Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in April 2023. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. I did end up with an additional favorite book which I’ll share here! 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: The Half Of It
Author: Juliette Fay
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: William Morrow, 4/11/23
Source: Get Red PR
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I feel like every romance lately has been second chance but this one was unique in that the second chance occurs 40 years after the relationship began! Helen and Cal were friends in high school and fell in love, but when things didn’t work out, they each made decisions that led them to today, when together with their respective grandchildren, they run into each other again.
“When 58-year-old Helen Spencer reviews her life, what she sees are the mistakes. Over the years, things seemed to go sideways incrementally, one little wrong decision at a time. She can even pinpoint where it all started to go awry: a wonderous, romantic night in the woods her senior year of high school with a boy named Cal Crosby. A night she would soon work hard to forget. Forty years, one marriage, three children, and one grandbaby later, suddenly there he is—Cal Crosby!—right in front of her with grandchildren of his own in tow. The chance to finally get some answers and sort out what happened is within reach. But Helen would much prefer to keep that night and all the fury, hurt, and sorrow that followed tightly locked away where she doesn’t have to face it. Cal Crosby, however, is ready to talk. He has no idea of the can of worms he’s about to open. In fact, he doesn’t know the half of it.”
The story is told in both the past timeline detailing their original relationship and in the present – 2021 with real life events included – namely Covid, masks, business struggles, and vaccines. I appreciated the addition of the real world that we all experienced. I loved how the author makes you feel like you really know the characters. I also liked the older characters – even older than I am!
Title: Symphony Of Secrets
Author: Brendan Slocumb
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Anchor, 4/18/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This month I read both of Brendan Slocumb books, although they are not a series – The Violin Conspiracy and Symphony of Secrets. Symphony of Secrets is about Bern, who discovers that a famous white male composer actually stole his music from a neurodivergent Black woman. The past timeline occurs in 1919-20.
“Bern Hendricks has just received the call of a lifetime. As one of the world’s preeminent experts on the famed twentieth-century composer Frederick Delaney, Bern knows everything there is to know about the man behind the music. When Mallory Roberts, a board member of the distinguished Delaney Foundation and direct descendant of the man himself, asks for Bern’s help authenticating a newly discovered piece, which may be his famous lost opera, RED, he jumps at the chance. With the help of his tech-savvy acquaintance Eboni, Bern soon discovers that the truth is far more complicated than history would have them believe. In 1920s Manhattan, Josephine Reed is living on the streets and frequenting jazz clubs when she meets the struggling musician Fred Delaney. But where young Delaney struggles, Josephine soars. She’s a natural prodigy who hears beautiful music in the sounds of the world around her. With Josephine as his silent partner, Delaney’s career takes off—but who is the real genius here? In the present day, Bern and Eboni begin to uncover more clues that indicate Delaney may have had help in composing his most successful work. Armed with more questions than answers and caught in the crosshairs of a powerful organization who will stop at nothing to keep their secret hidden, Bern and Eboni will move heaven and earth in their dogged quest to right history’s wrongs.”
This book makes you think about how collaborations work and the way fame affects a person. Delaney became more and more unhinged as his fame grew!
Title: Unearthed
Author: Meryl Frank
Genre: Non Fiction – Biography / History
Publisher: Hachette Books, 4/11/23
Source: Wunderkind PR
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Unearthed is about one woman’s search for answers about her family members lost, specifically her cousin Franya, who was a famous Yiddish theater actress in Vilna before WWII. Meryl Frank was the mayor of the town where I lived in NJ and she grew up in NJ as well. Her aunt Mollie shared their family history and gave her a book written in Yiddish which revealed the fate of her cousin Franya – but told her not to read it. Frank had the book translated by Yiddish professor Moshe Moskowitz of Rutgers – who anyone involved with Hebrew or Jewish Studies classes at Rutgers in the 80s and 90s knew – and he too told her not to read it. So she set out to research her family history herself.
“As a child, Meryl Frank was the chosen inheritor of family remembrance. Her aunt Mollie, a formidable and cultured woman, insisted that Meryl never forget who they were, where they came from, and the hate that nearly destroyed them. Over long afternoons, Mollie told her about the city, the theater, and, above all else, Meryl’s cousin, the radiant Franya Winter. Franya was the leading light of Vilna’s Yiddish theater, a remarkable and precocious woman who cast off the restrictions of her Hasidic family and community to play roles as prostitutes and bellhops, lovers and nuns. Yet there was one thing her aunt Mollie would never tell Meryl: how Franya died. Before Mollie passed away, she gave Meryl a Yiddish book containing the terrible answer, but forbade her to read it. And for years, Meryl obeyed. Unearthed is the story of Meryl’s search for Franya and a timely history of hatred and resistance. Through archives across four continents, by way of chance encounters and miraculous discoveries, and eventually, guided by the shocking truth recorded in the pages of the forbidden book, Meryl conjures the rogue spirit of her cousin—her beauty and her tragedy. Meryl’s search reveals a lost world destroyed by hatred, illuminating the cultural haven of Vilna and its resistance during World War II. As she seeks to find her lost family legacy, Meryl looks for answers to the questions that have defined her life: what is our duty to the past? How do we honor such memories while keeping them from consuming us? And what do we teach our children about tragedy?”
