Results May Vary by Bethany Chase

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She never saw it coming. Without even a shiver of suspicion to warn her, Caroline Hammond discovers that her husband is having an affair with a man—a revelation that forces her to question their entire history together, from their early days as high school sweethearts through their ten years as a happily married couple. In her now upside-down world, Caroline begins envisioning her life without the relationship that has defined it: the loneliness of being an “I” instead of a “we”; the rekindled yet tenuous closeness with her younger sister; and the unexpected—and potentially disastrous—attraction she can’t get off her mind. Caroline always thought she knew her own love story, but as her husband’s other secrets emerge, she must decide whether that story’s ending will mean forgiving the man she’s loved for half her life, or facing her future without him.

Source: advance e-galley provided by Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review


Infidelity is not a pleasant matter, period. Even to read about it can make my skin crawl. I've definitely had strong opinions about it in the past, being of the mind that once that trust has been broken then there's nothing left to salvage. 

What Results May Vary has shown me is that it's not as simple as that. In Caroline's case, there's one moment when everything is perfect bliss and then the very next, it's wrecked. Even though she is blindsided and humiliated by her husband's betrayal, she's not entirely convinced that she should give up on her marriage. She spends her energy combing through their history, desperate for signs or clues that she missed. Her approach is analytical, like a CSI investigator, gathering the broken pieces to put together a new picture of her husband who is now a stranger to her. Caroline experiences everything from anger to disappointment to hurt and every other emotion in between. She surprised me with perspectives to ponder on and I must admit that this book was a learning curve for me.

I've been taken with Bethany Chase since her dazzling debut from last year, The One That Got Away. I just loved that she wrote about a smart, talented and ambitious heroine. I feel that she continues that theme here though she's giving us a heroine with a broken heart who is rebuilding herself from the debris. I liked the pace at which the story developed as it gave me a proper sense of the time that elapsed between the initial fallout and her eventual renaissance. She also has a core group of friends including her sister, who offer her comfort, support and gives her a little push when she needs it. They add substance to Caroline's narrative so it doesn't seem like she's in a vacuum. I also like the way Caroline marks key moments in her life through visuals. For example, the day that she learns of her husband's unfaithfulness, she describes how earlier in the day when the sun was at a certain point in the sky, her life was perfect and the world was the way she knew it. Hours later when the sun was at a different point in the sky, her world had changed. Marking that shift in such a way is so like something I'd do, how I'd think. It was kind of cool to see that put to words so poetically.

I adore Results May Vary and if you're looking to champion someone, Caroline is a brilliant character to root for. I think there's something in her that's in all of us; that resilience that we don't realize we have until we're forced to confront the worst imaginable. And sometimes remaking ourselves anew is the best thing that can happen to us but we'll only appreciate that after we've made it through that heartbreak.

~ Bel

Six Month Rule (Kingston Ale House #2) by A.J. Pine

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She created the game, but the rules are about to change.

Taurus: Hold fast to your single-minded nature today—no matter how long her legs or how lush her red lips. 

Gemini: You were a shining star last night, but reality can be a real—well, you get the picture. Just remember: Tall, dark, and British equals no corner office for you. 

Will Evans never wanted a reason to stay. 

Holly Chandler wants nothing more than for him to go.

But neither one is prepared for what can happen in six months. Because it doesn't matter what you want when what you need walks out the door.

Holly’s been busting her butt to make partner at Trousseau and there’s no way she’s going to let some stuck-up British arsehole get in her way—no matter how drop-dead gorgeous he is. But that doesn’t mean she can’t have a little fun in the process. She has a six-month rule: date just long enough for the honeymoon phase to wear off, then walk away before anyone gets hurt. If they both know the rules up front, walking away will be a piece of cake. Or maybe not…

*SIX MONTH RULE is a stand alone book in a connected series.

