Book Review: "See You Next Tuesday" by Kate Stayman-London

I loved this book for several reasons, but one of them is that it reminded me of what it was like to be excited by a political candidate and be hopeful for the future. Lord knows we could use a lot of that in the U.S. right now!!

Nothing gets Anya more energized than working on a political campaign. She loves helping candidates she believes in, candidates she thinks would make a difference. When she meets Gabe, she is awestruck by his handsomeness, but his ego and what she sees as his lack of principles irritate her to no end.

They keep running into each other, either working in different roles on a campaign, or being brought together by mutual friends. There’s no doubt that they’re attracted to one another, but they can’t be around each other for long before they’re arguing again. They try to at least be friends, but one always makes the other one mad fairly quickly.

The book follows them through more than a decade of working on campaigns—local, state, and national. When they work together for a charismatic woman running for the U.S. Senate, they become friends, and both want more, but they’re too afraid to admit their feelings. Yet the two stand by each other through difficult personal times, and then they finally fall in love.

But when Anya and Gabe both get jobs working for Democratic presidential candidates, suddenly they’re rivals. Anya feels strongly that her candidate is the right one for the country. While Gabe might not feel the exact same way, he knows his candidate is more electable. Can they be opponents at the same time as being lovers?

I really enjoyed the way the book not only portrayed the frenzy, the highs, and the lows of political campaigns, but also how challenging it can be to hold onto yourself. I loved how the book explored grief and moving on, and while Anya could get a little self-righteous at times, I thought she and Gabe had great chemistry.

Book Review: "The Disaster Gay Detective Agency" by Lev AC Rosen

I had such fun with this book!

Brandon is in love with love. If a guy smiles at him, his mind moves quickly to dreaming of their happily ever after. His heart gets broken every time (even if 99 percent of the guys weren’t interested in the first place), but his heart-eyed outlook never changes.

One night a handsome man, Jon, checks into the hotel where Brandon works. They definitely share a moment at the front desk, and it’s not long before Jon calls to see if Brandon can deliver extra towels to his room. (Yes, this was a pickup line, and sleeping with the guests is against the rules.)

The next morning, Jon doesn’t text Brandon back as promised. They soon find out he checked out early but left a bag and his cell phone. Brandon is determined that this is his chance at true love, so he and a friend set out to give the phone back. But when they arrive, they witness a murder—and Jon fleeing the scene. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as dangerous things happening.

Brandon, along with his three best friends—workaholic law associate Nicole, dreamy stoner Ollie, and revenge-minded drag queen Ian—are not expecting to get embroiled in any criminal hijinks. But with crime-podcast-loving Ollie leading the way, this ragtag band of detectives sets out to figure out the murder and Jon’s role in it before it’s too late.

I’m a huge fan of the Evander Mills mystery series that Lev AC Rosen wrote (still hoping that will continue), but this book gave him the chance for some quirky fun. The characters all have their own issues but their friendship matters most of all.

Book Review: "Cash Hooper Saves A Life" by Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey

This series makes my heart melt. I discovered it last year and get so excited when I see another book will be published. I’m not at all ready to say goodbye to Goose Run or these characters.

Cash has a great deal of trauma from the horrible abuse he and his twin brother Chase dealt with during childhood. He is a sweet, kind man who doesn’t feel comfortable talking much, even with those he’s known for a while. His life is fairly routine and he likes it that way.

One night he finds a dog chained to a tree, bleeding and in obvious pain. Cash takes the dog and rushes it to the local vet. But when he arrives he finds that the usual vet is on vacation and his nephew, Mason, is filling in.

Mason is intrigued by the handsome man bringing an injured dog to his uncle’s office late at night. Clearly the man cares about the dog—and he can’t stand the sight of blood, because he faints. Mason now has two patients, and he doesn’t mind caring for either of them.

As Mason and Cash spend more time together, they become the bright spot in each other’s day. Mason is attracted to Cash but he’s only in town until his uncle returns. Cash has never been attracted to anyone, and has never let anyone get close to him except his brother. But Mason makes him want to change.

