{Guest Post}: Miss in the Midwest

Today I have one of the sweetest chicks guest posting for me. Karly blogs over at Miss in the Midwest and I absolutely adore her. She has a great sense of style, great taste in tv shows (hehe), and is an absolutely sweetheart! So, while I'm soaking up some beach time, enjoy Karly!

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Hello, Going the Distance readers! I'm Karly, and I blog at Miss in the Midwest about all things beauty, life and style.

One of the first things that Jenn and I bonded over was our love of reading, and thanks to my recent purchase of the Amazon Kindle Voyage, I've been reading more than ever. So while Jenn's soaking up the sunshine and (hopefully) indulging in some fun beach reads, I'm sharing with you today my thoughts on a few books that I've recently read!

Shopaholic to the Stars - Sophie Kinsella - 2 Stars

I have to preface this by saying that I have not read the Shopaholic series in it's entirety - I only read the original since I enjoyed the movie so much, and the premise of this one seemed appealing to me given my obsession with fashion and pop culture. That said, this book barely held my attention and took me nearly a week to finish (which is pretty long for me when it comes to books). Some of the one-liners and quick-witted humor was okay, but for the most part I found the story to be disjointed with a lot of gaps. Not to mention the ending ... in a nutshell, without giving too much away, nothing is resolved. I basically felt like I read the book for nothing. I imagine if you've followed the entire series of these books that you may enjoy it, but for someone like me who just picked it up on a whim, I'd skip it.

Crossfire Series - Sylvia Day (Books 1-4) - 4 Stars

Ladies (and gents, if you're into this type of thing): I present to you the best guilty pleasure read since 50 Shades of Grey. Actually, I enjoyed these books way more than 50 Shades - the story line and characters are much more realistic and believable that I found myself more invested in their "happily ever after." I finished all four books in a week, so obviously I couldn't put them down. Things get a bit slow and repetitive with the third book, but hang in there - the fourth book introduces chapters from the male character's perspective, which helps revamp the story line. Keep in mind that this series definitely isn't for the conservative of hearts - it's just as graphic (if not more, in some cases) than 50 Shades, but there isn't any strange, sexual abuse-disguised-as-consensual-sex, which is why I found it to be more enjoyable. Plus, there's a fifth and final book on the way to look forward to!

Currently reading: Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham

While I can't yet give a full review on this book, I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far! Seeing as I'm a huge fan of Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, I definitely can hear her in my head reciting some of Franny's lines and thoughts. It's a cute, light chick-lit read, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends.  

I want to send a huge thanks to Jenn for letting me takeover her space today - it was fun, and I hope to see some of you over at Miss in the Midwest in the future!

What have you recently read? Let us know in the comments!

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Karly, you're the best! And, I may already have at least one of these in my Kindle, ready to be read on the beach! Thanks for the recommendations! ;)

Don't forget to have your What's Hap-"Pinning" posts ready to link up tomorrow with Jessi and I! I'll be back tomorrow with a post, so get 'em ready!