This was a pretty boring reading month. I did read one amazing YA fantasy book (which I typically avoid at all cost!), a pretty great nonfiction book on sex in long term relationships, and found an incredible newly released cookbook. But everything else? So middle of the road and bland. But, here goes.
F*ck Love by Tarryn Fisher
Rating: 2.5
I was really disappointed by this book. This is now my third Tarryn Fisher book and just like the second one I read, this one fell so far from my high expectations after reading Mud Vein late last year. I just realized she wrote Mud Vein BEFORE this one, so I can’t even blame it on a significantly evolved writing style. Anyway. This started out with such a great twist – a fantastical element that gets you excited about the rest of the story. Unfortunately, while it’s referenced, this is never actually explained for the rest of the entire book. It could have been SO GOOD if she had used this and actually wrote a fantasy book. I was really let down by that. There was also a very bizarre character twist thrown in at the end that I just could not understand. I wanted to like this book, I even read it pretty quickly. It just did not hit the spot.
Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce
Rating: 4 stars
I picked this book up on the glowing recommendation of Kaytee Cobb on the Currently Reading Podcast. It sounded intriguing, even though I generally shy away from historical fiction because it’s just not my thing. I mean, I’ve read plenty of it, but it’s not something that usually draws me in. But I gave it a shot and found this to be a very pleasant book! It was almost alarming how calm the characters were about the constant bombing around London while they continued to live their lives and go about their duties. Emmy was a very likeable character – it reminded me so much of Helene from 84, Charing Cross Road. I do feet there was some missing element that could have really brought this story up to a 5. But it was a mostly fun read celebrating a great friendship and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Rating: 5* stars
If you’re looking for a unique re-telling of Beauty and the Beast by a fantastic author – this is the book for you. I was enthralled by it. At first I found myself wanting to savor it because I knew it was going to be so good. Then I found myself reading way too late into the night, desperate to know the ending. Our heroine, Harper, is kidnapped from the modern world and brought into a parallel universe enchanted castle by Grey, Prince Rhen’s guardsman, and only remaining person at his side. She fights her kidnappers at every turn until circumstances change and she begins to learn about their world. She puts aside her own worries to help Rhen and his kingdom. Overall, I truly loved this book. I loved that the characters were together and interacting in almost every chapter. I was surprised at how much actually happened beyond their forced attempt to fall in love to break the curse. I was honestly more intrigued by Grey than Rhen, however, and the epilogue left me very excited about the second book coming in early 2020 (I already preordered it!). I can’t wait! I was really hoping this would be a stand alone book so I wouldn’t have to wait, though. But I think it’ll be worth it! As someone who very rarely reads fantasy, I think this book was well worth my time!
Oliver Loving by Stefan Merrill Block
Rating: DNF
This is a story about a family that falls to pieces after the older son is severely injured in a school shooting and spends the next ten years in a coma. I was intrigued by the premise, but the book started out SO slow. The writing was very “literary.” Basically – wordy. Not the type of book I usually enjoy reading, as I get the most enjoyment from snappy dialog and character interaction. The chapters alternate between different members of the family, so some of them are a lot more interesting than others. I put the book aside to read a couple of others and then when I still didn’t really want to pick this up I decided it’s not the book for me.
The Polygamist’s Daughter by Anna LeBaron
Rating: 3 stars
Okay, so I really hesitate to say anything negative about a person’s memoir – a life story filled with terrible things no child should ever have to go through. But this book fell a little flat for me. It was hard not to compare it to The Sound of Gravel, which is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. The authors are cousins and put out books around the same time, though they didn’t know each other before that. Between the two of them, this book just felt SO factual. It was just a straight forward retelling overview of the most striking moments of her life, but without any of the real emotional depth or storytelling behind it. If that makes sense. I was definitely interested and read the whole thing in two days, but it bothered me during the entire reading. It felt like a therapeutic retelling of one’s life. I’ll leave it at that. 🙂
You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn
Rating: 3 stars
So there’s a pretty big chance that I’m just really burned out on books about musicians on tour. I’ve read my fill of them in the last two months. Of all of them I’ve read recently, this has been the least interesting. It also really skimmed over the tour life, but still held all of the usual stereotypes – getting drunk and using women. This particular story is about two 18 year old country music stars with tragic family histories that find a way to come together after a summer on tour. Overall…it was okay. Not memorable. I was so desperate to finish it up that I just skimmed through the last few chapters and didn’t even read the epilogue. It’s pretty rare for me to be that desperate to be done with a book.
