Fifteen Firsts: Talli Roland

What was your first car? A green Ford Escort. I loved it and the freedom it brought me.

What was the first thing you learned to cook? French toast. I used to lust after yummy golden French toast dripping with maple syrup. *drool*

When was your first time on an airplane? I was four, and my family was travelling to Disney in Orlando. I still remember how excited I was at take-off.

What was your first paying job? Oh, ugh. Need I recall this? It was McDonald’s. I hated wearing the horrible polyester trousers!

How old were you when you had your first kiss? Um… eleven, I think? Just thinking about it is making me giggle, for details I shall not reveal.

What was the first concert you went to see? Kim Mitchell, a Canadian musician. It was an outdoor concert in the summer, and I was so excited to be there.

When/what was your first regrettable hairstyle? It has to be crimping. In the mid-eighties, I had a crimping iron, and I went a little crazy with it! Note to self: never, ever crimp your hair again.

How old were you when you got your first computer? I must have been nine when my family purchased a Vic 20. We graduated to a Commodore 64, and I wrote my first novel on it.

What was your first big purchase? My Ford Escort!

What was the first book that made you cry? I think it was Anne of Green Gables. Oh, when Matthew died… so sad.

Where was your first road trip? My family took loads of road trips, but my first road trip with friends was to Boston.

Who was your first best friend? I had two wonderful friends growing up, both girls my age in the neighbourhood. We’re still in touch through Facebook, although I haven’t seen them for ages.

When/where was your first trip abroad? When I was nine, my family went to Spain, where we visited Malaga, Cordoba, Grenada, and Gibralter. It was a fantastic trip and definitely whet my appetite for more.

Who was your first love? Hmm, I can’t really say I had a true first love until university.

Who was your first celebrity crush? If my answers haven’t already dated me, then this certainly will: Kirk Cameron. 

Talli Roland writes fun, romantic fiction. Born and raised in Canada, Talli now lives in London, where she savors the great cultural life (coffee and wine). Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories--complete with happy endings. Talli's debut novel The Hating Game was short-listed for Best Romantic Read at the UK's Festival of Romance, while her second, Watching Willow Watts, was selected as an Amazon Customer Favorite. Her novels have also been chosen as top books of the year by industry review websites and have been bestsellers in Britain and the United States. Construct A Couple, the sequel to Build A Man, is her latest release. To learn more about Talli, go to www.talliroland.com or follow Talli on Twitter. Talli blogs at talliroland.blogspot.com.

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Author Interview: Lucille Howe

When did you start writing?

I have diaries that I kept between the ages of 11-15 that should be buried in a time capsule for future civilizations. They are hilarious! The beauty of these diaries in that I am writing entirely for myself, and that’s something I haven’t done since. Professionally, I was first published in my last term at University in the since-defunct Premiere Film Magazine. It was a review of a biography of David Lynch and my dad framed it. I got paid £100, which was pretty generous for just 200 words, back in ’92. Since then, I’ve written for everyone from the Times to the Guardian newspaper, OK! to Marie Claire. I was Features Editor on Cosmo, Australia, and edited an in-flight magazine here in London for three years.

Tell us about your debut novel, Bondi Blonde.

The story goes like this: It's Christmas Eve and jobless Emily has just made the biggest impulse buy of her life... Arriving on Bondi Beach, pear shaped, lily-white and clutching a bottle of factor 30, she has two options: 1. Hide out in the Irish pubs 2. Get with the programme. We join Emily as she falls for Sam, the hot barista, and meets her nemesis in Kiki, the Japanese surf siren. Bondified, and bent on perfection, will Emily be saved from the surgeon's scalpel? Can she win Miss Bondi, and does love mean reading between the tan lines? Find out this summer. Bondi Blonde: When it pays to have skinny genes.

What inspired you to write Bondi Blonde?

Five years ago, you would have called me the luckiest lady in Lucky Land. I was living three cartwheels away from the edge of Bondi Beach, with a "right hottie" (quote, unquote) and writing all sorts of sordid nonsense for Cosmo magazine, Down Under, where I worked as their Features Editor. There was only one problem…I felt like I’d had a lobotomy. Starved of culture, good conversation and lively debate on anything other than low carbs v low sugar, I sat down at my computer, determined to keep my brain sharp, and filed 700 words of what would be 92,000 of Bondi Blonde. 

