Tips for Tuesday - Books: Promise Me Sunshine & Interrupted Lives: Nine Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust; Movie: Altered Reality

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Books: Promise Me Sunshine & Interrupted Lives

Me- Promise Me Sunshine was such a great book!

It follows. a woman named Lenny who is grieving the recent loss of her best friend. When she takes a job nannying for a young girl named Ainsley, she meets Ainsley's uncle, Miles, who has been through grief of his own. He steps in to help Lenny complete a list of activities to help her live again.

I really liked both Lenny and Miles. Lenny was funny enough to make me laugh out loud several times, and Miles was incredibly thoughtful. The romance between these two was so beautiful. I loved watching them build a foundation of strong friendship before slowly falling in love with each other. They communicated honestly throughout the book, went out of their way to be there for each other, and had really fun banter too. If you like Luke and Lorelai as a couple in Gilmore Girls,  you'd love this couple as they have a similar dynamic of an upbeat quirky woman with a more stoic, slightly exasperated man.

Aside from the romance, there was an interesting side plot involving Miles trying to become closer to Ainsley and her mother (his sister). This storyline definitely took a backseat to the romance and grief and therefore, it was a little lackluster in comparison. It was resolved nicely but it would have been more satisfying if they'd spent more time working towards it.

This book was more serious than a regular rom-com since it dealt heavily with grief, but it was handled realistically and emotionally without bringing down the book's mood overall.

There's something about Cara Bastone's writing that's so addictive. The pacing of both the romance and the plot was perfect and kept me flying through the pages, much like I did with her last release, Ready or Not. If you're looking for a romance with a strong female lead, a sweet and kind love interest, a slow-burning romance, and a heartwarming story, I would highly recommend this book!

Mom - Today I recommend Interrupted Lives by Amanda Friedeman and Kelley Szany. This book tells the stories of several people who were children during the Holocaust but managed to survive the war despite their Jewish heritage. Some were taken in by non-Jews; others survived concentration camps. All had courage and they persevered. They also had families who cared enough about them to make extreme sacrifices to save their lives.

Although the mere idea of what these children had to survive is upsetting, and the book does delve into their wartime experiences it doesn't really dig into these things as deeply and disturbingly as it could. Thus, the book is suitable for tweens and teens, and it is, in fact, meant for them. It does, however, talk about the deaths of the children's relatives. This, among other things, makes it unsuitable for younger children,

Each individual chapter of the book is about a different person. In addition to recounting their experience during the war and how they survived, each section also includes the person's guiding philosophy of life. This seems kind of trite in light of what they have survived. However, despite this, overall, the book is still a worthwhile and inspirational read. It puts into perspective how some of the things we complain about in our daily lives today are so trivial compared to what some people have had to survive.

Movie: Altered Reality

Today we are recommending Altered Reality. This fairly fast-paced film is about a family whose lives are being destroyed by a woman who insinuates her way into their lives. At first, the story seems fairly cliched, but it takes some surprising twists and turns along the way. 

It also has to do with time travel, but that doesn't come in until fairly late in the movie, although it plays a big part in the story's resolution. Some parts of the story don't necessarily completely make sense but mostly it's an exciting thriller that will keep your attention throughout.

Altered Reality is available on DVD or digitally for purchase or rental now.

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And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.