Rating- 8/10 Obviously I wouldn’t read this book if I wasn’t an Alicia Keys fan y’all. Alicia Keys has been one of my favorite artists since she first came out with her debut album ‘Songs in a Minor’ back in 2001! I have pretty much listened to every single one of her albums since then. Like all of them. I genuinely think she’s one of the most talented singer/songwriters out there in the R&B/Soul world and I love herrrrr. I remember first hearing about this book on Oprah’s Instagram. Oprah had announced that More Myself was to be released under Oprah’s first imprint, An Oprah Book, and since then I knew I had to get my hands on this book. Also, I’m a huge Alicia Keys fan and I got to fan girl and swoon over Keys' voice. I listened to the audio-book by the way and it was everything and more. Synopsis: Alicia Keys is one of the most celebrated musicians of our time. She has enraptured the nation with her heartfelt lyrics, extraordinary vocal range, and soul-stirring piano compositions. Away from all the glitz and glamour, Alicia had grappled with private issues such as the heartache over the complex and challenging relationship with her father, the complete loss of privacy that comes with fame, the oppressive expectations of female perfection, and the people pleasing nature that characterized her early career. Alicia has spent many years not fully recognizing or honoring her own self worth. After withholding parts of herself for so many years, she finally is now asking herself, "Who am I really? And once I discover that truth am I brave enough to face it and embrace it?" This book is an autobiography and part narrative documentary following Alicia Keys’ journey. It is candidly told through her own recounting, through vivid recollections to those closest to her, or have walked alongside her path. Therefore, resulting in a complete 360 of Alicia’s path from her young girlhood memories in Harlem, NY, right up to the process of self discovery that she is still navigating. Alicia shares her quest for truth about herself, her past and her shift from sacrificing her spirit, to celebrating her own self worth. My Review: Okay, so let me just say this. I am an Alicia fan and I always will be whether or not I had read this book. It doesn’t change my opinion about her. I think she is an awesome role model. Okay so back to the book! I listened to the Audio-book for More Myself, and I’m so glad that I did because I love her voice! She is very soothing to listen to, I do have to say. It felt like she was sitting on the couch with you telling you all about her life and sharing her deepest stories, like you had a secret key into her life. I loved the audio-book. I’m going to start with what I loved about this book. Given that I listened to the audio-book, before each chapter, she would play a little melody on her piano which I thought was so sweet. It sort of felt like you were watching a documentary about her life, but through your headphones. It was an interesting experience. I absolutely loved that she told us everything right from the beginning of her life and career. It was really cool to learn how she had actually gotten her career to kick off in the early years. I always think that kind of journey is much more fascinating than when famous people are much later in their career. It feels like you can relate to them a little more. I have to say that I learned a lot about show business by listening to this book, and how the ins and outs of recording albums happen, as well as making sure to be aware and to protect yourself as an artist and to not be exploited by record companies. Musicians work so damn hard! It’s unbelievable. Especially in the early years. It's relentless and draining work. I enjoyed learning about her early career a lot. This book was also filled with LOADS of celebrity intros and vignettes from people such as Oprah, Michelle Obama, Bono, America Fererra, Swizz Beats, and more! I loved hearing all of these people speak in her audio-book, they actually made guest appearances and said nice things about Alicia. I also learned a lot about Alicia keys that I never knew before, such as her nickname, and I learned about her family, her songwriting process, her goals in life, and generally what type of person she is. I enjoyed the journey that she took us through with each album release. It’s truly amazing. When she takes you on her journey through her albums she would sing a line or two from one of her tracks and it was glorious. This was hands down one of my favorite things about this audio-book. Okay now down to the minor negatives. At times I felt that she seriously could have skipped some parts about her life. Like when she started talking about the TV show The Voice where she was a judge in. She would begin to explain all the rules, and I was like what? But why Alicia, why? We did not need to hear all that. I also sometimes felt that it got a bit braggy especially towards the end of the book. Such as, her telling us about the lavish birthday parties that her and her husband Swizz Beats throw each other, and the extravagant trips they take...i don’t know it was a little unnecessary and it felt superficial. The writing as well at times was a little sort of plastic? or surface-y, it felt weird to me at times, and then other times the writing was okay. So not sure what happened there. I just wished that she would have gone more in depth towards the end. I actually think if she wrote an autobiography 10 years from now it would have turned out even better! I will say, given all that, I enjoyed listening to this book. I really did. Also, after I was done with this book, I of course binged on all the Alicia Keys albums and music videos. Kind of like that feeling you get after going to a concert, you binge listen to that artist's music for an entire week. I love all of the input she gives in this book, and at times, it felt almost like you were reading a self help book. We all know Alicia is a very spiritual person, and it totally shows and shines through in her book. I love her whole aura and I will always listen to anything she puts out. She’s original, beautiful, and ultra cool. More myself is an intimate, revealing look at one artist’s journey from self-censorship to full expression. It is about her family, her music, her life, and her career thus far. It’s about staying true to who you are, being authentic, and doing more in life. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend the audio-book. This book would be perfect for any musicians as well as anyone wanting to begin their journey to self discovery. Song Pick: I’m a huge music lover, obviously! So with each book I read, I love to pair it with a song that best suits the book. Now you guys know I have to pick an Alicia Keys song to complement this book right? Only question is which one? I love so many of her tracks! (click on song titles to see videos) Superwoman being one of my all time personal favs, Tell You Something, Blended Family, If I Ain’t Got You, Girlfriend, I mean I could go on. But for this book, I think I have to go with ‘Girl on Fire’. I love this song, it’s such a power song, the video is hot, and it’s just bad ass track. Love you Alicia! Genre: Autobiography | Memoir | Non Fiction | Biography Publication Date: March 21, 2020 Pages: 272 Pages Reviewed by Chrissy's Books

Rating- 8/10 I would love to give a huge thanks to St Martin’s Publishing Group for sending me an advanced review copy of this gorgeous book. Happiness for Beginners comes out on September 1, 2020. When I received this book in the mail and opened the envelope to find this bright and vivid book, I was beyond excited! It just looks so inviting to read, wouldn’t you say so? I read the blurb and was like heck yes! I also needed a brighter and uplifting book after my last few heavy reads you guys! Phew… Synopsis: The setting is in Chicago and the wild mountains of Wyoming. We follow a 32 year old woman named Helen as she marks a full year after getting divorced. Helen reached a point in her life where she said to herself that she has to pull her life together. She knew she needed something adventurous, wild and out of the ordinary to pull her out of her depressing funk. The answer to Helen, was to sign up for a wilderness survival course in Wyoming. This trip is meant to be a chance for her to start over again, and gain a new leash on life. When she discovers that her brother’s irritating and annoying best friend Jake, is also weirdly coming on the trip, she feels that this trip will now be a complete disaster. The expansive wilderness has a way of making Helen’s own life seem a little bigger and somehow, the people who annoy her the most, start to teach her the very things she needs to learn. Like how to keep going, even when you think you can't, and how facing your fears, can make you brave. Helen discovers that sometimes you have to leave things behind in order to find yourself. My Review: This is now my second Katherine Center novel, the first one I read titled- ‘Things You Save in a Fire’ was amazing. (I’ll link my review for that below this review) You guys! I LOVED this book! I am so excited to tell you all about how much I swooned over Katherine Center’s exuberant novel. It was such a fun read! Let’s talk about what I loved about this bright read. Can we have a moment to just appreciate how awesome these colors are on the book cover. Katherine Center’s books are always so appealing to look at, they all have a similar theme or style and I adored this cover. From the very first page you are completely pulled into this book, it’s one of those books where you literally cannot put it down. It’s very engaging and you are already invested in all the characters as soon as you read the very first page. I remember getting to the 3rd chapter of this book and thinking, wow, what a fun read! You will read this book in one sitting. I enjoyed Center’s writing style as well, it is immensely easy to read this book! Even with the most annoying distractions in the background, it’s seriously one of the most casual writing I have ever read. Very relatable and just enjoyable. This story is told entirely from Helen’s point of view in the book, so you never feel any sense of being lost in the plot at all. It’s one of those books where you can pick it up and not have to re-read the last paragraphs or have to try and find your bearings. Very seamless