Which of your characters do you identify with the most and why?

As my debut novel, much of the book is based on events that actually happened, so I definitely identify with the leading lady, Emily. However, I put some distance between us by naming her after my sister and constantly asking, "What would she do?" I have a lot of love for Kiki, the kick-ass surf chick, because she is unashamedly flirtatious and defined by her sexuality, as am I. The hoopers are close to my heart too, because aside from the glamour, Bondi has an alternative, spiritual side. How could there not be in such a knockout setting? So, the hula hoopers are very special characters, who remind me of all the times I was awestruck by an electrical storm or a sunset.

How did you get your novel published? Tell us about your journey to publication.

Two-thirds into writing Bondi Blonde, it attracted some film interest, with an option on the table, so summer 2010 was a blur of power-writing, fueled on midnight snacks and encouraging emails from the financiers, Prescience. By the time I delivered the finished manuscript, at the end of the summer, Prescience had taken an axe to their budgets and cooled on the idea, but meanwhile they had hooked me up with the film agent at top agency, Curtis Brown, to potentially broker the deal at a later date. They, in turn, put the book in the hands of legendary literary agent, Sheila Crowley, who offered to represent me. Sheila was, and is, everything an author could dream up in their fervid imagination regarding the kind of glamorous, nurturing, terrifyingly smart expert/friend you long for in this process. Initially, we got half a dozen rejections and some bang-on notes from her A-list of editors at the big publishers. So, I went away and revised my draft to incorporate some of those suggestions, pruned it into a slicker shape, and decided to e-publish myself as a sort of dummy run to show publishers what the public think. I’m very pleased with my first two months of sales figures, and the lovely reviews and reader feedback on Twitter, Goodreads and fab blogs like yours.
Why do you write women’s fiction?

Because women are such complex creatures, the material is endless! Plus, female readers are so sweetly sisterly in their support, it just feels like one big party. I also know that I’m in a position to explore some of the issues that affect us – like body issues – so I’m taking the opportunity.

What are you working on now?

The follow-up to Bondi Blonde… Paris and the Perfect Dress. I can’t tell you how liberating it is to write in the third-person. What a relief! This time, there are three narrators, who each hire the same couture dress in Paris in the week of La Nuit Blanche (when the city stays open for 24 hours). It’s a sensual overload of food, fashion, sex and love. But, what happens when the three woman each want to relive the magic they felt in that dress…on the same night?

What do you like to do for fun during the summer?

I love cycling around London on my vintage Dutch bike, visiting the flower markets and reading in the park. I play tennis with my boyfriend at the weekend and my sister and I usually catch a few music festivals. Bestival, on the Isle of Wight, is my favourite because there’s always a theme, and I LOVE dress-ups. Londoners head to the rooftops in summer so you’ll find me ending the week with a martini somewhere, overlooking our skyline, and excelling in some Olympic flirting.

Is there anything else you would like readers to know about you or your book?

Only that both my brothers still claim to be scarred by the racy bits. Sorry bros!

Thank you, Lucille! 
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Love for Boy Bands: Then and Now

By Nancy Scrofano

It was July 27, 2001. I was in Las Vegas, Nevada, standing outside of Sam Boyd Stadium for hours with my best friend in 115 degree heat. Sounds crazy, right? Who would do that? Who would risk dehydration, heat stroke, and who knows what else? What could be so important? Anyone who has ever loved a boy band knows the answer. My answer? ‘N Sync. 

Yes, I love boy bands, and back in the day, ‘N Sync was my absolute favorite. I had all the necessities of the boy band frenzy: posters in my bedroom, scrapbooks, VHS tapes of all their TV performances (I know, VHS!), their CDs, books about them, pictures, and T-shirts. (One of which I considered my “lucky shirt” even though I have no idea what made it “lucky.” I wore it so many times that it has holes in it now. I also used to wear it every New Year’s Eve thinking it would bring me good luck in the new year.) On that ridiculously hot day in Vegas, I was waiting in line to get into ‘N Sync’s sound check. Since I was a member of their fan club, I had special privileges (naturally).  My friend and I bought outfits just for the occasion. Mine included tie-dyed jeans from Old Navy and a tank top with a cowboy on it. I have no idea why I thought that was so cool. In case Justin Timberlake or JC Chasez chose us out of thousands of girls to whisk backstage, we wanted to look our very best. 
The actual lucky shirt!

