Rating - 10/10 I saw this book on the gram (Instagram) earlier this year and said to myself, I have got to read this! I love reading books based in various parts of the world, especially if the writer is female and actually from the country the book is based on, it makes for a richer and true telling of the story, also Việt Nam is one of those countries that has been on my bucket list to visit for ages! When I saw this book being posted on Instagram as a free giveaway by a fellow book blogger, I thought why not enter. I always enter these things and never actually win anything, except this time I WON!! I couldn’t believe it, I’ve never won anything in my life! So I would love to give a huge thanks to @GetLitBookClub on Instagram for choosing me for her giveaway, I was so excited when I received this book that I had to jump it to the top of my reading list, and boy let me tell you, it DID NOT disappoint - hence my very rare and high rating! First 10/10 in 2020 y'all. The Mountains Sing is an engrossing multi-generational story that follows the Trần family and is set against an epic backdrop of the Việt Nam War. Trần Diệu Lan, who was born in 1920 in the Nghệ An Province was tragically forced to flee her family's ancestral farm with her six children during the Land Reform as the Communist government rose rapidly in North Việt Nam. Many years later, in Hà Nội, her young grand-daughter Hương comes of age during turbulent times while her parents and uncles head down the Hồ Chí Minh trail to fight in a war that not only tears her entire family apart, but her country as well. The Mountains Sing is heaping with rich Vietnamese tradition and language. This story shows us that even with the devastating and heavy tragedy of the Việt Nam war, there is always room for hope, forgiveness and kindness. Words cannot begin to describe the epic-ness of this richly told story. This is one of the most heartbreaking and beautiful stories I have truly read in a long time. As soon as I read that first page, I knew this would be an amazing story and I rarely ever get that feeling when reading a book. I cannot stress enough how important it was that this book was written by a Vietnamese writer! I have read a few books that have depicted the Việt Nam war, but never had I read a book that truly delves into the heart of the Vietnamese people such as this one. From the very first page you are 100% transported into the lush mountains, rich culture, and all your senses are awoken by Quế Mai’s honest and heartfelt words. This is exactly what made this story extra special. This was one of the most refreshing books I’ve read in a while. Whenever you read a novel about the Việt Nam war, it is always told from the westerners’ point of view, and finally, here we have this true story of what it was like from the other side. It is always important to get two sides to every story and now I can say that I have that from reading The Mountains Sing with the backdrop of the Việt Nam war. The Mountains Sing is told from two protagonists, the grandmother Trấn Diệu Lan, and the granddaughter Hủỏng. When the grandmother tells her story it is told between 1930-1970, from when she was a young girl and tells us of the many years of the war from the start of when the Communist party begins to grow in the North. We follow her through her adult life as her family faces the tragedies that this turbulent time creates. The story of the granddaughter is told from the 1970s onward, when the Americans are now in Việt Nam, she faces major devastation being in a country at war, as well as experiencing both her parents going away to fight in the war. Hủỏng and her grandmother Diệu Lan are trying to survive and live a somewhat strange unstable life during the uncertain circumstances with the ongoing war. Both stories from both points of views were excellently written by the author. Quế Mai delicately creates a sense of what the Vietnamese people had gone through for all these years; the Japanese, the French, the separation between North and South, then the Americans, coming into their country, forcing their ideologies, and completely destroying lives, their land and their home. One can only imagine what that would do to a person psychologically. Trấn Diệu Lan - the grandmother, I would say had the hardest life. In her young adult life, she went through pain, uncertainty, death, and suffering. Diệu Lan then continued on in her 50s and pushed through to take care of her young adolescent granddaughter, while her parents were off fighting the Americans. You really understand the meaning of resilience and hope through the grandmother’s eyes and story. I liked that we followed Hủỏng the granddaughter, through her early childhood to her young adult life in this book. It is a true coming-of-age story. She pretty much grew up during a war, lost loved ones, and had to dodge attacks and bombs from the Americans from a very young age. I cannot tell you how heartbreaking this book was to read, but also, after each page you read, you were filled with hope, understanding and knowledge through these resilient and humble characters. I adored the Vietnamese language that was sprinkled throughout this book, the stories of their ancestors, the tradition, the food and atmosphere, also the way that everyone calls each other Auntie, Uncle, or Brother, even though they’re not related to each other. I didn’t know that was a thing in Việt Nam, it’s definitely a thing in the African culture and a few others, so it’s quite comforting to know that no matter how far apart different cultures may be to one another, we all still have some qualities in common. The setting of the book was absolutely stellar. It was saddening due to the war, but also exquisitely lush and beautiful. For the few days that I was reading this book, I was completely transported to Việt Nam during the turbulent years that destroyed their beautiful land. It was amazing to read a book by a Vietnamese author, even though it was fiction, you still got a sense of what it was like for the people of that country and the famine, war, pain, class struggles and hardships they went through. As I read all the different locations and villages in the book, I would get my google maps out and searched the various locations to see where exactly it was because I’m a nerd like that. Haha I loved that this book transported you from the peaceful and humble north rural fields, through the epic mountains, and into the buzzing cities of Hà Nội, the network of roads of the Hồ Chí Minh trail, and eventually the trendy south city of Hồ Chí Minh which was previously referred to as Saïgon. I Loved it! Even though this book had quite a lot of characters in it, I actually never struggled at all to remember who was who! There were many uncles, and aunties, and nieces, and neighbors and various characters. I normally hate books with a million characters in it because I always feel that you never get a sense of who they are, but my goodness Quế Mai pulled this book off very well. I knew what each character was going through, who they were to the story, and how important each role played in creating this incredible story, and I never once felt lost or annoyed with any of the characters. Quế Mai is a true talent. I honestly could not find a single flaw in this book, personally, I adored it. I think it was the mere fact that Quế Mai completely transported me into her world through her incredible characters, their immense struggles, their losses and their beloved war torn country. I was in it, like I delved into this book and was right there with them. So for me, even when I was only on page 3 of this book, I knew this was a 10/10 rating, and I knew I was going to love it. I will remember this book for years to come. This book is a homage to all the struggles the Vietnamese people went through during the many many years in this time period. It is a celebration of their rich culture, their resilience and their history. It is a story of sorrow, loss, hope, healing, and a longing for peace. Quế Mai has written eight books in fiction, non fiction and poetry. The Mountains Sing is her first novel and her first book that she wrote in English and took her 7 years to complete. Quế Mai has become the first Vietnamese citizen whose novel in English is published to international acclaim. Quế Mai said this quote below: “Hương embodies my own experiences growing up in Vietnam and witnessing the war's devastating effect. But more than that, she represents a generation of Vietnamese who have no choice but inherit the trauma of war brought home by returning soldiers.” I am honestly so proud of her hard work and the labor it took to create this incredible book in English, and would love to thank her for bringing this book to us. I now cannot wait to visit Vietnam in the future! This is an essential read for anyone wanting to learn more about Việt Nam and the war from the other perspective, any Vietnamese- American/British/Australians/any mix who want to understand their heritage, and for anyone who wants an amazing, epic story to read. Read this, you won’t regret it! Click here to learn more about the author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai : http://www.nguyenphanquemai.com/about.html Genre: Historical Fiction | Coming-Of-Age | War Story Originally Published: March 17, 2020 The perfect theme song to compliment this book for me, would be: ‘To Build a Home’ by The Cinematic Orchestra

