The Summer Of Songbirds

 

 

✰✰✰✰✰

Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for—and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life. 

 
June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier Bradley and Mary Stuart Harris, during a fateful summer at camp, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties. But when attorney Daphne discovers that Lanier’s fiancé—who just so happens to be her client—has done something highly illegal, she must choose between her job and her friendship. 

Meanwhile, Lanier is hiding secrets both new and old that might make Daphne see the situation in an entirely different light. When one of those secrets unexpectedly rises to the surface, it threatens to change the very fabric of their friendship.
But when the women learn that their childhood oasis is in danger of closing, they put aside their own problems and band together with June to save it, sending them on a journey that promises to open the next chapters in their lives. 

 

   ❀❀ 

 There are stories that you enjoy, and there are stories that stay with you. The Summer of Songbirds How do I describe how this book made me feel? So many emotions went through me as I read this book. Even days after I finished the book, I couldn't get out of my mind. I have recommended this book to a few of my friends as I read it. The Summer of Songbirds will have you going on an adventure of a lifetime with June, Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stewart. Their bond and friendship were the book's best and my favorite part. Their friendship reminded me of how I met my best friends and how we are still going strong. They might have their fallouts, but in the end, they were always there for one another. I knew that no matter what else happened, they would always have each other. 

I have been hearing about this book. Now that I had a chance to read it, I understand why. The Summer Of Songbirds is about love, friendship, second chances, and hope. I love how they all came together to save Camp Holly Springs, where they met each other. I love how they tried everything in their power to keep the place that they love. When you pick up the book, be prepared to read for hours. I forced myself to put the book down despite wanting to see how it would end. Would they be able to save the camp? That question was the most important question of them all. 

I loved the description of the scenery; it made me feel myself transforming there. I love books about friendships, and this is now one of my favorites. The title and cover might capture my attention, but I fell in love with the story and the characters. This is the first book I have read by Kristy Woodson Harvey, and now I'm curious to discover what else she has written about. I would highly recommend checking this book out.

Last Night At The Holywood Canteen.

 

 

✰✰✰✰

 *Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*  

 

Perhaps the best place in 1943 Hollywood to see the stars is the Hollywood Canteen, a club for servicemen staffed exclusively by those in show business. Murder mystery playwright Annie Laurence, new in town after a devastating breakup, definitely hopes to rub elbows with the right stars. Maybe then she can get her movie made. 

But Hollywood proves to be more than tinsel and glamour. When despised film critic Fiona Farris is found dead in the Canteen kitchen, Annie realizes any one of the Canteen's luminous volunteers could be guilty of the crime. To catch the killer, Annie falls in with Fiona's friends, a bitter and cynical group―each as uniquely unhappy in their life and career as Annie is in hers―that call themselves the Ambassador's Club. 

 
Solving a murder in real life, it turns out, is a lot harder than writing one for the stage. And by involving herself in the secrets and lies of the Ambassador's Club, Annie just might have put a target on her own back. 

 

 ❀❀

 Historical fiction mixed with murder mystery; how could you not be curious? I haven’t read many of those, but I have read a few. It was mostly the title that had captured my attention and the cover. I’m so glad that I decided to check this book out. Last Night At Hollywood Canteen had everything I love about historical fiction and mysteries. There was a slow start initially, but turning the pages didn’t take long, making me wonder what would happen next. Like everyone else, I asked who was behind the murder of Fiona and their reason behind it; what was their motive? I wondered if Fiona’s friends from the Ambassador’s Club could be responsible for her murder. Every page made it harder for me to put the book back down. I would have read all night if it wasn’t for work the following day. 

I enjoyed reading about most characters, but Annie was my favorite. In my opinion, she had the most character development throughout the book. Sometimes, I thought that Annie was the only one who wanted to know what happened to Fiona. Others seemed to want to believe what the cops said when Fiona was first discovered. I wondered if someone would get angry, Annie, to be different in this case. I was afraid that there was a chance that Annie might be next. There was another part of me why Annie wanted to figure out what happened that badly, considering what she said about her. I did feel that Annie got close to Fiona’s friend too fast. The Ambassador’s Club had known each other for years, and Annie just met them, and they all acted as if they had been best friends for years. 

I loved the descriptions of old Hollywood. I was always fascinated with how different Hollywood was from what it is now. I had also wondered how the writing behind shows and plays was during those days. I felt as if I was transformed into Hollywood along with Annie and all her friends. Most of the time, I couldn’t pull away from the books; I fell in love with the characters and the plot. This was the first book I have read by Sarah James , and now I wonder what adventures await us next.

The Locket.

 

 

✰✰✰✰

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*  

 

 

England, 1942. 'It has to stay secret,' he whispers, placing the locket around her neck. 'If they find it, they’ll send me away.' As she holds the locket, glinting in the moonlight, she can’t hold back the tears. 'I just wish we didn’t have to hide…' 

When farmer’s daughter Irene meets Theodore at a village dance, sparks fly instantly. The war has brought him all the way from Louisiana to build a US airbase just across her father’s fields, but as they sway together, there is nothing else in the world. Only his gentle touch and his deep brown eyes.
But being together comes at a price. As Theodore is Black, the might of the US Air Force is against them, and all the members of the little village community disapprove of their relationship. And they will all go to terrible lengths to tear the two young lovers apart... 

