Rating: 10/10 This has to be one of the most heavily talked about books of summer 2021. I kid you not. This book has been legitimately everywhere. I even keep seeing people reading it irl (in real life). It’s a definite beach read. Also, in case you didn’t know, Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of two huge bestseller reads, Daisy Jones & the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Which I’ve yet to read but I'll definitely be adding them to my list after this. This book is also being turned into a TV series soon on Hulu. I want to give a huge thanks to Ballantine Books for sending me this book. I actually won it on instagram! So happy that I did :) Plot: The setting for this beachy read is Malibu, California. (What a setting!) It’s August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever high. Anyone who is anyone who wants to be near the famous Rivas. Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as they are the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva. The only person who’s not too keen on the party is Nina Riva. She hated being the center of attention, plus, she’s just been very publicly abandoned by her pro-tennis player husband. Hud as well, isn’t looking forward to this party because he has a big secret that he needs to confess to his brother from whom he’s been inseparable with since birth. Jay, on the other hand, is counting down the minutes to the party since the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised to be at the party, And Kit, has secrets of her own, including a guest she invited without consulting anyone. By midnight, the party will be out of control, but before all of the craziness, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface. Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind. My Review: When I picked this book up, I have to say, I had no expectations for it. Yes, it’s the book that everyone is reading this summer, and yes, the author has a huge reputation given her huge past bestsellers, but given that this is my first book by TJR, I mostly just wanted to read it because, you know, summer. Lol It gave me summer vibes solely based on the book cover so my expectations were like, meh… let’s see how this goes. Well well well, Taylor Jenkins Reid, guuurl, you blew me away with this book!! I honestly was like shook by how much I loved this book! It totally hit me out of left field, or whatever the baseball term is. Haha What an absolute pleasant surprise! This book is an absolute summer must read! Like seriously, it’s pretty damn good. Let’s start off with the writing, because that’s the first thing I noticed about this book. It was just so damn readable, effortless, and really cool! This is a cool book! Ha I loved her writing in it. You can tell that she’s definitely a fantastic writer because the words just flowed so easily, but also I really appreciated the way it was written. Quite a clever writer indeed. Respect. The 2nd feature that I loved was the absolutely delicious anticipation to this epic party to end all parties. Mate. I was LIVING for this party! Haha I love books that take place over the course of one day. It makes the anticipation so damn sweet. The book begins in a countdown format which was so much fun to read. I loved how short and precise the chapters were too. It was one of those books that I found myself really looking forward to picking up each night! Gearing myself up to get into the world of the Riva family, haha I loved it! Taylor Jenkins Reid is a writer to watch out for. The way she described each scene during the party section of the book was absolutely stellar. You literally felt like you were right there, livin it up at the Riva party! It was seriously so epic. The 3rd feature that I was absolutely living for was the sheer drama! Oh yesssss I love me some drama child. This book is filled with all the glitz, and glamor of a good ol California party! I loved the setting of this book so much! She really captured the essence of the whole Malibu, unattainable, dreamy, easy going yet glam vibe that Malibu offers to us mere mortals. I loved it. If you love gossip and drama, and glitz and glam, Hollywood, all of that jazz, then you’ll really love this book. I was living for the drama haha I also really loved the time period that she chose for this book, 80s glam vibe. It was fantastic. I of course have to also talk about character development. We follow one famous family, the Rivas, what a cool name too btw. They all have their own shit or drama going on, and I loved how the author developed each character’s personalities. It was fascinating to read. Nina is most definitely the star of the show though. I loved her character a lot. She felt quite relatable and I was rooting for her the entire time. I honestly just want everyone to read this book. It’s a perfect summer read. I felt so satisfied after reading it. It was everything that I wanted from a summer beach read and more. It ticked all of my boxes. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author and I have to definitely start off with her most famous one, Daisy Jones and the Six. This was a story about sibling and family relationships, heartbreak, making sacrifices for people you love, and living your truth. I loved it! Also it really made me want to learn how to surf even more. Highly recommend it for lovers of drama, glitz and glam type of reads. Song Pick: I wanted a song that felt like you could hear at a Hollywood, Cali party, something a little reckless, fun, and a song that captured that dreamy unattainable Malibu, sunny, surfy vibe. I wanted it to be a cool song too just like the characters in this book! So I had to choose this song because firstly, I love this band, and secondly, this album rocks, so my song pick is appropriately titled, ‘Malibu’ by Hole. Love this album - Celebrity Skin. A must listen. Genre: Historical Fiction | Domestic Fiction | LGBTQ+ Pages: 384 Pages Publication Date: June 1, 2021 Publisher: Ballantine Books

Rating: 7/10 This is my first book that I’ve read by one of the Queer Eye gang and it’s been on my list for a good while. I absolutely love me some Queer Eye, it’s such an uplifting and beautiful show! Jonathan is one of my favs from that show for sure. He’s such a sweetheart and has a really pure and honest aura about him. I’ve been listening to his podcast ‘Getting Curious’ ever since it premiered in the beginning of 2019. I’ve learned quite a bit actually through his podcast! I love the various guests that he has on his show and also the fact that he’s an activist as well is just everything. I decided to try out his audiobook memoir because I was in the mood for a feel-good type of read and who better to lift your spirits than the lovely voice of JVN?! About ‘Over the Top’: Over the Top: A Journey to Self-Love is a memoir about Jonthan Van Ness’s journey to how he became the positive, radiant, & effervescent soul that he is today. Before he stole our hearts as the grooming and self-care expert on Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye, Jonathan was growing up in a small Midwestern town that didn’t understand why he was so…over the top. From wanting to be an aspiring figure skater on the crapet of his home, and the unavoidable fact that he was ever so gay, in his early life, Jonathan was an easy target and endured years of judgement, ridicule & trauma. But none of it crushed his energetic spirit. Over the Top uncovers the pain and passion it took to end up becoming the model of self-love and acceptance that Jonathan is today. In this revelatory, raw, and rambunctious memoir, Jonathan shares never-before-told secrets and reveals sides of himself that the public has never seen. JVN fans may think they know the man behind the stiletto heels, the crop tops, and the iconic sayings, but there’s much more to him than meets the Queer Eye. My Review: I love me some JVN honey yasss!! I listened to the audiobook for this read and it was narrated by JVN himself! This was such a treat to listen to, simply because I love him. Haha and his adorable voice. I will say that if you’re a fan of JVN then definitely give the audiobook a go. It was an energetic and fun listen too. Jonathan starts off the book right from his humble beginnings in the Midwest, where he grew up. I actually didn’t like these chapters as much, I tend to not really be into memoirs where the narrator describes in grave detail about each year of their adolescent life. I myself, definitely DO NOT remember what the heck I was doing between the ages of 3-6 years old so I always find it odd when authors focus so heavily on these parts of their lives. For me, the book became much more interesting when he eventually reached the adulthood sections of his book. I feel like this was more tangible and an interesting time than what went on in the playground or at his school when he was 7 years old. So I would say this would be my negative factor while reading this book, I wish he cut off the details about his upbringing as a child. Once he got to his young adult phase in the book that’s when I became hooked. I really enjoyed learning about his family, and his experiences as a queer young man and navigating his way in the world. There was something quite honest and raw about how in depth he went into these chapters. I loved these sections of the book. In his memoir, he describes the various versions or personalities of himself and I feel