thelovelylibrarylady's Reviews (1.1k)

The Manicurist’s Daughter depicts Lieu’s journey to grieve her mother’s death after an elective cosmetic surgery and go through womanhood as a first-generation Vietnamese-American without her. While this memoir tackles serious topics, like intergenerational trauma, impossible beauty standards, and classism in the United States, Lieu manages to insert humor as well. Overall, this was a well-written memoir that I strongly recommend you add to your shelf!

(PUB DATE: 03/12/2024)

(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

 As a thriller, This Is How We End Things, is pretty forgettable. A shadow falls over a team of Psychology grad students after one of their peers is murdered. They are working on a research project focused on deception and quickly start to assess and accuse each other after the crime occurs. The only likable characters were Alana and Patrick, the detective and officer tasked with solving the case. I would give Jacobs' writing another try as I liked his writing, but would not go out of my way to recommend this title to others.

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)

(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

 

For the sake of transparency, I was drawn to this book because one of the love interests is a hot firefighter. Fake Flame did fulfill my desire to read about a hot firefighter, but I did not think the story itself was very well written. After the initial “meet-cute”, the plot was all over the place and the eventual ending was anticlimactic.

(PUB DATE: 04/23/2024)

(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.) 

 Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other reads like a cheesy Hallmark movie. America’s sweetheart television reporter, Brynn, is caught on a hot mic talking poorly about her hometown. To fix her image with the public, she goes back to the small town where she grew up. However, when she is home, she meets Sebastian, a former reporter who has found solace in the place Brynn despises. While I liked the premise of this book, I found Brynn, one of the love interests to be incredibly unlikable. She does have somewhat of a redemption arc, but not enough to salvage her behavior for the first three-quarters of the book. 

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)

(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

 While I enjoyed reading about the author’s experiences growing up in his family’s Chinese restaurant in Detroit, I thought this book lacked depth. Chin reflects on his different identities, a gay man, a member of a Chinese-American household, and a resident of a city on the decline, throughout the story. However, these reflections lacked depth and the story felt flat. I believe this title would have worked better as a collection of essays rather than a memoir. 

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)

(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

Family Style is a graphic novel that focuses on Pham’s family’s story. Each chapter is based around a specific food or meal and the memories the author associates with it. The illustrations are stunning and really bring to life each moment, whether it be the family’s journey to the United States from Vietnam or Pham trying to navigate his role as a first-generation American. I highly recommend this graphic novel to readers of all ages. 

After absolutely loving Every Summer After, another title by Fotune, I had high expectations going into this novel. Unfortunately, Meet Me At The Lake failed to meet those expectations and then some. The magic in Fortune’s first novel is nowhere to be found and miscommunication between the characters is a huge theme of the book. If the characters could have just talked to each other, there wouldn’t have been any story to read. I felt nothing but frustration after I finished this book and do not recommend it to others. 

 Holy shit. I cannot believe this title is McKanna’s debut novel. Don’t Forget The Girl is much more than your run-of-the-mill thriller. It is a love story to the complexity of female friendships, a reminder to focus on the victims of heinous crimes rather than the perpetrators, and an exploration of the early 2000s culture. If you can get your hands on the audiobook of this title, do it! The narrator, Jennifer O’Donnell, really brings the story to life. I cannot wait to read whatever McKanna writes next.

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)

(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

When In Rome is an extremely cute romance with one of my favorite tropes (Grumpy x Sunshine). Loosely inspired by the movie Roman Holiday, this opposites-attract love story is one that you cannot miss. I felt a connection with both of the love interests, Amelia and Noah, and found myself actually laughing at loud at some plot points. Romance lovers will devour this title. 

Even though this novel is set at Christmas, Emergency Contact can (and should) be read all year round. I want to be friends with Katherine and Tom, the novel’s protagonists, and was sad to say goodbye to them when I finished this title. Add this title to your shelf if you like stories of misadventure or second-chance romances.

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)

(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)