After applying to many positions with absolutely no success, Ember wonders if identifying herself as Native American on applications is part of the prAfter applying to many positions with absolutely no success, Ember wonders if identifying herself as Native American on applications is part of the problem. She decides to check the box for "White" on the next application, she is bi-racial after all, and also opts to exaggerate her experience and education a bit while she's at it. Wouldn't you know it, she scores an interview, which she aces.
Ember is determined to succeed at this fancy job which pays far more than she could have ever imagined. She is determined not to be sidetracked by the handsome IT guy she flirted with on her first day. Ember knows having a steady job with this kind of money is life changing for her and her family, and she is going to say and do whatever is needed to keep it.
There were lots of things I loved about this romance novel and some things I found incredibly irritating. I understood Ember's initial reasoning behind lying to get the job she wants, but I found it hard to stomach the way she continued to lie about even the most inconsequential things even after she realized the lying had become a problem. I wanted to yell at her. I like the love interest because he was written as an ideal boyfriend with zero flaws, which made him not quite fully believable. It was great to read from the perspective of a character who comes from a background with very little money and how different it is for her to be thrust into a corporate environment. Ember was a determined and smart woman, and I really wanted to root for her, but the constant lying made it challenging for me. Despite my issues with the book, I found the story compelling and wanted to see how things turned out for Ember. I would definitely pick up another title from this author....more
This was one of the Booker-nominated titles which I felt drawn to checkout despite the fact that the subject matter and style are not ones that call oThis was one of the Booker-nominated titles which I felt drawn to checkout despite the fact that the subject matter and style are not ones that call out to me at all. Headshot is told a bit like a collection of inter-related short stories in that it focuses on eight individual high school age girls who are competing in a national boxing tournament. We leap from the perspective of one fighter to the next as the matches are fought, learning about both the backstories and futures of these ladies. Headshot isn't so much about boxing as it is about girls at this age, their strengths, insecurities, identities, hopes, and family dynamics. While it did not have a deep impact on me, it did keep me engaged and interested throughout. ...more
DNF @ 32% - Two women meet when they share a hospital room after separate occurrences which make them both realize life is short. Kelsey is 30 and hasDNF @ 32% - Two women meet when they share a hospital room after separate occurrences which make them both realize life is short. Kelsey is 30 and has been living a life devoted to here career. The other woman is in her seventies and has been a trailblazer in her career which led to huge success with her cosmetic company. They both decide to teem for a summer of saying yes to new experiences.
This book really wasn’t doing anything wrong. The narration was good, the concept was interesting. It just all felt very bland. I wasn’t attached to either character and found myself losing interest. I know this has been working for other readers but it just wasn’t a match for me. ...more
3.5 ⭐️ - A quirky protagonist who likes everything just so is forced to reconcile with her past and her present when repressed memories begin to surfa3.5 ⭐️ - A quirky protagonist who likes everything just so is forced to reconcile with her past and her present when repressed memories begin to surface. This is a contemporary, emotional novel and not the cute mystery the cover implies, but one I found enjoyable enough to read. It has been a week or two since I finished it though and it really has not stayed with me at all. ...more
Set on a college campus and following two students and a visiting professor, this easily digestible novel examines ideas of wealth, privilege, race, aSet on a college campus and following two students and a visiting professor, this easily digestible novel examines ideas of wealth, privilege, race, and ethics at the university level. We see tensions play out between a group of dorm mates who come from different backgrounds and the instructor who is using the students to conduct research on the lives of college students.
This is very character-driven, and all of the characters make questionable decisions but each has her own complicated background at play in those decisions. Maybe in part because I work at a college, I found the novel very interesting and relevant. I’m not sure why it has such a low overall rating on here. ...more
This one started out so promising and stayed that way for the first two hundred pages or so. The premise of a solitary woman in charge of the upkeep oThis one started out so promising and stayed that way for the first two hundred pages or so. The premise of a solitary woman in charge of the upkeep of a cemetery was appealing. I was drawn in by the story and intrigued by our protagonist as we slowly learned more and more of her backstory.
Unfortunately, the story deleted into following so many other characters, many of whom I did not find interesting or particularly relevant, that I found myself losing steam and was soon just ready for the ending. I suppose that everyone and their friend having affairs and following all of those side plots did little to help my enjoyment. While I found the writing itself to be strong and the setting was lovely, the pacing and meandering left me feeling less than pleased with the book. ...more
This literary horror novel centers Ren Yu, a competitive swimmer on her high school team whose life is completely dominated by her identity as a swimmThis literary horror novel centers Ren Yu, a competitive swimmer on her high school team whose life is completely dominated by her identity as a swimmer. Ren’s only friend being her teammate, her coach looming large in her life, and her desire to be in the water growing daily.
