Book Review: "Life, and Death, and Giants" by Ron Rindo

“The last night they’d spoken, she told him everyone takes two journeys alone, the one that brings us to Earth and the one that takes us to heaven, and it is the path we have trod in between that gives the measure of a life. It is the good we leave behind us, she said, that makes a life worth living.”

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. This was an emotional and thought-provoking read with some of the most memorable characters, and I was all choked up at the end.

Gabriel Fisher’s mother died while giving birth to him. It’s no wonder: he weighed 18 pounds and measured 27 inches long at birth. But despite his tragic beginning, Gabriel was an absolutely wonderful child—friendly, affectionate, and good with animals (they loved him, too). And he never really stopped growing: he was the size of a full-grown adult by the time he was 11 or 12.

When his older brother dies, Gabriel is taken in by his Amish grandparents, who were forced to shun his mother when she became pregnant the first time. When Gabriel starts becoming popular because of his athletic prowess, his grandfather isn’t too pleased, but they do their best to raise Gabriel to understand their customs and rules.

When the town’s high school football coach gets a glimpse of Gabriel when he is playing in a field with other children, he convinces Gabriel—and his grandparents—that the boy will be a football star. This discovery sets Gabriel and those who love him on a life-changing path.

The book is narrated by Gabriel’s grandmother, the doctor who delivered Gabriel and became both mentor and surrogate father, the football coach, and a local bar owner. I liked how the book portrayed the Amish characters as so much more than stereotypes. This will definitely be one of my favorite books of the year.

Book Review: "The Life of Chuck" by Stephen King

I’ve been reading Stephen King’s books since I was a teenager (which was shortly after movable type was invented, lol). While I definitely have had my favorites through the years, I always enjoy when he departs from his usual work to write more thought-provoking and emotional books.

“The Life of Chuck” was originally included in King’s 2020 collection If It Bleeds. But when a movie adaptation starring Tom Hiddleston (squee!) was released last year, King’s publishers released this on its own.

The story opens at a time where the world seems on its last legs. Natural disasters are destroying the U.S., wiping out farms and manufacturers. The internet and other forms of communication are sporadic when operational at all, and the overall state of the world has led to a significant rise in suicide.

Marty is a schoolteacher who is trying not to become too cynical as the destruction continues. Meanwhile, all over town, he sees billboards and signs proclaiming, “Charles Krantz. Thirty-nine great years. Thanks, Chuck!” But who is Chuck, and what has he spent 39 years doing?

The story follows Chuck from adulthood through his teenage years. You see him spending a few hours one afternoon dancing to a street drummer’s music, an occasion that fills Chuck with nostalgia. We also see Chuck growing up, living with his grandparents, who share some memorable moments and also leave him with a secret that shakes him to his core.

I couldn’t devour this fast enough. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, life-affirming, and a bit of a warning about what could come. It’s definitely a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Book Review: "A Gorgeous Excitement" by Cynthia Weiner

Powerful and moving, Cynthia Weiner’s debut novel captures the boredom and impatience that occurs in the summer before college. Inspired by her own coming of age, it felt so authentic to its setting, NYC in 1986.

Nina is so ready to leave NYC and attend college at Vanderbilt. Her mother’s manic depression leaves her and her father constantly walking on eggshells, and she can’t wait to be away from not knowing what mood her mother will be in. She’s also Jewish in a sea of blue-eyed blondes.

Before she leaves for college, however, she’s determined to lose her virginity. Her drunken encounters with guys she knows have all been disasters, and she hates feeling like she’s the only one left who hasn’t had sex. She wants to go to college as a totally different person.

She spends the summer after high school graduation cycling in and out of temp jobs, and she and her friends spend most of their time at Flanagan’s, the bar where the preppy kids hang out. Nina starts falling for Gardner—handsome, preppy, and enigmatic—but with a self-destructive edge.

As they grow closer, and Nina discovers cocaine, things become more tumultuous. There are fights with friends, her mother seems to recover thanks to a new drug, and it all culminates with a shocking murder—inspired by the actual “Preppy Murder.”

