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  • Tag: genre: contemporary

    • 2022 Favorites: First Half of the Year

      Posted at 2:00 pm by Laura, on June 18, 2022

      Hello, hello! Life is nuts, the world’s on fire, my to-do list grows and grows––but I still manage to find little pockets of time here and there to read for fun. Ever since I started prioritizing my reading for quality over quantity, I’ve really started to hone in on what I truly enjoy. While I’d love to be the kind of person who could read 100 books a year (on top of the reading I already do at work!), it’s definitely nice to be able to end the day or week (or even month, in some cases) with a book that wholly transports me.

      I’ve read 12 books so far. 5 of them were for book clubs, 1 of them a buddy read, 2 read during the flights to and from our honeymoon, 4 of them on my “2022 goals” list to read this year, 2 of them I picked up out of pure curiosity, 3 of them audiobooks. Of this collection, 4 received 5(+) stars! Here are my five-star favorites from January through mid-June! Read after the break to glimpse my mini reviews!

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      Continue reading →

      Posted in books, Reviews 2022 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, mini review, review
    • 2021 Favorites: First Half of the Year

      Posted at 1:54 pm by Laura, on August 21, 2021

      Time is flying by, leaving this blog in the dust! I apologize for not including book reviews for recent reads. Work has been good and overwhelming in the best ways, leaving me with little time or energy to read published books for fun. If I manage to read a published book, it’s on the weekend. And then I post a quick snippet of a review on Instagram instead of the blog. But I’m (finally) here today to give you a glimpse of my favorites from January through June!

      Five stars!

      I thoroughly enjoyed, devoured, and (for half of these) sobbed over these six books. Click to read the reviews (and see bonus books!)

      Continue reading →
      Posted in books, Reviews 2021 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, mini review, review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 4:39 pm by Laura, on December 26, 2020

      This final set of mini reviews was meant to be primarily contemporary adult fiction, but it does contain one rogue fantasy title! 

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      Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (★★★★)

      One night when Alix’s house is vandalized, Alix calls upon Emira to take Briar out of the house and kill some time while Alix and her husband sort out the mess. While Emira is at the grocery store with Briar, a customer and a security personnel question her motives and assume Emira kidnapped Briar. A young man, Kelley, films the whole scene till Briar’s dad runs in and clears up the matter. The rest of the novel spirals from there, sharing the impact one event can have on three people.

      This is definitely a novel about race, perception, misunderstandings, motive, and passive listening. Alix intended to be better with and around Emira, a young black woman, but her way of tiptoeing and forcing a relationship (which…felt very white savior) was not genuine. Meanwhile, Kelley, a white man, may have been genuine but it also felt a bit white savior, and (as pointed out in the narrative) fetishized. Wrapped up in all this is Emira, who loves Briar deeply but desperately wants health insurance, a 401k, and a “true adult job” but she has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She’s about to turn 26 and be kicked off her parents’ insurance, and she’s watching her friends “grow up” at a faster rate, feeling left behind. I really felt for her and wanted her to find that perfect path. But life isn’t perfect, and when you factor in race, it’s hard to tell who is really on your side with genuine intentions and care.

      I adored Emira, and Alix made me cringe on so many levels—partly for the mirror reflection personally, partly because I know people just like her. But at the end of the day this book had me examining what it means to be an ally, to be anti-racist, and how my words and actions have the potential to be misconstrued and misunderstood. Honesty is the best policy, no doubt. I was pleased with where this story ended, and I’ll admit I had zero idea throughout reading this book where any of these characters would end up! Just as unpredictable as life itself. This book got me out of a reading slump, and holds a special place on my shelves.

      The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir (★★★★)

      Book club discussed this and it blew my mind—reality TV, religion, feminism, parenthood, capitalism, abuse—and the book left me speechless. Whoa is all I can truly coherently say.

      Essie is the youngest child in TV show “Six for Hicks,” and she’s pregnant. The world can’t know about it—out-of-wedlock pregnancy goes against the family’s extremely conservative, religious values—so she’s arranged to be married off. But when Essie plays her mother’s game and reaches out to a reporter who was once connected to another right-wing cult and broke free, she must now decide to tell the terrible truth of her family when the cameras are off, or quietly leave the show without imploding everyone’s lives.

