BOOK REVIEW for Look What you Made Me Do by Summer Atkinson

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an electronic copy of this book

TITLE:          Look What you Made Me Do

AUTHOR:     Summer Atkinson

GENRE:        YA fiction

RATING:        5 stars

This is an excellent book.  It reads like a true story, in fact I checked twice to see if it was indeed fiction and it appears so.

I don't normally enjoy books that delve into the past of the main characters but in this instance, the backstory was crucial to understanding the rest of the story.

The writing is sharp and, for the most part, direct and concise, which is exactly what I enjoy.  This is written with empathy, but also does not shy away from the hard events.  It also rings true. I never once thought "yeah, right".

The weakness and the strength here are the characters. Lex is a great best friend, which is refreshing as i am tired of reading about "mean girls".  I would have liked to read more about Jake though.

Of course the main character, Margot, was very well fleshed out, but was she ever annoying at times.....anytime she had an emotion it felt as though she was sobbing. I get that the events in this  story are harsh and that the normal reaction would be to cry, but it  was a bit much, keeping her in victim mode for a long while.  Having said that, I admit that I liked Margot's kindness with everyone.

Still, the story was excellent and was written with empathy.

BOOK REVIEW for Getting Naked by Valerie Bertinelli

Thank you to HarperCollins for sending me a copy of this ebook.

TITLE:                Getting Naked

AUTHOR:           Valerie Bertinelli

GENRE:              Memoir (its marketed as a memoir but its more essays)

RATING:             5 stars

Firstly, i admire Valerie Bertinelli for always being so honest and open in her books, in her various social media posts and in her life in general. 

Its hard for me to think that she is 65 because she sooo does not look it.

We have shared many similar struggles and I am just a few years younger than she is.  I mention this because all these commonalities, of course, affect my review of this book.

I would classify this as a book of essays with some self-help thrown in, its a bit of a stretch to call it a memoir.  I was a tad disappointed in this as I would love to read another memoir based on her life since the last book.

My thoughts.....Bertinelli is extremely hard on herself.  Many of the things she mentions, such as remembering all the events, in her past, which have caused and continues to cause her misery today is something, I believe, we can all relate to.

This is the strength in this book - Bertinelli shares feelings and thoughts that many of us have and it made me feel better knowing that I was not alone. Each chapter is a little ray of hope for all of us.

Her struggles with her weight, her two divorces, losing her job, the death of her parents and how it felt to be raised by them, as well as the death of Eddie Van Halen are front and center here.

The things I loved:

Her description of how free she was swimming in her pool was very empowering, as she described it, I could almost feel the calmness she felt at that moment.

Her love for Wolfie and his wife are obvious, as well as her love for Eddie Van Halen.  These two (now3) have been a theme in all of Bertinelli's books.  I have never heard her utter one bad word about Eddie Van Halen and its very obvious she still loves him. Not so much her second husband and I get it, I have no love loss for most of my relationships either, but there is always THAT one person..... 

She mentions worrying about $ and I was very surprised at this.  I am guilty of just assuming she has tons of money and while she questions many aspects of her life, she is doing it in a (what I assume) is a beautiful house, surrounded by lots of Hollywood friends and job offers all over the place. The 'what does she really have to complain about' thought did cross my mind, but everytime I read a book by Bertinelli, I get myself in check because, obviously you do not need to be wildly rich to have problems.  I keep forgetting that and Valerie Bertinelli is certainly not a spoiled actress, without a clue about real life, which we so often see in Hollywood.  In fact, she could easily be our best friend - because that is the overall vibe she gives out. 

I do hope that Bertinelli writes another memoir and that she keeps doing what she is doing.  It helps.

BOOK REVIEW for Strangers a Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden

A big thank you to Penguin Random House for the e-book to read and review

TITLE:               Strangers

AUTHORL        Belle Burden

GENRE:            Memoir

RATING:          5 stars out of 5

I have such mix feelings on this book.

First, it is so well written I could not put it down and I am very picky about what I read, especially when it comes to memoirs.

