The Subway Girls had me completely engaged from page 1!  It's 1949 and Charlotte can't wait to start living her best life in advertising, even if it's just the typing pool but before that sparkling new life can start, she's got to find that elusive job.  After so many rejection letters, Charlotte finally gets a positive response but it is as a finalist in the Miss Subways contest.  At first, Charlotte is reluctant to pursue the opportunity, but her friend JoJo convinces her that the experience would be worth it.  

Skip forward about 70 years later, advertising executive Olivia is struggling to secure an ad account for her advertising agency.  She comes across the Miss Subways campaign in her pitch and becomes enthralled with the inspiring women that participated.  

The Subway Girls is a wonderfully inspiring interesting read.  I loved both stories equally and appreciated how they overlapped as well.  Days after finishing the novel, I'm still thinking about the characters and have even ordered the Meet Miss Subways book the author mentioned she used for some of her research.  

I received this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

For the last few summers, one of my most looked forward to reads is the newest humorous essay collection by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella.  So I couldn't wait to dive into this latest book.  

What I love about these essays is that you feel like you are chatting with a good friend and laughing together about life.  We do all have so much in common that it is refreshing to celebrate that and know  someone else relates.  Their stories find the humor and authenticity in everyday life that is heartwarming.  Obviously since they are a mother/daughter writing team, family plays a large part of their stories and that hits home with me as well.  I highly recommend that you pickup a copy of I See Life Through Rose-Colored Glasses.  I know you won't be disappointed that you did.  Perhaps it will become your new summer tradition just like mine.  

I received this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Be sure to check out our Facebook page for a chance to receive your own copy of I See Life Through Rose-Colored Glasses.  Contest ends 7/19.  

Before and Again is the story of how one split second can change your life in unimaginable ways, but it also the story of healing, acceptance, starting over and coming home.  Mackenzie Cooper takes her eyes off the road for one moment, and that moment alters her life to be unrecognizable.  Five years later, she has recreated a life for herself as Maggie Reid in Devon, Vermont.  She likes the existence she has created and is beginning to like the person she is becoming when she is thrust back into the media spotlight and drawn into a scandal involving her best friend's son.  To make matters more complicated, both her estranged brother and ex-husband have arrived in Devon and Maggie feels that her past might be coming full circle into the new life she has created. 

I did enjoy this story but, for me, felt at times it was somewhat drug out.  There was also a little too much romance for me, however I typically don't read many romance novels.  I appreciated the way the author dealt with Mackenzie/Maggie coming to terms with her grief and the journey that the character took.  I also felt the subplot of the hacking scandal was interesting and compelling.  I feel this book would probably be a five star read for many, but for my personal reading tastes, it was closer to a 3.75 stars.  

I received this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I've so enjoyed reading Susan Crandall's previous novels and The Myth of Perpetual Summer was no exception.  The characters are so real and well developed.  I get completely caught up in their stories and think about them long after the novel ends.  

Tallulah James has left her Mississippi roots long behind when she receives disastrous news about her brother that calls her to come to his rescue.  As soon as she arrives back, she is bombarded with memories from her difficult childhood but she also brings a new perspective.  The Myth of Perpetual Summer is a story of a young girl struggling to find her place in the world amidst family secrets, family bonds, and small town prejudice, all against the backdrop of the civil rights movement.   

I can't say enough about the way Susan Crandall tells a story.  Her characters are simply spot on and stay with me long after I've read the last page.  This was a five star read for me.  

I received this book courtesy of Gallery Books though NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.