Sadie on a Plate

By: Amanda Elliot
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 352

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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 of this story.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Sadie is a rising star in the trendy Seattle restaurant scene. Her dream is to create unique, modern, and mouthwatering takes on traditional Jewish recipes. But after a public breakup with her boss, a famous chef, she is sure her career is over--until she lands a coveted spot on the next season of her favorite TV show, Chef Supreme.

On the plane to New York, Sadie has sizzling chemistry with her seatmate, Luke, but tells him that she won't be able to contact him for the next six weeks. They prolong their night with a spontaneous, magical dinner before parting ways. Or so she thinks. When she turns up to set the next day, she makes a shocking discovery about who Luke is....

If Sadie wants to save her career by winning Chef Supreme, she's going to have to ignore the simmering heat between her and Luke. But how long can she do that before the pot boils over?

First Impression

It has only been recently that I’ve found some books with Jewish characters that don’t center around Judaism and it has felt really nice to read. Between that and the story about a reality show competition, I was immediately sold. The cover is very cute and I like the colors. While it’s not my favorite of the cartoon covers, I think it would’ve caught my eye in person.

What I thought

I devoured this book, no pun intended.

Sadie is a chef in Seattle who is out of a job. When she gets a call to come in for an interview for a place on the TV show Chef Supreme, things start to turn around. Until she meets a cute guy on her flight who ends up being one of the judges.

If you were a fan of Top Chef you will absolutely love this book. It was basically like reading a season of the show and I loved every minute. I really liked that it went through each challenge and elimination. The ups, the downs, the details, the drama. I was here for all of it. It definitely helped that I liked Sadie and was rooting for her to win the whole show. Elliot did a nice job balancing the other contestants as likable, forgettable, and dislikable, so you didn’t always mind when people got eliminated.

I did like the insta-love connection with her and Luke. There was an immediate spark and it was fun seeing how they were going to work through the complication. I do feel like Sadie was a bit of an idiot when it came to the Luke stuff and sometimes I just wanted to shake her, but it was kind of a minor storyline so it didn’t bother me too much.

I also really appreciated all of the cultural reference. It wasn’t just Sadie and her nods to Jewish recipes in all of her challenges, but the other chefs paying tribute to their cultures or the cultures of their mentors. It was nice to see the growth of some of their chefs as they discovered who they are and find themselves in the kitchen.

This book was one I couldn’t put down. It felt like binge watching my favorite reality show and I now want to re-watch Top Chef. The details in the cooking were so enjoyable and I loved all of the characters. I would love this book to be a series or to follow some of the chefs from this season after the show, that’s how much I enjoyed them. I can’t wait for Elliot to write another book and am super impressed that this is her debut. I highly recommend it. Especially in the summer when you’re looking for a quick beach read.

The Book of Cold Cases

By: Simone St James
Published Year:  2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 352

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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 novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads):In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect--a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.

Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases--a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea's surprise, Beth says yes.

They meet regularly at Beth's mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she's not looking, and she could swear she's seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn't right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?

First Impressions

I have read a few of St. James’ novels, most recent being The Sun Down Motel. I’ve enjoyed all of them so I was excited when I saw she was coming out with another. I was really intrigued by the title and the cover of this one. Then when I read the synopsis I knew I was going to read it.

What I thought

This might be one of my favorite of St. James’ novels that I’ve read. I think sometimes her summaries sound better than the books turn out to be but this one really grabbed me.

Shea is a receptionist at a doctor’s office who also runs a blog called The Book of Cold Cases. When the subject of one of the cold cases that she featured walks into her place of work, she takes a risk and decides to ask for an interview. Beth Greer was accused of being the Lady Killer murderer in Claire Lake in the 1970s. Now she gets to tell her story for the first time.

This book had me from the beginning. I was equally sucked into the past and present chapter that alternated between Shea and Beth. Beth’s chapters were a little bit more intriguing just because I was very curious what really happened back in the 70’s, but we were getting information from her interviews with Shea as well. I do wish that parts of Shea’s story/backstory had been fleshed out a little more. I felt like it all came out quickly at the end, and while that was satisfying, I wouldn’t have minded a little more.

The one thing I consistently forget about St. James’s novels is the supernatural elements. In her world, the supernatural is real and you just have to roll with it. I forget that each time and it takes me by surprise and then I have to wrap my head around it all over again. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just not what I usually look for when reading mysteries.

