Adult Assembly Required

By: Abbi Waxman
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 400

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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): When Laura Costello moves to Los Angeles, trying to escape an overprotective family and the haunting memories of a terrible accident, she doesn’t expect to be homeless after a week. (She’s pretty sure she didn’t start that fire — right?) She also doesn't expect to find herself adopted by a rogue bookseller, installed in a lovely but completely illegal boardinghouse, or challenged to save a losing trivia team from ignominy… but that’s what happens. Add a regretful landlady, a gorgeous housemate and an ex-boyfriend determined to put himself back in the running and you’ll see why Laura isn’t really sure she’s cut out for this adulting thing. Luckily for her, her new friends Nina, Polly and Impossibly Handsome Bob aren't sure either, but maybe if they put their heads (and hearts) together they’ll be able to make it work for them.

First Impressions

I always enjoy Waxman’s books and enjoyed The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. When I saw this book was going to go back into Nina’s world, I was intrigued. This cover to me is a bit meh. It’s not bad but it’s not eye catching.

What I thought

I felt the same way about this book as I did about my first impression of the cover.

Laura has moved across the country from New York to California to go to grad school. When within the first week of her moving her apartment burns down, she wanders into a book store and finds herself pulled into Polly and Nina’s world.

My biggest issue with this book was that I found it very repetitive and nothing seemed to happen. I liked all of the characters and I loved reuniting with older ones, but the story overall was a miss for me.

Two years prior to moving to California, Laura was in a horrible car accident which has caused her to have panic attacks. As a result, she does not currently drive and even struggles to be inside of a car. When she finds herself homeless, she’s lucky to run into Polly who lives in a house with 4 (sort of 5) other roommates. Luckily, one of the rooms recently opened up and when she moves in she’s immediately attracted to another one of the residents, Bob.

One thing that threw me off with this story was that it would randomly and briefly change perspectives. For example, sometimes mid-scene we would get Polly’s perspective, that of the cat’s, or even Bob’s. Even though it was mostly Laura’s story, I feel like these switches in perspective, rather than filling out the story, made it feel like it was less than. I didn’t feel like it was truly Laura’s story but instead, every one else’s equally with Laura just being the most common perspective taker.

I also got a little irritated by how flippant Laura seemed about her trauma and mental health. She was willing to spill about how terrible her accident was immediately and without care, but then also didn’t want to burden anyone with her panic attacks. I also was a bit thrown off with how easily everything was fixed. We were told in passing that she had started to go to a therapist and then that was it.

The characters in this book were the saving grace. The story was a bit of a nothing and I don’t feel like I know any more about these people than before I started. It falls oddly between a romance and a contemporary fiction without quite enough from either category. While I enjoyed it while I read it (minus the repetitiveness and the naiveté of Laura and Bob), the longer I sit with it the more it kind of drives me nuts. Waxman has other, much better written novels, so I recommend looking into those rather than this one.

Something Wilder

By: Christina Lauren
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 384

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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): Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession…or much money in the bank. But Lily is nothing if not resourceful, and now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn’t leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness—and leave him there.

Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.

But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.

First Impressions

It’s a Christina Lauren book. Does it need a first impression? I do really like the cover and the summary sounded right up my alley, especially since I went to Utah last summer.

What I thought

This book was so different from their other books and I really liked it. It felt refreshing.

Lilly runs a tour company along the Outlaw Trail in Canyonlands in Moab, Utah. When Leo and his friends show up as one of the groups for the tour, both he and Lilly are shocked since they haven’t seen each other for over 10 years. The last time they saw each other, Leo had been living with Lilly at her family’s ranch when he got a phone call his mother was in an accident. He left to go take care of her and then Lilly never heard from him again.

This book is so much more action packed than any of the other Christina Lauren novels. It felt more like an adventure novel with a side of romance than a true romance novel. Which, I definitely didn’t mind, but just was a bit different than their previous ones I’ve read.

