Tag Archives: Carissa S.

Review: When We Were Young

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When We Were Young
by Karen Kingsbury
5 stars

Another amazing book by Karen Kingsbury! Kingsbury tells a wonderful story of second chances; tackling the subjects of divorce and social media. What if we could truly see our future if we chose to walk out? What if we could remember all the reasons we said I do in a single night? This story is a continuation of the beloved Baxters, but can be read as a standalone. The book centers on Noah and Emily, who from their first meeting to their amazing wedding, it is clear they are meant to be together. They have a special love they want the whole world to know about. Millions of fans follow their daily lives on Instagram since their engagement. But behind closed doors, their fairy tale is dissolving because Noah has become obsessed with sharing their lives on social media. So much so, that the greatly loved and admired couple has decided to call it quits. Kingsbury takes one of my favorite stories and weaves it into her own to create something that will inspire so many people. Highly recommend!

Read-alikes

A Month of Summer by Lisa Wingate

Mulberry Park by Judy Duarte

Review: Vox

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Vox
by Christina Dalcher
3 stars

This book had been getting some buzz as the “next Handmaid’s Tale.” I liked The Handmaid’s Tale so I was excited to read this book. Vox is a dystopian novel set in a future America where half of the population has been silenced. The book centers on Dr. Jean McClellan, a wife and mother, and also a linguistic scientist. The signs were all there. Jean saw that things were changing—women were losing representation in government and losing their jobs. The Pure movement was moving forward—women were to serve their families and husbands; to be seen and not heard. Jean thought “surely not in America.” Then her worst nightmare come true. Women and girls now have to wear a metal bracelet on their wrists. The bracelet functions as a counter that keeps track of how many words they are permitted to say each day—only 100 words are allowed. If they go over 100, serious consequences occur. To put this into perspective, the average woman speaks around 20,000 words per day. Jean is approached by the government who needs her specific skill set. The president’s brother has suffered a brain injury that impacts his ability to speak correctly. Jean is able to make a deal with the government and sets off with two of her former colleagues to make a serum. Will they help the government or find a way to put a stop to this evil?

This book started out well for me. The first half was excellent and I couldn’t put it down. The second half of the book moved into a more techno thriller genre. I didn’t really understand all the language and it moved very quickly. Everything was wrapped up at the end of the book, but I was still a bit confused. Some plot points that I was interested in really didn’t get resolved. The last third of the book made my rating drop by 1-2 stars. The premise had a lot of promise; I just didn’t enjoy the turn that the book made

Read-alikes

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Jennie Melamed by Jennie Melamed

Review: All Your Perfects

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All Your Perfects
by Colleen Hoover
5 stars

Colleen Hoover is one of my absolute favorite authors. I know I will drop whatever I’m doing and finish her newest release in a day or two. They are so hard to put down! The best thing about Hoover’s books is that all of them are so different. It’s best to go into each one blindly and enjoy the ride. All Your Perfects is about a troubled marriage. Graham and Quinn have been married for seven years and are deeply in love but mistakes, memories, and secrets have built up over the years and are now tearing them apart. The chapters alternate between the past and present, showing how they met and how they got to this point. I loved the chapters taking place in the past. They met in a very unconventional way and it really sets the tone for the present-day chapters. Hoover always manages to make me emotional in every book. I highly recommend this book as well as her others!

Read-alikes

Can’t Stop Believing by Jodi Thomas

Sharp Edges by Jayne Ann Krentz

Review: Watch Me Disappear

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Watch Me Disappear
by Janelle Brown
4 stars

Watch Me Disappear was GPL’s Well Red book club’s pick for June.  Mystery/thrillers are my favorite genre, so I was excited to read this and have a chance to discuss it.  The plot centers on wife and mother, Billie Flanagan, who one days goes for a hike and disappears.  A hiking boot is found and nearly everyone assumes Billie is dead.  A year later, her 15 year old daughter, Olive, begins to have visions that her mother is alive and begs her father to help her search for Billie.  Jonathan is in the process of writing a loving memoir about his life with Billie when he finds some information on Billie’s computer. Perhaps Billie’s life is not what it seemed.   As the story continues more revelations about Billie’s past and present are revealed.    Where is Billie and was her disappearance something that she orchestrated?  Or was she kidnapped?  Or did she fall and was killed like everyone originally believed?  Brown does an excellent job moving the plot alone and writing some great twists.  I will definitely check out more of her books!

Read-alikes

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

Review: Everybody Always

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Everybody Always
by Bob Goff
5 stars

The thoughts I had after finishing this book was: I want to read this again. And I want to be Bob’s friend! This is my first read by Bob Goff. In fact, I had never heard of him before picking up this book, although this is his second book. The cover is intriguing (and you find out more about the cover in the epilogue). I had also seen this pop up on Goodreads with rave reviews. Bob is a Christian and loves Jesus, but I believe anyone would be inspired by this book. Bob’s writing is simple, but his stories are amazing. He is just an average person, but has experienced some incredible things and met some interesting people just by changing the way he interacts with them. This book was very inspiring and I have been recommending it to many of my friends. “What if we could stop avoiding difficult people and simply love everyone.” Bob explores this idea and shares many fascinating stories that will make you laugh, cry, and want to share them with your friends.

Read-alikes

Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist

Looking for Lovely by Annie F. Downs

If You Only Knew by Jamie Ivey