Review Round Up
It’s time for another review round up of some of the books I finished this week! Going into the holiday weekend here in America, I hope you’ll find something to pick up and finding your new favorite book!
Happy & You Know It by Laura Hankin—A witty, dark, and entertaining look at what it means to be a woman. I really liked this book because while it had juicy drama and laugh out loud moments, it has a lot of heart and serves a greater purpose than just Real Housewives esque drama.
It is the story of a group of women on the Upper East Side of Manhattan who are friends thanks to a playgroup. A down on her luck musician finds herself hired as the playgroup’s personal entertainment, allowing her a glimpse into their glamorous lives. Before long, Claire finds herself intoxicated by the sparkle of their seemingly perfect lives, only to find their secrets are darker than she’d ever imagined.
TW/CW: infidelity, drug use, mention of suicide & method
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne—Wow, wow, wow. This is one I put off for awhile and finally added to my March Book of the Month box. I was so impressed with the writing, the pace, and the story telling. Cyril is a character I will think of often. While this is a character driven novel, I still think it had a lot of action and I didn’t feel like I got lost in the story. I went between the physical copy and the audiobook because the audiobook was just SO good. The narrator, Stephan Hogan, bounces between so many different accents, i couldn’t believe it was the same actor!
The Heart’s Invisible Furies is the sweeping story of Cyril Avery, a gay Irishman discovering his sexuality and identity throughout the 20th century. John Boyne takes us from 1945-2015, from Ireland to Europe to New York and back to Ireland with a cast of characters who are so unique, you’ll never forget them.
CW/TW: hate crimes/violence against homosexuals, derogatory language, violence against women, 9/11, sexual violence, mild gore
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro—This is a book I had picked up and put down almost every time I ended up in the YA section of the bookstore. It has SUCH a good cover and I love a feminist retelling of a classic story. But for some reason, I kept passing it up. It’s one of Ashley’s favorite series, so when she pitched it to me on the podcast, I knew I had finally get to it!
Confession: I have never seen Sherlock Holmes. None of the variations. So i went into this story kind of blind but I really liked it! I liked the Charlotte had a quirky, unique voice and tone. I loved being in Jamie Watson’s mind. I think I’ll continue the series eventually, but I think it will be especially entertaining for Sherlock Holmes fans!
A Study is Charlotte is a witty new story about the teenage descendants of the famous Sherlock and Watson that takes place at a boarding school in Connecticut. Charlotte has inherited some of the classic Sherlock vices and isn’t looking for friends, but after a student is murdered on campus in a classic copy cat case from the Sherlock stories of old, she realizes she can only trust Jamie Watson.
Bonus: the entire series is on Kindle Unlimited and the entire series is available on audio on Scribd beginning Friday May 22, 2020!
TW/CW: sexual assault, drug addiction, violence and gore, car crash
What have you been reading recently? What’s been your favorite? Let me know!