Tag Archives: Susan J.

Review: Gun Love

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Gun Love
by Jennifer Clement
4 stars

Jennifer Clement’s latest novel is short and sweet with a little bitter on the side. Pearl, our heroine, is a teenager who’s spent her life living in a 1994 Mercury Topaz with her mom in the visitor parking lot of a small trailer park in no-where Florida. Pearl is just fine with the close and loving relationship she has with her mom, a mom who spins tales about their lives and the world beyond. Pearl does not want for anything. But her mother does. Eli is a stranger who comes to the trailer park to help run guns. He takes over Pearl’s mom’s thoughts and actions. Eli’s “gun love” leads to Pearl’s mom’s downfall, and Pearl finds herself alone in a world that revolves around guns.

Clement’s writing style is beautiful and lyrical…perfect for this coming of age story. I thought the book would be more controversial given its title, but I found the story to be so personal that one could read this book without thinking it’s anti-2nd amendment as a whole.

Read-alikes

Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao

Solemn by Kalisha Buckhanon

Review: Starlight Nights

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Starlight Nights
by Stacey Kade
4 stars

I highly recommend Starlight Nights, Stacey Kade’s second “new adult” novel, to anyone who enjoys conflicted characters and captivating romance. Calista Beckett is a child star all grown up and trying to right her life on a small college campus far from the lights of Hollywood. Eric Stone co-starred with Calista on a popular TV show a few years ago before the show and their lives imploded. Now Eric’s trying to make a name for himself outside the overbearing shadow of his producer father, and he needs Calista’s help. Calista doesn’t want to be drawn back to her old life and bad habits, but her mother’s gone through all the Hollywood money and needs Calista to work to support the family. Calista accepts knowing her crush on Eric from years ago partially led to the collapse of the show and her life. Eric doesn’t expect Calista to not only star in his new show, but to forgive him for past harms and team up with him to take on their controlling families. The scenes with both characters struggling with their personal demons and coming together are show stoppers.

Read-alikes

All Lined Up: A Rusk University Novel by Cora Carmack

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Scratch by Rhonda Helms

Review: The Sins of Lord Lockwood

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The Sins of Lord Lockwood
by Meredith Duran
4 stars

Meredith Duran is a romance writing master! Her characters and prose always pull my heartstrings…but luckily there’s always a happy ending. Her latest, The Sins of Lord Lockwood, tells the story of Anna and Liam during the Victorian era. They married four years ago, but Liam disappeared on their wedding night. We gather he was abducted and transported to Australia. But Anna, believing he married her for her money only and not what she thought was a budding love, assumes he left her after getting some of her money.
She reads of Liam’s return in the newspaper, leaves her Scottish island, and confronts Liam in London. Eventually she learns of the horrors he’s endured and helps him in his quest for revenge despite his attempts to push her away. The book is sprinkled with flashbacks that beautifully describe their courtship years earlier. If you’re looking for adventure, romance, and revenge in your next book, I highly recommend it.

Read-alikes
Delicious by Sherry Thomas

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan

Review: The Great Alone

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The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
4 stars

It’s 1974 in Seattle. Teenage Leni and her mom and dad are set to make yet another move. But this time instead of moving around the northwest they are headed to Alaska, the land of The Great Alone. The move comes just in time as Leni’s dad has lost yet another job. He was a POW in Vietnam and returned physically fine but has trouble interacting with people and controlling his temper.

They arrive at the perfect time on a little spit of land near Homer.  They’re just in time to prepare for the long, dark winter that will be upon them before they know it. Leni’s dad thrives in the sunshine and long days. His nightmares are held at bay. But once the season turns all bets are off.

Kristin Hannah does a fabulous job building the tension between Leni and her mom and her dad, the strain between her dad and the residents who want to welcome change (and tourists’ dollars), and the battle between Leni’s family and the elements. All those nail-biting scenes are set against a beautiful and sometimes harsh Alaskan backdrop that Hannah describes wonderfully. This book has so much to offer: a coming of age story, romance, adventure, survival, family dynamics.

 

Read-alikes
Her Father’s House by Belva Plain
Heroes of the Frontier by Dave Eggers
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Review: All Our Wrong Todays

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All Our Wrong Todays
by Elan Mastai
4 stars

I randomly picked Elan Mastai’s debut novel All Our Wrong Todays to listen to a few weeks back. I was surprised to be blown away by the storyline and by Mr. Mastai’s excellent narration. In All Our Wrong Todays Tom Barren lives in a year 2016 when all major world problems (war, hunger, strife, etc) have been solved by a technological development that occurred in the 1960s. Unfortunately for Tom, more personal problems have not been solved. His strained relationship with his super smart father isn’t improving and the girl of his dreams commits suicide. Tom tries to use his father’s time travel technology to escape his personal problems…only to create a schism in the space time continuum that leads to the 1960s technological development not happening so he ends up living in our2016. He has a different first name, but the same parents except with a better relationship with his dad. He seeks out the girl of his dreams, but she’s not quite the same…she’s better! Of course, the world problems are still around so Tom views our 2016 as a dystopia. Even though his personal problems seem much improved in our 2016, Tom knows he has to try to “save” the world and return to his 2016.

Tom starts out as an unlikeable, though funny, character. Through the chapters he morphs into a hero worthy of our times (and the other 2016). This dystopian-turned-on-its-head sci fi title is wonderful. It’s funny, sad, profound, and entertaining all at once. I highly recommend it!

Read-alikes
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Martian by Andy Weir