Nothing like having an “advanced” copy of a book that you don’t read until a year after publication! I was lucky enough to get this from Berkley but nNothing like having an “advanced” copy of a book that you don’t read until a year after publication! I was lucky enough to get this from Berkley but never read it and then it was announced back in January my newest obsession Phoebe Waller-Bridge had come to an agreement with Amazon to adapt it into a series and I still didn’t read it. What can I say? I’m a mood reader and never quite found myself in the mood. But now it’s spoooooky season and I figured a book about Hell had to at least sort of fit in with Halloween so I decided to give it a whirl.
Boy was I surprised with what this ended up being! I knew the bare bones before going in: Peyote Trip (horrible new name assignments are one of Hell’s never ending punishments – just like only the FIFTH pen you try to write with will actually produce ink, Jägermeister is the only alcoholic beverage that can be relied on being served at the local watering hole and there’s ALWAYS a car alarm going off somewhere on the street, but you can’t ever seem to locate it just to name a few others) works on the 5th Floor of Hell (a pretty decent gig, compared to the lower levels) and has set his sights on a “hat trick” of sorts where he’ll get the entire Harrison family to agree to sell their souls. He believes if he can pull this off, he just might get himself out of hell.
But then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But then you have ANOTHER narrative. This one is with the aforementioned Harrison family themselves back on Earth and oh it is juuuuuuuuuuuicy family drama with a twist I did not see coming.
What a genre bender and an unexpected surprise. Highly recommended.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
The story here is about Jess. Baby did a bad bad thing and she’s hightailed it from Englad to Gay Paree to squat with her brother Ben for a bit. The only problem when she arrives at his apartment is he’s not there. Like nowhere to be found and not responding to texts/calls/nada. Enter the remaining tenants who all take turns telling the story. There’s Ben’s pal Nick who resides on the second floor and is the person who hooked Ben up with this posh pad in the first place. Young Mimi lives on the fourth. Drunken Antoine and his fed up wife are on the first. Glamorous, rich Sophie and her oft absent hubbo Jacques are up in the penthouse. Oh, and I can’t forget the Concierge who inhabits The Loge.
This is a story that starts off with what may be a bit of the stabby stabby and then churns and burns until you get to the big reveal. And what a reveal it was! Delicious. Lucy Foley is such an auto request for me. I was bummed when I got denied an early copy, but in all honesty I’m such a douchebag I probably wouldn’t have read it until it was released anyway. Bonus – since I’m a library stalker I was first in line and was able to start it on pub day. I went in to this blind so it took me a minute to realize it was going to be a meander rather than a sprint, but once I got invested I never put it down. My only complaint was the wrap up. This is a thriller – don’t feel like you have to channel your inner Dorinda Medley, Ms. Foley . . . .
I have steered clear of The Love Hypothesis ever since release date pushing back my library hold again and again because (1) with all of the glowing rI have steered clear of The Love Hypothesis ever since release date pushing back my library hold again and again because (1) with all of the glowing reviews out there (especially on the ‘Gram) I was almost positive I was going to be a wrongreader and (2) because I somehow got spoiled and discovered this started out as a Fan Fic. Now pleeeeeaaaase put your torches and pitchforks down for just a second and let me explain. I’m not opposed to Fan Fics being picked up by publishing houses and I even surprised myself by loving every dang thing about The Idea of You, buuuuuuuut, for every story like that one, there’s an After series . . . . .
I mean those were just turrrrrrrrible. More than the writing, though, it’s that I am usually not a part of the fandom to begin with that inspires these stories so I feel like I’m pissing on someone else’s playground when I read/hate them. And when the inspiration for the leading male is . . . .
Yeah, I don’t find him attractive at all. You know how it goes, though. The FOMO always wins in the end so I sucked it up and started this one over the weekend. And then I never put it down. I’m a sucker for the fake relationship trope if it’s done well and while there was the typical sideplot of withholding pretty vital information from the other I could make sense of the “whys” behind it in this case. Oh and also . . . . .
