Happy Monday, friends. How’s everyone doing today? I am proud of myself for not logging on to work at all this weekend—I didn’t even check my email! I was tempted a few times, but I adhered to the boundary I set for myself and I am entering this new week feeling a bit more refreshed and as if I really did have a “weekend away.” I’ve never been one who struggles with work/life balance, but it’s been more difficult lately. Baby steps, though!
I finished three books this week (nearly four!) so my reading pace has not suffered one bit with this pandemic. I’m glad for it. Reading has become more of an escape than ever. My reviews are below.
Books Finished
> Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey (★★★☆☆) – I liked this book, even though it did feel a bit more “fluffy” than the other romances I read. Georgie Castle is ready to turn her clown business (no, really, she’s a clown for kids’ birthday parties!) into a full-service entertainment company. She’s also ready to date and come to terms with her years-long crush on her brother’s best friend, Travis. It’s a cute story that combines two different romance tropes (brother’s best friend/fake relationship), and I enjoyed it… until the ending. The ending was just so far-fetched and ridiculous! It’s maddening when an author ruins a story that was so well-written and fun with a silly ending. Ah, well.
> Long Bright River by Liz Moore (★★★★☆) – This book is billed as a thriller, and there are definitely some thriller-y parts to it, but it read more to me as an exploration of the opioid epidemic and the distinct ways siblings’ lives can diverge. Mickey is in her thirties and a cop and her younger sister, Kacey, is a sex worker who’s been hooked on heroin since they were teens. But then Kacey disappears right around the time there is a string of murders against sex workers. Mickey begins searching for her sister, hoping to find her before it’s too late. I really loved the twists and turns this novel took—there were a lot of plot twists that I didn’t see coming, and all of them added deeper layers to the story. Mickey could be a really frustrating character at times, as she took risks that seemed super reckless, but even so, I could understand her motivation. I would have done the same if it were my brother! It’s a story that brings into sharp focus the pervasiveness of addiction and what a scary reality it is for those who live it or who have loved ones who do.
> It Had to Be You by Jill Shalvis (★★★★☆) – I finished this sweet contemporary romance yesterday evening, and it was a delight from start to finish. Ali Winters is not having a good day: her boyfriend has broken up with her, she’s accused of a crime she most certainly did not commit, and she’s about to be kicked out of her home. Then her landlord shows up, the sexy, elusive Luke, who offers her a place to stay and help with clearing her name. It was a super fun read and I loved both main characters so very much. Their love story was sweet and progressed in a natural way that allowed them both to come to terms with their relationship/life baggage before committing to each other.
What I’m Reading Now
I’m currently finishing up Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave—I have just about 50 pages left, so I’ll definitely finish it today. Then I get to start Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore! My dear friend Kim generously gifted me the e-book of this novel that I’ve been dying to read, and I’m excited to dive into it this week. I’m also planning on starting Hot to the Touch by Jaci Burton. Her books can be very, very sexy (enough to make this seasoned romance reader blush!) so we’ll see if I can get through it, heh.
What are you reading?
Yay for not working this weekend! I am very happy to read that.
Gah, it’s got to be infuriating to read a book and have the ending go off the rails like in Fix Her Up. Lame. I really want to read Long Bright River! I was wondering about it since Sarah from Sarah’s Bookshelves loved it and our taste does not align (OMG We Wish You Luck NOOOOOOOOOOOO), but since you vouch for it, I believe it!
Yay! I am glad you get to start Oona soon! I think you will find the relationship of Oona and her mom very touching.
I am reading When We Believed in Mermaids which so far is moving fast and keeping my interest, yay! (The last book I read was sooooooooo slooooooooooow, blah)
WAY TO GO RE: NOT LOGGING INTO WORK ON THE WEEKEND! I almost did the same (I did check my email, but only so I could mark items as read on my phone). Small steps!
Re: Fix Her Up. Hmmm. Interesting lol. I’ve now read reviews from three differently people I trust, with three WILDLY different takes on it — one loved it, one hated it and you’re middle of the road haha. Maybe I’ll have to check it out at some point just to see.
I’m pretty sure I listened to It Had To Be You on audio a while ago. From what I remember, I enjoyed it!
I finished both Help, Thanks, Wow (to be fair, it’s not lengthy) AND Save the Cat! Writes a Novel this week! I also read a couple chapters of the Chaos of Standing Still. Definitely spent more time writing than reading this week, but some weeks are like that.
Nice work on not logging in! It’s tough to not do that when there are less boundaries (or none!) between home and work. I didn’t log into my computer but I did read email yesterday and responded to one from my boss that he had sent on Saturday night. It wasn’t urgent but once I read it, I figured I better respond in case I forgot to respond today. We changed to a new email system and I haven’t figured out how to ‘mark as unread’ after reading an email. That’s usually what I do after I read something that requires a response from me.
My reading is really pretty meh these days. I’m trying but I’m just struggling to find books to read. I’m so sad that our library continues to be closed. They are doing curb side pick-ups at some branches, including mine, but they aren’t allowing returns so I don’t think any of the buzzy books I’m high on the list for will be available anytime soon since it requires someone else to return the book. I finished a Pride and Prejudice retelling that was a fun read. Next I will read a book called “Chelsea Girls” – it’s the 4th book by the author. Her books are all based in prominent buildings in NYC and the building is almost like a character as you learn about the history of the building, etc. They are usually page turners so hopefully I enjoy it. I might have to splurge and buy some ebooks for books I’m on the hold list for as I am just not sure when I’ll start to get buzzy books from the library again.