Having been in high school in 1986, I remember this time all too well. Nina isn’t always the most likable but her story is compelling, and Weiner using her own experiences definitely added weight to the story.

Book Review: "Stealing Time" by Tilia Klebenov Jacobs and Norman Birnbach

What a fun romp this was!! Thanks so much to Get Red PR Books for the complimentary copy!

It’s 2020 and teenage Tori is pretty dissatisfied with her life. Her parents are getting divorced, her father is annoying, and the pandemic has motivated her mother to move the two of them from their NYC home to Massachusetts to live with Tori’s aunt until the world gets back to normal.

Just before she heads to Massachusetts, “land of Boston accents, inferior bagels, lousy pizza, and having to be driven everywhere,” Tori makes a shocking discovery. (Well, she overhears it.) Apparently her paternal grandfather (whom she’s named after) was accused of a colossal jewel heist 40 years ago.

As if that’s not unsettling enough, the next thing Tori knows, she’s in 1980. The world—and NYC, for that matter—is very different than what she knows. She finds herself becoming allies with a teenage version of her father, on a mission to stop the jewel theft and perhaps correct the course of their family’s lives.

Getting used to a world without cell phones and the internet is not something that Tori ever wanted to do. It’s good to feel like you can have an impact on the future. But will she able to make it back to 2020? And will she have to share her secret with the 1980s version of her dad?

I’m a sucker for a time travel book, and this was a fun adventure. There was humor, emotions, family dysfunction, and so much more.

Book Review: "A Good Life" by Virginie Grimaldi (translated by Hildegard Serle)

Emma and Agathe are sisters who haven’t seen each other in five years. Growing up, Emma, as the older sister, was always Agathe’s protector and defender. Five years younger, Agathe was prone to tantrums and panic attacks, and yet always looked to her sister for comfort and security.

Their childhood was tumultuous and marked by tragedy, but they spent every summer with their grandparents in the Basque Country. Following the death of their beloved grandmother, the sisters agree to spend a week together at her home, the site of so many memories. While their estrangement and the pent-up hurts and resentments make the reunion challenging, they still are full of love for one another.

The book alternates narration between the sisters, and shifts through time, from their earliest memories to the present, with many stops in between. This is how we understand the sisters’ relationship and what led to their estrangement, as well as if there’s any chance to find their way back to each other.

This is a very slow-burn, character-driven novel. There are some lovely and poignant moments, but I struggled with the book’s pacing. At times there were so many different things happening it was difficult to keep track, but I don’t know if that's because it was translated or just the way it was written.

Book Review: "Listen for the Lie" by Amy Tintera

Maybe I needed some time away from reading thrillers to appreciate them, because this month I have read some fantastic ones! Many thanks to Celadon Books for the advance copy of this one!

Several years ago following a wedding, Lucy is found wandering around, covered in blood, and her best friend Savvy is dead. Lucy has no memory of what happened but her family and much of her hometown is convinced that she murdered Savvy. With no way to prove her innocence (or guilt), Lucy heads to Los Angeles to start a new life.

And then her purported involvement in Savvy’s death becomes the topic of a true crime podcast. The host seems pretty convinced of Lucy’s guilt. When she returns home for the first time since the murder, nearly everyone agrees. But when she meets Ben, the handsome (and immensely smug) podcast host, she’s determined to help him find the truth—even if it proves her guilt.

As she struggles to remember what happened that night, she finds that no one has been entirely honest about what they know or what they saw. While painful memories are dredged up, there’s still enough uncertainty for Lucy to wonder if she might really be guilty.

This was such a fantastic book. Lucy is snarky and flawed and amazing, and there are so many times that I really had no idea what the ending would be. You will definitely want to read this!

The book publishes 3/5.

Book Review: "Mr. Perfect on Paper" by Jean Meltzer

In Mr. Perfect on Paper, this matchmaker has met her match.