^^^^Actual footage of me coming here to write this review when my friends’ collective rating is at a freaking 4.86.
Razorblade Tears is the story of Ike and Buddy Lee – polar opposites in all ways aside from the fact that their sons were married to each other and got murdered. When the local yokels seem to wash their hands of the case based on lack of evidence Ike and Buddy Lee decide to take matters into their own hands.
Okay, so herein begins the problem. I have said it before and apparently I will be saying it again. Revenge stories aren’t really my jam. I’m all for a little vigilante justice, but I like it to be real quick and not drawn out as the entire storyline. I’m also not a fan of reading action/fight scenes. In all honesty I’m not a huge fan of watching them in movies either. It just seems like filler to me when it goes on too long. So there’s two things already not working for me when it comes to this book. The whodunit part was okay and there were times I was truly sucked in to the story . . . but then more drawn out fight scenes would burst my reading bubble or even worse . . . .
I’m all for informing the ignorant, but Cosby’s style was sooooooo condescending. And as always the people who really need information like the following examples spoonfed to them most likely wouldn’t ever read this book to begin with . . .
They don’t look gay, Ike thought. As soon as the idea entered his head it seemed like he could hear Isiah’s voice. How exactly did someone look gay? Did he expect them to have tattoos carved into their foreheads that declared their sexuality?
“Wait, so she’s a he?” Buddy Lee asked in a low tone. “No. She is a she who has not had gender-reassignment surgery yet,”
“You called her a she. But she still has a…” Ike said. He let the statement hang in the air. “She is presenting as a woman. She seems to be living as a woman. So she is a woman,”
“Thank you, S.A. Cosby for making me so woke!” said no bigot ever.
So as I said, this was off the charts for all my pals and then there’s me . . . .
The violence didn’t bother me. I simply could not get past the stereotypes with the extra helping of cheese. I own Blacktop Wasteland so eventually I’ll get around to reading that one. Hopefully it will work better for me....more
Seems once again I’m a bit of a wrongreader here and didn’t fall over myself about this recent Reese’s Book Club selection like all the other2.5 Stars
Seems once again I’m a bit of a wrongreader here and didn’t fall over myself about this recent Reese’s Book Club selection like all the other horny housewives did. Mainly due to the fact that you can’t write about stupid shit such as clothing like this . . . .
Draped in a long-sleeve paisley maxidress plunging to her navel (vintage Dior) and shoulder-skimming beaded earrings (Nairobi street market) …
In suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch detail, but then gloss over the “before” section where two high schoolers meet, bang for a week in a drug addled and self-harm stupor and yet have hardly any pages written about all that.
So the story here is Eva and Shane met as mentioned directly above and then 15 years went by without them ever speaking. It’s hinted that he “broke a promise” which, of course, takes an eternity to ever get around to disclosing and winds up being a trope contained in approximately 112% of all romance novels that could have been wrapped up had the two main characters taken Khalid’s sage advice of . . . .
But I digress and back to the plot. Eva and Shane have both grown up to be successful writers. He’s a Colson Whitehead literary sort, she writes “supermarket checkout porn.” They wind up at a black author book convention where the reader learns that they have both spent their careers writing about the other and eventually they commence the re-banging. Then stuff and things happen and in the end it was just aiiiiiight for me.
I think I need to lower my expectations or fight the FOMO when it comes to Reese’s picks. While I really loved Such a Fun Age, most of her choices seem to miss the mark a bit for me. Most likely because when I see the words “Book Club” my brain wants to go in that Colson Whitehead type of direction or at least be a story that makes you think about things like social issues, race, wealth, bias, etc. all wrapped up in an easy-to-read format as with Such a Fun Age. I read a lot of smut and included in that has been a handful of literary porn too. At the end of the day this was simply a romance that could have used A LOT more pages to fill in the details in what became a very disjointed now/then narrative for me.
I didn’t immediately hop on the bandwagon for a copy of Olympus, Texas because the blurb compared it to The Iliad - something I have never read due toI didn’t immediately hop on the bandwagon for a copy of Olympus, Texas because the blurb compared it to The Iliad - something I have never read due to the fact that . . . . .
