True crime book depicting the crimes and investigation of the Golden State Killer that terrorized Californians from San Francisco to Los Angelos from 1976 to 1986. At the time the book was published, these crimes were unsolved. 

This book was also a memoir of author, Michelle McNamara, who died in the pursuit of uncovering GSK’s identity. McNamara died in 2016 before her book was completed and before the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, was arrested in 2018. Researcher, Paul Haynes, and investigative journalist, Billy Jensen, finished the book for McNamara with an afterword from her husband, Patton Oswalt, and updated news articles about the capture and arrest of Joseph DeAngelo. 

McNamara coined his moniker, Golden State Killer. Originally, he was known as the East Area Rapist (EAR) when he raped over 50 people, and then would become known as the Original Night Stalker (ONS) when he killed over a dozen people. It’s 21st century technology that connected the rapes of EAR with the murders of ONS. There wasn’t two offenders, just one, and he’d become known as EAR-ONS until McNamara renames him. 

I truly loved this book, and I know that’s a weird thing to say, but it was genuinely good, addictive even. I watched the HBO docuseries two years ago and it very subtly creeped me out. It wasn’t until I tried to sleep that night that I realized how anxious I was. I kept getting up to check the door was locked without thinking why I had the urge to do so. The same with this book. There were a couple of nights I triple checked the locks or thought I heard a noise. And it’s not just the crimes of GSK that have me unsettled, and trust me, the crimes are truly at a level 100 on the creep factor, but it’s the way McNamara writes the book. The several times she addresses the killer himself, a man without a face for her, just had the hairs on my neck standing up. I’ve listened to a few true crime podcasts on this case and even discussed it in my undergrad studies, none of those elicited this response. It’s all McNamara and her incredible ability to tell a story. 

It was already creepy as it was, but I wished it contained more of what he did before he attacked these people and also highlight the survivors. The main focus was on the investigation and the investigators which I thought was a great take instead of hyper-focusing on the crimes themselves. It feels respectful to the victims and the survivors while educating the public on the events and investigation, while getting across the urgency to help find this killer. 

I also think the memoir chapters added something special to this book. It helped me to connect to McNamara and even the other investigators (law enforcement and civilian) on the case. 

It was hard to put down. Completely riveting and an excellent example of true crime reporting. 

Cute sapphic coming-of-age YA about a Muslim Bengali girl in an all-girl Irish Catholic school. 

The story follows 16-year-old Nishat, a child of two immigrant Bengali parents growing up in Dublin. Nishat is dealing with recently coming out to her parents as gay and struggling with their reaction. Nishat is given the ultimatum either be herself and bring shame to her family or go back into the closet. At school, Nishat deals with racism and eventually being outed. Nishat experience homophobia, casual appropriation of her culture, and harassment from her classmates. And to top it off, the girl she likes is her rival for a school competition. 

The way that this book was advertised to me was that it was a cute sapphic YA romance, but it’s more of a coming-of-age. The two most distinctive relationships Nishat has are with Flávia (her crush) and Priti (her younger sister). I think her relationship with Priti was more in-depth and shelled out more than her relationship with anyone else. I loved their banter and close relationship. It shows them tease each other, fight, and make-up. I think Nishat and Flávia had decent chemistry, but not enough for me to think a romance is blooming. It’s strange to me she could like Flávia given all that is happening. The comments about how you can’t culturally appropriate art and Nishat not being a real artist was enough for me to immediately veto her as a love interest. I could see it being left open for a relationship at the end but before then? No. 

Nishat’s development is also done extremely well. I hated that everyone made her feel like crap about her emotions and that she too busy to care about anyone else. Given she receives harassment on the daily and is then outed, I think Nishat gets a pass on being a little neglectful with her friends and sister. Is she a little childish in her mission to win the competition? Yeah, she’s 16, but I also see her reaction as being valid. I love her cute, adorable, and totally relatable panic about Flávia and whether or not she liked girls and over analyzing conversations and eye contact. Ahhh to be a teen with a crush. 

I think the serious tones were handled very well. I also like this complicated love that Nishat has with her culture. Though she criticizes the Bangladesh politics and stance on the LGBTQIA+ community she still celebrates the good parts of her culture: food, henna, clothing, language, etc. 

I adore her parents. I can say my parents and siblings were completely fine when I came out, but I can’t say the same about my grandmother, who’s one of the most important person in my life. Like Nishat’s parents, my grandmother didn’t want to acknowledge it and she wanted to pretend I never came out. But eventually, like Nishat’s parents, she came around. And I think it’s a special thing to have in this book. Because it’s not your stereotypical brown immigrant disowning a child but it’s also not this hearts, flowers, and rainbows. I found it to be more realistic and hopeful, particularly for queer brown girls who might read this book. 

