We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Last year, I tried to complete the seasonal reading challenges on Goodreads (though the skeptic in me feels like it’s a way for Amazon to get people to buy more books). This year, I have been checking the categories and using them as a way to work through books I already own but I won’t buy a book to complete the challenge and it’s also fine if I don’t get all the achievements. I am currently in too many book clubs to also let challenges […]
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
Decades after the heiress Ruby McTavish was kidnapped as a toddler and dubiously recovered a year later, her adopted son Camden and his wife Jules return to her ancestral home in a bid to claim her long-neglected inheritance. This book draws inspiration from several cases in the early 20th century in which a kidnapped or vanished child was thought to be returned, only for it to be later discovered that it was instead some unrelated child who for whatever reason was trying to be forced […]
Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
This is a lovely, sad, beautifully written book. I feel bad for everyone who rated it one star on Goodreads just because it wasn’t a faithful retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Because if you read it for what it is, instead of what it isn’t, it’s really quite wonderful. Ivey touches on themes of motherhood, love, personal freedom, mental health and the natural world, all in a dark fairy tale setting. Single mom Birdie does the best that she can for her daughter, Emaleen, […]
The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed
Nura is a third-generation matchmaker for high society, and business is thriving, even if she’s working herself ragged for it. But when a series of bizarre incidents starts plaguing her clients, Nura begins to realize that someone may have it out for her. Though arranged marriage is becoming less common among desi immigrants in the United States, there is definitely a thriving market for it. Nura’s methods are far more intensive than the folders with photos and personal and professional details that my dad sometimes […]
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
After years away from Palestine, actress Sonia returns to visit her sister and takes a role in a West Bank performance of Hamlet, where she must grapple with her delicate relationship with her homeland. I’ve never read a book set in Palestine, which is why I requested this book on NetGalley. This book came out in 2023, but the intervening years have only made it more important to read. Hammad does an excellent job of capturing both Sonia’s alienation from and longing for Palestine and […]
Second Night Stand by Karelia Stetz-Waters, Fay Stetz-Waters
When professional ballerina Lillian has a one night stand with a beautiful stranger in Portland, she does so only because she’s certain she’ll never see her again. But when it turns out that Izzy will be competing in the same dance competition show, their growing connection may get in the way of the win they both desperately need. I really loved Karelia Stetz-Waters’ previous book Behind the Scenes, so even though I haven’t been interested in reality show romances in the past I was excited […]
