Lit Ladies Double Feature: Open Book with Elyssa Friedland and Liz and Lisa

Three of my favorite ladies had book birthdays yesterday and I am thrilled they are on the blog today to celebrate!  Both books are perfect summer reads and their back catalogs are musts as well.  Elyssa Friedland’s latest, The Floating Feldmans is a family comedy/drama on the high seas and is a top pick of summer in multiple outlets.   The fab duo of Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, their latest, The Two Lila Bennetts is a summer thriller with Sliding Door vibes and a top pick as well.  The amount of fun in all of their Open Book responses is too much and these three are the ones that you want to grab a drink with have as your next BFF ❤

via Amazon ~

A family vacation dredges up a boatload of trouble in the next witty, insightful novel from the acclaimed author of The Intermission.

“An irresistible drama filled with humor and heart-tugging emotion about family and what it means to belong. I absolutely adore Friedland’s warm, witty writing!”—Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted

Sink or swim. Or at least that’s what Annette Feldman tells herself when she books a cruise for her entire family. It’s been over a decade since the Feldman clan has spent more than twenty-four hours under the same roof, but Annette is determined to celebrate her seventieth birthday the right way. Just this once, they are going to behave like an actual family.

Too bad her kids didn’t get the memo.

Between the troublesome family secrets, old sibling rivalries, and her two teenage grandkids, Annette’s birthday vacation is looking more and more like the perfect storm. Adrift together on the open seas, the Feldmans will each face the truths they’ve been ignoring—and learn that the people they once thought most likely to sink them are actually the ones who help them stay afloat.

What three celebrities/authors/figures- living or dead, would you want to have a bookclub with?

-Ernest Hemingway

-Oprah

-Meryl Streep

 

Current binge series?

Wentworth (fictional series on Netflix about a women’s prison in Australia. SOOOOOOOO good!)

 

Last favorite book?

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

 

What 3 things to you pack in your bag for your dream vacation?  Where is it?

-Bikini

-Many pairs of sunglasses because I always lose them

-Kindle

 

Sunday NYT or US Weekly?

Sunday NYT

 

Last person you sent a text message to?

Ali Winter, one of my best friends.

 

Book you read that you wished you wrote?

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

 

Do you have a teacher who encouraged you to become a writer?

Mr. Baker! I had him twice. Seventh grade and ninth grade. He really pushed my writing.

 

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, who?

-No. I don’t need total quiet and I often have my children around while I write, but for some reason I find music distracting.

 

Describe your writing space?

It’s anywhere my laptop is. That can mean my bed, my desk, a coffee shop, the library, the chaise lounge by my pool. I’m very flexible.

 

Coffee or tea?

Coffee. A ton of it. With almond milk.

 

Do you have a favorite book that you gift?

I like to give cookbooks and photography books. I think taste in novels is so personal and specific I don’t love to give them out as gifts.

 

Book that you wished they would make a movie out of?

Cutting for Stone.

 

If you could have one song as the theme song of your life what would it be and why?

Just Another Manic Monday. I’m always overcommitted and frantic and can be disorganized.

 

What/Who inspires you?

Any female CEO. I’m not entrepreneurial and I truly admire that quality

 

Bravo reality TV- yes or no?

No. It just feels too fake to me.

 

Favorite Instagram account?

I love Gary Janetti, who makes fun of the royal family.

 

If you could name just one lipstick after a book, what would you call it and what shade would it be? 

Fifty Shades of Pink. It’s my favorite color and I really want to move on from the Fifty Shades of Grey obsession. Those books just didn’t do it for me.

 

Current #TBR pile?A NOVEL

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Best advice you’ve ever received?

You can’t dance at every wedding. My mom told me that and she’s right. I have to say no to some opportunities. I really struggle with that. I want to do everything and be everywhere.

 

Follow Elyssa:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

 

via Amazon ~

“One fateful decision. Two unexpected endings. A perfect summer read!” —Wendy Walker, bestselling author of The Night Before

Lila Bennett’s bad choices have finally caught up with her. And one of those decisions has split her life in two. Literally.

