Sara Goodman Confino

Another amazing book from Sara. Once I started reading, I was drawn into the story and could not stop reading. Behind Every Good Man is not to be missed! I am calling it, but this book will be a best seller and one that every book club will be talking about.

Bev is the type of woman that you envision when you think about woman empowerment! Instead of allowing her estranged husband's affair to define her, she paved her own path of independence. I love how supportive Bev's mother was and Michael. He did not downgrade Bev's intelligence but together they shined. If I had been in that time period, I would have voted for Michael.… (meer)

This was a Kindle FirstReads pick for me way back in the summer, and I just got around to it. I found it interesting (well, most of it), and finished it in 3 days.

This story is about mid-30s Jenna, who has just gotten divorced and agrees to try and move on by accompanying her grandmother, who’s in her late 80s, on a road trip back to her hometown in Connecticut. Along the way and while there, both characters learn to move on with their lives, Jenna gets a second chance romance, and family secrets are revealed.

This was the feel-good, lighthearted read I’d been looking for. It’s told in a dual-timeline style, with historical aspects told in grandma Evelyn’s POV, and the present day told in Jenna’s POV. Evelyn was hilarious and reminded me a lot of my own grandma. I found the pacing to be good and writing was easy to read. And reading the descriptions of the scenes, I could easily imagine Hereford, CT.

The reunions in the present day were so sweet to read about, especially after reading the historical chapters. And there is a HEA ending for both Jenna and Evelyn.

I liked the historical chapters much more than the present-day ones. The characters were much more fleshed out and interesting, and Evelyn made a compelling protagonist. I found myself skimming through much of the present-day chapters, especially towards the middle and end of the book.

I also felt that Jenna and Joe’s romance fell flat. I didn’t have a great sense of any of them as characters and so did not feel any chemistry between them. I felt like Evelyn should have been the main character of this story - she was much more interesting than Jenna.

Overall a good read. I would definitely look for other books by this author.… (meer)

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this book.

I usually don't read ebooks but reading the plot and being Jewish and a lover of Jewish fiction, I had to read it.

The Summer of 1960 in Philadelphia and the beach in Avalon, New Jersey with Marilyn, a 20 year old, and got “stuck” with her great Aunt Ada, who is a matchmaker with her rules and really bossy with Marilyn. She does have a good heart and it finally shows after a while. Marilyn is sassy too but Ada always has retorts back and she's afraid to say them. There's no “love” between them at first and then it starts to change little by little as they get to know each other I guess you can say.

This maybe a spoiler and I won't give it totally away, but one of my favorite scenes is when Dan the Rabbi's son goes to New Jersey and takes her out to dinner. What happens next is hilarious and Marilyn is “testing” him in the restaurant. Priceless.

Two coincidences with me and this book. My middle name is Marilyn (okay, now everyone knows) and my Dad, who I loved dearly, used to say “Don't Forget To Write” when I left the house sometimes. However, in the book, it's a totally different meaning.

Such a fun read all the way through (almost). I had a few tear soaked tissues by the end of the book.

I'm a stickler for giving 5 star ratings on Goodreads but this is one of them.… (meer)