Women’s Fiction – Page 3

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.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

“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.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

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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 — Must Love Books — Shauna Robinson

“There’s more to you than just your book.”

Genre: Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: Discusses racism, suicide, and suicidal ideation.

You know the feeling when all the things that could go wrong, actually go wrong? Well, that’s exactly how Nora Hughes is feeling after she finds herself stuck in a job that’s underpaying her and that’s in her dream field, but not even remotely close to her dream job—she’s an assistant editor at a publisher…..that only publishes business books written by middle-aged white men for middle-aged white men. She dreamed of editing the next big American novel, but that couldn’t be further from her reality. So when they cut her salary even further, making it so she can’t even afford rent anymore, she will have to resort to some slightly unethical practices to survive.

Don’t let the cover misguide you. The publisher does not classify this as a romance book, and they’re right at that. “Must Love Books” is not a romance per se, even though there are some romantic scenes and sexual tension here and there. It, in fact, does not bang (like, they do bang but we don’t get to see any of that).

On another note, I found it a bit off-putting how the narrator went about addressing race. I feel like she put so much focus on people being white, judging them instantly at times. And I get it, I’m latinx and I’ve been underestimated by the way I look, but in Nora’s case, it was mentioned too much, especially in the beginning of the book.

Putting those things aside, this was a great book. I mean, what reader doesn’t love a book about books? The characters were charming and the story engaging at all times.

I would recommend this book to readers who’ve enjoyed books by Sally Thorne and Emily Henry. I mean, to be honest, I will probably be recommending this book all year round. It’s that good.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can pre-order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: January 18, 2022

ARC — The Lives of Diamond Bessie — Jody Hadlock

“Do you know why most of us are here? Because we’ve been betrayed by the men who wanted to enjoy the pleasure of our company, who lead us down the primrose path, promising to defend our reputations, to marry us, but then abandon us because they’re engaged or married to someone else. Then they claim they’ve never known us (…).”

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mysteries and Thrillers, Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings: Domestic violence, mentions death, sexual assault, suicide, and drug abuse.

“The Lives of Diamond Bessie” follows the story of Annie Moore, a woman in the 1860s who, after getting pregnant out of wedlock, is sent to a convent to pay for her sins and not bring shame upon her family. After giving birth and having the baby taken away from her by the nuns, she runs away in hopes of being reunited with her daughter. With no references, she can’t find a decent job and is left with no other option but to resort to prostitution. This is essentially what’s given to us by Jody Hadlock through the book’s description, but I must say this isn’t even one-eighth of the story.

You build so many preconceptions about what will happen in this book based on its summary… and then Jody takes them all and rips them apart. Annie, Elisabeth, Bessie, you were such an amazing character, such a resilient woman. Once you learn why they call her Diamond Bessie, you’ll be devastated and hoping it’s all a dream or some kind of premonition.

This book is very fast-paced, and maybe to a reader that enjoys extensive details and narrative it may seem like it skips through some steps. I think it was paced differently from other books I’ve read, and so I enjoyed it very much.

I would recommend this book to any reader who thinks sex work is real work (because it is) and to readers who like historical fiction and true crime.