Quarantine Reads (formerly known as Beach Reads): Big Summer, Recipe for Persuasion & Lies that Bind

Big Summerby Jennifer Weiner

Goodreads blurb:  The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the “nothing short of brilliant” (People) Mrs. Everything returns with an unforgettable novel about friendship and forgiveness set during a disastrous wedding on picturesque Cape Cod.
Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time—she doesn’t even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media—so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.
Drue was always the one who had everything—except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song.
A sparkling novel about the complexities of female friendship, the pitfalls of living out loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart, Big Summer is a witty, moving story about family, friendship, and figuring out what matters most.

my take: 3.5 out of 5  I kind of love how a lot of my favorite Chick lit authors have developed, from purely romance novels to a more integrated romance meets mistery that I am loving. Lisa Jewell went more that route and now Jennifer Weiner. It is a very fun and easy read and I got quite invested in it. The characters are well developed and the twists and turns are unpredictable and satisfying. A perfect beach read (if i could go back to the beach) that makes it also a great escapist quarantine read. Also how can you not like a wedding in a beach setting?

Recipe for Persuasion  by Sonali Dev

Goodreads blurb: From the author of Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors comes another , clever, deeply layered, and heartwarming romantic comedy that follows in the Jane Austen tradition—this time, with a twist on Persuasion.
Chef Ashna Raje desperately needs a new strategy. How else can she save her beloved restaurant and prove to her estranged, overachieving mother that she isn’t a complete screw up? When she’s asked to join the cast of Cooking with the Stars, the latest hit reality show teaming chefs with celebrities, it seems like just the leap of faith she needs to put her restaurant back on the map. She’s a chef, what’s the worst that could happen?  Rico Silva, that’s what.
Being paired with a celebrity who was her first love, the man who ghosted her at the worst possible time in her life, only proves what Ashna has always believed: leaps of faith are a recipe for disaster.
FIFA winning soccer star Rico Silva isn’t too happy to be paired up with Ashna either. Losing Ashna years ago almost destroyed him. The only silver lining to this bizarre situation is that he can finally prove to Ashna that he’s definitely over her.
But when their catastrophic first meeting goes viral, social media becomes obsessed with their chemistry. The competition on the show is fierce…and so is the simmering desire between Ashna and Rico.  Every minute they spend together rekindles feelings that pull them toward their disastrous past. Will letting go again be another recipe for heartbreak—or a recipe for persuasion…?
In Recipe for Persuasion, Sonali Dev once again takes readers on an unforgettable adventure in this fresh, fun, and enchanting romantic comedy. 

My take: 4.5 out of 5  I really loved Pride Prejudice and Other flavorsand if you haven’t read it please go and read it first as starting Recipe for Persuasion will ruin the ending for you. That being said, this continuation in the Raje dynasty is as good as the first! I devoured this book in a sitting, and i wanted more. I mean you have Jane Austen inspiration, food and good romance? Im sold!

The Lies That Bindby Emily Giffin 

Goodreads Blurb: In the irresistible new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted, a woman is falling hard for a man she’s just met when he disappears without a trace on 9/11. It’s 2 a.m. in a dive bar on the Lower East Side, May 2001. Cecily figures it’s the perfect place to order a beer and try to forget that she’s just been dumped by the man she suspects she’ll always think of as The One Who Got Away. Her best friend warned her to hunker down and avoid any risk of late-night drunk dialing, and she should have listened, because she’s so tempted. . . .

“Don’t do it,” says the guy on the barstool next to her. “Don’t call him.”He talks her off the ledge, and they have another beer. Then at last call, they toast to “moving on” before going their separate ways. Except as she’s about to say goodbye, she decides to ask his name instead. And just like that, her life is changed forever.But has she found her soulmate only to lose him a few months later? 

My take: 4 out of 5  Emily Giffin had some missteps in my book after her fabulous first books, but with this she is back on track. It is a great, human love story. By that I mean, its not perfect, its complicated and its full of messups and lies but that makes it quite good actually. I really enjoyed how it played out, and the mix of destiny meets reality. Highly recommend.