writing. If you are an adventure and natural world/hiker lover you will LOVE this book! I did a lot of hiking during a huge road trip that I did last year, so I could completely relate to everything in this book. Especially wilderness etiquette and knowing how to deal with bear attacks! You actually learn quite a few outdoor hiking skills as well while reading this book. Happiness for Beginners is a fun adventure story that keeps you glued into what will happen next and it’s also a sweet and endearing romance story. I loved every single character in this book, and the story felt quite realistic too. My only negative comment would be that sometimes I thought some paragraphs or sentences just didn’t need to be in the book, and it did get a tad mushy at times, but if you’re into mushy romances then you won’t have a problem with any of that. Katherine Center has an easy way with words, and she also has an amazing effortless style to her writing where she just makes you feel like you are reading for pleasure. If you liked the book titled ‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed - which was also a huge blockbuster movie starring Reese Witherspoon, then you will love this book. It’s sort of a lighter, more fun version of Wild. This novel makes you appreciate the great outdoors, and also just makes you appreciate life a little more. I’ve noticed that Katherine Center’s books always tend to uplift women and she’s quite a feminist which I love! I’m officially a Katherine Center fan now. Fully invested. Also, all of her book covers are so yummy!! I love them. Happiness for Beginners is a feel-good, uplifting read that everyone would enjoy. It’s a book that you pick up when you want to read for pure enjoyment. It’s about self discovery, it’s about finding what is truly meaningful in your life, it’s about starting over, and finding your own sense of happiness. This book will make you smile, and you will leave it feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever lies ahead of you. It’s a huge mood booster! I loved it and would highly recommend this book! It would a super fun pick for a book club too. Song Pick: I wanted to pick a song that was fun, just like the cover, uplifting and and had inspiring lyrics too. I knew I wanted this song to compliment this book when I was only in my 2nd chapter! My perfect song to go with Happiness for Beginners is - 'Roar' by Katy Perry. Also the video is super fun, bright and she's in the wilderness too! CLICK HERE to check out my review for ‘Things You Save in a Fire’ by Katherine Center. She also has seven other novels which you can check out Here, on her website, also her website is the most gorgeous site ever. Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Romance | Adventure Publication Date: September 1, 2020 Pages: 320 Pages Reviewed by Chrissy's Books

Rating- 8/10 I would like to thank my dear friend Nicole for sending me this Women’s Prize Longlist read all the way from the U.K. Nicole Barbosa has an amazing podcast of which she interviews various amazing authors. She even interviews Yvonne Battle Felton on her debut book Remembered (The link to this episode is below my review). This book was sent to me with love and was one of Nicole’s absolute favorite reads of last year, I definitely had to read it and immerse myself into the world of Remembered. Synopsis: The setting is 1910, and Philadelphia is burning. There are citywide riots as thousands of workers strike in solidarity against the Philadelphia Transit Company. Edward is in the hospital in a coma, fighting for his life. The rumors are that Edward drove a trolley car into a shop window. Some people think it was an accident, and others think he did it on purpose. The police hover nearby and are convinced that it was for a deeper reason. Questions arise; Did he do it? Can they find out the truth? Were his actions intentional? And will he make it out of this comma to face the consequences of his actions? For Spring, the last place she wants to be is hanging around a beat down colored section of the hospital, surrounded by sickly people and the ghost of her dead sister. But her son Edward lays in a coma dying, and she has no choice but to be there for him. The only thing that Spring is sure of is that she must hurry and tell Edward about how he came to be. With the help of her dead sister, some newspaper clippings, and her reconstructed memories, she has to try and find a way to get through to him. Spring will face everything she has silenced in her past and will try her best to bring him home. My Review: I would like to explain a little more about the story; Remembered is a historical fiction read based in two different timelines and generations. The first is 1910 in Philadelphia and takes place in a time span of 24 hours where black people have been emancipated from slavery. The second timeline is set between 1843 to 1867 and spans 24 years. It is during the time of the American Civil War, slavery, as well as when the Emancipation Proclamation took place. We follow Spring, an emancipated slave, from a young age when she lived at the plantation, to the present day in Philadelphia. The bulk of the book was based on the latter dates. I was actually quite surprised about this because I was expecting the book to be mostly based in 1910. We don’t know a whole lot about Edward, but instead, we learn much more about Spring, her dead sister, as well as the story of how Edward came to be. Let me talk about what I did like about this book. There’s no denying that this story lacked any heart or rich and warm characters, because that is simply what caught my attention right from the beginning to the end. I adored the two sisters immensely in this book, they were both complete polar opposites. One being extremely feisty and the other very endearing. I also loved the hearty and strong relationship between the two sisters, and the critical views that Battle-Felton presented on the challenges of motherhood. The amount of hardship that the sisters go through is absolutely heartbreaking. Some of the scenes in this story were quite brutal and difficult to read, but it was something that was necessary to the timeline that the book was based in. I sometimes liked, but struggled with the writing style of this book. At times, I found myself completely enthralled and could not stop reading it, mostly because I was so invested in the two sisters’ lives. At other times, I actually felt a little frustrated and had minor feelings of impatience while reading this book. Some of the writing felt quite distorted, but it’s strange because the raw writing style is what made the characters very mesmerizing. You can tell that I am battling with myself here! I did love that this book explored the untold stories of emancipated slaves, and what exactly happens to them after they are freed. This is something we seldom think about, or even hear about and I absolutely loved that Remembered touched on this delicate and complex experience. The only slightly negative comment that I had with Remembered, is that it took me a while to grasp the core story of this book and I struggled to get into the bones of the plot. It wasn't until I got to about the halfway point of the book that I actually began to truly immerse myself into the story, characters and the wave of emotions that hits you in this novel. I would say that the point where the Emancipation of slavery begins, is when this book truly shines. I also did feel that I wish the book was a little longer. I felt that the end was quite rushed and I craved to learn more about Edward, as well as to have read more from the later time period of 1910 in the story. Remembered felt quite relevant to our current time, even though it was based from a time long gone, not a lot has changed within the core system of these issues. With all that said, I will say that Remembered was an absorbing, haunting and raw book. Yvonne Battle-Felton is truly a gifted and wonderful storyteller and I adored getting to know the two sisters and their journey from young womanhood to adulthood. This book is about close communities, motherhood, and the measures that mothers will go through to protect their children. It shows the complex mentality that develop during the course of slavery. It definitely wasn’t an easy book to read, it is intense, but you leave it feeling a sense of appreciation and enlightenment. This book will remain in your brain long after you're done reading it. It would also make for a great book club pick! I'm so glad to have finally read Remembered. Song Pick: I am a music lover and always love pairing a song with each book that I read. I wanted to pick a song that expressed hope, and the endurance that the women in the plantation had to go through in order for their children to be able to be born free. You will understand what I mean when you read this book. This is an amazing song. I chose- 'Oh Freedom!' by The Golden Gospel Singers. Incredible song and an even more amazing choir. Genre: Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction | Magical Realism Publication Date: February 7, 2019 Pages: 240 Pages Click Here for Nicole Barbosa's Podcast with Yvonne Battle-Felton on her debut book Remembered. About Yvonne Battle-Felton (from Blackstone Publishing Website): Yvonne was born in Pennsylvania, raised in New Jersey, and lived in Maryland for twenty years before moving to the UK. She holds an MA in writing from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in creative writing from Lancaster University. She is a lecturer in Creative Writing and Creative Industries at Sheffield Hallam University. In 2017, Yvonne won the Northern Writer’s Fiction Award for Remembered, was commended for children’s writing in the Faber Andlyn BAME (FAB) Prize, and was short-listed for the Words and Women Competition. Most recently, she was long-listed for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Click Here for Yvonne Battle-Felton's Website