As anyone would have expected, nothing spectacular ever came from my love for ‘N Sync. I never met any of them, and certainly didn’t marry any of them like I dreamed about. The closest I ever came to meeting one of them was when my friend and I saw Danielle Fishel from Boy Meets World in Nordstrom. She was dating Lance Bass at the time. My friend said hello to her, but I was too star struck, so I stood behind a clothes rack. She said the guys were out of the country on tour. Bummer. But going to many of their concerts and just being a fan of theirs was really fun. Most of my best memories of my teen years involve them. Eventually, all my ‘N Sync memorabilia was either thrown away or shoved in boxes somewhere in a closet. My lucky shirt has been retired, and its only purpose now is to occupy space in a drawer. My dreams were shattered, right? Wrong. I grew up. When ‘N Sync faded away, so did my love for boy bands…or so I thought. Until now. 

Last year, I saw a tweet from Lucy Hale who plays Aria on Pretty Little Liars that said her cousin was in a music video, and she included the link. I thought, that’s so cool. Hasn’t everyone wanted to be in a music video at one time or another? So, I clicked on the link, and I was introduced to One Direction. You’re probably saying, “Who?” Or maybe you’ve heard of them if there are teenagers in your life. They got their start on The X Factor UK in 2010 where they were mentored by Simon Cowell. After they came in third place, he signed them to his label. Now, it’s a British invasion! Well, British and Irish. Four of the guys are from England and one guy is from Ireland. They range in age from eighteen to twenty. At first, I went to YouTubeto listen to their other songs and see their music videos, and I was impressed by their real talent, but I resisted because I thought I was too old for boy bands. Then, I saw them on Saturday Night Live in April. After that, one night when I was procrastinating from writing my next novel, I watched my first One Direction interview on YouTube. These boys are hilarious! Between their accents and their wit and charm, I was hooked. I “liked” them on Facebook and followed them on Twitter. When they embarked on their Australian/New Zealand tour in April, I kept up with all of it through YouTube. British, Irish, and Australian accents! Win! It’s really cool that the fans are so dedicated and post so many videos and pictures for other fans around the world to enjoy. This is a definite improvement from the ‘N Sync days. Thank you, technology. And because of social media, the hysteria has intensified because fans can communicate directly with the boys. Since my new young adult novel includes the boy band phenomenon, I now consider watching One Direction videos “research.” That’s legit, right? 
 
As we near the eleven year anniversary of that ‘N Sync concert in Vegas, I doubt I’ll be waiting in line in scorching temperatures for One Direction because I’m so mature now (insert sarcasm here), but I do have tickets to see their concert next summer. Some things never change, and in this case, I’m grateful. It’s so much fun to be part of the boy band craze!

Do you love boy bands? Did you ever do anything ridiculous to see your favorite band? Tell me all about it!

Nancy Scrofano is the editor of Good Humor Girl and the author of True Love Way. She is also the editor of The Chick Lit Bee, a book blog that promotes and celebrates women’s fiction, and she writes book reviews for a prestigious book review magazine. Nancy is at work on her next novel. For more information, please visit www.nancyscrofano.com. 

Dads & Daughters from Movies & TV

By Isabella Louise Anderson
 
I have a very close relationship with my dad. I’m a daddy’s girl, so celebrating Father’s Day is a big deal for me.  Dads are supposed to be our heroes, guiding us through life, helping us pick up the pieces from a broken heart, a bad grade, or even just to give us a hug on our bad days.  When we do finally meet “The One,” some might say that their close relationship with their father has ended, but I disagree.  No matter how tight the bond is between you two, walking that aisle during your wedding is the most momentous moment you two will ever have, at least it was for me.

