Book Review – Page 2 – That Bookish Life

Book Review: The Saddest Girl on the Beach by Heather Frese

*The Saddest Girl on the Beach* // Heather Frese

{Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.}

Grieving the recent loss of her father, 19-year-old Charlotte leaves college and her home state of Ohio behind seeking solace with her best friend, Evie, and her family on the tiny island of Hatteras on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But the tranquil seashore Charlotte recalls from childhood vacations remains out of reach as things on the island are in flux: Evie’s life is upended by an unplanned pregnancy, Charlotte finds herself in something of a love triangle, and a hurricane is brewing in the Atlantic.

The Saddest Girl on the Beach is a metaphor rich exploration of grief and a coming-of-age story highlighting enduring and evolving friendship. The sense of place is well developed and central to the story including interesting sprinkles of local lore and oceanography.

This would make an excellent beach read if you enjoy an emotionally charged story with your sun and sand, especially if you find yourself on OBX and can appreciate some of the references first hand.

The Saddest Girl on the Beach is something of a companion novel to Frese’s debut, and winner of the Lee Smith Novel Prize, The Baddest Girl on the Planet, telling Evie’s later story.

Shop: Amazon | Bookshop

Book Review: A Better World by Sarah Langan

Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.

Set several decades in the future in a very believable America, Linda, a doctor, her husband, a scientist recently laid off by the EPA, and their two teen children score a much coveted spot in a company town called Plymouth Valley. While the world outside descends into increasingly uninhabitable chaos the residents of this bucolic town are safe, breathing clean air, living in beautiful houses, and working for the eco-friendly company that owns the town in exchange for the privilege. And a truly elite privilege it is as this population aren’t just 1%ers, they’re more like 0.0001%ers.

But the Farmer-Bowens aren’t permanent residents of this utopia yet, in exchange for their life savings they are granted a one year trial period to be evaluated at regular intervals to judge how they’re fitting in, and they’re struggling. Their neighbors are unfailingly polite but cold and unfriendly, distrustful of outsiders, and unwilling to answer questions about town customs and traditions. Is idyllic Plymouth Valley too good to be true? And even if it is, what options remain?

A Better World is sinister and satirical speculative fiction with a delicious dash of horror. The plot is suspenseful and really keeps the pages turning, I couldn’t get enough of this once I started reading! Relevant themes of wealth, power, privilege, and corporate interest set against a backdrop of ever increasing inequality allow the reader a glimpse into a dark mirror of a very possible future.

Recommended for fans of When No One Is Watching, Don’t Worry Darling, and Midsommar.

Shop: Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.FM

Book Review: A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

*A Great Country* // Shilpi Somaya Gowda

{Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.}

Ashok and Priya Shah emigrated as young newlyweds from India to America escaping rigid caste systems with plans to climb the ladder to the American Dream. Twenty years later they have indeed worked their way from humble beginnings in student housing all the way to a nice home situated in a wealthy enclave of an affluent (fictional) town in Orange County, California. As their teen daughters work to assimilate, or not, into their new neighborhood, the family is suddenly thrown into flux when its youngest member, 12-year-old Ajay, has a run-in with police and the Shah’s dream quickly turns nightmarish.

A Great Country offers a compelling look at important and timely elements of American society: immigration, classism, racism, ableism, and police brutality. A quick read at under 250 pages told with multiple points of view and a plot that really keeps things moving I think this is a book with broad appeal.

This would make an excellent book club selection as the story is very accessible and the deeper themes will make for good discussion. Recommended for fans of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere.

Pub date: 3/26 – out now!

Book Review: Worry by Alexandra Tanner

{Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.}

Millennial adulthood and modern life explored through the relationship of two, mid- to late-twenty-something Jewish sisters, upper-middle class South Florida transplants living together in 2019 Brooklyn.

Worry is about modern Jewish-American identity, tradwife mommy influencers, a three-legged rescue dog named Amy Klobuchar, contemporary reality, sisterhood, millennial ennui, the internet, the meaning of life, and the anxiety and worry baked into and bred by all of it.

A darkly funny – and I’m talking literally, giggle-snort out loud while reading funny – astute, and utterly compelling account of modern life as we know it.

Vibe is Girls meets Patricia Lockwood’s No One Is Talking About This.

Read in a day, could not put it down, highly recommend you do the same, I LOVED this!

Book Review: Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

The best time I’ve had with a thriller in a long time!

And by that I mean deeply affected, frantically flipping pages, can’t put it down, anxiety on high alert kind of reading experience, because why else do we read thrillers if not for this experience?!

Home alone with her two young children in their isolated historic home during a blizzard, a mother hears the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs in the middle of the night. Before the intruder can reach them she sneaks herself and her children to the safety of a small room hidden behind a wall where she does everything she can to keep her children, ages 8 and 5, quiet and safe. She can’t see the intruder from their hiding place, but she can hear his heavy footsteps moving through the house she knows so well, the squeaky floorboards she avoids, the doors she recognizes by sound alone. As she hides, the story begins to incorporate flashbacks to her life leading up to this moment providing context and fleshing out the story.

