beautiful than is almost believable. However, if you swallow that, you can pretty much believe the rest of the book—hook, line, and sinker. Wanna know about growing tobacco back then? Check. Shipping bees back then? Check. The royal household quirks back then? Check. The architecture of Christopher Wren? Check.

The end felt a little rushed, but after 734 pages, including the epilogue and bonus chapters, well, it's hard to believe anything could feel rushed. I loved this book and I almost never read historical fiction, so that says a lot.

What a great premise! You end up living with your fiance's best friend's ex-fiancé when they dump both of you to be with each other. Yes, Peter dumped Daphne the night before their wedding to be with his long-time best friend Petra. This left Daphne unhoused when Peter kicked her out and “thoughtfully” arranged for her to move in with Miles, who was Petra's former fiancé. The back stories of all the characters played heavily into this situation devolving into an unbelievable mess that seemed to work to everyone's advantage. The depth in which [a:Emily Henry 13905555 Emily Henry https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573928938p2/13905555.jpg] built her characters, especially Miles and Daphne, makes this story work flawlessly. In addition, you never feel an “info dump” of that backstory. It evolves almost without the reader knowing until odd relatives begin showing up in Miles and Daphne's already cramped apartment.The dialog of each character is outstanding, conveying the story and making you laugh at the same time. It makes you believe there is someone out there who is quirky enough to work as your best friend, soulmate, or worst enemy.The surprise ending hit me like a ton of bricks that meant I was reading, falling asleep for 20 minutes, then reading more to know the ending. Trust me, the ending is worth whatever amount of sleep you lose to get to it.

Amazing literary references throughout the book made this story so engaging to a bibliophile/short story fanatic like myself. And, A.J. Fikry's whole life seemed truly unpredictable. I never knew where the book was going next. I liked that. And it touched me emotionally, which books rarely do.

I suppose my one freakout about this book had to do with the ending, which I won't spoil here. However, as someone who has had a few medical issues of a similar nature, it made me worry. That aside, it's a truly well-written book with just the right number of words and characters to make it detailed but not exhausting.

This novel about someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness gave this reader a lot to think about. However, what I thought had nothing in common with the thoughts of a 36-year-old, Japanese mailman, the main character. Oddly enough, he was never named, which I didn't notice while reading the book.

His deal with the devil allows him an extra day of life, providing the mailman agrees to eliminate from the world an item of the devil's choosing. The mailman seems to agree to eliminate items that will directly effect friends and family more than himself. He never mentions how they will impact the world adversely. He only seems to think of ways that it will make the world a better place. Maybe, in order to live another day, it helps the mailman to think this way. For example, the first item is a phone. We can all think of ways that eliminating phones might improve our lives. However, in an emergency, what would you do without a phone?

As the title suggests, cats are eventually selected as something to disappear from the world. Amazingly, this effects the mailman directly—not to mention his cat, Cabbage.

This thought-provoking little book is definitely worth the short time it takes to read it. Your mind will wander places it never has before and maybe places you don't want to go, but should.

Must be me. I just didn't really get what was compelling about this book. It had humor. It had good characters. I guess I was expecting more depth. Not just a story about a grumpy man that you learn to love. Maybe that's all there is to it and I was overthinking this whole thing. It took me forever to read it, but I got sick halfway in between (not the book's fault.)

It's well done. It's just my expectations were out of whack when it came to what was involved in reading this book.

This amazing story covers over a century of Harlem history in the guise of a love story.

Ricki Wilde was named after her father Richard Wilde, literally Richard Wilde Jr. (The gifts were already engraved, so they just went with it.) In 2024, she attempts to escape from her proper southern upbringing in Atlanta. Her interest in her family's vast mortuary empire only extends to the flowers displayed at the services. She's the daughter who doesn't belong. Her three older sisters love towing the family line—each with their own franchise of the family business. Her mother defers to her father and others, if deferring can be defined as drinking away your objections.

