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: "The Marriage Sabbatical" by Lian Dolan

“This isn’t a midlife crisis; this is a midlife triumph.”

Jason and Nicole have been married for 23 years. Their two children are in college, and they’ve made quite a life for themselves in Portland through the years. It’s about time they did something for themselves, and they’ve been planning a sabbatical, which includes a 9-month motorcycle trip through South America.

Nicole loves the idea of a sabbatical, but not the motorcycling trip. She’s been dreaming of going to Santa Fe, to study silversmithing, so she might be able to sell her jewelry creations at some point. Of course, she’s not sure how to tell Jason she really doesn’t want to take the trip he’s been planning for a while now.

One night, their neighbors tell them about a key component of their marriage: the 500-mile rule. When they’re more than 500 miles away from one another, they’re free to do as they wish, with whomever they wish to. No questions asked. At first, Nicole and Jason are adamant that they could never live like that, but the more they think on it, they decide that perhaps they can each take a separate sabbatical for nine months, and if they decide to sleep with someone, that’s fine—just no diseases and no pregnancies.

With enthusiasm and a bit of trepidation, they both head out on their journeys. The trips are life-changing and freeing in so many ways, and while chemistry sparks with new people for both, they start to realize what they want from their future—and their relationship.

I’ve become a fan of Lian Dolan after reading her last few books, and this was a fun and sweet read. It alternates between Jason and Nicole’s perspectives, and shifts between the present and retraces their relationship from the start. I can only wonder if the idea of a sabbatical might catch on!

Book Review: "Funny Story" by Emily Henry

Emily Henry is an absolute auto-buy author for me. Her books have an incredible way of making me feel multiple emotions simultaneously. They fill my heart (and often fill my eyes with tears) and they definitely make me smile, if not all out laugh.

Daphne loves that her fiancé Peter loves telling the story of how they met and fell in love. She moved to his hometown of Waning Bay, Michigan, and loves the idea of becoming a part of his family. More than that, she loves her job as a children’s librarian.

The last thing she expects is that the night of his bachelor party, Peter breaks their engagement, telling Daphne that he and Petra, his childhood best friend, have fallen in love and want to be together. Oh, and Daphne has to move out of their house so that he and Petra can live there.

So now, Daphne is reeling from grief and anger, and she lives in an apartment with Miles, Petra’s ex, who also isn’t handling the end of his relationship too well either. The two peacefully coexist in their state of depression and anger, despite Miles’ penchant for sad love songs and an occasional joint.

One day, Daphne tells Peter that she and Miles are now together. To prove it, they start chronicling their “relationship” with photos on social media. Casual, friendly, generous Miles is everything Peter was not, so it’s not too long before Daphne finds herself wishing her pretend relationship was real. But both she and Miles have walls around their hearts, and it’ll take more than a fake relationship—and intense sexual chemistry—if they ever have a chance together.

Henry’s books always have lots of great banter, and this is no exception. I also really loved all of the supporting characters and Waning Bay was a terrific small town.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the advance copy; the book publishes 4/23.

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: "Kill for Me, Kill for You" by Steve Cavanagh

Whoa. This book was twisty and intense, and I was hooked from the very first page!

Amanda has been filled with grief and anger since she experienced a double loss. The police know who is responsible but can’t find enough evidence to make a case against the suspect. She’s taken to stalking him and dreams of taking his life into her own hands, to make his loved ones suffer the way she has.

At a support group for grieving parents, she meets Wendy, and recognizes in this woman much of the same unresolved anger toward the man responsible for her own loss. One night over drinks, they agree to a plan: Wendy will kill the man responsible for Amanda’s loss, and Amanda will do the same for her.

One night when her husband is out with friends, a man breaks into Ruth’s house and violently assaults her. She barely saw her attacker, except for his piercing blue eyes and his calling her “sweetheart.” The aftermath leaves her in complete fear, desperate to know why she was singled out, and worrying he’ll be back to finish the job. Every man she sees frightens her. Her husband Scott is desperate to help her overcome her fears, but he feels powerless.

This really was a fast-paced book, and Steve Cavanagh ratchets up the tension and suspense little by little. While you think you know what will happen, the script gets flipped more than a few times.

I had seen a lot of great reviews for this book, and I’m so glad it lived up to my expectations. Definitely a twisty read I couldn’t get enough of!!

Book Review: "Anita de Monte Laughs Last" by Xochitl Gonzalez

A dual-timeline book that examines the art world as well as the sexual, racial, and power dynamics it stirs up, Anita de Monte Laughs Last was a very thought-provoking read. I really loved Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut, Olga Dies Dreaming, so I was really looking forward to this.

In 1985, a rising young artist, Anita de Monte, died under mysterious circumstances. Anita was married to famed artist (and womanizer) Jack Martin, but as her raw talent started gaining notoriety, it provoked Jack’s envy and his anger. While Anita’s death proved to be a scandal, the buzz was short-lived, and it wasn’t long before Anita’s talent was forgotten and Jack's career continued to flourish.

In 1998, Raquel Toro is an art history student at Brown University. Being one of only a few minority students, she felt ostracized, like she needed to work three times as hard to get the breaks her fellow students got. When she starts a relationship with Nick, an older, wealthy art student, she does reap the advantages—but at the expense of her pride, her independence, and her self-respect.

She plans to write her final thesis about Jack Martin, but while interning at a museum over the summer, she is introduced to the life and work of Anita de Monte. She realizes this artist, her talent as well as her tragic end and the influences she had over those in her cycle, is the real story that needs to be told.

The parallel narrative is an interesting one, shifting back and forth through Anita’s short career and her death, alternating with Raquel’s struggles and her discovery of Anita’s work. It’s fascinating and sad how both women felt the need to compromise themselves in order to make the men in their lives happy, and how their minority status often made them “exotic.”

While the pacing felt a little slow at times, I really liked this book. I’d imagine the struggles Anita and Raquel dealt with were very realistic, not just within the art world.

Book Review: "The Boyfriend Subscription" by Steven Salvatore

A steamy, gay version of Pretty Woman? Yes, please!

Teddy thought he had it all—the perfect marriage and a dream career running an urban nursery in the middle of NYC. But he finds out that his husband played him for a fool, and then he lost his business, which devastated him even more. With no money or prospects on the horizon, he plans to head back home to New Orleans to live with his mother and start again.

Cole was supposed to be the heir to his family’s construction company, but his desire to live his life on his own terms alienates him from his family, especially his power-hungry father. But he achieves the success he dreamed of by founding VERSTL, an app which brings sex workers and consumers together to create content and connect with one another.

Teddy and Cole meet in a dive bar one night, when Teddy is drowning his sorrows and Cole is escaping immense pressure. VERSTL is about to go public, which will be a surprise to Cole’s family. But to attract an investor concerned about the sex work component of the app, Cole could use a more down-to-earth boyfriend.

And that’s where Teddy comes in. After their one-night stand, Cole offers Teddy a job to pretend to be his boyfriend. He’ll be compensated quite well, but he has to remember two rules: no kissing and no catching feelings. Hmm…wonder how that will go?

This was so enjoyable, super-sexy, romantic, and emotional. I loved the book’s treatment of sex work as well as the way it portrayed the inferiority complex many of us deal with. Cole and Teddy were a great couple, and Steven Salvatore is such a talented writer. I've loved their YA books, and I'm so glad to see they've moved into adult romance!