Happy Endings Book Club Boxed Set Books 4-6 by Kylie Gilmore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It's always a pleasure to read Kylie Gilmore. With sweet stories that are as moving as the characters are irresistible, it's obvious why she makes up at least half of my favorites list.

Formal Arrangement (Happy Endings Book Club #4) 

The Campbells are a rambunctious clan. Good times, fiery personalities and tons of love are what the Campbells are all about, but beneath all the fun lies some turbulent emotions that need to be worked through. Formal Arrangement is Alex's turn to shine. This single dad has a little girl he adores, a family he loves and guilt that never seems to subside. From a tragic loss to the responsibilities that weigh him down, Alex just can't catch a break. Enter Lauren, nanny extraordinaire. Lauren lightens up his days and fills his heart with an emotion he refuses to acknowledge. Can he let go of the pain of his past to claim his Ms. Right? (5 stars) 


Bad Boy Done Wrong (Happy Endings Book Club #5) 

Looking to chase away the blues? Kylie Gilmore knows just what to do. Bad Boy Done Wrong follows the perfect script to lighten the heart and brighten up any day. Carrie and Zach turn one little mistake into a hugely irresistible romance. The laughs never stop flowing and the love refuses to quit growing anytime the Happy Endings Book Club is involved. Resistance is futile. (5 stars)

Mess With Me (Happy Endings Book Club #6)

The forecast is perfect for a total eclipse of the heart. Mess With Me has everything I've come to expect from Kylie Gilmore. Charming characters, hysterical antics and a whole lot of laughter pave the way to a happy ending. Second chances, surprise romances and the welcome arms of family are instrumental to a heartwarming tale of love and fun. (5 stars)

Book:  Read a book that takes place in December, with ice or snow on the cover, where all events take place in a single day or night, that revolves around the solstice, set in Persia / Iran, China or the American Southwest or prominently featuring Persian / Iranian, Chinese or Native American characters, or a collection of poetry.

This is a collection of short stories based on mythology and folklore from East and South Asia, so some of the stories feature Chinese characters or are based in China.

Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

Wow. This book ended up not working for me at all. Probably because the initial premise (Jennifer Cole) being diagnosed with an incurable condition giving her months to live didn't really get focused on too much. Instead we focused on Jennifer writing letters to her ex-husband, her ex's current wife, her ex-lover, her ex-childhood friend, and her sister. Yeah these are all people that Jennifer had or has issues with and who she wants to clear things off her chest. It could have been done in a funny way, but it didn't work for me. Don't get me started on how the big suddenly changes mid-stream into Jennifer becoming obsessed with her ex, then a lie, another lie, and then the book tries to jump to some chick lit ending. That is not to disparage chick lit by the way, it just didn't fit with the initial parts of the book at all.

"Death and Other Happy Endings" has just been told she has 90 days before she will die. After telling her best friend and crying (I would be too) her friend encourages her to write letters to people she still has a lot of complicated feelings about. So she does. And then mayhem ensues. I won't get into everyone's response, but am going to say that Jennifer and her sister's relationship being changed was the only highlight in this story. After Jennifer reconnects with her ex it just becomes about him. And believe me if I got a deadly diagnosis I would not give two shits about any of my ex's. I would be trying to squeeze things in that I want to do and let the people I love know how much I love them. Anyway.

I didn't like Jennifer much. Her life seems really empty and her house is always cold and apparently dirty. It's like she gave up on anything before her diagnosis. It would have been wonderful to see her embrace life or something, but nope she's just obsessed about her ex.

Jennifer's sister is a mess. You read about their past relationship and I can see why they are not close. But them trying to be close had some laugh out loud moments which is why I gave this book two stars.

Jennifer's ex I think was named Harry. Harry sucks and the fact that Jennifer refused to see it was frustrating to read after a while.

Jennifer writing a letter to her ex's current wife was a bit much for me. It had been a decade I think in the book's timeline so her acting like a woman scorned and her saying what about the sisterhood didn't work for me.

Jennifer's ex was a wanker. 

The writing felt choppy after a while. I got bored and then Cantor throws in a twist I saw coming. And then there's another twist I didn't see coming, but at that point I didn't care. The flow of the book was all messed up honestly. I don't know a way to fix it. I think trying to shoehorn everything into one book didn't work. 

The book ends on what I think they see as a happy ending but I went oh boy that's going to be a mess eventually. 

Wow. This book went downhill fast. Probably because at first it seemed like a great premise. What if you were told you only had 3 months to live? The main character, Jennifer Cole is told that she has a rare blood disorder and after being in shock, decides to take up her best friend's advice and write letters to people who who have wronged her in some way. That includes her older sister, her ex-husband, her ex's current wife, ex-boyfriend, and an ex-friend from childhood.

I had some sympathy here and there when you read about what went on with her and her sister. And heck her ex-husband having an affair sucked. But it's been almost 10 years I think since they split so her spitting at the other woman who has been married to him longer than her felt a bit much. And the ex-boyfriend was a wanker and she seemed way too invested in him. And in fact most of the book is honestly about Jennifer and her ex (Harry). I was a bit surprised since the book made is seem like she was about doing a bucket list and going out there to take charge of her life. Besides having some hearts to hearts with her sister and her best friend, there was no there there. And then we get a second act twist that made me sigh heavily. After that there was no saving this book. 

All a wedding needs is two people in love and the people that love them. For Josh and Hailey who took the scenic route to their happiness, the day has finally arrived, but the surprises just won't stop. Will they make it to their happily ever after with the bride's sanity still intact? A Happy Endings Wedding is classic Gilmore. There's humor, heart and honest emotion that will keep readers laughing through their tears and remembering why these characters are so easy to love.