It’s time for my monthly book review post! These are the books that I finished in October. I will be linking up this post with the Show Us Your Books Link Up, and as always, the Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments! This month, I wanted to read some thrillers to put me in a fall seasonal mood. I ended up reading a few thrillers and a lot of others things. I also read one book this month that I reviewed separately: Foreshadow.
Title: Premeditated Myrtle
Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Mystery
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers, 10/6/20
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent by the publisher in exchange for an Instagram post
My Rating: 3 Stars
Set in Victorian England, Myrtle is a smart 12 year old who is obsessed with toxicology, crime scene analysis, and criminology. Unfortunately, I found this book a little bit slow and I don’t think any of my kids would enjoy it.
“Twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle has a passion for justice and a Highly Unconventional obsession with criminal science. Armed with her father’s law books and her mum’s microscope, Myrtle studies toxicology, keeps abreast of the latest developments in crime scene analysis, and Observes her neighbors in the quiet village of Swinburne, England. When her next-door neighbor, a wealthy spinster and eccentric breeder of rare flowers, dies under Mysterious Circumstances, Myrtle seizes her chance. With her unflappable governess, Miss Ada Judson, by her side, Myrtle takes it upon herself to prove Miss Wodehouse was murdered and find the killer, even if nobody else believes her — not even her father, the town prosecutor.”
I think this was just not my style and other readers will enjoy its format as well as what you can learn about the time period from this book!
Title: The Most Precious of Cargoes
Author: Jean-Claude Grumberg
Genre: Historical Fiction / Novella
Publisher: HarperVia, 9/29/20
Source: TLC Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent in exchange for an Instagram post
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book is a short tale about a woodcutter and his wife, who finds a parcel thrown from a passing train. It follows the woodcutter and his wife, as well as the Jewish father of twins who throws one of them to the forest in hopes of saving them both.
“Once upon a time in an enormous forest lived a woodcutter and his wife. The woodcutter is very poor and a war rages around them, making it difficult for them to put food on the table. Yet every night, his wife prays for a child. A Jewish father rides on a train holding twin babies. His wife no longer has enough milk to feed both children. In hopes of saving them both, he wraps his daughter in a shawl and throws her into the forest. While foraging for food, the wife finds a bundle, a baby girl wrapped in a shawl. Although she knows harboring this baby could lead to her death, she takes the child home.”
This is a story of survival and of love in the most difficult of times. It is short, so it only took a short time to read, but it was worthwhile and meaningful.
Title: The Book of Two Ways
Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Ballentine, 9/22/20
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Favorite author
My Rating: 4 Stars
This is not your typical Jodi Picoult book. She apparently became obsessed with ancient Egypt and included all kinds of facts, diagrams, and information, which made this a slower read than her usual. I am glad I stuck with it though!
“Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong. Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients. But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made. After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious destination is to fly home, but she could take another path: return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways—the first known map of the afterlife. As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices . . . or do our choices make us? And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?”
The way the story of the two paths was told was well done and made the story for me. It is about the paths you choose in life and the path not taken!
Title: So You Want To Talk About Race
Author: Ijeoma Oluo
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, 1/16/18
Source: Library Audio App
Why I Read It: Antiracism
My Rating: 4 Stars
This was an easy to understand book with well explained issues such as the treatment of black students in the classroom, affirmative action, the politics of hair, microaggressions, the N word, etc.
“Widespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy — from police brutality to the mass incarceration of Black Americans — has put a media spotlight on racism in our society. Still, it is a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law take umbrage when you asked to touch her hair — and how do you make it right? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend? In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to ‘model minorities’ in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life.”
I would recommend this book as an important one after White Fragility, as this one is written by a Black author who explains thing in a way that is helpful to white people in making steps towards antiracism.
Title: The Wives
Author: Tarryn Fisher
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Graydon House, 12/30/19
Source: Library
Why I Read It: On my TBR
My Rating: 4 Stars
This had been on my list for awhile and although I heard mixed reviews, I was still interested in picking it up. It was interesting and kept me reading, but in the end I wasn’t thrilled with the way things turned out.
“Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him. But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married.”
It’s hard to explain why you like or dislike a thriller without spoiling it, so I will just say there is something in here that I didn’t love, but since it was a page turner, I still gave it four stars!
Title: Spoiler Alert
Author: Olivia Dade
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Avon, 10/6/20
Source: TLC Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent in exchange for an Instagram post
My Rating: 5 Stars
I loved this book about a fan who gets asked out by an actor in her favorite show – it reminded me so much of when I was part of a TV show fandom! April and Marcus know each other as their fanfic writer user names, but Marcus just happens to be the star of the show they stan! When they meet in real life, Marcus needs to decide what he’ll share with April. As April says, “I read a fic like this once!”
“Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. The world may know him as Aeneas, star of the biggest show on television, but fanfiction readers call him something else: Book!AeneasWouldNever. Marcus gets out his frustrations with the show through anonymous stories about the internet’s favorite couple, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone discovered his online persona, he’d be finished in Hollywood. April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s long hidden her fanfic and cosplay hobbies from her ‘real life’—but not anymore. When she dares to post her latest costume creation on Twitter, her plus-size take goes viral. And when Marcus asks her out to spite her internet critics, truth officially becomes stranger than fanfiction. On their date, Marcus quickly realizes he wants more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. But when he discovers she’s Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to keep from her. With love and Marcus’s career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled?”
I loved this story! The snippets of the fan communication was so fun. I loved the body positivity themes as well. It was cute, with some steamy parts. I wished that Marcus had reveled his true identity differently, but I still loved the book.
Title: Anxious People
Author: Fredrik Backman
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Atria Books, 9/8/20
Source: Book of the Month / libro.fm
Why I Read It: Heard it was good!
My Rating: 5 Stars
I both listened to and read Anxious People to be sure I wouldn’t miss a thing. I love when characters are interconnected, and the characters in this book were all effected by an event 10 years ago as well as by the events in the present time of the story.
“Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world. Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.”
I read Beartown last month, but this one reminded me more of A Man Called Ove which I listened to last year. There are so many quirky and funny parts, plus the characters were sweet and full of heart, even if they started out grumpy. The way they effected each other was lovely to see. I didn’t realize how surprised I’d be by some of the reveals throughout this book. One of them had me slapping my forehead wondering how I’d missed it. I wrote down a favorite quote from the book: “If there’s one thing modern life and the Internet have taught us, it’s that you should never expect to win a discussion simply because you’re right.”
Title: And Now She’s Gone
Author: Rachel Howzell Hall
Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Publisher: Forge Books, 9/22/20
Source: Book Sparks
Why I Read It: Heard it was good / Thriller October
My Rating: 4 Stars
Gray is a kind of clueless private investigator hired to find a missing woman. While I wanted this to be a thriller for the month of October, I found it to be more of a mystery than a thriller.
“Isabel Lincoln is gone. But is she missing? It’s up to Grayson Sykes to find her. Although she is reluctant to track down a woman who may not want to be found, Gray’s search for Isabel Lincoln becomes more complicated and dangerous with every new revelation about the woman’s secrets and the truth she’s hidden from her friends and family.”
There is much reference to domestic violence in this book. It is an own voices book which I liked, but didn’t love as I heard others did.
Title: The Night Diary
Author: Veera Hiranandani
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Publisher: Listening Library, 3/6/18
Source: Library Audio App
Why I Read It: Buddy Read on Instagram
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book wasn’t on my radar at all until it was chosen for a buddy read I’m in. I didn’t have another audio book to pick up so I chose this one. It describes the partition of India into India and Pakistan in the voice of a 12 year old girl composing letters to her mother, who passed away.
“It’s 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders. Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn’t know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it’s too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can’t imagine losing her homeland, too. But even if her country has been ripped apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together.”
