Here are my goodreads reviews. If you’re on goodreads, add me as a friend so I can see your books too! I also have an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
Say You Still Love Me (4 stars): This was my second novel by K. A. Tucker and I enjoyed it just as much as my first. I like the characters. Just like The Simple Wild, it was a really fast read and it definitely was fun and sweet. It’s light and yet the characters aren’t cartoonish and there are some serious topics to show that they are real characters with complicated lives, making sometimes poor and sometimes wise decisions. I enjoyed the alternating camp scenes and how they were as kids vs now. If this genre of books is your cup of tea, you’ll enjoy this one.
The Better Liar (3 stars): This book kept me reading without wanting to take a break. I think I sort of guessed some of the twists but I still thought it was cleverly done. I am a bit sick of twists to be honest and what I enjoyed the most about this book was that it had a mix of character development and twists. It wasn’t all plot all the time. I also thought the pacing and atmosphere were both really well done and you could almost feel the unease of the main character the whole way through.
The Bookworm Crush (3.5 stars): I went into this book blind and had no idea if it was a series or if it was YA vs adult. I wanted something light and I loved the idea of reading about a bookwork. The book didn’t disappoint. I loved reading about the shenanigans of Amy and Toff. Laughed at the instagram references, enjoyed the more honest conversations and mostly just enjoyed my time with this light and sweet story.
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavendar (5 stars): Oh my heart. I know that magical realism isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and I know that this book is so so so sad. But it’s also so very magnificent and it’s one of the most beautifully written books I’ve read in a long time. There are so many characters in this short book and yet each of them is textured, memorable and plays an important role in the telling of this story. The atmosphere of the book is so pronounced that you can’t help but feel like you’ve become a part of the story as you read it. It’s rare when the writing, setting, characters and plot are all well-done. In this exquisite story, they really are. I loved the time I spent with this beautiful story.
The Wives (2 stars): Oh goodness. I am not even sure what to say about this story except that I read the reviews and knew this was going to be tricky so I am not sure why I decided to read it after all that. The beginning of the book was actually interesting and I liked both the pacing and the characters but then there’s twists and this might be one of the worst ones I’ve ever seen where the entire book just falls apart and you’re left thinking “seriously?!” or at least I was. It felt like the author had the idea for an interesting story but really didn’t know what to do with it so just gave up halfway and made it into a mess. I was so very disappointed in this one.
Home Making (4 stars): “You don’t just get pregnant, suffer the nine months, give birth, and become Mother. You choose this title.”
I was surprised by the mixed reviews on this novel. The writing is unusual and a bit of a stream of consciousness-like, but in my opinion that didn’t get in the way of this beautiful story. I loved this story because it’s the kind of novel I enjoy the most: quiet with characters that are interesting and writing that’s thoughtful.
“Some women do this all their lives. Iron, rear, sweep, wash, fold, brush, wipe. For the entirety of their adult lives, they make homes. They make other people. They make families. This is just to say that what I’m doing is not so unusual. It’s the opposite. This act is completely mundane. But no one talks about how difficult it is. I don’t think it’s any easier for a woman with a pretty husband and a pretty six-year-old daughter. Beneath the prettiness, we are all a mess. We are all struggling.”
I loved the quiet nature of this novel. The characters grew on me as I read, I loved the quiet atmosphere of home making, the juxtaposition of illness, motherhood, friendship and people quietly taking care of each other, needing each other, building lives together.
“In this moment you know that for all the trauma you have suffered, for all the suffering you have witnessed, you know there is no love greater than this and you believe in God.”
I loved the writing. I loved the mother-daughter relationship. I loved the way the whole book grew on me as I read it. I found myself rooting for the characters, rooting for everyone to make the homes they wish to have, to fell full. The find their own homes.
If quiet novels are your thing, too, you will like this one.
with gratitude to edelweiss and Harper Perennial for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
And there we go, another week of reading in 2020.
Books I Read this Week 2020 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2020 here. I am also tracking my books in real time on Good Reads here. If you’re on Good Reads add me so I can follow you, too! I’ve also started an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
Leave a Reply