Details for Anxious People and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: A group of people attend a real estate showing and get held hostage together with a bank robber. The (very funny) narrator explains how the characters wile away the hours getting to know one another in this bizarre scenario while a police duo tries to identify the bank robber. Themes: ☀️ Family & friendship ☀️ Connections between strangers ☀️ Grief & loss ☀️ Finding humor amid hardship My thoughts: 👏 This is a very character-centric novel. Each character plays a role and contributes to the success of the story. 👏 In true Fredrik Backman fashion, this book kept me laughing until the very end. 👏 The characters' experiences are varied, and there will surely be something relatable for most readers. Backman is unbelievably talented at covering heavy themes in a funny, accessible way. Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ Intelligent humor to make you laugh ✅ A commentary on the hardships of life and why it's worth living anyway ✅ A story to leave you feeling good about life and humanity ✅ A character-driven story

Review details for The Martian and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars and must survive while he waits to (hopefully) be rescued by his team on Earth. This sci-fi book will keep you laughing while making the world of space travel highly accessible, even to the not-so-scientifically minded. Themes: ☀️ Survival ☀️ Science-fiction & outer space ☀️ Friendship ☀️ Hardship & loss My thoughts: 👏 The main character is great. He’s funny, well-written, and scrappy. 👏 I once taught this book in an ELA curriculum (even though I am a social studies teacher) and learned that the science in the novel actually checks out. This is super cool and makes the book even more fantastic as you read it. 👏 It’s sci-fi done really really well, and even those who don’t usually love the genre will probably like this book Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ A great science-fiction survival tale ✅ A likable protagonist ✅ A reminder that there is still light, even in the most hopeless of situations ✅ An outer-space themed novel

Review details for A Woman Is No Man and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: This is a generational tale of a Palestinian family living in Brooklyn. It follows generations of women in the family as they grapple with issues of gender and tradition in their lives. Themes: ☀️ Gender and the treatment of women in different cultures ☀️ The meeting of traditional ideas and modernity in contemporary New York ☀️ Family & heritage ☀️ Violence, abuse, & the aftermath My thoughts: 👏 This is one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve ever read. Its roots in reality surprised me (as a New Yorker), as I hadn’t considered these things to be happening in the city where I lived. 👏 The author does a fantastic job of intertwining the stories of multiple generations in a way that feels seamless and does each storyline justice. 👏 This is a heavy book, yet it doesn’t feel inaccessible. On the contrary, it handles these difficult themes and messages in a way that truly makes them accessible to any reader. Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ Books on gender and women’s experiences ✅ Stories that tackle the intersection & conflicts between traditional beliefs and modern society ✅ A book that will stay on your mind for longer than you think ✅ Immigrant stories that highlight stark differences between the home nation and the United States ✅ Stories rooted in family

Review details for This Tender Land and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: Four children escape a Native American boarding school in the 1930s. Together, they travel across the United States, learning much about the nation, one another, and themselves. Themes: ☀️ American history ☀️ Identity & coming-of-age ☀️ Friendship & family ☀️ Hardship & loss ☀️ Child neglect, abuse & the aftermath ☀️ Racism & prejudice My thoughts: 👏 This novel paints a complex, yet beautiful picture of 1930s America, both the good and the bad. I loved it for that. 👏 The book began reckoning with the history of Native American boarding schools before it was a hot topic in the news. It feels very authentic in its treatment of the subject. 👏 The coming-of-age, identity development themes in the story are spot-on. Extremely well done. Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ Historical fiction based in the 20th-century United States ✅ Teenage (and younger) protagonists ✅ A coming-of-age tale with themes of identity and development ✅ Stories featuring themes of friendship, family, and heritage

Review details for The Last Story of Mina Lee and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: A woman returns to her home neighborhood on the West Coast after her mother is found dead in her apartment. In her quest to learn what happened to her mother, she learns about her Korean heritage, her family, and herself. Themes: ☀️ Family & heritage ☀️ Mother-daughter relationships ☀️ Coming-of-age & identity development ☀️ An immigrant experience in the United States ☀️ History (Korea & the United States) ☀️ Mystery My thoughts: 👏 I loved the character arc of the main character in this novel. It was well-developed and I felt like I was growing with her as I read. 👏 I was really intrigued by this idea of the things we don’t know about our parents. I feel this as a mother and a daughter, and it made the book all the more enjoyable for me. 👏 The mystery moves well and keeps a reader fully engaged in getting to the bottom of the mother’s death. Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ An engaging tale of identity and growth ✅ A story about the immigrant experience of a Korean American on the West Coast ✅ An engaging mystery that keeps you turning pages ✅ Themes of family & heritage and how these things intertwine to impact you