In honor of Father’s Day, I want to share my favorite dads and daughters from movies and TV:

Father of the Bride (the one with Steve Martin and Kimberly Williams-Paisley) and Father of the Bride (the one with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor) are both classics for their generations!  When Father of the Bride came out in the theaters, my dad took me to see it.  We laughed as we watched the overprotective dad try to deal with his daughter’s upcoming nuptials – scorning the cost of the wedding and having conflicts with the wedding coordinator, (played by Martin Short), but most of all, hating to let go of his little girl.  In the scene where George replays memories of his daughter, it’s clear how much she influenced his life and vice versa.  At one part, I looked at my dad and saw tears in his eyes.  It was truly a special moment for both of us.  If you haven't seen the Father of the Bride movies, I highly recommend them!

Full House was a popular TV show that was part of the TGIFlineup on ABC.  Every Friday, I tuned in to watch DJ (Candace Cameron Bure) go on hot dates – especially with Steve (Scott Weinger), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) get in trouble due to peer pressure, and Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) say “You got it, dude!”  While the premise of the show was sad (a widowed father has to raise his three daughters, but gets help from his two best friends), this show was heartwarming.  There wasn’t a mother figure – at least until Aunt Becky (Lori Loughlin) – but the clean and geeky dad, Danny (Bob Saget), the comedian, Joey (Dave Coulier) and ULTRAHOT Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) looked after DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle, and fathered them.  They all gave the three girls the love and attention that any daughter deserves, even when they mess up big!  DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle knew which one to go to for certain things, but the cool thing was that each dad told the other about it so that they could deal with it together as a family.  I miss this show a lot, especially because it sent a great message to teenage girls.  It taught them to be confident, kind, to think before they did anything questionable, and to know that they are loved.  If there were a show that caught up with the characters now, I imagine that the girls would be very successful in their careers and personal lives, thanks to their upbringing by their three dads.

Who are your favorite TV and movie dads? Happy Father’s Day!

Isabella Louise Anderson is a member of the RWA, and she is the owner of the website Chick Lit Goddess. She resides in Dallas, Texas, where she’s a housewife and mother to 12-year-old cat, Thorndike. A regular contributor at Good Humor Girl, you can read all Isabella's articles and learn more about Isabella.

June New Releases

June 5th

Can I Get An Amen? by Sarah Healy
When the last thing you want is the one thing you need, you've got to have a little faith.... Growing up, Ellen Carlisle was a Christian: She went to Jesus camp, downed stale Nilla Wafers at Sunday school, and never, ever played with Ouija boards. Now, years later, when infertility prevents her from giving her ambitious attorney husband a family, she finds herself on the brink of divorce, unemployed, and living with her right-wing, born-again Christian parents in her suburban New Jersey hometown. There the schools are private, the past is public, and blessings come in lump sums. Then Ellen meets a man to whom she believes she can open her heart, and she begins to think that maybe it’s true that everything happens for a reason—until all that was going well starts going very badly and Ellen is finally forced to dig deep to find her own brand of faith.

Happily Ever After by Harriet Evans
At twenty-two, Eleanor Bee is sure about three things: she wants to move to London and become a literary superstar; she wants to be able to afford to buy a coffee and croissant every morning; and after seeing what divorce did to her parents—especially her mum—she doesn’t believe in happy endings. Elle moves to London. She gets a job at Bluebird Books, a charmingly old-fashioned publisher. She falls out of bars, wears too-short skirts, makes lots of mistakes, and feels like she’s learning nothing and everything at the same time. And then, out of the blue, she falls in love, and that’s when she realizes just how much growing up she has to do. Ten years on, Elle lives in New York, and you could say she has found success; certainly her life has changed in ways she could never have predicted. But no matter where you go and how much you try to run away, the past has a funny way of catching up with you.

