Rating: 9/10 This book has been on my to read list for the longest time since its release in April 2019. Ever since my good friend Nicole told me how amazing this memoir was, I knew I had to read and add it to my list! It even became a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for her May 2019 selection. If Reese Witherspoon says it’s good then I know it’s gonna be good, and it’s a New York Times bestseller. I had actually listened to the audiobook and it was narrated by the author herself! She has the most loveliest voice ever by the way! I listened to a little 2 minute sample and definitely had to dive in. Let’s get into what this memoir is all about. About From Scratch: The setting for this memoir is Sicily, Florence in Italy & L.A. For Tembi and professional chef Saro, it was love at first sight when they first met on a street in Florence, Italy. The one problem they had though, was that Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of him marrying a black African American woman and also whose profession was in the acting field. But with all of that, Tembi and Saro although were heartbroken, they were undeterred and continued on to build a beautiful life together. A happy and fulfilling life in L.A, with deep friendships, great careers, and also adopting a baby girl. They eventually reconcile with Saro’s family just as he faces a formidable cancer that will threaten and consume all of their dreams. From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown. In the wake of grief, Tembi finds solace and healing at her mother-in-law’s kitchen. She finds hope in the warm and inviting simple, fresh food, in the close knit community, in the timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. and the power of enduring love. She soon finds the strength to step into a new life. In Sicily, it is said that every story begins with a marriage or a death—in Tembi Locke’s case, it is both. Including 16 recipes drawn from the couple’s culinary adventures, From Scratch is for anyone who has dared to reach for big love, fought for what mattered most, and needed a poignant reminder that life is, after all, delicious. My Review: What a warm, devastating but hopeful read! This is such a perfect book to listen to while you cook or while doing house chores. I have to say that the audiobook was brilliant! Locke has the kindest and clearest voice and she told her own story really beautifully. Highly recommend the audiobook. Very early on we are immediately transported to Florence where Tembi first meets Saro, a young chef and they instantly hit it off. What a whirlwind romance and setting we were taken on with this book! I don’t think I’ve ever felt as physically transported with a story as I did with this one. You felt as if you were right there with her in Italy throughout the entire book. Tembi spends three summers in Sicily with her daughter Zoela, after Saro’s death and these sections of the book were absolutely brilliant. The sights, the sounds, the air, the smells oh man, the food! Food is a massive feature in this book and I loved it! I heard that in the physical book, she actually includes 16 recipes that were drawn from Tembi and Saro’s culinary adventures. How amazing does that sound! I’ve never visited Sicily before but after this book I’m definitely going there. The story itself of Locke’s life with Saro before he got cancer, during cancer and after Saro's death, was a combination of rich and pure classic romance. It was heartbreaking, devastating, but also hopeful and bittersweet. This book seriously felt like you were reading a fiction story! In the way that it was told. It was very descriptive and I had to remind myself that this stuff actually happened and it was her memoir. I was completely swept away in a wave of emotions while reading this book that’s for sure! It was a complete story of their shared life, their difficulties with their interracial relationship, dealing with life threatening illnesses, and also dealing with death itself and how to go on from such a life changing event. I loved Tembi and Saro’s relationship. It was just so utterly and damn romantic! If you’re a fan of sweeping romance then you will love this book. But also I loved how Locke described the years during Saro’s cancer treatment and Illness. Then the later soul-searching years after his death and the time she spent with her mother-in-law healing. She didn’t hold back and she tells us everything that she went through. It was definitely a complete story. I loved the narration of this audiobook and the writing itself, it was beautiful and almost poetic. Especially sections where Locke would describe food, family, atmosphere, the weather, Sicily, it was all so rich and vibrant and I loved her use of words in this book! I definitely recommend this audiobook as it was narrated by the author herself. Quite a hard thing to do, to relive all the pain and heartbreak, I don’t know how she did it. I really don’t. The only slight negative and it’s not even a negative really because I honestly loved this book so much! My teeny negative is that I felt towards the end that wow, this is a long book. I felt that it could have been a little shorter and I slightly almost lost interest but to be honest I was gripped the entire way through so it’s not that much of a negative. Also, the way this book read to me, felt like a fiction read, more like a story than an autobiography. It’s crazy how descriptive it was of so many little things! Things that a normal person probably wouldn’t remember lol so in a way, it almost felt like wow, really? She remembers all those tiny details? So yeah that’s my skeptical side talking, but all in all I freaking loved this book. From Scratch is a memoir about finding your forever love, it’s a story about loss, grief, it’s about finding solace in family, food, and community, it’s about soul-searching and building a home away from home, it's about nourishment, forgiveness and how to start From Scratch to simply put it. This book was heartwarming, rich, earnest, but also it was completely devastating, emotional, and hopeful. Read this book if you love sweeping romance stories, read this book if you love culture, food and travelling, and read this book if you have experienced loss and grief because it does leave you feeling hopeful but also it is a bittersweet read. A definite unforgettable memoir. Loved it. *Fun Fact* - Reese Witherspoon is currently turning this book into a limited series starring Zoe Saldana as Tembi Locke! How amazing! I cannot wait to watch it. Learn more about it here. Also please watch this great 10 minute Reese Witherspoon Book Club IGTV starring Tembi Locke called ‘Cook the Book’ - Tembi reads and excerpts from the book & also they cook a yummy dish. Song Pick: I knew very early on that I wanted a song by Sade. Sade is one of my all time favorite artists and voices. Her songs are so warming, soulful and nourishing just like this story. For the song, I wanted one of her most beautiful songs about devotion, love and the ups and downs about relationships. She has so many great songs, it was almost impossible to pick one, but for this particular story, I chose her beautiful mellow tune, 'By Your Side'. Ugh I love this song! Please watch the music video, it’s so beautiful and tender. Lovely song. Genre: Autobiography | Memoir Pages: 339 Pages Publication Date: April 30, 2019 Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Rating - 10/10 I absolutely love these 'Rocket' series books! How adorable are the illustrations?! I first saw this book through my good friend Nicole, and soon after, the illustrator Dapo Adoela actually sent me this incredible children's book all the way from London, UK! My old stomping ground! Sigh* So I of course have to give a massive thanks to Dapo Adeola for sending this gorgeous book to myself and my 4 year old niece! Who by the way, is turning 5 next week! So I thought I would finally post our YouTube review of this book, of which you can watch right here below the written review. :) Yay! But first, let's learn what this beaut book is all about. About Clean Up!: Rocket, is off to the islands to visit her grandparents. Her family loves nothing better than to beach comb and surf together...but the beach is clogged with trash! When she finds a turtle tangled in a net, Rocket decides that something must be done! Like a mini Greta Thunberg, our young activist's enthusiasm brings everyone together...to clean up the beach and prevent plastics from spoiling nature. Perfect for fans of Rocket Says Look Up! and Ada Twist, Scientist, this book is for any youngster concerned about our environment. Rocket Says Clean Up! will inspire readers of all ages to dream big and tackle problems head-on. My Review: Firstly, I have to say that my niece Malia, who's opinion is much more important than mine, ADORED this book! She loved all of the illustrations and loved the story as well. For me, I bloody loved this book! It's so so so cute. I also love the whole Rocket Says series, and how educational they all are. I think it's so awesome that this book teaches kids all of these great life lessons and also to care about our planet. I'm a massive climate activist so I loved everything about this book. It teaches kids to clean up after themselves on the beach, and also teaches them of how much our climate has changed over the years, it's sad but it's a fact that kids have to know about. One of my absolute favorite things about this book was the amazing illustrations. It's so visually stimulating to look at. My favorite character as well in the book was Jamal, haha I feel like we all have a Jamal in our family. I would definitely recommend all kids to own this book. It's so important to care about our beaches and it's important as well for kids to know from a young age, that they are our future and they have to care for our planet. It's a wonderful book and message. With all that said, let's see what my adorable niece Malia, thought of this great read! Watch our seriously fun 4 minute video below! Thank you to my awesome niece for joining me on all my kids reviews books! and HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY Malia!! Yayy...xo Genre: Children's Literature Pages: 40 Pages Publication Date: September 1, 2020 Publisher: Random House for Young Readers

