Amelia
What a delight this book was! MC is a 40 plus retired mom and Nakhuda (sea captain)/ pirate. She's cranky, foul mouthed with a wicked sense of humor and a bad knee. She's trying hard to be a devout muslim again her “career” and past be damned. I mean do you need more reasons to read it? Motherhood forced her into retirement until a woman pleads with her to go and find her “kidnapped” granddaughter. She's aware of her pirate/adventure past and promises her a huge pay. Amina needs the money so she sets off to find and reunite her old shipmates/friends/crew. Adventure ensues. There's some elements of the “para normal”, lots of sea creatures, demons and creatures. You root for Amina, her damned knee, her friends and her mom heart throughout the book and you won't want to put it down! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars
(LGBTQIA, and trans representation.)
What a beautiful, sad story! This book is very heavily character driven. While some pivotal events happened during the course of the story, the events were a way to understand the characters better. The story revolved around Four generations of black women, Evelyn, Charlotte, Corrine and Camille. We see all four of them deal with generation trauma, the inherited pain, and how it informed the decisions they made, the regrets, and what forgiveness actually means.
Ms. Johnson tackled the complexities of the mother daughter relationship so well, the decision and choice of whether or not to become a mother, what we owe our children and ourselves.. i thoroughly enjoyed getting to know and understand each woman. And my heart ached for each of them.
Wow! What a book! What a journey. What an important and complex story. The Vietnam war was senseless and devastating, and this book was a tender account of the pain and suffering of the Vietnam war veterans but especially the women. Don't let anyone tell you there weren't women in Vietnam! They have tried to erase them and their stories but alas! They persisted.
Kristin Hannah knows how to grab a hold of our hearts and not let go till well after the last word of the last page. Easiest 5 star ever!
This coming of age / coming into one's own story of a black muslim teenager was a good story to help inform one of what life for a black young hijabi is like. Fatima Tate is 17, loves to bake, and wants to go to culinary school but her mom insists on her going to Nursing school for the security it would provide. She is on the brink of adulthood when she meets this young Muslim brother Rahim who is incredibly charming. He turns out to be too good to be true, manipulative and blackmails her into getting married to him. (If anyone finds out she's been intimate with him before marriage, hers and her parent's reputation will be ruined).
it was incredibly hard for me not to project my own personal ideas of patriarchy and women being treated as property. I was frustrated more than half of the book, and while I think the end was wrapped up a little too tidy, it is understandable, and I would recommend it be added to TBR lists!
An unforgettable book! I had so many feelings as I read this book. Anger, deep sadness, understanding, grief and awe.
A deeply thoughtful and poignant story about Sam and Efe, the story starts when Sam comes home from work one day and his wife Efe is gone. Money is missing from their account, and she didn't pick their daughter Olivia from the child minder. We learn Efe's and sam's story, how they came to be together, and all of the pain they've endured along the way. It's a pretty raw telling of motherhood, depression and marriage. I was rooting for Sam and Efe throughout, and I found myself
Nodding in understanding at times. The ending though? I was STUNNED.
Brilliant debut novel.
Trigger warning- cutting, depression, (post partum and other forms), grief.
The author managed to tackle a sad, heart wrenching subject with such tenderness and she gave us a character anyone would want to root for! Rachel's journey to find her stolen children was brave, terrifying and inspiring. The story did not shy away from the brutalities and evil of slavery, instead the author took us on a journey, with a hero(ine) and her decision to find her family.
River Sing me home showed that “freedom” was not only granted by the white enslavers but that the enslaved people found ways to find freedom for themselves.
Great read! I'd recommend it to everyone!
Such a sweet sad book about friendship and grief. Ashley and Edi have been friends forever and now Edi is in hospice care dying. We learn all about the hilarious, unforgettable moments that have made up their lifelong relationship. Edie's (slow) death brings all the people that love her together. Although the book is sad, because duh death of a loved one, it manages to be funny at moments and poignant.
NOTE- if you are dealing with, or suffer with suicidal
Ideation and deep depression pls don't read this book.
This most beautifully heartbreaking book about grief. Living with, and trying to deal with grief and it's effects on everyone, and everything around.
The book opens with Eve, finding her husbands dead body after he committed suicide. What follows is how her life unravels and she attempts to put it back together. She has the most amazing family who stand by her, gently (and sometimes not so gently) pushing her. Onyi Nwabineli did an amazing job capturing the myriad of feelings around grief- how people intentionally (or not) have a timeline and expect that people “move on already”. The feelings of absolute heart wrenching pain the sufferer is in, and how they also understand that no one can help, or can grasp what they are going through.
I'd definitely recommend this book, probably not to everyone because it was a hard read. Not in a bad way- but because damn life is hard.
This was the strangest little book I ever read but it made me chuckle and also made me sad. 2 teenagers meet over one summer and create art that then takes on a life of its own. I think there's some mental health issues that are involved with the teenagers but is always on the periphery of the story itself. A book about friendship, holding onto the past (and past versions of ourselves).. Kevin Wilson is absolutely fantastic like that. His books are strange, lovely, hilarious, and sad. And if that isn't the exact definition of life I don't know what is. I loved “Nothing to see here” more, still an interesting book nonetheless.