Rating - 7/10 I would like to say a big thanks to HarperCollins Publishers for sending me an advanced review copy of this dope book! This is Major by Shayla Lawson comes out on June 30th, 2020. When I initially saw the bold and bright cover of this book and the title, I was like hells yes! I have read what this book is all about. I’m always all about lifting up my fellow black sisters especially during this crucial time we are in, now more than ever, it is important to showcase and support all the wonderful black authors we have out there that may normally never get the exposure they deserve, and hear what they have to say. This is Major does not disappoint. This is Major is a memoir of an in-depth collection of 17 personal essays of the celebration, fierceness, resilience and richness of black girls and their cultures in the US. Lawson's bold and powerful read is an exploration of her own suburban upbringing, mixed together with pop culture observations, politics and history throughout black civilization, and the incredible and amazing ways that black girls and women have influenced mainstream society. Lawson takes on issues such as workplace microaggressions, racist stereotypes of her hometown in Kentucky, as well as the various places she has traveled to throughout her life and much more. This is Major places black women front and center through their styles, stories, art, beauty and explores their dopeness and how Major they truly are. You may not know who Shayla Lawson is, but you soon will after reading this awesome book. This was a great read. Especially being a black girl myself, it was amazing reading about how damn dope they really are. Shayla Lawson’s memoir, was a very raw and true telling of the experiences that she goes through and the standards of which most black women experience throughout their lives. I really liked the different essays within the book and some of the titles were just awesome! In each essay she explores that particular subject matter and mixes in her own personal experiences throughout her own life, mixing in historical figures, and the many influential black women who have inspired her, as well as many other black girls throughout the course of history. For example, in the essays titled, ‘Black Girl Magic’, she explores what that term means, it's origins, stereotypes, and the many women that have influenced her, and also sharing in depth stories from her life. I could definitely relate to the ‘No, My First Name Ain’t Whoopi’ essay. Why in the world do almost all dark girls get compared to Whoopi Goldberg?! Do you know how many times people have said the same about me? That essay hit the nail on the head. I honestly enjoyed a lot of the essays on this. Some spoke to me more than others did, but all in all, I loved them. Some of my favorites essays were, ‘Black Girl Hipster’, ‘Black Lives Matter’, 'Tammy from HR’, ‘Diana Ross is Major’, and her last one that lists amazing black women throughout our history titled, ‘& Just in Case You Forgot Who I Am. I Am’. A few of her essays definitely sounded like poems to me, given that Shayla Lawson is a poet, they were immensely riveting to read. A lot of black girls would be able to relate to Lawson’s life and experiences. I know I definitely did! I also appreciated how current some of the subject matters were in this book. Lawson mentions a great deal of black women that are still influencing us now, such as SZA, Lizzo, Lauryn Hill, Solange, and many more. She delves into the dating life of a black girl and the stereotypes and challenges they face in the dating world and how they are perceived through others’ eyes. I also learned quite a bit especially the roots of the term ‘Hipster’ explained in the ‘Black Hipster Girl’ essay. I also adored the Diana Ross section of this book! I actually didn’t know a lot about her earlier life and this book has made me want to research Diana Ross’s life and watch her movie Mahogany which was released in 1975. Diana Ross is truly and will remain an icon to so many black girls and women. I admire Lawson for letting us into her life and writing about her personal experiences and these wonderful black women who have shaped our history. It made me appreciate being a strong black female myself. There is definitely something to take away from each essay, even though some are better than others, depending on your point of view, this is a tremendously relevant read for any black girl in 2020. It’s a fierce, refreshing, empowering, in your face, homage to black girl excellence and that Major *Black Girl Magic*. You also do not have to be a black girl to read this by the way, it’s an informative read for anyone who wants to truly know first hand what it feels like to be black girl in the US. In case you’re wondering what Major means, it’s an adjective used to describe something to the highest level of awesome, fierce, savage or just freakin' out of this world! If you are into poetry, definitely check out some of Lawson’s awesome work on her website here. Read it, and share it. Genre: Non Fiction | Memoir | Biography Publication Date: June 30, 2020 The perfect theme song to compliment this book for me and to pay homage to the 'Love songs for Thots' essay, my pick would definitely be (and I love this music video) : The Weekend by SZA

Rating - 9/10 First and foremost, I would love to thank my dear friend Nicole, a fellow bibliophile (Check out her Podcast - Shelf Life) for sending me this INCREDIBLE read all the way from the U.K. Rainbow Milk was published in the UK through the amazing Dialogue Books publishers. Soon as it arrived I had to jump this book to the top of my to read list. How beautiful is the book cover you guys?! I’m in love. In love. It also happens to be Pride Month!! What a fitting book to kick off this amazing celebration with. Although there is a lot of heaviness in the media and rightly so, happening in the world right now, it is still important to remember how far we have come for LGBTQ+ rights. OK, let’s get on with the plot and review shall we? :) PLOT: Rainbow Milk is an inter-sectional coming-of-age story that follows a nineteen year old named Jesse McCarthy as he struggles with his racial, and sexual identity against the backdrop of the legacies of the epic Windrush Generation, and a Jehovah’s Witness upbringing. In the 1950s in the Black Country, Norman Alonso, who is a driven and humble Jamaican, moves to Britain with his loving wife to secure a better future for himself and his children. As they are of the black race in a not so diverse community, Norman is faced with intense racism and an unforeseen unexpected illness. Norman and his wife struggle greatly to try and survive this massive change and many difficulties. They realize they need much more than hope to survive. Through the turn of the millennium, we follow Jesse as he seeks out a fresh start in London. Jesse escaped a highly repressed and religious community, a broken family and his desolate home town in the Black Country. While in London, he finds himself quite lost in finding where he fits in and how to ground himself, and as a result, Jesse turns to sex work as a transition to finding new notions of love, spirituality and fatherhood. REVIEW: What a powerful debut from Paul Mendez. This book definitely packs a bold punch to say the least. Let’s start off with the story of Norman Alonso. First off, I personally enjoyed the way Mendez wrote this section of the book in a legit Jamaican accent. It made for a more intimate telling of Norman's point of view of his story. Let's talk about the Windrush Generation real quick. Back in the late 1940s to the 1970s encouraged by a newspaper Ad, nearly half a million Caribbeans moved from their home countries to Britain, the country they had fought for in the 2nd World War in the hope of finding employment and a fresh start. They gained immediate residence and settlement. They were then referred to as the Windrush Generation, they faced major racial discrimination, violence, social and economic exclusion even