This story reminded me of the creation of Israel and had me thinking I’d like to read a book about that as well. It was a moving account of what happened to the families who became refugees in this time period.
Title: The Last Charm
Author: Ella Albright
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: One More Chapter, 8/21/20
Source: NetGalley
Why I Read It: Buddy Read on Instagram
My Rating: 4 Stars
This was a readable book about a life long friendship that turns into romance. It is told as Leila has lost her charm bracelet and she describes the story of each of the charms on it in order to get it back from a person who finds it.
“When Leila Jones loses her precious charm bracelet and a stranger finds it, she has to tell the story of how she got the charms to prove she’s the owner. Each and every one is a precious memory of her life with Jake. So Leila starts at the beginning, recounting the charms and experiences that have led her to the present. A present she never could have expected when she met Jake nearly twenty years ago…”
I didn’t love the ending of this book because it isn’t a happy one! I did enjoy the story of Leila and Jake and their relationship.
Title: Rural Voices
Author: Nora Shalaway Carpenter (editor)
Genre: YA Short Story Collection
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 10/13/20
Source: Storygram Tours
Why I Read It: Sent in exchange for an Instagram post
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book is a story collection that is meant to show that rural communities are diverse. A rural community is defined as one that has 10,000 or fewer people and is located far from urban areas. The stories are from 15 writers that are diverse in backgrounds, abilities, sexuality, etc. The stories take place in VA, AK, NM, NY, SC, IN, GA, ID, TX, WV, MI, and UT.
“Gracie sees a chance of fitting in at her South Carolina private school, until a ‘white trash’ themed Halloween party has her steering clear of the rich kids. Samuel’s Tejano family has both stood up to oppression and been a source of it, but now he’s ready to own his true sexual identity. A Puerto Rican teen in Utah discovers that being a rodeo queen means embracing her heritage, not shedding it. . . .For most of America’s history, rural people and culture have been casually mocked, stereotyped, and, in general, deeply misunderstood. Now an array of short stories, poetry, graphic short stories, and personal essays, along with anecdotes from the authors’ real lives, dives deep into the complexity and diversity of rural America and the people who call it home. Fifteen extraordinary authors—diverse in ethnic background, sexual orientation, geographic location, and socioeconomic status—explore the challenges, beauty, and nuances of growing up in rural America. From a mountain town in New Mexico to the gorges of New York to the arctic tundra of Alaska, you’ll find yourself visiting parts of this country you might not know existed—and meet characters whose lives might be surprisingly similar to your own.”
I enjoyed this collection a lot. A quote I wrote down is “There’s so much going on beneath the surface; do we really know everyone’s story unless we talk to people?”
Title: Grown
Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: HarperAudio / Katherine Tegan Books, 9/15/20
Source: Scribd
Why I Read It: Love the author and Buddy Read
My Rating: 5 Stars
Tiffany D. Jackson is an amazing author who covers issues in a way that young people can relate too. Grown is scary – it’s about a young teen who is targeted and groomed by a famous singer. What teen wouldn’t want to be mentored and sing with their idol?
“When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields? Before there was a dead body, Enchanted’s dreams had turned into a nightmare. Because behind Korey’s charm and star power was a controlling dark side. Now he’s dead, the police are at the door, and all signs point to Enchanted.”
This is a difficult and important read about listening to women, especially Black women, and about how young girls can be targeted by older men. Enchanted was just a child who liked Disney movies and her life is turned upside down by Korey. I can’t wait to read the two books by Jackson that I haven’t yet.
Title: Three Single Wives
Author: Gina LaManna
Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark, 9/1/20
Source: Publisher via NetGalley and paperback from a friend
Why I Read It: Received for my review and Buddy Read
My Rating: 3 Stars
I found this one to be a bit boring with annoying characters. There is a murder and the question is who did it and why.
