Poppy Maysen carries a journal in her purse. Its pages were filled long ago by a man who craved adventure, lived life to the fullest and never failed to make her laugh. The journal is his birthday list—one she vows to complete.She’ll do the things he wanted to do most. Because maybe, just maybe, if she can finish his list, she can start to live again. Poppy expects going through the birthday list … through the birthday list will be hard. She expects it to hurt. But what she doesn’t expect is Cole. Could the man who watched her heart shatter be the one to put it back together again?
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“In a heartbeat”
5 stars are not enough for this book!
D*mn, can this author write a beautiful book. It was very emotional. I’m not a crier, but I may have shed a tear or two.
After the dead of her husband, Poppy Mayson sets to complete his birthday list (kind of like a bucket list) he wanted to complete before 50 (so cool!! made me want to make a list for myself).
While trying to complete the list, Poppy meets Cole Goodman and with his help they will try to complete the list.
Cole is my new favorite Hero by Devney. He was so patient with Poppy, and such a good guy (like his last name).
While not a fan of slow building romance, THIS ONE WAS PERFECT!! couldn’t be any other way.
Loved the secondary characters (Jimmy and Randal were my favorites) and hope some of them gets a book. (like Tuesday Belle)
If you love emotional, beautiful, feel good romance..Then YOU SHOULD GET THIS BOOK when it goes live.
Poppy Maysen is stuck in the past, unable to move forward or find peace since the unexpected and untimely death of her husband, Jamie. Lost in grief the only way Poppy begins to pull herself free from the pain, hurt, and guilt is to finish Jamie’s birthday list for him.
Much like a bucket list, Jamie’s Birthday List is a list of things he wants to do before each birthday, marked in a leather journal. Jamie’s presence, though absent physically was very much existent throughout this story. His spirit and even his essence shone through Poppy’s reminiscent moments and gave him a voice that made him just as much a part of this story as Poppy and Cole, though not overshadowing their relationship.
Cole Goodman is loyal and dependable. He’s also the cop who delivered the devasting news to Poppy Maysen five years ago. Something kept him rooted to the chair when Poppy needed it the most. Then, he didn’t know why, but now he does.
“He had her past. I was taking her future.”
Cole and Poppy keep coming together in the most unexpected ways. Some would call it a weird coincidence or three, but I call it fate. He becomes the turning point for her during the major transition of a grieving widow to a single woman ready to live her life again. He spins her world on the axis all while becoming the core of her support system.
With unforgettable secondary characters; especially Randall the stool claiming, dessert hogging grouchy pants, Devney Perry balances all the angst with lighthearted moments.
Filled with the giddiness of falling in love, the warmth from a slow burning romance reaching the precipe, and the spiraling emotions of loss and love, The Birthday List is simplistic, emotionally pummelling, downright beautiful, and truly a moving love story!
Wow, just wow, I finished this book yesterday and I’m still struggling to put my love for this story into words, it’s an emotionally charged rollercoaster ride from start to finish, and I didn’t want it to end. It made me question how I live my life, and how I could change it to get the most out of it, as not everyone’s tomorrow is guaranteed.
Poppy has everything she could hope for, married to her college sweetheart and living the perfect life, until one day her husband leaves and doesn’t come back, instead, at the end of the night, a policeman is standing at her door changing the course of Poppy’s life forever.
The Birthday List, is a journal of items her late husband Jamie put together, a bit like a bucket list, but split into birthdays he wanted to complete items by. Some were silly, some were fun, and some changed lives. After 5 years of mourning her husband, Poppy decides to continue Jamie’s birthday list, to honour him and try and get some closure on the past. The biggest item on the list is buying a restaurant, which she does, The Maysen Jar, which is a fabulous idea, I think someone should create! Poppy works together with her ex-sister in law/best friend, Molly, who is such a loveable character, I wanted to hug her for most of the book.
Wanting to complete the list in a year rather than over a number of years, Poppy’s nearest and dearest are brought along for the ride. Whilst checking off one of the items, Poppy runs in to Cole, a familiar face from her past, whom she feels an immediate attraction towards, but can’t get past the guilt of feeling like she’s betraying her husband.
Cole pursues Poppy, trying to be a friend and helping her complete the items on Jamie’s list, but their attraction to one another is undeniable, and after many days and nights spending time together, Poppy finally allows herself to feel happiness again and embarks on a relationship with Cole, who has loved her since day one.
