*** 5/23/25 *** Thank you, NetGalley and Viking, for the opportunity to preview this January 2026 novel by Kathleen Boland.
After reading Scavengers, I*** 5/23/25 *** Thank you, NetGalley and Viking, for the opportunity to preview this January 2026 novel by Kathleen Boland.
After reading Scavengers, I imagine author Kathleen Boland has spent vacations in the Utah hills, hiking and staying in a cabin or small town, or possibly she studied anthropologic history in college, as the descriptions of the *places* were lengthy and vivid. There is a lot of historic detail about how the locations were settled, and while this may be compelling narratives for some, they were the least interesting parts of the book for me.
The main character of Scavengers is Bea, a young single 30-something woman working in a NYC finance-bro environment, but without the benefit of educated or even really involved parents from which to drive her ambition and life goals past the point of being thrilled to have enough money to live independently and even support her mother, Christie, as well as her grandmother for a while. Bea is a person hoping to find her people and figure out what her relationship with her mother should be and what her life should be.
The story has a "before" arc based in NYC where Bea struggles to connect to others, taking scraps from a booty-call man who she thinks of as a boyfriend despite all contrary evidence. Bea finds herself socializing with a group far beyond her social comfort zone, and she misreads cues professionally and personally, finding herself alone and adrift.
Circumstances lead to the "after" arc in which Bea joins her mother in Utah to visit, and then to join her in what she sees as a hair-brained scheme to find a million dollar buried treasure with the only clue being a poorly written poem with a message board full of fanatics trying to decipher it.
I came to this book for the personal journey aspect of Bea, as well as some 'adventure' reading as they sought the treasure. I was frustrated in the actual reading by the mostly super naive and highly worrisome behavior of Bea and her mother, drinking and partying with strangers - some very creepy ones - routinely. There is a lot of drinking in this book. I couldn't understand Bea's inability to speak even a little directly to her mother, or her ongoing support of her mother when she herself was running out of money.
I expected (hoped for) Bea's weather expertise to combine with Christie's map and notes on the treasure to take the book in a very different direction that had them both use their core skills to work together to accomplish something. But the side stories of Christie's weird boyfriend and the town hall meeting and the history of the locations seemed to dilute the core themes for me. The reader is given a resolution for Bea and Christie, but it was a little subtle for me versus expectations. I wanted a stronger outcome for Bea to allow her to rise victorious professionally, personally, and socially, and I got a little of that, but hoped for more. Despite these thoughts, I did empathize with Bea and felt her character was well written - I could feel her struggle quite viscerally.
I believe this is the author's first book, so kudos for that, and I give it 3.5* rounded up, and would read her next book to see how she evolves as an author....more
*** 6/28/25 *** Requested this book after a well-read attorney friend said one of her book clubs had a *very* good convo about it. A little tidbit abo*** 6/28/25 *** Requested this book after a well-read attorney friend said one of her book clubs had a *very* good convo about it. A little tidbit about me is I spent my life saying the only book genre I disliked was science fiction, but after a couple of notable exceptions in the last 5-years (including Annie Bot) I have had to rescind that statement. I *do* like sci-fi with the exception of extremely out there premises.
Annie Bot is an extension of today's AI tech landscape that feels strongly possible within my children's lifetime. I mean AI kind of came out of nowhere in the last couple of years and now it seems like chatgpt is engrained into our tech culture so strongly. Annie Bot is a version of a humanoid robot with machine learning built in so they can learn and improve in their assigned jobs as time goes on. Some Bots are for chores and some are for "cuddles" aka sex dolls. You can pay more for a super human version that is impossible to discern if it is a human or robot without careful examination. I would absolutely love to have a chores Bot in my life!
Because Annie's owner has enabled a specific tech feature, Annie's machine learning capability is quite high and she develops emotional range and basically sentient abilities. But she still has to be routinely charged through her foot and her owner Doug still controls her features and what freedoms she is allowed. Doug seems like a surface-nice person who is pretty emotionally immature and prone to inappropriate reactions when upset. But he is not immune from making money off of Annie's developing CPU that has become quite powerful during their 3 years together!