I come from a family with a dad that cheated on my mom (thankfully, she is not on social media, so I can say that).  I saw firsthand what happens and it has left lasting impressions on me - some good ones (my mother is such a strong person) to bad (wow, I did not matter to my dad, not really)

I will state this right now, that man is something else and he does not deserve his family - no question about that and he deserves whatever karma is coming to him.

When it comes to men and love,  something seems to happen to many perfectly smart women, we get stupid (me included).  It was so obvious that James had disconnected and was actually doing what was best for HIM.  The whole prenup thing just got me mad.  Yet. Belle said it herself, it was her fault, everyone told her about the prenup, but she was so in love she throw away all advice - See what I mean about smart women,,,

Her writing style is wonderful.  You feel her pain, you feel her fear.  She built James enough, for many readers to have a strong opinion on this man and his actions.    I found myself rooting for her at times and wanting to yell at her at other times.  This is a direct testimony to the writing.

The pace was also excellent.  She does not go deep into useless details.  She tells us what we need to read.  The story moves forward well.

This was a very frustrating read - but I loved it and I hope she writes a follow up in a few years so we can follow her journey.

This was a very frustrating read - but I loved it and I hope she writes a follow up in a few years so we can follow her journey.

BOOK review for Breaking Good by Nikki Memmano

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me an e-copy of this book

TITLE:                Breaking Good

AUTHOR:           Nikki Memmano

GENRE:              Memoir 

RATING:             4 atars

Will be released January 13, 2026

I read a lot of books on addiction and recovery, and this book, especially the first part, is quite harrowing.

it was a challenge to like Nikki. She seemed completely oblivious of the harm she was casually doing to herself as well as other people. She has zero self-awareness, yet she kept trying to treat the boys (she befriended) as some kind of surrogate mother, all the while pumping them full of drugs. She kept feeding their habit, but making sure she fed them food - junk food, but still.....

The middle part of this book was slow going. Yes, I know, we needed to understand her trauma, but it was very slow. Having said that, I typically don't like the "once upon a time" part of memoirs, and that's my personal taste as they seem to go on endlessly.

The recovery was interesting, and i do applaud Nikki for her honesty and for her resilience.

I am a little late on this post.

Last year, I participated in Goodread's 2025 Reading Challenge. I had set a goal of 39 but ended up reading 37, so I did not meet the challenge.

For this year, the number of books I set to read is at 37.

Like if quite busy and I do take out to knit, but reading is my number priority,

I have read many different types of books and I really enjoy.

Have a happy New Years and may 2026 bring you joy, love and health (not necessarily in that order LOL)

BOOK review for Splendor by Isabelle Laflèche

TITLE:          Splendor

AUTHOR:     Isabelle Laflèche

GENRE:        Self help

RATING:       5 stars

I discovered this author when her first novel, "J'adore New York"  was released   So, I was very intrigued by this non fiction.

This book could easily have been titled "To thine own self be true". (Yes, I know I am borrowing from Shakespeare);

Firstly, I love the way the universe chose to give Isabelle a message - the one she needed to hear.  Everyone who visits New York (or lives there) will attest to how crazy the sidewalks are.  There are so many people, at times, that just getting from point A to B is a challenge.

Yet, at the precise time, the universe made sure that a random woman (who turned out to have a very important message) would cross paths with Isabelle. and the rest, as they say, 'is history'.

From this point on, Isabelle followed her destiny, despite her fears, despite her doubts and despite her high salary.

I have to stop for a second to say that MY personal belief is that everything is already pre-destined, that nothing stems from chance or self will and the meeting between these 2 women is just more proof, in my view.

This book is so well researched, which is Isabelle's trademark.  If you see it in her book (novel or not), you can bet that it is true.   I love that she references Walden and Thoreau, while  also writing about the Law of Attraction, yoga and Ayurveda.

This book is a roadmap in discovering who you TRULY are.  It tells you that you CAN be happy, at least most of the time.  Its challenging and its scary, but the tone is so happy and joyful that you cannot help but believe there is something more, out there,  than just sadness, work, debt and horrible eating habits.

It is written in a very clear and encouraging way, with an honest voice.  You are encouraged to take what you need and leave the rest. 