(It also namedropped Friday Night Lights, I guess because it was set in Texas???? Seems like maybe a stretch, but again I’ve not read that one either despite owning it for a hundred million years.)
Anyway, I decided to take a gamble when Richard Russo provided an endorsement since I have read and loved some of his stuff. (And a Pulitzer winner even – maybe I am smart after all!)
Turns out Russo was correct and the combo of an ensemble cast of relatives (100% my wheelhouse) and the Texas connection made me realize maybe my addiction to all things family drama might stem from my childhood where I spent all week counting down the minutes until I went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house on Friday nights and we watched . . . . .
If that’s true, then Knot’s Landing is probably the source of my affinity for neighborhood strife.
Olympus, Texas differs from some of my usual selections featuring meth and trailer parks, but that’s not to say there isn’t a whoooooooooooooooooooole lot going on. Mainly in the form of . . . . .
JanB, Diane S, debra, Marialyce and Sarah Obsesses over Books & Cookies all had success with this one too so I feel pretty comfortable declaring myself a “right reader” for once ; ) ...more
Having a “Bookstagram” account has been so much fun for me. All books, all the time and very little drama llama B.S. But then there’s the dark underbeHaving a “Bookstagram” account has been so much fun for me. All books, all the time and very little drama llama B.S. But then there’s the dark underbelly no one talks about . . . .
My debilitating condition is not helped by things like Reese’s Book Club or Read With Jenna or Book of the Month either. Much like Pokemon, I gotta catch read ‘em all! And sometimes they aren’t winners. Don’t get me wrong, the pages turned quickly enough on this one, but the premise (and I’m going to try my best to not present any spoilsies) that a husband leaves his life, his wife, his daughter and only a note to “Protect Her” was maybe just a weeeeeeee too Lifetime Television for Women for me. As the story developed, it became even more farfetched that this particular gentleman would have even put himself in such a potentially high-profile position he did to begin with and, well . . . .
I actually just got scolded (lightheartedly) by one of my real-life friends for being such an easy sell when it comes to house covers. My defense???? But this had a houseBOAT on the cover. And then I promptly read How Lucky which also had a house on the cover and requested The Perfect Family on NetGalley because it had a house on the cover. It’s a sickness.
Everyone else seems to really love this one. I’ll gladly take the wrongreader title with my mediocre rating....more
I was not a big fan of Beach Read, but I generally try to give authors a second shot (especially romance authors because my likes and dislikes are preI was not a big fan of Beach Read, but I generally try to give authors a second shot (especially romance authors because my likes and dislikes are pretty clear cut in that genre). I am soooooo happy to report that I had a completely different experience with People We Meet On Vacation than I did with its predecessor.
The story here is about Alex and Poppy who met a decade ago via a rideshare home from college and then became besties for the resties. Their friendship has survived moves, career changes, double dates and failed relationships – mainly because the two made it a point to take an annual vacation together. That is, until two years ago when something happened (and yes, the something is exactly what you are thinking – not sure why authors feel the need to beat around the bush about this stuff like it’s going to be some big reveal). At the advice of another friend, Poppy seeks to “re-find her happy” – and she knows 100% it was on those trips with Alex – so she sets up a throwback vacay on a budget to Palm Springs, crosses her fingers and hopes for the best.
I loved nearly everything about this book. The back and forthy timeline worked for me, quality banter always works for me, and when I get vibes of another favorite . . . .
One note on the negative side of things: Eventually you authors are gonna have to realize there are way more women who DON’T enjoy Zooey Deschanel or “Jess” knock-offs than there are who do. No one wants to be friends with this person . . . .
I was just bitching like two seconds ago in another review that blurbs comparing a book to others generally miss the mark, but True Grit meets The CruI was just bitching like two seconds ago in another review that blurbs comparing a book to others generally miss the mark, but True Grit meets The Crucible????
I also keep seeing this book referred to as “dystopian.” To all of you who used that phrase, allow me to quote my former beau Inigo Montoya and state . . . .
