NJ Penny Book Reviews

After the last book completely gutted me I was on the hunt for something a little more upbeat, something to make me laugh, and something to take my mind off the devastation that happened to me in the last read. And oh man did I find it.  First off I'm in love with this cover. Currently have the actual book in my Amazon cart, because this is everything !  This story is about Marley. She is a beauty blogger living in California, who is about to embark on a road trip with her dad and brother to honor their mother who recently passed. It's the road trip their mother always wanted to take, so they are taking it in the days before her brother Paul gets married. At the start of the trip they pick up Paul's best friend, and love of Marley's life, Porter. Porter and Marley have a bit of a rough past given that he broke her heart back when she was 18, and she hasn't forgiven him for it. This road trip is full of hilarious pranks, some steamy scenes, and a lot...

I am 100% certain my sister was trying to kill me when she recommended this book to me. I was in NO way prepared for the emotional train wreck this was going to cause on my heart. This is brutal. This is not an easy read, and this will have you literally yelling at the book all the while it's completely ripping your heart out.  I'm going to start this review out with the blurb that the book gives you, so you can get a little insight as to what your getting yourself into when you open this one.  Briggs, Remember when we parted ways in Germany? It was the day I broke your heart. What you didn't know was that I was breaking mine too. I thought they’d be enough–my husband and my son. That I’d get home and everything would go back to the way it was . . . Before the war.  Before the ambush.  Before you. But, no matter how hard I try, I can’t erase the trauma we shared. I can’t seem to forget the way my heart beat in time with yours.  The truth is I’m l...

There were SO many good things said about this one I really couldn't wait to dive in! I'm so disappointed that I didn't love it. I don't feel like this is a case of bad writing, or even a bad story. I just didn't connect, and it just wasn't for me. This was definitely a case of i t's not the book, it's me .  "Trust and respect are vital in any relationship. If you don't have that with Dylan anymore, than you don't have a future. But you still have a past with him. And don't let what happens from this point on tarnish those memories because they are a big part of who you are." This story is about a young girl named Gabby. In the beginning of the story she is madly in love with her long time boyfriend Dylan. She seemingly has the perfect life, a close bond with her parents and brothers, a supportive best friend, and an amazing boyfriend. Something happens that rocks Gabby to the core, and her life changes forever. The unthinkab...

Thanks to NetGalley and the author, Karen Hamilton, for the advanced copy of this book! This book is set to release on March 26,2019!  I've been reading ALOT of romance lately, so I figured it was time to switch it up to a psychological thriller. While romances are my favorite, I definitely enjoy being creeped out! I like the creepy books that make you think you stepped into an episode of Criminal Minds.  This book is about Juliette/Lily/Elizabeth, whatever name you decide to call her. She is a flight attendant, who at first read seems to be trying to get her life in order to try and get her ex boyfriend back. The start of the book makes you realize she has encountered some traumatizing event, but she seems normal at first. She is not. She is bat shit crazy, and you soon find out she will go to some pretty extreme lengths to get her ex, Nate, back.  Juliette was pretty insane, and it didn't take me long to figure it out. I felt so bad for Nate, and I w...

I know what your probably thinking, how is she writing ANOTHER review, only one day after the last one..wellll when the boyfriend plays a video game I take the opportunity to read. This book was such an easy read I was already 70% done by the time I went to bed last night.  "But he missed out on all my fabulousness and chose to only acknowledge the bad things- like me breaking into his apartment and putting a bag of dog shit on his counter. So the only thing Jake Swagger might do for me is send his lawyer down here to press charges. He'd make sure I lived out my final moments with Big Bertha who will no doubt sit on me and breathe in my face until I die a slow, agonizing death." This book was about Penelope Hart. She is an author who has made the trip to Chicago from Mississippi to seek revenge on her best friend's ex boyfriend. The book starts with her running down the streets of Chicago with a bag of dog crap, and after several shenanigans ensue she ends up...

Sometimes when I start reading a book it takes time to realize how good it is, and sometimes when I pick one up I can tell right away. That was the case with A Place Without You .  "My mind wants to go there so badly because Henna isn't some girl I met at a concert, she's the girl, and every part of me knows it. When I hold her, my arms know it. I kiss her and my lips know it. When I look at her, something behind my ribs knows it." I am NOT a fan of insta-love stories. I have let this be known many times before, and usually a book with instant love does not sit well with me, and does not rate very high in my eyes. Consider me changed, because I LOVED this one. Some of this story could have bordered on cheesy, but it was SO well written, it was so beautiful, I believed it. I felt their connection, and I actually believed that with just one look they knew in their hearts that they were meant to be.  "Time is a weak force compared to other earthly pheno...

