Book Review: "Here Beside the Rising Tide" by Emily Jane

Happy Pub Week to this whimsical, wacky book! Thanks so much to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the advance copy.

“Life was a losing battle, really. Everything else out there in the vast beyond was so lifeless and empty. Mostly, a person had to look away. But there came a moment, or many moments, when a person had to extract their proverbial head from the sand and set aside their screens and remove their headphones and stand witness.”

When she was 10, Jenni and her new best friend Timmy were having an incredible summer on Pearl Island. They spent countless hours on the beach and in the water, setting off fireworks, and simply enjoying the freedom of not having any responsibility. They even helped a strange sea creature make its way back to the ocean. But suddenly, Timmy disappeared one day when they were in the water, and no one knew what happened.

Now, at 40, Jenn is the bestselling author of a smutty romance/action series. She’s also in the midst of a divorce from her self-help-book-addicted husband, with their two children caught in the crossfire. Her next book is overdue and she needs to escape, so she rents a beach house on Pearl Island for the summer, hoping she can keep her soon-to-be-ex at bay.

One night a familiar-looking boy comes out of the water. He says his name is Timmy, and he needs Jenn’s help to save the world. And things get totally crazy: shark attacks, sea monsters, even the return of the adorable sea creatures from their youth. At the same time, Jenn is attracted to a sexy contractor while trying to finish her books.

This is part sci-fi, part coming of age novel. It’s definitely all over the place, but it has such an enormous heart. I felt like it ran a bit longer than it needed to—there were lots of excerpts from Jenni's books and her husband’s self-help books that I could’ve done without. But Emily Jane drew me in with her storytelling for sure.

Book Review: "The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King" by Harry Trevaldwyn

Thanks so much to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy of this book!

Patrick (call him “Patch”) is ready for an amazing school year. The thing he’s most looking forward to is finding a boyfriend, one whom he can take to Prom. The challenge is, the only openly gay boys in school are dating each other. So what now?

And then two boys arrive at the first drama club meeting of the year. Peter, an American from New York (fabulous) moved to England to live with his best friend Sam’s family. Patch is determined that one of them will be his boyfriend. (He’s fine with either of them.)

The thing is, Patch is full of personality. Maybe too full? He desperately wants to make a good impression on Peter and Sam but mostly winds up tripping over his words and embarrassing himself. The quest to get one of them to be his boyfriend gets more complicated when Sam doesn’t appear to like Patch, and Peter (who is bi) starts dating Tessa, Patch’s former friend and current nemesis.

As Patch tries to negotiate matters of the heart without tripping over himself, he has his devoted best friend Jean to confide in, as well as Ms. Beckett, a former teacher he’s appointed his life coach. He also relies on his mother’s self-help books, but they’re not particularly helpful in his case.

Patch is one of the most hysterically vain and egotistical characters who made me laugh at every turn. (To try and land the lead role in Sweeney Todd, he decided to shadow some barbers, for example.) This is a fun and sweet book about being yourself no matter how wacky and annoying you might be.

The book will publish 1/28.

Book Review: "You Only Call When You're in Trouble" by Stephen McCauley

From the moment their father died when Tom was in college, he has taken care of his sister Dorothy. He’s bailed her out when business ideas have gone wrong, and he’s been a father figure to his niece, Cecily.

Now in his early 60s, with his job as an architect at a risk when a client has second thoughts about building a guest house, Tom is ready to stop putting his family first. That tendency has cost him too much, including his relationship with his boyfriend.

But Cecily once again has multiple crises brewing, so she turns to Tom for help. She’s the target of a Title IX investigation at the college where she teaches, and her instability is wreaking havoc on her relationship with her boyfriend. To top it all off, her mother wants to reveal after all this time who Cecily’s father is. (Well, she wants Tom to reveal it, but…)

Things come to a head at a gala to celebrate Dorothy’s latest business scheme. Secrets will be revealed, friendships will be tested, and the ties of family will be stretched to the limit. How much longer can they fall back into their usual behavioral patterns.

I have been a fan of Stephen McCauley since I fell in love with his debut, The Object of My Affection. This book is funny, warm, and emotional, but it’s also a little overstuffed with characters, when it could’ve simply concentrated on the stories at its core. Regardless, however, I’ll read whatever he serves up.

Book Review: "Josh and Gemma Make a Baby" by Sarah Ready

In Sarah Ready's new book, Josh and Gemma Make a Baby, Gemma doesn’t need much…just Josh's sperm.

Gemma is mostly happy with her life. She loves working for handsome self-help guru Ian Fortune and loves living in NYC. But one thing is missing: she wants a baby. And although she’s been told that she’ll never get pregnant, she’s determined to prove everyone wrong.

When she finds a doctor who tells her IVF is possible, she decides the best person to father the child is Josh, her brother’s best friend. He’s always been around her family, he’s handsome, laid back, and currently unattached, so he seems the perfect candidate. She’s shocked when he agrees, but they vow to keep their relationship strictly transactional—he can decide if he wants to be part of the baby’s life, and they’ll keep emotions out of it. (Because no emotions come from pregnancy or childbirth, right?)

Of course, the deeper they get into their IVF journey, the more intertwined their lives become. But Gemma has romantic interests in someone else and Josh isn’t interested in her, right? Does she even know what Josh’s life is like outside of this?

This was sweet, emotional, a bit slapsticky, and good-natured, for the most part. I didn’t love Gemma as a character, TBH, but I loved Josh and some of the supporting characters. There were some scenes that had me laughing out loud—and I’ll never look at a park bench the same way.

I also had trouble with the fat shaming Gemma endured, especially by her mother, and while I know this happens in real life, it set my teeth on edge a bit. I’d also imagine the fertility/IVF process may be triggering for those who’ve dealt with these issues.

