Book Review - Fairy Mom and Me #2: Fairy in Waiting by Sophie Kinsella + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

 Ella Brook knows that she has to wait to become a fairy like her mother. She can't wait to be a fairy to have her own sparkly wings and Computawand. Ella and her mother are put through four different situations where the help of magic would be helpful. However, will Ella learn she doesn't need magic to save the day?

I like the book was split up into four small short stories that can be read in a few minutes. The book has a lot of laughs out loud moments when Ella's mom tries to use magic but, makes the situation worse. I found this book to be a great bonding experience when reading together. I liked that the book also included activities in the end that can be done together.

  **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

Title: FAIRY IN WAITING (Fairy Mom and Me #2)

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Pub. Date: January 29, 2019

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 160

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

Fans of Sophie Kinsella's sparkling humor and the first book in the illustrated duology will love these next adventures featuring their favorite mother-daughter fairy team.

Ella Brook is used to being a fairy in waiting. It means that one day she will become a fairy with her own sparkly wings and Computawand, just like her mom.

But sometimes Ella doesn't want to have to wait any longer. After all, she helps her mom remember magic codes all the time! If only there were a spell for growing up faster.

Will Ella prove that she's ready to become a fairy? Or will she learn that she doesn't need real magic to save the day?

About Sophie:

Sophie Kinsella has sold over 40 million copies of her books in more than 60 countries, and she has been translated into over 40 languages.

Sophie’s latest novel, Surprise Me, presents a humorous yet moving portrait of a marriage—its intricacies, comforts, and complications. Surprise Me reveals that hidden layers in a close relationship are often yet to be discovered.

Sophie Kinsella first hit the UK bestseller lists in September 2000 with her first novel in the Shopaholic series – The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (also published as Confessions of a Shopaholic). The book’s heroine, Becky Bloomwood – a fun and feisty financial journalist who loves shopping but is hopeless with money – captured the hearts of readers worldwide. Becky has since featured in seven further bestselling books, Shopaholic Abroad (also published as Shopaholic Takes Manhattan), Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic & Sister, Shopaholic & Baby, Mini Shopaholic, Shopaholic to the Stars and Shopaholic to the Rescue. Becky Bloomwood came to the big screen in 2009 with the hit Disney movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy.

Sophie has also written seven standalone novels which have all been bestsellers in the UK, USA and other countries around the world: Can You Keep A Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, Wedding Night, and My Not So Perfect Life, which was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for Best Fiction in 2017.

In 2014 she published a Young Adult novel Finding Audrey about a teenage girl with social anxiety and her madcap family, and in January 2018, Sophie published her first illustrated book for young readers about the charming adventures of a mother-daughter fairy duo, Mummy Fairy and Me (also published as Fairy Mom and Me).

Sophie wrote her first novel under her real name, Madeleine Wickham, at the tender age of 24, whilst she was working as a financial journalist. The Tennis Party was immediately hailed as a success by critics and the public alike and became a top ten bestseller. She went on to publish six more novels as Madeleine Wickham: A Desirable Residence, Swimming Pool Sunday, The Gatecrasher, The Wedding Girl, Cocktails for Three and Sleeping Arrangements.

Sophie was born in London. She studied music at New College, Oxford, but after a year switched to Politics, Philosophy and Economics. She now lives in London, UK, with her husband and family.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of FAIRY IN WAITING, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2881/? 

Tour Schedule:

Week Four:

2/11/2019- She's Got Books On Her Mind- Review

2/12/2019- Savings in Seconds- Review

2/13/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

2/14/2019- Owl Always Be Reading- Excerpt

2/15/2019- two points of interest- Review

Aerie Mandarin Blossom Softening Body Wash

Ah, I came across this body wash when I was organizing one of my many makeup/skincare/bath stashes. I think I bought this is a few years old as I don't see it available online anymore but, only through third-party retailers. The fruit scented body wash had scents of apple, mandarin, and freesia. It is enriched with aloe to leave skin soft. The body wash left my skin softly scented but, I found I had to use a lot of product to get a rich lather. Overall, it's a decent body wash but, I think I prefer BBW body washes or a drugstore body wash because it does a better job for around the same price or less.

