Review: These Impossible Things

These Impossible Things
These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved reading this story of three friends navigating life and what it means to be a good Muslim woman and their friendship takes twists and turns as they each have trials and tribulations of their own. It’s a beautiful story and highly recommended.

View all my reviews

Review: The Eden Test

The Eden Test
The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a wild ride. It’s one of those stories where nothing is as it seems and the whole time you’re thinking that something more is going on but you can’t figure out what.

This is the story about a couple where the wife signs them up for a week-long couple experience to help strengthen their marriage. But the tests and trials seem way over the top. The town is very unfriendly to the visitors and some weird, creepy folks are hanging around.

It’s a fast paced story that you will read quickly. There are a lot of trigger warnings so if you’re sensitive to most issues around domestic turbulence, I would not recommend this one. But otherwise, it’s a fast and enjoyable read. And if, like me, you sometimes prefer to listen, the audio is excellent!

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

View all my reviews

Review: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars.

Loved this creative and unique book about two people who think they hate each other until they start writing letters to each other without knowing who the other is. There’s a scifi world, some fun other elements but really there’s some lovely lovely story here that’s unusual and really sweet.

View all my reviews

Review: Never Lie

Never Lie
Never Lie by Freida McFadden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

another fast-paced thriller. twisty with characters you’ll love to hate.

View all my reviews

Review: Go as a River

Go as a River
Go as a River by Shelley Read
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Loved this beautiful book about a teenager who falls in love with someone she shouldn’t in the 40s and the reverberating effect it has on her life. Beautifully written.

View all my reviews

Review: One of the Girls

One of the Girls
One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

fast paced thriller, women with secrets. it was ok. enjoyed reading it while i was reading it. will likely forget soon but if thrillers are your thing, this one is fun.

View all my reviews

Review: Pineapple Street

Pineapple Street
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars.

This was a fun, fast-paced story of the super rich who eventually, for different reasons, have to actually think about what it means to be super rich. it doesn’t take itself too seriously and it was a fun read.

View all my reviews

Review: French Holiday

French Holiday
French Holiday by Sarah Ready
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this delightful and fun book while I was lying in bed with COVID and it was the perfect distraction. It’s a delightful and fun romance when two people who don’t like each other are in the same “mansion” which is mostly dilapidated and are stuck having to make it work. Of course it ends the way romances do but there are some fun surprises along the way.

If romance is your genre, you will enjoy this one!

with gratitude to Swift & Lewis Publishing and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

View all my reviews

Review: The Possibilities

The Possibilities
The Possibilities by Yael Goldstein-Love
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an unusual book!

This is the story of a mom who is suffering from post-partum and her marriage is unraveling. Her baby goes missing from his crib one night and she has to go through parallel worlds to find him and bring him back. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

And it’s so interesting and well executed. I loved it and I loved the story around motherhood, and the lengths we go to, to save our loved ones.

with gratitude to netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

View all my reviews

Review: The Beauty of Rain

The Beauty of Rain
The Beauty of Rain by Jamie Beck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of two sisters, one whose life is irrevocably changed by an accident that killed her husband and son almost a year ago and the other whose family looks “perfect” but is unraveling slowly at the seams as she tries to save her sister, become a partner at her law firm and also be the best mom all at the same time.

There is so much in this book about grief, our sense of self and how it gets wrapped in others, about regret and remorse and marriage and having a child with needs. The characters are real and raw and the look inside their lives is open and earnest.

I loved the characters and even though i can nitpick at parts of it, I really loved this story, too.

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

View all my reviews

Review: If We’re Being Honest

If We're Being Honest
If We’re Being Honest by Cat Shook
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of a family, mostly told from the perspective of the adult grandchildren. The grandfather passes away and a secret comes to the surface during his eulogy that shocks the family and each member takes it in their own way as they grapple with their own lives, their own struggles and their own secrets.

I love books like these that are mostly character driven and we get a glimpse into other lives, other choices, other struggles. It makes me feel less alone in the world and I end up getting invested in the characters’ lives and choices and I end up having deep empathy for each of them.

Really enjoyed this book full of humor and heart.

with gratitude to netgalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

View all my reviews

Review: Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution

Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this because it was one of the biggest hits of last year and i had kept putting it off because of it’s monolithic size. It started strong and interesting. Well written except for tropes where the teacher is lecturing its class just so the author can lecture us. As someone who has studied eight languages I loved the idea of the magic in this book and the nuances between translating words. But in the end this book just went on and on and on. In my opinion it would have been a much much stronger book at half the size. It would have still kept its interesting world and interesting points about colonialism and been much more readable.

View all my reviews