Decades later, heartbroken Ruby is back at her family’s crumbling farmhouse for the first time in years, after the loss of her beloved grandmother Irene. The roof has fallen in, family photographs are damaged – and her grandmother’s jewellery is nowhere to be found.
When Ruby uncovers her grandmother’s waterlogged diaries, she discovers that Irene treasured one piece of lost jewellery above all. A locket from a man called Theodore. And the missing locket holds the key to unravelling a heartbreaking secret that changed her grandmother’s life…
Is someone in the village hiding the locket to keep the truth about Irene and Theodore buried? And can Ruby find a way to honour her grandmother’s memory – or in digging up the pain of the war, will she tear her family apart? 

 An absolutely breathtaking World War Two story about the power of love in the face of adversity, and how the tragic consequences of war can echo through generations. Fans of Fiona Valpy, The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See will be addicted to this incredible read. 

 ❀❀

 
I don’t know how to begin the review. There are so many words I can use to describe this story, but there is not enough time in the day for that. The Locket was so emotional that I still think about the story. Everyone knows I love reading historical fiction and have read more than I can count through the years. What I loved about this book is that it had a mix of suspense in the plot; who doesn’t love a good mystery? I didn’t want to put the book down, and I was curious about what Ruby would discover about her grandmother next. I wondered if the locket would ever be recovered and what would be discovered there. 

I love historical fiction that is told in dual storylines, especially if there is a connection between the two; I loved reading Irene’s story about how it all happened and how she fell in love. Somehow, I felt it would be a story I would love, and once again, I didn’t know I would fall in love. You couldn’t help but love Irene from the start; she was such a powerful character. She was one of those strong characters that you couldn’t get out of your mind. Irene went through so much in her life, and despite what she had to deal with, it didn’t stop her; she kept on going. Irene felt real to me, and I felt like I was transported to 1940 while reading her story. 

Ruby was as strong as her grandmother had been. That was one of my favorites about this one; it was told from grandmother and granddaughter’s point of view, and the way that it connected the two stories. Theo and Irene, I loved the two of them together; I don’t think that anyone, maybe Irene, was as happy as Theo was. I have rooted for them all through the book and hoped they would find a way to be together. The connection that the two of them shared that’s what love is. Characters weren’t only what I loved about this book, but also the plot, not the one you could pull yourself away from. I felt everything the characters felt: love, fear, anger, and hope. 

The Locket was the first novel that I read by Natalie Meg Evans and now I cannot wait to discover her other work.

To Build A Dream

 

 

✰✰✰✰✰

 *Thank you to author, Greg Hickey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

He could be dead, dreaming, or painfully alive. Does he really want to find out which? 

 
Timothy Smit is sick. He’s stuck in middle management at a second-rate news aggregator when an intense coughing fit causes him to pass out at his desk. Tim wakes up in the ICU to a diagnosis of a rare and aggressive form of lung cancer and the news that he likely has no more than a few months left to live. 

Confined to a hospital bed with his health deteriorating, Tim finds himself immersed in a series of vivid dreams. As he becomes increasingly captivated by this enigmatic fantasy world, he realizes his dreams just might be keeping him alive. 

But can Tim discover a real life worth living before it’s too late? 

  ❀❀

 Haunting. 

I don't know how I should be feeling right now. There are a lot of different emotions that are going through me right now. Even though I know this is fictional, To Build A Dream felt so real; in every chapter, I imagined I was there, along with Tim. Through the years, I have read a few books that dealt with cancer, but it was nothing like this. This story was so vivid, especially the dreams, and I felt like I was going on a roller coaster ride with Tim. Once I started reading the book, it didn't take me long to figure out the title behind the book. There wasn't a single moment in the book that didn't keep me engaged. I would have finished it within a few days if it wasn't for being a full-time student and working. A few times during the weekend, I read late into the night. 

I can't begin to imagine finding out that you have cancer and there was a chance that you might not survive. I loved that Tim didn't give up and kept fighting. I have lost a few family members due to cancer. I can imagine how it was for his sister, Jessica, to see him suffering through it. I have a good feeling that there is a chance that he wouldn't made it as far as he did if it wasn't for her. I believe that he kept on fighting because of her. To Build A Dream was an emotional book to read, but at the same time, it is a book you won't be able to put down once you start. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about reading it and wanted to see how it would end. 

I loved the dream portions of the book. I always wondered where the dreams would lead Tim next. Throughout the book, I was rooting for Tim to make it through; I had grown attached to him. I loved the transition between the real world and the dreams. Once I turned in the last page, I wanted to go back and reread it. This is the second book I have read by Greg Hickey , and I can't wait to see what adventures await us next.