The first effing line of the book (which was a good ‘un) is . . .
In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw
I guess if painted with a reeeeeaaaaaal broad brush you wouldn’t get thrown in the stocks for using that term (unless you’re a woman in this novel, then you definitely would get strung up for basically anything, you witchy bitches), but I would call this a “reimagining.” The time is real, the place was real, the outlaws were real, exiling/offing barren women as worthless was more than likely real, hell even some of the characters were real – there’s just been some creative license taken with regard to their individual backstories.
This is the story of Ada, a midwife in training, who gets labeled a witch and sent to the nunnery for failing to produce offspring which her in-laws require in order for Ada to remain married to their son. Ever hopeful for more of a future, Ada ends up being shipped to the Hole in the Wall Gang and taken in by their leader, The Kid. It is there she meets a rabble-rousing band of misfits who have found solidarity and kinship after being ousted from their respective homes. Barren women, gender binary, homosexual, mentally ill – so many various personalities all accepting of one another and each other’s differences. Sounds like a utopia, huh? Well, unfortunately there’s also shoot-em-ups and lawmen who ain’t so keen on these outlaws stealing from folks, so there’s some action to be had as well.
As far as creativity goes, I would easily give this all the stars. I really think I just don’t like Westerns all that much, so my entertainment level hovered at 3 Stars throughout. Per usual, I suck turtles . . . .
I should’ve known from the Middle Passage to never trust a white man who says, “Take a seat.” It could be your last.
Do y’all read for a specific pI should’ve known from the Middle Passage to never trust a white man who says, “Take a seat.” It could be your last.
Do y’all read for a specific purpose? I am 100% a mood reader and I’m also of the mindset that if I have to force myself to read something specifically for a cause (like Black History Month) there’s a solid chance I’m part of the problem rather than the solution. I ended up reading Black Buck yesterday simply for the fact that my turn had come around at the library and I know one of my own personal friends had lamented about the length of the waiting list so I wanted to make sure I turned it over to the next patron as quickly as possible. Just putting it out there because I’d feel like a fraud if I was pretending I’m real “woke” when in reality I didn't even know it wasn't January 97th yesterday (I mean was January long as fuck or what?).
Anyway, that disclosure being disclosed, here’s a warning for you: if you are not a fan of satire, there’s about a trillion percent chance you’re going to find yourself immediately saying . . .
My advice to you is put the book down and walk away slowly because you’ll probably never “get it.”
Black Buck is the story of Darren – a 22-year old underachiever from Bed-Stuy who has been slinging beans at a Manhattan Starbucks for the past four years. When he “sells” a better cup of coffee to an obvious kingpen of industry who comes into the store at least three times a day, he’s recruited to become a “Sumwun” and is introduced to the fast paced lifestyle of the corporate salesman where the rule of law is to . . . .
This book had a great beginning and an even better “MAGA” type of crescendo, but unfortunately the middle became a bit of a mess for me where it got sidetracked one too many times (it probably could have stood a heavier handed editor to bump it up a star for me). Still, a thinker of a read that I would give 3 Stars....more
I am a voyeur to the nth degree and absolutely get off on reality trash any time I’m not reading. I will confess that my Peeping Tom status remains pretty stilted when it comes to the intertubes – mainly because I find the majority of users who think they are big shit to be absolutely insufferable with only an unhealthy addiction to social media to show for it, along with some fairly shady behaviors such as like swapping or just being gross humans by following to unfollow. (I do, however, watch those gals put makeup on ALL. THE. TIME. over on the YouTube . . . even though I still don’t know how to do it myself.)
But I digress. While I don’t wish to engage with the self-proclaimed Influencer, I do remain amazed that there are those who can make their living shilling others’ wares and becoming the next Cady Haron . . .
But again I digress and declare I was allllllll in as soon as I read this . . . .
I just go about my business, sharing my unfiltered family life and hopefully starting a more authentic discussion about parenting. I built this brand on honesty, and I’ll always tell it like it is.
