Book Review: "Three Reasons for Revenge" by Dervla McTiernan

Wow, my heart is still racing a bit! This was a really twisty, compelling thriller that kept me guessing. I’ve been a fan of Dervla McTiernan for a few years now, and she definitely hit another home run with her newest book!

A young woman comes into a police station and requests to speak with Detective Sergeant Judith Lee. She tells the detective that she was sexually assaulted and wants the man to be held responsible. But when Judith reaches out to the young woman again, it appears she vanished into thin air—or at least wasn’t who she said she was.

At the same time, three people—a popular television host, a single father devoted to his young son, and a fashion designer—receive a package on their doorstep. Each box is beautifully wrapped and addressed to them, but the contents of each box serves a distinct purpose: to destroy the lives of the recipients.

While all signs point to a particular suspect, Judith quickly realizes there’s a much larger and more complicated plot afoot. She has to not only convince her boss to look in a different direction, but she also discovers she’s also a target. She needs to outsmart a person who will stop at nothing to hurt those she feels are deserving.

There’s so much more to this book but it’s always tough to summarize a plot when reviewing thrillers. I was on the edge of my seat through most of the book, and as it headed toward its conclusion, I was so tense!! I thought this was great, and look forward to McTiernan’s next book!

Book Review: "Hot Girl Murder Club" by Ashley Winstead

I’ve read all of Ashley Winstead’s books, and one of the things I love about her is she’s never content to write the same book twice. Every one of her books is different from the next, and she always keeps me guessing!

Ten years ago, Scout Sage’s younger sister Georgia was murdered at a Hollywood executive’s Christmas party. The alleged killer was never brought to justice.

Now, with her musical career just on the cusp of exploding, Scout is always surrounded by a posse of beautiful women. Some of them are famous for having overcome abusive relationships or other toxic situations. But with a string of revenge-type murders occurring, suddenly Scout (and her so-called “Hot Girl Murder Club”) is the prime suspect.

Detective Grey Holloway is tapped to lead the investigation, despite her youth and Barbie-like appearance. Is Scout a vigilante murderer, or is someone trying to frame her and call her out for her past transgressions? The deeper Grey digs, she finds that there have been many crimes perpetrated against women in Hollywood that have gone unpunished, and there may even be a more personal tie to these incidents.

This book is really quite timely given the way the pendulum has swung back from the #MeToo era. There are characters in the book who give voice to the anti-woke, pro-male perspective that seems to be prevalent in today’s society.

There are A LOT of characters in this book and a lot of perspectives. I found the two main narrative threads to be the most interesting, and when either of them were the focus, I was much more dialed in. But I love some good vigilante justice, and Winstead again delivered a compelling read!

Book Review: "A Violent Masterpiece" by Jordan Harper

This was definitely one of the darker and more disturbing crime novels I’ve read in a while. But the images that Jordan Harper’s prose evoked definitely were cinematic, which really amplified the book’s power. Thanks to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy!

Like most big cities, Los Angeles is both playground and a hotbed of crime. Jake is a live-streaming nightcrawler, taking his audience on a no-holds-barred trip through the city each night, showing up at crimes in progress and the detritus of crime scenes. It’s all an adrenaline rush for him.

Kara works for a private concierge company that serves an exclusive clientele. Whatever their clients need—drugs, sex, even more nefarious things—the company provides. Yet Kara is haunted by the disappearance of her best friend Phoebe, and the scene she witnessed at Phoebe’s apartment after she went missing.

Doug is a defense lawyer for the downtrodden. But when he is hired to defend a Hollywood pedophile, it launches him into the public spotlight—and into a web more tangled and dangerous than he can ever imagine.

These three characters become intertwined with each other as the city is reeling from an apparent serial killer and the pedophile’s vow to seek revenge. The scandal, the fear, the danger all run very deep—can they find the answers they’re seeking before their enemies attack? And who are they anyway?

This is a really gritty book which pulsates with violence, rich and powerful people behaving badly, and those who try to keep their heads above water. It would make one hell of a movie, but it’s a pretty terrific read.

The book publishes 4/28.

