Book Review, Nonfiction

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson ~ Book Review

Morgan

Random House
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: August 4, 2020

Caste draws a comparison between the caste system in India, in Nazi Germany, and in the United States. Caste is a concept I was familiar with, but had never thought about as it applied to America. I had some difficulty following Wilkerson’s delineation between casteism and racism, but I found it to be an incredibly eye-opening lens through which to look at the disparities in the United States.

The connections between the US and Nazi Germany were especially shocking for me. I’ve never been taught about the amount of policy and ways of thinking that the Nazi’s based on things that were happening in America at the time. Wilkerson carries this comparison into present day, citing the way that reparations and memorials were handled (or weren’t) in each country and the mindset that Americans and Germans tend to have in relation to slavery and the Holocaust, respectively. This part of the book was incredibly hard to read about, but the information covered is something I wish more Americans learned about in school.

In addition to extensive research, Caste also includes personal anecdotes from Wilkerson’s experiences with racism. These excerpts offered a contrast to the denser historical context and also highlighted the way that the country has failed to progress in the present day.

Buy Caste at an indie bookstore near you
Caste on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Science Fiction

Recursion by Blake Crouch ~ Book Review

Morgan

Crown Publishing Group
Genre: Science fiction
Release Date: June 11, 2019
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪.5

The premise of Recursion was instantly intriguing. It starts with the introduction of False Memory Syndrome, which is sweeping New York City, leaving victims with detailed memories of a completely alternate life. The confusion and disorientation it causes frequently leads victims to kill themselves. One of our main characters is Barry Sutton, a cop bearing witness to the devastation, while the other is Helena Smith, a neuroscientist studying ways to bring back memories.

I don’t read much science fiction, but I was instantly drawn in by the story of this phenomenon and loved trying to figure out what was happening. The depiction of the syndrome and the way people reacted to it was incredibly detailed and heartbreaking, and was written in  a way that made it seem like it could be real. In general, the writing was descriptive but never drew attention to itself, allowing me to feel fully immersed in this world.

About two thirds of the way through the book, things started feeling really repetitive. It plays into the nature of the entire plot, with repeating memories, but it dragged on too long for me. The relationship between Barry and Helena helps carry the reader through a tumultuous narrative, but by the end I felt like I just kept reading different ways to end the story over and over again. I think if this had been cut down by a few chapters it would have been a five star read.

Buy Recursion at an indie bookstore near you
Recursion on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, thriller

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides ~ Book Review

Morgan

Celadon Books
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: June 15, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪.5

If you like the ‘murder at a bougie prep school’ genre, add The Maidens to your TBR. The story centers around Mariana’s trip to Cambridge University following the murder of one of her niece Zoe’s friends. Following the death of her husband, Mariana has felt unmoored, and she throws herself into investigating the murder, certain that the Greek Tragedy professor, Edward, and the elite group of students he calls The Maidens, must be involved.

Michaelides is incredible at beautifully crafting settings that make a reader deeply uncomfortable. The details surrounding the murders that unfold, as well as the descriptions of the sprawling old campus, made a vivid backdrop for the action. I also thought it was really fun how the author tied in some details and characters from his previous book, The Silent Patient. This kind of universe-building makes for really fun easter eggs.

Edward’s character came off as charismatic but untrustworthy and his consistent alibis for each of the murders had me questioning character’s motivations up until the very end. I will say that the ultimate conclusion seemed kind of abrupt to me, and I wish there had been more clues along the way so there was a chance I could’ve kind of guessed where things were heading.

Thank you to Celadon for my copy!

Buy The Maidens at an indie bookstore near you
The Maidens on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, thriller

You Will Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon ~ Book Review

Morgan

MIRA Books
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: May 25, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

Hannah Mary McKinnon is back with another twisted and deceptive thriller. You Will Remember Me is split between several main characters: Lily, whose boyfriend Jack goes missing one night, Maya, whose stepbrother, Asher, left home mysteriously, and a nameless man who wakes up with no memory of who he is. Is he Jack? Asher? Both?

This was a pretty classic thriller setup. When the police tell Lily there’s no record of her boyfriend existing, she begins to question everything she knows about him. Meanwhile, the mysterious man struggles to try to connect what Maya is telling him with himself. Are the memories she’s telling him really his?