When something from the past comes back to haunt Cole and Poppy, the relationship they were building takes a hit.
My heart broke for Poppy, she lost her husband in the worst way possible, his killer not caught, so no closure could be found. Poppy showed such strength throughout, that you couldn’t help but want only the best for her, and that was definitely Cole. I loved Cole, he was sweet, funny, gentle, kind and patient, he knew what Poppy had been through and he was playing for keeps, so he didn’t push her to be ready, when she wasn’t, he couldn’t do enough for Poppy, including buying her the sweetest sounding puppy, which he then took to the police station daily, so Poppy didn’t have to worry about him.
Everything about this book was 100% perfect, from the humour the side characters bought (Randell and Jimmy – All I kept picturing was Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon from Grumpy Old Men) to Brad and Mia, Cole’s parents, who loved and protected Poppy, from the moment they met, to the beautiful love that blossoms between Cole and Poppy from the tragedy of loss.
I can’t tell you enough, how fantastic this book was, an emotional rollercoaster which will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy and wanting to start making your own birthday list.
I started into this book knowing I’d relate to a good portion of it. (Widow here). However, what I wasn’t expecting was to be completely blown away and to be left with the hugest book hangover of my life. Holy crap. Holy CRAP guys. This book. I can’t even begin to tell you how touching and mesmerizing this whole story was.
My reading life will never be the same. I need to make myself a birthday list.
Well done Devney Perry!!!!
I had never gotten the pleasure of reading stories written by this author. So when it came highly recommended, I immediately started reading it. Let me tell you do not miss out on the chance to read this amazing 5 star story.
Poppy finds herself a young widow and must go on without the love of her life. Before Jamie died he had made himself a Birthday List. Things he wanted to do. What she didn’t plan on is meeting Cole, a detective who’s immediately smitten with her. He can’t stay away from her and will embark on the journey to accomplish the items on the list with Poppy.
This is one story that was easily read in a matter of ours. Too bad I had to adult because I could have read it in one sitting. I was sucked in the heart of these wonderful characters that made me feel so many different emotions. It was an highly romantic story, it was suspenseful and it was heartbreaking at times. Grief, lose is a real emotion that Poppy had to go through.
This a beautifully written story that flowed well. An unique storyline that was addicting. There were never any dull moments. There was always something happening. There were scenes in the story that were present and I couldn’t connect to the story but at the end it all made sense. Every word, scene and character had a purpose to the story.
It was funny at times. Randall and Jimmy added a nice bonus to the story. They lighten up the heaviness of the subject. Bottomline is this is a must read.
Standalone told in a dual POV with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.
“Practice makes progress.” I liked that. Progress. Not perfect.
And this is a perfect story of Imperfect love that Poppy Maysen shared with Jamie. Incomplete and abrupt, this love shreds her heart. But you can’t die with the dead and that’s teh saddest truest thing but life.
She’s lost in the fog and nothing seems worth surviving…till Cole Goodman
He really is a Good Man. Strong, patient and protective, he takes it upon himself to bring sunshine and smiles back into Poppy’s life.
“A part of me wanted to run away from that line. Another wanted to take a flying leap to the other side. As it was, I was just standing with my toes on its edge. Frozen.”
Beautifully portrayed by Devney, it’s a roadmap of a woman’s heart with many stops in its journey. There’s laughter, there’s grief, insecurities and guilt and ultimately happiness and peace again. Perry touches each stage of Poppy’s life with honesty and sensitivity. It’s hard not to be touched by the prose.
Her mission to fulfill Jamie’s birthday list gives her much needed closure and self forgiveness which she’s been depriving herself of. It’s so easy to forgive others but guilty conscience never let’s truly absolve oneself.
“Do you know what I like best about New Year’s Day?” she whispered.
“What?”
“Everyone gets a new beginning.”
Cole stole my heart, his sexiness and alpha male personality was a perfect fit for Demure and shy Poppy. He senses when Poppy needs him and he’s always by her side…In a heartbeat
Poppy was epitome of strength and quiet dignity. Never victimising herself, but blaming constantly, I loved her soft personality
I fell in love with the story and you will too
4.5 stars for Living Life Minute By Minute
I really enjoyed this book, couldn’t put it down.