Source: advance e-galley provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review


Holly Chandler is a whip-smart, go-getter with her sights on making partner at Trousseau. Before that can happen her company lands as a client, Tallulah Chan, an up and coming British fashion designer who's making her US debut. If done right, this could launch both Holly and Trousseau into a new stratosphere. Normally Holly thrives under these circumstances but she's about to be tested when she's assigned to work alongside Chan's publicist, Will. Will insists on formality and his singular focus is to make his client's debut a smashing success before he can pack it in to focus on other aspects of his life. Holly and Will have one thing in common: no distractions, which is why Holly never puts in more than six months into any relationship and why Will doesn't get into any. You can imagine what happens. Throwing these two together is going to test the boundaries and their discipline. When it becomes too much to bear they reconsider Holly's six-month rule as a viable course of action. 

Just as with The One That Got Away, I can easily see myself hanging with this lot. Can Kingston Ale House be an actual thing because I want to hang out there and have truffle fries? And I love that Chicago is the setting (yes, I'm biased since I live here). It's such a fantastic city with so much going so I was happy when Pine mentioned Chicago institutions like Lou Malnati's. Aside from that, I also noticed the little details such as Will's colloquialisms - "lift" instead of elevator and my personal favourite, "aluminium" instead of aluminum. They were sweet reminders of my home (a former British colony). No joke, my family gets a kick out of my stubbornness in holding on to those words as part of my vernacular. Needless to say, Pine keeping true to Will's speech was a win for me. It's also nice that he isn't this overbearing, alpha male who walks into a room and expects everyone to kowtow to him. The initial friction between him and Holly works. Their relationship evolves somewhat smoothly despite them blurring the lines between work and pleasure every so often. Sometimes their shenanigans left me nervous! I had assumptions about where the trouble with their arrangement would pop up but it didn't unfold as I expected. Overall what I like best about SMR is that it doesn't introduce over the top or unnecessary elements to distract you from what is simply a fun read.

If you ask me to pick which of the two books I like more, I'd say SMR has a slight edge thanks to the charming characters (ahem, Will). If you're one for an opposites attract/office romance adventure then this story is an irresistible, delicious treat! 

~ Bel

The One That Got Away by A.J. Pine

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How far will one man go for the woman he's loved since high school?

Jamie Kingston has been Brynn Chandler's best friend since middle school. Only once was their friendship tested—when Brynn gave Jamie a single kiss. Since then, they've had an unspoken agreement never to cross that line again, and she’s ready to let go of the past and move on.

But Jamie has loved Brynn for as long as he can remember, and now that he's ready to tell her, she has her sights set on someone else. Knowing this is his last chance, he asks Brynn to go on a two-week road trip. But their time alone brings old hurts to the surface, and Brynn has to decide if the one that got away lies at the end of the journey or if he's been by her side all along.

The One That Got Away – there’s something about that phrase that always hooks me. It screams of a missed opportunity and the potential that there may be another chance. And that’s what we have here.

Jamie and Brynn have been hung up on each other since high school. Their friendship goes farther back but it was in high school that Jamie developed feelings for Brynn. On a night when she was looking forward to being kissed by her crush, she ends up kissing Jamie instead. The circumstances leading up to this are interesting. Anyway, it all kind of dissolves shortly after with Brynn never truly knowing exactly what it happened.

Ten years later, they’re still best friends and getting ready for the big high school reunion. This time nothing is going to stop Brynn from sharing a kiss with her high school crush. Jamie stands by helplessly because far be it from him to actually speak up and declare his true feelings to her. When things go terribly awry at the reunion, he make it up to Brynn by suggesting that embark on a road trip together to LA where she can meet up with her crush and he can take care of his business venture. It doesn’t go every smoothly with plenty of hiccups along the way. But for Brynn, each of these inconveniences turn out to be an opportunity to see Jamie in a completely different light.

The narrative, told from both viewpoints, is repetitive but that’s because both of them are so caught up in reliving where things went south in their friendship. They’re simply stuck and as the reader you’re stuck with them as their thoughts and memories play on an endless loop. They keep quiet under the pretense of keeping the status quo. At some point during the roadtrip there’s a shift and I was so happy because seriously, about time you two!

