Cassie DeNisco

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The Summer of ’69 Book Review!

It might not be summer anymore but I’ll always love a good beach read! I recently discovered Elin Hilderbrand over the summer and I’ve been reading through her books. I’m excited to jump into my Summer of ’69 book review because this was my first read by her!

As always this post contains an affiliate link so if you purchase the book through me I make a small commission but no pressure to purchase!

Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand

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summer of '69

The iconic title of this book really just takes you back to a nostalgic era. I was craving a book about summer with depth and this was just that. The writing is so good as we follow along the summer of 1969 with a mother and her 3 very different daughters.

I loved that each of these women were in very different phases of their lives. Each had such a unique story to read about due to what they were going through. I’ve personally never been to Nantucket but Elin’s writing is so descriptive you really get a feel for what it’s like.

The story is set against the back drop of the war in Vietnam and the eldest son is sent off to war. It leaves the mother with anxiety and grief. As the story unfolds we begin to see the lengths that she goes to to protect him even though he’s so far away.

What I enjoyed most about this book was how it was surprisingly geared towards historical fiction. Elin was able to really touch on the social issues that were going on at the time but it wasn’t in a heavy way. The book was fascinating and I really found myself not being able to put it down.

Because this was the first book that really opened the door to this author for me. I have since added a few more to my to be read list! I hope you liked this review of the Summer of ’69! You can read more book reviews here!

I’m almost at my Good Reads goal for the year! Feel free to leave book suggestions in the comments below!

Magic Lessons Book Review!

My summer of reading is still going strong! I’ve been working my way through the Practical Magic series and I have been loving it! This Magic Lessons Book Review by Alice Hoffman is the prequel to the book based on the movie.

I was looking to break up my currently to be read list with a little more fantasy. This series is great for just that and I really loved these books! As always, this post has an affiliate link where I make a small commission if you purchase but no pressure!

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

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magic lessons book review

This book sets the stage for the movie version and was written after the fact to kind of give it some context. You can definitely read them out of order but highly suggest reading it this way.

We follow the stories of three kids who just find out they have magical capabilities. What’s great about this story is we get to know each of them as they grow up and have different life experiences. I love that this book flows so easily and isn’t choppy. It has a lot going on but it’s easily digestible.

I’m trying to not give spoilers because if you haven’t seen the movie, this series is even more magical. The twist at the end really gets you and you see just how much love the three siblings have for each other even when they are miles apart.

One other part of this book and series that I love is how it gives a little bit of historical fiction vibes. This book takes place before present time so it gives you a glimpse into things surrounding magic like the witch trials and then just life after.

I highly suggest this series as a whole. Like I said I really needed to break up my reading from just rom coms to something more in the fantasy realm. I was definitely not disappointed!

This book is a Reese’s Book Club pick so I always know going in I’m going to love it. This Magic Lessons book review is all about family and getting through whatever life throws at you so it’s really relatable. Even though magic is a central theme! If you liked this book review, read my latest one about The Senator’s Wife here!

The Senator’s Wife Book Review!!

I am so excited to be reviewing the latest book by Liv Constantine! Other books by this author like The Last Mrs. Parrish were amazing. I’m excited to share my thoughts on this one!

I purchased this book on my own so all of these thoughts are my own! I do have an affiliate link for you if you’re interested in getting a copy!

The Senator’s Wife by Liv Constantine

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the senator's wife book review

Before I get too deep in this review, I want you to know I at least think you should read it. I might be a little harsh but I still really love the author, the story is just a bit confusing.

The book opens with two couples vacationing together. The husband of one couple and the wife of the other are actually cousins and then men are on capital hill. As you can see, it’s already getting twisted and that’s only the first few pages.

The cousins end up dying and the other two are left to pick up the pieces. (I’m summarizing so I don’t give out spoilers) The book then follows Sloane and Senator Whit as they navigate politics, marriage and Sloane’s chronic illness.

They introduce so many characters that it’s a bit difficult to get into. When I thrillers, I think of them as a build up and since something so crazy happened at the beginning it was hard to imagine where the book could go from there.

There were also a few “fluff” characters as I like to call them. These characters had story lines but didn’t play into the final piece. I did like the twist at the end but getting there was rough.

Overall this book wasn’t bad, it was just a bit more tricky to navigate than other books by this author. I just didn’t love it like I loved the others so I’m giving this a 3.5/5! Still read-worthy, just not one of my favorites!

If you liked this review of The Senator’s Wife, you can read more book reviews here!

