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(#partner @williammorrowbooks) Holy moly, y’all, this book was wild! CW - pedophilia, rape, sexual assault, grooming, etc. Some of my favorites (@ab_reads, @jobis89) read and loved this book, so I jumped at the chance to get an advanced copy. They were right, this book is so compelling, I could not put it down.
MDV tells the story of Vanessa Wye, who became involved with her much older English teacher starting in 2000 when she was just 15. The story flashes back to Vanessa’s time and boarding school and the beginning of their relationship, and jumps forward to 2017, when another student has come forward to accuse the teacher of sexual assault.
I haven’t read Lolita, but I imagine this is a lot like Lolita from the victim’s perspective. This book references Lolita and Nabokov a lot. In the flashbacks, we see how the teacher groomed Vanessa to believe this is what she wanted, that she was in charge, and that all of this was her choice. In the flash-forwards, we see how this relationship has defined her entire life, and the hold the teacher still has on her, as she believes he truly loved her.
This book does not shy away from it’s depictions of abuse. It’s extremely unsettling, and obviously a difficult, sickening subject matter. It’s just raw, gripping, and emotional the entire time. A very powerful book.
If you can stomach the content, I’d highly recommend this one. I could not put it down. Also check out reviews from @ab_reads and @jobis89, as they are what convinced me to pick this one up.
MDV tells the story of Vanessa Wye, who became involved with her much older English teacher starting in 2000 when she was just 15. The story flashes back to Vanessa’s time and boarding school and the beginning of their relationship, and jumps forward to 2017, when another student has come forward to accuse the teacher of sexual assault.
I haven’t read Lolita, but I imagine this is a lot like Lolita from the victim’s perspective. This book references Lolita and Nabokov a lot. In the flashbacks, we see how the teacher groomed Vanessa to believe this is what she wanted, that she was in charge, and that all of this was her choice. In the flash-forwards, we see how this relationship has defined her entire life, and the hold the teacher still has on her, as she believes he truly loved her.
This book does not shy away from it’s depictions of abuse. It’s extremely unsettling, and obviously a difficult, sickening subject matter. It’s just raw, gripping, and emotional the entire time. A very powerful book.
If you can stomach the content, I’d highly recommend this one. I could not put it down. Also check out reviews from @ab_reads and @jobis89, as they are what convinced me to pick this one up.
2.5 stars. A family drama that left me wanting. For some reason, I was so bored while reading this. I’ve seen some really great reviews of this one so kept reading, but I just didn’t find it funny or interesting. For me it felt well-written but lacked emotion. The characters weren’t likable at all, and even in getting into their pasts didn’t reveal much about why they turned out the way they did. I can get behind an unlikable character, so it’s not just that, but more like a combo of unlikable and uninteresting. Just meh. Really wanted this to work for me and kept hoping it would pick up but it didn’t.
Pet was my pick for the #blacklitchallenge that is outside of my usual genre - it’s YA. It follows teenage Jam, who lives in a world where monsters (abusers and criminals) have been vanquished by angels (who I think were just people who uphold the laws?). When a creature from one of her mother’s paintings comes alive and tells Jam he’s there to hunt a monster in her best friend’s house, she can hardly believe it, but sets off with Pet to save her friend.
This book was fun and had a good message. I loved Jam’s character and relationship with her best friend, Redemption. It was super sweet how she cared so much for him. I also appreciated the representation of different types of characters - Jam is a trans girl, Redemption has a non-traditional family, and their relationship is not romantic, which was refreshing. Ultimately though I found myself a bit bored with the story, probably because it’s YA which is just not my thing, and I think leans towards the younger YA crowd too. The messages felt a little bit heavy-handed, but again, I think it’s more that I just don’t typically love YA. I definitely think Emezi can tell a great story, so I’m excited to check out their adult book, Freshwater. I feel like fans of middle grade and YA would be able to enjoy this one more than I did.
I know Seji @theartisangeek is a big fan of this one so definitely check out her own voices review!
This book was fun and had a good message. I loved Jam’s character and relationship with her best friend, Redemption. It was super sweet how she cared so much for him. I also appreciated the representation of different types of characters - Jam is a trans girl, Redemption has a non-traditional family, and their relationship is not romantic, which was refreshing. Ultimately though I found myself a bit bored with the story, probably because it’s YA which is just not my thing, and I think leans towards the younger YA crowd too. The messages felt a little bit heavy-handed, but again, I think it’s more that I just don’t typically love YA. I definitely think Emezi can tell a great story, so I’m excited to check out their adult book, Freshwater. I feel like fans of middle grade and YA would be able to enjoy this one more than I did.
I know Seji @theartisangeek is a big fan of this one so definitely check out her own voices review!
I finished She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey on audio and it was SO good! It’s about their reporting on Harvey Weinstein and the start of the me too movement up to Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony.
I loved getting the behind the scenes look at the reporting. There were so many moments when it was unclear if any sources would agree to go on the record. I also learned so much more about Weinstein’s silencing of victims through NDAs than I previously understood.
I am so thankful for both the brave women who came forward to share their stories and the many women behind the scenes who gave their all to discover and share the truth. This is a really powerful book. In the audiobook, Jodi and Megan read the foreword and the epilogue themselves, which made the book feel even more personal. I’d highly recommend this one. Also a quick reminder that I listened to this book for free - a major perk of working for @librofm.
I loved getting the behind the scenes look at the reporting. There were so many moments when it was unclear if any sources would agree to go on the record. I also learned so much more about Weinstein’s silencing of victims through NDAs than I previously understood.
I am so thankful for both the brave women who came forward to share their stories and the many women behind the scenes who gave their all to discover and share the truth. This is a really powerful book. In the audiobook, Jodi and Megan read the foreword and the epilogue themselves, which made the book feel even more personal. I’d highly recommend this one. Also a quick reminder that I listened to this book for free - a major perk of working for @librofm.
