MF - With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt

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“With or Without You is a moving novel about twists of fate, the shifting terrain of love, and coming into your own. With tenderness and incisive insight, Leavitt spotlights a woman's unexpected journey towards her art.” —Madeline Miller, author of Circe

After almost twenty years together, Stella and Simon are starting to run into problems. An up-and-coming rock musician when they first met, Simon has been clinging to dreams of fame even as the possibility of it has grown dimmer, and now that his band might finally be on the brink again, he wants to go on the road, leaving Stella behind. But when she falls into a coma on the eve of his departure, he has to make a choice between stardom and his wife—and when she wakes a different person, with an incredible artistic talent of her own, the two of them must examine what it is that they really want.

Unapologetically honest and intimately written, With or Without You is a contemporary story of what happens to relationships as the people in them change, whether slowly or in one cataclysmic swoop.

My Rating - 3.5 Stars!

Caroline Leavitt's With or Without You is an emotional story. 

It's a story of people changing and growing apart, first due to life itself and then due to trauma.

I wanted to love it, but I didn't love the pace. As well, I hated the repeated use of "he said," "she said," throughout the dialogue. And it's so damn depressing. 

But in the end, I am glad I kept reading. It delivers an important and fantastic life message. Definitely check it out when you're in the mood for realistic and deep. But skip it if you're looking for happy and romantic. 

YA MF - Admission by Julie Buxbaum

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes an of-the-moment novel that peeks inside the private lives of the hypercompetitive and the hyperprivileged and takes on the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country.

It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She's headed off to the college of her dreams. She's going to prom with the boy she's had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer--at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.

As she loses everything she's long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit? 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Admission is a fabulous read by Julie Buxbaum. This story checked off all my boxes. The reality that this story is based upon had American consumed, and this story is just as gripping. 

Personally, I love that this tale is told from the child's point of view. When we meet her, Chloe's a normal, although privileged teenager, stressed about the SAT and boys. 

She never wanted what her parents wanted for her. She is innocent in all of this, although after the fact, she sees the clues. But she is truly an innocent victim of her parent's crimes. Right?

The writing is fabulous. All written from Chloe's point of view, the author alternates between the past and the present. It's a fascinating take of the way the children involved in the college scandal probably, or perhaps reacted. 

The author touches upon the lifestyle of the rich and elite, of Hollywood and it's priorities, and the way one never stops pressured to live a certain way. 

Admission is a riveting tale, written in a manner that I couldn't put it down. This is a story of greed and it's effects. I love it. It's a wonderful take on the college admission scandal. It's definitely a thought provoking book, leaving the readers with a lot to ponder throughout. 

MF - Give, A Novel by Erica C. Witsell

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Blurb

A fractured family leaves two sisters struggling for belonging. One gift could change everything.

Every summer, Jessie and Emma leave their suburban home in the Central Valley of California and fly north to Baymont. Nestled among Mendocino's golden hills, with ponies to love and endless acres to explore, Baymont should be a child's paradise. But Baymont belongs to Laurel, the girls' birth mother, whose heedless parenting and tainted judgement cast a long shadow over the sisters' summers---and their lives.

Caught in a web of allegiances, the girls learn again and again that every loyalty has its price, and that even forgiveness can take unexpected turns. Years later, when Laurel asks her elder daughter for the ultimate gift, Jessie must decide just how much to give in the name of love.

Luminous and poignant, Give is the story of one family's troubled quest to redeem the mistakes of the past and a stirring testament to the bonds of sisterhood.

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Give, by Erica C Witsell is an interesting and compelling novel. Starting in the 1970s, it didn't take long for me to become engrossed by this novel. Honestly, I truly became consumed by this book. 

Laurel is struggling under the weight of motherhood and the reader immediately sees how selfish she is. Len, meanwhile, is immediately a likable and sympathetic character. 

Honestly though, I find the book description to be deceptive. It doesn't convey how much of this story is about Jessie and Emma's childhood. The first part of the book is about Laurel and Len, and how they end up separated, with the girls not knowing Laurel for years. After that, the point of views transition into that of the girls as they go through adolescence followed by adulthood. The next part follows snippets through the years, as they grow up. 

This book hit me on so many levels; as a mother, as a wife, and as a daughter.
This story heavily delves into motherhood, and the different ways people can show love. 

It's as multi-layered as it gets, covering many years and many events. It includes divorce, step-parents, egg donorship, motherhood in general. It conveys the pain that stems from the rejection of a parent, the different things that truly make a mother, and heavily explores the meaning of biological parents in one's life. It covers alcoholism, polyamory, and more.

The author takes the reader through many different povs, including that of the children. This is one hell of a multi-layered read that to me, this would make an interesting book club read. 

Give, A Novel is a terrific read. This Erica C Witsell book is a deep, thought-provoking family novel and coming of age story. It certainly doesn't fall easily into any one category. Personally, I consider it an amazing women's fiction read. But book stores list it as LGBT family fiction. Whatever it is, it's well worth a read. 

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MF - An Everyday Hero (Heart of a Hero #2) by Laura Trentham

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Blurb

From award-winning author Laura Trentham comes an emotionally layered novel about redemption, second chances and discovering that life is worth fighting for.

At thirty, Greer Hadley never expected to be forced home to Madison, Tennessee with her life and dreams up in flames. A series of bad decisions and even worse luck lands her community service hours at a nonprofit organization that aids veterans and their families. Greer cannot fathom how she’s supposed to help anyone deal with their trauma and loss when everything that brought her joy has failed her.

Then Greer meets fifteen-year-old Ally Martinez, a gifted girl who lost her father in action and now hides her pain behind a mask of sarcasm. But Greer sees something undeniable that she can’t walk away from. To make matters more complicated, Greer finds herself spending more and more time with Emmett Lawson—a man with both physical and emotional scars of his own. When a situation with Ally becomes dire, the two of them must become a team to save her—and along the way they might just save themselves too.

Review 

My Rating - 4.5 Stars!

An Everyday Hero is a wonderful novel by Laura Trentham. The story of two broken people who both thought their lives were over, it's a great story of healing.

Greer is back home, struggling to find her way. Everything is going wrong for her, leaving her unable to figure out the next step. Meanwhile, she's stuck doing some community service. Emmett is home, hiding away, since being injured during his military service. Greer showing up at his door doesn't make him happy, but she has a job to do.

Both characters are well established, with their pain and emotions clearly demonstrated. I enjoy the uniqueness of both them and their relationship. 

This is a wonderful story that is so much more than a romance. There are so many people who are suffering, and there's a whole lot of healing to be done. Not only do Greer and Emmett need to heal, Ally and her mother are also a large part of the story, with a heartbreaking backstory. 

The author does a great job with these multi-layered characters and their even more multi-layered storyline. The storyline is well crafted, easily drawing the reader into this world and keeping us invested. 

An Everyday Hero is a great tale of moving forward with the help of others; friends and family. Having enjoyed this one so much, I will need to check out the first book in the series, as well as remain on the lookout for future books.