The Wives- Tarryn Fisher: 3 Stars
paperback, own; Bookcon freebie
This was the perfect beach/pool read. It was just passing the time until about the halfway mark, when the story took an unexpected turn and I had to know what was happening immediately. Fast-paced and suspenseful for sure, but loses a star for the ending.
What Light- Jay Asher: 4 Stars
Library e-book
Can I just start by saying that I hate the cover for this book? I think that's why I had put it off for so long, but I was waiting for some library holds and this one was available so I finally read it. Also, after reading it, the cover (and title, for that matter) have so little to do with the story. Poor marketing. Anyway, it was so much better than I had expected! I think I have a soft spot for any holiday story where one of the main characters works on or own a Christmas tree farm. I liked that the bad boy completely ostracized from his hometown isn't *really* that bad, and even though he has such a reputation, he continually tries to redeem himself, but not publicly (if that makes sense). And that ending was completely swoon-worthy. (Yeah, I said it.) I could totally see this being made into a Hallmark movie.
Miss Christmas- Gigi Garett: 4 Stars
Kindle Unlimited
Is this a Hallmark movie? If not, it should be. (Yes, another one.) Holly is on the hunt for "The Tree"- the Rockefeller Center tree. (Side note: I make a point to go see THE tree every year- it's one of my Christmas traditions.) Finding "the tree" is literally her job, which made me wonder if that actually IS someone's job? That would be pretty cool, if not somewhat stressful, but anyway, I digress... She gets a letter from a boy saying the tree is on his family's land. The boy, and the family, are so freakin sweet and genuine, minus the one Scrooge of an uncle who has the final vote in letting her have the tree. This was a quick, heart-warming, feel-good novella.
“That’s Meredith. My wife named her after that TV doctor. On that show where everyone is sleeping with everyone.”
“Phoebe, Monica, and Rachel,” he calls out as we pass by a trio of cows. “My wife was a big Friends fan too."
If bad things can happen out of nowhere, doesn’t that mean really good things can too?” I swallow the gumball-sized lump in my throat. “I think you just explained Christmas.”
The Golden Principles of Feng Shui Life: How to Declutter and Organize Your Home- Yuchiku Rinioe: 2 Stars
Netgalley
I love the idea of feng shui and am familiar with some of the principles, but I wanted to incorporate a few more before the new year... can't hurt if doing something like putting a fountain near the doorway can increase wealth, amiright?! I started this one but am not loving it because instead of simple ideas and changes, it's very very specific. For example, I knew that getting rid of old pictures of an ex would promote healthy and positive relationships to blossom, but this book is saying that you shouldn't just "throw out" the pics... you must do it in the morning between 9-10AM on the day after a full moon, blah blah blah. It's just too much detail to be enjoyable and/or attainable.
F*ck and Fall In Love- Nicole Falls: 3 Stars
Kindle Unlimited
The title grabbed my attention for sure. I guess I missed the part that listed this as "African American Romance," not that it mattered much except some of the descriptions and slang used through me off at first. Jane and Nigel meet when Jane goes on a business trip. While Jane seems to think of it as a one-night stand, Nigel seems to have other plans. Beware of graphic sex scenes.
"I fully expected that once she delivered that message Mister Tall Fine and Delicious would undoubtedly make his way over to me to occupy the seat on the other side of my small table..."
"Embrace your inner hoe for the culture…or something.”
The Weddings (Inheritance #4)- Alexander Chee: 4 Stars
Netgalley
As I started this, I was wary as to where the story was going. Though Jack was Korean-American, he was brought up in a very conservative White environment. In fact, he never seems to connect to his Korean roots at all, Meanwhile his White college friend Scott seems to be all about "Asian" culture as a whole throughout college and later as an adult, and seems to be putting on a show for his new wife Korean wife at the wedding ceremony. The fact the he and our MC had a physical relationship one night in college seems to mean a lot more to our gay protagonist than it does to the very-straight Scott. Overall I felt like I wanted more from Scott, but maybe something he wasn't ready to give Jack or the reader.
Everything My Mother Taught Me (Inheritance #1)- Alice Hoffman: 4.5 Stars
Netgalley
Had it not been stated in the description and maybe a one-liner in the book, I wouldn't have known this was set in the 1900's, which actually did the story a favor; this could have been written now. This definitely packed a punch for being so short! I have so much respect for the young Adeline- the young heroine who's not only observant, but steadfast, honest, and admirable, especially after the hardships she's had to endure.
The Lion's Den (Inheritance #2) - Anthony Marra: 5 Stars
Netgalley
I'll admit that the title and synopsis scared me off of reading this one right away, and I wondered how I could possibly enjoy a book where the MC so obviously turned his back on his family. I really liked how the story was told though, and the events that led up to the tell-all book the MC wrote about his father. And then how the father reacted- priceless! The tie-in between taking his dad to the zoo and the ending was absolutely flawless and what sealed the solid 5 star rating for me- I honestly couldn't have asked for anything more from such a short novella.
Can You Feel This? (Inheritance #3)- Julie Orringer: 3 Stars
Netgalley
This was the fourth book I read in the Inheritance series, and the writing- with such urgency- had me hooked from the very beginning. It opens with a pregnant woman bleeding and an emergency trip to the hospital, the very same hospital her mother had been taking to. Like the woman, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but then it just ended.
Zenith Man (Inheritance #5)- Jennifer Haigh: 3 Stars
Netgalley
My review may be slightly skewed as I read this last in the Inheritance series. I was waiting for some big-bang murder mystery short story, and this was not that at all. In fact, I'm not sure what genre I would put this in. It certainly started out as a possible "whodunit" but quickly transformed as we learned more about the relationship between husband and wife through her "diaries." It kept me on my toes until the end., but the whole Olympic star death at the end who suffered from the exact same affliction seemed a little too convenient. in my opinion.
Hollywood- Zachary J. Ferrara: 3 Stars
Kindle Unlimited
"I've been dying for a Taylor ham and egg sandwich. That's one of the problems with crossing state lines: You can't find a good piece of Taylor ham. It's one of New Jersey's hidden treasures." - p.43According to Goodreads, I added this to my TBR in 2015. Being born and raised in New Jersey, I really enjoyed all the NJ references and settings because I knew a good majority of them. Not much happened in the story though; it seemed he just went from one party and controlled substance to another in a haze throughout a summer. It was a quick read, but I didn't see much growth from the character and that bugged me.
Currently reading: I started Children of Vengeance and Virtue (Legacy of Orisha #2) by Tomi Adeyemi, but couldn't get fully invested because I forgot much of what happened in the first one. While I try to piece that together, I'm reading What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.
What are you reading?
How do you get out of a reading slump?
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