I have read numerous Delinsky books, but this one was not one of my favorites, too many feelings and not enough story. The mother in the story is accomplished and attractive, but she has not been "with" a man for over a decade as her philandering ex-husband made her believe that she was not young or attractive. From there are discussions about the value of sex, okay, but must we read continually about how she knew that he wanted her, or the physical details of how her body responds? Of course th...

A really good book about a mother/daughter team who have a home remodeling show on TV. I always enjoy Barbara Delinsky's books. I needed something lighter after reading "When the Crawdads Sing" and this fit the bill. It is predictable love story for the mother and the daughter and they both found their way to happiness which I was so happy about myself. The younger girl went through so much with her fiance and the person she married. I had to look to the end of the book to make sure she stayed w...

On Caroline MacAfee’s 56th birthday, she is told that she is too old to continue hosting the home improvement show, “Gut It!” that she has been a part of for years. Her replacement doesn’t want to tell her about the switch. I mean, how do you break it to your own mother that her replacement is…well, her very own daughter? There is, of course, conflict knowing that the job that Caroline loves and knows so well is being taken from her and there is sadness as Jamie finds the relationship she has w

Loved this mother and daughter tale. I became totally engrossed in Caroline and Jamie's lives and didn't want it to end.

So frustrated by this author. She has really great ideas, but they are ruined by over melodramatic, soap opera-esque bad writing. The grief parts of this book were good, and the concept behind a young career woman who needs to balance a very busy career with having motherhood thrust at her very unexpectedly while dealing with grief was intriguing to me. Unfortunately, this strong woman's problems are all solved by her mom and her man. The fact that these women were "independent, strong women" wa...

As a mother and daughter team, Caroline and Jamie MacAfee are best friends as well, and each of them is impeccable in their roles within the family company, MacAfee Homes. Their reality show, Gut it!, is all about renovating and bringing attention to the company's work.As the host of the show, Caroline has hit her stride. Confident and proud, she enjoys basking in all of it. And Jamie's role as the architect brings her unique talents to the mix.So when the network producers decide that a major c...

Blueprints by Barbara Delinksy was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and as soon as I read the opening pages I was hooked. Both Caroline and Jamie are smart, competent women, each very talented at what they do. Caroline is thrown by her possible axing of being the host of the home makeover show Gut It. She senses it's because of her age that Claire the snarky director is wanting to replace her with the younger Jamie. This creates tension for Claire, she is very good at what she does, yet it would be

What caught my attention about Blueprints was the premise of the story: a mother and daughter who are stars of a home improvement TV show named Gut It. Okay, I admit I’m a HGTV, DIY, This Old House fan, and I think there are more of us out there that would find this story interesting too just from that angle, but there is more to it as I found out. The mother, Caroline is a master carpenter and the host of Gut It, her daughter Jamie is a talented architect whom the network wants to have host the...

I'm usually a fan of Delinsky's work, but this was a big departure from her usual subject matter and it showed. Instead of her usual family sagas, this book was about a New England family that owned a home construction business and also produced a reality DIY type show on home remodeling. I got the feeling that Delinsky was way out of her league in this one. It felt repetitious and like the author didn't really have a plan for where the book was really going to go. It felt like it wandered a lit...

ARC received courtesy of Goodreads.com giveawayI must disclose right away that I am a HUGE fan of Barbara Delinsky. I've loved nearly everything of hers that I've ever had the pleasure to read. "Blueprints" is at a whole new level, even for Delinsky.A novel centered around a family-owned construction business with a television remodeling show to boot. This book delves into what it really means to be a woman "of a certain age". Her daughter struggles with her own engagement when all hell breaks l...

This was a Goodreads giveaway. The book is an advance readers' edition. I am assuming that the issues with typos (fiarce instead of fiance, shouts instead of shorts, etc.), grammar, and continuity will be resolved before the book is released. This is the first book that I have read by this author.The marketing description of the book is about a mother and daughter who work on the same television show, "Gut It". On the mother's 56th birthday, the network decides to replace her as host with her da...

Disappointing! This author normally has much better developed characters and plot. This tilted too much towards "bodice ripper" books. I skimmed the last third of the story.

I was thoroughly enjoying this book at first but at about the halfway mark, it kind of started going downhill. I lost interest in the story a bit because it was quite redundant, the same things kept coming up over and over and it got old fast. But then the ending slightly made up for it, it was perfect how it all turned out!

A mother and daughter team on a Home makeover show called Gut It.. Caroline MacAfee is the host and carpenter on the show, daughter Jamie MacAfee is the Architect and designer.. Both woman are smart and work together in harmony, but then that harmony is put to the test when many things change in their relationship. All of a sudden the network thinks Caroline is too old to host the show, and they want Jamie to step in, and then an accident and death of her father and step-mother makes Jamie an in...

Delinsky never lets me down for a quick, enjoyable get away read. I seem to turn to her for something less heavy though no less entertaining. Once again she delivers. Characters that are well developed and a storyline that is often heart tugging as well as heart warming. She writes of everyday people who face the trials and tribulations that many of us do, or have. This story was especially thoughtful as it focused on the relationship of Mothers and Daughters, how they develop and how they chan

I have always loved Barbara Delinsky's novels from years ago up to this very date and this book was good. I can't say its the 'best ever' book I have read by her, it was OK and enjoyable.It seems the TV show is hosted by a family, its called Gut It. Its a 'MAKE OVER' show. But of course like any family we have all ages from young to old and because of ratings, and new younger people watching its thought to attract even more younger viewing they should have younger people doing the show. Claire i...

Caroline and Jamie MacAfee are mother and daughter, carpenter and architect and integral members of the cast of a reality fix it show called “Gut It!” The home renovation series showcases the women of MacAfee Homes and has become popular with the do-it-yourself crowd. When the director decides the program needs a facelift to attract a younger demographic, family allegiances are put to the test.I love it when an author puts in the research hours needed to add authenticity to her novel. Delinsky w...

Listened to the audio book which is probably the only reason I got through this. I have enjoyed some of her other books like 'While my sister sleeps,' but this book was seriously terrible. It was so cheesy and the men were so unrealistic and besides the tragedy that occurs in the beginning of the book nothing else happens. Skip this one. I wish I had.

*I received this book (Blueprints - Advanced Readers' Edution) free via first reads in exchange for an unbiased review* I enjoyed the storyline! Mother and daughter work together for the family business and are also best friends. They are both going through their own seasons of life when a double disaster strikes. Who will be the next host of their TV show?! What direction will the family business go?! And when will they each discover true love apart from each other?!The story was a touching one...

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. "Stunning front cover!"A long-time fan of Barbara Delinsky, once again delivers a winning women's fiction drama with BLUEPRINTS. A realistic contemporary portrayal of the many challenges and complexities, faced by women of ages from 20’s to 60’s; of today’s modern world relationships--from professional, personal, family, and motherhood mixed with humor and some tantalizing sexy distractions. Gut