I guessed pretty quickly who the villain in the plot was, but it was still interesting to see the true depth of their deception and the ending was definitely shocking. That being said, there were a few parts of the narrative I didn’t buy, like how easy it was for the man with amnesia to find his way to his hometown without any sense of who or where he was.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy!

Buy You Will Remember Me at an indie bookstore near you
You Will Remember Me on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction

Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher ~ Book Review

Morgan

Berkley Books
Genre: Romance
Release Date: March 23, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪.5

Don’t be deceived by the fun, tropical cover of Meet Me in Paradise — this book has emotional heft! It starts with Marin reluctantly agreeing to go on a tropical vacation with her sister Sadie. The sisters couldn’t be more different. Sadie is a travel photographer, always on the go, and ever since their mother died on a work trip as a journalist, Marin doesn’t travel or take risks. Instead, she takes care of Sadie.

When Sadie misses their flight, the handsome stranger, Lucas, who takes her seat on the plane next to Marin becomes her impromptu tour guide. When Marin’s passport quickly goes missing, Sadie promises to help her get a new one, using her work connections, only after Marin has proven that she’s letting loose and trying something new on her vacation. Marin slowly comes to realize that maybe the missed flight wasn’t so much of an accident, and that there’s more to her trip, and her sister’s motivations than she realizes.

Sadie and Marin’s relationship was incredibly well written and I could feel the closeness of their connection. The island of Saba was the perfect setting and made for a stark juxtaposition to the shattering discoveries that Marin uncovers about her sister while she’s there. Although Marin’s relationship with Lucas is important to the story, her relationship with Sadie is far more salient and meaningful. We see the sacrifices Marin has made to try to keep them both safe, but that sheltered her from truly living, and Sadie’s attempts to make Marin truly see what life could be.

This book has a little of everything — romance, adventure, family, and heartbreak, not to mention a gorgeous cover, and I highly recommend it.

Buy Meet Me in Paradise at an indie bookstore near you
Meet Me in Paradise on Goodreads

Uncategorized

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight ~ Book Review

Morgan

Harper
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: May 5, 2020
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

Lizzie never wanted to work at an elite law firm, but after her husband incurs steep legal fees, she’s forced to leave her job as a federal prosecutor to do just that. When she hears from an old college friend, Zach, who is in jail for the presumed murder of his wife, she’s confused as to why he would think of her, but reluctantly takes on the case.

Scandal and drama abound in the wealthy New York City community that Zach and his wife Amanda are part of. Their son’s elementary school is embroiled in a hacking scandal, with families being blackmailed for incriminating information on their computers, and everyone is gearing up for an annual party that’s known for its promiscuity. These events unfold interspersed with chapters in the future, while Lizzie tries to uncover what really happened to Amanda, who died on the night of the infamous party.

Amanda, who came from a difficult upbringing, offers a very different narrative voice than Lizzie, and it’s hard to know if her perspective can be fully trusted. I enjoyed slowly seeing everyone’s motivations come out in this book and appreciated that there were two very different stories going on— that of Lizzie, and that of Amanda. Both of their lives were layered and detailed, which made them realistic and distinct. This overlapping made for an always interesting and eventful story.

I love stories about wealthy, glamorous New Yorkers with secrets (if there’s not a genre name for that, there should be), so A Good Marriage was right up my alley.

A Good Marriage on Goodreads
Buy A Good Marriage at an indie bookstore near you

Uncategorized

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston ~ Book Review

Morgan

St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Romance
Release Date: June 1, 2021 (Thanks to Libro.fm for my copy!)
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

I went into One Last Stop totally blind and boy was I surprised. It starts off with a meet-cute on the subway between August and charismatic and beautiful Jane. Things start getting weird when August runs into her every single time she gets on the train. The more time they spend together, the more August realizes there’s something different about Jane — she can’t seem to get off the train. When August spots a photo from the 1970s with Jane lurking in the back, she realizes there’s even more to Jane’s story.

The setting of this book was so vibrant. McQuiston crafts a crew of wonderfully eccentric friends for August and a close-knit community at the pancake diner where she works. I loved the way they all came together to support August and Jane’s relationship, from bringing parties down to the subway so Jane could join to brainstorming possibilities for how to free Jane. New York City comes to life through McQuiston’s descriptions and details and I felt fully immersed in August’s world.

