“Unmarriageable” by Soniah Kamal is a modern day re-telling of Pride and Prejudice set in Pakistan. It tells the story of Alys Binat and her sisters dealing with pressures from the mother and society to get married. They grow up in a culture where woman are married while still in high school and some don’t even finish school, where a woman being married is more important than her having a career, where marriage is everything and finding love is not as important as marrying a wealthy man.

To be honest, I have not read Pride and Prejudice, but I am familiar with the story. I thought that Kamal did a good job of keeping to the story, but adding some modern twists. The way she kept the names as close to the originals was very cute in my opinion. Her description of the culture in Pakistan was very well done as well.

I didn’t go into this book thinking that I would like it as much as I ended up liking it. It started off slightly slow, but when they got to the wedding festivities it picked up, and I was hooked! Although I knew how the book would turn out, I wanted to keep reading especially to see how Alys and Darsee’s story unfolded. I was routing for them to get together the entire time I was reading. I would definitely recommend this book especially to anyone who loves Pride and Prejudice.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballentine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

In 1945, in The English village of Chawton, a group of local villagers decide to create a society in honor of Jane Austen. Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, and although these men and women seem to have nothing in common they do in fact all have a love of Jane Austen’s work.

There was a lot more to this story than the creation of the society. The first few chapters were more a background so we got to know the members of the society. Each of them has a tragedy they have survived which brings them together in other ways as well. I really enjoyed all of their stories and how they each overcame their own struggles. The author did a very nice job of intertwining the characters and their lives in this small town.

To be honest, I can’t remember if I’ve read anything by Jane Austen so I’m not sure why I requested this book. I did end up enjoying it though and liked how it all came together in the end. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, I’m sure it would make more sense, but I enjoyed it none the less.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I used to be a big One Tree Hill fan, so when I heard Hilarie Burton had a memoir coming out I really wanted to read it. I love her story and how her life changed so much after meeting her husband, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Their story about moving to a farm in upstate New York is funny and sweet and emotional all at the same time.

I wanted to love this story, I really did, but for me, it was a bit slow and confusing at times. I will give Neil Gaiman another chance though.

5 short stories with notes from Dumbledore - yes please! I listened to the audiobook and actors who played Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, and Lucious Malfoy narrated three of the stories. Jude Law narrated the parts for Dumbledore. This was a short book, but done very well.

Eileen is surprised when she gets the call from her brother-in-law, Simon, that her sister, Claire, was found dead on the beach from an apparent suicide. The news comes after the release of Claire’s latest book, A Perfect Life. Eileen flies to California to help Simon with the funeral details. Eileen has been jealous of Claire’s fame so hadn’t read many of her latest novels, but is there something hidden in the new one that will help her understand why Claire did what she did?

I thought this book was done really well. It is told from three different perspectives – Eileen in the present day and Simon and Claire in the past. I enjoyed all three points of views and liked learning about what lead to Claire’s suicide. The author did a great job of showing Eileen and Simon’s grief without making it cheesy. It was a very thoughtfully written book, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book is tagged as a mystery/thriller, but it’s really not that at all so don’t go into it expecting some big mystery. There is a small mystery that is pretty easy to figure out, but it does not take away from the story at all. I would consider this more of a literary or contemporary fiction novel. This was an easy read, and I highly recommend it.

3.5 stars rounded up.

The Paris Hours takes place in a 24-hour time period and is set in post-WWII Paris. There are four main characters who all lead very different lives until the ending where all of their lives intertwine. I loved how there were some actual famous people, Ernest Hemingway, Josephine Baker, Gertrude Stein, for example, included throughout the story.

I did find the beginning a little confusing keeping up with which character was which. The book was beautifully written though. I listened to the audiobook, but think I'd prefer reading the actual book.

Ed and Connie Gordon vacation in Cape Cod every summer with their two daughters, Ann and Poppy. When they girls are teenagers, Ed and Connie decide to adopt a son, Michael, who is Ann’s age and she found out he was homeless. Michael’s second summer in the Cape with them something happens to Ann that causes the family to be torn apart. 15 years later, Ed and Connie Gordon die in a tragic car accident which forces the kids to come back together to figure out how to deal with losing their parents and to figure out what to do with their Cape home.

This book sounded like it would be great, but I really struggled getting into it. The first half of the book just moved so slowly. There is a strange relationship that I cannot explain due to spoilers, but it made me rather uncomfortable and turned me off from the story. I did stick with it though, and the book did pick up in the second half. I really enjoyed the children reuniting as adults and dealing with the tragedy of losing their parents. I just wish the author would have gotten to that part sooner.

I do want to give the author credit for her description of Cape Cod. She really did transport the readers and make them feel they were there. I live in Massachusetts, and she did a beautiful job with these descriptions. The Cape feels like a character in the book.

There are trigger warnings you should be aware of before reading this book: rape and suicide.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher tells the story of Thursday who is married to Seth. The problem is that Seth also has two other wives, Monday and Tuesday. They are named after the day of the week he spends with them. The wives have not met each other, and everything seems fine with their arrangement, until Thursday finds a scrap of paper with Monday's real name on it. Thursday becomes obsessed with meeting her, but when Thursday meets Monday (aka Hannah) and notices bruises, she realizes she's being abused by Seth. Thursday decides to figure out what is going on and to involve Tuesday (aka Regina), but what price will she pay to figure out who her husband really is?

Well this was a crazy ride! Going into a marriage knowing your husband is a polygamist is a bit unconventional, but Thursday is in love so makes it work. I liked her as a character and understand her need to know more about the other wives. She can be a frustrating character at times though and you just want to shake her and shout at her to leave Seth, but that would be a very different story.

There are a lot of twists an turns throughout this book, none of which I saw coming. That to me is what makes a good thriller. Some parts towards the end were a bit over the top though which is why I couldn't give this book 5 stars, but I really enjoyed it. It's one of those books that I didn't want to put down.

Grady Hendrix does it again with his amazing dark humor. The way he turned working in a big box store like IKEA into a horror story was super clever. I didn’t love this as much as The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, but I still enjoyed it none the less.