I’m so happy to share my first reading review of the summer!!! You know, I didn’t quite get to all of the pool reads I planned for this month. I took three books to Mexico for our family vacation, but in totally shocking news… I only finished half of just one. Ha! It just wasn’t the binge-read kind of trip if you know what I mean, and I was completely OK with it! I also can’t tell if the rest of the summer will offer me more time to read or less, with our sunny adventures, family getaways, more flexible bedtimes, and obviously no school for my bigs. But I’m also completely fine either way! You know I’ll still read as much as I can, and all the more reason to make my picks really count! We are officially halfway through the year (which I can’t believe!) and I have read 29 of the 40 books I set out to read this year. I feel great about this and can’t wait to see what the rest of 2019 brings to my bookstacks!
My fave of this month surprised me! Rush, by Lisa Patton. Much more below! Another is a beautiful family drama dealing with major issues like addiction, mental illness, marriage, forgiveness and loss. A heavy read, but a great one. The other two were so, SO very good, but also quite a bit scandalous! And I always find it a little tricky reviewing such books. Because maybe the racy stuff wouldn’t faze you. Or maybe you’d be appalled. Likely each of you would take it a little bit differently. So, as always, all I can do is give my honest-as-possible, heartfelt thoughts on these books and note their level of steam!
Here you go, friends! I’m also halfway done with The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams, and so far, I am in love!
Momentary Rush
I had this book filed in my Goodreads “Want to Read” stack for quite some time, after seeing Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy—love her!) mention it somewhere. But then my close friend who lives in Nashville asked me if I had read it, and told me she’d heard it was fast, addicting, oh-so-good and spot-on in its Southern juiciness. And so I said DONE! I just loved this book to the moon! To me, it felt like The Help by Kathryn Stockett meets All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin with a touch of Jodi Picoult. I was in a sorority at USC, and there were always whispers of how—while we also took rush super seriously—ain’t nobody did rush like sororities in the South did rush. Or anything Greek. This book paints the picture and it is oh-so compelling. Set at Ole Miss in present day, Rush crosses the viewpoints of three indelible characters. Freshman rushee Cali, who harbors a mysterious past; sorority legacy, rush advisor and mother-of-a-rushee, Wilda; and Miss Pearl, beloved housekeeper of Alpha Delta Beta sorority. And while we never get into her head, Lilith Whitmore, House Corp President of Alpha Delta Beta, is divinely delicious and effortlessly imaginable as the book’s cunning, haughty, wildly wealthy villain. This book sucked me right in and not only kept me totally entertained, but covered so many important issues related to Greek Life. Race. Class. Equality. Honesty. But also love, courage, friendship, and truth! Even more, it actually made me want to write a novel set in sorority life! What a backdrop! This would make a fantastic vacation read! I give it five stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Momentary Family Epic
I couldn’t resist picking up this highly praised work of new literary family fiction. One of my favorite genres! This is such a fantastic book. I get chills again just revisiting all the things that it made me feel as it doveinto heart-wrenching topics and irreversibly entwined human dynamics. It begins with the friendship between two young cops and neighbors, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope. As we get to know these men and their wives—isolated Lena and mentally unstable Anne—the tension builds toward a catastrophic event that will forever alter their lives, as well as the lives of their children. Who, by the way, are central to the heartbeat of the whole book. Despite their mothers’ differences, Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope form a deep and abiding friendship from a very young age. I can’t give away the shocking event or the aftermath spanning decades, but I will say that I was intrigued and invested from beginning to end. I was moved and heartbroken by the story of love, forgiveness, grace. And the way this book deals with addiction and mental illness is just so raw, moving and brilliant. This book is, however, heavy, so hear me when I say that! It is decidedly not a light pool read! Nor is it fast. You commit and invest with these people for the long-but-rewarding haul. It’s similar to Little Fires Everywhere, but maybe even more serious. Four stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Momentary Guiltiest Pleasure Ever
Soooo definitely taking a 180 from Ask Again, Yes with this one! My book taste is about as diverse as my TV taste. Long docs and Bachelor on repeat, please! I follow a lot of #Bookstagram accounts, and I just couldn’t get this one out of my sight! “Is this the most addicting book ever?” “Oh my gosh, this book is SOOO good!” “You have to read this! Everyone, now!” Well, alrighty then, fine! And now is when I tell you that I had absolutely no idea this book would be so, so racy! Like Colleen Hoover status, maybe more graphic?! If you are squeamish about the love scenes, definitely skip this one. And don’t say I didn’t warn you! OK, now that I’ve made this point, let’s get to what did, in fact, make this one of the most addicting books I have read in a while. Also one that left me speechless on the last page and made my heart physically feel every feeling!!! I simply devoured it because I could not put it down. Single 39-year-old mother Solène Marchand takes her teenage daughter to the Las Vegas concert of worldwide British pop band sensation, August Moon. And who does said Mom meet and spark instant, fiery, earth-shattering attraction with, other than 20-year-old Hayes Campbell, August Moon front-man himself! (Definitely think Harry Styles.) Oooooh, their chemistry. Their bond and banter and love. It is truly magnetic and grows to feel just as enormous and powerful as his fame. But, come on! Do a single mother and an international teen heartthrob really have a chance at true love?! Well, this book tackles the question for you! And it better become a movie! This book also feels sparklingly hip and current with all of its references, and made me think deep thoughts about fame, celebrity, gossip and social media. Four big stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Momentary Hot Summer Read
I’ve never read one of Elizabeth Gilbert’s novels, but I was drawn to this one the second it came out June 4. I mean, look at that cover alone! The setting is splashy and cast of characters, even more colorful. Vivian Morris is our leading lady, and I loved the structure of this book. Vivian narrates at age 89, reflecting on the course of her life and telling it all to someone called Angela. Who is Angela?! When will we know?! She recounts her story from age 19 in 1940 when she was kicked out of college and sent to live with her Aunt Peg in Manhattan. Aunt Peg owns a small-and-rundown but big-hearted theater called the Lily Playhouse, where Vivian essentially grows into a woman among the glitz, the grit and the dazzling showgirls. The dysfunctional but loving family embraces Vivian, and she proudly serves as the resident costume designer by day, while ravenously pursuing a life of glamour, excitement, and men by night. Lots and lots of men! Vivian, however, suddenly finds herself embroiled in a public scandal that not only impacts the theater but alters the course of her life.
I loved Vivian’s voice. (The audiobook, by the way, is incredible.) I loved the role of her passion for sewing and costume design. I loved so much of her interesting viewpoint, and the vivid pop of descriptions in every scene. I think this is a sparkly, fun summer read that also totally made me cry at the end. As one drawback, something inside me didn’t perhaps fully, all-the-way connect with Vivian, I think because her choices and personal compass are just so wildly different from mine. Female promiscuity is, after all, a major theme of the book. And yet, I’m still so glad I read it. Because we also feel the echoes of Vivian’s actions reverberate through her decades, and it makes for a powerful story and raw, flawed, beautiful character. I give this one four-and-a-half super-sparkly stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
That’s all for now!!!
