• 5 Star Reads
  • Audiobooks
  • Books on Screen
  • Children’s Books
  • Christian
  • Fiction
  • Giveaways

5 Minutes For Books

  • Home
  • About
    • Who Are We? Reviewer Bios
    • 5 Star Reads
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
  • Join In
    • 5 Minutes for Books Bookclub
    • Children’s Classics
    • Kids’ Picks
    • What’s on Your Nightstand
  • Link To Us
  • Contact
    • Advertise

Search Results for: allison winn scotch

In Twenty Years

July 5, 2016 by Jennifer

in twenty years

I have not ever read a novel by Allison Winn Scotch (follow the link to read a couple of Dawn’s reviews of her earlier novels), but I have always wanted to check her out. The premise of her newest novel In Twenty Years intrigued me.

On the night before they graduate, Bea gathers her five closest friends for a goodbye ritual. She hands out pen and paper and tells Catherine, Owen, Annie, Lindy and Colin to each write a letter to themselves about where they hope to be in twenty years. The plan is that they will all get together at their college reunion and read the letters together.

Bea was the one who kept the group together. Unlike some of the others, she was not too mean or too self-absorbed or too cavalier. She walked a little on the wild side, and in the end, that probably led to her untimely death, less than 10 years after they graduated.

Her funeral is the last time they all saw each other. They were a six-point star and never thought they’d go their separate ways. But after a couple of incidents at Catherine and Owen’s wedding a year or so before the funeral, many of them have stopped talking.

Along with the return of the friends come old grudges, unrequited feelings, and buried secrets. Catherine, the CEO of a domestic empire, and Owen, a stay-at-home dad, were picture-perfect college sweethearts—but now teeter on the brink of disaster. Lindy, a well-known musician, is pushing middle age in an industry that’s all about youth and slowly self-destructing as she grapples with her own identity. Behind his smile, handsome plastic surgeon Colin harbors the heartbreaking truth about his own history with Bea. And Annie carefully curates her life on Instagram and Facebook, keeping up appearances so she doesn’t have to face the truth about her own empty reality.

A twenty-year reunion naturally gives one the opportunity to reflect upon one’s goals and aspirations, especially in this case when actually faced with their own words from their youth. All of these characters take a second look at their lives and finally feel the loss of their friendships.

tlc-logo-resized
Check out the TLC Book Tours page for more info.

Filed Under: Fiction, Jennifer

The Song Remains the Same, Review and Giveaway

April 11, 2012 by Dawn

Opening a novel with the protagonist just coming to after a terrible accident certainly puts the reader right in the middle of the action from the first paragraph. This is the case with Allison Winn Scotch’s new novel The Song Remains the Same, and the stage is set for a story of unanswered questions as amnesia is the fate of the survivor, Nell Slattery.

Though she doesn’t remember who she is, or what her life was like before she became one of only two plane crash survivors, Nell soon has a feeling that things just aren’t right with the picture that is being painted for her. Her mother, her sister, and her husband are by her side, but the person they all describe isn’t necessarily who Nell wants to be anymore. She sees a life that could be described just like the wardrobe she finds in her closet at home: gray and more gray. She finds herself wanting more vibrant colors, and she becomes determined to add more zest in her second chance at life.

But the work that she must do to redefine herself also hinges on her ability to know the full picture of her life before, and it seems as if everyone around her is holding back. There are clearly secrets that need to be unearthed, and she’ll take some unconventional actions in an attempt to uncover them. What will be left for Nell when she finds out everything there is to know about her previous life?

Allison Winn Scotch is a popular author in the “women’s fiction” genre, and she has created a main character in Nell who is instantly likable. I was rooting for her recovery throughout the entire novel, even as I fumed at the people around her. There were a couple plot points that frustrated me, to tell the truth, and it was challenging to feel empathy for the folks in Nell’s life who were more invested in their own agendas than in helping her rebuild a healthy life. But, it all certainly provided for conflict, which can keep a story progressing.

If you’re a fan of what some folks call “chick lit,” The Song Remains the Same, an entertaining fictional story with a strong female lead character who works to find herself after a serious accident should be a great fit.