One Good Friend Deserves Another by Lisa Verge Higgins 
Dhara, Kelly, Marta, and Wendy have been the closest of friends since college. So close, that after a series of romantic disasters, they bond together to create Rules of Relationships to keep their hearts safe. Years later, the rules seem to have worked . . . until Marta discovers that her hot boyfriend is married, Kelly begins a risky love affair, Wendy inches closer to a pre-marital infidelity, and, most shocking of all, Indian-American Dhara suddenly agrees to an arranged marriage. Hearts are about to be broken and the bonds of friendship are tested. Is it possible to find true love when you're breaking all the rules?
Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews
Annajane Hudgens truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason Bayless.  They’ve been divorced for four years, she’s engaged to a new, terrific guy, and she’s ready to leave the small town where she and Mason had so much history.  She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding to the beautiful, intelligent, delightful Celia.  But when fate intervenes and the wedding is called to a halt as the bride is literally walking down the aisle, Annajane begins to realize that maybe she’s been given a second chance.  Maybe everything happens for a reason.  And maybe, just maybe, she wants Mason back.  But there are secrets afoot in this small southern town.  On the peaceful surface of Hideaway Lake, Annajane discovers that the past is never really gone.  Even if there are people determined to keep Annajane from getting what she wants, happiness might be hers for the taking, and the life she once had with Mason in this sleepy lake town might be in her future.

The Color of Tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe
After moving with her husband to the tiny, bustling island of Macau, Grace Miller finds herself a stranger in a foreign land—a lone redhead towering above the crowd on the busy Chinese streets. As she is forced to confront the devastating news of her infertility, Grace’s marriage is fraying and her dreams of family have been shattered. She resolves to do something bold, something her impetuous mother would do, and she turns to what she loves: baking and the pleasure of afternoon tea. Grace opens a café where she serves tea, coffee, and macarons—the delectable, delicate French cookies colored like precious stones—to the women of Macau. There, among fellow expatriates and locals alike, Grace carves out a new definition of home and family. But when her marriage reaches a crisis, secrets Grace thought she had buried long ago rise to the surface. Grace realizes it’s now or never to lay old ghosts to rest and to begin to trust herself. With each mug of coffee brewed, each cup of tea steeped and macaron baked, Grace comes to learn that strength can be gleaned from the unlikeliest of places.

There Goes the Bride by Holly McQueen
Polly Atkins, a Londoner living in New York City, is headed back across the pond for her wedding, a grand affair that has her older sister, Bella, in a whirlwind of excitement. Bella can’t wait to take over the wedding plans—and neither can Polly’s best friend, Grace, whose life as a wife, housekeeper, and mother is making her feel older than her twenty-eight years. She’s desperate to see Polly settle down in the same city—and the same life. The only one who isn’t bursting with enthusiasm is Polly, which is why, before things can get any more chaotic, she calls the whole thing off and lets go of the most perfect man on the planet. There’s no way that Polly is going to tell anyone why she’s changed her mind. Some secrets are best kept hidden. But Grace and Bella are determined to get Polly and her fiancé back together if it’s the last thing they do. After all, solving someone else’s problems has got to be better than dealing with your own.
Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook
Deirdre Griffin has a great life; it’s just not her own. She’s the around-the-clock personal assistant to her charismatic, high-maintenance, New Age guru brother, Tag. As the family wallflower, her only worth seems to be as gatekeeper to Tag at his New England seaside compound. Then Deirdre’s sometime boyfriend informs her that he is marrying another woman, who just happens to be having the baby he told Deirdre he never wanted. While drowning her sorrows in Tag’s expensive vodka, Deirdre decides to use his massive online following to get herself voted on as a last-minute Dancing with the Stars replacement. It’ll get her back in shape, mentally and physically. It might even get her a life of her own. Deirdre’s fifteen minutes of fame have begun. Irresistible and offbeat, Wallflower in Bloom is an original and deeply satisfying story of having the courage to take a leap into the spotlight, no matter where you land.


June 7th

The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly
A novel that explores the imagined lives of Jo March’s descendants—three sisters who are both thoroughly modern and thoroughly March. With her older sister, Emma, planning a wedding and her younger sister, Sophie, preparing to launch a career on the London stage, Lulu can’t help but feel like the failure of the Atwater family. Lulu loves her sisters dearly and wants nothing but the best for them, but she finds herself stuck in a rut, working dead-end jobs with no romantic prospects in sight. When her mother asks her to find a cache of old family recipes in the attic of her childhood home, Lulu stumbles across a collection of letters written by her great-great-grandmother Josephine March. In her letters, Jo writes in detail about every aspect of her life: her older sister, Meg’s, new home and family; her younger sister Amy’s many admirers; Beth’s illness and the family’s shared grief over losing her too soon; and the butterflies she feels when she meets a handsome young German. As Lulu delves deeper into the lives and secrets of the March sisters, she finds solace and guidance, but can the words of her great-great-grandmother help Lulu find a place for herself in a world so different from the one Jo knew?

