STRANGERS by Belle Burden
4/5 Stars
Strangers was all over my social feeds and I totally jumped at the chance to read it. It’s a beautifully written memoir about a husband and father just walking out on his family at the beginning of the pandemic. It started as a short story in the Modern Love column for the NY Times and I can see why it resonated with so many people. I saw some rumors swirling that there was a bidding war for the film rights, too.
THE FORCE OF SUCH BEAUTY by Barbara Bourland
4/5 Stars
Another book all over my social feeds! I didn’t love it as much as other people did, but it was still a fascinating story! It’s a bit of a modern (maybe even toeing into modern gothic? Is that a thing?) fairytale. The main character known for her athletic abilities finds herself in a rehabilitation unit after a fall that ends her running career. There she is transformed into the ideal woman through plastic surgery and she even meets her prince. She becomes a princess and believes all of her dreams are coming true, but of course, there is a dark side to the royalty and everything comes with a price.
WINTER GARDEN by Kristin Hannah
4/5 Stars
I love Kristin Hannah books. They’re always beautifully devastating and depict issues that women have faced throughout history. I went through a phase where I was reading WWII books nearly back to back and then had to take a bit of a break because they can be so hard to read. This may be one of my favorites. It is a difficult story about a mother’s sacrifices told through dual timelines. The present with her daughters and the past, told as a fairytale. My heart broke multiple times while reading this and the story will stay with me forever.
THE UNSELECTED JOURNALS OF EMMA M. LION: Vol. 2 by Beth Brower
4/5 Stars
I’m really enjoying the Emma M. Lion series. They’re incredibly quick reads– much more in line with novellas. I’ve heard they just keep getting better as you go through the series because of the character development. I think the word that keeps coming to mind when I think of the series is “delightful.” A cozy series you can enjoy with a pot of tea and some scones.
THE TEN YEAR AFFAIR by Erin Somers
3.5/5 Stars
While this wasn’t my favorite book from a plot perspective, I do think it makes for an interesting discussion. I had a friend who’s single ask me if this is what it’s like being married and, like, some parts? 100%. Other parts? Not in my experience! I found all of the characters completely unlikeable, which has become a book pet peeve of mine. (Am I alone in this?!) Told over the course of (you guessed it) ten years, a woman daydreams about having an affair with another parent from her child’s playgroup… She and her husband end up becoming friends with him and his wife. Reality and fantasy intertwine and sometimes it’s hard to tell which timeline is the real one. Was it interesting? Honestly, yes! Some majorly unlikeable characters making some very questionable decisions.
GREENWICH by Kate Broad
3/5 Stars
Greenwich is the story of a 17 year old girl who is sent to her aunt’s house to help the aunt recover and also to kind of get out her parent’s hair while they care for her sister. She bonds with her niece and her niece’s nanny, but there’s allusions to a tragedy. The story unfolds in multiple parts: the before, the during (including a trial), and the long term fall out. I was a little bored throughout the book– just okay to me. Actually the whole time I was reading it I thought it would have been better as a drama series on the CW…
#READ #FEBRUARY #Carly #trending #[now:year]
