A Special Place for Women

By: Laura Hankin
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion on this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): It's a club like no other. Only the most important women receive an invitation. But one daring young reporter is about to infiltrate this female-run secret society, whose beguiling members are caught up in a dark and treacherous business.

For years, rumors have swirled about an exclusive, women-only social club where the elite tastemakers of NYC meet. People in the know whisper all sorts of claims: Membership dues cost $1,000 a month. Last time Rihanna was in town, she stopped by and got her aura read. The women even handpicked the city's first female mayor. But no one knows for sure.

That is, until journalist Jillian Beckley decides she's going to break into the club. With her career in freefall, Jillian needs a juicy scoop, and she has a personal interest in bringing these women down. But the deeper she gets into this new world--where billionaire "girlbosses" mingle with the astrology-obsessed--the more Jillian learns that bad things happen to those who dare to question the club's motives or giggle at its outlandish rituals.

The select group of women who populate the club may be far more powerful than she ever imagined.

And far more dangerous too.

First Impressions

The bright pink cover definitely caught my eye. Then reading how it was about an elite club of women that needed to be taken down? I was in. Admittedly, the summary did seem a bit dark for some reason which made me a little hesitant to pick it up until I was in the right mood, but it definitely was a strong first impression.

What I thought

While not quite what I expected, this book was so fun and fast ad exactly what I needed.

Jillian is a journalist who recently lost her mother and her job. When she runs into Margot at her friend Raf’s restaurant opening she is struck with the idea to write an article about the exclusive women’s club that Margot is a leader of, Nevertheless. Jillian believes they had something to do with the takedown of Nancy, the first woman elected as New York City’s mayor and a woman poised to become the first female president so she decides to infiltrate the society and take them down from the inside.

I love a good takedown of privileged people. This book, however, is a little bit more. I wasn’t at all bothered by the fact that there was some “witchiness” involved, but I could see how it could throw people off and make them dislike the book if they aren’t into that kind of thing. It’s not true supernatural magic, but it is important to the book.

The writing was quick and easy to get through. I never felt like I was slogging through and I couldn’t wait for Jillian to get further and further into Nevertheless. I also liked the addition of the fake romance between Raf and Jillian.

One of the things that worked so well with this book was the balance of sisterhood and secrecy and a little it of nuttiness. It never felt like it got over the top insane to me which I think is why I was ok with some of the turns taken. I could see this happening in real life, though I definitely related more to Jillian than I did to the other women in the story.

This book has a bit of everything. Mystery, betrayal, family, sisterhood, and even some romance. I think this would be a really fun book club book and am a little sad that I didn’t read this with the girls. Even though the tone changes a bit part way through the book I still found it balanced. If you’re looking for a contemporary book with a bit of a twist I highly recommend checking this one out. I didn’t read Hankin’s previous novel but am now considering going to check it out!

Book Club June 2021- Baseball's Leading Lady: Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro League

By: Andrea Williams
Pages: 336
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Roaring Book Press

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): For fans of Hidden Figures and Steve Sheinkin's Undefeated, this is the powerful true story of Effa Manley, the first and only woman in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947, Negro Leagues Baseball was the only game in town for black athletes. And those leagues owed their existence and success to savvy businesspeople like Effa Manley, the black female co-owner of the Newark Eagles. Effa was the team's business manager, leading her team to win the Negro World Series in 1946. But this victory was bittersweet: Integration was on its way, and the demise of the Negro Leagues would soon follow.

In this riveting nonfiction account, author Andrea Williams weaves the parallel stories of the segregated leagues with the tale of an inspiring woman who was at the center of it all.

This month’s pick was Meghan’s. Meghan is a huge baseball fan and her dad (also a huge baseball fan) recommended this book to her and she thought it would be a fun and different read for book club.

What I thought

This book focuses on the Negro League and Effa Manley, who was the first woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. I do think the cover is a bit misleading because while Manley’s story is a large part of this book, I think it’s mostly about the Negro league and their struggle to make it and find equality.

While I enjoy watching baseball, I’ve always struggled to call myself a true fan. I enjoy watching it and going to games but it’s not one of my favorite sports. I could not confidently name any Hall of Famers and couldn’t tell you much about baseball’s history. Because of that, I was excited to read this book. Not only was I going to be able to learn more about the history of baseball, but specifically about black history in baseball.