that now after reading this book, I have a better understanding of who the real Jonathan Van Ness is. I loved how vulnerable his story was and I feel that a lot of people who are struggling with mental health, especially within the queer, will really relate to his story. It was so inspiring to listen to. Jonathan has been through a lot y’all! And he did not hold back in telling us all the goss!! My favorite parts were definitely when he was just being honest about who he was, the many personalities he has, his struggles, and his dating life too. I loved the chapters where he talks about how his journey into the TV show Queer Eye began. It was fascinating to hear about. I also learned about what it’s truly like to be a celebrity, and what that does to your mental health and the need to be able to take care of your space and your health. After reading this book, I’ll never run up to a famous person if I see them on the street because I feel that I would want to respect their privacy and space, just like I would expect from other people to do the same for me as well. All in all, this was an uplifting, raw & honest memoir about JVN’s life and who he is as a person today. It almost reads as a self-help book as well at times which I really enjoyed. If you’re a fan of Queer Eye and JVN then definitely add this to your list. You’ll probably love him even more after reading it! I sure did. What a lovely human being! I highly recommend that you listen to his fantastic podcast, Getting Curious. I’m a long time fan of it and you always learn something new on each episode. Song Pick: My song pick for this read was pretty damn easy. Haha I knew I wanted a sassy, fun, and uplifting song that captures JVN’s personality, and his body positivity realness. This song also had to be by the one & only, Lizzo. Another body positive role model that I adore to absolute bits!! My song pick is ‘Good as Hell’ by Lizzo. It’s such a feel good song and I feel that it fits JVN and his story to a tee. Genre: Memoir | Autobiography | Nonfiction | LGBTQ+ Publication Date: September 24, 2019 Pages: 273 Pages (Audiobook) Publisher: Harper Audio

Rating: 7/10 I remember seeing this book floating around the book world of Instagram and thinking, I don’t know what the heck this book is about but I MUST read it! Haha It’s honestly one of my favorite covers that I’ve seen in a book in a while. For those of you who don’t know, I am a total flower lover. One of the purest gifts in life is the beauty of flowers. I definitely read this book based on it’s cover haha I had absolutely no idea what it was about when I picked it up, but the overall plot and title intrigued me. I have to say a big thanks to Pamela Dorman Books for sending me a beautiful hardcover free book. Let’s get on to the plot for this intriguing read. The Plot: The setting for this book is New York City. I think!!! Haha We follow Rose Napolitano as she fights her husband Luke, about whether or not she took her prenatal vitamins. Rose had promised Luke that she would take them regularly, but she didn’t. Before they got married, Luke promised Rose that he never wanted children, but now, he’s changed his mind. Rose, who is a successful professor and academic, has never wanted children and now their marriage rests on one question. Can Rose find it in herself to change her mind, and become a mother? Soon their fight ends and with it, their marriage. The story starts all over again but with the exact same beginning. Rose and Luke, arguing over the prenatal vitamins. But this time, the fight turns out a little differently, and so does Rose’s future. Can she imagine her life turning out in a completely different way? This reimagining plays out again and again in nine different lives, all with different outcomes and scenarios. What are the consequences of their biggest choices? Rose Napolitano’s experience of choosing different scenarios over and over again shows us what it means to reinvent life and become a different kind of woman than you could ever imagine. My Review: What an interesting concept. This book reminded me of that 90s film Sliding Doors, that starred Gwyneth Paltrow. Where you get to see what life would turn out like if you could live the same day but make a different choice and see the different outcomes. I overall liked the interesting play of the ‘what ifs’ in this book. Rose lives nine different lives, all with very different outcomes. Each of the nine lives all start out the same. With her and Luke, her husband, fighting over her not taking her prenatal vitamins then the story develops from that point on. I do have to say that I was quite confused with which life was which. To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to what the different lives were because it was too confusing to keep up with! Haha but I did understand what I was reading about which was fine in the end. I just don’t think the book needed to be structured in the way that it was. For example each new chapter would start off with, ‘Life 3,4 & 5’ - there was a lot of that as you were reading and I felt it just didn’t need it. I loved the core subject of the book. The question of motherhood and Rose’s story, who was very adamant about having children and frankly did not have any interest in having them. I think this is a subject matter that a lot of women, especially today and in our current time, will really resonate with. These days more and more women are choosing to not have children and it was quite refreshing to read a book that solely talks about that and deals with this subject matter. I liked that she had all these different lives in which the story plays out completely different to the last ones and the outcomes and weight of what those choices were. It was really fascinating to read about. The overall story was pretty good. This is definitely a book that really deals with marriage and relationships. So it's very conversational and if you’re the kind of person who likes to read drama type of reads, and to analyze all the nitty gritty details of a relationship then you will like this book. I do have to say, the story itself grew on me as I read on and on. I wasn’t hooked from the beginning at all, but it did grow on me as I read on. It’s a definite slow burning type of read. The book itself had very short chapters which I liked and makes it easy for you to pick up where you left off. I wouldn’t say that the writing style is the best I’ve ever read. It’s really basic in terms of the way it’s written which made it a little underwhelming at times. I found Rose as a character to be quite unlikeable at times, which is funny because half the time I was actually rooting for her in the book and her thoughts, I did however, very much like other characters in the book a lot more. I hated Luke haha. I also wish the book was shorter than the massive 384 pages that it was. It didn’t need to be this long in my opinion. I do have to say that if you are a person who is maybe struggling in the relationship you are in, or worried if you’re wasting your time with someone in your relationship, or have always been doubtful of having children, then this would make for an interesting book for you. In the end I found myself enjoying it, but I do feel that this is one of those Hit or Miss reads where people will either like it, or not like it at all. The book definitely has its flaws for sure but I liked the overall message of the book. The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano is ultimately about identity, motherhood and having the option to not choose motherhood. It’s about marriage, relationships, betrayal, divorce, loss and death, mother and daughter relationships, and finding your own truth and your way to live life on your own terms away from what society tells you to do. I enjoyed the core subject of this book. The book had its flaws, but I ultimately will remember this story for years to come. Highly recommend it for women who have always wondered if motherhood is for them or not. A thought provoking read and perfect for book clubs as well. Song Pick: I knew I wanted a song sung by a woman, also wanted it to be an empowering song. When I think of a song about women doing whatever they want to do in life, and staying true to who they are, I think of this absolute banger by Christina Aguilera, or X-Tina as we went by back in the day, 'Can't Hold Us Down'. An absolute tune. Also!! I should add there is another absolutely fantastic song that fits the bill, and it's brilliant! You have to listen to it. It's basically what this read is about hah It's called 'I Don't Want Kids' by Thomas Benjamin. Hilarious song. I love it! To purchase this read, click the Amazon link below. Genre: Contemporary Fiction Publication Date: April 6, 2021 Pages: 384 Pages Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Rating: 5/10 I was chosen to be a part of the @mystery.book.club and their pick for June was this new debut release from Zakiya Dalila Harris that came out on June 4th. This book was described as a mix between Get Out & The Devil Wears Prada and a mix of Get Out meets The Stepford Wives, a strange and interesting mix! I’ve noticed a lot of books recently are being described as a mix between Get Out & some other movie. Quite funny when you think about it. It seems to have morphed into its own sort of sub-genre. Huge thanks to Atria Books for sending me an advanced review copy of this read. Plot: The setting for this book is Manhattan, New York City. We follow a twenty six year old editorial assistant named Nella Rogers as she tirelessly navigates her white washed work environment as the only black employee in the publishing house, Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to the new office favorite, and Nella is left behind like old news. Soon after, these strange notes start to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER NOW is what the first one said. Nella finds it hard to believe that Hazel could be behind these hostile notes. