What I’m Reading (4.26.21)

I guess I should address the elephant in the room on the blog. My reading updates are back, baby! Two months ago, I made the decision to replace my weekly reading updates with a weekly wrap-up post. And I have enjoyed writing those posts! They’re a really fun way to wrap up the week. But I have also really missed writing my reading updates, as I don’t feel like my wrap-up posts give me enough space to talk about what I’m reading and all my bookish thoughts. I spent a lot of time thinking about what to do. Ultimately, the decision fell to what feels good to me now—not what I think I should do—and retiring my weekly wrap-up posts to bring back my weekly reading posts is what feels good. So that’s what I’m doing! Sorry if this gives anyone blogging whiplash. 🙂

So, let’s dive into the books I finished since my last update (Friday). I have two books for you!

The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty (★★★★☆)

One-sentence synopsis: Ellen, a hypnotherapist, has just started seeing a new man and she thinks he could really be the one—until he tells her his ex-girlfriend has been stalking him for the past few years.

I picked up this book for April’s Unread Shelf Project challenge, which is to read a book bought from a used bookstore. (I bought this from Thriftbooks at the beginning of 2018.) I went into it with low expectations because almost everyone on my Goodreads list who has read it said it’s not Moriarty’s best. And while I agree that it’s not my favorite of hers, she still can write a damn good novel.

The novel switches back and forth between Ellen (the girlfriend) and Saskia’s (the stalker) points of view. I loved getting Ellen’s side of things, mostly because I really liked reading about hypnosis and her work as a hypnotherapist. I also found myself relating to her insights about relationships and that exciting but also terrifying time when you’re in a new relationship that seems like it could be the real thing. It’s hard not to overthink everything at this stage—is this little squabble we had the sign of things to come? Should that little quirk of his be a red flag? Ellen is in her mid-thirties, so she’s been alone for a long time, and I could wholly relate to how she struggled to own this new role in her life (girlfriend and stepmom).

And then there was Saskia’s point of view. Being in the mind of a stalker is an interesting place to be, but I have to say, Moriarty did a fabulous job of creating a person I could relate to and feel sorry for. That’s not to say she didn’t annoy me. I wanted to shake her MANY times for her behavior and the way she had ruined a man’s life. But I could understand her. I just wanted her to find a way to break free.

And now I have talked for many more words than I usually do about this novel. Suffice it to say, it had an impact on me and it’s one I don’t think I’ll forget anytime soon. Also, it got me insanely curious about hypnotherapy… so stay tuned about that. Ha!

Frisk Me by Lauren Layne (★★★★☆)

Short synopsis: After a video of Luc (an NYPD cop) saving a little girl from drowning goes viral, he’s become an Internet sensation. So much so that a national news outlet has sent their star reporter—Ava—to do a feature on him.

Oh gosh, I loved this contemporary romance so much! I found Ava to be a bit off-putting at first, but she gradually grew on me as the novel progressed. Luc was a wonderful hero, full of charm and wit and sexiness. I loved the way these two sparred with one another and the hot, hot chemistry between the two of them. I thought the dark moment was perfectly played—it felt authentic and was well-paced within the story. I finished this novel yesterday afternoon and found myself thinking of the characters throughout the rest of the day and feeling sad that I had wrapped their story up. Signs of a great read! (Open-door romance.)

What I’m Reading This Week

• Refugee by Alan Gratz (print) – I’m really enjoying this middle-grade novel following three people who have had to leave their countries because of unsafe conditions: Josef in 1930s Germany, Isabel in 1990s Cuba, and Mahmoud in 2015 Syria.
• American Street by Ibi Zoboi (audio) – I’m a few hours into this audiobook about a teenage girl who is coming to America from Haiti with her mom, except her mom gets detained in customs. It’s not an easy read, but it’s been a really eye-opening one so far.
• Rebel by Beverly Jenkins (romance) – I’m going to start this historical romance sometime this week. I read one book by Beverly Jenkins and didn’t like it at all, but I’m going to give her another shot. Romance readers keep telling me she’s one of the best, but I will reserve my judgment until I finish this book.

What are you reading?