Taylor's descriptive writing of Florida and the sea are just lovely. It felt reminiscent of the show Bloodline, with the setting and complex family drama. The main character is also flawed, but she comes to right the mistakes she has made in her life by the end - a wry and unexpectedly bittersweet treat. I also thought that the narrative of shark preservation was enmeshed well into the story, and eye opening.
Visit Born and Read in Chicago for more reviews and bookish musings

Many thanks to Algonquin books and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review!

After reading the description of this novel, I couldn't help but think of Monica Lewinsky's extraordinarily powerful TED Talk. If you haven't heard it, I HIGHLY encourage giving it a listen. Yes, this is an issues book on feminism, politics and slut-shaming. But, the tone and structure made for a highly entertaining and informative read.

The majority of the book is told from the perspective of the women in Aviva's life, which I found refreshing and compelling. I think my favorite was the first, which is narrated by her mother. Rachel's voice sucked me in straightaway. Maybe it is because I am at an age where I am well past Aviva's point of view, and a mother myself. She also has a wonderfully witty and wry sense of humor that sets the general tone for the whole novel. The congressman's wife Embeth is similarly humorous and clever with a more somber, yet equally absorbing, tone. Ruby's perspective (Avivia's daughter) was tough to read - partly because it was in the form of a melodramatic one sided conversation of a 13 year old (with her school-assigned international pen pal) and partly because Zevin created such a full and clear picture of a heartbreakingly vulnerable girl.

In the end, we finally get some perspective from Avivia herself. I appreciate how Zevin doesn't paint her as a completely innocent martyr to gain our sympathy, and tells her side of the story with all it's complexities.

"The rub of the Choose Your Own Adventure stories is that if you don't make a few bad choices, the story will be terribly boring. If you do everything right and you're always good, the story will be very short."

As a kid who was obsessed with Choose Your Own Adventure books, I thought it was a perfect narrative device to illustrate Aviva's inner dialogue as she faced the moral dilemmas that would profoundly affect her life (and those around her). It added that wry sense of humor each of these women possessed. My only complaint with the end was that it went way too quickly. I kept looking down at my place in the book and thinking, "There's no way that there's only 3% left in this book!" I wish Avivia had a little more time to tell her story, and given us a little more of her life in the moments that came after the ending.

This is a powerful story, told with humor and heart that I have come to expect from Gabrielle Zevin.
Visit Born and Read in Chicago for more reviews and bookish musings.

Until my hold came in at the library, I hadn't realized that the author is a kind of 'renaissance man' singer-songwriter, actor, and musician. One of the things I loved most about this novel was that I got the smallest glimpse of what it might feel like to write music. The writing was also lyrical in parts, with good pacing and an intriguing plot. The ending gets a little hokey, but overall a lovely book. There were aspects that reminded my of The One in A Million Boy. If you enjoy a story of unlikely characters thrown together that inspire each other in unforeseen ways, I would highly recommend.
Visit Born and Read in Chicago for more reviews and bookish musings

I read This is What Happy Looks Like a few years ago and this book has a similar feel: lovable characters you can't help but root for, despite their questionable choices, while they are thrust into a very unlikely scenario. It was perfectly sweet YA, enjoyable and thought provoking: how would YOU react if you, or someone close to you, won the lottery?
Visit Born and Read in Chicago for more reviews and bookish musings.

After reading Flora and Ulysses, I decided I HAD to pick up Dicamillo's other Newberry winning book. Like the former, it is cast with lovable misfits and told with such humor and heart. It felt like an updated version of a fable that has been passed down for generations. The themes on love, duty, individuality and belonging are timeless and this is a beautifully written classic that will stand the test of time. "There is those hearts, reader, that never mend again once they are broken. Or if they do mend, they heal themselves is a crooked and lopsided way, as if sewn together by a careless craftsman."
Visit Born and Read in Chicago for more reviews and bookish musings.