I know I haven’t said much about this book but I don’t want to accidentally give anything away. The two storylines intertwine wonderfully and I couldn’t put this book down. I needed to know what happened and how. While the explanation isn’t maybe what I would’ve chosen, it was satisfying and understandable. Like I said, I think this is my favorite of her mysteries and I would definitely recommend checking it out.

Book Club March 2022- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

By: V.E. Schwab
Published Year: 2020
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 444

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

What I thought

This was my book club pick for the month. I had heard about this book from everyone. It has been all over Instagram and TikTok in addition to personal recommendations, so I decided to pick it. I only vaguely knew what it was about but everyone was raving about it and I wanted to see what all the hype was.

Addie is cursed. She made a deal for freedom, but what she didn’t realize was that freedom came with the price. Everyone she meets will forget her as soon as she is out of sight. Addie lives like this for 300 years, until she finally meets someone who remembers her.

This book might be a case of not living up to too much hype. I think it was a very interesting and well written story but I wasn’t in love with it. The story alternated between Addie’s past and 2014 and I frequently found myself reading to get to the present day chapters. When talking with book club, they felt the same way. It was definitely a slower paced book than I thought it was going to be and easily could’ve been edited by about 100 pages.

It’s not that I disliked the past chapters. I felt like it taught a lot about Addie and how she ended up where she did and why, but, as we discussed in book club, a lot of what was explained in the past was then explained again in the present so it felt repetitive and unnecessary. A lot like, I’m going to show you the rules but then I’m going to tell you the rules, and then I’m going to show you them again.

It also was interesting because it takes at least 100-200 pages until you meet the person who remembers Addie and that part of the story truly beings. I loved seeing that part play out, even though I was a bit nervous as to how it was going to end the whole time.

Speaking of the ending, the final quarter was easily my favorite part of the book. There were some insightful life perspectives that I found thought provoking and good for discussion. Unfortunately, because it was longer and due to some busyness, only one other book club member finished it this month, so we didn’t discuss much.

I would still recommend this book, but I wouldn’t name it one of my top books of 2022. I think if you haven’t heard a lot of hype around it, you might enjoy it more than I did. Just know it’s a little bit of a slower read. One that you will enjoy every time you pick it up, but also won’t feel like you need to immediately pick it back up after you’ve set it down.

Weather Girl

By: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Pages: 352
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Ari Abrams has always been fascinated by the weather, and she loves almost everything about her job as a TV meteorologist. Her boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale, is too distracted by her tempestuous relationship with her ex-husband, the station’s news director, to give Ari the mentorship she wants. Ari, who runs on sunshine and optimism, is at her wits’ end. The only person who seems to understand how she feels is sweet but reserved sports reporter Russell Barringer.

In the aftermath of a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell decide to team up to solve their bosses’ relationship issues. Between secret gifts and double dates, they start nudging their bosses back together. But their well-meaning meddling backfires when the real chemistry builds between Ari and Russell.

Working closely with Russell means allowing him to get to know parts of herself that Ari keeps hidden from everyone. Will he be able to embrace her dark clouds as well as her clear skies?

First Impression

Obsessed with this cover. I love the yellow umbrella and against the light blue it really pops. Solomon has become one of my auto-read authors over the past few years so honestly, even without the summary the first impression was very strong.

What I thought

While this book was cute and I enjoyed it, there were bits and pieces that just didn’t quite work for me.

Ari is a weather girl in Seattle which is what she’s always wanted to be. Her boss was her idol growing up but now that she works for her, she realizes she’s a bit of a nightmare. Russel works for the same news station but in the sports department and his boss is Ari’s ex-husband. Together, they decide that if they can reunite their bosses, it will make their workplaces more tolerable and hopefully more like the jobs they dreamed for them to be.

My biggest issue with this book might seem minor but it really bugged me. When on a work retreat, Ari falls down the stairs and fractures her elbow, essentially as a plot device to start bringing her and Russel closer together. However, the elbow fracture ended up being inconsistent and really took me out of the story. For example, she immediately start physical therapy even though she’s in terrible pain and can’t even move her arm. Doesn’t allow the fracture to set at all. There’s even one point mere weeks after she has broken her elbow (she is still in a sling) where she props herself up on her elbow. There’s no way! She would’ve been in excruciating pain!

It’s such a minor thing but it ended up feeling like such a big deal. There are so many other parts of her body that she could’ve broken that would have had the same outcome without all the messy inconsistencies.

