Read This Not That: 2024 Edition

Read This: In 2019, Kate flees London and her abusive partner to settle in the broken-down Weyward cottage. Inherited from an aunt, Weyward cottage seems to be hiding secrets that go back centuries. In 1619, Altha is on trial for witchcraft; her extensive knowledge of the natural world puts the villagers on edge. In 1942, Violet feels trapped in her family’s crumbling estate, searching for any clues to better know her deceased mother. Weaving three stories together, Weyward tells of the transformative power of female resilience.

Reminding me of Kate Morton and The Lost Apothecary, I can see why Weyward won the Goodreads award for best historical fiction. Hart beautifully weaves together three generations of Weyward women; adding witchy vibes and a gorgeous connection to the natural world in each timeline. Each story holds a unique atmosphere but all add to the feminist tone of the novel, showcasing the fierce determination each woman must hold through her adversities caused by the fear and limitations placed on them by men.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 7 March 2023
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Not That: In 1873, spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire has made quite the reputation for herself in Paris for conjuring the spirits of murder victims and revealing their killers. Although skeptical, Lenna Wickes has come to Vaudeline for answers to her sister’s death and agrees to become her assistant. When the pair travel to London to help solve a high-profile murder, they suspect they are being used by the killers.

I wanted to like Sarah Penner’s latest after loving The Lost Apothecary, but I just could not get into it. The beginning was terribly slow, with mind-numbingly boring descriptions of Victorian England spiritualism. Although the narrative finally picked up a bit in the middle, I found I didn’t care too much about any of the characters. Although I enjoyed Lenna’s blend of skepticism and desire to believe, I thought Vaudeline was an underdeveloped empty shell and the alternating chapters from Morley’s point of view were grating.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 21 March 2023
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Read This: In a future not too dissimilar from our present, three tech billionaires wield a disproportionate influence over the world and their bottom line conflicts with the good of humankind more often than not. Prepared for the end of the world, they each of their own bunkers and band together to create an early warning system so they can escape before anyone knows what’s happening. After popular survivalist Lai Zhen sleeps with the personal assistant of one of the billionaires, she unexpectedly gains access to the early warning system, sparking a race with catastrophic consequences.

It’s really hard to describe The Future without spoiling the story. Naomi Alderman brilliantly describes a very realistic dystopian scenario where the world is on the brink of collapse. Told nonlinearly, The Future jumps around in its timeline, creating clever twists that dive into intriguing themes about technology, social media, and social responsibility while still giving an action-packed story.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 7 November 2023
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Not That: One of the wealthiest women in the world, Dava Shastri is used to getting her way. When she is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Dava gathers her entire family to her private island, and then leaks an early press release announcing her death. Instead of accolades, Dava is stunned to see articles revealing hidden secrets, which she now must explain to her children and grandchildren.

Dava Shastri’s Last Day just didn’t strike the right cord with me. Although the premise is spectacular, the execution was so full of unlikeable characters that it was difficult to feel an emotional connection to the story. Dava, herself, was an intriguing character: selfish in her personal life yet truly invested in making a difference in the world. Dava’s obsession with her legacy made her a poor matriarch to the family, which showed in her four children who were extremely hard to like.

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Publication Date: 30 November 2021
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Read This: Although June and Athena went to school together, Athena has found major success as an Asian-American novelist while June struggles to get a foot in the door, probably because she’s just another basic white girl. When June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she impetuously snatches up Athena’s unfinished work. Publishing it as her own, June rebrands herself as a racially ambiguous Juniper Song and becomes an instant bestseller. Yet as the truth threatens to come out, June must decide how far she is willing to go to keep her secret.

Yellowface is a bitingly clever look at the hypocrisy of the publishing industry, and our society in general. Kuang’s satire was over-the-top and yet nuanced at the same time, hitting on so many deep themes – gatekeeping, racism, plagiarism, reverse discrimination, and cancel culture, just to name a few. Using June as the first-person narrator, Kuang leads you into June’s morally grey mindset, forcing you to consider what your own thoughts are on the topics discussed.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 16 May 2023
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Not That: Just as strait-laced Ava Wong’s perfect life begins to crumble, her former roommate from mainland China appears with a scheme to make them both rich. Winnie has an audacious plan to import near-perfect fakes of expensive luxury handbags from China, but she just needs someone with an American passport to pull it off. Yet when the enterprise goes south, Winnie disappears, leaving Ava to face the consequences.

Written as Ava’s confession to police, Counterfeit details Ava’s downward spiral as Ava explains how she slowly compromised her morals, sliding deeper and deeper into Winnie’s scheme. Yet, a twist halfway through leaves you questioning how reliable a narrator Ava might be. Although a quick entertaining read, Counterfeit never fully captured my attention and seemed to be trying too hard to be clever.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 7 June 2022
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Read This: Emma has purposely kept her husband in the dark about her past. When Emma announces she is pregnant, he confesses that he was laid off and has lost the down payment to their house. With nowhere else to turn, Emma and Nathan move into her parent’s estate that she jointly owns with her estranged sisters. Emma just never mentioned that this is the house where her parents were murdered, and she was always seen as the prime suspect. With a baby on the way, Emma finds it’s time she learn what actually happened all those years ago. For Emma has been covering for her sisters without ever really knowing what actually happened that night.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a really satisfying thriller, and No One Can Know was just what I needed. Emma makes for an excellent narrator and Marshall smoothly builds tension as you slowly learn the truth of what actually went on in that house. I loved the complicated relationship between the sisters and Emma’s intense desire to protect them no matter what. With excellent pacing and plenty of unexpected twists, No One Can Know is the perfect thriller to kick off the new year.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 23 January 2024
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Not That: The summer before heading to college, Maya became infatuated with Frank but their rocky relationship ended with Maya’s best friend suddenly dropping dead in front of him and Maya has always suspected Frank did it somehow. While trying to kick a prescription drug addiction, Maya is shocked to see a YouTube video of another woman dropping dead in front of Frank. Returning to her hometown to search for answers, Maya tries to remember the blank spaces in her memories of that summer and finds clues in her deceased father’s book.

