Book Review | Book Chatter

Tomorrow There Will Be Sun
By Dana Reinhardt
Pamela Dorman Books, 9780525557968, March 2019, 288pp.

The Short of It:

Vacation Lit is a thing and I am a sucker for it.

The Rest of It:

Two families arrive in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Jenna has organized the trip to celebrate her husband’s fiftieth birthday–she’s been looking forward to it for months. She’s sure everything is going to be just perfect–and the margarita refills delivered by the house staff certainly don’t hurt, either. What could go wrong? – Indiebound

A lot, but not in the way you expect. I imagined a kidnapping or a murder or some psychotic episode but this vacation goes wrong in the way many vacations go wrong; small, subtle clues that all is not what you pictured and that life is about to get challenging. Annoying, perfect friends, a husband who spends too much time working even while on vacation, teens who go off to do their own thing only to leave their parents worrying about their whereabouts. And then in the midst of it all, a full staff of servants who become reluctant witnesses to it all falling apart.

I love vacation lit. I don’t travel much so when an author takes me to another country through her writing and keeps me turning those pages, then I consider it a win. I was entertained and the story was realistic in what could happen on a vacation like this one. I felt as if I got to know the characters pretty well and the pace felt right. If you enjoy vacation lit, give Tomorrow There Will Be Sun a try.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty
By Joshilyn Jackson
Grand Central Publishing, 9780446582360, 2012, 352pp.

The Short of It:

A thoroughly engaging story about three generations trying to live the best life they can, but battling demon after demon along the way.

The Rest of It:

Liza is a “grown-up kind of pretty” which gets her in trouble more times than her mom “Big” can count. Boys are not her issue, but men? Grown men, preferably married ones are what catch her eye. Drugs too. But when Liza becomes pregnant at the age of fourteen, Big becomes her fierce protector.

Years later, when Liza’s daughter Mosey enters her own teen years, Liza suffers a massive stroke which leaves Big as Mosey’s primary caregiver. Big’s sole purpose in life is to keep Mosey from going down the same path as Liza. But Liza has many secrets. Some of which Big is just now discovering and include something buried in the back yard.

I have to tell you. I have had this book on my shelf for a long, long time. Seven years. Possibly more. One of the Instagram accounts I follow posted a photo of the book and since she was reading it, and I happened to have it, I joined her. So glad I did. This book has it all and it’s not full of fluff, which the cover might lead you to believe. It reminded me a lot of Steel Magnolias. You know how the women stuck together no matter what? Plus, Jackson can write her fanny off. These characters leap off the page with all their faults but I still loved them.

If you need a quick read but one that is kind of fun but deep at the same time, go find a copy of A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty.

Source: I won this copy in a giveaway!
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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