• THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas I'm very late to the game with this book. At this point, it almost feels redundant to review it. Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give is a novel that has captured readers from the moment it was published by shining a light on the people affected by gun violence and police brutality. I've been hesitant to read this book. With so much unnecessary violence, racism, and injustice present in the real world, reading about those same topics in fiction just wasn't something I was emotionally prepared for. But then the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial came in. While his conviction isn't the end of systemic racism in policing, it was a hopeful sign of progress in the long battle ahead. Inspired by the moment and determined to continue reading stories of those with different perspectives from my own, I decided to finally read The Hate U Give. ————————— It is hard to describe the impact a book like The Hate U Give has on the reader. Angie Thomas begins her story like any other young adult novel. Her main character is someone who is coming to terms with who she is and who she wants to be. All the pressures of being a normal teenager are present. With an opening that seems so familiar, I was a bit disarmed by the sudden onslaught of police brutality. At one moment, life was normal. In the next, everything changed. This is the harsh reality that far too many people of color have to face. Thomas does an excellent job of building her characters and the community they inhabit. These people are familiar, the kinds of people whom we encounter on a daily basis. Her ability to get the reader to invest so heavily in her characters only adds to the outrage we feel as they face injustice. The Hate U Give is a story for our times, the kind of novel that demands to be read. It forces us to face the harsh reality of our world while encouraging us to learn more about the lives of our neighbors. I can't recommend it highly enough. ————————— #bookstagram #abookaweek #TheHateUGive #AngieThomas #fiction #policebrutality #BLM #family #bookstack #instaread #books #bookreview #instabookclub #instagrambookclub
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    THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas I'm very late to the game with this book. At this point, it almost feels redundant to review it. Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give is a novel that has captured readers from the moment it was published by shining a light on the people affected by gun violence and police brutality. I've been hesitant to read this book. With so much unnecessary violence, racism, and injustice present in the real world, reading about those same topics in fiction just wasn't something I was emotionally prepared for. But then the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial came in. While his conviction isn't the end of systemic racism in policing, it was a hopeful sign of progress in the long battle ahead. Inspired by the moment and determined to continue reading stories of those with different perspectives from my own, I decided to finally read The Hate U Give. ————————— It is hard to describe the impact a book like The Hate U Give has on the reader. Angie Thomas begins her story like any other young adult novel. Her main character is someone who is coming to terms with who she is and who she wants to be. All the pressures of being a normal teenager are present. With an opening that seems so familiar, I was a bit disarmed by the sudden onslaught of police brutality. At one moment, life was normal. In the next, everything changed. This is the harsh reality that far too many people of color have to face. Thomas does an excellent job of building her characters and the community they inhabit. These people are familiar, the kinds of people whom we encounter on a daily basis. Her ability to get the reader to invest so heavily in her characters only adds to the outrage we feel as they face injustice. The Hate U Give is a story for our times, the kind of novel that demands to be read. It forces us to face the harsh reality of our world while encouraging us to learn more about the lives of our neighbors. I can't recommend it highly enough. ————————— #bookstagram #abookaweek #TheHateUGive #AngieThomas #fiction #policebrutality #BLM #family #bookstack #instaread #books #bookreview #instabookclub #instagrambookclub
