Book Review: "Slasher Summer" by E.L. Chen

If you’re a fan of slasher films, particularly those from the 1980s, you’ll enjoy this action-packed, slightly campy tribute. But you might be surprised that this book deals with more than just fear and murder, but also trying to move past the mistakes and hurts of our youth.

Seven of them—Patrick, Jason, Tiffany, Freddy, Jen, Carrie, and Michael—were high school friends and members of the school’s Jumpscare Society. They were all particularly obsessed with the horror film Slasher, which became a cult classic.

Slasher was filmed in Cedar Lake, a nearby sleepy town. The cabin, where much of the film’s action takes place, is a tourist attraction, and each summer the town is overrun by fans. But Patrick has arranged for all of them to get together and stay at the cabin for a weekend. It’ll be the first time all of them have gotten together since friction tore apart their friendships before the end of senior year.

While there are definitely some grudges still being held, they’ve (mostly) vowed to have a good weekend. Of course, not long after their arrival, a shadowy figure is spotted in the woods. Freddy is sure he saw The Slasher (but he is perpetually stoned) and Tiffany thinks someone tried to drown her in Clear Lake.

Then a rainstorm hits and the power goes out. Cell coverage is very spotty, so they can’t call for help. And then an unwelcome guest arrives at the cabin. Is this just someone trying to enhance their weekend, or is The Slasher going to enact his revenge?

This book was definitely fun and a little frightening. There are a lot of POVs, and lots of secrets, but it all comes together around halfway through the book. E.L. Chen really did a great job with all of the slasher Easter eggs, including all of the characters’ names. It may skew a bit YA, but there definitely were some fun twists.

Book Review: "There's Only One Sin in Hollywood" by Rasheed Newson

What a fantastic book this was!! I really enjoyed Rasheed Newson’s first book, My Government Means To Kill Me, and this was an incredible follow-up. I’m a huge movie buff, and the amount of research Newson did here really showed.

Xavier Barlow is on the cusp of becoming the next Black movie star in the late 1950s. His magnetic good looks and his talent set him apart, and he wants to become a bigger star than Sidney Poitier.

Aaron is a fixer for Skyline Studios. His job is to get Black stars out of trouble and salvage their reputations if scandal occurs. Ironically, one of the things he handles is keeping closeted gay stars from getting into trouble—while he is gay himself.

When Xavier gets killed right after a disagreement with the studio, Aaron is convinced he was murdered. Xavier wanted to be an openly gay actor, wanted to change the status quo—but that type of freedom wasn’t allowed in Hollywood at that time.

Aaron is determined to bring those behind Xavier’s death to light. While everything else in his life has fallen apart, he wants Xavier’s talent—and his sacrifices—to be known and respected.

The book is written from Aaron’s perspective, tracing the challenges and opportunities Black actors faced in the 1950s and 1960s. The nostalgic feel of the story was so appealing. Aaron pulls no punches about his own role in all that occurred. This was such a great Pride Read!!

Book Review: "A Murder in Hollywood" by Michael Crichton (writing as John Lange)

I know, you’re probably thinking, “Didn’t Michael Crichton die a while back? What is this book?” So, Crichton did die in 2008, but apparently he started writing while he was in medical school, and was afraid he’d be perceived as not dedicated enough if his professors knew he was writing. So he wrote under two different pseudonyms, including John Lange. This book was written in 1973 but never published.

Harvey is a publicist for Bloodrock, a movie being filmed that is highly anticipated. He’s on location with the cast and crew in Tucson, and he’s expected to keep a lid on any problems or delays in filming. Everybody always blames the publicist when things go awry.

But Harvey is not expecting that Arthur McDougall, the screenwriter, will be found dead in his hotel room bathtub. McDougall was an alcoholic, irascible letch whom no one seemed to like. While his death could’ve been an accident, the fact that he had a fight with the film’s leading man the night before has the police thinking murder.

