Review: The First Husband by Laura Dave

Title: The First Husband

Author: Laura Dave

Publisher: Penguin Group USA

Pub Date: April 24, 2012










Summary from Goodreads:

A savvy, page-turning novel about a woman torn between her husband and the man she thought she'd marry.

Annie Adams is days away from her thirty-second birthday and thinks she has finally found some happiness. She visits the world's most interesting places for her syndicated travel column and she's happily cohabiting with her movie director boyfriend Nick in Los Angeles. But when Nick comes home from a meeting with his therapist (aka "futures counselor") and announces that he's taking a break from their relationship so he can pursue a woman from his past, the place Annie had come to call home is shattered. Reeling, Annie stumbles into her neighborhood bar and finds Griffin-a grounded, charming chef who seems to be everything Annie didn't know she was looking for. Within three months, Griffin is Annie's husband and Annie finds herself trying to restart her life in rural Massachusetts.

A wry observer of modern love, Laura Dave "steers clear of easy answers to explore the romantic choices we make" (USA Today). Her third novel is packed with humor, empathy, and psychological insight about the power of love and home.

My Thoughts/Review:
Annie Adams has a theory that every time she watches the movie Roman Holiday disaster strikes which seems silly, but for her it's true. After her live in boyfriend of many years dumps her, she bounces back and marries Griffin after dating for three months. Essentially she marries a stranger which to me spells trouble because he could have been a serial killer. I personally wanted her to run, but Annie stayed. In my mind, Griffin is as fine as Matthew  McConaughey because of the description his slick smile. I didn't like Nick. He seemed slimy and very selfish. This was a fast, interesting read. I can honestly say I have never read anything like this before. This book felt like a coming of age for Annie. When the book was over, I wanted to know what would happen next with her and Griffin and his brother, Jesse. Jesse is a whole other book all together. He needs his own novel because he has issues. The First Husband was a fresh and fabulous read.

Stacking The Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is hosted & created by Tynga Reviews.

These are some books I got from the library and net-galley.

I Heart Bloomberg: 86 Bloomberg Place by Melody Carlson

Glimmer by Phoebe Kitandis

Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter by Phoebe Damrdsch

Private by Kate Brian

Invitation Only by Kate Brian

The Drop10 Diet:Harness the Fat-Melting  Power of Superfoods

Why You're Not Married Yet: The Straight Talk You Need to Get The Relatioship You Deserve by Tracy McMillan

Instyle Ultimate Beauty Secrets: The Best Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts to Create Your Perfect Look by InStyle

The First Husband by Laura Dave

Ten Girls to Watch by Charity Shumway

Review: Hope Springs by Kim Cash Tate

Title: Hope Springs

Author: Kim Cash Tate

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publish Date: June 12, 2012











Summary from Amazon:

In a small Southern community where everyone is holding tight to something, the biggest challenge may be learning to let go.

Hope Springs, North Carolina, is the epitome of small town life-a place filled with quiet streets where families have been friends for generations, a place where there's not a lot of change. Until three women suddenly find themselves planted there for a season.

Janelle Evans hasn't gone back to Hope Springs for family reunions since losing her husband. But when she arrives for Christmas and learns that her grandmother is gravely ill, she decides to extend the stay. It isn't long before she runs into her first love, and feelings that have been dormant for more than a decade are reawakened. And when Janelle proposes a Bible study a the local diner--and invites both African American and Caucasian women she has met--the group quickly forms a spiritual bond . . . and inadvertently adds to underlying tension in the community.

Becca Anderson is finally on the trajectory she's longed for. Having been in the ministry trenches for years, she's been recruited as the newest speaker of a large Christian women's conference. But her husband feels called to become the pastor of his late father's church in Hope Springs. Will small town living affect her big ministry dreams?

And Stephanie London has the ideal life-married to a doctor in St. Louis with absolutely nothing she has to do. When her cousin Janelle volunteers to stay in Hope Springs and care for their grandmother, she feels strangely compelled to do the same. It's a decision that will forever change her.

As these women come together, facing disappointments both public and private, they soon recognize that healing is needed in their hearts, their families, and their churches that have long been divided along racial lines. God's plan for them in Hope Springs-and for Hope Springs itself-is bigger than they ever imagined.

My thoughts:
Janelle, Becca and Stephanie comes back to their hometown, Hope Springs, because of a death in the family, but they each end up staying for another reason. This book was all about family, love, God, humility, change, grief, and a plethora of a bunch of other things. It showed how family comes together during tragedy. Janelle, Stephanie and Libby are cousins in the Sanders family. Janelle takes care of her grandmother and learns that she can still love after the loss of her late husband when she sees her first love, Kory, who has his own problems with his soon-to-be ex-wife. Becca Dillon is married to Todd who's father has just died. Becca learns a lesson in humility when things don't work out the way she wants them to. Grandma Geri has her own secrets which makes this story so rich. This story was like a seven layer dip with all the yummy goodness layered on top of one another. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt like I truly was in Hope Springs and made friends with these characters. This was a really great book that pulls at your heart-strings.