Rating: 10/10 How unusual and captivating is this book cover?! I friggin love it. I entered one of those many giveaway competitions on Instagram a while back and I honestly still cannot believe that I won this book! Such an amazing treat. The blogger that I won the giveaway from is actually one of my favorite accounts to follow on Instagram - @lupita.reads - She always reads the most interesting books and some of which I’ve never heard of. So thank you Lupita for my free book! Also thank you to Avid Reader Press for sending it to me! As soon as I had read what this book was about I just knew I had to enter this giveaway competition. This book has been on my ‘to read’ list for ages! It’s just been released on March 2, 2021 and also it happens to be the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for March too! I’m pretty sure this will be one of 2021’s best reads and I predict it will win some major awards too. Let’s get on with the plot shall we? Plot: The setting of this book is Bogota, Colombia and various states in the US. We follow a young couple in a country devastated by a half century of violence. Mauro and Elena are only teenagers when they first meet. Their first daughter Talia, is born and with the country’s bleak and brutal reality sets itself on the young couple, they soon look to pursue a new life in the United States. They soon move to Texas, US, send money back to Elena’s mother to help keep her afloat, and all the while weighing whether they should take the risk of overstaying their tourist visas, or return back home to Bogota. As their family grows, and they move from one unstable house to the next, their decision to ignore their exit dates plunges the young family into the precariousness of undocumented status, and the looming threat of exposure of their status strains on the family greatly. When Mauro gets deported, Elena is left to fend for herself and her three children and has to come to terms with the most difficult decision she will ever make. One that will ease her burdens but splinter the family even further. Rich with Bogotá urban life, steeped in Andean myth, and tense with the daily reality for the undocumented in America, Infinite Country is the story of two countries and one mixed-status family—for whom every triumph is stitched with regret and every dream pursued bears the weight of a dream deferred. My Review: What a book. Patricia Engel herself, is a daughter of Colombian immigrants and the voices that she gives this family was completely superb. I always say this and I will say it again. Books that are that deal with immigration should always be written by authors who are from the countries in which they write about. This book was absolutely brilliant. The story itself is quite short, at only 191 pages, this book packs a punch and you get a lot more than you expect from this read. Even though this was a fiction story, the issues and many themes that were covered in this book are happening right now in the US. It was an incredibly harrowing and devastating story but also a necessary and real story that a lot of immigrants and undocumented immigrants can relate to. It deals with the difficult choices that a lot of immigrant parents have to make in order to pursue a better life or a more stable life. It deals with family separation, war torn countries with lack of opportunity and hardships. The amount of themes that are in this book is unreal. It was not an easy story to read. This is a heavy read but one that was filled with an unexpected hope as well. Sprinkled throughout the book, were all of these mystical Andean myths that I thought were so authentic and brought a warmness and an authenticity to the story. One that you would only get from an author who knows what they are speaking about. I’d never heard of Andean myths before but I ended up doing a search after and it was fascinating to learn about the history and the folklore around these stories. I thought that this was a great touch to the story itself. The story spans around 20 years or so and a lot happens in this book especially for the minute size of the book! It was a completely unforgettable story that I will remember for years to come. One of my favorite things about this book was how sharp the writing was. It was quite unusual and it almost reminded me of the book Luster by Raven Leilani. Very much to the point, with no faffing around. I highly respected the way the book was written with taught and precise chapters. Given that the book was so short, there wasn’t a lot of dialogue in this read. We were told the story mostly from the eldest daughter’s POV, Talia. As well as perspectives from the parents, Elena and Mauro, and surprisingly later on, from the other two children’s perspectives as well. I will say that at times, I found myself to be a little confused with who’s POV I was reading, but it didn’t bother me so much that it would put me off the story. I actually thought that the very first line in this book was one of the best first I’ve ever read in a story. It was hilarious. “It was her idea to tie up the nun.” Page 1 Another favorite quote of mine was from page 150 below: "It seemed to Mauro that in choosing to emigrate, we are the ones trafficking's ourselves. Perhaps it was the fate of man to remain in motion and seek distance, determine by the will of Chiminigagua, because humankind's first migration was from the subterranean world beneath the sacred lake, driven out by the great water snake, to the land of the jaguars and the kingdom of the condors above." I was completely gripped the entire way through and I was dying to know what was going to happen next. It was one of those books where you had literally no idea how it was going to end. None whatsoever. It’s always so amazing when a book can do that to you. Completely unpredictable. The characters in this book were seriously relatable. I felt like somewhere out there, there are thousands of Talias, Mauros, Elenas and the other two siblings, Karina and Nandos. Elena and Talia were incredible dimensional characters. We mostly get the perspectives of Talia in this book but also, we do get a glimpse of the other characters’ lives as well. The immense fear that these characters go through was unreal. It was such a harrowing story and a devastating fear. Even for characters such as Nando, who was born in the US. The fear of possibly losing his family due to their unstable status, it’s something that stays with you long after you’ve read this book. Mauro, I would say, was a completely endearing and surprising character, your first instinct is to dislike him but towards the end of the book, you grow fond of him. Engle did an excellent job in showing us the many perspectives and emotions of each and every character in this book. I feel like I know this family and they could very well be my next door neighbors. My only negative comment is that because the book was so short, at times, I felt a little confused as to who’s POV I was reading, also I felt quite thrown off halfway in the book when new character perspectives were thrown at us from out of nowhere. It was quite jarring but I do have to say that it did keep my attention. I would at times also find the broken timelines quite confusing, but it’s not something that you wouldn’t understand without a little more concentration. Weirdly enough, I did also like how short the book was. I think that is what gave it it’s sharp, edgy and quite blunt writing style. But maybe the length also meant that the story and characters weren’t fully developed? With all that said, I gave this book my highest rating because it’s well deserved and it’s a story that I know will stick to my brain for years to come. All in all this is an absolute must read! It really is. I highly encourage you to pick up this book. It’s not an easy book to read, so you have been warned. But, when you do read it, you will truly appreciate the beautiful and raw story that Engel brings to us. It’s a story about immigration, family separation, different borders, compassion, heartache and hope, family bonds and the never ending search for a better life. It’s a tense reminder of the reality of the lives of undocumented immigrants in the US. With sharp and bold writing, this book is an absolute must read. Song Pick: I knew I wanted a Spanish song for this song pick. Also, I haven’t picked a Spanish song yet in any of my book reviews! I actually have listened to a few tracks from this famous sister/brother duo, Jesse Y Joy (Jesse & Joy), so I had a look at their Spotify to see if they had any immigration related songs and sure enough they did! I listened to the song and I felt that the emotion and the melody really fit this book well. The song pick is ‘Un Besito Mas’ and it’s about a couple attempting to make a new life in the US after crossing the border, and the complications of the children who have citizenship being separated from undocumented parents. The song is written from the perspective of a child who stayed in the U.S. after her parents were deported. (I got the translation of the song/lyrics from www.spanishmama.com) The music video is absolutely devastating to watch, but frankly, it does deal with the turmoil that the family in this book also deal with. A beautiful song too. Genre: Contemporary Fiction Pages: 208 Pages Publication Date: March 2, 2021 Publisher: Avid Reader Press

Rating 8/10 I remember seeing this beautiful book cover and title sometime last year and being completely captivated by it. The steel grey and the blush of pink felt so timeless and I thought, oh wow, this looks like it’ll be an epic and lovely read. Also it’s a Good Morning America book club pick and a NY Times bestseller! I have to give a huge thanks to Dutton Books for sending me a free copy of this gorgeous book! I received it sometime in September last year and I finally got around to reading it. I also kinda knew that I wanted to feature it on my blog for either Black History Month or for Women’s History Month seeing as the author is black and also a woman. Yay for all the female authors out there! Happy Women’s History Month! On to the plot & review! Plot: The setting is Kyoto, Japan. As well as Tokyo, Paris, and London. It is 1948 - "If a woman knows nothing else, she should know how to be silent. . . . Do not question. Do not fight. Do not resist." This is eight year old’s Noriko “Nori” Kamiza’s first lesson. Nori doesn’t question why her mother abandoned her with only these final words. She will not fight her confinement to the attic of her grandparents’ imperial estate, and she will not resist the scalding medical baths she receives each day to lighten her shameful skin. Nori is an outsider from birth. She is an illegitimate child of a Japanese aristocrat and her African American GI lover. Even though Nori’s grandparents take her in, they only do so to conceal her and hide and in fear of her stain on the royal pedigree that they are desperate to uphold in a changing Japan. Obedient as ever, Nori accepts her solitary life with very little complaints despite her natural curiosity for the world outside her four walls. Soon after, we meet Akira - who’s next in line for the inheritance of the estate. Akira is Nori’s legitimate older half brother and soon after his arrival, Nori finds that Akira is the only person who has ever allowed her to question anything and the siblings form an unlikely but powerful bond - a bond their formidable grandparents will not allow and that will irrevocably change the lives they were always meant to lead. Now that Nori has glimpsed a world in which there may be a place for her, she is now ready to fight and be a part of it - and this battle just might cost her everything. Spanning many decades and continents, Fifty Words for Rain is a dazzling story about the ties that bind, ties that give you strength and what it means to be free. My Review: Wow. This book definitely lives up to the cover and title. What an epic, rollercoaster