As an outcast, Ricki manages to escape to New York City, Harlem to be exact, and opens her own flower shop, thanks to a generous benefactor, Della. Della's husband's funeral was a Wilde Mortuary affair, but neither Della or Ricki belong in Atlanta. They return to NYC and the elderly Della was happy to give her new “adopted” granddaughter, Ricki, the basement storefront (and apartment) in her history-laden brownstone.

But it doesn't take long for Ricki's success to stall. And meeting a dark stranger doesn't help. If you like time travel, you might like this book, even if it's drastically different from most time travel books.

Ricki's relationship with Ezra (the Breeze) Walker, a pianist, should never have occurred. But they couldn't avoid each other. Between the Harlem history and too many chance meetings to be chance, Ricki and Ezra do what they can to avoid one another. Ricki because she got too much on her plate and a lousy track record with men to get involved. For Ezra, his avoidance of Ricki has more to do with his strange history and what danger that might pose to her.

Beneath all the flower and history is the music. The song that Ezra has been trying to write longer than most composers live. But it all comes to ahead February, 2024, a leap year that hoodoo, not voodoo, has chosen.

I love this book and the characters. Occasionally, the slips in the POV pulled me out of the story, but overall, it's a very worthy tale of forbidden love and the extent lovers will go to.

This books deviates from Hannah's customary style in two distinct ways. It's shorter than most. It's labeled a fable, not a novel. And it's told in the first person, something I haven't found in previous Hannah novels.

In many ways, Joy Candellaro is an unreliable narrator. The book starts with the trauma of Joy learning that her sister, Stacey, who has already had an affair with Joy's (now ex) husband, is now pregnant with his child. A child Joy wanted, though maybe not with Thom. Joy was more in love with the idea of a husband and a family than with the husband she lost. She tries to escape her heartache at the news of her pregnant sister, the one who is soon to marry Joy's ex-husband.

Joy grabs the first plane out of town, heading to one of Hannah's favorite locales, the Pacific Northwest. To the suspiciously named town of Hope. Or that's where she's heading when the plane crashes and the story goes off the rails.

This endearing Christmas tale explores a very relevant topic: forgiveness. Whether it's possible is Joy's struggle. Where this quest takes her, where home really is, and how to listen to her heart play strong roles in this “fable.” Well done!

What an interesting book and an agonizing twist toward the end. Again, it's an unlikely, but possible scenario. A disgraced child psychologist (Julia Cates) practicing in LA, returns to her hometown in the Pacific Northwest to recover/lick her wounds at her sister, the chief of police's request. She find her services are needed to help a mute child who appears on the main street of the small town where the doctor grew up.

Again, the character development of all characters is stunning as is the description of the locale. Soon, I was rooting for the doctor to recover her confidence and for the child to find her voice. What I didn't expect was the resolution of how the child ended up with so many issues in the first place. And how that tied to the romantic lead, another misplaced doctor who came to the area to avoid his own troubles.

Maybe it's unbelievable that so many characters are so good-looking, but I liked that aspect of the story. Good beach read overall.

I really enjoyed SUMMER ISLAND, but perhaps a tad less than some of Hannah's other books. I think the inevitability of the story may have dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. That said, I think the author handled the weighty subjects of the book with aplomb and, yes, even humor.

It was a stroke of genius to have one of the main characters be a comedian. Addressing cancer, divorce, abandonment, and injury is not the breeding grounds of laughter. Probably the strongest, or to me the most touching, component of the story lay with the character, Eric, a gay man facing cancer without the support of the bio-family. This book was copyrighted in 2001, and a lot has changed since then, but this is by no means an outdated story. Sure we have more acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex marriage is now protected by law, but that doesn't make everyone accepting of the lifestyle.

As always, Hannah brings great stories and characters to life on her pages. But this isn't the beach read that the title might suggest.

Dialogue is definitely this author's strong suit, and I love a book with great dialogue. The stories her characters relay within the main story tells us all we need to know about them.

