Tag Archives: Book of the month

Review: Georgie, All Along

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Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn
Publisher: Kesington
Pub Date: 1/24/2023

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

GoodReads Synopsis: Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page.

But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact—a “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path.

Georgie’s plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate—Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side—if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back.

Review: Georgie, All Along is the first book I’ve read from Kate Clayborn and was my main February BOTM pick! This contemporary romance novel explores family dynamics, small town life, self-discovery, and healing. Georgie Mulcahy, a personal assistant, returns to her hometown and finds a “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager filled with possibilities she once imagined. With the help of Levi Fanning, a former town troublemaker, she starts to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the diary but by her side, if only they can both let go of their pasts.i loved all the characters in this book and the author did an excellent job of creating each of them deeply complex. The author’s portrayal of Georgie’s inner turmoil and sense of being stuck at a turning point in life was especially well done. The exploration of Levi’s struggles with his past and efforts to reconcile with his family really had me rooting for him. I was invested in the building relationship between Georgie and Levi, as they both go through self growth throughout the novel. Overall, I adored Georgie, All Along and highly recommend!

Review: Someone Else’s Shoes

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Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Pub Date: 2/7/2023

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

GoodReads Synopsis: Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope–she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in.

That’s because Sam Kemp – in the bleakest point of her life – has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag–she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence that makes her realize something must change—and that thing is herself.

Review: Somebody Else’s Shoes is the first book I’ve read from Jojo Moyes and it was one of my February Book of the Month picks! This contemporary novel dives into marriage, friendship, parenting, and self-discovery. Nisha Cantor, a rich globetrotting housewife, is suddenly cut off by her husband and forced to scramble to maintain her lifestyle, while Sam Kemp is struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When Sam and Nisha accidentally switch gym bags, Sam tries on Nisha’s Christian Louboutin shoes realizing that something must change, and that thing is herself. I loved all the different characters and their complexities in this novel. There was so much going on, so many subplots, and an element of mystery that actually worked well with this book. There are some heavy subjects discussed through out the book such as cancer, depression, and infidelity. Overall, I really liked this one and can’t wait to read the rest of her books!

Review: The Family Game

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The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: 10/18/2022

Thank you to PRH Audio for the free audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

GoodReads Synopsis: Harry is a novelist on the brink of stardom; Edward, her husband-to-be, is seemingly perfect. In love and freshly engaged, their bliss is interrupted by the reemergence of the Holbecks, Edward’s eminent family and the embodiment of American old money. For years, they’ve dominated headlines and pulled society’s strings, and Edward left them all behind to forge his own path. But there are eyes and ears everywhere. It was only a matter of time before they were pulled back in . . .

After all, even though he’s long severed ties with his family, Edward is set to inherit it all. Harriet is drawn to the glamour and sophistication of the Holbecks, who seem to welcome her with open arms, but everything changes when she meets Robert, the inescapably magnetic head of the family. At their first meeting, Robert slips Harry a cassette tape, revealing a shocking confession which sets the inevitable game in motion.

What is it about Harry that made him give her that tape? A thing that has the power to destroy everything? As she ramps up her quest for the truth, she must endure the Holbecks’ savage Christmas traditions all the while knowing that losing this game could be deadly.

Review: The Family Game is the first book I read from Catherine Steadman. This domestic thriller is a slow burn and Dolores strained family relationships, unraveling secrets, instinct, and truth. The first half of the book is pretty slow and I guessed the twist early. I felt that the action didn’t start till the second half of the book. I found Harriet to be extremely annoying at first and didn’t understand why she didn’t listen to the tape in one sitting. The premise sounded interesting, but I felt it wasn’t executed well. As for the audio, I think it would have been better if there was a male narrator for the tape recording. The author reads it herself which is fine, but it didn’t have that much of an impact. This isn’t a book I would recommend, but if it is on your TBR, you might like it.

Review: The Dating Plan

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The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
Publisher: Berkley Books
Pub Date: 3/16/2021

GoodReads Synopsis: Daisy Patel is a software engineer who understands lists and logic better than bosses and boyfriends. With her life all planned out, and no interest in love, the one thing she can’t give her family is the marriage they expect. Left with few options, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiance.

Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. When he learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realizes his best friend’s little sister has the perfect solution to his problem. A marriage of convenience will get Daisy’s matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfill the terms of his late grandfather’s will. If only he hadn’t broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago…

Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that very little is convenient about their arrangement. History and chemistry aren’t about to follow the rules of this engagement.

Review: My January BOTM pick was The Dating Plan by Sara Desai. This was my first Sara Desai book and didn’t realize that was part of a series. I had mixed feelings about The Dating Plan. I enjoyed the multicultural aspects in this book. I also liked that we were introduced to several supporting characters. However, there were several parts that didn’t work for me. First, the main character was way too quirky. Her quickness didn’t really match with her personality. The storyline had some scenes that felt way too far fetched and too cheesy. The conflict-resolution of the book happened way too quickly and wrapped up too easily which seemed really odd given the circumstances. As for the writing style, it felt choppy to me. There were times where the story was dragged out with unnecessary back story or description or felt too rushed from one scene to another. Overall, it was a decent read, but not my favorite.

Review: Things You Save In A Fire

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Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center

Publication Date: 8/13/19
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

GoodReads Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk Away comes a stunning new novel about family, hope, and learning to love against all odds. 
Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she’s seen her fair share of them, and she’s excellent at dealing with other people’s tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it’s an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated.
The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie’s old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren’t exactly thrilled to have a “lady” on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn’t seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can’t think about that. Because she doesn’t fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don’t date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping…but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she’s worked so hard to be taken seriously?
Katherine Center’s Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt, affecting novel about life, love, and the true meaning of courage.