I’ve loved the glimpses of Cash’s character I’ve gotten in previous books, but I wanted to hug him so hard after this one. Mason, too, has a lot of emotional baggage to deal with, so they really are a perfect couple. Plus any book with cute dogs and kittens is a hit for me! I look forward to Book 5!

Book Review: "The Things We Never Say" by Elizabeth Strout

“In his study of history, he had learned about the leaders, and the various groups involved, but he had somehow missed this fact about every single person: that they held within themselves a vast, unknowable universe. And he understood that it could make a person lonely; people had to take and give to one another whatever they could. If it was not enough…Well, then it meant one just had to be a grownup.”

The power of Elizabeth Strout’s storytelling often catches me by surprise. At first glance, her books seem to be straightforward, yet when I’ve finished, I find myself marveling at the numerous moments which took my breath away. This was also the case with her newest book, The Things We Never Say.

Artie Dam is a high school history teacher. He loves his job and he loves his students, and they love him right back. He’s the kind of teacher that you look back on years later and you realize what a profound impact he’s had on your life. He always has a kind word for those in need.

But while Artie seems like an affable guy—a good husband, father, and friend—internally, he is struggling. As the 2024 presidential election looms, he’s becoming increasingly disheartened by the world around him. He feels lonely, even when he is surrounded by people. He thinks about taking his own life in a way that can’t be classified as suicide.

One day, his son shares a secret that has been kept from Artie for a number of years. He cannot believe it, and it turns his world upside down. How can life go on as usual? Should he pretend not to know anything about the secret, or should he confront the person responsible? This knowledge changes his perspective, not to mention his relationship with many people.

Strout always shows such incredible empathy to her characters amidst their struggles and idiosyncrasies. This is an emotional book but it’s never melodramatic. It’s a beautifully written gem that will linger in my mind.

Book Review: "American Fantasy" by Emma Straub

“So often, the word nostalgia felt coated in bile—a nostalgia act. Annie understood and she didn’t. Nostalgia was for the Smurfs, for erasers that smelled like strawberries. Maybe that was what the costumes were about, the goofy T-shirts, but inside her head, which is where she heard the music, it had touched some lever so deep that it couldn’t be reversed, as much as she’d chosen to ignore it. Maybe that was nostalgia after all, that the music was a direct vein to her own childhood, the least complicated part of her life.”

Annie remembered enjoying the 90s boy band Boy Talk when she was a teenager. It was a subject that bonded her and her younger sister together. All these years later, her sister is still a huge fan, while for Annie, Boy Talk is firmly in the past.

Yet here Annie is, about to board the cruise ship American Fantasy, for a four-day cruise with all 5 members of Boy Talk. And her sister isn’t even able to make it, so she’s going solo. But she quickly makes a friend in Maira, a veteran of these cruises, who takes Annie under her wing.

The cruise is unlike anything Annie has ever experienced. There are throngs of (mostly) middle-aged women, screaming and cheering for their favorite band member. Lots of alcohol is imbibed, there is so much clothing and merch with the band’s faces on it, and there are so many opportunities to interact with the band members. Some of them go after these events with gusto, while some can’t wait to go back home.

The cruise gives Annie the opportunity to reflect on what it’s like to be (and feel) middle-aged, and how it feels to relive a part of your younger years. She deals with divorce, career issues, and the uncertainty of what her life holds.

I’ve never gone on a cruise, and Emma Straub’s imagery made me feel sunburned and claustrophobic, lol. The book alternates narration from Annie, Keith (one of the band members), and Sarah, an employee of the production company that organizes the cruise.

Book Review: "The Summer Boy" by Philippe Besson

This was such a beautiful little book. Philippe Besson always writes books that evoke the complicated emotions of one’s teenage years, and they’re tinged with a sense of nostalgia and longing. Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the advance copy!

“Again I find myself thinking about the things people tell us between their words that we don’t understand, about what they show us of themselves that we don’t see, because we’re busy doing something else or simply distracted, because another person’s life doesn’t interest us that much, or because the swimmer, far out to sea, who appears to be waving to us is actually drowning.”

It’s the summer of 1985. Philippe and his parents spend a few weeks on an island off the coast of France. This is a tradition for them: they stay with close family friends who have a son Philippe’s age. He and François are close even though they only see each other once a year, plus Philippe is gay, while François is not.