Such a cute book! I've always enjoyed Katherine Center's books. Her books, while marketed as fluffy “womens lit” are actually full of depth and real world shenanigans. I mean who doesn't enjoy the fake dating that becomes real dating trope? I once heard Ms.Center say in an interview- that she always tries to find a balance between light and darkness in her books, and I think she has almost always succeeded!
Imagine Love Jones was set in “university”, with a little Nigerian flair.. and the characters spoke like Floetry, and that's “Honey & Spice” for ya! It's a fantastic summer read, witty, funny and some spice. I'd say it has the correct amount of spice given the age and maturity of the characters. Kiki Banjo is a strong outspoken feminist with a radio show on campus and she is always there for the “ Gyals dem”. She's there to help her sisters navigate the world of “fuckboys” and their not so noble pursuits. She calls out 1 particular guy Malakai Korede as the captain of the boys dem. Until she falls for him; they fall for
Each other. Navigating the ups and downs of being black on all all white campus, in a small town in the UK, feminism, racism, and all the fun that comes with being 22, i think if you need a funny, lighthearted (ish) book- this is it!
Also- the audiobook narration was
This little book was pleasant surprise! It was tender, sometimes funny, sometimes incredibly sad
Set in Argentina, it tackled sexism, homophobia, domestic violence all while discussing the beautiful game of Futbol. Camille “Furia” Hassan is trying hard to balance her double life of being a futbolera and a dutiful daughter. She is smart, passionate and talented but her father will not have a daughter who plays futbol and could “possibly become gay”
Lots of reviews seemed ambivalent about this book. I am firmly on the 5 star side. This was a fantastic debut novel. The characters were multi faceted and robust, and I loved to hate some of them. Olga's struggles were relatable and poignant, and I found myself rooting for her despite her sometimes ridiculous self destructive behavior. And I especially appreciated the history lesson. Learning about Puerto Rico and the good ol colonial masters
Interesting account of friendship between 3 women (who are all mixed race) and share the Nigerian heritage- all their fathers are Nigerian. The food, language, culture and laugh out loud ridiculousness of Naija ppl were fantastic. Ronke,Simi and Boo's friendship is put to the test when Isobel and her “wahala” (and ulterior motives)come along. I cringed so much while reading because in my opinion, these ladies were horrible to each other! Well Simi and Boo were horrible to Ronke. The toxicity and unnecessary meanness sometimes made me uncomfortable, however I suppose Nikki May was trying to make a point, to show the reader “what not to do as a friend”.
⭐️
Reading about history from the perspective of the “sufferer” is a sad, intensely infuriating exercise that just further explains the danger and effects of colonialism. The white man and their attempt to essentially eradicate the indigenous peoples while pillaging and robbing them of their land, language, communities and identity is so important for everyone to learn. This book was simple, direct and straight to the point. A sobering look at how many native peoples and communities are struggling to maintain their sense of community, pride and well being.
Highly recommended read for all!
What a wonderful book! I will be ruminating and re-reading in the future! Nora Seed feels like her life is shit, she is diagnosed as situationally depressed and shit keeps happening that really makes it hard to see above water. So she decides to end it. Between life and death is the midnight library, where the idea of all the choices not taken, and lives not lived can be pursued.
The idea that every choice we make or not make could lead to a completely different life and existence is so fascinating and was done so well in this book. Now there were times where I thought- perhaps the idea of infinite unlived lives is a problem? Where does it end? Mr. Haig discussed philosophy, music, depression, parenting, pursuing ones dreams. So so good! I'd recommend!
Ms. Card's writing is strong and takes you on a journey with her words! I was drawn in to the story of this family; to be fair i am drawn to family stories especially the ones that came before, that are often not retold (for various reasons). I was invested in Abel's (Stanford Solomon) life and his journey of deception and how the deception had “trickled down” to generations after.
I also felt as though the book would (could have) been a compilation of short stories or vignettes.
Great book all in all!
Such a painful and well written story about the power of secrets. Family secrets are passed down from generation to generation and destroy everything along the way. A family saga that tackles faith, friendship, the black church, domestic violence, and incest.
Set in the south side of Chicago, Ruby King's mother was found dead and the police chuck it up to another unfortunate event. Ruby's friendship with Layla might be the only thing that will save her from her father. But their closeness is tested when Layla's father (and the whole church) insists on remaining loyal and turning a blind eye to his behavior.
Warning: incest, and domestic violence heavy.
I'm not sure why this book has gone under the radar but go read it!!
My first YA book! This book had me feeling so
Nostalgic and melancholy. I felt sad, and inspired by Julia's resilience and also her intense feelings of hopelessness and anxiety. Yes she came off as antagonistic and prickly but she's a teenager so par for the course. A portrait of family- each member with their own pain and crushing secrets. And a reminder of how important it is to pay attention to, take care of our mental health. Great read!
3.75 rounded up for me. It was a fantastic portrait of family, how pain and joy can exist and how to deal with all of the sh*t that comes with being alive. I felt hit on the head by the amount of times the love and sexual attraction between Marilyn and David was mentioned but hey I suppose that's better than them hating each other