and emotional read! An incredible debut from Asha Lemmie I must say. From the very first page, you are completely gripped into Nori’s story and the journey that Lemmie takes us on. Let’s talk about all the bajillion themes going on in this book. How about we start with the title of this read. Fifty Words for Rain. What a beautiful title. I read somewhere and I seriously cannot remember where, that Lemmie chose this title because in Japan, there is an idiom that there are fifty words to describe rain because it rains so damn much there. I also personally thought that the title of the book also touch on the many themes and struggles that Nori faces in this book. And there are a LOT of struggles. Oh boy. Wonderful title. This is one of those epic proper story books. It’s a coming-of-age story and it spans many decades. I liked the setting of the book quite a lot - mostly set in Kyoto, Japan. Lemmie chose to set the book post WWII in Japan. Which you never often hear about, well not from the Japanese’ perspectives. I love books that cover areas in which you rarely hear about. This book really reminded me of “The Mountains Sing’ by Nguyen Phan Que Mai. It had similar themes, both spanning decades, both heavily centered around family, both are coming-of-age stories, and both tell stories from perspectives you rarely hear from. I have to respect Lemmie for writing a story of this particular time setting. I’ve always wanted to visit Japan and I have a lot of friends who are from here so this book definitely made me want to visit Japan. I also liked the symbolism of the trees throughout the book and how it was always a comfort to Nori. Even though this book was quite a big book, the writing itself was very gripping and easy to read. It was a massive page turner and you find yourself completely immersed in it. This is the kind of book that you would read in a few sittings simply because it kept you gripped all the way through! I have to say that if it wasn’t for this strong feature, I probably would have lost interest somewhere in the middle of the book! So I do have to give it to Lemmie for keeping my attention in this family saga. Let's talk about the characters. We have Nori, who was basically an unwanted bi-racial child. We grow up with her from a very young age up until adulthood. It was a total coming-of-age book through and through. I felt like you got to know how Nori’s brain works, where her low self-esteem stems from, her enormous difficulties, I mean she had a tough and pretty intense life in this book! Then we have Akira, her older half brother. Nori completely idolizes Akira, it was kind of both sweet and sickening at the same time. It’s strange I wanted to root for Nori in this book but at times she really annoyed me. I had a love hate relationship with her for sure. But Akira on the other hand I thought, was a great character. Simple, but also extremely dependable, honest and set in his ways. Their relationship in this book was intense and so raw. Definitely great character developments in this read. Now for the slight negatives about this book. Part of me felt like this book almost felt like you were watching a soap opera. It was very dramatic and sweeping at times but in an almost corny and intense way. I definitely think that this is one of those books where people will either really love it, or seriously roll their eyes to the back of their heads and hate it. Complete 50/50 type of read. All I will say is that if you’re a family saga, historical fiction, epic read king of reader, then you will love this book. I have to respect the amount of work that went into this read, as well as the gripping writing, the many many themes throughout the story. I did like the difficult racial and family struggles, as well as the adventurous and ambitious storytelling that Lemmie gave us in this book. Hence my 8/10 rating. Fifty Words for Rain was an epic, sweeping and heart-rending story. A gripping historical fiction read that spans decades and that keeps you wanting to read more and more. With the changing backdrop of post WWII, Lemmie brings to us issues such as race, familial traditions & duties, big life decisions, struggles, self reflection & identity, loss and grief, as well as finding hope. If you loved ‘The Mountains Sing’ then you will love this book. If you love epic, decade spanning and heart-rending reads then you will also love this book. Song Pick: I knew that I wanted quite an emotional and melancholy song. Something moving and atmospheric. Also a song that felt classical seeing as that was a strong feature of the book as well. I chose 'Clown' by the incredible Emile Sande. Incredible voice. To me, this song feels like it’s about the struggles that Nori faces, and the lack of respect she gets from practically everyone in this book. She's always having to prove herself. This song felt quite sad and it fit the story well in my opinion. An epic ballad for an epic book. You should definitely listen to this amazing ballad, click here to do so. It’s a beautiful song. Genre: Historical Fiction Pages: 449 Pages Publication Date: September 1, 2020 Publisher: Dutton

Rating - 10/10 I have had this little book on my shelf for the longest time! I’m sure we have all heard of Chimamanda right?! I feel like she’s one of those authors where everyone has heard of or has read one of her many incredible reads. I have watched sooo many interviews with her, I seriously have a little girl crush on her. She is so beautiful! But not just physically, her spirit and her aura is just so amazing, and she always looks ridiculously immaculate. Not sure how she does it. A complete mix of femininity and a strong powerful presence. Anywho, I picked up this book at a little 2nd hand bookshop somewhere in Baltimore when my mom and I were waiting for some chinese takeout. I begged her to buy me it for me because I literary had zero money on me at the time, so thanks mom! Finally read it, yay! About ‘We Should All Be Feminists: We Should All Be Feminists is an essay adapted from Nigerian author, Adichie’s 2012 Tedx Talk of the exact same name. The Tedx Talk was first delivered in Euston, London and has been viewed more than 6 million times! Adichie is the award winning author of Americannah and Half of a Yellow Sun. In this eloquent and personal essay, Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the 21st century - one rooted in inclusion and equality. She analyses what it means to be a feminist shines a light not only on blatant discrimination, but also the more insidious, institutional behaviors that marginalize women around the world, in order to help readers of all walks of life better understand the often masked realities of sexual politics. Throughout this book, she draws on her own life experiences both in her country of Nigeria and in the US. She offers an artfully nuanced explanation of why the gender divide is harmful for women and men, alike. This book is an exploration of what it means to be a woman today and why we should all be feminists. My Review: "Feminist: A person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes." Definition of a feminist - located on page 46 - 'We Should All Be Feminists' A must read!! Ugh This essay was nothing but absolute brilliance. I adored it and I read it in one sitting. Think it took me 30 mins to read it. It’s incredible that they turned her Tedx Talk into an essay book! It was sharp, necessary and extremely accessible for anyone, literary anyone can understand what being a feminist is and why we should seriously all be feminists. What really pulls it all together for me, were her life experiences. Especially when she tells us about her experiences in her native country Nigeria. The complete disregard of respect for women, or I should say, gender roles are extremely deeply rooted in the country. So much so, that you don’t even stop and question why things are the way they are. I found her own experiences to be very relatable, especially if you are a woman and have experienced these situations that men would normally not even think twice about. Even for some women too. Oftentimes when you read books about feminism, they can be dense, or can be pretty easy to almost get lost in what the author is talking about. but in this book, Adichie almost physically grabs at a notion that is very real and very much in our everyday world. Which gave the book an accessible aspect of which any old person could understand what being a feminist actually means, and how to be one. Ugh I loved it. This book is described as an essay, and it’s weird because when people hear the word essay they think, well ugh, I don’t know if I want to read that. No one ever says, OH I wanna read an essay! Haha my point is, this feels very far from what you may think an essay is. Yes it is technically an essay, but it is ridiculously engrossing and reads almost like she’s talking right at you. It was brilliant. The way in which she delves into the actual word ‘feminist’ was earnest and was explained very well. I loved it. It’s an interesting and almost off putting word. I liked that she described the exact difference between being a ‘humanitarian’ and a ‘feminist’, they are quite similar, but there is a very clear difference in the two words. She described it very effortlessly and eloquently. All I can say is, please read this book! It’s an important read, and it gets down to the basics of what exactly gender equality is and what it means to be a feminist. All men should read this, all women, all humans should read this. It reminded me of the numerous numerous times that I’ve gone into a bar, literally everywhere. London, US, etc. I have a lot of guy friends, and I’ve always noticed that every time we walk into a bar together, and we go up to the bar to order a drink, almost EVERY SINGLE TIME, the bartender will always always look at the man next to me, whoever he may be, and ask him what he wants to order. It’s very rare that the bartender will look at me first to ask what I would like. It’s something that really irks me to my core and it reminded me of this book. Highly recommended for you to read it. I also watched the Tedx Talk and she is completely mesmerizing to listen to and watch. Her mind is sharp, and her writing reflects that as well. I loved the hopeful aspect of the book as well. Most feminist books tend to be a tad upsetting or frustrating to read. Although Adichie expresses her anger and frustrations in this book, she also portrays hope and human understanding. I agreed with every part of this book I will definitely be reading more books from her in the future and will be gifting all my friends with this book too. Sheer brilliance. Song Pick: I bet you thought I was going to choose 'flawless’ by Queen Bey, a.k.a. Beyonce. Seeing as Beyonce actually includes Adichie’s speech in this track! As much as I love this song, I actually heard that Adichie even though she gave Bey consent to use her essay speech in her track, she thought that Beyonce’s type of feminism is very different to hers. Adichie said, “it is the kind that, at the same time, gives quite a lot of space to the necessity of men. I think men are lovely, but I don't think that women should relate everything they do to men: did he hurt me, do I forgive him, did he put a ring on my finger? We women are so conditioned to relate everything to men. Put a group of women together and the conversation will eventually be about men. Put a group of men together and they will not talk about women at all, they will just talk about their own stuff. We women should spend about 20 per cent of our time on men, because it's fun, but otherwise we should also be talking about our own stuff." (see source for the interview - here) So for this song pick, I wanted a song that demanded more power and a song that liberates women and also an inspiring song just like this book. So I chose a powerhouse of a tune, and a classic gem! I chose 'Sisters Are Doin' it for Themselves' by this dynamic collaboration, Annie Lennox & Aretha Franklin - Eurythmics, Dave Stewart. What a banger! Genre: Non Fiction | Essay Pages: 64 Pages Publication Date: July 29, 2014 Publisher: Anchor