“When Anne Wilkes, Eliza Tate, and Penny Sands arrive at book club bearing bottles of wine, none of them are plotting to kill. But when the subject of a philandering husband arises, revenge is in the air. By the end of the night, someone is dead. Two women with rings on their fingers and one with stars in her eyes. All of them are hiding something. All of them are lying. What really happened that night? Only the guilty knows. Did one woman take everything too far, or is the truth really more twisted than fiction?”
I didn’t guess who the murderer was. The three characters are interconnected and I think this was a good concept, but didn’t work out for me overall.
Title: Unsub
Author: Meg Gardiner
Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Publisher: Dutton, 6/27/17
Source: Giveaway
Why I Read It: Book Challenge by Erin “Female Detective”
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book was on my list for awhile and I added it to my book challenge as it features a female detective. I thought it was pretty good, although some parts went slower for me.
“Caitlin Hendrix has been a Narcotics detective for six months when the killer at the heart of all her childhood nightmares reemerges: the Prophet. An UNSUB—what the FBI calls an unknown subject—the Prophet terrorized the Bay Area in the 1990s and nearly destroyed her father, the lead investigator on the case. The Prophet’s cryptic messages and mind games drove Detective Mack Hendrix to the brink of madness, and Mack’s failure to solve the series of ritualized murders—eleven seemingly unconnected victims left with the ancient sign for Mercury etched into their flesh—was the final nail in the coffin for a once promising career. Twenty years later, two bodies are found bearing the haunting signature of the Prophet. Caitlin Hendrix has never escaped the shadow of her father’s failure to protect their city. But now the ruthless madman is killing again and has set his sights on her, threatening to undermine the fragile barrier she rigidly maintains for her own protection, between relentless pursuit and dangerous obsession. Determined to decipher his twisted messages and stop the carnage, Caitlin ignores her father’s warnings as she draws closer to the killer with each new gruesome murder. Is it a copycat, or can this really be the same Prophet who haunted her childhood? Will Caitlin avoid repeating her father’s mistakes and redeem her family name, or will chasing the Prophet drag her and everyone she loves into the depths of the abyss?”
I wanted this to be more like a Criminal Minds episode than it was! But there were some exciting parts. I also have the second in the series, so I have to decide if I want to read that one soon too.
Title: The Cookbook Club
Author: Beth Harbison
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, 10/20/20
Source: TLC Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent in exchange for an Instagram post
My Rating: 4 Stars
The Cookbook Club is a book club for trying recipes, how fun does that sound? Each month, Margo, Aja, and Trista cook and try recipes from various cookbooks. Meanwhile, Margo is dealing with her husband leaving, Aja just realized she’s pregnant, and Trista is planning to open a restaurant – hence her starting the Cookbook Club.
“Margo Everson sees the call out for the cookbook club and knows she’s found her people. Recently dumped by her self-absorbed husband, who frankly isn’t much of a loss, she has little to show for her marriage but his ‘parting gift’—a dilapidated old farm house—and a collection of well-loved cookbooks. Aja Alexander just hopes her new-found friends won’t notice that that every time she looks at food, she gets queasy. It’s hard hiding a pregnancy, especially one she can’t bring herself to share with her wealthy boyfriend and his snooty mother. Trista Walker left the cutthroat world of the law behind and decided her fate was to open a restaurant…not the most secure choice ever. But there she could she indulge her passion for creating delectable meals and make money at the same time. The women bond immediately, but it’s not all popovers with melted brie and blackberry jam. Margo’s farm house is about to fall down around her ears; Trista’s restaurant needs a makeover and rat-removal fast; and as for Aja, just how long can you hide a baby bump anyway?”
I enjoyed reading about these three women. I often enjoy stories like this – where multiple stories are told and yet the women in each story interact and support each other along the way. There are recipes in the book too!
Title: George
Author: Alex Gino
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Scholastic Inc, 4/25/17
Source: Amazon
Why I Read It: The kids chose it as a read aloud
My Rating: 4 Stars
George is about a transgender girl and is meant for younger readers. My kids really enjoyed listening to me read it to them.
