I seem to be on a Jane Austen retelling kick lately: first Once Persuaded, Twice Shy, and now Relative Strangers, which is a modern reimagining of Sense and Sensibility.
What’s Relative Strangers about?
Amelia Bae-Wood ((ahem, Marianne Dashwood) goes to live with her widowed sister Eleanor, her widowed mother, and her niece Margaret after her glamorous foodie-preneur lifestyle falls apart. Her family has been rendered near penniless...
The Hacienda is one of those books that’s received a lot of buzz – and I’m happy to report that it lived up to the hype.
I’ve seen a lot of bloggers/reviews comparing The Hacienda to Mexican Gothic, which was a DNF for me. So, it took me awhile to gather the courage to attempt The Hacienda.
I’m not sure why people keep comparing these two novels. Maybe -- disappointingly -- it’s because they’re both set in Mexico?? Sigh. It's a...
Let's jump right into it: I loved The Candid Life of Meena Dave. Like, really loved it. As in, I give it all the stars! You guys know my fondness for the "unexpected inheritance" trope, so when Kaye Publicity asked me if I wanted an ARC of The Candid Life of Meena Dave, I was like, You had me at "inherits a Victorian brownstown in historic Back Bay, Boston." I love Boston, and, like most people, my favorite area of the city is Back Bay with its...
Homegoing is one of those novels that I’ve borrowed from the library various times, only to return it, time and time again, unread. It’s been recommended to me by several people, but it wasn’t until my blogger friend Literary Dates posted about this powerful book that I actually cracked it open and began reading. This novel by Yaa Gyasi is everything people promised it would be. It's gripping, it's emotional. It's raw, it's honest. It's...
I can't believe I'm saying this, but Mexican Gothic is the latest bestseller to fall into the DNF pit. Let me start off this book review by saying that I'm not only disappointed by how much I didn't enjoy this Gothic suspense -- but I'm very surprised by it. Mexican Gothic made HUGE waves last year among bookstagrammers and book bloggers, for its book cover alone! Which is, admittedly, gorgeous. A creepy, crumbling Victorian mansion in a remote...
I'm pretty sure that Party of Two is not author Jasmine Guillory's best work. I know, I know: that's a pretty bold statement to make right off the bat. Guillory’s first book, The Wedding Date, made huge waves when it published a few years ago, but I never got around to reading it. I picked up Party of Two because it was the only Guillory title my library had on hand during COVID quarantine. Given all the fuss surrounding the author and her...
I knew I was going to enjoy Wow, No Thank You when I saw that author Samantha Irby also runs a blog called bitchesgottaeat.com. My level of enchantment only increased when I saw that she dedicated this book of essays to Wellbutrin, to which I, too, owe many a debt of gratitude. Obviously, Irby and I are kindred spirits. The reason I originally decided to read Wow, No Thank You is the title. The second I saw it, I could hear one of my friends...
I want to tell you what reading An American Marriage by Tayari Jones did to me: it blew the doors of my understanding of white privilege wide open. Those doors will never be shut again. I read An American Marriage in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. With a few exceptions, most of my reads are written by white women. This isn’t a purposeful decision, but it’s a trend I’ve noticed over the past few years, so I’ve decided to diversify...
Michael Arceneaux, author of I Can't Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I've Put My Faith in Beyoncé, may be my spirit animal. I can't even tell you how many times I emphatically nodded and shouted "Hell, yeah!" as I read his candid and moving memoir. It's rare that I stumble across a writer whose wry sense of humor so closely matches my own -- or, at least, my own if I had the chutzpah to speak or write about things as...
Mom, don’t read this post. I’m serious. Stop reading. I know you’re a loyal Tartlet, but it’s okay for you to skip this particular book review. In fact, for the love of God, please skip this one. Are you gone? Last chance…. …… Okay! For everyone else who is NOT my mom: *blasts Salt n’ Peppa music and dances around the room* Let’s talk about sex, baby. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang is a fantastic book. I’m giving this...