Admittedly, this was not my favorite couple of theirs. I didn’t feel the spark as much as I usually do. I don’t know if this is because the adventure was so front and center that I was more interested in the mystery and adventure part of the story that I didn’t connect to the romance, or if it just wasn’t fleshed out enough. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Lilly and Leo, I just didn’t find myself believing they had this palpable chemistry that couldn’t keep them apart.

What I did really like about this book was that there were twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. So much happened in this book and I enjoyed every crazy moment.

It’s a Christina Lauren book. What else do I need to say? I loved the adventure and their story telling is always so fun and easy to read. I got sucked in and loved that it took place somewhere I have visited. While it’s not one of my favorites of theirs, keep in mind it’s up against some stiff competition. I hold Christina Lauren books to a high standard to in order to get 5 stars everything needs to click perfectly. I enjoyed every moment I read this book, but felt that if the romance wasn’t there, I would’ve enjoyed this story just as much and not found anything lacking.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

By: Jenny Han
Published Year: 2009
Publisher: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers
Pages: 276

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When each summer begins, Belly leaves her school life behind and escapes to Cousins Beach, the place she has spent every summer of her life. Not only does the beach house mean home away from home, but her favorite people are there: Susannah, her mother's best friend, and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been chasing Conrad for as long as she can remember, and more than anything, she hopes this summer will be different. Despite distractions from a new guy named Cam and lingering looks from Conrad's brother, Jeremiah, Belly's heart belongs to Conrad. Will he offer his to her? Will this be the summer that changes everything?

Summer Book Club

My friend Stephanie has discovered a local bookstore in South Georgia called The Bookshelf. They often do these book clubs where you can buy a collection of books and then they do Zoom meetings to discuss them. Stephanie did one last year which was a year long YA book club. This summer they are doing the Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy and Stephanie asked if I wanted to join. Since I have read and enjoyed Jenny Han’s other books and I believe read the first one around when it first came out, I decided to join her.

The first story follows Belly as she returns to her mom’s friend’s summer home like she does every summer. She, along with her mother and brother go to their mother’s best friend’s summer home every summer. Susannah has two boys around the same age as Belly and Steven and Belly has always been in love with the eldest of the two. But this summer, the brother’s notice her for the first time as something more than an annoying little sister.

I did enjoy this book and flew through it, even though there were some flaws. Keep in mind that I am not 16 and therefore a little older than the intended audience. I honestly didn’t understand the appeal of Conrad at all. He was moody, bratty, rude, and pretty much ignored Belly. Jeremiah was so much better and Belly didn’t care to give him the time of day. I also thought it was an interesting choice to give Belly a brother but then write him out within the first few chapters.

I enjoyed the family drama a lot more than the romance side. Han did a great job with the friendships and relationships as well as the ups and downs of growing up. While the romance was a little bit of a weak spot for me, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I am excited to read the next two books in the series and see where everything goes.

This was definitely closer to 3.5 stars for me. I really enjoyed getting to talk about this book with others and see whether or not they had similar opinions. It also was interesting getting to hear the parts that stuck out more for others than for me. I wasn’t as annoyed with Belly’s immaturity as others were, but I also was more annoyed with Conrad than some other people were. I’m looking forward to reading and discussing the next book a well as watching the show that is coming out this summer. It will be interesting to see how they modernize it because, even though the book was published in 2009, it very much has a 90s feel to it.

Book Club May 2022- The Cartographers

By: Peng Shepherd
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: 392
Pages: William Morrow

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): What is the purpose of a map?

Nell Young’s whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map.

But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can’t resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable and exceedingly rare. In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence... because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one—along with anyone who gets in the way.

But why?

To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret and discovers the true power that lies in maps...

From the critically acclaimed author of The Book of M, a highly imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers that a strange map in her deceased father’s belongings holds an incredible, deadly secret—one that will lead her on an extraordinary adventure and to the truth about her family’s dark history.

What I thought

Oh man… this book was so good. It’s so hard to talk about it without giving anything away and I really don’t want to give anything away.

After the passing of her father, who she hasn’t talked to in 7 years, Nell discovers the map that caused their rift in the secret compartment of her dad’s desk.