A few things stood out for me. One, is the playful chemistry they have. It’s sickeningly obvious how much they adore each other and the fact that there’s always some sort of mishap when these two are together is very funny. It’s their thing and it’s cute. Two, is that Jamie and Brynn feel tangible. They’re both described as attractive with none of the over-the-top romancey stuff. That just made them relatable to me, like these two goofballs could very well be my friends hanging about in Chicago, bringing me to my third point: I did love the Chicago references. 

TOTGA is cute and almost like a slapstick comedy at times when you look at how clumsy they are around each other. If you’re someone who believes in second chances and adores the friends-to-lovers trope, this will certainly please you. TOTGA is a fun roadtrip or vacation companion to take with you!

~ Bel

A Peek In The BiblioBin #194

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the lovely folks at Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, dusted off from the bookshelf, etc.

For Review:

 The One That Got Away (Kingston Ale House #1) by A.J. Pine

That Thing Between Eli and Gwen by J.J. McAvoy


Purchased:

In Your Dreams (Falling #4) by Ginger Scott

A Study In Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro

The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase

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Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner, this bright, funny debut from a fresh voice in fiction offers a delicious take on love, family, and what it means to build a home of one’s own.

Sarina Mahler thinks she has her life all nailed down: a growing architecture practice in Austin, Texas, and an any-day-now proposal from her loving boyfriend, Noah. She’s well on her way to having the family she’s hoped for since her mother’s death ten years ago. But with Noah on a temporary assignment abroad and retired Olympic swimmer — and former flame — Eamon Roy back in town asking her to renovate his new fixer-upper, Sarina’s life takes an unexpected turn.

Eamon proves to be Sarina’s dream client, someone who instinctively trusts every one of her choices — and Sarina is reminded of all the reasons she was first drawn to him back in the day. Suddenly her carefully planned future with Noah seems a little less than perfect. And when tragedy strikes, Sarina is left reeling. With her world completely upended, she is forced to question what she truly wants in life — and in love.

Full of both humor and heartbreak, The One That Got Away is the story of one woman’s discovery that, sometimes, life is what happens when you leave the blueprints behind.

Sarina is a well-respected and successful architect in her early thirties whose career is gaining traction. She’s her own boss, managing her own projects and genuinely in love with what she does for a living. She has a wonderful roommate Danny, a fun best friend Nicole and a devoted boyfriend, Noah. Noah’s a corporate lawyer and currently in Argentina working on a huge merger. This means that they’re apart for months at a time, resorting to phone calls and skyping to keep in touch. Sarina feels happy with her world, that is until Eamon comes back into her life.

Eamon is the one (night stand) that got away. She thought they’d hit it off perfectly but when the next morning came he had an abrupt change in attitude and left after promising to call her. That left Sarina wondering all sorts of things. Could she have done something wrong? Why didn't she ever hear from him? She was understandably hurt by the quick departure and kept their involvement a secret from Danny, his best friend. She eventually met Noah with whom she has found that stability she values. Eamon’s reappearance illicits mixed emotions. She acknowledges that though she’s happy to see him, there’s still some level of hurt there, naturally making things a wee bit awkward. Worse, he’s still as gorgeous and as sweet as ever. Not that she’s willing to admit that aloud. When he announces that he’s ready to move back to Austin to lay down roots, he hires Sarina to help him find a place to rehab. Great, so now he’s a client!

Here’s what I loved about this book: while it’s a romance, it’s not focused solely on Sarina's love life. She is written as a well-rounded character with so many facets to her. She is a career woman who enjoys her job and has ambitions for expanding. I really liked how absorbed she’d get in her projects and how she described her euphoria over light-bulb moments or ideas that inspired her creations. She’s a go-getter who’s smart, calm and confident in her skills. The other side of her is her close relationship with her step-dad whom she adores. He’s the last connection to her beloved mother and the way she looks up to him is just so incredibly sweet.  