I had hoped at one pivotal point in the book for a different narrative trajectory, but still found the ending and overall messaging of the book to be pretty profound when comparing modern human women with Annie Bot. Some BIG QUESTIONS are implied, like what is the point of a relationship, how much give and take is healthy or appropriate, what is the role of personal independence in a partnership, what happens when one person has "power" of any form (economic, emotional, technological??) over another? The analogies to modern life are not too tough to see.
5-star read for all the avid reader women (and your partner if you can make it happen) out there. ...more
****3/11/25**** Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest re****3/11/25**** Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This sophomore follow up to the first Killers of a Certain Age delivers global adventure, with the 4 "older" female agents traveling throughout mostly Europe in the search for clues and to unravel the mystery of a mole within The Museum. There is a good amount of detail on spy strategy and tactics, some lighter romance, and a thread of female friendship woven in. The novel also utilized flashback chapters to provide backstory on the events that led up to their current case.
Although I loved the first in the series (5* review from me), this novel fell a bit short for me in a few areas. First, I felt the character descriptions could have been more robust and frequently referenced to give the reader a stronger sense of who each person (and their partners) were. The differences between the women felt like they were mentioned maybe once or twice and then as a reader you would lose track of who was who as you went through the book. Or even facts from book 1 would be mentioned so briefly that you couldn't really remember the importance of certain people or facts - like the house that was destroyed, or who was the main case manager for the Museum. As a result I didn't care emotionally about these characters as much as I expected to. I didn't have a strong sense of how they would handle certain things or what to expect from them.
I also felt the narrative transitions were very abrupt. We would get a long chapter about current events and then we would jump back in time and have to figure out who was who and why were they there. Then we would jump back to current events. Or there would be a long technical description of some form of spycraft, and then we'd jump to the action. It felt disjointed to me rather than a smooth progression of events to a climax of the action.
Maybe it is just me, but this book didn't hit me as well as the first novel, and although I value the effort to represent 'women of a certain age' narratively, I can't rate this book as highly as I'd expected to. 3-stars.
**** 3/1/25 **** Just got this March 4, 2025 release from NetGalley and am looking forward to reading it soon! I read Deanna Raybourn's first in the series and really enjoyed it. Love books about strong, powerful, smart women! Review coming soon....more
*** 5/22/25 *** Recently finished this Dec 2024 newish release which is getting some good attention on Goodreads. If you are not familiar with AA (Alc*** 5/22/25 *** Recently finished this Dec 2024 newish release which is getting some good attention on Goodreads. If you are not familiar with AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), you will be after reading of Emma just coming off her first year of sobriety, which is a core narrative theme of Definitely Better Now. The other main theme is Emma's will-it-happen or will-it-not romance with colleague Ben.
I liked Emma as a character and the writing felt authentic, but there were some gaps for me, such as her relationship with her (alcoholic) father that left so much unsaid for reasons that I didn't understand, and the kind of bummer vibe of many parts of Emma's life, such as being hit on by a senior person in her firm, her overall relationship with her father and stepmother, and the challenges with her AA sponsor. But I suppose those dynamics served to showcase Ben in a super-positive almost perfect boyfriend light, and laid the groundwork with Emma's female friendship with her coworker, who I liked a lot.
Overall, a 3.5 stars rounded up as a fairly serious young adult 'coming of age' story for me....more
I'm going to go against the tide on most reviews here and say I really loved Elin Hilderbrand's short story! I've read quite a few of her books and lI'm going to go against the tide on most reviews here and say I really loved Elin Hilderbrand's short story! I've read quite a few of her books and love her style! I was actually surprised to read she was publishing anything because I thought she was ending her writing career, but maybe she was just done with books about Nantucket.
Sophia is boarding a fairly 'rustic' cruise to the Galapagos, talked into it by her boyfriend, when he gets an alarming phone call and bails at the last possible second, giving her his expensive new camera. She later finds a list of animals he hoped to photograph stuck in the camera case and decides she will try her hand at taking the pictures herself.
She trades cabins with a young couple, taking their bunk bed room, and begins to meet the other cruisers at meal times.
Sophia discovers she has an eye for not only spotting relationship nuances (too bad it didn't work for her current boyfriend), but also for photography! She explores seeing things through the camera lens (hello metaphor!), puzzles over her own life, and connects with others onboard.