The Party by Lisa Hall
Rating: 3.5 stars
I thought this book had a pretty strong beginning. A woman wakes up in a strange room without half of her clothing and feels like she has the worst hangover of her life with no recollection of the night before. She realizes she’s at a neighbor’s house after a wild New Year’s Eve party and she’s pretty sure she was raped. The rest of the book is her struggling to get her memory back while she does her own investigating of everyone that could have been involved after the police deem the case unsolvable without any sufficient evidence. The main reason I enjoyed this book is that it was fast and easy and kept my attention during a week that very little else was. But near the end I was so sick of her repeatedly trying to figure out who her attacker was with still no memory of the incident. I also didn’t particularly like any of the characters. So if you’re looking for a fast thriller, this is a good pick.
After by Anna Todd
Rating: 2 stars
I hated this book and I LOATHED these characters. I picked it up without knowing anything about it – I just knew the movie version came out and it seemed intriguing, so I wanted to quickly read the book before I went to the theater. (It ended up only being in the theater for two weeks so I missed out.) Then I started reading and could not stand the characters. Let’s talk about a boy who gives off every single red flag that could possibly exist for being bad relationship material. Throw in a girl who thinks it’s fine to overlook those flags, cheat on her boyfriend, ignore her mom, give up her friends, all for the sake of winning over red flag boy. Seriously, this book was the worst. I finished it basically so I could write this review. I also had hopes that they might redeem themselves by the end. I didn’t realize until it was abruptly finished that there are FOUR MORE BOOKS. And sadly, I kind of want to read them. Hate read them? I mean, I was invested enough to spend an entire week of my reading time getting through this book. But I hated every single character SO MUCH. So unless you want to see horrible people make terrible decisions again and again and again, I would advise staying away from this series!
Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
Rating: 3 stars
April is really shaping up to be the month of mediocre reads. Slow books that seem to take me three times as long as it normally does to get through them. In part because I’ve been so busy and distracted and in part because the books just aren’t drawing me in. This is another middle of the road story for me. There was nothing wrong with it, I just wasn’t that interested in it. Two teenage amature sleuths get together to solve a mystery at the hotel where they work. It sounded like the perfect kind of YA that I love, but I just never got into it. The characters behaved how real life teenagers probably would – which was honestly kind of boring. I just wanted a lot more personality from Birdie to amp up everything. Overall, it was fine, just not the best.
Love Worth Making: How to Have Ridiculously Great Sex in a Long-Lasting Relationship by Stephen Snyder
Rating: 4.5 stars
This was a compulsively readable book about sex in long term relationships. I’ve started reading a handful of similar books over the years and lost interest so quickly because they were too scientific, too technical, and too boring. This was interesting and relatable from the first to last page. I enjoyed the deep perspective of a 30 plus year sex therapist and how he’s worked with couples over the years. Even though it’s technically about sex in relationships, the emphasis of every chapter was much more about the relationship itself and what could inherently be causing hang ups between the couples. I only knock it down half a star because the majority of the book only followed about three couples and their specific issues. I wish it had provided more examples of differing relationships or struggles, even though it might have gotten hard to keep track of. Overall, I’d highly recommend this for any married or long time couple.
Tex Mex by Ford Fry
Rating: 5* stars
This was perhaps the most exciting cookbook I have ever purchased because it was filled with all the foods I actually want to eat every single day of my life. There were tons of gorgeous photos accompanied by a colorful and fun design. There is a lot of background information about tex mex food, but it’s interesting and succinct enough that you won’t lose interest. I bought this cookbook completely on a whim when I saw it listed as a new release and I’m SO glad I did. With the exception of the seafood and alcoholic beverage chapters, I marked almost every single recipe as something I want to try. I loved that all of the recipes looked flavorful and delicious without any hard to find ingredients or techniques. I’m so excited to dig in and start trying out these recipes. I think this will prove to be an essential cookbook in my collection that I will turn to often!
The Roommate Agreement by Emma Hart
Rating: 3.5 stars
If you’re looking for a light, fast, sweet romance, this was a good one. Two long time best friends end up living together and despite their very different living styles, end up feeling more for each other than friendship. I liked the characters and that they were pretty kind to each other, despite the constant sarcasm and quips. I didn’t feel extremely invested in their lives and felt that some things were a bit repetitive (how many times can you talk about Shelby’s introversion and say the words “best friends?”). But that didn’t stop me from reading the book in a day and a half. Overall, it was enjoyable and a nice palette cleanser.