The Housemaid Book Review

I had to double post a book review this month because I seriously loved this too much to not share! This post is dedicated The Housemaid book review by Freida McFadden! This book gave me Last Mrs. Parrish vibes and I could not put it down after I started it.

I’m always bouncing between genres and just really looking for something that keeps me wanting more. The twists and turns in this book hook you in and you just never really know what’s coming next. As always there’s an affiliate link to purchase the book where I make a small commission but there’s no pressure to purchase!

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

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housemaid book review

We start off meeting Nina Winchester who’s trying to hire a housemaid for her lux home. Nina actually interviews Millie and ends up hiring her, without checking her background according to Millie. Everything starts out great but we are slowly lead to believe that Nina has something wrong with her.

She makes Millie do one thing but then quickly turns on her. To the outside world, they know Nina as a crazy woman with a perfect husband. Millie initially thinks nothing of it but slowly starts believing the narrative that there is something wrong with Nina. Because of this Millie starts to resent her and begins to fall for Andrew, her perfect husband.

This back and forth goes for a little while until Andrew and Millie actually sleep together. Andrew decides to leave Nina and that’s wear the story begins to twist and turn. We find out that it was Nina’s plan all along to hire someone like Millie so she can break free from Andrew.

I won’t say much more because I don’t want to spoil it for you but as the secrets start to unravel, you won’t be able to put this book down! I wasn’t expecting what happened at all and it was such a welcome twist. This is a great quick read if you need to get out of a book rut!

I hope you consider picking up this book after reading the Housemaid Book Review! I seriously enjoyed this and love thriller type stories like these! You can read more book reviews here!

The Hollywood Spy Book Review

Another month, another book! This month’s The Hollywood Spy book review is a good one! With historical fiction, romance, and murder mystery this book has something for everyone.

Not to mention this character is part of a series so you have plenty of reading if you love this book as much as I did! As always this book link is an affiliate link that I earn a small commission off off! No pressure to purchase but it’s definitely a good read!

The Hollywood Spy by Susan Ella Macneal

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hollywood spy review

I initially picked this book up at my local store because I loved the cover art. It really drew me and I’ve been on a thriller/mystery kick these days. I wasn’t anticipating the historical fiction aspect but if you’ve been here awhile, you know I love that! This book immediately hooked me in as the murder takes place immediately.

In order to set the stage Macneal, the author, spends each chapter with a different character. Whether its the spy herself Maggie or the cops or other nefarious groups, this book keeps you reading page after page.

The mystery itself seemed to come together pretty easily for me but what I appreciated most was the attention to detail. This might be one of the best historical fiction books I’ve ever read. I finished the book learning something new about a time period I previously didn’t know about.

It was so well written and just seamlessly meshed in with solving the mystery of the murdered movie star. I ended up taking a lot away with this book because of how important the themes were. In the climate we’re currently in, this book was even more important to read with it’s themes of segregation and racism, nazis, and World War 2.

Another thing I loved about this book was I didn’t realize how much I liked it until it was over. When a book makes a lasting impact on you and you’re thinking of it even days after you’ve read it, you know it’s great!

You can check out more book reviews here!

The Luckiest Girl Alive Review!

I definitely am late to the party on this book since it’s already a movie, but The Luckiest Girl Alive review has been on list for so long! I’ve committed to 50 books again this year and this was book 3 for me.

I actually didn’t previously watch the movie not because I wanted to spoil the book but I honestly was super interested in it. It didn’t look really great to me but I am definitely going to be checking it out now.

The Luckiest Girl Alive

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the luckiest girl alive review

Trigger Warning: SA, School Shooting

I won’t lie, this one started out slow for me. For some reason I couldn’t quite get into it and was almost just like confused at where it was going. Once the flashbacks started it slowly started to piece together and make sense. I really liked looking at Ani’s life in the present and how she got there.

This book has the NYC girl boss feels with twists and turns towards the end that you’ll never have guessed. When Ani is asked to do a documentary about an incident that happened in her Pennsylvania private school, the reader doesn’t find out about the incident until the end.

You almost think you know what it is about and then there’s another turn that twists even more. I loved that you got to see a sneak peak into her glamorous current NYC life juxtaposed to her less rich and exciting high school life.

There are definitely heavy topics that this book dives into which is why I listed the trigger warnings above. I really liked this book because you just didn’t expect the ending so it kept me on my toes. Sometimes thrillers miss the mark and are too easy to guess but this really was it for me.

I hope you enjoyed this Luckiest Girl Alive Review! I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars so I definitely recommend to read it! You can check out my January book of the month post here!

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