Tag Archives: Fiction

ARC — Not That Kind of Ever After — Luci Adams

“It’s our own classy ending to our own classic story, and I now know with absolute certainty that it’s better than any fairytale out there.”

Author: Luci Adams
Narrator: Josie Charles

Genre: Romance, Fiction
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses cheating and contains some self deprecation and slightly unhealthy relationships. Contains sexual content, but isn’t too explicit.

“Not That Kind of Ever After” follows Bella Marble, an aspiring author and current receptionist at a publishing house, as she struggles through her changing life and, after a fit of writer’s block, decides to start writing autobiographical-ish fairytale one-night stands. Little did she expect that she’d go absolutely viral as @B.Enchanted, now she must look for more fairytales (and one-night stands) to rewrite. But this isn’t like her. And most people around her can see it, Bella just isn’t willing to hear it.

This audiobook caught me off guard to begin with. I was not expecting Josie Charles’ British accent but I must say I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Josie’s accent was soft and whimsical and I could surprisingly listen to it at 2.5x speed and still understand what she was saying perfectly (I usually can’t do more than 1.5x speed with a British accent, my ears just aren’t trained for it, I’m sorryyyyy).

This is the weirdest 5-star read. I found Bella annoying but at the same time I loved it? I was down for watching her fail and then redeem herself (multiple times), but I always knew she’d have her Happily Ever After.

This isn’t a closed door romance per se, we know Bella gets down to business a few times but we don’t see much of the details on it, if you know what I mean. It was still a super cute story and I totally see why it’s classified both under romance and under general fiction—it’s a little bit of both.

I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fun read about dating in this day and age—with a cute lil’ trope at the end, but not giving that one spoiler away. All you need to know if Bella gets her Ever After with quite a guy.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 14, 2023

ARC — The Last Chairlift — John Irving

“Screenplays are written in the present tense, as if what you see is happening for the first time. That’s why what happened to me in Aspen is a movie; it’s always happening, again and again, for the first time. I will always see it as a movie.”

Genre: Fiction
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: Very disturbing
Content Warnings: Describes (sort of) incest, infidelity, death, sickness, mental deterioration, dysfunctional families, having children out of wedlock in conservative families, and hiding your sexuality and gender identity. This is overall a very troubling and dark read, these content warnings don’t encompass that too well.

“The Last Chairlift” is a 889-paged novel, so it’s understandable that the blurb doesn’t really describe what it’s all about. But, essentially, throughout this book, we live the life of Adam Brewster, the bastard child of a prominent skier known as Little Ray, as he is, honestly, heavily traumatized by his mother and somewhat rescued by his stepfather.

It is also fair to note that when they talk about ghosts on the blurb, they’re literally talking about ghosts as in dead people, not as in people Adam hasn’t seen in a long time. Maybe keep that in mind when grabbing this book—it is a bit surrealistic and odd.

I am still not sure how I feel about this read, other than heavy, weighted down. Not necessarily in a bad way, just in a very real way. This book not only touched on a fictional or fantastical world, it takes from our history and inserts a group of characters that are living through it too.

Something very unique about “The Last Chairlift” is how some parts are told through screenplay. When Adam goes to Aspen in search of answers about his origins, this is all told through a script, which was hard to adjust to, but also kind of welcomed, as it broke the narrative for a while—gave you a break through a very long novel.

I found some of the things about this book to be extremely disturbing. Things like Adam’s fascination for his cousin Nora, how Little Ray kissed Adam, how the sweet angel of Adam’s step father (Elliot, the little snowshoer) was treated at times, and then bring in how some people are pointing out how some things are practically autobiographical. It makes me wonder where fiction and reality become one.

This book reminded me of one of my favorite reads last year, “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara, but I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, because I will never be reading that book again. It was just too heavy (and perhaps this book is too).

Overall, if you’ve read other John Irving books and you’re up to reading this chunk of a novel, then might as well grab it. It’s not bad, it just maybe didn’t have to be almost 900 pages long.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: October 18, 2022

ARC — Mad Honey — Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

“This has always been my favorite fact about bees: in their world, destiny is fluid. You might start life as a worker, and end up a queen.”

