The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner- March 2nd, 2021 "A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course" I heard this one back in December on the Books and The City podcast and immediately added it to my March TBR. The concept is one I haven't heard before and I have high hopes for this story! The Castle School (For Troubled Girls) by Alyssa Sheinmel- March 2nd 2021 " When Moira Dreyfuss's parents announce that they're sending her to an all-girls boarding school deep in the Maine woods, Moira isn't fooled. She knows her parents are punishing her; she's been too much trouble since her best friend, Nathan, died―and for a while before that. At the Castle School, isolated from the rest of the world, Moira will be expected to pour her heart out to the odd headmaster, Dr. Prince. But she isn't interested in getting over Nathan's death or befriending her fellow students." I am not sure if this is a thriller or a literary fiction novel that paints a realistic picture of a teen girl dealing with grief. Regardless, this book is on my March anticipated list due to the setting and portrayal of the main character. I saw a spoiler free review that described this book as followed "The title does really give away a little bit of fairy tale ambience whereby the school is structured like a castle hence the glorious description of turrets and being stranded in the middle of the woods say it all. " I can't wait to read this all the more with the fairy tale vibes. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn- March 9th, 2021 " The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over." March 9th I really enjoyed Kate Quinn's previous historical fiction books which usually give me everything I am looking for in a historical fiction novel including the high and low emotions weaved together to create a moving story. The Alice Network is one of the stories that propelled my love of historical fiction and desire to read about events and people in history I was unfamiliar with. Perfect On Paper by Sophie Gonzales- March 9th 2021 "In Sophie Gonzales' Perfect on Paper, Leah on the Offbeat meets To All the Boys I've Loved Before: a bisexual girl who gives anonymous love advice to her classmates is hired by the hot guy to help him get his ex back" Having just read the last installment of To All The Boys I Loved Before, I was hooked as soon as this came up on my radar. It has LBGTQ+ representation with a fun premise wrapped up into a cute contemporary. Seems like the perfect spring read celebrating diversity with a fresh concept. Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert- March 9th, 2021 "In Act Your Age, Eve Brown the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally." I screamed when I got accepted for this on Netgalley so spoiler, I have already read this one. This book follows the third Brown sister named Eve and her love interest, Jacob. This was my favorite novel in the series and I really enjoy the autism rep and overall characters of Eve and Jacob!
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The novel highlights the beginning of the airline industry, which gave women a new opportunity for independence, glamor, and the ability to travel the world by being becoming flight attendants. A stewardess role provided women an alternative to the limited career opportunities in the 1950s outside of the norm household roles as wife and mother. Yet, to become a stewardess let alone a Pan Am stewardess required a college degree, the ability to speak two languages, be under the age of 26, be between 5 foot 3 and 5 foot 9, AND weigh between 105 and 140 pounds. It is a historical novel depicting the history of the airline industry and gender expectations set in a real period on the edge of change. The novel brilliantly ties in incredible real-life stories of Pan Am stewardesses who truly defied the roles and expectations of women at that time. How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams "A warm romance that bursts with realism and celebrates the symbiotic power of love and healing.”―Entertainment Weekly
Lady in Waiting by Anne Glencommer "Discover untold secrets with this extraordinary memoir of drama and tragedy by Anne Glenconner—a close member of the royal circle and lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret.”
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Soloman “Public radio co-hosts navigate mixed signals in Rachel Lynn Solomon's sparkling romantic comedy debut.”
Girl A by Abigail Dean “For readers of Room and Sharp Objects, an absorbing and psychologically immersive novel about a young girl who escapes captivity–but not the secrets that shadow the rest of her life.” This was one of my BOTM picks but unfortunately this one was not what I expected. The story tells of the horrors the children faced in the house they grew up in and abuse faced at the hands of their parents. The story opens years in the future spotlighting their individual roads to recovery once they are rescued. The characters are well written and the overall story is compelling but I found myself glazing over many of the intermediary parts while trying to figure out if we were in the past or present which flipped back and forth frequently between paragraphs. It was an interesting case study on recovery but I would have liked more on the siblings and maybe the parents motivation. The premise was intriguing in the context of today but felt it could have been implemented differently. Amazon| Bookshop.org The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah "Through one woman’s survival during the harsh and haunting Dust Bowl, master storyteller, Kristin Hannah, reminds us that the human heart and our Earth are as tough, yet as fragile, as a change in the wind." ―Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing As predicted, this was one of the best books I have ever read. There were so many nuggets of wisdom packed up into one novel that will stay with me forever. It was an amazing story centered around a strong woman and a family. Unbelievably, through all the troubles they dealt with the characters manage to focus on the love they have for each other. Although I didn't agree with where some of the book went, I really enjoyed the everlasting message of familial love and relationships. Amazon |Bookshop All Girls by Emly Layden For anyone who wants to read a good campus novel with very serious and timely undertones, this is for you! In the #MeToo era, All Girls follows 9 students over one school year at a Connecticut boarding school. Beginning with Lauren who is a new student, each chapter follows a different