It’s time for my first half of November book review post! I am sharing what I read in November so far, although I am skipping my 5 star reads to share later in the month. 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: Hidden Truths
Author: Elly Swartz
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Delacorte, 10/31/23
Source: Storygram Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Hidden Truths is about “changing friendships, the lies we tell, the secrets we keep, and the healing power of forgiveness.” Dani and Eric are best friends. Dani has made the boys’ baseball team and is super excited for the season to start. When she and Eric go camping, an accident occurs and she is injured and probably won’t be able to play baseball. Eric isn’t sure if he caused the accident – he is forgetful and might have forgotten something that caused the accident. He is determined to find out what happened and to make it right.
“Dani and Eric have been best friends since Dani moved next door in second grade. They bond over donuts, comic books, and camping on the Cape. Until one summer when everything changes. Did Eric cause the accident that leaves Dani unable to do the one thing in the world she most cares about? The question plagues him, and he will do anything to get answers about the explosion that injured her. But Dani is hurting too much to want Eric to pursue the truth—she just wants to shut him out and move on. Besides, Eric has a history of dropping things he starts. Eric knows that and is determined that this will be the one time he follows through. But what if his pursuit brings him into direct conflict with another friend? Where does Eric’s loyalty really lie?”
I enjoyed this story about friendship, forgiveness, the truth, and finding your true self. Eric and Dani both make other friends who may not be who they seem. Through their dual viewpoints, you get to know them both and to understand their personalities well.
Title: Mother, Can You Not?
Author: Kate Siegel
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Crown Archetype, 4/5/16
Source: Publisher for Jewish Heritage Month 2022
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
Last year, Random House allowed its Jewish influencers to pick out some books during Jewish Heritage Month. Mother, Can You Not? was one that I picked. It is by the person behind the Crazy Jewish Mom instagram account, where she shares invasive and over bearing texts from her mom. This book goes more into their relationship and showed me that her mom is pretty crazy, but there wasn’t much Jewish content unless you buy into the stereotypical behavior of Jewish mothers in general!
“There is nothing more wonderful than a mother’s love. There is also nothing more annoying. Who else can proudly insist that you’re perfect while simultaneously making you question every career, fashion, and relationship decision you have ever made? No one understands the delicate mother-daughter dynamic better than Kate Siegel—her own mother drove her so crazy that she decided to broadcast their hilarious conversations on Instagram. Soon, hundreds of thousands of people were following their daily text exchanges, eager to see what outrageous thing Kate’s mom would do next. Now, in Mother, Can You NOT?, Kate pays tribute to the woman who invented the concept of drone parenting. From embarrassing moments (like crashing Kate’s gynecological exams) to outrageous stories (like the time she made Kate steal a cat from the pound) to hilarious celebrations (including but not limited to parties for Kate’s menstrual cycles), Mother, Can you NOT? lovingly lampoons the lengths to which our mothers will go to better our lives (even if it feels like they’re ruining them in the process).”
This book just had me rolling my eyes and thanking God that while I consider myself close with Gabbie, I am nothing like the crazy mom in these stories!
Title: Silence For The Dead
Author: Simone St. James
Genre: Historical Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: Berkley, 7/4/23 (reissue)
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
I loved Simone St. James’s book The Sundown Motel but I haven’t liked her other books as much as that one. This is a paranormal historical mystery about a post World War I hospital for soldiers with PTSD. There are also ghosts.
“In 1919, Kitty Weekes, pretty, resourceful, and on the run, falsifies her background to obtain a nursing position at Portis House, a remote hospital for soldiers left shell-shocked by the horrors of the Great War. Hiding the shame of their mental instability in what was once a magnificent private estate, the patients suffer from nervous attacks and tormenting dreams. But something more is going on at Portis House—its plaster is crumbling, its plumbing makes eerie noises, and strange breaths of cold waft through the empty rooms. It’s known that the former occupants left abruptly, but where did they go? And why do the patients all seem to share the same nightmare, one so horrific that they dare not speak of it? Kitty finds a dangerous ally in Jack Yates, an inmate who may be a war hero, a madman… or maybe both. But even as Kitty and Jack create a secret, intimate alliance to uncover the truth, disturbing revelations suggest the presence of powerful spectral forces. And when a medical catastrophe leaves them even more isolated, they must battle the menace on their own, caught in the heart of a mystery that could destroy them both.”
I didn’t really understand the plot or the ghosts and was somewhat bored after the middle or so. Sometimes I regret not stopping a book once I find myself unable to concentrate (though that happens pretty often these days)!
Title: Do Your Worst
Author: Rosie Danan
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 11/14/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Do Your Worst is not like Rosie Danan’s previous two books, although it still contains plenty of steam. It is a solid rom com with characters that I enjoyed. Clark is an archaeologist and Riley is a curse breaker. They are enemies, but the curse may cause them to fall for each other.