Poppy has everything she could hope for. She was married to her college sweetheart and seemed to be living the perfect life, that is until her husband is murdered!
That event obviously changes Poppy’s life forever …..
Five years on and Poppy is finding it hard to let go still, finding a journal written by her husband she hears his wishes and thoughts. He wanted to do a few things each year until the big 50, and then do something big. But he never gets to finish it, so with the help of family and friends, Poppy decides to complete the list (and maybe finally get on with her life) she decides it needs to be done in a year rather than a few things each year.
Whilst doing one of the items off of the list, Poppy runs in to Cole, a familiar face from her past, she finds him attractive and has certain feelings for him, and then feels guilty for feeling that way.
Cole had the unfortunate task of breaking the news of Poppy’s death. Bumping into her again, he seizes the chance to help her with her list, he wants a chance with Poppy, so being in her life as a friend seems the best way to start.
As they being to get close, Cole’s past tears it’s ugly head and their friendship/romance hits a very large bump!!!
It’s a slow burn romance, but that’s ok, she’s grieving for a husband, and this to me seems like a good way of saying goodbye.
I really liked the secondary characters and I’m hoping Jimmy and Randal will each get a book.
Every time I read Devney’s words I am more and more impressed. The Birthday List is so unlike her Jamison Valley series, and yet it’s just as good, maybe even better!
Poppy’s world was turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Everything she dreamt of, plans for her future all vanished one dreadful day, all it took was a knock on her door. Where does she go from here? How does she begin to live again?
Cole remembers her face the moment his eyes meet hers, he’s taken back to that night years ago when he shattered her world with the news no loved one ever wants to hear.
It seems as though, no matter how hard she tries to stop him from helping, Poppy is meant carry out the list with the help of the hottest cop in town.
He’s all gentleman. Patient and kind.
Is her heart strong enough to beat again and allow these friends to be lovers?
I fell in love with this book. From page one it draws you in and doesn’t let you go. You can’t help but to feel the pain right along with Poppy. And you can’t help but to fall in love with Cole!!
This story takes you on a journey of healing and love. I love the Birthday List and thinks it’s a great idea and similar to a bucket list. I’m happy that Poppy decided to finish Jamie’s List. It gave her the courage she needed and it helped her move on.
I would really love a book on Molly and one for Finn. My heart broke for them. I want them both to be happy too.
I loved this book!
It was a deviation from her usual Jamison Valley and was an amazing read.
The idea of finishing someone else’s “bucket” list was really unique and Perry’s writing just made it come to life. There is nothing that she will write that I will not read and recommend.
Rarely does a book come along that touches your soul. Devney Perry went above that with The Birthday List. This book touches on such subject matter that is not easy to tackle. Ms. Perry handles it with grace and class.
This story never felt rushed and you were allowed to feel everything that the characters were going through.
Cole and Poppy were characters that you root for – you become so invested in their story that I lost all sense of time. It was like watching their love story play out in front of you. This is not a book only about Poppy finding herself; this book is just as much Cole’s book. It was pure joy to watch him fall in love with Poppy as a friend first. He was a patient man who knew exactly what Poppy needed in order to heal.
Poppy is a survivor who goes through the worst thing you could possibly imagine. Her husband, inadvertently, saved her and allowed her one final connection with him through birthday list. Fate steps in with bringing Cole back into her life. It was a pure pleasure to watch them fall in love.
This book is not to be rushed through. I felt myself stopping because I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to savor each and every part as it happened.
This book has taken the place as my Top Read of 2018.
If you read one book this year – this book is it.
It will make you feel every emotion from devastation, to immense sadness, to the slow burn of finding love again, to someone becoming so much more than you ever thought possible, to finding your new normal, and finding the greatest love for the second time.
What an AMAZING story of healing, and finding love again. The Birthday List has to be one of my favorite books of this year!! I was swept up into this story right from the beginning.
This story was both heart wrenching and heart warming!! Some of the parts are pretty tough to read and may require you to have tissues while reading it, but so much of this book is heart warming. I couldn’t help but read most of this story with a smile on my face.
Devney Perry is a new author to me but I can say this I will be going back to read all her books that are released. I loved her writing style. She made you feel everything her characters were feeling. Even the secondary characters. I found myself rooting for Molly and Fin, just as much as I was rooting for Cole and Poppy. The pace and flow of this story was perfection. She gave us just enough to feel connected to the characters and their story but didn’t overload it with excess details to slow things down.
