march ‘23 book reviews
the goal this month was to read books from the library and nine novels later, i did! march was filled with exciting getaways to nantucket and mustique island, and ocean voyages aboard the lusitania. and i’ve fallen back in love with historical fiction after a small & brief hiatus. reviews below!
the glass ocean by beatriz williams, lauren willig and karen white
rating: 5/5
any historical fiction fan will simply adore the glass ocean by a group of authors dubbed “team w.” (williams, willig and white!) when new york author sarah is searching for inspiration for her next novel, she stumbles on a box of things belonging to her great-grandfather, who perished in the sinking of the lusitania in the first world war. desperate to find the truth behind her family history, she enlists the unreluctant help of john langford, whose relative was also among those on board and somehow tied to sarah.
over the course of two weeks, sarah and john dig deeper into the past, while first hand pov & narration of two women aboard the ship in 1915 paint a clearer picture of the voyage from new york to liverpool. this almost lost me in the end but proved to be a stellar read.
the imperfects by amy meyerson
rating: 4.5/5
following in suit with historical fiction, i read the imperfects by amy meyerson next. this modern day family drama begins with the death of miller matriarch, helen, who leaves a very large diamond to her grandchildren. intrigued, they begin to examine the gem a bit closer. after a certified report, the siblings learn that it’s the coveted florentine diamond, once belonging to the medici’s and marie antoinette (though highly disputed). a long legal battle ensues and threatens to tear the family apart even more. this quote stuck out to me while reading & i think anyone can relate: “we’re all assholes sometimes, it’s called being family.”
the ending is not what you’d expect (and maybe even a little disappointing) but it’s a well-rounded story! the florentine diamond does in fact exist, though it hasn’t been seen since around 1918.
the seasonaires by janna king
rating: 2/5
reading the seasonaires is like watching a binge-worthy netflix show. it’s a mix of gossip girl meets outer banks meets the hills. lyndon wyld is an uber famous clothing designer who brings trendy influencers, dubbed “seasonaires” to nantucket for a summer of posh parties and poised instagram posts.
i really wanted to like this but in all honesty, i was super disappointed. without giving away spoilers, the characters were boring and the plot completely lost me at the end. i rushed through the last 50 pages just to finish it.
you are not alone by greer hendricks & sarah pekkanen
rating: 5/5
what an interesting read! you are not alone follows shay miller who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. while waiting for the subway, she witnesses a woman commit suicide. it’s tragic and very upsetting and shay can’t stop thinking about it. before you know it, she’s attending her funeral and speaking to her friends. and then it starts to get weird. this is an incredible story about how manipulative and deceptive people can be. i was obsessed with this book!!
the messy lives of book people by phaedra patrick
rating: 4.5/5
any book lover will tear through the messy lives of book people. when bestselling author essie starling suddenly passes, her housekeeper, liv, is tasked with finishing the latest book in her series. it was literally spelled out in her will. liv is confused about this and upset over the death of her beloved author. she’s an aspiring writer herself but at 42 she figured that dream was more of a distant memory. besides, can liv actually finish the book? you’ll have to read to find out!
mustique island by sarah mccoy
rating: 5/5
this was the perfect spring read as i’m dreaming of warmer places! mustique island has a bit of mystique to it — mick jagger and princess margaret have vacationed here, so maybe it’s just what willy may, a divorced outcast from english society needs. a island to escape to and protect ones secrets.
along with her two adult daughters, the trio navigate the difficult highs and lows of life. i was a bit irritated with how the story spun for hilly, willy may’s eldest but it was such a captivating read. all loosely based on true characters, this historical fiction was a delightful read.
the hollywood daughter by kate alcott
rating: 3/5
this story is set in the 1950s during the height of hollywood scandals and the red scare. jessie malloy is a high school student navigating her adolescent years at an all-girls catholic school. her father is a publicist for famous actress ingrid bergman and jessie is awestruck. ingrid is her personal hero. she’s stunning and delivers such powerful speeches (her rendition of the quality of mercy from shakespeare’s the merchant of venice brings jessie to tears).
when married ingrid falls in love with italian producer roberto rossellini and then winds up pregnant, america is shocked and horrified. jessie’s father works tirelessly to defend ingrid, but in that day and age, it’s no easy task. it was an interesting depiction of american life in the 50s.
hemingway in love by a. e. hotchner
rating: 5/5
if you know anything about american novelist ernest hemingway, you may know he’s been in love — married four times. the six foot literary giant is known for his war stories after his time spent with the red cross in wwi and as a military correspondent in wwii. he was a traveled man who was also well known for his drinking and bravado.
a. e. hotchner, friend and fellow writer, spent the last years of hemingway’s life with him as he recounted his two true loves, hadley richardson and pauline pfeiffer. i learn something new about the author with every biography and story i read about him, and i thoroughly enjoyed this memoir.
the irresistible blueberry bakeshop and cafe by mary simes
rating: 4.5/5
james patterson said: “if you liked the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society, you will devour the irresistible blueberry bakeshop and cafe.” and devour it i did!!! i read 200 pages in one sitting because i couldn’t put it down! ellen, a new york city lawyer, has to travel to the middle of nowhere maine because her grandmother’s dying wish was for a letter to be delivered to a lost love. what should be a quick trip turns into a life altering event for the thirty-something woman. it’s giving warm & fuzzy coastal romance and i loved every second.