Book Review: Dear Pen Pal (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #3) by Heather Vogel Frederick

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Dear Pen Pal (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #3)  by Heather Vogel Frederick  is the third book in a middle grade book series that is being rereleased. Chaos erupts in this third installment as the daughters in the book club get themselves into trouble. Each of the girls have big changes in their lives:  Jess is going to boarding school; Megan's grandmother comes to live with her; Emma starts a campaign against school uniforms; Cassidy has a lot of unexpected change coming to her family. Will the mother daughter book club stay together? I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Dear Pen Pal  by Heather Vogel Frederick with it's upcoming rerelease to the public. I always love a good book that involves books, even if its target audience is children between the ages of eight and twelve. It wasn't until I reached the end of the book that I realized that it...
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Book Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

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sci fi book review of 11/22/63 by stephen king
11/22/63 by Stephen King opens with high school teacher Jake Epping being recruited by his friend Al, a local diner owner, to travel back in time to 1963 and stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Though skeptical at first, Jake follows Al’s instructions and discovers a portal to the past. As he builds a new life in another era, he quickly learns that altering history comes with unexpected consequences and not everything goes according to plan.

Who hasn't thought about time travel ... of going back into the past or jumping ahead into the future? With so many books, and movies, on this subject matter, you'd think the subject of time travel would be overdone and predictable. But, Stephen King is anything but predictable and delivers a story that feels fresh, immersive, and completely unforgettable. I frequently find myself thinking about 11/22/63.

Does the date sound familiar to you? On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, leaving the nation in shock and forever changing the course of American history. It’s a moment that continues to spark curiosity, speculation, and, in this case, brilliant storytelling.

In 1971, Stephen King wanted to explore a concept for a novel where a character went back into time to stop the assassination of JFK and the aftermath. However, he felt like he didn't have the time to properly research the subject matter and that it was too close to the actual event to do it justice, so he put it on the back burner. All I can say is that I am extremely happy that he came back to his concept and actually wrote and published 11/22/63. 

When it first came out, my mom and I were super excited to read it. My mom read it first because I was in the middle of a book already. When she finished, she kept asking if I was ever going to read it, but I kept putting it off. Then, Hulu announced that the mini-series coming out, which got me to finally pick up the book up and read it.

jfk assassination Unlike most of King's novels, 11/22/63 is not a traditional horror book but more of a sci-fi or fantasy novel that has a bit of everything in it including romance, surprisingly. It’s honestly hard to put into words just how magical, gripping, and emotionally powerful this book is.

There aren't many books that make me want to call in sick to work, but this was one of them. I didn't, but it certainly was tempting. From the very first page, I was completely hooked and couldn't wait to find out if Jake Epping, stopped the assassination of JFK. The writing was so vivid that I actually felt like I was there with with him.

One of the standout aspects of this novel is its characters. Lately, I’ve read quite a few books filled with unlikable or forgettable characters, but that’s absolutely not the case here. I truly cared about what happened to them, and by the end, I found myself in tears ... happy tears, but still.

If you read no other book by Stephen King, then you must read 11/22/63. Run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore or online retailer to purchase it. I give it five out five stars.

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