      Very readable and engaging. The experience was almost like a car wreck and you can’t look away. There were some things I could relate to––possible universal experiences such as being raised to fit a certain role in life, to be burdened with specific responsibilities, respecting and honoring family first––though thankfully never to the extreme extent Essie experienced! I think we can all agree sticking to a prescribed role is confining, demoralizing, and has explosive repercussions when one wants to break free and be their true selves.

      The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (★★★)

      “How are you feeling?” Zachary asks.
      “Like I’m losing my mind, but in a slow, achingly beautiful sort of way.”

      That just about sums up how I felt reading this book. The Night Circus is within my top five favorite books ever, and I went into this hoping for something similar. I wanted to taste the words and sink into the magic of the narrative and experience the tales with all of my senses. That certainly happened, but like Zachary says, “I wanted more story.”

      This is a story about stories about stories about stories. It’s incredibly meta. There are snippets of tales throughout Zachary’s narrative that have a fairytale-like quality to them—and because it’s Morgenstern, you know you need to pay attention to them because they’ll come back later. (My favorite story was the key collector. I felt a kindred spirit with him.) There are discussions on what makes a story—is it a book, a play, live theater, a board game, a video game, D&D; is it about a quest or a romance or the journey; does it have all the tropes, a beginning and end, an arc?—and every single one is explored in here. I can certainly appreciate that. The prose is stunning and the world is a bookworm’s paradise.

      But there were so many stories within stories I was frustrated and lost track. Zachary was so determined to find the ending of the story in his book that all other questions—who is the antagonist, what is this group, why are they dying, how do they know these things, how is he being followed, who are these people, why are they doing what they’re doing, what is the purpose—flew out the window. He simply…bumbled along. And by the end it’s so trippy I simply accepted the lack of plot and answers and went with it. I wonder if I would have a different experience with this if I re-read it. Honestly, I don’t know if I will—it’s a couple hundred pages of wandering around not getting questions answered too long for me—but I’m pleased at least that her magic is still there.

      Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis (★★★★)

      Emmie never really had friends or family, never always felt she had a home or a safe space, until after a horrific event prompted her to send a message tied to a balloon—which crossed the Channel and found its way to Lucas in France, who emailed Emmie back. For 15 years, Lucas was Emmie’s life. But now he’s getting married, and everything’s changing.

      I was extremely frustrated with Emmie’s dependent attachment to Lucas, the way she‘d drop everything and everyone else for him, the way she loved the idea of him and was blind to his true nature and to everyone else around her. I was frustrated because I was once Emmie too, and it wasn’t healthy. Emmie endured a traumatic experience and never received the help she so desperately needed, and here she was living with it haunting her everyday. Of course she would cling to the one good thing from her life all those years ago. Of course.

      I fell in love with the book more and more as Emmie distanced herself from Lucas. Her relationship with her landlady Louise, rekindling the friendship with Lucas’s brother Eliot, opening up to her colleagues at the hotel, finding her birth father—it was great to see her open her eyes and take stock of what she has in her life, and that it doesn’t need to revolve around a man to make her happy. (And the slowest of slow burns romance? Loved. It. That’s respect right there!)

      I recommend this book to anyone who has come out the other side of trauma: you’re not alone. I recommend this book to anyone who loves someone who’s been through trauma: here is an example of those attachments they formed. I recommend this book to anyone who loves someone still stuck in that trauma: with patience, time, and love, they do come out the other side stronger. 

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, mini review, review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 4:17 pm by Laura, on December 26, 2020

      This next set of mini reviews is reserved for young adult fiction!

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      Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest (★★★★)

      Evie is the granddaughter of a famous actress, and she recently blew her acting dreams apart with one bad viral video. Ashamed and desperate to make it back to the center stage, Evie heads to Gigi’s and stumbles into Milo, a young musician Gigi has taken under her wing. Though Evie’s plans to convince Gigi to attend an award ceremony backfire, she and Milo spend a week together exploring NYC, learning what’s important in life, and discovering that media is a fickle friend.

