Tag: fiction

Book Review: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fiction
Length: 560 pages
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: October 18th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

“Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose.”

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind.

Thank you to Harper Perennial for the gifted book.

WHAT A JOURNEY.

The Poisonwood Bible was one of the only books I enjoyed in high school and I thought it was about time I picked up another Kingsolver book. It did not disappoint. While not my usual genre, or preference (hello yes I love romance books), I love when I find something outside those circles that I love. This was that book.

I’m not sure I even have the right words to put into a review besides saying, read it. These kinds of stories are important and hard and one that is worth the thoughts it will bring. The moments that will be unforgettable and how much havoc can be reaped in one’s life.

The audiobook was amazing. I found the narrator easy to listen to juxtaposed to the story that I had a hard time listening to, but also could not put down. I read this much quicker than I expected because I had to know where Demon’s story wound take him. There’s many, many complex characters and the book is just made to be felt.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fiction
  • Language: moderate-high; throughout
  • Romance: a few open door scenes
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings (there are a lot and I might miss some so please look up more lists if you are concerned): drug abuse, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, foster abuse, physical abuse, racism, child hunger and poverty

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Book Review: Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fiction + Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Lia Louis
Publisher: Atria
Release Date: May 21st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

So many ways to torpedo your career and your love life…So little time.A woman accidentally reveals all her secrets in this witty and charming novel from the author of Eight Perfect Hours.Two years ago, thirty-year-old receptionist Millie Chandler had her heart spectacularly broken in public. Ever since, she has been a closed book, vowing to keep everything to herself—her feelings, her truths, even her dreams—in an effort to protect herself from getting hurt again.But Millie does write emails—sarcastic replies to her rude boss, hard truths to her friends, and of course, that one-thousand-word love declaration to her ex who is now engaged to someone else. The emails live safely in her drafts, but after a server outage at work, Millie wakes up to discover that all her emails have been sent. Every. Single. One.As every truth, lie, and secret she’s worked so hard to keep only to herself are catapulted out into the open, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused, and face everything she’s ever swept under the carpet.

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

I LIKED IT.

I did like this book, but I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite by this author. I’ve read books with this plot line before and I liked how it played out for the most part. There’s a lot of good self reflection for Millie and I did love seeing her growth and finding where her true identity was.

The sub-plot romance was sweeet. I thought they had good chemistry. It’s a nice slow build with lots of good moments between them. I think the drama contrasted well to the story and the emotionally journey felt very honest and raw which I always appreciate.

I didn’t love one of the reveals. And while the explanation is absolutely there, something was missing from that for me.

Still, in the end, I love the clever writing from Louis. I enjoy the plot and main characters. The themes of owning your truth and turning a terrible situation into a chance to change and grow was really powerful to read.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fiction + Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: kisses
  • Content Warnings: psychological abuse recounted

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Book Review: Cover Story by Susan Rigetti

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Author: Susan Rigetti
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: April 5th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Netflix’s Inventing Anna and Hulu’s The Dropout meets Catch Me If You Can, a captivating novel about an ambitious young woman who gets trapped in a charismatic con artist’s scam.

After a rough year at NYU, aspiring writer Lora Ricci is thrilled to land a summer internship at ELLE magazine where she meets Cat Wolff, contributing editor and enigmatic daughter of a clean-energy mogul. Cat takes Lora under her wing, soliciting her help with side projects and encouraging her writing.

As a friendship emerges between the two women, Lora opens up to Cat about her desperate struggles and lost scholarship. Cat’s solution: Drop out of NYU and become her ghostwriter. Lora agrees and, when the internship ends, she moves into Cat’s suite at the opulent Plaza Hotel. Writing during the day and accompanying Cat to extravagant parties at night, Lora’s life quickly shifts from looming nightmare to dream-come-true. But as Lora is drawn into Cat’s glamorous lifestyle, Cat’s perfect exterior cracks, exposing an illicit, shady world.

A whip-smart and delightfully inventive writer, Susan Rigetti brilliantly pieces together a perceptive, humorous caper full of sharp observations about scam culture. Composed of diary entries, emails, FBI correspondence, and more, Cover Story is a fresh, fun, and wholly original novel that takes readers deep into the codependency and deceit found in a relationship built on power imbalance and lies.

WELL THAT WAS WILD.

This was a total bookstagram made me do it read. I didn’t have a clue what it was about, I just picked it up and then DEVOURED it. The fast paced nature of email, text and diary entries make this a story you can’t look away from.

And it was worth it. That ending blew my mind. I had picked up on a couple of the subtle pieces mentioned throughout, yet I was still flabbergasted at how everything worked out in the end. It was perfectly convoluted and insanely well written.

Some of the diary entries did start to feel repetitive and drawn out to where I started skimming towards the end. Otherwise though, this is a great mystery of which I’m hardly saying anything to the pages within because I highly recommend you go into this book as blind as possible!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fiction / Mystery
  • Language: a little
  • Violence: low

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ARC Book Review: Off the Map (Beck Sisters #3) by Trish Doller

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 272 pages
Author: Trish Doller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: March 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

On the road to love, you don’t need a GPS…

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love – if only they choose it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

A TALE OF TWO BOOKS.

I have really enjoyed Doller’s previous two books and definitely jumped at the chance to read this when it hit my e-mail. And I have some THOUGHTS Y’ALL.

First half of the book:

We’ve got an insta-love + a one night stand (on repeat) situation. I was not of fan of this at all. It’s not necessary in my mind. I want to more than that. Some of the traveling was fun and gave me some wanderlust to see Ireland. When they were hanging out I liked those quieter moments and that some connection was at least being made between Eamon and Carla. Good nuggets about live and doing what you love too.

Second half of the book:

Then, around halfway a total script was flipped, and I felt like I was reading straight fiction. Granted, I loved the dementia storyline with Carla’s father and feeling that heartbreak and love and support. It was tender and pulled at all of my emotions. So this second half was not bad in the least, just wholly different than the first half. I missed Eamon.

I think if both of these main plot lines would have been woven together a bit better I would have enjoyed this more. I love Doller’s writing style and the ease of which I can fly through her books. There’s a great balance of heavier topics + romance that I am endeared towards and characters that are wonderful too. I was missing that woven feeling between everything to feel fully invested in both sides of this tale.

**Note, there is totally still a romantic HEA. That was never in question.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple open door; medium explicit
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: taking care of a parent with dementia, parental abandonment

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