Book Review: "Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block" by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Oh, what a fun and thought-provoking book this was! If there’s any justice, this will be adapted for television, because Ms. Mebel is a character who needs an audience!

Growing up in Indonesia, Mebel was raised to be the perfect trophy wife. She always looks impeccable, anticipates her husband’s every need, and knows how to be the ultimate hostess and guest. Imagine her surprise when at age 63, her husband Henk says he’s leaving her for Wendy, their much younger private chef.

Mebel is angry and devastated, and worried about how a divorce will affect her social standing. She is determined to win him back, but how? Her solution: go to culinary school and learn to make a fancy dish which will dazzle him.

She enrolls in culinary school in Paris (just down the street from the flagship Hermès store), but due to a clerical error, she finds she’s been accepted to the school’s branch in England. But not London—a small town outside of Oxford. She quickly realizes that culinary school isn’t something you decide to do on a whim, or half-heartedly, and she’s three times as old as many of her fellow students.

Little by little, Mebel’s outspokenness endears her to her classmates. But when her friend Gemma drops out of school without warning, Mebel is determined to find out why. In the process, she realizes she doesn’t have to let things happen to her or those she cares about—she has the power to change things.

Jesse Q. Sutanto’s books are always filled with memorable characters, and Mebel was no exception. Watching her growth, her vulnerability, and her empathy was really enjoyable. And boy, did the descriptions of food make me hungry!!

Book Review: "Toe to Toe" by Falon Ballard

Ballet has been the core of Allegra’s life since she was a young girl. Although pushed by her mother, a former dancer who gave up her career for marriage and a family, Allegra loves ballet more than anything. And she desperately wants to become a principal ballerina.

When her ballet company announces it will produce a new ballet, Allegra desperately wants the lead role. But her director told her that he doesn’t think she has the sex appeal to land the part. She is determined to prove him wrong.

After attending her sister’s bachelorette party at an all-male dance club, Allegra is mesmerized by the show’s star, and the owner of the club, Cord. In addition to his obvious physical attributes, she’s impressed by his dancing ability and his overall sex appeal.

Allegra comes up with an interesting proposition for Cord. She’d like him to teach her to be sexier when she dances. Although he’s reluctant at first, he doesn’t want to let her walk away. And being the one to help her realize her own sex appeal is a powerful motivator.

The more they dance together, the stronger their attraction grows. Allegra knows she’s fallen for Cord, but she can’t let a relationship derail her career. Cord knows that Allegra will be pressured to choose between her career and a relationship. What happens if she chooses ballet? Where does that leave him?

While there weren’t too many surprises in the book, I really enjoyed Allegra and Cord’s banter and chemistry. I’m a sucker for stories about dancers and other performers, and juxtaposing ballet with male strippers was really an interesting twist. Once again, Falon Ballard utterly charms me!

Book Review: "Brawler: Stories" by Lauren Groff

Lauren Groff is a hell of a writer. Each of her novels has been vastly different and compelling, and her short story collections always crackle with power. And Brawler, her third story collection, may be her best yet.

The nine stories in this collection all find a character, often a woman, at some kind of crossroads. In many cases, these women have suffered some kind of abuse or pain, or they feel compelled to do something horrible. The stories are set from the 1950s to the present, and all over the country.

Some of the stories took my breath away for one reason or another, but there wasn’t a weak one in the bunch. Among my favorites were “The Wind,” about a mother and her children trying to flee her abusive husband; “Between The Shadow and The Soul,” in which a long-married couple is tested after the wife retires; and “Such Small Islands,” which tells of a young girl left to the care of a sister she doesn’t remember—and the young girl doesn’t like to share.

More favorites included “Sunland,” about a young woman who has to care for her disabled brother; “Annunciation,” in which a young woman unintentionally causes a colleague to flee suddenly; and the title story, about a swimmer who has to care for her hypochondriac mother and likes to cause chaos.

At the end of the book, Groff shares a sentence or two about what inspired her to write each story, or the feelings she was trying to convey. It's a fascinating peek into her creative process. I really was wowed by this collection!

Book Review: "Smile and Look Pretty" by Amanda Pellegrino

Honestly, I’m almost embarrassed how long I’ve had this book hanging around my stack. I’m so easily distracted by shiny new things (and books), lol. But I was in the mood for a little workplace drama (since I don’t have any in my new job), so I finally picked this up.

Cate, Olivia, Lauren, and Max are best friends with big dreams. But in order to achieve them, they’re all working as assistants to some movers and shakers in the entertainment world. Their bosses are all awful—a cross between Miranda Priestley and the bosses from the Horrible Bosses movies. All four women are constantly stressed, working way too much and not getting paid well for all the work they do.