The one disappointment to me was that I wanted more about Effa. They mention that she was married briefly and then married a second time. I want to know more about her history and her life and why those things happened to get her to where she was. The book gives a little background, but this definitely isn’t a biography on Effa Manley, if that’s what you are hoping for.

It was definitely a slower read for me because I’m not a huge baseball fan, but it’s under 300 pages, largely spaced and typed and well written. It’s not difficult to get into and there is a lot of history and interesting facts that kept me interested. I also was fascinated by the names of all of the Negro League teams.

Overall, is this a book I would pick up off the shelf myself? Probably not. Am I glad that I read it and educated myself on an awesome woman and some black history? Absolutely. I would definitely recommend this book to any and all baseball fans as well.

What book club thought

Everyone really enjoyed this book! It was a lot of fun getting to discuss the history as well. We all agreed Effa was a strong woman way ahead of her time but that this book title is a little bit misleading as the book focuses more on the Negro League than Effa herself. It was a really fun book and pushed me out of my comfort zone. I’ve already recommended this book to my dad!

It Had to Be You

By: Georgie Clark
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Pages: 384

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I received a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): For the past twenty years, Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn have run In Love in New York, Brooklyn’s beloved wedding-planning business. When Eliot dies unexpectedly, he even more unexpectedly leaves half of the business to his younger, blonder girlfriend, Savannah. Liv and Savannah are not a match made in heaven, to say the least. But what starts as a personal and professional nightmare transforms into something even savvy, cynical Liv Goldenhorn couldn’t begin to imagine.

It Had to Be You cleverly unites Liv, Savannah, and couples as diverse and unique as New York City itself, in a joyous Love-Actually-style braided narrative. The result is a smart, modern love story that truly speaks to our times. Second chances, secret romance, and steamy soul mates are front and center in this sexy, tender, and utterly charming rom-com.

First Impressions

What a beautiful cover! I definitely would pick this book up off the shelf based off of that alone. The summary was fun as well. I like stories where two unlikely characters have to work together and that’s exactly what this sounded like.

What I thought

Uh… well… this book was not as described.

The summary makes it seem as though this story is going to be about Liv and Savannah as they navigate working together after Eliot dies and leaves his half of the business to Savannah (his mistress). In reality, it’s 5 different romance novels squished into one. I honestly feel like this one book could’ve been broken up into a 5 book series and would’ve faired better. Liv and Savannah do have a storyline following the business they’re now forced to run together. But it’s also about Henry and Gorman, the gay couple that owns the flower shop, Darlene and Zach, the DJ and Singer duo, and Zia and Clay, the waitress and the famous actor.

I liked each of these stories individually but I think the summary does this book a huge injustice. Being thrown into another couple’s story really threw me and then four there to be a total of 5 love stories? I had to completely change the idea of what I was reading in my mind and I don’t think I recovered from that. I also never felt like I got enough of each couple. Just as I was starting to get into their storyline, it switched to another.

Liv’s romance after her husband dies is maybe my favorite. I liked how she dealt with her grief and I would’ve enjoyed really diving into the complexities of their romance dynamic. Savannah’s story was slightly harder for me to get into and I think that’s because it was so choppy. She makes a pretty big realization about her life, but it comes off pretty quickly. Henry and Gorman were a hundred percent my least favorite couple and could’ve been eliminated completely. They didn’t bring anything to the other stories and I didn’t like their romance.

Zia and Clay were fun and I did like that Zia and Darlene were roommates so their stories tied together that way. However, they didn’t tie into Liv or Savannah. Darlene and Zach are the only other couple competing for favorites. They were very classic romance novel with a combination of friends to lovers and fake dating. I looked forward to each of their chapters.

Honestly, I don’t feel like I got much out of this book. There was a lot of bouncing back and forth and it felt like every character was underdeveloped. They would’ve been much better served had they each had their own book where the romance could’ve been fleshed out. I debated between 2 and 3 stars for a while, and honestly would’ve rated it a 2.5. But, because I think people will enjoy this story more once they know what they’re truly in for, I rounded up. I also never felt like I wanted to give up on the story and did enjoy most of it while I was reading.

Beth & Amy

By: Virginia Kantra
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 352

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I received a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Amy March is more like her older sister Jo than she'd like to admit. An up-and-coming designer in New York's competitive fashion industry, ambitious Amy is determined to get out of her sisters' shadow and keep her distance from their North Carolina hometown. But when Jo's wedding forces her home, she must face what she really wants...and confront the One Big Mistake that could upend her life and forever change her relationship with Jo.

