March Reading Wrap-Up

 Jay's Reads (16):

What I Rated Them:

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them ☕☕☕☕.25

The Husband Maker ☕☕☕.5

Never Have I Ever ☕☕☕☕☕

A Court of Thorns and Roses ☕☕☕☕☕

A Court of Mist and Fury ☕☕☕☕

Olive ☕☕☕.5

The Longest Ride ☕☕☕.75

Always You ☕☕☕.75

One to Watch ☕☕☕.5

A Court of Wings and Ruin ☕☕☕☕☕

A Court of Frost and Starlight ☕☕☕.75

1984 ☕☕☕

Big Summer ☕☕☕☕.25

How to Be an Anti-Racist ☕☕☕.75

Troubles in Paradise ☕☕☕☕.25

Leave the World Behind ☕☕☕☕.25

Favorite Read: 

Never Have I Ever and the Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Least Favorite Read:
1984.

DNF?:
None this month! 

Rolling over to next month: 

All Girls

Forget Me Not

Bad Luck Club

The Vanishing Half

Anxious People
Hamnet

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Meg's Reads (5):

What I Rated Them: 
Courage to Soar ☕☕☕
Barely Functional Adult ☕☕☕
Meet You in the Middle ☕☕☕☕☕
Lawyer for the Dog ☕☕☕☕

The Kindest Lie ☕☕☕☕

Favorite Read: Meet You in the Middle

Least Favorite Read: Barely Functional Adult

DNF: Nada. 

Carrying Over to Next Month:
Atheists Who Kneel and Pray 

Well Played

Greenlights

Liberal Privilege

Troubles in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

Huge thank you to the author and to @netgalley for reaching out with a free audio-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Travel to the bright Caribbean one last time in the satisfying conclusion to the nationally bestselling Winter in Paradise trilogy by Elin Hilderbrand.

After uprooting her life in the States, Irene Steele has just settled in at the villa on St. John where her husband Russ had been living a double life. But a visit from the FBI shakes her foundations, and Irene once again learns just how little she knew about the man she loved.

With help from their friends, Irene and her sons set up their lives while evidence mounts that the helicopter crash that killed Russ may not have been an accident. Meanwhile, the island watches this drama unfold -- including the driver of a Jeep with tinted windows who seems to be shadowing the Steele family.

As a storm gathers strength in the Atlantic, surprises are in store for the Steeles: help from a mysterious source, and a new beginning in the paradise that has become their home. At last all will be revealed about the secrets and lies that brought Irene and her sons to St. John -- and the truth that transformed them all.

Genre? Contemporary Fiction

Backlist? Yes. I was super late to getting to this one. Published October 6, 2020

New to me Author? No. 

What did I think? 

Troubles in Paradise is the third (and final) book in the Paradise series by author Elin Hilderbrand. I've really enjoyed reading and learning about Irene, Huck, Maia, Rosie, Russ, Cash, Baker, and the gang. I remember finishing What Happens in Paradise and immediately wanted to dig into this one next. That's why I was a little disappointed when I finally got to read this book. Elin Hilderbrand writes so beautifully, but this ending seemed very rushed and forced to me. I think Hilderbrand could have easily made this into a 4, or even 5, part series instead of just a trilogy. There was so much more that I expected out of each of the characters and I felt like all of the previous character development just kind of went out the window at the end here. I still very much enjoyed this novel, but compared to the previous novels of the series, this was my least favorite of the three.

Olive by Emma Gannon

Happy #PubDay to Olive by @emmagannonuk! 🎉

Huge thank you to the author and to @netgalley for reaching out with a free audio-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

The debut novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author, Emma Gannon.

Independent.
Adrift.
Anxious.
Loyal.
Kind.
Knows her own mind.

OLIVE is many things, and it’s ok that she’s still figuring it all out, navigating her world without a compass. But life comes with expectations, there are choices to be made, boxes to tick and – sometimes – stereotypes to fulfil. And when her best friends’ lives start to branch away towards marriage and motherhood, leaving the path they’ve always followed together, Olive starts to question her choices – because life according to Olive looks a little bit different.

