All We Know of Heaven

All We Know of Heaven by Jacquelyn Mitchard

What was this book about?

Two friends who did everything together – played together, laughed together, and even almost died together. This book is about the struggle of deadly accident. How you must relearn all that you once learned. How things can never be the same for the girl left behind.

To make matters even worse there was a problem at the scene of the accident. The girls are mistaken for one another. How can the families live with the reversal in fortune.

What did you think about the book?

I LOVED this book. There was a story very similar to this of two girls around my state that this happened to. I can’t even imagine what this did to the families. Add in the complexities of high school and teenage relationships. This book tells it all. It doesn’t end in a happily ever after necessarily – just that determination can help you win the big battles – just as long as you realize what is worth fighting for. And what you just have to figure you can’t change.

What genre would you consider this?
Teen

Overall:

Chasing Harry Winston

Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger

What was this book about?

Three women have been friends since college. They each have their own distinct personalities and yet they can’t help but rely on each other for emotional support.

Emmy is the girl next door – sweet, innocent, and loving. What she wants most out of life is a wonderful husband and children. She has been with the same man for over 5 years but he doesn’t seem ready to take the next step. When he leaves her for a younger woman she can’t help but evaluate the sacrifices she made for him. Her friends and family tell her that she is lucky to be rid of him but she doesn’t know if she believes it. She is ready to go out and finally have a fling or two before she settles down.

Adriana is a beautiful rich girl who relies on her parents to provide for her. She flitters from job to job, man to man. She has what to some would be the perfect life of no commitment. Yet when she hears her friends talking about their jobs she feels left out. She knows that her beauty isn’t going to last forever (her mother can’t help but remind her of it over and over and over again). She agrees that she is ready to move on and change her life – she is going to settle down and get engaged in the next year. With no prospects on the horizon it will be harder for her then just finding a man – she needs to find herself to be happy.

The final member of this trio – Leigh has the life her friends dream of. The perfect man – handsome and loving who wants to spend his life with her. The perfect job – a book editor who seems to be rising in the ranks very quickly. But Leigh’s panic and confronting the fact that this life may be perfect for others but isn’t perfect for you – is rising and she needs to confront it. When a job opportunity at work comes up to edit a world famous author – she jumps at the task and meanwhile is forced to figure out what she wants out of life.

What did you like/dislike about the book?

This book is the perfect realization that 1) the grass is always greener 2) what is good for some people is not what others need out of life 3) you don’t need a man to make you happy. Everyone has different goals and needs as people – be it in their relationships, jobs, or family.

What genre would you consider this?

Fiction

Overall:

If I was to nominate this book for an award it would be: Book that I would want to give my single girlfriends.