Sam's Letters to Jennifer

Overall rating (out of 5 stars): ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

As a fan of another one of James Patterson's romance novels, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, I had high hopes for this book. And it didn't disappoint. The quote on the cover from Bookreporter.com says it all. You will need a box of tissues, because tears will be shed. 

In this novel, Jennifer, a woman who is already dealing with the aftermath of one tragedy in her life, gets a phone call that will change her life. Her grandmother, who is her best friend, is in the hospital, and it doesn't look good. So Jennifer leaves her Chicago home and goes to her grandmother's house on the lake. She spends her days visiting her grandmother in the hospital, and her nights are spent at the house she spent her childhood summers in. She ends up running into a guy from her childhood, and they end up having the summer of their lives. 

There are some more challenges that face Jennifer through the summer. Her grandmother, Sam, has written her letters that tell the story of Sam's life, mostly her life after marrying Jennifer's grandfather. Jennifer learns secrets that she had no clue about, and it forces her to reevaluate things in her own life. She also learns that Brenden, her new summer love, has a secret of his own. 

This story was amazing. I read it in less than 24 hours because I could not put it down. It's well-written, and James Patterson knows how to pull at the heartstrings. I became invested in these characters, and I was rooting for them all. The relationship between Sam and Jennifer really got to me because it reminded me of my own relationship with my grandmother, who died 4 years ago. The pain that Jennifer felt when she found out her grandmother was in the hospital was the same pain I felt when I found out my grandmother had cancer. I also rooted for Jennifer and Brenden because they seemed like a great couple, and because Jennifer needed some happiness in her life. She had already gone through so much. And Brenden's secret threw me because I wasn't expecting it. 

If you love romances, and if you are a fan of James Patterson, read Sam's Letters to Jennifer. And also read Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. I've read that book several times, and it gets to me each time, as well. And I'm sure that when I reread Sam's Letters to Jennifer, it'll get to me again, too.

Palace Circle

Overall rating (out of 5 stars): ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I am in love with Rebecca Dean's work! This is the second book I've read that's been written by her, and I've given both of them 5 stars.

This particular book of hers is addictive. Palace Circle starts off as the story of a young American girl (named Delia) who marries an older British man (named Ivor), one who is in King George V's circle. And for those of you who aren't sure who that is, King George V was Queen Elizabeth's II grandfather. Anyway, while the story starts off like this, it evolves into so much more.

The novel is split into 5 parts, each one being in the perspective of a different character--Delia, her daughters Petra and Davina, and two important men in her daughters' lives, Darius and Jack. I didn't realize it was split into these different parts when I started reading it--the summary I read only ever mentioned Delia, so I thought the entire novel focused on her. However, I did enjoy that the novel focused on other characters as well. The entire novel covers a pretty big span of time--from before World War I until almost the end of World War II. It also takes place in two very different locations: London, England, and Cairo, Egypt. So I thought it was perfect that, given how much time the novel covers, that the younger generation has a voice in the novel, too.

I'm glad that I read The Shadow Queen before I read this one because Wallis Simpson gets mentioned in this novel, as well. She doesn't play a big role in the book, but she's there, and after reading The Shadow Queen, I know a little more about her than this particular novel goes into. Plus, Palace Circle goes later than The Shadow Queen did, so I felt like I got more of Wallis' life story, as well.

It's no secret that I love British history, but both of these books have gotten me interested in the 20th century British monarchs. Wallis Simpson's story fascinates me, and now that I've read this book as well, I want to know more about World War II from the European (okay, the British) perspective. All I've ever learned about was the American point of view, and we entered the war so much later than the rest of Europe. Reading Palace Circle helped me see just how the war started in Europe--and how it was almost won by the Axis powers. Once I realized that Germany almost won the war, I started thinking about how different life would have been; how different the world I live in now would have been. And I know it would have been drastically different.

I also loved learning a little bit about the Egyptian culture at this time. They had just gained their independence from Great Britain, and had their own monarch. However, British advisors were still in the country, and the monarch was heavily influenced by the British. That's why Delia and her family end up living in Cairo--Ivor becomes an advisor to the Egyptian king. However, we see from Darius, who is Egyptian, that a lot of Egyptians wanted Britain out of their country. They felt like Egypt didn't have true independence. And in this novel, you see how that attitude grows, especially during World War II. I felt like I got more of a history lesson reading this novel than I ever did in school.

My only criticism of this book is the end. Mainly, that I didn't want to end. I want to know more about these characters. I want to find out what happens to Petra, Davina, Darius, and Jack. I want to know if the relationships I was pulling so hard for ever truly work out. I have so many unanswered questions. But, I guess that no matter where the novel ended, I would still have unanswered questions. The mark of a good story is one that leaves you wanting more.

If you enjoy British history, high society, romance, drama, war, and lots of secrets, then you should check out this novel. It was really hard for me to put down. In fact, I was almost late to work yesterday because I was almost finished with the last chapter and didn't want to put it down.

I Love Goodwill

And this is why--12 books on the list for $20! I was in heaven! However, I have now officially run out of bookshelves to put these books on....so it's time to get creative! I'm not going to let a little thing like running out of bookshelf space stop me from getting more books! :)

Okay, so I know this is a short update, but I promise that I'm still working on stuff behind the scenes. I've been working on my lists and such, and those are (slowly) getting updated. I am officially done with all of my schoolwork (as of 2am Thursday morning!), and after my presentation on Monday, I will officially be done with school until August! So I have plenty of free time coming up. I won't get much done tomorrow because I'm going to help my boyfriend move into his new place (in the rain, no less.....), but I'm hoping to be able to get a lot done with the blog on Sunday. And I'll get some reading done as well. I was going to try and finish Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean this weekend, but I'm not sure how that's going to work out. But I'll get it finished and a review done as soon as I can! 

Keep checking back--you never know what can change here. And don't forget to go like the Facebook page, and to tell your friends to like it, too. I'm up to 13 likes so far, so if I can get 17 more, I'll do my giveaway! 

Have a great weekend! And leave a comment and let me know what you're reading this weekend! I'm always interested to find new things to read!