DNF

I do not want to share too much about this book due to the sensitive content that Chanel Miller writes about but I do want to commend her for being so brave and so strong as to share her story. This book really exhibits an incredible person who has endured more than a person should. Chanel writes with such distinction and purpose for each of her words and through her experiences she critiques the system that we have in place for survivors and for those who are silenced. I know that this book is a tough read, but if you are able to I highly recommend reading Chanel’s words because she is such an extraordinary woman. I read this book with @feministbookclubbox as our November choice and I marked using post it notes the parts that elicited a great deal of emotion from me, and I found that I was marking almost every other page.

READ THIS BOOK! Is there a @feministbookclubbox book that I have not absolutely loved? The answer is no. The members vote on a book each month and they always pick books that are so powerful and ask you to think about social change. Good Talk is no different, in that it is a memoir which writes about the deep topics of motherhood, white privilege, racism, educating and enacting change, colorism, and more. But all of these topics NEED to be talked about and Good Talk shares its message through conversations the author, Mira Jacob, had with her son, husband, friends, and other people in her life. Good Talk is such a unique and beautiful memoir because it is in a graphic format where Mira Jacob illustrates different people and lays them over photographs. I flew through this book while reading and I found it so timely. It asked me to reflect on the conversations I am having and how the messages are depicted. I was so fortunate to be able to talk to Mira and ask her questions on our monthly book chat. Mira has such a poetic and beautiful way of speaking that really stays with you. Something Mira said in our chat that will stick with me for the rest of my life is "the fantasy is that love is the opposite of racism." Really think about this and reflect on our biases and misconceptions and READ THIS BOOK.

This was my first read for @feministbookclubbox and I have to say it was pretty good. I may be a bit biased in my review because nonfiction and essays are not my favorite but overall I thought the book was good and had some very important messages. Lindy West describes her experiences of being a woman or as she identifies, a fat woman, in modern day society. I liked particular chapters of this book such as Lindys come to terms with seeing fat as just a descriptor and not an insult for herself and her chapter on reproductive rights and how they’ve affected her personally. The book did not stand out to be greatly because I felt that it was very repetitive and could drone on a bit, but if you are looking for a book written by a woman about feminism and what it means to her then this is the book for you.

I was fortunate enough to read The Girl Who Smiled Beads with @feministbookclubbox and I am so glad I did because being able to talk about this book and the traumatic experiences Clemantine had to go through is crucial. The Girl Who Smiled Beads is a first hand account of trauma from the perspective of a young refugee during the Rwanda War. Clemantine shares her story with such strength as she describes the life she had and how she has taken everything she could from it to become the person she is today. One of the most important ideas that you could take from this book is that the experience of a refugee is not universal, and Clemantine makes sure that readers know that her story is just one of many. Each and every person has their own individual story to share, but it is also not their job to tell us their story. We are not owed any persons story. This book was incredible and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone but I especially believe this is a book that you need to talk about with others.

Thank you @berkleypub for the advanced egalley in exchange for an honest review. ⁣
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This is an unpopular opinion but

Thank you so much @avonbooks and @williammorrowbooks for sharing this amazing romance novel with me! ⁣
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I am not usually one to pick up romance novels, but when I read the description for WRITTEN IN THE STARS, I knew I would have to drop everything else to read this fake dating and sapphic romance. ⁣
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This book starts off quick with a blind date between our two leading ladies, Ellie and Darcy. These women who could not be more different, decide that the date is unsuccessful and give up. When approached by their families for never being able to keep a relationship, Ellie and Darcy create a scheme to fool everyone including themselves. ⁣
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I really loved this queer romcom and the relationships that Bellefleur writes. Not only are there beautiful romantic relationships but the sibling relationships and friendships are deeply heartwarming. But there’s also plenty of steam

One to Watch is the novel that launched me into my early winter romance binge that I have been on recently! ⁣
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I saw raving reviews of this body positive adaptation of The Bachelorette and picked it up after being in quite the reading slump. As someone who has never been an avid reality TV watcher I was not sure what I was in for when picking up this book but I was so pleasantly surprised. ⁣
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This debut novel from Kate Stayman-London follows our main protagonist Bea as she goes from beauty blogger to leading lady on reality TV’s Main Squeeze. Unsure what she is in for as the shows first plus size lead, Bea steps forward into the spotlight with vulnerability and courage. ⁣
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This book moves quick and has its driving twists and turns that propel the reader into a whirlwind of a six week show run. I have to admit I was surprised with where the novel went but love everything that Stayman-London wrote into this brain candy (as @beckyreadsitall would say) read. ⁣
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Although I wish that Bea ended up with the kindergarten teacher (because I’m partial to them) I found this story enthralling and a perfect read to pick you up out of a slump. ⁣
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I really did love this fun and inclusive romance, but I did not appreciate all of the negativity towards plus size women that Bea had to encounter because she really had a rough go of it at times.