This is the story of a particular family, but it also includes that of others the research revealed, as well as some of the history of Vilna and Yiddish theater. Some of the historical parts were slower than the stories of individual people. The mystery of what happened to Franya in particular was eventually revealed.
Title: Murder Your Employer
Author: Rupert Holmes
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon and Schuster Audio, 2/21/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
I started out reading this book in print but pretty quickly switched to audio. This book takes place at a school for “homocidal arts,” where the students learn about how to delete someone – but only if that deletion is ethical. It features three main characters and their stories – Cliff, Gemma, and Doria.
“Who hasn’t wondered for a split second what the world would be like if a person who is the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you’ve probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death. The campus of this ‘Poison Ivy League’ college—its location unknown to even those who study there—is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate…and where one’s mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live.”
To be honest, I found that I zoned out most of this book and I couldn’t really tell you what happened. I continued because Rupert Holmes wrote the song Escape and I love it, Neil Patrick Harris is one of the narrators, and I heard the second half was better than the first. It’s a unique book that I’m sure has its fans!
Title: If We’re Being Honest
Author: Cat Shook
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Celadon, 4/18/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I was intrigued by the cover and the description of this being a book about a large family and what happens when a bombshell is dropped at the funeral of the family patriarch.
“When Gerry, the beloved Williams patriarch, dies suddenly, his grandchildren flock from across the country to the family home in Eulalia, Georgia. But when Gerry’s best friend steps up to the microphone to deliver his eulogy, the funeral turns out unlike anyone expected. The cousins, left reeling and confused, cope with their fresh grief and various private dramas. Delia, recently heartbroken, refuses to shut up about her ex. Her sister Alice, usually confident, flusters when she spots her high school sweetheart, hiding a secret that will change both of their lives. Outspoken, affable Grant is preening in the afterglow of his recent appearance on The Bachelorette and looking to reignite an old flame with the least available person in town. Meanwhile, his younger brother Red, unsure of himself and easily embarrassed, desperately searches for a place in the boisterous family. The cousins’ eccentric parents are in tow, too, and equally lost―in love and in life. Watching over them all is Ellen, Gerry’s sweet and proper widow, who does her best to keep her composure in front of the leering small town.”
Although this book has an interesting style in which an omniscient narrator is able to explain the feelings of all the characters at once, I did enjoy reading about this family. The younger generation were in their 20s and 30s but I thought they acted more like teenagers and I kept having to remind myself they were older. There are also neighbors in the story and I was impressed I was able to keep everyone straight!
Title: Lia and Beckett’s Abracadabra
Author: Amy Noelle Parks
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, 7/5/22
Source: Library Audio
Why I Read It: Buddy Read
My Rating: 4 Stars
Lia’s grandmother and Beckett’s grandfather did a magic act together. Now Lia and Beckett are competing in a magic contest and Lia has to prove that female magicians are more than just props. Meanwhile, she falls for Beckett, who has been hurt in the past.
“Seventeen-year-old Lia Sawyer is thrilled to get a mysterious invitation from her grandmother to compete in a stage magic contest––even though her parents object. But she’s going to be judged by a bunch of old-school magicians who think that because she’s a girl, her only magical talents lie in wearing sparkly dresses, providing distractions, and getting sawed, crushed, or stretched. And Lia can’t ask her grandmother for help because she’s disappeared, leaving behind only her best magic tricks, a few obscure clues, and an order to stay away from Blackwell boys, the latest generation of a rival magic family. Lia totally plans to follow her grandmother’s rule––until the cute boy she meets on the beach turns out to be Beckett Blackwell, son of the biggest old guard magical family there is.”
This was a fun book that made me want to learn magic!
Title: Hello Beautiful
Author: Ann Napolitano
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: The Dial Press, 3/14/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I loved Ann Napolitano’s book Dear Edward so I was excited to read this one as well. Hello Beautiful is a loose retelling of Little Women, featuring four sisters who somewhat represent the four sisters in Little Women.
“William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him—so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos. But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?”