Rating - 10/10 This book was literary everywhere when it came out. It was impossible to not hear about it. Then when I was chatting to my bestie Nicole, a fellow book lover, who was currently reading it. She was telling me how amazing it was and I was so jealous of her reading it. You know what she did?! She went and bought a copy just because...You are a lifelong friend Nicole and I dedicate this book review to you dear friend. Not only was this a book that everyone was raving about in 2020, it was also a National Book Award Finalist for Fiction. About The Secret Lives of Church Ladies: The setting of the book are various locations in the south. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. The nine stories in this collection feature four generations of characters grappling with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church’s double standards and their own needs and passions. Intertwined in these stories, are secret longings, forbidden love affairs, new love, and self discoveries. These church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be, and as free as they deserve to be. My Review: Oh boy, this book! Lawd, mmh mmh mmh. Where do I begin! I’m just going to come out and say it. I fucking loved it. Well done to the author for this debut read. If you want a book filled with soul, character, unapologetic and bold stories, then look no further. There are nine beautiful engrossing stories in this book. Some I loved more than others and others I seriously loved more than others. The standout story for me, was “Peach Cobbler’ and also surprisingly ‘Eula’. Each one completely pulls you into their struggles, their wants and needs, their individual stories, it was beautiful. The writing was perfect and I love the length of these stories too. Philyaw elaborated on some of the stories, and some were short and sweet. The length of the book is honestly so great! I didn’t want any more, nor did I want any less. I honestly don’t know how she wrote these short stories so well! It’s quite a difficult task to do so and I was truly impressed by her writing in this book. Let’s talk about the actual subject matter of the book. These are church ladies. It goes without saying that church ladies have certain expectations and standards that they must uphold or try to achieve. There’s a lot of pressure that these black women endure in their daily lives. You felt the weight of this burden within each story told in this book. These black women are usually the backbone of these communities, and they hold it down. It’s what they're supposed to do. So imagine if you feel a different way, or you want to love a person your own religion won’t allow you to love. This is what Philyaw plays on and it’s absolutely brilliant. The overall message within this book is freedom. Free yourself from the shackles of being a church lady and to live your life the way you want to live it. I will also add that at some points while reading this book I had some ‘Oh My!’ moments and some you know, ‘clutching my pearls’ moments. Then you had to read more and more. It was such an uplifting, tender and powerful read. Black women deal with a lot of pressure in life, then add the whole church communities pressure to it. It’s a lot! You must be graceful, kind, lead a good example, somehow manage to do it all, raise kids, keep your man happy, volunteer, I meannn It’s a lot! I can’t speak from a church ladies’ perspective, but I can certainly understand the pressures of being a black woman. This is a must read for all black women, and anyone who wants to read a tender, powerful and engrossing short collection of stories. Even though I didn’t 100% love each and every story, the weight of each story is what gave this book an overall 10/10 rating. Could not recommend this book anymore. Also this book would make such an excellent limited series tv show! I would definitely watch it if they made one. Song Pick: This song came to me very early on while reading this book. Also this artist as well carries the same weight in terms of her voice and her aura as this book does. I knew I wanted a soulful song, and it had to come from an artist that commands respect, and an artist that does whatever she wants in life. A feminist too. I chose this absolute classic and timeless tune, just like this book. ‘A Sunday Kind of Love’ by the incredible Etta James. What a song. What an artist. And what a voice! Perfect for the theme of this book. Sundays are a sacred day for church goers, and it just felt right too. Hope you agree! Genre: Literary Fiction | Short Stories | LGBTQ+ Pages: 192 Pages Publication Date: September 1, 2020 Publisher: West Virginia University Press

Rating - 8/10 I was extremely lucky enough to be chosen for a book club on Instagram - @mystery.book.club This is my first ever book club that I am now a part of and I was so happy to participate in it! For their February pick, they chose The Kindest Lie, and I’m not gonna lie when I say that I was so excited for this pick! I knew I wanted to read this book because firstly, it was ALL over Instagram and the all the book review sites too, also I’ve heard great things about this book! Seeing that it’s also Black History Month, I love that they chose a black author for this month’s book. Massive thanks to William Morrow Books as well for sending me this bright and fabulous print of this book. On to the plot! The Plot: The setting is Chicago, IL and a small fictional town named Ganton in Indiana. We follow Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy League, educated black engineer who is married to a successful and kind man. It is 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. Ruth’s husband is eager to start a new family, but Ruth isn’t at all ready for it. When Ruth was a teenager, she became pregnant, had a baby and she had to leave that baby behind in order to pursue her education and to keep her promise to her family to never look back. Ruth knows that to look forward, she must make peace with the past. Soon after, Ruth returns to her hometown in Indiana. She discovers that the Indiana factory of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. She soon begins to dig into her past, and along the way, she befriends a white boy named Midnight who is lost and looking for connection. Just when Ruth comes close to uncovering a burning secret that her family wishes to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both of their lives. The Kindest Lie captures the tragic racial divide between black and white communities, and offers an unflinching view into motherhood in a contemporary American setting and the never ending quest for the American Dream. My Review: This book was so good! If you liked the book An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, then you will love this book, also if you liked The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett then you will love this too! I love books that are heavily character driven and this book was definitely one of those books. Books like these tend to stick to your memory long after you’ve read them which is always a good sign of some great writing. There aren’t many characters in this book which made you truly focus on the two main characters in this book. Ruth and Midnight. The story is told from their perspectives which I absolutely loved! Ruth was an interesting character, very driven, educated, she worked hard to get to where she is in life which a lot of successful women could relate to. I loved that the protagonist was a strong, black female with natural hair and dark skin. Then you have Midnight, who was sort of like this lost puppy. He’s a young white boy and is a bit lost in life. His friends say that he has an old soul, which maybe is why Ruth takes a liking to him. I loved Midnight, he was quite an interesting and very realistic character. You sort of felt for him during the whole book. Amazing character development in this read. Nancy Johnson covered quite a plethora of subject matters in this book. Ruth goes back to her home town in Ganton, Indiana and uncovers quite a few secrets of which her family were not too keen to uncover. While she’s back home she really sees how much the town is divided in the community. You definitely have a split between white and black communities, as well as the intersectionality of race and class in her hometown. I loved all of these subject matters and how they all gently intertwined within the plot of the book and the characters as well. It also deals with that search or strive for the 'American Dream'. Here you have Ruth’s husband, who is very successful, check. He has a perfect wife, check. He has a great apartment and a great life in a happening part of Chicago, check. The only thing that’s missing is the family aspect, or a baby I should say. Then this is where the storyline becomes complex due to Ruth’s past. The American Dream is never as easy as well hoped for it to be. We also explore the complexities of motherhood in this book. How different it can be for some women, especially in Ruth’s case. She had a baby at a very young age, and basically left town to pursue for education. It was a heartbreaking story and you really feel for Ruth’s character. The structure of the story itself was interesting. You learn very early on in the book what the spoiler was, and the whole book is about the journey to how things came to be the way they were for Ruth in this book. I liked that a lot. It was all about learning about Ruth’s decision and the impact it had on those around her. It was a slow burning read but in a really good way. You never quite knew what was going to happen which made you want to read more and more of it. I loved the time setting of the book as well and it played really well with the storyline of the book. It was told at the time that President Barack Obama was elected, and that hopeful and quite riveting time where the black community was starting to feel hopeful, and created this unspoken divide in the country. Interesting time setting from Johnson. The Kindest Lie is an exploration of race, class, the divide between black and white communities, unemployment, politics, the complexities of motherhood, difficult life decisions and the repercussions of those decisions. It had excellent writing and was an excellent soulful book. You definitely leave this book with an impression of either the memorable characters or the storyline. I feel like each person would walk away from this book feeling affected by a certain aspect of it. I also loved the title of this book. The Kindest Lie. It totally fits in with the story of the book. What are the kind lies that we tell each other or a family member that we care about. It’s all about those little lies that get us through. Kind lies. Genius title. An excellent debut from Johnson and I look forward to reading more from her. A perfect read for book clubs too. I loved it and I highly recommend it. Solid book. Song Pick: The song pick was actually very easy for me for this book and also was pretty much provided in the story!! Also I LOVE this entire album and this track. I think it’s one of my favorite albums of all time. This song is mentioned early in the book, and I felt that it fit in with Ruth’s youth in the story. If it wasn’t for Ruth’s then boyfriend when she was young, well we wouldn’t have the story that we now have in this book right? I also love that Johnson has great taste in music! She mentions quite a few amazing musicians in this book. But in terms of the vibe of the story and book, my song pick had to be - ‘Killing Me Softly’ by the one and only, Lauryn Hill. Love this song. Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Mystery Publication Date: February 2, 2021 Pages: 336 Pages Publisher: William Morrow Books