      This is Kristina Forest’s sophomore novel, and now I want to read her debut! The writing nailed the YA voice, the immediacy of everything was exhilarating and fun, Evie was deeply relatable despite her celebrity, and Milo was definitely swoon-worthy in a far less obvious way. I enjoyed every second of this. Most of all, I appreciated the openness and honesty between the characters, even though part of this narrative hinges on dishonesty. Not once did I want to bonk them on their heads and say “just TALK!”—so that was an immense relief. Evie’s growth and “I don’t have an answer but that’s okay” felt so right, too. You don’t need to have it all figured out yet!

      If you’re in need of a feel-good read to put a smile on your face, look no further!

      Recommended For You by Laura Silverman (★★★★★)

      Shoshanna Greenberg is determined to be the best bookseller at Once Upon this holiday season. But her moms are fighting, her car keeps breaking down, and the new employee at work—Jake Kaplan—is her biggest competition. He’s cute, he’s Jewish, and even though he doesn’t read books he’s somehow hand-selling more books than Shoshanna! Game on. But as Shoshanna tries to fix everything falling apart around her, she soon discovers some things require time to mend, and others require a little more thoughtfulness.

      I started for the holiday rush at a bookstore setting—holy heck was it all SO RIGHT, it made me remember my bookselling days!—and stayed for the big heart and big emotions. Shoshanna is so well-meaning and endearing, and even though she tends to knee-jerk react, it all comes from a place of compassion. There’s a lot to love about this book: employees as family, the diversity across the board (Jewish rep, LGBT+ rep, ability rep, poverty rep), a bookstore as a home, all the ways people can be called readers, the ways food connects to the heart, the true holiday spirit…Perfect, cute, fun holiday book for bookworms!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, mini review, review
    • Favorite Reads So Far in 2020

      Posted at 3:44 pm by Laura, on October 31, 2020

      I’m extremely behind on book reviews––heck, one of these books I finished at the start of lockdown––but I wanted to write up a post of my favorite five-star reads so far this year. Now there are a few nonfiction titles I gave five stars to (Born a Crime and Becoming among them), and I’ve already reviewed two others (The Ten Thousand Doors of January and Digital Minimalism), but I’m focusing today on fiction and ones I haven’t reviewed yet!

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      Just looking at these covers make me so happy! I’m hoping I’ll find another gem before the end of the year. There are many other books I still need to review, and may end up doing another group post to save time. Until then, click below the break and read my five-star reviews!

      ★★★★★

      Continue reading →

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, review
    • Book Review: “The Switch” by Beth O’Leary

      Posted at 11:52 am by Laura, on October 1, 2020

      The Switch by Beth O’Leary

      Publisher: Quercus
      Published: April 2020
      Genre: women’s fiction
      ISBN: 9781787474994
      Rating: 
      ★★★★

      Ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, Leena escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Newly single and about to turn eighty, Eileen would like a second chance at love. But her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen… So Leena proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love, and Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire.

      But with a rabble of unruly OAPs to contend with, as well as the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – local schoolteacher, Leena learns that switching lives isn’t straightforward. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, and with the online dating scene. But is her perfect match nearer to home than she first thought?

      Leena is super stressed at work, and her grandmother Eileen wants to expand her dating horizons, so they decide to spend the summer at the other’s home—sometimes all you need is a little change of scenery. Hilarity, enlightenment, community, and heartwarming experiences ensue!

      This is the perfect little pick-me-up and cheerful read. I loved Eileen’s gumption and view on life—her no-nonsense personality and “see it, fix it” helpful attitude, her sense of community spirit—and she totally reminded me of my own Nana. Eileen is the kind of person I strive to be, to find or have the answers while helping others while maintaining healthy boundaries and a balanced sense of self. Leena, on the other hand, was achingly familiar to me. I related a little too intensely to her desire for perfection, her need to please, her hamster-wheeling brain. There were whole scenes in the book that had me wondering if O’Leary had a little camera on the wall of my office. But Leena, too, found her zen in her summer and it served as a reminder to me to take a step back and breathe once in a while! You can’t give your all when you’re out of gas.

