Reading Lately: February 2023 Book Reviews

The second son of King Charles III and his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry has always known he was the spare prince. Traumatized by his mother’s death, Harry struggled to live such a public life, constantly plagued by the ever-hungry paparazzi. In his highly anticipated memoir, Harry discusses his life and his public falling out with the royal family, feeling they did not support his wife enough when she was hounded by the British press.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Spare since I’m not particularly into Royal drama, but I absolutely loved it. I found Harry’s story so compelling that I could not put it down. The shocking family revelations have gotten the most attention, but Spare is mainly about Harry’s lifelong battle with the paparazzi. Harry brilliantly describes the monarchy’s twisted relationship with the press: hating them but also desperately wanting their praises. Harry’s stunning story reminds you that being royalty isn’t a dream come true.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 10 January 2023
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Known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends, at one point, Matthew Perry had the number one tv show and movie at the same time. Yet, while his career was hitting a high, Perry struggled through some of his darkest days. In this candid memoir, Perry discusses his lifelong battle with addiction and the persistence, hope, and friends who helped him along the way.

Perry’s memoir gives you a powerfully intimate look at addiction and its overwhelming power. You can feel Perry’s pain as he constantly tries to escape the feeling of never being enough that drives him throughout his whole life. Yet, the nonlinear timeline made the disjointed narrative hard to follow and I was glad I didn’t listen to the audio version.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 1 November 2022
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In 1946, Vincenzo and Giovana fall desperately in love in Genoa, Italy. Although they come from different worlds, they find themselves inseparable, until politics forces them to choose opposite sides. Now in 2017, Cassandra and Luca are in love although their families don’t get along. When Cass’s grandmother and Luca’s grandfather pose for a painting, a long-buried secret changes everything.

Jill Santopolo’s post-World War II tale was an utterly predictable feel-good story with overly simplistic writing. Santopolo goes into inane detail about everything, yet fails to give any proper depth to any of the characters. Like many historical fiction books with dual timelines, the modern story felt forced. Unless you are in the mood for a mindless cute historical fiction, I’d give this one a pass.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from G. P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 28 February 2023
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When Alex is invited to attend a month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo, she knows it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Upon arrival, Roza explains that each attendee has a month to write a novel from scratch and the winner will receive a large publishing deal. As strange things begin to happen and one of the writers vanishes in a storm, Alex goes from wanting to be published to wanting to make it out alive.

One of my biggest pet peeves: when the publisher’s description doesn’t prepare you for a book. The previous paragraph is how the publisher describes The Writing Retreat. However, the publisher fails to mention that The Writing Retreat is a spicy sapphic thriller with major horror vibes.

Our protagonist Alex spends the first part of the novel obsessing over Wren, her ex-best friend who ditched her after they hooked up. As Alex gets over her writer’s block, she feels like she is almost channeling the house’s spooky history and her dreams are full of sexy hookups with the other writers.

It doesn’t bother me that The Writing Retreat is a sexy sapphic thriller/horror novel. It bothers me that it isn’t well-advertised as one. If that’s what you want to write, then sing it loud and proud. That way you can pull in readers who would love to read your book. And detract readers, like me, who are looking for something with less steam.

Though, I think I would have still hated this book even with less steam.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating: DNF
Publication Date: 21 February 2023
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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.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Park Row through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 21 March 2023
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In 1937, Stella North is thrilled to be competing as the only female pilot in Europe’s first air race for young adults. Between Spain’s civil war and the Nazis gaining power, the world is looking for something uplifting to follow. But the competition quickly turns cutthroat when a competitor is killed and each of the pilots has their own dangerous past to hide.

Elizabeth Wein, the author of Code Name Verity, delivers another fun and cute young adult WWII historical fiction novel. Stella makes for an excellent female protagonist: sharp, clever, and confident. I found the descriptions of flying fascinating; they were explainable without being overpowering. The high-action plot and the cute romance keep you flipping pages trying to guess the mystery. Yes, Stateless is a bit over the top, but in a good YA kind of way.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 14 March 2023
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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.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 4 April 2023
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Ten years ago, on the way back from a high school service project, two vans were in a tragic accident and only nine students survived. Yet none of the survivors feels like a hero, each ashamed of a decision they made that fateful night. Every anniversary since, they have met at a North Carolina beach house to check up on each other. Cassidy Brent has tried to distance herself from the other survivors, but when she finds out one has recently died, she finds herself drawn back in. When the group realizes that someone has been talking, they begin to suspect each other, and Cassidy wonders if one would go to great lengths to keep them all quiet.

The Only Survivors is an excellent slow-burn mystery, emanating a tense atmosphere as Cassidy suspects each classmate in turn. Slowly, Miranda reveals the true story of the accident, exposing how the weight of their secrets has influenced each of their lives. The high-action climax was a bit overdone, but I absolutely loved the final twist in the story. A solid 4 stars for me, The Only Survivors is my new favorite of Megan Miranda’s thrillers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Scribner through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 11 April 2023
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Just as Sadie finds she is a finalist in an art competition, she has to undergo an unexpected brain surgery. Suddenly, Sadie finds she has face blindness, hopefully, just a temporary complication that she is determined to hide. As soon as she meets her new vet, Sadie instantly starts fantasizing about their future wedding. Yet before they can even go on a date, Sadie finds herself increasingly drawn to her annoying neighbor. As Sadie struggles to paint a portrait without being able to see faces, her personal life implodes around her, teaching her love can come from the most unexpected of places.

