Review : Windfall

Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Genre: Contemporary, Family, Grief, Young Adult

Goodreads : Click

Purchase link: Amazon | Kobo | B&N

Pages: 414

Published May 2nd 2017 by Delacorte Press

Let luck find you.

Alice doesn’t believe in luck—at least, not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now, she’s been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his eighteenth birthday—just when it seems they might be on the brink of something—she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant, everything changes. 

At first, it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid, Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy’s father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy’s newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon, the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall. 

As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.

To Alice change isn't a good thing. After the death of her mother, her father followed soon after. Then she was uprooted far from her home and she lives with her Uncle, Aunt and cousin Leo. Since then Alice, Leo and her friend Teddy had been inseparable. As a joke on Teddy's 18th birthday she gifts him a lottery ticket but didn't expect for him to win the jackpot. Now change is coming in fast and shes not up for it knowing that this money will change everything.

You know what I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when picking up this book. I haven't heard of another book like this so I really wanted to take a chance at this book and see it. Plus the authors name sounded familiar so I was curious in checking it out. After reading it I found myself really loving the book, it was unique and interesting seeing how everything changed and how it eventually came out towards the ending. I loved seeing Alice and how conflicted she was and how she was dealing with the grief of her parents after all these years. Then there was the Teddy issue and how he was dealing with his new found stroke of luck and how it impacted him and everyone around him. Overall this was a pretty great book, great summer contemporary book to read on the beach if you are looking for one. I really loved the book I highly recommend you lovely readers to check this book out.

Also side note, I loved how well the cover matched the story. At first I thought it was kinda random but pretty but then as I read the book I got it and loved how the cover matched the book so well.

* * I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.* *

Review : Butterfly Dreams

Butterfly Dreams by A. Meredith Walters

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Grief, Death, New Adult
Goodreads: Click
Purchase Link : Amazon
Published November 24th 2015 by Loveswept

Synopsis:

In a powerful romance hailed as “heartbreaking, real, and breathtakingly beautiful” by Stacey Lynn, New York Timesbestselling author A. Meredith Walters tells the story of a troubled young woman and the unforgettable guy who teaches her to live—and love—to the fullest.

She’s waiting to die. . . . Corin Thompson is paralyzed by her obsession with mortality. Having lost both of her parents, she is terrified by the idea that she too will die young, and she loses control at any sign of illness. But when Corin connects with someone who has survived a very real brush with death, she begins to see the world in a whole new way.

He’s learning to live. . . . As Corin struggles under the weight of her neuroses, Beckett Kingsley is attempting to rebuild a life that feels all too temporary. With the ever-present threat of heart failure never far from his mind, he just wants to make the most of whatever time he has left. And that means pursuing the girl he never expected to find.

Together, Corin and Beckett finally learn to let go of their fears and take solace in everyday pleasures. Who knows what the future holds? After all, nothing lasts forever—the only promise they have is right now. 

Review:

This is one of those types of books that should have a warning that it'll mess with your emotion. I rarely come across a book that can make me shed some tears but that ending! This book really messes with you. Geez. Amazing book. I liked Corins characters it was interesting seeing how she was dealing with her grief and how she changed towards the ending. Just really a beautiful book. Like there is so much I would like to say but I need to get some emotions in check cause that ending.

Fantastic book I highly recommend you lovely readers. Oh and have some tissues at the end, don't say I didn't warn you.

Review : A Cold Creek Christmas Story

A Cold Creek Christmas Story by RaeAnne Thayne

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Grief, Heartwarming, Holiday,
Goodreads: Click
Pages: 240
Purchase link: Amazon

Synopsis:

Sparkle In The Snow Leads To So Much More 

Celeste Nichols has always preferred to keep to herself in her hometown of Pine Gulch, Idaho…until she becomes an instant celebrity! When one of her children's stories becomes a major success, she's suddenly the talk of the town. Celeste should be gloriously happy…but something, someone, special is still missing from her life. Could the return of her childhood crush be the ?  

Flynn Delaney has moved back home for his daughter's sake. Yet all the millionaire's resources can't help the little girl heal from the tragic loss of her mother. Shy librarian Celeste and her stories do hold some indefinable magic, though. Flynn came home looking for support—can he find that, and true love, in the one who got away?

Review:

There is just something about this book that I love. During the holidays I'm always on a hunt for my favorite holiday book and I'm pretty sure I've found out. Right after reading this book I couldn't help but think I want to start this right over. I only save rereading for a few special book and this book I'm going to put on this list. It was sweet and heart warming. The backgrounds were over dramatic between Olivia and Celest but I still loved it. This book is clean for those of you out there looking for a good clean holiday romance. I loved how protective the father was. I liked that this book wasn't cheesey. I just honestly really loved this book and sad so see that it has ended but thank goodness I can reread it as much as I'd like. I had first received this book from netgalley for provide an honest review and I think I'm just going to purchase the book myself because Id really like to share this book with my friends who are looking for a holiday pick-me-up. Highly recommend!

Review : Love Letters to the Dead

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

Genre: Grief, Death, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Contemporary,
Goodreads: Click
Pages : 336
Published April 1st 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Blurb:

It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person.

Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to the dead—to people like Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, Amelia Earhart, and Amy Winehouse—though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating the choppy waters of new friendships, learning to live with her splintering family, falling in love for the first time, and, most important, trying to grieve for May. But how do you mourn for someone you haven't forgiven?

It's not until Laurel has written the truth about what happened to herself that she can finally accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was—lovely and amazing and deeply flawed—can she truly start to discover her own path.

In a voice that's as lyrical and as true as a favorite song, Ava Dellaira writes about one girl's journey through life's cha llenges with a haunting and often heartbreaking beauty.

Review:

After the death of her sister May Laurel is feeling abandoned and lost. Everyone deals with death in different way and May decided to held it in remaining the good girl she once was. To get a fresh start she starts school in a different town. A new atmosphere is just what she needs to start things where no one knows her and what happened with her sister. When she is assigned a project writing a love letter to the dead she takes this rather seriously and confides many of her untold secrets to the dead. Things start getting complicated when she meets someone who knows her sister, and the facade that she is holding is starting to crack.

Wow, I loved this book more then I thought I would. I thought it was interesting how she wrote to multiple people and took the time and care to look up each person she was writing to. It was interesting seeing her slowly and surely cracking and breaking down. I loved getting to know Laurel more with each new reveal and throughout the book I couldn't help wondering what really happened that night when May died. I loved watching the relationship between Laurel and Sky, I loved that he was supportive for the most part even he had his points where it was too much for him. But at least she was there even after everything and knowing more then most did. Overall a great story and I really enjoyed it.