Book Review: "How We Named the Stars" by Andrés N. Ordorica

“I thought about how, for so much of my life, I’d survived by staying quiet, making myself small enough to fly under the radar. I decided then that I no longer wanted to be quiet. I wanted to be loud and colorful and every piece of myself at any one time.”

Daniel is a scholarship student at a prestigious college in upstate New York. He is the first in his family to go to college, and the pressure to live up to the hopes and expectations of his parents and grandfather, who left Mexico before he was born. Daniel is also ready to be the person he’s always known he should be, someone confident and comfortable with his sexuality.

It’s not long before their easy friendship evolves into something sexual, but Sam isn’t quite able to give Daniel all he wants from a relationship. At the end of freshman year they go their separate ways, and Daniel is without Sam. And when an unspeakable tragedy occurs, Daniel must figure out how to cope. So he spends the summer in Mexico with his grandfather, learning more about his late uncle Daniel, for whom he was named and who, it seems, was quite similar to him.

This was gorgeous, emotional, and so moving. It’s incredible that this is a debut novel. I honestly hadn't heard of this book until shortly before I picked it up, and I'm so thankful for that! I fell in love with everything it made me think and feel.

Book Review: "Emergency Contact" by Lauren Layne and Anthony Ledonne

It's Christmas in New York, a time almost everyone loves. Except Katherine, an exceptionally ambitious attorney, who is hoping this will be the year all of her hard work comes to fruition and she'll be made a partner. Trying to dodge the tourists clogging the streets, she winds up sustaining a concussion and getting rushed to the hospital.

But that's not the worst part, as when she wakes up in the hospital she discovers that she never updated her emergency contact information, so her ex-husband Tom gets the call. And as much as the end of their marriage was rancorous, Tom is a good guy, and wants to be sure that Katherine is okay. When the doctors say she can't be left alone for 48 hours, and needs help dealing with a wound in her back, the only solution is that she must travel with Tom to his family's home in Chicago for Christmas. While Katherine misses Tom's family (and they miss her), the last thing she wants is to be stuck with him, especially when she learns he's planning to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve, which is a family tradition.

Wouldn't you know it, though? Tom and Katherine confront obstacle after obstacle trying to get from New York to Chicago. Everything that can go wrong will, and Katherine is desperate to be available in case her boss calls to promote her to partner. While tensions run high as the two replay old arguments that led to their divorce, Katherine tries to be as helpful as possible in helping Tom get home in time to propose. But of course, the more time they spend together, the more their old feelings for one another ignite. What's more possible: a second chance at love, or a completely fresh start?

Lauren Layne has become an auto-buy author for me, and I love the way she balances romance, humor, and banter, and she creates really memorable characters. In Emergency Contact, she teamed up with her real-life husband (and high school sweetheart), comedian Anthony Ledonne, and the end result was definitely both "rom" and "com." Can't wait for her next book!

Book Review: "Listen for the Lie" by Amy Tintera

Maybe I needed some time away from reading thrillers to appreciate them, because this month I have read some fantastic ones! Many thanks to Celadon Books for the advance copy of this one!

Several years ago following a wedding, Lucy is found wandering around, covered in blood, and her best friend Savvy is dead. Lucy has no memory of what happened but her family and much of her hometown is convinced that she murdered Savvy. With no way to prove her innocence (or guilt), Lucy heads to Los Angeles to start a new life.

And then her purported involvement in Savvy’s death becomes the topic of a true crime podcast. The host seems pretty convinced of Lucy’s guilt. When she returns home for the first time since the murder, nearly everyone agrees. But when she meets Ben, the handsome (and immensely smug) podcast host, she’s determined to help him find the truth—even if it proves her guilt.

As she struggles to remember what happened that night, she finds that no one has been entirely honest about what they know or what they saw. While painful memories are dredged up, there’s still enough uncertainty for Lucy to wonder if she might really be guilty.

This was such a fantastic book. Lucy is snarky and flawed and amazing, and there are so many times that I really had no idea what the ending would be. You will definitely want to read this!

The book publishes 3/5.

