November Reading Wrap-Up
I for one am very thankful that November is over. We started off the month with the longest week ever, filled with extreme election anxiety which made it difficult to focus on anything else. November reading really started for me once I could breath again after November 7th when Joe Biden became our “unofficial” (but official) President Elect - another thing I am VERY thankful for!
A major goal for me in November was to start clearing out some of my NetGalley reads! I wanted to read at least 3 of the 12 I have sitting on my shelf currently. I started off with Lana’s War by Anita Abriel, a WWII novel, followed by What Could Be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz, another historical fiction novel, and ended with Bride of the Sea by Eman Quotah. All of these books are being released in January 2021!
Of course, I also read some already released books that are being hyped up in the bookstagram world: Mexican Gothic, The Roommate, Grown and Boyfriend Material.
Read on for my full thoughts!
Mexican Gothic
This is one of those books that I did not understand all the hype about.
Noemí receives a frantic letter asking for help from her cousin, who was recently (and quickly) married. So, Noemí makes her way to high place, the house her cousin resides in with her new family in the Mexican countryside. But soon after she arrives, Noemí realizes her cousins new family is up to no good, weird things are happening and she’s determined to get to the bottom of it.
It took me over 100 pages before I was even interested in the story and it wasn’t until almost the end of the book that things got exciting. That being said, I found the book to be a little confusing at times (specifically about the mushrooms and how they are used) and definitely underwhelming. I didn’t really find this book scary, just slightly disturbing and weird.
Goodreads Summary:
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
The Roommate
This was just what I needed after an election anxiety filled week!
Unhappy with her predictable and boring life on the east coast, Clara Wheaton hops on a plane to LAX with a dream and a cardigan 🎶 - literally. Clara expects to be moving in with her childhood crush in LA (and hoping to finally convince him to fall in love with her) but when she arrives she finds out he’s leaving town with his band and instead she’ll be living with a complete stranger, Josh
This book was really fun. I loved the hilarious back and forth between Josh and Clara and I loved their sex-positive and empowering love story.
I thought Rosie Danan did a fantastic job of creating a very sex positive storyline and tackling the stereotypes and negative stigma that society associates with sex work/the porn industry.
My only complaint is that I wanted more from the ending! I felt like the ending was quick and abrupt. And while I was thankful for the two year time jump to get an update on Josh and Clara, I want to know how things went with telling Clara’s family!
10/10 recommend this for anyone looking for a fun read to distract themselves from the craziness of the world right now!
I can’t wait until April 2021 when Rosie’s sequel, The Intimacy Experiment, is released to dive more into the world of Naomi- Josh’s ex and co-worker who easily became one of my favorite characters.
Goodreads Summary:
The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She’s the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara’s childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too much to resist. Unfortunately, it’s also too good to be true.
After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger. Josh might be a bit too perceptive—not to mention handsome—for comfort, but there’s a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn’t looked him up on the Internet...
Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton’s most scandalous story yet. His professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they’re lucky, they’ll help everyone else get lucky too.
Lana’s War
As someone who loves a good WWII story, Lana’s War did not disappoint.
After witnessing the murder of her husband by Gestapo in Paris during WWII, Lana Antanova joins the resistance in the Riviera. There she rubs elbows with German Officers in order to obtain information about upcoming raids. What Lana doesn’t expect is to fall in love with her resistance partner, or to take in a young Jewish girl who lost her family.
The author doesn’t dive too far into the backstories of the characters. And my biggest complaint is that it seems like Lana and Guy went from “co-workers” to lovers out of nowhere. I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed, one second they were in the middle of a plan at Brunners New Years party, the next Guy was missing for 10 years, the reconcile and thats the end of that.
However, I did enjoy the book regardless of the lack of character development. Usually WWII books are heavy, but this read quicker and lighter than others. I would love to find out what happens with Lana and Guy after they board the plane to Syria!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Goodreads Summary:
Paris 1943: Lana Antanova is on her way to see her husband with the thrilling news that she is pregnant. But when she arrives at the convent where he teaches music, she’s horrified to see Gestapo officers execute him for hiding a Jewish girl in the piano.
