It’s time for my first half of May book review! I am sharing what I read in May so far, although I am skipping a few 5 star reads to share later in the month. I did read one other book for a book tour that I will review separately on Monday. 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!
Title: Maizy Chen’s Last Chance
Author: Lisa Yee
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Random House, 2/1/22
Source: Storygram Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Maizy Chen and her mother head to Last Chance, MN to visit Maizy’s grandparents, who run a Chinese restaurant there. This book was a great way to kick off AAPI Heritage Month.
“Maizy has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota . . . until now. Her mom’s plan is just to stay for a couple weeks, until her grandfather gets better. But plans change, and as Maizy spends more time in Last Chance (where she and her family are the only Asian Americans) and at the Golden Palace—the restaurant that’s been in her family for generations—she makes some discoveries. For instance:
• You can tell a LOT about someone by the way they order food.
• And people can surprise you. Sometimes in good ways, sometimes in disappointing ways.
• And the Golden Palace has secrets.
But the more Maizy discovers, the more questions she has. Like, why are her mom and her grandmother always fighting? Who are the people in the photographs on the office wall? And when she discovers that a beloved family treasure has gone missing—and someone has left a racist note—Maizy decides it’s time to find the answers.”
I truly enjoyed reading this and learning about Maizy’s family history along with her, as her grandfather told her the story of his great-grandfather’s immigration to America and the Chinese experience at the time. And now I want some cream cheese wontons!
Title: The Worst Best Man
Author: Mia Sosa
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Avon, 2/4/20
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Wanted to read first in series before second
My Rating: 3.5 Stars (Rounded down to 3)
When Lina is dumped on her wedding day with the message coming from her fiance’s brother Max, Lina declares him the worst best man. Awhile later, she is surprised when she needs to work with the brothers on a PR pitch for her to become the wedding planner for a fancy hotel.
“A wedding planner left at the altar? Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch… she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials. Marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning—absolutely off-limits—ex-fiancée. And she loathes him. If they can nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own. Soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again…”
This was somewhat of a hate to forbidden love relationship. I didn’t fully feel the chemistry between Max and Lina and I couldn’t tell apart the character’s voices in their alternating chapters. I did like the Brazilian culture described in the book.
Title: The Love Connection
Author: Denise Williams
Genre: Rom Com Novella
Publisher: Penguin Audio, 4/5/22
Source: Publisher Audio App
Why I Read It: Sounded fun
My Rating: 4 Stars
This is the first of three novellas in the Airport Novellas series from Denise Williams. I haven’t read her full length novels although I own one of them and want to read it! I decided to introduce myself to her style by listening to this novella.
“Ollie Wright loves the thrill of taking chances, like opening a pet grooming salon in an airport where every day is a little unpredictable. The one thing she won’t risk is her heart, so catching glimpses of a cute stranger from afar is enough romantic entanglement for her. Bennett Baker is a professional risk assessor by day while writing popular romance novels at night, except he finds himself facing writer’s block. His life of carefully planned stability comes crashing down when he rescues a slippery pup in the airport and returns it to the enchanting pet groomer whose laugh inspires him to start writing again. Their chance encounter and instant chemistry thrusts them into a whirlwind of airport dates at pretzel kiosks, stolen glances at empty gates, and late-night texts that leave them swooning. If the risk-adverse Bennett can take a chance on uncertainty and adventurous Ollie will break her own rule, their relationship might stop taxiing and actually take off.”
Overall it was a cute listen but I definitely like Ali Hazelwood’s novellas more!
Title: Buried In A Good Book
Author: Tamara Berry
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 5/24/22
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Buried In A Good Book was a fun book in the cozy mystery genre. This book features thriller writer Tess Harrow, who somewhat reminded me of Finlay Donovan, as she immersed herself in an investigation and used what was happening as ideas for her current work in progress. She compares her fictional detective to the local sheriff, who is a lot more “by the book” than the fiction version, hence the name of this new series – By The Book.
“Bestselling thriller writer Tess Harrow is almost at the end of her rope when she arrives with her teenage daughter at her grandfather’s rustic cabin in the woods. She hopes this will be a time for them to heal and bond after Tess’s recent divorce, but they’ve barely made it through the door when an explosion shakes the cabin. Suddenly it’s raining fish guts and…is that a human arm? Tess was hardly convincing Gertie that a summer without Wi-Fi and running water would be an adventure. Now she’s thrust into a murder investigation, neighbors are saying they’ve spotted Bigfoot in the woods near her cabin, and the local sheriff is the spitting image of her character Detective Gabriel Gonzales―something he’s less than thrilled about. With so much more than her daughter’s summer plans at stake, it’s up to Tess to solve this case before anyone else gets hurt.”
This funny story featured Tess’s daughter Gertie and a fun cast of townspeople that I will look forward to reading more about as the series continues.
Title: Other People’s Children
Author: Jeff Hoffman
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 4/5/22 (re-release)
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars (Rounded down to 3)
This is a book about infertility, adopting, and birth parents raising their children. I guess it is meant to make you think about which home would be best for the child, when her birth mother doesn’t have a wonderful living situation.
“As soon as Gail and Jon Durbin bring home their adopted baby Maya, she becomes the glue that mends their fractured marriage. But the Durbin’s social worker, Paige, can’t find the teenage birth mother to sign the consent forms. By law, Carli has seventy-two hours to change her mind. Without her signature, the adoption will unravel. Carli is desperate to pursue her dreams, so giving her baby a life with the Durbins seems like the right choice—until her own mother throws down an ultimatum. Soon Carli realizes how few choices she has. As the hours tick by, Paige knows that the Durbins’ marriage won’t survive the loss of Maya, but everyone’s life is shattered when they—and baby Maya—disappear without a trace.”
