A truly adorable, coming-of-age, interracial love story set at UMD. I absolutely adored these characters and their unlikely love story. Ebony, the author, was such a gem to have on #LotsofBooksClub. We loved learning about her own story that inspired this book and her writing process behind this novel.
my library
Sort and Filter
x close
-
This Could Be Forever
B+ -
The Making of Jackson Parrish
B+The Making of Jackson Parrish
Exactly who I thought early Jackson would be: rash, entitled & completely unwilling to take responsibility for all the death and destruction he caused. Book was great, audio felt like a dramatized version and was a bit hard to get through but the story made so much sense. Can’t wait to read the rest of the prequels!
-
Chaos Theory
B -
Can’t Get Enough
ACan’t Get Enough
Read AlongI am so incredibly sad that this series is over because all three books were a breath of fresh air in the romance book world. I think this book was my favorite in the series and the ending was so endearing and empowering. I can’t wait to read what’s next for Kennedy Ryan!
-
The Ruling Class
A-The Ruling Class
Read AlongIf Scandal was based on high school students. Professional fixer, decade long secrets & a race against the clock for the last 50 pages or so. Somehow, at 350+ pages, this book completely f l e w for me. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
-
Meet Me at the Lake
AMeet Me at the Lake
Read AlongAny book with alternating timelines is an automatic partial win in my book. This was such a sweet read and I love the second-chance romance between Fern and Will. Also loved the second-chance theme in Fern’s friendships once she moved back home. Such a fun summer read!
-
The Fire Next Time
A+The Fire Next Time
Read AlongI am on a personal mission to read every James Baldwin novel, along with a few other classics, before year end. This book is so interesting because there’s a composition of two letters that really lead the charge. Examining the consequences of racial injustice in America is compelling in itself and I can’t imagine him writing this in the 90s – what a thought provoking and prolific writer.
-
French Windows
C+French Windows
Read AlongA solid 3.5! Started strong then got a bit confusing (especially listening) to know which story you were on. The ending definitely had a twist I didn’t see coming.
-
James
B+James
Read AlongPercival Everett is a new to me author and his humor and tact are beyond amazing. The ending was such a breath of fresh air seeing Jim (James) take his, and his family’s life, into their own hands and shape a better future for themselves.
-
Only Because It’s You
COnly Because It’s You
Read AlongAn overall strange book that I had such high hopes for. The fake marriage is a classic romance trope that I tend to love but this book started strange and then ended quite strange. Overall, happy there was an happy ending!
-
Happy Land
A+Happy Land
Read AlongAnother 5/5, wonderful read by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. Admittedly, I am new to learning about heirs’ property, especially here in North Carolina, and this book was a great intro. Of course, a non-fiction novel, but the amount of research and knowledge shared was incredibly informative. Dolen was also a treat to have join our June #LotsofBooksClub conversation to chat about this book and our first read from her in January 2022, Take My Hand.
-
The Ten Worst People in New York
C+The Ten Worst People in New York
Read AlongThis book started strong and pretty hopeful than about 70% through, took a serious nose dive. The entire ending of the brother and sister on the run and who is actually lying and the random escape boat? Very, very confusing and hurt a this book that started strong.
-
Harlem Rhapsody
B+Harlem Rhapsody
Read AlongSuch a fun historical fiction of prominent leaders and writers including the main character, and unsung hero of women writers in the 1920s, Jessie Redmon Fauset. Victoria is also an incredible conversationists and was such a treat to have join #LotsofBooksClub this summer!
-
Razorblade Tears
A+Razorblade Tears
Read AlongAnother 10/10 from S.A. Cosby. Intense, heart-felt and blind with rage – he never misses! His books are quite intense and quite vulgar, at times, but his writing and storytelling are both off the charts (also, our first #LotsofBooksClub pick by S.A. Cosby).
-
Deep End
BDeep End
Read AlongFor as much controversy this book sparked on #BookTok (which I’m not on) and #Bookstagram, you would think this story caused every great tragedy in the past 100 years. However, I kinda loved it. Perfect for a lazy week or a few days on the beach with just enough spice and fun intellectual exploration of STEM careers and goals.
-
We Deserve Monuments
C+We Deserve Monuments
Read AlongY’all, the conversation we had at book club was hilarious! We truly all had different opinions on the multiple storylines and overall story. At the core, we loved the grandmother’s love + grief story and how well the parents celebrated Avery. There is a lot to dissect in this book if you want to open up a can of thinking worms and honestly, we might do that next (in our Facebook group)!
-
Famous Last Words
A-Famous Last Words
Read AlongOkay, when I initially finished this book, I wasn’t sure how I felt. Now that some time has passed, I can confidently say this book was so good. If you loved The Last Thing He Told Me or Big Little Lies, you will love this book! The story took just the right amount of twists and turns and the ending was so satisfying. I also love books within books so that was a really fun side element to discover. Overall, I think this was my favorite read of the month and the one I recommend over everything else!
-
All the Blues in the Sky
AAll the Blues in the Sky
Read AlongAdmittedly, I rarely read children’s books. I will dabble in Young Adult books once in a while but I wanted to listen to something different from a new (to me) author. Friends, when I say I wept – ugh, I wept. I was quickly taken back to my middle school and high school days and all the fun and hard memories of friendships starting and, inevitably, ending. I lost a friend shortly after I graduated high school and had so many of the same thoughts and feelings as Sage. This short book of poems took me through every emotion from grief to happiness to anxiety to sadness and everything in between. A lovely short read that could be great for older children after loss.
-
Killer Potential
B-Killer Potential
Read AlongI feel incredibly lucky to have gotten my hands on a copy of this book so early as it releases in a few weeks and I listened early in February. This book was definitely high energy with a constant cat and mouse game of when/if they will get caught. I didn’t agree with a lot of decisions made, especially at the beginning to run with no information, but the story was entertaining. I loved the redemption arc at the end for Evie and her revisit to “the house”
-
The Favorites
BThe Favorites
Read AlongThis month I read quite a few “hot” books that were talked about everywhere including The Favorites. I wanted to love it but was a bit disappointed by the ending with Kat and Heath not really getting any justice for the “incidents” at their last competition and I absolutely hated the plot twist of Heath having a child. I will say that the love story between Heath and Kat was fun and reminiscent of young love with the emotional ride of growing from one stage of life to the next with a long-term partner. The love story truly stood out for me over the competition / skating story. However, this book did bring back my childhood memories of wanting to be professional ice skater.
-
The Violin Conspiracy
B+The Violin Conspiracy
Read AlongI would say this novel is more of a cozy mystery than a thriller and I loved it. I felt for Ray from the very beginning and was rooting for him every step of the way. I am not in the industry but growing up as a dancer, I could relate to many of the experiences Ray had and racial discrimination he faced as an artist. I learned so much about playing instruments and was reminded of the piano lessons I’ve had on my vision board for the past couple of years. Anyway, the book was such a warm, cozy winter read and although I suspected the culprit early on, many book club members had did not. A debut novel for Brendan and now the start of a three book connected stand-alone series all centered around performing arts and music.