Born behind the Iron Curtain at the end of World War II, Sasha dreams of fleeing her provincial life to pursue a career as an actress, despite her family’s objections. She is haunted by the ghost of her uncle Kolya, an artist still missing in action years after the war’s end, and when she finds Kolya’s war journal in her childhood home, she learns the shocking truth behind the lies that masked Stalin’s brutality. Kolya’s stories guide and fuel her through acting school. After graduation she begins acting in Leningrad, where she is reunited with Andrei, her childhood love who is now a Communist Party apparatchik who censors her work. As she learns more secrets from the past, Sasha must determine if her dreams are worth the sacrifice. 

I love Russian history and culture, so I was excited when I saw this book on Kindle Unlimited and loved that it read also available to listen! The writing was beautiful and poetic. I really loved Gorokhova’s ability to humanize the history of the Soviet Union and put into perspective what many people living there personally experienced after the end of WWII. The passages from Kolya’s journal were so powerful and sobering and I loved how they were interwoven throughout the novel. The story was heartbreaking yet hopeful and the ending was so beautiful. This book seemed so realistic, and after learning about the author’s background I wonder how much was inspired by her personal experiences. A wonderful debut novel that I definitely recommend for lovers of historical fiction!

Rupert hosts his 30th birthday party at McDonalds, an ironic place for the titled and posh partygoers to celebrate and sip champagne. But the next morning his girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered, her body dumped in a park. Detective Caius Beauchamp is tasked with solving the murder, and he has a plethora of suspects. The investigation becomes a mess of aristocrats, social media, and who knows who. Caius has to untangle the mess of how the other half lives so solve the case before it is wretched from his hands.

Thank you @netgalley, @vintageanchorbooks, and @vassellcharlotte for the ARC! I love a good whodunnit and this definitely delivered! This book was so charmingly British and I really enjoyed it. It definitely had lots of humor throughout and was a great satire on the British class system. This book was clever, witty, and complex, but still a fun mystery that left the reader wanting to tie up all of the loose ends. The cast of characters were very diverse and well written. I really hope this becomes a series and would love to hear more from Caius and his team! The Other Half will be published in the US on November 21!

After her boyfriend of fifteen years breaks up with her, coder Marina Spicer has come up with a list and a plan to get her love life and goals for the future back on track. Frustrated by online dating, she creates an app called Dealbreakers, where women can anonymously share intel on how prospective men stack up. Her plan for a promotion and a step towards her dream future is interrupted when Lucas Kennedy rudely derails her presentation on a new idea at work, and the two find themselves paired up to test different date experiences to determine whose idea is better. Marina uses her app to look up Lucas—and learns that he’s a walking red flag according to the other women on Dealbreakers. Lucas and Marina argue their way through ax throwing, cocktail making, and an escape room, and Marina finds herself having more fun than she has in years. Marina has to decide whether she should stick to her list and first impressions, or break her own rules in the quest to achieve the life she dreams of. 

Thank you @netgalley, @putnambooks, and @laurenforsythe_author for the ARC. Finally got around to this one over the weekend. Marina and Lucas’s characters were total opposites and definitely challenged each other in the best way! The things that I did f like in each of them were really worked out in their relationship with one another. They balanced each other so well and helped each other get over their flaws and shortcomings. At first I was a little annoyed by Lucas’s lackadaisical attitude, but as we got to know more of his backstory I liked him more and more. The fake dates and activities were also so fun! This was a quick and fun read, definitely recommend if you’re a fan of second first impressions, fun banter, and a reverse grumpy/sunshine! Dealbreakers is out now!

This sprawling family saga is told from the different points of view of the six women of the Marte family: sisters Flor, Pastora, Camila, and Matilde, Flor’s daughter Ona, and Pastora’s daughter Yadi. Each woman has their own unique magical gift. Flor’s dreams reveal, down to the day, when someone will die. So when she invites neighbors, family, and friends to a living wake to be held after one of these dreams, her sisters grow concerned and wonder what secrets she might be keeping. But each other woman also has secret of her own.

I was really looking forward to this book as I really enjoyed Clap When You Land. This was a great family drama and I loved the different perspective of each woman. I loved the magical realism aspect of the book as well. I really enjoyed all of the references to and stories from the past in the Dominican Republic. I had a hard time with Yadi’s character for a lot of the book and really struggled with her story line. Also the writing style took a minute for me to get used to with the way each chapter turned back to the past. Overall the writing was beautiful and I enjoyed it! It helps to know Spanish as a lot of Spanish words are mixed in but I don’t think it’s necessary.

In this autobiography, Washington details his endeavors towards the enrichment of Black Americans in the post-Reconstruction era.

I have a lot to say about this one so buckle up. To be quite honest I wasn’t sure how to rate this book; it’s hard to reconcile the things Washington did for the advancement of Black Americans freed from slavery against the things he says in this book. I found this autobiography to be very perplexing. At times Washington expresses almost understanding and gratitude towards his enslavers. He expresses no resentment towards white people and states that all, regardless of race, suffer from slavery. His narrative is very anti-victimization and pro-individual responsibility, and while there are some merits to that philosophy, all slaves were victims and Washington’s attitudes seems to come across as “let bygones be bygones.” The discussion of Tuskegee was also a bit mind boggling. The Tuskegee Institute, born of post-Civil War segregation, has done amazing things for many Black Americans, but instead of fully analyzing how education was able to help advance formerly enslaved individuals, Washington spends most of his time name dropping and praising the many white donors that helped fund the school. I also would have been more interested to learn about Washington’s personhood; his adolescence was very briefly discussed and his voice seemed quite detached throughout the book. The autobiography came across more as a report on facts and events and I would have liked more personal anecdotes. And there was a part where he talks about the KKK, stating, “Today there are no such organizations in the South, and the fact that such ever existed is almost forgotten by both races.” Excuse me, what?! I’m not sure if Washington wrote this way to pander to white people who funded his school, but even if that’s the case, glossing over the real impacts of slavery and the damage that the KKK and similar groups inflicted (and continue to inflict) was just too much for me. 

