Winners of THE BEST OF US by Sarah Pekkanen & Upcoming SURPRISE on BLOG!!

Announcing the winners of THE BEST OF US!!!

 

But first,  
DO NOT MISS A HUGE SURPRISE GIVEAWAY

on TUESDAY!! 
Make sure to stop by!

Congrats to:

Emma S. - who wants to travel to Fiji or Australia

and

Kimmi who wants to go to Italy

You each have won a copy of Sarah Pekkanen's new book! Please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com with your full name and address so I can send you your book!

Remember, come back to the blog on Tuesday for some exciting fun giveaway!

And, have you heard about a little book called What She Left Us by me? Check it out on amazon if you haven't already! Thanks!

 

Huge fun great awesome giveaway on Tuesday, and if you read this far and need an extra clue -- here are two words for you... Emily Giffin...

THE BEST OF US by Sarah Pekkanen

LATEST WINNER: Winner of the "Let's Hear It For The Boys" $10 Amazon Gift Card goes to Bridget T aka Iambtinrb... please email me at stephanieelliotATgmail.com with your full name and address!

The Best of Us 

Sarah Pekkanen

Hey there! So I've had a lot going on recently, which I will be telling you more about in the coming week or so, but in between a little thing called What She Left Us, I've also been double-time reading two great books and one of them debuts this week and one has already debuted. I'll share the one that already debuted later this week or next week … it's When She Was Gone by Gwendolyn Gross and it's STUNNING!... as is the one I bring to you right now…

… which is by the FABULOUS Sarah Pekkanen who you all know I have loved since her first book The Opposite of Me. Her fourth book is out tomorrow, April 9 and it's called The Best of Us.

In The Best of Us, Sarah weaves the story of four couples as they embark on all-expenses paid vacation to Jamaica to celebrate one husband's birthday, only to be in the midst of a hurricane during their trip.

I love stories like this one in particular because I always jump into them thinking, "How am I going to keep all of these characters and their stories separate from one another," and Sarah just writes it so I can easily compartmentalize them in my brain!

Each character, from organized and put-together Allie, to stressed-out-mother-of-four Tina… to Savannah, who is trying to have it all while things are falling apart in her life, and Pauline, who doesn't know the others that well and is trying to host the event … are defined perfectly… Sarah vividly draws the picture of each woman and I felt compassion and understanding for each women's struggles, desires and personal issues.

Here is the full synopsis:

An all-expense-paid week at a luxury villa in Jamaica—it’s the invitation of a lifetime for a group of old college friends. All four women are desperate not just for a reunion, but for an escape: Tina is drowning under the demands of mothering four young children. Allie is shattered by the news that a genetic illness runs in her family. Savannah is carrying the secret of her husband’s infidelity. And, finally, there’s Pauline, who spares no expense to throw her wealthy husband an unforgettable thirty-fifth birthday celebration, hoping it will gloss over the cracks already splitting apart their new marriage. 

Languid hours on a private beach, gourmet dinners, and late nights of drinking kick off an idyllic week for the women and their husbands. But as a powerful hurricane bears down on the island, turmoil swirls inside the villa, forcing each of the women to reevaluate everything she knows about her friends—and herself.

If you could take an all-expenses paid vacation, where would you want to go? I definitely would want to go to Bora Bora or Tahiti (is that even the same place? I am horrible at geography!) and stay at one of those over-the-water rooms where the floor is glass and you can see the fish swimming. I love the beach so much so ocean destinations are my go-to dream destinations! How about you? Share your dream all-inclusive destination for a chance to win The Best of Us by Sarah Pekkanen! We are giving away TWO books this time! Thank you to Sarah and her publisher! 

If you wanna play with Manic, you gotta read this:

If you're new to Booking with Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If you're entering to win a book, please leave a comment on this post and use an identifying name when commenting. It's usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check back here in a few days to see if you've won the book -- I will either list the winner in a new post OR highlight the winner's name at the top of this post, or tell you where you can find the winner's name at the top of this post. I do NOT personally contact the winners. It is YOUR responsibility to come back to see if you've won. Most books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher or author within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address, unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you would like to see featured, please email me at stephanieelliot[at]gmail.com. Thank you for your support!


 

Sarah Pekkanen Winner & Another New Book to Win!