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career. My Review: Well well, where to begin. Firstly I will say that this book is typically the type of book that I would normally fall head over heels in love with. I mean look at this book cover though?! Everything about it screams yasss Chrissy, love me! Haha Let me start off by mentioning the things that I liked about this book. Firstly, the book cover is seriously eye-catching! Also I actually recognized the artist that did the book cover as soon as I saw it. He’s a brilliant artist called Temi Coker, check out his Instagram here. This cover and title just begs you to read it. I liked that the author tackled this interesting core subject matter of what it’s like to work in a predominately white workplace, which is something a lot people would be able to relate to, including, yours truly. *Fun Fact* Zakiya Dalila Harris actually used to work at Knopf publishers, so I feel like she would have been speaking from first hand experience while writing this fiction read. It was quite fun to know that I thought. I did like that she brought these issues to our attention such as classism, office politics, and microaggressions that tend to happen in a predominantly white work environments. Now to the negatives, hm. Firstly, let me just add that on the book club that I took part in on Instagram, ‘Mystery Book Club’, we all had a discussion at the end of the month about what everyone thought of the book. I would say that around 50% of people weren’t too keen on it, and the rest liked it. I was so glad that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t love this book! The character development, or lack of character development drove me bonkers. We follow Nella mostly in this book, but about a quarter of the way in, we’re introduced to these new characters that completely come in out of left field. No back story whatsoever, it was just extremely confusing. It drove me crazy. I’m usually quite a thorough reader but I found myself utterly confused by the plot and timeline of this book. The story would also jump in between two time periods and with very little explanation which I found quite jarring. A very confusing storyline, and it also felt too surface-y for me, like I remember feeling a lot during the book that I just didn’t really care about what I was reading about. I also felt that not a whole lot happened for like three quarters of the book. The book really did not need to be this long. I found myself becoming bored while reading it. When I get confused and not intrigued by the storyline, I start to lose interest. Half the time I was wondering, wow, where’s the editor? haha like I never think that about a book but man...the struggle was real to get to the end of it. I also wasn’t keen at all about the ending. Another aspect of the book that I struggled with was the dialogue, it felt a little disingenuous. Like it was trying too hard. There were a lot of ‘black culture’ references that a lot of non black American people would not understand for sure. That’s not to say that I didn’t like that, but yeah the writing itself was just ‘okay’ in my opinion. I really wanted to love this book so much, but it just fell short for me. Too many flaws that I couldn’t part with. I will say that this book would make a fantastic TV series! I recently heard that Hulu will be doing just that sometime soon and I’ll definitely be watching it! I think as a show, it’s an amazing concept, but definitely not as a book. It didn’t translate well at all to me. I felt that the premise itself was a great idea, but the execution just didn’t do it justice. I will also say that it would make a great discussion for a book club, but definitely wasn’t a favorite for me. Also the genre was sort of all over the place for me. This is a book that’s hard to recommend because I feel that people will either like it, or just not gel with it. Gotta keep it real.. Song Pick: Believe it or not, Atria Books, the publisher of this read, created a playlist especially for this book on Spotify! Ha So I checked it out and weirdly enough, the song that I had chosen to be the song pick was also included in this playlist! I was shook! I picked 'Apple Tree' by Erykah Badu. I felt that the vibe of this song really suits the book well. Also it fits one of the characters to a tee. Genre: Thriller | Mystery | Contemporary Fiction Publication Date: June 1, 2021 Pages: 357 Pages Publisher: Atria Books

Rating: 10/10 I first came across this book on Oprah’s Instagram account back in August of 2020. She posted a video choosing Caste as her Book Club pick for August of last year and I knew instantly that I had to add it to my reading list. Isabel Wilkerson, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for her reporting work while working at the NY Times, also wrote an incredible book titled, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. I have that book on my shelf and I’ve been told by numerous people how incredible it is! I need to pick it up one of these days, which I most certainly will do. Also, just to add, her most recent book, Caste was EVERYWHERE once it was released in August of last year. Everyone and their mother was reading it, or posting about it on every platform there ever was. I won the audiobook for Caste on Instagram from the accounts @downtogetthefictionon & @momandmadread last Christmas which was extremely exciting - that spurred me on to finally listen to this book, and boy am I glad that I did! Read on to learn what Caste is all about and my review & song pick for this gigantic and strikingly, intriguing read. About Caste: The Origins of our Discontents: Caste is a nonfiction book that examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions. In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings. Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, dehumanization and more. Beyond this, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity. -See her website here for the full description of what this book is about and to learn more about Isabel Wilkerson. -Source for synopsis: Goodreads My Review: Where do I begin!? This book was sheer brilliance. It took me about 3 months to fully listen to this audiobook. I remember I started listening to it in December of 2020 and didn’t finish till March of 2021. It’s one of those books that you will want to take your time with. I have to firstly say that I absolutely LOVED the audiobook. The narrator was really fantastic. It’s a brilliant book to listen to and I don’t say that often about audiobooks because I’m very much a reader rather than a listener. I highly recommend the audiobook. Having said that, I will also be purchasing my own physical copy of this book because I know that I will want to re-read some chapters of this amazing book. What is caste? I often thought how interesting it was that she used the word caste, and not the word race, or class. Isabel Wilkerson, who specializes in narrative non-fiction, said that The Warmth of Other Suns - where she writes about the 6 million people who left the Jim Crow South, “is what led her to this book” Caste. She “realized that racism wasn't what had led these millions of people to migrate to the north, it was much deeper than that”. She began to use the word caste, in The Warmth of Other Suns in which eventually “led her to this book”. What is Caste? “Caste holds everyone in a fixed place.” “An artificial hierarchy that grades the ranking of human value in a society. It’s what determines one’s standing, respect, access to resources, assumptions of intelligence, beauty and competence.” Here are a few quotes that stood out to me that explain what caste is and the difference between Race & Caste. Wilkerson says, "Caste focuses in on the infrastructure of our divisions and the rankings, whereas race is the metric that's used to determine one's place in that." “..Race, in the United States, is the visible agent of the unseen force of caste. Caste is the bones, race the skin.” (Caste) “is about respect, authority and assumptions of competence — who is accorded these and who is not.” “Any action or structure that seeks to limit, hold back, or put someone in a defined ranking, seeks to keep someone in their place by elevating or denigrating that person on the basis of their perceived category, can be seen as casteism.” (Caste) "is the term that is more precise [than race]; it is more comprehensive, and it gets at the underlying infrastructure that often we cannot see..” Caste is “..the natural order of things.” What she says about caste, race & class is that - “Caste is the bones, Race is the skin, & Class is the education, the accents, the clothes, the diction, and things that allow us to move up - things that we can control..” This was an absolutely brilliant book. It was incredibly and thoroughly researched which I honestly was completely in awe of how well she had