2 New 2 U Reading Challenge

For this challenge I read Girls in Trouble by Caroline Leavitt and On a Night Like This by Ellen Sussman. I really enjoyed both books. I finished On a Night Like This in one sitting.

Girls in Trouble describes the heartache and trials that are caused by decision we make and that others may make for us. However, M.J. Rose an Amazon reviewer can explain it better than I so here is her summary:
Caroline Leavitt -the author of this book is one girl who is not in trouble. Her sensitive portrayal of a birth mother and an adoptive mother and the tragedy and escasty of what brings them together and then drives them apart is an outstanding accomplishment. Managing to never dismiss or diminish the emotions of any of the so true to life characters in this novel, Leavitt keeps the reader engrossed and caring, and at least for this reader, occassionally crying.

Leavitt, author of seven previous novels, wings her way effortlessly through a laybrinth of emotion that never gets cloying as it illuminates the conflicts of the human heart.

Well done. A breakout novel if there ever was one.

My score 4/5

On A Night Like This was such a great story. I really felt for the characters. It is the story of a single mom who is dying of cancer and finding true love for the first time in her life. It is emotional and heartbreaking and I loved every word. This review gives a better overview of the story (by Amazon reviewer Lauren Baratz-Logsted):

Ellen Sussman's stunning debut novel features a strong heroine faced with an awful predicament. Blair Clemens, a single mother and chef in California, is dying. When Luke Bellingham, a throwback to her high-school days who is now a successful Hollywood screenwriter, comes back into her life, what will she do? Is it OK for her to reach for love, knowing it can't possibly have a traditional happy ending? In less capable hands, this could be maudlin material, but not so with Ms. Sussman. Blair is such a strong heroine, and Ms. Sussman's technique of alternating chapters between Blair's and Luke's points of view is so effective and capably done, that what could and should by all rights be tragic instead comes off as a celebration of life and love. Readers will finish this novel looking forward to Ms. Sussman's next.

My score 4/5.

FREE BOOK: I own On A Night Like This and would like to share it. If you are interested in reading this book email me (deborah150 at hotmail dot com) your name and address and I'll drop it in the mail to you. Please put Blog Book Request in the subject line. The only thing I ask is that you forward it to another reader when you are done.