Its hopeful and engaging

BOO REVIEW for Two Perfect Lies by Natalie Richards

TITLE:          Two Perfect Lies

AUTHOR:      Natalie D. Richards

GENRE:          YA thriller

RATING:         4 stars

If you can sit through the first chapter, which is slow, you will end up                loving this plot.For the most part, this is a really engrossing  story.  

I loved all the twists, especially when it comes to Lilly. It made me think about my friendships at that age, and would I have been able to tell if my best friend was not who I thought she was? 

After chapter 1, the author moves the story along well. There is a sense of urgency to the writing that was perfect for  the words on the page.The only predictable thing was the relationship between the main character,  Clara,  and Henry.  Other than that, this was a very good read.

BOOK REVIEW for Futue Boy by Michael J. Fox

 

Thank you to Flatiron and McMillan, for sending me a copy of this e-book

TITLE:             Future boy

AUTHOR:       Michael J. Fox

GENRE:          Entertainment/memoir

RATING:         5 Stars

I loved, loved this book.  Did I mention I loved it.

I have always been a fan of Michael J. Fox and I remember very clearly hearing how Fox was working day and night on his TV series and the first Back to the Future movie.  It was a thing back then.

In this short (unfortunately) book, he basically details how he nabaged to work all those crazy hours in order to respect his commitments to both Family Ties and Back to the Future.  

Fun stories, insider stories and everything is described well and surprisingly, despite the length of this book, nothing feels rushed and in true Michael J. Fox style, he is kind to everyone in this book.

I particularly loved how he admits to beeing pretty clueless in those first days, which somehow  just added to the innocence of the movie.

Michael J. Fox - please do a book on your time on Family Ties.

Such a great book.

BOOK REVIEW for The Beginning of Shi*t: An unapologetic Weight Loss Memoir by Suzanne Culberg

 

TITLE:            The Beginning is Sh*t: An apologetic Weight Loss Memoir

AUTHOR:        Suzanne Culberg

Genre:                Memoir

RATING:           5/5 stars

I loved this book.  

Suzanne is very honest about her weight as well as her situation.  She basically  wrote a book that could easily describe me, minus the kids and all the crying.  

Seriously, what is up with all that crying? getting angry, I get, feeling frustrated, scared.....all valid, but the crying on every other page was the one thing I found annoying.  

If you want to know how being overweight and feeling out of control sounds like, then read this book - everything she wrote touched me.

I also question the roles her family, hubby, and friends have in her life.  They are basically rarely mentioned, and at one point, I seriously thought she had divorced and chose not to tell us.

Bottom line, loved the honesty. I totally loved the pace of this book, and I totally identified.

BOOK REVIEW for Mania Tartan, turmoil and my life as a Bay City Rollers by Stuard Woody Wood

 

TITLE:                 Mania Tartan, Turmoil - and my life as a Bay City Rollers

AUTHOR:            Stuart Woody Wood

GENRE:                Memoir

RATiNG                3 out of 5 stars

I will start by reiterating that I still love the Bay City Rollers today and play their music all the time.

While it seems as though every fan had their own reasons for liking one of the guys more than the others, I can say that I liked Les as a teenager and now, I can appreciate all of them as they all contributed to the music.

It was quite a rude awakening for me, as an adult, as I discovered how much each of the guys suffered while in the band, including sexual abuse .  It was scary and sometimes I think how happy I was,  not knowing any of it, so I could honestly enjoy Rollermania (no cell phones way back in 1977).

Over the last 20 years or so, Les wrote a memoir, as did Alan and I even managed to read the entirety of the brick of  a book (over 400 pages) written on the music industry and how it chewed and spit out all of the Rollers.

I mention this because I will read anything on the Rollers.  Having said that,  Woody's book is,  boring.  Kind of vanilla.  I really had to force myself to get through it.  This is not something I felt with any of the other books.

While Woody describes events, accompanied by how he felt about them, the narration feels very one tone.  There is very little actual dialogue and he does not know how to build a story, everything sounds as though he is reciting it in a neutral voice (I read the book, not the audio).

The end result was, in my opinion, a boring book

I appreciate all the contributions he gave the band and I even plan on seeing him if he and his new band come to my hometown, but he is a way better singer and songwriter than he is as author.