put it all together. Yes, it definitely covers a lot of subject areas, and yes, it is in a way, a ‘heavy’ non fiction read. But what I liked most about it was how accessible it was. How easy it was to understand everything that she covered within this book and her immense research. I learned so much while reading this book and that to me is what made it an incredible book. In this book she delves into a plethora of subject areas. Wilkerson notes that caste has been around for thousands of years. She delves right into the beginning of what caste is. She explores what race is, where it comes from, what the default race is, I also found it quite fascinating learning about where the term Caucasian comes from. Throughout the entire book, she continues to define what caste means and I honestly found it to be so insightful and necessary, which in turn made the book very accessible for anyone to be able to understand and take in what she covers and explores in this read. In this book she explores the origins of caste in the American system, and the hierarchy that began in the United States with the Jim Crow era and how we still live under the shadow of that to this day. In Caste, one of my favorite features in this book is when Wilkerson brings in a global approach and compares other caste systems in this book: the Dalits - the Hindu castes in India, and the Jewish people in Nazi Germany. In this, she explores the ways in which the Dalits, Jews, and black Americans are all placed under this caste umbrella as the subordinate caste. I will note that her focus stays mostly on the American system in this book, but I really loved how she explored how caste systems have affected these other global groups of people in history. She asks; What are the similarities? What are some of the behaviors between the dominant and subordinate castes? What were the after effects of these caste systems? When you think of the word caste, your mind automatically goes to India, well, mine does anyways! So I loved that she got into the history of the caste system in India, and explained the dominant and subordinate caste and where the origins of that began. An absolutely fascinating chapter that this was! The similarities between Dalits and black/African-Americans are crazily uncanny. I learned so much about why structures are the way that they are today in the United States, and in India. This in turn, led her to research how the Nazi Regime began. One thing that I learned during this book is that the Germans, during this time, were actually studying the Americans during the Jim Crow era, and tried to emulate these systems into their regime and into what eventually became the Nuremberg Laws. An absolutely fascinating chapter! After understanding the caste system in Germany, Wilkerson looked into how Germany handled the aftermath of the Nazi Regime, and how the country dealt with this unspeakable horror in comparison to the Americans and how we have dealt with the horrors of the Jim Crow era. For example, now, in Germany, “displaying the swastika is a crime punishable for up to three years.” But in the US, the rebel flag or confederate flag is basically displayed everywhere, or in numerous places across the states, on car bumper stickers, etc. Freely and unashamedly. The comparisons are staggering. I will say that this was not an easy book to listen to emotionally. It was upsetting, and it made me feel tired. Tired to be a person of color in a western country. Wilkerson did not shy away from the brutal realities of what happened in history. As hard as it was to hear some of the stories she told in this book from the Dalits, Nazi Jewish experience, and African American Jim Crow era, and even today’s current racism, I felt that this was necessary for this book. This is why it took me so long to read it, I had to take breaks from reading or listening to some of the heavier chapters that were in this book. So brace yourself once you reach these chapters. One of my other favorite sections in this book was when she described how white immigrants first arrived in the US, and where they fell in the rankings of caste. Absolutely amazing chapter. I've never thought about this aspect of caste systems at all. Even though white immigrants migrated here and were not from this land, they automatically were put in the dominant ‘white’ caste, even though they were immigrants. Simply because of their skin color. I also loved that towards the end of the book, she looked deeply into the current US affairs for dominant and non dominant people. Some of what she researches are some of the issues that affect everyday Americans such as the flawed healthcare system, politics, gun control, education, incarceration system, happiness and the quality of life in the US, in comparison to other countries. All in all. I will say that this book is an absolute must read. I cannot stress that enough. An absolutely brilliantly researched and told book about the US caste system, the Nazi Germany Jewish caste systems and the Dalits & Brahman Indian caste systems. You truly will come away with a new found sense of understanding why systems are the way that they are, especially in the US. You will also appreciate how different the aftermath of the Jim Crow era could have been in comparison to Germany and it’s post Nazi era. You will also leave this book feeling unsettled and disturbed, but also relieved to finally understand what caste is. It’s terribly upsetting but isn’t it better to know the truth than to live in a lie, or to live in a world where you don’t understand why things are the way they are? Think of this book like in The Matrix, do you want to take the blue or the red pill? If you chose the red pill, then read this book. It’ll be a favorite of mine for many years to come and I cannot wait to read her much talked after book, The Warmth of Other Suns sometime soon. Caste was a brilliant and remarkable book. Highly recommend watching this interview between Bryan Stevenson and Isabel Wilkerson on her book “Caste’. Song Pick: For the song pick, I knew immediately who I wanted the artist to be. Based from this book. I knew I wanted an artist that lived to see the Jim Crow era, I knew that I wanted a black American artist, I knew that I wanted it to be a timeless artist because I feel that this book will carry on for generations to come just like this artist did with his incredible music career. The artist that I chose for this book is Miles Davis. A true legend. Whenever I think of Miles Davis, I think of the strong emotions that live in each of his songs, his brilliance, a true and raw effortless talent. The song I chose by Miles Davis is a true classic 'Blue in Green'. I adore this song and it truly compliments this book very well. Highly recommend this entire album, 'Kind of Blue'. Brilliant album. Genre: Non Fiction | History Publication Date: August 4, 2020 Pages: 496 Pages Publisher: Random House

Rating: 8/10 I remember seeing this book on Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s Instagram account. She is a Vietnamese author of an absolutely amazing book that I loved to bits called, The Mountains Sing. She raved about how fantastic this book was, and was also supporting another fellow Vietnamese author. I also just loved how captivating and moving this book cover is. It looked like it would be an epic story and you guys know how much I love my epic reads! Haha I have give a huge thanks to Knopf Publishers for sending me a digital advance review copy of this read! Things We Lost to the Water is a debut book from Eric Nguyen and I was definitely intrigued when I read the synopsis below. Synopsis: The setting for this read is Vietnam and mostly New Orleans. We follow a young mother names Huong, as she arrives in New Orleans with her two young sons. She is jobless, homeless and worries about her husband Cong, who remained behind in Vietnam. As she slowly begins to adjust to her new life in New Orleans, she continues to send letters and voice recordings to her husband back home in the hopes that Cong will soon join them in America and that her children will grow up with their father around. As time passes, Huong realizes she will never see her husband again. While she copes with this realization, her sons Tuan and Binh grow up in their absent father’s shadow, haunted by a man and a country trapped in their memory and imagination. The family adapt to life in America in very different ways: Huong seeks the company of a Vietnamese car salesman who is also new in town; Tuan tries to keep his heritage alive and connects with a local Vietnamese gang; and Binh, who now goes by Ben, fully embraces his new homeland and his new found sexuality. Their search for identity as individuals and as a family, threatens to tear them apart. But then disaster strikes the city they now call home, and they must find a new way to come together and honor the ties that bind them. My Review: Judging by the book cover and the title of this book, I knew that it would be one of those epic and emotional stories and it definitely did not disappoint with that initial feeling. I really enjoyed reading this book immensely. The narrative was bold, sweeping, and definitely kept you gripped the whole way through. I loved the characters of this read and you could really feel for each individual character as well which I thought the author did a fantastic job with. We follow this young mother as she makes her epic