When I was looking for a new book to read this one jumped out at me. The cover is beautiful, and it sounded like a really interesting story. It wasn’t anything like I expected it to be, so I was pretty disappointed. I was definitely in the minority with this one, it came very highly rated.  This story is about a con artist named Gypsy. She is pretty content in her life of crime, and enjoys her lifestyle. She is approached one day by an attorney named Lucian. He is known for his high profile cases that he defends the “bad guys.” He blackmails her into a marriage, and I honestly still don't understand his whole reasoning for that.   I did not like any characters in this book. Gypsy was a brat, she complained about everything, and she was just an all around pretty terrible person. Lucian was messed up. He was a crazy person, there is really no better way to describe him. Gypsy's sister, Birdie, was worse than Gypsy, she didn't show any appreciation for anything Gypsy...

There is nothing that bothers me more than reading a book, and just not loving it. That was the case here, and it really breaks my heart. I love reading, I love books, and I love anyone that takes that leap and writes a book and shares it with the world, but unfortunately I just can't love every book I come across.  This book was about Natalie, a gymnast, who gets into a car wreck on her way to her high school to catch the bus for her senior class trip. The driver of the car that caused the wreck is Colton Daynes, rich and popular football star. This results in both of them missing the bus, and deciding to road trip together the 18 hours to their destination so they don't have to miss out on the whole trip.  My first issue with the book was that it was written in 3rd person. I could not connect to these characters at all, because I didn't feel what they were feeling. You didn't get that glimpse into their mind and what they were thinking. It was really frustrat...

So glad I picked this book for my next read! It wasn't like anything I've read before, and it was so cute and funny! I was laughing out loud, and it was just what I needed!  "Me: You'd have driven all the way here just to take me home? Zach: In a damn heartbeat." This is a story about Delia. The book starts off with her and her long time boyfriend, Caleb, breaking it off. The sizzle just wasn't there anymore, and they both realized that for a long time they have just been feeling more like friends rather than a couple. Delia gets a text from a wrong number that she assumes is her brother, and meanwhile Zach texts a number that he thinks is a client for his job. The texts between the two are HILARIOUS . Hands down the best part of this book. The two start off just innocently enough texting each other, and they eventually decide they want to take it to the next level. Add in a goat, a nosy roomate, and hilarity ensues. I flipping loved it.  "Thi...

I was given an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley, for my honest, unbiased review. This book releases on March 19, 2019. You can pre-order it on Amazon now.  "We have 16 years of history together, Tess. Nothing can take those memories away from us. You're always gonna be a part of my life, even if you're no longer a part of my days." This story is about a girl named Tess. She finds out in the beginning of the story that her family is moving from their very small farm town in Iowa to a military base in South Carolina when her dad re-enlists in the military. Tess is a reserved girl, she loves to play chess, and she loves her best friend Zander even more. What she really learns from this move is how to make lasting friendships, what it feels like when you realize you have fallen in love, and how to survive an unspeakable loss.  This was not a typical love story. This was a love story about friendship. It was a love story about family. And it was a story ...

I know what your thinking, I literally JUST posted a review yesterday. This book was easy to read, it had me on edge, and I needed answers. It probably also helped that I was up half the night sick, so I had plenty of reading time.  "There were only so many times my heart could break." Intoxicated by You was about Alexa and Drake. The story starts with Alexa making a huge mistake and leaving Drake. Years later she is back in town to open a clinic with her best friend, and she runs into Drake. The feelings, for both of them, are obviously still there, and they get things straightened out pretty quickly. They realize they have lost 2 years that they never should have lost, and they don't want to lose any more time. After they realize their relationship was sabotaged, they are left with the task of finding out what really happened.   I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I went in expecting a romance book and I got so much more. It was de...

I was provided an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.  I have been reading a lot of romances lately, so I was pleasantly surprised when this book showed up on my Kindle. A good psychological thriller would be a nice change of pace.  Anytime a book starts out with a paragraph like this.. "I think I put my hand over her mouth.." 'Don't say that. Don't even think that. You wouldn't have done that.' They sit very still in this room full of blood and sorrow- girls whose pulses burst in their veins and boom inside their ears. Their heads. Somewhere a clock ticks. A bird calls.. Three Girls. One dead.  You have to automatically be sucked in. The Prologue was very intriguing. It had me guessing, it kept me on the edge of my seat, and automatically the wheels were turning in my head wondering where this story would go next.  The story is about three girls who went to a Catholic boarding school together. Carol...