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The Rom-Commers

by Katherine Center, Review 6 of 2024

Emma, a dedicated rom-com fan and writer, meets her (unlikely) match in the very famous, cynical, and ambitious Charlie when a mutual friend connects the two to patch up Charlie’s terrible attempt at writing romance.

Truthfully, I’m not a huge fan of the normal woman and famous man meet and fall in love trope (and I’ve read several in the last year) so I had lower expectations for “The Rom-Commers” than I should have for how big of a fan I’ve been of Katherine Center’s other books. She always imbues her characters, even the minor ones, with so much warmth and humanity that I don’t know why I was surprised that I came to love every character in this book. 

Would recommend to those interested in an extremely funny, not-spicy, rom-com with heartfelt characters. 

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.

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Morning and Evening

By Jon Fosse, Review 5 of 2024

Morning and Evening is a beautifully translated novella that reflects on life and death through the lens of one man’s birth and final day. The narration of this collection was exceptional and an experience of its own. I’m not sure I would have been able to get through reading this on paper (challenging structure and themes), but I did become fully enthralled while listening. If you’re in the mood for an emotional journey, and have a willingness to explore the nature of life itself, I’d highly recommend this as an audiobook. 

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.

Categories: Short Stories, Fiction, Novella

Content Warning: Death, Pregnancy/Labor

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The Cemetery of Untold Stories

By Julia Alvarez, Review 4 of 2024

The Cemetery of Untold Stories manages to contain a sweeping multigenerational saga, told through multiple points of view, in one fairly compact novel. The jaded, yet almost whimsical, central character, Alma, is an author attempting to “retire” from writing but struggling to silence the unfinished stories overtaking her consciousness. I loved the historical detail, complicated web of characters, and that it left me thinking about legacy, memory, and the obligations and responsibilities of storytellers. Would recommend this to those who liked Yellowface or How to Drown in A Glass of Water.

Bonus: This book made want to learn Spanish again.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.

Categories: Fiction, Magical Realism  

Content Warning: Child death, Murder, Grief, Genocide, Infidelity, Racism, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Dementia, Rape

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Neighbors and Other Stories

Written by Diane Oliver, Review 3, of 2024

Short story collections are chronically underrated, and this collection is no exception. The author, Diane Oliver died in an accident in 1966 at age 22 and the world lost the opportunity to read more of her work. This collection was compiled and released nearly 60 years after her death. The masterfully narrated stories in this collection are understated, impactful, and painfully timely. Two of my personal favorites were “Mint Juleps not Served Here”, “Health Service” and “Frozen Voices” but many others also left a mark. Though Oliver’s stories were written during the Civil Rights Movement and early integration, many of their themes and descriptions are unfortunately still relevant today and hit home as a professional who works in health and human services. 

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Categories: Fiction, Short stories 

Content Warning: Racism, Violence, Infidelity, Colorism, Classism

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Blood

The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation by Jen Gunter

Review 2 of 2024

Experienced OB/GYN, Dr. Jen Gunter provides a comprehensive exploration of all things related to menstruation in Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation. This book is not just a great reference for a variety of health information; it’s also an eye-opening exploration of the medical history of female anatomy. At over 17 hours of audio, this isn’t a casual listen; instead it provides insight into a wide array of topics including hormones, contraception, and medical conditions. Dr. Gunter does an especially good job explaining how treatments, supplements, hormones, and other interventions affect menstruation and how menstruation impacts other bodily functions. I would recommend this to anyone who menstruates and/or would like to understand more about what, how, and why the body does what it does. 

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Categories: Nonfiction, Science, Medical

Content Warning: Infertility, Sexism, Blood, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Racism

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Beautyland

Review 1 of 2024, Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

Beautyland is the story of an alien life sent to earth to learn about humanity. The result is a funny, heartwarming, and complicated narrative about what creates a full life. I have complicated feelings about this book because I LOVED the first 3/4ths of it but struggled with what is implied in the end (trying so hard to avoid spoilers!). As a neurodivergent person, I could really relate to Adina’s observations, especially in childhood and overall I really enjoyed this book. The narration in the audiobook was wonderful and really added to the experience. 

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction, Literary

Content Warning: death of a pet, abuse, bullying, cancer

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Orbital

by Samantha Harvey, Review 18 of 2023

Orbital is a short meditation on the magnificent and mundane aspects of humans in space. Even with the lovely narration, I found myself losing the thread of the story. Each chapter describes an orbit around earth from the vantage of the space station and includes several astronauts’ points of view. The structure was interesting to listen to but hard to follow at times. Would recommend Orbital to those looking for a unique perspective on space, humanity, and climate change.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction, Literary

Content Warning: Death of a Parent

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The Second Chance Year

by Melissa Wiesner, Review 17 of 2023

The Second Chance Year is the ideal rom com for the upcoming holiday break if you’re looking for something light and heartwarming to end the year. We begin the story with Sadie, a down on her luck pastry chef, wishing to re-do her particularly terrible year on New Year’s Eve. Good news for Sadie because, unlike for the rest of us, there’s magic at play. When Sadie uses her unexpected fresh start to attempt to undo all the things she thought went wrong, it goes exactly as you, the reader may already expect. 

Will there be an almost unbearable amount of baking similes? Yes. Will you want to use magic to strangle her sometimes? Also, yes. Was this adorable and cute and simple and nice for those of us coming to the end of a challenging year? Yes! 

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Categories: Romance, Fiction, Humor, Magical Realism

Content Warning: Sexual Assault, Emotional Abuse

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Homeward

by Angela Jackson-Brown, Review 16 of 2023

Homeward is a moving and impactful story about Rose Perkins Bourden, a young woman trying to find herself while living through personal, familial, and societal tragedies during the Civil Rights Era. I expected the story to be more about the civil rights aspect but it ended up being more about the main character’s journey toward understanding what kind of a person she wants to be as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and woman. Rose’s family members were the heart and soul of this story and while I became extremely invested in the story, I almost wished that we could have heard some alternative perspectives on the events. Rose’s parents, siblings, and love interests tended to outshine her. I found myself immersed in the story and would recommend to others interested in what this era in U.S. history looked like for black families. 

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warning: Sexual Assault, Racism, Violence, War, Death (adult and child), Grief

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Every Duke Has His Day

by Suzanne Enoch, Review 15 of 2023

SO CUTE. A seriously adorable regency romance featuring quirky mismatched leads and a fun cast of supporting characters, count me in! If you like your romance spicy, this is not the one for you. If you adore Bridgerton, this is a must read. He’s a stoic and science minded Duke with a distaste for society, she’s the bubbly diamond of the season. When they’re forced to solve a series of dog nappings together, what could possibly go wrong?

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Categories: Regency, Romance, Historical Fiction

Content Warning: Threats of animal cruelty, dognapping