Jane’s historical perspective offered another really unique layer to the story. She speaks about the animosity and challenges she faced being queer in New York City in the 1970’s. This added a lot of depth to an already complex story. I loved getting to spend time with August and her friends and was sad to leave them behind.

Buy One Last Stop at an indie bookstore near you
One Last Stop on Goodreads

Uncategorized

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean ~ Book Review

Morgan

Flatiron Books
Genre: YA Romance
Release Date: May 18, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

Tokyo Ever After has a very nostalgic Princess Diaries feel to it. It’s always just been Izumi and her mom, and they’ve both been perfectly fine with that. When Izumi discovers an old letter from her dad to her mom, one of her friends takes to the internet and discovers that Izumi’s dad is none other than the Crown Prince of Japan.

So begins a whirlwind as Izumi is whisked off to Japan to spend time with her dad and learn what’s expected of her as a princess. She finds time and time again that her actions are misconstrued and that her American upbringing leaves her largely at odds with Japanese customs. Izumi’s struggle over her heritage and not feeling like she quite fit in anywhere is a really important conversation to put in YA literature and was done really thoughtfully.

In addition to her daily struggles to fit into her new role in Japan, Izumi finds herself irresistibly attracted to her appointed bodyguard, one of the few people she feels she can truly confide in in Japan.

I thought this story was cute and I appreciated the narrative about Izumi’s struggles to fit in both in America and Japan, but I struggled somewhat with the writing being so obviously geared towards a younger audience. I think if I’d been in the target age for this book I would’ve loved it.

Buy Tokyo Ever After at an indie bookstore near you
Tokyo Ever After on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Romance

Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley ~ Book Review

Morgan

Graydon House
Genre: Romance
Release Date: May 25, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪.5

The cover and the title totally got me on this one. I mean, Talk Bookish to Me?! How could I not. Kara is a romance writer, but she’s struggling to finish (or even start) her next book. With her bridesmaid’s duties ramping up for her best friend’s impending wedding, and a six-month trip to Italy planned right after that (paid for with her advance), Kara is running out of time to be inspired. Until, inspiration walks into her best friend’s rehearsal dinner in the form of her ex-boyfriend from college, Ryan.

The backstory behind Ryan and Kara’s relationship was detailed and heartbreaking and added a lot to their present day storyline. As they reconnected, their chemistry was palpable and the growing romance was illustrated through cute, believable scenes that I could picture perfectly.

The story changed significantly when Kara is living in Italy, but I loved that just as much. The change of scenery was just as beautifully depicted and Kara’s experiences there added even more of an understanding of her character.

My one big problem with this book was the infidelity aspect. For me, this took away a lot from my enjoyment of the romance and I wished there had been a different conflict that didn’t detract from the characters in the same way.

Buy Talk Bookish to Me at an indie bookstore near you
Talk Bookish to Me on Goodreads

Uncategorized

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley ~ Book Review

Morgan

Berkley
Genre: Romance
Release Date: May 25, 2021 (Thanks to NetGalley for my copy!)
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪.5

The setting of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island hooked me from the beginning. Setting can make such a big difference for me!! The residents of Frick Island form a small, tight knit community very set in their old-fashioned ways. Anders Caldwell, an aspiring journalist, is assigned to cover the annual Frick Island Cake Walk. Anders is shocked by the small-town ways of life the residence subscribe to — the fact that it’s a dry island, the lack of wifi, and the limited options for food and lodging. He’s struck, however, by the alluring Piper Parrish.

Piper’s husband disappeared at sea during a storm but in order to cope, she continues to act like he’s there, and furthermore, the entire town has adopted the pretense. As Anders begins to catch on to what’s going on, he realizes there might be more of a story on Frick Island than just a Cake Walk.

The character’s Oakley created on the island were so vivid and developed into such a lovely, quirky community. Their wary, often disgruntled reactions to Anders were entertaining and interesting and I loved watching him try to gain their trust.

The juxtaposition between life on charming Frick Island and Anders’s career aspirations and growing podcast subscribers made for a really interesting narrative. Although there wasn’t a lot of action, I never wanted to put this book down. I felt so fully immersed in the community of Frick Island and I loved the depth of Piper and Anders’s motivations and personalities. It’s clear that Oakley gave a good deal of thought to developing realistic characters. This was a delightful story unlike anything I’ve ever read, and is a perfect summer read.

Buy The Invisible Husband of Frick Island at an indie bookstore near you

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island on Goodreads