Book Review: "Served Him Right" by Lisa Unger

I do love it when a thriller or mystery keeps me guessing until the end! I’ve been seeing this one all over the place and I finally had to see what the buzz was about.

Ana is through with her ex, Paul. So through, in fact, that she and her friends are going to gather for an “ex-orcism,” where they all delete him off all of their social media and every other form of communication. In the middle of their girls’ brunch, the police show up. It seems that Paul has been found dead.

It’s not long before the police find out that Ana definitely had motive to murder Paul. But she swears she is innocent, and it appears that Paul had a long list of people who might’ve wished him harm. Yet when Ana’s best friend Iggy, who was also at the brunch, becomes seriously ill as a result of poison, everyone—including Ana’s older sister Vera—starts to suspect Ana.

It turns out, however, that lots of people are hiding secrets. As the police start closing in on Ana, she and Vera are both working on trying to clear her name. But their investigations put them both at risk, and stirs up tensions with a secret group of people with their own axes to grind.

There are a lot of characters who narrate the book, and the story shifts between Vera and Ana’s childhood and the present. I liked learning about natural methods of healing and enjoyed the book’s message about how much harder women have to work and how “perfect” they must be in order to succeed.

Book Review: "In Bloom" by Liz Allan

“It doesn’t matter anymore. We are trouble. We have always been trouble. Our mothers have been telling us this for years.“

At first glance, this book appears to be fairly simple and straightforward. But it’s only as you come to the end that you realize what quiet power Liz Allan’s debut novel really possesses.

It’s 1994 in Vincent, a small coastal town in Australia. Four high school girls, longtime friends, have a band called The Bastards, because none of them has a father present. They’re obsessed with Nirvana, with loud, angry music, and believe the band is their ticket out of their horrible little hole of a town.

These girls live by a self-fulfilling prophecy. They’re almost a group of ruffians—poor, rowdy, disdainful, and not particularly smart—so no one expects much from them. But they don’t care—they’re just biding their time. And an upcoming Battle of the Bands competition is the key to freedom.

Trouble strikes when their lead singer, Lily, drops out of the band. Shortly thereafter, she accuses the girls’ beloved music teacher (and perhaps their only champion), Mr. P, of sexual assault. The other three girls know he’s innocent and don’t understand why Lily would accuse him of such a horrible act. They’re determined to discover the truth, and nothing—or no one—will get in their way.

Most of the book is narrated by the three remaining Bastards in a collective voice. This was an interesting and very effective choice. You really feel for these girls, who just want to be viewed in a positive light by their peers and their families. The book really made an impression on me!

Book Review: "Photograph" by Brian Freeman

“When someone you love does something you can’t explain, you begin to realize that you don’t actually know them at all.”

Y’all, I may be late to the party, but this book was EXCELLENT! I had wanted to read it before the end of last year, but didn’t get around to it. Already three of my 5-star reads in January are thrillers!

Shannon is a private investigator in Daytona Beach. Having survived an assault but not getting justice, she only helps women in need. One day, a woman named Kate comes to see her. She found a check that her mother had written to Shannon for $5000 and she wanted to know why she hired Shannon.

A year ago, Faith came to Shannon and said she wanted to know who she really was. Shannon discovered that Faith had taken on a new identity at some point but wasn’t able to trace who she was before. That answer satisfied Faith. But apparently, Faith was violently murdered. And the only clue was an old photograph of a young girl standing outside a motel.

In order to figure out who killed Faith, Shannon has to trace where the photograph was taken and, hopefully, find the identity of the young girl. The search for answers takes her to a small town in Michigan that was rocked by violence a number of years ago, but no one ever found conclusive answers about what happened. In the course of her investigation, Shannon will need to confront some of her own secrets, too.

For a thriller, this book made me surprisingly emotional at times. That being said though, Brian Freeman didn’t let up with the action, tension, or twists. I raced through the book and can’t believe how great it was!

Book Review: "How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder" by Nina McConigley

“To have freedom, there is always a fight. Sometimes you lose part of yourself. Sometimes you gain something altogether different from what you thought. And sometimes which side is right and which side is wrong gets all muddled together.”

