MY SUMMER READING LIST...

I took one book with me on my recent vacation- a book that I couldn't finish because it turned out to be quite a bore. I read solely for the escape of it all and I don't finish books that aren't making me escape. I don't feel bad about it, but don't you hate when that happens?? So instead I spent time researching books to read and reading lots of samples to determine what books would make my official summer reading list! Here are the books that made the cut...

1. "Truly Madly Guilty" by Liane Moriarty -  Liane is by far one of my favorite authors, so I am really excited about her new book. The style of her writing is perfection - sharp, funny, suspenseful, sad, and inspiring all in one. I love books that explore the dynamics of marriage, family, and relationships -  and this one is just that. In this book, Clementine and her husband get a last minute invite from her friend Erica to attend a barbecue. Clementine accepts the invite and from then on wonders what her life would have been like if she had declined the invite... What happened at that barbecue??? Can't wait to see what that's all about.

2. "The Third Wife" by Lisa Jewell - If you liked "Gone Girl" or "The Girl On the Train", then you might like this book. I read the sample at the beach and was perturbed when I got to the end of it. It totally left me hanging - in a good way! So it obviously made the list. In the beginning of the book, the inebriated third wife of a man steps out in front of a moving bus and dies. Was it suicide or an accident? Hmm. She supposedly had a good relationship with her husband, his prior wives, and their children. Or did she? Was this just an accident caused by her inebriation? Did someone have it in for her? Or was she just overwhelmed by the minutia of being... the third wife??

3. "The Hopefuls" - Jennifer Close - I've seen this book on just about every summer reading list, so I have to assume its going to be good! It explores the political lives of a young husband and wife who make a new move to Washington, D.C. As the husband is fulfilling his political dreams, his wife is navigating the D.C. scene - the dinner parties, the political clicks, the fashion, the gossip, questionable "friendships," and the pressure of just trying to fit in for the sake of her husband's career. Can their marriage survive this new life? I'm sure they are hopeful...

4. "One True Loves" by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I recently read "After I Do" by Reid and I'm now a big fan. In her most recent novel, Reid writes of a woman who was married to the love of her life until he dies in a helicopter crash. She moves back home after his death and then runs into an old friend - who eventually becomes her fiancé and her second chance at happiness. But then her first husband shows up - alive. Now what??

5. "The Children" by Ann Leary - The family drama is this book has me totally intrigued. The book is told by Charlotte, a 29-year-old blogger who lives and works quietly at her mother's beautiful New England estate. Her mother is "allowed" to live at the estate via a provision in her late husband's (Charlotte's stepfather) family trust. The family has certainly had their issues, but all is sort of calm until Charlotte's stepbrother, Spin, who formally owns the home, brings his new fiancé home to meet everyone. Although she seems splendid, it's around that time when family secrets, lies, and resentments surface. And did I mention that Charlotte is quite a famous blogger - and no one in her family really knows that???

6. "The Year We Turned Forty" by Lize Fenton & Lisa Steinke - The first thing I will say about this book is that I don't think you have to be anywhere near 40 to enjoy it. It makes you think about the decisions you are making right now no matter what age you are. The book revolves around the lives of three best friends who hit 40 and start contemplating past decisions and missed opportunities. Jesse is tackling her personal issues that resulted in an affair that ended her marriage to her ex-husband - a man she still loves. Gabriella chose to focus her fertile years on building her successful career and now she wants a baby more than anything else in the world. Now she must convince her husband to want the same thing. Claire spent most of her adult life raising a difficult daughter who has finally blossomed into a beautiful young adult. Now she has time to think about a man who got away and the bond she wished she had with her mother. We always wonder if the grass would have been greener, but I guess we never know until we try to find out...

What are you reading this summer???