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Review: The Dream Builders

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The Dream Builders by Oindrila Mukkherjee
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Pub Date: 1/10/2023

Thank you to LibroFM for the free advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

GoodReads Synopsis: After living in the US for years, Maneka Roy returns home to India to mourn the loss of her mother and finds herself in a new world. The booming city of Hrishipur where her father now lives is nothing like the part of the country where she grew up, and the more she sees of this new, sparkling city, the more she learns that nothing—and no one—here is as it appears. Ultimately, it will take an unexpected tragic event for Maneka and those around her to finally understand just how fragile life is in this city built on aspirations.

Written from the perspectives of ten different characters, Oindrila Mukherjee’s incisive debut novel explores class divisions, gender roles, and stories of survival within a society that is constantly changing and becoming increasingly Americanized. It’s a story about India today, and people impacted by globalization everywhere: a tale of ambition, longing, and bitter loss that asks what it really costs to try and build a dream.

Review: The Dream Builders is Oindrila’s debut. This contemporary fiction novel is told through the perspective of 10 different characters and takes place in Hrishipur, a fictional city in India. The novel tackles themes of social class, corruption, politics, and community. Overall, I had mixed feelings about this book. The plot sounded really intriguing. I liked that the different perspectives varied from the ultra rich to the help. However, the pacing seemed off. Some parts went by fast while other parts dragged out. Also I think there were too many characters to keep in order and it may have helped to have different narrators instead of just one or to condense the number of perspectives. I didn’t really like the American politics aspect of the book either, but I understood the purpose behind it. Overall, this was a solid 3 stars for me.

Review: Anna K Away

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Anna K Away by Jenny Lee
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Pub Date: 4/27/2021

Disclaimer: I received an advanced listening copy from LibroFM and MacMillan Audio in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

GoodReads Synopsis: The sequel to Anna K, set over the course of the next summer, as the characters come to terms with Vronsky’s tragic death

How the mighty have fallen. Anna K, once the golden girl of Greenwich, CT, and New York City, has been brought low by a scandalous sex tape and the tragic death of her first love, Alexia Vronsky. At the beginning of the summer, her father takes her to the other side of the world, to connect with his family in South Korea and hide her away. Is Anna in exile? Or could this be her chance to figure out who she really is?

Back in the U.S., Lolly has forgiven Steven for cheating on her, and their relationship feels stronger than ever. But when Lolly meets a boy at her beloved theater camp, she has to ask herself how well Steven will ever really know her. Meanwhile, in Manhattan, everything between Kimmie and her new boyfriend, Dustin, is easy—except when it comes to finally having sex. And Bea escapes to LA, running away from her grief at her beloved cousin’s death, until a beautiful stranger steals her heart. Is Bea ready to finally forgive Anna, and let herself truly fall in love for the very first time?

Set over the course of one unforgettable summer, Jenny Lee’s Anna K Away is full of the risk, joy, heartbreak, and adventure that mark the three months between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next.

Review: Anna K Away is the sequel of Anna K. I’d definitely recommend reading Anna K before you read this one as the second book is a continuation on what happened in the first book. I loved that the Gossip Girl vibes continued in this young adult novel. The beginning started off a bit slow and there were a few parts that felt repetitive. The book picks up towards the second half of the story. Overall, I preferred the first book over this one, but I’d recommend reading it if you’ve already read the first book to see what happens.

Review: Oona Out Of Order

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Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
Publication: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: 2/25/2020

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced listening copy of this book from LibroFM, MacMillan Audio, and Flatiron Books in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

GoodReads Synopsis: Just because life may be out of order, doesn’t mean it’s broken.
It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she’s told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order…
Hopping through decades, pop culture fads, and much-needed stock tips, Oona is still a young woman on the inside but ever changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she’s never met?
Oona Out of Order is a remarkably inventive novel that explores what it means to live a life fully in the moment, even if those moments are out of sequence. Surprising, magical, and heart-wrenching, Montimore has crafted an unforgettable story about the burdens of time, the endurance of love, and the power of family.

Review: Oona Out of Order is the first book I’ve read from Margarita Montimore. When I first came across this book, I thought that the storyline seemed intriguing, but I wasn’t sure if I’d like it since the genres this book are under are sci-fi and magic realism which are out of my comfort zone. Overall, I found this to be a solid 4 star read. I was drawn to the author’s writing style. I liked how each year was a different phase in life and how all the parts eventually came together. There were a few twists I didn’t see coming. I realized that I ended up liking the second half of the book more than the first half (I’m thinking it may have to do with Oona becoming more mature). The book ended up being deeper than I thought and loved that the overall message. I’d recommend picking this up if you like the concept of time travel.

Rating: 4/5

Review: American Dirt

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American Dirt by Jeannie Cummins
Publication: Flatiron & MacMillan
Publication Date: 1/21/20

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced listening copy of this book from LibroFM and MacMillan Audio in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

GoodReads Synopsis: Lydia Quixano Perez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.

Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with four books he would like to buy–two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Review: American Dirt is the first book I’ve read from Jeannie Cummins. The audiobook narrator of this book was amazing. As I was listening to the book, I felt like I was listening to a drama show. As for the actual book, I was intrigued by the author’s captivating writing style. However, there were times where the story felt like it was dragged on a bit instead of progressing. The relationship between Lydia and Javier fell a bit flat and was inconsistent through the story. Besides those issues, this was still a five star read for me based upon the writing style alone. I’d recommend picking this up if you’re looking for a strong and heavy contemporary novel.

Rating: 5/5

Review: Get A Life, Chloe Brown

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Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Publication: Avon Books

Publication Date: 11/5/19

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced listening copy of this book from LibroFM, Avon Books, and Harper Audio in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

GoodReads Synopsis: Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next items?

Enjoy a drunken night out.
Ride a motorcycle.
Go camping.
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
And… do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

Review: Get A Life, Chloe Brown is the first book I’ve read from Talia Hibbert. This contemporary romance had a decent storyline and the characters were well-developed. It’s great that the author was able to develop characters that went beyond the typical in a romance book which I applaud her for. I appreciated that the author added a trigger warning in the beginning of her book. However, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea. I felt like the book dragged in a few areas. As for the main characters, I felt like the chemistry between them was too forced. It also didn’t help that I wasn’t a fan of the writing style at all which makes me unsure about picking up the future books in the series.

As for the actual audiobook, I despised the narrator. Her voice was too shrill for my taste and I couldn’t stand the high pitched voice she was using for Chloe and the deep voice she was trying to use for Red. About half way through the audiobook, I put it down and decided to purchase the ebook version. The ebook version made the reading experience much more pleasurable. I also felt that by reading the ebook, I could rate and review overall book fairly. My three star rating has nothing to do with the audiobook and everything to do with the actual storyline of the book.

Personally I wouldn’t go out and recommend this book to everyone, but at the same time, I wouldn’t shun anyone from reading it as well. If you like contemporary romance, then you may enjoy this one more than me.

Rating: 3/5