You know me and books with cool titles! This is one of those books that deals with a very serious subject but tries to put a humorous spin on it. It’s an interesting approach but I think it lessened the overall power of the story.

Agatha and Georgie are sisters growing up in rural Wyoming in 1986. Their American father is often absent, working for an oil company. When their relatives—their uncle, aunt, and young cousin—arrive from India, they are very excited to see family and learn more about their Indian culture.

But shortly after their family arrives, both sisters are repeatedly molested by their uncle. He warns them that if they tell anyone, no one will believe them and he and his family will have to go back to India, which will devastate their lonely mother. So at that point Agatha and Georgie decide their uncle has to die.

Their plan to kill their uncle is juxtaposed with a look at how this changes the relationship between the sisters. The plot also meanders through anecdotes of their family’s history, India’s independence, the history of Wyoming, the oil industry, and other topics, and is intercut with magazine quizzes about love and other emotions.

When the book focuses on the actual story, it’s very powerful and emotional. But all of the detours quickly frustrated me. One or two might have been interesting, but after a while, I just wanted the book to stop being clever and coy.

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: "The Summer Between" by Robert Raasch

A few days before they graduate from high school in 1978, Andy tells his best friend (and ex-girlfriend) Elena that he’s bi. Or maybe gay. While at first Elena worries that it was something about her that made Andy gay, she quickly realizes that his disclosure isn’t as surprising as she initially thought it was.

With just the summer remaining before Andy heads to NYU to study art, and Elena remains in New Jersey for college, Andy begins to take a few tentative steps out of the closet. While New York City has a reputation as a dangerous place, it’s also one of the epicenters of queer life, so he ventures into Greenwich Village.

Andy’s first foray into a gay bar leads to an unfortunate encounter that affects him more than he’s willing to admit. But it’s not long after that he meets Ben, an NYU graduate, and they begin dating. Ben also takes a protective interest in Andy, trying to help him become less sheltered and more open-minded, so hopefully he’ll stay safe.

For Andy, the summer is full of spending time with Elena and other friends, having evenings and weekends with Ben in NYC, and eagerly anticipating the start of college. But it’s also a time of crises, of wanting friendships to last forever even while growing apart, and of coming out to those you care about most.

As Andy tries to find his way, he’ll experience the highs and lows of first love, loneliness, envy, and random encounters. He’ll also realize those who are in his corner and those he can leave behind.

I love coming-of-age stories, and I really enjoyed this book. Andy’s voice was so authentic—I remember being on the cusp of adulthood yet still not there yet. I also remember what it felt like when your emotions are so close to the surface that you become attached to someone that’s not in the same mindset as you. It’s hard to believe that this is Robert Raasch’s debut, and it’s a book I’ll definitely think about for a while.

Book Review: "The Champions" by Kara Thomas

Hadley is new to Sunnybrook, as her mother took a job as the superintendent of schools there. She is biding her time, hoping her senior year will result in her being named editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and getting accepted to Columbia so she can study journalism.

She’s not particularly thrilled that her first assignment is to write an article about the Tigers, Sunnybrook’s football team. They’ve won two consecutive state championships and are hoping to make history by winning a third. Everything in school—and in the town—revolves around the Tigers.

She receives an anonymous email warning her to stay away from the football team, and another telling her not to go to a party being thrown by one of the star players. But Hadley goes to the party, and one of the players that she interviewed collapses and falls into a coma. The players wouldn't let Hadley call an ambulance, and everyone was acting strangely. It turns out he was poisoned.

Eleven years ago, five of Sunnybrook’s cheerleaders were murdered. When another football player winds up dead after causing trouble at a game, Hadley is determined to figure out what’s behind the tragedies. Her investigative methods make her an outcast, but she’s able to track down some people who remember what happened 11 years ago.

What secrets are being hidden? Who is responsible for what is happening? Could Hadley be a target? And most importantly, can the truth be uncovered before someone else dies?

This was a great story, full of drama and twists and turns. It’s a follow-up to Kara Thomas’ book The Cheerleaders, but this can be read as a standalone. Reading this made me glad I didn’t go to high school when social media existed!