Gentle, unassuming Beth grew up as the good girl of the family. A talented singer-songwriter, she's overcome her painful anxiety to tour with country superstar Colt Henderson. But life on the road has taken its toll on her health and their relationship. Maybe a break to attend her sister's wedding will get her out of her funk. But Beth realizes that what she's looking for and what she needs are two very different things....

With the March women reunited, this time with growing careers and families, they must once again learn to lean on one another as they juggle the changes coming their way.

First Impressions

I read the first book Meg & Jo when it first came out and really enjoyed it. I was excited to read the second one and then the pandemic happened and I kind of forgot about it. when I saw it was finally coming out in May I got really excited. I love the style of these covers and I love how the fit together.

What I thought

This was such a fun read and I flew through it.

Since the first book, Beth has been on tour for 3 years and is finally coming home. Amy returned from Paris to sell her purses for her line Baggage in New York City. The reason they are back in Bunyan is for Jo’s wedding to Eric. Will Beth discover who she is and who she wants to be? Will Amy get over Trey?

I love that this book both simultaneously did and did not pick up where it left off. It was fun to fast forward in Jo and Meg’s lives and the pick up with Amy and Beth. Jo has always been my favorite March sister so I was curious to see how I would enjoy a story focused on Beth and Amy. Surprisingly, this book really made me like Amy. I still feel meh about Beth but that’s nothing to do with the story. In fact, I did enjoy Beth’s story a lot but it’s just that overall she’s not my favorite.

In case you didn’t read my review of the first book, this duology is a modern day retelling of Little Women and it is done so well. I love seeing the March sisters brought into the 21st century and dealing with present day problems. If you’ve read the original, you know that Beth dies. Spoiler, she doesn’t die in this version which I very much appreciated. I don’t want to give too much away but I really liked the way they handled a modern day illness for Beth to deal with that didn’t end up killing her off.

The one issue I did have with the book is the time line was a bit confusing. I was never sure how much time passed between the alternating chapters. Sometimes Beth’s chapters would pick up a week after Amy’s ended and sometimes it would pick up back at the beginning of where the previous chapter had started. It wasn’t a major issue, but it did take me out of the story from time to time.

This series is very fun and well done. If you like Little Women you will enjoy this modern retelling. There are a lot of good lessons in this story and the writing is well done. I also liked reconnecting with Jo and Meg. I would definitely recommend this duology and look forward to other books by this author.

Social Graces

By: Renee Rosen
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 400

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I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): In the glittering world of Manhattan's upper crust, where wives turn a blind eye to husbands' infidelities, and women have few rights and even less independence, society is everything. The more celebrated the hostess, the more powerful the woman. And none is more powerful than Caroline Astor—the Mrs. Astor.

But times are changing.

Alva Vanderbilt has recently married into one of America's richest families. But what good is money when society refuses to acknowledge you? Alva, who knows what it is to have nothing, will do whatever it takes to have everything.

Sweeping three decades and based on true events, this is a gripping novel about two fascinating, complicated women going head to head, behaving badly, and discovering what’s truly at stake.

First Impressions

I read Park Avenue Summer by Rosen and was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed it. When her newest book was offered to me, I knew that I had to read it. the idea of more modern historical fiction appealed to me and I don’t personally know much about the Vanderbilts so I was immediately into it.

What I thought

While this book did have a dip in the middle, I enjoyed it overall.

Caroline Astor comes from old money is the queen of Society. Alva Vanderbilt is nouveau riche and wants nothing more than to be welcomed into Society. This story tells the tale of how modern day high society came about as well as the uprising of the Vanderbilts.

I really enjoyed the first and last thirds of this story. The first third intrigued me and I was fascinated by Alva and how she had pulled her way up out of poverty and into one of the richest families of the time. It was also fascinating to read about the rivalry between old money and new money in society.

The middle third, however, was so boring and I almost put the book down because of it. Once Alva worked her way kind of sort of into society, nothing happened. I know that it’s historical fiction and so you can’t make up stuff that didn’t happen to make a story interesting, but I think maybe less time could’ve been spent on those middle years.

