Showing posts with label contemporary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contemporary. Show all posts

4 Sept 2023

Blog Tour: PRIDE & PREJUDICE & PITTSBURGH by Rachael Lippincott

04 September 3 Comments
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND PITTSBURGH by Rachel Lippincott Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.

Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND PITTSBURGH

Author: Rachael Lippincott
Series: N/A
Source: eARC via Publisher
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 29, 2023

Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Representation: lesbian main character, bisexual main character

Summary:
From the New York Times bestselling coauthor of Five Feet Apart and She Gets the Girl comes a fresh and inventive sapphic romantic comedy that’s What If It’s Us meets Bridgerton.

What if you found a once-in-a-lifetime love…just not in your lifetime?

Audrey Cameron has lost her spark. But after getting dumped by her first love and waitlisted at her dream art school all in one week, she has no intention of putting her heart on the line again to get it back. So when local curmudgeon Mr. Montgomery walks into her family’s Pittsburgh convenience store saying he can help her, Audrey doesn’t know what she’s expecting…but it’s definitely not that she’ll be transported back to 1812 to become a Regency romance heroine.

Lucy Sinclair isn’t expecting to find an oddly dressed girl claiming to be from two hundred years in the future on her family’s estate. But she has to admit it’s a welcome distraction from being courted by a man her father expects her to marry—who offers a future she couldn’t be less interested in. Not that anyone has cared about what or who she’s interested in since her mother died, taking Lucy’s spark with her.

While the two girls try to understand what’s happening and how to send Audrey home, their sparks make a comeback in a most unexpected way. Because as they both try over and over to fall for their suitors and the happily-ever-afters everyone expects of them, they find instead they don’t have to try at all to fall for each other.

But can a most unexpected love story survive even more impossible circumstances?
Purchase:
Amazon (affiliate)
Content Warnings: death of a parent, parental abuse, parental neglect, homophobia (ish), alcohol consumption, abusive relationships, toxic relationships

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

I will say that I did think a LOT about how I hoped everyone didn't get sick during their time travelling because of germs, but this was DELIGHTFUL.

This time travel book was really well done and I enjoyed seeing how the two characters came to understand one another and grow together. I appreciated Audrey's growth into understanding just how different things were but also how people didn't quite see her how she was in the past and present.

The romance was well developed, and while there was some "insta-love," it had time to come to fruition. I thought there was a good sense of what love meant and how to find it. I thought having three "suitors" was a bit much but it still made for an interesting read.

All the side characters had good depth, but not as much nuance as I would have liked. But this was definitely made up for by Lucy and Audrey! I really liked seeing them develop, learn about themselves, and each other. They brought out the best in one another and I really enjoyed it.

The references might eventually date this book, but it was so cute and I just squealed the whole time! Definitely a pick up if you like time travel and Jane Austen.

Rachael Lippincott is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of
Five Feet Apart. She holds a BA in English writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, she currently resides in Pittsburgh with her wife and their dog, Hank.


Connect with the Author
Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon

1 lucky winner will win a finished copy of PRIDE & PREJUDICE & PITTSBURGH, US Only.
Ends September 12 th , midnight EST.


Are you going to pick this one up?

21 Aug 2023

Review: TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin

21 August 2 Comments

TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW

Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Series: N/A
Source: Book of the Month
Publisher: Knopf
Publication Date: July 5, 2022

Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Representation: Korean-American characters, gay side characters, Jewish characters

Summary:
In this exhilarating novel, two friends--often in love, but never lovers--come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.
Purchase:
Amazon | Chapters
Content Warning: Teacher-student relationship, Suicide, Childhood cancer, Death of a parent, Workplace shooting, Car accident, Harry Potter reference (brief), Hospital settings, Chronic Pain, Health Neglect, Racism, Slurs, Homophobia, Amputation, Discussions around Appropriation, Abortion, Abuse, Dubious consent, Dissociating, Blood, Disordered Eating, Fatphobia, 911 mention, Captivity, Vomit, Gun Violence, Sexism, Sexual Assault

I thought this was a time travel book so my bad for going into this with a completely different headspace than what it actually ended up being. I love video games and the details that went into this around development, design, and marketing were really interesting. But then... the relationship aspect was not what I wanted.