though they fought in WW2 and were British residents, they were normally denied employment and accommodation due to the color of their skin. In the 60s & 70s, the UK government passed stricter rules on immigration but allowed the commonwealth citizens already in the country permanent residence in the UK. It’s worth reading up on this btw! As you can imagine, given my brief history lesson on the Windrush Generation, you can only begin to imagine what Norman Alonso and his family went through during their immigration to Britain, to then face extreme racism, lack of resources, respect and the difficulties they faced while trying to raise their children. The area they moved to was referred to as the Black Country, an area in the West Midlands of England where there were thousands of iron-working foundries, coal mines, steel mills, and was basically the industrial center of Britain. The area got it’s famous name due to large amounts of surfaces being covered in black soot from the coal used in factories at the time. Imagine arriving from your beautiful Caribbean country and trying to make a fresh start in a heavily polluted location. I loved that they showed this part of history in the book through the eyes of Norman and his humble family. Later on in the turn of the millennium, we follow Jesse through his teenage years to adulthood. I LOVED Jesse’s story. The immense difficulties that he went through were heavy for the heart to bear. Jesse is a fun, hip and bloody cool person who struggles with a lot in his life. His complex relationship with his family and upbringing was one of the most riveting stories I’ve read in a while. Especially given that he was raised as a faith loving Jehovah's Witness, one can only imagine what that is like, and then to later discover that you are gay. Without giving too much away, I honestly lived for his time in London. I was completely invested in Jesse’s story when he made the big move to the Big Smoke. I truly adored this part of the book so much. It brought back all my fond memories of London, especially because I used to walk all over central London and Soho in particular. All these areas are very close to my heart and I was right there with him during his self discovery. Jesse’s story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. He takes us on an incredible journey through his life as well as finding his own spirituality, and a somewhat peace to his identity. The new family he has surrounded himself with accepts him for who he is, and the man that he has become. I still believe that Jesse, till the very end of this book, struggles with his identification as a black man, and to see how this complex journey plays out in this profound book was an enormous gift. I also adored the connection between the two stories of Norman Alonso and Jesse McCarthy. I fell in love with his self exploration and his daring sexual experiences. As well as his vibrant personality, his incredible friends and lovers, the very important and racial issues that he faces as a young, British, black gay man, and the freaking awesome music references he makes during the entire book! Including, Mary J. Blige, Biggie, Jay Z, Joy Division, Wham, Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill, Sugababes, Blur, the list goes on. Big shout out to the Knowles sisters, Lemonade and A Seat at the Table are still one of my favorite albums. Had to give a shout out as I myself, am a huge music lover. This is a relevant courageous read, and very true to the times we are still living in today. Racial injustice and LGBTQ+ rights are very much an ongoing issue. The difficulties black people and gay/transgender people faced in the past are still going on to this very day! All you have to do is just put on the news and open your eyes to what is going on around you. I felt his pain, and I understood where he was coming from as a black person myself. Rainbow Milk is a fearless exploration of race, religion across many generations, social injustice, sexuality, spirituality and freedom. This is a necessary Queer Fiction read, whether you are straight, Bi, gay, white, black purple, blue, just read it! It's awesome. I will remember this story for years to come. There were some insane quotes in Paul Mendez’s Book. It was difficult narrowing down my favorites, but here are a select few to get your juices flowing. Page 36 | Norman Alonso speaking about his struggles in the workplace and his place in society. “What the workmate can’t understand, is that I am a Jamaican. I am a Jamaican man, and therefore, a British man. I did born British, so will be a British man all my life. We serve the Queen, and therefore her, the King, in the same way. Anytime you walk down the mainstreet in downtown Kingston you can hear one marching band play ‘God Save the Queen’. We fight for we country. We help build this country. We help make rich this country. Without we, they may not have been such a big army, such a big navy. They might not have been able to conquer the world. Might be they lose the war against Hitler.” Page 225 “It’s not your fault, you know. It’s because you’ve been taught that God is a white man, and that white men are the earthly embodiment of God. You've been taught to worship white men and to hold everything that they represent, everything they own, as the dearest, most important, most sacred thing in your life. That’s why you love their smiles, their skin, their beauty, their voices, their words, their sex. You’ve been trained to hate yourself and love and desire them.” Page 330 | Jesse speaks about his boyfriend Owen being white, and racial injustice “There is nothing he can do about being white, but he knows he has to be absolutely aware of his privileges at all times. He knows he is part of a group that has to give up some of his privileges, and he knows that having the choice to be able to give up some of his privileges is also a privilege. I mean, he recently turned down a Head of Department job at his university and nominated someone else highly qualified who is a woman of color, and she got the job, which was as much as he could have done for her, because he understands it’s about voices being heard in the right places...I had this Tumblr account that I had to delete. I was following all these Black Lives Matter blogs, all these African American History blogs, and the stuff I was learning was the real truth. From top to bottom. How white people have turned everything to their favor. How they have written and rewritten and reedited history to put themselves in the place of God, using the bible…” ‘When there isn’t even a single white person in the Bible!’ “Jesse, who grew up being suffocated with the Bible as if it was a pair of Y-Fronts, had never thought of that… But I just got so caught up in all these blogs and all this discussion, and it explained exactly why my life was the way it was, exactly why my mother was such a bitch to me, exactly why she was such a bitch full stop, exactly why Trayvon Martin died and the killer got away with it, exactly why Stephen Laurence got murdered and my dad, my white adoptive dad, said, Oh Well, he must’ve done summat to piss ‘em off, exactly why it’s taken twenty fucking years to bring those callous motherfuckers to justice, exactly why black people get overlooked for a white person for most jobs, exactly why the prisons are full of black people who get punished ten times harder than a white person. White supremacy permeates every aspect of our society…I knew that my ancestors, albeit in a different part of the world, went through something similar, and I realized what a fucking miracle it was that I could be alive because, white fucking men, not God, had decided who worked where and who fucking bred with who and my line survived.” Page 103 | Jesse’s thoughts on himself “He recognized that he thought of himself as a blond white boy all his life. He’d never thought of himself as a black boy, or compared himself to other black people. He’d known so few black people, and those his mother knew she often derided for being too black, doing things in too black a way, being late because they were too black, being disorganized because they were too black, being rough and uneducated because they were too black. He wouldn’t have been treated so harshly if he wasn’t too black. He wouldn’t be cooped up in a prison cell, an exile within the family home, too embarrassed to accept any of his workmates’ invitations to spend Christmas with them and their families, if he wasn’t too black. He knew he would have to spend the rest of his life convincing people that he wasn’t too black.” The music part of my review was very difficult because Paul Mendez mentions a lot of incredible songs in this book! So many other songs would have incredibly worked well for this book. My chosen theme song to compliment this book for me, would be: Love Will Set You Free by Starchaser - I wanted to choose a song that captures the vibe of any gay club scene in London where young men or women go to find their own sense of peace and freedom in their world, as well as Jesse’s bold and youthful journey into the London gay nightlife. Also, who doesn’t love a good soulful funky house track! Happy Pride Month!! Genre: Queer Fiction, Coming-of-Age, LGBT Literature, Historical Fiction Originally Published: March 19, 2020