June 8th

Construct A Couple by Talli Roland
Is any relationship strong enough to survive a string of secrets? With a great job at a reputable magazine and a man who's the perfect match, Serenity Holland thinks she's laid the foundation for an ideal London life. When a routine assignment uncovers a shocking secret threatening her boyfriend's company, Serenity decides to leave nothing to chance, taking matters into her own hands. Soon, though, she realises keeping secrets isn't as easy as she thought and the consequences are far worse than she ever imagined.






June 12th

Between You and Me by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
What happens when you are followed by millions . . . and loved by none? Twenty-seven-year-old Logan Wade is trying to build a life for herself far from her unhappy childhood in Oklahoma. Until she gets the call that her famous cousin needs a new assistant— an offer she can’t refuse. Logan hasn’t seen Kelsey in person since their parents separated them as kids; in the meantime, Kelsey Wade has grown into Fortune Magazine’s most powerful celebrity. But their reunion is quickly overshadowed by the toxic dynamic between Kelsey and her parents as Logan discovers that, beneath the glossy façade, the wounds that caused them to be wrenched apart so many years ago have insidiously warped into a show-stopping family business. As Kelsey tries desperately to break away and grasp at a “real” life, beyond the influence of her parents and managers, she makes one catastrophic misstep after another, and Logan must question if their childhood has left them both too broken to succeed. Logan risks everything to hold on, but when Kelsey unravels in the most horribly public way, Logan finds that she will ultimately have to choose between rescuing the girl she has always protected and saving herself.

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead
Winn Van Meter is heading for his family’s retreat on the pristine New England island of Waskeke. Normally a haven of calm, for the next three days this sanctuary will be overrun by tipsy revelers as Winn prepares for the marriage of his daughter Daphne to the affable young scion Greyson Duff.  Winn’s wife, Biddy, has planned the wedding with military precision, but arrangements are sideswept by a storm of salacious misbehavior and intractable lust: Daphne’s sister, Livia, who has recently had her heart broken by Teddy Fenn, the son of her father’s oldest rival, is an eager target for the seductive wiles of Greyson’s best man; Winn, instead of reveling in his patriarchal duties, is tormented by his long-standing crush on Daphne’s beguiling bridesmaid Agatha; and the bride and groom find themselves presiding over a spectacle of misplaced desire, marital infidelity, and monumental loss of faith in the rituals of American life. 


June 14th

The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty
Ellen O’Farrell is a bit unusual. She’s a hypnotherapist. She’s never met her father. And she can’t seem to keep a relationship going (okay, that’s more normal than we want to admit). When Ellen meets Patrick, she’s hopeful nevertheless. But when he says he needs to tell her something, she fears the worst. However, when Patrick reveals that his ex-girlfriend is stalking him, Ellen thinks, Is that all? Actually, that’s kind of neat. She’s more intrigued than frightened. What makes a supposedly smart, professional woman behave this way? She’d love to meet her. What she doesn’t know is that she already has.





June 19th

A Place in the Country by Elizabeth Adler
Fifteen-year-old Issy, and her newly-single mother, Caroline Evans, are struggling to find their way alone, as well as together.  At thirty-eight, Caroline is coming to terms with this new life, even though she has little money and all the responsibility for the two of them.   When she decides to leave their well-off lives in Singapore (and her cheating husband and his long-time mistress and powerhouse),  she ends up living in an English village pub, cooking dinners to earn enough to get by on; meeting unexpectedly quirky people, and making friends.  But Issy still adores her father and secretly blames her mother for their change in life. When Caroline’s dream of restoring an old barn into a restaurant finally begins to come true, her chance at happiness hangs in the balance as whispers of murder and vengeance find their way to her.  When Issy, hovering in that limbo between girl and young woman, begins to make some dangerous choices, the stakes are raised even higher. 

