Review: Summer Daydreams

Title: Summer Daydreams
Author: Carole Matthews
Publisher: Sphere
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Genre: Fiction / Chick Lit
Source: Author
Reviewer: Arnett R.

DESCRIPTION:

What if you had always dreamed of something more…? Nell McNamara has a happy life: her boyfriend Olly adores her, their four-year-old daughter Petal is the center of their world and Nell has a steady job in the local chip shop. When the chippy needs a makeover, Nell jumps at the chance to unleash the creativity fizzing inside her. Inspired by what she can achieve – and encouraged by the very best friends a girl can have – Nell is determined to try something new. Waving goodbye to the chip shop, she starts up a new business making her own line of must-have handbags, which are soon flying off the shelves. It seems Nell’s dreams are finally coming true, but her success doesn’t come without a price. Before too long, Nell has to ask herself if it’s really possible to have it all…Full of fun, love and laughter, soak up the sunshine with Summer Daydreams.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is a great story about having a hidden dream and stumbling into fulfilling it. Nell is sweet and naïve about what it takes to succeed but pulls through with hard work, the help of Phillip, Olly and the rest of the folks at Live and Let Fry.

Olly for me is the winner in this story; it is all about Nell, but what a great secondary character.  He stole the girlish/romantic side of me, stand by your woman through thick or thin, a little jealousy, a little pouting but lots of bravery in the end, a knight in shining armor.

A feel good read, may be a little off putting to readers who are not British because of the spelling of some words, a little long in the middle, but would recommend this book as a great way to spend a quiet afternoon.  All in all I loved it.

MY RATING:



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carole Matthews is an internationally bestselling author of hugely successful romantic comedy novels. Her unique sense of humor has won her legions of fans and critical acclaim all over the world.

As well as appearing on the Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller lists, Carole is published in 30 different countries. Her novels Welcome To The Real World and Wrapped Up In You were shortlisted for the RNA romantic novel of the year award.

In the USA, the hilarious For Better, For Worse was selected by one of America’s top TV book clubs – Reading with Ripa on LIVE with Regis and Kelly – as their book of the month. As a result it went straight into the USA Today and New York Times Extended bestseller lists.

Carole co-edited two editions of the hugely popular Girls’ Night In charity series called Girls’ Night Out – one for the USA and one for Canada. All proceeds go to War Child. She has recently contributed a story to an anthology for the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Loves Me, Loves Me Not. Carole has presented on television and is a regular radio guest.

Born in St Helens, Merseyside, Carole has always been an avid reader and dreamed of being a teacher, an air traffic controller, a travel guide or a hairdresser – writer never featured once. Leaving Liverpool for London after a torrid holiday romance in Torquay, she worked as a secretary, an ice-cream lady, a shop assistant and a beauty therapist. It was when she was working in a completely mad holistic clinic that she first thought ‘one day I should write a book about this.’ She still hasn’t got round to it.

Carole’s Contact links:

• Website: www.carolematthews.com
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carole.matthews
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/CAROLEMATTHEWS

Stop by to pay her a visit and don’t forget to tell her that Dee at Age is Just a Number referred you!

A copy of Summer Daydreams was received from the author for the review. There was no obligation to give a positive review.

Review: Why You're Still Single

Things Your Friends Would Tell You if You Promised Not to Get Mad
by Evan Marc Katz and Linda Holmes
Publisher: A PLUME BOOK, www.penguin.com
Category: Self-Help/Relationships
Reviewed by D.S. White for Read Zone Book Reviews

"The Power of No: The ability to say no in a relationship, in bed, or anywhere else exhibits the kind of confidence that it takes to walk away and be a happy single and, therefore, be happy in a couple. If you establish your worth, you never have to settle for less." Pg 33

With the above-mentioned quote I have to say, the authors do sum up the plight/condition/life (your word of choice here) of single folk quite well. One must know one's worth.

This passage and others made me think about myself a bit. As they discussed several key behaviors that may be off-putting, the one that jumped out at me was: insecurity.

Me? Insecure?