      While Flatshare highlighted gaslighting, unhealthy romantic relationships, and finding ways to come out of abuse in a healthy, positive way, The Switch focused on self improvement, self care, and familial grief. Leena and her mother experienced Leena’s sister’s death in two drastically different ways, and Eileen was left to referee her daughter and granddaughter’s emotional well-beings. Part of Eileen’s tendency to keep the peace in all aspects of her life brought on heavy burdens she didn’t need to take on. Part of Leena’s tendency to grind and overwork was to stave off unwanted memories and unacknowledged grief, all of which she needed to experience in order to reunite with her mother and move forward in life.

      What I love the most about O’Leary’s books is the way she handles universal, deep, and modern female experiences––all of them heavy, many of them uphill battles as a modern woman––and wraps them with humor and compassion. I know now when I dive into her novels I’m going to be dealing with some dark stuff, but I’ll still smile and laugh throughout the journey. All in all, she’s an “up-lit” author!

      If you enjoyed the humor and familiarity and female experiences of The Flatshare, you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re looking for predominantly romance, this isn’t quite it—though there, it’s not the point at all. This is uplifting fiction, discussing grief, community, mental health, aging, and never giving up.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 1:28 pm by Laura, on September 1, 2020

      It’s been…quite some time since I’ve really shared anything on here. It’s also been a very strange spring and summer, and reading for fun has been off and on, hit or miss. I’m way behind on reviews, so I’ll do my best over the next few weeks to catch up! First, some beachy contemporary reads!

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      Beach Read by Emily Henry (★★★)

      I gave into the hype for my very first Book of the Month book, and while I enjoyed it I also found it to be of a bait-and-switch situation. Beach Read looks like a romcom, the premise seems like a romcom, but I’d argue it’s fairly close to domestic fiction with everything that’s unpacked in here. Nothing wrong with that––I enjoy romcom and women’s fiction alike––but it left a sour taste in my mouth with the packaging on this one.

      January is under deadline to write another romcom for her publisher, but she just doesn’t have it in her to do it. Her recently deceased father blew open a huge secret and it’s left her wondering if happily ever afters are possible. So she escapes to a lake house in Michigan to get back on track. Her neighbor, though, is rival writer Gus, who is so smug about writing literary fiction and winning all the big awards. They decide to enter a little competition: January will write something literary, and Gus will write something romantic. Sparks fly.

      Seems cute on the surface, but as we dig deeper into the novel there’s so much more to unpack: grief, childhood abuse, parental adoration, manipulation, the impact of bad relationships, defining family…to name a few. Though a few of the detours or ruminating scenes seemed unnecessary or overly drawn out to me, at the end of the day this is a character-driven novel that straddles commercial and literary romance. Go in knowing this isn’t a romcom, and you should be in good shape.

      Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner (★★★.5)

      I’ve checked out Jamie Brenner’s books from the library before but never got around to reading them before return. Finally was able to read this one in time, though. Jamie Brenner is going to be a new summer staple for me along with Kristy Woodson Harvey.

      The novel follows three POVs—Ruth (retired workaholic), Olivia (Ruth’s daughter, also a workaholic), and Elise (wife of Fern, owner of a tea shop)—and the lives of other women in the small Cape Cod Provincetown. Ruth just wants to reprioritize her life and relax, Olivia wants nothing to do with her mother and run run RUN successfully at her job, and Elise is desperate for a baby after she and her wife went through three failed IVF attempts. Ruth is renting Elise’s house for the summer, and all plans crash when a baby is left on the doorstep. Who is the mother? Why was the baby left here? And what is the right thing to do in this situation?

      I’ll admit I identified so much with Ruth and Olivia, and was very frustrated with Elise (so in this sense, I identified with her wife Fern who was so stern and practical). I’ll also admit this is likely because I’m in a headspace right now where the thought of having a child sends me into a panic. But there are women in my life, close friends, who would absolutely identify with Elise, who experienced similar disappointments. Ruth’s career-driven attitude and laser focus, and Olivia’s close connection with her phone, were both things each woman acknowledged and tried to redirect into something that brought joy. All in all, the way the women of this town come together to help raise the baby and figure out the best possible solution, was a joy to read. Sisterhood.

      This qualifies for my library books challenge!

      Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite (★★★)

      This YA novel is funny and surprising—a whirlwind of adventure, intrigue, and family secrets.

      Alaine is smart and sassy, clever and quick-witted. After her famous TV show host mother loses it live, and a nasty girl at school bullies Alaine over it, Alaine takes her abilities and uses it to pull an epic prank in a class presentation. Not the best idea in the world, as it results in her father sending her to Haiti to be with her mother and aunt, working on an immersion program to atone for her misbehavior. But once in Haiti, she finds there’s a whole lot more to her family history than she first believed, and that curses may in fact be real.

      I loved the way this was written—epistolary style is so much fun. Alaine is also the kind of person I wanted to be as a teen: fast with a comeback, confident, defends her loved ones fiercely. (I’m probably more of a Tatiana in this book!) She can be a little overly confident and that gets her into trouble, but her heart is always in the right place. I was surprised and very appreciative of the relationship she had with her mother. Her mother’s narrative is one I haven’t seen (or at least cannot recall) much in YA and I liked that exploration immensely.

      There was a lot happening in this narrative—Alaine’s assignment, her mother’s health, Alaine’s internship with her aunt for this app program, the history with her aunt and mother, the family curse—that felt disorganized. It worked, but did leave me reeling. I had to pause or slow down frequently to see how they all connected. Some events and characters seemed to be placed as vehicles to further the plot and curse. It almost felt like this book was trying to do too much, and I wanted more depth to one or two of the plots more so than a sprinkling of all of them. But ultimately, these writers (sister duo!) have a knack for the YA voice and it kept me engaged. I’m interested in reading their future books!

      This qualifies for my library books challenge!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, mini review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 9:50 am by Laura, on April 4, 2020

      I’ve fallen so far behind on my reviews this year that I’m struggling to write full-blown reviews with individual posts at the moment. So instead I’ll give you a rather packed post full of mini reviews! Enjoy!

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      Contemporary Reads

      No Judgments by Meg Cabot (★★★)

      Fairly standard romance with light humor, so it was great for escapist fiction! A terrible hurricane is about to hit a small island in the Keys, and Bree is either incredibly calm or incredibly naive about it. She’s determined to stay put and care for all the abandoned animals, but she’s also distracted by another stubborn soul. I read this first in the series to know what was in store for the second, which I was more interested in (libraries!). I can tell I’m really going to be a fan of the small town/island setting. 

      This qualifies for my library books challenge!

      Tweet Cute by Emma Lord (★★★.5)

      This novel tapped into a universal experience: the ways in which drama online infects and disrupts our daily real life. It also speaks about power and long-held grudges. Pepper and Jack have power struggles with their parents and siblings, and the parents hold long grudges and vent it through their children. All Pepper and Jack want is to survive high school and figure out their futures, not get roped into a viral sensation. I appreciated the development of the romance here. It’s not insta-love, there isn’t really a slow burn here either—it’s a natural, gradual teaming up of flirty fun while maintaining sanity in the hot mess of social media life, and then a realization they’re meant to be together. It’s sweet, it’s PG, and I loved every second of it. I was also SO HAPPY SO SO HAPPY that the teens talked to each other instead of hiding crap like their parents’ did. Just be honest, folks. From the beginning. Save yourself a headache! Highly recommend this novel for someone wanting a sweet contemporary YA with all the growing pains of being a modern teen finding their footing IRL and online!

      This qualifies for my library books challenge!

      The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley (★★★)

      Entertaining, thoughtful, and ironic—just how “authentic” is Julian’s Authenticity Project? I identified with Monica, a driven, hardworking, loving young woman who gives and gives and feels she’s not worthy to receive anything back. Other characters—an addict trying to sober up, a backpacking Australian, an IG-obsessed new mom, a caring grandmotherly figure (Lizzie was my favorite!!!)—are impacted by Julian’s project in big and small ways, with twists and turns both predictable and surprising. Interesting concept, would definitely recommend for those seeking uplifting reads or community-of-strangers fiction a la Fredrick Backman, Phaedra Patrick, and Gail Honeyman.

      This qualifies for my library books challenge!