They get together every Friday to commiserate. And the more they talk about their respective situations and share their frustrations about being overlooked and mistreated, the angrier they get. So they decide to air their grievances on an anonymous blog.

It doesn’t take long for the blog to catch fire. More and more women anonymously step forward to share that they’ve had the same—or worse—experiences. And as the blog continues going viral, they learn that someone is trying to figure out who is behind it. Is the validation of their treatment worth the risk to their futures? Can they actually take down their sleazy bosses?

I enjoyed this book a lot. The camaraderie between the women was great, and even if they seemed a little naïve at times, the characters were generally appealing. The tone of the book shifted to more female empowerment and courage, and that was great.

Thanks to Park Row Books and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. If you’re looking for a great backlist read, pick this up!

Book Review: "What Have You Done?" by Shari Lapena

“Nothing ever happens in Fairhill, Vermont. It’s a small town, surrounded by farmland, with the Green Mountains in the distance. Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont. Until it does.”

Early one morning, a man sees a group of turkey vultures swarming around his field. He figures they’ve found a dead animal, but he goes to investigate, and what he finds horrifies him: the naked body of a young woman, mangled by the carrion birds.

Diana Brewer, a popular, pretty, high school senior, was the one murdered. Strangled to death. But for a young woman that everyone says was an angel, well-liked by her peers and teachers alike, who would murder her?

The major crimes investigators quickly dig into the circumstances surrounding Diana’s murder, and find a number of suspects. At the same time, Diana’s mother is dealing with grief and guilt over the fact that she worked at night and left her daughter alone, and her two best friends, Riley and Evan, want to do all they can to help Diana’s mother while dealing with their own shock and sadness.

The net tightens around each of the potential suspects, and the ramifications ripple throughout Fairhill. Secrets are uncovered that might have saved a life, and people are finding it difficult to trust their family and friends.

I thought this was a very compelling mystery, full of twists and red herrings. Shari Lapena knows how to ratchet up the suspense. There’s a bit of a supernatural component that I didn’t necessarily care for (and it seemed kind of incomplete), but this was still a good read.

Book Review: "Humor Me" by Cat Shook

This was a fun and charming read I devoured fairly quickly.

Presley is an assistant at a late-night talk show. She enjoys her job although she doesn’t make much money; getting the opportunity to work with her friend (and crush) Adam is more than worth it. Plus, she’s recently been given the responsibility of scouting out comics for a slot on the show. She’s always loved stand-up, and now she gets to go to comedy shows as part of her job.

Presley is still dealing with unresolved grief over her mother’s death. While her mother was a serious alcoholic, Presley still remembers some of the fun they had. But anytime someone talks about her mother, it’s like a punch to the gut.

One day she runs into Susan, a childhood friend of her mother’s. Susan’s husband helped get Presley an internship at the network, which led to her job. But now, he’s been accused of sexual harassment, which leaves Susan vulnerable, and she latches on to Presley. The last thing Presley would have imagined was striking up a friendship with someone like Susan, but surprisingly they seem to click.

This is a story about friendship, love, dating, and life in New York City, as well as how difficult it is to recover from loss. It also so accurately captures how first jobs can be fun even though you get paid next to nothing, and how they give you the chance to build your community.

Cat Shook has a real talent for character development and creating compelling personal dynamics. This book is funny, steamy, and a little emotional.

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

Book Review: "I Have Some Questions for You" by Rebecca Makkai

She’s not the girl she was back in high school. But can you truly shed your younger self?

When Bodie attended the Granby School in New Hampshire, she already had experienced more tragedy and trauma than most people her age. Being a scholarship student among the rich, privileged, and beautiful was difficult enough, but trying to find your identity and confidence when you’re at your most vulnerable definitely took its toll. Her former roommate was found murdered in the spring of her senior year, and although the killer was quickly convicted, the case remains one that intrigues and fascinates the public.

Years later, Bodie is now a successful film producer and podcaster. She is invited back to Granby to teach two short courses, and she’s pleased to be returning feeling and looking so much better than she did back in high school. But it’s not long before she starts to get drawn into the details of her former roommate’s case. Was it as easily solved as it appeared back in 1995, or did the police quickly rush to convict an outsider without considering other suspects?

As Bodie’s life starts to unravel, she finds herself growing more and more obsessed with the case, ostensibly in helping her students research it for a podcast. But she starts to realize that maybe she played more of a role in the rush to judgment than she ever thought. Can she help make a difference the second time around?

This was a really fascinating story, part mystery and part coming to terms with your past. The narration alternates between past and present and follows Bodie’s obsession with the murder and her confronting her own tragedies and hurts. It’s not a fast-moving book, and there’s a lot going on here, but I really loved it.