journey from everything she has ever known in Vietnam as she lands in a foreign and quite strange land here in America. It was an extremely relate-able story if you come from an immigrant family. That initial fear of the unknown to suddenly go from everything you have ever known to a strange land with nothing in your pockets and children in tow.. So brutal. I loved these sections of the book a lot. We then follow these great characters as they evolve and grow through decades in America and adjust in their own individual ways to the life they now have. What a realistic and strong narrative. I loved it! I thought the setting of the book was extremely visual. New Orleans. Hot, sticky, vibrant. I also loved the Vietnamese community in this book. It’s just so realistic to many parts of the US. Immigrants sticking together, trying to make do in their new environments, but also embracing this new environment while also staying true to their culture and community. It was a great insight into the Vietnamese immigrant experience. Brilliant and visual book. The setting was really great and I don’t often read a lot of books based in New Orleans so I found this to be quite refreshing I loved all of the challenges that we were presented with in this book. The story of why the father remained in Vietnam, the migration from Vietnam to America with two young sons, the adjustments to this new and strange environment, the growing pains as the sons go from young boys to young men. There were so many interesting challenges and themes going around this book which really fed into your hunger for a good storyline. I loved how realistic the challenges were as well. The family’s search for identity in their new environments, finding ways to somehow stay a family but also being pulled apart by different circumstances. I think a lot of immigrant parents would be able to relate to this book a lot, and 1st generation children as well! I really loved it. I have the say the water plays a big role in this book as it does in real life too. People being separated by the sea and distance. It was beautifully told. My only critique would be that I wish the book was a little longer. I wanted to know the characters a little bit more because we mostly got short clips from each character. The story also jumped through time quite vastly and I felt that the ending was a little too rushed. Otherwise, I honestly enjoyed reading this book and I cannot believe this was Eric Nguyen’s debut book! Beautiful writing as well and I will definitely be reading more from him. All in all, this book was about the search for identity in a foreign land, it’s a story about loss and moving on, it’s about the Vietnamese Immigration experience told during the time of the Vietnam war, it’s about complicated relationships between a mother and her sons in a foreign land, and ultimately, about trying to stay connected to one another when circumstances in life threatens to push your family apart. It was a beautiful book. Read it if you want a gorgeous, raw, and emotional story to get into. Song Pick: For this song pick, I chose Photograph by Ed Sheeran. I feel like this song is very relatable especially for the beginning sections of this book. It's all about being separated from your loved ones, missing them, and keeping them in your thoughts. It's also a very beautiful song that fits with the mood of this read. To purchase 'Things We Lost to the Water' on Amazon, click the link below: Genre: Historical Fiction | LGBTQ+ Publication Date: May 4, 2021 Pages: 304 Pages Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group

Rating: 7/10 I recently was asked to be part of a digital book club for this great book blog account I follow on Instagram called Literary League, and their pick for the month of May was Arsenic and Adobo. I 100% said yes because firstly, how fun does this book look, and secondly, it would be such a blast to have an awesome discussion on this read! The book discussion takes place on Tuesday, May 25th and I will definitely post it on here so you can take a listen at our discussion of this read. This was my first time reading a cozy mystery book and I have to say it was everything I thought it would be like. Extremely cozy for sure! Let’s see what Arsenic and Adobo is all about. Plot: The setting for this book is the Midwest in the US in a fictional small town outside of Chicago called Shady Palms. We follow Lila Macapagal as she moves back home to her family’s place after a pretty nasty break-up. Back home, she is tasked with saving her Tita Rose’s failing restaurant all while dealing with her overbearing matchmaking aunties who shower her with lots of love and judgement. When a notoriously nasty food critic, who also happens to be her ex boy’f from way back when, drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life suddenly turns from a rom-com to murder mystery. With local cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the landlord of the restaurant wanting to finally kick Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila is left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation to this murder. Armed with nosy aunties, her sassy barista bestie, and her trusted dachshund, Longganisa, Lila takes on this twisted and tasty case head on and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block… My Review: What an absolutely delicious cozy read this was! Let me tell you, I have never wanted to eat Filipino food so much in my life than when I read this book y’all! Every single scene was filled with such delicious treats, it was almost like a good 'ol recipe book - I loved it! Definitely do not read this book while hungry, I’ll tell you that much. What a plethora of lovable, charismatic characters! There were a lot of aunties, quirky friends, and all kinds of interesting people to get to know in this book. A truly perfect setting for a cozy thriller. This entire family was extremely relate-able. I loved them all. Our main character Lila, oh bless her soul. She had a lot to deal with, I’m not gonna lie. It’s quite hard to have such an overbearing yet loving family and she definitely had some judgy aunties in tow too. I loved Lila’s best friend Adeena. She’s the kind of gal pal we all strive to have in our lives. A true soul mate. This book was filled with such lovable and memorable, funny characters. I loved them all. The story itself starts out almost like a rom-com, boy meets girl, they break up (pretty nastily), she moves back to her hometown and in with her overbearing family, questions what is next, then boom. We’re hit with this super random and quite dramatic death and from then on it’s a total delightful and delicious who-dunnit thrilling and warming mystery. I loved the entire journey to trying to figure out who did the deed. It was such a deliciously glorious mystery. Cozy indeed! This is the kind of book that you can read with a warming cup of tea and would also make a fabulous buddy read as well, especially for book clubs! There’s loads to dissect in each chapter. I really enjoyed it. I have to say my favorite parts though had to be all the FOOD! Oh my goodness this book, wow. You can tell the author is 100% passionate about food because good lord, the recipes mentioned in this book were all so damn tasty! It’s definitely made me want to eat more Filipino food and I learned a lot about Filipino culture too! Every single chapter was just so delectable. I loved all the food and sweet treats mentioned in this story. The only negative aspect was I’m not sure if I was 100% sold on the 'cozy mystery' genre? A part of me would have actually read this book even if it wasn’t a mystery and was more about the characters and food. It felt at times a tad PG-13 or cheesy - especially if you read a lot of thrillers/mysteries like I do. But other than that, it was a super cute read and I enjoyed it. This is a definite must read for people who love mystery but without all the intense, heart stopping crazy twists and turns. It was like a mega chilled and warming mystery. Also if you’re a massive food lover like I am then you will also love this book. It also helps that there were lots of interesting characters to get stuck into too, which made it even more cozy! I enjoyed it. I definitely will be reading more from this author. I’m always up for supporting minority authors and Manansala is definitely an author to watch out for. Also, how fun is this book cover?! Song Pick: Ever since I saw the title of this book I knew immediately what the song pick would be! Haha It’s been stuck in my head for the entire book. Also, since the book is sort of based in the Midwest and Chicago, it just felt right. This is my first time picking a song from a musical, but this song is all about murder, and mischief and it’s sassy as all hell! I chose ‘Cell Block Tango’ from the movie production of Chicago. Such a tune! I love this musical and Catherine Zeta-Jones absolutely slays this song along with all the amazing women in it. They also mention Arsenic in the song too with an awesome line that goes - "y’know, some guys just can’t hold their arsenic!" ....then it breaks into the most dramatic singing ever, haha love it. To purchase a copy of Arsenic and Adobo on Amazon, click the link below. Genre: Cozy Mystery | Suspense Publication Date: May 4, 2021 Pages: 336 Pages Publisher: Berkley Books Arsenic & Adobo IGTV Digital Book Club Discussion with Literary League and myself!!

