Upcoming Adult Review: The Boy is Back

* Book 4 in the Boy Books * 

When Becky reads about her ex-boyfriend's parents being arrested in the papers, her first thought is that the newspaper made a mistake. There is no way the Stewarts attempted to con their way out of paying for dinner. They were particularly kind to her.

Reed, Becky's ex-boyfriend, finally comes home to help with his parents. The siblings decide that their parents need to downsize from a rundown mansion to a smaller house. They hire Becky and her moving company for the job.

Becky's on the fence about taking the job.  The Stewarts are adamant that they aren't interested in moving, or getting rid of any of their things, including piles and piles of old newspapers. They maintain they aren't losing their minds.

But their decision speak a different truth. Either way, Reed is sticking around to make sure things go smoothly. He's finally going to have to face Becky again after all these years. Can he win her back after that terrible prom night?

My Thoughts: I love how this book is inspired by a crime story in the Bloomville Herald and that it turned into a serious, but entertaining novel. Still told epistolary form - emails, text messages, voice mails, pictures, and more, this novel has a few characters from the previous trilogy making me wonder/hope if this is the start of a new Boy trilogy, set in Indiana. 

I really liked learning more about prom night and what went so terribly wrong. I loved the moments between siblings - Becky and her sister and Mitch, Reed, and Trimble. I liked learning more about Reed's life away from home - the golfing and Uncle Lyle. The conversations between Marshall and Carly were quite entertaining, as were the moments between Marshall and Reed. I do hope to see these characters again!

As to the serious nature of this novel, it addresses the awfulness of parents aging, the question of what makes a hoarder, how easy it can be to go through your life savings, and second chances and forgiveness. 

Of  course, in true Meg Cabot form, there were many amusing moments, moments that touched the heartstrings, and moments that made me sigh with happiness. Another winner of a book.

Cover Thoughts: Really cute
Source: ARC sent for review
Release Date: October 18th
Library Recommendation: Highly Recommended for all public libraries

Series Review: Boy Books

Meg Cabot, one of my favorite authors, has a new Boy Book coming out next month. So I thought I would go back and re-read the Boy books. 

Mel is a gossip columnist who's late to work because her neighbor was attacked. HR doesn't find that an excuse, nor do they appreciate her being late to take care of her neighbor's dog while she's in the hospital recovering. Since caring for the do is starting to annoy her boss, she emails the nephew of her neighbor (a rather famous photographer) to come help out. Instead of coming, he calls in a favor. His friend portrays him while he's on vacation. Mel and John hit it off, but how can he explain everything without sounding like a complete idiot?

Kate works for the HR woman who annoyed Mel to no end. Now Amy's gotten herself in hot water after firing the woman who creates desserts for the office. Everyone is unhappy. Ida sues Amy for wrongful termination. Since Kate was responsible for following Amy's orders and firing Ida, she's involved in the lawsuit. Sparks fly between Kate and the lawyer. But Kate isn't interested in lawyers and she just came out of a long relationship and her life isn't together at the moment. 

Jane travels to Italy with her best friend, her fiance, and his best friend. Holly and Mark will elope during the trip. Cal, the best friend, doesn't believe in weddings after his own marriage crashed. Jane's determined to make this the best trip ever for Holly and Mark. She doesn't need Cal's negative attitude. When trouble hits the wedding plans, Holly must come to the recuse. Will Cal help or hinder the process?

My Thoughts: These books still rang true to me upon the second reading. I tore through them. I loved that they were epistolary novels - written in emails, IMs, scrap pieces of paper, journal entries, and more. I loved how the three books were connected through the newspaper. It's fun to see characters from the first book pop in the other books. I love the updates on their lives.

I loved how Every Boy's Got One had little cartoons (as Jane's a famous cartoonist). I wonder if those were drawn by Meg Cabot...I also liked how that book was inspired by the author's own elopement. Reading the afterword about the differences of the wedding was interesting.

As a whole, I found these books to be quick reads, entertaining, and the perfect way to spend an afternoon. 

Displays

Here's a display on weapons books - my attempt on catching the guys' eyes this time and it's working a bit:

Here's the wall display, just a little something unique:



Happy Reading!