Book Club: July's Pick is The One That Got Away by Leigh Himes

Who’s ready for the Book Gawker’s July book club pick?

This month we’ll be reading The One that Got Away by Leigh Himes!

For those of you who haven’t heard of Leigh Himes’ debut novel, here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

“Meet Abbey Lahey . . .

Overworked mom. Underappreciated publicist. Frazzled wife of an out-of-work landscaper. A woman desperately in need of a vacation from life--and who is about to get one, thanks to an unexpected tumble down a Nordstrom escalator.

Meet Abbey van Holt . . .

The woman whose life Abbey suddenly finds herself inhabiting when she wakes up. Married to handsome congressional candidate Alex van Holt. Living in a lavish penthouse. Wearing ball gowns and being feted by the crème of Philadelphia society. Luxuriating in the kind of fourteen-karat lifestyle she's only read about in the pages of Town & Country. The woman Abbey might have been . . . if she had said yes to a date with Alex van Holt all those years ago.

In the tradition of the romantic comedy Sliding Doors and Lionel Shriver's The Post-Birthday World, Leigh Himes's irresistible debut novel tells the funny and touching story of an ordinary woman offered an extraordinary opportunity to reboot her life, explore the road not taken, and ultimately, find her true self--whoever that may be.”

I’ve heard good things about this book – it appears to be light hearted and fun, which is always a plus when it comes to choosing an entertaining summer read. Hailed as a witty love story about the choices that shape the lives we lead, I’m excited to read this charming debut novel and I hope you are too.

Join the discussion of The One That Got Away on July 29th, here on the blog, Facebook and Instagram! I'm excited to know your thoughts!

Buy it on Amazon
Buy it at Barnes & Noble
Visit Village Books in Lynden or Fairhaven

A B O U T  T H E  A U T H O R

Author Leigh Himes has spent fourteen years working in the public relations field. Born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, she now lives just outside of Philadelphia with her husband and their two children. This is her first book.
Visit her website at: www.leighhimes.com

Book Review: Euphoria, Lily King

Title Euphoria, Lily King

Print Length: 273 pages

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press

Publication Date: June 3, 2014

Rating: 5/5 Stars

S Y N O P S I S

Part Romeo and Juliet, part anthropological essay, Lily King's Euphoria tells the story of three anthropologists studying native tribes in New Guinea during the 1930s. Nell Stone, a controversial and famous anthropologist, and her husband Fen are fleeing a cannibalistic tribe when they run into Andrew Bankston, a British anthropologist studying river tribes on his own. Lonely and suicidal, Bankston clings to the intelligent Nell and charismatic Fen, helping them to find a new tribe for their research. Nell and Fen are introduced to the Tam - a female driven, artistic river tribe. Here Nell studies the customs and values of the Tam while Fen, desperate to emerge from beneath the shadow of his famous wife, is focused more on antiquities than anthropological research. Tensions rise between the three anthropologists as Bankston and Nell draw closer to each other and Fen plots to commit an unforgivable crime with deadly consequences. Taut, sensual and beautifully written, this critically acclaimed novel is worthy of all the praise it received.

M Y  T A K E

Lily King's novel, Euphoria, is sensual, riveting and brilliant. It was named book of the year by the New York Times, Vogue, Time and many other publications. This book truly is a stand out - but please allow me to warn you, it's not for everyone. What made this novel work for me was the beautiful language and descriptions of the native people by Nell and Bankston. Together they make the story beautiful, emotional and sensuous. Because this book is so beautifully and hypnotically written I rated it five stars - it is wonderful. Some readers may find this book slow to start, I believe that this is good. It allows for a gradual build up to the climax of the story and gives the reader a better sense of the characters. Fen is brooding and jealous, Bankston hopelessly romantic and Nell pragmatic and methodical. Euphoria is a masterfully crafted story about love, jealousy, science and the beauty that comes with understanding someone other than oneself. I found it to be uncomfortable - an emotion that I feel great literature should evoke from its reader - beautifully written and tragic. This novel isn't for the faint of heart - it is not a beach read or airplane book but it is a wonderful example of modern literature.

Buy it on Amazon
Buy it at Barnes & Noble

A B O U T  T H E  A U T H O R

Lily King grew up in Massachusetts and received her B.A. in English Literature from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her M.A. in Creative Writing from Syracuse University. She has taught English and Creative Writing at several universities and high schools in this country and abroad.

Lily’s first novel, The Pleasing Hour (1999) won the Barnes and Noble Discover Award and was a New York Times Notable Book and an alternate for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her second, The English Teacher, was a Publishers Weekly Top Ten Book of the Year, a Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year, and the winner of the Maine Fiction Award. Her third novel, Father of the Rain (2010), was a New York Times Editors Choice, a Publishers Weekly Best Novel of the Year and winner of both the New England Book Award for Fiction and the Maine Fiction Award. Lily's new novel, Euphoria, was released in June 2014. It has drawn significant acclaim so far, being named an Amazon Book of the Month, on the Indie Next List, and hitting numerous summer reading lists from The Boston Globe to O Magazine and USA Today. Reviewed on the cover of The New York Times, Emily Eakin called Euphoria, “a taut, witty, fiercely intelligent tale of competing egos and desires in a landscape of exotic menace.”

Lily is the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship and a Whiting Writer's Award. Her short fiction has appeared in literary magazines including Ploughshares and Glimmer Train, as well as in several anthologies.