Level Naturals Organic Menthol + Lavender Shower Bombs

I have used a few shower bombs and have found them to be very relaxing when the fragrance is strong and appealing. These small but potent discs are enriched with menthol and lavender oils to help open sinuses and relax the mind. I found the bomb to very fragrant but, I had mixed results. Some bombs melted away before I finished my shower other times, it lingered in the shower long after I finished. However, I am definitely open to trying more showers bombs.

The Cottage Greenhouse Relaxing Bath Soak Cucumber and Honey

The enriched Epsom salt has scents of cucumber and honey to provide users with a relaxing spa experience. I used the bath soak around two times before I accidentally dropped the entire bottle on the floor and causing all the salts to go everywhere. I wish the bottle was a bit easier to hold but, the two uses I did get out of the soak was very relaxing and left my skin softly scented. I did find the bottle to very cute and reused it to hold odds and ends.

Charms Blow Pop Lip Balm - Assorted

I love Charms Blow Pops, so when I saw these on display I knew I had to get them. Each pack had six lip balms: grape, green apple, cherry (x2 as it is the best flavor), strawberry,  and blue razz. The basic lip balm left a soft tint of color (red for cherry, slightly blue for blue razz, etc) and left my skin moisturized. As an added bonus, each lip balm tasted like their corresponding flavor. Personally, I find these lip balms more as a novelty item than rather a useful lip balm as I found myself reapplying more often than my normal lip balm. Overall, it's a fun item for fans of the candy and it comes with a reusable tin.

Primark No. 4 Sandalwood Candle

I am going to shout it from the rooftops, I love Primark! Yes, it's super cheap and the quality is questionable at times but, I love the thrill of a good bargain. The softly scented candle has scents of earth and musk. I love that for $5, it had around 60 hours of burn time. While this wasn't my favorite scent, I will definitely try their other scents.

Book Review - To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer + Guest Post

Photo Credit - Amazon

Avery Bloom is bookish twelve years old who lives in New York City. She can be intense and she is afraid of many things, especially the water. Bett Devlin is a fearless twelve-year-old who lives in California. She loves the water, animals and she is outgoing. While the duo has opposite personalities, they do have one thing in common as they are both raised by single, gay dads.

Their dads meet during a business trip and fall in love. Their dads send them to the same sleepaway camp against their will in hopes that they would become friends.  However, the trip leads to unexpected results and the pair find themselves becoming closer. Will the two girls be able to find a way to be together?

When I first read the summary, I wasn't sure what to expect from the novel. I thought it was going to be the stereotypical novel where everyone hates each other and then they become best friends. However, while the book does go a similar route, it has something I didn't expect --- heart and authenticity. I kept rooting for Night Owl and Dogfish. I kept hoping the pair would find their way together when obstacles were keeping them apart. I also enjoyed that communication between the girls was all through emails and letters. I thought it was interesting and refreshing because I felt that characters were more open and honest with each other than they would have been if they were communicating face to face. Overall, the novel was an enjoyable read and can't wait to read more novels from the authors.

 **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**   

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION 

From two extraordinary authors comes a moving, exuberant, laugh-out-loud novel about friendship and family, told entirely in emails and letters.

Avery Bloom, who's bookish, intense, and afraid of many things, particularly deep water, lives in New York City. Bett Devlin, who's fearless, outgoing, and loves all animals as well as the ocean, lives in California. What they have in common is that they are both twelve years old, and are both being raised by single, gay dads.

When their dads fall in love, Bett and Avery are sent, against their will, to the same sleepaway camp. Their dads hope that they will find common ground and become friends--and possibly, one day, even sisters.

