Winners of American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar

I am pleased to announce the winners of American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar!

The winner of the audiobook is

Elisabeth

And the winner of the paperback is

Esme

Congrats to both of the winners!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information to forward on to the publisher.  I want to give a special thank you to Anna from Hachette for making this giveaway possible.

Giveaway: American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar

Thanks to Anna from Hachette I am able to give away up to 3 copies of the trade paperback of this novel PLUS 1 audiobook!  Here is a summary of the book from the Hachette website:

Hayat Shah is a young American in love for the first time. His normal life of school, baseball, and video games had previously been distinguished only by his Pakistani heritage and by the frequent chill between his parents, who fight over things he is too young to understand. Then Mina arrives, and everything changes.

Mina is Hayat's mother's oldest friend from Pakistan. She is independent, beautiful and intelligent, and arrives on the Shah's doorstep when her disastrous marriage in Pakistan disintegrates. Even Hayat's skeptical father can't deny the liveliness and happiness that accompanies Mina into their home. Her deep spirituality brings the family's Muslim faith to life in a way that resonates with Hayat as nothing has before. Studying the Quran by Mina's side and basking in the glow of her attention, he feels an entirely new purpose mingled with a growing infatuation for his teacher.

When Mina meets and begins dating a man, Hayat is confused by his feelings of betrayal. His growing passions, both spiritual and romantic, force him to question all that he has come to believe is true. Just as Mina finds happiness, Hayat is compelled to act -- with devastating consequences for all those he loves most.

American Dervish is a brilliantly written, nuanced, and emotionally forceful look inside the interplay of religion and modern life. Ayad Akhtar was raised in the Midwest himself, and through Hayat Shah he shows readers vividly the powerful forces at work on young men and women growing up Muslim in America. This is an intimate, personal first novel that will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.

Now for the giveaway!

I will be giving away one book for every 10 entries with a maximum of three books to give away.

Winners will be subject to the one copy per household, which means if you win the same title on another blog you will receive only one copy of the title.

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada. No PO Boxes please.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.  Please indicate in your comment if you are interested in the audiobook.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

You will have until September 30th to enter and I will draw for winners on or after October 1st.

Good luck everyone!

**This Giveaway is closed.

Winner of The Winters in Bloom

I'm pleased to announce that the winner of The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker is.....................

Tiffany Drew

Congratulations Tiffany!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing address so I can send your book out right away.

Review and Giveaway: The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker

Here is a summary of the book from the Simon and Schuster website:


Together for over a decade, Kyra and David Winter are happier than they ever thought they could be. They have a comfortable home, stable careers, and a young son, Michael, who they love more than anything. Yet because of their complicated histories, Kyra and David have always feared that this domestic bliss couldn’t last - that the life they created was destined to be disrupted. And on one perfectly average summer day, it is: Michael disappears from his own backyard.

The only question is whose past has finally caught up with them: David feels sure that Michael was taken by his troubled ex-wife, while Kyra believes the kidnapper must be someone from her estranged family, someone she betrayed years ago.

As the Winters embark on a journey of time and memory to find Michael, they will be forced to admit these suspicions, revealing secrets about themselves they’ve always kept hidden. But they will also have a chance to discover that it’s not too late to have the family they’ve dreamed of; that even if the world is full of risks, as long as they have hope, the future can bloom.

Lyrical, wise, and witty, The Winters in Bloom is Lisa Tucker’s most optimistic work to date. This enchanting, life-affirming story will charm readers and leave them full of wonder at the stubborn strength of the human heart.

My Review:
This book had me wrapped up in the characters from the very beginning.  When David and Kyra's son, Michael disappears, both contemplate who from their past could have done this to them.  They have taken every precaution to keep their little boy safe, only to have him taken in the blink of an eye.

Kyra has been struggling with her problems since her mother walked out on the family when she was a young girl.  Kyra became closer to her sister Amy, but somehow failed to realize that the day her mother left, is the day that a piece of Amy died also.  They went through the regular motions of high school and boyfriends, until Amy veered off-track when they left for college.  Amy made all the wrong choices, from drugs, alcohol, and men, until she decides to desert her sister in search of something that will help her feel whole.