I'm a sucker for any form of positive personal evolution (vs pity party) and strong female characters, and this story delivered.
Of course, the guy is a doofus because who would abandon his girlfriend like that?! But that's the point of it. 5-stars....more
*** 9/3/24 *** Finished! Coming soon with a 2/4/25 pub date, this is really a relationship story about Kim and Grant (and their twin adult daughters),*** 9/3/24 *** Finished! Coming soon with a 2/4/25 pub date, this is really a relationship story about Kim and Grant (and their twin adult daughters), with a mystery glaze on top - will Grant be found or not??? And we have a side mystery about whether Kim and Grant will get married/stay together. And even a 3rd mystery about what location they might choose to live in.
Like many interesting books, this one has its share of memorable characters, including Kim's first husband, a very famous, very rich and very gay man, as well as his wealthy mother (all books need a very rich character or two to provide 'houses to borrow' and well paying jobs when needed). We also meet the Palm Springs crew, most of whom ooze personality, and Grant's first and ever-present wife.
The writing was very good and the portrayal of Kim felt very authentic. The book kept my attention between plot, character development, and mystery reveals, and I finished it in 2 days. With that said, the last 5% or so was (view spoiler)[good but just too pat and perfect for my taste, even though I like a happy ending. (hide spoiler)] 4.5 stars rounded up.
*** 9/1/24 *** Thank you, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press, for an advanced copy of this combo relationship/slow burn mystery novel by Christina Clancy. I've never read this author before, but am really enjoying this book, told from the POV of Kim, who is a 50-something mother and partner to Grant. Women in that age range will empathize with Kim's telling of her story - balancing career aspirations, love, family, her own personal desires and life preferences - against a backdrop of how she was raised, financial needs, and others' needs. I really like the structure and writing, which feels authentic.
We know from the beginning of the book that Grant goes missing after presumably starting a hike - a new hobby he adopted when Kim basically insists they "winter" in her ex's home in sunny Palm Springs after many winters in Wisconsin. I read that the author is from WI, which I love, as I grew up near there and have visited the state many times. But is Grant really lost? Did he want to disappear? What is the truth of Kim and Grant's relationship, and how will they decide on a future? Who knows? I'm 50% in and will review when complete....more
*** 8/29/24 *** Finished! Based on Iran's tumultuous political history from the 1950s to modern day, this is a story of Homa, a lifelong "commoner" w*** 8/29/24 *** Finished! Based on Iran's tumultuous political history from the 1950s to modern day, this is a story of Homa, a lifelong "commoner" who strives for women's rights and equality. She relentlessly pursues education with hopes of becoming an attorney and judge, to have the power to change laws. Homa befriends Ellie during a brief period when Ellie goes to the 'downtown school,' aka school for poor people, when Ellie's father passes away. Ellie returns to the land of the rich and elite, and then their paths cross again.
In and out of each other's lives, both girls stay true to their younger aspirations until a terrible decision results in a life-altering situation for Homa. Though they later connect, the theme of Ellie and Homa moving in and out of each other's orbits continues, and the reader is slowly exposed to ways in which they gift each other their friendship in the form of important actions that improve the other's life.
I thought this was a really well written historical fiction about Iran, and highlights a long non-traditional path of female friendship, forged in an extreme political climate. The book has a lot of serious themes, and maintains a weighty, almost frightening, quality throughout the whole book, which made it a bit challenging for me. I generally steer away from historical fiction because it almost always has this quality, and I look for less drama in my reading experiences. But that's a me issue, not a book issue.
With that said, if you are a fan of historical fiction, and are female, I think you'll like this one. 4.5 stars.
*** 8/26/24 *** One of my book club friends discovered this book, and suggested it as a female-friendship book pairing, along with My Brilliant Friend, for our next meeting. For some reason, I am having difficulty getting into My Brilliant Friend, but am 15% in on Lion Women and am really enjoying the main character, Ellie, as well as the storyline.