While Harvey tries to keep a lid on the news and make sure that the actors don’t talk to the press, he’s also responsible for dealing with the egos of everyone on the set. And then the studio head sends Harlow Perkins, the dogged insurance investigator, to look into what happened.

Harvey is amazed how quickly Perkins can break down the case with just a few questions. And while Perkins expects Harvey to do his bidding yet doesn’t disclose any of his thoughts, Harvey tries to do a little detective work on his own. But Perkins is always one step ahead. Was McDougall’s death murder? Will the movie go on filming?

I was a huge fan of Crichton’s books. While this doesn’t feel as polished as his later books, this is a twisty mystery which kept me guessing. I loved the 1970s nostalgia, and the fact that as much as things have changed through the years, things really have stayed the same. Blackstone has released a bunch of these never-before-published books of Crichton’s and I’ll definitely check them out!!

Book Review: "A Novel Crime" by Deborah Levison

This book was wild! I found myself laughing and rolling my eyes (in a good way) at these characters and the trouble they found themselves in. Be careful what you wish for: you might just get it!

Marcy has dreamed of being a writer for years. She’s been trying for so long to finish her damsel-in-distress historical romance so she can become the bestselling, prize-winning, universally adored author she knows she’s meant to be. And she finally wants her daughter to be proud of her.

She and the other aspiring authors in her writing group lament over their lack of progress or success. Going to a book signing for famed novelist Francesca Barber makes Marcy even hungrier to achieve her dreams and more desperate to get her shot. When she discovers Francesca in a compromising position, Marcy may have just found her opportunity.

Desperate to keep her secret hidden, Francesca lets Marcy (who has adopted a pen name, Summer Branigan) bully her into finishing her novel. But Francesca keeps trying to wiggle out of the deal, no matter how much leverage Marcy may have over her.

It’s at this point that the book goes spectacularly off the rails. But while lies are spun, kidnappings are faked, and you have no idea whom to trust, the book adds a layer of social commentary about just how difficult the publishing world can be, and how nice women get taken advantage of far too often in life. If you don’t fight for yourself, who will?

There’s not a likable character in the book, but that didn’t bother me at all. If you’re in the mood for some laughs along with your twists, give this one a try!

Book Review: "Into the Blue" by Emma Brodie

It’s been a long while since I felt truly bereft after finishing a book. But Into the Blue captured my mind and my heart so thoroughly, that I actually feel a loss now that I’m done reading it. There was an undercurrent that reminded me a bit of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, but this is a story all its own.

It’s the summer before her senior year in high school when AJ gets a job at the local video store. Her plan is to watch her favorite show, a cult comedy from the 1960s called “Astronauticals,” and write fan fiction about the show. She’s surprised to find she’s getting a coworker, Noah, whose family is an acting dynasty, including his aunt Eudora, who starred in Astronauticals.

The two become friends and confide in each other about things no one else knows. As they become acting partners taught by Eudora, they forge a connection—almost an intuition—that deepens their bond. And then one day, Noah leaves town without a word, and leaves AJ to wonder what happened.

Seven years later, AJ is working in production on an HGTV reality show; Noah has become a megastar. Somehow she gets cast in a sci-fi show that will be totally improvised—and Noah is one of her costars. Acting opposite each other reawakens feelings between the two. But every time they try to move beyond their past, they can’t. They go their separate ways, only to reunite again and again, as their career paths intertwine.

“Empathy was not predictive. Being able to feel or even influence a person’s emotions was not the same as being able to influence their actions. Noah’s love for AJ was absolute, his desire to leave her nonexistent, but their future didn’t hinge on Noah’s heart so much as his capacity for uncertainty. For that was the true cost of happiness: never knowing when it might be lost.”

Emma Brodie’s debut, Songs in Ursa Major, blew me away, so I’m not surprised how much I loved this. She is an incredible storyteller, weaving humor, romance, serious steam, and complex emotions. This will definitely be one of my favorite books of the year.