David seemed to have a good childhood, although he was always a bit on the emotional side.  He found himself attracted to girls that seemed wounded and frail.  This led him to his first marriage that ended in a disaster that left him shattered and uncertain of trusting anyone in his life again.

When young Michael disappears David and Kyra both realize that they must confront their pasts to get the answers they need.  Tucker did a wonderful job of bringing these character's pasts to life for us and revealing the situation in a way that made me crave for this book when I wasn't able to read it.  With themes of love, resentment, and forgiveness, I feel that this would  be great to read for leisure or  as a book club discussion.  I highly recommend this novel.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This book was provided to me by the publisher through the Netgalley program in exchange for an honest review.

Now for the Giveaway!

I was lucky enough to receive a hardcover copy of this book also, so that is what I will be giving away.

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

Good Luck Everyone!

**This giveaway is closed**

Winner of my BEA Giveaway!

My apologies to those of you that have been chomping at the bit waiting for me to announce the winner of the giveaway!  Life just doesn't get any easier-no rest for the wicked I guess!

So the winner of my giveaway that will get to choose between 3 books is......

Traveler

Congratulations!  I will be emailing you shortly to find out which book you would like and to also get your mailing information.  Thanks for stopping by everyone, and maybe, just maybe, a few more of us will be able to make it to the BEA next year!

Armchair BEA Giveaway!

In celebration of the 2012 Armchair BEA I have decided to have a giveaway that allows the winner to choose between the three books shown below.  These are gently used copies from my personal collection.





Here are the books the winner can choose from:

 Night Road by Kristin Hannah

 Next to Love by Ellen Feldman

Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos

Now for the giveaway!

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

This is going to be a short contest as it will end on Saturday, June 9th.  I will draw a winner on or after June 10th.

Good luck everyone!

Winner of The Book of Madness and Cures by Regina O'Melveny

I'm very excited to announce that the winner of The Book of Madness and Cures by Regina O'Melveny is...............

Harvee

Congratulations Harvee!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information to send to the publisher.  I also want to thank Anna from Hachette for allowing me to host this giveaway on my blog!

Winners of In Search of Lucy by Lia Fairchild

I'm very excited to announce the two winners of In Search of Lucy by Lia Fairchild are....

Pame Brennan

and

Nice'

Congratulations ladies!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information.  Thanks to all who entered!

Giveaway: The Book of Madness and Cures by Regina O'Melveny

Thanks to Anna from Hachette I am able to give away up to 3 copies of this new novel.  Here is a summary of the book from the Hachette website:

Gabriella Mondini is a rarity in 16^th century Venice: a woman who practices medicine. Her father, a renowned physician, has provided her entrée to this all-male profession, and inspired in her a shared mission to understand the secrets of the human body.

Then her father disappears and Gabriella faces a crisis: she is no longer permitted to treat her patients, women who need her desperately, without her father's patronage. She sets out across Europe to find where-and why-he has gone. Following clues from his occasional enigmatic letters, Gabriella crosses Switzerland, Germany and France, entering strange and forbidding cities. She travels to Scotland, the Netherlands, and finally to Morocco. In each new land she probes the mystery of her father's flight, and open new mysteries of her own. Not just mysteries of ailments and treatments, but ultimate mysteries of mortality, love, and the timeless human spirit.

Filled with medical lore and sensuous, vivid details of Renaissance life, The Book of Madness and Cures is an intoxicating and unforgettable debut.

Now for the Giveaway!
I will be giving away one book for every 10 entries with a maximum of three books to give away.

Winners will be subject to the one copy per household, which means if you win the same title on another blog you will receive only one copy of the title.

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada. No PO Boxes please.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

You will have until May 5th to enter and I will draw for winners on or after May 6th.

Good luck everyone!

**This giveaway is closed**

Blog Tour and Giveaway: In Search of Lucy by Lia Fairchild

I'm thrilled to welcome Lia Fairchild to Jo-Jo Loves to Read today!  She has decided to share an excerpt of her new novel, In Search of Lucy, with us today.