Unfortunately that wasn’t the only thing going on. In case you haven’t heard me mention 85,000 times already – I am not much of a fan when it comes to the revenge trope. My rating here is an obvious reflection of that. What this story had going for it was the “normal” stuff about social media that has such a trainwreck allure. Users who sell their souls for “likes,” or buy thousands of bot followers to appear popular, or declare their phony fake personas and lifestyles a “brand” and have to think real hard about whether they are okay with going “off brand,” or oversharing their children’s lives (who clearly have no say in the matter because they are generally babies or elementary aged at the most since those are the only ones who will create quality cute “content” for the stalkers fans, and speaking of fans – how quickly the masses can turn into haters should their favorite account post the wrong thing or not appear “woke” or sensitive enough with regard to any hot button issue of the moment, or the Influencer becomes “internet famous” only to find their accounts hacked or stolen because at the end of the day they are using a site that belongs to someone else - for free, no less – and that entity isn’t really in business to help other people create a business. I mean, come on, it’s the internet - everybody is out to get you, or at least troll you. Take it from the original Turtle Sucker herself! There just wasn’t any need as far as I’m concerned for an actual “I’m gonna get you, sucka” narrative.
So there’s my therapeutic ramble featuring nearly zero booktalk and a shitton of social commentary. This book would have been 4.5 Stars for me without the addition of an actual bad guy. As it sits, I’m going with 3.5 and rounding up because I’m a real swell gal. Just ask my 14 Instagram followers ; )
Dear NetGalley, you can go ahead and decline my request that has been pending for the last eleventy months. I already read it....more
I realize I am one of the very few dissenters in the ranks, but the book says it all . . .
“Worst hostages ever. You’re the worst hostages ever.”
So the whole premise here is about a failed bank robbery and how said bank robber ends up with the worst hostages ever and it all takes place after the hostage crisis has been averted and the would-be robber has become MIA and it’s all six degrees of separation and somehow also is about a super serious subject like suicide and it all gets delivered in a quirky little package full of obtuse police interviews and absurdities like giant rabbits and piles of blood that need to be accounted for and things that are supposed to make you feel all of the feelz that gets tied up with a pretty little bow of “awwwwwwww” at the end and OH. MY. GOD. IT. WAS. EXHAUSTING.
I loved Ove. And I mean looooooooooooooooooooooooved. Almost unhealthily. Like there’s a 12% chance it might come to fisticuffs after I tell you to “cash me outside - how 'bout dah” if you tell me you hated it and I’m having a bad day. But after failing at yet another Backman new release that I was highly anticipating I need to admit he is just not for me. There’s nothing wrong with being a one-hit wonder. Karens all over the world can attest to that fact with their favorite sing-along . . . .
Upon receipt of a disturbing letter from her cousin claiming she is being poisoned by her husband and trapped in a house full of rot and evil, Noemí is sent on a bit of a fact-finding mission in order to get Catalina any help she may need. Her arrival reveals a house on a hill a bit like . . . .
Apparently this wasn’t a big hit for everyone. Color me surprised because I thought it was exactly as advertised - Lovecraft meets the Brontës. That cover alone is worth the price of admission. And yes I know I know I complain about face covers all the time, but these “ladies in pretty dresses” covers are simply the bees knees. I will say this is a slow roller that builds itself up to a frantic pace for the climax, so if you aren’t sucked in by the atmosphere, you definitely aren’t going to have a great time. Also, I apparently wrongread even when I think I’m reading it right so take my rating with a grain of salt.
It's time for the Summer Reading Program! You know what that means? Kelly forces herself to venture out of her comfort zone and earns free swag while doing so! This year the library is challenging readers to "Live the Fantastic" - which meant absolutely nothing to me so I had to go look at the recommendation list to see what the heck I was even supposed to be picking up. The husband happened to be in the room with me - because WE. NEVER. GET. TO. ESCAPE. EACH. OTHER. at this point of quarantine and the convo went a little like:
ME: I'm busy trying to sign up for the library reading thing so STFU.
HUSBAND: [undeterred] Oh, what books are you picking?
