What Pretty Gets You
Chandra Hoffman
278 Pages
Published March 15, 2021
Fifth Generation Publishing LLC
“Get comfortable. Hoffman’s masterfully plotted tale of betrayal, secret-keeping, and unlikely sisterhood will keep you glued to your seat, turning pages well into the night.” – Abbey Lee Nash, author of Lifeline
19-year-old Maia works a kiosk at Philadelphia International Airport, waiting to be discovered and watching people’s lives take off while hers stays stagnant. When a handsome commuter charms her with stories of the perfect life in the snow-capped mountains of Colorado, she rashly follows him into a future she was not expecting. Desperate to regain control of her life and sentenced to bedrest in her second pregnancy, Carolyn makes the dangerous decision to hire the young woman she suspects is sleeping with her husband to be their nanny. Friends close; beautiful enemies closer, she reasons. Carolyn and Maia harbor secret pasts. What unfolds in Boulder over the summer exposes the gritty underbelly of their dreams and forces both women to question the bounds of loyalty, the complicated nature of female friendship, and the privilege and peril of physical beauty.
The Summer After
Chandra Hoffman
290 Pages
Published July 1, 2021
Fifth Generation Publishing LLC
The summer after the loss of their spouses, Juliet and Dean meet over their children’s sandcastle friendships on a remote beach in the Cayman Islands. Love blooms among the hibiscus. But as they navigate tentative steps out of grief, it becomes clear that neither has come to the island simply for fun in the sun.
Mysterious emails from the States, an accident involving Dean’s oldest son, and hazy memories from a night most of Rum Point would like to forget threaten the escapist summer life their families are building. When an approaching hurricane forces Juliet and Dean to choose if they will evacuate to separate lives, secrets threaten not only their new relationship, but everyone’s safety.
With the storm approaching, Juliet and Dean confront their ghosts to answer the question—is the greatest tragedy the loves they have lost, or the risk of losing everything they have just found? They must overcome dark shadows of their pasts and fight for a second chance at happiness.
Essay from Chandra Hoffman: The Dawn Chorus, advice inspiration and writing advice from her late mother-in-law.
Author Bio:
Chandra Hoffman has lived in thirteen international cities and this wanderlust shaped her writing. In each novel, the setting is its own character. She writes about everyday scenarios; shining a light on the complexities of human nature through the voices of multiple narrators.
Chandra has been an orphanage relief worker in Romania, a horse trainer in the Caribbean, a short order cook in a hospital, the director of a US adoption program, an event planner and homeschooled on a remote island off Honduras while chronicling the adventure for the Huffington Post.
She is now settled back in her hometown outside of Philadelphia where she teaches writing and is the founder of the Summer Writing Retreat at Bryn Athyn College.
She lives with her husband, three children and a menagerie of horses, big dogs, needy cats and free-range chickens.
Author Links: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
A big thank you to all of our wonderful hosts!
@ashleykritzer
@quirkycatsfatstacks
@readingthroughthelookinglass
@quirkycatsfatstacks
@bibliophileverse
@rachels_pages
@shangread_la
@kendalls.court.of.books
@bookclubfor1
@justa.gal.andherbooks
@justa.gal.andherbooks
@theendlessstack
@bookish_trisha
@stuffskyereads
laugherandthunderstorms
@book.reviews.by.j
@elizabeth.ness.56
@reading_is_my_remedy
@thebookreviewcrew
@ireadwhatuwrite
@getlostinabookwithme
Robin M
I’d like to read “What Pretty Gets You.”
Penny Branson LeBaron
I’m intrigued by both of these books, especially The Summer After. Heading over to Amazon now!
Tony Platz
The Summer After looks like a good book .
Sheri
Can’t wait to read The Summer After!
Carl
wow
rosemary
loveeeeeeeeeee to read
Amy Nick
The Summer After sounds really good to me
Joan
I love the review and cannot wait to read.