“Riley Rhodes finally has the chance to turn her family’s knack for the supernatural into a legitimate business when she’s hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. Used to working alone in her alienating occupation, she’s pleasantly surprised to meet a handsome stranger upon arrival—until he tries to get her fired. Fresh off a professional scandal, Clark Edgeware can’t allow a self-proclaimed ‘curse breaker’ to threaten his last chance for redemption. After he fails to get Riley kicked off his survey site, he vows to avoid her. Unfortunately for him, she vows to get even. Riley expects the curse to do her dirty work by driving Clark away, but instead, they keep finding themselves in close proximity. Too close. Turns out, the only thing they do better than fight is fool around. If they’re not careful, by the end of all this, more than the castle will end up in ruins.”
Both characters deal with family issues and must learn to make their individual strengths work together. The Scottish castle made for a fun setting, and Riley being from South Jersey was fun as well. I mostly enjoyed this one.
Title: See You On Venus
Author: Victoria Vinuesa
Genre: YA Romance
Publisher: Delacorte, 9/5/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
This was a very cheesy and unrealistic romance about two teens who run off to Spain to search for Mia’s biological mother. Mia has a heart condition for which she needs immediate surgery, but she wants to find her mother first. She meets Kyle, who is dealing with suicidal ideation after a car accident killed his best friend, and convinces him to help her with her quest.
“Mia has had a heart condition her whole life. She’s not afraid of dying but something has always stopped her from her biggest fear: tracking down her biological mother in Spain…until now. Before her next surgery, Mia wants to meet the woman who gave her away once and for all. Kyle has always been the life of the party…that was until the car accident that killed his best friend. Since then he’s been reeling with guilt and willing to do just about anything to escape his reality. After a twist of fate, Mia and Kyle meet and make the decision to travel to Spain together in search of answers they both desperately need to mend their broken hearts…but did the universe bind them together to change how they feel about death and love forever?”
This book held my attention and I think younger readers who love emotional manipulation will appreciate this one more than I did! It is also currently adapted as a movie, I believe on Netflix.
Title: If You’ll Have Me
Author: Eunnie
Genre: YA Graphic Novel
Publisher: Viking Books For Young Readers, 10/17/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This was a very cute graphic novel and I loved the illustration style of the graphics. It is about Momo, who is always doing things for others, and PG, who is known as a player. When they start hanging out, Momo finds it hard to trust that PG likes her.
“Momo Gardner is the kind of friend who’s always ready to lend a helping hand. She’s introverted, sensitive, and maybe a little too trusting, but she likes to believe the best in people. PG, on the other hand, is a bit of a lone wolf, despite her reputation for being a flirt and a player. Underneath all that cool mystery, she’s actually quick to smile, and when she falls for someone, she falls hard. An unexpected meet-cute brings the two together, kicking off the beginning of an awkward yet endearing courtship—but with their drastically different personalities, Momo’s overprotective friend, and PG’s past coming back to haunt her, Momo and PG’s romance is put to the test.”
I was at times confused by the story, as I think some of the scenes took place in the past, but while I was reading, I thought they were in present time. I also had questions about Momo’s relationship with a different character in the story. At the same time, the graphics were great and the story was short and sweet.
Title: Last Word To The Wise
Author: Ann Claire
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Bantam, 10/3/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Last Word To the Wise is the second book in the mystery series about the Christie sisters and the bookshop they own in Last Word, CO. In this one, Ellie and Meg’s cousin Lorna starts a dating service, and the man she sets up with Meg is murdered after their date.
“Sisters Ellie and Meg Christie share a love of books, reading, and their new roles as co-caretakers of the Book Chalet, their family’s historic bookshop tucked midway up a scenic Colorado mountain. But romance? That’s another story. Ellie and Meg joke that they’re in sisterly competition for worst relationships. So when their cousin signs them up for her newest business endeavor—matchmaking based on bookish tastes—the sisters approach their blind double dates with foot-dragging dread. While Ellie’s date meets her low expectations, Meg’s match, a book-loving romantic straight out of classic literature, charms her over a lovely dinner. The next morning, Meg is giddy with anticipation of a second date—until she’s stood up without a word. She fumes that she should have known better. However, her date had a good reason for ghosting her: He’s dead. Murdered, the police later confirm. As the last known person to see the victim alive, Meg becomes a prime suspect in his death. She grimly quips that at least her dating record can’t get any worse. But it does. A thorn from Meg’s romantic past returns to their little town of Last Word, espousing motives too sweet to believe. To sleuth out the truth, the sisters must sift through secrets deeper than the February snowfall. Clues accumulate, but so do suspects, crimes, and betrayals. Ellie and Meg can’t afford to leave any page unturned. Romance may not be their forte, but hearts and lives are on the line, and the Christies know how to solve a mystery—especially when murder is involved.”
I enjoyed the book, although I found some of it a tad bit slow. I guessed the murderer pretty easily, but I was not sure why it happened!
This post includes 7 of the books I read this month. I read all of these books in print. 4 were adult books, 2 were YA, and 1 was middle grade. Genres included contemporary, memoir, rom com / romance, graphic novel, and mystery.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?