oliviasbooktalk's Reviews (271)

If you want to change your views on the way you see fine dining, want to learn about the racism in a predominantly white industry, or love food in general, this book is for you. Chef Kwame has done an excellent job sharing his life's story both as a black man, but also, as someone finding their passion. To say his descriptions of food was mesmerizing, is an understatement. To this day, I still think of the ways in which he holds ingredients, dishes, and memories influencing his food, in such high regard and close to his heart. I first liked, and hear of, Chef Kwame from season 13 of Top Chef, but now I am eagerly looking forward to, one day, trying his food. Black chefs and black food belong in the culinary world and fine dining, and this industry needs to work harder to highlight both. 

The first book in the Brutal Birthright dark romance mafia series, Brutal Prince shares the story Aida and Callum as they are enemies (to lovers, of course) forced into a marriage pact/marriage-of-convenience in order to unite the two reigning mafia families. Hot tempers, and hotter chemistry, this book will have you running to pick up the next in the series. P.S. don't eat strawberries. 

Told in the span of 24 hours, this story follows the Riva family in dual timelines—the four Riva siblings in present tense and their parents/early childhood in past tense—as they get ready for, and host, their annual, star-studded, absolutely wild, end-of-summer beach party which somehow will end in a fire this year. This book is absolutely character-driven (fair warning to all the plot-driven friends out there), and while it sometimes was slow, TJR's writing makes up for it. Of the books I've read of Reid's thus far, this one was the most atmospheric, and had the ultimate beachy/surfer/southern California vibes. Being from Southern California myself, the beach descriptions were incredibly nostalgic, and I could easily envision their salt crusted hair and sun kissed skin. I cannot say I loved this book with some of the plot points (some felt forced, some felt drawn out), but I could see myself picking it up again. Please read this book on a lazy, summer day, preferably at the beach, of course.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again. In this book, we follow Evelyn Hugo as she gives her golden ticket of a memoir, to an unknown journalist who doesn't yet know how their lives intertwine. Told in seemingly dual timelines, Evelyn goes in chronological order of her famed seven husbands, recounting her rise to fame, tumultuous career, and love of her life. There is so much to unpack in this book, from sexism, celebrity expectations, domestic abuse, LGBTQ+ acceptance, and the ethics of other topics I can't list as they are spoilers. At the end of the book, I wanted to buy the memoir that was going to be written about Evelyn Hugo except...that's exactly what this book is. It just goes to show that TJR knows exactly how to enchant her readers, making us wish her characters were real.

Overall, this book was cute and handled East-meets-West dynamics in a very creative and evocative way. I loved the cultural and religious conversations it brought up, specifically, how pleasure and desire were addressed within traditionally conservative communities. The timeline for the main character fell flat for me, and I did not like the dual POVs, but the character development for the widows felt well-paced. I loved the writing class scenes and wish that had been the focus of the book, rather than adding the true crime subplot. From now on, generational trauma should only be unpacked with mild erotica.

A fascinating history about the famous (or infamous) Vanderbilt family. Not only is the rise and fall (as the title foreshadows) dramatic in and of itself, but combined with the timeline, transportation innovations, societal influence, and wealth value, it creates an even more dramatic story. I did find the family tree, and how the different members of the family were introduced, to be a bit confusing. I understand why the story was not in chronological order, but I think I would have liked it more if it was. The storyline transition from past to present to future, with Anderson's mom, his own memories, and then preserving the story for his son (now sons, he has since welcomed another child) was very moving and truly put things into perspective with how this was not just some celebrity Gilded Age family, but were real people. This will also give you a brief history of New York City, which I loved.

A sweet, queer, tender-hearted story about a lonely orphanage case worker getting assigned a mysterious, highly classified case on a remote magical island, where he learns to not judge a book by its cover through six incredible children and their caretaker. Fighting prejudice, being brave, and discovering your found family are also key themes in the story. This book reminds us of the innocence and magic of children, and I still find it hard to choose which one was my favorite. While I think the plot timeline was well-done, it still somehow read slower than intended (I think it's supposed to be a medium-paced read). I didn't particularly like how TJ Klune leaves little to the imagination, and blatantly states what bigger picture problems are being addressed in the book. Please note, Klune found inspiration for this book from the Indigenous genocide of children in Canada, which is incredibly problematic and I do not support that.