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: "I Could Be Famous" by Sydney Rende

“Money. Fame. The high you get when a group of strangers screams your name with tears in their eyes. The ability to strut around L.A. like you really belong there (most people don’t), like you landed in the exact right spot.”

The quote above describes the characters that some of the stories in this enjoyable debut collection center around. In some cases they’re famous; in others, they’re infamous; and in others they’re either fame-adjacent or wanting to be famous. (The irony is not lost on me that I’m discussing this book on social media for my followers.)

There are 11 stories in this collection. The characters always made me a little bit nervous, wondering what disaster they might cause. But I really enjoyed nearly all of them.

Some of my favorite stories include: “Nothing Special,” about a young woman who becomes friends with a popular influencer yet realizes the life she covets isn’t all that great; “High School Junkie Girlfriend,” in which an aspiring young actress aims for authenticity before her audition for the role of said girlfriend; “The Actor Naked,” which deals with the ways the relationship between an actor and his assistant changes when she sees him naked; and “Monsters,” about a reality TV star who just wants to be loved, but can’t seem to pull it together when she’s not on camera.

I really was impressed with Sydney Rende’s storytelling abilities. All of the stories felt complete and I felt totally immersed in the mini-universes she created. Not all of the characters are sympathetic but they were all fascinating.

Book Reviews: "Smile for the Cameras" by Miranda Smith

I don’t read a lot of horror because I hate being scared, but for some reason slasher films—particularly the classics from the 1980s and 1990s—work for me. That’s why I was excited to read Smile for the Cameras.

Ella’s big break in the movie industry was when she starred as the Final Girl in the slasher movie Grad Night. It became a classic, spawned many sequels, and made stars of its four leads and the young director.

But while the central role in a movie was a dream come true for Ella, something happened during filming that she’s been haunted by for the last 20 years. She and her costars vowed never to talk about it, and ultimately her guilt became too much to bear. She left the movie industry to care for her terminally ill mother in their upstate New York home.

After her mother’s death, Ella starts thinking about resurrecting her career. While there are a few promising roles she’d love, it seems like the only way she can land one of them is to agree to participate in the reunion documentary marking the 20th anniversary of Grad Night. Her three costars and the director will participate, so despite her trepidations, Ella agrees.

Of course, a reunion means the cast has to return to Blackstone Cottage, a cabin in rural Tennessee where the original movie was set. Ella is on edge almost from the moment she arrives, and while none of her fellow actors wants to talk about the secret they’ve kept hidden, she’s wracked with guilt. And when her costars start to die as they did in the movie, Ella may have to try and be the Final Girl once more.

This was a fun, campy, and slightly creepy read, which really captured the spirit of the 90s slasher movies. I found the ending somewhat anticlimactic, but I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. This could actually be adapted into a fun movie.

Book Review: "No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding" by Catherine Mack

Thanks so much to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book! While you don’t have to read Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies before you read this, it would help put some things into context for you.

Eleanor, the author of the Vacation Murders series, is tremendously excited that When in Rome, the first book in the series, is finally being adapted for the movies. Her childhood best friend Emma is starring as the character modeled after Eleanor herself, and the handsome Fred Winters, an Oscar-winning actor, is playing the male lead, based on Eleanor’s ex (and frequent nemesis), Connor.

In an example of life imitating art, Emma and Fred fell in love while filming and plan to get married once the movie wraps. Everyone is invited to Catalina Island for the wedding. Eleanor will be Emma’s maid of honor.

But before the wedding festivities begin, Emma tells Eleanor that she’s received a threatening note which promises that someone will die at the wedding. She asks Eleanor to try and figure out who’s behind the threats. Of course, Eleanor isn’t expecting Connor to be at the wedding as well, nor is she surprised that he wants to help investigate.

As people start dying and close calls keep occurring, Eleanor starts to uncover a confusing web of secrets and lies. Every time she thinks she’s figured things out, something shifts. At the same time, a hurricane is heading for Catalina. (Naturally.)

