Brighter by the Day was exactly what I needed in my life right now.  The messages that Robin Roberts pens in this book are so authentic and uplifting.  I am always impressed with how she is able to be so relatable and speak to me from the pages with words that resonate so deeply.  

I don't consider myself a person that follows celebrities or public personalities.  I always find people I meet in real life to be the ones that I admire the most.  However, I have become a follower of Robin Roberts over the last few years.  I watched her MasterClass on communication and was drawn in by her positivity, down to earth personality and genuine nature.  I then read her book Everybody's Got Something and it just reaffirmed everything I took from her MasterClass.  When I heard about Brighter by the Day, I was thrilled.  I had another chance to soak up all her brightness and authentic words.  

I highly recommend Brighter by The Day for all readers.  It is a beautiful reminder of so many real moments in life and how to choose joy for yourself.  Brighter by the Day is the kind of book you want to gift to all your friends and family.  I've already been sharing with my friends many of Robin's messages that spoke to me.  I continue to be inspired by her and know that you will too.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I also borrowed the audio book from our local library so I could hear Robin read the book in her own voice, which I believe, enhanced my reading of the book.    

I've been wanting to visit Biltmore Estate for years, so when I heard about The Wedding Veil, it was the perfect opportunity for me to visit with a journey inside the pages of this book.  

"Four women.  One family heirloom.  A secret connection that will change their lives --and history as they know it."  

Julia Baxter has dreamed since she was a little girl of wearing the family heirloom wedding veil that was gifted to her great-grandmother by a mysterious woman on a train in the 1930s, and has brought love and luck to her family ever since.  On the eve of her wedding day, Julia receives a video message of her fiancee with another woman and her world is suddenly turned on end.  She calls off the wedding and takes her honeymoon alone so she can sort out what her future holds.  

Babs, Julia's grandmother, is also learning to navigate new waters.  Her husband Reid was the love of her life and with him gone, Babs is lonely and afraid, but she is hoping a move to the new retirement community will help her find a path forward.  

Edith Dresser Vanderbilt and her daughter Cornelia Vanderbilt have just suffered the terrible loss of Edith's husband and Cornelia's father George Vanderbilt.  How will Edith keep Biltmore Estate going and how will Cornelia deal with the bright spotlight that is being shown on her?  

Learning about the women behind Biltmore Estate and also the way the Biltmore Estate developed over the years was fascinating.  I appreciated the balance of Julia's story as a young woman finding her way and Babs' story of a more experienced woman finding new ways to grow.   It was a satisfying book, that was at times slightly predictable, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Nancy Mitford's husband is fighting in the war and her allowance has been cut, so when the opportunity to work at the Heywood Hill book shop arises, Nancy is quick to take the job.  She isn't certain if she has any more books left to write and working at the book shop more than fills her days, until a French soldier arrives and stirs something new in Nancy.

In present day, Katy Cabot feels that her writing career is over and her personal life is also in shambles.  Her best friend JoJo buys her a plane ticket to come to London for a visit.   On a visit to the Heywood Hill book shop, Katy encounters a handsome stranger who is searching for the missing biography of Nancy Mitford.  It just so happens that Nancy Mitford was the subject to Katy's senior thesis and she is intrigued by the idea of a missing biography.  

Of course, the title of this book hooked me from the start.  I was not familiar with Nancy Mitford or her family so that also sparked my interest.  Katy, in particular, made me laugh out loud at times with her banter and the situations she would find herself in.  If strong language bothers you, I would mention that the present day narrative does use some, but it also plays into the character development.  

I enjoyed the unique plot of this story and found both storylines equally compelling.  I can definitely see how this would be a great book club choice or could lead the reader into other books to learn more, since you could tie in other books about the Mitford family or even reading The Pursuit of Love and watching the film.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.