  • THE WIFE BETWEEN US by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen This book started with an all too familiar setup. There's a female protagonist who drinks too much, struggles to keep a job, and has a history of mental illness. A traumatic event, in this case a divorce, pushes that main character to the brink of a breakdown. Then some event leads that person to follow a lingering obsession that forces them to overcome their personal troubles for some kind of singular goal. It is a simple premise that has led to numerous bestsellers in the genre, so I wasn't surprised to see The Wife Between Us follow a similar plot. It is what happened next, however, that completely threw me for a loop. ————————— The Wife Between Us went from what I thought would be another run of the mill thriller to one of the smartest, twistiest novels I've read this year. Co-authors Hendricks and Pekkanen smartly lure the reader into their story by using the common conventions of the genre. They seem to say, you've seen this before, so there's nothing to fear. Just when I thought I had this one all figured out, they threw in a curveball that completely turned the conventions upside down. Woven into this smart thriller are character moments that stuck with me beyond the mystery. The Wife Between Us completely lives up to its hype and has me eagerly anticipating Hendricks and Pekkanen's next novel. ————————— #bookstagram #abookaweek #TheWifeBetweenUs #GreerHendricks #SarahPekkanen #thriller #mystery #drama #instaread #books #bookreview #instabookclub #instagrambookclub @stmartinspress
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    THE WIFE BETWEEN US by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen This book started with an all too familiar setup. There's a female protagonist who drinks too much, struggles to keep a job, and has a history of mental illness. A traumatic event, in this case a divorce, pushes that main character to the brink of a breakdown. Then some event leads that person to follow a lingering obsession that forces them to overcome their personal troubles for some kind of singular goal. It is a simple premise that has led to numerous bestsellers in the genre, so I wasn't surprised to see The Wife Between Us follow a similar plot. It is what happened next, however, that completely threw me for a loop. ————————— The Wife Between Us went from what I thought would be another run of the mill thriller to one of the smartest, twistiest novels I've read this year. Co-authors Hendricks and Pekkanen smartly lure the reader into their story by using the common conventions of the genre. They seem to say, "you've seen this before, so there's nothing to fear." Just when I thought I had this one all figured out, they threw in a curveball that completely turned the conventions upside down. Woven into this smart thriller are character moments that stuck with me beyond the mystery. The Wife Between Us completely lives up to its hype and has me eagerly anticipating Hendricks and Pekkanen's next novel. ————————— #bookstagram #abookaweek #TheWifeBetweenUs #GreerHendricks #SarahPekkanen #thriller #mystery #drama #instaread #books #bookreview #instabookclub #instagrambookclub @stmartinspress
  • IDAHO by Emily Ruskovich There's power in the idea of a place. Think about it for a second. Things inevitably change, people come and go, but a place can remain. Within a single place, be it a home, a city, a state, different people will have different experiences. Even the same person can experience varying events in that one place. In her debut novel, Idaho, author Emily Ruskovich examines the possibility within her own imagined version of the state. Through a non-linear narrative surrounding an intimate group of characters, Ruskovich invites her readers to experience the love, sorrow, hope, and despair that all traverses a single place. ————————— This is a slow, contemplative read. Rusckovich seems more concerned with the emotional introspections of her characters than building any kind of propulsive plot. While jumbling the timeline of the narrative gives way for a variety of emotional moments, it does little to maintain any sort of narrative cohesion. Several times I found myself uncertain of where I was in the book, confused about exactly which part in the character's life I was reading. I kept waiting for the separate threads of the book to come together into some sort of revelatory whole. Alas, no such conclusion occurred. My qualms with the non-linear structure of the novel aside, there is no denying the deliberate approach that Ruskovich takes with her characters. Idaho reads as a kind of tone poem. At its heart, it is a quiet exploration of the characters and emotions that they experience through this singular place. Ruskovich's ability to craft layered characters through her subtly nuanced writing is the real strength of this novel. To that end, Idaho is a fascinating, if not a bit frustrating, read. ————————— #bookstagram #abookaweek #Idaho #EmilyRuskovich #literaryfiction #family #green #plants #fiction #bookreview #instaread @randomhouse
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    IDAHO by Emily Ruskovich There's power in the idea of a place. Think about it for a second. Things inevitably change, people come and go, but a place can remain. Within a single place, be it a home, a city, a state, different people will have different experiences. Even the same person can experience varying events in that one place. In her debut novel, Idaho, author Emily Ruskovich examines the possibility within her own imagined version of the state. Through a non-linear narrative surrounding an intimate group of characters, Ruskovich invites her readers to experience the love, sorrow, hope, and despair that all traverses a single place. ————————— This is a slow, contemplative read. Rusckovich seems more concerned with the emotional introspections