Book Review: "Family Family" by Laurie Frankel

“There are infinity different kinds of families. And every member of every one has a different story to tell about it. So the fact that a few stories about adoption are the only ones that ever get told seems like a problem to me.”⁣

⁣ India’s dream was always to be a successful Broadway actress. Thanks to hard work, perseverance, and pretty impressive talent, she achieved her dream, finding success on the stage and on television, which led to the lead role in a movie.⁣

⁣ The movie is about adoption, and as the adoptive mother of fraternal twins, India is excited that this story will be told. But it’s not long before people criticize the film—and India—for what they believe the message of the film is. She’s frustrated by public reaction, so she decides to set the record straight. But she winds up making everything worse—and then some.⁣

⁣ The fact is, there’s much more to India’s life than most people know. As all of her own choices are called into question, others in her life decide to take control of the situation. And so the wild ride begins.⁣

⁣ Laurie Frankel is truly an artist. Her books are so rich in emotion, character development, and their treatment of issues related to love, family, and parenthood. I thought this was incredible, and utterly thought-provoking.⁣

Book Review: "Ready or Not" by Cara Bastone

Is it sweet and emotional in here or is it just me? Well, if you love rom-coms that make you smile, swoon, and maybe even tear up, give Ready or Not a try!

Eve is rarely an impulsive person. But her one-night fling with a handsome bartender is exactly what she needed. Although the last thing she expected was to find out a few weeks later that she is actually expecting. As in, a baby.

With her siblings living in Michigan (and they don’t seem to get her anyway) and her best friend Willa unable to provide the emotional support Eve was hoping for, a savior emerges: Shep, Willa’s older brother. The three grew up together and he’s currently living with Willa and her husband as he deals with his own issues.

As Eve tries to figure everything out—telling the baby’s father, continuing to work, starting to realize how much a baby costs—Shep is there by her side. It’s really what she needs, considering that Ethan (the baby’s father) is vacillating between wanting to be involved and running away. And maybe it’s just the pregnancy hormones, but why does she suddenly want to jump Shep’s bones?

There were so many moments in this book that made me grin and had me feeling emotional (sometimes simultaneously). It really was utterly charming, fun, even a bit steamy, and just so good!

Book Review: "Almost Surely Dead" by Amina Akhtar

Well, I was having an unexpectedly good run of thrillers for a while, so I knew it was bound to end at some point. And even though some friends had great things to say about this book, I felt like it started out really strong but then changed into something completely different that I didn't enjoy.

⁣ ⁣ Dunia was a pharmacist in New York City. Her life was relatively ordinary, although her relationship with her fiancé recently ended, but despite the fact that he broke up with her, he won’t seem to leave her alone. And then one night everything changes, when someone tries to murder her.⁣

⁣ The attempt on her life shakes Dunia to her core. Who was the man that tried to kill her, and why? When another attempt on her life occurs, and then another, no one—not even the police—can figure out who is responsible. And then, Dunia goes missing. Is she hiding, or did the person behind the murder attempts finally succeed?⁣

⁣ The book is told from multiple perspectives and timelines—Dunia’s childhood, the attempts on her life, and snippets of a true crime podcast investigating her disappearance. You find yourself wondering what the truth really is, and who was responsible.⁣

⁣ I found this to be an interesting and intense story, but the multiple perspectives didn’t really work for me. And suffice it to say, the book takes a strange turn that I wasn’t expecting at all, and honestly, if I had known about it, I might not have picked it up.⁣ ⁣

Book Review: "Good Material" by Dolly Alderton

Andy is a stand-up comedian whose career isn’t going anywhere. But that’s the least of his worries: he’s utterly devastated that Jen, his girlfriend of nearly four years, has dumped him. And he didn’t see it coming; it happened out of the blue.⁣

⁣ “‘Break-ups can be a good thing,’” Jane says. “‘They can teach us about who we really are.’”⁣

⁣ “‘Yeah, maybe, like break-up number one or two,’” I sigh. “‘But break-ups have depreciating gains. I’m thirty-five now. I know who I am. I am already sick of myself.’”⁣

⁣ Break-up stories are fairly common in fiction, but it’s very rare to get one written from the man’s point-of-view. Andy needs to start living for himself rather than what was. That’s the only way to move forward. But what if you don’t want to move forward? What if you were happy the way things were?⁣

⁣ Having Andy as the narrator makes you wonder why he’d even want to stay with Jen, given all the things about her that drove him crazy. But then you get a glimpse of Jen’s POV, and you realize there’s two sides to every story. This was thought-provoking, funny, emotional, and hopeful.