In one life, she’s taken hostage by someone who appears to be a stranger but knows too much. As she’s trapped in a concrete cell, her kidnapper forces her to face what she’s done or be killed. In an alternate life, she eludes her captor but is hunted by someone who is dismantling her happiness, exposing one secret at a time.

Lila’s decorated career as a criminal defense attorney, her marriage, and her life are on the line. She must make a list of those she’s wronged—both in and out of the courtroom—to determine who is out to get her before it’s too late. But even if she can pinpoint her assailant, will she survive? And if she does, which parts of her life are worth saving, and which parts must die? Because one thing’s for certain—life as Lila Bennett knew it is over.

What three celebrities/authors/figures- living or dead, would you want to have a bookclub with?

 Judy Blume

Elizabeth Gilbert

Cheryl Strayed

Current binge series?

 Liz: I’m re-watching The Office

Lisa: Million Dollar Listing New York

Last favorite book?

 Liz: Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle

Lisa: Recursion by Blake Crouch

What 3 things to you pack in your bag for your dream vacation?  Where is it?

 Liz: I’m going to Paris! In my bag will be a wonder cloth to keep my face soft and clean, Alastin tinted moisturizer and Violets face serum!

Lisa: My next dream vacation would be to China! In my bag, I will pack at least three books, Sun Bum sunscreen and my new favorite derby hat.

 

Sunday NYT or US Weekly?

 Liz: US Weekly

 Lisa: US Weekly

Last person you sent a text message to?

  To each other! (of course!)

 

Book you read that you wished you wrote?

 Liz: Everything I Never Told you by Celeste Ng

Lisa: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Do you have a teacher who encouraged you to become a writer?

  Liz: In 7^th grade—Mrs. Adams!

Lisa: Not that I can remember! But that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. J

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, who?

  Liz: Always! I love moody music! Sia is my favorite.

  Lisa: Yes. I mix it up. Everyone from Kenny Chesney to Lionel Richie

Describe your writing space?

  Liz: My office is light and airy with soft tones. I have a light fixture adorned with glass stars. I love it!

   Lisa: My office has a port hole style window where the light flows in. I have a midcentury modern desk and a white soft chair with gold accents. I am surrounded by books of course, including all of the ones we’ve written. This is a reminder of what we’ve accomplished and how far we want to go.

Coffee or tea?

    Both of us are COFFEE!!!

 

Do you have a favorite book that you gift?

          Liz: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

          Lisa: Eat Pray Love by Liz Gilbert

 

Book that you wished they would make a movie out of?

          Liz: I recently finished The Seven Days of Us and think it would make a great movie!

          Lisa: The Two Lila Bennetts!  (Too self-promotional?)

 

If you could have one song as the theme song of your life what would it be and why?

          Liz: Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey. I’m generally optimistic and believe the best in people. I don’t ever want to change!

          Lisa: Shake It Off by Taylor Swift. You can’t worry about what people think! You can’t let bad things get you down. Just keep moving forward! Don’t sweat the small stuff. All advice I do my best to live by!

 

What/Who inspires you?

          We inspire each other in so many ways. Being lifelong friends and business partners gives us so many opportunities to be motivated by one another.

 

Bravo reality TV- yes or no?

     Um, YES!

 

Favorite Instagram account?

     There are so many good ones! We love Busy Phillips’ and Reese Witherspoon’s!

 

If you could name just one lipstick after a book, what would you call it and what shade would it be? 

 Red, White & Royal Blue—and it would be a combo of all three colors!

Current #TBR pile?A NOVEL

          Liz: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, The Library book by Susan Orlean, Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison and The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin.

          Lisa: Whisper Network by Chandler Baker, Evvie Drake Starts over by Linda Holmes, Very Nice by Marcy Dermansky, Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory, Normal People by Sally Rooney, The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess, Happily Ever After by Tif Marcelo and Pretty Guilty Women by Gina Lamanna.

Best advice you’ve ever received?

          Keep writing. No matter what!