This is a slow burn horror focusing on coming of age elements as Ren struggles with various aspects of her identity concerning race, womanhood, and being an athlete. I thought this book balanced so many themes while being raw and honest about many of the unspoken struggles girls and women face.
I am glad to have added this book to my list of “unhinged women” books I can recommend. ...more
Honestly, I was so close to DNFing this novel before things took a turn and I suddenly found myself quite invested. Margo is young, and it shows. She Honestly, I was so close to DNFing this novel before things took a turn and I suddenly found myself quite invested. Margo is young, and it shows. She is an 18-year-old college student who has an affair with her married with kids English professor only to find out that she is pregnant. She decides to keep the baby and proceeds to make absolutely no plans for how she will care and pay for the infant. Margo's passivity was too much for me in the first part of this novel, and I was getting increasingly frustrated, which is why I almost put this book down.
That's not to say that I think it was badly written. In fact, I think Margo is meant to be naïve, immature, and frustrating. Thorpe did a fantastic job of taking Margo from that place and developing her character into someone I was rooting for and cheering on as she began to make plans for herself and grow into someone who is determined to provide for herself and her child.
The book managed to blend some great, witty humor with a bunch of serious topics like addiction, sex-work, misogyny, and complicated family dynamics. It ended up being a successful mix of heart, raunchiness, and humor....more
4.5 Stars - Moving and beautifully written, this novel about motherhood speaks the quite parts out loud. I absolutely related to many parts of Soldier4.5 Stars - Moving and beautifully written, this novel about motherhood speaks the quite parts out loud. I absolutely related to many parts of Soldier's story as she recounts the exhausting, sacrificial days of becoming a mother. Soldier's husband is all but useless as his only contribution to their relationship and to fatherhood seems to be that he brings home a check. He himself is rarely home and is detached when present. Soldier falls absolutely in love with her son Sailor while losing herself, questioning her sanity, and struggling to do all that needs to be done. Despite the hard truths of this book, I did not find it depressing. Soldier is witty and the book made me laugh at several points as I rooted for her. This novel was deserving of its nomination for the Women's Prize....more
A compulsively readable literary fiction novel centering a very dysfunctional family. This one felt very much like a memoir, and I had to keep remindiA compulsively readable literary fiction novel centering a very dysfunctional family. This one felt very much like a memoir, and I had to keep reminding myself that these frustrating people who lacked any sense of healthy boundaries were fictional. If you like messy family dynamics and don't need your characters to be entirely likable, this is worth a read. ...more
Carlotta, who was formerly known as Dustin, is released from a men's prison after twenty years for her unwilling role in an armed robbery. She is on pCarlotta, who was formerly known as Dustin, is released from a men's prison after twenty years for her unwilling role in an armed robbery. She is on parole, given no resources or support, and is set up for failure from the start as she returns to a family who seemingly has no interest in her. The family home seems to be filled with partying people whom Carlotta barely recognizes, and she is trying to get her life together enough to stay out of prison and the horrors she experienced there.
While this book tackles some heave and harrowing themes, it does so using the voice of one of the most vibrant and hilarious characters I've ever read. I laughed more times than I could count while listening to this wonderfully narrated audiobook. Carlotta burst to life off the pages and made her way into my heart. Even when she was making stupid choices, I could not help but root for her. This was a wonderful reading experience....more
3.5 Stars - In this coming of age novel set in Australia, we follow Alice from her days as a little girl. She seeks solace in the beauty of nature as 3.5 Stars - In this coming of age novel set in Australia, we follow Alice from her days as a little girl. She seeks solace in the beauty of nature as she flees from her abusive father and seeks to protect her abused mother who makes excuses for him. Her world is very isolated until a life-changing event happens which brings her into the company of women who are themselves seeking solace and healing.
The Australian setting and the beautiful descriptions of the natural world were probably my favorite aspects of this novel. I enjoyed the audiobook and thought it was very well narrated. While the story kept my interest, I didn't find myself relating to Alice or caring very deeply about her or any of the side characters despite the emotional experiences she faced.
I think the lower rating for this book reflects people going into it with the wrong expectations. I would not describe this as a thriller, though I haI think the lower rating for this book reflects people going into it with the wrong expectations. I would not describe this as a thriller, though I have heard it mentioned that way several times. I would characterize it as a complex family drama with lots of suspense.
Set in Lagos, we follow hard-working, level-headed nurse Korede whose life has been turned a bit upside down by her gorgeous, fly by the seat of her pants younger sister Ayoola. Ayoola has had the misfortune of needing to off a boyfriend or two when the men crossed lines with her, and she has sought Korede's help in cleaning up these deadly messes. Seeing that this has become a bit of a pattern, Korede becomes worried when Ayoola begins flirting with the doctor/coworker Korede has befriended.