I know, I know ... shocked me too. For years I had everyone convinced (and myself too) that I had all my stuff together, that I'd successfully overcome the triple threat of abuse, bipolar disorder and rape. I just knew I was All that and a Bag of Chips!

To be frank, I'd done okay with those three, they were upfront ailments and were dealt with as such; but the sneaky sucker was abandonment.

Due to health issues, my mother left Trinidad for the US of A when I was six years old. Athough we were reunited at age thirteen when I joined her, unbeknownst to me, lurking in some small corner of my psyche was the message: the people you love always leave, so do whatever is necessary to ensure that they stay around.

That being said:

I have been known to create a problem where there was none, just because I'm used to the constant struggle of life. In fact, if things go too smoothly, I think something is wrong with it, me and definitely the party involved, so I must then investigate, interrogate, infiltrate and then annihilate the non-existent problem (and of course the relationship as a fallout).

Before I even read this book, I had a little talk with God. Well, actually, He had a little talk with me, for two years ... but I kept hanging up the phone on Him, because He wasn't saying what I wanted to hear, but finally, when you've done the same thing for the fiftieth time and received the same result--you answer the question, "Is it me or?" honestly: it was me!

About the Book:

The subtitle: "things your friends would tell you if you promised not to get mad" is quite on target because certain chapters either make you mad at yourself or at your friends and family for never pointing them out, whether you got mad or not. The book is divided into eight sections:

• You're knocking Yourself Out of the Game
• You're Just Not That into Yourself
• You're Being a Bitch
• You Know How to Be the Girl Friend, but Not the Girlfriend
• You're the Patron Saint of Lost Causes
• You Fight Like a Girl
• You're Boring Him in the Bedroom
• You're Missing the Signals for When to Get Out ... and When to Stick Around

Armed with a sense of cheek and at times downright irreverance, the authors take you through a journey of contemplation, emphasizing your sense of worth and the bottom line, you have a right to choice: to be single or not and to be a happy single or not.

About the Authors:

EVAN MARC KATZ is the founder of E-cyrano.com, an online dating consulting service that partners wht JDate and other dating sites. He has been featured on CNN, Fox, NPR, and the Today Show, and, yes, he is , in fact, single and living in Los Angeles.LINDA HOLMES writes as "Miss Alli" for Television Without Pity and is a frequent contributor to MSNBC.com. She lives in Minneapolis.

Key positives:

• The authors' voice is that of everyday folk who happen to be single and not gods on a pedestal who have rarified advice to share.
• The authors themselves are still single so you're not hearing about being single from someone who sleeps with a human blanket.
• The authors keep it real (translation: blunt). At times a little too real (for me) in terms of language and approach to topic.
• The book encompasses the male and female point of view, therefore is not one-sided.

Key Negatives:

• Irreverence.
• Blue language.

Rating:

This book earned 4 out 5 stars for humor, honesty and sustained relevance throughout the book.

Comparable books (My List):

• Woman, Thou Art Loosed: Healing the Wounds of the Past by T. D. Jakes
• The Lady, Her Lover, and Her Lord by T. D. Jakes
• Promises From God For Single Women by T. D. Jakes

Comparable books (Amazon):

• I Can't Believe I'm Buying This Book: A Commonsense Guide to Successful Internet Dating by Evan Marc Katz
• Unhooked Generation: The Truth About Why We're Still Single by Jillian Straus
• Why Men Marry Bitches : A Woman's Guide to Winning Her Man's Heart by Sherry Argov
• I Love You, Nice to Meet You : A Guy and a Girl Give the Lowdown on Coupling Up by Lori Gottlieb
• It's Not You, It's Him : The Zero-Tolerance Approach to Dating by Georgia Phd Witkin

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Dee S. White writes creative non-fiction, and has just completed her first blook (book based on a blog). She is the founder of Dee411 a website with links to articles and resources for victims of abuse and rape and resources for sufferers of bipolar disorder. She has lived in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Maryland, New York and now resides in Pennsylvania. Dee receives email at mailto:dee. (Remove spaces)