Moving, memorable and a mirror for every woman at a crossroads, OLIVE has a little bit of all of us. Told with great warmth and nostalgia, this is a modern tale about the obstacle course of adulthood, milestone decisions and the ‘taboo’ about choosing not to have children. 

Genre? Contemporary Fiction

Backlist? No. Today is publication day! March 9, 2021

New to me Author? No. 

What did I think? 

If you've been keeping up with me for a while, you may remember I read Gannon's non-fiction "Sabotage" back in November and felt kind of meh about it. Not good. But not really bad either. So I'll fully admit that I was a little hesitant to try Olive, but as a debut fiction read, I thought I should try it out. And I'm glad I did.

The story revolves around Olive, who is of prime baby-raising age but who does not want kids. To some, thats a controversial choice and for a lot of people with children it can seem strange. Olive has been strong in her conviction, even letting her last relationship end due to the topic. However, her friends are the same age so of course babies everywhere!

This book had at least a little bit of everything, when it comes to babies/motherhood: Child Free, pregnancy/newborn, older children, married parents, single parents, surrogacy, IVF, etc. While it was fully relatable because of the different viewpoints, I would possibly warn those who may be struggling with infertility.

Overall, I'm glad I gave this author another chance. Olive was light, easy to read, and about an important topic of adulthood.

3.5/5

February Reading Wrap-Up

 Jay's Reads (13):

What I Rated Them:

Juliet Takes a Breath ☕☕☕☕.75

The Bad Muslim Discount ☕☕☕☕.5

Only You ☕☕☕☕.75

The Wife Upstairs ☕☕☕☕.25

It All Falls Down ☕☕☕☕.75

The Future is Yours ☕☕☕☕

The Happily Ever After Playlist ☕☕☕☕.75

Frankly in Love ☕☕☕☕.75

The Girl in the Mirror ☕☕☕☕☕

Until You ☕☕☕☕.5

All Your Perfects ☕☕☕☕.75

Evvie Drake Starts Over ☕☕☕.5

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill ☕☕☕

Favorite Read: 

The Girl in the Mirror

Least Favorite Read:
They were all good this month! But if you're going to make me pick, The Future is Yours.

DNF?:
None this month! 

Rolling over to next month: 

A Court of Thorns and Roses (I'll finish March 1st)

All Girls

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them

Never Have I Ever

The Husband Maker

Forget Me Not

Meg's Reads (4):

What I Rated Them: 
It All Falls Down ☕☕☕☕☕

Strong Enough ☕☕☕☕

I'll Be Gone in the Dark ☕☕☕☕

One to Watch ☕☕☕☕☕

Favorite Read: It All Falls Down

Least Favorite Read: None. 

DNF: Nada. 

Carrying Over to Next Month:
Atheists Who Kneel and Pray 

Well Played

January Reading Wrap - Up

So, the down and dirty of this is that I went to post our February wrap up and found out we never posted January. So, here it is in all of it's lovely, unfinished glory.

Sorry this is a little late this month. We've been trying out so many new features and focusing on our reading. Here's a look at the books we loved, didn't love, read, rated, or DNF'd in January!

Jay's Reads (10):

What I Rated Them:
The Wrong Family ☕☕☕☕☕

A is for Alibi ☕☕☕.25

Getting Lucky ☕☕☕☕.5

The Story of Beautiful Girl ☕☕☕.75

One Paris Summer ☕☕☕☕.75

Color Me In ☕☕☕☕☕

The Girl Who Lived Twice ☕☕

The Survivors ☕☕.75

Well Played ☕☕☕☕.5

The Secrets of My Life ☕☕☕☕.25

Favorite Read: 

The Wrong Family

Least Favorite Read:
The Girl Who Lived Twice

DNF?:
None this month! 

