A Double Review of The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews
Today Kim and I bring you a double review of The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews! You guys know we both will read practically anything she writes! We both gave The Santa Suit 5 stars and it also touched me in a personal way, which will be in my review. I listened to the audiobook while Kim read the physical book.
The Santa Suit
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Narrator: Kathleen McInerney
Published: September 28, 2021
Audiobook/224 Pages
Book Description:
When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn’t bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it’s a full-time job sorting through all of it.
At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it’s from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?
Ivy’s quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.
Kim’s Rating: 5 Stars
Kim’s Review:
What a perfect way to start out the holiday season!! This is a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form … except it’s better than the movies! The best way to describe it is “feel good”. It’s not a long book, nor is it complicated with lots of drama or conflict. It’s just a sweet story that probably won’t happen in real life, but stirs up all those warm and fuzzy feelings you want around Christmas time. I wasn’t expecting it, but I was in tears by the end. My heart felt so big and happy that I wanted to tell Ivan that we should buy a fixer upper farm house in the country and keep it decorated all year long! I might just add this book to my annual Christmas reading list!
Jessica’s Rating: 5 Stars
Dates Read: November 9-12, 2021
Format Read: Audiobook
Jessica’s Review:
The Santa Suit is a cute novella that will get you all ready for Christmas! As with many of her more recent novels, MKA has characters that deal with houses that are ‘fixer uppers’, this time newly divorced Ivy buys an older farm house called The Four Roses without seeing it. Unaware of how much work needs to be done on the house until she sees it firsthand, Ivy finds herself overwhelmed as the previous owners left their personal possessions. This includes a Santa suit which she just can’t throw away. Inside the suit she finds a very old letter written by a little girl wanting her daddy to come from the war. Ivy then becomes determined to find out what happened to the little girl and her family.
Ivy becomes friends with a local girl who is engaged to a man she has never actually met, and she isn’t exactly how she described herself to him. There is also a potential romance and starting over for Ivy.
This is an enjoyable Christmas tale without a complex story to it and everything wraps up nicely in a sweet and cute novella that we need after the last couple of years. If you are a fan of MKA, do yourself a favor and read The Santa Suit this Christmas season!
The Santa Suit touched me personally, from when I was in middle school on, my own dad played Santa every Christmas. It was something he loved doing. Listening to the audiobook brought back those memories.
The Santa Suit is recommended!
Here are some pictures of my dad in action as Santa:
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
A Double Review of Final Girls by Riley Sager
It’s Riley Sager week here at Jessica’s Reading Room and we will bringing you reviews of all five of his books this week! Today Kim and I bring you a double review of Final Girls. Kim gave it 4 stars while I gave it 3 stars.
Final Girls
Author: Riley Sager
Published: July 11, 2017
Audiobook/352 Pages
Book Description:
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet.
Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.
That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy’s doorstep. Blowing through Quincy’s life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa’s death come to light, Quincy’s life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.
Kim’s Rating: 4 Stars
Kim’s Review:
Holy. Crap. I didn’t see that twist coming at all. Normally, I get a sense, even just a twinge, but not with this book! And thankfully, it’s not a twist that made me feel stupid for not getting it. This is the second Riley Sager book I’ve read and I liked this one best. It didn’t feel like a recycled story and I was much more satisfied with the ending. My only real problem is that I really didn’t like Quincy. She was just prickly and kinda dumb acting. For claiming strength after surviving as a “final girl”, she seems weak and like she doesn’t really think for herself. She’s a follower and that clashes with her survivor persona. But it’s definitely a page turner that I couldn’t put down! This is another good one for Criminal Minds fans, with more of a focus on the victims. I liked it a lot!
Jessica’s Rating: 3 Stars
Dates Read: September 23-30, 2021
Format Read: Audiobook
Jessica’s Review:
Final Girls is Riley Sager’s debut novel, but I am glad I did not read it first. I’ve basically been going backwards and have read his books 5,4, and 3, followed by this one and I still have his second one to go. His novels have gotten better than his first with books 3-5 all getting 5 stars and this one getting 3 stars from me.