The two spend languorous summer days wandering around with their friend Christophe and a new friend, Nicolas. They spend time at the beach, they talk in the serious manner that 18 year-olds do, and at night they drink and go to bars and clubs. Philippe feels a connection with Nicolas very quickly; they seem to see each other more clearly.

They meet Alice, whom François is attracted to, and her older brother Marc, who takes an interest in Philippe. The six of them know this is their last summer before the obligations of adulthood take hold. They weather a bout of jealousy, but enjoy each other’s company. Until one night something happens that changes them all.

I know what it’s like to form a connection quickly, one that still lingers in the mind long after it ends. This book is a beautiful paean to simpler times that suddenly become complicated, and shows how one fleeting moment can move and shape us. What a lovely book!

It will publish 5/26.

Book Review: "I Love You Don't Die" by Jade Song

“It’s a privilege to love. To love is to build a life.”

Of course, it was the title of this book that drew me in. I found the book really thought-provoking (and a bit sad), so I’m glad I’m so impressionable!

Vicky is obsessed with death. She has been since she was young. Part of this obsession manifests itself as nightmares about those close to her meeting a tragic end. But she also lives in a 6th-floor walk up above a Chinese funeral parlor, and she decorates her apartment with zhizha, paper creations which are meant to be burned for the dead.

To top it off, she works for Onwards, a celebrity-founded startup which produces bespoke urns and tries to make death less difficult and mysterious for the living. Even though working for Onwards was her dream, she never feels particularly motivated to work, or do much of anything, really. Other than periodic trips to the office, the only person who can get her out of bed and into the world is her best friend, Jen.

Vicky is also desperate to be loved. She matches with a couple seeking a third, and Angela and Kevin provide comfort and love. But she forgets that the course of love—or friendship, for that matter—never runs smoothly. At the first sign of conflict or being driven to question her own motives, she’s quick to destroy rather than communicate. This leads to disastrous consequences and she wonders whether life is worth it.

This book may be a bit triggering for some. It’s part social commentary, part a story about searching for the things and people who make life worth living. Vicky isn’t the most sympathetic or likable character, but her feelings and questions are definitely familiar and powerful.

Book Review: "The Night We Met" by Abby Jimenez

“Maybe that’s how you learn truths about yourself, when you’re withered down to nothing so it’s easy to see what’s left."

Abby Jimenez has done it again! Ever since I read her first book back in 2019, each year I eagerly anticipate her next one. I always know she’ll make my heart swoon and she’ll definitely get me choked up, at the very least. Thanks so much to Forever and Abby for the complimentary advance copy!

Larissa and Chris didn’t quite have a meet-cute. They met at the end of a concert, she needed a ride home. She felt like Chris seemed a little grumpy, so she chose to ride home with Mike, Chris’ best friend. Larissa and Mike start dating shortly thereafter.

But as Larissa and Chris get to know each other better, they quickly discover how perfect for each other they are. They both love to eat (especially bread), they love to read, and soon Larissa is co-parenting Woofarine, the overly active dog Chris rescued.

While Chris definitely has feelings for Larissa, she’s his best friend’s girlfriend. He knows he can’t cross a line or he’ll destroy a long-standing friendship. And while Larissa is attracted to Chris, she’s happy with the way Mike treats her. But the truth is, anything that makes her happy, Chris actually does for Mike—and not always with his knowledge. How can Chris stand idly by and let the woman he’s falling for be with someone else who doesn’t have the capacity to take care of her the way she wants and needs?

There are a few issues in the book that could be triggering; check out the author’s note at the beginning to be sure. I found this really emotional yet also hopeful in places, and as always, the dog is adorable but completely manic! I loved this.

The book publishes 3/24.

Book Review: "Collateral Stardust: Chasing Warren Beatty and Other Foolish Things"

Nikki Nash’s memoir was such a fun read. Take a healthy helping of Hollywood hijinks, more than a dash of family dysfunction, and a few cups of battling the demons of addiction and depression, and stir in some introspection. Lots of nostalgia and gossip, too!

