This Is Me by Chrissy Metz

 

This Is Me: Loving the Person You Are Today by Chrissy Metz

Published: March 27, 2018

Publisher: Day Street Books

Pages: 308

Genres: memoir

Rating: 5 stars

Recommend to fans of: This Is Us, books that speak to you in the most profound way, Oprah mentions!, self evolutions 

Foodie Vibes: food that feeds your body and nourishes your soul

 

Synopsis:

A prescriptive and inspirational book of life lessons from the Emmy Award-nominee and breakout star of television’s #1 hit show, NBC’s This Is Us.

Debuting in fall 2016, This Is Us quickly became America’s most watched—and most talked about—network television show. Within weeks of its premier, actress Chrissy Metz and her character, Kate, were embraced by countless fans. Seemingly overnight, Chrissy found herself on magazine covers and talk shows, walking red carpets, and the subject of endless conversations on social media.

Chrissy chalks up her popularity to the authenticity of the role. She believes that fans sense she is playing a character whose life is not so very different from her own. It is a performance that comes from her heart and gut, from a universal place that rings true. In reality, Chrissy’s presence, her perseverance in Hollywood, and her success story is as genuine—and as inspirational—as it gets. There is no better person to represent and speak out for the everywoman and her experiences.

Embracing the spirit of Shonda Rhime’s Year of Yes, Chrissy’s touching, wise, and honest book speaks to all of us. Blending love and experience, Chrissy encourages us to claim our rightful place in a world that may be trying to knock us down from all sides. Throughout, her positivity, confidence, and humor are infectious, whether she’s talking about her past or present, and she offers amazing one-liners such as:

Who needs to fit in when you’re meant to stand out?
You need to both know better and do better!
The key is to act deserving, but not entitled.

Not your standard celebrity memoir or essay collection, Why Fit in When You’re Meant to Stand Out is a smart and helpful guide for living through tough stuff and coming out the other side, written by a woman who has done just that. Grounded and spiritual, Chrissy teaches each one of us how to find our own unique voice—and pursue our dreams.

 

Review:

I absolutely flew through this gem of a book. I put aside the other books I was reading, because I could not stop reading this one. I’m a huge fan of This Is Us, so of course I had to read Chrissy’s memoir. We learn so much about her life story. But what’s even better is all the life lessons that she shares with us. It’s like having an awesome, smart, and incredibly kind big sister give us a helping hand in life. I could have highlighted almost every page, because there was so much relatable wisdom shared. I loved the mix of her life journey combined with incredibly relatable anecdotes about her struggles, triumphs, and lessons learned along the way. I cannot get enough of her book, so now I’m going on YouTube and searching for her interviews. She’s brilliant! A quick amazing read that I highly recommend!

 

How many of you watch This Is Us? 

Which Pearson(s) do you relate to most? 

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Saving Phoebe Murrow by Herta Feely

 

Saving Phoebe Murrow by Herta Feely

Published: September 2, 2016

Publisher: Upperhand Press, LLC

Pages: 425

Genres: fiction, domestic fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Recommend to fans of: Lifetime Movies, over the top parents, Law & Order SVU, books about family dynamics

Foodie Vibes: carrot juice and French fries ~ oh, the contradictions of being a teenager

 

Synopsis: 

A story about the timeless struggle between mothers and their teen daughters with a razor-sharp 21st century twist. This heart-wrenching, harrowing debut novel for fans of Big Little Lies (Liane Moriarty) and Reconstructing Amelia (Kimberly McCreight) will make you question what’s needed to keep your children from harm.

Phoebe’s mother, Isabel, is precariously balancing her career and her family. Hard-working and caring, worried but supportive, all Isabel wants, in a world of bullies and temptations, is to keep her daughter Phoebe safe. With her busy schedule, though, she fails to recognize another mother’s mounting fury and the danger Phoebe faces by flirting with a mysterious boy on Facebook. A cyber-bullying episode aimed at Phoebe pushes her to the edge with horrific consequences. In her search for justice, Isabel, a DC lawyer, sets out to find the culprit behind this cruel incident.