I did enjoy the banter between Ari and Russ as well as between their bosses. And I always love a good scheme. There was also a small twist I didn’t see coming that I really loved, even if it ended up causes unnecessary conflict.

The biggest part of this story that I think is so important is that the main character has depression. I always love Solomon’s books for representing Jewish culture in a nonchalant way that feels true to me and the way she handles mental health and depression connected with me too. Ari is consistently fighting with depression and it is apparent on almost every page. Whether it is dealing with one of her dark days, worrying something is going to trigger a dark day, or being constantly aware of the stigma that might follow her if they learn about her depression. While the book overall may not have been my favorite of her, I think the story it tells is beautiful and important.

Unfortunately, because of the inconsistencies with minor plot points and the fact I felt it went on a little too long, this wasn’t my favorite of Solomon’s books. That may slightly be because it has a lot to live up to, but I preferred The Ex-Talk and Today, Tonight, Tomorrow to this one. That’s not to say it’s not a good book. I still enjoyed it and got through it pretty quickly, but it just wouldn’t be the one I’d recommend over the others.

Love, Decoded

By: Jennifer Yen
Published Year: 2022
Pages: 320
Publisher: Razorbill

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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 novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): High school junior Gigi Wong strives to be the best: the top student, the perfect friend, and the ideal daughter. But it’s tough when there's always someone who is just a little bit better. With college applications looming, she can't help but worry that she won't make the cut. Thankfully, her best friend Kyle never fails to find the right words--and the perfect bowl of ramen--to cheer her up.

After her teacher, Ms. Harris, announces she'll be nominating students for an app writing contest, Gigi is determined to be picked. After all, first prize is an exclusive tech internship, sure to make her application stand out. There's only one problem: she doesn't have a winning program. It isn't until transfer student Etta admits she's struggling to fit in at Superbia that Gigi stumbles on an idea. She'll use her coding skills--and the matchmaking experience she's gotten from weekends with Auntie Rose--to create a friend matching app! Etta will meet new people, and Gigi will guarantee her acceptance into college. It's foolproof.

What Gigi doesn't expect is for her app to go viral around school. Soon, she finds herself at the center of a scandal—and at odds with both Etta and Kyle. Can Gigi fix what went wrong, or will her desire to be perfect cost her the people she cares about most?

First Impressions

I’m a sucker for a cartoon cover and I love the picture of a young woman in front of a computer. The summary sounded very cute and I definitely was intrigued by a high-schooler who creates a matchmaking app for friends but when it goes wrong. Because of that, I completely missed that this is a modern retelling of Emma!

What I thought

I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this book, even though I wasn’t the target audience, but there were parts that didn’t feel fully fleshed out to me. Maybe if I had read Emma it would’ve felt better, but I haven’t and I also don’t feel like that should be a requirement to understand a retelling. I mean, I know the story of Clueless, but this didn’t even remind me of that.

Gigi is a high school junior who shadows her Great Aunt as a matchmaker. She decides to turn her aunt’s matchmaking questions into an app to help to make her life easier and realizes that she loves coding. When her school has a contest to create an app that can get them into a bigger contest for an internship, she creates an app that uses her matchmaking knowledge to create friendships. However, it ends up biting her in the butt later on.

Gigi is super rich. Like, really really rich. This confused me at first because I don’t think it was laid out very well. It wasn’t until I was well into the book where they describer her house as having 6 floors and an elevator (in New York City! Does this even exist???) where I realized how rich she was. There was a mention at the beginning of the story about her having a driver pick her up from school but it’s mostly phrased like “Fernando can pick you up from school” and I don’t think I thought much past it. Since this is essential to the story, I would’ve appreciated if it had been made a bit more clear.

I enjoyed all of the characters in this story. In fact, Gigi might’ve been my least favorite. Her best friend Kyle also could’ve been fleshed out a little bit more, but I loved how he called Gigi out on her bull and also was funny. Etta was maybe my favorite of the friend characters. She’s a bit rough around the edges at first, of course, but her personality is true gold. I love that Gigi decides to make the matchmaking app specifically for her because she’s having a hard time making friends as the new kid in school.

The side of the story that was fleshed out was the STEM side. Gigi’s love of coding and matchmaking and the combination of the two was so fun. I loved seeing a strong and smart female character in high school. She knew what she wanted and worked hard to get it, even if she did go a bit over the top.

