Darlene

I was looking forward to a new Christina Lauren book and was very excited to start reading. Unfortunately, if I'm honest, I was not loving it at the start. I find the premise of the book to be a bit far-fetched and the characters to be a bit too stereotyped. However, I am glad I stuck with it. In spite of the things I do not love, I ended up enjoying it overall. The romance is sweet and fun, and I really fell in love with the male lead. The female lead grew on me despite my distaste for her originally. Ultimately, my feelings are still mixed but I can admit I had a good time reading it.

The storyline follows Anna Green and Liam Weston, who married in college in order to live in family housing. It was a marriage of convenience that never actually ended even though they have not seen each other in years. Suddenly, Liam shows up at Anna's front door with a proposition involving life-changing money in exchange for attending a family wedding with him and pretending they have a real marriage so that he can receive an inheritance. As one can image, this does not go smoothly.

There are a lot of unlikeable characters in this book, specifically Liam's wealthy family. Their extreme privilege and snobbery are difficult to stomach. In contrast, Anna is unconventional and artistic. The reader is supposed to love Anna, but I found it very hard to relate to her. In fact, I could not relate to any of the characters in the book. This is not usually a problem for me, but when I also do not really like any of them, it is hard to root for any of them.

That being said, I did end up invested in Anna and Liam's relationship. When they are not interacting with the horrible Weston family, they are honest and kind with each other. Their romance develops organically through their forced proximity. They have fun and laugh together, which I find very endearing.

So, overall I'd say my feelings on this one are middle of the road. I do not love the set up of the plot or most of the characters, but I do love Anna and Liam's romance. I would tentatively recommend this to the right reader.

I chose this book one day while browsing NetGalley because I was drawn to the cover, and the description of the story intrigued me. The book tells the story of Tatum Vega who in her 20s develops a relationship with a famous author, Mateo Domínguez, whose work she admires. When the book begins she is in her 30s when she is contacted by a reporter who wants to include her in an investigation against Domínguez, who has been accused of assault by another woman. The book mostly consists of Tatum writing a letter to Domínguez that details her experience in their relationship and how it has impacted her.

This debut novel has an interesting writing style. In much of the book, the author writes in an epistolary style that uses second person point of view, giving the story a very personal feeling. It seems that the author is intelligent and well-versed in art and literature. She sometimes shifts to Spanish or Japanese, immersing the reader a bit into the language of those cultures. My only wish is that she had more often provided translations for the things said in these languages.

The power balance in relationships is at the center of the narrative. Tatum is infatuated with an older, more established man. This relationship is unbalanced, and Tatum struggles to find her own identity and move forward with her life. The book also explores other important topics such as personal and cultural identity and sexual orientation.

While I enjoyed the writing style and found the characters to be well developed, there are some aspects that frustrated me. The pace of the book is sometimes too slow, and I found myself losing interest. I usually like a slow pace, but I found Tatum frustrating as a protagonist, so I did not relish living in her head for 300 pages. She has the advantage of an elite education, but wastes it for much of the story. I cannot connect with that kind of lack of ambition and drive. She is also a bit of a literary and art snob judging others for their lack of knowledge. The isolation she feels is often of her own making, so it is hard to feel sympathy for her.

Overall, I have to admit that this book is just okay in my estimation. It was good enough to continue to the end, but I am not likely to remember it months in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up The Death of Vivek Oji on a whim while shopping, hoping for a good literary fiction read. I definitely lucked out with this choice. The book is both beautiful and heartbreaking. It is incredibly emotional and leaves a lasting impact on the reader. It feels wrong to say I enjoyed it because the characters experience such turmoil and pain. Instead, I'll say I am glad I read it.

As the story begins, Kavita Oji discovers the body of her son Vivek on her doorstep. People in her life try to tell her that the death was an accident, but she needs answers to be able to move on. She believes Vivek's cousin Osita and friends are hiding secrets from her. Osita is the closest friend Vivek has, and their relationship is developed through flashbacks throughout the book.

One of the most heart wrenching lines in the book are Vivek's statement: “If nobody sees you, are you still there?” Vivek is different

In this highly entertaining installment of The Thursday Murder Club series, the club members are all back, and they have a new mystery to solve.

Elizabeth's ex-husband, who also happens to be a member of MI5, turns up looking for a place to hide because some very violent men are threatening his life in relation to some stolen diamonds. When dead bodies start turning up, Elizabeth and the rest of the Thursday Murder Club (Joyce, Ron, & Ibrahim) begin investigating and become entangled in the search for the diamonds, which puts their lives at risk.

This book was such a delight to read. I found it to be better than the first book in the series. I was laughing from the very first page to the end. I will forever adore the members of the Thursday Murder Club. They are a great example of a found family. They are there for each other, even if it might mean death. The witty banter between these elderly individuals is so entertaining that I often found myself laughing out loud.

The plot is fast-paced and the stakes are often high. However, you almost forget the danger because the conversations between the characters make it seem like every situation is just another fun outing for the gang and not a big deal. This contrast is what makes the story so enjoyable and light-hearted in spite of the content (murder, spies, theft, etc.). While a lot of the action is unbelievable, I am not bothered because it is all just so much fun.

I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a murder mystery, but also wants a light-hearted laugh and lovable characters. I will definitely be continuing the series.

This book is a bit of a miss for me. I decided to read it because of the movie adaptation soon to be released. I found it to be interesting and engaging at first, but that started to wane as it progressed. I ended up feeling mostly bored and disappointed by the end.

This age gap romance between a 39 year old gallery owner and a 20 year old pop star is just too far-fetched for me. Solene is depicted as this flawlessly beautiful woman with immaculate taste in clothes and art. Hayes is supposed to be gorgeous and sexy and oh so mature and soulful at the age of just 20. It's just unbelievable.

While I did enjoy the flirtation and sexual chemistry at the start of their affair, I soon tired of it. I did not care to read more scenes of them traveling the world and having sex. I also found it disappointing how Solene continued to disregard her daughter's feelings in favor of her own happiness for much of the book.

To me, the ending is the only part that made sense and felt realistic. However, I wish it weren't so abrupt.

Overall, I am glad I read it so I know what to expect from the movie, but I can't say I enjoyed all of it. I'm not sure I would recommend it.