Rating - 5/10 I remember when I first saw this book and thought, wow how lovely is this title and cover! I was completely captivated by it! It’s unusual and quite stunning. I then saw that the author’s name seemed like she was from the middle-east/Arab region, and I read the description of the book and was immediately drawn in. I love reading immigration stories, especially from cultures that I’m not very familiar with. I was drawn to this part of the world and wanted to hear from an ‘Own Voice’ author as well (Own Voice authors refers to an author from a marginalized or under-represented group writing about their own experiences/from their own perspective, rather than someone from an outside perspective writing as a character from an underrepresented group). The book is based in Saudi Arabia which sounded intriguing, exotic and interesting. The author is from the same setting as the book, in Jidda, Saudi Arabia and I knew she would be writing from her own experience which always draws me even more to the book. I’d love to thank Tin House Books for sending me a gorgeous advance review copy print of this book! Let’s get on with the plot. The Plot: The settings for this book are Jidda, Saudi Arabia & Cleveland, Ohio. We follow newlywed university students Muneer and Saaedah, who live in a snowy Cleveland, Ohio and are expecting their first child. Muneer secretly wishes to divorce his wife Saaedah. Soon, their marriage ends and Muneer returns to his home country in Saudi Arabia, while Saeedah remains in Cleveland with their little girl, Hanadi. Consumed by a growing fear of losing her daughter, Saaedah runs away with Hanadi leaving Muneer to desperately search for his daughter for many years. The result of this not only causes the lives of Hanaadi and her parents' lives to change, but also their interwoven family and friends too. Those who now must choose sides and hide their own deeply guarded secrets. My Review: This book cover is simply stunning. If it wasn’t for the mesmerizing title and the cover, I probably wouldn’t even have given this book a second glance! God that sounds terrible but it’s kinda true. They did a fantastic job capturing your attention with those features, so I have to give that to the design team. I’m going to actually do this review a little differently, I’m going to tell you what I liked about this book, and what I didn’t like. Seeing as you’re probably wondering why I gave this read a rating of 5/10 right? Let’s start with what I liked about The Bride of the Sea. Other than this beautiful cover and capturing title, I absolutely adored the setting for this book. Not Cleveland Ohio, hahah I’ve been to that part of the country and it’s not exactly much to look at. I meant the setting of Jidda, Saudi Arabia. Wow I do have to give it to the author, she fully took us to her home country with her in depth description of Jidda. It totally felt like you were right there with the characters of this book. I loved the smells, the food, the noises, the feel of what it was like to be in Jidda, the family members, the chaos, the heat, I could go on and on. I just adored it! Seeing as we’re all stuck in this pandemic, one good thing about books is that they completely have the power to transport you to places that you’ve never been and make you feel as if you are right there yourself. It made me want to visit this part of the world too. The author did a great job also describing the life of an ex-pat living in Jidda, I thought this aspect of the book was told really well. I loved that this book was written by an author who was actually from this part of the world, so you can already guess that she knows exactly what she was talking about. I loved this aspect of the book a lot, and I always feel like ‘Own Voices’ authors always tell a much richer, deeper story as they have that first hand experience of what it is like. I appreciated that a lot. Another aspect of the book that I enjoyed was the immigration story. I love hearing about different cultures, and no matter what culture people are from, the immigration story is one that if you are an immigrant, you can relate to. So I was very interested in the complete culture clash of someone from the middle-east moving to a far away part of the US that isn’t a sought after location. Down there with the legit true Americans, I found this aspect of the book to be quite fascinating and also very true! From the immigrant’s perspectives. The various stereotypes that immigrants face in western countries is something that hasn’t changed much in years. I liked hearing about the characters’ experiences in the US. I also loved the close family ties in this book. Especially the scenes in Jidda. Very relatable and they definitely made the book feel rich, warm and familiar. Now to what I didn’t like about this book. Let’s start with the thing that I look for most in a book, or that I tend to be quite judgy about. The writing. Oh boy...I honestly really did not like the way this book was written. It was too basic and a little messy - I didn’t like the narration aspect of the story which made me feel quite distant to the characters and story. It spans five decades and would seriously jump major years which made the story itself lack a sense of continuity and flow. It was extremely choppy and a bit disjointed. I felt completely lost at times with the plot of the book and didn't feel any sort of attachment to the writing style at all. It definitely wasn’t the best writing that I’ve seen in a book. The writing lacked substance and didn’t blend well. I’ve definitely read books where the story is told from a major time span, decades even, such as The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai, another ‘Own Voice’ author - absolutely brilliant book. But in this book, none of writing or plot at times, made any sense, and sometimes a decade would only get like 2 pages and it just made you feel like, what’s the point? I would find myself losing interest very quickly and almost skim reading which I NEVER do. The story itself never really ‘took off’. It was a slow paced read, which again, I have read a lot of slow paced books that I have enjoyed, such as A Girl is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga - another brilliant read and an ‘Own Voice’ author, but with this book, it never reached a climax, which sort of made it feel quite blah in the end. The level of the story always felt very just neutral and bland. The second point that I will make that is crucial, is the development of characters, or lack of. This was a major shame for me because I really wanted to learn much more about the mother in this story, even the daughter, but every single character in this book sort of appeared in bits and pieces throughout the story so you never really got to know any of the characters in depth at all in this book. We start off learning about the mother and father, Muneer and Saaeda, which I loved, but then soon after we lose touch with the mother and we end up jumping around these massive time spans that would just make you go like -wait what? It’s been 10 years? It was just extremely confusing and disorienting. I never had any attachment at all to any of the characters, they weren’t developed at all in my mind. Which therefore tends to make you not care very much about them. I swear if it wasn’t for the well described setting of this book, the author’s own voice perspective, the warm family members in the book, this book would have gotten an even worse rating. I will say that I wanted to know how the story was going to end which is why I finished it. It’s a shame because the story itself had something special, and I feel like it really would have been an amazing book. The disjointed massive time lapse for me killed it, the hard grasp on the story and lack of character development failed in my opinion. I will say that The Bride of the Sea does deal with a lot of interesting issues though, such as immigration, colliding cultures, family ties, religion, self discovery, secrets, loss and healing, and ultimately it is a story about finding your own voice and understanding your family ties. If you like stories about family sagas, different cultures, Immigration, Own Voice authors then add this to your list. I wanted to love it so bad, but what can I say, we can’t love all of the books we read. I still very much appreciate reading this book and learned a lot about Saudi Arabia. It was lovely to get transported to another culture. Also even if I love or hate a book, I will ALWAYS support Own Voices authors. We never hear enough from them and this exactly why I'm still doing Chrissy's Books, to expose these under-represented authors to the book world. Song Pick: For this song pick, I wanted a track that was a mix between western and Middle-East vibes, seeing as this book is all about culture clash as well. I went with a band that I absolutely love! They are really awesome because they incorporate a lot of world music in their sound. I also wanted a mostly instrumental song that felt quite alluring and inviting like this book! This song definitely takes me to Saudi Arabia, or that part of the world. My song pick is 'Lady & Man' by Khruangbin - Defo check out this band they are amazing! They're from Texas but their sound is quite eclectic. Genre: Fiction | Coming-Of-Age | Historical Fiction | Domestic Fiction Publication Date: January 26, 2021 Pages: 312 Pages Publisher: Tin House Books Click the link below to purchase on Amazon.