Going into this, I thought it sounded like a maudlin and introspective novel about yet another 'quirky' main character that would not be my jam. HOWEVER, there was something about Khong's descriptive and well paced writing that kept me turning the pages and feeling invested in Ruth and her ailing father as she comes home to help her mother cope with his Alzheimer's. The details were often crazy and lent such realness to the characters, like the way she and her best friend snack on carrot sticks and sugar, or peanuts with ranch dressing!? The crystal clear memories her father shares of her childhood also ring so true: making glass with sand in the microwave or taking the seeds off of bagels to grow in the garden like something my kids might do. She has some lovely turns of phrase: when talking about her ex boyfriend she "...loosened the jar lid, so that somebody else could open him" or remembering when he was building a house of cards, an obvious metaphor for their relationship "...trying not to breathe, not to be the one to knock it down." This was overall, a delightful surprise.
Visit Born and Read in Chicago for more reviews and bookish musings.

I had heard about this 'southern fiction' writer several times over the last year or so, but never picked up Sarah Addison Allen's books. I am far from Southern, and the covers didn't GRAB me. I finally gave Garden Spells a try for a light summer read and found it DELIGHTFUL. It's full of vivid and lovable characters - including a magical apple tree. Magic does play a part, but in a smart and engaging way. There are intense and provocative scenes that kept me turning the pages, as well as great humorous and romantic ones that made me laugh and smile wide. This would be a great pick for fans of Practical Magic or The Language of Flowers.
Visit Born and Read in Chicago for more reviews and bookish musings.

Earlier in the summer I crowdsourced which Hilderbrand backlist novel I should read: The Rumor or Here's to Us and it was basically a tie! I ended up going with The Rumor because I learned that her upcoming Winter Solstice will be a sequel to BOTH the Winter Street series (which I've read in it's entirety over the last few winters) AND The Rumor! I'm glad I chose it because it was perfect Hilderbrand comfort reading. I love the details she gives her characters (the best is the one who waves indiscriminately at everyone because of his nearsightedness) and, of course, the details of Nantucket that make me practically salivate to visit. This was equally juicy, thoughtful, and fun fare.
Visit Born and Read in Chicago for more reviews and bookish musings.

I normally limit myself to one or two World War II novels per year, so this description really got me! However, in this dual timeline narrative, the past is mainly centered around the time leading up to the war. You will not be thrust into the day to day of Auschwitz, plunked down in London during the blitz or thrown into Paris during the Vel' d'Hiv. It is not just a story about war, but about the reverberations of war, or any actions of our lives on the future.

Some of the actions of Moshe throughout his very complex life are quite despicable, but I couldn't help but find him an endearing, hilarious and heartbreaking character. Equally endearing is Max's story in the present day timeline, attempting to prevent his parents divorce by finding Moshe to perform the 'eternal love' trick. The juxtaposition of the young and 'magical thinking' boy, set against the curmudgeon-y old man is rife with moments of great humor and heart. There are many laugh out loud moments that balance out what could have been too saccharine on one hand, or horrific on the other. The final scenes from both narratives had my heart pounding for vastly different reasons. Bergmann must have children to convey with such hilarity and accuracy a visit to a thinly veiled version of Chuck E. Cheese, and the way he depicts Moshe/Zabbatini's performance of the eternal love spell there had me RIVETED. Then as I went back in time to Auschwitz to finally discover the plot connection to the present day, I was biting my nails in fear and hope.

If you enjoy dual timeline historical fiction, family drama, plot driven narratives, witty writing, I would highly recommend The Trick. It is also a perfect transition from super light summer reading, to something with a little more heft, but not too much. Many thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing an advance copy for my honest review!
Visit Born and Read in Chicago for more reviews and bookish musings.

The premise of this story was total catnip for me: two strangers stranded on a remote deserted island after a plane crash. It's like Castaway but the added dynamic of immediate intimacy with another person with whom you'd have to collaborate to survive. The literal and emotional journey of Sophie and Barry was a roller coaster that I burned through in nearly 48 hours. The banter between the two is written with great wit and tenderness, and I definitely held back a few tears at the end.
Visit Born and Read in Chicago for more reviews and bookish musings.