WWW Wednesdays (January 17th)

This is a weekly meme hosted hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. To join in answer the following three questions and hop over to Sam’s and leave your link.

What are you currently reading?

29917857 I was very nervous about this book – I still am – because it is a tour book. My review is within the next two weeks and I was asking and asking for the book because my district’s UIL event is the weekend prior, and my yearbook deadline is *the* day my review is slated. I am hoping I find some super magical time to read this one and get my review written and not have everything else fall off my plate into oblivion. That’s kind of where I’m operating these days to maintain some semblance of sanity.

Staying for Good is the second book in the Most Likely To series. I read and reviewed the first book – Doing It Over – last May, and I was excited to be invited to review the second book in the series. I admit that is one thing I am jealous about from those who keep up well with new releases current and recurring authors. I am self-admittedly terrible about it all,, and it just seems that I’m either asked to review the first book and never again for any following books, or books in the middle of a series (which drives me crazy – I need to start from the beginning – the “oh, it can be read as a standalone” is not always true). I really enjoyed the characters and the setting of the first book, and I am very interested in this book’s MC.

Zoe Brown may have been voted Most Likely to Never Leave River Bend, but the paper-thin walls and suffocating air of her family’s double-wide trailer were not what she wanted for her life. Other than BFFs Melanie and Jo, the only thing that kept Zoe sane during high school was her boyfriend, Luke.

She didn’t just leave, she escaped—turning her back on the shame of her black-sheep siblings and imprisoned dad. Now a celebrity chef in Dallas, she can afford all the things she never could have growing up. But when she returns to rustic, ruggedly beautiful River Bend, Zoe has to face all that she abandoned—including Luke.

While Luke was a refuge for Zoe in the past, he knows they inhabit totally different worlds now. Anchored by his parents and his job as a mechanic in his father’s shop, Luke never felt the urge to leave River Bend—until Zoe’s return.

But when the two rekindle their old flame, Zoe is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: remain in River Bend and confront her past before it destroys her, or say good-bye to everyone she’s ever loved…again, this time for good.

What did you just finish reading?

15839984 I finished both of my books Monday night! I have been listening to Cruel Beauty on audio (thank you, SYNC!) …. SINCE OCTOBER! This is *the* longest I have taken to finish listening to an audiobook. I only listen when I am working on my blog and I consciously think about “Oh, I could be listening to my audiobook right now.” I can’t listen while driving because I need to listen to music in order to stay focused on the road. When I blog, I usually put on Netflix for background noise. Although lately I have been watching some of the newer things and have become too distracted from even working on my blog. So now that I have finished my first audiobook of the year, it is time to start another. I am hoping to get through at least six this year. I have a good list running of all the ones still on my Kindle and those I have downloaded to my computer. I need to clean out my Kindle audios first, so I really need to choose which will be next. My goal for this week is to listen to my next audio pick on Friday evening.

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I also finished Somebody Like You, which I review in early February. I adored the ending. Absolutely adored. This is truly a sweet romance. It’s very feel-good and has a fantastic cast of characters. There is more substance to this book than simply the romance. There is a vandal on the loose in small town Darling, Laurel is figuring out life post-divorce and starting her own business, the Chamber of Commerce is trying to get Laurel and Aiden to recreate a photo they took when they were five for the city’s new marketing campaign, the small town ignores the homeless man in their midst, a well-known kid is caught doing some horrible things, and of course everyone is nicely up in each other’s business. 🙂

I really liked the reflective commentary about the homeless man, George, who is extremely private with his personal life – and even his last name. The things that Laurel thinks about in his regard are very telling about the town and prejudices towards homeless people today. The other interesting point Laurel made was about the well-known kid. Their parents can be on the school board, on state agency boards, you name it, and their kids could be some of the worst behaved on the planet despite that high visibility to the public. Laurel makes a comment along the lines of “You never know what goes on behind closed doors in someone else’s home” in reference to this kid and the way his parents actually parent him. This is also a high topic of discussion for teachers across the nation not receiving the support and reinforcement that is needed from parents to help prepare students to become productive, well-rounded, respectable, problem-solving citizens with a toolbox of resources and skills.

What do you think you’ll read next?

First I am going to catch up on the last few books in the Power of the Matchmaker series from late 2016. After I read The Piper’s Price, it is all NetGalley picks from there.