Book Signing | Grace Helbig at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe for Grace's Guide

When I found out that Grace Helbig, YouTuber, comedienne, and author extraordinaire, was coming to New York City for a book signing the day before my twenty-fifth birthday, I couldn't help but rejoice! Grace is an awesome human that I follow online, and I jumped at the opportunity to meet her. In honor of her first book's release, Housing Works Bookstore Cafe hosted a launch party on October 19. I decided it was perfectly cool to buy myself a copy of Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending to Be a Grown Up as a birthday gift.

I had never been to an event at Housing Works before, but I've been to enough YouTube meet-ups and book signings that I knew I had to be there early. I arrived at 10:30am, and asked when the line would be starting for the 1:00pm event. I was super surprised when employees told me they weren't going to start setting up until 12:00 noon! Nonetheless, I hung around for a couple hours, and soon the place was packed with a crowd I was 99% sure was there for Grace.

Things got a little complicated. Everyone had to get up and move out of the cafe so the employees could set up chairs. Then, just before we were about to choose our seats, the book sales began. So even though I was one of the first fans to arrive, I ended up missing out on a prime seat due to there not being a line. I had a few seconds of panic and annoyance, but luckily I used my ever-growing patience skills and dealt with the disorganization. Finally, I got my book and chose a seat. I was next to a pole, but luckily had an amazing view of Grace!

Grace was really sweet and funny, and just like I would expect her to be. She read a piece from her new book, and then took questions from the crowd. I was completely obsessed with her outfit and totally chill attitude. Plus, she gave great advice to those of us trying to make it in New York.  Grace spoke for about half an hour, and then we were called up in groups to get our books signed. There was no personalization at this event, but Grace did pose for pictures! Here are a couple of awesome selfies we took!

 Overall I had an amazing time at Grace's book signing even though things were a bit disorganized at first. Grace was so nice, and I can't wait to read her book. As a now 25-year-old millennial, Grace's Guide is absolutely perfect for this time in my life. I'll be sure to have a full review up once I finish reading it!

Book Review | We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

One of the most hyped books of this summer is We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I picked up a copy at a Barnes & Noble event that I attended back in May, and was able to meet the author and have her sign my book! I really enjoyed meeting her and hearing more about what went into writing We Were Liars. I knew that I needed to read it right away in order to avoid any spoilers, and I'm so very glad I did.

We Were Liars is a contemporary, young adult novel told from the point of view of our main character Cadence. Each summer, Cadence joins her wealthy family on their own private island off the coast of Massachusetts. The book chronicles Cadence's return to the island, and readers learn that two summers ago she suffered an accident that affected her memory. The remainder of the book follows Cadence as she tries to piece together what happened.

If you've heard about We Were Liars, then you'll probably know that there is a great deal of mystery surrounding the book. Despite its short length, the story packs a punch. There is a shocking ending that can't be talked about, so if you've not yet read this book, I highly recommend you pick it up right away.

We Were Liars had a huge impact on me. I'm writing this review over a month after reading the novel, and it is still burned into my memory. The book is truly life-altering. It's written absolutely beautifully, and I'm quite impressed with how carefully crafted it is. Lockhart did an amazing job with We Were Liars, and it's definitely encouraged me to look into her other books.

I apologize for such a vague review, but as I mentioned, it's best to read We Were Liars without much context. I definitely recommend this book, and suggest you pick it up before getting spoiled. It's definitely a summer read, but keep the tissues nearby. You can purchase We Were Liars on Amazon HERE. Of course, I gave the book a full 5 star rating on Goodreads.

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I mention easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Book Signing | A Place of Yes by Bethenny Frankel

I've been a fan of Bravo reality shows for a long time now. My favorite is the Real Housewives of New York, followed by its spin-off series Bethenny Ever After (formerly Bethenny Getting Married). Last night after work I headed over to the Barnes and Noble at Union Square to meet Bethenny Frankel and have her sign her newest book A Place of Yes. I got there around 4:00PM, with the book signing scheduled for 7:00PM. I am so glad I got there so early! Not only did I get second row seats at the event, but if I showed up even an hour later I probably wouldn't have been able to sit! The place was absolutely packed. Bethenny tweeted later that 900 people showed up! Thankfully I didn't have to wait long at all to get my book signed after hearing her speak. 

Bethenny's book signing was a bit different than JWOWW's. Before she got to signing the books, she talked a bit about it, and held a short Q&A with the audience. Wondering if she's just as hilarious in person as she is on the show? Well, she definitely is! Here's a video clip I took of her speaking about living a parallel life to Chris Brown:

Bethenny also seemed to be a really nice person that cared so much about her fans. She almost cried when one of the fans in the audience told her it was her upbeat personality and lifestyle that helped him through cancer, and she teared up when reading the dedication page of her book out loud (which was also to her fans). I'll admit, when she was on the Real Housewives, I was not really much of a Bethenny fan. Once she had her own show, however, I couldn't get enough of her. She's always funny, and now I know how much she truly cares about her fans. Even though I was one of the first people to get her book signed last night, Bethenny greeted me with a huge smile and seemed like she truly was happy to meet me. Here are a few other pictures I took:

I didn't even have to zoom in to get a great shot!

She is a human barbie doll! Tiny waist, and check out those shoes!

Of course, her signature in my book.

I'll end this entry with a fun fact: David Yontef, who was on the Bravo show Millionaire Matchmaker, was sitting right behind me at the event.


This post contains an affiliate link. All opinions are my own. 

Book Signing | The Rules According to JWOWW by Jenni 'JWOWW' Farley

Today after work I headed over to the Borders at Columbus Circle to attend JWoww's book signing. It was a great experience! I got there at about 4:30 and the event was to start at 7:00. I'm so glad I got there when I did... I was near the front of the line, but some other people were NOT so lucky. While waiting, what else was I to do but begin reading the new book I just purchased. I'm actually impressed with it, too. So far The Rules According to JWoww is quite entertaining, and it's not leaving me totally brain dead. 

Of course the real reason I waited in line for 2.5 hours was to meet Jenni! She showed up only fifteen minutes late (rather good for a big name), and the frenzy began. The media was allowed to take photographs first. Then the line started moving quickly as Jenni started signing books. The guidelines were as follows: no personal messages in the book (only her signature), you could only meet her if you purchased a book, and no photos at the podium. When it was my turn to get my book signed, I was so excited. JWoww is absolutely gorgeous, and she was so nice. Definitely worth the wait! 

I tried to take some pictures, but with the fast-paced setting, most of them came out blurry. Here are a few of the good ones:

When she first came out and everyone went crazy:

She's signing away:

And, of course, the autograph signed in pink:

This post contains an affiliate link. All opinions are my own.