 

Follow Liz and Lisa:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

What’s in my Bookish {Beauty} Bag? ~ Liz and Lisa Edition

Guys.  If I am telling you about Liz and Lisa and it’s the first time you have heard of this fabulous duo that you can thank me later.  If not, then you know how ridiculously amazing these two besties turned authors are.  I have decided to not only feature their latest book- The Good Widow but showcase their others as well (see at bottom of interview) because I love them that much!  I am currently into The Good Widow and I am literally bringing it in the car, reading during my morning coffee and stay up way too late to just finish one more page.  I had the lucky fortune of meeting them last summer at a signing and they are exactly how you would picture- kind, inspiring and not to mention gorgeous!  I am beyond thrilled to have them today, sharing their bags 🙂

via Amazon

Bestselling authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke make their suspense debut in this twisty, emotional thriller.

Elementary school teacher Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales’s marriage was far from perfect, but even in its ups and downs it was predictable, familiar. Or at least she thought it was…until two police officers showed up at her door with devastating news. Her husband of eight years, the one who should have been on a business trip to Kansas, had suffered a fatal car accident in Hawaii. And he wasn’t alone.

For Jacks, laying her husband to rest was hard. But it was even harder to think that his final moments belonged to another woman—one who had left behind her own grieving and bewildered fiancé. Nick, just as blindsided by the affair, wants answers. So he suggests that he and Jacks search for the truth together, retracing the doomed lovers’ last days in paradise.

Now, following the twisting path of that fateful road, Jacks is learning that nothing is ever as it seems. Not her marriage. Not her husband. And most certainly not his death…

What is you bag of choice?

Liz: Right now I’m loving my Lululemon “All Day” tote! I always have a million things going on, and this big ol’ bag hold EVERYTHING! It also washes down easily, for when I spill my smoothie all over it. (Which is often!)

Lisa: I’m currently carrying my Kate Spade tote because I was surprised by Liz and my husband with a trip to San Diego and it doubles as a computer bag/purse.

And, this isn’t just to butter you up, BUT, inside my tote, I have my The Good Widow make-up bag you gave us which I use for my on-the –airplane-must-haves such as pens, hand sanitizer, ibuprofen, ear plugs, ear buds and band aids (you never know when a torn cuticle could strike).

 

What are your top favorite beauty picks?  

Liz: I’m a huge fan of the Thelavicos line. The nutrition cream absorbs quickly & doesn’t leave a tacky residue. I have super dry lizard skin and it keeps me hydrated all day, not to mention it’s smoothed out my (gasp!) fine lines and wrinkles! And their Bio Repair wrinkle eye cream is awesome for masking how tired I am! And these products are paraben & gluten free—which is a huge plus!

Lisa: I’m a Burt’s Bees girl. I like their products because they are paraben free and don’t irritate my skin. Plus, they work really well.  Daily, I use the Brightening daily facial cleanser, the brightening tonic, the renewal firming day lotion with SPF 30 and the renewing smoothing eye cream. At night, I slather on the Renewal firming night cream.

 

What do you always carry in your bag/purse/carry-on for beauty products?  

Liz: Lip gloss, lip gloss and more lip gloss! I’m a little obsessed. And also, I never leave the house without my Sun Bum spf lip moisturizer! It has vitamin E and aloe in it, and it protects my lips from the sun! (Not to mention it smells delicious!)

Also—I can’t get enough of Trish McEvoy’s no smudge mascara. For the first time in my life, I can wear mascara on my bottom lashes without looking like I went on a bender the night before. Thanks to author Jane Green for the suggestion!

Lisa: I always have Blistex or some type of moisturizing chap stick. I try to remember to put lip gloss in for those inevitable selfies but often forget! (Thank gawd for filters!)

Another must-have beauty product for me is Laura Mercier concealer #2. I’ve used it for years and, let’s just say it’s as necessary as coffee in the morning!

 

 What are you currently reading? 

Liz: I really love entertainment Weekly and it’s the only magazine I still subscribe to! I’m also currently reading an advanced copy of Taylor Jenkin Reid’s latest: THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO—it’s a must read for the summer!

Lisa: I read a ton of mags. Everything from Inc. to Cooking Light to People. (I might have a magazine subscription addiction.) As for books, I just finished THE ARRANGMENT by Sarah Dunn which is I now consider one of my favorite books. I’m currently reading THE SIMPLICITY OF CIDER by Amy E. Reichert and THE DRY by Jane harper. (I’m often reading more than one book at once.) These are VERY different novels, but both fabulous.

 

And any other fun item/must-have that you always have with you?

 Liz: A hairbrush! I have really thick hair that gets all tangly while I’m running around. My hair has random blonde hair EVERYWHERE. Le sigh.

 

Liz and Lisa’s Back catalogue

via Amazon ~

Two childhood best friends wake up the morning after their twentieth high school reunion to discover that they’ve switched bodies in this hilarious and heartwarming debut by two childhood best friends.

With “a delicious, page-turning premise, and sweet and surprising insights” (New York Timesbestselling author Jen Lancaster), Your Perfect Life perfectly illustrates that old adage: Sometimes, you have to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to see what’s in her heart.

Best friends since childhood, Casey and Rachel couldn’t lead more different lives. While workaholic Casey rubs elbows with celebrities daily as the host of Gossip TV and comes home nightly to an empty apartment, stay-at-home mom Rachel juggles an “oops” baby, two fiery teenagers, and a husband who barely seems the man she fell in love with two decades before. After an argument at their twentieth high school reunion, Casey and Rachel throw back shots to get the night back on track. Instead, they get a life-changing hangover.

Waking up in each other’s bodies the next morning, they must figure out how to navigate their altered realities. Rachel is forced to face the broadcasting dreams she gave up when she got pregnant in college, and Casey finally steps out of the spotlight to face the real reason why she’s alone. And they soon discover that they don’t know themselves—or their best friend—nearly as well as they thought they did.

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke bring their “witty, winning style” (Sarah Pekkanen, author of The Best of Us) to every page of this novel that is sure to please fans of In Her Shoes and The Opposite of Me. Your Perfect Life is a story of humor and heart about two best friends, what they didn’t know about each other, and how, by switching lives, each learns to appreciate her own.

via Amazon ~

What would you do if you could literally rewrite your fate—on Facebook? This heartwarming and hilarious new novel from the authors of Your Perfect Life follows a woman who discovers she can change her life through online status updates.

Kate is a thirty-five-year-old woman who is obsessed with social media. So when her fiancé, Max, breaks things off at their rehearsal dinner—to be with Kate’s close friend and coworker, no less—she goes straight to Facebook to share it with the world. But something’s changed. Suddenly, Kate’s real life starts to mirror whatever she writes in her Facebook status. With all the power at her fingertips, and heartbroken and confused over why Max left her, Kate goes back in time to rewrite their history.

Kate’s two best friends, Jules and Liam, are the only ones who know the truth. In order to convince them she’s really time traveled, Kate offers to use her Facebook status to help improve their lives. But her attempts to help them don’t go exactly as planned, and every effort to get Max back seems to only backfire, causing Kate to wonder if it’s really possible to change her fate.

In The Status of All Things, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke combine the humor and heart of Sarah Pekkanen and Jennifer Weiner while exploring the pitfalls of posting your entire life on the Internet. They raise the questions: What if you could create your picture-perfect life? Would you be happy? Would you still be you? For anyone who’s ever attempted—or failed—to be their perfect self online, this is a story of wisdom and wit that will leave you with new appreciation for the true status of your life.

via Amazon ~

If you could repeat one year of your life, what would you do differently? This heartwarming and hilarious novel from the authors of The Status of All Things and Your Perfect Life features three best friends who get the chance to return to the year they turned forty—the year that altered all of their lives, in ways big and small—and also get the opportunity to change their future.

Jessie loves her son Lucas more than anything, but it tears her up inside that he was conceived in an affair that ended her marriage to a man she still loves, a man who just told her he’s getting remarried. This time around, she’s determined to bury the secret of Lucas’ paternity, and to repair the fissures that sent her wandering the first time.

Gabriela regrets that she wasted her most fertile years in hot pursuit of a publishing career. Yes, she’s one of the biggest authors in the world, but maybe what she really wanted to create was a family. With a chance to do it again, she’s focused on convincing her husband, Colin, to give her the baby she desires.