Dara is the third generation of matchmaker in her family, after her mother and grandmother, but she’s taken matchmaking into modern times as the creator and CEO of J-Mate, the popular Jewish dating app. Yet while her app has been responsible for thousands of people finding true love, her own love life is rather empty.

When Dara and her beloved bubbe (grandmother) appear on television to talk about matchmaking, the last thing Dara is expecting is for her bubbe to humiliate her on air by sharing her secret checklist for “The Perfect Jewish Husband.” But the segment is such a hit that the show’s handsome host, Chris Steadfast, proposes that he find men that meet Dara’s characteristics and she go on dates with them—on the air.

Of course, the more time Dara spends with Chris, the more she realizes that he’s the one she wants. But the non-Jewish widowed father is not the match that Dara has in mind. Should she settle for merely content with a man who checks off boxes on her list, or should she choose the man who makes her heart beat faster, regardless of the complications?

This book was so good—it’s romantic, funny, poignant, and it really gives an in-depth look at Judaism and the tug-of-war people feel when dating and finding a mate. It’s also an emotional look at starting over, and provides perspective on living with generalized anxiety disorder.

Thanks so much to TLC Book Tours, Jean Meltzer, and MIRA Books for inviting me on the tour and providing me a complimentary copy of the book. I loved it!!

Book Review: "Smells Like Tween Spirit" by Laurie Gelman

Smells Like Tween Spirit heralds the return of one of my favorite fictional mothers/grandmothers!

I’ve really enjoyed Laurie Gelman’s series of books featuring smart-ass mom Jen Dixon (Class Mom, You’ve Been Volunteered, and Yoga Pant Nation) and I’m so glad that her fourth book helped wake me from my reading slump.

Now that her son is in 7th grade, Jen’s days as class mom are over, but much to her surprise she’s now a “mat mom,” as Max has decided to take up wrestling. (She does hate the name “mat mom,” but no one jumps at her suggested name changes.)

While she’s amazed at what being the mom of an athlete entails—including having to wash the gym clothes of a bunch of middle schoolers on occasion—she’s more amazed at the competitiveness of other mothers and the extents to which they’ll go to motivate and cheer for their kids.

But that’s not all Jen has to deal with. Her daughters decide to go into business together and start feuding, her aging parents are becoming more difficult to deal with, and her decision to get to know the students in her spin classes comes with some hilarious results.

What I really enjoy about these books is Jen, and how she’s matured (sort of) through the series. While she still has her smart-ass tendencies, as her son has grown up, she has, too, and as she juggles marriage, motherhood, grandmotherhood, and the realities of aging, her character has become even more well-rounded.

If you enjoy humorous books, dive into this series!

Book Review: "She's Up to No Good" by Sara Goodman Confino

She's Up to No Good is a fantastic story about love, family, and finding happiness.

Boy, I love the way Sara Goodman Confino writes!! I really enjoyed her first book (For the Love of Friends) but this one blew me away, and I’m so grateful to her and Get Red PR Books for sending me a copy!!

Even though Jenna knew her marriage wasn’t great, she never imagined her husband would actually want a divorce. But yet here she is six months later, sleeping in her childhood bedroom, watching movies with her father, and hiding from life.

When her irrepressible grandmother Evelyn plans to visit Hereford, the seaside town in Massachusetts where she grew up, Jenna agrees to accompany her on the road trip. Along the way, she learns about Evelyn’s first love, and how the decisions she made shaped her life—and future generations.

Evelyn’s story fascinates Jenna, and when Jenna meets Joe, the great-nephew of Evelyn’s first love, Tony, she realizes that she went for far too long accepting unhappiness, and that she deserves so much more. She learns more about her grandmother than she ever imagined and those lessons help her consider a fresh start.

I just loved this book so much. It alternates between Evelyn’s story in the 1950s and the present, and it was romantic, funny, and so moving. I’ll be waiting for whatever Confino does next!!

Book Review: "Hello, Goodbye" by Kate Stollenwerck

Hello, Goodbye is an emotional, sweet story about family secrets, the beauty of connection, and The Beatles.