ME: Looking at the selections now - hmmmmm, looks like Circe is one of the options.
HUSBAND: Isn't that the book you've been using as a mouse pad for the past month and a half?
ME: I thought I told you to STFU.
So yes, Circe is not only a book I've been misusing, but one I received for free and still failed to read in a timely manner. I am the worst. I also don't like to read something just to talk trash about it and I thought for sure this would not be my cup of tea. But as this post proves, I looooooooooove free shit so there's zero chance I was going to turn down the offer of a copy for the paperback release.
Now here's a weird thing. I was raised in a pretty devout Catholic house - like we didn't just not eat meat on Fridays during Lent like those halfway Catholics, we NEVER got to eat meat on Fridays. And I had to go to catechism for eternity and church on Sundays (and every holy day of obligation in addition to weekly attendance) with a trip to the confessional booth beforehand in order to receive "the body of Christ" and if I was bad my punishment was generally both a swat with the wooden spoon as well as having to say the Rosary. Anyway, pretty Catholic. And that meant mythology and stories of the Gods were complete and total blasphemy and I was not allowed to read them. I do remember watching Clash of the Titans or Jason and the Argonauts (whatever movie Lisa Rinna's husband was in) at school, but I guarantee if a permission slip had been required before viewing I would have been sitting in the hallway with the poor Pentacostal kids who weren't allowed to watch ANYTHING.
All that being said, I thought Circe was some Egyptian queen like Cleopatra because I am uneducated and everything I know about mythology I learned from Percy Jackson as a grown-up. This should not have been my idea of a good time. But you know what? Madeline Miller can really tell a story. I breezed right through this in a couple of days and while I did find the occasional slow patch, for the most part I was really interested. I don't know if my ignorance was a help or a hindrance when it came to my enjoyment level, so I can only say that most of my friends seemed to really dig this one as well so I don't think you'll be wasting your time if it's on your TBR.
Book 1 on the quest for more crap complete!!!! This year there is a LIGHT UP GLASS option. Gamechanger!
Now, on to some more mythology (this time in Norse form), a graphic novel set in outer space, a real fish tale and a story about a haunted house (I think - haven't read the blurb, but it has a house on the cover, kill in the title and all my horror lovin' friends have read it).
Despite being a true purveyor of trash television, I come here confessing to all of you tFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Despite being a true purveyor of trash television, I come here confessing to all of you that I have never watched even one episode of either The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. From what I can see via the commercials, SNL pretty much has nailed it on the head when it comes to its skits regarding this franchise. The females became super famous for things like . . . .
The only excuse I have for not being addicted to this garbage is that it is too time consuming and in the evenings my family takes over all of the remote controls for various sportsball and shoot-em-up type of viewing while I read. When I saw this book (and that cover – such a cute cover) offered up for an early peek I couldn’t resist. And as a chubby gal, I am ALL. ABOUT. the inclusion of plus-sized leads in my romcoms. I kept picturing . . . . .
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, One to Watch is the story of Bea, a size 20 influencer (I know, internet famous = barf, but she’s not a total asshole so it’s okay) who rages out on the interwebs about the lack of diversity in fake dating shows like Main Squeeze only to be offered a chance as the next star. Can a girl who only signed up to change the narrative and take her brand to the next level find love?
I read this in a couple of hours out on the deck one Saturday before temps started reaching hot lava levels and thought it was a perfectly fine way to kill some time.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
This should have been a winner for me. I love rom coms. I love chick lit. I love cartoon covers. I love when the characters are authors or booknerds. So what happened? Well, January and Gus and their summer at their neighboring beach houses happened. This book kind of got lost in what it was trying to be and ended up being a mish-mash that simply fell short and by the time I let go of my issues with it, sadly it was just a little too late for a full redemption.
Things started off poorly for me due to the fact that for a goodly chunk of this book I couldn’t get these two assholes and their ridiculous internet feud out of my head . . . .