I obviously can’t speak for its authenticity of representation, but I trust that Jaigirdar knows her stuff. I love that this book is unapologetically desi, just like Nishat. It’s very clear that this book was written for a desi audience. It’s one of the few books I’ve read by a South Asian author that doesn’t spend time explaining the food or clothing or the (in this case) Bengali vocabulary. I would’ve liked a little help with the few French and Portuguese sentences but Google Translate came in clutch. 

Definitely read this book. Check trigger warnings! It’s a great read that was hard for me to put down. Nishat is my hero and part of me wished she punched Chyna, but it’s all good. 

Age-gap single grump dad romance. 

34 year old single dad, newly divorced, Dex moves next door to 22 year old Winnie. There’s instant attraction and they start a casual relationship. Dec has sworn off all relationships and Winnie is trying to avoid falling into the same trap of quickly falling in love with assholes. Then Winnie gets an offer for her dream job a thousand miles away and suddenly their feelings are on the line. 

This was my first Harlow book, and I have to say it was not good. Someone get ice for Hallie and Luna cause they broke their backs carrying this book. And I don’t usually like kids in books cause they either talk too young for their age in an extremely annoying manner or they talk way too adult. And though Hallie and Luna speak like adults, they were absolutely hilarious and really the only reason I gave this book any stars. 

For starters, the way Dex thought about Winnie had me itching to call the cops. He was constantly comparing her to his DAUGHTERS. He would say she looked or sounded childlike and innocent. Just constantly thinking how she barely looked legal and how she had more in common with his FIVE AND EIGHT YEAR OLD CHILDREN than she did with him. And I don’t normally like age gap romances, and I didn’t realize this was one, and though the immediate ages of the characters would automatically make me cringe, I thought “this is a romance novel, if there was ever going to be an exception to the rule it would be in a fictional book”. But absolutely not. And I’ve read plenty of age gaps that didn’t make me want to vomit like this one did. 

I’m also not a huge fan of instalove, but given how young and immature Winnie was, I could understand it. But even more immature was Dex. Like he’s a 34-year-old man, father of 2, and he acts like such a dick to his kids, his sister, and Winnie at the slightest inconvenience. There’s a difference between being grump and being an outright dick. 

Also, though most mainstream romance books are devoid of diversity (#RomanceSoWhite) there was just something about this book that felt extra WASPy. Like lowkey conservative porn. Between the much older men going after barely legal women and all the military and cop family members with the females characters having very domestic type jobs, yeah that’s exactly how this book felt. 

Though some of the spicy scenes were a little hot, just Dex’s inner monologue about Winnie had me feeling like I was witnessing a crime. 

Hard pass on this one. 

Fake dating reverse harem romcom that’s friends to lovers. It’s funny, it’s sickeningly sweet, and it’s steamy. 

Right, let’s get on with it. 

Layla is our heroine. She’s amazing. Entrepreneur. Self-made millionaire. Hot af. She’s funny, sarcastic, shy, and blunt. I love her. She’s so relatable. I was literally laughing out loud, she’s hilarious. I wished to god she was a plus sized girl. Just give me a mid-sized baddie that’s super comfortable in her skin and knows she’s hot af and can pull three hotties. 

We then have our three heroes who happen to live in the flat across the hall. There’s 40 year old, ex-teacher, Luke, ex-pro rugby player, Zack, and sweet baby angel, Josh. The real bummer is they all have a podcast and Josh started it. Major alpha energy. But I guess it’s okay cause it’s hella feminist?? 

Anyway, Layla is a 28 year old successful businesswoman looking for a husband so she can have it all. But apparently her years of building her empire has stunted her dating abilities. So what’s a girl to do? Ah, yes, fake date your three best friends from across the hall. Nothing could possibly go wrong. 

This story handles so many difficult things: slut shaming, cyber bullying, cancel culture, regular in your face bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault, abusive relationships, anxiety/panic disorder, and grief. You’ll be laughing or fanning yourself one moment and be stone faced feeling sad af or pissed tf off the next moment. 

Honestly, why was Luke her previous high school teacher? Whether he remembered her or not? It was super hard to get over. And Zack was so annoying. Just too much energy and trying to be funny but coming off annoying. I don’t read a lot of reverse harems, but I’m starting to notice that each one has some golden retriever blonde with endless energy actin a fool. And seriously, I don’t need more reasons to dislike blonde love interests. I did like when Zack punched that guy in the face and he had a couple of decent zingers. 

