february & march book reviews

February and March were all over the map in terms of reading.  I read a handful of books that I adored and some that weren’t my taste.  Here’s what I’ve been pulling off my shelves lately.

the song of achilles by madeline miller

I ended up reading this book after doing a fun book bracket on my Instagram and am so glad that I picked it up.  I knew that this story about Achilles and his lover Patroclus was going to break my heart, but the range of emotions and complexity of the characters was honestly masterful.  If you haven’t read this book yet, I can’t recommend it enough.  5 stars of course.

take a hint, dani brown by talia hibbert

Like I shared in my review of Get a Life, Chloe Brown (the first book in this series), I wasn’t wowed by anything in this book.  The representation was of course incredibly and I do appreciate that the main couple was diverse.  A lot of the aspects of story and worldbuilding, however, didn’t sit well with me.  I’m starting to think that dishy British romance novels aren’t my cup of tea, but if you love excessive cheese, this could be the book for you.  3 stars.

act your age, eve brown by talia hibbert

I feel terrible giving this book 2 stars because there was so much to love about it, but I’m just not the right reader.  The autism representation was so important and something I loved, but I was seriously ready to quit around 60% in.  The banter was cloyingly sweet to the point and being unreadable and I just skimmed the steamy sections.  Most of the problems in this book and the will-they-won’t-they could’ve been fixed if they’d communicated with each other instead of speculating what the other was feeling.  Overall, I do recommend this book because it’s worth the read, but I personally didn’t enjoy it.  2 stars.

monstress by lysley tenorio

I was lucky enough to read Lysley’s short story collection and then meet him through my university’s visiting writer program.  His stories are artfully unique and reflective of the immigrant experience on the west coast, tying together themes of ambiguous identity and the search for home and purpose.  The stories are really approachable as well so if you’re new to short fiction, this collection is a great place to start.  4 stars.

one of watch by kate stayman-london

My sweet friend Abby (who has a rocking Bookstagram) recommended this book to me and I’m so glad that I picked it up!  This story about a plus-size model who gets hired as the star of Main Squeeze, which is basically The Bachelorette.  Her search for love and body positivity/neutrality journey are so inspiring and I loved how sweet and romantic this book was.  If you’re a guilty pleasure fan of The Bachelor and dishy reality TV, you’ve got to pick up One to Watch.  5 stars.

genuine fraud by e. lockhart

I loved how inventive Genuine Fraud was and was totally sucked in from the beginning.  This book is told in reverse, meaning we start at the end of the plot and move backward in segments until we discover how our protagonist Jule ended up at a resort in Cabo using someone else’s name.  The plot was kind of hard to track on my own, so I ended up making a timeline halfway through and that helped my understanding a lot.  Other than that, I loved the uncomfortable edginess and serious tension in this story.  4 stars.

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