The Balance Project by Susie Orman Schnall

The Balance project by Susie Orman Schnall

This story follows Lucy. She is the assistant for Katherine Whitney. Katherine runs her own company, is a wife and mother and is about to add author to her biography. Her book is about how to balance life and work, something she seems to be having issues accomplishing. She becomes extremely dependent on her assistant Lucy who is soon faced with a difficult decision after a situation arises. 

Most people aren't strangers to the the dream of having it all. People often try, and each of us handle it in a very different way. Some are successful, some are not. How one approaches the situation can lead to many different outcomes. This story shows how one approach can affect several lives.  

~I received a free eBook to review.  ~

~I was not compensated in any way for my honest review.  ~

Summer Secrets by Jane Green

Summer Secrets by Jane Green 

All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

This story follows overwhelmed mother, daughter, writer Allison Weiss through her journey through recreational drug use, to full addiction and finally doing something about it. Allison has a father who has Alzheimer's, a mother who doesn't know how to handle the household duties like paying bills and an extremely sensitive daughter who often requires extra attention and measures in order to make her happy. 

I was able to relate to this story, on some level. Reading has always been my peace. It's the way I deal with stress. At the time I was following this story I was dealing with an extremely painful hip and back injury. Although my back is now significantly better, my hip is not. My medication was not nearly as strong as the pills Allison was taking. I was also dealing with crazy, stressful situations in my office. I have a co-worker who yells and screams for just about everything and someone 
who had decided the month of July was the month he was going to nit pick everything I did. That being said reading this book related to me a lot more than a story about drug addiction should have. For the record, unlike Allison I fight the pain and wait until I really cannot take it anymore to take anything (just 1 pill). I DO NOT take anything that has not be rightfully prescribed to me and nothing I take is anywhere horrible as what the character of Allison was taking.

This story could very easily be anyone's story. The addiction is only one aspect. With Ms. Weiner's amazing writing skills you can feel the stresses in Allison's life. I found myself unable to put the book down. In the moments I forced to step away from it getting back to the book became all I could think about. I absolutely adore Ms. Weiner's stories. I cannot wait until her next one is announced and I can once again begin my countdown to publication clock! 

~I received a free eBook to review.~

~I was not compensated in anyway for my honest opinion~

The One & Only by Emily Giffin

I recently read The One & Only by Emily Giffin.This story follows super football  fan Shea Rigsby. Shea has been a Walker football fan her entire life. Her best friends father is the coach of the college team. After Shea's best friend's mother passes away Shea's life changes in unexpected ways.

Although I enjoy Ms. Giffin's books this one was not my favorite. It was very sports oriented, specifically football. I am not someone who is very interested in sports, especially football. Football is a sport that I know absolutely nothing about, beyond the Superbowl has a good halftime show and awesome commercials. If it involved baseball at least I would have been able to understand the game involved. The characters and story line are very well developed. You can see the growth, love and passion that the characters possess. So do not let the sports aspect keep you from reading!

~I received a free book to review as as part of BooksSparks Summer Reading Challenge.~

~I was not compensated in any way for my honest review.~