As we read, we get two time periods with Quincy: The past where she survived the massacre that left her friends all dead, and present-day Quincy dealing with life in general and then the effects of final girl Lisa committing suicide and meeting another final girl Sam and them forming some kind of relationship. It helped that I did like Quincy and was rooting for her, while Sam just rubbed me the wrong way so many times!
I was interested in this novel the whole time and it will keep you on your toes. I also had several different thoughts as to who the ultimate villain was, and there were several twists that occurred towards the end. But that final reveal of the villain I guessed wrong, but I was also not surprised by. I do read lots of thrillers and enjoy NOT guessing the twist and getting my mind blown, so for me Final Girls was a decent novel and I did like the ultimate ending.
With only his second book left to read, I do really enjoy Sager, but recommended his third novel Lock Every Door the most! We will see what happens once I have finished The Last Time I Lied to see if my favorite Sager novel changes!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Double Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Today Kim and I bring you a double review of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab! We both gave it 5 stars and so far it is my top read of the year! We will see if anything can top this one for me!
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author: V.E. Schwab
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Published: October 6, 2020
448 Pages
Book Description:
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
Jessica’s Rating: 5 Stars
Dates Read: January 13-26, 2021
Format Read: Audiobook
Jessica’s Review:
Oh My GOSH!!! This one will be tough to beat as my #1 pick of the year so far, and we still have so much of the year to go! Addie gives you so many feelings, wonderful yet bad! I thought I was going to be ugly crying at the end of this one, but no I did not, but my heart was still broken at the end (but in such a good way!)
On the eve of her wedding that she does not want, Addie LaRue prays to a god of some kind for the wedding to not happen. A deal is made and now Addie will now live until she no longer wants to and will become his. Living basically forever, Addie is suddenly forgotten once a person turns away from her. Imagine a life of never having a home and constantly moving and no one remembering you except for a slight memory of seven freckles on her cheeks….. Until one day she is in a bookstore and hears three words she never thought she would hear again: “I remember you”. How does this man named Henry remember her when no one has for over 300 years? This begins a new adventure in Addie’s extended life.
Again, prepare yourself for ALL the feelings you could possibly feel in this novel! The author’s writing is just beautiful with so many worthwhile quotes in it. It can be a slow moving novel that moves in two directions: Addie’s long 300+ year life going from the past to present day, and also Henry’s perspective. The devil/demon himself who goes by the name of Luc, pops up off and on throughout Addie’s extended life, bringing the pain that Addie feels to the surface.
There are some surprises that pop up throughout, and I thought I knew how the novel was going to end, but no, it went in another heartbreaking direction. I can say this: I will remember Addie and her story.
This novel is very highly recommended.
Kim’s Rating: 5 Stars
Kim’s Review:
I’m still dealing with my feelings after reading this book! It was emotional, to say the least!
I went into it not really knowing what to expect, and I’m glad I did. I read the description long before I bought the book, so I knew I was interested, I just wasn’t dependent on the description. And this is definitely one of the more popular reads right now. Jessica gushed over it, so of course I was gonna read it.
It actually had me from the beginning. Some books try to ease you into the story and takes a few chapters. Not Addie! Everything started at the very beginning! I liked Addie right away. She was relatable and human. I think my only real issue with the entire book was the way Addie, despite her many years, still seemed to act like a teenager. But even this was tempered by her extreme cynicism so I’m not even gonna complain about it. The whole theme of the book seemed to be that time should never be taken for granted and I certainly pondered that long after I closed the book. There’s even a part of me that would love a sequel, but I actually liked the open way Schwab ended Addie LaRue.
Overall, this was an awesome read!! I couldn’t put it down and I had all the feels while reading it! The characters were likable and the ending tied everything up! There are some objectionable elements so I wouldn’t call this completely teen safe, but I’d still recommend it to pretty much everybody!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