Monarch Beach by Anita Hughes
Debut novel about one woman’s journey back to happiness after an affair splinters her perfect marriage and life—what it means to be loved, betrayed and to love again. When Amanda Blick, a young mother and kindhearted San Francisco heiress, finds her gorgeous French chef husband wrapped around his sous-chef, she knows she must flee her life in order to rebuild it. The opportunity falls into her lap when her (very lovable) mother suggests Amanda and her young son, Max, spend the summer with her at the St. Regis Resort in Laguna Beach. With the waves right outside her windows and nothing more to worry about than finding the next relaxing thing to do, Amanda should be having the time of her life—and escaping the drama. But instead, she finds herself faced with a kind, older divorcee who showers her with attention… and she discovers that the road to healing is never simple. This is the sometimes funny, sometimes bitter, but always moving story about the mistakes and discoveries a woman makes when her perfect world is turned upside down.

Two sisters and the cousin they grew up with after a tragedy are summoned home to their family matriarch's inn on the coast of Maine for a shocking announcement. Suddenly, Isabel, June, and Kat are sharing the attic bedroom--and barely speaking. But when innkeeper Lolly asks them to join her and the guests in the parlor for weekly Movie Night--it's Meryl Streep month--they find themselves sharing secrets, talking long into the night--and questioning everything they thought they knew about life, love, and one another. Each woman sees her complicated life reflected through the magic of cinema: Isabel's husband is having an affair, and an old pact may keep her from what she wants most... June has promised her seven-year-old son that she'll somehow find his father, who he's never known... and Kat is ambivalent about accepting her lifelong best friend's marriage proposal. Through everything, Lolly has always been there for them, and now Isabel, June, Kat--and Meryl--must be there for her. Finding themselves. Finding each other. Finding a happy ending.

What Women Want by Fanny Blake
Bea, Kate, and Ellen have always known that they can depend on each other no matter what. And it’s a good thing, too, because each is finding the latest phase in life... challenging. Bea’s contending with a new boss, power-hungry colleagues, and a difficult teenage son, not to mention the anxieties of returning to the dating game. Stressed-out doctor Kate is coping with an empty nest and the growing realization that her marriage has lost its shine. But when Ellen, a widow who has devoted herself to her children and her art gallery for the last ten years, falls head over heels in love with Oliver, the long-term bonds of these three friends is put to the test. Bea and Kate are driven away from their friend and from each other as they react differently to this unfamiliar stranger in their midst. Fanny Blake's What Women Want is a novel about love and life and the challenges of female friendship that women face as they try to decide what they want—and come to realize what they really need.

June 26th

Last Summer by Holly Chamberlin
The town of Yorktide, close to Maine's beautiful beaches and the city of Portland, seems like the perfect place to raise a family. For Jane Patterson, there's another advantage: her best friend, Frannie Giroux, lives next door, and their teenaged daughters, Rosie and Meg, are inseparable. But in the girls' freshman year of high school, everything changes. Jane always felt lucky that she was able to work from home, to be there to nurture and protect Rosie. But has she been too protective? Rosie - quiet, shy, and also very pretty - attracts the sneers and slights of a clique of older girls. Over time, the bullying worsens. When Meg betrays their friendship, fearful that she too will be targeted, Rosie suffers an emotional breakdown. Blaming both Meg and Frannie, Jane tries to help Rosie heal while dealing with her own guilt and anger. In the months that follow, each struggles with the ideas of forgiveness and compassion, of knowing when a friendship has been shattered beyond repair - and when hope can be salvaged, one small moment at a time...

Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand
A warm June evening, a local tradition: the students of Nantucket High have gathered for a bonfire on the beach. But what begins as a graduation night celebration ends in tragedy after a horrible car crash leaves the driver of the car, Penny Alistair, dead, and her twin brother in a coma. The other passengers, Penny's boyfriend Jake and her friend Demeter, are physically unhurt - but the emotional damage is overwhelming, and questions linger about what happened before Penny took the wheel. As summer unfolds, startling truths are revealed about the survivors and their parents - secrets kept, promises broken, hearts betrayed. Elin Hilderbrand explores the power of community, family, and honesty, and proves that even from the ashes of sorrow, new love can still take flight. 



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