This is a great mix of mystery with magical realism. I flew through this book and was sucked in from the very beginning. As someone who often judges mysteries based off of whether or not I could figure them out, I would say that I figured out parts but not all, so it still won me over.

I really don’t know how to review this book without giving things away other than to say that it’s unlike anything I’ve read before. Nell is an interesting character who is trying to figure out the job her dad was last working on before his death and through that process learns so much more. There’s also a secondary band of characters but, if I talk about them, that takes away some of the mystery and parts of the story that I enjoyed finding out as I read it.

Basically, this is going to be the shortest review with me saying trust me and just read this book.

What Book Club Thought

All of us loved this one. We had so much to say about it because each of us enjoyed different parts. We did break down some of the confusing parts, so it was nice to know other people that had read it for that point. The interesting part is that I wouldn’t have called this a universal novel based off of the summary, but considering that all of us loved it and we have slightly different tastes. I think what makes this a good book club book is that sometimes when everyone loves a book, it doesn’t lead to a lot of discussion but this one did. There was a lot to break down and analyze as well as just a lot that we enjoyed that we wanted to express. I cannot recommend this book enough and look forward to reading more by Shepherd in the future.

Scarlet Carnation

By: Laila Ibrahim
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 314

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I received 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 an early twentieth-century America roiling with racial injustice, class divides, and WWI, two women fight for their dreams in a galvanizing novel by the bestselling author of Golden Poppies.

1915. May and Naomi are extended family, their grandmothers’ lives inseparably entwined on a Virginia plantation in the volatile time leading up to the Civil War. For both women, the twentieth century promises social transformation and equal opportunity.

May, a young white woman, is on the brink of achieving the independent life she’s dreamed of since childhood. Naomi, a nurse, mother, and leader of the NAACP, has fulfilled her own dearest desire: buying a home for her family. But they both are about to learn that dreams can be destroyed in an instant. May’s future is upended, and she is forced to rely once again on her mother. Meanwhile, the white-majority neighborhood into which Naomi has moved is organizing against her while her sons are away fighting for their country.

In the tumult of a changing nation, these two women—whose grandmothers survived the Civil War—support each other’s quest for liberation and dignity. Both find the strength to confront injustice and the faith to thrive on their chosen paths.

First Impressions

The cover of this book is very pretty and is what caught my eye in the first place. The summary sounded interesting and unlike other stories I had read so I was curious. The one thing that made me hesitant was finding out the author was white and also very religious.

What I thought

While this book may not be for everyone, I found it to be an interesting story.

May is white, in her 20s, and on the edge of what she begins to be the rest of her life. Naomi is black, older, and fighting for her rights in Oakland California in 1916. They are tied together through Naomi’s mother-in-law and May’s grandmother and are family through marriage. This story follows them as they deal with their lives.

This book is told in alternating chapters but they felt like completely separate stories. While they did overlap a little in the beginning, as the story went on it felt like I was reading two different books. I didn’t mind it, but I felt like Naomi’s story could’ve been it’s own book. May’s story was interesting and I enjoyed seeing it played out, but if felt like it was wrapped up about halfway through. I never quite understood why these stories were chosen to be told together.

The saddest part is how little the world has changed in 100 years even down to the pandemic and masks. It felt like everything I was reading was present day minus the use of technology and it made me sad and angry. All of the things that Naomi was fighting for is still pertinent today and it broke my heart.

I will warn you that there are a few very (and I mean very) graphic birthing scenes. These scenes might haunt me. And there were like 3 of them. I could’ve done with a little more mystery and less detail to be honest. I also could’ve done with a little less religion, but that’s a personal issue. I’m not a very religious person so I don’t relate to it and find it uncomfortable to read at times.

While this story being told might not be a new one, the perspective of it was interesting. I enjoyed May’s story and I enjoyed Naomi’s. I feel like both of them could’ve been fleshed out a little more, especially Naomi’s. And I know some people are going to view a white author writing the perspective of a black woman as problematic. I don’t know where I stand on that issue, personally. I know I her author’s note she acknowledged this and shared that she had a lot of people of color read this story and provide feedback.