In terms of the writing, I didn't enjoy the "flash forwards" and interview scripts. So much of the writing and narration of this book felt out of place because it jumped through storylines, through perspectives, and through time without much meaning behind it. There was also a lot of flowery writing when it could have easily been said in a much shorter and concise way. The interviews never actually made sense in the greater context either because when we got to that point in time, we never saw the interview happen or even the conversations of those interviews happen with the characters. Nothing to lead up to that or be a part of it in the storytelling, so it just felt weird to include it.

But my biggest gripe is around how the book handled all of the content warnings I listed.

The book tried to handle several topics around racism, homophobia, and the government in general, but it always felt like it missed. It seemingly was dealt with and downplayed in different ways. Sam could never quite understand why Sadie was upset about not being seen as the developer/programmer and the "well we'll fix legalizing same-sex marriage by having it in our video game" only to have that be the cause of the workplace shooting was.... an interesting way to frame it.

I also thought they rug swept the conversations around appropriation as a "well if we had made this in a different time maybe we wouldn't have done this." And the whole conversation about new generations being comfortable talking about their trauma and how their trauma is part of their creative outlet, which was made to seem like it was said sarcastically or with distaste, made me super uncomfortable. Why shouldn't people use their trauma to fuel them forward instead of being capsized by it?

And to cap it all off, any time any of these things were mentioned (like Sam being overly possessive, the homophobia and shooter scenario, Dov literally sexually assaulting Sadie, etc.) were brushed off by the narrative. Yeah, they "acknowledged" it but then everyone just moved forward as if it didn't happen. Sadie and Dov remained FRIENDS because of how much the narration jumped through hoops to not acknowledge the sexual assault and downplay the abuse - physical, emotional, and position of power - that Dov had over Sadie.

I feel like I read a completely different book from everyone else, if I'm being honest. There was nothing compelling in this story to me.

Have you read this book? Are you going to pick this up?

9 Aug 2023

Review: SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY by Kelly Quindlen

09 August 6 Comments

SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY

Author: Kelly Quindlen
Series: N/A
Source: Audible Plus
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: April 20, 2021

Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Representation: lesbian main characters, Indian-American main character, Black side character

Summary:
A familiar is a life-long companion. Choose wisely.

It's hard being the youngest in a family of witches known for their power. It's even harder when that magical power has all but passed you by.

Still, I was doing okay for myself. I like to think I was proving to the rest of my family that magic wasn't a requirement to living.

Then Aunt Opal was accused of murder. Wouldn't you know it would happen right when everyone else in the family but me was out of town.

Now it's up to me to prove her innocence, and a little magic could go a long way in helping me do that. My aunt's been after me to get a familiar for quite a while now. They are known for helping a witch channel her power and even strengthen it.

So, want to or not, allergies or not, I did it. I went to an animal shelter and found my familiar. A cute little black kitty. The allergy medicine companies were going to love me.

But for some reason, this little guy didn't make me sneeze. Kind of weird, actually. Not that I was complaining.

I just really wish I'd known more about him before I did the binding spell…
Purchase:
Amazon | Chapters
Content Warning: Alcohol use (underage), Bullying, Harry Potter references, Homophobia, Microaggression

A super cute and charming lesbian sport romance! I thought the characters were well crafted and great with their inner conflicts. It was a cute ending, believable conflict, and had everything you'd want in a teen romance novel.

I picked up the audiobook, flew through it and really freaking liked it. I went into it thinking it was a romcom but what I got was much deeper. Yes, there is a hate to love romance, but there's also the exploration of grief, specifically grieving a relation, ESPECIALLY when you know that relationship wasn't good for you, grieving not only the relationship but also the parts of yourself you lost in it. Becoming someone you don't like, lashing out, because you're hurting and you don't know how else to be.

