Category Archives: Contemporary Fiction

December 17, 2022 · 8:13 pm

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Using the fake dating trope extremely well, The Love Hypothesis is very predictable (this is not a bad thing). Olive is pretty dense for such a smart woman, but her character is written so incredibly authentically that I can “see” people I’ve known in her. All the characters are well written for that matter. The sex scene is not overly graphic and I found myself laughing out loud a couple times at just how clinically Olive was viewing what was going on. I was a little sad when the book ended. I had grown to really care about Olive and Adam (and Malcolm too… he’s hilarious) so closing the book was like saying goodbye to friends. I recommend this book to adults who enjoy smart, funny romances.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 109
Pages Read in 2022: 38,404
Graphic Novels: 3

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Filed under Contemporary Fiction, Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: It sounded interesting, Romance

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December 7, 2022 · 2:13 pm

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is the Colleen Hoover of the 90s. Popular books, mainly because they are emotional rollercoasters, with mediocre writing. The Pact is billed as a love story. It’s not. It’s about a toxic relationship that everyone except the dead girl thought was amazing. There are a couple flashbacks, one when the main characters were 9 and one when they were 13 and 14, where they don’t act remotely like the age they are supposed to be. The nine-year-olds act more like 13 and 14-year-olds and the 14-year-old acted more like he was 9. The lawyer’s son being all impressed that his father was bringing woman after woman to their apartment was also not at all believable. He was 13. He’d have been completely grossed out thinking about (and hearing) what his father was doing with those women. The courtroom part got a bit tedious. It was odd that the dead girl’s mother’s character was never really developed. You’d think she’d be important, but she was pretty much a non-entity (except when destroying evidence, something that is never mentioned again). It does give a bit of a snapshot of 1997, though, and the way teens felt pressure to never say the word suicide because you might give someone the idea. Also, the book reminds us that rape culture was so much worse back then. All in all, it wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either. If you like emotional rollercoasters and don’t mind plot holes, you’ll enjoy The Pact.

3 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 107
Pages Read in 2022: 37,702
Graphic Novels: 3

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October 30, 2022 · 10:55 am

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liana Moriarty

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Nine Perfect Strangers is told from the alternating viewpoints of several people who happen to be at a health resort at the same time. I liked some storylines/characters more than others. The characters’ stories were revealed little by little and really pulled me in to keep reading and learning about them. Some parts of the book were funny, some were fascinating, and some were just ridiculous (sometimes ridiculously funny). The last few chapters telling what happened later, basically serving as a years long epilogue, were great and tied everything up very satisfyingly. I highly recommend this book to adults who enjoy contemporary fiction.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 91
Pages Read in 2022: 32,392
Graphic Novels: 2

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October 6, 2022 · 12:44 pm

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith

This is not a book that ends with a happily ever after, everything tied up with a bow perfect. It is more real, ending with things going generally well and the hope of something more. The whole thing is an emotional rollercoaster dealing with grief, love, anxiety, and how to move on. The writing is engaging and I had trouble putting it down after a while because I became invested in the characters’ lives. The descriptions of scenery in Alaska are lovely and vivid. I recommend The Unsinkable Greta James to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 88
Pages Read in 2022: 31,080
Graphic Novels: 2

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September 21, 2022 · 12:25 pm

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing is a slow moving book. I generally do not care for books like that, but for this one it totally worked. It just fits the vibe and makes you kind of feel like you’re in the marsh, living a little slower, noticing things happening around you. The character development in this book is phenomenal. Even some of the side characters grow and change. The descriptions of things living in the marsh are incredible and vivid. The ending is both surprising and, when I think about, just what part of me hoped for. Kya learning to read so quickly and being able to comprehend high level textbooks is somewhat questionable as is her ability to so easily communicate with others even though she was so young when her family left her and spends long periods of time all alone. I recommend this book to adults who enjoy contemporary fiction.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 83
Pages Read in 2022: 29,583
Graphic Novels: 2

