GRACE GROWS: SHELLE SUMNERS

I will say right off that I can see some people not enjoying this book as much as I did. It kind of goes on and on and in quite a bit of detail. But for me I just got sucked in right away to the details and enjoyed this very much. I do think it is stronger in the beginning as our two main characters meet and grow close together. There is a distinct plot point where I thought the whole story slowed down, but by then I was so invested I was still a happy reader. For me, I related to the whole idea of being afraid to really fall in love and get hurt like the MC, so I liked Grace very much.

BOOK BLURB:

Grace Barnum’s life is precariously balanced on sensible choices and uncomfortable compromise. She dutifully edits textbooks that, she  fears, may be more harmful than helpful to kids. She is engaged to a patent attorney who is steady and reliable. She has a cautious relationship with her  fascinating father, a renowned New York painter, and she prefers her mom slightly drunk.

Always a planner, Grace feels prepared for most eventualities. Until the responsibility-challenged Tyler Wilkie shows up. Fresh in town from the Poconos, Tyler has warm eyes, a country drawl, and a smile that makes Grace drop things. Worst of all, he writes devastating songs. About her.

Tyler reaches something in Grace, something she needs, but can't admit to. Something she wants, but won't succumb to. Tyler Wilkie loves Grace Barnum and ruins everything.  And Grace grows.

A great easy read with a little bit of swearing, and sex scenes that aren't in extreme detail. Read more about it HERE.

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US: KASIE WEST

I really want to champion this book, especially since the first Goodreads review is scathing. I adored this. It is just a plain clean, fun love story...the perfect little romance book. Kasie West wrote characters that made me smile and swoon. Including fleshed out fun and interesting secondary characters. The story line was so enjoyable and kept me turning the pages without having the crazy over the top drama that is so popular today. Also it has been a few books ago that I read it, but I believe it is completely clean, void of any bad language. So if you are old with kids (like me), you would feel perfectly fine letting your kiddo read this book (not that she can read yet, but still...one day.)

BOOK BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Read more about it HERE.