Review: Overall, I thought this was a pretty solid read. I definitely liked Things You Save In A Fire over Katherine’s previous book, How To Walk Away. I really liked Cassie’s character development and how she sheds light on gender inequality in her fire station along with dealing with a sick parent whom she has a strained relationship with. Overall, the writing style was very strong and the book kept me intrigued. There were some cheesy parts in here that were a bit over the top, but I was able to over look that. The only part I didn’t like so much was how rushed the epilogue was. The story started off strong and had great momentum, but at the end, everything seemed too rushed and wrapped up in a pretty bow. All in all, if you like contemporary romance, I’d recommend checking this one out. 

Rating: 4/5

Review: Necessary People

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Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak

Publishing Date: 5/21/19

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Rating: 4/5

Review: Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak was my May BOTM selection. This psychological thriller follows two friends who will do whatever it takes to become successful even if it means to destroy each other. I devoured this book! The character development in this book is phenomenal. The cat and mouse game of Stella and Violet’s friendship, strive for power and success was a wild ride. I didn’t see any of the twists coming. Stella and Violet’s rich girl poor girl theatrics did get a bit old at first, but definitely was made up by the twists made half way through the book. I also really liked how many of the characters strayed from the typical stereotypes. On a side note, I was intrigued with the journalism/newsroom atmosphere which kept the story intriguing and kind of reminded me of the TV show, Newsroom. Overall, I highly recommend this novel if you’re into psychological thrillers!

Review: Miracle Creek

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Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Publishing Date: 4/16/19

Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books

Rating: 5/5

Review: Miracle Creek was my April BOTM pick. This legal thriller follows a Korean immigrant family and a single mother accused of murdering her autistic son. This book certainly lives up to the hype and deserves 5 stars! I really liked the premise and the complexity of the characters in this novel. The various perspectives also helped a lot while reading to give a more wholistic view of the controversial situation at hand. This is certainly a heavy read and I would recommend taking your time with this one. If you love mystery or courtroom / legal books with controversial topics, I highly recommend picking this one up!

Review: How Not To Die Alone

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How Not To Die Alone by Richard Roper

Publication Date: 5/28/19

Publisher: Penguin Group Putnam / G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Rating: 3/5

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from Penguin Group Putnam / G.P. Putnam’s Sons in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review or rating.

Review: How Not To Die Alone is Richard Roper’s debut novel. This contemporary novel follows a middle aged man, Andrew, who works for a death registry and is offered a second chance at life and love when he develops an unlikely friendship. I started reading this book a couple of months ago and dismissed this book a bit too quickly. I initially didn’t finish it quite simply because I thought it wasn’t a right fit for me. The book was a bit depressing for my taste as the main character works for a death registry. After seeing this book as a May BOTM selection, I decided to pick it up again to see what I was missing out on. I’m glad I decided to read it again because even though the book is a bit depressing, there are moments where it’s funny, sweet, and touching. I liked the characters in the book as they were pretty lovable and realistic. The story was intriguing even though the death registry part was a bit morbid and I wasn’t a big fan of the British terms/jargon. I recommend you pick it up if you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant.

Reviews: Queenie & Before She Knew Him

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I decided to choose 3 books from Book of the Month in March. I only got to reading around 2 of them this month, but I’m hoping to read The Mastermind within the next month or so. Here are the ones I chose:

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
The Mastermind by Evan Ratliff

Down below are quick reviews / verdicts of Queenie & Before She Knew Him.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Genre: Contemporary
Themes: relationships, politics, mental health, self realization
Rating: 2/5

Quick Review: I chose this book based off the all the hype on bookstagram and let me tell you straight up that it is not worth the hype. I hated this book. The writing was all over place and it seemed to read more of a first draft than a polished book. The main character is extremely unlikable. She puts herself in situations which could have been avoided which I couldn’t emphasize and she has a terrible attitude throughout the whole book. The only good thing about this book is that the author sheds light on sensitive and important topics in realistic ways. Overall, I don’t recommend reading this book as they are other great contempories to read.

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Genre: Thriller
Themes: neighbors, mental health, marriage, Massachusetts
Rating: 3/5

Quick Review: This was my main pick for BOTM. I can’t resist a good thriller! Overall, this was a decent read. It wasn’t the best thriller I’ve read, but I didn’t completely hate it either. The premise of the story is very intriguing and it pulls you in. However, I did find the writing to be a bit flat. I noticed that the author alternated the perspectives of the characters which I appreciated, but I wish the chapters were from first person narration versus third person narration. I feel like this is what could have made the book a bit stronger. I didn’t see the twists coming in this book and loved the idea of unreliable narrators. If you love thrillers or suspense, I’d recommend checking this one out, but just don’t go in with high hopes.

Review: A Woman Is No Man

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A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

Publication Date: 3/5/19
Publisher: Harper Collins
Rating: 4/5

Review: I decided to choose A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum as my February BOTM pick. This contemporary novel follows three generations of Palestinian women living in Brooklyn: Fareeda who moves to America from the refugee camps in Palestine, Isra who has an arranged marriage with one of the sons and faces motherhood, and Deya who is the daughter of Isra and faces whether to enter into an arranged marriage of her own or take control of her future. Overall, this debut is extremely empowering and tragic. It shows the resilience and strength of women, the oppression of culture, and the choices that affect others. I took my time with this one because the content was so heavy and emotional. The beginning started a bit slow for me, but I didn’t mind due to the intriguing plot line. Etaf’s writing style can be described as raw and beautifully tragic This book gave me into a bit more insight about the culture of Palestine. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants to read a book that sheds light on a culture that isn’t discussed much in fiction and that will resonate with you.