Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Y'all, I have to say that horror is definitely not a genre I read ever. That said, this was a wild ride that kept me reading! The story focuses on Maeve and Andrea. Maeve and Andrea were both children in a cult. Maeve escaped, and she's always wondered what happened to Andrea. Then, they find one another again in New York. Andrea has taken on some new ventures in the fertility industry, and Maeve is invited to be part of these. Maeve has some hesitations, and then as she is drawn more into Andrea's world, more things start happening. As a reader, there were lots of moments where I could totally see what was happening, but the characters couldn't which was part of the solid horror experience. This was quite intense, and I'm glad I jumped out of my normal genres for some emotional thrills!

I would offer the content warning that this might not be a good read for anyone who is trying to conceive, struggling to conceive and/or pregnant. I'm a new mom and did okay with the content, but thinking about other stages of my motherhood journey, this would've landed differently with me.

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Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I adore the way J. Courtney Sullivan writes characters, and this was another masterclass in her telling the stories of people and relationships. This focused on two Irish sisters who immigrate to America. In America, their lives are anything but what they expect including one life-changing turn for both of them. This story goes between tragedy in the present and explaining what happened in the past. It's a beautiful and tragic story about family that was just so, so wonderful.

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Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is basically the dictionary of Brene Brown, and that's a good thing. It is literally all the feels. With each feel, there is a definition and exploration of what this feel actually means. It's more a reference piece than anything else as it summarizes some of her previous work and establishes common language for emotions. What I found is there are words I use when I actually mean something else, and that something else can help me better explain what I'm actually feeling and needing. If you've read all the Brene as I definitely have, this is a beautiful companion piece. It's also one I can see myself referencing as I build out content as it's wonderfully explained common language. If you're a fan of Brene and/or just want to do more exploration of emotions, this is definitely a comprehensive piece to add to your collection!

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Going There by Katie Couric
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This memoir could have no other title than GOING THERE as that's very much what Katie Couric does in this reflective piece. No topic is off limits, and she's also not afraid to name names as she walks thorough her life and career. She is willing to share those times she messed up and/or things didn't go according to plan, AND she's also willing to share about when other humans made mistakes and/or didn't support her. I've always known Katie's public persona and remember many of the public experiences/events she mentions, so it was interesting to read her reflections on what was really happening in that moment, as well as how she feels about these happenings all these years later. This is definitely raw and honest and again epitomizes the concept of "going there" in a memoir.

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Turning by Joy L. Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The premise of this book is about a dancer who suffers a traumatic injury, so she can no longer dance. However, this story is so much more than that. Said simply, Genie is navigating some really heavy stuff. This includes grief, unhealthy relationships and determining what she must do now that her dreams have been shattered. While this is explained as a book about Genie the dancer, it's really about Genie the human. For me, I wish there would have been some more about who Genie was before and just more about the characters in general to really get that strong emotional connection to the story. Thanks to the publisher for an early copy of this recent release.

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Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After re-reading Mindy's first book, it was obviously time to come back to her second. What I love about reading these books as a duo is that you get to hear from her as her work and life has shifted. For example, in the first book, she focuses on The Office, and this is more about her experience with The Mindy Project. This is more of a collection of essays and reflections, and it's such a random menagerie, AND that's what makes it so great!

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Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another book in my tour of memoirs by women I've read before and want to revisit. Y'all, I love Mindy Kaling, so I have always and will always love this one. The fun thing about re-reading her books is seeing the evolution of her work and her reflecting on her experiences as a human. There are some lines in this one that will forever make me laugh. This was absolutely a delight to revisit!

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My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a collection of short stories and a novella that above all else are just wonderfully written. While each story is independent, there are common threads of emotion, tragedy and exploration of fictitious experiences that are grounded in the real, lived experiences of today. Short story collections aren't always my jam, however this one was one that I found intriguing and thought-provoking.

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One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that I devoured because I needed to know what happened, and it was legit stressing me out not knowing the outcome. The story focuses on Emma who marries her high school sweetheart Jesse. They are both in jobs and live a life full of travel and adventure. Then, Jesse goes missing and is presumed dead from a helicopter crash on their first wedding anniversary. Emma is devastated, and she moves back home. Devastated, Emma moves back home. There she begins running her family's bookstore, and finds love again with Sam who she has known since childhood. She's engaged to be married, and then Jesse is found alive! The story then takes on major Ben/Noel vibes (which is what induced the stress reading) as Emma has to choose between the two men she loves. I will say throughout I had one dude I was definitely rooting hard for, so it was almost a romance suspense novel as I had to read on to see if that's who Emma ultimately chose!

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Bossypants by Tina Fey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After re-reading another memoir, I decided that I wanted to revisit this one, too. All these years later, there are still parts of this one that make me laugh out loud (literally) and parts that make me smile. Revisiting books I first read in my twenties and return to in my thirties, it's also a fun reflection to see what passages I resonated and flagged back then, as well as to find new stuff that connects with me now.

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Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Here's the thing y'all. I read this book when it first came out, and I didn't love it. I've always wanted to re-read it as I just felt like something was "off" in that first read. Looking back at the date, the disconnect absolutely makes sense. I wasn't at a place where I could really connect with this one back then. So, seven years later, I came back. The second time around I loved this one. First off, I think I just understood the message so much better. It wasn't about saying yes to all the things with reckless abandon, rather this is about saying yes with intentionality and purpose. It's about living in the moment and seizing opportunities for joy both the big things and the simple everyday things. I also connected with the motherhood part of the story this time around being a new mom, so this was also a re-read with a completely new perspective. All around, I'm glad I came back to this and that I can report I loved it so much more this time around.

