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: "Just for the Summer" by Abby Jimenez

Simply put, Abby Jimenez is one of my absolute favorite authors. I have loved every book she has written, and her newest book, Just for the Summer, was, unsurprisingly, exceptional. I can never get enough of the incredible way she balances humor, emotion, romance, and steam with amazingly vivid characters.

Justin has a curse: whenever he breaks up with a woman he’s been dating, she goes on to immediately meet her soulmate. Like, every single time. It’s a little depressing for him.

Emma reads about Justin’s “curse” on the internet and it’s all too familiar, because the same thing happens to her. Egged on by her best friend, she reaches out to Justin to commiserate about their shared burden. It’s not long before they’re talking or texting every day, so Justin proposes an arrangement: they go on four dates, kiss, and break up, and then they’ll meet their soulmates. Of course, Justin is in Minnesota and she's supposed to head to Hawaii, but with some finagling, she's able to change her schedule.

The thing is, Emma never expected Justin to be as hot as he is. She definitely didn’t expect him to put so much effort and creativity into their dates. And Justin didn’t expect to fall as hard for Emma as quickly as he has, but he knows that her time in Minnesota is short before she leaves for another traveling nursing gig.

When Emma’s mother, who has neglected her most of her life, surfaces in Minnesota, it opens up a lot of old wounds. Then Justin has to assume custody of his three younger siblings. Both have so much trauma and baggage to deal with; how can they hope to even get through four dates?

I loved the appearances of characters from all of Abby’s previous books (but you don't have to have read them first). Once again, Jimenez made me smile and cry, and I’m there for it every time. Many thanks to Forever for the free copy!

Book Review: "Until Next Summer" by Ali Brady

Summer camp is a part of my soul. For 10 summers I went to a sleepaway camp up in the Catskills Mountains, as a camper, counselor, and group leader. I’m still close with people I met all those years ago, still remember all of the camp songs, and have some pretty amazing memories.

With that background in mind, I am Jessie, the main character in Ali Brady’s newest book. Jessie first attended Camp Chickawah when she was young, and it was the best part of her life. (Some may call it "Chick-amazing.") She lived 10 months of the year for the 2 months she would get to go to camp.

Jessie and her best friend from camp, Hillary, planned on becoming counselors together, but when Hillary backed out to take an internship, their friendship ended. But Jessie kept on going and is now the director of the place she loves so much.

When the camp owners tell Jessie they plan to sell, she is devastated. This is her home, her life. So she decides that for the last summer, she’ll invite all past campers to experience the camp once again, yet as adults. Hillary is one who returns for the last summer. She hopes to rebuild her friendship with Jessie and in the process, learn about what’s been missing in her life.

I absolutely loved this book. It captured my heart from page 1 and never let go. It’s sweet and funny and pretty steamy in places, and just amazing!!

Thanks to the authors for the traveling ARC!! The book publishes 7/9. #greenteam

Book Review: "Stars in an Italian Sky" by Jill Santopolo

I’ve been wanting to travel to Italy for a long while now, so needless to say, each time I read a book that is set there, I get the urge to plan a trip. And after reading Stars in an Italian Sky, I want to go pronto, pronto.

In 1946, Giovanna, her father, and her sister return to Genoa after fleeing during WWII. They reopen her father’s tailoring shop, where Giovanna not only helps with the customers, but dreams of her own designs as well. One day, Vincenzo, the handsome son of a count, comes into the store to have some clothes altered. At that moment it’s as if lightning struck Giovanna in the form of Vincenzo.

The two spend a great deal of time together, much of it in secret. Vincenzo knows his father would never approve of him marrying a tailor’s daughter, but he knows that his heart wants nothing but Giovanna. Yet when the country votes to become a republic, abolishing the monarchy and nobility, it creates a rift that changes everything for both.

In 2017, Cass and her boyfriend Luca, an artist, are ready to get married. But when they bring their families together to celebrate their engagement, and Cass’ grandmother meets Luca’s grandfather, it reveals past history that neither Cass’ family or Luca’s was aware of.

