Review: Nine Perfect Strangers, by Liane Moriarty

Rating: ★★★★★

Genres: Contemporary fiction

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I had absolutely no idea what this book was about, but once I saw it in the bookstore, I knew I had to have it. I am a fan of Liane Moriarty’s books and this one was a pleasant surprise!

Normally, I’m not too keen of books with several POVs, several main characters and several ARCs, but sometimes it just works, and this is one of those times. This flew by and I read it in two sittings!

Nine Perfect Strangers tells the story of nine people who book ten days at a health resort that promises to change their lives. Some are there for stress relief, others for weight loss, and others aren’t so forthcoming with their reasons (even for themselves). But there is more to this health resort than any of them expected, and something is not quite right with the owner. She couldn’t possibly be dangerous… could she?

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Review: Based on a True Story, by Delphine de Vigan

Rating: ★★★★☆

Genres: Contemporary, Mystery

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Based on a True Story is the elegant story of the relationship of Delphine (the author) and a woman named only as L. throughout the novel. As Delphine deals with the writer’s block and depression after her last autobiographical book about her mother’s mental illness and eventual suicide, L. becomes very close to her. Little by little, L. starts taking over Delphine’s life, becoming her.

What an interesting book! I wouldn’t call this a thriller, this book is a slow burner, and most of the it is about the relationship of the two women, and discussions about fiction and fact, autobiography and bias.

Review: A Duke by Default, by Alyssa Cole

Rating: ★★★★★

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

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If you’ve known me for a while, you know that I am not a big fan of romance novels. Well, Alyssa Cole proved me wrong.

A Duke by Default is the story of Portia, a young woman from New York who just arrived in Scotland for her apprenticeship as a swordmaker. Her whole life, she has felt like a big disappointment and, at almost 30, still struggles with finding out where her true passion is and follow a career path. Tavish McKenzie, her boss, excels at being… well, an asshole. But what starts as an aggravating relationship between them slowly starts to turn into something more passionate, and a family secret might just add even more complications to their lives.

eARC Review: Pride, by Ibi Zoboi

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Genres: Contemporary, Retelling

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I have received this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

This was among my most anticipated books of 2018, a Pride and Prejudice retelling with gentrification, black main characters, and this gorgeous, gorgeous cover.

Pride tells the story of Zuri Benitez,who grew up in Bushwick and wants to stop the rapidly gentrification of her neighborhood. When a rich black family moves into the big house across her street, she does not expect to like them; in fact, the younger son, tall and brooding Darius, is quite insufferable. Still, she finds herself asking if what she feels for him is really hate.

eARC Review: What If It’s Us, by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

 Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Goodreads / Amazon

I have received this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Receiving this eARC by the wonderful authors of Love, Simon and They Both Die At The End was absolutely awesome and I was so excited to read this!

This is the story of Arthur and Ben, who briefly meet at a post station, but… they never exchange contact information. If the universe wants them to meet again, it will need to be with a little push of themselves. But finding each other in New York city won’t be easy…

Review: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Rating: ★★★★★

Genres: Contemporary Fiction

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Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows has definitely made it to my list of favorite contemporaries!

This book tells the story of Nikki, a daughter of Indian immigrants who has very Western thoughts and behavior, which very often clashes with her family’s traditional ways. She works at a bar and, at twenty-something, she doesn’t know yet what to do with her life. She decides to give English story-telling classes for Punjabi widows – which turns into a moment of sharing erotic stories from the widows’ fantasies. This unpredictable turn of events makes Nikki realize there is much memory, fantasy, desire and a strong community sense among those widows.

Review: My Year of Rest and Relaxation, by Ottessa Moshfegh

Rating: ★★★★☆

Genres: Contemporary Fiction

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This is a weird book, with an odd protagonist – she is a beautiful, rich heiress with a cynical and witty personality. I didn’t realize while reading it, only as I started this review, but the narrator is never named. Despite all her privileges, she isn’t happy. But not to worry, she has a plan! A year of rest and relaxation – that is what she needs! So she leaves her job and starts seeing a rather irresponsible therapist, who’ll give her all the medication she needs to sleep for a whole year.

Yes! Sleep – for a year! That is our heroine’s grand plan for achieving well-being. While most of us try to squeeze a bit of self-care in stolen minutes and hours of our busy schedules, our protagonist chooses a deeply unhealthy coping method. I found her absolutely insufferable, lazy, spoiled. It was so addictive to read! She is clearly depressed, so maybe if you have depression this could be a trigger for you. This shocking decision does not sit well with Reva, her best friend. She struggles to fit within her ideal of a New York woman – thin, fashionable, knowledgeable in all gossip. Reva suffers from bulimia and is unhealthily obsessed with her looks, so please be aware of your own sensitivity if you’re going to read this book.

Series Review: Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan

Crazy Rich Asians

Rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads / Amazon

This first book centers on Rachel Chu, an American-born Chinese Economics Professor from . Her boyfriend Nick takes her to Singapore to meet his family, and Rachel is shocked to realize he is ultra-mega rich and sole heir to a huge fortune. As the girlfriend of the most eligible bachelor in Singapore, Rachel is immediately envied and hated.

Crazy Rich Asians was quite fun! Although too full of descriptions (the entire trilogy is like that), I still found it very pleasant to listen to! I loved Rachel’s sweet and practical personality and, though Nick was so obtuse at times, he was also very sweet. I loved Astrid, Nick’s fabulous cousin, and the hilarious/annoying gossiping. There’s a lot of name-dropping about brands, which I found amusing.

Review: The Vegetarian, by Han Kang

Rating: ★★★★☆

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction

Goodreads / Skoob / Amazon

When I picked this book up, I expected a tale about a woman with mental illness, and how it affected her marriage and family – that is what I had read in the blurb. But The Vegetarian isn’t about that – it’s deeper and darker.

Yeong-hye is not exceptional in any way. She’s quiet, obedient, not specially pretty, and moves along her day being a dutiful wife. The novel being with the husband’s point of view, who is the first to witness Yeong-hye’s mental state deteriorating. It starts with a dream. After that, she cannot eat meat anymore, nor eggs or milk. At first, her husband tries to persuade her to stop the madness as she throws away all the meat in the fridge, but she won’t be persuaded. This act is taken as shocking and shameful by her husband and family. 

ARC Review: Juliet Takes a Breath, by Gabby Rivera

Rating: ★★★★☆

Genres: Contemporary YA, LGBT+, Feminism

Goodreads  / Amazon

I have received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a positive surprise. I don’t know exactly what I expected from it, but it wasn’t this strong story, which left me open-mouthed at its freshness, its exploration of feminism and intersectionalism, its nonchalant gayness. I’m so here for it.

Juliet Takes a Breath is the story of Juliet, a girl from the Bronx who has just come out to her family just hours before leaving to Portland for an internship with the very famous author Harlowe Brisbane. Now she doesn’t know where she stands with her mom, and if she still accepts her. Also her girlfriend isn’t picking up her calls, and feminism is a big question mark.