#netgalleybookreview

[myjoyousfeature]

#NetGalleyBookReview #BreadandCircus @aireadeefam Bread and Circus by Airea D. Matthews shows a collection of poems and prose as a memoir, story, and other things. It showed these collections from the past to the present. Airea wrote some that show how her and her family’s life going through. Thanks to the publishers and #netgalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book. https://www.instagram.com/p/CqBp7V5P_oI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[the-page-ladies]

Book Review…...When bookish young American Sylvia Beach opened Shakespeare & Company on a quiet street in Paris in 1919, she had no idea that she & her new bookstore would change the course of literature itself. This was a beautiful story! Just appreciating all of the research & dedication that the author put into this book alone makes this book worth reading! Kerri Maher did exactly what every good historical fiction book should transport us back in time & bring an old story back to life! The time and detail she put into building her characters was done so well I felt like I knew them! This book is one that all book lovers will cherish! Truly an amazing experience reading this book! I hope to read more by this author in the near future! Happy reading everyone! The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher Release Date 1/11/22 By Berkley Historical Fiction Purchase link is in my bio! Kerri Maher is the author of The Girl in White Gloves, The Kennedy Debutante & under the name Kerri Majors This is Not a Writing Manual: Notes for the Young Writer in the Real World. She holds an MFA from Columbia University & was a writing professor for many years. She now writes full-time & lives with her daughter & dog in a leafy suburb west of Boston Massachusetts. Learn more online at kerrimaher.com. Thank you Berkley Publishing & Kerri Maher for sharing this book with me! Author photo has been provided by Peter Su! #bookreview #bookrecommendation #read #books #lovetoread #instabook #booklover #boknerd #historicalfiction #readerofig #berkleypublishing #netgalleybookreview #bookrec #netgalley #penguinrandomhouse #theparisbookseller #authorkerrimaher https://www.instagram.com/p/CYwGmTONTRc/?utm_medium=tumblr

[lifelibrariesandlemontrees]

NetGalley Book Review: More Happy Than Not

I had never even heard of this book until Netgalley e-mailed me, letting me know that it was apparently very highly anticipated. Apparently everyone loves it. I suppose someone should. 

More Happy Than Not, by Adam Silvera

Summary: 

In his twisty, gritty, profoundly moving debut—called “mandatory reading” by the New York Times—Adam Silvera brings to life a charged, dangerous near-future summer in the Bronx. In the months after his father's suicide, it's been tough for 16-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness again--but he's still gunning for it. With the support of his girlfriend Genevieve and his overworked mom, he's slowly remembering what that might feel like. But grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist prevent him from forgetting completely. When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron spends all his time hanging out with this new guy, Thomas. Aaron's crew notices, and they're not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can't deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself, despite the tensions their friendship is stirring with his girlfriend and friends. Since Aaron can't stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is. Why does happiness have to be so hard? (Summary by Goodreads) 

Review: 

As you can see from the summary above, this book was highly anticipated and then lauded as brilliant. I went in expecting something good. I’m always excited when I see LGBT YA books, largely because there aren’t as many as you may think, but also because it offers a chance to read a cute, homosexual love story that isn’t based on sex. it forces the book to actually rely on feelings which is just wonderful. I went in prepared to love it and recommend that we carry it at the library. 

This book wasn’t very wonderful. Though I will admit that is carries a good message, the delivery fell flat for me. I honestly don’t even have that much to say, just a few points that I would like to elaborate on. 

I am not a minority of any sort, nor have I ever been to the Bronx. That being said, I have been a teenager relatively recently and can’t believe that the experience was all that different. This book was written by an adult, and it is abundantly clear if for no other reason than the unnatural sounding dialogue. It sounded like an adult attempting to write like a teenager and while that is exactly what it was, I don’t think that was what Silvera was going for. Have you ever seen a sitcom where the dad was attempting to use slang to bond with his kids and failing horribly? Yeah, it sounded like that. 

My second criticism is a little bit of a spoiler, so if you’re sensitive to things like that you might want to abandon this whole paragraph. are you gone? Good. let’s continue. My second issue reminds me of a film class I took in one of my early years of college. We studied the way american history was portrayed through film, focusing on the portrayal of several different minority groups. One of those groups we covered were homosexuals, and their cinematic representation and one of the biggest faults was that even when they were portrayed as something other than a campy caricature they were never happy. They were always hated and self-hating and in the end their homosexuality made them miserable. Even when they came to terms with it, they were still alone. And this is something I see in YA books today! Just because the characters come to accept who they are, they still leave the book single and while I can appreciate the lesson it still seems off to me.  This is something that this book did.

On a more positive note, I genuinely enjoyed the twist at the end. I probably should have seen it coming, but in all honestly it took me completely by surprise and made the beginning of the book better. It wasn’t enough to completely redeem it, but it did go a long way. 

