Month: March 2019

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

/ Lindsay Kahoe / Leave a comment
Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I cannot say enough wonderful things about Me Before You. There have only been a handful of times a writer has grasped me the way Jojo Moyes has. Her writing is captivating to say the least. I could not put this book down and immediately started the second in the series, Me After You, and can not wait until I get to read Still Me, next.

Will Traynor was a well-to-do man who never said “no” to an adventure until one day, crossing the street, he was hit by a motorbike and left paralyzed. Louisa Clark is a quirky girl with no direction, content in her mundane life. When Will’s mother hires Louisa to be his companion, both of their lives are changed. Filled with laughter, excitement, heartbreak, and love, this book is an emotional roller coaster that will have the reader crying from joy and pain.

Me Before You, actually made me cry. From happy, hopeful tears to flat out ugly crying with smudged mascara running down my cheeks. I will admit, the plot did not interest me but this has quickly become one of my favorite books of all time because of the way Jojo Moyes is able to grab a reader’s attention and keep it.

Recommended for those who like emotional stories. Good for fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife, and Everything Everything.

Purchase this book here! Now!

View all my reviews

Give Them Wings: Preparing for the Time Your Teen Leaves Home by Carol Kuykendall

/ Lindsay Kahoe / Leave a comment
Give Them Wings: Preparing for the Time Your Teen Leaves Home

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received this book after winning a copy from the publisher. It was a contest I entered because I wanted to read this book. I would have bought it had I not won a copy. After reading it, I will buy more copies to pass along to friends and family. The author even included a sweet personal note

Give Them Wings: preparing for the time your teen leaves home, by Carol Kuykendall and Krista Gilbert, is a must read for all parents, especially moms. Carol Kuykendall wrote this after her kids left home for college and has recently updated the title with Krista Gilbert to include the extra things youth today deal with. Carol takes the reader through the teen years and how to prepare your child for the adult world they will face. She gives great inside on making connections and memories before they go but also being intentional about the things they need to know, such as using the Post Office.

Although my daughter is only nine years old, she is already beginning to separate from me and Carol reassured me this is a normal thing and I really feel easier about this new transition coming up. When I talked to my husband about our daughter not wanting/needing me so much anymore, he laughed and was like, “yeah…..so….” but for me, it was unexpected and devastating. I could not imagine a world where I’m not the center of my daughter’s life and its great knowing I’m not alone. I now feel like I can not take it personally and be a better mom, showing Gods love and grace in this season. Carol also walks the reader though the actual saying goodbye. I feel I can use her wisdom and apply it to my situation and make the most of a difficult time.

The only critique I have and the reason it does not get a full five stars is because I would have like a little more detail and stories about exact challenges and specific things the writer did. She did have one great part written from her son’s point of view and I would have liked to hear more of that voice as well. Other than that, this a wonderful guide. Carol and Krista do not put any pressure on the reader but instead, I felt as though they were holding my hand and facing my fears with me.

I highly recommend to those who have children entering the teen years (so they have time to prepare) but also for those whose teens are leaving the house or need to leave the house.

Purchase the book here at Focus on the Family.

View all my reviews

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

/ Lindsay Kahoe / Leave a comment
This Is Where It Ends

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I read this book because it is a popular YA book at my school but most students weren’t finishing it. Other than being about a school shooting, there was nothing about this book that stands out. The characters are flat and predictable and the writing is below average.

Four students give their voice to tell the story about a day that changed Opportunity High. Ty feels alone after the death of his mother, the absence of his alcoholic father, and his sister following her own path, leaving him behind. He decides to take out his unhappiness on the rest of the students, during an assembly, where they are left trapped and subject to his sickening games.

This book was a quick and easy read and might appeal to reluctant readers but it does contain violence and gruesome death is described in detail. I would be careful of suggesting it to teens because of the subject matter. Parents, if your child reads this, I would read it also so you can have an open discussion about it.

I would not recommend this book.

View all my reviews