This story was a bit slow to begin with but did pick up and I found myself invested in the characters. While there are parts of the story that I felt were a little weak, the characters themselves were strong and this held the book together. If you are interested in some historical fiction in the late 1910’s, I recommend this book. Just don’t get your hopes up that anything has changed in the past 100 years.

The Mad Girls of New York

By: Maya Rodale
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 336

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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 1887 New York City, Nellie Bly has ambitions beyond writing for the ladies pages, but all the editors on Newspaper Row think women are too emotional, respectable and delicate to do the job. But then the New York World challenges her to an assignment she'd be mad to accept and mad to refuse: go undercover as a patient at Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum for Women.

For months, rumors have been swirling about deplorable conditions at Blackwell’s, but no reporter can get in—that is, until Nellie feigns insanity, gets committed and attempts to survive ten days in the madhouse. Inside, she discovers horrors beyond comprehension. It's an investigation that could make her career—if she can get out to tell it before two rival reporters scoop her story.

From USA Today bestselling author Maya Rodale comes a rollicking historical adventure series about the outrageous intrigues and bold flirtations of the most famous female reporter—and a groundbreaking rebel—of New York City’s Gilded Age.

First Impressions

The cover is a bit cartoon-y for me. It didn’t really appeal to me honestly. Luckily, the title intrigued me enough and the summary really caught my interest. I understand wanting to not make the cover too dark but I don’t think the book is ultimately going to attract the right audience. So basically, the first impression was not strong with this one.

What I thought

This is a historical fiction that follows Nellie Bly on her first big assignment; 10 days in the Blackwell Insane Asylum.

I didn’t know about Nellie Bly before reading this book. She was a famous reporter in the late 1800s-early 1900s who pioneered undercover journalism. Her first big story was going undercover as an insane woman in Blackwell’s Insane Asylum in New York City. When she first moved to New York City, she struggled to get hired as a woman, but once she found her gimmick, she committed and ended up writing a powerful story.

This story also has some additional characters that I’m not sure whether or not they truly existed, or at the very least not in this capacity. . First is Sam Colton, a male reporter who was vying for the same position at The World as Nellie. Second is Marian, a fellow female reporter who inspires Nellie to go after the story that is her big break.

I always enjoy stories that teach me about strong women in history. This book was a bit long at times, but I enjoyed the story a lot. It was fascinating to see the struggles of how women lived during the late 1800s. As a psychology minor in college, I had read about hysteria and how women were deemed insane due to a “wandering uterus”. It was fascinating to read about it in the context of a historical fiction story and see the way that it impacted real women’s lives.

Nellie is a very intriguing individual and if this is to be a series that follows her and the other stories that she wrote, I am in for it 100%. It saddens me that it took until this book to learn about her existence and what she did. Without her, who knows what would have happened to the women at Blackwell as well as the future trajectory of female reporters.

The book was a little slow to start, but that may have been because I wanted to get to the part where she was in the asylum doing her research. I think that was my favorite portion of the book. The 10 days felt a little long, though I guess that’s sort of the point, and I wished the story had wrapped up certain parts just a little quicker. This story was so interesting to me and I enjoyed a lot of it. I always can tell a good historical fiction story because it makes me want to go research what really happened. If you like historical fiction and are looking for something that’s unique, I highly recommend checking this one out.

Book Club April 2022- We Are Not Like Them

By: Christine Pride & Jo Piazza
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 334

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Told from alternating perspectives, an evocative and riveting novel about the lifelong bond between two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event—a powerful and poignant exploration of race in America today and its devastating impact on ordinary lives.

Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.

But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband’s freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend.

What I thought

Stephanie picked this book for book club and I won’t lie that it made me a little nervous after I read the summary. The cover is bright and I think a little misleading, but definitely the kind of cover I would pick up. The summary is heavy and I would probably have put it back down, even with my promise to read more things that make me uncomfortable.

