Book Review, Fiction, Romance

With Love from London by Sarah Jio ~ Book Review

Morgan

Ballantine Books
Genre: Romance
Release Date: February 8, 2022
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

Opening the (virtual, in my case) pages of With Love from London felt like being transported fully into the narrative. Following her divorce, Valentina travels to Primrose Hill where her estranged mother, Eloise, has left her a bookstore. Valentina finds a fresh start for herself amidst the Primrose Hill community’s memories of her mother.

Valentina always felt abandoned by Eloise, but uncovering pieces of her mom’s life allows her to begin to understand that there was more to the story. The community that welcomes Valentina is wonderful and heartwarming. Although a bit cliched, I loved seeing them all come together to try to make the bookstore a success.

I was also enchanted with the second storyline, that of a young Eloise growing up in London. Her story intertwines both the glamor she experiences as she goes on dates, and also the intense sadness and pain she undergoes while trying to secure a better life for herself. Her story became much darker as the book went on, and I felt that this was glossed over and did not really do her character justice. The ending in general felt rather rushed to me, and I wished that the romance had been more well developed – I didn’t feel much chemistry from the characters and it struck me as odd that this book is classified as a romance.

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With Love from London on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Romance

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood ~ Book Review

Morgan

Berkley Books
Genre: Romance
Release Date: September 14, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

This book was unique in its setting, with its focus on Olive, a biology PhD candidate. In an effort to cover up a lie to her best friend about going on a date, Olive randomly kisses the first man she sees. Said man just happens to be Adam Carlsen, a young professor notorious for being hard on students. Once the awkwardness subsides, Olive explains herself and, to her shock, Adam agrees to pretend to date her.

I liked the idea behind this book, but honestly, the romance never seemed that believable to me. It continued to feel performative even when it was clear that real feelings were growing on both sides. A lot of the conversations between the two of them were just not interesting, and I didn’t feel the sparks. I also didn’t feel like I knew enough about either of them and their deeper motivations.

As great as the representation of the young female PhD candidate in STEM was, the rest of the book didn’t uphold the promise. 

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The Love Hypothesis on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Romance, Uncategorized

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey ~ Book Review

Morgan

Avon
Genre: Romance
Release Date: July 13, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪.5

Oh my steam. I was not prepared for how steamy this book was going to be. If you’re not comfortable reading books with a lot of detailed sex scenes, this one should be a hard pass for you.

I found the beginning of It Happened One Summer somewhat misleading, in that it cast the main character as an airheaded party-girl. The opening scenes were lavish and over the top, filled with LA drama and glitter. That is not the rest of the book. Piper redeemed herself quickly when she arrived in the small town of Westport after being cut off by her stepfather.

Bailey did a wonderful job of creating a delightful small town feel in Westport and introduced an interesting and heartwarming set of characters. Although complete fish out of water at first, Piper and her sister are slowly taken in by the community and find soon find ways to give back. I loved that Piper’s kindness and realness were able to shine through and it was clear how much she came to care for those around her.

The romance, as previously mentioned, was a LOT. I liked Brendan’s backstory, and seeing his character warm up to Piper, but things seemed to move incredibly fast from there. Maybe that’s just the nature of romance novels. Did I think all the sex scenes were necessary? No. But I also wasn’t really put off by them.

Despite my initial mixed feelings about this story, I found it enjoyable once LA was left behind, and really fell in love with the town of Westport and the space Piper came to fill within in.

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It Happened One Summer on Goodreads

Book Review, Memoir, Nonfiction, Uncategorized

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong ~ Book Review

Morgan

One World
Genre: Memoir
Release Date: February 25, 2021

The central tenet of Minor Feelings is Hong’s idea of ‘minor feelings’ –– the accumulating negative emotions that build up over time as a result of pervasive racial experiences and gaslighting. Through personal experience and by drawing on other texts and media, Hong illustrates how these experiences build up to create the kind of inner turmoil that is far from minor. I found it especially interesting the way she drew on media outside of her own writing, including art, books, and movies, to help illustrate her points and show just how pervasive they are.

As the daughter of Korean immigrants, Hong expresses her personal experiences and points to ways that Asian Americans in particular are disregarded and discriminated against.  Hong also introduces the idea of ‘speaking nearby’ the experiences of other people and cultural groups who may face similar hardships. In this way, she expands the scope of her narrative.

Some of the later chapters focused more prominently on Hong’s life and her friendships, and seemed somewhat out of place to me, but was nonetheless excellently written, and fitting for a memoir.

Buy Minor Feelings at an indie bookstore near you
Minor Feelings on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, mystery

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano ~ Book Review

Morgan

Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: February 1, 2022
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

I love Elle Cosimano’s writing style. Her descriptions are so fresh and unique that it immediately draws me in regardless of the actual content of the story. I was excited to see what mishaps Finlay would get into this time, after she accidentally found herself hired for murder in her previous book.

I read a lot of thrillers and mysteries, so I like to think that I’m pretty good at following that kind of plot and picking up clues and threads throughout a narrative. In this book I was straight-up confused though. There was so much going on and so many intertwining characters and storylines that I got frustrated trying to keep track of everything. As great as the writing was, the plot was so convoluted that it took away from a lot of my enjoyment of the story.

That being said, the juxtaposition of Finlay and her nanny caring for her kids and doing mundane activities while also being badass criminals is hilarious, unique, and well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC!