I think I’m honestly way too petty for some of these romance books. After the shit Zack and Luke pulled KNOWING Layla’s history? Absolutely no way I’m forgiving them. And none of them defended her after the rumors online? Absolutely not. I don’t care what the excuse. Simply saying you all dated and therefore she didn’t cheat, wouldn’t have fed to the rumors. I’m also way too petty not to release the evidence on Donny. Pettiness aside, that man should not be given the chance to run for office. Like what the hell? 

And this isn’t in the book but it is a bonus epilogue so I’ll judge it. I’m really sick and tired of this emphasis put on biological children. These three men are committed to her and raising the children as their own, so who cares who the biological father is? That just really rubbed me the wrong way. 

All that stuff aside, it was a solid romcom. And the spice was pretty decent. Tame for a reverse harem, but decent. I hated the issue that broke them up and the apology was cringey, but the whole book was funny and entertaining. And it handled its serious topics pretty well. I won’t forgive the podcast thing though. That’s a whole ass crime. And at least 3 red flags. 

It’s Bridgerton. We know what it is by now. Regency romance. Let’s goooooo!

Our journey into the world of Bridgerton starts with Daphne Bridgerton, who is the fourth child of eight and the eldest daughter. It’s 1813 London, Daphne’s second season, and she simply must get married. Then she meets the devastatingly handsome rake, Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. He also happens to be best friends with her brother and eldest child, the Viscount, Anthony Bridgeton. Simon’s come back from a 6-year long trip around the world when his father dies to tie up loose ends. He’s determined to never wed, but that doesn’t stop eager mothers and unmarried ladies from swarming him. Together, Simon and Daphne devise a plan to both get what they want. They will feign a courtship in order to drum up interest in Daphne so she may find her love match, and to keep some of the mothers and daughters away from Simon. Though they start off as friends, the pair grow increasing more attracted and attached to one another. But there are things in Simon’s past and vows that he’s made that keep him from marrying Daphne. And of course, Anthony would rather rip Simon’s arms off and beat him with them than allow Simon to marry Daphne. Things get dicey when Simon and Daphne are caught in a compromising position. It’s all very exciting. 

Alright, let’s address the elephant in the room: the concept of consent. Look, Daphne took advantage of a drunk Simon, but didn’t set out for him to finish inside her. It’s still assault on account of him being drunk and unable to fully consent. But then Simon lying about his ability to have children is akin to stories where the love interest beds the main character while pretending to be someone else. It’s all super shady and I don’t think it’s okay. Also, I hated how many references there were to Daphne being his property and him owning her. Like we get that that’s what marriage was before, but pump the brakes on the misogyny in my fictional romance novels. And I don’t wanna hear some bull crap about “oh it takes place in a time when…” or “the book was written in 1999 so…” bleh bleh bleh. It’s not okay. It’s historical FICTION which means you don’t have to accurate AT ALL. And don’t just assume shit was like that in the past. 

Now that’s out of the way. This book was all kinds of funny. I watched the show before I read this, in fact, I was adamant on not reading this series because I heard terrible things about some of the books and I didn’t want to spoil my enjoyment of the show. But this was a fun read. I definitely imagined the actors as the characters, and re-wrote “blue eyes” or “pale skin” with “brown eyes” and “dark skin”. I refuse to have some pasty man be my Simon. I would not allow some mediocre white man talk to me the way Simon talks to Daphne when they’re married. But if that man looked exactly like Regé-Jean Page then maybeeeee (*slides feminist card away*). Kidding! 

But yeah it was funny. It’s not as hot as everyone was saying it was but the humor and banter and wit were on point. I haven’t decided if I’ll continue with the series yet.  

A modern, Muslim “You’ve Got Mail” inspired clean romcom! 

Hana Khan’s got big dreams for her life. She wants to tell stories and has pursued a degree in broadcasting. Now she works as an unpaid intern at Radio Toronto while working at her mother’s restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine. She also has an anonymous podcast, Ana’s Brown Girl Rambles. It’s through the podcast that she meets StanleyP another lover of radio and her number one fan. They agree to stay anonymous and don’t get into specifics about each other’s lives, and carry on a months long online friendship. Hana’s family restaurant is struggling, especially when her pregnant sister is put on bed rest and can’t help out. Things get worse when a new restaurant starts construction and threatens to put them out of business. The problem? The restaurant’s owner is Aydin, a young man that Hana might continuously get into arguments with, but is growing more attracted to him by the day. She also has to deal with her cousin and mysterious aunt and a family secret. Hana is dealing with so many changes at once between her friends, family, career, and love life that it’s all turned her life upside down. 

