Fat phobia, weird references to folks outside of gender norms 

Evil child trope, which I love, but this came too hard straight out of the gate and stayed that way- felt cheesy and annoying. 

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay is a multi-point of view, dual timeline thriller about a group of people who were at a group home together as teenagers and are now brought back together by a terrible secret from their time there. 

I loved Finlay’s Night Shift and this had some similarities. I enjoyed the full cast narration of the audiobook, but I think it would have benefited from more obvious delineation of the past timeline. I really enjoyed Jenna’s perspective the most. She’s an assassin who has retired and when bad things start happening, she attributes it to her work past- not her teenage years. I found the other characters less compelling. 

Overall, this was a middle of the road thriller for me with a twist that I have read many times. Finlay’s writing is concise and moves at a steady clip, which improved my experience, but this one didn’t hit all the spots for my taste.

Bingo Love is the graphic novel you didn't know you needed. Decades ago, Hazel and Mari meet as teenagers. They are fast friends and it develops into something more. When they are caught kissing, their families drive them apart and they reluctantly marry men. 

Time passes and Hazel and Mari are reunited at none other than the bingo hall. It is love at first sight again, but with big consequences again even if the year is 2015. I won't spoil anything else because this graphic novel is short, delightful, and packed full of partner and family love. Don't miss this one! 

Parachutes by Kelly Yang is an emotionally charged YA novel about two girls who are navigating wealth and lack of it, power, friendship, and trauma. 

A parachute is a kid sent to live by themselves in America for school. Claire Wang never thought she'd be a parachute but that's exactly what happens to her at the beginning of the novel. With feelings of abandonment and all of the challenges every immigrant student faces, Claire tries to fit in and succeed at her new high school. 

Dani De La Cruz is Claire's new host sister and she is not excited about it. Dani's family is from the Philippines and they clean houses to make ends meet. As Dani and Claire learn how to survive in their challenging environments, they also learn how to be friends and support each other. 

This book is full of difficult but very realistic content. Take care of yourself while reading and check content warnings if you need to. I think this book was very heavy but very well done, I couldn't put it down. Kelly Yang's author note at the end enriched the experience even more. We all deserve to see ourselves and our experiences in books. 

Wow, just wow. After devouring Writers & Lovers, I can confidently saying reading more by Lily King is in my future. This book is about Casey, a 31 year old with a lot of student debt, grief from the recent unexpected death of her mother, a job waiting tables, and two men interested in her. 

I never thought I’d love a book with a love triangle, but King does it so beautifully. The men serve to contrast each other and to show us Casey’s strengths and her perception of herself. Mixed in with her other struggles, it feels like a story of Casey in a challenging season- not a romance novel. And let me also add, King brings fun and levity to this book despite the laundry list of bad things on Casey’s plate. 

Last, I must say this writing is beautiful and reflective while also concise and easy to read. I jotted down several quotes that I loved, not something I do with every book. This one is a real gem.