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: "No Road Home" by John Fram

At times this book was off-the-rails crazy, and at other times it was tremendously moving. Having now read both of his books (including his debut, The Bright Lands), I can honestly say that John Fram is one of a kind.

After a whirlwind relationship, Toby marries Alyssa Wright, the granddaughter of a famous televangelist. But despite the fact that religion is such a huge part of her family’s life, Alyssa insists that they aren’t bigoted or backwards, like so many are.

To celebrate Alyssa’s 30th birthday, she and Toby, along with his young son, Luca, drive to Texas to spend the weekend at the Wright family compound. While Toby is dizzied by the wealth on display and the eccentricities of Alyssa’s family, he has no idea about the madness he and Luca are walking into.

It turns out that the Wrights have plans for Toby and Luca—and they don’t really have a choice in the matter. When a prominent member of the family is found dead, Toby is sure they were murdered, but the family doesn’t seem to care. Until, suddenly, their suspicions swing Toby’s way, which could have massive implications for him and his son.

A torrential storm has flooded any exit from the compound, which means they’re all trapped with a killer and lots of crazy family members. And Luca keeps talking about seeing a shadowy man in a dark suit, but no one else seems to see him. Will the storms end so they can escape, or will they be tangled up in all of the madness?

There is a lot going on here—murder, hidden memories, the fierce love between father and son, unresolved grief, secrets, even a touch of the supernatural. It may be too much for some, but I absolutely love the unbridled way Fram spins his stories. And his author’s note brings it all home. This slayed me.

Book Review: "Friends with Secrets" by Christine Gunderson

There’s that old adage that you never really know what a person is going through until you hear it from them. This book is certainly an example of that!

Nikki used to be a news anchor for a major network in DC. She misses the thrill of a breaking story, of having a purpose—not to mention the paycheck. Now a stay-at-home mother for four kids 5 and under, she always feels one step behind and completely a mess. It doesn’t help that with an infant, she barely sleeps.

Ainsley has the picture-perfect life. She’s married to the handsome heir to a candy bar company, she is always perfectly put together and volunteers for everything, and her husband is running for governor. But few know the life Ainsley fought her way out of, and what she had to do.

When the prestigious private school they send their kids to hires a new basketball coach, it seems like a huge win. He’s a former star athlete and philanthropist, and he will push the kids to reach their full potential. But when Ainsley meets him, she realizes she knows him from her former life—and he could be dangerous.

With nowhere else to turn, Ainsley confides in Nikki, who could use a hot story to try and get another news job. They’re both willing to do whatever it takes to expose the coach and protect their kids, no matter what it takes. But it may prove hazardous, because some will fight to protect themselves at any cost.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it would be more about rich women behaving badly, and while there are elements of that, this is more a celebration of female friendship and resilience. It illustrates that “having it all” means different things to different people. This was funny, poignant, and even a bit suspenseful.

Book Review: "The Lookback Window" by Kyle Dillon Hertz

“The longer time passes, the less evidence exists. The more my memories warp. I knew all this was true. I knew the effects of what happened to me grew with time, but my recollection faded.”

Dylan was 15 years old when he met Vincent on the internet. Vincent wasn’t significantly older than Dylan but he seemed more worldly, and Dylan felt so wonderful being wanted by someone. But for three years, Vincent held Dylan captive as a victim of sex trafficking, keeping him drugged, taking pictures of him that he distributed, and letting others have sex with him.

Now, he is an adult, still dealing with all that happened to him, but he’s trying to move on. He’s engaged, and he hopes to have a good life with his fiancé, Moans, although he isn’t sure he’s capable of truly being happy.

And then a new law is passed. The Child Victims Act extends the statute of limitations for child victims of sexual assault, which used to be only five years after the child turned 18. The Act provided Dylan with a “lookback window,” a one-year period in which Dylan can decide whether to bring a civil suit against his abusers. But what does he want? Money won’t help erase what happened, and can there even be an adequate figure?

Considering what to do reawakens a great deal of anxiety and trauma in Dylan, which he tries to assuage with drugs and sex. But again, he endures, only to realize he owes it to himself and others like him to face his accusers.