Alva’s life as she got older was intriguing. I learned a lot about her that I admired and had no idea. For example, she was very passionate about the women’s sufferage movement and was known to contribute a lot to it. I am now curious about the rest of the Vanderbilts, since this really only focused on Alva, but I probably won’t go looking too far into it. In case you are curious though, Alva is not Anderson Cooper’s grandmother. She would’ve been his great aunt and the story didn’t touch on his side of the family other that vague mention of his parents in passing.

Honestly, if the middle of this story had been a bit shorter or faster paced, I would’ve given the book 4 stars. But I can’t give a book a fourth star if I debated setting it down at about 60%. The story was very interesting and if you are intrigued by the subject matter then I do recommend picking this one up. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Park Avenue Summer but it was still very well written. If you are someone who can push through a slower middle, I definitely recommend picking this one up.

The Soulmate Equation

By: Christina Lauren
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 368

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents--who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno--Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father's never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn't "father material" before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard...and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that's predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands. At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly's founder, Dr. River Pena. This is one number she can't wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Pena. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we'll pay you. Jess--who is barely making ends meet--is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the "Diamond" pairing that could make GeneticAlly a mint in stock prices, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist--and the science behind a soulmate--than she thought.

First Impressions

I mean… do I even need to fill this part out at this point? It’s a Christina Lauren book. Obviously I’m going to read it.

What I thought

Love love LOVED this book. This was what I had been hoping for when I read The Love Proof.

Jess and her friend Fizzy meet River at their local coffee shop where they find out that he is creating a dating app that is based off of your DNA. He invites them to check it out and Fizzy jumps on it because she’s a romance novelist. Jess, a single mother and statistician is a bit more skeptical. When she finally decides to submit her sample, she ends up match with River with 98% compatibility. Problem is, neither of them have felt any type of compatibility with each other during their previous meetings.

How can I squeal about this book over writing? I just loved everything about this book and enjoyed every moment. I read it in just over three days, but mostly read it over the weekend because I couldn’t put it down. This is one of their less spicy romance novels, so if you’re wary of that, you will be safe with this one.

I loved the science aspect of this story. Does your DNA play a part in who you fall in love with? Does it predetermine who you will be attracted to? If you know that information, does it change how you view a person?

I’m also, as I’m sure many of you know by now, a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope in romance novels and this one definitely toes that line. Jess and River do not like one another at first which makes it all the sweeter when they find out that they’re meant to be. I also appreciated the point of conflict that was chosen. I don’t want to say much about it, but I didn’t see it coming and it didn’t make me angry.

River and Jess were also adorable. I loved their chemistry and was rooting for them the entire time. The side characters were great too! I loved Jess’s daughter Juno, her grandparents, and of course Fizzy. I know it’s not common for Christina Lauren to do sequels to these stories but I would love to see Fizzy get her own book.

How many times have I said I loved this book? The concept, the characters, the story, it was pure perfection for me. This may have moved up the list to become my second favorite Christina Lauren book and that’s saying something! Especially since I did really love their last book, In a Holidaze. But yes, this one is a close second in my mind to Josh and Hazel (which will likely never be beat).

Book Club May 2021- Ella Minnow Pea

The way this one came about is kind of funny. I had heard of this book online and thought it sounded like a really cool concept. My original pick had been Midnight Library, but then we were worried most of us wouldn’t be able to get it from the library in time. So, I then switched my pick to Ella Minnow Pea and Logan said we could do Midnight Library in May for her pick. Well, we ended up being able to get Midnight Library (obviously, haha you’ve read that review), so instead, Logan offered to do Ella for her May choice.

By: Mark Dunn
Published Year: 2001
Publisher: McAdam/Cage Publishing
Pages: 205

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Ella Minnow Pea is an epistolary novel set in the fictional island of Nollop situated off the coast of South Carolina and home to the inventor of the pangram The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog. Now deceased, the islanders have erected a monument to honor their hero, but one day a tile with the letter “z” falls from the statue. The leaders interpret the falling tile as a message from beyond the grave and the letter is banned from use. On an island where the residents pride themselves on their love of language, this is seen as a tragedy. They are still reeling from the shock, when another tile falls and then another.... Mark Dunn takes us on a journey against time through the eyes of Ella Minnow Pea and her family as they race to find another phrase containing all the letters of the alphabet to save them from being unable to communicate. Eventually, the only letters remaining are LMNOP, when Ella finally discovers the phrase that will save their language.