This is a family saga, with the added character of William, who did not grow up in a close family like the sisters. When he meets Julia, he is welcomed to the family as well. William, Julia, and the next oldest sister Sylvie provide the main viewpoints of the story. There is loss and family estrangement, and family relationships and mental health are a theme. I think if you like character driven novels, this will be a hit for you. For me, it was good, but I definitely didn’t love it as I did Dear Edward. (Also, how do you have a character living in NYC in the early 2000s and not mention 9/11??)
Title: Only The Beautiful
Author: Susan Meissner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Berkley, 4/18/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Susan Meissner is an amazing historical fiction writer and I loved this book, which is told in two parts. The first is about Rosie, who is sent to an institution when she becomes pregnant at 17, and Helen, who is a nanny in Vienna during WWII.
“California, 1938—When she loses her parents in an accident, sixteen-year-old Rosanne is taken in by the owners of the vineyard where she has lived her whole life as the vinedresser’s daughter. She moves into Celine and Truman Calvert’s spacious house with a secret, however—Rosie sees colors when she hears sound. She promised her mother she’d never reveal her little-understood ability to anyone, but the weight of her isolation and grief prove too much for her. Driven by her loneliness she not only breaks the vow to her mother, but in a desperate moment lets down her guard and ends up pregnant. Banished by the Calverts, Rosanne believes she is bound for a home for unwed mothers, and having lost her family she treasures her pregnancy as the chance for a future one. But she soon finds out she is not going to a home of any kind, but to a place far worse than anything she could have imagined.
Austria, 1947—After witnessing firsthand Adolf Hitler’s brutal pursuit of hereditary purity—especially with regard to ‘different children’—Helen Calvert, Truman’s sister, is ready to return to America for good. But when she arrives at her brother’s peaceful vineyard after decades working abroad, she is shocked to learn what really happened nine years earlier to the vinedresser’s daughter, a girl whom Helen had long ago befriended. In her determination to find Rosanne, Helen discovers that while the war had been won in Europe, there are still terrifying battles to be fought at home.”
I loved how this book related the ways that the Nazis were focused on perfect humans to the eugenics and forced sterilization laws in the U.S. Helen was a great character, fighting to make a difference due to what she saw happen in Europe. I definitely enjoyed Rosie too, and felt for her as she dealt with having synesthesia and worrying about passing this along to her child.
Title: A Work in Progress
Author: Jarrett Lerner
Genre: Middle Grade Verse
Publisher: Aladdin, 5/2/23
Source: Storygram Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This is a book in verse and illustration about body image. A boy was called fat and he never forgot it. He starts trying to hide himself and eventually begins disordered eating.
“Will is the only round kid in a school full of string beans. So he hides…in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, in the back row during class, and anywhere but the cafeteria during lunch. But shame isn’t the only feeling that dominates Will’s life. He’s also got a crush on a girl named Jules who knows he doesn’t have a chance with—string beans only date string beans—but he can’t help wondering what if? Will’s best shot at attracting Jules’s attention is by slaying the Will Monster inside him by changing his eating habits and getting more exercise. But the results are either frustratingly slow or infuriatingly unsuccessful, and Will’s shame begins to morph into self-loathing. As he resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance, Will meets skateboarder Markus, who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress.”
Some of the story was hard to read as I felt so badly for Will. This is an important read as you rarely see stories about boys dealing with this issue.
Title: Shadows We Carry
Author: Meryl Ain
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: SparkPress, 4/25/23
Source: Suzy Approved Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars (Rounded up to 4)
This is the sequel to The Takeaway Men, which was gifted to me previously, but I haven’t yet read. Even so, I was able to jump into this continuation which follows Bronka and Jojo as they experience various events that effected Jewish immigrants beginning in the 1960s.
“In this eagerly anticipated sequel to Meryl Ain’s award-winning post-Holocaust novel The Takeaway Men, we follow Bronka and JoJo Lubinski as they find themselves on the cusp of momentous change for women in the late 1960s. With the United States in the grip of political and social upheaval, the twins and a number of their peers, including a Catholic priest and the son of a Nazi, struggle with their family’s ancestry and how much influence it has on their lives. Meanwhile, both young women seek to define their roles as women, and as individuals.”
One of the main themes throughout the book is women in the workplace and the balance a woman had to consider if she also wanted to start a family. As a journalist, Bronka experiences these issues first hand. Another theme is the family histories that the characters take with them, for Bronka as well as for a Catholic priest and for a son of a Nazi. I found that the historical events mentioned were glossed over and needed more attention for the story to be effective. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed seeing their lives progress over time.
There you have it, the rest of my April reading! This post included 10 of the books I read in April. Of these books, 8 were print and 2 were audio books. Genres included mystery, rom com, non fiction, historical fiction, contemporary, literary, and verse. One of these was YA and one was middle grade. It was interesting to me that this month I read two books with characters who have synesthesia, two books by authors named Meryl, two that start with the word If, and two that contain the word Beautiful.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?