Book Review - "Second Chance" by Jane Green (#22 - 2016)

Second Chance by Jane Green

Another Jane Green novel, just love her books so much.  That being said, this is probably my least favorite of her novels (that I've read).  It's not bad, it was just super hard to get into.  It centers on friends, Tom, Olivia, Holly, Saffron and Paul, from school who gather twenty years later when tragedy strikes.  They come together, get to know each other again and secrets come out.  They are forced to examine their life choices and they make changes that start them on new, unexpected paths.  The first third of the book is really slow and it was hard sorting all the characters out, it does pick up and then was a quick read after that, but I just didn't feel any fondness for any of the characters.  It's a good beach/vacation read.  But I would pick up one of her other books before this one.  

Other Jane Green reviews:

Dune Road

Family Pictures - maybe my favorite

Swapping Lives

The Other Woman

Jemima J - A fluffy, chick-lit beach read.  Nothing deep here.  It's about a girl who is 100 lbs overweight and her transformation inside and out after deciding to drop the pounds.  Very predictable.  However sometimes you just need a book like this, it's like a bag of Doritos, sometimes they just hit the spot. 

Book Review - "Dune Road" by Jane Green (#5 - 2016)

Dune Road by Jane Green

I always love a Jane Green novel.  She's one of my absolute favorites, her books are fun, easy to read, and perfect for the beach, vacation or just a pick-me-up.  This was a solid read.  It centers on Kit, recently divorced, former wealthy Wall Street wife with the posh life.  She's settling into her new life in her dream house (small and quaint), her kids are happy, she has a good relationship with her ex, and she just landed her ideal job, assisting a famous, yet reclusive novelist.  But a surprise visitor rocks her world and sets off a string of events that will change everything.  It's a story about friendship and relationships.  And I really enjoyed it!  I'm anxiously waiting on her next novel out later this year.  

Book Review - "Family Pictures" by Jane Green (#27 - 2015)

Family Pictures by Jane Green

This may be one of my favorite Jane Green books I've read.  Sylvie and Maggie are two women in their 40's living on opposite coasts.  Both have husbands that travel too much, the kids are about to leave the nest and both are feeling that "next-phase-of-life" insecurity.  Sylvie's daughter Eve travels to NYC to visit colleges, meets Maggie's daughter, they become fast friends and that's when the similarities of their lives start a chain of events that change everything.  This is a page turner. Sure it's a bit predictable at times, and the ending is a bit too perfect, but it's still a great Summer read!

Book Review - "Swapping Lives" by Jane Green (#11 - 2015)

Swapping Lives by Jane Green

Very typical Jane Green book (nothing heavy with lots of British-isms).  This story centers on the lives of Amber and Vicky, two women in their mid-30's living an ocean away from each other, each wondering if life can be more fulfilling.  Vicky lives in London and is an editor at the very posh, Poise magazine.  She's very successful, single and lives in a flat with her cat Eartha.  She always thinks how wonderful it must be to be married with children, how if she only had a husband and children, then life would be perfect.  Amber is a housewife in Connecticut, married to a successful man who works on Wall Street, they have two young children and live in one of the most lavish homes in their town.  But Amber is getting tired of keeping up with the Jones's and feels she's forgotten who she really "is" (or at least who she used to be before being married with children).

Vicky voices her dreams of a perfect husband and children life wishes and Poise's Editor-In-Chief decides that it would make a great story for the magazine.  So they run a contest where women who live Vicky's ideal life can write in why they want to swap lives with Vicky.  After sorting through the candidates, they decide on Amber.  So they switch lives and discover that the grass isn't always greener and nothing is perfect.  Duh.  Anyway, it was a fun read, good for any upcoming beach trips.  Just don't think about it too hard!

Book Review - "The Other Woman" by Jane Green (#2 - 2015)

The Other Woman by Jane Green

A quick, easy read.  Ellie is thrilled to be marrying into the seemingly perfect Cooper family, so like the family she has wished for her whole life.  But Dan's mom Linda may be a little too involved in their life, taking over the wedding planning.  Linda is rather intense and you really just want Ellie to tell her to shove it and tell Dan to stand up to his mom.  After getting married and having their first child, things get even more intense and complicated.  Can Ellie hold her family together and negotiate Linda and her need to be needed?  It's an okay story, nothing groundbreaking, check your brain at the door.  But it was a good book to read before starting the darker book that I'll cover tomorrow.