In Search of Lucy, my debut novel, is about love, relationships, and family. In creating Lucy, I sought to tell a story about how these things can affect who we are and ultimately who we become. Lucy’s journey will take you on a physical and emotional ride, and leaving you hoping she finds the happiness she deserves.

With the help of new friends and a man who won't give up on her, Lucy sets out on a journey to reunite with her sister and find the answers she so desperately needs. Can she get past her emotions and have a chance at happiness? 

In the following excerpt, Lucy finally acknowledges some of the feelings she’d been pushing away. After finding out about her sister’s illness and going through numerous tests to determine if she is a match to donate a kidney, reality comes crashing in. Everything happened so fast that she didn’t have time to process it and in this excerpt she finds herself alone at a bar.

The need to let off some steam led Lucy to Kelly’s after her appointment—a semi-regular destination spot for her. It was where she went when she couldn’t be alone but didn’t want to be with people either. Kelly’s was a small Irish tavern with a few casual tables and a bar, which is where Lucy preferred to make her perch. She walked in the double-door entrance and as usual scoped out the bar area to see if it was worth staying. The longer side of the L-shaped wood bar was optimal so Lucy could have her back to the tables. It was only a little after four, so most of the tables were empty. She noticed only one man sitting at the bar, but regrettably he was right smack in the middle. She’d have to choose either end and decided on the left side against the wall. As she walked toward the bar she noticed the bartender look up at her, causing the customer to follow his gaze. The man looked to be about in his mid-fifties. He wore khaki pants and a polo- style golf shirt, and he had a pale face with light eyes. He gave a nod and raised his glass as Lucy passed. “Good afternoon,” the bartender said in a mellow voice. It was as though he had a sixth sense, to read a person’s mood and respond with the particular tone of his greeting. He slapped a napkin down in front of Lucy as she took her seat. She recognized the bartender as the young, scruffy-faced guy who had served her before, but she wasn’t sure he recognized her. Maybe he knew she wasn’t looking for friendly banter. “What can I get ya?”

Lucy could feel her neighbor’s eyes on her and wondered how many drinks he’d had. Guys like that didn’t faze her, but she wasn’t in the mood to deal with some drunken idiot. Over the years, she had developed a sort of loser radar, especially since that was mostly the type of men that she encountered around her mother.

Lucy smiled and turned away. She didn’t want to give a false aura of friendliness. But the middle-ager didn’t take the cue. He stood as if wanting to stretch his legs. Then he looked over at Lucy, cupped his napkin around his drink, and slid it across toward Lucy. She lifted her eyebrows and gave him a look that said, Don’t even think about it. What could he possibly see in her anyway? No makeup, wearing faded jeans and a white long- sleeve shirt, not to mention drinking alone at bar. The man slid his drink right back and immediately sat down. “Ookaay.”

The bartender smirked as he brought Lucy’s drink and set it down in front of her. “Here you go.” Then he turned to the back counter and began drying glasses. Lucy took a big sip of her drink, hoping to instantly drain the pressure from her brain. The last few weeks had finally caught up to her. Until now, she had basically been running on autopilot—forms, needles, exams had all been formalities. None of it seemed to be for any real purpose. She was going through the motions, full bore—until today. The psychological evaluation had really made all of it seem so real. Her mind was racing. She took another drink, this time almost finishing it. The second the bottom of the glass touched the napkin, she raised it again and finished it off. She sat still for a while, watching the bartender has he hung the last of the glasses he was drying. She could see his face in the huge mirror that hung on the back wall, and she slouched slightly to avoid seeing herself.

“Another?” he asked when she caught his eye in the mirror.

Lucy nodded in agreement, and he went to work preparing another drink. The door behind her opened and closed over the next twenty minutes, and the ensuing patrons filled in vacant tables. Lucy didn’t take notice of the increasing volume of clink-ing dishes and glasses, and muffled conversations.