Rating- 9/10 I cannot believe it took me this long to read this book! I’m sure everyone has heard of this best selling memoir right?! Since its release in February 2018, Educated has now spent two years on the non fiction NY Times best sellers list. It is also a Wall Street Journal and a Boston Globe best seller. It was literally on every best seller list for 2018; Good Morning America, The Oprah Magazine, NPR, The Economist, TIME, New York Post, and more! I have to also say that this was my very first audio-book! I have always been in denial and opposed to reading or I should say, listening, to audio-books because I will always be a print lover myself, but I thought I’d give it a go and see how it went. It was the strangest but also most natural thing I’d ever done! Let’s get on with the synopsis and my review of this heavily popular memoir. Synopsis: Educated is an unforgettable autobiography about a woman named Tara Westover. We follow her life from a young naive girl, to womanhood as she leaves her survivalist family in the mountains of Idaho and goes on to pursue a PhD from Cambridge University. Tara Westover lived a very sheltered life with her father, mother and 6 siblings. Tara was 17 years old when she first set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure that they all received a real education, and no one ever intervened when one of Tara’s brothers became extremely violent. Tara’s father forbade hospitals, and didn’t believe in government run schools. He regularly prepared them for the end of the world by stockpiling canned goods and always had a 'bug-out bag' ready at all costs. Tara’s mother was a natural healer and midwife, and in the summer, Tara spent her time stewing herbs for her mother and in the winter, she worked at her father’s junkyard. One of Tara’s brothers got himself into college and by seeing this, Tara decided to self educate herself. She taught herself enough that she was able to be admitted into Bringham Young University in Idaho, where she studied history and for the first time ever, began to learn important world events such as the holocaust, and the civil rights movement. Tara’s quest for knowledge completely transformed her life and took her on an unexpected journey to self discovery. Her curiosity and education took her across various continents and to some of the most prestigious universities in the world. By travelling this far from her roots, only then, would she wonder if there was still a way back home. My Review: If I could describe this book into one word, it would be Engrossing. I could not stop thinking about this book. Anytime that I wasn’t reading it, I was wondering, what will happen next? What is Tara up to? It had me questioning everything like it’s nobody’s business. From the very first page of this memoir, you are immediately pulled into her world with Tara’s incredible writing. It was a different experience for me as I had listened to the audio book, but the effect was still the same. She clearly has a strong command for the English language and writing in general, that much is true. As you read on, you are completely transported into her home life in the mountains of Idaho. She fully captured the atmosphere and her upbringing and it felt as if you were seeing everything right through her own eyes. I loved how descriptive this book was. It almost felt like you were reading a fiction story, and I had to keep reminding myself that wait, no, this is real. This is her life. When Tara talks about her early life, you utterly become pulled into her naivety of what it was like to grow up with an incredibly overbearing father and a passive but caring mother in their unconventional life. It’s impossible to believe all of the later events that take place in Tara's life because you really get pulled into her little bubble that her family lives in in her upbringing. It was a strange and surreal experience. Tara was the youngest of seven children. Her entire young adult life was completely sheltered and all she knew was what was immediately around her, nothing more. I honestly cannot even begin to imagine what her life was like. To live in such an extreme way where you have no inclination of the outside world. It was fascinating and heartbreaking! I don’t know much about Mormonism, so for me, this book was a real eye opener. I learned so much by reading this memoir. The amount of events that Tara goes through is unimaginable. Educated is an incredibly amazing story, I actually completely understand why this book spent such a long time on all the best seller lists and was very much talked about by literally everyone. It definitely lives up to the hype, even more so than what I imagined! I won’t lie, at times, this book was very hard to read. A lot happened to Tara and what she went through made me feel angry and upset. I was purely shocked, sometimes I wanted to shake her, shout at her and I wanted to throw my phone across the wall (I was listening to the audio-book lol). I completely went through an emotional roller coaster, shock and bafflement in this book. As an outsider, it’s easy to judge someone and it is easy to know what to do in certain situations in life because you know better or you’ve been taught better. But imagine not knowing about mental health, or what is right and what is wrong, and being completely sheltered, shaped and formed by a tight knit and controlling family. What must that do to you mentally? How Tara became the amazing person she is today is beyond me. Also, well done for having achieved such a high education in your life Tara! This book is incredible. Tara’s process of self discovery was earnest, raw and unfathomable. It is a story about fierce family loyalty, the struggle to self discovery, and the immense grief that comes with severing close ties. This is the kind of book that you will remember for years to come. I highly recommend it and it was definitely one of the best memoirs I have read in my lifetime. Completely inspiring. Brilliant. Song Pick: Whenever I think of this song, I’ll forever think of this book. I was trying to decide what message I wanted the song to relay and this classic tune hit the nail on the head! It completely describes Tara's life and her incredible story. I dare you to find a better song, ha. My perfect song pick for this inspiring and amazing story is; ‘Breakaway’ by Kelly Clarkson What a banger too! Genre: Autobiography | Memoir | Non Fiction | Coming-Of-Age Publication Date: February 20, 2018 Pages: 352 Pages Reviewed by Chrissy’s Books

Rating- 3/10 I’d like to give a shout out to Forge Books for providing me with an advance review copy of this suspense read. I always love to read a suspense read each month as I am a huge mystery lover and I was totally in the mood for it after my previous read. The First to Lie came out on the 4th August, 2020. The Plot: After a devastating betrayal, a young woman sets off an obsessive path to justice, even if it costs a family it’s deepest darkest secrets. What the woman doesn’t know is that she’s not the only one plotting her revenge. We follow an affluent daughter of privilege. A glamorous wannabe. A determined reporter in too deep. A grieving widow who must choose her own reality, and among these women, who will be the first to lie? When the stakes are life and death, do a few lies really matter? We all have our reasons for being who we are but what if being someone else could get you what you want? My Review: Well well. Where do I begin.. As you can already tell from my rating, I honestly did not gel very well with this book. It wasn’t one of my favorite reads at all. I have to be honest. Let me begin with what I tolerated about this ‘suspense’ read. I do have to give credit to the writer for the choice of location in this book. I liked that the book was based in Boston, MA as well as Maryland. Being an east coast gal, I did think that Ryan definitely captured the brutally cold and buzzing atmosphere of a winter in Boston. Let’s say that I found the descriptions quite visual which was nice. I also actually respected the fact that this book dealt a lot with infertility, and how women can struggle with conceiving which a lot of books don’t cover too often. I appreciated that from the author. That being said, that’s about all that I liked about this read you guys. From the very beginning of this book right up until the end, I completely and utterly struggled majorly hard to get into or even through this book! It’s probably why it took me so long to read it. I frankly wasn’t interested in it at all. I found the writing to be quite boring and I felt detached from the writing style, as well as from all of the characters in the book. Maybe the fact that they were all so privileged irked me a little. Strange though, because I have read a lot of books that have high society characters, such as Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty, and Lipstick Jungle by Candice Bushnell, and many more. Something about this book just rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters in any way. I felt quite removed from them therefore, causing me to not be invested in any of their struggles or lives. Maybe it’s to do with the writing style and the actual plot of the book. I just found it all to be not believable in any way. I have to say that I have read a lot of psychological thrillers, mystery, suspense, crime, you name it. I have definitely delved into this genre y’all. I love me some suspense!! But when I got to the end of the book, and saw what the big suspense scene was?? Oh god. I just couldn’t deal. It was the most unbelievable ending I’ve read in a long while. It simply wasn’t a believable story to me. I get what Ryan was trying to do, but it was so far fetched that I couldn’t be shocked in any way, also I figured out the plot before it had even happened. That rarely every happens to be because I’m the most gullible reader ever! Shame. The book dragged on and on and I found the length to be unnecessarily long for no reason, it could have definitely been a shorter read. I really wanted to like this book!! So much! But in the end it was a bit of a let down for me. I’ve already forgotten about it. Not a good sign when a book doesn’t stick to your memory. It lacked substance, gripping characters, the writing style did nothing for me and it felt inadequate. That being said, this book has received some pretty good reviews from Goodreads, so this is honestly just what I personally thought of the book. You could definitely give it a shot and let me know what you think! There is always something good to take away from each read. For me it was the setting as well as bringing awareness to infertility to women. Song Pick: I wanted to pick a song about secrets and deceit. My song pick for this read is - 'Secrets by The Pierces. This song also happens to be the theme song for the TV show 'Pretty Little Liars', a teen mystery-thriller show. Totally fits in with the whole elitist vibe of the story! Genre: Suspense | Mystery | Thriller Publication Date: August 4, 2020

