booksread « karenika

Review: Husbands & Lovers

Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of two women. One in 1950s and one in 2020s connected by this one heirloom. I liked the current timeline more because I liked the voice of Mallory and found myself rooting for her and Monk almost immediately. It’s not a huge surprise how these stories will connect so it’s not mysterious, it’s more about reading about how these women’s lives unfolded and how they came to be connected.

I will say that there’s a major trigger warning which for me came out of nowhere and was really disturbing (it’s towards the end.) so just beware.

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Review: DallerGut Dream Department Store

DallerGut Dream Department Store by Lee Mi-ye
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to love this unique and different story. I loved the idea, the creative setting and world building but there was zero plot. Nothing actually happened. I wish the author could weave an interesting story to take place in this interesting setting.

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Review: Unburdened Eating: Healing Your Relationships with Food and Your Body Using an Internal Family Systems (IFS) Approach

Unburdened Eating: Healing Your Relationships with Food and Your Body Using an Internal Family Systems (IFS) Approach by Jeanne Catanzaro PhD
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have had an unhealthy relationship with food and my body for all of my life and I have recently discovered and become deeply fascinated by IFS so I thought this would be a great book to dive into and I was completely right.

I didn’t realize that the author is married to the creator of Internal Family Systems therapy and she’s been a lifelong researcher and therapist on body image so it is no wonder that this book is absolutely excellent. It is the best book I’ve read so far on clearly articulating and breaking down case studies of how to break down the different parts and understanding how to work with them to get to the root of what you might be holding.

I loved the clarity, kindness, gentleness and love with which the author approaches the subject and each example felt relevant and deeply insightful to me. It allowed me to think more deeply and to understand how to look at my relationships with my parts and to hold them (and myself) more gently.

highly recommended.

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

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Review: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think this was one of my favorite reads of 2024 so far.

If you like UpLit you will absolutely love this story of the old pharmacist, Augusta, who moves into an elderly home where she ends up seeing two people from her childhood, one of whom is her teenage boyfriend (love of her life) who left her and married someone else.

This story has so much heart, so much love, so much pain. The characters are layered, funny, sweet, and so real. The way the story slowly unfolds builds your empathy, love and connection to the characters and before you know it, you are rooting for them and aching for them.

I loved the magical realism. Usually in stories like this I tend to like one character’s storytelling more than the other one. Or I like one timeline more. In this case, I loved all of it. Every moment.

Wonderful story, a perfect balm for these tough days.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Run

Run by Blake Crouch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ok, I am going to mention something that the blurb doesn’t mention: this is Blake Crouch’s first book. He wrote this before he wrote the other best sellers you might have read.

Here’s why this matters: While it has some things in common, in a lot of ways, it’s a completely different style than his books. First of all, it has little to no science in it. It’s not really futuristic (in my opinion) even though there are several elements that could be construed as futuristic also it has very little plot. Basically the whole story is about running away and trying to get to the border. A lot of stuff happens but the plot itself is basically that.

The why and what are thin in this story. It’s much more action and gory/horror action for the most part. Which is also more uncharacteristic of his later novels. At least not this much. At some point I was overwhelmed with the amount of gore and violence especially since it feels senseless and there’s nothing grounding the reader to the why.

The one thing that’s most consistent with his current style is the adrenaline rush you feel as you read the story. It’s nonstop adrenaline. In this case it’s full of violence and gore and horror but the pacing is so on par with his usual style.

It’s hard to say i loved this because it is so disturbing and so violent. And in some ways unsatisfying. But it’s also not easy to put down.

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

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Review: When the World Tips Over

When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“I think it’s possible to live our lives without believing in destiny, without feeling it at work in the choices we make, or the choices that are made for us. But it feels impossible to tell the story of our lives without it. Stories give our lives structure, and that structure is destiny.”

I have read and loved both of Jandy Nelson’s books. But the last one came out ten years ago when I was reading more Young Adult so I wasn’t sure I would love this one as much.

But I am so glad to say that I was completely wrong.

The thing that’s so amazing about this book is that on the surface, there’s nothing special about the book. It’s about a family with three kids. They are each struggling in their own way. The dad has left. The kids are struggling. And then one of them has an accident.

That’s pretty much the story.

But of course that’s not it. Because Jandy Nelson wrote this book and she’s nothing short of magic. Her writing is nothing short of magic. This book is poetry. It’s weaves into your soul just the same way all her stories do. It makes you feel deeply and it makes you fall in love with each of the characters. It makes you realize people are complex and so beautiful and so flawed all at the same time.

“I do believe now that when the world tips over, joy spills out with all the sorrow. But you have to look for it.”

And it gives you hope. It always gives you hope.

Yet again, she made me love her book with all my heart and soul. It was worth the wait.

with gratitude to netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Slowest Burn

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If what you’re looking for is a super spicy book with immediate attraction, I hope the title of this book makes it clear for you that you should not choose this one. If however, you’re looking for a sweet and slow burn romance where the characters are real and grappling with their own journeys and grief and flaws then this is the novel for you.

It has heart and laughter and creates a story where you find yourself slowly falling in love with each characters as layers of their story get peeled off. You root for them both individually and together. I enjoyed all the moments I spent with this story.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Sequel

The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ok I can already tell that I am going to be in the minority for this one. I know that writing a book is a long, arduous task and takes a lot of blood and sweat. And I never give books a low rating, but in this case I requested a book in exchange for writing a review and I feel compelled to be honest.

This book was absolutely not for me.

I read the first one and even though I found the characters despicable, the pacing and the plot of the first book made it so that it was not possible to put it down.

Not so much with this one. The plot feels like a rerun. The characters are just as despicable if not more and the pacing was just not there for me. I know others will love it so please do not make your decision based on my review. And I’ve read other books by this author and loved them so I will read whatever comes next.

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

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Review: The Unwedding

The Unwedding by Ally Condie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This got mixed reviews but I thought it was perfectly fine. I find that most mysteries are a three star for me. they keep me engaged while I read them and then i promptly forget all about the book but that’s totally ok since i truly did enjoy it while i read. This was no exception.

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