Rating - 8/10 I would like to thank my dear friend Nicole, a fellow book-lover who runs quite a fabulous podcast (Podcast-Shelf Life), for giving me this lovely summer read. Nicole had actually given this book to me as a little goodbye present for when I left London for good to read on my flight to the US. Unfortunately I did not read it during my flight, but I am so glad I read it now as it is the perfect book for this current time and place that we are all in during the pandemic. What an up-lifting read this was! Shall we see what this quirky book is about? Read on peeps! The Summer of Impossible Things follows a woman named Luna and her sister Pia, they get a chance to journey back to their mother’s childhood home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to settle her affairs. Thirty years ago, something terrible happened to Luna and Pia’s mom Marissa, something so bad that she only revealed to her two daughters after her death. During their time in Brooklyn, Luna and Pia find more questions than answers, then mysteriously, something impossible happens to Luna, something magical. Luna somehow finds herself back in the summer of 1977 when her mother was a young twenty something year old woman. At first, Luna thinks she’s lost the plot, gone crazy, as none of this makes any sense given she is a physicist. But as time passes, she wonders, if she can go back in time, can she reverse or change what happened to her mother that fateful summer? Could she change the course of history and re-write a better future for her mother and family? And in doing so, is she willing to sacrifice her own life? These are the challenges that Luna and Pia face in this magical and gripping read from Rowan Coleman. I loved this read. It’s a perfect book to escape into a whole other world for a few days. It’s a story about love, family bonds, and the things we sacrifice for the people we love. This was a super easy book to read, you literary whiz right through the pages. I wouldn’t say it’s the most beautifully written book, but it's definitely an entrancing read. I found myself thinking about the story when I wasn’t reading the book, and how the plot would play out, which to me is an excellent quality in a book! So I did respect Rowan Coleman for having the gift of keeping you wanting more and more with each chapter you read. The story is told entirely from Luna’s perspective which was great as you really got to know her well and where she was coming from. There are only two to three main characters in the book which meant you got a sense of who the characters really were, it made for a simpler read. It’s not a complicated story and I quite liked that about the book. It was an emotional read though for sure. I admired the relationship between Luna and her mother each time she got transported back to the 70s. It was almost like they were friends as they were quite similar ages, I thought that was quite special. I also liked the relationship between Luna and Pia, the two sisters. Lots of family bonds in this book. It’s one of those books where you were dying to know what happens next, it’s a fast paced read, and it had a couple of little twists which I wasn’t expecting. I also enjoyed the setting of the book, there’s nowhere cooler than Brooklyn, NYC so I enjoyed reading a bit about what it was like in that particular part of Brooklyn in the 70s during the time of disco (I love disco, haha). It also makes you think about your family, and reminds you to not take the fragile gift of time for granted. The reason why I didn’t give this book a higher rating is that it was simply not complex enough for me, it’s a fun and easy read, perfect for summer or for anytime you need a little ‘pick me up’ type of book. The writing as well is quite simple and I wouldn’t describe it as ‘poetic or riveting’. It’s not exactly filled with a diverse range of characters, they were all quite ‘vanilla’ for me,not a lot of depth and they were all too similar to each other. That’s really the only criticism as to why it didn’t get a higher rating. But all in all, I bloody enjoyed reading this book you guys! Rowan Coleman who is an English writer, has written a lot of books. I may pick one of her other novels sometime in the future as this was my first book I read by her. The story had warmth, it was an uplifting read, magical, exhilarating and an emotional feel good read. I was hooked in from the very first chapter to the last. This is a perfect summer read! If you liked the novel - ‘ The Time Traveler's Wife’ then you will love this book. Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy Originally Published: January 10, 2017 The perfect theme song to compliment this book for me, would be: We Are Family by Sister Sledge

Rating- 6/10 I would like to thank HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with an advanced review copy of this thought provoking read! When I saw the beautiful cover of this book I was immediately drawn in, I then read the description and thought, yep, right up my alley. Furthermore, this book has received nothing but high praise on all social media sites so I had to give it a go! "Mercy is hard in a place like this" - Elizabeth Wetmore Valentine is set in Odessa, Texas in 1976 where it is set to be the location for the next great oil boom. The men of course, all love this about Odessa, as it obviously brings more work and buzz to the town, but for the women of Odessa, this brings nothing but dread and fear due to the wild antics the men will get into. We follow two main characters, Gloria Ramirez and Mary-Rose Whitehead. Early morning in the wee hours after Valentine's day, Gloria turns up at Mary-Rose’s ranch barely alive and extremely wounded. Gloria, who is 14 years old, had been brutally attacked in a nearby oil field and almost left for dead. In a town where the men practically run the town, justice is rarely seen for the women of Odessa, Texas. Especially when they are of Mexican descent. Valentine is a story about race, intersection of violence, class, women’s strengths and vulnerabilities, hope and the stories that keep us alive when all else fails to get us through. It is told from the perspective of a few characters including Mary-Rose and Gloria. I knew right off the bat from reading this book that I did not 100% love it. It’s strange because this book received rave reviews on various websites and social media outlets. I think I had very high expectations for it but when it came right down to it, I just didn’t love the book as much as I wanted to. Let’s start with the story. I actually liked what the story was about, it brought some real and very hard issues that the women faced during this period of time in West Texas. The setting of the book was absolutely engrossing. I loved the way the backdrop was described and it really felt like you were right there yourself (check out the book cover), it was a visually stimulating setting for the story which made me like the book a bit more. Although, I am always a sucker for southern settings in books, there’s such warmth, character and charm when it comes to stories based in the southern states of America, and this one was no different. I actually drove through similar areas in Western Texas during my road trip last year and it was nice to be reminded of these memorable settings. The story itself was a gripping read, but somewhere along the line, I began to lose interest, and I think it’s because I felt a little detached from the characters and the story itself. It was a strange feeling. I didn’t finish the book feeling like I read a riveting story even though everything about the book is completely what I would normally love. I also felt that the book had too many characters, if it was only focused on Mary-Rose and Gloria, I think I would have connected with the story line a little more. I don’t think the rest of the characters added much more to the story and I felt quite bored reading their perspectives. You sort of lost the plot of the book through them. This being said, I did love the actual premise of the book and the fact that Elizabeth Wetmore brought up these issues of race, women’s inequality, violence, sexism, and women’s vulnerability. She hit the nail on the head there with those issues, and the setting of the book was stellar. But beyond that, I was quite bored. I wished it had less characters and that the characters didn’t overshadow Gloria’s story. It was quite a heavy book to read as well, I definitely need a perkier book for my next read. It’s a good story but for me, it just didn’t crack through the surface and into my heart strings. It’s one of those stories that I would forget about in a year. Shame, because I loved the idea of the plot and the writing style from the author. I would describe this book as Raw, Authentic, Beautiful and Poignant. Lastly, this is purely based on my opinion of the book and what I got out of reading it. That being said, a lot of people loved this book immensely, I think it's one of those books where you either love it, or dislike it and it did receive rave reviews on various websites. Valentine would be a great selection for any Book Club, there are a lot of characters, issues and subject matters that can be discussed in detail within the book. Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age Originally Published: March 31st, 2020 The perfect theme song to compliment this book for me, would be: You Don't Own Me by Lesley Gore Reviewed By Chrissy's Books

Rating 7/10 I’ve had this book on my bookshelf for almost 4 years now and I finally had the motivation to pick it up and read it! All thanks to quarantine time. This book was recommended to me by a previous work colleague of mine named Maddie, she said that it was a great read and to definitely get my hands on it. This is a pretty big book you guys, 720 pages long (612 of the actual story). Crazy eh? Now you can see why I waited so damn long to actually read it. A Prayer for Owen Meany is about a friendship between two best friends, Owen Meany and John Wheelwright. It tells us their story of growing up in a small New Hampshire town where numerous events take place. When Owen Meany was 11 years old, while playing on their team’s little league baseball game, Owen was chosen last to play and being such a small size for his age, no one thought he would actually hit the ball. Turns out he hit the ball with such force that he kills his best friend’s mother. Owen has never been a believer in accidents, he truly believes that he is God’s instrument and that everything has a purpose and a reason. We follow Owen and John from young adolescence through their teenage years and eventually their adult lives in this richly told story. It is set between two time frames, 1950s-1960s & 1987 which is the present time, and is narrated by John Wheelwright, Owen's best friend. I definitely have to say that this book was not at all what I was expecting it to be. It was a lot more spiritual, religious and political as well. There was a lot that happened in the book that went beyond my expectations. This story is a legitimate, well rounded and full story, probably one of the most concisely descriptive and well told stories I’ve ever read. I literally feel like I lived Owen and John’s lives myself. Owen and John have a very special relationship that goes beyond just best friends, they’re almost like brothers to each other despite their many differences, class, religion, and even physical differences. Even after the tragic and fatal accident that happened at their little league baseball game, they still remain close friends, possibly more than ever. You go through quite a lot in this book. It’s set at an extremely fascinating period of time, the 1950s to 1960s and the present time in the book which is 1987. As you may know, quite a lot happened in the 50s & 60s in America. The Vietnam war, which greatly affected every single American, the election of former president John F. Kennedy in 1960, to his tragic assassination in 1963, Nixon taking over, I mean it’s a whole plethora of events that happened during this decade. Vietnam, obviously being the biggest event of all. As you can guess, this does affect our two main characters and we get to experience and live life through their eyes, and what they go through during this sensitive and hugely significant moment in American history. I won’t give away a lot of the plot, but just know that a LOT happened. This book is also quite religious, it questions faith & spirituality, and more in detail of the relationship between faith and uncertainty in a world where many people may not see any evidence of the existence of God. I wouldn’t say that after reading this, John Irving is a religious person. At the end of the day, this is a work of fiction and it does play quite a big role in the character’s lives. Especially with Owen Meany. He is guided by his faith in everything he does and he truly believes he God's Instrument. You can make up your own mind about that when you read this book. I think I liked it. I really did. I especially liked the format of the chapters in this book. Each chapter was pretty long, you have been warned! The names of the chapters were exceptionally thoughtful and made me look forward to reading what the next chapter title would be. That being said, I have to say, for me, it was an insanely long and tedious descriptive book. Like hella descriptive! John Irving really likes to tell a story in grave detail, almost to the point where you sometimes lose interest, which I definitely did at times. Although I have to admit, John Irving is an amazing writer. You can tell that he genuinely loves to write and there is such passion and excellent storytelling in every page in this book, so that sort of justifies the crazily complex and overly descriptive long book. You really do know every little thing there is to know about every single character. Where they live and what they do...it’s a lot. It took me almost 3 weeks to read this book- I was taking my sweet time with it to be honest. I can see some people not liking this aspect of the book at all. Especially with today’s readers, some are not as patient as they were back in the day. You don’t have to be a religious person at all to read this book ether, I think you can get quite a lot from the book as it has multiple layers and really delves into various subjects and events that would keep you hooked in. You also learn quite a lot about the Vietnam war which I thought was cool. I found it quite hard to rate this book, there are aspects that I liked about it and aspects that I really didn’t like. All in all, I have to admit it was a good story and very well written, and I felt insanely satisfied after I finished it! Above all, this is definitely one of those books that I’ll remember for years to come. It’s a well rounded and captivating story, it’s one of those books that you can read over a long lazy summer, or a cozy winter, seeing as it’s a big book! It’s a story about friendship, faith, politics, and life itself. Turns out that they made a movie called "Simon Birch" based on A Prayer for Owen Meany that came out in 1998. I saw the trailer and it looks terrible! Also, they make Owen’s character a dwarf, which is not what he is in the book at all. Definitely stick to the book you guys. John Irving is one of those classic American writers that almost everyone has heard of and I’m glad I finally read one of his epic books, A Prayer for Owen Meany was his 7th novel, and apparently, it takes him like 4 years or so to write each book!. He has four other books that were turned into movies as well so he must be on to something right?! I’ll definitely read one of his other books, maybe Cider House Rules, or The World According to Garp, but maybe in like 5 years! This was a somber and substantial read. Great if you are in the mood for a meaningful story about friendship, spirituality and American history. Good read. Takes commitment, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Below are some quotes that stood out for me: From ‘The Finger’ chapter- Page 509 Owen is talking to John on the phone about then president, JFK and Marilyn Monroe - (Owen was very upset to find out about the affair between Monroe & Kennedy because he looked up to JFK) “Those famous, powerful men - did they really love her? Did they take care of her? If she was ever with the Kennedys, they couldn’t have loved her - they were just using her, they were just being careless and treating themselves to a thrill.. That’s what powerful men do to this country - it’s a beautiful, sexy, breathless country, and powerful men use it to treat themselves to a thrill! They say they love it but they don’t mean it. They say things to make themselves appear good - they make themselves appear moral. That’s what I thought Kennedy was: a moralist, but he was just giving us a snow job, he was just being a good seducer. I thought he was a savior. I thought he wanted to use his power to do good. But people will say and do anything just to get the power; then they’ll use the power just to get a thrill. Marilyn Monroe was always looking for the best man - maybe she wanted the man with the most integrity, maybe she wanted the man with the most ability to do good. And she was seduced, over and over again - she got fooled, she was tricked, she got used, she was used up, just like the country, the country was the savior, the country is a sucker for powerful men who look good. We think they're moralists and then they just use us.” From ‘The Angel’ chapter- Page 146 “God creates us out of love. But we don’t want God, or we don’t believe in Him, or we pay very poor attention to Him. Nevertheless, God continues to love us - at least, He continues to try to get our attention. Pastor Merill made religion seem reasonable. And the trick to having faith, he said, was that it was necessary to believe in God without any great or even remotely reassuring evidence that we don’t inhabit a godless universe.” Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Young Adult/Coming of Age, American Literature Originally Published: March 1989 The perfect theme song to compliment this book for me, would be: James Taylor - Fire and Rain Reviewed by Chrissy's Books

Rating- 7/10 Big thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with a review copy of this engrossing read. After reading a couple of romance novels and an uplifting non fiction read, I was sort of into an exciting and thrilling mood for my next book and Only Ever You definitely hit that spot. Only Ever You follows a young working mother named Jill Lassiter and her lawyer Husband named David Lassiter, who both face any parent’s worst nightmare, their child going missing. One day, Jill Lassiter’s three year old Sophie goes missing while playing in the park, and after a frantic 40 minute search, Sophie re-appears safe and sound but with a suspicious tiny puncture on her arm. The doctors cannot find anything wrong with Sophie but Jill is convinced something weird happened to her daughter and eventually accepts that nothing is wrong and that she’s just happy to have her back. Three months later, Jill and David face their worst nightmare again, and this time Sophia is missing for much longer than just forty minutes. The clock is ticking and whoever has taken Jill has been watching the Lassiter family very closely and is plotting to destroy their lives. But why and who? This is what we find out in Only Ever Her. When I read the blurb of the book I was like, hell yes. I love a good mysterious thriller! I have to say, this book was a pretty gripping and engrossing read. I liked the main character Jill and even her hot shot lawyer husband David. As a family, they have been through a lot and the book takes it’s time to describe their history and their general story. Before Sophie’s disappearance, David and Jill’s marriage was already under pressure given that they are both working parents and they were struggling with their demanding and difficult three year old. To then add on their missing child to all of this was a huge strain on their marriage. This book had a lot more depth than your average thriller read and actually felt highly realistic in terms of the difficulties of marriage, parenting as well as maintaining a professional career. Although personally, I felt that the book could have been much shorter. When I got to the middle of the book it sort of dragged on when it did not need to. But I do have to say, towards the end? Oh boy! What a read! It was full of suspense, two great plot twists which I did not see coming (and you know how much I LOVE a good plot twist), and some major action scenes too. It was quite a visual read, I could actually see it all playing out in my mind very clearly. I would definitely recommend this book to any suspense and thriller lover. I’ve read a lot of child abduction books in my past and sometimes it does get a tad repetitive, but I did very much enjoy reading this story. This book also touched on a few extremely important subjects that I appreciated from the author. Dealing with the loss of a child, working mothers and how they handle their home life, the particularly touchy subject of a relationship with the mother-in-law, and obviously what parents go through when their own child has been abducted. The scrutiny and judgement they face from the public eye and the never ending suffering and pain. Aside from this being a great thrilling read, I did like that it touched on those subject matters. If you liked the book ‘The Woman in the Window’ by A.J Finn then you will most likely love this book! It had the same sort of adrenaline rushing action/suspense vibe at the end of the book which I literally could not put down until I was done! Great read. Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Fiction Originally Published: March 22nd, 2016 Reviewed by Chrissy's Books

Rating 6/10 I would like to firstly thank Sarah from Thomas Dunne Books an imprint for sending me a gorgeous review copy of this book! What a quirky little book this was! This is a perfect little read for getting you through the coronavirus quarantine time, nothing but positive vibes in this nonfiction read. You might be wondering, what the heck this book is about? I was a little puzzled at first too. This book is about a young street busker named James Bowen and an injured orange Tabby cat named Bob. James was a homeless man on the streets of London, UK, and one day he was approached by a publisher while sitting on the sidewalk and the publisher asked him to write about his life with Bob the cat. That’s when The Little Book of Bob was born. Throughout the book, James tells us various stories of his life with Bob, how they met, and how much Bob has truly changed his life for the better. James’s life completely transformed after meeting Bob but fame hasn’t changed him much, all thanks to Bob. Bob has helped James to stay true to himself, and to treasure the smaller things in life. James has little life lessons within each story about Bob and it’s a lovely and uplifting read. This is a great little book to have on your coffee table or in any room for whenever you need a little fun story about Bob & James. They do have quite a sweet story and you get to discover that all within the book. The book is split into 6 parts, and each part has specific life lessons that Bob instilled onto James. At first I thought the book was a tad cheesy, but as I read on, quite a lot of it made perfect sense and I found myself enjoying the little stories and the life lessons that James takes away from each story. Also, if you’re a cat lover then you will adore this book as I feel a lot of cat lovers can relate to all the funny little things that Bob does. I myself, am a dog person, but I learned quite a bit from James and Bob, there are loads of little life lessons that can be applied to everyday life. Some good, some okay, and some sweet. It's a good read, it lacks in substance which is why I did not give it a high rating, but beyond that it's a sweet cheerful little read. This book would make a great gift for any cat lover, and would be a good book to have in the house, on your coffee table or on any bookshelf. It’s one of those books that you can read again and again over many years. It’s a fun little book with a whole lot of heart. They should totally make a dog version of this book, I would definitely read it! Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book: Part 4 - Don’t be Ruled by Fear “We seem to live in a world that is now filled with anxieties. People are crippled by fears, some genuine, but some completely irrational. We could all learn a lesson from Bob. He is careful and keeps his eyes open. But he doesn’t let fear rule his world.” Part 3 - Seize Each Day “If you can forget about what happened yesterday and treat today as a fresh start, you are already halfway towards ensuring that today is a better one” Part 5 - Rich Cat, Poor Cat “Bob’s Zen-like calm is a reflection of the simplicity of his life. He has no bills to pay. No mortgage to fret over. No responsibilities. Bob has no possessions at all. And in that he might be lucky. It sometimes occurs to me that the more you have, the more you worry about losing it all.” Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Self Help Published: October 30th 2018 Reviewed by Chrissy's Books