The book opens with Ellie as an adult, but very quickly jumps to 1950s Iran, where she has some significant changes to her life circumstances, and ends up attending first grade with Homa, who introduces her to the joys of school, cooking, and kind family members. I know there will be more heartbreak in the coming chapters, but for now I am enjoying reading of a young girl becoming her best self. Review coming upon completion....more
ETA: the f-word is used in this book, so if that offends you, maybe skip it. I posted my highlights because I loved the writing or the message in the ETA: the f-word is used in this book, so if that offends you, maybe skip it. I posted my highlights because I loved the writing or the message in the highlight. Maybe you'll like them too. :)
*** 8/23/24 *** I read this in one day, I was so engaged by 19-year old Margo, her new baby, her unconventional, and, at times, very bad parents, and basically her coming-of-age, taking-charge-of-my-life, story that spans less than a year in her life.
This is also a book about sex that has literally no sex scenes. There is a sex-work *adjacent* theme, and subthemes of addiction and child custody law, but it is truly not a serious downer book, but rather a book about a smart girl who pulls it together, keeps it together, is kind, and finds the life she needs, the relationships she deserves, and wins at life in the end. I absolutely loved how the author worked in the hot-hot-hot techie topic de jour of artificial intelligence/machine learning into the equation, keeping it super current and relevant.
I realize the book falls farther on the edge of the 'quirky' bell curve, but it completely worked for me, and I will seek out other work by Rufi Thorpe, who apparently lives in my area (LA/SoCal). 5-stars.
*** 8/22/24 *** Just got this off my library hold list, and the first 14% does not disappoint! Very engaging, funny, edgy, but not over the top (but does drop some language bombs). Really like it and am eager to explore this book and the author's other work. Will report back when finished........more
** 9/6/24 ** Just had my book club meeting where we discussed our dual-read choices of My Brilliant Friend and the Lion Women of Tehran, two books abo** 9/6/24 ** Just had my book club meeting where we discussed our dual-read choices of My Brilliant Friend and the Lion Women of Tehran, two books about female friendship. Two of us finished both books, and two of us finished Lion Women, but could not get through Brilliant Friend. We all loved Lion Women, but struggled to connect with, or care about, the characters in My Brilliant Friend. I was one of the two who just couldn't capture that magic of My Brilliant Friend and DNF it. I know it is a NYT #1 Book of the Century, but I don't understand why.
All I can say is that I read some books for pure enjoyment, entertainment, or escape (easier reads), and some books that educate me or make me deeply feel certain feelings (tougher reads, but worth it). This was neither, so in keeping with my 2024 rule of DNF things that don't fall into one of those two camps, I had to let it go. I'm not rating it, as I don't think that is fair for not finishing it.
*** 8/22/24 *** Reading this "best book of the 21st century" per the NYT (wow) for one of my book clubs. I'm 11% in, and for some reason am not fully connecting with the characters or plot, as it lays out the beginning of Elena and Lila's friendship in elementary school. I know the first 2 books in the series are on Netflix, with the next 2 in the works, so maybe I will need to check those out to pique my interest. Review coming................more
*** 9/28/24 *** I really enjoyed this novel about Jolene, who doesn't blend well with her office colleagues, and is brought into an HR training progra*** 9/28/24 *** I really enjoyed this novel about Jolene, who doesn't blend well with her office colleagues, and is brought into an HR training program to help her, managed by HR employee Cliff.
As it turns out, Jolene really has some unresolved trauma from an event in high school that causes her to interpret many situations through a "cloudy" lens largely of her own making. When Jolene makes a few changes to her work behavior to protect her job against her interoffice rival, she begins to make connections she didn't expect. And she learns that every person has unseen problems behind their work persona.
Ah, EMPATHY has entered the chat!
This is a great book for us readers who like narratives about personal evolution and discovery, successful life navigation (eventually), and quirky characters. The book does present some 'extreme' situations for dramatic/humor purposes (like the wedding saga and Jolene's boss), but I think novels need that or they will fall flat and not engage us.
My only quibble is the ending felt a bit too pat, even though I am a fan of non-tragic/sad endings. But I loved it and would definitely seek out future books by author Natalie Sue. 4-stars.