Rating 8/10 Firstly, I would like to send a huge thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux books at Macmillan publishers for sending me an advanced review copy of this gorgeous book. Luster comes out today! August 4th, 2020. I knew just by looking at this cover that I wanted to read this book, it also helped that the plot sounded immensely intriguing so I had to give this book a read. Luster happens to be of this summer’s most anticipated reads and it is practically on every must read list. I am so excited to tell you all what I thought about it! The Premise: Raven Leilani’s debut novel, Luster, sees a young black woman fall into art, and someone else’s open marriage. We follow a young 23 year old named Edie as she stumbles her way into her twenties. She shares an apartment in Bushwick, NYC, clocking in and out of her not so exciting admin job and all the while, making a series of inappropriate sexual choices. She struggles with trying to figure out her path into life as an artist, and then one day she meets Eric. Eric is a digital archivist who has a family back in New Jersey including her wife who is an autopsist and agrees to an open marriage with Eric, but with rules in place. Edie finds herself unemployed and somehow falls into Eric’s family life and his home in New Jersey. She becomes a hesitant friend to his wife Rebecca, and ends up somehow being a role model for their adopted daughter Akila. Edie is the only black woman that Akila knows. Edie deals with all of this as well as navigating the ever changing landscapes of contemporary sexual manners and racial politics. Luster is a portrait of a young woman trying to figure out and make sense of her life in a tumultuous era. It is also a haunting description of how hard it is to believe in your own talent and the unexpected influences and inspirations that bring us into ourselves along the way. My Review: You guys. I don’t even know where to begin with this book. I have to say, this was one of the most refreshing reads I have read in a while. What a strange, haunting and twisted book! But in a really good way! I would like to start off with the writing style because I feel this is what you notice right away after reading the first few pages. I was in complete awe and also felt very confused, like what the heck am I reading! This is so weird, but also insanely intriguing. The way that Leilani writes in this book was one of the most refreshing writing styles I have read in a hella long time. It was written very matter-of-factly, if that’s even a word. It was sharp, snatched, warped, blunt and quite dark. I liked the dark humor sprinkled throughout this book. Ridiculously clever. Raven Leilani is one to watch out for you guys. The characters in Luster were spectacular. There aren’t many, just four, and it is narrated by Edie herself so everything you read is solely from her perspective. This I think was dynamic in being able to figure out who Edie was, and to understand her story. She was a lonely character, most definitely an introvert and struggles through life in this increasingly difficult time and era that we are in. She faces being the token black girl at her work place, a difficult childhood, and mostly just trying to figure out who she is and how she fits in the world she was put into. The situation she finds herself in is completely extraordinary. At first, I thought, no way, this would never happen in real life. This surreal, and very awkward scenario. No way. But as you read on, you actually begin to see why things have shaped up to be the way they are and you could see this playing out in some alternate reality somewhere in the world. I thought Rebecca’s character was excellent. Very subtle but very much present in the story. I also adored Akila, the daughter of Eric and Rebecca. Overall wonderful characters and all crucial to the story of the book. This is a special book, it really is. What brings this book all together was the writing done by Leilani. I was completely blown away. The way she puts Edie front and center as the narrator was excellently done. Edie faces a lot in her life. There is this sort of constant melancholy and ache to Edie’s life and her past experiences, in which Leilani delves boldly into in this book. Leilani has spun a web of incredible and necessary characters that all weave in and out of Edie’s life in this achingly taught read. I honestly cannot put into words how amazing this book is. What a rockin debut from Raven Leilani. This was one of the most thought provoking, sexy and arousing, blunt, awkward, weird, dark and sharp books I have read in a minute! I loved the sexual antics in this book, it was very relate-able. You never quite knew where the story was headed and I loved that! It was filled with surprises and a never ending bold and sadistic humor. Luster is an impossible book to put down and is a massive page turner. It’s definitely a binge worthy book! Luster deals with what it is like to be a young black twenty something year old in our progressive yet quite frankly backwards time period of today. It tackles race, power, and the path to your own personal growth. Read this book! It’s weird, different but super dope at the same time. I sense some awards coming your way Leilani. I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next. Loved it. Song Pick My song pick for this book had to be of a sexy, demure nature. I wanted something in the Alternative R&B-ish genre this time but something current and moody. When I think of sexy tunes in this genre, I think of artists such as Khalid, Rihanna, SZA and more. Therefore, my song pick for this alluringly dark and twisted book is ‘The Hills’ by The Weeknd Fun Fact: Raven Leilani is also an artist! Check out her website HERE Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Literary Fiction Publication Date: August 4, 2020 Reviewed by Chrissy's Books

Rating 8/10 Whoop Whoop! I love that I’m a part of this super awesome blog tour for Erin Hahn’s latest book More Than Maybe. A huge shout out to Wednesday Books for sending me an advance review copy of this cute read! Not gonna lie, I was pretty excited when I received this book as I had read Erin Hahn’s debut book You’d Be Mine which came out in 2019 - I’ll link my review for her debut book 'You'd Be Mine' below this review. I loved Hahn's writing style so I had to give this book a go. Premise: After growing up under his dad’s punk rock spotlight, at eighteen years old, Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. Luke Greenly is an introvert, he prefers the anonymous comfort of hosting the locally popular podcast with his outgoing, extrovert and meddling twin brother Cullen. His brother Cullen is crazy in love with his long term boyfriend Zach. Luke has a couple of secrets buried inside, one, he is insanely talented and can sing and write music like it's nobody’s business. Two, he’s had a longtime major crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell. Vada is a planner. She has her five year plan down to a tee. It includes; securing a job at the Loud Lizard, a local dive bar and learning from local music legend Phil, who also happens to be her mom’s boyfriend. Get accepted into Berkeley’s prestigious music journalism program, manage Ann Arbor’s annual summer concert, and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is nowhere in her plans, yet she’s intrigued by his insane music knowledge, his dreamy eyes, and his British charm. Luke’s brother Cullen releases a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast, and Vada secretly wishes it’s about her. Luke and Vada must decide how deep their feelings run and what it would mean to give love a chance. My Review: Not gonna lie, I loved reading this book! The story is told from Luke and Vada’s perspectives, which made the book very much readable. More Than Maybe is a Young Adult book, I actually really take pleasure in reading YA books, I get to keep up with all the cool kids as well as just read an all round fun book!. Hahn’s writing style is very relaxed and believable. I enjoyed learning about the main characters in this book. Luke was a sweetheart, and I liked that he and his family were English. Seeing as I lived in London for many years, I always enjoy reading books with English characters, or books based in the UK. I have to say, this book was spot on. Sometimes when you read books with English characters, authors tend to overdo it with British slang and is never believable, or can be too cringy, but this felt pretty real to me. Vada was definitely my favorite character, and your girl next door. She is super easy to get along with, very down to earth, and a strong female character who has balls and is also just super nice. I adored all the surrounding characters as well in this book, especially Phil who is Vada’s boss, and her mom’s partner, as well as all of their friends and family. They were all special in their own way. One of the things that I really REALLY loved about this book is that music was an insanely central part of the story. I am a huge music lover, of all sorts genres and I mostly enjoyed seeing all the various musicians being name dropped in this book. It was excellent! Seeing as this is Erin Hahn’s second book, it’s always really hard to follow up a great debut, but she totally nailed it. What a fun read! This was a massive page turner, and was ridiculously easy to read. I do have to say, comparing the two books, You’d Be Mine, her debut novel was more of a classic romantic, swoony read. Where More Than Maybe, was mostly hip, fun, quirky, and a very 2020 style, page turning read. I mean that in a sense of the way it was written, it was like reading a script. Hahn would regularly feature Luke and Vada’s text messages in the book, which I feel is geared to the young adult readers of today. It’s a definite ‘Now’ type of read that a lot of teens would resonate with. I myself enjoyed it loads. I liked the music references, I liked the characters, and I liked the easy going writing style. This is a great book for all the music lovers out there like myself! Ha, It is also simply a super fun book to read for when you’re craving a sweet story. You don’t have to be a young teen to read it either you guys! Give it a go :) Song Pick: For the first time ever, the author actually gave me a bunch of songs to choose from seeing as she mentioned a plethora of awesome artists in this book such as; Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Duran Duran, Taylor Swift, Kodaline, Oasis, Counting Crows, The Cure and more! But Alas, I've gotta pick a song right? So my song pick for this book had to be ‘I know’ by Tom Odell. I wanted to pick a British artist, someone young and current, he happens to be a singer-songwriter too, which is basically Luke’s vibe in the book. It’s a sweet song that relates to the story a lot! Why not take a listen Here! Genre: Young Adult | Romance |Contemporary Fiction | LGBTQ Literature Publication Date: July 21, 2020 Reviewed by Chrissy's Books Check out my review from last year of Erin Hahn's debut book You'd Be Mine Here! ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ERIN HAHN is the author of You'd Be Mine and More Than Maybe. She teaches elementary, would rather be outside and makes a lot of playlists. So many playlists in fact, that she decided to write books to match them! She married her very own YA love interest who she met on her first day of college and has two kids who are much, much cooler than she ever was at their age. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, aka the greenest place on earth and has a cat named Gus who plays fetch and a dog named June who doesn’t. Buy this book: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250231642 Author website: https://www.erinphahn.com/ Author Twitter: @erinhahn_author Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17130322.Erin_Hahn Author Instagram: @erinhahn_author

Rating 6/10 I would love to thank Forge Books for providing me with an advanced review copy of this darling read. This book came out on July 20, 2020. When I first saw the title of the book, I thought, aw how cute! It sounded like it would be a magical and sweet read and I was intrigued. Also I liked how the title of the book rolls off your tongue ‘South of the Buttonwood Tree’, so much fun to say right?!. It reminded me of a book I read many moons ago titled - The Cherry Tree Cafe by Heidi Swain and I loved how sweet that book was. Let’s see if this book gave me the same feels The Premise: South of the Buttonwood Tree follows two women: Blue Bishop & Sarah Grace. They both grow up in a small charming town named Buttonwood, Alabama. Blue Bishop has always had a knack for finding lost things and during her time growing up in Buttonwood, she’s come across lost wallets, jewelry, pets, her wandering neighbor and sometimes trouble itself. One day, Blue comes across an abandoned newborn baby in the woods, just south of a very special Buttonwood tree and even Blue herself, is at a loss of words on this special find. Sarah Grace has always tried very hard to do the right thing her entire life. She is at a crossroads in her life, and her own mother would completely disown her if she ever found out the secrets that Sarah Grace buries inside. The unexpected discovery of the newborn baby girl will alter both Blue and Sarah’s lives forever. Both women possess the same struggles and must fight for what they truly want in their lives and who they love as well. In doing so, they both uncover long held secrets that expose who they truly are and what they are willing to sacrifice in the name of family. My Review: This was a really sweet story. Let’s talk about what I liked about South of the Buttonwood Tree. I do have to say that I did enjoy reading this book, it made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It was quite a comforting read. I also always enjoy books that are based in the south, and this book is truly based in the deep south. Alabama is as south as you can get. In Buttonwood, they are all very much about that small town southern living and southern charm which was quite cute. The story was mainly told from two perspectives, Sarah and Blue. Both equally good characters, I loved Blue’s character much more though. She had loads of character and charm. The rest of the time we sort of got to know the people of Buttonwood which was nice. I loved the quirky little touches on the story, you kind of wanted to be friends with everyone in the book and I enjoyed that aspect of it. Everyone was all up in everyone’s business in this book, but I guess that’s what it actually is like in these small towns! I did like that about the story. It was gossipy and fun. Heather Webber definitely paints quite a vivid picture of Buttonwood and the people of Buttonwood which made the story feel enjoyable and vibrant. Magical realism is a definite staple in this book, Webber takes us on a journey of folklore surrounding the mysterious Buttonwood tree. Also, you do have this whole other spiritual side to the book which was interesting, I actually feel like if you are the sort of person who is into crystals, and spiritual living then you would very much enjoy reading this book. The only aspects that I didn’t gel with so much was the writing itself, it wasn’t riveting or magnetic, but it was simply written which makes the book extremely easy to read. I found myself re-reading a lot of sentences, I guess because I wasn't into the story sometimes and I also at times found the book to be borderline cheesy. Like in a very wholesome ‘Full House (the TV show)’ and vanilla way. It’s weird I sort of didn’t mind it as much the more I read the book. The story definitely got better towards the middle and the end, and I enjoyed the little twists and turns that Webber had up her sleeve. I enjoyed the touch of magical realism in this book, it was just enough and not overpowering at all. It made me wish that I had some of these magical powers for my own use. Heather Webber has written more than thirty novels! Crazy. Her other most popular book is titled Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe. These titles are super cute. All in all this was a vivid, feel good, hug in a mug, lazy sunny summer day kind of read. This book is about families, past lovers and relationships, dealing with the consequences of your actions, as well as how keeping big secrets can truly carry a heavy weight on your shoulders. It’s a fun book for anyone who likes to bake, like myself! It was a warm and fuzzy read, a good one for when you want a lovely book to warm your heart. My song pick to complement this sweet read - South of the Buttonwood Tree is: ‘The Way I am’ by Ingrid Michaeleson Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Magical Realism | Romance Publication Date: July 21, 2020 Reviewed by Chrissy Books

Rating - 10/10 This book has taken the book world by storm since its release on June 2nd, 2020. It’s a NY Times #1 best seller, and It was also the June pick for the Good Morning America book club which is a pretty big deal. My lovely friend Nicole, who is a fellow bibliophile and has her own podcast titled Shelf Life where she interviews amazing authors, gifted me with a copy of this fabulous book. Shout out to Harriet's Bookshop in Philly too for sending over this sought after read. Harriet’s Book Shop is named after historical heroine Harriet Tubman and celebrates women authors, activists and artists - how awesome! This book is probably my favorite book cover so far for 2020. It’s simply stunning! Let's get into the premise and my review for The Vanishing Half. The Premise: The Vanishing Half follows two identical biracial twins, Stella and Desiree Vignes. They grow up together in a small southern black community in the deep south. As teenagers, the twins run away at age 16 from their home in search of something more. They eventually end up separated and living completely different lives. One twin ends up returning back to the hometown they tried to escape many years later, with her black daughter, while the other twin secretly passes for being white and her white husband knows nothing of her past or her racial identity. Even though the Vignes sisters are living completely separate lives and are many miles away from each other, their fates will always be intertwined. The question is, what will come in the next generation when their own daughter’s lives and stories intertwine? This book spans many decades from the 1950s-1990s from the deep south to sunny California, and weaves through multi-generational story lines within the family. Brit Bennett brings to us a dynamic and emotional family story that gives us much more than expected, it is also an incredible exploration into the American history of passing. It questions why people make certain choices in life, following their desires, and their expectations as well as the lasting influence of the past, and explores the reasons why some people choose to live a life completely different to their origins. My Review: Given that this book was majorly hyped up in the literary world and everyone and their mother was reading it, I had very high expectations for it when I had picked it up. It did not disappoint one bit!! I fell in love with this book very early on and I devoured it like a tasty, decadent, rich chocolate cake. :) The Vanishing Half is split into 6 main chapters, all spanning back and forth through various decades. I absolutely loved Brit Bennett's effortless writing style in this book. She is clearly an impressive and impeccable writer and seeing that this is now her 2nd book, I am even more intrigued to read her debut novel, The Mothers. The tone of the book was just excellent and I adored the timeless quality that this book had. The sections where the two daughters from the twins intersect lives, I thought was simply brilliant. You truly get to know both daughters very well. Both were very much different in their own ways, but seeing that they were tied together through their ancestral history and yet maintained to have some sort of relationship, it was truly realistic. Desiree’s daughter, the black girl, was an incredible character. I adored her and loved her story. I normally tend to not like books with many story lines and even though this book had quite a few characters, and many points of views, it never felt as though you got lost in any way. I actually loved how layered this story was, like peeling an onion to reveal yet another and exquisite part of the story. All the characters in this book were