This is a fun cozy series that definitely keeps you guessing. There are a lot of characters, and some are actors portraying the characters, so at times it’s hard to keep track of everyone. Eleanor is an appealing, yet sarcastic and insecure character that I really enjoy, and I’m excited there’s a third book on the horizon!

This book publishes 5/13/2025.

Book Review: "When Stars Align" by Melissa de la Cruz

Meh. I wanted to like this book but it was just sooo melodramatic!

Sicily, Germaine, and Miranda met as teenagers while performing on a hit television show, and quickly became best friends. Even after the show ended, each found fame, and together they were darlings of the paparazzi, turning every appearance into a party. But nothing lasts forever.

Miranda, who became a movie star, was tempted by the preponderance of alcohol and drugs. Each time she would mount a comeback, she would get derailed by addiction and impulsivity until it seemed like she had hit rock bottom. Germaine was the daughter of billionaire hotel moguls who never approved of anything their daughter did, leading her to question her ambitions. And Sicily, a successful pop singer, fell in love a little too quickly and found herself under the thumb of her greedy and controlling family.

The book follows each of the women over a 20-year period, as they try to deal with the struggles of their lives. Each of them tries to take control but finds themselves fighting an uphill battle. Yet they will learn they can’t do it alone, and it’s nice to know you have friends in your corner.

I love books that deal with the seedier side of fame and the crises that come from being in the public eye. But my problem with this book is that these characters never learned from their mistakes. The plot essentially watched each do the same things over and over again. I can experience that in real life.

This was an Amazon First Read for April and another book from Mindy Kaling’s imprint. It definitely didn’t work for me, but maybe it will for you?

The book releases 5/1/2025.

Book Review: "In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some" by Josh Gad

From the first time I saw him stumble onto the stage in The Book of Mormon, I’ve been a fan of Josh Gad’s. Whether seeing his face or just hearing his voice (as Olaf in Frozen), his presence in a show adds laughter and heart.

I’m always fascinated by funny people and what makes them tick. Where did their sense of humor and desire to make people laugh come from?

For Gad, his “radioactive-spider-bite-inception moment” was in kindergarten, when his mother threw his father out of the house for being unfaithful to her.

“The trauma of going from a full family unit to a broken household in a matter of minutes was fairly earth-shattering to me, but it would also set me on a course to become the entertainer I would one day be.”

What I enjoyed about this “Tell-Some” was the combination of Gad’s humorous asides and times when he addressed things that affected him emotionally. He talks about his parents’ divorce, his struggle with his weight and self-image, and what it felt like to become a father in the midst of his career trajectory starting to rise.

I don’t read a lot of memoirs, particularly celebrity memoirs, but there’s something about Gad that reminds me of myself. (In the fat Jewish kid who desperately wanted to show all of his doubters how talented he was way, not the Tony-nominated actor way.) It definitely revealed his complexity and served as a reminder that you never know what a person is going through just by looking at them!

Now…do you want to build a snowman?

Book Review: "Exposure" by Ava Dellaira

More than 10 years ago, I read Ava Dellaira’s debut novel, a YA book called Love Letters to the Dead. It was an absolutely beautiful, powerful story. Exposure is Dellaira’s first adult novel, and it is equally powerful, moving, and thought-provoking.

In 2004, Juliette, a student at the University of Chicago, runs into Noah, a high school senior who was in a poetry class she taught as a volunteer project. Juliette is white and Noah is Black, but the two have grief in common. They hook up twice in Juliette’s dorm room.

In 2016, after years of struggling and trying not to lose hope, Noah realizes his dream of becoming a filmmaker. His movie is about to be released, and he and his wife, Jesse, a bestselling novelist, have recently had a baby. On the cusp of this life-changing opportunity, Annie, who was Juliette’s best friend, shares a bombshell about Noah that she recently discovered, and it threatens to upend everything he and Jesse have worked for.

“‘You wanna be able to say she’s good and he’s bad,’ Jesse says, ‘and it would be easier if it worked that way. We all want to be one of the good guys. But we have to live inside of the same story, and it gets messy.’”