Book Review: "Five Years from Now" by Paige Toon

It’s already an established fact that I’m a complete sap; needless to say, I loved this book so much! It was everything I expected and yet it surprised me at certain points as well.

When their parents fall in love, Nell and Van suddenly find themselves thrown together constantly. They’re both 10-year-old only children, unused to sharing their parent’s attention or anything else. But it’s not long before they become inseparable best friends, much like siblings—until tragedy strikes and Van moves far, far away.

Five years pass before they see one another again. Distance has eroded their bond a bit, but it’s been replaced by something else—an attraction that goes far beyond sibling-like feelings. They realize they’re meant to be together, but once again, life intervenes and they are separated.

It seems like they are reunited for one reason or another every five years. Each time they see each other, they realize the intensity of their feelings for each other. But as their lives and circumstances change, they must decide if their love is worth risking and changing everything, or if they're better off apart.

This was a fantastic story, romantic, emotional, thought-provoking, and a bit steamy. I’ve wanted to read one of Paige Toon’s books for a while; now that I have, I know I’ll be back for more!

Book Review: "Fourteen Days" by The Authors Guild

Shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the residents of a rundown apartment building on NYC’s Lower East Side begin gathering on the rooftop terrace for fresh air. They participate in the cheering for the health care workers, which occurs each evening at 7:00 pm.

Little by little, they start to linger on the roof after the cheering subsides. At first they keep to themselves, reading, playing with their phones, pondering the pandemic, but then they start to tell each other stories—stories that happened to them, stories passed down from their families, even fables or ghost stories. All can’t be true, but the shared time proves therapeutic.

The narrator is the building’s female superintendent, a virtual stranger to the tenants, as she took the job and moved in just before the lockdown began. Armed with her predecessor’s “bible,” a binder profiling each tenant and the nickname he bestowed upon them, she takes it upon herself to record and transcribe the stories they are told. And she has stories of her own as well.

As soon as I heard about this book, I wanted to read it. Each chapter contains multiple stories, and each story is written by another author, everyone from Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, Angie Cruz, to Diana Gabaldon, Erica Jong, and Tess Gerritsen. (Interestingly enough, the stories don't identify the authors; you won't know who wrote which chapter until the end. Unless you cheat.)

Sadly, the concept didn’t work as well as I had hoped—essentially, it’s a group of short stories, some of which are excellent, some of which are not, and some of which have too much detail to actually be a story someone would tell. (And don’t get me started on the ending.)

Book Review: "Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" by Lex Croucher

I really enjoyed the concept of this book and thought it was really sweet. A great YA romance for February!

Gwendoline, the Princess of England, has been essentially engaged to Arthur, a descendant of King Arthur, since shortly after she was born, to ensure an alliance between her father’s kingdom and Arthur’s father. From a young age, Gwen and Arthur have disliked each other intensely, and each has done their best to harm and humiliate the other.

But now, Arthur, who has a bit of a reputation for being a hard-drinking ne’er-do-well, is sent to Camelot for the summer to mend fences with his intended. And in less than 24 hours, Gwen has caught Arthur in a compromising position with a young man from the palace, and Arthur has found Gwen’s diary, in which she reveals romantic thoughts for Lady Bridget LeClair, the kingdom’s only female knight. With the need to keep both of their true selves secret, the two make a pact to marry anyway.

As forces outside the kingdom threaten to destroy Camelot, Gwen and Arthur try to convince everyone they’ve finally fallen for one another. But of course, Gwen can’t take her eyes off Bridget, and Arthur has taken an interest in Gabriel, Gwen’s brother and the reluctant heir to the throne.

The book’s tagline is, “The path to true love never did run straight.” This is a well-written and moving book about finding yourself, being true to your identity, and giving into your heart. It was a little long, and I could have done without a lot of the detail about the schemes to take power away from the King, but overall, I enjoyed it.