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How All This Started by Pete Fromm
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked up this book long ago because it involved baseball. The reality is this story is so, so, SO much more. This is really a story about a family, specifically the sibling relationship between Abilene and Austin. It's about making someone else's unrealized dreams come true. It's about understanding the burdens we each bear. It's about that moment where we realize people are dealing with more than we knew. It's about trying to find truth, resilience and a way forward through it all. This is a read that is teeming with feels. Yes, there's baseball, too, but more than anything, it's about two siblings just trying to figure it all out.

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See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Y'all, this book was an absolute delight! I love a good take on the Groundhog Day trope, and this is one of my all-time faves. What a ride! It's Barrett Bloom's first day of college, and she's excited for a fresh start. High school was a hard road, and she's ready to blaze a new trail. But then, her first day is anything but what she hopes. Everything that might go wrong does, and the fresh start she has hoped for is not working out so well. She goes to bed defeated. Then, she wakes up the next morning, except it's the same first day all over again - and then it is again and again, etc. After a few iterations of being in this loop, she finds out Miles, a guy who was the source of her embarrassment in her physics class on the real first day is stuck, too. What then follows is Barrett and Miles living the same day again and again together. Through this, they get to know one another, decide to take the day they have in different directions, and also try to figure out how they're even going to literally see tomorrow. Barrett and Miles and their dynamic absolutely kept me reading. I loved the evolution of the time they were stuck together. I both wanted to be in the loop together AND I had to know what was going to happen next! While this is a trope that's often done, this was a new spin with new layers, and again, I just adored this story. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the early look at this May 2022 release.

Also, I just have to say I'm very aware I've aged beyond the young adult part of my life. It did make me chuckle and also have that "Wait, what?" moment when the pop culture Barrett's mom loved in college was the stuff I loved in college. If you're reading this as an "older millennial" just be ready for this aspect of the story. However, I will also say I'll always take a shoutout to Felicity!

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Life's Messy, Live Happy: Things Don't Have to Be Perfect for You to Be Content by Cy Wakeman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As I've gotten older and further into my thirties, I've found self-help-ish books aren't always my jam. I get tired of the fluffy quotes and toxic positivity they teem with. Y'all, that is not what this book is, and I'm so grateful for that. This is a book about the realities of life. This book acknowledges that sometimes life can be real tough, but that doesn't mean you can't still get through and find happiness. With that, happiness isn't a generic "thing" rather it's something you have to explore understand for yourself. The section I liked the most was one on the words we choose and how these simple choices can make a world of difference. Overall, this was a spin on navigating life that was authentic and real in a space that can often be anything but this. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this March 2022 release!

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Barakah Beats by Maleeha Siddiqui
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a delight of a story about Nimra. After attending an Islamic school, Nimra is moving to a public school. With this, it means she'll be navigating what it means to be Muslim in this space. Then, the unlikeliest of things happens. Nimra is asked to join a Muslim boy band, Bakarah Beats. Nimra decides to join, but doesn't tell her parents as she believes this doesn't align with her religion. In addition to this, Nimra is navigating the change in dynamics with her best friend. She and Jenna have gone to different schools, but now that they're finally at the same school, things seem strained. While a unique premise with the boy band, this is very much real in exploring the challenges of fitting in during middle school and finding your voice. Nimra was a wonderful main character, and I loved seeing how she found her place at her school in ways she never would have expected. Thanks to Scholastic for the copy of this October 2021 release.

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Playing the Cards You're Dealt by Varian Johnson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the story of Anthony (Ant) who is preparing for a spades tournament. His family has a reputation of doing well in the tournament, so Ant feels extra pressure to perform well. In addition to navigating the spades tournament (and finding an unlikely partner in a new girl), Ant is working through a complicated family situation. The title of this one very much speaks to the focus of the book. Yes, there's the literal connection to a game of spades, and there's also coming to understand what hand life has given you and how to proceed. More than anything, this is Ant learning some difficult truths and coming to see certain people and situations were not what he thought. It's some tough stuff to work through, and the book is very much about how we often have to do this as humans. Thanks to Scholastic for the free copy of this October 2021 release.

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The Lying Club by Annie Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a thriller that is very much a slow burn. The book begins with two bodies being found. However, it isn't revealed who these two bodies are. The rest of the novel is then slowly revealing who these bodies are and how others might be connected. The twisty connections are explored through three women and one man who are connected via an elite private school. There's Natalie who is an administrative assistant at the school, Brooke and Asha who have daughters on the soccer team and are each navigating their own issues, and Nick who is the assistant athletic director. As you can imagine, there are secrets and lies and all the things that make this thriller great. Again, this one is really about the build, so the last 10% moves quick as the truth comes at you as the reader fast. For me personally, I wish the big action would have come sooner, AND I did dig the way the ending was written with a solid twisty reveal. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this March 2022 release.

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Meant to Be by Emily Giffin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Y'all, you should know I devoured this book in a day. I was so captivated by this love story, and I just had to know what was going to happen! The story focuses on the relationship between Joe and Kate. Joe is a member of the well-known and well-to-do Kingsley family (basically the Kennedys) who is trying to figure out his own path while also having the weight of the expectations of his late father and family. Cate is a model who has found success despite a difficult childhood. The difficulties of her childhood are also something she keeps hidden from the world. Joe and Cate have a chance meeting and fall fast in love despite having very different backgrounds. However, these backgrounds do play a part in how their relationship evolves. Again, I just loved this one as Emily Giffin knows how to write a great love story, and that is so, so much this. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this May 2022 release that is sure to be the hottest beach read of the summer!

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