Thanks so much to my friend Susan, who sent me a copy of this after she enjoyed it so much. I’m so glad I got to read it!

Book Review: "The Comfort Book" by Matt Haig

Matt Haig's The Comfort Book is one of those perfect little books you’ll want to give as a gift over and over again.

Oh, this book, y’all! I’ve said before that sometimes books come around at just the right time, and boy, this one sure did for me. Talk about a big hug and a thumbs-up and a pat on the back, all in book form.

As Haig explains in the introduction, “I sometimes write things down to comfort myself. Stuff learned in the bad times….It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learned while we are at our lowest.”

This is truly one of those books that you can pick up from any point and just marvel at what you’re reading. It’s full of advice, anecdotes, encouragement, lists, stories, things designed to bring comfort to those in need. Many of these observations helped Haig through his serious emotional struggles.

Here are two favorites of mine:

“You don’t have to continually improve yourself to love yourself. Love is not something you deserve only if you reach a goal. The world is one of pressure but don’t let it squeeze your self-compassion. You were born worthy of love and you remain worthy of love. Be kind to yourself.”

“I used to worry about fitting in until I realized the reason I didn’t fit in was because I didn’t want to.”

This is just so beautiful. I’ll be re-reading The Comfort Book so often because just picking up the book and opening it at a random point feels so good.

Book Review: "You're Completely Normal" by Shannon Leyko

If you're looking to learn (or perhaps remember) how to trade where you think you should be for where you want to go, You're Completely Normal is for you.

We’ve all done it. At some point in our lives most of us have thought to ourselves, “I thought I’d be [fill-in-the-blank] by now.” I usually do it around milestone birthdays—30 was the toughest for me—but I definitely find myself uttering those words every now and again. (And if you've never done that, I tip my cap to you.)

As we all inherently know, there’s no prescribed path for anyone, no “right way” to be a spouse, a partner, a parent, an employee, a child, a person of faith, a friend. Yet all too often we get caught up comparing our journey and our lives to others, and social media adds to that pressure. (How many of us have thought, “I should have as many followers/friends as that person, I’ve been here longer!”)

Shannon Leyko knows these feelings all too well, and she encapsulates how she navigated (and still does) those feelings of fear and inadequacy, of measuring up to others, in this funny, insightful, and moving new book.

At first glance you might think this former Miss New York and mom of two is the last person who knows what it’s like to feel off-track, but you couldn’t be more wrong. In this book, she looks at nine overarching areas, including career, relationships, health and fitness, parenthood, friendship, and faith—where many tend to worry about how they measure up.

Maybe you’ve heard all of this before. But this book serves as a great reminder, a course correction of sorts, a reinforcement that no matter where you are and what path you’re on, you can find your own way without worrying about what others are doing. You're Completely Normal would make a great gift for the New Year!

Thanks to Shannon Leyko for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!

Book Review: "Life is Like a Musical: How to Live, Love, and Lead Like a Star" by Tim Federle

I have been in love with the theater since my highly regarded performance as Sir Joseph in Marlboro Elementary School's production of HMS Pinafore. My rendition of "I Am the Monarch of the Sea" brought the house down, as much as I can remember, seeing I was in 4th grade at the time.

Growing up in New Jersey, I was fortunate enough to get to see Broadway shows fairly often, and I was persuasive enough that my parents or grandmother bought me the original cast album, which I quickly devoured and memorized every single word of. And even though I never pursued acting as a career, I have had my Tony Award acceptance speech written since I was about 14.

With all of that in mind, even though I don't read self-help books, I couldn't resist reading Life is Like a Musical, described as "a self-help guide—with jazz hands!" The advice that Tim Federle shares in this book doesn't require experience in the theater, knowledge of the theater, or even enjoyment of the theater. Instead, he applies lessons he learned in his years as a performer, dance captain, director's assistant, and playwright to "real life," and the results are entertaining.

"First off, the key to approximately 90 percent of adulthood is appearing more interested in something than you actually are. Seriously. So, hack number one: When you are attempting to appear at worst neutral or at best enthusiastic—especially when you don't feel particularly jazzed about something—simply uncross your arms. That's it." (From Chapter 9, "Don't Cross Your Arms When the Director is Talking.")

Federle's advice isn't necessarily earth-shattering. You don't have to know the lyrics to any musical or even have set foot in the theater in order to identify with at least some of what Federle is saying.

The book focuses a lot on living your best life, prizing courage over confidence, treating everyone—even those who don't seem important—as if they were, and recognizing that "no" doesn't always mean "never" (except in social situations). But even though I'm fairly cynical and jaded, I still found some helpful perspectives here, things I'll try to remember in the heat of the moment, no matter what that moment is.

"We either mistrust people's enthusiasm for us or, worse, we vastly undervalue what it means to be appreciated, constantly looking over our shoulders for an even deeper high. We think there must be something wrong with people if they think there's something so right about us." (From Chapter 23, "Go Where the Love Is.")

The book is tremendously easy to read, and is written in a friendly, humorous, breezy style. Federle punctuates his "lessons" with his own experience, good and bad, from moments of triumph to moments of defeat. And sometimes he shares interesting anecdotes while sharing advice, like:

"When Bob Fosse had a bald spot, he put on a stylish hat. Where's your bald spot? Or blind spot? Or thing that you can barely accept about yourself? Go put a hat on it, and make it something beautiful." (From Chapter 6, "Turn Your Weaknesses into Strengths.")

I found this book enjoyable and, dare I say, even helpful. It's perfect for someone wondering how to get to the next step in their career or relationship, someone struggling with confidence issues, or someone considering or stepping into a leadership role for the first time. Plus, there are jazz hands, too!