But things soon go off the rails for the girls (and for their dads too), and they find themselves on a summer adventure that neither of them could have predicted. Now that they can't imagine life without each other, will the two girls (who sometimes call themselves Night Owl and Dogfish) figure out a way to be a family?

AUTHOR BIO:

Holly Goldberg Sloan was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and spent her childhood living in Holland; Istanbul, Turkey; Washington, D.C.; Berkeley, California; and Eugene, Oregon. After graduating from Wellesley College and spending some time as an advertising copywriter, she began writing family feature films, including Angels in the Outfield and Made in America. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Counting by 7s and Short, among other novels. 

Meg Wolitzer was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in the town of Syosset, on Long Island, and sold her first novel, Sleepwalking, while a senior in college. She is the New York Times-bestselling author of numerous novels for adults, including The Interestings, The Ten-Year Nap, The Wife, and The Female Persuasion; the young adult novel Belzhar; and the middle-grade novel The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman.

 

 

Author Guest Post - What inspires you to write?  (EAST COAST)

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?

MW:  Inspiration is a tricky thing, and sometimes hard to understand. Don't you think, Holly?

HGS: I'm inspired to write because it's my job. Is that inspiration or the need to pay my bills?

MW:  Yes. It's what we do. I can’t always sit waiting for ideas to slowly roll toward me. I sometimes have to force them a bit, because like you, writing is my full-time job. And we've both had careers as writers since college, which means we've been at it for a long time. Getting paid is certainly motivating. But the deeper answer is that inspiration comes from the world around us—no?  The world we’ve been living in and observing and forming ideas about.

HGS:  A look at the world we see--and an attempt to interpret that and make sense of it. Yes.

MW:  For my part, I ask a lot of questions, both of myself and other people. I'm interested in point of view, and in the differences and similarities in people.

HGS:  Agree. We both, I think, start with character. We absolutely did on this book.

MW: In this book we definitely did. From character came action, and plot. As writers, we often work to put characters in interesting situations, and then watch how they react. We cause trouble.

HGS: I remember reading somewhere that interaction between people in storytelling (and I apologize for not crediting the person who wrote this) is either a fight, a seduction, or a negotiation/transaction.

MW:  That’s really interesting. I believe there is also a way to use interaction to illuminate. Shining a spotlight on one particular corner can ask people to question ideas and behavior.

HGS:  Our book is about two young girls and their gay fathers. We write about the situation in a way that's very modern, I believe. Gay people have families and they are protected by law in this country to marry and pursue their happiness. We don't make a big deal about that. It's just a fact.

MW: Yes. And the reception we’ve gotten solidifies that. It isn’t an “issues” book, and we never wanted it to be. It’s about these two girls’ powerful friendship, and their ideas about family. 

HGS: I'm hopeful when I talk to kids today. And that's part of the reason I write books for young people. The future is theirs.

 

 

Book Review - The Night Before by Wendy Walker

Photo Credit - Amazon

Laura Lochner doesn't have much luck in the love department. She has a habit of choosing the wrong men and falling too fast and hard for them. After her last relationship ended, she left her prestigious high paying Wall Street job to move into her sister's home in Connecticut. Although Laura is still haunted by her previous failed relationships, she is determined she will find love again online.

Rosie Ferro has spent most of her life worrying about her sister, Laura. She has been dealing with Laura's emotional rollercoaster since they were children. When Laura returns unexpectedly, Rosie questions Laura's return given her past. Her shadow of doubt grows when Laura leaves for her blind date one night and doesn't return home the following morning. Rosie begins to fear the worst and Laura left no information about the man she planned to meet. As Rosie begins her search for Laura, she is worried about what this mysterious man might have done to her sister but, also what Rosie might have done to him.

I found the novel to have an interesting premise as Laura wasn't portrayed as a damsel in distress. I thought that the novel had a good amount of suspense but, I felt like it didn't have many unexpected twists. Overall, it was a fun and great read and I look forward to reading more books by the author.

**Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**