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan was not exactly what I was expecting. It's not a thriller, but it definitely has some twists and turns along the way that kept me guessing.
Lydia works at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, where the regular "customers" (which include some people that just hang out there a lot and maybe don't actually buy a lot) are called the BookFrogs. When a young BookFrog named Joey commits suicide in the bookstore and leaves everything he has, including riddles about his life, to Lydia, it reopens old wounds in her life. When Lydia was a child she was the only survivor a vicious attack of her friend's family by a still uncaught killer known as the Hammerman. While she seeks answers about Joey, she also tries to uncover the truth about her past.
I liked this book okay - I mean, what reader wouldn't want to read a book about books? However, everything was a bit too contrived for me. The red herring in the mystery about her past, the timely reappearance of her old friend, Joey's connection to her past... everything fit together a bit too much. I don't like when mystery's are extremely unrealistic, and although maybe this wasn't, it sort of felt that way to me. I also wasn't totally sucked in by the writing, and it took me a couple weeks to get through this book, which is unusual with mysteries.
I definitely think the character development could have been stronger. I think the friendship between Lydia and Joey could have used a bit more time to develop, because he dies almost immediately and you don't really get a chance to know him.
Lots of people highly recommended this book, so don't take my "meh" opinion as fact. If this sounds like an intriguing plot to you, check it out for yourself!
Lydia works at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, where the regular "customers" (which include some people that just hang out there a lot and maybe don't actually buy a lot) are called the BookFrogs. When a young BookFrog named Joey commits suicide in the bookstore and leaves everything he has, including riddles about his life, to Lydia, it reopens old wounds in her life. When Lydia was a child she was the only survivor a vicious attack of her friend's family by a still uncaught killer known as the Hammerman. While she seeks answers about Joey, she also tries to uncover the truth about her past.
I liked this book okay - I mean, what reader wouldn't want to read a book about books? However, everything was a bit too contrived for me. The red herring in the mystery about her past, the timely reappearance of her old friend, Joey's connection to her past... everything fit together a bit too much. I don't like when mystery's are extremely unrealistic, and although maybe this wasn't, it sort of felt that way to me. I also wasn't totally sucked in by the writing, and it took me a couple weeks to get through this book, which is unusual with mysteries.
I definitely think the character development could have been stronger. I think the friendship between Lydia and Joey could have used a bit more time to develop, because he dies almost immediately and you don't really get a chance to know him.
Lots of people highly recommended this book, so don't take my "meh" opinion as fact. If this sounds like an intriguing plot to you, check it out for yourself!
I read Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed a few weeks ago while we were on vacation. Somehow, it was the perfect vacation read. When I first heard about this book, I wasn't super motivated to read it. I packed it on a whim after Little Brown sent it to me and I'm really glad I did! This book really worked for me.
Gather the Daughters takes place on an island after some post-apocalyptic event happens in the US that forces everyone to flee. On the island, everyone has a role, and once someone's role is finished - so, they get to old to be useful - they take the "final draft" and die. Only the wanderers, a group of apparent chosen men, are allowed to venture back to the old mainland via ferry for supplies. The islanders believe that the mainland is desolate and everyone left behind is suffering. The role of women is to get married and have children as soon as they're able. Daughters are forced to marry when they're still very young. Oh, and this book comes with a warning: it alludes to both child abuse and incest.
The island has a tradition in the summer of allowing the children to roam completely free. No school, no rules, and a summer of adventure and fun. However, the girls know that as soon as they start their period, there will be no more summers for them, no matter how young they are.
This book follows the stories of girls on the island. Vanessa's father is a wanderer who allows her to read books. Janey Solomon doesn't eat in an attempt to stop herself from reaching "fruition". Caitlin is a bit of an outsider. Amanda reaches her summer of fruition before her best friend Janey.
As the girls near their final summers of childhood, they start to unravel the mysteries and secrets of the island. If the mainland is a wasteland, how can the wanderers find supplies from there? They suspect something more sinister is happening and will go to great lengths to find out.
This book reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale with slightly less of that Margaret Atwood expertise, but I really enjoyed it. I was rooting for the girls and wanted to find out the truth along with them. If you like dystopias, I would highly recommend this book.
Gather the Daughters takes place on an island after some post-apocalyptic event happens in the US that forces everyone to flee. On the island, everyone has a role, and once someone's role is finished - so, they get to old to be useful - they take the "final draft" and die. Only the wanderers, a group of apparent chosen men, are allowed to venture back to the old mainland via ferry for supplies. The islanders believe that the mainland is desolate and everyone left behind is suffering. The role of women is to get married and have children as soon as they're able. Daughters are forced to marry when they're still very young. Oh, and this book comes with a warning: it alludes to both child abuse and incest.
The island has a tradition in the summer of allowing the children to roam completely free. No school, no rules, and a summer of adventure and fun. However, the girls know that as soon as they start their period, there will be no more summers for them, no matter how young they are.
This book follows the stories of girls on the island. Vanessa's father is a wanderer who allows her to read books. Janey Solomon doesn't eat in an attempt to stop herself from reaching "fruition". Caitlin is a bit of an outsider. Amanda reaches her summer of fruition before her best friend Janey.
As the girls near their final summers of childhood, they start to unravel the mysteries and secrets of the island. If the mainland is a wasteland, how can the wanderers find supplies from there? They suspect something more sinister is happening and will go to great lengths to find out.
This book reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale with slightly less of that Margaret Atwood expertise, but I really enjoyed it. I was rooting for the girls and wanted to find out the truth along with them. If you like dystopias, I would highly recommend this book.