Giulia

GiuliaI cannot sing high enough praise for this incredible novel. I’m a sucker for parallel timelines paired with complex but gut wrenchingly human character. Too Soon has it all.

GiuliaThe Wedding People is one of those books that feels like cool shower after a day at the beach. It’s comforting, predictable and somehow magically new. I loved our main character Phoebe and was with her every step of her journey. The plot itself was cute — I too would love to show up at a luxury hotel and be plopped into someone else’s wedding (all expenses covered, of course.) this book was good for the soul. An easy read too.

GiuliaI’m a sucker for a good witch novel and Ami McKay delivers. Our three protagonists are fascinating, brave, and human. The plot itself is filled with twists and turns and I appreciated the historical details that filled the pages. 4/5 stars because I did feel that McKay spent much of the novel setting us up for action, only to rush through it and wrap up the story. I did feel the ending was lacking; our three protagonists deserved more than what they got. This is testament though to McKay’s writing: she set everything up so nicely it was a shame to end the plot so fast.

GiuliaRental House is a beautifully written commentary on how race, class, gender, and, childhood each play a role in romantic relationships (and family). The plot is a real-life fiction that follows two main characters through their experience navigating the dynamics found within immediate family. I was cautiously optimistic when I started reading this book; so many reviews had decided the plot was too slow moving and mundane. Personally, I think that’s the point. Navigating the immediate family of your romantic partner is filled with little complexities that take time to understand and unspool. Yes, nothing dramatic happens in the pages of this novel but that is what makes our protagonists so believably human.

Giulia3.5 | I wrapped up my summer reading with two biographies, one right after the other. Spears’ biography shed some much needed light on her conservatorship and gave me some wonderful background on her life/beliefs. I closed the book knowing so much more about Spears and wishing her all the best. The nitty gritty: the writing was at best OK, but you can really hear Spears’ voice in the pages. Knocking down 1.5 stars simply because of how it was written, everything else was great!