Review details for Daisy Jones & the Six and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: A rock-umentary style book detailing the lives and relationships of a fictional rock band in the 1970s. Follow the band members as they rise to the top of the charts and beyond through their own recollections of a wild decade. Themes: ☀️ Romance & relationships ☀️ Fame, wealth, & class ☀️ Addiction, drugs, & alcohol ☀️ Music & art My thoughts: 👏 These characters stay with you – I’ve been thinking about them since I finished reading 👏 There are some very intense and thought-provoking messages in this book about relationships, the choices we make, and what love truly means. This was my favorite part of the novel. 👎 There were a few places where I felt it dragged a little bit. Especially involving Daisy’s character, which felt a little too 1970s-drug addict stereotypical for me. This became less true for me by the end, but I felt it throughout the beginning of the book. Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ Themes about addiction and recovery ✅ Thought-provoking ideas about romantic relationships ✅ A 1970’s setting ✅ Gems of wisdom woven throughout a larger story ✅ Another great read in the TJR world

This book is the ultimate summer read. Review details for Malibu Rising and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: Follow the generational history of the Riva family from its inception to the present day, when the four adult siblings throw a beach party that ends in disaster. The book unfolds into a saga of family, romance, and mystery. Themes: ☀️ Family relationships ☀️ Mystery ☀️ Romance ☀️ Class differences, wealth, & fame My thoughts: 👏 Truly the epitome of a summer read 👏 Excellent commentary about family relationships 👏 Page turner that keeps you guessing 👏 Really nice descriptive language to capture life by the ocean Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ A summer read ✅ A good mystery with a little bit of relationship drama ✅ A commentary on wealth, class, and how fame can impact families ✅ Another great book set in the TJR world

Absolutely loved it. Review details for As Bright As Heaven and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: A family runs a funeral home in Philadelphia during WWI. They grapple with the effects of the global conflict and the 1918 pandemic that hits the city hard. Themes: ☀️ Grief & loss ☀️ Coming of age ☀️ Family, friendship, and community ☀️ Sickness ☀️ War My thoughts: 👏 Heavy and heart wrenching, but with purpose 👏 Well written 👏 Well researched Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ A good cry or heavy book ✅ Relatability in the face of loss ✅ Something thought provoking and real to break up a series of quick and easy reads ✅ Perspective on life and death ✅ A reminder of the strength and power of community and family

Review details for The Last Word and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: A woman leaves a one star review on a book she read while self-isolating on a sparsely populated beach. Before long, she is targeted by the author and fighting for her life in a creepy old house. Themes: ☀️ Loss & grief ☀️ Mental illness ☀️ Horror & suspense ☀️ Suicide & depression My thoughts: 👏 Very creepy and suspenseful, in a good way 👏 I found myself really rooting for the main character in a way I enjoyed 👏 Interesting discussions of reality vs. fiction and how the two intertwine ❌ I guessed two of the big twists pretty early on. This isn't always a negative for me, but in this case, I just felt like it was a little too predictable. Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ A creepy thriller with a classic setting (big empty house on a deserted coastline) ✅ A page turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat ✅ A little bit of gore...nothing too graphic, but enough description for you to fill in the blanks ✅ Representations of many types of relationships (family, friendship, romantic) and their significance

Review details for The Last Russian Doll and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: A woman returns to Russia in search of her heritage after her mother’s death. There, she learns more about her personal and family history than she ever could have predicted. Generations earlier, an unlikely romance blooms, both fated and doomed by the Russian Revolution. Themes: ☀️ Family & Heritage ☀️ War ☀️ Death & Loss ☀️ Romance & Love My thoughts: 👏 Very well-written 👏 Excellent commentary on the things that last and the things that don’t 👏 Well-researched, without getting bogged down in the details (the history teacher in me loved this!) 👏 I really enjoyed the storytelling interwoven throughout the book Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ A really good historical fiction novel that epitomizes the genre ✅ A story rooted in Russian history ✅ A page turner romance ✅ A cross-generational tale