Rating - 7/10 Alright Alright Alright...I couldn’t resist. I love McConaughey, I find him weirdly interesting, I think he’s an excellent actor, and I wanted to hear what his life is all about. When I heard that McConaughey himself was narrating it, I had to listen to his audiobook! I love his creamy voice, I also love that he lives in Austin, Texas. Austin is a great city in Texas and there’s something quite humble and real about him. It also helps that this book is a NY Times #1 bestseller so I wanted to see what the hype was all about. About Greenlights: Well if you haven’t guessed already, this book is an informal autobiography of Matthew McConaughey’s life. Let’s get one thing out of the way, he has an Oscar. Just thought I’d mention that. Bring some weight to this blurb and all. Greenlights is an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw, quirky wisdom and lessons learned the hard way about living life with greater satisfaction McConaughey has been in this world for 50 years, and along the way, he has kept diaries and notes to his successes. His joys, his failures, his sorrows, things that fascinate him and things that make him laugh out loud. He has acquired notable life lessons, such as how to be fair, how to live a less stressful life, how to have fun, how to be a good man, how to live a more meaningful life and how to stay true to himself. He found the courage to finally sit down with those diaries and notes and rediscovered all of the great stories he wrote, the lessons, poems, prayers, photographs and some awesome bumper stickers too. And in all of this, he found a reliable and an interesting approach to how to live his best and fullest life. An approach that would allow him to receive better satisfaction, to deal with life’s complex challenges, deal with the inevitable and to enjoy a state of success of which he calls “Catching Greenlights”. So what does McConaughey now do? Well, he takes a one way ticket to the desert and ends up writing this epic book of his life story so far. This book is his fifty years put into one neat and bitchin and bundle. This last paragraph is straight from his blurb on the book - I had to share it with you. “It's medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears.” It’s a love letter. To life. It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights - and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too. My Review: I absolutely LOVED listening to this audiobook. It’s probably the most entertaining audiobook that I’ve ever listened to! Haha not that I’ve listened to many books, I’m definitely more of a reader, but I highly recommend this audiobook. You become completely immersed in his warm, southern, charming, hilarious, quirky and recognizable voice of McConaughey. It’s like listening to a monologue of his life. Very entertaining and insightful. I will say that I’m one of those people who will probably watch a movie if it stars McConaughey in it simply, because I find him quite charismatic and great to watch. I loved his rom-coms back in the day, and really love his more in depth roles such as, Dallas Buyers Club, Mud and True Detective, to name a few. I think he’s a talented and interesting actor, hence why I wanted to read his autobiography. We basically follow McConaughey throughout his life as he tells us his life story. He tells us about his family and humble upbringing in rural Texas, and how he ended up getting into acting. I actually enjoyed these chapters the most, learning about his upbringing and how he started out in this field of being an actor. It was quite intimate of him to describe his personal background and how he came to land his first ever role in Hollywood. There’s no denying that his family and humble beginnings shaped him into the man that he is today and his belief systems. Hearing about his past life really makes you understand Matthew McConaughey more as a person and as an actor too. I found the chapters about Hollywood life as an actor extremely fascinating too! This is an awesome book if you are a film student, or if you simply would like to get into acting as a career. I felt like he gave us an inside look into how film productions work, and how it is in this industry but from his experience obviously. It was interesting to learn and to get an inside look into this super foreign world. My favorite chapter was when he described his first ever acting job for the cult classic film ‘Dazed & Confused’, and how his first ever line in a film was probably how we associate McConaughey forever,- ‘Alright, Alright, Alright’. It was seriously so much fun listening to his story of how this role came to be, and his experience being in his first ever major acting role in Hollywood. It was really interesting! I loved his storytelling in it too. You could picture it all happening right in front of your eyes. Another reason why I highly recommend the audiobook. The structure of the book was quite informal but also extremely insightful. He obviously starts off with describing what Greenlights actually means to him, and this becomes the sort of basis of the mini life lessons that he instils for himself throughout the book. It was quite clever. He would have funny little quirks in the book that he would apply to life lessons for himself, and it almost felt like you were reading a diary of his life, with little side notes thrown in the mix. Within each chapter or section, he would have mini life lessons or ethos in ways that he wants to take control of his life, or ways that he wants to live his life, professionally in his career & in his personal life. He definitely has a ‘live your life the way you want it’ vibe in this book, which I admire. Also it’s quite an individualistic book, in a sense that he really looks into himself and learns about who Matthew is, and what he wants out of his own life. It’s all about self reflection which is always a good thing for any human being. There’s no denying McConaughey loves McConaughey, but it’s weird, you kind of forgive him for it. Haha What can I say, if you like Matthew McConaughey, you’re gonna love this book. It was an awesome audiobook and I highly recommend you listen to his quirky and charming voice! It’s an excellent book if you want to know the ins and outs of Hollywood, the film industry, if you also want a bit of a ‘self-help’ read then you will learn all about ‘catching greenlights’ in your life too - I get the sense that he didn’t write this book as a self help read, it’s more about how he has helped himself if that makes sense. If you are a free spirit traveler, then you will enjoy this book too. It wasn’t as in depth into his life as I thought it would be, but it was enough for me. I genuinely enjoyed it. Spiritual, entertaining, and classic eccentric McConaughey vibes indeed. Also, I love that he lives in Austin, Texas (I LOVE Austin) and follows his own path. You do you McConaughey, you do you. Song Pick: I wanted to pick a song that had those feel good groovy vibes that McConaughey puts out. Also a song from an artist based in Texas, a country song but also a song that has charm and warmth. A song about being free and on the road. For this book, I felt that the perfect song would be, 'On The Road Again' by the legendary Willie Nelson. Such a fun song and a perfect soundtrack to 'Greenlights'. Click the Amazon link to purchase 'Greenlights'. Genre: Autobiography | Memoir | Non Fiction Publication Date: October 20, 2020 Pages: 304 Pages Publisher: Crown Publishing

Rating - 10/10 The young adult books these days that are coming out are just spectacular! Will you just please take a long hard look at this GORGEOUS book cover?! I CANNOT DEAL! This is 100% one of those books that I read simply because of the stunning cover. That melanin glow is just ugh. Immense. I also love that this book was written by two sisters and as soon as I read the plot, I knew I had to read it. One of the Good Ones was published quite recently, on the 5th Jan, 2021. Hot new release. I’d love to give a big thanks to Inkyard Press {Harlequin Publishers} for giving me a free advanced review copy of this book! So glad I read it. Let’s get on with the plot & review then. The Plot: The setting is L.A, California. Also Chicago, IL & a few other places but mostly L.A. We follow a young teen activist named Kezi Smith. Kezi is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally leaving her two sisters, her friends and family completely devastated in the aftermath. Soon, Kezi becomes yet another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality and her younger sister Happi, begins to question the idealized way that her sister is now remembered as. Perfect and angelic. One of the Good ones. Why is it that only certain types of people are deemed worthy enough to be ‘missed’. Happi and her sister Genny take matters into their own hands and embark on an epic road trip to memorialize and honor Kezi in their own way. They use an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide for the trip. Along the way, the story takes on an unexpected twist that will change everything forever. My Review: This book was described as a mix between the books, The Hate U Give & When No One is Watching - both of which I have read and can click on the names to check out my reviews. It is actually pretty much that. If you liked the book The Hate U Give then you will LOVE this read. In fact, I gave The Hate U Give a rating of 9/10 and this book for me, surpassed The