Rolling over to next month: 

The Bad Muslim Discount

Juliet Takes a Breath

Meg's Reads (9):

What I Rated Them: 
Four Letter Word ☕☕☕.25

Frontier Follies ☕☕☕☕
Ryan White: My Own Story ☕☕☕☕☕

The Quiet Hero: A Life of Ryan White ☕☕☕

Layla ☕☕☕☕

Weeding Out the Tears ☕☕☕ .75
Fire ☕☕☕☕☕

How to Walk Away ☕☕☕☕☕

Well Met ☕☕☕☕.75

Favorite Read: How to Walk Away and Fire

Least Favorite Read: A Quiet Hero 

DNF: Nada. 

Carrying Over to Next Month:
Nothing, I actually finished all of my current reads! 

Fire

This week's Five Star read was read by Meg! 

Fire by Molly McAdams

Synopsis from Goodreads:

I’m the oldest of all the Dixon boys.

Yeah, that family.
And, yeah, that Dixon. The one with a notorious temper and devastating fists.
My family tried everything short of giving up on me, but there’s only one person who can calm me.

Savannah Riley Dixon.

Girl next door. My best friend.
Sweeter than honey and stronger than whiskey. And the answer to my enraged soul.

From the moment she came skipping onto our ranch when we were kids, I knew she was my future—my everything.
One touch, the fire in me cools.
One kiss, that rage melts away.
But the girl who’s stood by my side through brawls, cop cars, and kids of our own warned me years ago: One more fight, and she’s gone.

For her, I’d do anything.
I’d lower my fists. I’d rein it all in. I’d stop the damn world.
But when someone threatens our marriage, all I see is red.

Genre? Romance

Backlist? No. 

New to me Author? Nope.

Why I rated it 5 stars? 

Molly McAdams writes it, I read it, scratch that, devour it. This was probably my favorite book of the series and has dethroned Forgiving Lies as my favorite Molly book. I loved the characters of Beau and Savannah. Would definitely recommend reading the entire Brewed series!

Color Me In by Natasha Dia

  This week's Five Star read was read by Jay! 

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Debut YA author Natasha Díaz pulls from her personal experience to inform this powerful coming-of-age novel about the meaning of friendship, the joyful beginnings of romance, and the racism and religious intolerance that can both strain a family to the breaking point and strengthen its bonds.

Who is Nevaeh Levitz?

Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, sixteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz never thought much about her biracial roots. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she relocates to her mom's family home in Harlem and is forced to confront her identity for the first time.

Nevaeh wants to get to know her extended family, but one of her cousins can't stand that Nevaeh, who inadvertently passes as white, is too privileged, pampered, and selfish to relate to the injustices they face on a daily basis as African Americans. In the midst of attempting to blend their families, Nevaeh's dad decides that she should have a belated bat mitzvah instead of a sweet sixteen, which guarantees social humiliation at her posh private school. Even with the push and pull of her two cultures, Nevaeh does what she's always done when life gets complicated: she stays silent.

It's only when Nevaeh stumbles upon a secret from her mom's past, finds herself falling in love, and sees firsthand the prejudice her family faces that she begins to realize she has a voice. And she has choices. Will she continue to let circumstances dictate her path? Or will she find power in herself and decide once and for all who and where she is meant to be?

Genre? Young Adult, Contemporary, #OwnVoices

Backlist? Yes. Published August 20, 2019.

New to me Author? Yes. This was her debut novel.

Why I rated it 5 stars? 

This book was so much more than your average coming of age story. Nevaeh is growing up in a world where she passes for white, despite the fact she is also half Black. Oh, and she's Jewish also. This book tackles so many relevant issues and does so beautifully. It's an #OwnVoices novel based on the author's experience growing up mixed and Jewish. She has an author's note in the back that really sums up her own experiences. This was a Book of the Month book, but honestly I had only heard about it from a friend. I don't know why this isn't more hyped. This was unquestionably 5 stars!