The book is narrated by Noah, Jesse, Juliette, and Annie, and shifts back and forth between 1999 and 2016. Each character has their own issues to deal with, but all four are greatly affected by grief, and the book demonstrates how thoroughly it can affect a person.

I’ll admit I didn’t love everything these characters did, but I devoured this book. I’m definitely going to be thinking about Exposure for a long time.

Book Review: "Eating & Praying" by Davis Summers

Tyler was a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment field. Before the age of 30, he had produced six movies (one that was nominated for Best Picture) and a television show. But the job came at a cost—his ego-driven, workaholic, hard-drinking ways led to the end of his relationship with his boyfriend, Leo.⁣

⁣ Suddenly he’s an emotional wreck and nothing seems to matter anymore. He prays for a sign, some guidance about what to do next, and he finds it: blog posts from a woman who has been living her own Eat Pray Love journey. So he quits his job and decides to go to Italy, India, and Bali, so he can find his purpose again.⁣

⁣ Italy fills him with life, great food, emotional connections, and, much to his surprise, even some romance. But through his time there, he also keeps feeling that something is missing, something that keeps waking him up in the middle of the night.⁣

⁣ By the time he reaches India to spend 30 days in an ashram, he’s worn down emotionally and his extravagance has burned through his savings. Finding himself literally kept out of the ashram, he must begin a long journey back to the airport. And on a hike he was ill-prepared for, he finally begins to confront the issues that have been plaguing him, realizing that the problems he was addressing were masking others.⁣

⁣ Wouldn’t it be amazing to have the chance to re-evaluate your life against historical backdrops, to confront what’s ailing you emotionally? This was a fun and thought-provoking concept, while at the same time, it addresses bigger issues such as unresolved grief, the need for love and acceptance, and realizing where your mistakes lie.⁣

⁣ There’s even a fun meta moment when Tyler is at a restaurant that Julia Roberts went to in Eat Pray Love, and he’s recreating that experience!⁣ ⁣

Book Review: "The Hitchcock Hotel" by Stephanie Wrobel

In college, the six of them—Alfred, Zoe, TJ, Julius, Samira, and Grace—were members of a film club as well as close friends—until it all fell apart. They haven’t all been together since something happened 16 years ago.

Alfred was devastated by what happened, but he’s always wanted to prove himself to his old friends. And now he’s ready, as the owner of a hotel dedicated to his most favorite movie director—Alfred Hitchcock. The hotel is filled with authentic memorabilia, offers movie screenings around the clock, and even has an aviary with 50 crows.

He’s truly proud of his creation, and arranges for a reunion of the group over a weekend. Every single one of them has secrets as well as some unpleasant memories from college. Alfred is ready to pull out all the stops in the hopes that his work will lead to notoriety and more guests at The Hitchcock Hotel.

This really was a great concept I was excited about. The book is full of trivia and references from various Hitchcock movies, although you don’t need to have seen them to appreciate what Stephanie Wrobel was doing with the plot. And who among us hasn’t wanted to show former friends that you’ve made something big of yourself?

My biggest issue with the book is that none of the characters were likable or even sympathetic, so I stopped caring what actually happened to them. While some had serious secrets, some had more mundane things they were hiding. And sadly, I guessed the twist in advance, which for me, didn’t require much detective work.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for my advance reservation for The Hitchcock Hotel!

Book Review: "The Divide" by Morgan Richter

When she was 18, Sheila moved from Iowa to Los Angeles, changed her name to Jenny St. John, and landed the lead role in an independent movie called The Divide. She had a very brief relationship with Serge, the film’s director, and her performance was quite good. But the film never saw the light of day for some time, and while Serge’s career soared, Jenny’s went nowhere.

Over the next 20 years, Jenny drifted from opportunity to opportunity but never really succeeded. She wound up working as an “intuitive counselor” (aka psychic), trying to convince her customers that she could see their future. It hasn’t been too lucrative; in fact, she’s been illegally squatting in her “clinic” for a number of years.

