Happy Monday, friends! Oh boy, I had the absolute best weekend. Busy weekends filled with lots of things to do and social time can give me lots of anticipatory anxiety, so I was a little overwhelmed leading up to this weekend. But, as always, everything went wonderfully and I had the most fantastic time. My weekend started with book club where we celebrated nine years (I’ll be celebrating seven years in October!) of books and friendship with a potluck-style dinner and lots of great desserts. Then, on Saturday, it was off to Orlando to see the Backstreet Boys concert! I don’t have words to describe how fun the concert was! Those boys have aged very, very well and my teenage love for Brian Littrell still runs strong. I returned home from Orlando on Sunday afternoon and proceeded to take a five-hour nap (oops). Busy weekends wear me out!
Okay, onto today’s post! I finished three books this week – a romance, an audiobook, and a novel I’ve been holding off reading. My reviews are below:
American Dreamer by Adriana Herrera (★★★☆☆)
This m/m romance centers on Nesto and Jude. Nesto has just moved to Ithaca from NYC to try to make his Afro-Caribbean food truck a success. He meets Jude on the first day of his truck being open and they hit it off immediately. However, both of them are a little wary of beginning a relationship when they both need to focus on their work: Nesto on his food truck and Jude on the mobile library he wants to bring into the community. It’s a sweet story and I’d give five stars on the plot alone. However, the writing left a lot to be desired, as did the chemistry between Nesto and Jude. But this is Herrera’s debut and I’m excited to see what she does from here.
Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo (★★★☆☆)
Yejide and Akin are committed to a monogamous marriage in Nigeria, which was not the norm for this culture in the 1980s. However, it’s been a few years since they got married and Yejide is struggling to get pregnant. So, Akin’s mom brings in a second wife in the hopes that she can bear the children Yejide cannot. Obviously, chaos and hurt and turmoil ensue. It’s a heartbreaking, harrowing story of love and family, but it’s not one I necessarily enjoyed. I found all of the characters unlikable and hard to root for, and the ending fell very flat for me. I listened to it on audiobook and had to really push myself to listen to it on my drives because it was just so heavy and depressing. I really appreciate this novel, though, and getting a glimpse into a culture I know very little about. (Content warnings abound, FYI.)
After You by Jojo Moyes (★★★★☆)
I waited a good long time to read the follow-up to Jojo Moyes’s best-selling book (and a personal favorite of mine), Me Before You. I loved that book so very much; it holds such a special place in my heart. I couldn’t imagine this book could even scratch the surface of how much Me Before You meant to me. And, obviously, it doesn’t come close to having the same impact, but I still really enjoyed this novel! Louisa is trying to move forward with her life after Will died, but she’s not doing a great job of it. She’s depressed, working at a bar in an airport, and basically just walking in circles. And then she falls off the roof of her apartment, propelling her into action as she recuperates at her parents’ home. It’s a beautiful story about love, loss, and the non-linear path that grief takes, and I truly enjoyed being back in Louisa’s world.
What I’m reading this week…
> At Last by Jill Shalvis. I’m a little less than halfway through this contemporary romance and it’s been a sweet ride so far. I love Jill Shalvis’s romances so much!
> Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. I’m starting this book today. The hosts of the No Thanks, We’re Booked podcast rave about this novel and when I saw a pristine copy at a used bookstore, I snatched it up. I hope I love it as much as they do!
> I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott, on audio. My hold for this audiobook came in a few weeks ago and I couldn’t get around to it until this week. Thankfully, it’s a short audiobook (around six hours) so I’ll be able to fly through it during my commute this week.
What are you reading?
I didn’t love “Stay with Me” either and seemed to be in the minority in not loving it as most people I know gave it a very high rating. I think I also gave it 3 stars. I couldn’t put my finger on why I didn’t love it. It just felt a little bit ‘meh’ for me. Maybe because the characters weren’t likable?
I hope you enjoy “I Miss you when I blink.” That was an enjoyable read for me and I’ve heard her speak on a couple of different podcasts. I’m reading “Next Year in Havana.” I am liking it but am not LOVING it. But I’m less than 1/2 through so there is still time for the story to unfold more. I do love books about/set in Cuba, though, as I find the history of that country so fascinating! Next I am going to read another non-fiction book called “French Kids Eat Everything.” Paul is such a picky eater at home so I am trying to come up with strategies to get him to eat better at home. But he eats like a champ and eats a wide variety of foods at school so I’m not super concerned. I just want dinner-time to be more enjoyable for all of us! 😛
What a fun weekend! You needed that nap!
Stay with Me sounds interesting but like a really tough read. I have only seen the Me Before You movie! I wonder if they were true to the story!
You know what I am reading! I think I may read Spoonbenders next, which a friend recommended to me months ago!