Rating: 9/10 How stunning is this book cover! I know I always say this about covers, but this time, I mean it. This is one of those times that I purely read this book simply because of the color! Haha I had to see what was inside and what it was all about! Also, I’ve heard amazing things about this book as it’s a recently released book. It was published on April 13, 2021. I was in the mood for something uplifting and warming, and I felt that this collection of short stories would hit that spot. I would like to thank William Morrow Books for sending this beautiful print book that I actually won through their instagram giveaway! Little fun fact about the author, Babalola is 29, she was born and raised in London, U.K. and is a self proclaimed “romcomoisseur”. She has a funny and exciting twitter presence and is very much in the millennial age with her witty sharp style and much loved social media accounts. I very much looked forward to reading her take on her first short stories collection. About ‘Love in Color’: The settings for these short stories took place in various continents and mainly Africa. Love in Color is a collection of 13 short stories that retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology from all over the world. These stories are filled with new vibrant details and focus on the magical folktales of West Africa, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places. In Love in Color, Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives, continents, and genres. My Review: Firstly, I would like to say that I absolutely adored the fresh take on these short story collections. I seriously loved that all if not most, of the characters were black and that she celebrated these stories with diverse and beautiful characters. Something you don’t often see or even think about when you think of fairy tales and short stories. It is definitely a celebration of black love and the beauty of darker skin which I seriously loved to read about. I’m actually pretty bad with African folklore stories so for me, it was all quite new and refreshing to read all of these retellings! Some were set in more modern twists in our time which I found to be fun and exciting. I even felt at times like I was reading a YA book, mostly based on the way that some stories were told. It was a very easy book to read and a lot of millennials would be able to relate to quite a few of these stories as well. One of the aspects that I loved about these stories was the strong focus on women. Every story had a lead female character which I absolutely loved! The focus was definitely more on women rather than men in a lot of these retellings. Each story ultimately had some kind of love telling in it and I loved that the men in each and every story pretty much were very supportive and lifted up each woman in her desires and dreams. It was actually really cool that the women in these stories were ambitious, they had goals, they had dreams, and the men were mostly the icing on the cake you know? Women are not just doormats for men which I feel is what Babalola was trying to steer away from. I loved that she kept a strong focus on the women of each story. It was quite an empowering and feminist read and I think that all men should also read this book and not just women. I wouldn’t say that every story was amazing. Some were definitely better than others in my opinion. But the ones that were good were very captivating and I genuinely enjoyed reading them. I liked that she not only focused on African Folklore tales, she even dipped into other stories from around the world, which made for an exciting take on these classic tellings. There were even stories based on her parent’s relationship, and her own dating life sagas. Love in Color is ultimately about love. It’s about the ups and downs of relationships, it’s about women holding their own and being content in their goals and aspirations. It’s about men respecting women, it’s about modern day romance, and the difficulties that can bring. It’s about finding your light and your path in life, and all in all, it’s a hopeful and positive collection of lovely short stories about love and a celebration about black love. I adored it and would highly recommend that you read this beautiful book. Perfect for when you need some feel-good stories. Perfect for millennials, and perfect for YA readers as well. I also loved that she included an LGBTQ+ story in there too. Song Pick: Well this song pick was extremely easy for me and I knew it from the very first story that I read. These stories really focus on the beauty of black skin and black love and I seriously was here for it! It’s a romantic book and it deserves one of the most romantic and soulful songs about black love. It had to be ‘Brown Skin’ by India Arie. A true classic and beautiful song that will stand the test of time, just like the stories that Babalola based her collection on. To purchase Love in Color, click the amazon link below. Genre: Short Stories | Romance | Contemporary Fiction | Magical Folklore/Fantasy Publication Date: April 13, 2021 Pages: 304 Pages (Hardcover) Publisher: William Morrow

Rating: 9/10 A lot of people have been raving about this book since its release in June, 2020. The immensely talented Roxanne Gay called it one of her favorite reads of 2020 and said this - “Hypnotically meandering narrative structure. Deeply compelling protagonist. Lovely sentences. Sexy, in it's own way.” That’s a raving review coming from one of the most awesome writers out there. This read was also featured in Amerie’s Book Club for her July 2020 pick. I’d love to thank Catapult Books for sending me this absolutely gorgeous book for my reviews. Catapult Books are definitely one of my fav book publishers, I’ve always loved their website and their choice of books. I also adored the size of the hardcover of this book, it was such a satisfying sized book to hold and to read. Love the title and cover a lot! You Exist Too Much...very intriguing. There were quite a few settings in this book that range mostly in the Middle-East - Jordan, Nablus, Egypt, Lebanon and then the States in New York City, Washington DC, even Italy at one point. Plot: The scene opens on a hot day in Bethlehem as we follow a 12 year old unnamed, Palestinian-American girl who is being yelled at by a group of men outside the church of Nativity. She had exposed legs which doesn’t bode well in a biblical city, their judgement will echo on through her adolescence. When our narrator finally admits to her mother that she is queer, her mother’s response only intensifies a sense of shame: “You exist too much,” she tells her daughter. Told in vignettes that flash between various countries and cities, we follow the protagonist from a blushing adolescence to an aspiring writer and sought after DJ. In Brooklyn, she moves in with her first serious girlfriend and tries to be content in their stable relationship. But soon after her desires and longings that were hidden during her teenage years explode out into reckless and romantic encounters with both men and women. Her self destructive behavior eventually leads her to an unconventional treatment center called ‘The Ledge’ where she is diagnosed with a’ Love Addiction.’ It is in this closed society that she starts to consider her own internal traumas and the places that have shaped the person that she is today. You Exist Too Much is a captivating story charting two of our most intense longings―for love, and a place to call home. My Review: It was interesting reading a book where we didn’t know the main character’s name. I actually hadn’t noticed that fact at all till about halfway through the book! That’s how interesting this book was. I was completely intrigued by the story and her perspective that I didn’t notice that we never actually know what her name is. What I found to be amazing about this book is that I literary had no idea what each page would bring, it was completely unpredictable and I had no way of guessing where the story was going. A book rarely does that to me so I have to give props to the author for that. This is one of the coolest, and sharpest books I’ve read in a while. It was completely refreshing especially because you don’t come across many books where the protagonist is a bisexual, half Arab, half American 30-ish year old woman. It was an interesting and super cool book. We follow the un-named character through a series of montages all varying in different time periods and locations. Weirdly enough, you were never really confused about where and what age the character was. I have to give a lot of respect to the author for this. She knew how to keep you hooked the entire way through without any confusion. Quite tricky to do that. There were many interesting aspects going on in this book and with this character. She comes from a very strict background, her mother is completely set in her ways, and I actually found her to be quite abusive towards our main character. To grow up in a country where women are basically seen in such a narrow perspective is quite a lot to deal with, then on top of that she’s bisexual and sort of struggles with coming out to her own family in fear of what the judgement or repercussions will be. To add to all of this, the main character then has her own issues state-side she deals with anorexia, and she