I LOVED this book. It was so funny and charming and corny. I loved that it handle so many different topics and was still very entertaining. I think it handled Islamaphobia, xenophobia, and racism rather well. It went through the everyday microagressions that brown and Muslim people face, while incorporating the more rare, but violent acts of bigotry. 

Hana and Aydin’s romance was iffy for me. Sometimes I loved where it was heading, and other times I hated it. I especially hated that Aydin was okay with putting a family-owned establishment out of business. I know he changed and stood up to his dad, but would he have done the same if Hana wasn’t a factor? He was also incredibly rude and mean in the beginning and sure it could be a front he’s putting on for his dad, but it’s still such an ick. The fact he threw Hana’s war tactics in her face when he knew he was planning to put her out of business the whole time really irritated me. 

But I did love their banter and I love a guy that falls in love first. I could definitely see the chemistry and the foundation of a relationship by the end. 

This book is very different from Ayesha at Last. For starters, it’s in first person and is a singular POV. Though the romance is very clean (there’s no kissing either), it’s much more relaxed in the dating rituals. They do have more innocent touches here and there but it’s all above board. Hana’s family is different, they don’t have extended family that live in Canada. Her mother is more progressive and independent. Her parents and aunt don’t pressure her to get married, and Hana didn’t have the desire to date anyone until she met Aydin. Their relationship also seemed more easygoing. I will say read Ayesha first, though this isn’t a series you get a little cameo and shoutouts from some of the characters since both books take place in the same (or at least, neighboring) community. It’s very much a different brown Muslim first-gen experience from Ayesha, but I think together, and with other books, you get a chance to see a bigger picture of this specific community. 

Lots of laughs in this book. The side characters are well-rounded and interesting. Rashid and Hana were hilarious and Kawkab Khala is my hero. I love the familial relationships and how Hana is with her parents. She’s balancing this pressure that her parents help her carry. Heartwarming is the word. 

A modern Muslim take on classic romance novels. It’s clean and drama filled. 

A multiple POV drama that follows the day-to-day lives of Ayesha and Khalid, two people who had a bad first impression and continue to disagree nearly every time they meet (though it’s clear, Khalid likes Ayesha from the start). We see the drama of their professional and personal lives as well as the religious aspect of their lives. Khalid is more conservative in his religion than Ayesha and he judges people on how well they practice Islam in his opinion. He’s got a controlling mother that he just blindly obeys, and Ayesha’s got a family that treats her like yesterday’s garbage (except Nana). 

TLDR: I liked this book for the drama and the emotional response it pulled from me. But I didn’t care for the “romance” aspect. Leave your own prejudices and preconceived notions you may have behind before you read this book. I laughed a few times, I cried once, there were a couple of gasps, but mostly I was just irritated and anger but 100% invested. Plot ain’t here, folks, only character-driven narratives. 

This book was advertised as being a Pride & Prejudice retelling, but it’s more like it was inspired by Pride & Prejudice and Much Ado About Nothing among other Shakespearean elements. It’s also advertised as a romance, but it’s more of a soap opera-esque drama. 

And now the long and boring review and discussion: 

I will say, this is one of the few books I’ve read outside of a series or fantasy collection, where the side characters have some interesting substance to them. Clara, Nana, and Nani are all very interesting characters that play important roles in Ayesha and Khalid’s relationship. And I appreciated that.  

Here for the drama and nothing else because romance? Who is she? She wasn’t in here. It’s literally mostly drama and it really was just one thing after the other. The Islamophobia from Sheila, the toxic masculinity and chauvinism from Amir and Tarek, faking identities, revenge porn, embezzlement, everything with Farzana, forcing a child into marriage, Hafsa being Hafsa. The book was a mess, but the kind of mess I like to read. 

The blasé attitude about these really young women and teenage girls being brides in this book was so upsetting. How anyone would expect Hafsa (as irritating and problematic as she was) to “know better” is beyond me. Just because she’s 20 doesn’t mean she knows anything. She lives a sheltered, spoiled life where everyone around her let’s her get away with everything so how is she supposed to “know better”. Though I’m happy Zareena was at peace with her life, I hated that she was forced into a marriage at 17. It made it seem as though her parents were right in sending her away to “straighten her out”. Why was it seen as such a bad thing if she wanted to adopt more Western aspects into her identity? No one was forcing her to assimilate. And what kind of sexual consent can these women give if they’re just consenting the marriage to appease their families? That they don’t care for or know the men? 