Rating- 7/10 I would like to thank Katie from St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a review copy of this fab book! I had actually received it right before I went on my big road trip last summer and didn’t get the chance to read it for many months. I’m glad I finally got to read it now as this was a hot book last year all over the Instagram blogger world. The Girl He Used to Know follows a young lady named Annika, pronounced like Monica but with an ‘A’. Annika is a very particular person, she likes her own company rather than being surrounded by people, she hates loud places and unnecessary noise, she struggles quite a bit with normal social interactions and worries that she always says the wrong things. She struggles to read people and frankly prefers the company of animals and books. She loves books so much that she made a point of turning it into her career as a librarian based in Chicago. The only exception to the ‘people’ rule is her college love Jonathan. He was her first love and the only man that she truly loved. Later on in her life, Annika bumps into Jonathan at a grocery store and the feelings she had for him come rushing right back as if it was yesterday that they were together. The story is told from two points of views, Annika & Jonathan. They are told over two time periods, while they were in college in 1991, and later on when they bump into each other in 2001. When Annika bumps into Jonathan all those years later, she is not sure if he would even speak to her or would want to see her again after what he did to her many years ago. The story then unravels as we get to hear the story of Annika & Jonathan from 1991 to now. Will they end up together again? Will Jonathan ever forgive her for what she did to him? One thing is for sure, she still very much loves him even after all these years. I actually really enjoyed reading this book. At first, Annika’s character sort of annoyed me, but after I got to know why she is the way she is, I actually thought she was quite sweet in the end. The author must have done a lot of research to have been able to write about a character like Annika. I don’t want to give too much away but there is a specific reason for why she behaves in a certain way compared to most people. I actually admired her towards the end. I liked hearing the story from Annika’s point of view rather than Jonathan’s. She was a complex character and that sort of made me want to read more about her story and to know what would happen in the end. There was a twist towards the end that I honestly did not see coming that did bring some drama and a bit more depth into the book. If it wasn’t for the dramatic ending, I don’t think this book would have been as good. Obviously I can’t tell you what happens, but I can say that it was an engrossing read! I stayed up till late just to know what happened because I simply could not sleep without knowing. It definitely was a gripping read towards the end. This was a lovely book, with a great love story and characters. I especially liked Annika’s friend Janice. I think all women should have a great friend like Janice, I actually wish I knew a bit more about her. Their friendship was so pure and will always stand the test of time. I loved it. There were also some pretty steamy scenes in this book that I was not expecting! I have to say, when I picked up the book, I wasn’t expecting the story to turn out like the way it did, but it was a good surprise. I would say, if you are a fan of Jojo Moyes, then you will love this book. It’s emotional, raw, heartfelt, and also had a great dramatic last few chapters that tied it all together. It’s a good book if you want an emotional love story, also I always like romances that happen a bit later in life, it sort of felt more realistic to me. This is one of those books you can easily finish in one sitting or in two to three days. It’s that readable. I gave it a 7/10 because I thought the book was a good read, it’s not one that I would rave about or that I absolutely loved, but it was a good and an interesting story and an overall good book! Also, I'm a total sucker for artsy book covers. Thanks again to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with this fab read. Genre: Romance, Contemporary Fiction Published: April 2nd, 2019 Reviewed by Chrissy's Books Check out my YouTube review of The Girl He Used to Know Below!

Rating- 8/10 I heard nothing but rave reviews about this book all over the Insta bookish world and I had to check it out for myself. Also, how gorgeous is the book cover, striking and bold colors, I love it. Things You Save in a Fire follows a firefighter named Cassie. Cassie is the only female firefighter at her station in Austin, Texas. It’s kinda cool that this book was based in Austin because I was just there before I read this book. Wonderful city in case you’re wondering! Cassie is one of only a few female firefighters out there and she most definitely holds her own. She’s tough as nails, a go-getter, she’s strong and was literally born to deal with emergencies. In fact, she’s so great at dealing with other people’s problems and emergencies that when it comes to her own problems, she prefers to not even think about them and pushes those feelings and thoughts away. She also doesn’t have much of a dating life either. Cassie receives a call from her estranged mother of whom she hasn’t spoken to in many years, her mother asks her if she could move in with her for a little while in Massachusetts to care for her as she is unwell. This is the last thing that Cassie would want to do, especially because she hasn’t spoken to her mother in many years and she’s perfectly happy in her current home in Austin. Circumstances change and Cassie finds herself moving to a little town just outside of Boston to care for her mother. She begins working in a very old and worn out fire station of which they refuse to welcome her with open arms due to the fact that she’s a woman. The only person who doesn’t seem to mind Cassie being there, is a fellow new recruit nicknamed ‘The Rookie’. As soon as Cassie meets the rookie, she knows she’s in deep trouble because she develops a crush on him. Rule number one of being a female firefighter is to NOT date a fellow firefighter. Besides losing respect for your colleagues, it’s basically a big NO NO. Is this rookie worth the risk of her career and the respect that she’s worked so hard to gain? I really liked Cassie, she was quite a relate-able character. Strong, independent, a hard worker, and wasn’t afraid to go for what she wanted out of life. She suddenly gets torn away from everything she has come to build and know in Austin and suddenly has to live and work in Massachusetts and care for her ailing mother. This was a great read, you get totally absorbed in Cassie’s life and also get to understand why she is the way she is. This book is about forgiveness, opening up to new possibilities and falling head over heels in love, all with keeping true to who you are. This was a very enjoyable read. I also just loved Cassie, she was a very relate-able person, I liked that she was her own person and made her own path in life. I would definitely recommend you to read this book. Very fun, contemporary and a sweet love story and I loved the ending too. A fabulous read indeed, and a great book to read for any book club or together with your girlfriends. Katherine Center is also the author of How to Walk Away which received rave reviews upon it's release. I'd definitely read another one of her books! Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit. Published: August 13th, 2019 Reviewed by Chrissy's Books

Rating 7/10 This is my first book review in 10 months you guys! I took a bit of a hiatus from reading and instead went on a glorious road trip across America and enjoyed my life for a bit, but before I left for my trip, I read this book but never got a chance to post the review. Terrible, I know. My review may not be as detailed as I would normally like it to be because I read We Cast a Shadow in June of 2019, 10 months ago. Long time, I know, but alas! Here is my long overdue review of this beautifully covered book. We Cast a Shadow is set in a dystopian near future world based in the south in America where discrimination, segregation, and race are still very much an issue. So much so that they have separated the black race into very poor and underdeveloped gated communities. The levels of surveillance on these communities and of the black race are very high, so much so that the police use heart rate and infrared machines that determine if a black person is a ‘high risk’ individual and therefore ends up being incarcerated for minimal reasons. We follow the narrator (unnamed) who is one of 10% of the black race that are actually doing well in society and avoid the inevitable fate of black men in this dystopian life. He works for a prestigious law firm as one of the few black people in the firm, and his main goal in his life is to prevent his