girl's perspective as the year progresses. The book highlights each of the character's relationships, worries, and future goals while simultaneously addressing a past sexual assault allegation at the school that the administration is seeking to avert. The shared thread of navigating the sexual assault allegation aids the students to join together to seek justice and truth to confront their institution. The author did a terrific job of crisscrossing the lives of the students and the sexual assault allegation which is continuing to cause a domino effect a couple of decades later at the boarding school. Although I am not a huge fan of multiple POVs, this time it added to this plot and helped deepen the story which allowed each girl to tell her story. It’s a candid take of a coming of age story centered around the real issues high schoolers everywhere are encountering today as they navigate life, school, friends, social media, etc. I enjoyed Emily Layden's writing and I can't wait to pick up her subsequent work. Amazon|Bookshop.org The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles Anything with Paris and the library in the title immediately intrigues me. The Paris Library follows a librarian at the height of WWII trying to protect the library while simultaneously serving patrons as the world around them falls apart. I cannot wait to pick this one up! Amazon|Bookshop.org How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones
A Pho Love Story by Loan Le Set in a restaurant focusing on two rival families whose children fall in love, heck yes! This book sounds super cute and an ideal romance for February. Amazon|Bookshop.org
To kick off the book blog, I thought it would be a good time to share my top 4 books I read in 2020 to help get to know my reading tastes and likes better! Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E Schwab This novel took me by surprise! The synopsis intrigued me, especially in today's world where we are all trying to make positive first impressions on other people. The concept of a story where the main character cannot be remembered by anyone she encounters drew me in. Fortunately, I was not disappointed though some parts of the story hit a lull, the ending redeemed the novel for me. Perfect for those who like lyrical, passionate and emotional stories! Amazon|Bookshop Beartown by Fredrik Backman Centered around a boys junior hockey team in a small remote Swedish town, the story emphasizes the pressure the team faces when a slim chance to win a championship becomes a closer reality. For this community, rallying around the hockey team provides a distraction for everyone to escape their troubles temporarily which leads to enormous expectations on the hockey team. However when a sexual assault occurs, it changes the whole town. After that night, everything is disputed and who should come first the players or the people becomes the subject of division. The community has experienced economic turmoil and hardships, and they believe that winning this championship will save the town from further destruction and serve as a catalyst to revive the struggling community. This book is about a hockey team but more about a crime that demands justice. Amazon|Bookshop Verity by Colleen Hoover This book was the craziest roller coaster I have ever been on and I could not put it down. This story caught me off-guard and I had no idea where it was going once the plot started to unravel. It's a unsettling story that has many twists and some romance sprinkled in. This is the only true thriller of Hoovers and I wish she would write more that follow Verity’s lead. Team manuscript or real life? Amazon|Bookshop The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd One of the best books of all time! At first, I was a little skeptical about the "what if" premise of the story yet Kidd has done it again beautifully. It tells the fictional account of Jesus's wife named Ana. Kidd manages to portray a more human side of Jesus through his wife in conjunction with the biblical figure we usually hear or read about. This story will stay with me forever as it was so unique and needed. It was the perfect mix of classic yet modern, a truly timeless novel! Amazon| Bookshop.org To celebrate the month of love which February is known for with Valentine's Day, we are celebrating love through books! Below are some romance books that we love, that are famous for their love and books we hope to love. Enjoy!To All the Boys I Loved Before Series by Jenny Han The To All the Boys I Loved Before (Movie #3 out on Netflix!) The final installment of the To All The Boys I Loved Before series hit Netflix on February 12th! The first book follows Lara Jean and her family as they attempt to navigate life without her older sister Margot who is attending college in Scotland. When Kitty, Lara Jean’s youngest sister takes Lara Jean’s love life into her own hands and mails Lara Jean’s unsent love letters to past crushes, Lara Jean is forced to deal with the complicated turmoil that follows. To find out what follows, go grab the book and read away! Amazon|Bookshop.org Romeo And Juliet by WIlliam Shakespeare
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston This is such a lovely and heartwarming book! I read this last year as one of the Readheads podcast picks and it was such a gem of a story. If you like enemies to lovers or forbidden romance than this would be perfect for you! A fairytale equivalent story spotlighting the romance between the prince of England and the son of the fictional (hopefully reality one day) first female president complete with authentic side characters. It is funny, emotional, a pure delight and this book will give you ALL THE FEELS! Amazon|Bookshop.org The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren This one isn’t due to come out until May 18th but Christina Lauren author duo writes solid romance novels with interesting plots and characters. Two of my favorites they wrote include: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating & The Unhoneymooners. The Soulmate Equation highlights a matchmaking service called GeneticAlly that uses DNA to pair couples up. The book follows a single mom, Jess who has given up on love due to her past experiences and is skeptical of this new service when she learns about the revolutionary dating tool. Doubtfully, Jess submits a sample and learns she is oddly matched with someone who already drives her crazy. It sounds like it might be a "will they or won’t they" story and one I cannot wait to read! Amazon| Bookshop.org What is your favorite romance book?
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