Bri

Cute Teenage “Rom Com”

Reviewed: 06-28-23

This novel was recommended on TikTok a lot and I think it was a very cute teenage “rom com” for sure. The music references and movie references were very familiar and overall very entertaining. Now for the downside. So this book has a lot of potential and maybe because I am an adult in a marriage and not a teenager I am not the main demographic, but it was a bit immature for me. The character although going through intense grief seems a bit spoiled and can be a bit oblivious throughout most of the book. She lies to her best friend and although I dislike it I don’t necessarily care. The friend seems very judgemental and the least supportive person in this whole novel. Is it wrong or am I at the age in my life where I related more to the main character’s stepmother than to her? There were some super swoon worthy moments, but advertised as a “movie worthy” read it sure didn’t come close to those awesome 90s ones. It was good, but could have been so much better.

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Soft Spoken and Whimsical

Reviewed: 12-30-22

With the dilemma of My Best Friends Wedding, the heart of Me Before You and the whimsy of Love Rosie; Dear Emmie Blue is an astonishingly beautiful story of love. This love story is less about surface feelings and more about love that we find around us in the midst of hard things. Emmie is a lovely and quiet character recently reaching the pivotal age of thirty. As she faces this big momentous birthday she feels adrift and lost in not only who she is and what she wants out of life, but also in who she loves. Thinking she is in love with her best friend Lucas, she is heartbroken to learn that he is marrying not only an old ex, but someone who is kind, gentle and hard to betray. Yet as the story continues she does truly learn what love means. She learns about what makes a real family and that blood doesn’t necessarily mean acceptance. She learns that you can make a family amongst all the people you bring into your life. That the people that are there are the ones that will love you despite your flaws and mistakes. She learns that love, family, and happiness is found in the people who you can depend on. Even if you don’t know it or can’t see what is happening right in front of you. A soft spoken story that is light and filled with so much emotion. Very enjoyable read.

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“When You Are Young They Assume You Know Nothing”

Reviewed: 12-19-22

What a compelling and captivating read “All Eyes On Her” was. A story about girls, boys, jealousy, and so much more I think it was such a brilliant idea. The story is told in a way that makes you feel you are a part of the jury listening to testimonies of what may or may not have happened in a high profile murder case. You have well liked and respected dead boyfriend and his girlfriend who is being held by police for his murder, however did she do it? This was a very intense and intelligent conversation in sexism and slut shaming. It dives deeply into toxic masculinity and abusive relationships. What you would do for the people you love and what you would do “to them.” Everyone feels like they “know” the main characters, yet everyone is also keeping really dark secrets. A bit like Cruel Summer and Gone Girl this was very enjoyable. I felt so conflicted the whole time reading. As a woman who once was a teenage girl I understand how unbelievably difficult navigating the world that underestimates you and blames you for everything despite the actions of others. Super good!

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1 person found this helpful

To Be Able to Love That Deeply Twice.

Reviewed: 12-15-22

Can you ever fall so irrevocably in love with more than one person? The answer is yes and Taylor Jenkins Reid proves it. This book is a beautifully heartbreaking story of love, loss, grief, and trying to discover who you truly are. Each of the main characters are likable and abundantly written that it makes it impossible to figure out what the ultimate choice could be. Emma is bold and clever. She is a very good protagonist who drives the emotional settings of the book so fantastically. When we are in our teens and twenties finding that first love and being able to keep it extremely rare, but she was able to do it throughout high school, college and early adulthood. Which proves how deeply one can fall into love that first time. However after tragedy hits, she is able to pick up the pieces with another more under the surface love. The boy who was always there… the boy that she probably would have ended up with if not for a few choice moments. In the midst of her tragedy Emma truly evaluates and evolves but as she finds herself growing into her thirties her priorities change and she wants to cherish the people she has left. Yet when her first love comes back to her, she must decide which person she wants to be. This is what makes this book so compelling and a very important read. I am so happy I found it.

I see it is about to be adapted into a film and look forward to seeing this story come to life.

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1 person found this helpful

A Breath of Air

Reviewed: 12-01-22

Much like her brilliant Ted Talk Lili Reinhart certainly does not shy away from the brutal and beautifully honest. In Swimming Lessons we are familiarized by the feelings of grief, sadness, loss. However most importantly we are brought along to how it feels like to have depression in the midst of a passionate and all consuming relationship. To feel anxiety and frustration thatfeels stronger. Lili’s poetry is about taking control of your life and pulling yourself away from toxicity. If you are looking for a quick read, to branch out towards something you don’t normally read or even just a brief pause to reflect upon life this is super easy read. Very good.