In the 1970s, 14-year-old Nikki Nash saw Warren Beatty for the first time. She decided that she wanted him to love her and be hers. So she laid out a plan that once she was grown up (like 18 years old), she would find him.

“…my focus on Warren Beatty was absolute, and with him, I’d find a great love. It wasn’t some girly crush that would include posters on my wall or putting his photo in a secret diary. I wanted more. It was my mission to know him. Not to meet him, not to get an autograph, but to know him and have him in my life forever.”

Working as a hostess at an LA restaurant Beatty frequented, she waited to meet him. A year later, at 19, at a moment she felt unclean and unattractive, her wish came true. Once she and Beatty spoke, it was the start of something significant. It wasn’t quite the love affair she’d imagined, but the two had an on-again, off-again relationship of sorts which lasted for a few decades.

The celebrities with whom she came into contact through Beatty were fascinating. At the same time, she wanted to forge her own path, and in the book she tells of her experiences trying all sorts of things: acting, stand-up, writing, directing, and working for many television shows. She had lots of relationships and spent a significant amount of time dealing with drug and alcohol addiction as well as eating disorders. She also talks about her journey of recovery and self-discovery.

Nash swept me into her story immediately. Her voice is so approachable and fun, and even when things in her life were at their toughest, reading this was like talking to a friend. I’m so grateful she was willing to share her story!

Book Review:"Robin" by Dave Itzkoff

The news that Robin Williams died back in 2014 was one of those events where you always remember where you were when you heard about it. I was in the middle of a personal training session at the gym when I looked up at one of the TVs and saw his picture, then heard the anchor announce that he had taken his life.

Williams was an enormous part of my adolescence—Mork and Mindy was one of my favorite shows growing up. (I even had a pair of suspenders like the ones he wore on the show.) I was excited that his movie career started taking off, and one of my greatest memories was seeing him perform in Las Vegas in 2009.

Dave Itzkoff wrote an amazingly thorough and detailed biography of Williams that I have had on my shelf for years. It’s nearly 550 pages and includes insights he gained from interviews with more than 100 of Williams’ friends, family, and colleagues.

The book traces the rise of Williams’ career in television, and then his work in film. It also spends a lot of time dealing with his struggles with addiction and depression, as well as the problems in his marriages. One of the reasons Williams’ was so good in dramatic roles was all of the pain he drew from in his real life. And if all you knew was the man you saw onscreen, you had no idea how troubled he was.

“But who was he? Except for that one stray moment when he had spoken a few tentative words in his surprisingly stately voice and then metamorphosed into a French undersea explorer, Robin had never let the audience see his true self.”

At times the book got a little too dense and detailed (and I hate footnotes), but this is such a comprehensive look at Robin Williams’ career as well as his life away from the cameras and the crowds. There really hasn’t been anyone quite like him since.

“And when he was gone, we all wished we’d had him just a little bit longer.”

Book Review: "The Emperor of Gladness" by Ocean Vuong

I had wanted to read this when it came out last year but never got around to it. It really was as beautifully written as I expected it to me, with a quiet, astonishing power.

Nineteen-year-old Hai is fresh out of rehab for an opioid addiction. He’s estranged from his mother—well, he’s been lying to her—and he feels like his life isn’t worth living. As he readies himself to jump off a bridge, he is stopped by the voice of a stranger.

The voice belongs to Grazina, an 80-year-old widow suffering from dementia. Somehow she is able to convince Hai to become her caregiver, a job he surprisingly comes to enjoy. The two connect over shared loneliness and build an unlikely bond, which changes both of them.

The book takes place in East Gladness, Connecticut, during the 2009 recession. It is a bleak time and people are doing everything they can to hang on. Hai takes a job at a fast food restaurant. He unexpectedly bonds with a group of coworkers, each of whom is a fractured piece of the whole that forms when they come together.

This is a story about chosen family, and how they make us think of our lives in a different way than we have been. There are moments of great emotion, heartbreak, humor, and grace.

I really enjoyed Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, but I found this book to be more accessible. His prose is truly luminous—the descriptions he uses made me gasp at times. I’m very much looking forward to whatever he does next!