The dual-timeline story was romantic, emotional, and fascinating to see the parallels between both couples. The actions of Vincenzo’s family—and Luca’s, for that matter—were infuriating at times, but love endures. This was such a beautiful story of following your own path, no matter the consequences, and no matter how long it takes.

I’m a big fan of Jill Santopolo and love all of the emotion she brings to her books. I’ll be waiting for her next one!

Book Review: "A Great Country" by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

This was a tremendously thought-provoking and beautifully written book. It really is so timely in its exploration of culture, race, family, identity, and prejudice, as well as the lies we tell ourselves.

Ashok and Priya Shah came to the U.S. 20 years ago from India with only college degrees and a dream of creating a better world for their future children. And after years of hard work and sacrifice, they have finally succeeded, with a beautiful home in a gated California community and being able to send their children to the best schools.

But one night, their grasp of the American Dream is shattered. Ajay, their 12-year-old son, is arrested. This sets off a chain of events that will make the Shah family question everything they know about their adopted country, and how much they’ve sacrificed to get to a level at which their family is still not safe.

Multiple people narrate the story: Priya and Ashok, as well as their two daughters, Deepa and Maya, along with the policeman who arrested Ajay and the mother of one of Maya’s friends. It’s interesting to get their perspectives, which include seeing the origin of one person’s prejudice.

I was born and raised in the U.S., so it was really fascinating to read about the challenges that immigrants face in trying to get ahead and assimilate. Some of the characters are more well-drawn than others, and some are not as empathetic, but I found the book was very impactful.

This would be a great book to read with a book club because there’s lots to spark discussion!

Book Review: "The Breakup Lists" by Adib Khorram

“Even though I’m the Theatre Kid, my sister is the dramatic one.”

Jackson is proud to be a “techie”—he’s the stage manager for his high school’s theater department. He doesn’t mind being behind the scenes instead, because he knows he’s the glue keeping the shows running, keeping his teacher on track, and helping wherever he can.

He’s also a cynic when it comes to romance, having had his heart broken once and watching his parents get divorced. But his sister Jasmine is constantly crushing on someone, dating them, and then the relationship ends. So Jackson helps Jasmine by creating “breakup lists” for each of her exes, which list all of their faults, both serious and superficial.

When Liam, a handsome swimmer, decides to audition for the musical, he and Jackson become very good friends. Jackson definitely is attracted to Liam, and sometimes he thinks Liam is flirting with him, but Liam is straight, right? So when Jasmine starts crushing on Liam, he encourages Liam to start dating Jasmine. Which, of course, fills him with jealousy.

This is a sweet story of friendship, love, family drama, and fighting to be seen and heard and valued. It’s predictable, sure, but Adib Khorram gives the story extra depth because it also deals with disability, specifically hearing impairment and deafness, and the struggles—and beautiful moments—that people living with those disabilities face.

I’ve loved everything Khorram has written, and this was no exception.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the advance copy!!

Book Review: "The Prospects" by KT Hoffman

I am obsessed with hockey romances, and now I can add this baseball romance to the list of books I love. I seriously found myself grinning like an idiot while reading this.

Gene Ionescu is the first openly trans professional baseball player. It’s been his dream for as long as he could remember—his dad was a baseball player, too—but he never imagined that given who he is, he’d have the chance to make his dreams come true.

His happiness is upended when his former college teammate and close friend, Luis Estrada, is traded to Gene’s minor league team. For reasons Gene never understood, Luis just stopped being his friend one day, so their reunion is a bit awkward, even more so when Luis takes over for Gene at shortstop.

The two can barely have a conversation, let alone find a rhythm to play together successfully. But Gene is determined to make their on-field connection work, and after extra practices, they start to become friends again, too. Little by little, as the season moves on, they start to open up to one another, and Gene finds himself hoping—and yet fearing—that Luis’ interest in him is more than just baseball-related.

The closer they draw to one another, the more the line blurs between their relationship and their ambitions. Does love mean giving up your dreams for a safer path, or is love worth the risk of pursuing what you want? Can they have everything they want, personally and professionally, or is that too much?

I couldn’t love this more if I tried. It’s sweet, sexy, funny, and hopeful, and although this situation is more fiction than possibility right now, it’s fun to dream of this kind of world. KT Hoffman has made me a fan of his for sure!!