Reading Recap

Theo of Golden

Several girls mentioned reading this while we were on our trip in Savannah and I immediately downloaded it and gave it a listen. I was hooked from the very beginning both by Theo and the sweet nature of the writing. I loved how you got to know each of the characters better and better throughout the book and found myself both devastated and hopeful at the end. It was tender and thought-provoking and is one of my top books I've read in a really long time. 

"One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn't explain much about where he came from or why he's there—but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person's story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered.

A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is an unforgettable novel about the power of generosity, the importance of connection, and the quiet miracles that happen when we choose kindness and wonder."

 Dear Debbie

Y'all know I LOVE a Freida McFadden book and this one was one of my favorites of hers. This book was unhinged in the best possible way. Well, maybe not the book itself but Debbie was FOR SURE! I loved the twists and turns and the juxtaposition of Debbie's "unhinged geniusness" with her gardening housewife persona. I am usually pretty good at sniffing out a plot twist but this one kept me guessing and I think my jaw visibly dropped at a couple of key points. 

"Sometimes, enough is enough…

Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction.

Or at least, she did.

These days, Debbie's life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie's done being the bigger person. She's done being reasonable and practical. It's time to take her own advice.

And now it's time for payback against all the people in her life who deserve it the most."

The Night We Met

When I need something quick, easy and fun to read Abby Jimenez's books never disappoint. I enjoy her writing and characters and The Night We Met was no different. I will say, the relationship that Chris and Larissa built WHILE SHE WAS DATING CHRIS definitely gave me a bit of a pause (it felt weird on both of their parts) BUT it was sweet enough that I looked past it and really enjoyed the storyline. Predictable, but endearing and a great listen if you love this genre.

"In everyone’s life, there’s a split-second decision that can change everything ...

For Larissa, it came when choosing who to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she’d met the perfect man. She and Chris are great friends, co-parenting a slightly unhinged rescue Yorkie, sharing their favorite books, and judging bread (pumpernickel for the win!). For the first time amid all her side hustles to scrape by, things finally feel easy.

But she didn’t choose Chris to drive her home all those months ago—she went with his best friend, and he became her boyfriend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy. Standing by on the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else.

How can something that feels so right be absolutely impossible?"

Project Hail Mary

Okay. I feel like this review MIGHT not go the way you think it's going to go ;) While I did enjoy the book I found it TEDIOUS to listen to. It may have been a better choice not on audible because I did find myself having to go back and relisten to parts and really stop what I was doing to process what I had just heard. There were lots of sciency/techy terms that I felt a bit bogged down by BUT overall I enjoyed it. I definitely like to dabble into different genres and this one, while enjoyable, definitely confirmed to me that sci-fi is not my style of choice. 

"Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?"

As I gear up for summer I'd love to hear what you've been reading and loving so I can start compiling my reading list!  HAPPY Thursday, friends!