This was tremendously powerful and moving. As a victim of sexual assault, I was hesitant to read this, but I’m so glad I did. It is a difficult but important book which brings male sexual assault victims to light. While at times this is bleak, it also is a beacon of hope.

Book Review: "Jaded" by Ela Lee

Jade, the daughter of a Korean mother and a Turkish father, is an attorney at a corporate law firm. She’s always felt tremendous pressure to succeed, to be the best, which as a woman and a minority, isn’t as easy as it should be.

“That Jade isn’t even my real name. That Jade began as my Starbucks name, because all children of immigrants have a Starbucks name.”

One night at a fancy work event, she drinks too much, and the senior partner of the law firm acts a bit inappropriately toward her. Another colleague sees Jade in the awkward situation and offers to make sure she gets home safely.

The next morning, Jade wakes up naked in her bed with a horrible hangover. She has no clue how she got home but hopes she didn’t embarrass herself in front of her supervisors or colleagues. But little by little, she starts having flashes of memories, she notices bruises all over her body, and she’s experiencing pain and bleeding. Are her memories accurate?

Jade throws herself into her work, as she looks to the client on whose case she is working on as a bit of a mentor. Emotionally, however, she is a complete wreck. Telling her longtime boyfriend what happened causes friction between them. She doesn’t feel she can confide in her parents or anyone at work. She feels powerless, and doesn’t know how she’ll ever move forward.

This is a very powerful and thought-provoking book, but it may be triggering for those who have experienced similar situations. Jade is a very vividly drawn character, and the book is full of insightful commentary on power, race, identity, and sexism in the workplace.

Book Review: "Perris, California" by Rachel Stark

“Each other is the whole of what we’ve got. People are there for us to love. It ain’t the other way around. It’s the greatest and most excruciating gift of life.”

Rachel Stark’s debut is bleak, beautiful, and complex, and so well-told.

Abandoned by her mother, Tessa endures an abusive life living with her stepfather and stepbrother. The only saving grace is her friendship with Mel, one of her high school classmates. The two young women are drawn together, each suffering from their own losses and hardships, until Mel is sent away by her mother, forcing Tessa to survive on her own.

One night when the abuse is too much to bear, Tessa finds refuge at the home of Angie, her husband Buck, and their sons. Angie knows the truth of what Tessa endured, but vows to keep it a secret. Years later, Tessa has married Angie’s son Henry, and they’re raising two children (with one on the way), living in a trailer on Angie’s property.

One day, Tessa discovers that Mel has returned to Perris to move back in with her mother and work as a pharmacist. Seeing Mel again stirs up all of the old emotions for Tessa, but at the same time, she knows that her life is with Henry and their children. But she is haunted by memories of their relationship, as well as the abuse she endured and her mother’s abandonment. It’s also hard to endure Angie’s need to be involved in every aspect of their lives.

The book shifts between past and present, and alternates POVs. There are lots of triggers here—sexual assault, physical abuse, accidental death—but at its core, this book is about strength under fire and how we can always find someone to support us through the dark times.

Book Review: "Like Happiness" by Ursula Villarreal-Moura

This was easily one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve read in a while. I’m so impressed that this was Ursula Villarreal-Moura’s debut.

Tatum Vega is finally happy with her life. She lives in Chile with her partner, Vera, and works at a museum, finally being able to harness her art history degree and her dreams of doing something related to art.

One day, her relative peace is shattered when she gets a phone call from an investigative journalist for the New York Times. He is looking into sexual assault allegations against the famed writer M. Domínguez, and he asks if Tatum has anything to say in response. He asks because Tatum spent nearly a decade of her life involved with Domínguez in a variety of ways, from admiration to friendship, love, and even occasional obsession.

The reporter’s call upends Tatum’s life, forcing her to truly examine her relationship with Domínguez. It was all-encompassing at times, leaving her a jumble of emotions and often unsure of where she stood with him. She enjoyed their intellectual conversations about books and writers, and had the opportunity to travel with him. But really, how can she describe the way she felt? And why can’t she get him out of her head years later?

The book alternates between present day in Tatum’s life and a letter that she writes to Domínguez, chronicling their relationship from the start, sharing her thoughts, feelings, fears, and observations, which she kept to herself as things were unfolding.