Book Review: "Is This A Cry for Help?" by Emily Austin

This was a very moving and thought-provoking book. It felt tremendously current given the issues being dealt with across the country.

Darcy is a librarian at a local library. She loves her job, even if not every patron is kind or appreciative. She and her wife Lou have a relatively idyllic life, complete with two loving cats. Darcy has just returned to work following a medical leave, the result of a mental breakdown after she heard that her ex-boyfriend Ben has died.

She hasn’t seen or spoken to Ben for years, since their breakup. But Darcy feels tremendous guilt and sadness about Ben’s death, the way their relationship ended, and the fact that she was never completely honest with him about her sexuality.

Now that she has returned to work, she and her colleagues start dealing with protestors who believe the library is harmful to children. The leader is a particularly vociferous critic who believes the library shouldn’t carry any materials dealing with sex or race or any of the issues these conservatives believe to be “dangerous.” While Darcy is still a bit mentally unstable, she’s also outraged about this attack on the library.

“I find it grating when attention is focused on seedy, unconstructive things, while so little focus is put on all that’s good.”

Emily Austin skillfully combined grief, love, guilt, and the periodic insecurity we feel in relationships. I definitely cared about Darcy and hoped her life wouldn’t go off the rails as she returned to work. I really loved the way her wife and her colleagues made her feel protected.

Book Review: "The Mad Wife" by Meagan Church

“‘We call this hysteria.’ He said it so matter-of-factly. I didn’t feel hysterical, and I wanted to tell him that, but I feared that anything I said would only prove his point. Instead, I smiled and nodded. He packed up his bag and continued, saying, ‘I see this in women such as yourself all the time, this housewife syndrome. You’re a bit tired, doing a lot around the house. Not really feeling like yourself. Finding yourself a bit moody like your kids.’”

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while. I had a feeling it would be a powerful one, but wow. (Kudos to Meagan Church for an introductory note that says, “If you find the pages growing heavy, if the emotions press too hard against your heart, please know you have permission to set the book down. Step away, take a breath, and return only when you’re ready.”)

Lulu tries hard to be a model housewife of the 1950s. She knows what her responsibilities are: keep her husband happy, take care of her young son Wesley, clean the house, cook meals, and be a fabulous entertainer. And as the so-called Queen of Molded Food, her gelatin salads and desserts are the envy of all.

Following the birth of Lulu’s second child, everything starts to unravel. She’s not sleeping, she’s tired all the time, and she’s just not happy or in the mood to be the perfect housewife. When new neighbors move in across the street, Lulu becomes fixated on the wife, Bitsy.

The more difficult it is for Lulu to pull herself together and be happy, the more scrutiny she finds herself under. And as she uncovers secrets about Bitsy, she starts to worry if she’ll face the same fate. But what’s true and what has Lulu invented in her mind?

This book really packs an emotional punch. It’s sad to think that this was (and in some cases, still is) the reality for women in the 1950s. I absolutely felt for Lulu and rooted for her to have a happy ending. Definitely a thought-provoking read!!

Book Review: "Emma on Fire" by James Patterson and Emily Raymond

“They don’t understand that time equals loss. It’s a freaking law of nature. If Emma lets the years keep on passing, she’s just going to keep on losing. So is everyone else, even if they can’t bear to admit it. They just walk ignorantly through the world, turning away from anything they don’t want to see. But Emma sees all of it. And she needs them to know how bad things really are.”

It seems like a typical day at Ridgemont Academy, a prestigious New England prep school. Emma Blake, once a star student and class leader, has virtually disengaged from her classes. But an assignment in English class—to write a very descriptive essay—inspires her.

But when Emma reads her essay aloud in class, it provokes very strong reactions from her classmates and her teacher. The essay alarms the school’s headmaster, who views it as a cry for help. Emma doesn’t want help, however; she wants her fellow students to realize the tragic state of our world.

There’s much more that is motivating Emma, however. No one knows whether she’ll carry through with what she’s promising to do, and no one knows exactly why she’s been driven to this.

I’m being vague in my summary because there’s power in going in blind. This is an emotional book and many of the characters’ reactions felt very real. The book is marketed as a thriller but I don’t think that’s accurate. It skewed more YA but I still found it really compelling.