Saving Phoebe Murrow, set amidst the complicated web of adolescent relationships, tells a story of miscommunication and malice, drugs and Facebook, prejudice and revenge.

 

Review: 

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ebook copy for review. As always, an honest review from me.

Trigger warning: many fairly graphic mentions of self harm and suicide. Please do not read this book if you’re not in a mentally healthy place, especially if you’re sensitive to these topics in particular.

That being said I enjoyed the whirlwind of drama and incredibly serious topics. It reminds me of a mix between a Lifetime movie and episode of Law and Order SVU. Kind of a perfect combo. We get an in depth look at the challenges and drama of teenage girls lives from the perspective of them and their parents. 

I really liked reading about Phoebe and her mother. I wish the story focused more on them. I disliked the amount of focus put on Phoebe’s dad and Sandy, the mother of Phoebe’s classmate/friend. The difference between the parenting styles was both horrifying and interesting. 

I so disliked the character of Sandy. She was so psychologically unbalanced and awful. She meant well, for her daughter, so at least she has that going for her. The focus was on her too much, when I felt it should have been more on Phoebe. Also the trope of parents providing teens with alcohol and getting in legal trouble has been done a lot before. But it’s still something that people could be reminded of. 

All in all, Saving Phoebe Murrow is highly entertaining, drama filled, and a warning for parents and teens alike.

 

If you could turn a TV show into a book, which show would you choose? 

Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell

 

Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell

Published: August 30, 2018

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Pages: 348

Genres: mystery, thriller, suspense, police procedural, psychological thriller

Rating: 4 stars

Recommend to fans of: twisted serial killers, police procedurals, characters to root for, the TV show Criminal Minds

Foodie Vibes: home cooked meals alternating with bad police station coffee

 

Synopsis:

Meet Amy Winter: Detective Inspector, daughter of a serial killer.

DI Amy Winter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her highly respected police officer father. But when a letter arrives from the prison cell of Lillian Grimes, one half of a notorious husband-and-wife serial-killer team, it contains a revelation that will tear her life apart.

Responsible for a string of heinous killings decades ago, Lillian is pure evil. A psychopathic murderer. And Amy’s biological mother. Now, she is ready to reveal the location of three of her victims—but only if Amy plays along with her twisted game.

While her fellow detectives frantically search for a young girl taken from her mother’s doorstep, Amy must confront her own dark past. Haunted by blurred memories of a sister who sacrificed herself to save her, Amy faces a race against time to uncover the missing bodies.

But what if, from behind bars, Grimes has been pulling the strings even tighter than Amy thought? And can she overcome her demons to prevent another murder?

 

Review:
Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Caroline Mitchell for an ebook copy for review. As always, an honest review from me.

Truth and Lies pulled me in right from the beginning. I was so engrossed in the story that I hardly stopped to take notes for my book review. The character of Amy, a Detective Inspector, made the entire book work. She’s the daughter of a serial killer and is being contacted by her imprisoned mother. Forced to unearth haunting memories of her childhood to solve the case.

I really enjoyed the creepy multilayer story. It reminded me of a Criminal Minds episode but set in the U.K. And Criminal Minds is my favorite TV show, so that’s good all around. The evil from Amy’s mother was so far reaching. It impacted many people and made for a great novel.

At the beginning I had trouble figuring out which police personal were which. As the story went on, it made more sense. Also, I wish the characters were more developed. Now this isn’t always possible with an intense police procedural. I really want to get to know Amy better and find out what happens to her next. I hope there’s a sequel!

 

Have you read the book?

Do books ever remind you of TV shows?

The Great American Read on PBS

 

The moment we’ve all been waiting for . . .

a Television Show about books!

That’s right, The Great American Read premieres tonight on PBS

 

I’m so excited for a show that celebrates reading. Of course I’ve perused the website already here and taken the quiz to see how many of the books I’ve read so far. My answer is 18 books out of 100. 

Take the quiz yourself here and see how many books you’ve already read. Who’s got me beat at 18?

The premise for the show makes my book nerd heart so very happy. I really hope the show lives up to all the hype!

 

So get ready all you readers, set aside the time, and let me know if you will be watching The Great American Read on PBS!