If I ever hear or see “that’s a good job for a woman” ever again, library book or not, I’m tossing the book in the trash. I understand that this may be a part of the culture for some communities (hell, my own grandfather berated me and my mother for choosing career paths that “weren’t suitable for women”). Ayesha should be able to follow her dreams and decide what to do next for her career. I don’t think many poets or writers are able to just do the writing unless they have support elsewhere. I think she could become an English professor like her grandfather. Then she’ll have the time to write and teach the subject she’s passionate about. 

I hate that all of this (the family’s behavior) is seen as being rooted in love, and again, I’m not a part of this culture so I wouldn’t 100% understand, but it is still harmful. The anxiety from the pressure alone is overwhelming. And that’s all I felt through this book was anger and anxiety. I know it’s different for other families, but I’m really tired of reading the whole “be the bigger person” when it comes to family members that mistreat you. I’m not saying you have to cut them off 100% and hold a grudge forever, but you need to set boundaries. Family is family, you’re supposed to lift each other up when you need it. There is no “you owe them”, they helped you this time and you will help them when they’re in need. And I think Khalid kind of sets boundaries with his mother but Ayesha doesn’t with Hafsa and her aunt and uncle. It’s clear a lot of children of immigrants are struggling under the pressure of living a life that’s worth the sacrifices their parents make, but if the media and books don’t show healthy, gradual ways to implement healthy communication, how will that pressure ever let up? 

Khalid is not your average hero (I really hate the terms hero/heroine in romance novels, but whatever). He’s a bearded, white robe-wearing conservative Muslim man. But like Mr. Darcy he’s a difficult character to like in the beginning due to his prejudice and judgmental opinions about what it means to be a “good Muslim” or a “decent, respectable wife”. I didn’t understand why he sometimes spoke like he was straight from a regency novel or Shakespeare play, and other times he talked like he was actually from the 21st century. It didn’t make sense and was really cringey. Khalid had a death grip on Islam in response to what happened with his sister, which is pretty believable. Lots of people turn to religion in a really aggressive way after a trauma. Though I’m glad that Khalid started to heal from that trauma and finally relented on his stronghold on Islam a bit. However, I didn’t understand why he couldn’t keep a little of the beard and some traditional clothing. You don’t need to be a prejudice conservative to wear those things, plenty of open minded Muslims still choose to wear traditional clothing. 

I hate that Khalid turned a lot of things back on Ayesha. That she was the one judging him, when he’s constantly talking about how she can change to be a better Muslim. He makes HER feel guilty for how she views him with his beard and clothing when he’s literally trying to push Ayesha into this box. It was getting a little gaslighty. 

I wanted my Darcy Hand Flex moment so bad. That burning regency desire to touch, but it’s hardly there. In a way I think paying homage to the regency novel could work in a modern setting within a Muslim community. If we’re talking about a community that’s a little more old fashioned in how it views dating (no touching and with chaperones) then yes. When I think about books like Love from A to Z, I think it does a beautiful job of honoring these traditional rules while also making it realistic they’re falling for each other and the heroine having a strong personality and setting goals for herself while pursuing a career that her family may not agree with. We could’ve had those burning moments in this book. The desire to touch but can’t because it would be improper. It does do the banter aspect of Pride & Prejudice decently. But yeah, I think regency courtship practices can easily be translated to a modern Muslim romance in a believable manner, so there shouldn’t be an issue doing a retelling of a regency classic. 

It’s hard to say whether it was good or not. But it was entertaining and made me feel things. Negative things. But things, nonetheless.

 It was pretty much copy and pasted of the first two books, but still entertaining. Still hate the use of “girl-c*m” and “angel”. Cringe. If you want a possessive, instalove quick one and done, then give this a look. 

Short and sweet novella about a second chance, little steamy holiday romance! 

Eliza comes back to her small town after 4 years to surprise her family for Christmas only to get caught in a blizzard and stranded. And who happens to come to her rescue? Her ex-husband, River. Her high school sweetheart and they only man she’s ever been with, and the one who broke her heart when he decided night to join her on her adventure. Now they’re stuck in his cabin for two days without internet, TV, or cell service. What could possibly go wrong? 

It was cute. I get Eliza’s wanderlust, but didn’t like that she was willing to give it up to be with River. I know that’s not very romantic of me, but it’s a little reminiscent of fantasy books where the female protagonist gives up her powers and settles down. But I was very happy that it seems that River isn’t settling for small town, living from paycheck-to-paycheck life anymore and wants to go on an adventure with Eliza. I’m just not down with that trope. And I understand not everyone has wanderlust, but I also don’t think anyone should settle for a life of being one bad month away from being homeless either. 


Okay, too deep for just a novella. It was cute. A little cringey and corny and awkward but very cute. And the spice was alright, too.