Overall, it wasn’t a horrible book and it did have an interesting premise with a  good lesson, I just thought that it could have been delivered a lot better. Even ignoring my second, somewhat spoiler-y point, the overall narrative was lacking and trying just a bit too hard, and if I had to hear another expository explanation for one more game I was going to scream. I’m not going to say you shouldn’t read it, I’m just saying that there are better things out there that you could be reading instead. Like several things by Alex Sanchez.

Re-readability: 2/5

Rating: 2/5

Recommended For: 

1. Anyone interested in LGBTQI literature, who maybe doesn’t mind if the writing isn’t all it could be.

2. People who are just trying to read everything out there, because hey everyone else gave it really great reviews, you might like it. 

3. People who like sad endings. 

[myjoyousfeature]

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[myjoyousfeature]

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[myjoyousfeature]

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[myjoyousfeature]

#NetGalleyBookReview #LuckyGirl Lucky Girl shows a young Kenyan woman named Soila living through certain family secrets as she gets older. Soila later goes to the United States to attend college. She is experienced racism and other things. This is a good read. Thanks to the publishers of Random House and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in exchange for a review. https://www.instagram.com/p/CpdGAb1uEyi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[myjoyousfeature]

#NetGalleyBookReview #WhenCloudsTouchUs @thanhha_lai The book is written in a poetic style. It tells about Ha, who’s trying her best as well as her family to make a life as refugees. They arrive in Alabama and later Ha's mom wants to move so she can get a better job and life. The book is a great read, especially when it is said in a poetic format. It also tells about getting a new life in another country during war. Thanks to the publishers at @harpercollins and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review. https://www.instagram.com/p/CpGhmYbP-JQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[myjoyousfeature]

#NetGalleyBookReview #Audiobook #FrenchHoliday @sarahreadyauthor This is a beautifully written story. Merry spent three months in a French chateau. Surprisingly, she has to be with her sister’s best man Noah. They had to share the cheteau and later on their friendship started to grow. Thank you to the publishers at Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC and @netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook for a review. https://www.instagram.com/p/CpBK5asPxmK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[myjoyousfeature]

#NetGalleyBookReview #TheOne #JuliaArgy The book talks about Emily, who lost her job, and a producer, Miranda, finds her and encourages her to sign up for a show titled "The One". The show is like "The Bachelor" and other dating shows. It's an excellent read and inside there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes with the cast and production team. Thanks to the publishers at PENGUIN GROUP and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review. https://www.instagram.com/p/Co8myXtsqEO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[myjoyousfeature]

#NetGalleyBookReview #SeeJaneRunAMemoir #NicoleSKluemperPhD Amazing read. Nicole must go through a really hard time growing up. She was abused by her mother at the age of five. She was in the custody of her father. While her father is in a health care facility, Nicole needs to stay from place to place. As an adult, she's now working as a child psychiatrist. Thanks to the publishers Koehler Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnx8PTnMSGm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[myjoyousfeature]

#NetGalleyBookReview #Angeline by: #AnnaQuinn #netgalley This book made me feel like there’s so many emotions through while reading. She took the name Sister Angeline as a nun. Meg was her name before. Before becoming a nun, she lost family members. As Angeline, she moves from a convent in Chicago to an island where she meets some amazing people. They also have to go through some tough times in the past. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book in order for a review. https://www.instagram.com/p/CnSnFyyPulx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[myjoyousfeature]

#NetGalleyBookReview #GirlMadeofGlass By: @shelbyleighpoetry I loved the poetry collection by Shelby Leigh. This book has this sentiment with so many expressions by emotions, relationships and other things. Making me feel like there's a story to these poems in this book. Thanks to Central Avenue Publishing and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book for a review. https://www.instagram.com/p/CmwQzhYuOI-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[myjoyousfeature]

#NetGalleyBookReview #LeaningTowardTheLight #netgalley #ebook #bookreview I loved how this book has these collections of poetry and other forms of writing about the joys of a garden. As well as some recipes and knowing more about planting a garden. Thanks to the publishers and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book for a review. https://www.instagram.com/p/CmFbjBQPstW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[myjoyousfeature]

#InfiniteSeaofStars #BookReview #netgalleybookreview There is something about this collection of poems. It gives a complete impression of what is in this book. As always, a collection of poems always gets that total feeling and something else. In this book the poems are like a letter or a spoken expression. Thank you to the publishers and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book in order for a review. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl6EIMYuatt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[myjoyousfeature]

#NetGalleyBookReviews #NoTwoPersons @ericabauermeisterauthor This book is an unbelievable read. It tells about ten lives, nine readers and one book. Each chapter feels like short stories. Knowing about how their lives can truly resemble from Alice Wein’s book “Theo”. I love when each chapter tells about each of the readers' lives and even reading the book. I want to say thank you to the publishers at St. Martin's Press and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review. https://www.instagram.com/p/CpS49Souw5c/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=