Trouble does arise when she starts developing feelings for Eamon just as her relationship with Noah starts to get shakey. The distance hasn’t helped and as they discuss their long-term future, she realizes that they may not want the same thing. Now as she enters the next stage in her life, she has to give serious thought as to how her ambitions fit into a marriage and possibly children. Or is it the other way around – how do marriage and children fit in with her ambitious plans to become a well-known architect? The fact that she and Noah have differing opinions on the matter is troublesome. Then there’s Eamon on the periphery who's praising her talents while encouraging her to pursue her dreams. He finally comes clean about his feelings for her and why he left all those years ago. Now Sarina is not a whimsical little thing and won't drop everything simply because he announces that he's ready. And this is what I love best about her: as confusing and frustrating as life has become, she's still level-headed enough to examine her motives and not throw away years she has invested in a relationship with Noah without some serious contemplation.

The One That Got Away is simply adorable and I fell for it hard. For me personally it was refreshing to read a female protagonist with that level of maturity and self-assurance. And I can't forget the other co-star in this story - the city of Austin. All I know about it is that it's home to Austin City Limits, South By Southwest and incredibly hot in the summer. Bethany Chase's description of some of the local areas and markets has me wanting to visit sooner rather than later. If you're in the mood for a well-written, well-balanced romance, don't pass up The One That Got Away!

~ Bel

Connect with Bethany on Twitter and Instagram. Being an interior designer herself, she often posts gorgeous pictures that capture her attention!

The Mean Girl Apologies by Stephanie Monahan

* * * 1/2

You know that catchy song you keep hearing on the radio? It’s about you.

Natalie Jamison has spent five years trying to forget the girl she was in high school: popular, pretty…and, okay, mean. Now in her twenties and living once again in her small town, she’s right back where she was: following Queen Bee Amber and keeping secrets from her best friend, Sarah.

Secrets like Jack Moreland.

Everyone knows Jack Moreland—his new album, Good Enough, is everywhere. He’s famous. Impossibly handsome. Completely untouchable. But what none of Natalie’s old clique knows is that in high school, Natalie and Jack fell in love. And their secret relationship was incredible, painful—and earth-shattering enough to inspire an entire album.

Facing friends and enemies isn’t easy, but Natalie will go to great lengths to prove she is good enough—to her friends, to herself, and most of all, to the small-town boy turned worldwide heartthrob she never forgot.

This book surprised me because I wasn’t expecting for it to be so personally introspective. There were many times while reading, I felt myself transported back to school days reminiscing both the good and bad that were mentioned here.

Natalie at first comes off as a bit of an acolyte, eager to please and gain approval from her "friend" Amber. It’s off-putting considering she’s been away from her small town for the last five years and only recently returned. Falling into step with her old group of friends is not exactly where she pictured she’d end up after all this time. So she’s dismayed to fall into old habits – ones she'd thought she’d shaken off. The redeeming thing here is that she realizes what's happening. Hearing Jack’s song on the radio is what wakes her up. She knows what the song is about, knows it’s directed at her and now it forces her to reassess her life and decisions.

Coming face-to-face with her former love is uncomfortable. Things ended badly between them so she doesn’t know how Jack will react to seeing her. When they do it’s every bit as uncomfortable as she expected. There’s also a sense of familiarity and sadness that what they had between them which was so pure, ended. He IS the one that got away. Her fear of what her friends thought at that time in her life trumped her feelings of what she knew was right. She's not sure if she can fix things between her and Jack but the meeting is a catalyst for personal change.

Natalie goes through her mental list of people she has wronged from high school and embarks on addressing those transgressions in order to move on. It’s not easy but she does it and what she learns from these encounters is only making her a better person. I was just amazed by her. I thought what she did was brave and showed maturity. So while there’s certainly romance and lost love involved, the real story here is Natalie’s own emancipation from the clutches of her old group of friends to declare the kind of person she wants to be.

As you read this, I dare you not to think of your own history to see if you’ve either been a victim or the perpetrator of some of the offenses that Natalie confesses to.  Would you be as brave as Natalie to face the people you’ve wronged? Or would you be forgiving to accept that person’s apologies for hurting you? The Mean Girl Apologies is truly about growing up, learning what true friendship is and and becoming a better kind of person. It's also about telling the bully to suck it!

~ Bel