Happy Friday! I am so glad it’s Friday! I am linking up with Erika, Narci, and Andrea to share my favorites. I love my favorites so let’s get started!

Favorite 1: SUMMER BEACH BOOKS!! I literally cannot contain my excitement about these books! I shared my Summer Beach Reads recommendations on Tuesday. Three of the books I was looking forward to came out on Tuesday. I’ve already read one, The Southern Side of Paradise, and I LOVED IT!! There are some great books out there. Get ready to read some beachy books!!

Favorite 2: NEW AUTHORS!! I read two new books in the past week and they were both good. I have heard a bunch about Sally Hepworth but I’ve never read any of her books. I picked up The Mother-In-Law and got right into it. This book is a thriller but not scary. Diana is the mother-in-law. She is polished, polite, and always looks exquisite. Her home is beautiful and always perfect. She dies at the beginning of the story. Her death looks like a suicide but the police suspect otherwise. Lucy is married to Ollie, Diana’s son. Patrick is married to Nettie, Diana’s daughter. Throughout the book you have reason to believe that all four of them could be the one that kills Diana. The book vacillates from the present to the past and gives you so many motives for each of person to kill Diana. I must say I was surprised when I found out how Diana actually died. The book was fabulous, the characters were relatable and the storyline kept me guessing until the last chapter. I highly recommend The Mother-In-Law and can’t wait to read more Sally Hepworth books. ☀️ ☀️ ☀️ ☀️ ☀️

I also read Helen Hoang’s book The Bride Test. This book was an enjoyable good chick lit book, but it is most definitely rated R. I was not expecting all of the racy scenes. In this story, a woman brings a girl from Vietnam to America to marry her son. Esme leaves her mother, grandmother, and young daughter in Vietnam to see if she can fall in love with Khai. Esme and Khai navigate their new situation by learning about the other person. Esme is very poor in Vietnam and cleans bathrooms for a living. She doesn’t think she’s worthy of the success she may find in America. Khai has autism and struggles to feel comfortable with Esme in his life. The two of them navigate their relationship through major ups, downs, and misunderstandings. I enjoyed the book and will probably read other Helen Hoang books. ☀️ ☀️ ☀️ ☀️

Favorite 3: KIDDOS AT SCHOOL! I love that I work at my kids’ school. It is a priviledge that is not lost on me. On Wednesday, I was lucky enough to catch both of them doing fun stuff as part of their learning. Jack’s classes were weeding and mulching the rain garden on our school grounds. He did a great job!Luke’s class was doing an experiment to see if dinosaurs would really soar up to 30 feet as advertised. His teacher asked if they could use the media center and I was thrilled to see the fun math and science integrated lesson.

Favorite 4: SIGNS OF SUMMER!! Our neighbor opened their pool and invited to boys to swim on Thursday afternoon. The water was FREEZING!! But they had so much fun swimming. It was their first outdoor swim of the season and kept the hope alive that summer will be here eventually.

We have a big field behind our house and they started working on the field this week. I love that my boys are still excited to see the big tractors. We never know what they are going to plant, but my guess is corn this year. We’ve had soybeans for the past few years so I think it’s time for corn.

Favorite 5: CANYON SANDALS! Amanda recommended these Canyon sandals by Circus by Sam Edelman sandals and I love them. I may have 2 pairs and perhaps I will find one more on my front porch. I got one from the Sam Edelman company and one on a great sale from Macys. They are comfy and cute! The perfect combination for a school day! The bright orchid pair is perfect with my dress!

Favorite 6: LUKE’S FIRST COMMUNION! We celebrated Luke’s first communion last Sunday. He did such a good job and I was so proud of him. He looked so handsome in his seersucker suit! It was a great day for Luke and our family!

We have a fun weekend planned with baseball, running, and soccer. We are going to celebrate Mother’s Day and have some fun with our moms hopefully! I hope everyone has a great weekend full of sunshine and books!