Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
Goodreads Blurb: Three estranged siblings return to their family home in New York after their beloved sister’s death in this unforgettable story of grief, identity, and the complexities of family. The three Blue sisters are exceptional—and exceptionally different. Avery, the eldest and a recovering heroin addict turned strait-laced lawyer, lives with her wife in London; Bonnie, a former boxer, works as a bouncer in Los Angeles following a devastating defeat; and Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while trying to outrun her hard-partying ways. They also had a fourth sister, Nicky, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky reeling. A year later, as they each navigate grief, addiction, and ambition, they find they must return to New York to stop the sale of the apartment they were raised in. But coming home is never as easy as it seems. As the sisters reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together, they realize the greatest secrets they’ve been keeping might not have been from each other, but from themselves.
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
My take: 3.75 out of 5. This is an objectively very well written book. The characters are great and I am a sucker for a 4 sisters relationship (i have a lifelong obsession with Little Woman). However I think this books needs multiple trigger warnings. I don’t think I needed a trigger warning and even for me it was little bit too much addiction. It is a lot to read through. Even though their working through it is a beautiful story, but all of them in this crazy spiraling train was hard to stomach at some points. Like I needed one anchor somewhere and not all of them throwing their life away. I did absolutely love how the ending played out, the 8 years into the future epilogue was very needed and very soothing.
Colored Television by Danzy Senna
Goodreads Blurb: A dark comedy about second acts, creative appropriation, and the racial identity–industrial complex. Jane has high hopes her life is about to turn around. After years of living precariously, she; her painter husband, Lenny; and their two kids have landed a stint as house sitters in a friend’s luxurious home in the hills above Los Angeles, a gig that coincides magically with Jane’s sabbatical. If she can just finish her latest novel, Nusu Nusu, the centuries-spanning epic Lenny refers to as her “mulatto War and Peace,” she’ll have tenure and some semblance of stability and success within her grasp. But things don’t work out quite as hoped. In search of a plan B, like countless writers before her, Jane turns her desperate gaze to Hollywood. After she meets with a hot young producer to create “diverse content” for a streaming network, he seems excited to work with a “real writer.” She can create what he envisions as the greatest biracial comedy to ever hit the small screen. Things finally seem to be going right for Jane—until they go terribly wrong.
My take: 2.5 out of 5. I actually found the main character insufferable. As someone who is criticizing racism throughout the book, she is the one that is the most racist. The whole conversation about marrying white women not benefiting them was a lot. Also 9 years and a 150K word books sounds daunting, I didn’t want to read it. I did do some learning, I had to google what orchid and dandelion children where. also the whole concept that your life was set based on a one night conversation with a psychic – really? and I’m all about psychics and tarots but really? everything just started wrong. And the whole story at the end where she thought her friend was being racist? Her saying Brett was who did wrong because abuse it’s the rich person doing a favor. Oh this is so not the case. She was abusive, she was a crap friend, a liar and completely freeloader and I could just not finish this book fast enough. Additionally her husband was an entitled idiot, who did nothing but complained all the time (small spoiler alert: im glad the only success he had was when he listened to his wife). Also the line that having kids is a suicide pact? there was just a lot wrong here and i just couldn’t with most of the characters.
While we Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory
Goodreads Blurb: Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama he’s trying to ignore and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star Anna Gardiner, however, it’s hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she’s also down to earth and considerate, and he can’t help flirting a little… Anna Gardiner is on a mission: to make herself a household name, and this ad campaign will be a great distraction while she waits to hear if she’s booked her next movie. However, she didn’t expect Ben Stephens to be her biggest distraction. She knows mixing business with pleasure never works out, but why not indulge in a harmless flirtation? But their lighthearted banter takes a turn for the serious when Ben helps Anna in a family emergency, and they reveal truths about themselves to each other, truths they’ve barely shared with those closest to them. When the opportunity comes to turn their real-life fling into something more for the Hollywood spotlight, will Ben be content to play the background role in Anna’s life and leave when the cameras stop rolling? Or could he be the leading man she needs to craft their own Hollywood ending?
My take: 3.75 out of 5. I do not know why I had missed reading this Jasmine Guillory, it is super cute. A light and delightful read, kind of fake romance trope kind of friends to lovers but really just sweet and engaging. The characters are actually quite developed and their emotional development during the books is great. Also the fact that its set during a movie and high end commercial makes for great Hollywood background.
The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry
Goodreads Blurb: Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both. In 1927, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just twelve years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. As the headlines focus on the missing author, Clara yearns for something far deeper and more her beautiful mother. By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s vanishing, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is there that Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind. Told in Patti Callahan Henry’s lyrical, enchanting prose, The Story She Left Behind is a captivating novel of mystery and family legacy that captures the profound longing for a mother and the evergreen allure of secrets.
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher. Book comes out March 15
My take: 4.5 out of 5. I discovered Patti Callahan Henry very recently and I am so glad I did. Once Upon a Wardrobe was adorable and the Secret Book of Flora Lea was such a good family saga mystery. This book is excellent as well very much in the vein of Flora Lea, with a family mystery to be solved, a disappearance to make sense of. I love how well she writes children and also child longing in adults. The alternate worlds she creates with her writing are gorgeous and are as intricate and wonderful as her actual story. A wonderful blend of narrative to involve the fantasy with reality to a way were they mesh with each other and the inform each other. I loved the slow burn relationship in this book and you are going to be a fan of how this ends. Highly recommended.
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey
Goodreads blurb: #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy sports romance series with a rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan… Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life. Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash… As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?
my take: 3.5 out of 5. This was a super cute sport romance and for a Tessa Bailey it was actually less steamy than I was expecting. Oh its steamy just not over the top like some of her books. This was a good balance of some really nice substance outside of the bedroom as well. I love that it was golf based, not a lot of sport things focus on golfers, and also that the fan was super competent and not just a crazy fan or WAG wannabe. a perfect palate cleanser in between heavy books (That is what it was for me) but also a great option for sport season!
Tati's Tidbits 