As I said earlier this is a story about hope, healing and finding love again. This story follows Poppy and Cole. Poppy is a widow. Her husband is tragically killed and she is left to pick up the pieces. So to help her move on and heal she decides to complete her husband’s Birthday List. What she didn’t expect was to receive help from a surprise source. Cole is a detective in Bozeman, Montana. He was also the officer who had to break the sad news to Poppy about her husband 5 years ago. Color him surprised to run into her again. I loved the friendship these two formed. Their slow burn was perfect. Cole was so patient and understanding. I swooned over him throughout the whole book. He has to be one of my favorite Heroes to date!!
Trust me this is one book you are going to want to add to your TBR list and this is one book you will want to read!!!
I would 100% recommend this book to everyone who loves a second chance at love story. One that will sweep you off your feet and have you swooning and falling in love with the characters!!! This is MUST READ!!!!
I loved this book, it was so different from her Jameson Valley Series, but Perry still kept her wonderful emotional connection to the characters that I adore. I really enjoyed the concept of what this story was about, growth after loss, love and finding yourself.
The Birthday List follows Poppy, after the loss of her husband Poppy has tried to do something in honor of him, finish his Birthday List. This list was something he wanted to do on every future birthday, it could be something extreme like skydiving, to something funny like getting in a pool full of green jello. Poppy is hoping that maybe if she finishes this list she can move on from her great love. But when she runs into the police officer who original gave her the sad new of her loss, her list and her life take a whirlwind adventure that she wasn’t expecting.
Poppy is a woman who is as sweet as can be, she loves hard, her friend, her family her new business. Her first big accomplishment on her husbands list was to open up her restaurant the Mayson Jar, it has been a dream. She has a very emotional journey, I enjoyed watching her grow, make mistakes and change the course of her life, it was easy to connect with her, cry with her, be angry sometimes at her, but it goes to show how great the writing was.
Cole had the hard task of giving Poppy the horrible news many years ago, now five years have passed and hes tasked with something new…helping Poppy with her list. Their connection is sweet, he is the most patient and honest man with her. There are some bumps in the road, especially with his line of work but it makes him human, his emotional pull to her and what the toll of his job takes is just real. I loved every moment with him and every patient sweet and passionate way he expressed himself.
Overall this is a tearjerker, but there is still a lot of humor and adventurous moments. It made me want to create a bucket list for myself, to go on some big adventure one day and do something out of the norm. Perry is a master at creating a homey place with her world building and characters who really stick with you for the long hall.
I am completely in love with this book!!! 10 stars and one of the best books that I have ever read!!!! Author Devney Perry has written another heartfelt book that has me enthralled and entranced. Her words are a soothing balm to a reader’s soul!
It’s rare, but if I could pepper the sky with stars for a book, it would be this one right here.
O. M. G.
Cole was amazeballs, awesome sauce, and all that jazz! He really was almost pretty picture perfect and just what Poppy needed to come back to the world of the living. Poppy was also pretty amazing, not just for the sheer inner strength it took to complete her deceased husband’s list, but for forging her own path on her terms.
The emotional journey Poppy finds herself on is one I frankly couldn’t even consider, much less process how to handle, but I found it fascinating how Poppy used Jamie’s birthday list to find closure on a devastating point in her life. I felt like I was with her every step of the way and for the life of me I couldn’t stop reading! Except, you know, there’s the whole going to work thing…that’s why lunch is a great thing:)
And the romance. It wasn’t rushed. At all. This was slow burn at its finest form. I mean, I knew where things was going to end up with Poppy and Cole…okay I hoped I knew…and the wait was totally worthwhile! I loved how Perry steadily built those bottled feelings up until the cap exploded, and WOW!
If I could sum up this book in two words I’d say it was thought provoking. Don’t get me wrong, this book is full of emotions and I especially loved the dual POV to see both sides, but it really makes you stop, think, and assess life in general. This was about making mistakes…moving on…rediscovering yourself…getting a second chance…forgiveness…basically saying hey, you’re human and it’s okay when life doesn’t go as planned. Another door will open when you’re ready to be embraced.
It was amazing….
Beautiful written, Devney Perry amazed me with Birthday List.. the story of Poppy Maysen journey… a young woman who lost her husband in a terrible tragedy… Her world had been shaken..
