Four Books to Binge

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

I know.. I know.. I have talked about Colleen Hoover before but I am totally biased. I have never read a book by her that I did not fall in love with while reading. They way she writes a love story will quite literally punch you in the gut and this one is no exception. This story is about a very un-spontaneous mother, Morgan and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara. The pair could not be more different from one another and when Morgan’s husband and Clara’s father passes away in a tragic accident it drives even more of a wedge between the two women. Morgan and Clara both turn to the least unlikely men for comfort. With all of the hidden lies, misunderstandings, and forbidden secrets between them - will Morgan and Clara ever be able to overcome and be happy for one another?

This was one of those books I could have easily read in a day because it had me turning pages dying to know what was going to happen. I had to make myself put the book down and do something else because I did not want the story to end. SO. FLIPPIN’. GOOD. Just trust me.

The Slammed Series by Colleen Hoover

Did you think I was just going to talk about ONE book by Colleen Hoover in this blog post? HA! Ok- so while reading this I was thanking my lucky stars for Amazon prime and two-day shipping so that I could receive the next books right after I finished the first. This series is so romantic and cheesy in the best way. 18 year-old Layken has just moved to Michigan following the sudden death of her father when she meets Will. Will is a twenty-one year old who has sole custody of his little brother and is living across the street. Not long after moving in Will takes Layken on a date to see slam poetry which happens to be one of his favorite hobbies. On the date they form an intense emotional connection, which is suddenly halted due to a shocking revelation that tears the young couple apart.

This is a three book series that I quite literally tore through. To keep this blog post short and sweet I won’t give too much away but trust me when I say this series is worth the read. Not only is it a heart warming story of true love- Hoover includes some pretty deep poetry in all three books.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Okay, WOW. This book had me shedding actual tears while reading. A friend told me she had a book hangover after reading this one and I know exactly what she means. It took me awhile to pick up another book after reading this because the characters have stayed in my mind.

This story begins in the 1970’s with the Allbright family. The father- Ernt who has recently returned from the Vietnam War where he was held prisoner. The mother is Cora who wholeheartedly cares for Ernt even though he is emotionally and physically abusive. And then there is thirteen year old Leni who is tired of moving around from school to school due to her father’s money and drinking problems. When it seems like they are about to run out of options and money- Ernt receives a letter from the father of one of his friends who died in the war. The letter states his friend left him his cabin in Kaneq, Alaska. The family quickly packs up a ragged VW van and moves to this cabin in quite literally the middle of nowhere. Lucky for them Kaneq is a community full of people with strong family values and an eagerness to help the Allbright family survive through their first winter. At first it seems like the Allbrights are thriving in the last frontier but as winter approaches, Ernts demons and nightmares from the war have come back full throttle. Soon Cora and Leni find themselves on their own to make it through Alaska’s brutal and unforgiving winter.

There is so much to this story that I could have put into the small description I just gave you but that would make this blog post entirely too long. Trust me when I say this is the best book I have read this year- maybe even in two years. I was staying up way past my bedtime with eyes barely staying open trying to finish each chapter because I had to know what was going to happen next. Trust me when I say you need to get your hands on this book.

The Holdout by Graham Moore

If you are a true-crime junkie or law and order fan (or even if you’re not) this book is for you. This is a twisty story about twelve jurors who are convinced they let Bobby Nock- a guilty African-American teacher go free for the murder of one of his wealthy white students ten years ago. All twelve jurors except for one- Maya Seale who is now a defense attorney who finds herself back in the spotlight after the twelve jurors are convinced to get back together for a documentary series on the murder. They all meet up at the famous Omni hotel where they were sequestered ten years ago for the original trial. Being at the hotel and back in each other’s lives stirs up many emotions and secrets unfold. Ten years later Maya is still convinced the man was innocent when she meets up with one of the jurors who happened to be a love interest during the trial. Later that evening he is found murdered in her hotel room. All evidence points to Maya as the killer. How is she going to convince everyone she is innocent as well as prove Bobby Nocks’ innocence?

This one flips from past to present and gives the reader the point of view from all twelve jurors. It really gives the inside look of a murder trial as well as what each juror was thinking during the process and I loved that about this story. This one was definitely a page-turner and I cannot recommend it enough!