Ever since Margot was born, it’s been just her and her mother. No answers to Margot’s questions about what came before. No history to hold on to. No relative to speak of. Just the two of them, stuck in their run-down apartment, struggling to get along. But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Pointing her home. Only, when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for. Margot’s mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what’s still there?
This book was . . . interesting, to say the least and I am still not sure how I feel about it. The writing was pretty phenomenal. It made me want to keep reading to see if what was going to happen. The problem was that it took so long to get to the interesting parts. The pace was very slow and it was also tough to connect to the main character, Margot. I did feel her desperation and frustration, but I didn’t really know much about her and there was a disconnect between the reader and her that made the story tough to enjoy. The ending was twisted, but it was also bizarre, and I am not really sure I understand it. This was just an okay read for me.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
When Ruby King’s mother is found murdered in their home in Chicago’s South Side, the police dismiss it as another act of violence in a black neighborhood. But for Ruby, it means she’ll be living alone with her violent father. The only person who understands the gravity of her situation is Ruby’s best friend, Layla. Their closeness is tested when Layla’s father, the pastor of their church, demands that Layla stay away. But what are his true motives? And what is the price for turning a blind eye?
This book was such an incredible surprise. I requested this book on a whim. I kept hearing about it and the I loved the sound of the premise. This book is about a black community in the South side of Chicago, dealing with family secrets, police brutality, racism, and domestic violence. There were a number of characters and I thought the author did an incredible job of developing each of them and giving them rich backstories. I think my favorite point of view was that of the Calvary Church itself. Since the church was such an important part of the fabric of the community, I loved that added touch. Those chapters gave a more nuanced look at some of the happenings with the other characters of the book. The author’s writing was incredibly detailed and vivid and she did a wonderful job of drawing me into the story. I loved the mystery of the characters and the secrets and the author built up an incredible conclusion that was both shocking and satisfying. I definitely recommend this one.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers--and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze.But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition--under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She's in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That's it. But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. In this joyful, razor-sharp debut, Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men--and herself--for a chance to live happily ever after.
I absolutely LOVED this book! It was just such a delight. Bea is a woman who (for the most part) is happy with who she is and she tries not to let the trolls of the world make her miserable. And she is fed up with the fact that the TV show Main Squeeze (a bachelor/bachelorette type show) only has thin women on the show, so of course she can’t help but say yes when she is asked to be the latest contestant. I think Bea handled herself very well with a lot of the fatphobic people who ended up on the show. I did enjoy the romance part of it, but honestly the best part was seeing her growth throughout the story. Yes, Bea is comfortable in her own skin, but it soon becomes apparent that she has a problem believing that she is worthy of love. And that she still thinks she has to settle. But the story and the ending had such an awesome message and I was so satisfied with how everything was resolved. Fantastic read!!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Marva Sheridan was born ready for this day. She's always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election? Duke Crenshaw is do done with this election. He just wants to get voting over with so he can prepare for his band's first paying gig tonight. Only problem? Duke can't vote. When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted. She hasn't spent months doorbelling and registering voters just to see someone denied their right. And that's how their whirlwind day begins, rushing from precinct to precinct, cutting school, waiting in endless lines, turned away time and again, trying to do one simple thing: vote. They may have started out as strangers, but as Duke and Marva team up to beat a rigged system (and find Marva's missing cat), it's clear that there's more to their connection than a shared mission for democracy.
I thought this was such a great read and so timely with the fact that today’s youth are becoming more and more vocal and politically active. Marva is so passionate about politics and is incredibly excited to vote in her very first election. Duke’s mom is more excited about him voting than he is and he seems somewhat apathetic about the process, though he does want to vote. But there are issues and Marva becomes involved and they spend a whole day together, trying to make sure he can vote and I loved that. The book deals with activism and racial injustice and gun violence and yet there are lighter moments in the book too. I like that Duke tried to teach Marva to live in the moment a little. The only thing I didn’t care for was Alec, Marva’s boyfriend. She is pissed at him because he doesn’t want to vote. While I can understand her frustration at his lack of caring, she kept talking about it as though he should vote because he told her he would and not because it’s the right thing to do. That irked me a little, but I began to understand where she was coming from, especially because of the fact that he was white and privileged, which meant he could afford to not care about certain things, but she couldn’t. Great book by this author.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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