Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I am finally calling it. I am very sad to say that this book will be a DNF for me at 41%. I tried it five different times across several months and I just could never get into the story. It’s not just that there are a lot of characters, it’s also that their voice isn’t different enough to keep the story interesting. It’s also that I couldn’t get myself to care about any of the characters and that’s tough for a character-driven story. I love and adore Acevedo and I will still read anything she writes no matter what. I am sure I will be in the minority on this one so if you’ve loved Acevedo and her work as much as I have I still recommend you give this a try because it’s full of her beautiful, poetic writing.

with gratitude to netgalley and Ecco for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Life can be long or short, it is impossible to know, but every once in a while an entire life is spent in one night, the night when the windows are open and you can hear the last of the crickets’ call, when there is a chill in the air and the stars are bright, when nothing else matters, when a single kiss lasts longer than a lifetime, when you do not think about the future or the past, or whether or not you are walking through a dream rather than the real world, when everything you have always wanted and everything you are fated to mourn forever are tied together with black thread and then sewn with your own hand, when in the morning, as you wake and see the mountain in the distance, you will understand that whether or not you’ve made a mistake, whether or not you will lose all that you have, this is what it means to be human.”

This is a really unusual book. It starts with Ivy who gets pregnant as a teenager by a college kid who is not interested in having anything to do with her. She then joins a commune that’s more like a cult and has her kid. The story then shifts to the kid who ends up growing up and running away partly as a result of reading The Scarlet Letter.

“Ivy had begun to think that life was made up of a series of accidents and drastic errors. The unexpected became the expected, you made the right turn or the wrong turn, and all of it added up to the path you were on.”

I don’t want to give away spoilers but there is some suspension of realism here around what happens next. This book is about the magic of books and stories and how they can save people. (And sometimes even the writer himself.) It’s also about motherhood and about cults, and about libraries.

“It was a perfect night, a heavenly night, a night that could convince you that miracles were possible, if you still had faith, if you loved one person above all others, if you told yourself you hadn’t made a terrible mistake.”

I love reading Alice Hoffman’s writing. Even though this one was slower for me than some of her previous ones, I still loved reading it.

with gratitude to edelweiss and atria books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this thriller that was fast-paced and interesting. for a plot-driven story, it had some interesting character development and i didn’t predict the twists and turns. If you’re looking for a solid thriller, this is a good one to pick up.

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The Endless Vessel by Charles Soule
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like Charles Soule. I’ve read all of his books and I like his unusual storytelling with crazy worlds he creates and interesting characters and wild plots. This one is no exception and at its heart this one was the most touching and loving of all the books. I really really loved the image of the tree and being able to see the whole life. I wish they’d make this into a movie.

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The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

This was a fun read with a cute and clever premise. I have a soft spot for time-travely plots so I knew I was going to like it and I really did. Love the idea of an apartment that travels back and forth.

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Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“The surface of love was a feeling, but beyond this thin layer, there was a fathomless, winding maze of caverns offering many places to see and explore. Wren used to think romantic passion only grew more intense in the depths . But this belief was naive and impractical, a by-product of a certainty-obsessed culture that equates love with longing and views ambivalence as a fatal flaw. Wren saw now how passion was delicate and temporary, a visitor, a feeling that would come and go. Feelings fled under pressure; feelings did not light the darkness . What remained strong in the deep, the hard times, was love as an effort , a doing, a conscious act of will. Soulmates, like her and Lewis, were not theoretical and found. They were tangible, built.”

This story is unlike anything you will have ever read. In fact, it’s so unusual that I am worried many people won’t even pick it up because it’s “too weird” but it’s an absolutely beautiful book on love, family, friendship, loss, grief, and so much more.

“The Tiny Pregnant Woman’s marriage had a culture of sacrifice rather than compromise. For this reason, she was jealous of Lewis, even though she had never met.”

Even though the blurb makes it sound like it’s only about Wren and her shark-turning husband, this is actually about generations of women. Wren is at the center of it, but her mom also takes up a third of the book. It’s touching, raw, deeply sad and also deeply beautiful.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Wren wants to shout. The world is a big and small place, and life, a terrifying and sublime journey.”

I really loved every moment I spent with this unusual book. I really hope more people pick it up and get to experience this beautiful book.

with gratitude to edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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