BOOK REVIEW ROUND UP // VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1

You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth
Author: Jen Sincero
Publication Date: April 2017
Genre: self-help, nonfiction, business

Review: Not nearly as practical as I had hoped. This is just a self-help/motivational book with very minimal, tangible advice on making money – at least for the industry I work in (healthcare). I imagine the ideal audience for this book is someone who works in a more business, public relations, entrepreneurial world. This was not the type of personal finance literature I was looking for – I finished it, begrudgingly. It had some good quotes that I made note of but overall, I didn’t really walk away feeling like I gained solid, useful information for making more money. It gave my major Rachel Hollis vibes, not that that is a bad thing, just not what I was hoping for. I own the predecessor to this work, You Are a Badass, and I’m not sure I’ll get to that one anytime soon.

Little Fires Everywhere
Author: Celeste Ng
Publication Date: September 2017
Genre: fiction, contemporary

Review: I absolutely, without a doubt, loved this book. I couldn’t put this book down, I was captivated by the story. I finished it in 3 days. The only other time I’ve finished a book faster was reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which I finished in like 25 hours (and don’t really remember the details due to the exhaustion). This book had so much of what I love in fiction: interplay between the present and past, mystery, and psychological thrill. And the cherry on top is that the story is set in Northeast Ohio (Shaker Heights). Ng’s other work of fiction, Everything I Never Told You, is definitely on my TBR.

The Last Mrs. Parrish
Author: Liv Constantine
Publication Date: October 2017
Genre: fiction, thriller, mystery

Review: I feel conflicted about this book, it kept me entertained and I kept reading because I was desperate to know how the book ended but overall, this book was heavy. There’s a lot of backstabbing, physical abuse, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, violence, deception, etc. that made me uncomfortable. I understand it’s not uncommon to have these topics and themes in psychological thrillers, but it was just never ending. Honestly, I was relieved to finish this one and move on.

Daisy Jones and The Six
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Publication Date: March 2019
Genre: historical fiction, fiction

Review: This was definitely a good change of pace after having read The Last Mrs. Parrish. This was much more fun and enjoyable in terms of the plot and character development. I’ve never read (not that I can recall) a book in this interview-esque format which was a welcomed change. I’ll be honest and say this book didn’t really hook me. It felt very repetitive with little development in the storyline and just when I was hopeful there might be a spectacular climax, everything fell short. I did, however, enjoy the 1960s and 1970s references to music, style, culture, etc. From the reviews on Goodreads, I think The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Jenkins Reid would be a better fit for me, already on the TBR.

The Night Tiger
Author: Yangsze Choo
Publication Date: February 2019
Genre: historical fiction, fiction, fantasy, magical realism, mystery

Review: UGH, I loved this book, so much more than I ever expected. I downloaded it on a whim knowing it was on Reese’s Book Club list – I’m not even sure I read the brief synopsis on Goodreads before diving in. It’s been nearly 10 years since I’ve read a work of fiction set in Asia and/or written by an Asian author (hello AP lit and The Joy Luck Club) which was so delightful and another good change of pace from the couple books I read before this one. I loved the folklore, magic, superstition, and suspense. Not to mention the bouncing between perspectives of the narrators and between the present and dream sequences. I’ve added Choo’s first novel, The Ghost Bride, to my TBR.