A few months later, grieving both her husband and her lost pregnancy, Lana is shocked when she’s approached to join the resistance on the French Riviera. As the daughter of a Russian countess, Lana has the perfect background to infiltrate the émigré community of Russian aristocrats who socialize with German officers, including the man who killed her husband.
Lana’s cover story makes her the mistress of Guy Pascal, a wealthy Swiss industrialist and fellow resistance member, in whose villa in Cap Ferrat she lives. Together, they gather information on upcoming raids and help members of the Jewish community escape. Consumed by her work, she doesn’t expect to become attached to a young Jewish girl or wonder about the secrets held by the man whose house she shares. And as the Nazis’ deadly efforts intensify, her intention to protect those around her may put them all at risk instead.
With Anita Abriel’s “heartfelt and memorable” (Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling, Lana’s War is a sweeping and suspenseful tale of survival and second chances during some of the darkest days of history.
What Could Be Saved
Liese O'Halloran Shwarz is a new author for me, and I was really excited to dive into What Could Be Saved!
The story is written as a dual timeline, the first timeline being in 2019 following the Preston family in Washington DC 40 years after their brother Phillip goes missing and is possibly found. The second timeline flashes back to 1972 Bangkok while the family is living there up until the disappearance of Phillip.
I was hooked from the start on the mysterious aspect of the novel. Is it Phillip? What happened to him? Where has he been all this time? But, the novel turned into a much deeper explanation about confronting your past, your trauma, and being able to heal.
The author took the time to really develop all of the characters so you felt invested in each and every one of them. Sometimes, this slowed down the story for me, but by the end I realized how necessary it was as the independent actions and stories of all the characters come together in the end to explain what happened to Phillip and how it happened.
This story was definitely out of my "norm" a little bit, but overall was very enjoyable!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Goodreads Summary:
Washington, DC, 2019: Laura Preston is a reclusive artist at odds with her older sister Bea as their elegant, formidable mother slowly slides into dementia. When a stranger contacts Laura claiming to be her brother who disappeared forty years earlier when the family lived in Bangkok, Laura ignores Bea’s warnings of a scam and flies to Thailand to see if it can be true. But meeting him in person leads to more questions than answers.
Bangkok, 1972: Genevieve and Robert Preston live in a beautiful house behind a high wall, raising their three children with the help of a cadre of servants. In these exotic surroundings, Genevieve strives to create a semblance of the life they would have had at home in the US—ballet and riding classes for the children, impeccable dinner parties, a meticulously kept home. But in truth, Robert works for American intelligence, Genevieve finds herself drawn into a passionate affair with her husband’s boss, and their serene household is vulnerable to unseen dangers of a rapidly changing world and a country they don’t really understand.
Alternating between past and present as all of the secrets are revealed, What Could Be Saved is an unforgettable novel about a family shattered by loss and betrayal, and the beauty and hope that can exist even in the midst of brokenness.
Grown
TW: sexual abuse, grooming, violence, addiction
This one was heavy. All Enchanted Jones has ever wanted to do is sing. Her friend encourages her to audition at a singing competition where she catches the attention of legendary R&B artist Korey Fields, who takes Enchanted under his wing.
Although the author noted that this story is not a retelling of the events surrounding R.Kelly, it very much was inspired from those events and what was revealed about the music industry and the people who protected him for years.
Grown is classified as a YA book, but it’s very heavy. Tiffany Jackson does not shy away from the hard to hear subject matter and the specific details of what happened to Enchanted and how it happened.
Jackson made sure to touch on the questions every victim of grooming is asked. Why did your parents let this happen? Why didn’t you leave? Are you just making this up? You knew what you were doing the whole time.
Highly recommend this one to everyone! I rated 3.5⭐️ because while the main storyline was great, there were some other story arcs that I felt were not great, and I found the quick snippet chapters sometimes a bit confusing.
Goodreads Summary:
Korey Fields is dead.
When Enchanted Jones wakes with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night, no one—the police and Korey’s fans included—has more questions than she does. All she really knows is that this isn't how things are supposed to be. Korey was Enchanted’s ticket to stardom.