We have one copy of The Song Remains the Same up for grabs! Leave a comment here to be entered in the giveaway, US mailing addresses only, please. We’ll announce the winner here on 4/25. This giveaway is now closed.

The winner of The Replacement Wife is #17 Dianne.
The winner of Gossip is #23 Lori.
The Green Works cleaning products (NOT bacon scented) is #35 Don.
The winners of the Maid of Fairborne Hall are #15 Jessica and #28 Chuck.

Dawn enjoys the great escape that a novel can provide. When she’s not teaching preschool or rounding up her own crazy kids, she can be found blogging away at my thoughts exactly.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Filed Under: Dawn, Fiction

The One that I Want, Review and Giveaway

July 11, 2011 by Dawn

Last summer, I reviewed Allison Winn Scotch’s novel The One That I Want, and called it an enjoyable light summer read.

This summer, the paperback edition is out and we were excited to take the opportunity to offer a giveaway to one of you.

Read my review of The One that I Want over at 5 Minutes for Mom and leave a comment over there to enter to win your own copy.

Keep up with us this summer: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Dawn looks forward to the days in which poolside reading can be a reality. For now, she can usually be found with at least one small child within arm’s reach, at all times, even when she’s trying to blog away at my thoughts exactly.

Filed Under: Dawn, Fiction

Sand in My Eyes

July 21, 2010 by Jennifer

Do you have an older wiser mentor who can encourage you in matters of motherhood and marriage? If not, do you wish you did?

Anna is a struggling, harried mom of three kids under the age of 5. She and her husband have disconnected from each other, and she feels like she just can’t get it all together. She’s recently quit her job in New York City, and they’ve moved to Sanibel Island, Florida, in hopes of slowing down.

Just when she thinks that she truly is going to lose it, the old woman next door, Fedelina, manages to work her way into Anna’s life with a gift of an orchid that needs TLC. This orchid, and Fedelina’s instructions about how to make sure it gets what it needs so that it will bloom, causes Anna to evaluate how much attention she’s paying to her own needs in the midst of this trying season of life.

In addition to the encouragement that Fedelina gives her, Anna gleans wisdom from notes and letters that Fedelina shares with her that her own mother wrote to her back in the early 1900’s.

It’s a reminder that although so much has changed in the last 100 years, the bond of a woman to her children is the same. The worries and concerns and things that confuse a woman’s priorities may be different, but the feeling is universal.

This story is told in a unique way alternating between excerpts of Anna’s novel-in-progress, letters, conversations, and real-time events. I loved the way the story came together, and I don’t want to even hint at the surprise in the plot that could only be realized with the narrative unfolding in this way.

Christine Lemmon’s Sand in My Eyes is a clean read that will resonate whether you have someone like Fedelina in your life or not. There’s no doubt that you will appreciate and enjoy her wisdom, and no doubt you will relate to some of Anna’s story.

We have a great giveaway for one of you (U.S. and Canadian shipping addresses only):

A beach bag of summer books including Sand in my Eyes and Sanibel Scribbles by Christine Lemmon, The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen, The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch, Georgia’s Kitchen by Jenny Nelson, The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross

Leave a comment if you’d like to win, and we’ll announce the winner in our giveaway post on August 4. THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

The winner of the novel Free to a Good Home is #25 Steph

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

Filed Under: Fiction, Jennifer

The One That I Want

July 6, 2010 by Dawn

To some, the label “chick lit” carries a negative or condescending connotation, bringing to mind a light and fluffy fare. This isn’t how I personally view the label, as I use it. For me, the “chick lit” label fits when the subject and characters reach out to women, often with contemporary settings and situations that many female readers can easily relate to. I offer this genre classification with less judgment than some, and more emphasis on the intended reading audience. That being said, The One That I Want, a new novel by Allison Winn Scotch will undoubtedly be shelved at bookstores among other well-known female authors offering stories about women for women.

The novel opens by introducing Tilly Farmer, a thirty-two year old guidance counselor, living in the same town in which she was born and raised, and even working in the very same high school that she attended as a student half a lifetime ago. Much of Tilly’s life hasn’t changed since her adolescence, including her relationship with Tyler, her high school sweetheart, the star baseball player to her popular cheerleader. Consistency in her life is something that Tilly has always striven for, especially since her mother’s death when she was a teenager, and the role of the person who always helps others is one that Tilly feels best suits her. Early in the novel, Tilly experiences something a bit unbelievable, but she soon finds it upending every aspect of her perfect, orderly life.