necessary and simply wonderful. As you can tell, there were a lot of powerful female characters in this book, but I would also like to give some credit to the men in this book as well. Bennett truly captured the way in which men can both be powerful and destructive, and also kind, loving and compassionate. I adored that aspect of the book. It sort of felt like you were doing a little puzzle piece and even though it took awhile for the pieces to find each other, eventually they did in their own way and they intertwined beautifully. The story of the twins was incredibly riveting to read about. Each twin is very much their own person, but yet very much identical in appearance. I couldn’t get enough of their story, their history, and the women they became. You really do begin to see why they make the decisions that they make and how those choices have shaped their lives forever. You are left wondering many ‘what ifs’ in this book, but I think that is the beauty of how Bennett told the story. She left you questioning many scenarios and I adored that in her writing. Even though racial identity is the main core story of this book, The Vanishing Half is SO much more than that. I was delightfully surprised by the many subject matters that Bennett touched on in this book. It was an amazing surprise that I would highly recommend you to discover. I also loved the cleverness of the book title in relation to the story. Brilliant! This book kept you wanting to read more and more and wanting to discover more with each page you read. You never quite knew where the story was going and I can’t believe Bennett had the power to do that to you. It was a powerful and relevant read to its time period as well as today’s present time. The Vanishing Half truly exceeded my expectations, I adored it beyond words. It is about family, identity and relationships. It is a bold, crisp and satisfying read. It is definitely one of my favorite books already of 2020 and I now cannot wait to read her debut book - ‘The Mothers’ which also received amazing reviews. It must be hard to come out with a 2nd book after such a successful first novel, but Bennett clearly beat her own record. This would make an excellent read for any book club as there is simply too much to discuss in it, and would definitely make a great read for any person of any age, period! You will love this book and it has some of the most timeless writing I have read in a long time, sort of like reading a heavyweight classic like ‘The Color Purple by Alice Walker’. I will definitely re-read this book years from now. A huge huge must read! 10/10. For my song pick for The Vanishing Half, I wanted to pick a song from this nostalgic time period of the 60s, I also quite liked the aspect of the book being based in the deep south and wanted a soulful song that matched the vibe of the book. I feel that this song truly reflects the relationship between the two twins and the push and pull relationship they have with one another, as well as the struggles they carry deep inside them which no one can feel or see except them. My song pick for this book is - 'The Tracks of my Tears' by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. Classic tune. Genre: Historical Fiction | Contemporary Fiction | LGBTQ Fiction | Coming of Age Originally Published: June 2, 2020

Rating 7/10 I would like to first of all thank St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance review copy of this book! This is now my 3rd time reading a book by B. A. Paris, soon as I received this I knew I would be definitely reading it ASAP. The past few books I’ve read have been quite heavy reads, so I felt that I needed to balance it out with an easy, page turner and a light read. The Dilemma totally hit the spot. Premise: The Dilemma follows a husband and wife named Livia and Adam. It’s Livia’s 40th Birthday and her husband Adam, is throwing her an epic party of all parties to make up for the wedding celebration they never had. Livia and Adam fell pregnant as teenagers, which meant that they never got the wedding of their dreams, this also caused Livia’s parents to disown her. Since then, their marriage has had its ups and downs, but along the way they have had some blissful memories with their two now grown children, Josh and Marnie. Livia has recently uncovered a secret about their daughter Marnie, if revealed, it will completely shake the foundation of their family to the core. Marnie has been studying abroad and can’t make it to the party, which Livia feels quite relieved about. Livia is now in a dilemma as she needs to tell Adam about this secret but she wants to wait till the end of the party to do it, so they can have this last happy time together. Meanwhile, Adam has a huge surprise for Livia, he’s arranged for Marnie to fly back secretly just in time for the party. Later on, Adam is faced with his own dilemma and he too is struggling on whether to tell Livia his terrible secret. Does Adam wait until the party's over to tell Livia his secret? If you had the choice, would you rather tell the secret before or after the party, and is it worth letting the person you love enjoy the last few hours of happiness before finding out some terrible news? One thing is clear, Marnie’s arrival could literally shatter their whole world. My Review: Seeing as this was my third book by B.A. Paris, I was expecting it to be more of a psychological thriller, because her books tend to be more in that 'edge of your seat' thrilling genre. I was quite surprised when I realized it wasn’t like her other books. That being said, I did enjoy reading this novel. The story was told from two points of views, the husband Adam, and his wife, Livia. It was a super easy read as we were only getting the perspectives of those two characters, this meant you were never really lost at all in the plot and the story. I really enjoyed the formatting of the chapters. Everything was basically leading to this huge party, so from the beginning, the book begins to countdown to the party and each chapter is told in chunks of time. For example: ‘8am-9am’. This made the book extremely readable and gripping! I felt super excited to read what would happen in the next hour, and so on and so forth. Livia and Adam are a sweet couple who care a lot about each other. I also quite liked their son Josh, as well as their close circle of friends and family. You definitely got pulled into their little world which was nice and you could see that they have a pretty good life, even though they struggled a bit while they were teenagers with a child. I have to say that you don’t really get a good sense of who Marnie is, as a person I mean, so I did find myself quite detached from her character, even though the entire plot circled around her. I also at times felt insanely frustrated while reading the book! Haha A few chapters in, you figure out what the big secrets are and now it’s just a matter of Adam and Livia telling each other about their secrets. I did sometimes, feel like I was going a little crazy reading it and I was almost screaming to Adam and Livia to just bloody communicate with each other instead of coming up with these diabolical scenarios in their head about what they were hiding from each other. I think that B.A. Paris should mostly stick to her psychological thrillers a bit more because they’re always so damn good! That’s not to say I disliked this book, it was an okay read and just what I needed to read, but I have enjoyed her past books a little more. The Dilemma is a book that you could easily read in one sitting. It’s that readable. It was unputdownable, addictive, and a page turner which will keep you wanting to read more and more as the hours pass in the book. I also quite like that the book centered around a huge party that was happening in the background, so it made it feel like a light, fun and glamorous read, and it felt realistic. This is a lovely summer read and you will finish it all in no time! Oh! I noticed something totally off in this book! The Dilemma is based in England, and all the characters are English from what I could tell, and in the book there was this strange quote below: (Page 202) “A few people laugh and I feel a weird sense of disorientation. I can’t believe that I’m sitting here, listening to people talk about soccer.” Okay so from someone who lived in the UK for 15 years, NO ONE refers to ‘football’ as soccer in the UK, no one. I assume this was done by the US publisher translating for the US version of this book. I would love to hear from someone who has read this in the UK if they spotted the same error. It mostly made me laugh out loud. The other two books I read by B.A. Paris were: Behind Closed Doors & The Breakdown (click on the names of the books to see my reviews). I gave both books an 8/10 rating. Those two are definite must reads for psychological thriller lovers! The Dilemma is available for purchase now :) My song pick for The Dilemma was super easy to choose. I wanted to pick a song that celebrated the epic party. In the book, Livia and Adam have their special cheesy wedding song that they mention a few times. I had to choose it as it’s a classic tune, also it shows how close they are and how much they love each other. The song is: ‘Unchained Melody’ by The Righteous Brothers Genre: Mystery | Contemporary Fiction | Suspense Publication Date: June 30, 2020