I pretty much avoid reading stuff by either of them because they come off as such twats and they don’t deserve my time (or especially my money). The fact that the leads in this book were pretty much clones of those two as the “great American novelist” for him and the “chick lit romance bestseller” for her did not aid in my enjoyment level whatsoever.
Oh my word you broken record. We get it already. It’s not like you’re 12 so get some coping skills and it’s not like you were even close so how the hell could this possibly shatter you so much??? See a doctor, homey.
The romance (a/k/a smexytimes) was aiiiiiiiight so this 2.5 will get rounded up simply for not making me want to invest in a chastity belt or poke my own eyeballs out due to gross intercourse.
But like Shelby stated in her review, a serious level of irk was generated with the other broken record message that . . . .
First, you just got a G.D. beach house bequeathed to you so STFU – you’re not homeless. Second, if you are seriously a bestselling author you should have at least five dollars in the bank. And third, if you don’t???? GET. A. FUCKING. DAY. JOB. There is nothing that aggravates me more than “authors” who cry all over Goodreads and Go Fund Me and Patreon that it is our duty as readers/fans to pay their bills so they can “create” while we go grind it out at various not-dreamy 9 to 5s. Having this chick whine about her money issues made me want to lump her in the badly behaving author category like those people.
Obviously YMMV and you’ll probably love this like everyone else did.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I actually read this book a couple of years ago, so if you are interested in what I had tFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
I actually read this book a couple of years ago, so if you are interested in what I had to say you can find it HERE. If you know me, you know I’m not generally much of a re-reader so you’re probably wondering why an exception was made. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of Abbi Waxman’s upcoming release I Was Told It Would Get Easier and found myself smiling from ear to ear when the mom in that book, called a mom from this book. Everyone – meet Frances. She’s the epitome of a best friend. Don’t know the difference between a regular friend and a “best” friend? Well, it looks a little something like this . . . . .
I encourage all you fellow momcom/chicklit/whateveryouwanttocallit fans to spend some time with Frances (and the rest of the families in her neighborhood). Hopefully you’ll find her as funny and endearing as I do and she’ll make you want to be more like her when you grow up like I am feeling right now. Please note, however, I called dibs on her being my best friend already so don’t even think about stepping into my territory or I will hurt you : )
I originally gave this 4 Stars, but I just loved it so I’m giving it all 5. And now I’m going to have to re-read The Garden of Small Beginnings because there’s a dang callback to Lilli from that one!...more
I knew zero about Long Bright River before attempting to get my hands on a copy. All I knFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
I knew zero about Long Bright River before attempting to get my hands on a copy. All I knew was I loved Heft and when I recognized the author’s name I wanted to give her new release a shot. When I found out it was a dope story, wellllllll . . . . .
The story here is of two sisters. Mickey works on the right side of the law as a beat cop in Philly, her sister Kacey is a drug addicted prostitute. At its most basic, this is a “whodunit” when Mickey discovers Kacey might be officially missing at the same time as several women with a connection to the seedier side of life have been murdered. And believe me, that story is done well. It absolutely did not feel like 500 pages. What I did not expect whatsoever was . . . . .
No, not really. I’ll spare you the soapbox regarding my feelings on 99.99999% of the times that term is used, but let’s just say this one hit waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too close to home. You can stop reading here if you’re only interested in book specifics because I really have nothing to offer. Instead I’m going to get real personal.
Long Bright River resonated with me because I could relate to it on a whole different level. You see, I work in law and have a sister who died of a heroin overdose. She often went “missing” and turned up again only because she needed some money. I can only assume she more than likely whored herself out in order to get a fix when she did not have other means of obtaining money. She painted herself the victim and blamed every bad decision she ever made on her upbringing – which was the same upbringing I had and yet somehow I managed to become a fairly productive member of society. She had drug addicted baby after drug addicted baby. One died (basically at her hands because even though said baby was born addicted, she was still sent home with a garbage human to care for her who unplugged the breathing/heart monitor due to it “malfunctioning and beeping all the time” - a/k/a she was stoned, her baby dying was interrupting her high, and when she finally came to it was too late to resuscitate). A second baby died. Three more were taking in by a relative and since my sister never managed to make any supervised visits/not piss dirty eventually legal custody was granted in whole to that wonderful family. Another went to a family battling infertility and thankfully they were able to legally adopt her after the system ran its tedious, never-ending second/third/fourth/eightieth chance process. We thought she was going to go to prison once and we were so happy because at least she would have a roof over her head, food, and a chance at court-ordered rehab to get clean . . . but then she was released with a slap on the wrist (and trust me, manufacturing methamphetamine SHOULD NOT be a charge with fucking probation as the punishment), came out and spiraled out of control until her death.
