Whatever Wednesday - We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

 We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes is quite the family tale. I was starting to get claustrophobia. 

cover blurb -Lila Kennedy wrote a bestselling book about keeping your marriage alive. Now she's watching her ex-husband play happy families with another woman. Her very fractured family is forced to live under one roof and Lila thinks she's reached her limit.  But what if the one person you couldn't forgive holds the secret to pulling your  family together again?  

Meanwhile, her agent is  bugging her for  her next book - hoping it will be about being single again and playing the field. Lila isn't  feeling that free and easy. She's maybe seeing Jensen.  

Her stepdad, Bill, moved in after Lila's mother died. He helped raise Lila. He's a help until he's not.

Her real father, Gene, a failed Hollywood actor, was never around. Suddenly he's at her doorstep - out of money. 

And her daughters, Celie and Violet, are furious at their father who left them, and are now rather fascinated by this "new" grandfather. 

What a mess.  Lila has a lot to deal with and work through.  Jojo Moyes is a solid writer who keeps the plot churning, the characters in  play, and humor abounds amidst the messes of family life. 

Well done.

Whatever Wednesday - Someone Else's Shoes by JoJo Moyes

 cover blurb - Who Are You When Forced to Walk in Someone Else's Shoes? 

JoJo Moyes always writes incredible characters and a fully developed novel.  Nisha Cantor, an American in England, is married to a rich jerk. He's cut her off from everything she owns and her biggest thing (she thinks) is a pair of Louboutin shoes. Alas, at the gym, bags get swapped. The gym closes. And Samantha Kemp ( a middle aged shlub with husband issues) has picked up the bag with those shoes. 

For Sam who's holding on with a thread to a sales job, those shoes prove pivotal to her image. 

When the two women finally meet, they will discover that each needs the other to put right the wrongs that have been done to them - and to the women around them, from Jasmine (a true gem) to Sam's steadfast friend, Andrea.  (cover blurb)

This is a fun read but almost ties up too neatly with a ridiculous solution.  I enjoyed the read, but had to chuckle at the contrived ending. I still recommend this book as a total chick junk brain candy time waster.   And that's okay.  

Monday Moments - The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes

 What happened to the girl you left behind?

back blurb:  France 1916, Sophie Lefevre must keep her family safe while Edouard fights at the front. The  town falls to the Germans in the midst of WWI. She is forced to serve soldiers dinner at her hotel. The new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie's portrait - painted by her artist husband - a dangerous obsession is born, one that will lead Sophie to make  a dark and terrible  decision. 

A century later, Sophie's portrait hangs in the house of Liv Halston. A  battle begins  over its troubled history. As the layers of the  painting's shadowy past are revealed, Liv's world is turned upside  down again. Her belief  in  what is right is put to the ultimate test.  

JoJo Moyes writes a very layered story and handles the past and present well.  The WWI setting proves interesting and she obviously did research about this time period. The Girl You Left Behind is an excellent  read and I cared a lot about the characters. It kept me guessing until the end, in regards to the fate of the stunning painting. 

Wednesday Whatever - Moyes Trilogy Finale

 I've been delighted so far with Jojo Moyes books - Me Before You, After You, and now Still Me. 

With the end of the trilogy, I feel sad saying goodbye to Louisa Clark. But after quite the muddling about and many kerfluffles, our young heroine has hit her stride and shall carry on. When I finished it, I pictured Mary Tyler Moore from her old sitcom, throwing her hat triumphantly in the air. And as the saying goes for New York City, if you can make it there you can make it anywhere. 

So, in Still Me, Louisa arrives in New York but it's tough keeping a long distance relationship alive with Sam still in England. Fifth Avenue is a whole other world and she has to watch herself in this new world. Is her new employer her friend? Lou is still naive and has to learn how to navigate. But her bubbly unique self shines through and a treasure filled vintage clothing store helps her find her way. 

I laughed, I worried, I cared about Louisa (and Sam's) journey. Jojo Moyes writes so smoothly. She does not hit a false note and has created very rich fleshed out characters full of foibles and life. Still Me sums up the saga of Louisa. Very fun and entertaining read. 

(Thanks Linda Hoffman for finding these and passing them on!)

Monday Moyes (again) - After You

 I enjoyed Me Before You and immediately launched into the sequel After You by Jojo Moyes. 

Louisa Clark is back and  she's  a mess after her six months with Will Traynor and his subsequent death choice hit her hard. She's working  in  the crappy airport bar and just slogging along. Then a horrific accident sends her  back home to recover and heal. Her mind and heart still  won't catch up to her body. 

She joins a support group, meets the paramedic that saved her, and slowly climbs back  to the land of the living. Plus, a figure from Will's past appears.  Quite the surprise and a lot  to deal with, but it also gets Louisa focused on more than herself. 

back cover How do you move on after the losing  the  person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Sometimes sequels are too much of a rehash, but After You is quite fresh. Jojo Moyes has a solid character in Lou and as a reader you are rooting for her all the way. Funny, romantic, poignant - I enjoyed this book and I'm moving on to the final in the trilogy. 

Book Review - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

 Me Before You by Jojo Moyes is a rom-com book with heart. It's one of three in a series and this first one is compelling. I'd seen the movie a long time ago.  A friend (Linda Hoffman!!) lent me this book and as I read it, the story returned to me.  (Note - I can't remember crap anymore - ha!)

Louisa Clark is very ordinary and has been told she's a bit daft and not destined for much in her small village. Her older sister, Treena, is the sharp one destined for a lot, except she did get pregnant and had to drop out of college. So, there is that. 

Louisa has a boyfriend, Patrick, who's life is health and training for marathons, etc - he is very into Patrick. But they've been together forever, so there is that. 

Louisa gets out of her comfort zone with a new job. She's been hired to aid Will Traynor, an ex-Master of the Universe kind of guy who is now confined to a wheelchair. He's agreed to give his his folks six months of life before heading to Switzerland for an assisted death. Lou wants to show him life is worth living. 

There are twists and turns, ups and downs, and strong emotions in this book. Some predictability and some surprises. The book will tug at your heart and keep you turning pages. You'll root for Lou as she grows a lot and learns about love.  (Yes, I sniffled a bit in spots)

Finally Friday - The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

The Giver of Stars  by Jojo Moyes is a decent  read.  Alice Wright is swept off her feet by an American, Bennett Van Cleve, and she eagerly escapes her life  in England. It's 1937 and alas, she  finds herself stuck in Kentucky expected to have  babies and care for the menfolk (i.e. her husband  and domineering  father-in-law)

Her husband doesn't want  to touch her. She's being blamed for their "troubles".  She's friends with the considered "wild" Margery O'Hare and hires on to bring books to the isolated living  in  the wilderness. Suddenly, the town turns against the library, the women, and Alice  must  fight for  her  friendships,  her true love, and the  chance  to live the life she desires.  Go Alice!   It's now  2022 and so many women still deal with the  same  issues.  It's crazy. 

And yes  - Hocus Pocus 2 is back!!   It's Autumn!   We are finally cooler in TX.