After her third drink she started to feel guilty. This was not the effect she was seeking. The pain was supposed to be decreas-ing, not increasing. She tried to sort things out in her brain, but nothing was clear to her. Why am I doing this? she thought. Is this how I help my sister? By saturating my kidney with alcohol? But she wasn’t just feeling guilty, she was angry too. Why did everything seem to fall on her shoulders? Why had she gone through all that with her mother and taking care of Katie, only to have Katie run out on her?

Now all of a sudden Katie needed her again. Lucy wasn’t sure she could take seeing Katie again, taking care of her again. I can’t help her…because I can’t help myself. That was it. She finally realized that it wasn’t just the feelings you would expect when a loved one was sick. Lucy was bitter and scared and frustrated. She remembered the days when she thought she couldn’t go on. Now…she had to. She had no choice. That was a frightening thought.

Now for the giveaway!

I will be giving away one paperback copy for every ten entries, giving away a maximum of three books

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

You will have until April 20th to enter and I will draw for a winner on or after April 21st.

Good luck everyone!

**This giveaway is closed**

Winner of Night Road!

I'm pleased to announce that the winner of Night Road by Kristin Hannah is.................

Linda

Congratulations Linda!  I will be contacting you shortly to get your mailing information.  Stay tuned for more giveaways coming later in the month!

Giveaway and Book Club Thoughts: Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Here is a summary of Night Road from Kristin Hannah's website:

For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach—are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.

Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy-- until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time her kids leave the house, she worries about them.

On a hot summer’s night her worst fears come true. One decision will change the course of their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.

Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, Night Road raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope. This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love.


The Sweet Connections book club was lucky enough to win hardcover copies of this book for all of our members.  So this ended up being our January selection and we got together to discuss it on February 1st.

I read and reviewed this book about a year ago so I am not going to go into the details again.  If you missed my review and would like to read it you can do so here.

I enjoyed this novel, along with most of the members of our book club.  As a parent I can tell you that it is a difficult story to read and quite often I found myself disliking the main character.

A couple of the gals had the opinion that the book should have been more about Lexi's story than Jude's.  A few of us also thought the book had a young adult feel to it and thought we may have enjoyed it more if it didn't.  My main problem after reading this book again is that the ending seemed to wrap up too quickly and nicely.

Even though I read this book for the second time I still had the need for tissues.  Knowing the main points of the book and even the ending did not prevent me from enjoying this story for the second time.

Now for the giveaway:

I will be giving away one hardcover copy of this book.

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

You will have until February 25th to enter and I will draw for a winner on or after February 26th.

Good luck Everyone!

**This giveaway is closed.**

The Winner of Madame Tussaud!

I'm thrilled to announce that the winner of Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran is................

Rebecca 

Congratulations Rebecca!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information so your book can be sent out right away.

Giveaway: Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

There are many gifted and gracious authors out there and Michelle Moran is definitely one of them.  In celebration of the release of the paperback edition of Madame Tussaud she is offering to give away one copy of this book and a pair of earrings!  You can see a picture of the earrings below. 

Here is a summary of Madame Tussaud from the author's website:
The world knows Madame Tussaud as a wax artist extraordinaire…but who was this woman and how did she become one of the most famous sculptresses of all time? In these pages, her tumultuous story comes to life as only Michelle Moran could tell it. The year is 1788, and a revolution is about to begin… 

Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American Ambassador, Thomas Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie’s museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, and when word arrives that the royals themselves are coming to see their likenesses, Marie never dreams that the king’s sister will request her presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax sculpting. Yet when a letter with a gold seal is delivered to her home, Marie knows she cannot refuse—even if it means time away from her beloved Salon and her increasingly dear friend, Henri Charles. 

As Marie becomes acquainted with her pupil, Princess Élisabeth, she is taken to meet both Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI, who introduce her to the glamorous life at court. From lavish parties with more delicacies than she’s ever seen, to rooms filled with candles lit only once before being discarded, Marie steps into to a world entirely different from her home on the Boulevard du Temple, where people are selling their teeth in order to put food on the table.