Hate U Give. In my opinion. I LOVED this book. We follow the three sisters, and mainly get the perspectives of Happi and Kezi throughout the book. We get to learn what happened in the story through both their eyes. The book itself is set in three different time spans. The current time, the day that Kezi dies, and way back in the day where we learn about Kezi’s grandparents. It was a stunning story. This format of how the story would switch back and forth really kept you hooked for the entire book. It definitely kept your brain switched on and would make you question what would happen next, which I loved. It was a complete multi-generation story and very relevant and a timely book. I loved the writing style of this read. It’s pretty impressive that it was written by two sisters actually! The writing was sharp, it was fresh, it was an easy read and the story was told seriously well. From the beginning to end, the pace was perfect and it kept my attention throughout this entire read. I really loved the writing of this book. Very different from The Hate U Give because that book was written more informally than this one was but both were equally good. The character development in this book was phenomenal. I liked that there weren’t too many of them. It’s full of rich and warm characters and I loved the close knit family vibes too. You can tell that the sisters definitely had their wars with each other, each one was completely different to the other but they definitely all loved each other no matter what. Kezi was a feisty and very relatable character. I think a lot of young kids would be able to relate to her life and her story quite a lot. She was a curious person, she knew what she wanted out of life, she was unafraid, tough, a go getter, and just seriously awesome. I also loved the aspect of her having a YouTube channel and being an influencer. This is definitely something that a lot of young adults can relate to. The way things are these days with social media, it’s all just so in your face and you definitely felt those feelings and the sheer relevance in this book. I loved that this book mentioned the famous Negro Motorist Green Book. (FYI - if you loved the movie Green Book you’ll also like this book a lot too), which was an actual real life book for black travelers to use so they would know where it was safe to stop for various amenities during the Jim Crow era. I thought this was quite an interesting feature to add to the story and made the book feel more real and also was a great reminder of how far we have come and how long we still have to go as black people. As you can tell with the subject matter of the book, this story is really not very far from the reality of the world we are now living in. It hit home like real hard. From 2016 to our present time, we have been hit with an absolute shit storm of political activism, for police brutality, racial injustice, systemic racism, the list goes on. This book could not have come out at a better time. It is a timely read and a necessary read. I have to say that yes, it was at times, incredibly hard to read this book, mostly because of just how hard it has been for the black community, for black men and black girls, women in general these past few years. But it is important to be reminded that the struggle is still going on and we can’t stop and we must not forget all of the lives lost due to these issues. This book was a homage to victims such as, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and many more endless victims of racial injustice in this country. It also questioned why some victims are worthy of being mentioned and why others aren’t and the controversy behind that. Why it’s usually just ‘the good ones’ that get all of the attention and where many more unmentioned victims go unheard. Especially black women. This was a pivotal read. I could not recommend this book any more. I recommend this book if you have a middle schooler, or a high-school kid and want them to learn more about activism, racial injustice & police brutality. I highly recommend this book if you would like to read an interesting, gripping and timely read that deals with issues that continue to plague this country. This book had an unexpected surprise twist at the end which I was not expecting and a lot of readers would love or not love, and that’s okay! My mind was just in awe, and I was taken aback by how stunning this book was, how exciting it was, heart pumping and just how freaking awesome it was. I was speechless. I can’t stop thinking about it. It was everything! It deals with family, death and grief, social and racial injustice, systemic racism, internalized racism, sisterhood & friendships, it deals with LGBTQ issues as well, I mean it has it all. Great writing, a great story, a thrilling read, and a timely and pivotal book for young adults and for adults as well. Please read this book! Song Pick: For this song pick, I knew I wanted a song that has to do with social injustice, systemic racism, police brutality and the unjust treatment of black men and women. There are a lot of tracks that I could have chosen from, a lot, which is both good and also depressing that we have to create songs for these issues. There are a lot of amazing tracks out there to do with all of these subjects such as 'I Can't Breathe' by H.E.R, or 'This is America' by Childish Gambino, so many tracks! For this book, I wanted a song that felt very now, timely, and a track that the new generation could relate to and could bop to too. I also wanted a trap track because the characters in the book would totally listen to this. My song pick was, 'The Bigger Picture' by Lil Baby. Massive rapper and a massive talent. This is an incredible song and video. Please watch it Here. If you would like to learn more about the awesome authors, Maika & Maritza Moulite, Click Here to check out their website. Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary Fiction | LGBTQ+ | Thriller Publication Date: January 5, 2021 Pages: 384 Pages Publisher: Inkyard Press {Harlequin Books}

Rating - 8/10 I would love to give a huge thanks to Viking Books an imprint of Penguin Random House for sending me an advance review print copy of this beautiful book. When I received this in the mail, I knew that I wanted to read it pretty soon! I love the cover of the book, it’s quite alluring. I also liked the sound of the story, a bit of a different type of psychological thriller to do with motherhood. This book came out very recently Jan 5th, 2021 so it’s definitely a hot off the press read and I’ve heard great things about it. Plot: The setting is ‘somewhere’ in New York City (couldn't figure out where exactly). Blythe Connor is a new mother, she is determined to be the warm, caring mother she never had, to her new baby Violet. When Violet becomes a little older, and while Blythe is in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with Violet. She’s not at all like other young children. Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Meanwhile, her husband Fox, thinks that she’s imagining things. But the more that Fox dismissed her concerns, the more Blythe begins to question her sanity and therefore, the more we begin to question Blythe’s life. Blythe becomes pregnant again and has a baby boy, Sam. She has a blissful and strong connection with Sam, a connection that she didn’t quite have with Violet. Violet also seems to have taken a liking to little Sam. Soon after, life as they know it changes in an instant, and the devastating fall out forces Blythe to face the truth. The Push will challenge everything you think that motherhood is all about, and what we think we owe our children, and also what it feels like for women to not be believed. My Review: What a gripping read! This is literally one of those books that is seriously impossible to put down. It was such an eerie and atmospheric read. The story is based in two different time periods and is mostly told from Blythe’s POV. It really feels like we’re in her mind and are getting her innermost raw and revealing thoughts throughout this whole book. It was an intimate feeling to be so close to a character as we are with Blythe. I loved the different time periods that this book was set in. We would hear from mostly Blythe, then the other time span tells the story of her childhood and the relationship she had with her father and mother, and Blythe’s upbringing. I felt that this aspect added a necessary personal tone to the story. It makes you realize why Blythe is the way she is. You get to know what her fears, her hopes, her inner most deepest thoughts are, and also you understand her daughter Violet more. You really do feel for Blythe in this book, her life is complex and unconventional. The writing of this book was extremely readable but also written quite well in terms of the language and the way the story was told - I enjoyed the sophisticated writing style of this book. It didn’t have that simplistic, trashy or blunt writing style that you get in a lot of psychological thrillers reads. It was more stylish and well thought of. Ashley Audrain is definitely an excellent writer. The chapters were all short and to the point which I loved. No messing around. The setting for the book was based somewhere in New York from what I could tell, like a brownstone maybe upmarket Brooklyn neighborhood. It was a good setting. The actual plot itself definitely kepts you gripped from the very first page, I liked the pacing of the book. You