Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (1.4.24)

Hi, friends! Happy 2024! I am back from my wonderful Tennessee vacation and I can’t wait to detail all the fun we had. I promise those vacation recaps are coming soon! I have some book reviews for today, though. These were some of my final reads of 2023, and one of them may end up as my favorite of the year!

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella (★★★☆☆)

Audiobook • Libby • YA • 2015

Short synopsis: Suffering from mental illness, Audrey doesn’t leave the house and doesn’t go anywhere without her signature dark glasses. She had to leave high school after a particularly troubling incident and now stays at home, only leaving for her regular therapy appointments. And then Linus stumbles into her life and helps her embrace the world again.

This was a sweet YA story, but it was definitely written for a YA audience. Some plotholes and storylines didn’t work with my mid-30s sensibilities, but I’m sure most teenagers reading this wouldn’t mind them. This book felt like a serious departure from what Kinsella normally writes, but there were still some signature Kinsella elements, like the over-the-top mom who seemed almost like a caricature of a person. I liked the focus on mental illness and I really loved the way the author explored forgiveness—and the way that we don’t necessarily need to forgive everyone for everything. Sometimes, people hurt us in irrevocable ways and the best thing we can do for ourselves is leave the relationship. A sweet story with a lot of heart!

The People We Keep by Allison Larkin (★★★★★)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Fiction • 2021

Short synopsis: It’s 1994 and April is failing out of high school and living by herself in a motorless motorhome while her father is living with his new family. On a whim, she goes to an open mic at a bar where she sings the songs she’s been writing for a while. It’s there that she discovers her life could be much bigger than she imagined.

There’s a reason why I wait until the beginning of the year to consider my favorite books of the previous year, and that’s because you never know if you’ll finish reading your favorite book of the year on December 28th. Will this end up being my #1 favorite? I’m not exactly sure yet, but it’s possible! This book was outstanding. Even though it’s largely a character-driven novel, I found it to be compulsively readable and hard to put down. I fell in love with April and the grit and determination she had to succeed in every place she landed. She was a character who was so easy to root for, and I found myself crying happy tears as I finished the novel—something that so rarely happens to me. This is a hard, sad story but ultimately, it’s an uplifting one about the power of relationships. I loved this story so much and I want everyone I know to read it. If the found family trope is your kryptonite like it is mine, you’ll love this one.

Love at First by Kate Clayborn (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • Contemporary Romance • 2021

Short synopsis: An unexpected inheritance brings Dr. Will Sterling to an eclectic apartment building where he encounters a whole cast of characters, including Nora Clarke, a woman his own age who wants to make this building the best it can be with fun events. What she does not want is Will to start using his apartment as an Airbnb-type place.

This was a pretty good romance, although I had some issues with it. I love a found family trope (see above!) and this one had it in spades. I loved all of the quirky characters in this novel and the way they all rallied together when someone needed them. This novel has an enemies-to-lovers vibe between Will and Nora, which is normally a trope I love, but I’m not sure it worked for me in this instance. And I think it was due to all of the childish pranks that Nora played on Will at the beginning of the novel. This was her way of getting Will to understand how important this apartment community was, but I just cannot with 30-something adults playing pranks like this. It was so silly and over the top, and it just didn’t feel like authentic. Thankfully, those pranks aren’t a huge part of the novel and I really love the way the story turned in the second half of the book, which fully redeemed the first half. A nice, fun romance—one I would recommend!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (12.26.23)

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (★★★☆☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Fiction • 2011

Short synopsis: After Dr. Marina Singh finds out that her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, has died while working in the Amazon on a valuable new drug, she embarks on a journey to find out exactly what happened to him.

I’ve had this book on my TBR for quite a long time because the premise didn’t really excite me. I’m not one for adventure stories like this, but plenty of reviews said the same: It wasn’t an enticing premise but was well worth the read. I listened to the audiobook, which was probably the best way for me to consume this novel. I think I would have abandoned it if I were reading it in print. This was a hard book for me to rate and I found myself waffling between 3 and 4 stars. It was an intriguing story and I found myself looking forward to listening to it, but I also finished the book with a feeling of, “Meh.” I don’t think it’s a story that will stick with me and it’s not one I’m rushing out to recommend to everyone. It was a fine story, but nothing outstanding.

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde

E-Book • Libby • Nonfiction (Memoir) • 1982

Short synopsis: Zami is a chronicle of Audre Lorde’s life, from her vivid childhood memories in Harlem to her coming of age in the late 1950s.

I’m choosing not to rate this memoir because I just feel weird about rating memoirs. The synopsis of this novel gives absolutely nothing about the plot so I wasn’t exactly sure what I was getting into. What I didn’t expect was to get a glimpse into the queer culture of the 1950s, and it was fascinating in that respect. It was so interesting to read more about how gay women were navigating life at this time—how they were finding community, finding love, finding themselves. I loved reading about all of the women Audre Lorde loved during this time in her life. She also had a lot to say about how gay women were dressing themselves and styling their hair, which was a fascinating time capsule. While I wouldn’t say this is an outstanding memoir, it was a good one and I’m glad I read it.

On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (★★☆☆☆)

E-Book • Libby • Historical Romance • 2006

Short synopsis: The youngest Bridgerton sibling, Gregory, has finally fallen in love. Only the woman he’s in love with is betrothed to another man. Can he convince her that they are meant to be together?

Ugh, okay. Let’s discuss this book. It started off rough, with Gregory falling in lust with our heroine Lucy’s best friend, Hermione. This is nothing new; men are forever falling in lust with Hermione because she is an ethereal beauty, and many times, they are also trying to befriend Lucy so she’ll put in a good word. It’s a bit of a shallow start for our guy. It’s not until later in the book, after Gregory realizes that Hermione is in love with someone else, that he starts to notice Lucy. And I’ll be honest, I did love the sweet love story between Lucy and Gregory once that plotline picked up. But then things went completely off the rails at the end of the novel, and I just found myself rolling my eyes and skimming paragraphs because I just wanted it all to be done. All in all, a lame ending to this series.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (12.15.23)

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Audiobook • Spotify • Nonfiction (Memoir) • 2023

Short synopsis: For the first time ever, Britney Spears speaks out about her life as a pop star: how she got her big break, her relationship with Justin Timberlake, her conservatorship, and more.

I chose not to rate this book because it’s not a book that’s meant to be rated. Is it well-written? Absolutely not. But did it need to be? Was that the point of this memoir? I don’t think so. This was Britney finally able to be free and talk candidly about her life. What this book taught me is that Britney has had a really, really sad life. Sure, she got to be a pop star, but at what price? There were revelations in this book that were eye-opening and most of this book was just so difficult to read. I hope she found the process of working through the highs and lows of her life to be cathartic and healing.

A Lot Like Love by Julie James (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Owned (Amazon) • Romatic Suspense • 2011

Short synopsis: When Jordan Rhodes is approached by the FBI to help with an undercover assignment, she’s originally not too keen on the idea. But then they sweeten the deal: If she helps them out, they can coordinate her brother’s early release from prison. So she teams up with undercover agent Nick McCall. They have to be a pretend couple, but after more than a few weeks in each other’s presence, it’s starting to feel less pretend and more real.

This is my third or fourth time reading this romantic suspense novel; Julie James used to be one of my go-to romance novelists but she hasn’t written a new novel in 6 years and it is such a travesty. So, instead, I get my Julie James fix by rereading her novels! Some parts of this novel didn’t quite age as well as I’d hoped (there was a tinge of toxic masculinity to Nick’s nature at times), but overall, it was a fun ride and one of those easy, brainless romance novels that I love. I didn’t have to think too hard; I just had to enjoy the story and developing romance.

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi (★★★★★)

Print • Owned (Indie Bookstore) • Historical Fiction • 2020

Short synopsis: When Lakshmi was 17, she escaped from a brutal marriage and found a new life in Jaipur where she became a renowned henna artist to the wealthy elites. Fifteen years later, her husband finds her and he has a surprise in tow: a sister she never knew she had.

I loved this book! It had such a lyrical writing style and it was so easy to get sucked into these scenes in India. I was also deeply grateful to the author for including a character bible at the front of the book. I skipped over it to begin with but then as characters were introduced (or re-introduced), I would flip over to that page to familiarize myself with who they were and their relation to other characters in the story. So helpful! This book takes place in the 1950s during an interesting time in history—most especially, a time when divorce was officially legalized in India. This was a novel that focused on women—Lakshmi, her younger sister, and some of the wealthy women she hennaed—and I found all of their stories compelling. While parts of this novel made me frustrated, it wasn’t due to the writing or the plot—it was the characters making silly decisions. To me, it’s the mark of a great book when an author can get me to feel strong emotions about made-up people! All in all, a fantastic book that I highly recommend!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (12.4.23)

The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Fiction (Cli-Fi) • 2022

Short synopsis: When a Category 6 hurricane threatens the Miami area, Daphne and her children must evacuate to a FEMA mega-shelter immediately. Her husband, a surgeon who is handling transport services at the local hospital, has to stay behind. 

Perhaps reading a book about a hurricane wiping out the entire bottom-third of Florida isn’t my best idea, but I am intensely fascinated by this new sub-genre of climate fiction (or “cli-fi”). With weather events continuing to escalate due to climate change, it makes sense that novels are being written that asks the question, “What if?” What if we had a category 6 hurricane sweep through a state? From Bruce Holsinger’s perspective, it means entire cities wiped out and FEMA shelters overwhelmed. This novel follows how Daphne, her 20-year-old stepson, and her tween daughter deal with the aftermath of the storm and living in a mega-shelter (a big step down from their mansion in Coral Gables). It also follows the woman running the shelter and all of the politicking and people-ing that goes along with that. It’s a hard life for all of them and I think the author did an excellent job of helping us understand the way natural disasters can bring about our best and worst emotions. What do you do when your home is gone, when you have to start over from scratch, when you have children depending on you to have it all figured out? There was a twist near the end of this book that I didn’t think was necessary, but overall, this was a solid read, even if the premise is horrifying for this Florida girl.

Recursion by Blake Crouch (★★★☆☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Science Fiction • 2019

Short synopsis: In this new reality, people are dealing with a devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. As its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only two people (a neuroscientist named Helena and a NYC cop named Barry), working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

I struggle with Blake Crouch’s books, mostly because they make me feel really stupid. The concepts he writes about can be really hard for me to grasp, and this one was no exception. But, thankfully, he also does a great job writing characters you can root for and really propulsive plots, so I just decided to enjoy the story and not try to think too hard about how the science behind it all worked. The first 75% of the novel was a solid 4 stars for me, as I found it easy to follow along. Where the book lost me was that final 25% where it felt like the science got a little too science-y and the plot started to drag. At a certain point, I was skimming entire pages because I just wanted the book to be done. I can see why people love this book, but the science fiction genre just isn’t my cup of tea.

The Stand-In by Lily Chu (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Target?) • Contemporary Fiction • 2021

Short synopsis: When a photo of Grace Reed goes viral, claiming that it’s international movie star Wei Fangli, Grace’s world is turned upside down. She’s just a regular girl living a regular life—she’s not a celebrity at all. And then the real Fangli shows up to give her a proposition: She wants Grace to pretend to be Fangli for a slew of red carpet appearances and events, and she’ll pay her the big bucks to do it.

The premise of this romance is a bit far-fetched, but I was willing to go along with the plot as long as the story was a good one. And it was! I really enjoyed this story, mostly because it was fun to get an inside look at the world of a mega-celebrity who is doing all sorts of appearances and events, whether that’s a film premiere or just dinner at a fancy restaurant (where paparazzi are sure to be camped out at). I really loved Grace’s character and felt like she was such a quintessential enneagram 9—her growth throughout the novel was really beautiful. And, of course, there’s Sam Yao. He’s a dreamboat and a mega-celebrity in his own right, and he and Fangli attend most events together, which means he’ll be there every time Grace impersonates Fangli. I thought the author did a phenomenal job of building up the romance between them: first as colleagues, then as friends, and then as two people falling in love with each other. This could have definitely been a 5-star romance for me, but I thought the pacing of the book was a bit uneven and I just really wanted more from the romance. This is an entirely closed-door romance (BOO—give me the good stuff!) and I felt like I didn’t really get to enjoy Sam and Grace as a couple as much as I would have liked. This is the author’s debut novel and I think she has what it takes in the romance world, so I’m excited to read more from her!

Side note: I am pretty sure I bought a copy of this book from Target, but I’m also having a weird memory that maybe someone sent it to me? Was it you? If so, please let me know so I can thank you properly! (Maybe I have False Memory Syndrome, sigh.)

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (11.25.23)

Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating by Christy Harrison (★★★★★)

Print • Library • Nonfiction (Self-Help) • 2019

Short synopsis: In Anti-Diet, Christy Harrison takes on diet culture and the multi-billion-dollar industries that profit from it, exposing all the ways it robs people of their time, money, health, and happiness.

At some point, I would like to write up a whole post about this book because I was taking pictures of quotes like crazy and had a lot of epiphanies while reading this book. I’ve been on a long journey of unlearning diet culture and figuring out how to eat intuitively. That’s why I started working with a dietician this year, to better understand how to fuel my body appropriately but in a way that would be satisfying, too. This book is a must-read if you are also unlearning diet culture like I am—or if you just want to better understand how diet culture has affected our society and how to be a better ally to your fat friends/family members who need you on their side. (And need you to stop saying fatphobic things that you may think are helpful, but are actually harmful.)

Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer (★★★★☆)

Print • Library • Contemporary Fiction • 2022

Short synopsis: When Merit, mother of two and in a lackluster marriage, starts a new job at an architecture firm, she meets Jane. Jane is enigmatic and they form a tight bond quickly. What happens, though, when this friendship starts to feel like something more?

I picked this book for our November book club, and I’m relieved to learn that most of my friends enjoyed it (based on their Goodreads ratings; our meeting is on Thursday!). I really enjoyed it, too. I need to mention up front that this book centers around infidelity so it’s not going to be the right book for everyone (looking at you, Lisa!), and there were definitely parts of the book that felt icky. That said, I really liked this book! I think it’s one that many women could probably relate to (mostly the discussion of middle marriage, being a working mom, etc.) and I found the chemistry between Merit and Jane just leaped off the page. It’s not a perfect book—I really wanted so much more from the ending—but the more that I sat with this book, the more I realized how prescient it is and how it really flips the script on gender roles and marriage. I highly recommend reading the Vogue article featuring the author once you finish the book because I think it does an excellent job of delving deeper into why the author took the book in the direction she did. All in all, a story I truly loved and will probably stick with me for a long time.

Codename Charming by Lucy Parker (★★★★★)

E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: Petunia is the personal assistant to Johnny, who is married to a princess in line for the throne. When she and Johnny are seen in a compromising (but entirely innocent!) position, the tabloids go crazy with speculation. Enter: Matthias. He’s senior security for the royal family and they enact Codename Charming. Pet and Matthias will pretend to be dating until this tabloid fodder dies down. But when they share an electrifying kiss, this fake relationship starts to feel real.

Gahhhh, this book. Lucy Parker has always been a knockout romance writer for me. She just writes the most perfect romances with full-drawn characters and interesting plots. She even skips the dreaded dark moment that happens in so many romance novels; her characters are people who do things like communicate when an issue arises. Imagine that! This book was so very good, not that I expected anything less from her. I loved the way the romance blossomed between Pet and Matthias. The way Matthias cared so deeply for Pet and her for him. Was Matthias a little too perfect? You could say that, but I’m not reading my romances for reality. I get that enough in my dating life. There were a few side plots to this novel, all of which came together in a really nice way at the end, and I just finished the book in the best mood.

What are you reading?