Meanwhile, many resent the vast separation between rich and poor. In salons and cafés across Paris, people like Camille Desmoulins, Jean-Paul Marat, and Maximilien Robespierre are lashing out against the monarchy. Soon, there’s whispered talk of revolution…Will Marie be able to hold on to both the love of her life and her friendship with the royal family as France approaches civil war? And more importantly, will she be able to fulfill the demands of powerful revolutionaries who ask that she make the death masks of beheaded aristocrats, some of whom she knows?

Spanning five years from the budding revolution to the Reign of Terror, Madame Tussaud brings us into the world of an incredible heroine whose talent for wax modeling saved her life and preserved the faces of a vanished kingdom.

 And here are the earrings that the winner will also receive!


Now for the giveaway!

I will be giving away one  paperback copy of this book.

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

You will have until January 1st to enter and I will draw for a winner on or after January 2nd.

Good luck Everyone!

Current Giveaways!!!

Here are some giveaways that I found out in blogland:

Bookin' With Bingo is giving away the audioversion of The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides.  Contest ends 11/30.

So Many Precious Books, So Little Time  is giving away The Greenhouse by Audur Ava Olafsdottir.  Contest ends 12/7.

Peeking Between the Pages  is giving away Come Back to Me by Melissa Foster.  Contest ends 12/17.

If I missed your giveaway please feel free to leave the link in the comment section below.

Have a great week everyone!

Winner of Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard!

I am very happy to announce that the winner of Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard is .....

Ti

Congratulations Ti!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information so I can get this sent out to you right away.  Thanks to everyone for stopping by and entering the contest!

Winners of my Blogiversary Contest!

I have 3 winners to share with you all today!  First of all, the winner of the $20 Amazon gift card is....

amandadawk 

And the runners up who get their choice of books are:

petite

stacybuckeye

Congratulations to the winners! 

Winners of The Traitor's Wife by Kathleen Kent!

I'm very excited to share with you all the winners of the Traitor's Wife by Kathleen Kent!

First of all, the winner of both The Heretic's Daughter and The Traitor's Wife is.....

Leslie

And then I also have two more lucky winners that have won a copy of The Traitor's Wife:

Beachreader

traveler

Congratulation to all of the winners and thank you to all who stopped by to enter!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information to forward to the publisher. 

Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard

First of all I need to thank Trish once again from TLC Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of this tour.  Isn't the cover of this book beautiful?  I must admit to you that even though I hate Fall, I would love to be walking down this lane with the leaves crunching under my feet.  I'm even giving a copy of this book away at the end of this post.

Here is a summary of the novel from the Harper Collins website:
A recently widowed mother of two, Sylvie Bates-McAllister finds her life upended by a late-night phone call from the headmaster of the prestigious private school founded by her grandfather where her adopted son Scott teaches. Allegations of Scott's involvement in a hazing scandal cause a ripple effect, throwing the entire family into chaos. For Charles, Sylvie's biological son, it dredges up a ghost from the past who is suddenly painfully present. For his wife Joanna, it forces her to reevaluate everything she's hoped for in the golden Bates-McAllisters. And for Scott, it illuminates harsh truths about a world he has never truly felt himself a part of. 

But for all the Bates-McAllisters, the call exposes a tangled web of secrets that ties the family together: the mystery of the school hazing, the event that tore Charles and Scott apart the night of their high school awards ceremony, and the intended recipient of a certain bracelet. The quest to unravel the truth takes the family on individual journeys across state lines, into hospitals, through the Pennsylvania woods, and face-to-face with the long-dormant question: what if the life you always planned for and dreamed of isn't what you want after all?

My Review:
This story brings us into the lives of a privileged American family as they are struggling to try to hold onto the life that they know.  Sylvie was fortunate enough to inherit her grandfather's mansion early on in her marriage, but I don't think that she realized how this windfall would impact her family life.  Her grandfather worked hard building the family business and making a name for himself and was quite an asset to the local community.  When the private high school was about to shut down, he bailed them out, resulting in becoming the lead shareholder from the endeavor.


It seemed to me that the family's involvement with the private school, Swithin, was where many of the problems unfolded for this family.  Sylvie always said that if it weren't for her grandfather, Swithin would not even be here today.  She finds herself becoming troubled when she hears of how her grandfather treated the less privileged people in their community.  She has to come to terms with the fact that her grandfather was not the upstanding citizen that she always thought.