“When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl. George thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can’t even try out for the part . . . because she’s a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte — but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.”
George is funny and poignant as well as important. We started the book during banned books week, because of course a book about a transgender girl is banned in some places. We also learned a lot from the questions with the author at the end of the book, including ways to support, talk to, and talk about transgender people.
Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author: VE Schwab
Genre: Contemporary / Fantasy
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 10/6/20
Source: Scribd
Why I Read It: Everyone was saying it was great
My Rating: 4 Stars
So many people are loving this book! I would say I did like it, and even loved most of it, but there were a few things that brought me from giving it 5 stars down to 4 stars.
“France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.”
This book is about wanting to be loved, wanting to remembered, and wanting to leave a mark. I loved the ways that Addie found to leave her mark on the world. I also appreciated the Jewish representation in the book. What I didn’t love was the difficult relationship Addie had with Luc, as well as some slower parts. Like I mentioned though, most people loved this book!
Title: A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA, 1/29/19
Source: Amazon
Why I Read It: Book Challenge by Erin “October-ish”
My Rating: 4 Stars
This Beauty and the Beast retelling was well done. I appreciated that the fantasy world set up was easy to imagine and understand. I enjoyed the story as well.
“It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope. Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world. A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.”
I liked Harper as a hero and I appreciated the friendships in the book. I might consider reading the sequel, although I have heard that people prefer it less than the first one!
Title: For The Best
Author: Vanessa Lillie
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer, 9/8/20
Source: PR for the Author
Why I Read It: Thriller for October
My Rating: 4 Stars
The story behind For The Best is the story of female white privilege. Vanessa wanted to explore how far a white woman’s privilege goes and “what happens after a lifetime of thinking things just work out for the best.”
“When Jules Worthington-Smith’s wallet is found next to a dead man, she becomes the prime suspect in his murder. After struggling for years to build the perfect family and career, she’s dangerously close to losing everything. Sure of her innocence, Jules is desperate to clear her name. But there’s one big problem: she was blackout drunk when the murder took place and can’t remember what happened. Unsatisfied with the police’s handling of the case, Jules embarks on her own gin-fueled murder investigation. As she uncovers fresh clues, she starts a true-crime vlog that becomes a viral sensation, pushing her into the public eye. It’s not long before the ordeal forces Jules to confront her demons, including her turbulent childhood and excessive drinking. The deeper Jules digs, the more dirt she uncovers about the murder and herself. Unexpected truths pile up until she’s buried so deep even finding the killer might not be enough to set her free.”
I enjoyed this story that went deeper than the average thriller. The concept of restorative justice was also interesting to me. I also loved the thank yous to bookstagrammers in the acknowledgements!
Title: Never Have I Ever
Author: Joshilyn Jackson
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: William Morrow, 7/30/19
Source: Book Swap Gift
Why I Read It: Thriller for October
My Rating: 4 Stars
I found this thriller a bit slow to start, which is not my favorite. I prefer to get sucked in right away! It became faster towards the ending.
“Amy Whey is proud of her ordinary life and the simple pleasures that come with it—teaching diving lessons, baking cookies for new neighbors, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run their local book club. Her greatest joy is her family: her devoted professor husband, her spirited fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, her adorable infant son. And, of course, the steadfast and supportive Charlotte. But Amy’s sweet, uncomplicated life begins to unravel when the mysterious and alluring Angelica Roux arrives on her doorstep one book club night. Sultry and magnetic, Roux beguiles the group with her feral charm. She keeps the wine flowing and lures them into a game of spilling secrets. Everyone thinks it’s naughty, harmless fun. Only Amy knows better. Something wicked has come her way—a she-devil in a pricey red sports car who seems to know the terrible truth about who she is and what she once did. When they’re alone, Roux tells her that if she doesn’t give her what she asks for, what she deserves, she’s going to make Amy pay for her sins. One way or another. To protect herself and her family and save the life she’s built, Amy must beat the devil at her own clever game, matching wits with Roux in an escalating war of hidden pasts and unearthed secrets. Amy knows the consequences if she can’t beat Roux. What terrifies her is everything she could lose if she wins.”