Pop star Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her fans, is burned out from maintaining her public image and needs a break. So the Audrey Hepburn-loving international pop sensation takes a Roman Holiday of her own and escapes to the closest Rome she can find—which happens to be the tiny town of Rome, Kentucky. Her car breaks down in Noah Walker’s front lawn when she arrives. Noah agrees to help her, but makes it clear he doesn’t have time for celebrity problems. Yet as Noah gets to know the real Amelia, he can’t help but fall for her. Amelia loves the cozy town and her grumpily charming tour guide, but even Audrey had to leave Rome eventually. 

This book was so sweet! I haven’t read anything else by Adams before and now I’ll have to add more of her books to my TBR. The characters were so well developed and I loved the dual point of view. The setting in the small town was so cute and homey. I loved all of the side characters and their relationships with Amelia and Noah were so sweet. The beginning of the story seemed a little unrealistic to me (like who would stay the night in a stranger’s house after their car breaks down what the heck) but that was the only thing that bothered me and it was easier to overlook after getting more into the plot. This was a quick and cute read!

Fern Brookbanks returns to run her mom’s Muskoka lakeside resort after her mom’s unexpected death, something she never wanted to do. Scrambling to save the resort, Fern is surprised when Will Baxter shows up with a plan to help get the resort out of financial trouble. Will and Fern spent a magical day in Toronto ten years ago—and then Will disappeared and Fern hasn’t seen him since. Until now. Will may be the only person who can understand what Fern is going through and who knows how to save the resort, but can Fern trust him again after all this time?

Trying to make it through my physical TBR, and also count some books towards the @bookishswifties August challenge! I liked this book a lot better than Every Summer After, and based on reviews I’ve read it seems most readers like one or the other but not both! The characters were a lot more relatable in this book and they were very well developed, flaws and all. The summer vibes and lakeside resort were described so well and from the two books I’ve read from Fortune I can see that she’s a master of setting the perfect scene. There were a lot of heartwarming moments and the side characters were all great as well. This was a great summer read!

Stuck at home on their cherry farm in Michigan during the beginning of the pandemic, Lara recounts her tales from her twenties as an actress to her three daughters. She tells them of her brief but impactful relationship with Peter Duke, a famous actor she acted in a play alongside in Tom Lake many summers ago. The stories spark Lara’s daughters to examine their relationship with their mother and their own lives.

I LOVE Ann Patchett so this book was on my radar leading up to its release, and when I saw that Meryl Streep performed that audiobook I knew I had to listen! My last Patchett book was The Dutch House, read by Tom Hanks, and I loved that one but I think I love this one more. Patchett has such a way of writing with nostalgia that isn’t quite melancholy or wanting to relive the past and I love that so much. She is so talented at depicting the full spectrum of human emotion. I loved that the story oscillated between the past and present. This was a beautiful story about family, relationships, coming of age, and how the things we want when we’re young seem so different from what we cherish as adults. Already can’t wait for Patchett’s next work!

Persephone “Percy” Fraiser made a mistake twelve years ago, and hasn’t been back to Barry’s Bay, her home away from home, since. But when she receives a call with devastating news, she rushes back to Barry’s Bay, and into the orbit of Sam Florek, her first and true love. For six summers growing up, Percy and Sam were inseparable, and their friendship turned into much more until it all went up in flames. When Percy arrives back in Barry’s Bay, she and Sam can feel their connection again, but they will have to confront the decisions they made in the past before they can move forward. 

I really enjoyed this book; the summery setting at the lake and the small town vibes were immaculate. But then I got to the part where we learn about why Percy and Sam break up those 12 years ago. Without giving spoilers, the reason for the break up is my least favorite trope and how they talk about it in present day was muddled and glossed over at best. The setting was beautiful and I loved the dual timeline, which is what made the ending all the more heart wrenching for me. Percy and Sam’s characters were both a bit of a mess while I appreciated that they had flaws, their relationship seemed quite codependent on an almost unhealthy level. And am I the only one who liked Charlie better? I think this book had a lot of potential and while I enjoyed aspects of it, I wish the ending was a bit different.

In a dystopian future dominated by the for-profit prison industry, convicted criminals have the option to participate in the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment program known as CAPE. In the CAPE’s gladiator-like battles, participating convicts fight against each other to the death with the ultimate prize in their sights: freedom. Loretta Thurwar has almost completed the CAPE program successfully, and has freedom in her sights just a few battles away. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, she considers how she can help preserve their humanity in the face of the games. But CAPE’s corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their program, and the obstacles they throw at Thurwar have devastating consequences. 

Dang, this book was wild and intense! It was so well written and such an incredibly sharp commentary on America’s for-profit prison corporations (I’m looking at you CoreCivic), mass incarceration that disproportionally impacts Black Americans, and the death penalty. The book shifted in perspectives between the main Chain-Gang All-Stars, protesters, spectators, and corporate board members, which really created a well-rounded narrative. The book also included a lot of footnotes with real data about prison systems, which I found very interesting. The concept was so original and fascinating, and yet didn’t feel that far removed from reality. The ending was wild and I will definitely be thinking about this for a while!