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Terri-Lynne DeFino

Goodreads Author

Born

in Paterson, NJ, The United States

Website

https://modestyisforsuckers.com/

Twitter

TLDeFino

Genre

Contemporary, Romance, Fantasy

Member Since

October 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/terri-lynne

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Terri-Lynne DeFino was born and raised in New Jersey but escaped to the wilds of Connecticut back in the nineties when her kids were babies and everyone wore flannel. She is the second of four children born to a homemaker and a then-fledgling attorney, in a Paterson, NJ household that included two grandparents and the occasional uncle, where Sunday dinner was a given and the noise level often required earplugs. According to her mother, she started writing stories at the age of seven, and learned to cook at any elbow she could wedge herself under. These days, her famiglia is larger, and louder, which might explain why she's still in Connecticut, but if you knock on her door, she'll invite you in and feed you, because you can take the Italian ...more

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Average rating: 3.8 · 8,270 ratings · 1,494 reviews · 12 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers 3.77 avg rating — 4,440 ratings — published 2018 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story 3.78 avg rating — 3,066 ratings — published 2023 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B? 3.97 avg rating — 553 ratings — published 2025 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Finder 4.25 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 2010 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Seeking Carolina (Bitterly Suite, #1) 4.20 avg rating — 54 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Time Never Lived 4.42 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jingle: An Original Fairy Tale 4.24 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Waking Savannah (Bitterly Suite, #3) 4.25 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dreaming August 4.33 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beyond the Gate 3.94 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Terri-Lynne DeFino…

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Terri-Lynne DeFino's Blog: My life as a clueless internet person

Book Club Discussion Questions for Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story

1. Why do you think Terri-Lynne DeFino included the glossary of Jersey Italian slang in this family drama? Did you know any of the terms before you read this book? Which were your favorites? What did you think when you found out who’d been writing the entries all along?
2. When we first meet Varina Palladino, she has been carefully saving for years to fulfill her dream of a European river cruise. D Read more of this blog post »

2 likes · Like • 2 comments • flag

Published on March 29, 2023 09:37 • Tags: varina-palladino

Series by Terri-Lynne DeFino

Bitterly Suite (3 books)
by

Terri-Lynne DeFino (Goodreads Author)

4.24 avg rating — 85 ratings

Terri-Lynne is Currently Reading

Terri-Lynne DeFino is currently reading

The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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Feb 16, 2024 07:55AM

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The Luminaries

by Eleanor Catton

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Jun 02, 2023 12:52PM

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Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel

by Ruth Hogan (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 24, 2021 04:35PM

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Terri-Lynne’s Recent Updates