There were some interesting twists in this one which I appreciated. It involved a lot of secrets and a bit of blackmail and contained references to disordered eating and sexual assault.
Title: Wow, No Thank You
Author: Samantha Irby
Genre: Memoir / Essays
Publisher: Random House Audio, 3/31/20
Source: Library Audio App
Why I Read It: Heard it was good
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book of essays is the type of book that makes me want to write one. A book of essays that are about the author’s life? Some of them basically being just a list of things? Sure, why not.
“Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. She has left her job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic, has published successful books and has been friendzoned by Hollywood, left Chicago, and moved into a house with a garden that requires repairs and know-how with her wife in a Blue town in the middle of a Red state where she now hosts book clubs and makes mason jar salads. This is the bourgeois life of a Hallmark Channel dream. She goes on bad dates with new friends, spends weeks in Los Angeles taking meetings with ‘tv executives slash amateur astrologers’ while being a ‘cheese fry-eating slightly damp Midwest person,’ ‘with neck pain and no cartilage in [her] knees,’ who still hides past due bills under her pillow.”
Some of the essays were funny and some were relatable, including 90s references, mental health, body issues, racism, and more. The audio is read by the author, which I always enjoy.
Title: The Girl In The Mirror
Author: Rose Carlyle
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: William Morrow, 10/20/20
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Thriller for October / Heard it was good
My Rating: 5 Stars
This was the kind of thriller I love with the writing drawing me in and the suspense keeping the pages turning. Plus it involves twins, which I love!
“Twin sisters Iris and Summer are startlingly alike, but beyond what the eye can see lies a darkness that sets them apart. Cynical and insecure, Iris has long been envious of Summer’s seemingly never-ending good fortune, including her perfect husband Adam. Called to Thailand to help her sister sail the family yacht to the Seychelles, Iris nurtures her own secret hopes for what might happen on the journey. But when she unexpectedly finds herself alone in the middle of the Indian Ocean, everything changes. When she makes it to land, Iris allows herself to be swept up by Adam, who assumes that she is Summer. Iris recklessly goes along with his mistake. Not only does she finally have the golden life she’s always envied, with her sister gone, she’s one step closer to the hundred-million-dollar inheritance left by her manipulative father. All Iris has to do is be the first of his seven children to produce an heir. Iris’s “new” life lurches between glamorous dream and paranoid nightmare. On the edge of being exposed, how far will she go to ensure no one discovers the truth? And just what did happen to Summer on that yacht?”
This book was twisty and so fun! I would say the bit about how no one could tell the twins apart, not even their family, was a little unrealistic, but letting that go, this was my favorite thriller that I read this month for sure.
Title: Foolish Hearts
Author: Emma Mills
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, 12/5/17
Source: Library
Why I Read It: Heard it was good / Liked her recent book
My Rating: 5 Stars
I picked this up somewhat randomly at the library, but I ended up loving it! It was such a sweet book with laugh out loud moments throughout.
“When Claudia accidentally eavesdrops on the epic breakup of Paige and Iris, the it-couple at her school, she finds herself in hot water with prickly, difficult Iris. Thrown together against their will in the class production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, along with the goofiest, cutest boy Claudia has ever known, Iris and Claudia are in for an eye-opening senior year.”
I loved all the friendships in this book. There was something for everyone with gaming, a school play, and boy band fangirling. It even made me cry, which hasn’t happened with a book in awhile and just makes me love it more! Her most recent book, Lucky Caller, was great too!
In conclusion, in October I read 24 books, 23 of which are reviewed in this post. This month I read 18 print books, 1 e-books, and 5 audio books. I managed to read 7 thrillers. My favorite books this month were Anxious People, Grown, Spoiler Alert, The Girl In The Mirror, and Foolish Hearts.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?