Hi Everyone, I first want to announce the winner of the three Sarah Pekkanen books. Sarah read the comments from everyone and one in particular struck her and so she has actually offered to give away two sets of books. One Booking with Manic reader was hit pretty hard by Hurricane Sandy and lost her home in NJ. Sarah read this comment and wanted to do a little something for her so Joani15 is going to be receiving a set of Sarah's books. The amazing Chick Lit is Not Dead girls Liz and Lisa heard about this too and would like to send Joani15 some books too. And I've got a few extra here that I'd like to send as well. We know it's not much, but we hope that a little bit of reading will help build back the library of books you lost during the storm. Blessings to you as you rebuild and we're all so glad that you're OK!

And the random winner of The Opposite of Me, Skipping a Beat and These Girls happens to be hazyswife! I do believe she is a brand-new reader of Booking with Manic so congrats to you!

If Joani15 and hazyswife can please email me your full names and addresses to stephanieelliot@gmail.com, we can get your books to you! Thanks everyone!

And in the next coming weeks, I'm going to try to get a bunch of books out to you before we finish out the year, hopefully a few books a week. There's a lot on my list and I need to get them to you, so please check back often. Here's a fun one for today for you girls!

Notes to My Future Husband

The Coquette

Whether you're married or not, single, engaged, divorced or thinking about the guy of your dreams, this book will have every girl in hysterics.

Sometimes a bit crude, but totally relatable and laughable, Notes to My Future Husband: A Bitch's Guide to our Happily Ever After is a hilarious guide for all women!

With chapters including Notes on Friends, Famly, the Wedding, Our Home, Food, F#*king (told you it was a little bit crude!), Date Night, Rules, Good Stuff and more, the author clearly has it covered!

It's also anonymously written by "The Coquette" who is an advice columnist for The Daily, and her identity has never been revealed. She admits in the beginning of the book that she has been proposed to four times and turned all four men down. She has also admitted to having had her heart broken a few times too. I have to wonder if "The Coquette" is like 70 years old, and if she will ever get a Future Husband?

Either way, Notes To My Future Husband is a rollicking fun quick read, a great book to get for your friends who are engaged, and just hilarious in general!

If you'd like to win a copy, leave a comment on one thing that annoys you about your significant other. If you are single, leave a comment on something you will tell your Future Husband he absolutely CANNOT DO when you get married!

NEW TO BOOKING WITH MANIC?  

If you're new to Booking with Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If you're entering to win a book, please use an identifying name and it's usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check back here in about a week or so to see if you've won the book -- I will highlight the winner's name at the top of this post, or tell you where you can find the winner's name at the top of this post. Most books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher or author within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address, unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you would like to see featured, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

SARAH PEKKANEN: NOVEMBER FEATURED AUTHOR!

I'm so excited to share November's featured author with you. Sarah Pekkanen is one of my absolute favorite authors because I love her novels, and also because she is so down to earth and real. So not pretentious and she really seems to care a lot about her readers. She always has a kind word for her Facebook friends, she is a fantastic writer, she takes the time to make the fan feel important!


She has written three novels, The Opposite of Me, Skipping a Beat, These Girls, and her next one, The Best of Us is coming out in the spring! In the meantime, Sarah fulfills our need for her written word with awesome little novels for just 99 cents, and sometimes she even gives them away to her fans for free! Later this month she'll have another e-story out called Beginning Again. I've fallen absolutely in love with her e-story characters, and I really look forward to these little sampling of her books. If you haven't checked them out, you really need to. Start with: All Is Bright and then read Love Accidentally and by the time you finish those two, Beginning Again will be out. (I can't believe there's NO cover for this one yet Sarah!! ACK!!!... Maybe they are still looking for the perfect faceless model? Haha)

Anyway, in honor of Sarah being the Booking with Manic FEATURED AUTHOR of the month, she has graciously offered to give away a set of her three novels here to one winner! SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYS!!! 

I also got to ask her some questions that I thought you all might want to know, so here they are! Thanks so much Sarah, and we can't wait to read Beginning Again, and then The Best of Us!

1. I loved your first book, The Opposite of Me, and the sister dynamic. Do you have a sister, and if so, did you base the story on your relationship at all?

Sarah: Thank you! I actually don't have a sister, but I've always been intrigued by the messy, complicated, intense relationships my friends all seem to have with their sisters, which inspired me to write The Opposite of Me. When I was younger, I yearned for a sister, and imagined she'd be just like me - a little shy and dorky and into Nancy Drew books. Then one day I thought, "Wait - what if I had a sister, and she was nothing like me?"  That was when the idea for my first book began brewing.