Terri-Lynne DeFino liked Jackie Trimble's review of Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story: "I married into an Italian family and most everyone is gone now, 35 years later. But, I could see so many of the dynamics in this story as compared with my DH's extended family. I think this is probably the case for ANY large family though. I received" Read more of this review »
16 hours, 28 min ago · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story by Terri-Lynne DeFino. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story by Terri-Lynne DeFino <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Terri-Lynne DeFino liked Mary Diebel's review of The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (And Their Muses): "Interesting concept having authors writing a book in a book. I had trouble keeping all the characters straight at first especially when they called them by different names, like a Russian novel. But once I got that sorted it was ok. It was a little b" Read more of this review »
Dec 13, 2025 06:04AM · see review
Terri-Lynne DeFino liked Denise Moen's review of The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (And Their Muses): "I loved this book funny characters, real life issues of aging."
Dec 10, 2025 02:37PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers by Terri-Lynne DeFino. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers by Terri-Lynne DeFino <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Terri-Lynne DeFino rated a book it was amazing The Woman with All the Answers by Linda Green (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 10, 2025 05:33AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Woman with All the Answers by Linda Green. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Woman with All the Answers by Linda Green <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Terri-Lynne DeFino liked Catherine's review of Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?: "I’m not always a fan of books dealing with addiction but I did like the chopped style competition and how Regina became a mentor to Gale. Definitely an easy/fast read and would easily try more books from the author. Thank you NetGalley for the audio " Read more of this review »
Dec 02, 2025 02:08PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B? by Terri-Lynne DeFino. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B? by Terri-Lynne DeFino <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Terri-Lynne DeFino rated a book really liked it The Wide Circumference of Love by Marita Golden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 11, 2025 05:41AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Wide Circumference of Love by Marita Golden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Wide Circumference of Love by Marita Golden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Terri-Lynne DeFino rated a book it was amazing Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story by Terri-Lynne DeFino (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Once again, Goodreads keeps asking me to review my own book. I mean, a woman can demure only so long; especially one for whom "Modesty is for suckers" is a life mantra. So, in my not-so-humble opinion, Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story is ...more
Oct 08, 2025 12:39PM · 80 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story by Terri-Lynne DeFino. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story by Terri-Lynne DeFino <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Terri-Lynne DeFino made a comment on L.M. Pampuro’s review of Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B? ""
Sep 14, 2025 05:23AM · see review
Terri-Lynne DeFino rated a book really liked it The Life Impossible by Matt Haig (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 06, 2025 06:48AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Life Impossible by Matt Haig. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Life Impossible by Matt Haig <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Terri-Lynne DeFino rated a book it was amazing Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B? by Terri-Lynne DeFino (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I’ve done it for all my others, so why not this one, right? Fabulous book! Food, glamor, triumphs and tragedies, Didn’t You Use To Be Queenie B? has it all. I’m super-proud.
Sep 05, 2025 05:29AM · 4 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B? by Terri-Lynne DeFino. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B? by Terri-Lynne DeFino <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Terri-Lynne DeFino (?)

“A book is like a woman. She should leave your bed with her hair tangled and her clothes on backward. A book without creases is a book that has never known passion.”
― Terri-Lynne DeFino, The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers

tags: books, passion, reading

4 likes

“There are many yesterdays. With any luck, many tomorrows. But there's only one today. Don't fuck it up.”
― Terri-Lynne DeFino, The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers

tags: advice, life, motivational, today, tomorrow

2 likes

“Olivia's heart pittered. A blank page. A pen in hand. Was there anything as exciting? The endless possibilities, the potential for beauty, even genius, waiting for that breath of life.”
― Terri-Lynne DeFino, The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers

tags: authors, books, words, writers, writing

2 likes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Q & A with Lawren...: What are you reading? And why?	35	26	May 22, 2012 04:23AM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	2991	413	Aug 31, 2018 09:00PM
The Life of a Boo...: Elizabeth A.G. - 12+4 Challenge 2020 Life of a Book Addict	7	20	Jan 02, 2020 08:13AM
Ladies & Literature: * February 2020 Chat	62	22	Feb 25, 2020 06:24AM
Book Nook Cafe: What I read in ~~ August 2019	45	34	Mar 07, 2020 03:02PM
Ladies & Literature: 60 Books Challenge - 2020	17	25	Dec 31, 2020 03:57PM
Cozy Mysteries : Summer 2021 Challenge	49	158	Aug 31, 2021 03:32PM
Crazy Challenge C...: June 2021 SPELL - Fathers in Literature	124	64	Nov 01, 2021 08:59PM
Crazy Challenge C...: 2021 Summer Spell Challenge- Let's Go on a Picnic	137	73	Feb 26, 2022 01:06PM

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Terri-Lynne’s Quotes

“Never and forever are not opposites. They are two parts to a whole. Like love and pain. Joy and sorrow. Life and death. Like monster and princess. But between love and pain there is comfort. Between joy and sorrow there is contentment. Between life and death there is experience. Between monster and princess, there is courage. And between never and forever, there is everything.”
― Terri-Lynne DeFino, The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers

tags: death, life, love

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Terri-Lynne’s Year In Books

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