*** 9/16/24 *** Just started this hilarious yet insightful portrayal of an introvert, socially awkward young woman who works behind the scenes for a big box store that sounds like Walmart or Target. I've already been highlighting many passages .........more
**** 2/24/25 **** Finished this book just after its release and just before its archive from NetGalley! This is a classically well-researched historic**** 2/24/25 **** Finished this book just after its release and just before its archive from NetGalley! This is a classically well-researched historical fiction by Marie Benedict, in which 5 real-life female mystery writers form the Queens of Crime, a group within a larger group of mystery novelists in 1930's London. Women's rights are a major sub-theme of the book, and are the reason why the 5 women decide to pursue a real-life unsolved murder of a young female nurse from their community, in order to "earn" the respect of their fellow male writers.
To solve the murder, they must think creatively and use their well-honed murder mystery acumen to establish a timeline, identify suspects, and elicit new insights from witnesses. They interchange their pen names with their married names to gain entrance or hide their identities depending on the situation. Each character is clearly defined by status, clothing and personality, consistently throughout the book. Their gender allows them more freedoms in some ways, as they were "just women having tea" or similar. The police are written to be fairly incompetent in the novel, and that may be realistic for the time - I do not really know.
We have a major side-story dealing with Dorothy Sayers' husband and their desire to have a family. This is the one part of the story that didn't fully resolve and left me a bit uncomfortable (no spoilers). There were also some disagreements between the Queens a time or two that showed their strong personalities, but we never got to know most of the Queens very well beyond Dorothy and a little bit more of Agatha Christie.
Overall I really liked this book and if you are a fan of historical fiction with strong female protagonists and very well-researched, well-written narratives, you'll love this one. 4.25 stars rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the book in exchange for my honest review.
2/20/25: Yay! Was just approved by NetGalley to review this book, although it was just published about a week ago and will be archived by NetGalley in 5-days, so I better get moving! This book is on the shorter side at about 315-pages, and is a classic Marie Benedict historical fiction based on 5 real life mystery novelists, set in 1930's London. Really looking forward to this one and will review after reading....more
**** 4/18/25 **** I recently finished this hot new June 2025 release, clocking in at a lengthy 512-pages, and providing a new take on family drama tol**** 4/18/25 **** I recently finished this hot new June 2025 release, clocking in at a lengthy 512-pages, and providing a new take on family drama told through two timeframes that slowly converge and continue forward.
Julia Ames is a late-50's mother of two - daughter Alma finishing high school and is soon off to college, and Ben, her first born, a 24-year old young adult. Julia and her husband have a long-term marriage that seems happy. We are introduced to a woman named Helen Russo early in the novel, when Julia spots her at the grocery store and approaches her after what has clearly been a long time. These two share a special bond, the reader can tell, but who is she and why have they not stayed in touch? Readers, there is a long story behind that question!
The book goes back to Julia's difficult mother, not great upbringing, Julia meeting her husband, marriage, the challenges of new motherhood, and her initial meeting with Helen and their budding friendship. Julia's teen years and a terrible secret are hinted at frequently throughout the book. Back in modern day, Julia is still struggling with her mother, changes in her children, and her friendships or lack of. Throughout the book we move from present to past and back again. Slowly the timeframes merge and move forward from that introductory scene so we can see Julia's and others' choices and events play out.
The book is mostly about Julia, and while many will empathize with parts of her behavior, especially given her upbringing, she makes some very cringy/sabotaging choices which are revealed throughout the book. She come across as damaged without trying too hard to get help and support. Her mother sounds awful, too. This made the book kind of uncomfortable to read for me, as I would not want to be friends with any of these people except maybe Helen.
I also did not understand the narrative choices made by Lombardo in parts of the writing. Around Helen's son, for example. What was his history which was often referenced very obliquely, and why did Helen still seek Julia's friendship later on? Or around Julia's teenage storyline - why was there no follow up of any flavor to the significant story told later in the book about that? The close 'friendship' with another couple was kind of awful.
