The Scenic Route (Christina Baker Kline)

Why I have this book: It was one of the Amazon First Reads in the last couple of months. I actually paid for this one ($1.99) because I got another one for free, but then they made it a Prime Reading option, and they refunded me the purchase price. That was nice of Amazon. I would have never known that it was a Prime Reading option if they didn't tell me.

Anyway, I wasn't sure how many stars to give this. Other reviewers gave it 4+ stars (the overall rating both Amazon and Goodreads show), but I'm not sure why. It's a short story, and while the writing was good, there just wasn't enough story to sink my teeth into. I think it would have made a compelling full-size novel, though. 

I ended up giving it three stars.

Mostly clean. There is one F-word that I remember. An affair has occurred in the past. Alcoholism is part of the story, and having been molested as a child is briefly mentioned.

Reminders of Him (Colleen Hoover)

Why I have this book: My daughter-in-law recommended the author (and I also saw lots of people online recommend her), so I bought this one first because it was $2.99. I actually ended up buying and reading the two most recommended books of hers before I got to this one, though. I reviewed them earlier this year.

I gave this one just two stars on Goodreads. It was fine. It was okay. A little corny and not really believable in the way the characters act. It is bizarre to me how a couple is having sex all the time, but they don't know each other well enough to talk about it they are going to get married or even if they love each other. It's like sex is what kissing used to be.

Anyway, whatevs. It was fine. I doubt I'd ever read another of the author's books, though. They just aren't the kind of books I love.

Lots and lots of F-words, several sex scenes that are fairly descriptive (but not crass). Deals with death.

The Deep End of the Ocean (Jacquelyn Mitchard)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library after seeing a clip of the movie pop up on FB or something.

I gave it a three on Goodreads. I seriously have had it checked out for almost the entire three weeks. I guess it didn't keep my interest enough to want to pick it up whenever I had the chance.

It was interesting, though, to think about the things that happen in a family when a tragedy occurs. There are so many layers in relationships and emotions, and we don't always imagine how that all come into play when we see stories on the news.

I think there were some F-bombs and definitely some other swearing. There were two or three very mildly described sexual encounters.

Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself (Nedra Glover Tawwab)

Why I have this book: Because I need a lot of help on setting boundaries! I bought the audio version and Kindle version both, but ended up just listening to the audio for the whole book.

There were a few new thoughts in this book, but probably most books on boundaries are going to be similar. I almost gave it three stars on Goodreads since it's not the first book about the topic that I've read, but I gave it four stars because if it were the only book someone might read, it does cover the bases really well.

I think it was clean. I don't recall any swearing or anything, but I had three books going at once, so I could be wrong!

Untamed (Glennon Doyle)

Why I have this book: It was recommended more than a few times online, and my SiL also read it and thought parts of it would resonate with me.

It's true... some parts did resonate with me. I felt like some parts of the book were a high four stars and other parts were around two stars for me, so I averaged it out and gave it three stars Goodreads.

I liked a lot of her ideas, but the delivery (on audio) sounded a little too "profound" when it maybe wasn't quite as profound as it was meant to be. I don't know... the delivery was just not my style, I guess.

Still, there was a lot of good stuff in there, so I can see why people recommend it.

I'm sure there were some swear words. I can't remember if there were any F-words (I listened to it over a week ago). There are some mild descriptions of the physical relationship the author has with her wife. Nothing too graphic.

True Sisters (Sandra Dallas)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library as an audio version.

I actually had thought about reading this book years ago, but decided not to after seeing some reviews saying it wasn't a fair depiction of polygamy or Mormon women. With my new perspective, I decided to go ahead and read it.

It was interesting to find out that Sandra Dallas lived in Utah for a few years as Presbyterian teenager. Kinda cool that she decided to write a book about Mormon pioneers. She did a ton of research, including reading diaries and speaking with LDS historians, as well as visiting historical spots along the trail. 

I thought she was fair to both the faith of the pioneers and the subject of polygamy and how it affected both men and women. I doubt the struggles of the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies were as faith-promoting as the Church likes to paint it, and I'm very certain polygamy wasn't as rosy as they'd like us to think. Sandra did a great job balancing those things and didn't push one viewpoint or the other.

This is a fiction book, so the characters aren't real. The last few paragraphs of the epilogue don't describe the way it really went down for most polygamists, I don't think, but I loved the very last line. Just that line bumped the book from three stars to four for me. *insert fist bump*

I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

Clean. There is some implication of married "relations," and there are some descriptions of death and physical injuries and hardships the pioneers experienced on the trail.

The Secrets of Midwives (Sally Hepworth)

Why I have this book: I bought the Kindle edition at one point, then borrowed the audio version. I actually ended up returning the audio version because it wasn't great... the narrator seemed to give them all accents, and that made it confusing since it was set in Rhode Island.

I probably would have gone with about 3.5 stars if that had been an option, but since you can only give whole stars, I rounded up to four. I did really like it, even though I'm not sure every bit was super realistic. There were also a couple of small editing issues, including that it had a more British/Australian feel than American. There was also a sex scene that had more description than was needed, and it didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the storytelling.

In any case, I did like it.

There was a bit of swearing, including one F-word that I remember. One somewhat descriptive sex scene. One pretty sad death and the implication of pre- and extra-marital sexual encounters, as well as domestic violence are all part of the storyline.