Genre: Fiction, Women’s Fiction (I would add Mysteries and thrillers here)
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: N/A, was clean, but does mention the act itself.
Content Warnings: Discusses transphobia, homophobia, suicide attempts, self harm, and bullying. Described domestic abuse and child abuse. This is a hard, serious read.

“Mad Honey” follows Olivia McAfee, a single mother to Asher and professional beekeeper, as she lives through her son’s murder trial. This book also follows Lily Campanello, Asher’s girlfriend, before her death. Built between flashbacks and two points of view, this book will take you through a rollercoaster of emotion like no other.

This is one of the best books I’ve read all year. I loved absolutely everything about it—from the writing, to the timelines, to the characters. Everything. I loved and grieved Lily with Asher. I suffered through the trial with Olivia. My heart shattered for Ava, Lily’s mom. The plot twists where literal breathtaking.

—Can’t say I was completely surprised with who ended up being the murderer, but I still loved how it was revealed and executed. This book will be nothing how you expect it to be.

I would highly recommend this book above any other suspense or mystery or just general fiction book you’ve got on your TBR. “Mad Honey” will have you on the edge of your seat and you’ll just wish you could finish it in one sitting, I know I did.

If you’ve enjoyed books like “The Guest List” by Lucy Foley or “The Maid” by Nina Prose, then this book is for you.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: October 4, 2022

“You read about tragedies in the paper, where a student athlete falls dead in the middle of a basketball game or a National Honor student is killed by a drunk driver or a school shooting claims the life of a preteen. In the news you see their faces, braces and cowlicks and freckles.
You tell yourself this wouldn’t happen in your
hometown.
You tell yourself this isn’t anyone you know.
Until it does, and it is.”

Conversations with Friends — Sally Rooney

“Everyone’s always going through something, aren’t they? That’s life, basically. It’s just more and more things to go through.”

Genre: Fiction, Coming-of-age
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Deals with cheating, affairs, big age-difference relationships, and alcoholism. Mentions miscarriages and endometriosis.

“Conversations with Friends” follows Frances and her best friend Bobbi, two college students, as they’re sucked into the lives of older friends. These two childhood friends-turned lovers-turned friends again are performing spoken-word poetry in Dublin when they’re spotted by Melissa, a writer who’s married to a somewhat recognizable actor. From there, they’re exposed to a world where expressing controversial opinions is welcomed and affairs aren’t necessarily the end of the world—or the end of a relationship.

I feel weird about writing this review, because I must say I never gave Sally Rooney’s book a fighting chance. I hated it from the start. I hate books about cheating. I hate them so so much. I actually grabbed this book without knowing what it was about, I simply grabbed it because I wanted to see the Hulu series and I am morally opposed to seeing a series or movie without reading their book first—if only to respect the author’s original intention for their story. So imagine my not-so-pleasant surprise when the affairs start unraveling. I dreaded it, pure and simple.

But I do have to give it to Rooney. Although hard to read without the conversations in “ ” quotations, this book was a masterpiece. It was exceptionally written and incredibly crude. It felt like real life, which for me is the best compliment a fiction book can get.

I can confidently say I liked the book better than the series with this one, so if you liked the series with Joe Alwyn and Alison Oliver, then grab this book as soon as you can. Also, if you’re looking for a book with vibes similar to “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara, without it being downright depressing, then this book is for you.

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ARC — Same Time, Same Place — David M. Barnett

“Everything is the same. But different. Just like Daisy said.”

Genre: Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Mentions harassment and family violence.

“Same Time, Same Place” follow Daisy Dukes (yes, that’s her name) and Nate Garvey, two security guards who work at the Museum of Social History. As Nate works the day shifts and Daisy works the night shifts, their days only overlap for a few minutes during handover—that is until things start going missing at the museum, for a few days at a time, before being put back on their museum display. Delving into how our past affects our future, and told through different points of view, this is a dynamic and engaging read that goes to show that our history doesn’t define us and that love can be born from the oddest of places.