This book is very fun and inspiring, but had a few misses for me. I don’t feel like she had quite the heart of gold that Cher in Clueless did, so some of her observations and comments came off a bit rough. I liked seeing how everything was going to play out and enjoyed Gigi’s growth throughout the story. I flew this one an thought it was cute, but it wasn’t one that I loved. I think I’ll forget about it as the year goes on.

Book Club February 2022- Wild Women and the Blues

By: Denny S Bryce
Pages: 352
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Kensington

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): “Why would I talk to you about my life? I don't know you, and even if I did, I don't tell my story to just any boy with long hair, who probably smokes weed. You wanna hear about me. You gotta tell me something about you. To make this worth my while.”

1925: Chicago is the jazz capital of the world, and the Dreamland Café is the ritziest black-and-tan club in town. Honoree Dalcour is a sharecropper’s daughter, willing to work hard and dance every night on her way to the top. Dreamland offers a path to the good life, socializing with celebrities like Louis Armstrong and filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. But Chicago is also awash in bootleg whiskey, gambling, and gangsters. And a young woman driven by ambition might risk more than she can stand to lose.

2015: Film student Sawyer Hayes arrives at the bedside of 110-year-old Honoree Dalcour, still reeling from a devastating loss that has taken him right to the brink. Sawyer has rested all his hope on this frail but formidable woman, the only living link to the legendary Oscar Micheaux. If he’s right—if she can fill in the blanks in his research, perhaps he can complete his thesis and begin a new chapter in his life. But the links Honoree makes are not ones he’s expecting...

Piece by piece, Honoree reveals her past and her secrets, while Sawyer fights tooth and nail to keep his. It’s a story of courage and ambition, hot jazz and illicit passions. And as past meets present, for Honoree, it’s a final chance to be truly heard and seen before it’s too late. No matter the cost...

What I thought

The cover of this book is so pretty. I would love to wear that dress and live in the moment of that cover.

When I first started reading historical fiction I mostly read World War Two stories. The past few years I’ve been branching out into different eras so I was excited to try this one that occurred in 1925.

Honeree is a dancer at a jazz club in Chicago in 1925. She is auditioning for one of the more prominent clubs when she ends up in the middle of some trouble. Sawyer is a film student in 2015 who has found a box in his grandma’s attic with pictures of Honeree and potentially a lost film from Oscar Micheaux. When he discovers she’s still alive he decides to go interview her.

The majority of the story is told in 1925, but it does bounce back and forth a decent amount to 2015. I was interested in more stories but as the book went on I became more interested in the present because I wanted the mystery solved.

The beginning of the story really hooked me in. I loved reading about what Honeree was doing and the gangsters and club life of Chicago in the 1920s. I wasn’t as interested in Sawyer’s interview with Honeree but I did enjoy those chapters. There definitely was certain story points that were off and didn’t sit right with me but I wasn’t able to completely figure out what it was. I had vague hunches what the mystery was going to turn out to be but I think I was so focused on other parts of the story that I didn’t end of figuring out what it was that was niggling the back of my mind.

If you are interested in the 1920s I would recommend checking out this book. I learned a little bit about the club life, especially for African American clubs that I didn’t know much about. If I had to critique something it would be that there was almost a little too much going on. I think a few of the storylines in the past could’ve been trimmed because other ones ended up not getting fleshed out enough. There was a lot that I thought was going to be a focus in the beginning of he book that never came about again.

I did really enjoy the story though and it had be interested from the very beginning.

What Book Club Thought

It was interesting because a few of us got into the book right away and others did not. When we discussed it further we realized it was because some of us were more interested in the past story and others in the present. I was one who was more interested in the past and I think that helped me get into it a little quicker. We all talked about how we thought it was interesting to see Chicago in the 1920’s and that we enjoyed that view as well. None of us saw the twists coming and I shared how I felt like there were a few storylines that were left underdeveloped and they agreed. It was a fun discussion especially considering all of the mystery and intrigue. I would definitely recommend this as a book club book if your book club likes historical fiction.

Red Thread of Fate

By: Lyn Liao Butler
Pages: 352
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley

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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 book.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Two days before Tam and Tony Kwan receive their letter of acceptance for the son they are adopting from China, Tony and his estranged cousin Mia are killed unexpectedly in an accident. A shell-shocked Tam learns she is named the guardian to Mia's five-year-old daughter, Angela. With no other family around, Tam has no choice but to agree to take in the girl she hasn't seen since the child was an infant.