Jenny learns that Serge was murdered and his ex-wife Gena, an actress turned artist, is missing. Apparently Jenny and Gena look almost identical; in fact, Gena has been telling people for years that she starred in The Divide, essentially appropriating Jenny’s life. And the strangest thing is, people that knew Jenny back then actually believed that she and Gena were the same person.

Boots, an Oscar-winning actress turned skin care guru, hires Jenny to figure out what happened to Gena and who killed Serge. She doesn’t need a detective; she just wants Jenny to use her psychic skills to formulate a guess as to whom the guilty party is.

The more Jenny mingles with Gena and Serge’s friends and significant others (past and present), the more confused she gets about Gena’s pretending to be her. And the closer she gets to figuring out the truth, the more danger she finds herself in.

This was an interesting and entertaining read. I guessed correctly as to the identity of the killer (I guess it made sense), but there are parts of the story that I wasn’t completely sure were either memories, imaginings, or hallucinations. Still, I liked the complexity of Jenny’s character and was hooked on the story.

Book Review: "Stars in Your Eyes" by Kacen Callender

I’ve had this book on my stack for quite a while. But if I had known had incredibly good it was, I would’ve read it sooner!

Mattie is on his way to becoming Hollywood’s golden boy. He’s handsome, sweet, and Southern, but he’s not quite comfortable with the scrutiny of fame yet. But he’s just been cast in a gay romantic comedy that could launch him into the big time.

His costar, Logan, has been acting since he was young, but he’s better known for his trips to rehab and his bad behavior. Just before the movie starts shooting, he says that he doesn’t think Mattie has any talent. That’s not awkward…

When Logan gets caught up in another scandal, the producers aren’t happy that his behavior is killing interest in the movie. So they suggest that Mattie and Logan pretend to date and fall in love. While Logan is dubious, Mattie admires Logan, and is willing to try and convince the public of his feelings.

Little by little, the chemistry between them intensifies, and it becomes more difficult to distinguish fiction from reality. But Logan has an inability to let anyone get too close to him, and he sabotages any chance at happiness. Mattie wants to help Logan, but Logan has to help himself first.

This is an emotional and beautiful story, but there are a number of trigger warnings listed at the front of the book. There’s definitely a lot of trauma and hurt that Logan, and to some extent, Mattie, have to deal with. I’m such a fan of Kacen Callender and they hit it out of the park with this one.

Book Review: "The Seventh Veil of Salome" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

If you like stories about old Hollywood and the behind-the-scenes activities that came with making movies, this may be a book for you. The truth is, it probably would make a fascinating limited series on television even more than a book.

It's the 1950s, and movies based on Bible stories are all the rage. A famous director decides to make a movie about the princess Salome, and nearly every actress in Hollywood has auditioned for the title role or wishes they could. But the director chooses Vera Larios, a young Mexican woman who has never been in a movie before.

Vera is excited about the movie but also very nervous, as acting was never a path she considered. She deals with impostor syndrome, because she doesn’t quite understand how she got the role or what is expected of her. And as the studio begins introducing her to the public, she finds herself on the arm of famous actors, going to glamorous parties, but she’d rather be at home.

It’s not long before Vera’s naïveté causes trouble with one of her costars, and makes her the object of gossip and scrutiny. At the same time, Nancy Hartley, an aspiring actress more known for sleeping around and drinking too hard, becomes envious of Vera, wanting everything she has, as Nancy thinks she deserves it more.

While these narratives are unfolding, they’re intertwined with the story of Salome, a young woman torn between her love of a handsome preacher and her duty to her family, including her stepfather, King Herod.

I really wanted to love this book, but there was just too much going on at the same time. The book is narrated by a large cast of people who flit in and out, sharing their perspectives. I enjoyed the story but felt the pacing moved much slower than I wanted it to.

