Month: January 2023

By: Tori Henwood Hoen

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

TLDR: This is a really fun rom-com full of bourgeois careers, clubs, etc. The main characters are fun and relatable. I’m not going to tell you that the end will shock you, but I am going to tell you that you will really enjoy this story, and if you’re like me – you’ll wish that some of these fictional places were real so you could visit.

The Longer Review: Ursula is a 30-something single lady in NYC. She’s successful, she’s fun, she’s tired of dating, and she’s about to give up on finding love. Cue: the Arc. It’s supposed to be a cutting edge, highly selective (aka $$$) “matching” service. The sky-high price tag boasts a proprietary method of deeply diving into who someone is and what makes them tick to suitably match them to “the one” ending the rigamarole of dating.

When Ursula is matched with Rafael the chemistry is instant and it leaves them – and all of their friends/family – questioning if this matching service might actually work. That question lingers as this couple navigates the ins and outs of a relationship. There are bumps – which are to be expected. The weight of the ARC and it’s guarantee of a perfect match creates cracks. Can these two hold on to each other and what matters through their own relationship arc?

There are lots of fun things surrounding this story – first and foremost The Stake – a women’s club founded in feminism and beaming with empowering treatments and social events. This is probably the thing that I wish most truly existed, even if I don’t live in NYC. There are rain rooms, and quirky massages, and yell yoga. Sign me up. Ursula’s best friend Issa also sounds like someone I want to know. Mallory (Ursula’s cat) may be the first cat I’ve ever been sad not to have personally met. I simply can’t understate the fun in this novel. Get it now! Thanks to Becca Freeman, of Bad on Paper Podcast, for the rec.

by Ruth Emmie Lang

Recommend

TLDR: A story of two gifted sisters who go on a trek to find their mother – Nora – who disappeared five years ago. This is a baby-suspense novel, so if you want to dabble in a new genre this would be an easy way to try something new. There’s also lots of geographical references to Texas, so that was fun for a native Texan. Overall – I’d say it’s interesting, but wouldn’t qualify for the best suspense novel I’ve ever read (check out The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave instead).

The Longer Review:
Zadie (oldest) and Finn (youngest) are two sisters with a sixth sense; Zadie is a psychic, and Finn has echoes/can re-live other people’s memories. The two pair up on a journey using their respective gifts to figure out what happened to their mother Nora, who disappeared five years earlier.

There are some fun travel bits in this along with the Texas references which are a fun way to break up all of the “magic” which is not usually something that I’m into. It’s got an intermediate dose of suspense (what happened to Nora/where is she?), which may keep you reading. There are some chuckles woven in with characters that show up throughout the story, so overall this is a pretty light, easy read. Maybe not my absolute favorite, but if any of the above intrigued you then give it a go.

by: Kristin Hannah

Do Not Recommend

TLDR: This simply isn’t Kristin Hannah’s best work. I’m a huge fan of her writing, but there are other books I’d recommend ahead of this one. It’s not bad – it’s just not great either. A mother of two goes into a coma after a horse riding accident, and wakes up with only old memories – a la ‘The Vow’. It’s got some variations from the ‘lost-my-memories’ tropes that we’ve seen before, but again nothing noteworthy IMHO.

I’m gonna start to leave it at the TLDR version of the reviews for the books I don’t recommend. If you’re interested in hearing more, I’m always happy to chat.