As I said, I don’t think I’ve ever related to a story like I did this one. I have never had a book bring out so much real life, personal anger in me. I’ve never wanted to throat punch a fictional character like this. I’ve never had a twist that I cheered for as much as this one and I’ve never agreed with a character’s actions like I agreed with Mickey’s. My notes say real brilliant things like “fuck you” and “fuck you twice” because I was raging out so hard. I’ve never wanted someone to not be dead just so I could tell them what a fucking selfish/bullshit artist/baby killing/first world problem having piece of garbage they were because I was too cowardly to do it when they were alive and Liz Moore brought all of those repressed feelings to the surface (and out of my screaming face in the safety of my car where my children couldn’t hear me). Obviously this book might not generate the same type of emotion in most of you.
The weird non-use of quotes but using dashes instead and still saying “he said/she said” after every bit of dialogue was annoying, though. There. There’s something about the book.
I really enjoyed The Family Fang this year, so when I heard that Kevin Wilson had a new release coming out I made sure to put my name on the library hold list well before pub day to guarantee I’d be at the top of the heap. Now that I’ve finished I have this to say . . . . .
Lillian has a history of bailing Madison out of a jam, so she’s exactly the person who gets called when Madison’s twin stepchildren are in need of a “governess.” Not only do these two kids have to deal with mourning their dead mother and being moved in to the guest house of their absentee father – a man who just so happens to make his living in the political spectrum opining on the importance of things like family values *barf* – but they also have another little issue that pops up every now and again . . . .
I’m not going to waste a lot of time talking about this one. My rating should speak for itself. I will say that I love a loveable loser and books about finding your tribe and while it may not be true that . . . .
This is a story that simply makes you feel good and Wilson tells it effortlessly. In addition to all the warm fuzzies, he’s extremely witty too. Without spoiling things, there was a moment regarding . . . . .
When we last met up with the Steele family they had all returned to the United States toFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
When we last met up with the Steele family they had all returned to the United States to recuperate from the shock of dealing with (a) a dead husband/father, (b) a McMansion in St. John no one knew about, (c) a love child (samesies with the no one knew about her part), and (d) various potential romances. In book two it’s pretty much a given there’s going to be a bunch of other crap pop up that wasn’t disclosed in #1. It’s also a given that these folks are headed back to island life ASAP or else there wouldn’t even be the need for a continuation of the story.
If you are familiar with me you know I spend about 95% of my time on Goodreads talking about how I don’t read past the first book in a series. And yet here I am finished with #2 here and anxiously awaiting #3. What can I say?????
In my defense I will say I probably would have never picked up Winter In Paradise if I knew it was going to be a series (and a cliffhangery type of one to boot – GRRRR). But what’s done is done and when I saw this release on the new and notable shelf on a day where it was 30 degrees rather than the near 70 degrees it was supposed to be I said . . . . .
Don’t even come at me when I decorate for Christmas this weekend. If it can fucking ice storm before Halloween I can Clark Griswald the crap out of the interior of my own house before Thanksgiving.
Anyway, I’m new to the Elin Hilderbrand Kool-Aid drinkers club, but I assume this is pretty much her typical fare (only set on a different island than her older stuff). This is also pretty typical book two content. These are always what I call the “filler” books. You need additional info to move the story along, but there’s not a whole lot of real action until book three. It also would not work at all as a standalone, but it was a great way to escape reality and didn’t require a lot of thinking on my part which is always a plus. Bring on #3. ...more
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