Sunday, December 24, 2017

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

My Week in Review

To all who celebrate, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas! It's been such a lovely week. I didn't get to read as much as I normally do, but I got to do some mom-ing. It feels like a long time since I have donned that hat. It's nice to be needed again.


I am also feeling like a boss, because I finally updated our review archive. Now, I just need to keep on top of it!

It's the end of the year and almost the new year, so there are a MILLION brilliant year-end and anticipation lists out there. Here are some I liked:
And this is an account that is a bright spot in my day, even on Twitter. 

On the Blog:
STACKING THE SHELVES

I added a LOT of books that I am really excited about. I even did a pre-order, which I don't usually do, because who's going to run out of ebooks? But the price was good and I love Stokes, so, why not! Of all my new eARCs, I must admit, I am the most excited about Freshmen. I have had my eye on this book since I saw it as Freshers and am excited it will be getting a US release.

Bought/Free

ARCs

What I Read Last Week

My romance game was strong this week, but I would say my favorite read of the week was Graffiti Moon. I cannot reiterate how happy I am that I had the opportunity to discover Cath Crowley this year, because I am absolutely in love with her storytelling.
  • Ghosted by J.M. Darhower (audiobook): This one lived up to all the raves I have been seeing. I love a second chance romance, and the history between these two plus the way Darhower let it unfold was fantastic. The little kid, Madison, was such an awesome little scene stealer too. 
  • Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley: I think I am even more in love with Crowley after this book. This was a great all in one night book, where big life decisions are explored, and it was done wonderfully with tons of humor and emotion. 
  • Love and Other Train Wrecks by Leah Konen: This delivered the fun I was expecting, but Konen also threw pretty big road block in there. I didn't see it coming until I a page or two before the reveal. Well done. I really enjoyed making this journey with Ammy and Noah as each of them "unpacked" some of their emotional luggage and filled in those spaces with much better things. 
  • The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren: Another fantastic second chance romance. I am totally onboard with this premise, that we will get the stories of what happened to the survivors of a "tragic event". I suspect the focus will be on the four women, who bonded all those years ago in a support group, and I am excited about that, because they were all really intriguing. I am really looking forward to more of this series. 
  • Layover by Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer: Another it-wasn't-bad-but-it-wasn't-great book. There were a lot of things I liked about this book. It had a strong beginning and very strong ending, but it lost its way somewhere in the middle. I will say I was entertained, and I was so in love with the youngest sibling, that I was invested in the outcome. 
  • As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti: Very interesting concept. Everyone in the town got one wish on their 18th birthday, and Eldon was struggling with determining his wish. So, he begins interviewing people in the town to hear what their wish was and how they feel about the outcome. It gave me a lot to think about. 

What I Am Currently Reading

Young Jane Young is hilarious! I also love that it is told from the three generations of women in the family. Lots of interesting commentary on society too, and I am really looking forward to a reveal I feel is coming. I just started Ex, so not much to say, but I was definitely encourage to read this when I saw Carol, SaraNick and Becky talking about it.

What I Plan to Read

I thought I would read Holly Chase before the end of the holiday season, since it is A Christmas Carol retelling. The rest are January releases, and I am really excited about them all.









How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!

26 comments:

  1. Wow! Great week you had! I hope you have a lovely Christmas!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog and join in this week’s Book Photo Sundays!

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  2. Awww, the hedgehog :) adorable.
    Enjoy your ARCs, they look good :) I've also heard great stuff about Young Jane Young.
    And have LOVELY holidays :)

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    1. Young Jane Young is fabulous. Loving it! I need me a hedgehog like that. 😊

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  3. Oh that hedgehog is too adorable for words!!! Perfect Chemistry was a great book. I was surprised it was on sale for so cheap!! Have a wonderful holiday!

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    1. I have been wanting to read the Perfect series for a while, so I jumped on that sale.

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  4. Awe, I want a hedgehog so badly. My husband tells me we already have 4 dogs. It's just one more animal. 😁 The books look wonderful. Hope you have a wonderful holiday.

    Merry Christmas 🎄{Hugs}🎄

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    1. I don't know how much maintenance a hedgehog requires, but 4 digs are a lot of work. We can just admire this guy every day. 😄

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  5. Yes! Mom-ing! It's my most favorite thing.

    An Ex for Christmas and The Museum of Us both look really good!

    I'm so happy you enjoyed Graffti Moon! I did, too! I'm also glad The Ones Who Got Away was enjoyable. It's one I've been looking forward to reading. As You Wish is on my list as well, but I haven't seen very many favorable reviews for it.

    Thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend.

    Do You Dog-ear?

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    1. An Ex For Christmas was fabulous! I laughed and smiled so much. If you like contemporary romances, I totally recommend it.

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  6. I enjoyed Young Jane Young. Did you say you didn't get much reading done? Wow...I would hate to see you on a READING week. lol

    Enjoy the holidays and your books. Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. I usually get another book in. So, less reading than normal. Young Jane Young is fabulous. It has me laughing tons.

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  7. I'm going to be reading As You Wish and Layover this week and I'm so excited! I can't wait to see your thoughts!

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    1. Both were not bad, not amazing. They had some great moments, but there was something missing.

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  8. Aww, hedgehog. I hope you have a great Christmas and get lots of reading done.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. I look forward to seeing that hedgehog every day.

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  9. Merry Christmas! And yay for your review archive- that's something I seriously need to update in 2018!! Hope you have a wonderful holiday.

    Love and Other Train Wrecks does sound like a good book.

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    1. The archive took me hours. I had to log every review since January. I added the alphabet links too, and I vow to update it weekly. Train Wrecks was fun. I find Konen quite amusing.

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  10. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, Sam! It is great to put the mom hat on for a while. Enjoy all of your new books and have a great week!

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    1. It is nice to be a mom again. I hope you have an amazing Christmas too. 😊

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  11. That hedgehog is SO CUTE! I love hedgehogs. OMG. I'd been curious about As You Wish but I think I will pass on it. I'm glad you didn't absolutely hate it though. :D Have a wonderful week, Sam!

    Happy holidays. =)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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    1. Every time I see that little guy, it makes me want a hedgehog. As You Wish was ok. It had great parts, but I think the length may have hurt it.

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  12. I hope you had a wonderful holiday. Looks like you got a lot of great new books to read :)

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  13. I'm sure mom-ing time trumps reading time any day. :)
    That hedgehog is too adorable for words!
    I've had Perfect Chemistry on my bookshelf for a couple years and have yet to get to it. *sigh*
    Hope you enjoyed the Lauren Layne book. She can always be counted on for a fun romance.

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    1. Mom-ing is awesome. I will be crying on Monday when she leaves. That hedgehog has saved some days for me. After I see it, I can no longer stay in a bad mood. I have read a few Elkeles books and really liked them. I am listening to Leaving Paradise right now, and it's fabulous too. An Ex for Christmas was fantastic! I knew it would work out when the heroine declared her love for Hallmark movies. And that ending!!!! My heart exploded.

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