Sadly, I didn’t connect with the characters in this book as much as I thought I would. I enjoyed the story and the quirky romance, but there was something too ficticios about the characters for me. I did like how they redeemed themselves and how the mystery came to fruition. Maybe 4 stars is too high a rating for characters I didn’t love, but David M. Barnett did such an excellent job with the writing that I couldn’t give it any less.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy both romance and mystery books, even if the publisher hasn’t categorized it under Mysteries. There isn’t too much suspense here, but mystery is definitely in the mix.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 07, 2022

ARC — Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting — Clare Pooley

“The advantage of boarding the train at Hampton Court was that it was the end of the line, or the beginning, depending, of course, on which way you were traveling. There was a life lesson there, thought Iona. In her experience, most endings turned out to be beginnings in disguise.”

Genre: Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: Mentions medical emergencies (choking), and deals with homophobia and bullying.

“Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting” follows a set of characters that all commute on the same train—all getting on and off at different stops. After one eventful morning breaks the ice between them, one wonders: what would happen if you throw the rules of commuting away? What if you were to talk to a perfect stranger—who you see every day, through your silent commute? Told through different points of view, we get a glance at different realities, all being tied by their preferred mode of transport.

This book had so many funny, quirky, and diverse characters. Actually, I think it’s been the most diverse cast I’ve read this year. Contrary to what I expected, Iona is, in fact, not a millennial like myself—and that only made me realize that I can’t remember the last book I read where the character wasn’t a young woman. I loved Sanjay, I could relate so much to his inner narrative. I learned to love Piers, or “Smart-But-Sexist-Manapreader” as Iona would call him before meeting him formally. I feel like I am most like Emmie when commuting, always with a book in hand. I think the narrative I enjoyed the less was Martha’s, but even then I wouldn’t change a thing, because all these characters brought together a heartwarming story.

I dread human interaction with strangers but, strangely, this book kind of made me want to talk to a stranger. Connect a little. It made me realize that there are so many different lives being lived all around. It’d be a disservice to only focus on my own.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, easy, fast-paced read with different points of view. If you’ve enjoyed books like “Anxious People” by Fredrik Backman, then “Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting” by Clara Pooley is for you.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 07, 2022

Maybe In Another Life — Taylor Jenkins Reid

“I know there may be universes out there where I made different choices and they led me somewhere else, led me to someone else. And my heart breaks for every single version of me that didn’t end up with you.”

Genre: Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: Mentions car crashes, hit-and-runs, cheating, and miscarriages.

Do you believe things are meant to be? “Maybe In Another Life” follows Hannah Martin through two distinct timelines, both separated by a single, somewhat meaningless, decision. With alternating chapters, this book will show you two different perceptions of Hannah’s reality. So, will things be radically different for her or will things stay fundamentally the same? That depends on whether you believe things are meant to be or not, I guess.

I mean, might as well start off by saying that Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my all-time favorite authors, so she already had that going for her, but I must say this book delivered more than it had promised. Plus, if you’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you must know that I am the biggest fan of alternating timelines and POVs. That is to say, “Maybe In Another Life” pretty much started with a baseline rating of 3 stars, so getting to 5 was pretty easy.

One of my Goodreads friends said this was one of their favorite books and I can totally see why. I wouldn’t say I had a favorite version of reality, but I did just want Hannah and her friend Gabby to be happy in both, in the end. I just wanted to know if things would work out either way. And in my opinion, they did. And this brings out some comfort to me, that no matter what we do, things will turn out the way they’re supposed to. Life will take its course into its own hands, and we’re just here for the ride.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy books with alternating chapters/timelines. Well, I’m not even sure if timeline is the word because they’re technically happening at the same time, it’s just different concurrent realities… but you get the gist. Also, if you like Taylor Jenkins Reid books in general, then definitely grab this one as well. I think this would be a really cool gift for the right reader, too, so definitely add it to your lists.

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“For some reason, I think I’ll feel better if things are meant to be. It gets me off the hook, doesn’t it? If things are meant to be it means I don’t have to worry so much about consequences and mistakes. I can take my hands off the wheel.”

