Here are my goodreads reviews. If you’re on goodreads, add me as a friend so I can see your books too! I’ve also started an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.

Never Have I Ever (3.5 stars): 3.5 stars mostly because I was surprised more often than i usually am

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I was going to. I appreciated a mystery without the unreliable character trope or even the dislikable character one. The main character had secrets to hide and she was flawed but she also was real and reasonably realistic in my opinion. Roux was a bit more complicated in that I had to buy into some of her past and present and motivations. Some seemed plausible but others were a bit harder for me to believe. There were several times I was surprised in the story mostly because it went in a direction I just hadn’t really thought of for this type of story. The fact that it wasn’t like all the other mysteries I’ve read in the last two years helped in this case. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, especially if domestic mysteries are your thing.

Pretty Guilty Women (3 stars): There have already been quite a few comparisons between Pretty Guilty Women and Big Little Lies and there are indeed many parallels. This story takes place over a wedding weekend in a resort spa. One of four old friends is getting married and none are really that close anymore. There’s also an older woman whose husband is related to the wedding party. These four women (excluding the bride) are involved in a crime, and the book goes from one character to another telling bits of their back story and then telling bits of what happened over the weekend to culminate in the crime. Each chapter opens or closes with short police interrogation. Each woman has her secret or personal drama so each of those also unravels throughout the story. So the structure and the plot are quite similar and some of the subplots are, too.

But I still enjoyed reading it. It was a fast-paced read that kept me up late at night waiting to find out what happened and who died and how each character’s back story unfolds. If you enjoyed Big Little Lies, and are looking for something similar, you will enjoy this.

Thank you to netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an early copy in exchange for an honest review

The Great Unexpected (3 stars): I think I was an outlier for this book. All the reviews are glowing and yet I really struggled with it. This was a bit like Ove for me where a disgruntled, old man finds friendship and then changes over time. It’s about the value of friendship and how life changing that can be. There are some really heavy themes in this one around abuse, suicidal ideation, etc. But it just never really landed with me, I didn’t feel connected to the main character and didn’t find myself rooting for him. I did love the secondary characters but in the end, it was reasonably predictable so that mixed with my lack of connection meant this wasn’t a standout for me.

Lanny (3.5 stars): 3.5 stars on uniqueness alone. I started this book months ago and then had to put it on hold because I was having such a hard time following it. I finally came back to it, and it was still hard but I decided to stick with it and I am glad I did. It is an incredibly unusual book. I can’t even say I loved it but I loved its uniqueness and it will stay with me for quite a while. I love books that do that. This book is about so much but most of all it’s about society, connection, mankind. Loss, too. I don’t want to give too much away. It’s a short book. It was an interesting audio experience and I have no idea how it is in print. If you’re adventurous I’d recommend trying it and seeing if it resonates with you.

And there we go, an ok week of reading. Here’s to a great week next week.

Books I Read this Week 2019 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2019 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.

Here are my goodreads reviews. If you’re on goodreads, add me as a friend so I can see your books too! I’ve also started an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.

Chances Are… (4 stars): I really enjoyed reading this story of three male friends who have one last get together on Martha’s Vineyard before their lives wind in different directions. At the time, they have this female friend, Jacy, with them, too. She’s engaged to be married and this is also a getaway weekend for her. But then she disappears and none of the boys (as far as we can tell) know what happened to her.

These three friends meet again on Martha’s Vineyard 40+ years later and through winding back and forth we learn about each of the characters (and Jacy) by the end of the book. Russo is a great storyteller and his characters are three-dimensional and feel so real and familiar. 

The part of this book that resonated with me so much is that feeling many of us carry with us as we get older and choose certain paths over others (or certain options are not available to us) and we keep wondering what would have happened had it gone this other way. Each of these men think about Jacy and what would have happened if she chose one of them. 

There are many other themes in the book, one of the most dominant being Vietnam which played a huge role during the formative years of these characters and the choices they made because of it. I also enjoyed the Vineyard setting since I was familiar with all the neighborhoods.

All in all, I feel you can’t really go wrong with a Russo book.

That’s what Frenemies are For (3.5 stars): I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I was going to. Even though most of the characters were reasonably stereotypical and the story of Manhattan socialites is not new to me, I still had fun seeing the main character go through all the different changes and grow in the process. Another reminder that it’s best to be who you are and do what matters to you and find the real people who matter. The rest is all a waste of time.

The Book Charmer (3.5 stars): I really enjoyed the time I spent with this book. It’s about a small town with a small twist of magic thrown in there. The characters are all lovely and developed. Even though the story went to a predictable and sweet place, I really enjoyed the stroll I took down with all of these characters and this story. I usually round down but this story was so charming and the extra twists with the books was the clincher for me. If you’re looking for a sweet read and small towns are your thing and books are your thing, you will love this book.

On the Corner of Love and Hate (3 stars): This story is billed as a hate-to-love story but I think it’s a bit more subtle than that. The two main characters have been [best] friends from childhood and they are now working together. The entire story is told from Emmanuelle’s story and even though she’s saying certain things, the reader can still see beneath her conversation to see the slow build and the residual feelings here. Even though we don’t read Cooper’s perspective, we can also tell that he cares for her and there’s likely more there from Cooper’s side, too. The story builds slowly and there are parts where Emma feels a bit too hysterical for me but on the whole this was pleasurable and interesting the whole time and I stayed up two hours past my bedtime because I didn’t want to stop reading. I was rooting for the characters the whole time and really enjoyed when they finally came together.

This is not a super-steamy romance, it’s more sweet than it is steamy and if politics is interesting to you, that’s a bonus fun layer to the story.

thank you to netgalley and gallery books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

And there we go, a good week of reading. Here’s to a great week next week.

Books I Read this Week 2019 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2019 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.