Evvie Drake is a young widow, but she isn't the grieving in the usual sense. She was leaving her husband the day she got the call about his untimely death. This secret haunts her throughout the book. It's one she doesn't feel she can share with anyone in her small town in coastal Maine, that is until a washed up, major league pitcher, Dean, rents an apartment from her.

Slowly, the truth about Evvie's unhappy marriage leaks out one evening when she's getting to know Dean. She tells him things she hasn't told her best friend, Andy, Dean's boyhood friend. Evvie inability to share this truth with her best friend keeps her locked in an healthy state, perpetually reliving her pain.

Dean, on the other hand, has his own issues. He has the yips. That's a baseball expression for, one day, not being able to do what used to come so naturally the day before. A second-baseman can no longer make the throw to first. An outfielder can't hit the cut-off man. In Dean's case, he was either throwing the ball in the stands, or hitting the guy in the batter's box. The team tries everything to get him back on track but, in the end, they let him go. He's treated mercilessly by his former fans, as only Yankee fans can treat an disgraced player.

Following these two loveable but broken characters through their acceptance of the truth shows the author's chops at how to make believable characters grow. Sometimes healing comes in the most unexpected ways, but good friends can help.

Lovely book if you love to read about how relationships are born, how they can derail, and then evolve. ADDED BONUS: It's especially fun if you love baseball too.

After a busy December, I was happy to find time to indulge in another [a:Colleen Hoover 5430144 Colleen Hoover https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464032240p2/5430144.jpg] book. [b:Ugly Love 17788401 Ugly Love Colleen Hoover https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632597571l/17788401.SY75.jpg 24878172] takes ‘friends with benefits' to the next level. Like all her books, she focuses on a strained relationship and an unlikely resolution.The female protagonist, Tate, when attempting to move in with her brother in San Francisco, finds Miles passed out drunk against her brother's apartment door. She can't get in without moving him and he's too heavy and unconscious to move. The 80-year-old elevator operator can't help, but he turns out to be Tate's good friend. Especially when she finds out Miles is her brother's friend, loathe to commitment, and wants a sex-without-strings relationship with Tate.The majority of the book leaves Tate in the dark about Miles' aversion to showing love or being loved. But the reader gets glimpses of the problem when Miles' memories from six years before are revealed in chapters interspersed throughout the book.Maybe it's just me, but I enjoyed Tate's ponderings of how she might break through Miles' lack of attachment and then how she finally convinces herself that no matter how much she loves him, he will never let her in. Hoover is a master at toxic relationships, and Miles and Tate seem to have an extremely potent one. It only exacerbates the problem that they are ideal together in bed.I didn't think the ending would be realistic or satisfying, but I was happy to be wrong.

This amazing story had me from the get-go. I was unable to put it down. Trust me, I never finish and almost 500-page book in two days. I'm just an average reader when it comes to speed, but I loved the characters in this book so much, I had to know what happened to them.

The triumvirate of sisters creates a scenario where all can go wrong, thanks to the early death of their mother and a father who phones it in–if that.

Winona's need for approval frustrated me no end. Aurora's constant peacemaking made me want to know more about her. Vivi Ann's lust for life became a hurricane of emotions. They reminds me of how different my siblings are from each other, though raised by the same two parents. Each daughter reacts differently to the same set of circumstances.

The men who are caught up in this sisterly tide find their lives transformed, particularly Dallas Raintree. But he gives as good as he gets until he's unable to. His entrance into their lives changes each sister in a dramatic way. Let's just say true love is involved.

Take a look at this book. Be a voyeur into the Grey family. Try to guess the ending. I couldn't.

I loved this book. When it ended, I wanted to hug the characters for all the emotional trauma they survived. I was so glad there was a follow up book (Fly Away) to this book.

I'm not big on books about sisters or girlfriends, so I was surprised I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I grew to love both Tully and Kate. I totally thought Kate was wasting her time with Johnny. What a shock!

I don't remember being as big a pain in the ass to my mom as Marah was in this story. That might have been the only stretch of the imagination for me.

Get this book. Read this book. Love this book. I hope there is something beyond FLY AWAY.