Wishing you all a safe, happy, and healthy new year. I won't be sad to see 2020 go.
How ever you celebrate I hope you ring in the new year doing something you love and that 2021 is a vast improvement to 2020
Here is to new beginnings, new friends, and new experiences.
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week's pick is Isn't It Bromantic by Lyssa Kay Adams
With his passion for romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Vlad took up the pen to write a novel the Bromance Book Club would swoon over.Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared after speaking out against government corruption, she escaped danger the only way she knew how. She agreed to marry her childhood friend, Vladimir, and move to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville.Vlad, aka The Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But after four years, it’s become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he’s learned is that he deserves more. He’s ready to create his own sweeping romance–both on and off the page.The Bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love–and this time they’re not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad’s senior citizen neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves The Loners. Just when things finally look promising, the danger from Elena’s past life intrudes, and the book club will face their first-ever life-or-death grand gesture as they race to a happy ever after.
Anyone who has read the previous Bromance Book Club books knows that Vlad (aka The Russian) is a fan favourite who provides a ton of humour to these adorable reads.
He is (finally) getting his own book and I am sure that nobody is surprised that he wants to write a romance novel of his own. It makes a lot of sense for him to be the character that would do it.
Bonnie and Clyde may be the most notorious--and celebrated--outlaw couple America has ever known. This is the true story of how they got that way.
Bonnie and Clyde: we've been on a first name basis with them for almost a hundred years. Immortalized in movies, songs, and pop culture references, they are remembered mostly for their storied romance and tragic deaths. But what was life really like for Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in the early 1930s? How did two dirt-poor teens from west Texas morph from vicious outlaws to legendary couple? And why?
A book that is telling a well known story has to ask itself what it is bringing that is new. I've read quite a few books about Bonnie and Clyde both fiction and non fiction and the ones that stand out are the ones that manage to make the tale their own. Karen Blumenthal's Bonnie and Clyde does not add anything new to their story but still manages to be a worthy read.
This novel shines as a condensed overview of who Bonnie and Clyde were. It gives a broad enough overview to ensure the reader has an overall understanding of the big events in their lives but doesn't go much deeper than that. Those looking for a deep dive filled with little details will not find that within these pages. It is, therefore, especially perfect for younger teen readers who may just be beginning to find out about the duo. It works best as an introduction and jumping off point.
Karen Blumenthal presents just the facts in a straightforward manner. There is very little personal reflection or feelings that make their way into the book. We certainly get an indication of horror at some of the crimes committed by the pair but not much beyond that. This book also doesn't glamourize their life, particularly when they are on the road. Many times their time on the run is romanticized when it was in fact pretty horrible and horrific.
The people who went along for the ride with Bonnie and Clyde (in particular Clyde's brother and his wife) are only given a brief mentions in this. The accomplice (and his family) who assist with the downfall of the famous couple is also just lightly touched upon. I understand why, as this is the story of Bonnie and Clyde, but these people are important to telling their story and I feel need to be fleshed out just a little bit more.
The inclusion of little facts that expand upon details given in the novel are a highlight and one that makes this book well worth the read. You get a spotlight of many of their victims in a way that other novels don't often take the time to do. The care taken with the victims is one of the standout elements of the story and one that elevates this book in my opinion. It allows the loss of those lives to hit a little harder and makes their crime spree feel a little more gritty than most Hollywoodized versions.
I highly recommend this one for people who do not know a lot about Bonnie and Clyde. It's a great way to get the basics but should be used as just a starting point. It's well researched enough but doesn't quite hold, or capture, why this pair has fascinated people for so long after their deaths.
Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope that no matter how you are celebrating this year that you have a wonderful holiday and you get to enjoy some reading time. Hopefully you found some books underneath the tree this year
I wish you all a safe holiday season. I'll be back next week with regular posts.
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week's pick is Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Gossip Girl meets Get Out in Ace of Spades, a YA contemporary thriller by debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé about two students, Devon & Chiamaka, and their struggles against an anonymous bully.When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too.Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures.As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly?With heart-pounding suspense and relevant social commentary comes a high-octane thriller from debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
I was immediately sold by the Gossip Girl meets Get Out description for this one. It sounds like it will be a fantastic thriller. This sounds like the characters go to a private prep school (very similar to Gossip Girl) which is a setting I know a lot of people enjoy. I cannot wait to meet all of the characters and get more details about the mysterious Aces and the fallout it'll all cause.
This one comes out just in time for summer reading and I predict it'll be a popular one.
Two boys in America's biggest boy band who fall for each other while on their first sold-out European tour, and are forced to keep their relationship a secret by their record label, but slowly realize those in charge have no intention of letting them announce their relationship to the world—ever.
Contrary to popular belief, best friends Kate Garfield and Anderson Walker are not codependent. Carpooling to and from theater rehearsals? Environmentally sound and efficient. Consulting each other on every single life decision? Basic good judgment. Pining for the same guys from afar? Shared crushes are more fun anyway.But when Kate and Andy’s latest long-distance crush shows up at their school, everything goes off script. Matt Olsson is talented and sweet, and Kate likes him. She really likes him. The only problem? So does Anderson.Turns out, communal crushes aren’t so fun when real feelings are involved. This one might even bring the curtains down on Kate and Anderson’s friendship.
In this daring tale of female agency and revenge from a New York Times bestselling author, a girl becomes a teenage vigilante who roams Victorian England using her privilege and power to punish her friends’ abusive suitors and keep other young women safe.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six . . . Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.Malibu: August 1983. It's the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over--especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud--because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he's been inseparable since birth.Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can't stop thinking about promised she'll be there.And Kit has a couple secrets of her own--including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family's generations will all come bubbling to the surface.Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.
If Romeo and Juliet got the Hamilton treatment...who would play the leads? This vividly funny, honest, and charming romantic novel by Dana L. Davis is the story of a girl who thinks she has what it takes...and the world thinks so, too.Jerzie Jhames will do anything to land the lead role in Broadway's hottest new show, Roman and Jewel, a Romeo and Juliet inspired hip-hopera featuring a diverse cast and modern twists on the play. But her hopes are crushed when she learns mega-star Cinny won the lead...and Jerzie is her understudy.Falling for male lead Zeppelin Reid is a terrible idea--especially once Jerzie learns Cinny wants him for herself. Star-crossed love always ends badly. But when a video of Jerzie and Zepp practicing goes viral and the entire world weighs in on who should play Jewel, Jerzie learns that while the price of fame is high, friendship, family, and love are priceless.
The next book on my 2021 most anticipated list is another one that has very few details about it released.
When the pirate king dies without an heir, captains compete for the island throne in a deadly treasure hunt that draws together a stowaway with a vengeful plan, an honourable captain, and a young pirate with something to prove.