Normally I enjoy the thrillers chosen by Reese’s Book Club pick, but I was bored by The House in the Pines. Although Reyes paints an atmospheric scene, Maya’s memory gaps make for a slow confusing retelling that doesn’t keep you gripped. One of my biggest issues was that Maya is painted as an unreliable narrator, Though everyone else in the story seemed to, I didn’t doubt Maya at all, making the big reveal feel unsatisfying.

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Publication Date: 3 January 2023
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Read This: When her brother ships off to Vietnam, nursing student Frankie McGrath impulsively decides to leave her sheltered life on Coronado Island and join the Army Nurse Corps. In Vietnam, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos of war. Yet, even more unsettling is the shock of coming home to a country that has been divided by war and disillusioned by politics.

With a similar feel to The Four Winds, The Women is immersive historical fiction with a more serious tone. I took a little longer to attach to Frankie than usual but, by the time I did, I was desperate for Frankie to get her happily-ever-after. Yet, The Women reminds us that life isn’t like a fairytale. War is a messy, traumatizing business even when veterans are fully supported. And Vietnam was messier than any other war in American history, leaving unheard of struggles for returning soldiers, especially for the women who were often overlooked and forgotten.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 6 February 2024
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Not That: In Paris near the end of the First World War, Pauline Deng discovers that her uncle is arranging a marriage for her back in Shanghai. For help, she searches for her cousin Theo, a translator for the Chinese Labor Corps near the front. In the French countryside, Pauline finds shelter with Camille, a French woman entangled in a love affair and planning to escape her abusive marriage. When Pauline and Camille’s paths cross, they must make a decision that will affect the rest of their lives.

The Porcelain Moon is worth a read just for its informative look at the contribution of the Chinese Labor Corps during World War 1, a lesser-known historical event. However, the storytelling itself fell flat with a predictable plot and one-dimensional characters. The disjointed timeline didn’t help either, feeling more stilted than seamless. While I appreciated the deeper themes of identity and misogyny, the narrative stayed surface-level, never provoking an emotional response.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 21 February 2023
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Read This: Ten years ago, Bess and Joni spend a summer in Greece with their best friend Evangeline. When Evangeline dies, Bess and Joni find themselves suspects, their brash personalities vilified by the media, but ultimately no charges are filed against them. Since then, Bess has kept the lowest profile possible while Joni has become an outspoken motivational speaker. When Joni’s fiancée disappears, Bess comes out of hiding to support Joni and must face what really happened all those summers ago.

I was immediately drawn into Berman’s captivating story about intense female friendships, for it’s always the ones who know us best who can hurt us the most. Before We Were Innocent is a slow-burn mystery that serves as a fascinating character study. I loved the look at Bess, Joni and Ev’s friendship and the examination of how easily our lives can be cherry-picked to paint us white or black, when we are all shades of grey.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 4 April 2023
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Not That: At the end of her freshman year of college, Margot rashly agrees to become roommates with Lucy Sharpe, a larger-than-life girl in her freshman dorm. Having spent the last year reeling from the death of her best friend, Margot is desperate to have someone to bring her back to life. Living in a cheap house next to a fraternity, Lucy quickly becomes the ringleader of Margot, Sloane, and Nicole. But by midyear, a boy from next door will be dead, Lucy will be missing, and Margot and her roommates will be hiding secrets of their own.

Having loved Willingham’s previous two thrillers, I was completely disappointed in Only If You’re Lucky. Most of the novel is a mind-numbingly slow tale of drunk college girls. So much so that I ended up skimming the middle portion of the book. At about 70% through, the story picked up with a few good twists. But by then I really didn’t care anymore.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 16 January 2024
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Read This: On one of her first assignments as a secret agent, Emma Makepeace has 12 hours to deliver the son of a Russian dissident into protective custody. When Russian assassins hack into the city’s widespread security camera network, Emma must use all her training and skill to deliver him across the most camera-ridden city in the world without being spotted.

Alias Emma is a fun summer read with a thrilling high-action plot that belongs on any summer reading list. Emma was a delightful protagonist, competent and strong but not over-the-top superhero level. Plus, Emma’s chemistry with Michael hit just the right tones, a natural camaraderie without a sappy falling head over heels in love. I fully expect to see a film adaptation soon.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 2 August 2022
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Not That: Amanda Cole has followed in her father’s footsteps as an ambitious young CIA agent. When a Russian defector walks into the office warning of the assassination of a US senator, Amanda is the only one to believe him. When the senator is killed, Amanda teams up with a legendary female spy to uncover the truth of the Kremlin plot.

I love me a good spy thriller and, unfortunately, this was not it. The Helsinki Affair was a run of the mill story where you quickly realize you don’t really care what happens. The writing is so weak that you don’t develop any feelings, positive or negative, for any of the characters. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t awful. It was just meh – uninspired and completely forgettable.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 14 November 2023
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