Rating - 7/10 Seeing as it’s 4th July, A.K.A - Independence day (in the US), I thought I’d read a nonfiction book about the birth of America. This is one of those books that is always on the book shelf but you never quite pick it up to read it. It isn’t even mine! Ha, but finally the timing felt right and I wanted to refresh my memory about American history. The last time I read anything like this was probably in high school! I also quite liked the title of it: ‘The American Dream’. That’s one thing a lot of people have in common, they’re always searching for the illusive ‘American Dream’. The American Dream is one of the most familiar and poignant phrases in the American dictionary. It’s so familiar that we rarely pause and ask ourselves about its history and origins. Jim Cullen explores the meanings of the American Dream and the many American dreams that have shaped America from the Pilgrims to the present day. The blurb notes that "the US defines itself not on the notes of the facts, blood, religion, geography or shared history, but on a set of ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution". At the very core of these ideals, lies an unclear concept of the American Dream, that for better or worse has proven to be incredibly durable and fluid for hundreds of years and across racial, class, and other demographic lines. The description continues: "the current version of the American Dream that dominates our own time is what Cullen calls - The Dream of the Coast. It is one of personal fulfillment, fame, fortune and even more attractive if they are achieved without effort, which finds its own cunning expression in the exciting culture of Hollywood". My Review: I quite liked the length of this book, it felt quite accessible and readable. It’s only 224 pages long so it’s not a heavy set read at all which was a plus! There are six chapters in the book and they all go in chronological order from the birth of America, to our present time. I definitely liked some chapters more than others, or at least in my case, I preferred hearing about particular subject matters than other less interesting ones. Jim Cullen’s descriptions of each chapter I thought was excellent, what he actually discussed and the core subject I thought, was quite impressive. For example, his first chapter titled: “Dream of the Good Life (I): The Puritan Enterprise” was extremely insightful and, even though I couldn't care less about the Puritans, I actually appreciated re-discovering how they came to this land. It was fascinating to read and to be re-educated about all of this. My knowledge of American History is mostly from my high school experience, as most people I’m sure are, unless you’re a history buff and know loads more than I do! It was nice to get in depth mini 411s in each particular subject matter of this book. One of my favorite chapters was; Chapter 2 - “Dream Charter: The Declaration of Independence” It was truly enlightening to read about how the Founding Fathers came to be and how they had come to create this historical document. We all know phrases such as “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”, which is on the original 1823 Declaration of Independence, ingrained in our brains as the source code of the American Dream. Cullen mentions this in the chapter and delves into what this truly means. In this chapter you also get to learn more about our Founding Fathers and how they came to be such important figures in the history of America. I learned so much from reading this book, it was insane. Maybe because my brain was half switched off during high school, but it truly was just awesome re-learning all of this incredible history which has shaped the America that we have today. One of the quotes from this chapter in Cullen’s book, that really stood out to me and explained how Democracy back then, truly was created for just white men by the founding fathers is this: (He explains the viewpoint of the founding fathers) “But whether by nature or nurture, it was clear to them that many of the people who lived in the United States--slaves, women, Indians--lacked virtue, and that is why they were excluded from what became a democratic republic. So you see, there is a logic to their American Dream. It wasn’t exactly our logic two hundred years later, but it made a kind of sense. When the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all men are created equal, the writer of that document really did mean men, by their lights: not females, not some black- or yellow skinned “savage”, but civilized white males (a.k.a “men”). All those people were created equal--an assertion notable for both its inclusiveness relative to what came before and its exclusivity relative to what followed. Whether or not others, like slaves, were also created equal in terms of a theoretical capability for republican government was a matter of some uncertainty (and less debate). It was the obvious common ground, in any case, not the ambiguity of those on the boundaries, that was their focus.” (Cullen - Chapter 2, Dream Charter: The Declaration of Independence - Page 51) Let’s just take a minute to dissect that. It’s strange to read because it’s nothing new or groundbreaking. We know that they all owned slaves back then, and we know that they drove the Native Americans from their land, and we know that for anyone to have any rights as an American citizen, you had to be a white male to do so. But to actually read that the founding fathers truly believed this was quite eye opening. America and the Declaration of Independence, from the eyes of the founding fathers, was created only for white men. That is who they saw as their equal back then. As you now know, time changes all of this and soon after, black American citizens begin to slowly fight for their rights - often referred to as ‘The Civil Rights Movement’, in which Cullen covers in the chapter titled: “King of America: The Dream of Equality”. In this chapter Cullen covers what equality truly means within the American Dream, and that issues such segregation could only be achieved by what Martin Luther King Jr. preached over and over again, which is his dream of equality. “Slavery, which was now dead, was conquered by freedom. Segregation, which remained alive, could only be conquered by equality”. (Cullen - Page 125) There are so many things that I learned while reading this book, such as how the Republican party came to be, and how it was formed by Stephen A. Douglas sort of accidentally. Funny thing is, not much has changed if you look at the Republican party now, from when it was created back then, it’s shockingly similar. It was created in a: “Self-conscious homage to the ideology of the Founders. Its membership was a hybrid of old Whigs, nativists opposed to allowing immigrants into the country, and dissafected Democrats united in their distaste for slavery (and African Americans generally).” (Cullen - Page 83) It was also interesting to learn about Abraham Lincoln, his political ideals, and how he understood the Declaration of Independence. I learned about how a lot of the land in the US came to be owned and discovered, as well as attained more knowledge of the term ‘Redlining’. ["In the United States, redlining is the systematic denial of various services by federal government agencies, local governments as well as the private sector either directly or through the selective raising of prices"] - WIKI “The explicit government policy of redlining certain towns, cities, and neighborhoods with high minority populations--declaring them too risky to insure--made them virtually worthless to bans and buyers. Nor could minority families escape such places, for reasons that included individual responsibility, government neglect, and the self-fulfilling prophecies of mass abandonment.” (Cullen - Page 152, Chapter 5- Detached Houses: The Dream of Home Ownership) I think it’s really important to understand why America is the way it is today, and when you read and learn about the history of how America came to be, you begin to understand why it took so long to have even the level of women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, African American rights, Native American rights and Immigrant rights that we have now. When you get right down to the core, you really see that racism and discrimination against anyone who isn’t a white male was built into the foundation of America by the Founding Fathers. As much as it does anger me to read about these facts, it is also important to get both sides of the story and learn about the history of America. Yes, I do agree America would not be the country it is today without the history of how we got here and the work of our Founding Fathers. But, it is also Okay to recognize that we are a completely different country to the one that was built by our Founding Fathers. We can definitely take some of the ideals that they instilled in the Declaration of Independence, because that is how America was shaped, by those ideals such as: 'All men are created equal', and our constitutional rights such as 'Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness'. Lincoln interpreted this in his politics. We all have a right to our opinions, and I think that’s what makes America so great. The endless possibilities and the idea of a freeing American Dream for everyone. The American Dream was an interesting read. It covered a short amount of pages and summarized 'The American Dream' quite well. From the Puritans, to the civil rights movement, to equality, and to ‘The Good Life’ of the Californian coast with it’s Hollywood appeal. My only negative comment is I did get the sense that Cullen sort of over-glorified the Puritans and Founding Fathers. I also would have liked to read a bit more about the Native Americans, but I do understand that this is a book about The American Dream and how it came to be. All in all, not a bad overview of 'The American Dream'. With that said, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from this book: “If there is one constant in the Declaration of Independence, it lies in the way no version of the status quo is ever completely acceptable. It provides us with (often imperceptibly shifting) standards by which we measure success but simultaneously calls attention to the gap between what is and what we believe should be, a gap that defines our national experience. A piece of wishful thinking composed in haste, the Declaration was born and lives as the charter of the American Dream. It constitutes us.” (Cullen- Page 58, Chapter 2 - Dream Charter: The Declaration of Independence.) Jim Cullen is a U.S cultural historian. His major works include- Born in the USA: Bruce Springsteen and the American Tradition (HarperCollins, 1997),The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation (Oxford University Press, 2003), and Sensing the Past: Hollywood Stars and Historical Visions(Oxford, 2013). To learn more about Jim Cullen's work, Click Here Genre: Nonfiction | History | North American History Publication Date: June 14, 2004 (First published in 2003) The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a perfect example of the American Dream. Many people were trying to succeed and prosper in their own version of the American Dream during the 1920s. This is why I chose a theme song from this Era. The perfect theme song to compliment this book for me, would be: 'Ain't Misbehavin' by Fats Waller released in 1929.