The audiobook added to my enjoyment of this compulsively readable book. Korede and Ayoola were both well-written characters and the story managed to address some more serious topics while keeping a lighter tone and quick pace. ...more
Emily Henry's novels are a ray of sunshine delivered to my door each summer, and this one was no exception. The fact that I happened to unknowingly brEmily Henry's novels are a ray of sunshine delivered to my door each summer, and this one was no exception. The fact that I happened to unknowingly bring this book on my northwestern Michigan vacation only to find that the book is actually set there only added to my delightful reading experience. I turned the pages of the novel while relaxing on Oval Beach and taking in the clear waters of Lake Michigan only to read about Daphne and Miles exploring places I had just seen.
The set up for this adult contemporary romance is that Daphne is all set to marry Peter, having uprooted her life to move in with him, she is now working as a children's librarian at the local library. With their big day very quickly approaching, Daphne is in for a huge shock when Peter comes back from his bachelor party to inform her he is leaving her for his "platonic" best friend he has known since childhood. Petra is said best friend who is leaving her boyfriend Miles in shock to move in with Peter.
This leaves Daphne with a broken engagement, no place to live, and in a town she only moved to for Peter's sake. Finding herself short on options, she asks to move in with Miles until she figures things out. When they both receive an invitation to Peter and Petra's wedding, Daphne decides to save face and get some revenge by pretending that she and Miles are dating. Well...this is a romance novel, so you can guess where that leads.
This was such a lovely slow-burn romance with the usual significant side-plots which Henry weaves into her romance novels. In this case, we learn of the complicated dynamics Daphne and Miles each have with their parents and how those have impacted the relationship choices they have made as adults. The setting and appreciation of the natural beauty of Michigan was used to great advantage, and I found myself wanting to visit several of the fictional locations Henry used for the story. I liked the way Daphne's job as a children's librarian was woven so well into the book. It wasn't just mentioned and forgotten but was used as an important part of Daphne's day to day life, and I find that is strangely uncommon in many books. Overall, this book may not have made as big of an emotional impact on me as some previous Henry novels, but I completely enjoyed my time with it and was eager to jump back into the pages every chance I had. ...more
A lovely, Sapphic coming of age love story about two friends who slowly find their way to each other’s hearts. This was beautifully written and I enjoA lovely, Sapphic coming of age love story about two friends who slowly find their way to each other’s hearts. This was beautifully written and I enjoyed it more than most YA books I try. It did not have staying power for me, though I enjoyed it while listening to the audiobook. ...more
DNF @ 4% - I started the audiobook for this one not realizing it is a middle-grade novel, which might explain why the tone felt a bit cutesy or twee tDNF @ 4% - I started the audiobook for this one not realizing it is a middle-grade novel, which might explain why the tone felt a bit cutesy or twee to me. I may come back to this when I'm in the right mood now that I know what to expect. ...more
3.5 Stars - We follow best-selling romance author Catherine who lives on the island of Corfu and is about to embark upon her fourth marriage. We also 3.5 Stars - We follow best-selling romance author Catherine who lives on the island of Corfu and is about to embark upon her fourth marriage. We also get points-of-view from her daughter Cassie, who is close to her mom and excited about the marriage, and her estranged daughter Adelaide, who lives in London and is quite skeptical about the mom who abandoned her marrying yet again.
I believe this is by fourth Sarah Morgan book, and I'd have to rank it at the bottom. All of the books focus as much if not more on the characters' personal lives and struggles than their romance storylines, which is great by me. In this one, though, the romances all felt very rushed and less than believable. Morgan also frequently writes characters who are not entirely likable, but I usually come to understand and root for them. I had a harder time getting to that place with this novel. It just failed to all come together for me. It seemed like the romance storylines of the two daughters were forced into the novel, and I would have rather focused on seeing the family dynamics playout after the secret is revealed....more
Putting this one down @ 27%. I am not connecting with this one and don't see how I am going to get to a point where I want the two main characters to Putting this one down @ 27%. I am not connecting with this one and don't see how I am going to get to a point where I want the two main characters to be together. ...more
3.5 Stars - I had fun with this contemporary romance which features two main characters with physical differences. They get together at a friend's Hal3.5 Stars - I had fun with this contemporary romance which features two main characters with physical differences. They get together at a friend's Halloween party and an unexpected pregnancy results. The communication between them was good, and I love a slow-burn. The humor didn't always land perfectly with me, and I didn't love what felt like the "cool kids" making fun of people liking nerdy hobbies, even though they end up having a change of heart. Overall, it was an enjoyable time if not a memorable one for me....more
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