Book Review: "The Rachel Incident" by Caroline O'Donoghue

I’ve been wanting to read this since it came out last year, and I’m so glad I finally did. What a great book!

Rachel is a university student in Cork city who takes a job at a bookstore. It is there she meets James, who is effortlessly funny and always good for a laugh or even a shoulder to cry on. It’s not long before they become inseparable best friends, moving in together and helping each other through the everyday angst in their lives.

When Rachel develops a crush on Fred Byrne, one of her professors, it is James who comes up with a scheme by which she can seduce him. But things don’t work out the way they planned, and events are set into motion that have a ripple effect on all of their lives, as well as the life of Deenie, Fred’s wife.

The Rachel Incident mostly takes place in the late 2000s and early 2010s, as Ireland deals with the recession as well as the fight for abortion rights. At times it flashes forward to the present, with Rachel’s narration giving some clues to the future, but leaving most of it for you to unfold.

There’s nothing quite like the angst and stress of your early 20s, navigating love, sex, relationships, career plans, and family. This book so accurately captures those emotions, the drunken nights, the arguments over nothing, the fear you’ll be left behind by life and love. It’s so beautifully written, and though it is more of a slow-burn, character-driven novel, I felt very invested in the story.

Book Review: "Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix" by Gabe Cole Novoa

As many of you know, I love a good retelling, and boy, did I absolutely love this one! This book is part of a series called Remixed Classics, in which authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. (Two years ago, Self-Made Boys, a retelling of The Great Gatsby, was in my top 5 favorite books.)

Oliver Bennet longs for a life different than the one he is stuck in, a life away from gowns, corsets, and the pressures of society. Because Oliver is known to the majority of his family and friends as Elizabeth, and he is expected to dance at balls, flirt coquettishly, and act like a lady, in order to attract a suitable husband. Oliver has no desire to live his life as someone he is not; he cannot imagine life married to someone who wants to suppress his true identity and his spirit.

While his mother is desperate to marry off all of her daughters, Oliver resists every attempt. Sometimes he is able to sneak out of his house dressed in the way he feels most comfortable, as a young gentleman. And on one of his outings, he runs into Darcy, the handsome young man who is a close friend of Bingley, of whom Oliver's sister Jane is enamored. Oliver is shocked that Darcy is sensitive, intelligent, and enjoyable company, especially since he was rude to "Elizabeth" at a ball.

The more time Oliver spends with Darcy, the more he starts to believe he might be able to have the life—and love—he truly wants. But as some suitors become more persistent, and even threaten to reveal Oliver's true identity to his family, he has to decide whether to follow his heart and risk disgracing his family, or living the life that society expects "Elizabeth" to.

I am a huge fan of Pride & Prejudice and this "remix" hit all of the right notes. Gabe Cole Novoa did such an incredible job with this book. My heart swelled, I got teared up, and immediately needed to watch the film version of the original book, in which Colin Firth looked immensely delicious. Many thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an advance copy of the book!

Book Review: "The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins

Over the last several years, Rachel Hawkins has become an auto-buy author for me. While her last book, The Villa, didn't quite work for me, her newest book is definitely a home run. It’s so twisted and gothic!

In the tiny North Carolina town of Tavistock, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore was as close to royalty as you could get. She was the state’s richest woman and perhaps one of the most notorious, as she was kidnapped as a very young child, and was married (and widowed) four times. Ruby's family estate, Ashby House, was the envy of both other family members and complete strangers.

When Ruby dies, her entire estate goes to Cam, her adopted son. But after years of living under Ruby’s thumb and dealing with the enmity of relatives who believe they were entitled to the inheritance, Cam leaves the house, money, and family behind, working as a teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a former actress who also escaped her own past.

But 10 years later, the death of Cam’s uncle summons him and Jules back to Ashby House. It’s not long before he is reminded of why he escaped, and dealing with resentful relatives is exhausting. But there are so many secrets hiding amidst the ornate decor and beautiful views, secrets that could change the course of everyone’s lives. Who is keeping which secrets, and how will they use them?

The plot may seem familiar, shifting between past and present, but Hawkins does such a phenomenal job getting you hooked quickly. I seriously couldn’t put this down, and can’t wait for her next book!

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.