Ultimately this is a novel about a woman's struggle to be a wife, mother, daughter, and friend. I think it is meant to be gritty and represent a lot of different situations women find themselves in, but it was a lot of challenge with a mediocre reward for me as a reader. 3-stars....more
This book was recommended by a member of one of my book clubs. Now we have all read it and loved it! Basically a story of a suburban mom/wife who becoThis book was recommended by a member of one of my book clubs. Now we have all read it and loved it! Basically a story of a suburban mom/wife who becomes addicted to painkillers and it escalates. Like all addiction stories, the addict (and husband addict) turn to crime to get enough money to fund the addiction. Then they get caught, and prison ensues. "Mama Love" is the author's prison name for how she helps other inmates manage conflict and make better choices. The road to recovery and rehabilitation bobs and weaves; it is not a straight line. Eventually we see the author become a writer in prison, which translates to her real life outside, and she goes on to immense success with very prestigious connections including the Dalai Lama and Oprah. The main messages of the book are: 1) reinvention is possible, 2) the prison system in the US is a joke, and 3) be very cautious about painkillers - they are a gateway to hard drugs, from which your life will tank. 5-stars....more
I saw reviews were mixed on this 3/28/23 highly-anticipated historical-fiction release by Jeannette Walls, and was a little worried, but the 12-hour aI saw reviews were mixed on this 3/28/23 highly-anticipated historical-fiction release by Jeannette Walls, and was a little worried, but the 12-hour audiobook did not disappoint. I loved hearing about protagonist Sallie Kincaid's coming-of-age story in prohibition-era Virginia as read by the author! I like when an author doesn't slant the entire cast of characters to being nasty people against the primary character, and Walls keeps a great balance, with many 'good guys' included, and 'bad guys' who are presented with a balanced style. Like other reviewers, I wished for a slightly different ending, but I appreciated the female-forward independent slant of Sallie's character arc. 4-stars. Thank you Los Angeles Public Library & Libby App for the loaner!...more
At 432 pages (kindle) and due for release January 30, 2024, author Kiley Reid's sophomore novel (Such a Fun Age was her first) is based at the UniversAt 432 pages (kindle) and due for release January 30, 2024, author Kiley Reid's sophomore novel (Such a Fun Age was her first) is based at the University of Arkansas, in the Belgrade dorm for transfer students. The novel centers on Resident Assistant (RA) Millie, and visiting professor, Agatha, as well as Agatha's spendy partner, a dancer, and several students in Belgrade dorm.
The book is touted/promoted in pre-release materials (I read this as a NetGalley ARC in exchange for my review) as "a fresh and intimate portrait of desire, consumption and reckless abandon, Come and Get It is a tension-filled story about money, indiscretion and bad behavior", which is technically true, but it comes together as a book written largely as a collection of themes in a university setting:
theme 1: gay/bi representation; theme 2: mental health issues and loneliness; theme 3: racism/Black people as students and RAs and implications on job placement/scholarships; theme 4: boundaries/morals of relationships between professors and adult-age students; theme 5: professional codes of conduct of professors going through personal life drama; theme 6: southern state school representation - accents, dorm decor, intelligence of students; theme 7: MONEY - who has it, who pays who for what, what are people willing to do for it.
That's a lot of themes! As a result, the plot is very character based - good in theory - but comes across as meandering, and not particularly interesting. In fact, I had a really hard time getting into this book and put off reading it for months, but am committed to closing out my NetGalley shelf by year end, so made myself finish it.
Things that bothered me: Why was such a smart lady - Agatha - with her partner with no serious discussions about expenses or money? Why did Agatha make such poor professional decisions? How could she possibly believe no one would find out about the articles she wrote? And why didn't Millie share more about her life with her RA friends? Also, as such an empathetic person, I would have thought she would have seen Kennedy's sadness a mile away. Why did anyone involved agree to the pranks? And most importantly, why was not one single person asking how did it happen - that dramatic scene near the end involving a pizza cutter?? That really bugged me, as did Millie not doing something with the knowledge that Kennedy had written that application to Agatha's creative writing program.
These and other decisions made by the characters felt inauthentic to me, and made me not really trust the narrative. Anyone can write a book about people making very bad decisions, but it is another thing to have the reader really care about those people and the decisions, and demonstrate a meaningful life arc with gratifying resolutions. I wanted these characters to evolve in a more serious and insightful way. 2.5 stars.