There was a tremendous amount of insightful commentary about the power dynamic that exists in relationships, particularly when the people involved are different ages and at different stages of their lives. It also looked at the lies we tell ourselves and how hard it can be to realize we deserve to be happy.

Book Review: "My Last Innocent Year" by Daisy Alpert Florin

An excellent, powerful coming-of-age novel about the decisions we make and the ripples they leave behind.

“…as small and unimportant as I mostly felt, the egotism of youth hadn’t left me, and I placed myself firmly and squarely at the center of the universe.”

It’s 1998. Isabel Rosen is a senior at Wilder College, a prestigious school in New England, where she is one of only a few Jewish students. She’s always been a bit of a follower, trying to find her place yet stay out of the spotlight. But a sexual encounter with an Israeli student confuses and frightens her, and she feels both angry and vulnerable.

She’s always thought about being a writer, following in the footsteps of her late mother, an artist, but her father tries to convince her there’s no money in that. And then she takes a senior writing seminar taught by R.H. Connelly, once a renowned poet expected to conquer the world, who now works for a local paper.

It’s the first time anyone has really praised her work and told her she has promise. It’s not long before Isabel starts an affair with her married professor, and he gets her thinking about pursuing a writing career and staying in New England with him. She knows, however, that this can’t last, and at a crucial juncture, she makes a decision that changes a number of lives.

I thought this was fantastic. It’s set against the backdrop of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, which sets the stage for a lot of interesting conversations, but this is more a story about Isabel coming into her own. It’s a sharply written debut that dazzled me.

Book Review: "Lore Olympus" by Rachel Smythe

Who knew the lives of gods were so dramatic? Lore Olympus gives you all the scoop!

So many of my Bookstagram friends seem to enjoy books with mythological themes. And when they ask, “What's your favorite mythological figure,” I usually answer with, “Mythology isn’t my jam,” due to some unfortunate scarring in high school. (Surprise quiz after returning from a sick day=being labeled "brain dead" by your English teacher. Even with a doctor's note.) But if mythology was more like this amazing graphic novel? I’d be all over it and then some!

So, in Rachel Smythe's retelling, Persephone is new in Olympus after finally being able to escape her overprotective mother, Demeter. One night, Persephone and her roommate Artemis go to a party, where she meets Hades. The two feel an instant connection to one another, which sets off a cavalcade of jealousy, revenge, and repercussions among the gods.

This is tremendously creative, beautifully drawn, and it’s not your everyday graphic novel. There’s adult language, some things which could be triggers (e.g., rape, drugs), and drama galore, and I couldn’t get enough. The only thing that would have made this better for me was if I knew mythology so I understood the issues the gods had with, and their relationships to, one another. (I often joke that if I ever was a contestant on Jeopardy, mythology would be all of the clues!

I’ll be anxiously waiting for Volume 2 in July 2022!

Book Review: "Tonight We Rule the World" by Zack Smedley

Zack Smedley's new YA novel (following Deposing Nathan) was so good but so heartbreaking.

For the longest time, Owen had trouble fitting in. Being on the autism spectrum, sometimes he struggled with expressing himself and making friends. But when he met Lily, he found in her a kindred spirit and his first girlfriend. And as he connects with her group of friends, he feels like he belongs for the first time.

Senior year in high school is a big one for everyone. Owen finds the courage to admit he’s bisexual. But then the school is rocked when it’s anonymously reported to the administration that Owen was sexually assaulted during a school trip. It’s something he had wanted to keep hidden from everyone—the school, his military-veteran father, who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth, and especially Lily, because everything will change after that. What happened that night? Who assaulted Owen? And why doesn't he want to share the truth?

Tonight We Rule the World is so powerful, emotional, and thought-provoking. It’s a look at gaslighting and how often we’re failed by those who say they have our best interests at heart. But more than that, it’s about finding the inner courage and self-belief to do the right thing and stand on your own. I struggled a bit with the behaviors of some of the characters, but I was just so moved.

Thanks to Page Street YA, Storygram Tours, and Zack Smedley for inviting me on the tour and providing me a complimentary copy of the book in excahnge for an unbiased review!