seriously could not put this book down! I would tell myself, okay, just one more chapter...haha like 10 chapters in. It’s hella addictive. One thing that I really admired about the book is how much Audrain writes about motherhood, and the other side of motherhood that you never really hear about. The complexities of how you’re supposed to feel, and dealing with detachment from your own child. I found the core subject to be very engrossing and intriguing. I also personally learned a LOT about having a baby, and all the insane changes that women go through during a pregnancy, during birth and after you give birth as well. I feel like these subject matters are rarely discussed and I seriously learned a lot about childbirth. When people talk about motherhood, they always speak about all of the joys, and the gift of having a child, and no one ever speaks of how freaking hard it is and how much it truly takes a toll on a woman and her body. The expectations, the hard monotonous days, and even postpartum depression. I loved that Audrain covered all of these issues in the book. Which made for a very different suspense read than your average thriller. This book was also so freaking creepy!! Like spine chilling creepy. It was really lush and atmospheric too, and definitely had a certain mood and subtle harrowing tone. I loved it! The build was steady, and very well paced. I wouldn’t say that it’s the most ‘thrilling’ book that I’ve ever read, but it definitely had it’s spine tingling moments. If you like a good spine tingling, entertaining, atmospheric and drama story in your thriller, then read this book. You learn a lot about motherhood, the raw truth about giving birth, the complexities of parenting, and postpartum depression. It was a memorable read that stays with you long after you have finished reading it. It would also make a fantastic pick for book clubs, especially for all the yummy mummies out there. The character's names in this book were a tad ridiculous haha but I guess it fits in with the setting and tone of the book. A compelling and fearless read. Song Pick: For my song pick, I wanted a song that felt atmospheric, mellow, heavy & moody. I also wanted a song that dealt with loss and a song that Blythe could relate to. My song pick was 'Stranger' by Noah & the Whale. Genre: Psychological Thriller | Suspense Publish Date: January 5, 2021 Pages: 320 Pages Publisher: Viking Books | Penguin Random House

Rating - 8/10 This instant New York Times Best Seller read was one of those books that you couldn’t get away from on social media and book clubs. As soon as it came out everyone was reading it. EVERYONE. Like for real for real. I honestly think I chose to read this book simply because everyone and their mother was posting about it in the book world. Also, I saw that it’s a thriller and is advertised as a Hitchcock’s Rear Window meets Get Out. Sold! I would love to give a massive thanks to William Morrow Paperbacks of HarperCollins Publishers for sending me a print copy of this read! Plot: The setting is Brooklyn, NYC. We follow a woman named Sydney Green. She’s a true New Yorker, born and raised in her beloved hometown in Brooklyn. As much as she loves her street and neighborhood, lately she noticed that it seems to be changing with the blink of an eye. Condos are popping up all over the place, her local shops are being turned into bougie/chic stores, FOR SALE signs are turning up left and right, and what’s worse is her neighbors are disappearing literally overnight. To hold on to her community’s past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour of her neighborhood and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant. One that happens to be one of the new arrivals to the block, Theo. Sydney & Theo’s dive into history soon becomes a twisted and dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. It turns out the neighbors may have not moved to the ‘burbs after all, and the eager push to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised. Where exactly do local people go when gentrification pushes them out? When does coincidence become conspiracy? Can Theo & Sydney trust each other long enough to find out before they too disappear? My Review: To be honest with you all, sometimes when I pick up a book I genuinely don’t know much about the plot and this was one of those cases. I knew it was roughly something to do with gentrification and it was a thriller of some sort, but that was about it. I kind of like the element of surprise when reading a book. What an interesting book this was. I definitely see why it got all of the hype that it did. It literally was a complete blend of Rear Window and Get Out. If you haven’t watched either of these movies, shame on you! Click on the clickable links to see what they’re about and then come back to my review. While you do that, let me talk a little more about the plot. So we follow Sydney, who is a thirty something year old black woman. She moves back to her hometown in a fictional borough in Brooklyn, NYC. Since being back, she suddenly realizes everything that was so familiar and constant suddenly was changing hella fast! Not sure if any of you have ever been to Brooklyn, or for that matter, literally any other progressing city in the world, but gentrification is real. Like really real! So I for one, could completely relate to Sydney’s story. While all of this is happening, a mysterious and kind new neighbor, who happens to be white, somehow gets involved in Sydney’s project as her assistant. They end up striking up an unlikely friendship. I liked the characters in this book. The story would bounce between Theo’s POV and Sydney’s POV throughout the book, which made it a very easy read. Sydney had been through a lot in her past and same with Theo. I loved that the story was being told from a black woman’s POV as well. Theo’s side of it was quite interesting, he was a white man trying to sort of navigate his way in a predominantly black neighborhood, and also struggles with where he fits in with all the gentrification that’s going on. A definite realistic situation. You also learn quite a lot reading this book, I already knew quite a bit about the history mentioned on here, but if you didn’t, Cole does teach you a little Brooklyn history which I appreciated. This was a really interesting story! For a while I actually completely forgot that I was reading a thriller. Haha. It was more of a gripping page turning read for two thirds of the book I’d say. Then the last quarter of the book suddenly got really creepy like really fast! I loved the feel of the book, it was definitely mysterious and you got that feeling of what the fudge are the neighbors up to (side eye emoji). It was a fun read! I liked Cole’s writing style a lot. It was fun, fresh, and felt very accessible. She definitely wrote this book like how she would sort of speak to you. Informal and very real. (like my book reviews, ha) There were also lots of little quirks in the book that were just hilarious! For example, the neighbors all had a massive group chat, and this is SO relatable because where I live there’s definitely a neighborhood chat group and people are always posting all kinds of ridiculous things on there. I thought that was a fun and light aspect of the book. Cole tackles a lot of VERY real issues here, such as obviously, gentrification, redlining, race, class, white privilege, social injustice, systemic racism, and then on top of that, it was just a legit gripping and eerie read. I will say that I wouldn’t really classify this book as a hard core thriller, simply because for a good chunk of the book, I mostly thought it was like reading a drama or something, but once you get to the end, the pace of the story really picks up and you’re like whaaaaat!? But then because it didn’t really build that much to the suspense, when the suspense did begin, it came and flew by so fast. It almost felt like you were watching a car crash and you could see it all happening but it all happened so quickly. The ending was very blunt, lol I kinda liked it, and then I was also like, huh? Is this really happening? All in all it was a good read. Impulsive and I definitely liked the underlying message that Cole left us with in the book. It hit close to home. I think that’s what I liked about it. It’s definitely worth a read. Very much a Rear Window/Get Out vibe. It was a mix of paranoia, uneasiness that you get from Rear Window, and then straight up gentrification and racial, social justice issues. If you want to read a gripping thriller that also touches on social issues & racial issues then this is the book for you. A different take on a thriller for sure. Also, it made me miss living in Brooklyn a lot! Such a beautiful borough. Song Pick: For my song pick, I wanted a pure old skool hip hop track. One that just fully reps Brooklyn to the core, what it's like to live there, and the feel of the real BK, and what it has to offer. I wanted it to be an old skool song because this book does deal with gentrification and I wanted to represent the old Brooklyn, before all the hipsters came and made it what it is now. Totally unrecognizable to its natives. I picked the classic tune, ‘The place where we dwell’ by Gang Starr - released in 1992 before Brooklyn became the insanely gentrified Brooklyn it now is. Genre: Thriller | Suspense | Mystery Publish Date: September 1, 2020 Pages: 352 Pages Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks | HarperCollins