Book Review: "Say You'll Remember Me" by Abby Jimenez

I would give this book 10 stars if I could! Thanks so much to Abby Jimenez and Forever for the advance copy!

Xavier is a veterinarian with an enormous heart. Plus, he’s gorgeous, tall, and brooding. But he rarely smiles and maybe he’s a bit intense?

When Samantha first sees Xavier, he looks like a god in a lab coat. And then he opens his mouth and tells her the complete opposite of what she wanted to hear. In short, he’s a total jerk to her. She can’t wait to prove him wrong.

Prove him wrong she does. But he’s more than willing to fall on his sword—and then he asks her on a date. It’s the longest date ever and, quite possibly, the best either has been on. They both feel an intense connection to one another. Then Samantha drops a bombshell—in a few hours she’s moving to California to help her family care for her mother, who has early-onset dementia.

Samantha tells Xavier he should forget about her, but of course, that’s utterly impossible. They spend a few days together here and there, and fall deeper for each other every time. But since neither is in the position to move to where the other is, is this relationship doomed to fail? Wouldn’t it be better just to throw in the towel now?

Abby Jimenez knows how to work my emotions better than almost any author. This is a funny, steamy, and gorgeous book, and as always, it’s full of moments that make me laugh and tear up, as well as sentences I marvel at over and over. There could be triggers for some, so definitely read the author’s note. And then pick this one up!

Book Review: "The Writer" by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

I’ve been on a real James Patterson kick lately and I’ve not been disappointed by anything of his I’ve read! His newest book, a collaboration with JD Barker, wowed me completely.

Declan Shaw, an NYPD detective, is summoned to an exclusive apartment building one night. A woman says she found her husband dead, their apartment broken into. She is in shock, covered in blood, but apparently unharmed.

The woman is Denise Morrow, a bestselling true crime writer. She’s explored some notorious cases, uncovering details and secrets long kept hidden. And she’s nearly done with her latest book, in which she accuses Declan of planting evidence in another case.

It looks like Denise might be guilty of murdering her husband and making it look like a home invasion. But she and her lawyer poke holes in the evidence the police have collected.

Every time the police think they have an ironclad case, something else arises. What really happened that night? And is Declan a corrupt cop who planted evidence, or is he being framed?

The twists came fast and furious in this book, and I could not put it down. I loved the way this unfolded and I wasn’t sure which characters to root for. This was a great collaboration!

Book Review: "More or Less Maddy" by Lisa Genova

“She’s bipolar. That word gets thrown around without a medical license all the time, mostly by boys to describe girls as crazy. It’s a derogatory dart meant to demean and dismiss its target. But those boys aren’t doctors, and Dr. Weaver isn’t hurling names.”

Maddy’s first year at NYU was definitely stressful, but isn’t that the case for most college freshmen? There’s dealing with a roommate, dealing with all of the work and exams, as navigating her emotions after her high school boyfriend broke up with her just before college.

She often feels like the black sheep of her family. Her sister and brother excel at everything, her mother cares tremendously about appearances, and it’s no wonder Maddy is always sad or anxious. But it all seems rather innocuous until her mood swings blossom into a full-blown manic episode, and she is diagnosed as bipolar.

“But this chose her. Without her consent, like an arranged marriage, till death do they part. She wants an annulment, a divorce, an open window onto a fire escape, a new doctor, a time machine. Some way out of this.”

Despite her doctor’s advice to lead a more tranquil life, Maddy decides what she wants is a career as a stand-up comedian. Of course, the pressure and the constant fear of rejection doesn’t count. And at times she’s convinced she’s writing Taylor Swift’s biography or being involved with one TV show or another.

This was a tremendously powerful, emotional book. It really captured the rawness of depression and bipolar disorder. But at the same time, there are touches of humor which lessens the heaviness of the book. Lisa Genova always tugs at my heartstrings with her books, and this one is no exception!!

Book Review: "Penitence" by Kristin Koval

I had such FOMO from everyone who got to read this early, so I was excited that Celadon Books and NetGalley gave me an advance copy. This was a fantastic debut novel!