As Sylvie is dealing with the new revelations about her grandfather, she is also still mourning the loss of her husband.  It hasn't been that long since he passed away in such a quick and swift manner, and it seemed that they left so many things unspoken and unanswered.  Sylvie had suspected that he was having an affair but she really had no idea who he was seeing or even the extent of their relationship.

Sylvie's sons seemed to have suffered the most growing up under the McAllister name.  Scott was adopted by the Bates-McAllister's at a young age and their father seemed to show more love and understanding to him than to their older son Charles.  This created turmoil between the two brothers throughout their lives that they never seemed to be able to overcome.  All of their relationships are pushed to the boiling point during a high school celebration when Scott uncovers a secret that leaves their relationships torn and tattered.

After that high school blow out all of the family members just seem to be living life day to day, without plans of improving themselves or moving on in any way.  It was so sad to see this family stuck in a kind of limbo that wouldn't allow them to experience any happiness.  When Scott finds himself the center of an investigation at the Swithin private school, each of the family members start to evaluate their lives and the events that have happened since that long ago afternoon.  Confronting the past and their own demons will help each of them move on to being the people that they really want to be.

This was a good story, but there was something within the pages that I just didn't love.  It certainly isn't a feel good book, but that has not prevented me from enjoying stories in the past.  Maybe it was the fact that I have always believed that if you just give children whatever they want in life, you are helping them to fail.  This family obviously had everything handed to them on a silver platter, and their lives may have looked fine and dandy from the outside, but from the inside they were being ripped to shreds.   I only touched on a few of the relationship issues that were apparent in this novel, but even though I didn't love it, I still think that this novel would make a good book club discussion with themes of families, secrets, and revelations.

My Rating: 3/5

Disclosure:  This e-book was provided to me by the publisher through the Netgalley program in exchange for an honest review.

Now for the giveaway!
I will be giving away one trade paperback copy of this book to give away.

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada. No PO Boxes please.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

You will have until November 10th to enter and I will draw for a winner on or after November 11th.

Good luck Everyone!

**This giveaway is closed.**

My Blogiversary Giveaway!

I'm so happy to share with everyone that this week marks three years that I have been blogging and sharing my thoughts about all of the books that I read.  When I think back to that first post so long ago, I must admit that I really didn't know what was in store for me.  I can tell you that everyone in the blogging community has been amazing!  I am thankful to all of you-readers, publishers, fellow bloggers, authors, and publicists.  Blogs would mean nothing without any of you! 

I know that since I started my new job in March I haven't had the opportunity to visit many of your blogs as often as I would like.  Rest assured that I do make it over there eventually, even if it is a delayed arrival!   I have been trying to do a little housekeeping over here at Jo-Jo Loves to Read!!!  I'm working on cleaning up my blogroll by deleting some links that just aren't there any longer, and updating the actual link address for those of you that changed where your blog is actually located.  I actually even stopped following a few blogs that didn't have any activity within the last year.  Harsh, I know, but changes need to be made!

I'm planning on starting a writing workshop this week to hopefully help me compile my thoughts in a more organized manner.  Sometimes I read what I posted at a later date and say to myself "What were you thinking!"  Maybe I will even share with all of you the progress that I make with this workshop.

In celebration of the occasion today I think it is only appropriate to have a GIVEAWAY!  Fun, fun, fun!

 The 1st place winner will win a $20 gift card from Amazon!




The 2nd and 3rd place winners will have their choice of one of the following gently read ARC's from my shelf:

The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry

Guernica by Dave Boling

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy

The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard

The Life O'Reilly by Brian Cohen








Well I think this is a pretty good assortment of books for the giveaway.  So here is how you can enter:
To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

You will have until October 27th to enter and I will draw for winners on or after October 28th.  I'm making this a short giveaway so whoever wins the Amazon gift card can take advantage of the specials that are offered through Harper this month.  You can find out more about that here.

Good luck everyone!