MINOR TRIVIAL SPOILER COMMENTS BELOW! : : : : : : : : : : : The one thing that was satisfying to me was the part of the ending where Agatha uses her money to help Millie in 2 different ways. Good for her. I would have prefered there be one final chapter where Agatha dumps her partner and agrees to mentor Kennedy as a writer for free, and recants her published articles to make everyone whole....more
This is a very well researched WWII historical fiction based on real life events, written by Kate Quinn. I listened to it on audio via the Libby app, This is a very well researched WWII historical fiction based on real life events, written by Kate Quinn. I listened to it on audio via the Libby app, and loan from the Los Angeles Public Library. The audio is 13 hours long (435 pages hardcover), and is well-narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. There is a wonderful section at the end of the audio book where the author discusses the events that inspired her novel, and what she created herself to round out the story.
I have not read a WWII historical fiction in literally years because I was so oversaturated with excellent titles for quite a while, and had to take a break. Diamond Eye was a good choice to dive back into the genre. I found Mila's character very interesting and extremely modern for the gender politics of the era. Mila is a superb sharpshooter and military leader, military strategist, as well as mother. She is selected to visit the U.S. and befriends Mrs. Roosevelt - the sections with them together were very interesting to read! Diamond Eye features some very rewarding romances and friendships, and is a powerful novel for women's rights.
I did feel the book was a little long, and wished for a little condensing of some of the war stories and stories of Mila's first legal husband, but I still really enjoyed it and would seek out another of Ms. Quinn's novels. 4-stars....more
Stacy Willingham has written a really clever thriller that delivers a super satisfying last 20%, with loads of surprises, not just one big reveal. It Stacy Willingham has written a really clever thriller that delivers a super satisfying last 20%, with loads of surprises, not just one big reveal. It has a more serious tone overall, as it deals with the kidnapping of a child, and other difficult themes related to motherhood are pretty central to the plot. It also relies on more than one person doing very bad, and even criminal, acts. There are layers to the narrative, which keep it interesting without veering into too many characters we don't care about.
I read this book as a kindle loan from the Los Angeles Public Library, and it is a perfect length - 326 pages in hardback - and a real page-turner.
Themes include kidnapping, post-partum mental health, husbands who dominate, sleepwalking, gaslighting, the disappearance of self for women/wives after marriage, and relentless pursuit of the truth. I can't disclose more of the plot without spoilers!!
I'm deducting 0.5 points for parts of the plot being a little exaggerated/cliche and also unbelievable in spots, but that is more than forgivable in a fiction novel, and overall this is a great thriller. 4.5 stars rounded up.
Check out more of my book content on @susantalksbooks on IG. #susantalksbooks...more
Anyone who has visited Maui has likely visited the massive Banyan tree in Lahaina, said to be one of the oldest, and biggest, in the US. I kept envisiAnyone who has visited Maui has likely visited the massive Banyan tree in Lahaina, said to be one of the oldest, and biggest, in the US. I kept envisioning it as I read Thao Thai's new release, which is set in Florida (unfortunately for me, due to today's political climate).
As the summaries state, this is a story of 3 generations of Vietnamese women, centered on a sprawling home backed by a massive Banyan tree. Flashbacks are used to narratively disclose each of these women's histories, passions, and regrets, so the reader can slowly understand their motivations and points of view.
As an aside, the summary of this literary novel gives away too much of the story, as do most book summaries, and I've now taken to skipping reading the publisher's marketing information so that I can have novels open to me as the writer intended.
I generally love character-based stories (which this really is), and I felt the author did a really wonderful job of representing youthful love throughout the generations, but also how humans evolve through their experiences into and through adulthood. The women's feelings were often sad, but relatable, for the most part.
However, there was a dark side to all of the women's interactions/ relationships that was tough to read. I questioned Grandma/Minh's behaviors with her daughter Huong's childhood friend. I questioned Huong's interactions with the ocean swimmer, her mother and daughter. I questioned Huong's daughter, Ann's, roughness with her mother and her boyfriend and her old boyfriend. There were many aspects of unlikability among all the women, and I questioned many of their actions as being just too mean/difficult.
And, once again, I wondered why direct communication was not used. As readers and humans, we know that secrets always come out! So you may as well get in front of them and talk to each other!