Before there was a dead body, Enchanted was an aspiring singer, struggling with her tight knit family’s recent move to the suburbs while trying to find her place as the lone Black girl in high school. But then legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots her at an audition. And suddenly her dream of being a professional singer takes flight.
Enchanted is dazzled by Korey’s luxurious life but soon her dream turns into a nightmare. Behind Korey’s charm and star power hides a dark side, one that wants to control her every move, with rage and consequences. Except now he’s dead and the police are at the door. Who killed Korey Fields?
All signs point to Enchanted
Bride of the Sea
Bride of the Sea is the story of a Saudi Arabian family consisting of Muneer, Saeedah, and Hanadi. When Muneer and Saeedah get divorced, Saeedah flees with their daughter Hanadi, and the remainder of the story is told over decades, as Muneer searches for his daughter.
The premise of the book is what hooked me from the start. However, by the middle of the book my interest was slowing. At times, I had trouble following the timeline because the author often jumped ahead and I felt like I was missing parts of their story. Especially, towards the end of the book when we jump decades at a time.
About 60% of the way into the story, things picked up again. This is when Hanadi (now Hannah) really comes to terms with her lifelong identity crisis, how her mother’s actions have affected her, and how her life might have been different if she’d been raised with her family in Jidda.
Overall, I enjoyed the story but wished the time jumping flowed together more so I didn’t feel like I was missing details. I also wish the ending was a bit stronger, as it felt like it just kind of ended out of nowhere.
Thanks to Netgalley and Tin House Books for the eArc in exchange for my honest review!
Goodreads Summary:
During a snowy Cleveland February, newlywed university students Muneer and Saeedah are expecting their first child, and he is harboring a secret: the word divorce is whispering in his ear. Soon, their marriage will end, and Muneer will return to Saudi Arabia, while Saeedah remains in Cleveland with their daughter, Hanadi. Consumed by a growing fear of losing her daughter, Saeedah disappears with the little girl, leaving Muneer to desperately search for his daughter for years. The repercussions of the abduction ripple outward, not only changing the lives of Hanadi and her parents, but also their interwoven family and friends—those who must choose sides and hide their own deeply guarded secrets.
And when Hanadi comes of age, she finds herself at the center of this conflict, torn between the world she grew up in and a family across the ocean. How can she exist between parents, between countries?
Eman Quotah’s Bride of the Sea is a spellbinding debut of colliding cultures, immigration, religion, and family; an intimate portrait of loss and healing; and, ultimately, a testament to the ways we find ourselves inside love, distance, and heartbreak.
Boyfriend Material
Readers who loved Red, White & Royal Blue will also love this funny, romance story from Alexis Hall. After a few bad run ins with the paparazzi and a shlew of bad media coverage, Luc O’Donnell needs to find a temporary, fake boyfriend who will help boost his public image, or else lose his job. His best friend Bridge knows the perfect guy for the job - Oliver Blackwood.
From there, you can probably guess how this one goes. Boy meets boy, boy fake dates boy, boy falls in love with boy, boy ends up happily ever after with boy.
The author has absolutely perfected the banter between Luc and Oliver. There were times during this book that I was literally laughing out loud. You really feel like you know the characters because they are so well developed, and the author does a great job of making you feel what they are feeling too. Alexis perfectly uncovers the insecurities that each of the characters have about themselves in a way that the readers can relate their own experiences to.
And let’s not forget the supporting characters. I LOVED Luc’s co-workers, Alex and Rhys, and all of his friend groups. I thought the inclusion of the so-bad-they’re-funny knock-knock jokes that needed to be explained was genius, and I loved how clever the group chat names with Luc’s friends were. Typically, a book would not be memorable because of their supporting characters, but this group definitely left a lasting impression.
Overall, I thought this book was hilarious, enjoyable and I would definitely recommend. I gave this book 3 stars on GoodReads only because I felt at times the storyline was repetitive and I got a bit bored with it. Since it was a long read (400+ pages) I felt like some of it could have been shortened.
Goodreads Summary:
Wanted:
One (fake) boyfriend
Practically perfect in every way
Luc O'Donnell is tangentially--and reluctantly--famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.
To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.
But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go.