Such an incredible perspective both before his diagnosis in the way he viewed and treated his patients, and during his diagnosis when looking at his own mortality. He found such meaning and purpose during both it’s pretty incredible. His wife’s epilogue at the end was equally inspiring. 

I had chosen it because of my own walk thru cancer twice, even one of his discussed chemos was one I had, and found so many things to relate to in his experience - the loss, change in expectations of how your life was “supposed to be” even in just that moment, the hope, the disappointment, the purpose. It was sad but in a hopeful way. 

Mysterious and intriguing - at first I couldn’t tell if it was a fantasy with magic and history mixed together but you soon find out the magic is just a lot of brilliance and invention on the part of the house owner, Emmett Sinclair. It was a beautifully blended landscape of technical and mechanical, adventure, mystery and romance.

I loved how Sydney has to struggle with the balance of her strengths in seeing how things work or might work, but her fears in getting out of her head and her comfortable places or struggling with being different or odd, lacking a filter or being overlooked as a woman. I related to her so often with many similarities of my own that it sort of felt like she was in my head. The relationship and growth between her and Andre was well done and I loved his patience and grace for her, as they both became better because of each other.

The story also had a really great, almost allegorical presentation of God and his relationship with us that was presented excellently. It made so much sense and I loved the subtlety of it that made you think and imagine.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

Such a thought provoking concept of how we deal with grief and what if you could essentially sleep it away. I’m always for a what-if story and really enjoyed how this played out. It was engaging and very well done. 

I liked the different point of views both from each of the characters and on the concept of… not really avoiding the grief but sort of holding, stilling, letting your body heal… vs enduring and experiencing the pain and hard things. Because grief is such a personal thing, that neither option would necessarily be right or wrong, better or worse. But that they each offer their own benefits and drawbacks. To say one way should be for all people is missing the point and keeps us from supporting those who are grieving, creating community and allowing for others to bear the loss in their own way. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine. 

So so good. There was so much depth and both Lou and Patty were so relatable in their hopes and struggles with past mistakes and regrets, being enough, insecurity and comparison, betrayal and trust… I felt their emotions and struggles, and the character development and writing was excellent. The mystery in Patty’s background also added such a great layer.

This book relied more on both their families rather than the Janes, and I really enjoyed the different take on Lou’s and Patty’s peripheral relationships with it. I loved both characters so much throughout the book. There was a tiny bit of a plot hole at the very end that I wish was fleshed out a little bit to fill the gap but it didn’t bother enough to change my rating. 

It was also a fun tie in with “Since There’s No Place to Go” and am looking forward to that expanding more with Sean on the next book. 

I had such a hard time putting the book down and loved it a ton. Thanks to Kate Watson for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine. 

Interesting perspective of WW2 in Italy from the perspectives of Lilli, a Jew, her friend and their journey both to help other Jews with IDs but also to escape across the country. 

It was different than most books on Italy I’ve read, and I liked the different take on it but I felt sort of detached from Lilli and her story. It sort of started to just feel like one event followed by another. And the dialogue from a 2-3 year old sounded more like an 8-9 year old. It was just way too advanced for a toddler. But overall, a good read and new information to color the landscape of Italy in WW2. 

Really good information but soooo much detail about peripheral people and things that wasn’t really necessary nor added much to the book. It just made it long and hard to stay interested. 

The writing style was so unique, it kind of became mesmerizing. It had a whimsical and old fashioned quality of it, and I’m sure the audio helped since the narrator was perfect for it. 

I loved the elements of mystery, of restoration and redemption, and how stories don’t always end the way we hoped they would, but they can bring restoration in their own form, and an ending that’s still good. 

Engaging and so much history, and really great nuggets about how impactful and important books are, as well as the importance of friendship and community. 

The book follows 3 beautifully crafted women on a backstoried span of time - the current being 1936, then bounces back and forth on a timeline beginning at 1914 until it meets up to the current one, explaining what happened to get us to this point. Besides the boxcar library, it also highlights the Federal Writers Project, which I’ve read about, but only in relation to the stories of former slaves, so it was some great information there too. 

Besides the history there was good mystery and really great characters. And books. Lots and lots of lovely books. I enjoyed it a ton.

Really loving this series. I loved Maggie as a character and how bold but compassionate she was. The 3 timelines were great for history and world events creating tension, where you knew what she was about to be up against but not how she was going to handle it. And I liked the wrestling against what to do when there isn’t a clear choice and you don’t know what the best option is. 

It was a creative story of a mother who raises her “daughters” on a sort of fairy tale to cover up the truth until it runs away from her, while the girls wade thru trust, betrayal, questions and sort of redefine and relearn their family in the end. 

Some of the elements on motherhood are relatable, and I thought the effects of ultra-sheltering of the girls was well portrayed. I especially liked the undercurrent of community even when a character pushed them away for self-protection, how people pull together in a crisis or just to show someone they’re seen. 

The first part of the book was honestly really slow. The second half I liked a lot more as it picked up, but I struggled thru a little in the beginning. That said, I really liked the author’s writing style. It had a sort of honest subtlety to it that felt real and transparent. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.