Love this for a summer read! Review details for The Holdout and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: A former member of a murder trial jury joins her fellow jurors for a ten year anniversary documentary. Back at the trial, she convinced the others of the defendant's innocence, leading to his release. Now one of the other jurors is murdered, and she is the prime suspect. Themes: ☀️ Crime & legal thriller ☀️ Regret & hindsight ☀️ Societal issues, stereotypes, and assumptions My thoughts: 👏 A slow build, but still a page turner 👏 Excellent whodunnit 👏 Multiple perspectives done well Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ An entertaining mystery for a vacation read ✅ People who like to solve the whodunnit as they go ✅ Fans of multiple POVs ✅ Solid twists that keep you guessing ✅ Legal thrillers

Love this for a summer read! Review details for #theFountainsofSilence and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: An American photographer travels to Spain with his high profile family in the 1950s. He meets a woman and is brought into her complicated life under the oppressive regime of Franco, the dictator of mid-twentieth century Spain. Themes: ☀️ Dictatorship & oppression ☀️ Romance ☀️ War ☀️ Clashing of different worlds My thoughts: 👏 A deep and thought provoking summer read 👏 Well written & emotional 👏 Well researched Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ A read for the warmer months with a bit more meat to it than a typical beach read ✅ A story about two people from different worlds coming together ✅ Messages and themes about oppression, dictatorship, and war ✅ A good love story ✅ A little bit of history you might not have known previously (Franco's lasting dictatorship and it's impact on the Spanish people is often overlooked by high school history curriculum 🤷‍♀️)

Love this for a summer read! Review details for #theLibraryofLegends and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: A group of students travel across China seeking a safe space during World War II. With them, they bring a collection of myths known as the Library of Legends. Themes: ☀️ Mythology & folklore ☀️ Coming of Age ☀️ Friendship ☀️ War ☀️ Family & Legacy My thoughts: 👏 A very cool merging of history & mythology 👏 Well timed to keep you hooked throughout 👏 Well integrated mythology in a larger tale Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ Something that keeps you interested ✅ A little bit of fantasy/supernatural without it completely dominating the story ✅ WWII themes ✅ A coming of age tale ✅ Likable characters

Love this for a summer read! Review details for #SummerWives and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: Winthrop Island is home to local and summer people whose lives and romances intertwine over the decades. This story follows their relationships across generations. Themes: ☀️ Class differences ☀️ Coming of age ☀️ Family, friendship, and community ☀️ Love & romance My thoughts: 👏 A wonderful summer read 👏 Well written 👏 Genuinely interesting and enjoyable Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ Something to read on the beach ✅ Likable characters with a cool setting ✅ A story that spans generations ✅ Undertones of class differences and family drama

I enjoyed this book! Review details for #TheOnlySurvivors and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: A group of friends get together for an annual reunion. They survived a car accident together in their formative years and are all grappling with that trauma in different ways. One of them has been sharing secrets with an outsider, but who is it? And why? Themes: ☀️ Childhood trauma ☀️ Coming of age ☀️ Friendship ☀️ Grief & survivors guilt My thoughts: 👏 Likeable characters 👏 Great twists 👎 One of the storylines just felt a little off to me. I just didn't really buy it. Overall, I recommend it for people who are looking for... ✅ A good twist ✅ Multiple perspectives & dual timelines ✅ Themes of friendship over romance ✅ A mystery to solve while you read

Review details for What Lies in the Woods and what to expect ⬇️ Summary: The survivor of a serial killer’s attack in her early teenage years returns to her hometown to reconnect with her two friends who witnessed the assault. She is forced to face her past head on as she delves into secrets long buried in the woods of her childhood. Themes: ☀️ Friendship ☀️ Mental Illness ☀️ Coming of Age ☀️ Mystery & Thriller My thoughts: 👏 Loved all the wilderness discussion 👏 Well-written (not always a given with mystery novels!) 👏 A great, twisty plot Overall, I recommend it for people looking for... ✅ A page-turner with many twists ✅ A coming-of-age tale that explores friendships and how people evolve over time ✅ Something whimsical in setting, but with deeper themes ✅ Twists that keep you guessing

I hesitated before posting this one because I don't want to make anyone feel any type of way if they were into this book (I know it was pretty popular a few years ago!) ...but I just couldn't get through it. Maybe it turned around by the end... I just wouldn't know. I wouldn't recommend it ☹️

The Writing Retreat started slow for me but eventually became a page turner. It definitely took an unexpected turn, not in a "gotcha" twist kind of way, but more in terms of the style and content of the story (hope that makes sense 🤷‍♀️). Recommend for anyone who likes a fast-paced thriller, especially if you're hunkering down from the cold ❄️❄️ Follow for more content for readers and writers ✌️