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1 person found this helpful

Such an Emotional Time

Reviewed: 11-30-22

This book is beyond anything I could have expected. An emotionally charged story that centers around race, relationships, privilege, privacy and motherhood it was one that I will not soon forget. Every character is complex and weighted in the way the author writes and I feel each person that reads “Such a Fun Age” will come away with a few different lessons. In my personal experience reading this novel it was important to get even the smallest glimpse of how people of color have to tiptoe around their everyday interactions as well as the relationships they have.
For me it was a very important commentary to help me understand more completely how race and relationships intertwine into the different scenarios Emira finds herself in. How each of the relationships she has whether it be with her boss Alix, her new boyfriend Kelly, her friends or especially Alix’s three year old Briar effects her life and creates a better picture of how we see people throughout our lives. Alix and Kelly are very interesting examples of “white saviors” that believe that by simply being friends or in romantic relationships with people of color that absolves them that they are “not racist” that it is as helpful as being “anti racist” which is not the case. In the beginning you want to sympathize with Alix and believe that she has changed since she was in high school. The events that happen in High School are understandable, because everyone deserves privacy and sometimes teenage boys don’t really think clearly. However she becomes the perfect example of “white women tears” when things don’t go well with Emira during the ending. Ultimately disrespecting Emira’s privacy in and ironic twist that makes you really look into the mirror. The same goes for Kelly. He might have grown up, but doesn’t understand how harmful his actions and words are “cultural appropriating” and while he can appreciate the culture, he doesn’t understand the lines he is crossing being a cis white male. The other lesson that was a bit more personal was the relationships between the two women and the children; more importantly Briar. As a mother of two I found myself shamefully disappointed in myself for possibly being more focused on my second child at times. Alix’s relationship with her eldest daughter really broke my heart, because I both understand the pull for two little peoples attention, and also the absentmindedly brushing off your oldest child’s needs and feelings. It made me look at my own children and vow to do better with them. All in all this was a very fantastic book and I greatly recommend it. Especially reading it repeatedly at different stages of your life.

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2 people found this helpful

FairyTale and Wine Making

Reviewed: 11-21-22

If you are a young adult who enjoys wine than I think you we like it. The whole novel really shows it’s love of wine and wine making. This book was a bit “rushed” and felt a little chaotic at times. However it has a very unique and fairy tale aspect that was enjoyable. The villain is fairly easy to uncover, but there is a twist I didn’t see which was appreciated. I see there are two other follow up books and maybe this was just an origin “set up” story. It was “good”.

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A Great Millennial Autobiography

Reviewed: 11-09-22

Tom Felton’s book was one of the most interesting and funny autobiographical works I’ve read in awhile. As someone who is around the age of the author it was definitely a love letter to millennials and the nostalgia they feel for the world of Harry Potter. It was wonderful to hear about “Draco Malfoy’s” side of the story and in return how growing up in this chaotic world effected the “villain”. Tom is such a complex and fantastic person who has learned so much as he surivived the world of being in a major production and then leaving it at a young age. It was interesting to learn about the other movies/television shows he has been in before and after HP. Tom’s book reminds us that you can have a normal childhood being part of a major production and still struggle later in life. The way he advocates for mental health and getting help with alcoholism when you need it is beautiful and raw. With the loss of another “teen idol” recently this is super cool to read about the support he had and how he dug himself out of his hole. How he wasn’t a bad person and neither was Draco. That we all just “grow up” differently. Such a good read!!

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Loss and Grief

Reviewed: 11-02-22

I can’t say this is is one of the better memoirs I’ve read, but it definitely was the most relevant. It is a story of immense sadness and grief amongst the most uncertain of times we are experiencing. The experiences that Strong describes might not be the exact same as others, however it is a universal thing when it comes to grieving during the pandemic. Loss was such an abundant thing in 2020 and most of us lost loved ones, a sense of peace, or even ourselves during this tragic time. We all knew what it felt like to miss something or someone. I was a bit thrown off by the random almost tangent like nature these essays were written in. Yet when looking back I understand the chaos as the pandemic was also an unknowing chaotic thing itself. Never knowing what is coming next and grieving what you feel you are losing is a very strong feeling that the author encapsulates very well. It was confusing at times, but a quick read. A reminder that everyone processes differently. It was a hell of a year and going through it with the author makes you feel like you were not the only one.

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The FINAL Gambit

Reviewed: 10-24-22

What a brilliant and addictive ending to this series. Salacious and intriguing this “finale” to the mystery was one of the best yet. Learning more about each piece of the puzzle we as an audience are taught so much more about family, greed, wealth and power. It really speaks to the authors care for her characters when she writes them so multifaceted. It is a true statement about how the bridges we burn and the expectations we have in life are only that. This story really solidified the idea that the only thing that is certain in this world in the end; is death. I love Avery’s character so much and her fire is something that I love that author hasn’t diminished or gotten lazy with throughout the series. Her relationship with each of the Hawthorne brothers continues to be complex and endearing. Even her relationship to the new “pawn on the board” is very realistic and well written. Who do you trust? Can you even trust yourself? The ending was beautiful and I loved it. It is every bit creative and hopeful as it can be. I hope if you are considering reading you don’t hesitate long because I very much look forward to The Brothers Hawthorne. I am waiting for this to become of phenomenon of a movie series as well.

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