Book Review: "The Rom-Commers" by Katherine Center

I love when one of your auto-buy authors knocks it out of the park with their latest book. This was just so good, and it couldn’t have been more up my alley.

“I had a theory that we gravitate toward the stories we need in life. Whatever we’re longing for—adventure, excitement, emotion, connection—we turn to stories to help us find it.”

Emma has dreamed of being a screenwriter for as long as she can remember. But with her father needing constant medical care and supervision, she put her dreams aside and she constantly makes sure he's safe. She's sacrificed her dreams so her younger sister can pursue hers.

When she gets the chance of a lifetime—to rewrite a rom-com script with her idol, screenwriting legend Charlie Yates—she’s reluctant to leave her dad, but her family convinces her it’s her turn now. But when she arrives in LA, she discovers that Charlie not only wasn’t aware she was hired, but he adamantly refuses a rewrite, especially with an unknown like Emma.

With some shrewd negotiation, she stays in LA and Charlie hires her. But not only does she need to convince him to rewrite his horrible rom-com, she needs to convince him that love exists. And how better to illustrate that than by growing closer and closer?

I love Katherine Center’s books so much, and this is definitely a new favorite. It’s fun, funny, emotional, and romantic.

Book Review: "Bury Your Gays" by Chuck Tingle

Please clap. I have read two books outside my comfort zone this week.

I am a gigantic coward, which is why I generally steer clear of horror as a genre. (I’m still scarred from a prank my college roommates played on me related to the book “IT.”) But when I saw a few friends raving about this book, I figured I’d give it a chance. The fact is, this was more creepy and disturbing than all-out frightening, so I may be ok.

Misha has been a horror screenwriter for years, always hoping he’ll hit it big. And he finally does, in the form of an Oscar nomination, even though he jokes that it’s in a category they don’t televise. But despite this success, the studio bosses want him to kill the gay characters in his long-time streaming series—or don’t make them fall in love. This should get them even bigger ratings.

The demand is clear: kill them or be in breach of his contract. Misha cares more about the characters, so he’s willing to sacrifice his career. But suddenly he realizes he and his friends are being stalked—by monsters he created onscreen. Can he survive this onslaught? He’s going to need to face up to some secrets first.

This was really compelling, both as a story and a commentary on queer representation in the media. It’s a great way to convey this message.

Many thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for the advance copy! The book publishes 7/9.

Book Review: "Cinema Love" by Jiaming Tang

“Theirs is the kind of love that can change the weather. A radio forecast predicting rain switches its tune the moment Old Second sees Shun-Er. Clouds part, a breeze picks up, and the sun becomes so yellow it looks delicious. Just peel the skin, remove the seeds, and bite. Not hard but soft, the way Shun-Er touches Old Second.”

Within just a few sentences, I knew that Cinema Love was a beautifully written book. Jiaming Tang’s word choices convey so much, creating a layered story full of emotion, pain, and hope.

To see Bao Mei and her husband, Old Second, walking through New York’s Chinatown, you’d assume they were a typical Chinese couple. But the two contain multitudes—before they came to America, they both frequented the Worker’s Cinema in Fuzhou. Bao Mei worked as the ticket seller, while Old Second, like many of the cinema’s patrons, was looking for illicit encounters with other men, as old movies played.

Bao Mei works at the cinema knowing who its patrons are, and she appoints herself as a protector of these men, chasing nagging wives and others away who might be looking for their husbands or sons. She herself has a relationship of sorts with the projectionist, who is the cinema owner’s son. But they all know this idyll cannot last, and when a series of events occurs that exposes the truth, it leads to tragedy, as well as some fleeing to America.

This is the story of Bao Mei and Old Second, as well as others who have come to America, and while the ways that these characters are interconnected might not be obvious at first, it all falls together nicely. The book shifts narration as well as timeframes, between the past in China and the present in New York.

While I felt that the pacing of the book was a bit slow and there are places where you are left to formulate your own answers, this is a moving story about how, even years later, we are indelibly affected by parts of our life.