A review and rating of the last 5 books I read and a look into my TBR list
His Only Wife
Author: Peace Adzo Medie
Publication Date: October 2020
Genre: fiction
Method: hardcover, borrowed from TPL
Review: What a joy it was to travel to Ghana through the pages of this book. I loved the imagery of the lavish lifestyle Afi immerses herself in along with the culture, food, and fashion of Ghana. I also found myself doing some side reading and research about traditional Ghanaian names (linked here) which was also very interesting. Afi is the strong, independent female lead I didn’t know I needed in 2020 – but glad to now know her. I admired her strong will, resiliency, and dedication to creating her own happiness, especially in the face of adversity. I plan to read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi in 2021, also set primarily in Ghana. 
In Five Years
Author: Rebecca Serle
Publication Date: March 2020
Genre: fiction, romance, contemporary
Method: hardcover, borrowed from TPL
Review: I feel bamboozled. What I thought I was getting, having read the synopsis, was a cute love story about a woman whose five year plan doesn’t go as planned. What I got instead was a book about grief, while grieving. What is wild is I didn’t even understand how much I was grieving, until it became very clear that grief was a major theme in this story. On one hand I feel frustrated in that a story centered around grief related to health/mortality was not what I was looking to read at a time likes this (e.g. COVID19 viral pandemic). But at the same time, this may have been divine intervention because a book about grief is/may be exactly what I needed. Frustration aside, the twists and turns were unexpected, I felt pain and sorrow for the characters, and the final reveal took me by surprise. 4 out of 5 stars.
Pretty Little Wife
Author: Darby Kane
Publication Date: December 2020
Genre: thriller, suspense
Method: hardback from BOTM subscription
Review: This one came close, but it just missed the mark for a 5/5 rating. Some low level uneasiness and apprehension, but no jaw dropping moments nor heart palpitations (I’m looking at you, Home Before Dark), so it’s a 4/5 from me. The pace was excellent – the perfect balance of flashforwards and flashbacks sandwiched between suspenseful chapter endings. The author did a great job of leading the reader to possible suspects and eventual dead ends. I had low expectations going into this one after being semi-disappointed in my previous 2 suspense BOTM picks, so I call this one a win!
In a Holidaze
Author: Christina Lauren
Publication Date: October 2020
Genre: romance, holiday
Method: paperback, borrowed from TPL
Review: A quick, heart warming holiday read. The first couple of chapters felt a little choppy trying to keep all the characters straight but after getting a handle on the various family trees, I flew through it. Definitely some laugh out loud moments and tugs at the heart strings. A feel good pick for the holiday season! Also, would love to see this made into a Hallmark film, just putting it out there.
The Truths We Hold
Author: Kamala Harris
Publication Date: August 2020
Genre: nonfiction, politics, autobiography
Method: paperback, borrowed from TPL
Review: I didn’t have any expectations going into this book. When the election was officially called for Joe and Kamala, I requested this book from the library, surprised when it didn’t have a long wait list! Simply put, I learned a lot having cracked open this book. The chapters were dense and it took some time to get through, but I found it to be very, very informative. Topics discussed included: prison reform, gay and marriage rights, the foreclosure crisis, police brutality, DACA, the American health care system, the opioid crisis, war on drugs, Affordable Care Act, and big pharma.
And what’s up next
Until tomorrow, Meryn
MERYN MADE 