The book is told from the viewpoints of the women in the story, which somewhat rubbed me the wrong way, since their voices are written by a man. I found some of the writing to be stereotypical and I especially didn’t enjoy the way the social worker was repeatedly described as overweight. I think the story was meant to be similar to Little Fires Everywhere, and I saw that the author acknowledged Celeste Ng as one of his writing inspirations. Unfortunately, his writing just didn’t live up to hers.
Title: I Want To Be Where the Normal People Are
Author: Rachel Bloom
Genre: Memoir / Essays
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 11/17/20 (paperback out 4/5/22)
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
I have never watched Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, nor was I familiar with Rachel Bloom as a comedian, but I related to the title and the fact that she is Jewish and wanted to read her book. I think her humor ended up being little crass for my preferences.
“Rachel Bloom has felt out of place her whole life, whether in the hallowed halls of Manhattan Beach Middle School or on Twitter. So she’s decided to figure out exactly what makes her so different. I WANT TO BE WHERE THE NORMAL PEOPLE ARE is a hilarious exploration of all of Rachel Bloom’s formative missteps, mishaps, and misanthropic moments. In a collection of laugh-out-loud funny essays, all told in the unique voice (sometimes singing voice) that made her a star, Rachel writes about everything she thought made her abnormal, from her struggles with mental health, to her love of Disney and Spanx, to the story of how she didn’t poop in the toilet until she was four. Her stories are hilarious, smart, and infinitely relatable (except for the pooping thing).”
I appreciated the bits about being different as a child, mental illness, and realizing that bullies had vulnerabilities too. The book contains essays as well as songs, poems, fanfic, and an essay written from her dog’s viewpoint. Some of it was funny, but a lot relied on the crass humor that I didn’t love.
Title: The Shore
Author: Katie Runde
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Scribner, 5/24/22
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
This book was too character driven for my preferences. It moved slowly and I found that I was bored. With a cover like that, I thought it would be a thriller!
“Brian and Margot Dunne live year-round in Seaside, just steps away from the bustling boardwalk, with their daughters Liz and Evy. The Dunnes run a real estate company, making their living by quickly turning over rental houses for tourists. But the family’s future becomes even more precarious when Brian develops a brain tumor, transforming into a bizarre, erratic version of himself. Amidst the chaos and new caretaking responsibilities, Liz still seeks out summer adventure and flirting with a guy she should know better than to pursue. Her younger sister Evy works in a candy shop, falls in love with her friend Olivia, and secretly adopts the persona of a middle-aged mom in an online support group, where she discovers her own mother’s most vulnerable confessions. Meanwhile, Margot faces an impossible choice driven by grief, impulse, and the ways that small-town life in Seaside has shaped her. Falling apart is not an option, but she can always pack up and leave the beach behind.”
This is a story about two teenage sisters and their mom after their dad gets a brain tumor that changes his personality. I would have liked to feel more emotion from the writing with a subject like this one.
Title: The Wedding Crasher
Author: Mia Sosa
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Avon, 4/5/22
Source: TLC Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars (Rounded up to 4)
The second book in the same series as The Worst Best Man, The Wedding Crasher features Lina’s cousin Solange, as well as Max’s best friend Dean. Solange overhears Dean’s fiancee telling another man she loves him and interrupts and stops their wedding.
“Just weeks away from ditching DC for greener pastures, Solange Pereira is roped into helping her wedding planner cousin on a random couple’s big day. It’s an easy gig… until Solange stumbles upon a situation that convinces her the pair isn’t meant to be. What’s a true-blue romantic to do? Crash the wedding, of course. And ensure the unsuspecting groom doesn’t make the biggest mistake of his life. Dean Chapman had his future all mapped out. He was about to check off ‘start a family’ and on track to ‘make partner’ when his modern day marriage of convenience went up in smoke. Then he learns he might not land an assignment that could be his ticket to a promotion unless he has a significant other and, in a moment of panic, Dean claims to be in love with the woman who crashed his wedding. Oops. Now Dean has a whole new item on his to-do list: beg Solange to be his pretend girlfriend. Solange feels a tiny bit bad about ruining Dean’s wedding, so she agrees to play along. Yet as they fake-date their way around town, what started as a performance for Dean’s colleagues turns into a connection that neither he nor Solange can deny. Their entire romance is a sham… there’s no way these polar opposites could fall in love for real, right?”
Solange and Dean decide to fake date each other due to a work situation and of course, they find themselves attracted to each other. I liked the ending of this book, but I don’t love the author’s writing.
Title: I Kissed Shara Wheeler
Author: Casey McQuiston
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 5/3/22
Source: Libro.fm
Why I Read It: Thought it would be good
My Rating: 4 Stars
This is Casey McQuiston’s first YA and I think it would be great for the intended age reader. I like a lot of YA books but this one was more drama filled and angsty than I like! On the other hand, the LGBTQ+ representation was well done.
“Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and the puritanical administration of Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny. But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes. On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair and square. Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe―probably not, but maybe―more to Shara, too.”
I really didn’t like Chloe Green but I did like her newfound friendship with Smith and Rory. I liked the theme of discovering truths about yourself at the very end of high school. This would make for a good read for an almost graduated senior!
There you have it – 9 of the books I read this month. Of these books, 7 were print and 2 were audio. 7 were adult and 1 was YA, and 1 was Middle Grade. Genres included contemporary, rom com, memoir, mystery, and literary.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?