She remembered her mother’s words: to always rise above. Because her family was rare. Wealthy. Beautiful. Black.
–The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis is a charming YA romance following four women in the early 1900s Chicago: Olivia, the eldest Davenport daughter; Helena, the youngest Davenport daughter; Ruby, Olivia’s best friend; and Amy-Rose–the maid. All four of these women have dreams, ambitions, and a swoony love story unfolding in this historical fiction novel.
Hear more of my thoughts below by listening to the latest episode:
It is rage, expanding so fast and so hot that it fuels itself beneath your skin. Grief so deep you are only an open wound, only pain. Pain so fresh that the world itself feels like it should be burning.
–Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
My most anticipated release of 2022 is finally here, and I couldn’t be more excited to share my thoughts! Today’s episode is chokeful of spoilers, so if you haven’t read both of these books (and you care about spoilers), then I would wait to listen to this one! The Legendborn Cycle is definitely shaping up to be one of my favorite fantasy series, for sure…
“Love wasn’t possible without a self, and nor was thinking.”
–Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan was a challenging read for one– not in the sense of it having difficult prose, but in the sense that it was frustrating. It follows the story of Charlie, Miranda, and a robot named Adam as they uncover Miranda’s secrets and become entangled in a pseudo-love triangle.
I hope if you listen to this episode, you understand that I was *not* looking for romance or a love story, but I was looking for an exploration of humanity through the subject of love, jealousy and intimacy in which a love triangle could have been a conduit for this conversation. At any rate, let me know what your thoughts are about this novel in the comments below!
“For more than half a decade he’d thought of her every day, and here she was. Ian drank her in. He found her lovely. He found her obscene. He found her. “Here you are,” he said aloud, and smiled.”
–The Huntress by Kate Quinn
The Huntress by Kate Quinn is a force of a historical fiction novel, offering a triple POV, triple timeline story of a Huntress being hunted. Oftentimes, the story is brutal, with an incorporation of real life historical influences that make you cower, and at other times, the story is relatable, funny, and heartwarming. In typical Kate Quinn fashion, this novel is immersive, accessible, and romantic—a perfect read for someone in the mood for a historical and mysterious tale.
When I watch you sleep,” he said shakily, “I feel overwhelmed that you exist.”
–Beach Read by Emily Henry
I didn’t know regular life could feel like this, like a vacation you don’t have to go home from.”
–People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Somehow, it never occurred to me that this was an option: that two people, in the same hug, could both be allowed to fall apart. That maybe it’s neither of our jobs to keep a steel spine.”
–Book Lovers By Emily Henry
For the past two weeks, I’ve been reading summer romcoms.
I had this big idea to start a new series on the podcast called Battle Royale, where I pit 3 books against each other in an attempt to see which one I like the best (ultimately, which one I give the highest star rating to). While I have seen all three of these books, Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation, and the recently released Book Lovers many times at the store, I just hadn’t picked them up. Until now, of course. And so, I must say, the last two weeks have been fun. It was nice immersing myself in the world of one author and seeing the world through the characters they create, through the plots they have constructed around them.
While most of the time I see these books under the banner of SUMMER READ, I have to say these books aren’t without a certain amount of reflection, emotion, and dare I say it–drama. I grew emotional and misty-eyed through all three. Some heavy topics are hit and explored. These are adult books, but there was something nostalgic about reading them. I couldn’t put my finger on it. It wasn’t until I was halfway through Book Lovers that I realized what it was. When I was a teenager, I loved Sarah Dessen novels. I remember picking up my first one, That Summer, probably around 2003 or 2004, when I was around thirteen years old, thinking (for some reason) that it was purely a teen summer romance, which I was apt to read. What I got, and what I continued to get from Sarah Dessen, were these sweet romances paired with strong female characters learning, stretching, growing. Coming of age, if you will. And I realized that Emily Henry’s novels have the same feeling; they feel like the “coming-of-age” of adult women, of women in their late 20s and 30s who don’t quite have it together, and haven’t exactly grown into the person or into the lives they want for themselves. Or maybe they have, like Poppy in People We Meet on Vacation, but now they want something different. Familial relationships are important in Emily Henry’s novels, and they are explored, a theme I would run into quite a bit in Sarah Dessen’s novels. And so, now at 32 years old, it felt nice. Like a warm hug, a soft hello in a different form–novels that explored some of those themes from my teenage-hood in an adult way. In a way that once again applies to me.
I haven’t read a Sarah Dessen novel in years. Anyone can read YA, but I know a contemporary YA novel in 2022 *may* not affect or impact me the way it would have in 2005. And that’s okay. I’m aware that the feeling I got at 15 or 16, of connection, of being seen, of being on summer vacation away from school and sitting in my childhood bedroom with the sun spilling through my windows–it won’t ever be like that again. I can enjoy a YA book, love it to pieces, but I know that feeling–it can’t come back. But I can get new feelings. Similar feelings. I’m happy Emily Henry is writing to fill a void I didn’t even know was there.
She Happily Reads 