New Release Tuesday: First Comes Love, Emily Giffin

Title: First Comes Love, Emily Giffin

Print Length: 401 pages

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publication Date: June 28, 2016

S Y N O P S I S

Emily Giffin is a master at writing stories about matters of the heart, they’re often times messy (did you read The One and Only?), honest and emotional – First Comes Love is no different. Ms. Giffin’s newest novel tackles the complexity of sibling relationships and family dynamics in a way that is heartfelt and relatable. Josie and Meredith are two very different sisters, they have difficulty finding common ground even in their adolescent years and especially in adulthood. In the aftermath of a devastating family tragedy, the two women find their relationship strained, their only common thread being the brother they lost. As each woman matures she finds herself struggling to come to terms with past decisions, happiness and future plans. Single Josie is in her late thirties and desperately wants a family of her own, while Meredith struggles to connect with her husband and live up to the illusion of marital bliss that she’s created. As the 15th anniversary of their brother’s death looms ahead, it forces each woman to acknowledge her own heart and where her past and present lie.

First Comes Love is a story about self-love, the choices we make and how healing, grace and forgiveness first come from loving and accepting oneself.

M Y  T A K E

Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all of her novels and loved each. First Comes Love ranks as one of my favorites that she’s written. She has a way of writing about family and friends that draws the reader into her stories. Her characters are highly identifiable, flawed and heartfelt – I find reading her books similar to a coffee date with an old friend; familiar and relatable. I felt as if I could be a friend of each woman, listening to her problems and watching on as she worked them out for herself. Is it strange that I find that I could possibly be a supporting character, sitting silently off the side, in all of her books?! I think that’s why I like them so much!

Character development aside, First Comes Love, is very well written and fast paced. I flew through this book in less than two days (as is often the case with work by this author) and really enjoyed the outcome. Giffin’s writing style is approachable and easily read, which makes this book suitable to a vast audience. I was satisfied with the ending and the paths each character took in her life. The only downside to finishing the book was that it ended!

You’ll most definitely want to pick this up for your summer reading enjoyment, and I highly recommend that you do!

First Comes Love is available today, June 28!

Buy it on Amazon
Buy it at Barnes & Noble

A B O U T  T H E  A U T H O R

Emily Giffin is the author of seven internationally bestselling novels: Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You’re With, Heart of the Matter, Where We Belong, and The One & Only. A graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and three children.


*I was provided an advanced copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

Book Club: Modern Lovers by Emma Straub

Welcome to the first ever Book Gawker Book Club Meeting!

I am thrilled that you've joined me in reading this month's book club pick, Modern Lovers by Emma Straub and I'm dying to know what you thought!

M Y   T A K E

I absolutely loved this novel. I'm not saying this because I chose the book for my first book club post and I didn't want it to be a dud. I hope you all enjoyed it as well - and I typically don't talk up books just for the sake of a good recommendation. I can honestly tell you - I LOVED this novel. Emma Straub is magical. Her storytelling and character development is bar none and this is one of my favorite books this year.

W H A T  I  L O V E D

I felt that this story with its zany characters and quirkiness was witty and entertaining. I loved the juxtaposition of the young lovers' story with that of the older lovers in the story. The older couples each navigating their way through marital challenges and their children falling into what can only be described as a teenage whirlwind romance that is (let's face it) doomed from the start. Each character had his or her own unique struggle - and I thought that Emma Straub pulled their differences and uniqueness together beautifully in the end.
This book really was about friendship, self discovery, and love at all stages of life - whether it be during teenage or middle age years.

Emma Straub is incredibly witty. Her characters are razor sharp, smart and sassy - I loved that about this book. The only person I just wanted to give a good lecture to was Andrew (obviously) - but then it was apparent he was in definite need of some directional guidance so I'm going to throw him a bone there. One thing that I loved about this book was that it is incredibly smart but not overwritten. The prose was easy to read and enjoyable. I wasn't getting hung up on superfluous language or passages that were over my head. I found it to be to the point and funny.

W H A T  D I D N 'T  W O R K

Iggy Pop's return seemed downplayed a little to me. I mean, Elizabeth spent all that time making and hanging posters around the neighborhood, and I felt that his return was overshadowed by Ruby's cover up for Dust. I just would have liked a little more of a party for Iggy's return. What can I say, I'm an animal person.

Andrew - I'm not trying to make him out to be a bum, but he kind of was a bum! His character worked for the story and he came around in the end, but I would have liked to have seen a little more depth to him. I think behind the lost little boy looking for acceptance/distraction there were some other issues that made him more complex than he initially appeared throughout the book.

D I S C U S S I O N

Feel free to discuss in the comments, on Instagram or over at the Book Gawker's Facebook page! You're also more than welcome to link to your own post about Modern Lovers in the comments! I'm excited to know what everyone thought of this novel!
Also, I'm taking requests for July's Book Club pick - let me know what you would like to read!

July's book will be announced on June 30 - so be sure to check back!!

What did you think of Modern Lovers? Did you enjoy this novel?

• Loved it!

What worked for you, what didn't?

• Writing style, character development, storyline were all wonderful!
• I just wish that there had been some additional details added.

Who were your favorite characters?

• Mine was Ruby. I just loved her waywardness. She pretends to be a badass but she's really just a confused girl trying to figure it all out. Her ending was one of my favorite moments in the book. Naomi was another favorite - I thought she was funny and terrible all at once.

Did the book end the way you thought it would?

• I was actually really happy with the ending of this book. I felt that everyone found what they had been looking for which made me happy. I was a little surprised though because I feel that I'm getting used to bittersweet endings, so I fully expected a tragedy in end.

What would you ask the author about Modern Lovers?

• What was your writing process for this book and how did it differ from your previous work? What did you want to do differently with this novel?

Would you recommend this book? Why? Why not?

• Absolutely! This has been one of my favorite books this year.

If you haven't finished the book - are you planning to?