Overwhelmed by her life suddenly being upended, Tam must also decide if she will complete the adoption on her own and bring home the son waiting for her in a Chinese orphanage. But when a long-concealed secret comes to light just as she and Angela start to bond, their fragile family is threatened. As Tam begins to unravel the events of Tony and Mia's past in China, she discovers the true meaning of love and the threads that bind her to the family she is fated to have.

First Impressions

I am a strong believer in fate and karma so when I saw that this book was specifically about that I was intrigued. I also think the cover is really pretty and would’ve picked it up based on that alone. With the Olympics currently in Beijing I was curious to read a story about a Chinese/Taiwanese family and Chinese adoption.

What I thought

Tam and Tony are set to adopt a little boy from China when Tony and his cousin Mia are killed in an accident. Tam finds out that she is named guardian of Mia’s daughter Angela while also still expecting her son from China.

There are so many twists and turns in this book that I don’t want to accidentally give away, so I apologize if my review is a little vague. The book is mostly told from Tam’s perspective with a few chapters from Mia’s until the second part which has chapters from Mia’s journal explaining the past.

This book is wild. It’s very dramatic and ever so slightly unbelievable but somehow completely believable and very enjoyable. Even though a lot of the characters were flawed, boarding on unlikable, they had redeeming qualities that didn’t make me feel like I hated them or that I couldn’t read about them.

I learned a lot about Chinese culture and Taiwanese, as well as a bit about Chinese adoption. I found that everything was explained clearly and I wasn’t overwhelmed, while also learning. Tam is a much stronger human than I could ever be and I was in awe of her throughout the entire story.

I think this book might be a bit much for some people but I loved the drama and the bit of unbelievability. I found I was unable to put it down, especially once we got to read some of Mia’s journal entries. I needed to know what had happened as well as what was going to happen. If you can handle a bit of drama and flawed characters, I highly recommend checking this one out.

The Road Trip

By: Beth O’Leary
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 400

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): What if the end of the road is just the beginning?

Four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Wealthy Oxford student Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry's enormous French villa; wild child Addie was spending her summer as the on-site caretaker. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven't spoken since.

Today, Dylan's and Addie's lives collide again. It's the day before Cherry's wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there. The car Dylan was driving is wrecked, and the wedding is in rural Scotland--he'll never get there on time by public transport.

So, along with Dylan's best friend, Addie's sister, and a random guy on Facebook who needed a ride, they squeeze into a space-challenged Mini and set off across Britain. Cramped into the same space, Dylan and Addie are forced to confront the choices they made that tore them apart--and ask themselves whether that final decision was the right one after all.

First Impressions

I loved O’Leary’s debut The Flatshare. She immediately became a favorite author for me. I was slightly let down with The Switch, which I enjoyed but not as much as The Flatshare. When I read the summary for her newest novel I got very excited. Plus how cute is this cover! Right up my alley.

What I thought

I am so happy this was my first book of the year!

Addie and her sister are on a road trip to their friend’s wedding in Scotland. Dylan and Malcom are on a road trip to their friend’s wedding in Scotland. Until Dylan and Malcom crash into Addie and her sister’s car. Dylan and Addie haven’t seen each other since they broke up almost two years ago, and now they have to spend 8+ hours in a car together.

I loved this book. It alternated between the past, when Addie and Dylan’s relationship started and how it progressed, and the present, the actual road trip. The pacing of books like this can sometimes be off, leaving you to want to focus more on one timeline than the other but this book hit it just right. I was equally happy bouncing back and forth between the past and the present trying to figure out what happened and what was going to happen.

Addie was an interesting character. I couldn’t quite figure her out, but I think that was part of the point. At one point, she realizes that she may not be as obvious and outgoing with her feelings as she thinks that she is and I really related to that. I so often feel like how I feel about someone is blatantly obvious and then I find out it’s not.

There also were a few shenanigans towards the end which made me laugh. O’Leary does a really nice job of weaving in serious storylines with romance. It strikes a balance of fun and light with substance and heavier material that then doesn’t feel overly heavy.

This book was so great. I couldn’t put it down and felt satisfied the entire time. I had a string of really bad reads, so this felt extra delicious. I’m so happy that I loved this book because I had worried a little bit that O’Leary might be a one off author for me, but now I know she can continue to be an automatic read. If you like romantic stories with heart, you should definitely check this one out. It’s a little lighter than The Flatshare but still just as touching.