2. Do you have a hidden manuscript? Anything you'll never share with your fans?

Sarah: I do have a manuscript in a drawer in my office that will never be published, but I'm okay with that - it will always have a special place in my heart because working on that novel taught me how to put together a book. It's my practice pancake - the books that followed were stronger, but I'll never regret writing this one (even though it took years. Years!)


3. You write some incredible short stories that are inexpensive and fun and available on all e-readers. The characters intertwine and like your full-length novels, we can't help but fall in love with them. You have a new one coming out -- what's it called and what's it about?

Sarah: Thank you so much! I love writing short e-stories partly because they're a real challenge: my characters cross over from story to story, so the stories need to enhance one another, but they also have to make sense on their own in case someone buys just one. They're only 99 cents, which is nice, because sometimes you want to sample an author's style before splurging on a whole book. My upcoming e-story is titled "Beginning Again" and it'll be out Nov. 27. It's actually quite long - about 1/5 the length of a novel - and it tells the story of a woman named Corrine Brown, who returns to her hometown for her little sister's wedding. Corrine is reeling from a very recent, very painful divorce, and she's being forced to begin a new kind of life. 

4. And your next full-length novel is coming out this spring? I know it's about a group of friends who get trapped in Jamaica due to a hurricane. Any more info you can share on it?

Sarah: The Best of Us will be out April 9, and it's a full-length novel. I'm so excited about it! I actually had the surreal experience of doing a final read through on the manuscript before it went to press last week while I was hunkered down in my basement, riding out Hurricane Sandy. Meanwhile, I was reading about my characters who were hunkered down in Jamaica, riding out a hurricane.

Here's the description:

An all-expense paid week at a luxury villa in Jamaica – it’s the invitation of a lifetime for a group of old college friends. All four women are desperate not just for a reunion, but for an escape: Tina is drowning under the demands of mothering four young children. Allie is shattered by the news that a genetic illness runs in her family. Savannah is carrying the secret of her husband’s infidelity. And finally, there’s Pauline, who spares no expense to throw her wealthy husband an unforgettable 35th birthday celebration, hoping it will gloss over the cracks already splitting apart their new marriage.


 Languid hours on a private beach, gourmet dinners, and late nights of drinking kick off an idyllic week for the women and their husbands. But as a powerful hurricane bears down on the island, turmoil swirls inside the villa, forcing each of the women to re-evaluate everything she knows about her friends – and herself.

5. Can you tell us if you have the next novel swimming in your head yet?

Sarah: I do - in fact, I've written about 50 pages of it! I have a book due every April 1, so I start writing a new one when my kids go back to school in September. It's a little tight to finish a whole book in six months, but that way I get to spend my summers with my kids, so it's worth the work crush in the fall and winter. 

6. With three boys, your schedule must be nuts -- how can you go from writer to mom? Are there times when you have to say, "OK, Mommy needs a minute, an idea for a scene just came to me, and I HAVE to go write it down?" How do you manage those kinds of things? Can you switch gears like that?

Sarah: It's tough, because i have a three-year-old whose concept of time is a little different from mine, so asking him for a minute doesn't always work - "But we need to play trains NOW, Mommy!" Still, in a weird sort of way I'm glad my writing life is so fractured. I've learned to squeeze in writing around the margins of our days - I rack up pages at soccer practice, at the orthodontist's office, and in the preschool pick-up line. I think it keeps me from feeling as if writing is too precious or important, which is good, because it also keeps it from being intimidating. When I know I've only got an hour on a certain day to write, there's less of a temptation to over-think it; I just dive in.

7. What is the absolute best thing about being a writer?

Sarah: Connecting with readers. They're so darn nice! I'm always touched and thrilled to hear them say they liked one of my books. And I'm tempted to say, "Really? My Mom didn't pay you to say that to me?"


Thank you so much Sarah! It's been fun getting to peek inside your life as a writer and a mother! So for all you readers out there, if you would like to win the set of Sarah's books: The Opposite of Me, Skipping a Beat and These Girls, this is what I'd like you to tell me...

Since Sarah's next book is about a group of four couples going on a luxury vacation, tell me this -- if you could go on a luxury vacation, would you rather go with -- 

Girlfriends?
Your husband/spouse/partner?
OR a group of couples friends?

Those are your three choices -- At this point in my life, I would choose a luxury vacation with just my spouse. We sooo need a getaway -- YOUR TURN, tell me your choice and you'll be entered to win! 