Another thing that I appreciated is the depiction of falling for someone while still healing from someone else and I LOVED the way the situation was handled. It surprised me in more ways than one.

But beside all of that, the friendships were lovely, the romance very cute, and the book was a good balance of funny and emotional.

I highly recommend this!

Have you read this book? Are you going to pick this up?

26 Apr 2023

Review: CONCRETE ROSE by Angie Thomas

26 April 2 Comments

CONCRETE ROSE

Author: Angie Thomas
Series: The Hate U Give #0
Source: Indigo
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: January 12, 2021

Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Representation: Black main characters

Summary:
International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood.

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.

Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.

Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.

Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.

When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.
Purchase:
Amazon | Chapters
Content Warning:  Racism, Coming out themes, Bimisia, Child neglect & parental abandonment, Recreational drug use, Substance addiction mentioned, Postnatal depression discussed, Teen pregnancy (theme), Abortion discussed, Grief & loss depiction, Death of a cousin, Death of a sister to sickle cell mentioned, Incarceration, Murder & attempted murder, Gun violence, Gang violence, Police brutality & violence mentioned.

CONCRETE ROSE is a prequel to the acclaimed debut novel THE HATE U GIVE. The book follows the story of 17-year-old Maverick Carter, the father of Starr from THUG, and his struggles growing up in a tough neighborhood while balancing his responsibilities as a son, father, and gang member.

The book has received critical acclaim for its raw portrayal of black male experiences, tackling issues such as toxic masculinity, poverty, and systemic racism. Critics have praised Thomas's writing for its authenticity and honesty, and the book has been hailed as an essential read for young adults.

I haven't read The Hate U Give, but I have seen the movie. I had SOME idea what was happening at the end of this book, but it still is a gut punch. Mav is such a relatable character, and Thomas writes him in such a way that you connect to him immediately.

Concrete Rose is a story of what it means to grow in the face of adversity and struggle, but never letting that break you. I loved this story, Thomas's writing, and the realistic look into what it means to be Black in America.

Thomas writes a realistic and authentic voice in Maverick and I loved seeing his journey from the beginning to the end. I thought it was a great story of mentorship and learning to take responsibility for your actions. Mr. Wyatt was definitely a scene stealer whenever he was around!

Overall, CONCRETE ROSE is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that sheds light on important issues affecting marginalized communities. If you're looking for a well-written, impactful read, this book comes highly recommended.

Have you read this book? Are you going to pick this up?

20 Apr 2023

We Can(ada) Read: THE SUMMER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jen Ferguson

20 April 7 Comments
We Can(ada) Read is by Canadians for EVERYONE to learn more about some amazing Canadian authors!

THE SUMMER OF BITTER AND SWEET

Author: Jen Ferguson
Series: N/A
Source: ARC from Publisher
Publisher: HarperCollins US
Publication Date: August 3, 2022

Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:
Representation: Asexual, Bipolar, Cis Girl, Demisexual, Native/Indigenous

Summary:
In this complex and emotionally resonant novel, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person—and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth.

Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She’ll be working in her family’s ice cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend—whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort—and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word.

But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists.

While King’s friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.
Purchase:
Amazon | Chapters | TBD
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

Content Warningdirectly from the author: There are discussions about and references to a violent sexual assault; instances of intimate partner abuse; instances of racism and physical assault toward Indigenous and Black teens; discussions of drug use; under-aged alcohol use. Additional from my reading: acephobia, blood, bullying, gaslighting, medical content, mental illness, abortion, emotional abuse, and sexual violence..

I always try to read Canadian (hence, We Can(ada) Read) but this was a great look at the other side of Canadian culture that isn't always talked about. I appreciated the prairie setting and getting to explore that during the course of this book.

However, as someone bipolar and bisexual, I wasn't a huge fan of the representation of Florence being the bisexual slut during her manic period. I know that is the case for some people and that it is something to watch for, but it just felt like it was overdone and could cause more stigma and stereotypes than there already are.