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      Historical Fiction

      American Duchess by Karen Harper (★★★★)

      I finished this on audio and really enjoyed it! I’ve read Harper’s The Royal Nanny so I was already a bit familiar with her writing—clearly well-researched biographical historical fiction, great characters come to life, a little stiff in the dialogue, quick pace—and wanted to see how she did with American Duchess. Her writing of course is the same, but she really brought to life a woman I knew literally nothing about apart from her family name being basically American royalty.

      Consuelo Vanderbilt (!) is the daughter of a railroad magnate and rising suffragette, and one of the first “dollar princesses” to marry into European peerage/royalty to help fund those families. She married the Duke of Marlborough and it was not a happy one. Her cousin by marriage is Winston Churchill, and even after her divorce and remarriage to a French pilot, these two stayed in touch. The novel spans Consuelo’s life, from shortly before her first wedding through the end of WWII. It’s astounding all that can happen in our lifetimes, and Consuelo utilized everything she had to try to make the world a better place.

      Next on my Vanderbilt and Churchill journey is A Well-Behaved Woman (Consuelo’s mother Alva) and That Churchill Woman (Winston’s mother Jennie).

      This qualifies for my library books & genre challenge!

      The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick (★★★)

      About two months ago I took a poll on IG and asked which medieval/Plantagenet-set novel I should read from a stack I provided. IG voted for The Summer Queen. This was for the librarian book club called Genre Study, whose theme for 2020 was historical fiction, and March’s theme was medieval/Plantagenet/plague (…oh wait…). Though we couldn’t meet in person in March, and though our discussion is pushed to May (though that may also be pushed again), I still wanted to read my chosen book.

      The Summer Queen is the first of a trilogy on Eleanor of Aquitaine, with this one following her marriage (Louis VII), annulment, and early part of her second marriage (Henry II) as Queen of France and then Queen of England. Biographical fiction is difficult to do, especially this far back in time, because you have to make the modern reader interested in the person, their life, and their situations. Thankfully Chadwick does an excellent job of writing historical fiction that’s engaging with the modern reader, rather than feeling like a slog.

      That said, this modern feminist reader was so frustrated with Eleanor’s limitations and powers––she could scheme, plot, and plant ideas to make men think they came up with it, but the execution was so slow-going I know I’d personally run out of patience if I were in Eleanor’s shoes––and so frustrated with the Church––the Crusades still baffle me––and I just…lost it with Louis. What a dick. And poor Eleanor was married to that man-child for so long. Henry was a relief, but not by much. The novel ends with them sailing to England to claim the throne. I guess, in short, Chadwick did an excellent job of expressing those frustrations to a modern reader without making Eleanor’s character feel anachronistic.

      There are, I’ve been told, better/more engaging narratives out there of Eleanor’s life (particularly by Alison Weir). I’m probably going to pick up the rest of this trilogy since I want to see her children rise up against Henry, but I’ll also try Weir too!

      This qualifies for my TBR & genre challenge!

       

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, mini review
    • Book Review: “We Met in December” by Rosie Curtis

      Posted at 1:47 pm by Laura, on January 26, 2020

      We Met in December by Rosie Curtis

      Publisher: William Morrow
      Published: November 2019
      Genre: women’s fiction
      ISBN: 9780062964564
      Rating:
      ★★★★

      Two people. One house. A year that changes everything. 

      Twenty-nine-year-old Jess is following her dream and moving to London. It’s December, and she’s taking a room in a crumbling, but grand, Notting Hill house-share with four virtual strangers. On her first night, Jess meets Alex, the guy sharing her floor, at a Christmas dinner hosted by her landlord. They don’t kiss, but as far as Jess is concerned the connection is clear. She starts planning how they will knock down the wall between them to spend more time together.

      But when Jess returns from a two-week Christmas holiday, she finds Alex has started dating someone else—beautiful Emma, who lives on the floor above them. Now Jess faces a year of bumping into (hell, sharing a bathroom with) the man of her dreams…and the woman of his.

      Another book I read in the end of 2019 that I didn’t find time to review, but thoroughly enjoyed! It’s just what I needed—something light, fun, rated G, candy for the heart and soul.