of her characters than building any kind of propulsive plot. While jumbling the timeline of the narrative gives way for a variety of emotional moments, it does little to maintain any sort of narrative cohesion. Several times I found myself uncertain of where I was in the book, confused about exactly which part in the character's life I was reading. I kept waiting for the separate threads of the book to come together into some sort of revelatory whole. Alas, no such conclusion occurred. My qualms with the non-linear structure of the novel aside, there is no denying the deliberate approach that Ruskovich takes with her characters. Idaho reads as a kind of tone poem. At its heart, it is a quiet exploration of the characters and emotions that they experience through this singular place. Ruskovich's ability to craft layered characters through her subtly nuanced writing is the real strength of this novel. To that end, Idaho is a fascinating, if not a bit frustrating, read. ————————— #bookstagram #abookaweek #Idaho #EmilyRuskovich #literaryfiction #family #green #plants #fiction #bookreview #instaread @randomhouse
  • OCEAN PREY by John Sandford With so many books coming my way each year, it can be hard to devote time to reading a series. There are just so many books to read with never enough time to read them all. This means that I usually don't keep up with a series beyond the first installment. However, when it comes to John Sandford's Virgil Flowers series, I can't help but look forward to the next novel. No matter what I'm supposed to be reading, I always carve out a few days to devour his latest. I was a bit surprised when Sandford's publisher sent me his latest novel featuring his other long-time hero Lucas Davenport. I've read the first novel to feature Davenport, but I've never kept up with the other 29 Prey novels. When I found out that Ocean Prey happened to feature Virgil Flowers too, all made sense, and I quickly began reading. ————————— With Ocean Prey John Sandford proves why he remains one of my favorite crime authors writing today. Despite not being as familiar with his Davenport character, I easily fell into the story and began rooting for him from the start. The addition of Virgil Flowers to the novel adds a welcomed change of pace to the second half of the story and serves to raise the stakes and suspense level. Still, I'd hesitate to actually call this book a Virgil Flowers novel. His appearance is more of an extended cameo to the Davenport story than anything else. Nevertheless, Sandford knows how to write a twisted thriller that keeps you on your toes until the very end. The underwater scenes in particular really kept the pages turning in a way that I haven't experienced in his writing before. Clever plotting combined with two of the most fun and intriguing heroes in modern crime fiction make Ocean Prey a worthy addition to both the Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers series. ————————— #bookstagram #abookaweek #OceanPrey #JohnSandford #LucasDavenport #VirgilFlowers #thriller #suspense #crime #water #ocean #fiction #bookreview #instaread @putnambooks
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    OCEAN PREY by John Sandford With so many books coming my way each year, it can be hard to devote time to reading a series. There are just so many books to read with never enough time to read them all. This means that I usually don't keep up with a series beyond the first installment. However, when it comes to John Sandford's Virgil Flowers series, I can't help but look forward to the next novel. No matter what I'm supposed to be reading, I always carve out a few days to devour his latest. I was a bit surprised when Sandford's publisher sent me his latest novel featuring his other long-time hero Lucas Davenport. I've read the first novel to feature Davenport, but I've never kept up with the other 29 Prey novels. When I found out that Ocean Prey happened to feature Virgil Flowers too, all made sense, and I quickly began reading. ————————— With Ocean Prey John Sandford proves why he remains one of my favorite crime authors writing today. Despite not being as familiar with his Davenport character, I easily fell into the story and began rooting for him from the start. The addition of Virgil Flowers to the novel adds a welcomed change of pace to the second half of the story and serves to raise the stakes and suspense level. Still, I'd hesitate to actually call this book a Virgil Flowers novel. His appearance is more of an extended cameo to the Davenport story than anything else. Nevertheless, Sandford knows how to write a twisted thriller that keeps you on your toes until the very end. The underwater scenes in particular really kept the pages turning in a way that I haven't experienced in his writing before. Clever plotting combined with two of the most fun and intriguing heroes in modern crime fiction make Ocean Prey a worthy addition to both the Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers series. ————————— #bookstagram #abookaweek #OceanPrey #JohnSandford #LucasDavenport #VirgilFlowers #thriller #suspense #crime #water #ocean #fiction #bookreview #instaread @putnambooks