Genre: Adult

If a book is billed as a romance novel but the romance isn’t the most memorable part of the novel, either the romance sucks or the story is so well developed that it punches much higher than typical for its genre. For me Beach Read falls into the latter category with such strong characterization and plot development that the romance sits comfortably in the backseat for most of the ride. There’s certainly a lot of romantic beats and some spicy scenes, but I found myself far more engrossed with both characters’ narratives and how they play off and almost heal from their broken pasts together. The plot is genius pairing off two authors with polar opposite styles and reversing them both in their professional work and in their personal lives. While there’s plenty of hilarious hijinks, Emily Henry’s sarcastic and snappy character banter elevates the material while still keeping the dialogue smart and witty (which I’m learning is the norm after also reading Book Lovers last month). I also thought the leads are both well-developed with elaborate backstories and upbringing and have great chemistry. I often find romance leads to either be too emotionally volatile and dramatic or stereotypically too…

It’s done purposely to avoid giving away spoilers and the core plot of this novel, but honestly the synopsis of this novel really doesn’t do a good job at selling how ambitious and high-concept this sci-fi thriller novel is. Minor spoiler alert but the synopsis fails to mention the multiverse-hopping quantum mechanic physics that makes the plot far more interesting than what it says on paper. However in retrospect I see that it was probably done this way for fear of alienating certain readers who may be off-put by a synopsis sounding big brain (it’s quite easy to follow and not big brain at all). Dark Matter is for sure a definite page turner especially once things get going once Jason Dessen is kidnapped by a mysterious man and I can see this making an excellent movie/tv-drama; the plot is excellent. As a novel though, I had some minor nitpicks holding this back from a 5-star read. What I loved about Dark Matter is its explanation and mechanics to the alternate reality/multiverse plot. Instead of just throwing in a random portal to another world or futuristic device (cue most time travel stories), Dark Matter uses an interesting interpretation of Schrodinger’s Cat…

For two hundred pages I questioned why I was reading Klara and the Sun which for the most part, is a introspective and quiet story of an AF (artificial friend, think of M3gan without the horror malfunctioning) observing and learning from human activity around in her adopted household. An artificial friend resembling a doll of sorts, Klara spends an awful lot of time thinking about the sun (yes there’s reasons for that) and watching over a young but weak girl named Josie and her childhood life. However, there are signs and a slow foreboding sense that nothing’s is quite right but it takes a close look to notice it under Klara’s well-meaning yet unreliable narration. (On an unrelated note this book was an absolute pain to get and read for me locally, I had to wait 6 months on a library hardcopy waitlist and the ebook copy I had a hold for still currently has a 20+ week wait). To say anymore would potentially give away the surprises and dark developments left in the last 100 pages, but needless to say things go dystopian really really fast. I’m accustomed to the more stereotypical takes on the dystopian genres such as…

This is one of my first forays into the magical realism genre compared to my past reads that are solidly fantasy adventure or straight fiction which is a group of character leading seemingly unrelated lives and stories whose only surface level connection is their shared residence at the Dellawisp Manor/condo. New to the island and fresh out of high school Zoey moves into her late mom’s condo and spends the whole novel discovering parts of herself and finding her place in life through learning about her other neighbors on Mallow Island. The magical realism contributes the presence of certain characters as ghosts who have their memories and stories in-tact but really only exist to connect with those who are actually alive. The story jumps between different characters perspectives in the present tense as well as slowly introducing their backstories which surprise, isn’t as unrelated as things appear. I found the characters backstories and arcs to be quite varied but there’s common themes of broken or flawed familial life, rough upbringings, and a sense of abandonment. The story focuses on the concept of found family and although there are dark elements of child abuse and substance abuse, Other Birds still feels…

A solid 4.5 that I’m tentatively rounding up as a nod to how well crafted this novel is. The dialogue between the various characters is snappy and the back and forth snark between Nora and Charlie is amazing (while also giving me uncanny valley to how I talk and respond at times). What I love about Book Lovers is it’s realist satirical tone poking fun at the common romance book tropes delivered via Nora’s first-hand expertise as a literary book agent; it’s so refreshing to read how it throws in a common trope and then runs with it as a self-aware joke. While it’s not categorized as a comedy per say, I often found myself chuckling thanks to the witty dialogue and smart humor (+some purposefully cringy business pun names). The last plot sequence in the last 70 pages or so is where the narrative started to stray from my personal taste. I was fully sold for majority of the story but I found Nora’s perspective and character to be a little off-putting. This is entirely a me thing; her character development and internal growth is excellent and relatable for many but is not something I connect or empathize with…