Angie and David Sheehan’s lives are completely upended when a tragic, shocking murder occurs in their home. They turn to Martine, a lawyer in their small town of Lodgepole, Colorado, to defend their family. But Martine is more than just another lawyer in town—she used to be best friends with Angie’s mother and is the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian.

Julian and Angie were part of a tragedy that occurred when they were teenagers, a tragedy which left them feeling sad and guilty nearly every day. It was the strain of this tragedy and the façade they had to keep up that ultimately doomed their relationship. It’s been nearly 15 years since they’ve seen one another.

Now, Julian is a criminal lawyer in NYC, and Martine asks him to come home and help her with the case. Julian’s return unearths emotions, secrets, and regrets long kept hidden, yet his expertise is truly needed.

This is a book about the weight of secrets and guilt, and the ripples these cause for many. It’s also a story about shared tragedy and how we can never truly move beyond it, no matter how hard we try.

Kristin Koval said in her author’s note, “Getting to forgiveness is often hard, but it can also be profound and even beautiful.” This is so skillfully illustrated in this book, which shifts from the late 1990s to the late 2010s. I’ll be thinking about this book for a while.

Book Review: "Sea Change" by Gina Chung

One of my goals for 2025 is to read more books I own. Like many of you, I’m sure, I have lots of books at home that often get passed over for shiny new things, so I’m definitely going to try and shop from my stacks a bit more.

When I bought Sea Change, I’ll admit I was drawn in by the octopus on the cover. I was still riding the high of loving Remarkably Bright Creatures, so I was looking forward to another story about a relationship between the main character and an octopus.

I was wrong.

Ro’s life isn’t going the way she thought it would as she entered her 30s. Her boyfriend broke up with her to train for a space mission to Mars, her always-prickly relationship with her mother has grown into estrangement, and she probably has a drinking problem. The one thing that brings her solace is her job at an aquarium in the mall.

Ro enjoys spending time with Dolores, a giant Pacific octopus. She feels that Dolores gets her, plus the octopus was one of the last things her marine biologist father found before he disappeared on a trip when Ro was in high school.

When the aquarium sells Dolores to a wealthy private investor, Ro goes into emotional freefall. She misses her boyfriend even though she wasn’t the best girlfriend, she barely speaks to her childhood best friend, and she doesn’t know how to pick herself up and pull her life together.

This was a depressing book, and Ro isn’t the most sympathetic of characters. The book jumps around in time a lot, and other than Ro’s brief time with Dolores, there wasn’t much in the book that really grabbed me.

Book Review: "PS: I Hate You" by Lauren Connolly

“Arguably, hiding myself in a closet is in everyone’s best interest. These strangers want to watch me cry prettily. (But is that even physically possible? Who can have saltwater leaking out of their eyes and not look like a flushed, snotty mess?)”

Maddie’s older brother Josh died of cancer before he turned 30. He was the adventurous one, always trying to get Maddie to try new things and have fun. And this didn’t stop with his death: in his will he requested that she spread a portion of his ashes in each of the 8 states he never visited.

But Josh had one more trick up his sleeve, in that he assigned her a partner for her trips—Dom, his best friend. Maddie was in love with him for as long as she can remember, until one thing sent her running across the country to get away from him. Dom has always been a stickler for rules, so he’s not letting Maddie handle the ash-spreading herself, no matter how much vitriol she sends his way.

As they make each trip, there are awkward moments and emotional ones, as well as times when all Maddie wants is to be as far from Dom as possible. Along the way, they discover things about one another and each of their relationships with Josh, and Maddie realizes she must come to terms with her other fears and issues. She also must realize that her feelings for Dom have never dissipated; they’ve just grown stronger.

I’m a sucker for the found family trope, and I loved Maddie’s relationship with Dom’s family. Her mother and grandmother were written as one-dimensional monsters, and it broke my heart to see the way they treated her.

I wanted to love this book but it felt so schizophrenic to me. At times it was so moving and powerful; other times, Maddie was difficult to sympathize with and the miscommunication between her and Dom drove me crazy. It also got sooo steamy and it felt odd to me. But even with all that, I still cried, so…