has a ‘Love Addiction’. I don’t think I actually knew what that was before reading this book! Learned something new here. Our girl is a pretty self-destructive character. it’s strange, you feel for her and you want to sit her down and have an intervention! Poor thing. I kept wondering throughout this book that if she had grown up with more supportive or less judgmental parents if she would have turned out differently. This wasn’t a coming out story, I didn’t think so anyways, it was more a self destructive, behavioral story. Also the relationship that she has with her mother was extremely exhausting and intense. She was always looking to please her mother and to get her approval, so much so that she ends up not truly being her authentic self around her. I also quite liked the cultural dynamics too, the strong religious background she grew up in, and her very contemporary life that she has in New York City. Very millennial. Not so much an immigrant story but more about past experiences, family and identity. Very interesting narrative. I personally enjoyed the story itself and the writing of this book a lot. It was something new and interesting, also quite sultry and messy! I actually liked that the story was quite realistic and it wasn’t a ‘happy’ story at all. There were some highs and some lows for sure and I found that there were also some silver linings, but yeah all in all it was a really interesting read. I think people will either love this book, or not get into it at all. Some may find the story depressing or too self obsessed. Here is one of my favorite lines from this book - it mentions the title of the book in quite a sad and remarkable way. Page 134: “I sniffled and snorted and tried to suck back snort and tears, which only made me cry harder. I’m aware I can be exhausting--”you exist too much,” my mother often told me.” You Exist Too Much is a story about sexual identity, it’s about self acceptance, it’s a self reflective story about the impact of being brought up in different cultures and having to deal with the repercussions of the different borders. It deals with reckless, self destructive behavior, addictions, finding love, and the impact of family support or lack of. It's about complicated mother and daughter relationships as well. An absolutely biting, complex, unapologetic and brilliant read. Song Pick: I kind of wanted a song that was loud, fun and felt like it was in the millennial age bracket. Also, our main character is a DJ so I knew I wanted a sort of trashy song that you can get drunk to dancing all night with. I chose an absolute banger by Kesha. I also always feel like Ke$ha is a bit of a messy person, almost like our character. I chose her super fun and loud track, ‘Your Love is my Drug’. Our main character has a love addiction so there ya go. A fun, reckless, and bangin 'tune. Just felt right! Genre: Contemporary Fiction | LGBTQ+ Publication Date: June 9, 2020 Page: 272 Pages (Hardcover) Publisher: Catapult

Rating: 9/10 I am so late in reading this heavily popular read! It’s nuts. This book was one of the most popular books all over the book world since its release in March of 2020. It’s a NY Times bestseller, an L.A Times best seller, a USA best seller, and it was even picked for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club pick for May 2020. Also, this book is soon going to a TV series starring the beautiful Freida Pinto! SO many reasons to read this book right? I’m so glad that I finally did - read on for more on this beautiful read. How gorgeous is the cover btw?! Plot: The setting for this book is Jaipur & Rajasthan, India. We follow 17 year old Lakshi as she escapes from an abusive marriage and makes her way to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. She becomes the most sought after henna artist and confidant for all of the wealthy and upper class women of Jaipur. She is trusted with all of the secrets of the wealthy, but can never reveal any of her own. Lakshmi becomes well known for her trust, her sage advice and her original designs, but she must treat very carefully to avoid jealous gossips that could ruin her livelihood and well built reputation. As she pursues her independent life, she is taken by surprise when her estranged husband shows up many years later after tracking her down with a high spirited young girl in tow - who turns out to be a sister that Lakshmi never knew existed. Her precarious and well tended life may now be at risk, but through it all, she perseveres and applies her talents and lifts up those who surround her. The Henna Artist is a portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern. My Review: I actually had listened to the audiobook for The Henna Artist and it was absolutely brilliant. I adored it immensely and would highly recommend the audiobook for this if you’re into audiobooks. What a full, lush and wonderful story this was. Cultural and historical fiction at it’s best. From the very first page you are completely transported into a hot, bright and rich world in Jaipur, India. I absolutely adored the setting of this book. It’s seriously made me want to travel there so much now! We follow Lakshmi from quite a young age of 17 years old and we basically shadow her in her everyday life in Jaipur. Lakshmi was quite an interesting character, she was definitely independent, very resourceful, intelligent, talented and I absolutely loved all of these qualities about her. At times though, she was quite naive and a tad annoying just in my opinion, but overall I did actually like her strong presence and character. We get the entire story from her perspective as she leaves her abusive husband and basically makes a living in Jaipur as being one of the most sought after henna artists in all of Jaipur. It’s pretty impressive what she has been through in this book. Immense hardships. What a brilliant story and setting right?! I loved every bit of this story from the beginning to the very end. It just felt really complete and was written exquisitely. I loved all of the characters that surrounded Lakshmi, each one played quite an important role in the book and shaped the outcome of the story as well. I loved that the author touched on specific subjects such as different caste systems in India, the wealthy and the poor, the lives from both perspectives, I thought it was brilliant. This book had quite a plethora of characters, at times I did feel a little confused as to who was who, especially in the beginning, but actually, towards the end, and having listened to the audiobook, I was completely aware of who each person was. The character development was written expertly well. I can definitely see why this book would translate well as a TV show. There’s just so much to work with. It’s a multilayered book that can show you completely different perspectives of all of the amazing characters of this book. I also like the time period chosen for this story. Quite an interesting time in India and it played very well with the story itself. Alka Joshi also mentions quite a lot of subject areas in the book. She delves into western medicine and herbal medicine, social class systems in India, men and women’s roles during this time, this book offers you quite a lot. The Henna Artist is a story about perseverance, womanhood, finding independence and taking control of your life, social class and caste systems, family, cultural traditions, and much more. It felt to me, like a complete book. I loved the writing of it, it was concise and to the point. It was an engrossing and interesting story for sure. I would recommend this for Historical Fiction and women’s fiction lovers. You learn quite a bit as well especially if you’re not familiar with Indian culture during this time period. Song Pick: For this song pick, I knew that I wanted a song about being in control of your own life and body, I also knew I wanted a song from around the 1950s/60s. I went for the ultimate independent and feminist song. A true classic. 'You Don't Own Me' by Leslie Gore. A totally timeless song and I feel that the lyrics are perfect for Lakshmi and everything she goes through. Genre: Historical Fiction Publication Date: March 3, 2020 Pages: 384 Pages Publisher: Mira Books *This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link on this blog.*