ARC — Every Summer After — Carley Fortune

“I can’t trust that you’ll love me forever when I don’t even know if you’ll love me next month.”

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: Mentions cancer, parent death, cheating, bullying, slut shaming, and panic attacks.

“Every Summer After” follows Persephone—aka Percy—and Sam—just Sam, not short for Samuel or anything like that—, two childhood-friends-turned-high-school-sweethearts who, abruptly, stopped talking 12 years prior. But now Persephone is back in the town that brought them together—the town where Sam grew up, the town where Sam’s mother’s funeral will be taking place—and she will have to face Sam again after all these years. Told through different timelines, Carley Fortune built a story that’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming (but don’t I say that about all the books I love? Apparently I’m a fan of emotional books that tear me apart). The ending was the sweetest of them all. But it wouldn’t have been as sweet if it has been an easy way there.

The characters were lovely and well-defined, all with their peculiar personalities and ways of talking and acting. I am not sure what brother I loved more, Sam or Charlie, but I must say I loved them both. I am not the biggest fan of books where cheating is involved, but in the end I was very engaged with the plot and—although unjustifiable—I could empathize with what each character did under the circumstances they did it in. We were all kids once upon a time, we all messed up.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy alternating timelines and to fans of Colleen Hoover books, especially those who have enjoyed books like “It Ends With Us” and the “Maybe Someday” series.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: May 10, 2022

“Betrayals don’t cancel each other out. They just hurt more.”

ARC — What We Both Know — Fawn Parker

“It’s as though the more he forgets the more I remember.”

Genre: Fiction, Mysteries and Thrillers
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings: Dementia, insinuations of incest and child molestation, explicit pet death,

Hillary Greene is left with some hard tasks: take care of her senile father and write his memoir. Her father is a renounced author and, after years of writing, is losing himself and all the secrets he tried so hard to bury. Hillary, on the other hand, is an aspiring author and is grieving the loss of her sister. She is left with a choice: share, through the memoir, who her father really was or cover it all up so his legacy as a writer can live on.

This was an extremely depressing and disturbing read. Let’s start with the fact that the daughter—and caregiver—calls her dad Baby? We then find out why that is, but it still made me uncomfortable at times, even if it was a nickname.

Personally, I think that the most devastating part of this book was how, through her endeavors, she uncovered truths that were there all along, not only about her father, who the memoir is about, but of her dead sister as well. I can’t say I agree with all the actions Hillary took throughout this book, but at the same time I could mostly see where she was coming from.

I would highly recommend this book, especially if you’re fond of dark stories. If you read and liked “A Little Life” by Hanya Tanagihara or “My Dark Vanessa” by Kate Elizabeth Russell, then “What We Both Know” is for you.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: May 03, 2022

“They say a man becomes a man when he loses his father, but what does he become when he loses himself?”

ARC — Come As You Are — Jennifer Haupt

“It occurs to Skye now, listening to her mom’s eulogy, that forgiveness is the difference between the way a wife loves her husband and a child craves love from a parent.”

Genre: Fiction
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings: Discusses death and descriptions of panic attacks.

“Come As You Are” follows Skye and Zane, two childhood best friends turned lovers, through the decades that brought them together and tore them apart. Told mostly from Skye’s point of view, and following various timelines, this is a story about how loss and distance can mend and break relationships.

Expertly written, you truly are transported through the years, from 1987 to 2002 (and a 2013 epilogue), in a grunge-y scene worthy of the reference its title suggests. Jennifer Haupt made a wonderful job with her jumping timelines, slowly revealing things to the reader, building up curiosity and suspense around what happened in the past and what the future could hold.

I grew fond of all the characters, even the ones we were encouraged to dislike. They were complex, well-defined, and consistent throughout the book. I really felt like I got to know them, close and personal. If anything, I wish there would’ve been more. I would’ve liked to see more into the future, but the ending was a true testament that most times history repeats itself.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy stories with alternating timelines (think like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo). Also, I would encourage anyone fond of the 1990s rock-grunge vibe to grab this book. It’s a unique story told through clever means, it’ll be worth your time.

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ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 01, 2022