What I thought

Ella Minnow Pea is an epistolary novel about the island/country of Nollop which is named after the fictional man who created the sentence “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.” As a result, they greatly value language and they have a statue of Nollop and the sentence up on their town square. One day, the letter “Z” falls off of the statue and the council decides that this is a sign from the great Nollop that they must remove this letter from the alphabet. However, as each letter continues to fall, the council’s rules become more and more strict and difficult.

This was a fun and easy book that I’m excited to discuss with everyone. It was a bit crazier than I thought it was going to be. I didn’t’ realize that there were going to be such strict consequences for using the eliminated letters. I think there’s an important message within the actions of the council and how they worship Nollop as well as not listening to their community members.

I don’t know if I really had any feelings towards Ella herself, but I did like her cousin Tassie a lot. Maybe because a lot of her letters were written to Ella so we heard more from her point of view I connected with her more. But I don’t think connecting to the characters are the main point of this tale.

It was kind of fun to see how the writing changed as they lost more and more letters. It did get to a point where they started to substitute letters and therefore not use traditional spellings which made it a little trickier to read until you got the hang of it.

If you want a unique, fun, easy book and you enjoy language and epistolary novels I definitely recommend checking it out.

What Book Club Thought

We all enjoyed this one! It’s a very thoughtful novel ad we had a lot to discuss. We all agreed that there is a lot more to this novel that initially meets the eye. So many subtle themes and lessons that can be learned. We also talked about how this would be a great novel for middle schoolers to read and discuss. With the concept of group think, how language effects society, and even the idea behind false idealization leading to cult like behavior would be so great for them to read about and discuss. And since this novel is a pretty easy read, it would be accessible to most. Though the later part may be a bit difficult for students with dyslexia.

The Last Night in London

By: Karen White
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 480

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this story.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A captivating story of friendship, love and betrayal – and finding hope in the darkness of war.

London, 1939. Beautiful and ambitious Eva Harlow and her American best friend, Precious Dubose, are trying to make their way as fashion models. When Eva falls in love with Graham St. John, an aristocrat and Royal Air Force pilot, she can’t believe her luck – she’s getting everything she ever wanted. Then the Blitz devastates her world, and Eva finds herself slipping into a web of intrigue, spies and secrets. As Eva struggles to protect everything she holds dear, all it takes is one unwary moment to change their lives forever.

London, 2019. American journalist Maddie Warner travels to London to interview Precious about her life in pre-WWII London. Maddie, healing from past trauma and careful to close herself off to others, finds herself drawn to both Precious and to Colin, Precious’ enigmatic surrogate nephew. As Maddie gets closer to her, she begins to unravel Precious’ haunting past – and the secrets she swore she’d never reveal

First Impressions

Ooohhhhh I love this cover! It’s so pretty! Between the purple and then the lights it was too pretty to turn down. The story also sounded intriguing. Add to the fact that I have enjoyed White’s other books and I knew I had to accept this one.

What I thought

I have tried to explain this book to two separate people and both times it has taken me way longer than I intended. So, instead of trying to give my ow brief summary like I usually do, I recommend reading the summary provided above.

There is a lot going on in this book. Not only does it alternate timelines by chapter, but there are multiple storylines for multiple characters. Maddie, who is the present day main character, is mostly working on a story interviewing Precious, but she also has her own demons to deal with. Eva, who is the past day main character starts as a love story but then ends up becoming a story of betrayal.

For some reason, even though I really enjoyed the story itself, I found it moved a bit slow for me. At no point did I ever want to quite reading the book, but I also never found myself getting sucked in or not being able to put the book down. Maybe it was the writing? I’m not sure.

White’s books also often have a bit of a twist to them which can be fun. It’s been a while since I read one of her books so I can’t remember if I figured out the previous twists, but this one I had everything figured out by about 40%. That could have also been the reason why this book took me a little bit of time to get through, since I found myself just wanting to know whether or not I was right.

A lot of the time when books alternate timelines, I do find myself drawn to one era over the other and that was the case for this book as well. I found myself more invested in Eva’s story occurring in 1939 than I was in Maddie’s story occurring in 2019.

The historical fiction part of this story was intriguing. I wanted to know what happened and I enjoyed all of the characters. The present day part of this story didn’t do too much for me other than confirm my hunch as to what the twists of the story would be. It’s not one of my favorites by White, but it was still a solid read that I enjoyed.