Thursday, April 5, 2018

REVIEW & EXCERPT of The Birthday List by Devney Perry

     

Happily married to her college sweetheart, Poppy lived a blessed life with the husband of her dreams. Then everything changed. She is no longer a wife. She is no longer the envy of her single friends. Now, people look at her with pity as they whisper a single word behind her back.

Widow.

Years after her husband’s tragic death, years of pain and sorrow and wishing for the life she’ll never get back, Poppy decides to finish Jamie’s birthday list. She’ll do the things he wanted to most. Because maybe, just maybe, if she can complete his list, she can start to live again.

Poppy expects going through the birthday list will be hard. She expects it to hurt. But what she doesn’t expect is Cole. Could the man who delivered the news of her husband’s death and shattered her heart be the one to help her put it back together again?


My Thoughts…

Once I started reading The Birthday List I could not put the book down.   I was sneaking away to read a few more pages, a few more words, or hopefully a few more chapters.   

The characters pulled me in.   Poppy was the perfect widow, if there is such a thing.     She loves her husband and wants to finish his wish list and hopefully be able to move on with her life.     Then I met Cole.   Sigh, talk about the perfect man.    Not only is he instantly attracted to Poppy but he is the most accepting, understanding, welcoming man I have ever read about.    He understands that Poppy has to do the wish list in order to be open to a relationship with him.    I LOVE that he willingly agrees to help her with the list.   

While the restaurant Poppy opens is not the focus, it is a major place in the book.   I could easily relate to the crowds, the quirky customers, the customers who become friends, and the hard work put into running it.   My family has owned a family diner for many years and I have firsthand experience at the hours, the work, and the fun of working with family.

The lesson I learned while reading The Birthday List is that it is okay to not forget the love ones who passed away but it is just as okay to keep living.     Life is important and if those who passed love you they would want you to keep living.     I am lucky enough to not have a lot of experience with the death of loved ones but I am hoping this will stay with me as I continue living my life.  

While this could have been a sad, poor me story I found it more uplifting, loving, and a living story.   I recommend picking up your copy.    The Birthday List will be a book that you will not be able to put down and the story will stay with you long after you are done reading.

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 Turning to the door, I smiled, ready to greet my late-evening customer, but faltered as the door closed behind him. Cole Goodman was walking my way. My belly dipped as I took him in. His aviator sunglasses were perched on top of his chocolate-brown hair. A black polo stretched across his broad shoulders and pulled tight across his muscled arms. His pale-blue jeans molded to his Herculean thighs before draping down to his black, square-toed boots. The leather belt on Cole’s trim waist held both a shining badge and a holstered gun. Cole smiled and locked his light-green eyes on mine as he crossed the room. His straight, white teeth made my breath hitch—something that had happened last night more times than I wanted to admit. Molly, who had turned around from her seat to greet our customer, spun around so her back was to Cole. Her cheeks flushed as she whispered, “Wow.” Wow was right. Cole Goodman was—simply put—gorgeous. He could give a woman a speeding ticket and get a thank-you in return. He inspired women to attempt push-ups in a karate class just for the chance to watch him sweat through his gi. Cole made grown women blush like teenagers and giggle in corners, like those girls at the dojo last night.

           

 Devney is the USA Today bestselling author of the Jamison Valley series. She lives in Montana with her husband and two children. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her kids. She loves reading and, after consuming hundreds of books, decided to share her own stories. Devney loves hearing from readers! Connect with her on social media.



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