Buy Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead at an indie bookstore near you
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

Morgan

Harper Perennial
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: June 1, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

My heart. Don’t pick up The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot unless you’re ready for an emotional rollercoaster that’ll probably leave you in tears. I didn’t understand the term ‘book hangover’ until I finished this one. Lenni, a terminally ill 17-year old, spots 83 year old Margot digging through a trash can at the hospital one day and distracts the nurses long enough to let her get away. Thus begins a beautiful friendship, centering on commemorating their collective one hundred years of life in a series of paintings.

As Lenni and Margot paint a scene for each year of their life, they tell each other the stories that they are illustrating, leading to a beautifully woven storyline of their present lives at the hospital, Margot’s past, and Lenni’s past. The incredible sadness that Margot has lived with is described in great detail, and I felt every joy and sorrow of her 83 years.

The majority of Lenni’s story is told in the present, since she has fewer years to capture in her paintings. Most notable is her interest in visiting the hospital chapel, and her budding, unconventional friendship with Father Arthur. Lenni is skeptical, witty, and in some cases, hilariously confused about religion, and the way that she and Father Arthur teach each other in very different ways was so captivating and heartwarming. It’s clear to see that, although faced time and time again with her stubbornness, Father Arthur grows to care a great deal about Lenni.

Lenni’s narration was written perfectly. Her thoughts and actions captured the way a teenager acts and feels, and the connections and metaphors she made about the world around her were endlessly captivating. 

Buy The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot at an indie bookstore near you
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot on Goodreads

Book Review, mystery, YA

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ~ Book Review

Morgan

Penguin
Genre: YA Mystery
Release Date: September 7, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

Honestly, I found The Hawthorne Legacy pretty indistinguishable from the first book in the series. The Inheritance Games left off with a huge cliffhanger and I couldn’t wait to dig in and find out how it fit into the mystery surrounding Avery’s inheritance. Unfortunately, the wild goose chase of following clues with the Hawthorne brothers felt tired to me by midway through this sequel.

I still loved the personified Hawthorne manor and the sense of mystery and urgency as Avery tries to figure out her relationship to the family before any loophole can be found that strips her of her inheritance. With each of these books, we get closer to the truth about Avery, her family, and her connection to Tobias Hawthorne, but I felt like the progress was incremental in this book compared to the amount of time spent running around looking for clues.

Will I read the final book in this series? I’m not sure. Based on this one, I think my enjoyment of The Inheritance Games may have had a lot to do with its novelty, which has now worn off.

The Hawthorne Legacy on Goodreads
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Book Review, Fiction, thriller

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarak Pekkanen

Morgan

St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: March 8, 2022 (Thank you to Libro.fm for my ARC)
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪.5

I loved the premise of The Golden Couple — a former therapist who guarantees that she can fix people’s problems in ten sessions. After losing her license due to her unorthodox practices, Avery forges forward with taking on clients, newly freed from the regulations she previously had to adhere to.

Marissa and Matthew, a seemingly ‘golden couple’ show up for their first session where Marissa confesses to her infidelity. As their appointments progress, Avery begins to uncover secrets about the couple and connections between them and herself. Simultaneously on edge and haunted by actions in her own past, Avery becomes increasingly suspicious and paranoid.

I didn’t find the twists at the end of this book terribly groundbreaking, but the anticipation of seeing how everything fit together was enough to keep me gripped to the storyline.

The Golden Couple on Goodreads
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Book Review, mystery, YA

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ~ Book Review

Morgan

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Mystery
Release Date: September 1, 2020
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪.5

The hype is real for The Inheritance Games. While I was reading, I kept thinking that it reminded me of some other book or series, but taken as a whole, it’s a story utterly its own.

Avery Grams’ life is transformed when she’s left millions from Tobias Hawthorne, a man she’s never met. A stipulation of her inheritance is that she must live in Hawthorne House for a year. The house acts almost as a character in itself, filled with hidden passages and clues for Avery and the four Hawthorne grandsons to riddle their way through as they try to figure out what’s behind Tobias’s shocking will.

I have to admit, I found the Hawthorne grandsons to be largely interchangeable — they could definitely use some character development. That being said, their insight into the way their grandfather thought and their experiences having been brought up solving his games made them really fun counterparts to Avery.

This book was a fun, atmospheric adventure and the short chapters and endless clues made it fly by.

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The Inheritance Games on Goodreads

Book Review, Holiday, Romance

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox ~ Book Review

Morgan

G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Holiday Romance
Release Date: October 5, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪.5

For a holiday romcom, the premise of The Holiday Swap struck me as pretty unique. It’s a split narrative between identical twins Cassie and Charlie, who swap places for the holiday season after Charlie suffers a concussion that puts her job on a cooking show in jeopardy. She heads home to her family’s small-town bakery and quickly finds that her sister’s life is much more difficult than it seems.

I loved the juxtaposition between the fast-paced, high-pressure cooking show in L.A., and the small-town, beloved bakery. As the sisters begin to fit themselves into their twin’s lives, they learn a lot about each other and themselves.

The romance was really well done, and each love interest was unique, believable, and worked so well in their respective storyline. The romance wasn’t overbearing, but it was very cute and added a lot to the stories.

The ending definitely felt pretty rushed, and I could have done without the cheesy epilogue, but other than that, this was a thoroughly enjoyable holiday read that was perfect for December.

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The Holiday Swap on Goodreads