My July 2018 Book Reviews

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

I had to take a day to digest this book before I wrote a review.  This book was unique.

The story is about a thirty-ish girl names Eleanor.  Eleanor works as an office assistant for a digital company, and she is fond of routines, order, and vodka.  It is difficult to tell if Eleanor is someone who has Autism Spectrum Disorder, or if there is something else going on.

This book was a lovely book about learning to let yourself love others and learning to allow people to enter your life.  It was a great read.

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Single State of Mind by Andi Dorfman

I have to begin by admitting that I also read Andi Dorfman’s first book, It’s Not Okay.  I enjoyed her first book because it gave a juicy, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be on The Bachelor, and to be The Bachelorette.

Andi’s second book is about her life after breaking up with Josh Murray and moving to New York City.  I liked this book because she seemed so real.  She didn’t just talk about the great, glamorous things about her life.  She talked about not being able to afford an apartment, some of the bad decisions she made, and some of the crazy things she did.

The writing isn’t amazing, but this is not someone who grew up striving to be a writer.  If you like books about “celebrities” this was a decent book.

I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman

I am a fan of The Bachelor franchise.  Although, I did not watch the most recent season of The Bachelorette.  I watched this book because I was looking for inside information and juicy details about the franchise.  I was looking for a mindless “beach read” to read while I was on vacation.

This book was a bit of a disappointment.  I didn’t like the author’s writing style.  Also, a lot of the information that she “revealed” was old news.  And a lot of the new stuff that she revealed was lame and boring.

I felt her tone was very negative toward the show and the fans of the show.  But why would you write a book that is negative about the exact audience that is going to be interested in reading your book?

To be honest, I still had 25 pages left when it was due back to the library, and I am not going to make any effort to take it out again to finish it.

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.

Love Your Life Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze

If you are a fan of Dave Ramsey, you know about the baby steps.  If not, check out the Total Money Makeover. Rachel Cruze is the daughter of Dave Ramsey; she wrote this book that I felt targets women.  Honestly, there were times that I felt that she knew me!

A lot of her advice is not new information as she preaches a lot of the same of what her father does.  But the way she words things and the examples that she uses were far more relevant to my life than her father’s book.

If you are looking to get your finances in order, this book is a great read.

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Girl Who Knew da Vinci by Belle Ami

The story begins with Angela, an intern at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Angela is trying to make a name for herself despite her boss who seems to have an unwanted interest in her and is making her life miserable. She is also not sleeping because she is having these vivid dreams about Leonardo da Vinci and his friend Fioretta Gorini.

The Girl Who Knew da Vinci included the perfect amounts of historical fiction, mystery, romance, and thriller. It held you captivated by the love stories of three different couples set in three different times in history. Ami does a beautiful job keeping the book moving, at no point did I feel bored, and it picked up the pace very quickly. As opposed to a book that you have to force yourself through the first 50-100 pages.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

The 11:05 Murders by Brian O’Hare

The 11:05 Murders by Brian O’Hare is an exciting murder mystery that I struggled to put down. The protagonist of the story is a newly promoted Sergeant Denise Stewart. Denise recently moved precincts due to a group of dirty cops at her old station, one of which she had to testify against in court. Together with Denise, we meet her new co-workers.  Shortly after starting her new job, Denise’s first case is a murder. They find a man who was murdered at 11:05 in his home and they are left with very few clues to go on.

This book was fantastic. The novel was engaging and well written. Denise was difficult to like at first; her walls were up, and you wanted to yell through the book at her. But as the book goes on, she starts to settle into her new job relax, making her an enjoyable protagonist. The other characters were well developed. You learned a lot about her boss, her new possible romance, and some of the suspects.

There are only two things that I can think of that I didn’t like about this book. One was that it was so intricate, with many interwoven storylines; but, in the end, I feel like the author left us with unanswered questions. Also, for a book that was mostly easy to read, there was one scene in particular that I felt to be a little too violent and was somewhat upsetting to me.

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Also, Check Out:

June 2018 Book Reviews

The Best Books I Read in 2017