Woodhouse Hall by Sara Marks, A Book Review and Blog Tour

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Why I Picked It Up: It’s another Blog Tour!  I’m on a number of email lists to be a host for these Blog Tours.  Until recently I didn’t look too closely at them but a number have come through, including this one, that look fun to me!  I do love the idea of supporting authors to get the word out about their books while sharing honest reviews at the same time.  As I mentioned earlier, campus life is a comfort to me.  Not only growing up in a college town, but I loved college!  

It is inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, and I have to admit I have never read any Jane Austen books so I can’t give you much comparison.  I can still be a book blogger after I admit that, right?  

The Official Summary

Amelia is stuck in the worst dorm on campus for a whole year!  She’ll have to make the best of it in Woodhouse Hall and her roommate Jenna will be her new best friend, Amelia’s sure of that.  Jenna’s sweet personality and openness to new things incite the matchmaking-genius in Amelia to find the perfect boyfriend for her new bestie. She shoots high by attempting to entice Eric, the President of the Student Government, to fall for her roommate. Amelia’s past success makes her confident they will be a couple in no time. When that turns out to be a disaster, she is forced to face the lies she’s told herself about her strengths and her assumptions about the people she loves. Over the year, Amelia learns who she is, what she wants, and how to fight for what’s really important.

This novel, inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, will have you laughing, crying, and finding a little of yourself in one or all of the characters. 

What I Loved

• I really enjoyed the good mix of characters.  Some I really liked, and some I really didn’t, but such a good mix of both! 
• As I’ve mentioned, I do enjoy reading about campus life.  I wasn’t in Student Government but reading this book I really wish I was!  Dorm life, student government and studying for exams ugh.  Things I wish I could go back and do and some I certainly don’t!
• I enjoyed seeing Amelia’s character arc, what she learned about herself both as a friend and as a growing professional.
• Tough topics, I do love a book with tough topics.  This book managed to make them still feel a bit light but unfortunately sexual assault, and sexism is definitely a thing people have to deal with.  Unfortunately when I was in school this is something that happened but wasn’t really talked about but luckily it’s talked about more now.  
• Sara Marks is a new author to me and I enjoyed her writing.  According to Goodreads this is a third in a “series” but appears to be a standalone so don’t worry about that!

So, what didn’t I like? 

• I can’t think of much, is that good or bad?  I guess one thing I would say is that there are some unlikeable characters which I addressed above.  BUT, there should be unlikeable characters, right?  
• The ending was maybe a bit too wrapped up in a bow, but that’s really the type of book this is, so I suppose that isn’t necessarily bad either.  Just something to enjoy when it actually does happen.

Follow the Author

Sara Marks is a librarian with two masters degrees and plans to never stop getting over educated.   She likes the idea of having all the academic regalia she can ever possess. She cries at nearly every movie she sees (ask her about when she cried at a horror movie), but it’s full-on weeping for Disney animated movies. She loves reading nearly every genre but likes to write women’s fiction, romance, and even horror. You have to balance out the reality of the world if you’re going to be a hopeless romantic! Her heroines are women who don’t want the expected life, rarely worrying about their age, weight, marriageability, or fertility.

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I really enjoyed being a part of this Blog Tour, if you have any you think I might find interesting find my Review Policy here and my contact information here.

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