book club

Last week I forgot that I also read The Gap Year by Sarah Bird


In The Gap Year, told with perfect pitch from both points of view, we meet Cam Lightsey, lactation consultant extraordinaire, a divorcée still secretly carrying a torch for the ex who dumped her, a suburban misfit who’s given up her rebel dreams so her only child can get a good education.
We also learn the secrets of Aubrey Lightsey, tired of being the dutiful, grade-grubbing band geek, ready to explode from wanting her “real” life to begin, trying to figure out love with boys weaned on Internet porn.When Aubrey meets Tyler Moldenhauer, football idol–sex god with a dangerous past, the fuse is lit. Late-bloomer Aubrey metastasizes into Cam’s worst silent, sullen teen nightmare, a girl with zero interest in college. Worse, on the sly Aubrey’s in touch with her father, who left when she was two to join a celebrity-ridden nutball cult.As the novel unfolds—with humor, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and penetrating insights about love in the twenty-first century—the dreams of daughter, mother, and father chart an inevitable, but perhaps not fatal, collision . . .
(thanks to her website)

This book was just alright and I was expecting it to be way better. I did like that it was told from both the mother and daughter perspectives so you could see all the sides to the issue/situation but I felt that it had a strange ending with the return of a character that wasn't really mentioned a whole lot. The beginning was good and funny but then it just seemed to be a lot of nothing-ness;and at times way too much info was told. I give it a D.

On to this week....

Kindred Spirits by Sarah Stolheymer


When life gives you lemons, call your best girlfriends and whip up some lemon martinis. Such is the mantra for the Ladies' Society for the Conservation of Martinis, which was established after one fateful PTA meeting, when four young mothers-Lynne, Mary Kay, Beth, and Carol- discovered they had more in common than they ever thought possible. Meeting once a month, the women would share laughs and secrets and toast to their blossoming friendship with a clink of their sacred martini glasses. The Society was their salvation, their refuge, but when life-shattering circumstances force the group to dissolve, their friendship is never quite the same...until two years later, when a tragic event puts the Society back in session.When Lynne passes away suddenly, she leaves behind one simple request: that her old friends sort through her belongings. Reluctantly, the women reunite to rummage through her closets. There's nothing remarkable; no kinky sex toys, no embarrassing diary. But buried deep within Lynne's lingerie drawer is an envelope addressed to the Society. And inside they find a letter that reveals a shocking secret and a final wish that will send the women on a life-changing journey...proving that nothing is more powerful than the will of a true girlfriend and a good, strong martini.
(from amazon)

I loved this book. A fun, fast-paced read that shows what a true friendship means to someone(s). Had me happy,sad and teary-eyed. I enjoyed getting to know each character and their own personal story/issue while still being on the journey of the whole friendship. Well written and heart-warming. I give it an A.


Currently I am making my way through The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Although it is over 400 pages and I haven't had a lot of time to read this week...
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