4.5 out of 5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada Publishing for allowing me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Release date- June 5th, 2018

Synopsis

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

My Thoughts

Well, this book is as cozy as they come! Imagine the lives of a family who’s mother essentially writes “Family Circus”. “Grant Central Station” has been going for as long as Charlie can remember. It’s the reflection of her family life… The way she THINKS her family is. But, do her siblings feel the same way? Is their family life really the solid, shining beacon she always thinks it is?

I loved that the romance story was almost a secondary part of the novel. The family dynamic, the fact that their house is being sold, their mother’s comic strip is coming to an end, and estranged family members coming together for Linnie and Rodney’s wedding were the main focus and I LOVED THAT! It was a refreshing story and the family was my favourite part of the book!

This was one of those books in which the main protagonist was actually my least favourite character! Charlie could be annoying with her idealistic view of her life and family. I liked her family being around to pull her out of the clouds and make her realize that it’s not all about her.

Now on to some of my favourite characters! With some quotes to get you interested!!

Siobhan (Charlie’s best friend)

“I got my mom to call me out. I’m taking the day off so I can help with wedding stuff.”

“I thought all of that was being taken care of my Tangerine.”

I shook my head, even though I knew she couldn’t see me. “You know her name is Clementine. You just have a weird prejudice against her.”

“You know my policy,” Siobhan said. “never trust anyone named after a fruit.” I sighed; I’d heard this more times than I’d wanted to, and could practically feel Siobhan teeing up her punch line. “After all… They might be rotten.”

J.J. (Charlie’s brother)

“Hey, man!” Rodney said, smiling at J.J. “Welcome home. Want a donut?”

“Ummm… Sure?”

J.J. scoffed. But just as he’d done ever since he’d read this phrase when he was twelve, he said the word “scoff” instead of just making the sound, and none of us had been able to convince him this actually wasn’t correct.”

And the rest!

“J. J. shook his head. “Your job sounds exhausting, young Billiam.”

“It’s okay,” Bill said with another smile. “And, uh, it’s really not Billiam. Just Bill is good. Bill Barnes.”

“That’s a good name,” J. J. said, pointing at Bill. “That’s a superhero name.”

Rodney raised an eyebrow. “How is it a superhero name?”

“The double letter thing.”

“Alliteration,” I supplied.

“Danny smiled at me. “Charlie knows what’s what.” Then he turned to J. J. “I still don’t know how it’s a superhero name.”

“They all have them,” J. J. said, gesturing expansively.

“I’ll wait to hear the specifics.”

“It’s true,” Rodney agreed. “you can’t make a claim without evidence.”

“Rodney’s a lawyer,” J. J. explained to Bill.

“Not yet,” Rodney said, shaking his head. “Not until I pass the bar.”

“That’s a TOTAL lawyerly qualification to make,” J. J. sighed.

“Still waiting to hear those examples,” Danny said as he took a sip from his near empty glass.

“Fine!” J. J. said, slapping his hand down on the bar. “Okay. How about…?” He paused for a moment, furrow ing his brow. “Peter Parker? Or Sue Storm? Or Bruce Banner?”

“Woah,” Bill said, his eyebrows going up. “I guess I never realized that before. There are two Superheroes named Bruce?”

“Who else?” I asked.

“Bruce Wayne,” Danny, J. J., Bill and Rodney said at the same time.

“Oh, right, him.”

“Bruce Wayne is the exception,” J. J. said, shaking his head. “All the rest of them have the double letters.”

“Alliteration,” I supplied again, and Danny smiled.

“Reed Richards,” J. J. continued, starting to tick them off on his fingers. “Wade Wilson,Stephen Strange, Buck Buchanan, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane-“

“She’s not actually a superhero,” Bill pointed out.

“You’re not helping, Billiam,” J. J. snapped.

“What about… I don’t know…,” Danny said. “Diana Price, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Barbara Gordon, Clark Kent-“

“That SOUNDS alliterative,” I pointed out. “So it might count on a technicality.”

“Archie Andrews,” Rodney supplied, apparently joining J. J.’s side on this. “Jughead Jones…”

“Okay, in what universe is ARCHIE a superhero?” Danny asked, causing me to draw in a sharp breath.

“Hey now,” I said, and Danny rolled his eyes.

“Oh, sorry,” he said. “I forgot your thing for those comics.”

“It’s J. J.’s fault,” I said, and Danny muttered, “Most things are.” J. J. had had a huge collection of Archie books that he’d declared himself over and too old for when he started eighth grade, so he passed them on to me. I’d loved them, nursing an elementary school girl crush on Reggie that I’d told nobody except Linnie about.

“There’s also Beetle Bailey-” Rodney continued, and Danny threw up his hands.

“So, we’ve just moved arbitrarily into the newspaper comics?”

“You think Superman was never a newspaper comic?” Rodney challenged, raising his eyebrows.

“I still think the majority of Superheroes have them,” J. J. said stubbornly, clearly trying to get us back on track.”

This book was just what I needed. Something to sit in the sun with, sip on my chosen beverage, and not think too much! When I had one of my readers tell me that she hadn’t seen me give anything over 3 Stars, I realized that I’d been in a bit of a slump!! But, NO MORE! I highly recommend this book for those who love a great family oriented romantic read!

Pre-order your copy NOW! Releases June 5th!! 💖💖🍻

AMAZON U.S.

AMAZON CANADA

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Save the Date is Best Served with 

an Iced Coffee Cocktail

Ingredients

• 4oz Espresso or strong coffee
• 1oz Irish Cream Liqueur
• 1oz Orange Liueur (Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
• 1/2 oz Whiskey

Directions

1. Make espresso or coffee and let cool a little so when you ice it, you don’t wind up with water.
2. Fill shaker with ice
3. Add all ingredients
4. Shake for approx 20 seconds
5. Pour into glass with ice
6. CHEERS!!