May 23, 2011

Skipping a Beat + GIVEAWAY

Skipping a Beat: A NovelUPDATE: This giveaway has been extended until 11:59 p.m. EST on July 4, 2011.  

Julia and Michael were high school sweethearts who met in a small West Virginia town. Desperate to flee from difficult childhoods, they move out of state immediately after graduation, go to college, and eventually marry. As the years quickly pass, each achieves more success in their careers. Julie is an events planner and Michael owns DrinkUp, a flavored water company worth $70 million. 

Unfortunately like a lot of marriages, Julie and Michael find themselves just going through the motions. Julia often attends the opera alone. Michael works late nights and travels for work. Anniversaries are no longer celebrated, unless you count the anniversary gifts that Michael's assistant picks out. With the luxuries of a million-dollar home and fancy cars, life just becomes a comfortable routine. Until a moment changes their lives forever. It took 4 minutes and 8 seconds for Michael to become a complete stranger. While Julie was holding cupcakes at a fund-raiser, Michael's heart simply stopped beating. He suffered a cardiac arrest.

The near-death experience causes Michael to re-evaluate life and rewrite the rules of his marriage. Now money doesn't mean a thing. In fact, he wants to give it all away to charity. But Julia is hesitant. Because of a prenuptial agreement she insisted on, this means she isn't entitled to the fortune. Michael asks for just three weeks to give him a second chance, to live a poorer but happier life.

Just think about that for a moment. Would you want a poor, happy life? Or a happy, rich life? Does money really measure levels of happiness? Does success change people for the worse? How much influence does our parents' relationship have on our own? Did a near-death experience change your outlook on life? These were questions I found myself asking while reading Skipping a Beat. These are questions that a book club or close girlfriends could debate for hours. 

Sarah Pekkanen has earned a new fan. Her writing style is easy to follow, with the right amount of background history for the characters and a smooth paced story. There were also a few unexpected twists and a different perspective on marriage. This is not your average chick lit novel. It has substance with a touching, relatable heartfelt story that will keep you turning the pages. I can't recommend it enough.

Title: Skipping a Beat: A Novel
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Published: February 2011
Pages: 352
Edition: ARC
Rating: ♥

Does Skipping a Beat sound interesting? Haven't read it yet? Well, here is your chance to win a copy. Yes, I am giving away a new paperback copy of Skipping a Beat. This book was one of the best I've read thus far in 2011. It's only right I share it with my bookhearts. The giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on June 5, 2011. To qualify, follow the steps outlined below.
  • Post a comment answering at least one (1) of the questions in bold above.
  • Share this review on Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, or other social media sites.
  • Participate in at least one (1) of my bookish memes: First Lines Friday or Series Sunday. If you don't have a blog, you may tweet, wall post, or post the meme in the appropriate comments section of my blog. 
  • Don't forget to @ mention/tag me so you will receive full credit. Good luck!

2 comments:

  1. I don't really think money can influence happiness but it would be nice to have a little bit anyway.

    I think our parent's relationships influence our own in that if they have divorced we have more of a tendency to divorce as well.

    That's two questions for the price of one.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete