Happy Monday, friends! I had such a lovely weekend, especially considering that the weather cooled down dramatically. It seems like we always get a surprise cold front every April and it’s always much appreciated. I was even able to turn off my A/C for a bit, which was really nice. We’ll be back up in the 80s this week, but it was great to have this reprieve from the heat.
Last week, I finished two books and both were 4-star reads. A good reading week, indeed. Here are my reviews:
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins (★★★★☆)
I enjoyed this thriller, which can most definitely be categorized as a “popcorn thriller.” It’s a bit of a homage to Jane Eyre with Jane being a dog-walker in a rich neighborhood and Mr. Rochester (Eddie) being recently widowed when his wife and her best friend died in a boating accident. I loved the way the story played with the themes of Jane Eyre (which is one of the few classics that I really like!) within the bounds of a contemporary thriller. You’ll likely figure out where the story is going, but I still found it enjoyable.
The Switch by Beth O’Leary (★★★★☆)
I really enjoyed this contemporary novel, which is a bit of a cheeky nod to The Holiday. In this novel, Leena is a twenty-something who has been running on fumes since her sister’s death and when she botches an important presentation at work, her company forces her to take two months of paid leave. Eileen is 79, recently divorced after her no-good husband left her for someone else, and is ready to enter the dating world again. Leena who lives in a flat in London hatches a plan with her grandma Eileen to switch houses for two months. Eileen can live in London and have a few flings in the city and Leena can stay at Eileen’s home in a small, rural town and get away from her life for a time. It’s a sweet story that goes back and forth between Eileen and Leena’s points of view. Both stories were engaging and fun, and I just love a cast of characters that are in their eighties. We really do not get enough stories of people in this stage of life, and it was so refreshing. There was a lot of romance in this book, but it was a light touch and I think it added just enough to the story without being overpowering. There is a bevy of trigger warnings for this book, though—grief, domestic abuse, cancer, and death of a loved one—so take care if you do decide to read it.
‘Never been one for worst-case scenarios,’ Jackson says. He crouches to dip his roller in the tray; his wrists are flecked with paint now, new, brighter freckles. ‘When they happen, you cope. And it’s usually one you’ve not thought of that gets you, so why worry?’
God, what I would give to think like that. The sheer simplicity of it. (p. 179)
Same, girl, same.
What I’m Reading This Week
- All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (audio) – I am almost finished with this novel, just a little over an hour left. I’ve enjoyed it but it’s also breaking my heart.
- Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain (print) – I’m slowly making my way through this book. Right now, I’m midway through the 1700s. I have to really force myself to slow down while I’m reading this book to really take in the content, so I’m glad I’m only reading a few essays a day.
- The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton (print) – I’m excited to dig into this book this week, as it’s gotten lots of rave reviews from trusted sources.
What are you reading?
I haven’t ever read Jane Eyre!!! I probably should. And The Wife Upstairs is on my TBR.
I think you would like The Wife Upstairs! It’s a decent thriller. It won’t blow your socks off, but it will keep you entertained! 🙂
Jane Eyre is also one of the few classics that I enjoyed! I felt like it was so readable, which I wouldn’t say about many classics!
I really enjoyed The Switch, too. I love stories about octogenarians! They are so delightful as characters of that age usually have a lot of wisdom and a different outlook on life!
I just finished The Anthropocene Reviewed which I really enjoyed. I also finished “Where the Light Falls” which was historical fiction that was set during the French Revolution. Now I am reading “One Two Three” – based on your recommendation! I have been wanting to read this for awhile but hearing that you enjoyed it pushed me to request it from the library. I started it last night and am really liking it so far!!
I’m glad to hear that you liked The Anthropocene Reviewed – that’s on my TBR and I’ve heard some good reviews.
I hope you love One Two Three as much as I did!
I have DNFed Jane Eyre more times in my life than I care to admit to. I will leave to others to tell mem all about it.
I thought that The Switch was a good book, too! I loved that representation from older people! But I’m super excited for you to read The Final Revival of Opal and Nev because I adored that book so much! It was just so good. Plus, there were lots of historical facts and anecdotes in the book that I didn’t know about and I learned a lot from it. Huge thumbs up from me.
Haha – I can definitely understand why you DNF-ed Jane Eyre. I wonder how I would feel about it if I read it now, tbh.
I hope I enjoy The Final Revival of Opal & Nev as much as you did! It’s very good so far.
Oooh! I want to read The Switch. I’m putting it on my TBR. I’m just finishing up Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. I know a lot of people gave this one a “meh’ review but I’m enjoying it!
That’s so interesting that you have seen a lot of “meh” reviews. I’ve heard so many rave reviews! I’m excited to give that one a read very soon.
LOLOLOL COLD FRONT! It’s too bad we can’t split the difference in our temperatures, I think we would have the most amazing weather if we could.
I loved The Switch! What a fun, sweet book that was.
Tehehe – I love talking about cold fronts to my friends up north. 🙂 A cold front for us was, ohh, low 50s in the morning and warming up to the mid-60s by the afternoon.
Also, Jane Eyre is NUTS. Pure bananas. I recently reread it and was like WAIT WHAT I DON’T REMEMBER THIS PART. Holy moly, what a book! In a good way! But still, bananas. The whole entire thing, from the terrible relatives to the school to the what-even Mr Rochester.
I need to give it a reread soon because I think so many of the crazy concepts went over my head. It’s kinda how I felt when I reread The Great Gatsby as an adult after loving it as a teen. Like, WHAT THE HECK IS THIS BOOK?!
The Switch sounds like something I would really like! I just started 1998, the last in that series of time travel books I was reading.
It would be a good palate cleanser when you need something light and fun. I really loved the octagenarian plotline. So much fun!
I have no idea WHEN I read Jane Eyre, but I know I did. Some of the comments about how people responded differently when reading as adults makes me think I need to revisit some of the “classics” I read in HS! Hmm…
Also, The Switch sounds just lovely as a palate cleanser. I will need to hunt that one down!
Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books and I was so eager to read (or rather listen to the audiobook) the Wife Upstairs. And while I’m on the fence about the book itself (unreliable narrators are one of my literary pet peeves), The Wife Upstairs really made me see that, omg, there are some hugely problematic issues with the mysterious brooding hero archetype as a romantic ideal. I mean I guess it’s all about time and perspective, but though I thought Rochester was so swoon-worthy when I was a teenager, I can totally now see how he can be seen as kind of just sullen and childish.