Rating - 9/10 I know I know, I am super duper late to the party for reading this book you guys. When this book came out in 2017, it was on every single bestsellers list and stayed on the Young Adult New York Times best seller list for 50 weeks! I honestly was just never in the mood to read it at all. I’m not sure why. I think I was going through my psychological thriller genre faze back then. Fast forward 3 years later, with everything that has been happening with the George Floyd protests, the racial inequality, and Black Lives Matter movement that has been brought to light in the US and globally over the past few weeks, I felt that I wanted to finally read The Hate U Give. It felt right, and I was ready to delve into this book. I’ve had this book on my shelf for years so I’m finally glad that I was ready to get into it. It did not disappoint! The Hate U Give follows a young 16 year old girl named Starr Carter who moves in between two worlds - the poor neighborhood where she is from and lives, and the ultra fancy suburban private/prep school which she attends with her two brothers Seven and Sekani. The unsettling balance between the two opposite worlds is completely shattered when Starr witnesses the shooting of her childhood friend Khalil at the hands of a white police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon after, Khalil’s death makes national headlines with some reports saying Khalil was a drug dealer, some say he’s a thug and a gang-banger. This lights up activists who take it to the streets to protest against this brutal crime, and meanwhile, some cops and local drug dealers try to intimidate Starr and her entire family when they find out she witnessed the murder. Everyone wants to know what exactly took place that fateful night, and the only person who can answer these questions is Starr. Starr struggles with what to do or say as it could put herself and her family in danger, as well as upend her community. The Hate U Give is about one girl’s struggle for justice and was powered and inspired by the Black Lives Movement. What a plot. This book was everything. From the very first page you are pulled into Starr’s world and everything she goes through. The story is told from Starr’s point of view through the entire book which meant you got a real sense of everything that was going through her head during all of the intense scenes as well as her everyday life with her eccentric family and vibrant neighborhood. I could not help but completely fall for Starr’s character. She is the most down to earth girl I’ve probably ever read about. She’s crazy intelligent, resilient, strong, and has an amazing personality. This much is very true as you get to see her interact with her incredible family and friends. The amount of adversity and challenges she faces in this book is too much to bear for one person, let alone a 16 year old girl. She goes through what most people never will never go through in one lifetime, and although she’s not always strong, she has a stable support system through her loving mother, her protective father and her two siblings and community. I absolutely adored the family dynamics in this book. Starr’s family is what we all want in life. They’re funny, real, and just love and care about each other so much that you just want to be sitting in their house watching a basketball game with them. Maverick, Starr’s father, was a helluva character who was bursting with personality and charm. I adored him! I liked how real and legitimate this book felt, it was pretty spot on! The culture clash between the privileged suburban and poor urban neighborhoods was depicted very honestly through Starr’s eyes by Angie Thomas. It was written quite realistically, as if you were right there with all the characters, and felt more like you were reading a script or watching a movie play out. This is a relevant read for all white people, privileged people, and young teens. It’s important to get a sense of what racial inequality is like in America for black people and poor communities. This book is an encouraging read for young teens to educate themselves, and to get out there and use their voice to spread awareness. They are our future and can shape and change these systematic circumstances for future generations. Angie Thomas titled The Hate U Give after Tupac Shakur’s (2Pac - his stage name) ‘THUG LIFE’ concept - The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody. Tupac Shakur was an american rapper and actor and is considered to be one of the most significant rappers of all time. Little lesson in case you didn't know! Tupac addressed racial injustice and social issues within inner city communities. He was considered a symbol of resistance and activism against inequality. Angie Thomas was inspired by 2Pac’s message and carried this message throughout the entire book through Starr and her family. They Hate U Give in a nutshell, from what Starr told us means that the system is designed against Us - meaning the suffering of black communities through systemic racism, social injustice in poor neighborhoods, lack of opportunities, corporate America, lack of resources and simply racism plain and simple. I loved that Angie Thomas did not shy away from the realities of these issues and I admired her for that. The Hate U Give was a bold, moving book and it did not hold back at all. It was graphic, it was raw, it was real and it was necessary. Even though the story itself was quite heavy, Angie Thomas created a wonderful balance within the characters of this book, so you felt like you truly liked and could in a small way relate to Starr and her family. This is a book about Racism, especially within the injustice of policing brutality. It is also a coming-of-age story about love, friendship, family, faith, close communities, activism, and using your voice to be heard and to make a change. All of the characters had depth and the story itself was truly an emotional roller-coaster page turner and was exciting to read. I was expecting it to be overly dramatic, but that wasn’t the case at all. I absolutely loved this book. This was Angie Thomas’s debut book and took the book world by storm when it reached the New York Times best seller list at number one. It was even goodreads choice of the year for 2017 and won many more awards. Given that this book was released in 2017, it is still very relevant to the social issues we face to this day and will be a continuing and constant reference for many years to come. Racial injustice is very much still alive and we must use our voices to change the system. I could not recommend this book enough. It was phenomenal. You are able to understand what the Black Lives Movement is about, and to know what it feels like to be a black person and to have that fear in which you know you are automatically judged based on the color of your skin. This is a must read for white people, as well as young teenagers. You will know what privilege is after reading this book. P.S - They also made a hit movie based on Angie Thomas’s book. I’ve yet to see it but I definitely will check it out after reading this awesome book! I just hope it lives up to the awesomeness of this book. Some of my favorite quotes from The Hate U Give are: Page 24 - Starr narrates: “ When I was twelve, my parents had two talks with me. One was the usual birds and bees...The other talk was what to do if a cop stopped me.” Page 79 - Starr tells us about the vast difference between her suburban white classmates and her life - her peers all talk about their lavish family vacations on dreamy islands: “ I suddenly remember how different I am from most of the kids here. Nobody would have to drag me or my brothers to the Bahamas - we’d swim there if we could. For us, a family vacation is staying at a local hotel with a swimming pool for the weekend” Page 316 - Starr’s father Maverick, is a big Malcom X believer: “My brothers and I learned to recite the Black Panthers’ Ten Point program the same way other kids learn the Pledge of Allegiance. ‘“We want freedom.”’ I say, ‘“We want the power to determine the destiny of our black and oppressed communities.’” It was incredibly hard to choose a song for The Hate U Give, I obviously had to pick a track by 2Pac! Seeing that the book title was inspired by him. So many of 2Pac's tracks have to do with racial injustice, poor communities (the hood) & gun violence. It was a hard one. But alas! The perfect theme song to compliment this book for me, would be: 'Trapped' by of course, 2Pac. Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary Fiction | Urban Fiction Publication Date: February 17, 2017