Nightwatching is a fierce, feminist, horror thriller, it’s everything I hoped it might be when I read the synopsis. The narrative is suspenseful and suffocating, I felt as though I were crouched in this little hiding space alongside the characters and I, of course, couldn’t put it down once I started reading.

The story resonated with me deeply and I found the MC incredibly recognizable and relatable as I’m sure many mothers will. This was one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time, I think Tracy Sierra has a very clear vision of what she was trying to do here and pulled it off beautifully.

Book Review: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

*The Covenant of Water* // Abraham Verghese

Three generations of a South Indian family beset by a curse involving water across much of the 20th century.

I didn’t find The Covenant of Water to be a page turner exactly, and at 700+ pages this may be a problem for some readers, though I did find it beautifully written and conceived and as someone who enjoys family sagas I was happy to float along with this family of richly developed characters as their story unfolded.

I also listened to parts of the story on audio, which the author narrates, and enjoyed that format.

Book Review: Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash

{Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.}

A queer coming of age love story set against the backdrop of the Satanic Panic.

Need I say more?

I myself was all in at this point!

Just in case…

Lacey Bond is the younger of two sisters raised on a small New Hampshire farm by hippie parents who run a daycare out of their converted barn. In 1990, when Lacey is 13-years-old, their relatively normal existence is upended when her parents are arrested, accused of ritualistic abuse, and become embroiled in a high profile legal case.

Rainbow Black is first and foremost a deranged (and I mean this in the most loving way), queer, coming of age story spanning decades, but there’s really a lot going on here and much to appreciate: murder, mystery, love, trauma, resilience and reinvention. It takes a close look at freedom, justice, and systems that do more harm than good. The narrative is dual timeline told in hindsight until the last of three parts when we reconnect with Lacey as an adult. Unique and weird, though not so out there most readers will be unable to connect. I found this an irresistible page turner full of idiosyncratic characters.

Book Review: Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Complimentary review copy provided by publisher.

Daphne, like many women in their early 30s, is looking for love. Unlike many (all?) other women who might look to the Universe for a sign to help direct their love life, Daphne receives mysterious notes every time she begins a new relationship telling her just how long it will last. 3 days, 5 weeks, 1 night, 2 years, from the onset Daphne knows what to expect. But the night of a blind date she receives a blank note for the first time. This note will change everything for Daphne.

Expiration Dates is a solid and somewhat unexpected romance. Just when you think you know where the story is going everything changes. And Daphne’s journey is not just one of romance, it’s also about self-love and self-determination. I really appreciated the touch of magical realism and the tour of LA; I suspect people who know the area will recognize many of the places and locations mentioned.

Pub Date: 3/19

Shop: Amazon | Bookshop

Book Review: This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

Complimentary review copy provided by publisher.

This is the book everyone was most looking forward to from my March releases post . I just finished reading this morning and had to share my thoughts right away so you all know to prioritize this one!

After her husband detonates their life and marriage 41-year-old Soledad is blindsided, left to pick up the pieces and rebuild a life for herself and their 3 daughters. This Could Be Us is a story of healing, resilience, and love in many forms, including romance.

A satisfying story, Soledad is an admirable heroine to cheer for, but Kennedy Ryan adds a few meaty pieces that really add up to something great:

Complex family dynamics. Not only is Soledad navigating crisis with an eye toward helping her daughters stay whole and heal, she herself comes from not uncomplicated origins. Soledad’s love interest, Judah, has a beautiful, functional, blended family showing divorce doesn’t always mean the end of love and care for one another.

Autism representation. Judah is a parent to twin teen boys with Autism. It appears Ryan, herself a parent of a child with Autism per her Author’s Note, has provided an accurate and nuanced representation of a family navigating Autism.

Domestic labor. Soledad did not work outside the home, her family was her work, so when her husband upends their lives he left his family reeling with no income. Part of Soledad’s journey of self-discovery is learning to use her skills and expertise to earn an income to support her family. I thought this was well done and appreciated the focus on the typically overlooked value of domestic labor.

This Could Be Us is something of a slow burn if you’re expecting a traditional romance, though once that spark ignites the wait is well worth it, but there’s really so much to appreciate with Soledad’s journey.

Though this is the second book in the Skyland series (beginning with Before I Let Go) both books can be enjoyed as stand alone novels with overlapping characters. I’ve read both and Kennedy Ryan is now an official auto-read author!

Shop: Amazon | Bookshop

Book Review: Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

24-year old Australian, Hera, begins her first job and first love all at once. After Hera starts work as an online comment moderator for a news outlet she begins a relationship with her older, married co-worker, Arthur.

Green Dot is a darkly comic, ennui laden, Gen Z coming of age story. The writing is sharp, funny, and relatable. Hera is well rendered and compelling. Though the story is told in first person, it’s told in hindsight offering a really intriguing balance of naivety and self awareness. The plot is addictive as you become all wrapped up in how this relationship is going to play out, but Green Dot really has a good bit to say about power dynamics, norms, and young adults navigating modern life and love.

Sort of Bridget Jones meets Sally Rooney meets Fleabag and perfect reading for fans of any and all of the above.