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August 31, 2022 · 8:58 am

A Limited Run by Karen McQuestion

A Limited Run by Karen McQuestion

I enjoyed A Limited Run so much. Lately there have been so many reunion shows and look back podcasts for old shows. This book takes that idea and goes even further by having the original cast, twenty years older, live in character (including now-adults pretending to be teens) in a recreation of their show’s setting for ten days. They are given limited directions each day, but have no idea what their castmates have been told to do. The characters are well developed and I found that I really cared what happened to them and even felt outrage at the unfairness and gaslighting one went through. I suspected some things before they were revealed, but totally missed others. One character had me totally puzzled by her actions and wanting to know what her motivation was and where her knowledge came from is largely what made the book hard to put down. I very highly recommend this book to people who enjoy those reunions shows and podcasts. It’s a very fun read!

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 78
Pages Read in 2022: 28,229
Graphic Novels: 1

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August 25, 2022 · 8:55 pm

Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valerie

Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valerie

Holly Banks Full of Angst is so over the top farcically funny. Every character is exaggerated but still totally relatable. Everyone around Holly in her new village seems perfect. She tries so hard to fit in but is still a hot mess no matter what she does. The head of the PTA is kind of a bully, and maybe a little crazy, pressuring people into volunteering so they can have a much better school and town then the next town over. I laughed out loud several times while reading it. It’s just such a fun mind vacation. I recommend it to anyone who has ever dealt with “perfect” neighbors or an overbearing PTA.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 77
Pages Read in 2022: 27,870
Graphic Novels: 1

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July 20, 2022 · 1:47 pm

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

Regretting You is an emotional roller coaster that sucks you in and squeezes your heart as the characters deal with grief and betrayal. It is predictable in all the perfectly predictable ways with the ending you hope for the whole time. It reads fast and is hard to put down. It alternates between the points of view of the mom and the teenage daughter which results in very effectively reminding people that communicating with those you love is the most important thing. I highly recommend it to adults who enjoy romances and having their hearts put into a blender.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 72
Pages Read in 2022: 26,084
Graphic Novels: 1

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May 28, 2022 · 7:20 pm

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

If the Shoe Fits is cheesy, funny, and predictable in all the best ways. It’s set on a reality dating show set up like the Bachelor. I’ve never watched a single episode of the Bachelor, but I don’t live under a rock so I know pretty much how they go and the author really portrayed it well (including the complete absurdity and unreality of it all). The body positivity and representation is excellent and works naturally into the story. The end was exactly what I wanted it to be. The only problem I had with the book was a few editing issues that annoyed me (such as calling a flight from New York to Los Angeles transatlantic and misspelling brakes as breaks). It’s just such pleasant brain candy. I recommend it to adults who want a little mind vacation.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 56
Pages Read in 2022: 20,190
Graphic Novels: 1

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May 17, 2022 · 5:49 pm

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

I’m not a huge fan of the writing style of Anxious People. I usually enjoy books that jump around the timeline going into the past and back to the present multiple times, but this one does it without always making sense. It is often very ambiguous which actually is the most amazing thing about the book, but every so often it’s too ambiguous and seems like it is saying something it’s not. I really don’t care for books that go “There are two policemen. One is young and one is old. The old policeman did not want his son to become a policeman. The young policeman is the old policeman’s son.” like this one does. I just don’t like the sentence construction or that method of storytelling. The moral and ending were great. It really makes you think about the ripples we cause by every little action and how we affect others, for good or bad. Above all, this book reminds us that we are all connected and does it very creatively. I’ve concluded, though, that I’m just not a Fredrik Backman fan (this is the second book of his I’ve read and rated three stars). His books are just so-so to me. For people who like his books and writing style, Anxious People is a great choice.

3 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 51
Pages Read in 2022: 18,501
Graphic Novels: 1

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