On the positive side though, which seems really weird to say, I think a lot of people look at Canada and think that we're just so nice here, but there is a lot of racism, prejudice, and systemic barriers, especially for Indigenous people. I think this was a good exploration of what it means to be Indigenous in Canada, how that affects your mental health, and why people keep secrets.

Some of the writing didn't always mesh with me, especially with the amount of insinuating about the previous fallout. I thought there was a lot of lying in this that didn't quite make sense and I would have liked there to be a bit more nuance to the storytelling around the 2SMMIWG secondary plot.

I do recommend this but I think it could have used a bit more refining.

Are you going to pick this up?

27 Mar 2023

Review: YOU'VE REACHED SAM by Dustin Thao

27 March 0 Comments

YOU'VE REACHED SAM

Author: Dustin Thao
Series: N/A
Source: Audio from Audible
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: November 9, 2021

Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Representation: Vietnamese American main character and love interest 

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.

Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail.

And Sam picks up the phone.

In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.
Purchase:
Amazon | Chapters | TBD
Content Warning: Racism; Grief & loss depiction (theme); Death of a boyfriend; Car accident

A really great novel that I thought dealt with death and grief in a realistic way. But because of the comparisons and hype, I just couldn't quite get there for the emotional aspects. I really liked the story and thought that if this had just been about learning to let go, this would have been a hundred times better.

But the "supernatural" portion of it, combined with not really getting to know Sam and only seeing him through the phone and some flashbacks, made me not enjoy it nearly as much as I would have liked. Sam didn't seem like a great person in the ways we got to see him and it just made me feel like Julie shouldn't have called him as much, tbh.

On top of that, I saw it compared to Your Name and it was NOT as emotional as that AT ALL. I thought that it was actually a bit emotionally stunted because of the way grief was depicted and a bit of a supernatural cop-out in my opinion.

I do recommend it, though!

Have you read this series? Are you going to pick this up?

28 Dec 2022

Review: PARTNERS IN CRIME by Alisha Rai

28 December 0 Comments

PARTNERS IN CRIME

Author: Alisha Rai
Series: N/A
Source: Audio from Kobo
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: October 18, 2022

Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Representation: Indian main character, Indian love interest

Summary:
Indian Matchmaking meets Date Night in this fun, romantic adventure in which a match-made couple about to be engaged gets caught up in a caper that puts their future—and lives—in danger.

At thirty-five, with a stable job as an accountant, Mira Chaudhary wants nothing more than to find a boring man to spend the rest of her life with. Having had enough excitement in her younger days and desperately trying to escape her dysfunctional past, she turns to a matching app specializing in Indian American singles to help her find someone to settle down with.

Enter Naveen Desai. An English professor with an uneventful, normal, and—dare she say it, boring—life, Naveen is perfect.

But just when things are going well, Mira receives news that her aunt has died. Suddenly a trip to Las Vegas to settle her aunt’s affairs turns into a mad dash to escape kidnappers, evade art thieves, and consorting with hackers who can decipher just what it was Mira’s aunt was involved with. Mira just hopes that Naveen isn’t chased away by the very same life of “excitement” that she’s been trying to get away from. But maybe, over the course of one wild night, Mira and Naveen will find the love connection that neither expected.
Purchase:
Amazon | Chapters | TBD
Content Warning: toxic parents, Parkinson's disease, kidnapping, gun shot, past alcoholism, rehab, fatphobia, explicit sex scenes, lack of sleep

This was such a good book and such a fun one to read! I loved all the twists and turns that happened and seeing the little clues to lead you to where the ending was. I thought it was a really well done romance and thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I was entertained by this one way more than I anticipated! I thought Mira and Naveen were great as main characters, as well as ex-lovers, and that added so much to the mix. I am glad we had both POVs since there were definitely great moments for each of them to think about the other and the situation at hand.

If you are looking for a action-packed romance, this is the book for you!

Have you read this book? Are you going to pick this up?