I read the Kindle edition, which was 336 pages. 4-stars for representing the Asian/Vietnamese diaspora in contemporary literary fiction, and for an excellent debut novel, plus a gorgeous cover, and, of course, the Banyan tree focus. ...more
This is a Berkeley- and Los Angeles-based book about two lifelong friends, Alice and Sadie, one of whom, Alice, has an affair with the other's mother,This is a Berkeley- and Los Angeles-based book about two lifelong friends, Alice and Sadie, one of whom, Alice, has an affair with the other's mother, Celine. This odd love triangle is the narrative backdrop to explore themes of 1) pan-sexuality: straight, bi, lesbian, and related topics, like women who discover they are bi or lesbian after being in a hetero relationship; 2) mother/daughter relationships; and 3) the endurance of female friendship.
Sadie is more straight laced, while Alice is more free-form in their lifestyles. Celine is a gender studies professor, a lesbian, and a laisse-faire activist mother in her early 40's. The author presents her in a way that makes her seem quite old, which as a 50-something woman/wife/mom was a little off-putting lol. I didn't love how Celine's narrative arc ended and didn't feel she came off well throughout. I could tell the writer associated more with the younger generation of the book.
I personally couldn't relate to Alice or Celine, as their relationship seems such a betrayal to Sadie that I couldn't get past it. Even though Sadie has her hang-ups, she seems the most mature of the whole group, and I was pleased with the author's treatment of her throughout the story. I thought the last 10% of the book, when we jump ahead an indeterminant number of years with a new and unknown narrator, was confusing at first. It did tie up the book nicely, but seemed to skip over so much water under the bridge that it felt abrupt to me.
3-stars for California-based and female-forward fiction, and a way to expose more readers to LGBTQ topics. I also liked that the author did not succumb to cancel culture trope with the novel. Pub date 12/5/23. 272 pages.
Thank you, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley, for providing an eARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.
#AliceSadieCeline #netgalley @netgalley
Merged review:
This is a Berkeley- and Los Angeles-based book about two lifelong friends, Alice and Sadie, one of whom, Alice, has an affair with the other's mother, Celine. This odd love triangle is the narrative backdrop to explore themes of 1) pan-sexuality: straight, bi, lesbian, and related topics, like women who discover they are bi or lesbian after being in a hetero relationship; 2) mother/daughter relationships; and 3) the endurance of female friendship.
Sadie is more straight laced, while Alice is more free-form in their lifestyles. Celine is a gender studies professor, a lesbian, and a laisse-faire activist mother in her early 40's. The author presents her in a way that makes her seem quite old, which as a 50-something woman/wife/mom was a little off-putting lol. I didn't love how Celine's narrative arc ended and didn't feel she came off well throughout. I could tell the writer associated more with the younger generation of the book.
I personally couldn't relate to Alice or Celine, as their relationship seems such a betrayal to Sadie that I couldn't get past it. Even though Sadie has her hang-ups, she seems the most mature of the whole group, and I was pleased with the author's treatment of her throughout the story. I thought the last 10% of the book, when we jump ahead an indeterminant number of years with a new and unknown narrator, was confusing at first. It did tie up the book nicely, but seemed to skip over so much water under the bridge that it felt abrupt to me.
3-stars for California-based and female-forward fiction, and a way to expose more readers to LGBTQ topics. I also liked that the author did not succumb to cancel culture trope with the novel. Pub date 12/5/23. 272 pages.
Thank you, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley, for providing an eARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.
This is a mystery/thriller built around a narrative of a Hollywood movie production in Los Angeles. The main protagonist Joey (a female), is a costumeThis is a mystery/thriller built around a narrative of a Hollywood movie production in Los Angeles. The main protagonist Joey (a female), is a costume designer for the movie, maybe in her 30's, very experienced, and with a lot of connections in the industry. After she discovers an assistant director murdered near the set, she goes on the hunt, slowly but surely, to discover who is behind it.
The movie has a strong theme of the "me too" movement with a scuzzy but famous director. There is name dropping of real life stars, who I bet the author worked with in real life. This book is a deep dive into the Hollywood costuming industry, with lots of really specific info about how sets and filming work and how all the clothing and costumes are handled for big films. That was super interesting.
As a mystery it was pretty good! I liked the action and build up. No extreme violence and many kind people (besides the murderer, lol) make this a pleasant book. I listened on audio and it had good narration. 4-stars.
SusanTalksBooks
>
Books:
female-forward
(77)
Loading...
