Mini Book Reviews; August 2023

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I received an ARC of Happiness Falls from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I received a copy of Don't Forget to Write from Amazon First Reads.

If anything, I read books with really good covers this month! I definitely picked Old Flame based on the cover and, yes it was worth the read. Actually, everything I read except for Happiness Falls was great. The pre-release hype for Happiness Falls was big and I fell for it. Interestingly, this book got great reviews and I just don't get it. If you've read it, comment below and let me know what you thought about it. 

I do love a coming-of-age story and Last Summer on State Street was a good one. This is set in Chicago, in the iconic Robert Taylor Homes, an inner city housing project built in the 1960s. An acknowledged failure, demolition and relocation of residents began in the late 1990s. The narrator of the book, a 12 year old resident, describes her life during this period of time. She and 2 friends play double dutch and jump rope in the large hallway. Over time, things change for them as they begin to mature and lose their innocence. The author of the book grew up in the project and it was clear to me that she drew on her experiences as a child there to write this book. Her writing is compelling and I did not want to put this book down. It's not an easy read--there is a lot of violence--but as told through a 12 year old's viewpoint, it was really impactful. 

A father goes out on a hike with his son, who is autistic and has Angelman Syndrome. The son returns home, with blood under his fingernails, but his dad is missing. What a great premise for a novel, right? You would think so, but Happiness Falls did not work for me. The story is narrated by the oldest daughter, a very bright but irreverent and overanalytical storyteller, who soon got on my nerves. For me, this book was way too detailed--there was a lot of information on ASD and AS and the father's theory on the Happiness Quotient, all of which were interesting but detracted from the main story and made it feel like a textbook. In addition, the story is set during the pandemic and that timeline felt a bit dated for me. Truth be told, I became bored about halfway through the book and found myself skimming the text, completely losing interest in the outcome. 

Come for the cover, stay for the writing. Old Flame is a young woman's coming-of-age story, following her as she navigates her career, relationship, friendship, and eventually, motherhood. Initially, I had a little trouble getting into it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down.  The story is told in little vignettes, telling her story in bits and pieces, but making it easy to absorb. The writing is absolutely beautiful--the author has such a gift for storytelling. While this is the story of one woman's life, it really is an exploration of women's issues. I found myself thinking about it long after I closed the book!

When I first saw the description for The Collected Regrets of Clover, a story about a young woman who is a 'death doula', I took a pass. Then my sister, who is pretty reliable about her book recommendations, told me how good it was. She was right. In fact, this is going to probably be one of my top reads of this year. Clover is a young woman who experienced the loss of her parents very early in life. Raised by her grandfather, she is shattered by his death and decides to work through her grief by helping the dying as they reach the end of their lives. Somewhat of a loner, she shuns relationships with other people until her new neighbor, a very confident and lively woman, doesn't give her a choice. Between this new friendship and a very intriguing client, Clover starts to push her boundaries and allows herself to open up to other people. This was a very immersive and satisfying read for me. 

California Golden serendipitously landed on my radar while vacationing in Santa Monica, California. The setting is the beach and it's all about surfing culture in Southern Cali in the 1960s. The main focus of the story is two sisters being raised by a champion surfer mother, who is mostly absent while she pursues her own dreams. The oldest sister is a natural on the board and finds minor success as a celebrity, but her younger sister gets lost in the undercurrent of surf culture. I wished the youngest could get her act together, but that wouldn't have made for good reading, would it? Overall, I really enjoyed the setting and the vibe of the story. But it's hard for me to get my head around a book from the 1960s being classified as 'historical fiction'!

Set in the 1960s, Don't Forget to Write is the story of a free-spirited young woman who is sent to live with her great aunt in Philadelphia after she embarrasses her parents and rabbi in front of the entire synagogue in what I found to be a very humorous escapade. Instead of being the horrible summer she expects, she finds herself transported to the Jersey Shore to a place that is full of surprises. She comes to find that her aunt is a kindred spirit and learns a lot about life and herself. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a good coming-of-age story and this did not disappoint! The writing flowed, the pages turned quickly, and I found myself not wanting to put it down. Oh, and that ending...!

What have you read lately? Have you read any of these books? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

I'm linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.