Also, check out below to see if you won either of the following books recently posted:

Love Anthony: Congrats to: Ludy2288
Charlotte Street: Kimmi with the Penguin logo

If you are either Ludy2288 or Kimmi with the Penguin logo, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com to claim your book. Include your full name and mailing address so I can get your book to you! 

Thanks everyone, more books to come. Still dealing with some health issues with Luke and we have a neurology appointment coming up so please keep us in your thoughts! xo 

NEW TO BOOKING WITH MANIC?  

If you're new to Booking with Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If you're entering to win a book, please use an identifying name and it's usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check back here in about a week or so to see if you've won the book -- I will highlight the winner's name at the top of this post, or tell you where you can find the winner's name at the top of this post. Most books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher or author within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address, unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you would like to see featured, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

   

THESE GIRLS by Sarah Pekannen

A winner has been selected for this book. Check here: Winner Announcement!

These Girls
Sarah Pekkanen

I've loved Sarah Pekkanen since she came onto the writer's scene with The Opposite of Me and she once again sealed it for me with her sophomore book Skipping A Beat. So when her third book, These Girls, came out, of course, I had to get my hands on it. I zipped through it with a frenzy and fell in love with these girls like you wouldn't believe.

There are three main characters in These Girls and it's such a great book because they're all equals - not one character takes the stage. You've got Cate, who has just been promoted to features editor at Gloss magazine, a girl who doesn't have to try to maintain her size 4 figure, but who feels like she has to prove her spot at her job. She's also keeping a secret that might very much jeopardize her new position.

Then there's beloved Renee, who is everybody's friend, a size 12 curvy girl, my type of girlfriend, the girl at the party everyone knows, everyone wants to be friends with. She's trying awfully hard to win the job of beauty editor, but has doubts because of her weight, and falls into some serious trouble when she discovers a quick weight-loss tactic. But will the fact that she's losing weight be the end-all to her woes, or will it just cause further problems? She's also dealing with the fact that her parents are having problems of their own, and a mysterious new family member reveals herself to Renee to stir up even more doubts about herself and her family.

Abby - what can I say about Abby - Abby just wants to be loved and have a family. She's escaping from something terrible, but even she's not exactly sure what she's running from - a secret from her past? The fact that she had infiltrated herself into the family she was nannying for just a little too much? She runs to NY to her brother, Trey, for help.

Of course, there's Trey, hottie Trey. Renee dated him briefly, but things didn't quite work out the way she had hoped, and now there's a teeny spark brewing between him and another character. I love how Sarah brings in just enough romance to keep the pages turning, but not too much to take away from the story.

The way Sarah Pekkanen brings these three women together is a perfect story of friendship. All three are in need of something they each don't know how to get. I think they're all looking for acceptance of themselves, and acceptance in their jobs, in other women, in the men they choose to be with.

As Sarah herself has said in interviews, her stories always have surprises in the end, and These Girls' ending did surprise me a bit. I may at first have wanted a little bit of a different ending, but after I closed the book, I thought for a few minutes. I thought about what the story was about. I thought about WHO the story was about. I realized the title of the book is THESE GIRLS. And then I knew that it was the most perfect ending for another wonderful book by Sarah Pekkanen!

ALSO--If you've never checked out Sarah's SHORT STORIES, if you have a spare hour during the day, check out ALL IS BRIGHT and LOVE, ACCIDENTALLY -- you will absolutely LOVE them -- they are just 99 cents each and they are so very sweet! Don't miss out on these two awesome stories!

To win a copy of These Girls, tell me a BEST FRIEND story - it can be from last week or from kindergarten, but something memorable! 

Don't forget to check the last books to enter them if you haven't already -  

The Wedding Beat
You Are What You Wear
How To Eat A Cupcake
 

Remember, MaNiC MoMMy is aiming to feature great books each and every week this year, and you’ll have a chance to win it as well! Please stop by often AND MAKE SURE TO CHECK THE PREVIOUS POSTS as I’m now posting new books more than once a week! Open to US/Canada residents only, and thanks to all the participating authors and publicists for providing the books.

One entry per person as always! Please include an email address or a uniquely identifying user name when entering to win!

THE OPPOSITE OF ME & SKIPPING A BEAT by Sarah Pekkanen

Winner Announced!
Congrats to

Lauren Royall...