bi-racial son, Nigel from falling into the cracks with the rest of the black race in his town. The only way for the Nigel's father to achieve his goal is by putting Nigel through a new and extremely painful experimental procedure that promises to save lives by turning black people white - on a cellular level, this also means that his offspring would be white as well. Clients can also undergo a lip thinning and rhinoplasty procedure to appear more ‘white’, obviously only if they can afford it. For Nigel’s father to be able to afford this insanely expensive and invasive procedure, he must make partner at his law firm and jump through a series of many hoops to achieve his goal. I’ve gotta say, when I read the blurb of what the book was about I was pretty much hooked in. I honestly could never in my mind imagine a world where I, a black person, would ever want to under-go such an invasive and life altering procedure so I had to read this book for myself and understand why someone would go through such lengths to achieve this bizarre goal. In my mind, the Narrator was quite troubled. The fact that this was the only solution to help his son was mind blowing. Yes, I understood that the world they were living in was racially backwards and a segregated world, but his obsession with making his son become white was borderline unhealthy. The lack of pride and self love for his own skin and his race was very sad for me to read about, he very much battled with his own race in his world to a point where he was embarrassed to be black. He would go to such lengths to try and help his son go through his procedure that it would threaten his marriage with his wife, who was white and his relationship with his son Nigel. The narrator has his own issues that he deals with throughout the book. The pressure he has at work to constantly impress his white peers and make partner, his father who fell in the system and is now incarcerated in the fenced segregated community, he also has a drug addiction which he’s very unstable and dependent on. He is mentally unstable and on top of that he constantly worries for Nigel and his ever growing dark birthmark which will seal his fate if he doesn’t get him this new surgical procedure before it’s too late. This book was an interesting read, I felt feelings of anger, sympathy and mostly sadness for NIgel’s father in this book. I quite liked the beginning of the story and somehow I lost touch a bit with the middle of the book, but towards the end it grasped my attention again. I had a love/hate relationship with the message of this book. Yes it’s infuriating to read about a man who wants to completely change his DNA, his history, his own self in order to ‘fit in’ and not be a threat to the existing white race, but at what cost? Where is the self love? What’s funny is that Nigel in a way was much wiser than his old man and he understood perfectly who he was and where he belonged, where his father, the narrator seemed to be at a complete loss. We Cast a Shadow was an interesting read. Not one of my favorites, but definitely one to read out of interest and it was written extremely well. I think if it had more of a human touch to the story then I would have loved it a bit more. All in all it was a good read and I very much adored the book cover! I gave this book a 7/10. Good read but particularly a memorable one. Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Race, Contemporary, Satire Published: January 29th, 2019 Reviewed by Chrissy's Books

Rating- 8/10 I’m sure you have all heard about this book one way or another. It was all over social media last year when it came out, what an iconic book cover and title right? Sort of has a timeless feel to it by just looking at the cover. A lot of my book blogger friends have all read this book and I’ve heard mostly great reviews about it, it also was on everyone’s favorite books from 2018 so I had to finally get my hands on this read and see what the hype was all about. Fun fact, this book is being turned into a movie starring Nicole Kidman which is pretty cool. Also, Meg Wolitzer’s book The Wife was recently turned into a movie starring Glenn Close which was nominated for an Oscar last year, so she’s definitely an author to watch out for! The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer is about womanhood, identity, female friendship, power, loyalty, ambition and influence. It centers mostly from one main character named Greer Kadetzky. Surrounding her are three other characters, Zee, her college best friend, Cory, her long time high school sweetheart and Faith Frank, her mentor. We follow Greer from her adolescent high school years to college where she meets Zee, and they soon become close friends. During college, a famous feminist figure, Faith Frank (cool name huh?) comes to the school to give a talk and Greer and Zee attend the event. Immediately, Greer is completely mesmerized by the elegant and fearless Faith Frank and what she stands for. She is a strong feminist who inspires all women to stand up for their rights and is a strong pillar for women’s movement for decades. After meeting Faith, Greer is offered a once in a lifetime opportunity, to work under the watchful eye of Faith Frank and find her purpose in life, to which Greer is overjoyed about. Taking this job means that she is farther away emotionally and physically from her long time love, Cory. Which leaves Greer to make some pretty big decisions in her life. We follow Greer on this life altering journey and into the bold person that she now has been transformed into. It’s a book about following your aspirations, your journey through life, and figuring out what those aspirations are. I have to say, I found this book to be more of a coming of age story than it was a political, or feminist story. We mostly followed Greer from adolescence and into adulthood, which was great because you saw her transform into a totally different person right before your eyes. I also like that the book was very character driven and it had quite a few interesting characters in it. The character of Faith Frank was a funny one for me, because part of me was blown away by her, but then another part of me didn’t like her very much. Maybe it’s because she habituates and works in the privileged feminist world and I was expecting more of a punchier story and character. I also felt that the book had a lot of themes going on and didn’t necessarily have a crisp & clear main theme, so I did find that sort of confusing as it was not what I was expecting from the story. I was expecting more depth especially from the character of Faith Frank. She mostly highlighted feminism from white women’s perspective in the early nineties and the early 21st century, but no later than that. That’s not to say that she didn’t bring up many interesting points, she did, she brought issues such as abortion rights, the wage gap, rape culture, and more...but beyond that it lacked that grit that I was waiting for. I did although enjoy reading the story itself and found it very engaging. It’s a pretty big book at 454 pages so you really get a great outline of each character and their story which was cool. It’s also a very easy to read book, you literary whiz right through the pages and Meg Wolitzrer is a good writer. Funny enough, out of all the characters, the male character, Cory, was my favorite one. I found his story much more interesting, raw and real than the rest of the women, which I was not expecting. Faith Frank was great, and has that appeal that you’d want in a mentor, but she doesn’t really push the boundaries in feminism as much as I would have liked. She’s too privileged. Same with Greer. Yes she was a sweet and shy character that blossomed into a great woman, but in the end, I felt detached from her too. The fact that she was whining about not being able to go to Princeton kind of annoyed me. Privileged. Then her friend Zee’s character was so/so. So yeah, all in all it was mostly a good story, with a touch of feminist ideology. I would recommend this book if your after a good story that has to do with following your ambitions in life, and also has strong female characters. It was somewhat inspiring, but for me it was more of a coming of age story than a feminist read. The feminist parts of the story just never felt real to me, it was all too privileged. It was a flawed book but I still enjoyed reading it! It’s one of those books that I will remember for years to come. It’s also a good book to sort of get lost in. I liked it. Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Feminism, Literary Fiction. To purchase on Book Depository, CLICK HERE Reviewed by Chrissy's Books *This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link on this blog.*