I have to admit that this book didn’t immediately draw me in, as the beginning parts felt a bit shallow and predictable. About halfway through, though, the story seemed to gain momentum, fleshing out characters with more depth and inspiring me to care a bit more about their journeys. Tackling the concepts of discontent in adult life- whether specific to marriage or career or in reference to life in general- is common fodder for many books written with a female reading audience in mind, and the second half of this book depicts a character finally ready to address issues that she may not have even been aware of earlier in her life. I believe I became more invested in this novel when Tilly began to be less one-dimensional and more self-aware and reflective.

Readers who enjoy a female-centric story driven by a quest for personal introspection and change, will enjoy The One That I Want, a quick read that will make for enjoyable summer reading at the beach or poolside.

Dawn looks forward to the days in which poolside reading can be a reality. For now, she can usually be found with at least one small child within arm’s reach, at all times, even when she’s trying to blog away at my thoughts exactly.

Filed Under: Dawn, Fiction

Mailbox Monday: June 7

June 6, 2010 by 5 Minutes for Books

Since we’re a team blog, we might get more books in our mailbox on any given week, and just like we strive to provide diverse reviews here — from baby to adult in all genres — that will probably be reflected in what arrives in our mailboxes each week as well.

Check out the other Mailbox Monday participants at The Printed Page.

JENNIFER:

  • Jennifer Weiner’s latest Fly Away Home comes out in July. Though her last novel didn’t thrill me, I’m a fan, and I hope that this one will.

I received a few unsolicited titles that got me or my family excited:

  • Molly Moon and the Morphing Mystery by Georgia Byng thrilled Amanda (11) who has read the others in the series.
  • Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce will appeal to fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Though 6 year old Kyle is too young now, seeing him pour over the Sunday comics this weekend makes me glad that this trend is continuing.
  • Gilbert, the Surfer Dude (I Can Read Book 2) is right up Kyle’s alley now so I can’t wait to test it out with him.

DAWN:

  • Although I haven’t read any of Allison Winn Scotch’s prior novels, I’ve heard a couple of bloggers already talking about her new one, The One That I Want, so I happily accepted a review copy. I’m looking forward to a contemporary “chick-lit” novel after some heavier nonfiction reading lately.
  • Amy Lou Jenkins’ Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons of Open-Air Parenting also came in this week as a review copy.
  • And I even ordered a couple of books off Amazon this week- birthday gifts (I’m not telling!), and one just for me: Screamfree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool. I hope this one is as helpful as I’ve heard.

LISA:

  • My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay (who is not, interestingly enough, the same Lisa McKay whose book I just reviewed last week). This is the first selection of my church’s summer book club. I devoured it quickly and think it will provide for some interesting discussion when we meet later this month.
  • Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley. Carrie recommended this to me like forever ago and when I needed to round out my order so as to get free shipping, I finally indulged. I’m looking forward to reading it!
  • Mere Churchianity by the late Michael Spencer, the Internet Monk. I’m intrigued not just by the book’s premise but also by the fact that this is his last, and only, book.

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

Filed Under: Community, Dawn, Jennifer, Lisa

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome to 5 Minutes for Books. We are a team blog dedicated to sharing reviews and information about children's lit, fiction, memoir, and more. Read More…

Reviews

5 Minutes for Books

Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor

MEET OUR TEAM



Connect With Us


Pinterest

Community

Cybils Logo Draft 3

Disclosure:

Find out about our relationships with publishers and affiliate networks in our full disclosure statement.

Recent Posts

  • The Everest Enigma
  • The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club
  • Murder on the Mississippi
  • Afterward
  • The Busybody Book Club

Categories

Privacy Policy    |     Disclosure Policy
Terms & Conditions
© 5 Minutes for Mom

Let’s Socialize

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Pinterest is Our FAVORITE!

Find and Follow Us at
pinterest.com/5min4books

Copyright © 2025 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316