Lauren says her favorite dessert is German Chocolate Cake and the "opposite of me" is her husband! You have won both of Sarah Pekkanen's books! Please email me your full name and mailing address and you'll receive your books! Congrats! stephanieelliot@gmail.com

Books: The Opposite of Me and Skipping A Beat

Author: Sarah Pekkanen

Website: http://www.sarahpekkanen.com/

Winner Announced Here

Sarah Pekkanen may be one of the relatively newer voices on the scene but she’s also one of the hottest. Her first book, The Opposite of Me, was so well-received, it caught the attention of author Jennifer Weiner. Word of mouth and a little contest to help spread the author love, and The Opposite of Me was noted in People, Redbook, USAToday. Sarah was all over the place, and after reading The Opposite of Me, it was no wonder. I fell in love with Sarah’s writing. Truly stories I wanted to tear through, but didn’t want to see end.

Since I read The Opposite of Me so long ago and didn’t write a review then, I'm just going to give you the back-of-the-book blurb:

Twenty-nine year old Lindsey Rose has, for as long as she can remember, lived in the shadow of her devastatingly beautiful fraternal twin sister, Alex. Determined to get noticed, Lindsey is finally on the cusp of being named Creative Vice President of an elite New York advertising agency, after years of 80 plus-hour weeks, migraines, and profound loneliness. But during the course of one devastating night, Lindsey’s carefully-constructed life implodes.

Humiliated and desperate, she flees the glitter of Manhattan and retreats to the time warp of her parents’ Maryland home. As her sister plans her lavish wedding to her prince charming, Lindsey struggles to maintain her identity as the smart, responsible twin, while she furtively tries to put her career back together. But things get more complicated when a long-held family secret is unleashed that forces both sisters to reconsider who they are and who they are meant to be.

And here’s my personal review for Skipping A Beat:

Usually when you love an author's first book, you don't expect to be blown away by her second book, but with Sarah Pekkanen's Skipping a Beat, that's exactly what I was. Blown away. From the very first page I was swept up into Michael and Julia's story of how they were less than privileged high school sweethearts turned millionaires by his DrinkUp flavored water. Yet, because of her father's gambling habit, Julia requested a pre-nup before she and Michael were married so that she could be responsible for her own money and have a secure life unlike her own mother who lost everything because of her father's gambling habit.

How was she to know that her own husband would become a man worth millions, 70, to be exact, and then unexpectedly die, for four minutes and eight seconds, but then come back to life and find money meaningless? And want to give it all away? Michael does exactly this, but in doing so, wants to prove his love to Julia at the same time.

How can she trust that he's not throwing away their lives, when the past few years all he's been focused on was building his empire, and now he wants to trash it all and finally work on their marriage? Fortunately, Julia's got a thriving party planning business of her own, but will it be enough if she decides she cannot stay with Michael now that he's going to give it all away? And will she want to stay with Michael after the years he's been absent in her life? He's asking her for the next three weeks to prove his love to her. Can she give it to him? And what will she discover in those three weeks?

Skipping a Beat had me on the edge of my seat, and my own heart was skipping beats as I plowed through this book, anxious and excited to find out what would happen at the end. A couple of things I predicted would happen, but they were good things, and made for a happy ending despite some surprises that did have me tearing up while reading as well! Loved, loved, loved this book and it catapulted Sarah Pekkanen to my top five list of favorite authors, right alongside Emily Giffin!


Read the first chapter of Skipping a Beat HERE.

Here’s the amazing Book Trailer.

Skipping a Beat, is an O Magazine Pick-It-Up-Now book for April, among being listed in other places. Sarah’s hit it big time!

To enter to win these books, tell me the answer to these two questions:

In Skipping a Beat, the main character is a party planner and there’s a lot of talk about yummy desserts. In fact, the book opens with decadent cupcakes. What is your favorite dessert?

And, tell me what you think the opposite of you might be?


*****
Please leave a comment, and all those who do will qualify to win Sarah's books! I’ll draw the winner in a couple of days and I will post the winner’s name at the TOP of this post, in the highlighted area.


Come back and read about each book every day in March. Choose the books you'd like to win. Enter for any or ALL the books. Each entry will count as an entry toward the grand prize of winning ALL 31+ books at the end of the month. You can win the book of the day and still qualify to win ALL the books at the end of the month!


PLEASE be specific with your name in the comment section, and IF YOUR NAME is listed as the winner, you must email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com in order to claim your prize. Email me with your full name and address so I can have your book(s) sent to you.


Thanks, and GOOD LUCK! And come back tomorrow to see what book I’ll be giving away then too!


It’s MaNiC MoMMy’s March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway! Read ALL the Rules and Details Here!


Sorry, only U.S. and Canadian residents only!