Rating: 8/10 This is now my second book by Sally Hepworth so I kind of knew what I would be in for before I read The Good Sister. The first book I read by her was The Mother-In-Law, which you can check out here. I have to give a massive thanks to St Martin’s Press for sending me a free advanced review copy of this hotly anticipated read! I happened to have finished reading this book the night before it was published which was quite exciting! Ha It was released on April 13, 2021. I always have to throw in a Mystery/Thriller read and y’all know I’m a total sucker for my psychological thrillers. Let’s get on with the plot & review right? Plot: The setting is Brisbane, Australia. (I’m pretty sure it’s Brisbane! Haha I can’t fully remember - but definitely in Australia) We follow two fraternal twin sisters, Rose & Fern. From the outside, everyone thinks that they’re as close as can be. Fern is the quirky sister, and Rose is the responsible one. The two sisters are completely devoted to one another and Rose has always been the protector from a very young age. Their mother was a true sociopath who held her true nature from the world and only Rose could see this, and Fern needed to be protected by her sister. Fern always saw the good in everyone. When the sisters were much younger, Fern did something terrible, and Rose never told a soul about it. Fern wanted to repay her sister and she knew the perfect way to do it. Fern decides to help her sister achieve her heart’s desire of having a baby. Rose soon realizes that Fern can make choices that to her, will have a terrible outcome. Rose doesn’t realize that Fern is growing more and more aware of the secrets that Rose is keeping. And one of the sisters will stop at nothing to get what she truly wants. My Review: Well then. What a book! I do have to say that Sally Hepworth always delivers when it comes to her psychological page turning thrillers. I do have to say that this book was more of a domestic thriller but it was still a gripping read. We follow the lives of these two sisters who are extremely close to each other. I loved the character development in this read, so I do have to say that this aspect of the book was brilliant. We’re told the story from mostly Fern’s perspective but Rose does get to chime in here and there. Their relationship was quite believable. You have one sister who’s the stronger, more disciplined, independent and dominant one, and the other sister, Fern, is a bit more sensitive, quirky, and on the spectrum, of which Rose has always cared for. We follow them from a young age so we do understand quite early on the dynamics of their relationship. The writing in this book was extremely gripping and was a massive page turner. It’s one of those books that you’re immediately drawn to once you start reading it. I wouldn’t say that it had much action or that there were some major twists or anything like that, but this book was ALL about the drama! Haha I think that’s what kept me hooked. As a massive psychological thriller reader, I actually kind of guessed I would say halfway through, on what the big twist was in this book. But I still wanted to read on and see how it would all play out. So in terms of shocking endings, there wasn’t one really, and you’re reading it more to see how the story plays out. I was pretty satisfied with it at the end! So well done Hepworth! Ha The Good Sister was a fast-paced and intriguing read. I also loved that it dealt with mental health issues and developmental disorders and it made it a much more interesting book, especially with the dialogue in the book. I always like books where I get to learn something, and I definitely had the opportunity to take something away from this book and went off to research it further which I always appreciate in a good book. You definitely find yourself invested in the story and characters of this book. Highly recommend it for all women’s fiction & domestic thriller lovers out there. A perfect and easy read to read in between those heavy books! Song Pick: Oo this was a fun book to work with ! I knew I wanted a song about a relationship that used to be strong but also at the end, things change and things can never go back to the way they were. I also sort of knew the artist I wanted, so once I found listened to the lyrics of this track I knew it would be the perfect song for this book! I chose ‘Bad Blood’ by Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar. If you don’t know that song, well I suggest you take a listen to it here! Haha, also I love that it mentions blood in the lyrics because the characters in this book are sisters, and it totally fits in with the story of the book. Love a bit of Taylor Swift every now and then. Click the Amazon link to order 'The Good Sister'. Genre: Domestic Thriller | Mystery | Suspense Publication Date: April 13, 2021 Pages: 320 Pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Press *This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link on this blog.* Check out my review for another Sally Hepworth read, The Mother-in-Law here, or click on the pic for my full review.

Rating: 7/10 I’ve been reading a lot of heavy books recently and I had to even it out with a feel good, easy breezy read. I’ve been hearing lots of lovely comments about this book and also how welcoming is the cover? By the way, the U.K cover of this book is so delightful! I’ll post a photo of it below this review. I also like the title of this book and wanted to know what it was all about. Thank you to Penguin Books for sending me a free print copy of this book! Very much appreciated. Let’s read on to the plot: Plot: The setting of the book is Fulham, West London in the U.K. Julian Jessop, an eccentric and lonely artist believes that these days, people aren’t really honest with each other. But what if they were? So what does Julian do? He decides to write in a plain green journal, the honest truth about his own life, and he leaves the book in his local café. The café is run by an incredibly tidy, and organized woman named Monica. Monica furtively adds her own entry, then leaves it in a wine bar across the street. Not long after, others also find the book and add their own entries to it about their deepest and truest selves, and they all soon find each other in Monica’s café in real life. The Authenticity Project’s cast of characters includes a plethora of people such as Hazard, a charming addict who vows to get sober, Alice, a famous mommy influencer who’s real life is a lot less perfect than her social media life, and many more characters. This is a story about being brave, and putting your real self out there for the world to see, and finding out it’s not as scary as it seems. It’s a story of a solitary green book that brings together six strangers and leads to some unexpected friendships and much more. My Review: I wanted a feel-good book, and I got a feel-good book. What an absolute treat that this book was. It hit the spot immensely. It’s a super simple plot, but also quite meaningful and thoughtful. It’s all about these characters who’s lives become intertwined together all thanks to this simple green notebook. Such a brilliant idea! I kind of wish people would do this book in real life, imagine the stories that people would tell, and their real truths! I loved the setting of this book, it made me miss London so much. Although I haven’t spent a lot of time in Fulham, but I have been there before. I quite liked that the author honed in on this area and the people in this small community. It was very believable too actually. The characters in the book were all quirky and interesting and I liked how different they all were to each other. You start off the story following one or two characters, then it builds and builds and by the end of the book you get a plethora different perspectives which was really fun! The fact that Pooley builds the characters in slow building layers made the book a lot less confusing! You got to know each character individually and after you knew one, she would add another one and so on and so forth and by the end you’re up to scratch with who’s who and what they’re like. I thought it was brilliant. In terms of character types, you had all kinds of personalities in this book. Your eccentrics, your quirky character, your easy going one, your charming one, it had it all. You also would have your favorites too which was pretty great. I loved the idea of the story itself, and how it all centered around this simple green book. Living in a city, you definitely never truly get to know your neighbors, or what they’re really feeling and thinking, and the simple idea of leaving an anonymous book in a café for people to write their truths, their struggles, and their desires, ugh it was just so nice. It was a simple story but also very thoughtful and meaningful. It filled my heart with all the warm and fuzzies too. My negatives with the book is that at times, it was almost a little cliché, or a tad corny. So some people will definitely roll their eyes or glaze over some parts of the story or book. For me, it was what I needed to read and I appreciated the feel good, rom-com aspects of it. After I was done I was like ah, that was pleasant! This book is all about staying true to who you are, it’s about staying present in the moment, definitely has a YOLO (You Only Live Once) philosophy to it too, and writing the story to your own life and taking control of it! It’s about getting out of your comfort zone as well. It’s a perfect book to read when you need a fun and uplifting, feel-good book. It’s Cozy, it’s enjoyable and it’s delightful. Here's a quote that I thought was super cute! From page 91: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift," Song Pick: For my song pick, I knew that I wanted a song by an English artist, I also knew that I wanted it to be a feel good song, and when I think of an uplifting, feel-good song about staying true to yourself, I always think of this absolute banger, ‘Unwritten’ by Natasha Bedingfield. This song is such a feel good, spring in your step, optimistic tune! I feel that it’s perfect for this book as well. Love it. UK cover of this book is below! How adorable! Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Romance Publication Date: December 29. 2020 Pages: 384 Pages Publisher: Penguin Books Click the pic to purchase 'The Authenticity Project' on Amazon!