Tia Things

Hi Gems, I am so excited to chat with you today about this book. And I don’t want to be dramatic, but I truly think The Women by Kristin Hannah might have changed my life. Dare I say it? This could be the best book I have ever read. And keep in mind, I read over 200 books a year, so that is saying something. What makes this even more surprising is that the book is completely outside my usual content, genres, and storylines. On paper, there is no reason I should have loved it. Yet here I am, weeks after finishing, still thinking about it daily. If you haven’t read this book yet, pause whatever you are doing and hit order immediately. Kristin Hannah has now officially earned her spot as a repeat author on my Kindle. She has such a gift for bringing details to life, and The Women was the most incredible introduction to her writing. Fun fact: one of her other novels, The Nightingale , is being adapted into a movie soon. For my audiobook lovers, you will be thrilled to know I listened ...

Hi gems, Happy, happy Monday! ✨ Today’s blog is about a topic you know I hold near and dear to my heart, and something that deserves way more hype than it gets: BOOK CLUBS . I know reading is often seen as a cozy solo activity, curled up with tea, a blanket, and maybe a pet who insists on sitting directly on your book. But reading in sync with a group of like-minded people? That’s a whole different kind of magic. The laughs, the inside jokes, the “wait, you interpreted THAT scene how ?” moments… chef’s kiss. Currently, I’m living my best double-book-club life, and let me tell you, they are the perfect yin and yang. The first is pure girlhood joy. It’s with friends, there’s wine (a generous amount), amazing books, and just as many hilarious tangents as there are plot discussions. We rotate hosts, potluck style, so every meeting comes with new snacks, new stories, and that lovely feeling of walking into someone’s home where laughter’s already in the air. The group is a mix of old frie...

 Hi gems,  Happy happy Wednesday!  Today we are chatting about The Good Sister, my May book of the month! This is definitely not my usual romance or fiction recommendation, it is a bit of a mystery thriller because as you read, you are putting together pieces of a puzzle that don't fit. You have an eerie feeling the whole book, and are waiting for the other shoe to drop! The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth, is a fiction novel that follows two sisters through the diary of Rose, and the live perspective of Fern. Fern is such an interesting character, this is the first time I have read a character that clearly was on the spectrum of autism but it was never clearly said, this was something that readers gathered through her actions, social interactions and such. The whole book seems to be Rose taking care of Fern after a difficult childhood, but things quickly go darker.  As Fern gets pregnant, you start to see a lot of red flags as Rose is clearly more and more controllin...

 Hi gems,  I am catching up on a few blogs today which means catching up on the books of the month! This book was a really exciting spin on the "best friend's sibling" and I thought it was a fresh take on time jumps as well. the Sister between us by Hailey Dickert was a really fun and creative book that took us from childhood to adulthood of our characters on an unexpected rollercoaster.  The two main characters, Jake and Leah, have known each other their whole lives. Leah is basically a permanent fixture of his family as she is best friends with his sister Chloe. They begin a relationship as teens, secretly OF COURSE! The whole story plays out really giving us a sense of a usual sibling's best friend romance but when a few turns happen, there is a really unexpected plot twist that comes with this. SPOILERS BELOW Chloe and Jake have a great family but there are a few battles like their mom having left them and later being in jail. Jake tells Leah but they keep secret...

 Hi gems, Happy, happy, happy Spring! The rain and mud are upon us but the good news is that we know soon enough the blossoms are coming! I’ve decided to start a new series on the blog where I will showcase a book of the month every month that is my top pick!  In March, although many great books came and went, the biggest standout is hands down Every Summer After by Carley Fortune ! This book brought my soul happiness! The book is set on a couple and through time jumps, flashbacks and more, you slowly put together crumbs of a story that leaves your jaw on the floor!  Throughout the epic childhood and teen years of the main Characters Persephone and Sam, you know there are missing pieces you haven’t gotten to see yet. Especially when they cross paths again after a loss as adults. There is an obvious missing piece that caused issues but readers only got that details at the end and let me tell you… jaw met floor!  I will be doing a whole YouTube video on this book with...

 Good morning gems,  welcome to another blog about... you guessed it BOOKS! I read a 5 book series by Claire Kingsley this week called The Bailey Brothers . The five books follow four brother through a tumultuous few years where everything from prison to unexpected pregnancies happen. The books really create a gorgeous family dynamic that makes readers root for the brothers from the get go. There is nothing like loving every character in a book and then watching each grow by having their own books! Book 1 & 2 follow the oldest brother Asher in his love story and eventually in a huge 7 year jump due to a very sad turn of events. This duet encompasses all brothers and the repercussions of a tragic day hit the family for the three following books. I don't want to spoil things but the romance for Asher is really kicked off immediately when his childhood best friend comes home from college and he gets his head out of his ass. When all is basically a hallmark movie is when a hug...

 Hey gems,  As you all know, your girl loves to read. I finally got around to reading Julia Quinn's Bridgeton book series and I am so happy I did! First, it's important for me to say that I did watch the Netflix season so I definitely had some background information and knowledge on the storyline. Also, to give everyone some perspective on the timeline here, I read the first five books in one weekend and then finish the series the following weekend. So within 7 days but with the weekdays as a break.  Book one, I was worried that because I loved the TV series so much book one might fall flat, but boy oh boy, it most certainly did not. The book was as good, if not better then the series! I do have to say that I was really impressed by how similar the series on tv followed the book, usually there are much bigger differences between adaptations. Sometimes I get some annoyed by the big changes from book to movie that I don't watch but this was done so well.  Knowing the ...

Hey Gems, You all know I love to read and it is the most cathartic experience for me. I love all kinds of books and usually read as an experience of calm but every once in a while I come across a book that makes such a huge impression it just stays on your soul. Dear Ava  by Ilsa Madden-Mills, is a book that I don't think I can ever forget! This book is everything at once, it is emotional, maddening, a little scary, high school, dramatic and so real. The book deals with fragmented memories and flashbacks so you only have pieces of the full story and need to wait until the combination is finally revealed to know the whole story.  The main character Ava is trying to put on a brave face after tragedy and she is seen as the enemy at school. The difficulties of facing her peers, bullying and her memories being shared really build her character as strong, independent and struggling with her past trauma. The way she walks back into school at the beginning of the book and her thought ...

Hey gems,  A lot of you have been asking for books recommendations and I know I haven't given you any recently, honestly this is because I haven't had much time to read. I really need to start working it into a routine but it’s so hard some days I just go right to bed. I caught up on some reading over the holiday break which is when I got the idea to go over some of my favourite books of 2020 in a blog! She's with me (series) Okay guys, I'm going to cut to the chase because this was the BEST book I read in 2020. It was also the most recent series I read but I really can’t say enough about how this book really was unpredictable and had so many unexpected twists and turns. Yes, it has the expected romance and friendships of a YA novel but it also had a lot of mystery and action in it. School rivalries that are next level and fights breaking out every second chapter. LOVED it. As soon as I finished the first book I ordered the sequel and now found out that the third novel ...