I won’t sugar coat things. This was a difficult book to read. It tackles a very tough and very real topic and they don’t pull any punches.

Riley is a black newscaster. Jen is a white wife of a cop. Jen and Riley have been friends since day care when Jen’s husband shoots an unarmed 14 year old black boy and Riley is asked to cover the story.

First of all, is this book flawless? No. Do I think it’s a great starting point for tackling these topics? Absolutely. This book isn’t perfect. I thought it was interesting that even though Jen’s husband shot the boy, he was not the copy that identified the shooter (this comes out pretty early in the book so I don’t think it’s a spoiler). I also think that Jen and Riley’s friendship is a bit of a weak point and at times it seems like they only stay friends to keep the story moving forward. However, I think that it will spark a lot of wonderful conversations that need to be had and even these flaws might spark some great conversation.

I thought it was so interesting that the book was written by one black author and one white author. I think it brought a truth to the characters that I appreciated. Jen and her husband’s relationship did confuse me a little. I never felt like she really liked her husband so I was a bit confused as to her defense of him at times. I absolutely loved this book and am thankful it was picked for book club so I would pick it up. I can’t wait to discuss it and highly recommend it.

What Book Club Thought

Everybody loved this book. We all rated it 5 stars and we had so much to discuss. We probably could’ve talked even more about the book than we did. It is such a great book for book club discussions. We talked about our difference of opinions in what happened with Jen’s husband as well as the romance with Riley and whether or not it was necessary. But every time we discussed parts that we maybe weren’t crazy about, it sparked a discussion about how other people interpreted it and why the authors maybe made those choices and therefore why maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

So, long story short, I highly recommend this book and recommend it even more as your next book club choice.

The No-Show

By: Beth O’Leary
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 352

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

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Siobhan is a quick-tempered life coach with way too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to being treated as just one of the guys on the job. Jane is a soft-spoken volunteer for the local charity shop with zero sense of self-worth.

These three women are strangers who have only one thing in common: They've all been stood up on the same day, the very worst day to be stood up--Valentine's Day. And, unbeknownst to them, they've all been stood up by the same man.

Once they've each forgiven him for standing them up, they let him back into their lives and are in serious danger of falling in love with a man who seems to have not just one or two but three women on the go....

Is there more to him than meets the eye? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?

First Impression

Beth O’Leary is one of my auto-read authors. I loved her first and third books, The Flatshare and Road Trip. I had actually pre-ordered this book before I was offered the chance to read it for review so when I got that offer to read it early I was ecstatic. The cover is a pretty soft pink with a bit of chaos that I was drawn to. The summary also sounded intriguing.

What I thought

This book was the definition of a slow burn and was a bit of a roller coaster that ended up taking me by surprise.

Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane all get stood up on Valentine’s Day by the same man. When confronted with standing them up, Joseph Carter doesn’t have a good excuse to give, but for some reason they all forgive him.

Jane was definitely my favorite of the three women. I liked the mystery to her storyline and that she was a bit awkward and uncomfortable and was working towards finding herself. Miranda was also great with her strong personality and independence. She is a tree surgeon and one of few in the UK. Finally, there’s Siobhan. She took the longest to grow on me as an Influencer and life coach.

I don’t know if it was because I was reading this book at the same time as another or if it was the way the story played out, but it took me until I was about 50-60% of the way through to really get into it. That was the point where I started to figure out what was truly going on. It was hard to understand what all of these women were in love with Joseph which I think contributed to part of the difficulty I had getting into this story.

Once the book did start to pick up steam I did fly through it. There are some wonderful storylines and lessons in this book that really resonated with me and I hope that people give this book a full chance. Each of the characters in the story have their struggles and O’Leary writes them so well.

I think because of the slow pace, even though I ended up loving the final 40% of the book, this isn’t my favorite of O’Leary’s. That’s not to mean it’s not a great book, it’s just that Flashshare and Road trip were SO good. I cannot wait to read more by O’Leary and this book just continues to cement her as an auto-read author. If you haven’t read her books yet, what are you waiting for?