Claire is the only one who has made peace with her past: her twenty-two year old daughter, Emily, is finally on track after the turmoil of adolescence, and she’s recently gotten engaged, with the two carat diamond on her finger to prove it. But if she’s being honest, Claire still fantasizes about her own missed opportunities: a chance to bond with her mother before it was too late, and the possibility of preventing her daughter from years of anguish. Plus, there’s the man who got away—the man who may have been her one true love.

But it doesn’t take long for all three women to learn that re-living a life and making different decisions only leads to new problems and consequences—and that the mistakes they made may, in fact, have been the best choices of all…

 

❤ Thank you Liz and Lisa for sharing your bags and the gift of your AH-mazing books! xx

The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

So I do not need to declare my love for bestie authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke.  I mean if you follow them on Instagram or Facebook you will see that they are the gals you would call on a Friday night for guaranteed fun, all the while knowing they write absolutely addictive and fabulous books.  The Year We Turned Forty was just this and more.  Each year I get super excited for their books and then have complete sadness when they are over as I know I have to wait!  Not only are their books a literary triple threat they are as well- fierce, fun and fabulous.

The Year We Turned Forty centers around three best friends- Jessie, Claire and Gabriela.  They are all facing life challenges but decide to take a girls getaway to Vegas to celebrate all turning 50.  While there, they are all trying to get away from the everyday stressors of their lives when they meet Blair Wainwright, an illusionist who tells them if they all agree then he can bring them back 10 years, to the year they turned forty.  They will be able to get a second chance on some of the decisions and mistakes they made way back then.  They all decide they are in and overnight they are transported back to 2005.  Each dealing with their own decisions and issues they have to decide if they want to change the past or continue to live in the future with possible regrets.

Jessie is dealing with the fact that she cheated on her husband and got pregnant with someone else’s baby.  She is unsure if she should keep the identity of the father to herself or share with her husband the baby’s father.  Gabriela is dealing with infertility and the effect that is having on her successful career and marriage.  Will she be able to make it through or will the inability to bear a child cause demise in her life?  Finally, Claire is reliving the cancer diagnosis of her mother and the parental issues of dealing with a teenage daughter.  Feeling like she can’t manage she tries to look for the silver lining in her life but will she be able to handle the heartache?

Finishing this booked just reaffirmed my love for Liz and Lisa.  They are master storytellers about friendship and womanhood.  Their books are relatable and their characters are people we all know or want to know, making it impossible to put them down.  I absolutely loved the premise of this story as it would be the perfect book club topic- What if you could re-write history?  We all think of the what if’s in life but if you were really given the chance what would you do?  The thought that Liz and Lisa give to each women and their story is so evident in this book which makes their skill for character development so obvious.  This is an absolute must read and the perfect choice to get us into summer beach read season!  Until the next Liz and Lisa book…enjoy 🙂

*Thanks to Atria books for sending a copy of They Year We Turned Forty for review!

The Status of all Things by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

The Status of All Things is definitely one book you should be packing up this summer and heading to the beach with!  I was so excited when I was able to get a NetGalley copy for review.  This book is written by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke who are real life best friends which to me is amazing and knew that chemistry was sure to make for a fabulous book and it did!  I mean, I would love to write a book with one of my besties 🙂

The book centers around Kate who is upon the eve of her wedding day when she gets some life changing news.  The story develops through some great characters including her best friend’s Jules and Liam, her fiancee Max and Facebook, yes the social media site plays a big part in this book!  Kate has the chance to control her fate and change her life through her Facebook status (hello, can you imagine?) but the story goes deeper than this.  It makes the reader think about destiny and fate and how you could be wishing for something when what you really need you had all along.

This book is fun. Period.  Great characters and unique plot are the recipe for a warm, humorous read.  If you haven’t checked out Liz and Lisa’s site please do as they are the perfect duo for your next favorite book.

My favorite product to ensure YOUR Facebook status is nothing less than perfection 🙂

Beautycounter Nourishing Cleansing Balm:  Basically a mini facelift in a jar this part cleanser, part overnight mask works wonders on all skin types.  This hard oil is made with Cranberry and Raspberry seed oil which hydrates the skin as the Vitamin C brightens.  I like to use as an intensive overnight mask and always wake up with a hydrated, dewy glow- a beauty must-have!