Hey, there, bookworms! It’s herrrre! The day I dish it all about my recent reads and audio picks. My May stack of goods was nothing if not thought-provoking, weighty and wildly entertaining. With one exception, none of these lagged in the least for me. I kept turning the page, I kept re-hitting play… I could not get enough of these stories! Every single one has lingered with me long after ending. With summer fast-approaching, I hope there’s something in here just for you and your beach bag! For June, I’ll have even more poolside-type picks, so keep your eyes out for those!
And now… here you are, my loves! As always, I want to know what you’re reading, too!
Momentary Five-Star Obsession
This beautiful, perfect book!!! Oh my, you guys. Its sheer genius begins with the title and cover, and never does the brilliance rest. Journalist and therapist Lori Gottlieb completely won over my heart, and she will likely win over millions with this unflinchingly honest tell-all of sorts. This book is one-part fascinating look at therapy as a profession, one-part incredibly moving memoir. Honestly, it’s my favorite kind of book. Sharp, witty, funny, poignant writing that has you howling with laughter on one page, then gutted with tears on the next. The author received permission to share tales and triumphs from a handful of her own therapy patients, and these real-life, brave, broken heroes will come to feel like your best friends. Grief, love, loss, insecurities, fears, family, hidden dreams, hard relationships, illness, regret, death, marriage, aging, healing, letting go, moving on—it’s all in these pages. Lori also chronicles her own journey of therapy after a blindsiding breakup. Her therapist, Wendell, is now one of my all-time fave humans. As someone who has both been to amazing therapy and has close relationships with MANY amazing therapists—hi, sister!!!—I was obsessed with this one. Five whole stars. Maybe six! I heard it’s been optioned for a TV show and I will be counting the days! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Momentary Meaningful Poolside Pick
First of all, I just want to share the fantastic news that once your four- and six-year-old are officially water-safe, and, OK, your husband is serving as sea-monster, and also your baby is napping—you can actually READ by the pool on a family vacation! Like WITH your actual offspring in the vicinity. Yes. This happened. Albeit in between splashes and “Mommy Look!!!!s”, I devoured half of this novel poolside in the desert. It is such a fast read, and oh, it is such a GOOD one! Penelope Ruiz-Kar epitomizes the 30-something woman “doing it all”—or sure trying! Breadwinner, mother, friend, wife, once-upon-a-time aspiring author, master scheduler, head lunch-maker, glue of her family, giving her all. Not always voicing her mounting resentments. But after a sudden tragedy, Penny is forced to re-evaluate everything, faced with the harsh truth that the glossy veneers of wedded bliss, wealth, fame and success are often so far from what they seem. She decides to embark on a project of brutal, unabashed honesty in every area of her life, and I adored the unfolding result. I just loved this whole book and its message. I also found it super relatable, not to mention timely and full of important issues. Women. Why on earth are we so hard on ourselves? And what can we gain from revealing our biggest fears and closest-held truths? The answer: Everything. Five stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Momentary Absorbing Domestic Suspense
All the YES to this compelling family drama and unpredictable mystery! This is another pick I would stash for vacation. It’s absorbing, addicting and interesting. Contemporary, emotional, fun. Lucy never really meshed with her husband’s mother, Diana Goodwin, but when said matriarch is suddenly, tragically found dead by possible suicide, we are prompted to wonder: Were tensions potentially high enough for Lucy to murder her MIL? The story takes us back to the inception of Lucy and Diana’s relationship in alternating perspectives, and what a treat. To be in the head of both DIL and MIL! This book takes the taboo, stereotyped topic of in-law strife and stares it right in the face. What we see is both surprising and not. There are tensions and misconceptions. There is love. I adored this book. I actually think it’s a very balanced, meaningful, thought-provoking look at an in-law relationship. I also did not foresee the ending. I fully recommend and look forward to reading more by this author! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Momentary Sweeping Mystery
This is a BOOK, you guys, and by that, I mean this is one big, sweeping saga that contains a lot to digest! We picked it for book club this month. Or, rather, I picked it and I hope my friends don’t hate me for it. I will find out when we meet. Ha! Personally, I loved it. I became truly INVOLVED. The courtroom drama. The characters. Their relationships. The story!!! The ending I didn’t see coming. In the small town of Miracle Creek, Virginia, Korean immigrants Young and Pak Yoo run and operate Miracle Submarine, a hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) chamber, available for treatment sessions referred to as “dives.” With a steady flow of patients and parents, the controversial medical device claims to heal maladies ranging from autism to infertility. Then one day: BOOM! A fire destroys the submarine, leaving several injured and two dead.
Stunned and desperate, the colorful cast of survivors must uncover the ash of secrets and lies. Was it Elizabeth, accused of murdering her 8-year-old autistic son? Or another arsonist lurking among them? This book is oh-so-accurately hailed for lovers of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng. My favorite aspect was the super-deep “dives” (get it?!) into each character’s viewpoint. I felt for every single one of them. My heart also ached for special needs parents and children, in such a big way. I walked away with more compassion and information than I held before, and I call this a true author triumph. The author is also a former lawyer, p.s., and it SHOWS!
My one drawback about this book? I did not find it a “page-turner” for the long haul. In fact, it’s more of a slow-peeling onion with the hard-won, richest flavors buried deep in the center. Beautiful writing, masterful storytelling. I don’t mind a slower book, as long as I really like it! And I really liked this one. But, I’m not sure it would be for everyone, and I can’t wait to hear what my book club girls say! It’s also notably heavy with some language and triggers, for all of my sensitive butterflies. Four stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Momentary Jaw-Dropping Thriller
CoHo. CoHo. WHY? For the second time this year, Colleen Hoover has placed me in the impossible situation of not knowing how in the heavens to review her book. Or in this case: How in the actual valley of the literal shadow of DEATH to review her book?! Oh, boy. Some words that come to mind: Audacious. Mind-blowing. CRAZY! Rated R. Rated X?! Wow. But, you know I will always be honest with you guys, which is why I must also admit that I loved this book. *Monkey Emoji Covering Eyes.* Yes. I did!!! I loooooved the plotting and pacing. Out of nowhere, young struggling writer Lowen is propositioned for the job a lifetime: to complete the wildly popular book series by world-famous author Verity Crawford, presently unable to finish. Desperate for cash, Lowen accepts, with caution. So naturally, she also moves into Verity’s big, creepy house for research, to read all her super-dark works and cozy up to her family members! I felt like I was watching a really good horror movie. A thriller hasn’t thrown me for more loops since Gone Girl.
Now for the caveats you knew were creeping out of the closet! I feel like I can’t recommend this one, at least not without 200 warnings! Unless perhaps you: a.) are already and avid CoHo fan, thus VERY familiar with her style, b.) LOVE scary thrillers more than life, and c.) have a sky- high capacity for the dark side. Was it the most messed-up read of my life?! Maybe! It was also full of raunchy sexy material (please read that warning 5x!), not to mention possible triggers for: pregnancy, miscarriage, and mothers of infants. Gah! I had to skip over some parts. I’m finding it hard to star-rate this one, but I’m going to give it a four! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much for reading, friends!!!