      We are a part of the lives of two individuals, Jess and Alex, in their first year of starting blank slates in life. Jess has taken a demanding job in publishing in London, leaving her loving grandmother’s home by the sea; Alex has shifted career paths from lawyer to nurse, much to the dismay of his ex-fiancée. Attraction is immediate and timing is poor. Jess spends two weeks away and comes back to hear of a friends-with-benefits situation with Alex and another roommate; and Alex keeps swearing he’s not looking for a relationship of any kind. As the year progresses, Jess and Alex must come to terms with their hearts and find a way to one another.

      Do not be deceived by the cover! This is not a Christmas/winter book despite starting and ending in December. And that’s okay — I’m all for stories set in/around London, and Jess’s weekly walks with Alex exploring the city was just as magical as Christmastime. I loved the dynamics of the house and the variety of characters in here! It reminded me of my senior year of college, and I knew someone in my life who was exactly like Jess’s friends or their roommates. I also related to Jess on such a deep level it was almost comically painful — her worries and concerns for her family, her future, her finances, her social life, of feeling stuck, of life moving too quickly, all of it.

      This story is for all the Good Girls out there, all the readers who want a sweet friendship-turned-HEA with low low heat, all those who struggled to catch a break in a career they love—this one’s for you, lovelies!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2019 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review
    • Book Review: “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Mhairi McFarlane

      Posted at 1:24 pm by Laura, on January 26, 2020

      Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane

      Publisher: William Morrow
      Published: September 2019
      Genre: women’s fiction
      ISBN: 9780062958464
      Rating:
      ★★★★★

      You always remember your first love… don’t you?

      If there’s anything worse than being fired from the lousiest restaurant in town, it’s coming home early to find your boyfriend in bed with someone else. Reeling from the humiliation of a double dumping in one day, Georgina takes the next job that comes her way—bartender in a newly opened pub. There’s only one problem: it’s run by the guy she fell in love with years ago. And—make that two problems—he doesn’t remember her. At all. But she has fabulous friends and her signature hot pink fur coat… what more could a girl really need?

      Lucas McCarthy has not only grown into a broodingly handsome man, but he’s also turned into an actual grown-up, with a thriving business and a dog along the way. Crossing paths with him again throws Georgina’s rocky present into sharp relief—and brings a secret from her past bubbling to the surface. Only she knows what happened twelve years ago, and why she’s allowed the memories to chase her ever since. But maybe it’s not too late for the truth… or a second chance with the one that got away?

      This is a book I’ve been shoving in everyone’s faces since October, and it’s such a shame I’m only just now finding an opportunity to review it here (although I did manage to tell you it was in my Top Five of 2019). But oh my gosh. THIS BOOK.

      An event happened before heading off to university that shaped the course of Georgina’s life. Everyone thinks Georgina can do better, be better, that she doesn’t respect herself so why should others. It’s reached a point where she feels the same, and doesn’t seem to mind it too much—but when a disastrous night waitressing meets a nasty shock with a narcissistic boyfriend collides, Georgina’s life propels forward on a path of figuring out who she is, what she wants, and—(does her new boss at this reopened pub remember her? Is she really that forgetful? She certainly remembers him!)—how to free herself from her past.

      The way McFarlane handles grief, friendship, family, trauma, and healing throughout this proper laugh-out-loud novel is absolutely astounding. Here is a dysfunctional, fractured, yet loving family and group of friends loving Georgina through thick and thin, guiding her through a nasty breakup and coming out of an emotionally abusive situation. Here is a daughter burying herself behind self-deprecating humor as she mourns her flawed father. Here is a young woman, standing in front of a young man, wishing she could tell him exactly what happened that night before university, but wonders why she should bother at all because he seems to not remember her anyway. I’m floored. Every little perfection and flaw in Georgina’s character is valid and wonderful—this is a fully developed and realized character, straight to the core, and every character thereafter so completely fleshed out their actions and words made absolute sense for them in that scene. Just…jaw-dropping, genuine authenticity through every page.

      This is guilt. This is grief. This is laughter. This is hope. This is trying your best. This is surviving and thriving. This is friendship. This is heartbreak. This is family. This is enough.

      Thank you, Mhairi McFarlane. Thank you for this book.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2019 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review
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    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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