"Under the Influence" by Joyce Maynard

Under the Influence by Joyce Maynard is about Helen, a woman down on her luck who needs help.  When a rich couple befriend her, soon they become the center of Helen's world and good times are had.  But, when a bad time comes, Helen must decide if she will stay with her friends or go it alone.

People Magazine had this as their book of the week a while back and I can see why!  The story is very good.  At no time was I bored or skipping pages.  The characters were very good and believable.  The writing was outstanding!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Decent Proposal" by Kemper Donovan--Contemporary Mystery/Romance

The Decent Proposal by Kemper Donovan is a unique love story with an element of mystery that takes place in L.A. Richard and Elizabeth both get a decent proposal by an attorney representing an anonymous client. They are complete strangers. Richard is a film producer fallen on hard times, likes to party and has a best friend Michaela (Mike). Elizabeth is a successful attorney without friends except for a homeless man named Orpheus. The proposal is that if they spend two consecutive hours talking to each other one day a week for a year, they would both be given half a million dollars each at the end of the year! Who wouldn’t accept an offer like that?

 I do not want to spoil anything, so will just mention the questions that came up as I was reading, such as: (1) Will Richard and Elizabeth fall in love? (2) Why were they chosen? (3) Who is behind the proposal? (4) How will they spend the money if they succeed? Even Richard and Elizabeth couldn’t come up with a common acquaintance that might have been trying to match them up.

The mystery in this book is what kept my attention more than the characters. There is some foul language and a lot of drinking episodes I did not care for, but the plot was interesting.  Another thing that bothered me was the girl called Mike.  I had to keep reminding myself it was the girl. Overall, I’m glad I read this novel and thought the author wrapped things up in a very unique way.   It was witty and had a lot of references to movies and books which I enjoyed.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"A Dog Called Homeless" by Sarah Lean

A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean is actually about a young girl named Cally. Her mom dies and her whole life changes when her dad makes a life-altering decision. But, Cally finds hope in a stray dog. I really enjoyed Cally who is a great character! The last 50 pages were really good. Too bad the rest of the book wasn’t as good. I LOVED the parts the DOG was in most and would have liked more. Because of the strength of the last 50 pages, I pushed my rating of this book up to 4 stars. This is a children’s book that I’d recommend especially to girls.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Flawed" (Book 1) by Cecelia Ahern

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern is about Celestine who leads a good life, follows the rules, and is an "A" student.   When she breaks a rule, there are life-changing repercussions.  In her society, perfection is paramount and flaws lead to punishment.

I really enjoyed this book!  Celestine is a great character and I was rooting for her all the way!  The story flows along well and the action really picks up at the end.  Looks like there is going to be a book 2 that I look forward to reading as well!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Karen's:

He had no idea who had chosen him, or why, but he felt certain he'd been chosen wisely and he was eager to reap his reward--not only for the money, but for the adventure, for the story, in a life that had been stagnant for too long. 

From page 25 of The Decent Proposal by Kemper DonovanW.

Teachers tend to discriminate against highly creative students, labeling them as troublemakers.  In response, many children quickly learn to get with the program, keeping their original ideas to themselves.

From page 10 of Originals--How Non-conformists Move the World by Adam Grant.  (Non-fiction)

Gerard's:

The boys start to scream as they watch their mother being taken away.  They run to her and try to reach her, but the Whistleblowers hold them back.

From page 12 of Flawed by Cecelia Ahern.

As Gillian approaches, his mother buries herself in his arms and starts to cry, but it's like no cry he's ever heard before.  She wails, long and low, like a wounded animal that any decent man would have the sense to kill.

From page 16 of Shelter by Jung Yun.  (My review was posted yesterday.)

"Are you kidding me?  They mentioned the five of us.  And it sounded like they'd done this before."

From page 31 of Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs.  (Click link for review)

Be sure to see our review of Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, a must read that we both liked!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!