Can she find love again? Slowly to move on… Poppy started to fulfill her husband birthday list.. and fate took her to meet Cole Goodman.. man oh man.. I adored Cole so much.. charming.. sexy oogling.. kind..and selfless..
The story captured the feeling of small town community.. the relationship between the characters are in details… the warmth … its a small town romance with many perks..
I adored Devney’s book… this one hold a special spot because of Poppy.. because of courage, strong and a survivor..
The Birthday List is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. I read a lot and tend to forget books and characters but not this one! I love Devney Perry’s work and every book she has written I have loved.
The Birthday List was just amazing. Poppy lost her husband and has been grieving for awhile. Cole who is the cop who told her the news of her husbands death is the man that pops back into her life a few years later. This to me was definitely a slow burn. It takes some time for Poppy to work through her emotions and realize she needs to live again. I think Cole should win the award for most patient hero ever. He helps Poppy work through her emotions and move on in her own time.
Her Husband has a birthday list of things he wanted to do for all of his future birthdays. This was such an incredible way for her to heal and complete her late husbands list. I loved how Devney made a lot of the list funny and the humor in this story lightened up the overall feel of the book. Some of the story is sad but there is a great balance of humor thrown in.
I pray pray pray we get Poppy’s brother’s story in a book. The side characters of the Birthday List are funny but also going through some issues themselves I hope the problems get solved in the near future! So many more stories intertwined I am excited about. Please please please pick up the Birthday List because it is an amazing love story with so many facets to it. A definite 5+ stars for me.
What an incredibly beautiful story! I went in expecting literally all the feels – and I got them. Ms. Perry delivers literally every feel you can imagine and it adds up to a wonderfully satisfying reading experience.
Cole Goodman may be one of the best things to ever happen in romance heroes. Seriously – it is impossible not to love this man. He’s every good thing about every strong, alpha, romance hero you’ve ever read. And the slow, gently simmering relationship he builds with Poppy over the course of this book only intensified my love for him. He’s amazing.
Poppy is pretty amazing in her own right. I did feel like I maybe didn’t connect with her as much as I did with Cole because I feel like as a character, she kept an emotional distance throughout the majority of the book and I felt that as a reader. I still loved her. I loved how she evolved over the course of this story. And, of course, I love the beauty that blossomed within the relationship she ultimately formed with Cole.
I know this book looks emotional, and here I am blathering on about how emotional it actually is, but I don’t think it’s an ugly cry book. I think it’s just beautifully done. Yes, I cried. But I also laughed. I swooned. I smiled so big. My heart hurt, sure. But it also filled with happiness and contentment. The Birthday List is the full package and I enjoyed every minute of it!
“I’ll take whatever you’ll give me.”
Nobody gets my heart pumping faster or my soul flying higher quite like Devney Perry’s words. I remember when the news about this upcoming release broke and I had the biggest smile on my face the entire day. I was incredibly intrigued by the storyline, captivated by the book cover, and completely enamored by the author’s name on said cover. I don’t think it’s possible to read a synopsis like and not be hooked instantly. Devney Perry is known for her PHENOMENAL Jamison Valley Series. I’ll admit that it’s one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE series, but after people get their hands on Poppy and Cole’s story, well, I can tell that this epic tale will be on the top of a lot of people’s TOP FAVORITES list, for sure!
I remember when this author was a new-to-me author and look how far she’s come. I can’t get enough of her memorable words and unforgettable characters. Poppy and Cole absolutely tore me in two…they broke me…shattered me…but at the same time, they filled my heart with such immense joy that I didn’t know what to do with myself. There wasn’t a single second, while devouring this book, that I didn’t feel some sort of emotion. Happy, sad, distraught, anger, fear, envy, love, joy…it was all there in bits and pieces that eventually made me whole again by the end.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading a Devney Perry Romance, THE BIRTHDAY LIST is the PERFECT PLACE to start. It’s a standalone EPIC love story that will have you shouting your love for it from the rooftops. Be prepared to fall in LOVE with the writing, the characters, and the emotional pull that it will have on your heart and soul. Angst, charm, romance, hilarity, and of course, sexiness…THE BIRTHDAY LIST had it all! There is nothing better than losing yourself within the pages of a love story, and Devney Perry makes it easy EVERY SINGLE TIME.