Hailey’s summer plans fall apart when her best friend gets in trouble and is sent to a wilderness camp. And then things get worse when her parents ask her to spend a few days a week with Gigi, her grandmother. Even though Gigi lives 15 minutes away, they don’t see her often, so Hailey has no idea what to expect.

She’s in for a surprise when she learns that Gigi is a woman who lives life to the fullest, who believes that the trinity of a perfect day is a good book, a cool car, and a great song. It’s not long before Gigi has taught Hailey about The Beatles, her favorite band, and shared some secrets about her ancestors. Hailey doesn’t understand why her mother doesn’t know these stories, or why she won’t spend any time with her grandmother.

When tragedy strikes, Hailey is left to question whose version of the truth is more correct—Gigi’s or her mother’s. And when she finds a letter from her great-grandfather, she’s determined to solve the mysteries of her family once and for all, even if she has no idea what she’s getting into.

I loved Gigi’s character. She reminded me a lot of my Grandma Gloria, who was a dynamo in her own right. There is lots of emotion in this story as well as the opportunity to try and heal old wounds.

Thanks so much to BookSparks, Kate Stollenwerck, and Spark Press for the pop-up review opportunity!

Book Review: "The Beach Trap" by Ali Brady

Romance, family drama, house renovations, and a beautiful beach setting—could you ask for more? If this sounds up your alley, check out The Beach Trap.

Kat and Blake became inseparable best friends at camp the summer they were 12 years old. But as the summer ends they make a shocking discovery: they’re half-sisters, and Blake hasn’t seen their father in years. Devastated by this betrayal, Kat breaks off all contact with Blake.

Fifteen years later, their father dies and leaves both of them the family’s beach house in Destin, Florida. Blake wants to sell it as soon as possible because she needs the money to care for her grandfather, but Kat wants to hang onto the place that held so many memories for her.

The house is run down, so the sisters—in a rare moment of agreement—decide that they will renovate it and at the end of the summer, Kat will buy Blake out. But while Blake does most of the work, Kat, a popular social media influencer, wants complete creative control, which causes more friction between the former friends.

Meanwhile, both embark on summer romances, although Blake finds a man with family secrets of his own. Can the happiness they’ve found last more than the summer? Will the sisters be able to find their way through their past resentments and hurt in order to rebuild their relationship? And what will happen to the house?

This was such an enjoyable read. It had everything I love in a book—even an adorable dog—and I was immersed from start to finish. It’s definitely a bit steamy, but it’s also poignant, funny, and sweet.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review!

Book Review: "What the Fireflies Knew" by Kai Harris

Kai Harris' latest novel is a poignant, emotional coming-of-age story.

KB (short for Kenyatta Bernice) is nearly 11 years old and growing up in Detroit in the mid-1990s. She wants to be treated as older than she is and always wants to know what’s going on around her, but she’s utterly unprepared for the death of her father due to a drug overdose.

Unable to cope, KB’s mother sends her and her teenage sister Nia to spend the summer in Lansing with their estranged grandfather. KB is having trouble making sense of her drastically changed world, from wondering why their mother left and whether she’ll ever come back, to trying to understand her grandfather’s mercurial moods. More than that, she’s losing her connection with Nia, who believes she’s more mature than she is and doesn’t have patience to be saddled with her immature little sister.

At the same time, KB has to deal with the fickle nature of the kids across the street, who often aren’t allowed to play with her, and the unwanted attention of others when she tries to act older. It’s a summer of laughter and tears, fears and victories, a summer of learning things about her mother—and herself—that she never knew.

“In life, we’re going to get hurt. If we stay focused on that hurt, and nothing else, then we won’t ever be able to heal. But if we focus on the healing, well, then we’ll start to notice that hurt disappear. It’s all a matter of what you choose to focus on.”

What the Fireflies Knew was one of my February Book of the Month picks, and I thought it was sweet, sad at times, and inspiring, too. I enjoy coming-of-age novels, and this is a worthy new inclusion to the genre.