Love at First Like is all about living in a social media world. And how easy it is to slip under the waves of the "perfect" life.

Oh, I am so completely smitten by Mhairi McFarlane's latest release, Don't You Forget About Me. I need to get my paws on more of her work. One thing is certain, I won't be forgetting Georgina or Lucas any time soon.

Bridges by Maria Murnane | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Who's a big old sucker for novels based around female friendships?

T H I S  L A D Y. 

I'm waving my hands around a bit manically right now. When I read the description of this delightful book, I knew I had to pick it up. Let me start off by saying that Maria Murnane has this refreshingly pretty prose to her that is incredibly satisfying. By pretty, I mean real and vibrant. You're going to love the way she explores life and friendships and so much more throughout Bridges. She's definitely someone to keep an eye out for.

What I enjoyed most--beyond the setting and the characters--is that the way Murnane writes about friendship is completely realistic and true. Sometimes, keeping up with friends can be tricky and full of self conscious hits on who we are as women. It's a very human trait that is portrayed to a point that you can really see yourself in the characters. I loved that this wasn't sugarcoated or brushed aside like it was nothing because the way we see ourselves has everything to do with, well, everything.

The Saturday Evening Girls Club by Jane Healey | Rating: ★★★☆☆

A copy of this novel was provided through NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Saturday Evening Girls Club even at the start. But as someone who loves period pieces and constantly longs for more novels that are based around the friendships between women, with other things sprinkled in for good measure, Jane Healey intrigued me from the moment I read the novels premise. The novel itself wasn't quite what I was expecting in a lot of ways but it was still a read that kept me focused well enough. 

Where the connections--the families, the friendships and all the in betweens--soared and made the novel an engaging story; the dialogue, at times, felt stiff and a mixture of the past and the present.  A lot of it felt like a mismatched series of events and conversations. Which isn't that big of a deal but it did bring down my reading experience by at least a star. Something about it, despite this, remained appealing and in terms of a lot of women's fiction, The Saturday Evening Girls Club sets an example of how human connections should be explored in any timeline.