Katherine Center’s latest romance is predictable in that way you want romance books to be predictable. Although the storyline was a little hard to swallow and the characters were so one-dimensional that it was a bit ludicrous, the cute and quirky premise makes it a perfect read-it-and-forget-it story for when you just want a mindless love story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 11 July 2023
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Although she doesn’t have fond memories of growing up as one of the only Black girls, Liz Rocher returns to her Pennsylvania hometown for her best friend’s wedding. When the couple daughter’s disappears during the reception, Liz flashes back to another summer night. In high school, the only other black girl was found dead in the woods with her chest ripped open. Now Liz realizes there’s a pattern of black girls going missing and scrambles to find Caroline before the evil in the woods is finished with her.

Considering I don’t particularly like horror, I surprisingly liked Jackal. Adams’s atmospheric writing does an excellent job of drawing you into the mystery and filling you with a fear of the woods. Though the novel started strong, the second half was a bit out there, fully shifting into a horror scenario that didn’t work for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bantam Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 4 October 2022
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In a spinoff of her bestseller These Violent Delights, Chloe Gong returns to 1930s Shanghai with a tale of dueling spies. After an experiment makes her ageless and immortal, Rosalind Chang becomes a spy for her country hoping to redeem her traitorous past. When the Japanese are suspected of a series of murders, Rosalind must go undercover posing as the wife of another spy to investigate a series of murders.

Though promoted as a spinoff series, Foul Lady Fortune is actually just the third book in the These Violent Delights series. Gong toned down the supernatural vibes of the series in favor of a spy novel, at least until the ending. To me, the story didn’t stand out, lacking the vibrancy of the original. However, I imagine fans of the series will find it an enjoyable read.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 27 September 2022
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In this emotional coming-of-age book, Lisa Wingate bases her story on a notorious real-life scandal of an adoption agency that kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families. In 1939, twelve-year-old Rill Floss is asked to watch her four younger siblings while her father takes her mother to the hospital to give birth. Suddenly, a group of strangers arrives and takes Rill and her siblings to a Memphis-based orphanage where Rill must fight to keep her siblings together under the eye of the cruel director. Meanwhile, in the modern day, the privileged daughter of a senator starts digging into her grandmother’s history.

Before We Were Yours is historical fiction at its finest, bringing a horrifying historical event to life with a powerful story. Rill’s story is heartbreaking and all too real, highlighting all the layers of abuse Georgia Tann inflicted on victims of her black market adoption scheme. As with so many historical fiction stories, Before We Were Yours is told in dual timelines, and Wingate excels at making the modern story compelling which keeps the pacing level throughout the book.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 6 June 2017
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When the President’s son falls in love with the Prince of Wales, international relations take on a whole new term. At first, America’s darling Alex Claremont-Diaz can’t stand the royal British heir, Prince Henry. Forced to develop a fake friendship for the publicity, the two soon realize that no faking is required.

Everyone has been talking about Red, White & Royal Blue for the last few years, so I decided to see what I thought. To be honest, it wasn’t really my thing. I’m more of a will-they-won’t-they kind of girl who prefers fade to black. Red, White & Royal Blue definitely did not fade to black. Basically, the whole middle of the book described the clandestine hookups and snarky love emails between the two main characters. Full of irreverent humor, McQuiston’s silly romance was utterly predictable, tying everything up in a neat little bow at the end. If overly sweet queer romance books with plenty of smut is your thing, then you’ll love this book. Else, I’d give it a pass.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 14 May 2019
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From a lifetime obsession with laundry, Patric Richardson is the laundry guru you didn’t realize you needed. Having run Laundry Camp at Mall of America for years, Richardson has all the tips and tricks for you to wash everything at home, saving you time and money and making your clothes look fabulous.

Boy, does Richardson love laundry. His energy makes you feel like you can conquer the world and completely redo your laundry routine. I listened to the audiobook and I wish I had purchased a print copy instead. While his narration was surprisingly entertaining, a hard copy would be much more convenient to use as a reference guide for all your future laundry needs.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 30 March 2021
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Study after study shows that women are less confident than men, with far-reaching social and economic impacts. In a thought-provoking book about women’s empowerment, Kay and Shipman explore the nature of confidence. What exactly is confidence? How much of it is genetic and how much of it is learned? Interviewing notable scientists and leaders, they teach women how they can overcome their self-doubt, be more confident, and take more action.

The Confidence Code is an interesting book, looking at confidence through genetics and brain physiology, and comparing nature vs nurture vs the hard knocks of life. Kay and Shipman have some good takeaways, yet I think I’d have preferred to read a long article on the subject instead; The Confidence Code was more in-depth than I needed. My biggest takeaway – it’s okay to feel nervous and process a situation. Confidence doesn’t need to be blustery or brash, but you do need to take action and make decisions.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 5 April 2014
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