If You Only Knew Contest

Did you know about this cool contest?

I entered. Go forth and enter yourself

And I keep thinking of places to go - lots of bookish places of course.

And of course, check out this Fantastic book!

Read my review to see why I loved it

Where would you go?

At My Bookstore: RJ Julia's

RJ Julia's is a local bookstore roughly an hour from my house.

I've seen SO many great authors here that I've forgotten them all.

Stephanie Meyer came to promote New Moon. Suzanne Collins came for Mockingjay. I've seen Meg Cabot, Michael Scott, Ally Cater, Maureen Johnson, Sara Shepard, Sarah Mlynowski, Matt de la Pena, Sarah MaClean, and many more.

Here's what you see when you walk in the front door.

It's filled with nooks and crannies with tons of books and lots of displays.

When you go upstairs, there's a kids section, a tween section, and a newly re-purposed teen room (Which is of course, my favorite).

Nutmeg List (CT award books)

Staff Genre recommendation and teen reviews

Fortune teller display on which book to read next

Hot new releases 

I was there last night for an event with Kristan Higgins. 

She was promoting her brand new book If You Only Knew, which was fantastic as always

 Check out my review

This new books is women's fiction which differs slightly from her romance books with the focus on more emotional plot lies and no hero's perspective. Instead it focuses on the love of two sisters (but don't worry, it has romance and all the humor you would expect.)

I cried laughing as Kristan Higgins talked about how strangers tell her the most private moments of their lives upon meeting her - because of her open face. One of these conversations in a restaurant lead her to this book and the story line of Rachel. 

Rachel's sister Jenny goes through a particularity bad date, which Kristan includes in all her books.

Up next is the last book in the Blue Heron series called Anything for You

A Little Trivia: 

Her first book boyfriend was Rhett Butler 

Write two books a year

She wanted to be a pediatrician or a Jedi

First boyfriend = Rhett

It took 37 titles to come up with If You Only Knew and her mother came up with the title.

Upcoming Adult Review: If You Only Knew

Rachel sees a sext sent to her husband. When she asks if he's having an affair, he denies it. She takes him at his word, but lately, she's wondering if her marriage is stale. How did she get into the rut being a stay a home mom?

Jenny's marriage fell apart in flames, but she's still friends with her ex-husband and his new wife.  She moves to the suburbs and opens her own bridal shop. Jenny moves into a house with a grumpy landlord, who just might be the one thing she needs right now.

Two sisters couldn't be more different, but they're there for each other when the going gets tough.

My Thoughts: I really loved this book - it's a little bit different from the author's other books. It's a women's fiction instead of romance. It had to the same humor, the same strong family bonds, and the same lovable flawed main characters who go through hell.

I loved Jenny - and her attempting to play nice with her ex-husband and his new family even though she was torn up inside. I loved learning more about her dress shop and how she dealt with her brides and their families. I liked her conversations with Leo - how she was more handy than him. I liked her interactions with Evander - he stole my heart. I want him to succeed so badly. 

I loved Rachel and her triplets. The triplets stole my heart - they were charming  entertaining, and sweet. 

I felt badly for their mother, who didn't have an easy life but who stung her daughters frequently. I hated that Jenny had to keep such a big secret to herself for all those years. 

While the men in the book moved the story, I felt that the heart of the novel happened between the two sisters.

Cover Thoughts: I like it, but it doesn't really tell much about the story
Source: Signed ARC at BEA!
Release Date: This book comes out August 25th

Final Thoughts: I devoured this book, loving the sisters' story. They've both brave independent women who find themselves. Right up my alley. Don't miss this one, add it to your TBR list now!