Genevieve

This was my first Christian romance thriller, and I really enjoyed it!

We follow Grace, who’s recently saved and joins New Beginnings Church. While at church, she’s drawn to two men, James, who seems like the perfect Christian, and Mike, who looks like he’s from the streets.

Grace is trying to grow closer to God, but she quickly gets caught up in messy, chaotic, and dangerous situations. She has to navigate lies, buried secrets, and figure out who is truly good and who is evil.

Grace was a frustrating character at times, and I found myself getting upset with most of her choices. This was a quick, page turning read that kept my attention. The audiobook, narrated by J. R. Mason, was excellent, and I loved the bloopers at the end.

This story was beautifully done, with a shockingly twisted plot and a satisfying ending that wrapped everything up perfectly.

Reading about Kamala Harris’s campaign journey was really eye opening. My husband actually recommended this one to me, and he always gives the best, most thoughtful reviews, so I knew it was worth reading.

I always enjoy a true story that gives a behind the scenes look at what was actually happening, and this one definitely did that. She had to deal with a lot in a short amount of time, and it was interesting to read everything from her perspective.

One thing that surprised me was learning that she and Joe Biden didn’t always seem to be completely on the same page. That added a layer to the story I hadn’t really thought about before.

I also liked the format of the book. Each chapter covers a single day on the campaign trail, which made it feel fast paced and easy to read.

Of course, we all know how it ends, so there’s no real surprise there. But it was still fascinating to get a closer look at such a major moment in U.S. politics. It also made me think about how different things might have been if more people were willing to hear perspectives outside their own.

We’re introduced to Ivy Hill, who’s still messed up from a tragedy that shattered her happy family and childhood. Shes 26 years old now, and struggling through life until she finally learns the name of the woman she believes ruin her life, Lola Maxwell.

Lola is rich, married, accomplished, and living what looks like the perfect life. Ivy slowly makes her way into Lola’s life, befriends her, and begins quietly turning everyone against her and ruin her from the inside out.

This wasn’t my favorite by Shanora Williams, but it definitely held my attention, enough for me to see it through to the end. The premise was decent, and I needed to see how it would all play out. It was just okay for me, entertaining, but not one of her best to me.

All the hype surrounding Daggermouth is absolutely warranted. This was a 6⭐ read for me. Yes. Six.

We’re in New Found Haven, a city split into rings. At the center is the Heart, where the elite live in luxury. On the outskirts is the Boundary, the slums, where the poor are left to survive. The entire city is ruled by the masked and powerful President Maximus.

Greyson is the heir to it all, he’s torn between pleasing his ruthless father and helping the people suffering in the Boundary.

Then there’s Shadera, an assassin raised to kill. A certified bad ass if I do say so myself. She’s out for blood and is determined to eliminate Greyson. But when she misses her mark and gets caught, she’s forced into a marriage with him to save her own people.

And when I say enemies to forced lovers, I mean they could not stand each other. There was tension, arguments, straight out battles, secrets, betrayal, revenge, I mean all of it.

This book was SO good. Action packed, the world building was amazing, and every character stood out and felt important. I kept flipping pages like I was on a deadline. I did not want to put this book down.

And the ending executed perfectly. I can’t wait for book 2 Python. H. M. Wolfe, congratulations on an absolute masterpiece of a debut. You might’ve just become an auto buy author for me.

This novel by Amy DuBois Barnett was an enjoyable read for the most part.

We follow Nikki, a rising star in the magazine world, who’s trying to build her career, protect her friendships, and figure out her love life, all while dealing with a very messy, very competitive industry.

It definitely kept me reading because I needed to know what was going to happen to Nikki. I really loved the behind-the-scenes look at the magazine world. That insider point of view felt real and interesting.

The hip-hop references were easily one of my favorite parts. The narrator did an amazing job with the characters voices, however, I kind of wish that the she had put more energy into maybe singing or rapping the song lyrics that were in the book, instead of just reading them straight through. Those moments would’ve been so much better.

By the time I got close to the end, I’ll be honest, I was a little over it. Not that the book was bad, It started to drag a little. It also wasn’t exactly what I expected going in, I thought we’d get even more hip-hop energy and music all throughout, but that’s the risk you take when you go into a book blind.

This was not a new favorite, but still an engaging read that kept me turning the pages.

People of Means by Nancy Johnson is such a beautifully written story about a mother and daughter who are way more alike than they realize.

We follow Freda in the 1960s and her daughter Tulip in the 1990s in this dual timeline that blends historical fiction with literary fiction. Both women, in their own ways, are figuring out what it means to be Black, full of dreams, and socially aware in the chapters of history they lived through. And what I loved most is how they’re both fighting racial inequalities, just in different forms and different decades.

The historical name drops, John Lewis, Jesse Jackson, Nat King Cole, and Emmett Till, to name a few, added so much weight to the story. It wasn’t just mentions just because, It made the story feel connected to real moments in history, and reminded you of the shoulders these characters are standing on.

Growing up in Chicago during the Chicago Bulls era, and reading about that time felt nostalgic for me. I was around 12 then, so the social injustices and cultural details mentioned didn’t just feel researched, they felt real. Like I could see it.

This story is layered, thoughtful, and emotionally honest. It really shows how history echoes, and how mothers and daughters can be mirrors of each other, even when they don’t see it yet.

I listened to the audiobook of Recitatif by Toni Morrison on Libby, and wow! This was such a smart idea. Knowing that she wrote this as a social experiment made me want to read it even more.

She intentionally leaves out any clear racial identifiers and puts it all on us as the reader.

The whole story is really about the fact that she never tells us the race of the two main characters Twyla and Roberta. And let me tell you, I was STRUH-GUH-LING trying to figure it out. I kept switching my guess back and forth based on little details, certain comments, and every time I thought I figured it out, I was like wait, maybe not.

By the end, I genuinely couldn’t decide. And that’s what makes this book so powerful. It really forces you to sit with your own assumptions and question why you’re assigning race in the first place.

For such a short story, it does a lot!! It’s not long, it’s not dramatic, but it will have you questioning yourself.

This is my second book by Wanda M. Morris, and I really enjoy how she mixes mystery with things you can actually learn while reading.

I loved learning about the Gullah Geechee people and heirs’ property law. It really opened my eyes to how property laws have historically impacted Black families in the South and how generational wealth can be taken away in quiet but damaging ways.

The story follows Deena, who’s going through a lot, losing her mother, divorce, and job loss. She ends up moving back home to Brunswick Ga after leaving Atlanta. She’s a little too curious for her own good, and that curiosity pulls her into missing person mysteries and some shady land grabs.

This was a slow burn mystery that honestly didn’t feel slow while I was reading it. I found myself wanting to pick it up all the time. I listened to the audiobook while reading my physical copy, and the narrator did an amazing job bringing the story to life.

The side characters were all great, but Uncle Duke’s personality really stood out for me,he was my favorite character.

I’m looking forward to reading more of her books!